Recipes

Recipe: Summer Vegetable Ragout

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This recipe takes advantage of summers bounty and is an easy and nutritious one pot meal. I actually made this the night I went into labor with our little girl and it was perfectly filling to help sustain me through labor. Serve up with a green salad and some crusty bread.
Serves 4

1 lb whole small new potatoes or large new potatoes quartered, rinsed
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into quarter inch half moons
1 medium summer squash, sliced into quarter inch half moons
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat a large saute pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of water the potatoes and onions. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the zucchini, summer squash, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper, toss together. Return cover, cook 5 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and tomatoes, toss everything together.
Cover and  cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

{Recipe}: Pasta with Tomato & Olive Sauce

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Yesterday I spent my day off from work cleaning and organizing. I felt pretty tired out after my productive day that I wasn’t really up for making much for dinner but I was craving Italian. I wasn’t in the mood to go out for dinner so the Hubz and I picked up a few ingredients and made a quick and easy italian dish at home.

Pasta with Tomato & Olive Sauce 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1-15oz can of whole tomatoes
  • 10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 dashes of umeboshi vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • 4 servings cooked pasta
  • 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast (optional)
Directions:
Place the olive oil and garlic in a cold pan and heat over medium heat until the garlic starts to become aromatic, about 3-5 minutes.  Add in the tomatoes mash to break them up.   Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook for 7 minutes stirring frequently.  Toss with your choice of hot pasta and serve!

Quick, Cheap and Easy Meal

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Today I am doing a Living Healthy on A Budget workshop and in preparation for the workshop I decided to make a quick, cheap and easy meal of chickpea-quinoa salad, tofu and squash with tahini sauce. What I loved about this meal was how easy it came together and how little work it was for me. It is also packed with nutrition and uber tasty.

Chickpea Quinoa Salad 

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
  • Servings: 4 (as en entree); 6-8 (as a side)
  • Cost per serving:~ $1.75 (Entree); ~$0.85-1.16 (side)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup  organic quinoa, rinsed +2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup organic scallions, sliced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 bunch organic fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 cups cooked or canned organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Let stand 5 minutes.
  2. While the quinoa cools combine remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Add quinoa and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Delicata Squash

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes plus oven heating
  • Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
  • Servings: 4 (as a side)
  • Cost per serving: $0.63
Ingredients:
  • 1 medium delicata squash; washed, halved, seeds removed and sliced into half moons
  • salt and pepper, taste

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat an oven to 350F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Place the delicata squash slices on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fork tender.

Baked Tofu

  • Prep Time: 2 minutes plus oven heating
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Servings: 4 (as a side)
  • Cost per serving: $0.55
Ingredients:
  • 1 block extra firm organic tofu, drained and cut into 4 large triangles
  • 2 tablespoons organic shoyu

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat an oven to 350F.
  2. Place the tofu in an 8×8 baking dish, prick with a fork and evenly our over the shoyu.
  3. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes.

Tahini Sauce

  • Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
  • Servings: 4 (as a side)
  • Cost per serving: ~$0.60
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons water, add more water if you would like a thiner consistency
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Place in a blender or food processer and process until smooth.

Total Cost Per Serving: $2.63

(4 complete meals plus 2 extra sides of chickpea-quinoa salad)

Recipe of the Week: Cauliflower & Mustard Green Spring Rolls

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Ingredients

  • 1 bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped small
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 chili, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp canola oil
  • 1-2 tbsp tamari
  • Spring roll wrappers
  • Cooking spray
  • Hoisin, for serving

