I posted an earlier version of white bean dip, but I this one is my current favorite.
I love bean dips in the summer when it's hot outside. They are quick to make, healthy, and require very little clean up.
1 can cannellini beans (or similar)
1 clove garlic
tahini
water
sea salt
Crystal hot sauce
lemon juice (optional)
Drain & rinse your beans, then throw them in the blender or VitaMix. Throw in the peeled garlic clove, and add a few pinches of salt. Now get 2 heaping tablespoons of tahini and add those. Add a few glugs of hot sauce, and about 1/4 cup of water. Turn on the blender, and add more water as needed to loosen up the mixure and get it to a "dip" consistancy. Stores in the fridge for a week, and you can serve it with pita, pretzels, rice crackers, etc.
PS--Of course you could use some other brand of hot sauce if you like. In my opinion, there is no brand finer than the blue and white labeled Louisiana Crystal Hot Sauce. It's not too hot, and it tastes great on everything.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Grated Zucchini and Summer Squash Salad
This salad is so easy--it's perfect for a super hot summer day when you don't want to cook. It's also a great way to use up the cheap squash found at the farmers markets right now.
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow summer squash
1/2 or 1 whole lemon
sea salt
Grate the zucchini and summer squash, then throw them both in a ziploc bag. Sprinkle lightly with a bit of sea salt. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon over them, adding up to 1 whole lemon if you are a big lemon fan. Zzzzzzzzzzip up the bag, shake (to coat with the lemon juice), and throw it in the fridge. I think you need to leave it in there for at least 30 minutes. I usually make this in the AM before work and put it in my lunch box, so it sits for about 3 hours.
The acidic juice of the lemon starts to "cook" the squashes, which makes them tendor. Toss just before serving.
PS--you could add some crumbled feta or a dash of rice vinegar to this before serving if you like. Sometimes I even rip up a bit of basil over it too.
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow summer squash
1/2 or 1 whole lemon
sea salt
Grate the zucchini and summer squash, then throw them both in a ziploc bag. Sprinkle lightly with a bit of sea salt. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon over them, adding up to 1 whole lemon if you are a big lemon fan. Zzzzzzzzzzip up the bag, shake (to coat with the lemon juice), and throw it in the fridge. I think you need to leave it in there for at least 30 minutes. I usually make this in the AM before work and put it in my lunch box, so it sits for about 3 hours.
The acidic juice of the lemon starts to "cook" the squashes, which makes them tendor. Toss just before serving.
PS--you could add some crumbled feta or a dash of rice vinegar to this before serving if you like. Sometimes I even rip up a bit of basil over it too.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Easy and Yummy Chocolate Cake
It's too expensive to buy a cake for the kids' birthday parties! After several cake-recipe disasters over the past year, I have finally found a great recipe that is delicious. I got this easy cake recipe off of cocoaweb.net
Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 pinches salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup soy milk + more for thinning batter
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs (or Ener-G egg replacer)
Mix the 1st 5 ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add the rest as you are mixing. If batter is too thick, keep adding more milk (while you are mixing) till the batter is thinner, but not runny.
Bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes
This recipe makes 1, 8-9" layer. Double as needed.
I do NOT like the frosting recipe on the cocoaweb.net website, so I asked a woman I work with if she had a good vegan recipe. Turns out she did, and here it is:
Debbie's Chocolate Frosting:
1 lb powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup soy/almond/etc milk (+ more to thin out)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup earth balance or the equivalent softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (adjust for lighter/darker frosting and flavor)
Mix everthing together with a mixer. Loosen up by adding more milk till you get a spreadable consistancy.
Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 pinches salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup soy milk + more for thinning batter
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs (or Ener-G egg replacer)
Mix the 1st 5 ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add the rest as you are mixing. If batter is too thick, keep adding more milk (while you are mixing) till the batter is thinner, but not runny.
Bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes
This recipe makes 1, 8-9" layer. Double as needed.
I do NOT like the frosting recipe on the cocoaweb.net website, so I asked a woman I work with if she had a good vegan recipe. Turns out she did, and here it is:
Debbie's Chocolate Frosting:
1 lb powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup soy/almond/etc milk (+ more to thin out)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup earth balance or the equivalent softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (adjust for lighter/darker frosting and flavor)
Mix everthing together with a mixer. Loosen up by adding more milk till you get a spreadable consistancy.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Pumpkin Muffins!!!
