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Spaghetti with Chunky Tomato & Chickpea Sauce

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6:18 PM 6:18 PM

With some simple ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, you’ve got yourself a whole new pasta sauce! Thank you to the April 2010 issue of the Vegetarian Times for this new recipe! You may ask yourself why this pasta sauce is new. Well, one of the key ingredients is chickpeas. Interesting, right? I typically use these suckers in salads and hummus and putting in a sauce would never have occurred to me. I guess I’m not as creative in the kitchen as I thought. Hmm.

I don’t know that a lot of people typically incorporate these beans in their recipes, but I love them! You’ll be surprised by their nutty flavor and smooth texture—these little guys are a great addition to a tomato sauce. Also, with 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber (per one cup serving), they are really good for you! (This recipe serves 8.)

New Sauce
8 oz. (2 cups) sliced white or cremini mushrooms
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 large leek, white part cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic or more, minced (1 Tablespoon)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes (try to buy a can with no added salt)
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 15 oz. can, rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup red wine
8 cups baby spinach leaves (you can get away with about 6 or less if you don’t love spinach)
8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (1/2 of a 1 pound package)

Place mushrooms, bell pepper, and leek in bowl of food processor. Pulse until ingredients are coarsely chopped. You can also just chop up the ingredients on a cutting board.

Heat oil in large saucepan or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add mushroom mixture and garlic, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables are softened and most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes, and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, and wine, and season with sea salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach, and cook 3-5 minutes more, or until spinach has wilted.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Portion pasta into bowls and serve with sauce on top. You can also add about a half tablespoon of fresh parmesan to the top for flavor and presentation.

Rocket Salad with Balsamic & Agave Tofu (or Chicken)

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12:14 PM 12:14 PM

If you’re looking to find a great dinner salad or just a new recipe to try, this is the one! I start out with a bed of rocket (arugula) and top it with a combination of vegetables, avocado and nuts. You don’t have to follow my toppings exactly, just use your favorite ingredients and every time the salad will get that much more exciting. Yes, a salad can be exciting (in my weird world) and I change it up each time by adding a new topping or trying a new dressing! I do, however, highly suggest using arugula, because the salad will not be the same without that key ingredient – if you must substitute, go with spinach.

In less than 30 minutes, this flavor-filled dinner will not disappoint even the most discerning palates…even the saladphobes. I use tofu for this recipe, but I made chicken for my poultry-eating roommate and she loved it! Rocket is one of my favorite salad greens; not just because it’s low in calories (just two calories per half cup serving) and high in vitamins A and C, but because of its strong, delicious flavor, compared to romaine, for example. This recipe serves two.

img01019-20100524-1944
Marinade
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes or 2, 4- to 6-ounce servings of chicken breasts
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/2 – 1 T agave nectar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic smashed
A Pinch of fresh or dried Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, and Marjoram. (Feel free to use any of your favorite herbs or leave them out completely if you wish)

Salad
1 bag wild arugula salad
1/4 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced (in halves) grape or cherry tomatoes
Sliced red onions or scallions to taste
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/8 cup pine nuts
1/2 avocado cut into slices
2 servings of goat cheese (see package for serving size)

Salad Dressing
3 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T agave (or honey)
t sea salt

Directions
Mix marinade in a shallow bowl or small tupperware and add tofu. Let sit for about an hour. In a medium-sized skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add tofu (with marinade) and sauté for about 10 minutes or to your liking. While the tofu is cooking, mix the olive oil, agave and sea salt in a small bowl. Put salad ingredients into a large bowl (leaving out the avocado and goat cheese), and toss. Put salad on two plates and add avocado, goat cheese and tofu to the top. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste and you’ve got yourself a gourmet salad!

Thailand / Spring Cleaning Detox

posted in: Core Recipe, Detox, Recipes & Eats (Tags: , ) - No Comments

11:07 AM 11:07 AM

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Three words: food, beer and food. Or maybe that’s two. Anyway, after a vacation in Thailand with two of my favorite people (Jodi and Mike), I decided that my body needed a rest.