Directions

In a wok or a large pan on med-high heat the sesame and canola oil until hot; stir in the mustard greens, cauliflower, garlic, chili, cilantro stems and scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to brown.  Season with tamari to taste and continue to cook until the cauliflower begins to soften. Remove from the pan and set aside until room temperature. Then it is time to roll your spring rolls. Place your wraps on a clean surface so that the points are up and down and left and right (should appear as a diamond, not a square). Place the filling onto the rolls. Take the bottom point of your wrap and fold it over top of the filling. Fold the sides in towards the middle and roll the filling towards the top point of the wrapper. To prevent the spring roll from unwrapping when cooking you need to seal the seams. Have a small bowl of water next to your wrapping station;  dip your finger into the mixture and use this as glue to seal the top point of your wrap.  Once you have finished wrapping your spring rolls (you can make any size you want) it is time to cook them.  If you would like you can deep fry until golden brown or you can use the pan fry option.  In a large skillet  over med-high heat (cast iron is recommended) spray the bottom of the skillet with cooking spray and place the spring rolls in the pan seam side down.  Fry for 2-3 minutes per side until they being to get golden brown. Serve with your favorite sauce such as hoisin or sweet chili sauce.

Food Focus: Beans

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Food Focus: Beans

Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying.

(Source)

Lack of sexual energy is often due to overtaxed adrenal glands and kidneys. Beans are known for strengthening these organs (ever noticed the shape of a bean?) and can help restore vital energy as well as sexual energy.

Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight prior to cooking, increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking.

 

Recipe of the Month: Easy Beans and Greens

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 can black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)
  • 1 bunch collard greens (or kale, spinach—your choice)
  • your favorite toppings, such as salsa, avocado or guacamole

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat drained beans. Add your favorite seasonings, if desired.
  2. Fill a separate medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
  3. Wash and chop greens (you can use the stems, too) and add to boiling water.
  4. Cook for 2-3 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Drain off water.
  5. On a plate, arrange a portion of the greens, top with a portion of the beans and finish with toppings of your choice.
© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Check out my posts on Beans, Beans The Magical Fruit… for more information on tips on how to prepare beans.

Here are some of my favorite bean recipes:

 

Soul Food

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Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.

-Rumi

(Check out my Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheeze)

 

Think for a moment of a food from your past, one that makes you feel great after you eat it for no specific reason. Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating comfort foods (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious.

Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother’s cooking or our country of ancestry. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food’s biochemical make-up.

Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. This month when we celebrate lovers and relationships, it’s important to notice that we each have a relationship with food—and that this relationship is often far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we’ve even tasted it.

What would your life be like if you treated food and your body as you would treat your beloved – with gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

 

Food Focus: Quinoa

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Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), is a nutritional powerhouse with ancient origins. It was originally cultivated by the Incas more than 5,000 years ago; they referred to it as the “mother of all grains.” It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a great source of protein for vegetarians. Quinoa is also high in magnesium, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, manganese, riboflavin and zinc.

(source)

While quinoa is widely considered a grain, it’s actually the seed of a plant called Chenopodium or Goosefoot, related to chard and spinach. Quinoa is a gluten-free grain and has a similar effect as other whole grains in helping to stabilize blood sugar.

It has a waxy protective coating called saponin which can leave a bitter taste. For best results, rinse quinoa before you cook it or even soak it for a few hours or overnight. When cooked, it has a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture. Try it in soups, salads, as a breakfast porridge or as its own side dish.

For quinoa, and whole grains in general, the majority of digestion occurs in the mouth through chewing and exposure to saliva. For optimal nutrition and assimilation, it is vital to chew your grains well and with awareness. A great meditation is to find a calm place, without distractions, to sit down for your meal. Make it a habit to chew each bite 20 times or more. See how this simple practice can help your digestion and overall focus for the rest of your day.

 

Recipe of the Month: Quinoa Pilaf

  • Prep Time: 3 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 1/4 cups water or stock
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Rinse quinoa in fine mesh strainer until water runs clear.
  2. Boil the water and add quinoa and salt, cover and reduce heat.
  3. After 15 minutes add cranberries and walnuts to top; do not stir.
  4. Cook 5 minutes more, until all the liquid is absorbed.
  5. Remove from heat, add parsley and fluff with fork, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes and serve.
© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Here are a few of my quinoa recipes for you to try as well: