Kale Waldorf Salad

I found a basic salad recipe while looking through the Whole Foods App on my iPhone, I highly recommend this app, it has great healthy recipes that are easy to prepare. I have made a few changes to the original recipe and find it to be heavenly. The dressing works so well with the Kale as well as on other salads or used as a dip or marinade.

Serves 4-6 people 

Ingredients:

4 cups packed finely chopped raw kale

1 large red apple, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji, chopped, divided
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons craisins, divided

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped, divided

 

For Dressing:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water, more if needed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt 

Directions:

Place kale in a large bowl. Add half the apple to kale along with celery, 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup raisins. Put remaining apple in a blender along with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, remaining 2 tablespoons raisins, mustard, water, vinegar and salt. Purée until well combined and slightly thick, adding water if needed to thin. Pour dressing over kale salad and toss to combine.

*place the salad when dressed in the fridge for 15 minutes once dressed, it allows the kale to soak up the dressing and the leaves fill with flavor. 

Pea and Beet Salad

This unusually warm winter in New York has me eating plenty of salads lately and I decided it was time to think of some new recipes. This one is quickly becoming a favorite! 

Ingredients:

- Arugula

- Sugar Snap Peas

- Pea Shoots

- Cucumber

- Roasted Beets

- Goat Cheese

For dressing:

- EVOO

- Balsamic Vinegar

- Egg Yolk

- Water

Directions:

Well folks, this is a salad, not reinventing the wheel so I will make this short and sweet.

Place arugula in a large bowl, dice up the peas, pea shoots, and cucumber and add to bed of arugula. As for the beets I bought prepared beets at Trader Joes and diced them up and tossed in the salad. You can also roast your own beets it time permits.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle with goat cheese (feta also works well). I also like to sprinkle some roasted flax seeds on top as well for added benefits.

For the dressing add 1 part EVOO,  1 part water, 2 parts vinegar and an egg yolk to a bowl and whisk until it all turns to a balsamic vinaigrette.

 

Toss dressing into salad and serve. 

15 Minute - Healthy Bowl

This high fiber, low sodium, dairy free dish takes just 15 minutes to prepare and you will be wondering why you never made it before. 

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 cup Organic Sprouted Green Lentils
1 bunch kale, stemmed, chopped 

1 bunch mustard greens, stemmed, chopped

1 head broccoli, cut into florets and steamed 

Choice of chicken, salmon, or tofu (optional)
1 avocado, cut into wedges (optional)

1 tbsp EVOO
Low sodium chicken broth
For serving:
Bragg Liquid Aminos 
Bragg Organic Sprinkle Seasoning 
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:

Cook quinoa and lentils separately according to package instructions. (I cook in chicken broth instead of water)

While that is cooking chop up the greens and sprinkle protein with Bragg seasoning. Heat pan with 1tbsp of EVOO add chicken and sautee until cooked and then toss in greens. 

Divide quinoa among four bowls. Top with lentils, kale and mustard greens and your choice of tofu, chicken or salmon, if using. 

Garnish with avocado if you choose. Serve at the table with liquid aminos, seasoning and lemon wedges.

Seaweed Snacks, The Potato Chip of the Sea???

Growing up I was always told to try food, and if I didn't like it I didn't have to eat it again. Well I have not found many things I haven't liked.

I remember being away at sleep-away camp and when other kids would request candy for visiting day I begged my mom to find me sheets of seaweed to snack on. She thought it was an odd request but non the less she found them and I was a happy camper.

 

Well it has been about 12 years since my summers at camp and seaweed still is a top snack in my life. It has also become much more mainstream. While I still go to M2M (Asian market with tons of options and bulk packs) you can find Seaweed snacks at Trader Joe's nationwide and even at bodega's around the city.

I was an avid roasted seaweed eater but now with other oil options as well as wasabi flavor this healthy snack has come a long way. Go pick some up and try it out for yourself.

Butternut Squash Soup

With Fall in full swing it is important to take advantage of both the fruits and vegetables the season has to offer. Fall is all about grounding foods and what is more grounding then a Butternut Squash?

Butternut Squash Soup

- Total Prep time 25 minutes - Total Cook time 45 minutes - Serves 4 (large bowls) 

Ingredients:

 - 2 tablespoons butter

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

-  2 3/4 pounds small butternut squash, prepared and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

- Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and squash; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Stir in 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until squash is tender, 20 minutes.

 3. Puree soup in two batches.

*Note - When blending hot foods, allow the heat to escape to prevent splattering. Remove the cap from the hole of the blender's lid, and cover with a dish towel.*

 

3. Stir in juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Serve hot,

Optional to top with sour cream, pepper, and pumpkin seeds, if desired, or try some Greek yogurt to maintain this healthy meal.

Kick it Up a Notch - Heirloom Stew

After making a batch of Heirloom Tomato Soup I decided to use some and turn it into a hearty dinner filled with veggies and quinoa. 

While at the Union Square Farmer's Market picking up tomatoes I decided to purchase a few other items; penny zucchini and fairytale eggplant. I have often used penny zucchini in dishes as they cut into a perfect small shape, but I had never seen these fabulous looking eggplant so it was a must purchase for me, I mean look at them, how could you not pick some up?

 

For those of you wanting more information on Fairytale Eggplant, they are picked very young and have the most mild, creamy and absolutely delicious flavor, simply cut them in half and roast or pan sear. 

I decided to slice up the sorted zucchini into, you guessed it penny size slices and went ahead and did the same with the eggplant.

Next I pan seared until they were cooked and softer in texture. While the vegetables were cooking I had another pot on the stove with quinoa. 

 

I decided to cook the quinoa in sme of the tomato soup so it would take on that flavor instead of using water which may have watered down the dish a bit and I was looking for plenty of flavor. Once the quinoa and vegetables where finished i placed in a bowl for a healthy filling lunch.

For those of you looking to add more protein try a fried egg on top, and for those less adventurous how about some chicken.

Benefits of Juicing

After learning more about a raw food diet I decided to step up my "juicing game" I decided to challenge myself to a 4 day juice cleanse, and I was shocked at how I felt. Prior to the "cleanse" I thought I would be spend the 4 days tired and miserable but it was just the opposite, I was filled with energy and never had a moment of bitterness or anger towards the cleanse. I did not go into this cleanse looking to loose weight, I wanted to challenge myself to see what my body can handle. I also thought it would be good to treat some pain and swelling I was having in my jaw. For those of you unaware I had reconstructive jaw surgery and was suffering from a major flare up. 

I decided to look into the benefits of fruits and vegetables and go from there. Here is a list of some of my findings:

Apple - increases elimination

Beet - encourages a healthy cardiovascular function, possesses strong detoxifying properties

Carrot - liver cleanser

Cucumber - purifies the blood and cleans the intestines

Ginger - known as a natural healer for the entire body, reduces inflammation, aids digestion

Grapefruit - improves liver function, high in antioxidants

Lemon - liver cleanser

Pear - high in vitamin c and copper, potent anti-inflammatory 

Pineapple - reduces inflimation

Spinach - provides support to both liver and kidney function, reduces fatigue, heals the digestive tract, high in antioxidants

When juicing it is important to use Organic fruits and vegetables in order to steer clear of pesticides.

Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

Hint of Greens - Pear, Cucumber, Pineapple, Ginger

Tons of Greens - Spinach, Cucumber, Apple, Parsley, Ginger, Lemon

BApples - Beet, Apple, Pineapple

aLive - Carrot, Apple, Ginger
Gingade - Grapefruit, Ginger

When making juice don't be afraid to try out different combination's, you will be surprised how great fruit and vegetables blend together to create unique flavors. 

Farmer's Market Breakfast

After my trip to the Farmer's Market this morning I decided to make myself a healthy breakfast to kickstart the day.

I decided to have:
Green Juice (Kale, Celery, Apples, Cucumbers, Lemons, Ginger) 
1 slice of Organic 9 Grain Bread from Bread Alone 
2 eggs (1 whole, 1 white)
Handful of kale 
Handful cherry tomatoes

This breakfast was simple and easy, made my green juice and tossed the remaining ingredients into a pan until the eggs were cooked and and the tomatoes and kale wilted. Once cooked I placed it on top of the 9 grain bread.

Farmer's Market - Part V

It has been a busy August but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been filled with all sorts of fruits, vegetables and healthy whole grains.

This morning I headed out to the farmer’s market to get all of the ingredients to kick start the week. While I picked up some of my usual items to make Green Juice (Kale, Celery, Apples, Cucumbers, Lemons, Ginger) as well as some heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn and summer squash.

Some new ingredients that I picked up don’t need much to taste great. Each can be tossed in a pan with a little olive oil and topped with sea salt. I enjoy trying new vegetables and exploring what is offered seasonally. Here are 3 vegetables with substantial health benefits.

Okra – Containing both vitamins A and C, Okra is also a good source of iron and calcium. It also contains starch, fat, ash, thiamine and riboflavin. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize the blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract, it is also excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). Okra is also said to be good for asthma, preventing diabetes, constipation and so much more.

 

Shishito Peppers - These peppers are sweet, mild, slender Japanese chiles about 2-4 inches long and about one-half inch wide. The bumpy skin matures from light lime green to dark, wrinkled red.  The chiles are harvested before they ripen to red and should be consumed while still green. Shishito Peppers are completely edible, including the seeds. 

 

Long Beans - Green Beans also known as string beans are one of the only few varieties of beans that are eaten fresh. Chinese long beans measure 12-14 inches in length and are prepared the same as regular green beans. Green Beans offer cardiovascular protection can help lower high blood pressure, help prevent weakening of the bone, help promote a healthy colon and much more.

Be sure to check out past Farmer’s Market finds.

Past Entries:

Farmers Market Part I / Farmers Market Part II / Farmers Market Part III / Farmer’s Market Part IV

Adventures from Agata & Valentina

While out and about on the Upper East Side this week I decided to drop into Agata & Valentina to see what fun foods they had prepared.

I decided to drop by the Appetizing and Smoked Fish counter where I found some great looking cooked octopus as well as mussels in a spicy tomato sauce.

While both of these items tasted fantastic alone. I decided to turn them both into two separate meals of both a salad and “pasta”.

Octopus Salad

Ingredients:

Pre-cooked octopus

½ avocado

½ cup of watermelon

½ cup of cherry tomatoes – halved

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

A simple summer salad that tastes great. Can’t get pre-cooked octopus? Try to make some on your own, or substitute for salmon or another fish of your liking. Also great as a light snack without fish.

Zucchini and Spicy Mussel "Pasta"

Ingredients:

Pre-cooked mussels

1 large zucchini

1 tbsp EVOO

Julienne zucchini and add to pan with EVOO. Sauté zucchini until soft and add in mussels until heated. Once warm place in bowl and serve.

Zucchini is an easy vegetable to turn into “pasta” and can be paired with any protein you may like. Have fun experimenting and getting to know your taste buds.