I have done cleanses in the past, but this time I actually really enjoyed it. And Jodi joined me, so we cooked the meals together and shared the joys and pain of it all. It’s always nice to have a partner, whether it’s someone to work out with, go on a run with, or, to eat with. ☺ Having her on my side made it much easier to reach my goal: finishing the cleanse.

Why, you may ask, do I do these silly cleanses? The simple answer is: to give my body a rest from all the toxins (caffeine, alcohol, processed foods and hard to digest foods). Your digestive system, especially your liver (the body’s main detoxifier), works hard to rid your body of toxins, so every once in a while, it needs a little vacation, too! In preparation for your cleanse, try to eat fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats/cold water fish, grains, and fiber to prepare your body.

Some people experience headaches, nausea and fatigue with a detox-type diet, but I felt so energized this time…and I still feel good! My goal was accomplished!! I usually end my cleanse with somewhat unhealthy options, but after the three days, I continued eating detox-friendly foods (see after cleanse meal below)! Also, remember to give your body some exercise, but not TOO much – keep it simple with some yoga or low impact cardio just to get the body moving.

The last cleanse I did was a juice cleanse, but I wanted to eat some food so I went to back to my favorite, which was shown to me by my acupuncturist in NYC, Laura Kauffmann. If you go to her website, click on newsletter and then inner body cleanse – this will show you how to structure your cleanse, but I added and changed a couple things. She also has some great products (She Beauty) to use while cleansing; my favorite is the She Washing Grains – try them out!

During the cleanse, remember to:
Eat plenty of veggies
Drink lots of filtered water and herbal tea
Steer clear of caffeine, alcohol, soda, red meat, sugar, flour, processed and refined foods, and anything artificial
Move your body!
Exfoliate daily
Sweat it out in a sauna or steam room

Some people take part in the Master Cleanse, but drinking just lemon water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup doesn’t seem healthy to me, so I will probably never take part in that one. Because people swear by this cleanse, I decided to incorporate it into mine: for a pre-breakfast drink to wake up my system. You know what, that drink is really good, but after 10 (or even one day) days of just that? No, thank you.

Day 1
Pre-breakfast: Master Cleanse drink: 10oz of water with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pinch of cayenne and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (grade B)
Breakfast: steel cut oats with soy milk, cinnamon and agave
Snack: strawberries and pineapple chucks
Lunch: rice with zucchini and broccoli, topped with soy sauce, garlic and fresh scallions and tofu
Snack: herbal tea and more strawberries and pineapple
Dinner: rice with zucchini and broccoli, topped with soy sauce, garlic and fresh scallions and tofu

Day 2
Pre-breakfast: Master Cleanse drink
Breakfast: steel cut oats with soy milk, cinnamon and agave
Snack: one orange
Lunch: brown rice with asparagus, garlic and onion, topped with fresh scallions
Snack: strawberries and pineapple chunks
Dinner: quinoa with kale and onion and steamed turnip with garlic

Day 3
Pre-breakfast: Master Cleanse drink with psyllium husk (natural fiber powder)
Breakfast: quinoa with soy milk, cinnamon and agave
Snack: strawberries and pineapple chunks
Lunch: brown rice with zucchini, garlic and onion with a small piece of salmon
Snack: apple
Dinner: quinoa with kale and onion and steamed turnip with garlic with a 3oz piece of salmon

Day 4 (no longer on the cleanse!)
Breakfast: regular oatmeal with soy milk, cinnamon and agave and a cup of green tea
Snack: green juice from Trader Joes (celery, spinach, parsley, cucumber, kale, and romaine)
Lunch: brown rice with soy, salmon and avocado, with a fresh carrot juice
Snack: prunes and pear sauce (like apple sauce)
Dinner: sashimi, edamame and vegetable roll

Warm Chicken Salad with Dijon Dressing

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4:09 PM 4:09 PM

If you don’t have a go-to dinner salad, I highly suggest you bring this one into your rotation – it’s such a hit! My friend introduced me to this about three months ago, and it’s now known as “our salad” because it’s just so dang delish! If you are cooking dinner for your significant other or friends, this salad is quick, easy and satisfying.

As per the name, the main ingredient here is chicken, but if you don’t eat meat you can always substitute another protein, e.g., salmon or beans. Whichever protein you use or other ingredients you add, I promise, you will love it – it’s all about the dressing! Yummy.

spinachIngredients (4 servings)
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders (make sure to purchase free range!)
2 T balsamic vinegar, enough to just coat the breast slices
3 T extra-virgin olive oil, or just eyeball it
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
2 T 4 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped

Salad
2 bags fresh spinach or arugula leaves
8 white mushrooms, sliced to your liking
8 cherry tomatoes
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 small avocado, sliced thinly
2 T goat cheese

Dressing
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount, plus 1 tablespoon
1 large shallot, minced
3 rounded spoonfuls Dijon mustard
3 T balsamic vinegar

Coat chicken with balsamic, oil, seasoning and rosemary and set aside.

Put greens in a large salad bowl. Top with mushrooms, tomatoes, and scallions. Season the salad with salt and pepper. Then lightly coat saucepan with one tablespoon olive oil and sauté your minced shallots on medium low for three minutes. Remove oil and shallots from heat.

In a small bowl, combine mustard and balsamic vinegar. Stream in 2/3 cup oil slowly while whisking the dressing to emulsify it. Add warm shallots to the dressing and mix together.

Go to your salad bowl and add avocado and goat cheese. Toss together with the dressing to coat the ingredients evenly.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken, four minutes on each side, in a single layer. Once cooked, slice breasts at an angle on your cutting board. Pile salad on to dinner plates. Top each salad with two sliced chicken tender pieces.

Healthy Chocolate Pudding

posted in: Core Recipe, Recipes & Eats - 1 Comment

3:36 PM 3:36 PM

veganchoc

Not only is this pudding healthy and delicious, it takes less than 10 minutes to make! I know the main ingredient sounds a bit odd, but after reading reviews on different blogs of children who love this recipe, I knew I had to give it a go.

Ingredients
1 medium-sized, ripe avocado (pitted and peeled)
3 heaping T of raw cocoa powder (use normal cocoa powder if can’t find raw)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 t sea salt
2 t alcohol-free vanilla extract (I found this at Trader Joe’s)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 cup water (I probably used about a cup, but blend it first before adding more)
Berries (blueberries and strawberries are my favorites!)

Put all of the ingredients into a blender until the pudding is really creamy. Use a spatula to get the little avocado pieces mixed in and add water as needed. Once the pudding has reached the desired creaminess, put some berries on top, and it’s ready to eat! I put my pudding in four serving dishes and froze it (about 4 hours) for a gelato-like consistency. Then I added blueberries, cocoa powder and coconut! It was a huge hit!

http://beautiful-vegan.blogspot.com/

http://beautiful-vegan.blogspot.com/

Pasta di Farro

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1:50 PM 1:50 PM

For all of the pasta lovers out there, this quick and easy homemade pasta dish with farro (see About Farro below) is a healthy alternative to regular pasta. I learned about farro through my friend Alexi, who spent a couple years in Italy. Don’t mind the spoon in the photo below, there were no forks in my office. ;)

 

pasta1Ingredients
½ container of farro spaghetti (about 4oz)
3 T olive oil
6 garlic cloves chopped (garlic lovers: add more)
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 large on-the-vine tomatoes (or tomato of your choice), chopped
1 t sea salt
Fresh black pepper (to taste)
Red pepper flakes
1 T fresh basil or ½ T dried
Fresh parmesan

Instructions
Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add farro and cook according to instructions on package, about 6-8 minutes. While pasta is boiling, in a small saucepan, on low to medium heat, warm the olive oil (about 30 seconds) and add chopped garlic and onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until garlic is browned and add the tomatoes and sea salt. Stir. Sprinkle the black pepper, red pepper and basil and bring mixture to a boil. Cook on low to  medium heat for about 20 minutes or until sauce is to your desired thickness. Stir every couple of minutes to mix the flavors around. Serves 2-4, depending on your appetite. :)

About Farro
Farro is an ancestor of modern wheat that closely resembles spelt, which has been grown throughout Europe for centuries. With the increasing interest in healthy and organic foods in the US, farro is starting to show up in more and more restaurants and grocery stores – I buy mine at a local Italian shop near my apartment: Rafetto’s.

Farro is an unhybridized form of wheat that closely resembles spelt, but has a hearty and nutty flavor that last throughout the next day’s leftovers. A great alternative for people who are sensitive to hybridized wheat, the type of gluten in farro is easily digested.

What is Spaghetti?
“A long, thin form of pasta. Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning thin string or twine. The word spaghetti can be literally translated as little strings.“ – cubemarketplace.com

Ending the Cleanse

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11:21 AM 11:21 AM

Well, folks, I only made it to day 3 (*sigh*). I broke the cleanse at 8:30pm on day 4. I woke up that day feeling very, well, off and I was constantly thinking of food and what I could eat that wouldn’t be detrimental to my cleansing…or what could be. After work, while sipping on my last juice (water, lemon, cayenne and agave), I decided to bite the bullet and eat something. Now, I made the smart choice by choosing a salad with kale, celery, avocado, tomato and cauliflower topped with some amino acids accompanied by mashed avocado with sea salt and lemon. I was proud of myself.

Day 4 was a Thursday, and it just happened to be my friend’s birthday party at Chinatown Brasserie…oh the torture of being at one of the yummiest Chinese (Americanized) restaurants in NYC, albeit the party was downstairs away from the food. All was fine and dandy at first, but there weren’t very many people at the party yet, so my roommate (also doing the cleanse), a friend of mine, and I made the rash decision to go and eat. My roommate was instrumental in this decision, but she didn’t have to twist my arm too hard. Note: Do not end a cleanse with heavy or fried food, meat or dairy or your innards will be mad. I followed one of these rules: no dairy.

Break the Cleanse Meal:
Turnip Cake
Soup Dumplings with Pork & Crab
Chanterelle and Red Bean Dumplings
Red Steamed Tofu with Mushrooms

Turnip Cake

Turnip Cake

After the meal, my tummy had mixed feelings; it was full, yet grumpy due to overload. I went home with a headache and bloated stomach, so that I could “sleep it off.” In the morning, I had two of the juices before lunch, but continued eating normal and healthy items for the remainder of my meals; that day, and all days following.

While doing this 5-day version (I mean, 4), I pondered why it was that I was doing this cleanse. The initial decision was based on the premise behind any cleanse: giving your body a rest. I did feel better and lost 3 pounds, but eating in moderation from this point forth will do me just fine. The bottom line is that I really, really, really, really love food. Food is what gives me brain power to function and the energy to workout.

My advce: If you are ever in a situation that makes you question the decision to be in that situation, get out. For me, that was eating a yummerific meal. Happy eating!

Thou Shalt Eat

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2:09 PM 2:09 PM

oatmeal-blueberry

I feel that breakfast is one of the most difficult meals of the day to accomplish. Maybe it’s due to lack of time to shop for breakfast foods; you’re in a  hurry or maybe you ate too much yesterday, but for me, if I don’t eat breakfast, come noon and I’m starved and ready to eat anything in sight. This is no good, my friends. Research shows that eating breakfast will help you to lose weight and will stimulate your metabolism – if you starve yourself, your body will then reserve that energy (slowing the metabolism), which can lead to weight gain.

Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that take place in the body’s cells. Basically, your metabolism converts the food you eat into the energy needed to carry out day-to-day activities, from moving to thinking to growing. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy having high energy and a clear mind for my workouts! :-)

A healthy breakfast helps to boost your metabolism, reduces cravings, while providing your body with energy – more energy means burning more calories. If you have no energy, let’s face it, your daily activities will move slower and you will burn fewer calories. Even if you ate the largest feast of your life last night, you still need to power up in am hours.

Some of my breakfast choices have come from trial and error. I understand that every person is different and you may disagree with picks, so just let your body tell you what feels good. If you are ravenous an hour after breakfast, this is one sign that you may need to rethink the meal or add more protein, which will keep you feeling fuller longer. I have listed 4 of my go-to choices – try them out and let me know how they work for you! Also, if you have some ideas for me to try, I’m all ears. Eat up!

Tip: If you’re in a hurry, stop by your local bodega (or grocery store) and grab a Fage Total Greek yogurt (120 calories, 9 grams of carbs) or if available, oatmeal (make sure it’s unsweetened) with fresh fruits.

go-lean-crunch1
1. Kashi Cereal: Heart to Heart or GOLEAN
1 cup of cereal with your choice of milk (I like Silk Soy Milk, plain)
Sometimes I include half a banana
(I usually bring a box of cereal and carton of milk to work on Monday and I am all set for 5 days of breakfast.)

2. Egg whites with cheese on whole wheat
2-3 egg whites
1 T feta or goat cheese
Handful of fresh spinach leaves
1 piece whole wheat toast or a mini whole wheat pita

Scramble 2-3 egg whites in a bowl with some pepper or other spices to taste; spray pan lightly with olive oil cooking spray, sauté the spinach for 1-2 min or until almost wilted; pour in eggs and cook on medium heat until the eggs are almost cooked (2-3 min.); sprinkle the cheese on top and cook for about 1 more minute; then stick inside the pita or on the toast. (This may sound like a lot of time and effort for the morning, but you can even put the meal into some aluminum foil and take it to go…I promise, it’s worth it.)

3. Green Smoothie
Either use my at-home recipe or go to your local juice place and try a new variety – one of my favorite combos is apple, carrot, beet and ginger.

kamut
4. Kamut* Flakes with Blueberries
1/2 cup Kamut flakes
1 cup water
Agave (drizzle to taste)
Cinnamon (sprinkle on top)
1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Optional: Almonds (try adding some of these for added protein)

Bring water to a boil and add the Kamut; boil for 3 minutes until all water is dissolved; pour into bowl with blueberries. Add agave and cinnamon to the top and mix ingredients.

*A rare non-hybrid grain offering the highest protein of any wheat; 100 percent whole grain.

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 3

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2:03 PM 2:03 PM

After going to bed after midnight on Friday night, I ended up waking up on Saturday at around 11am and I was STARVING! I had an acupuncture facial at 12:30, so I gulped down my first juice and brought my second one for the road. It was 82 degrees out, so I decided to ride my bike from West Houston to East 56th Street — about 5 miles round trip! The last real workout I had was on Thursday, the first morning of the cleanse, so when I was going up the slight hill in Midtown, it was a bit hard on the legs. After my facial, which was amazing (post to come), I was feeling a bit fatigued, but still had good energy! I have to admit that I’m a little sore from the ride. :P

green-juiceBecause it was so nice outside, I was out and about all day, thus, not consuming enough water. At around 7pm, I went with a friend to Carerra, one of my favorite wine bars, and tortured myself while she indulged in some vino. As I was sitting there, I started to get really light headed and realized that I needed my last juice and lots of water. I rushed home to get my juice and then I went with her to Pepe Rosso, where I then watched her eat a delicious looking pasta dish. What was I thinking?! I guess it was a good test for me.

After dinner I had some tea with peppermint to calm down my body and then I went to bed early to finish off the cleanse. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the Blueprint Cleanse and I would recommend the 3-day cleanse to anyone who wants to give their digestive system a rest. Next time, I’m gonna go for the 5-day. Right now, I’m enjoying my first real meal: oatmeal.

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 2

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3:43 AM 3:43 AM

Today was much less painful than I had anticipated and the juices gave me lots of energy — I think tomorrow is going to be a breeze. The only hard part of this cleanse is that NYC is finally warm (82 degrees tomorrow), so the whole not eating/drinking thing is going to be a challenge for me with such fine conditions.

The same as yesterday, my meals today consisted of 6 juices: Pineapple / Apple / Mint, Green Juice, Spicy lemonade, Green Juice, and Cashew Nut Milk. Yesterday I wasn’t so much a fan of the last juice, but today I found it to be quite nice and filling. Compared with the usual detox I do (grains, fruits, & veggies), this cleanse has been great — I’m just hoping that tomorrow doesn’t surprise me with intense hunger…until then, I remain a happy juicer. Thank you, Blueprint!