My daughter LOVES these pumpkin muffins. I usually make a batch and freeze 1/2 of the batter in a zip lock bag. When you thaw it, just cut a corner off the bag, and squeeze directly into your muffin pans--kinda like a pastry bag. Very simple, no clean up.
2 c. canned pumpkin (or 1, 15 oz can)
2/3 c. water
2/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
3 c. whole wheat flour (pastry flour is best)
2 c. maple syrup OR 2 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Oven preheated to 350*
Spray 24 muffin cups w/ nonstick spray, or line the muffin tins with paper liners (sprayed with nonstick spray).
Mix together your pumpkin, water, applesauce, and vanilla at high speed. I just throw mine in the blender. Stir in maple syrup. If you are using sugar, do NOT add here.
Mix all your dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in your pumpkin mixture at low speed or with a large spoon. The secret to muffins is that you do not want to overmix your batter. Just mix until all ingredients are combined.
Throw the mixture into your muffin tins. You can sprinkle the tops with sugar, cinnamon, or add a few chocolate chips.
Bake 32-35 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into center muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 min, then flip over and pop 'em out. Make sure you cool completely before storing in a ziplock bag, or else they will get a bit over-soft.
You can store fully cooked muffins in the freezer if you wrap each one in plastic wrap, and then put them in a ziplock.
2 c. canned pumpkin (or 1, 15 oz can)
2/3 c. water
2/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
3 c. whole wheat flour (pastry flour is best)
2 c. maple syrup OR 2 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Oven preheated to 350*
Spray 24 muffin cups w/ nonstick spray, or line the muffin tins with paper liners (sprayed with nonstick spray).
Mix together your pumpkin, water, applesauce, and vanilla at high speed. I just throw mine in the blender. Stir in maple syrup. If you are using sugar, do NOT add here.
Mix all your dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in your pumpkin mixture at low speed or with a large spoon. The secret to muffins is that you do not want to overmix your batter. Just mix until all ingredients are combined.
Throw the mixture into your muffin tins. You can sprinkle the tops with sugar, cinnamon, or add a few chocolate chips.
Bake 32-35 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into center muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 min, then flip over and pop 'em out. Make sure you cool completely before storing in a ziplock bag, or else they will get a bit over-soft.
You can store fully cooked muffins in the freezer if you wrap each one in plastic wrap, and then put them in a ziplock.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Smoothies and Green Drinks
That's right, I said "Green Drinks."
I'm hooked on green drinks! Ever since I got my Vita Mix blender, I just can't stop making them. I am now up to 2 a day, which equals over 1 pound of raw leafy greens + 1 pound of fruit. Leafy greens are the most nutritious foods in the world. But I won't get into that, you can read all about it here or even better, here. I make a green drink for breakfast, and one about an hour before dinner.
After many many mistakes, I have come up with a couple of yummy, basic green smoothie recipes. Many of the ones I find online are (in my opinion) too sweet, or have too many things added to them (also adding in the calorie count). I want to keep it simple, so here are my top recipes:
2 cups water + 2 romaine hearts (or 1 head) + 1 apple (cored and sliced) + 1 lb frozen pineapple
2 cups water + 2 romaine hearts (or 1 head) + 1 lb frozen mango
1 cup soymilk + 1 cup water + 10 oz baby spinach (one Ready Pac bag) + 1 banana + 1 lb frozen blueberries
1 cup soymilk + 1 cup water + 6 oz greens (I mix 2 of the following: kale, mustard, turnip, & beet) + 1 banana + 1 lb frozen strawberres + 1 pitted date
Put in the blender in the order given above. I usually put my liquid and greens in first, blend, then add my frozen fruit slowly. The above recipes are enough to fill 2 big glasses (about 16 oz each).
I chose the above greens because they are the most affordable. My WFM sells a 6 pack of romaine hearts for $5. Ready Pac baby spinach is $1.99, and a 12 oz bag of mixed greens is $4. But when something else is on sale, hey--I buy it. In the summer, I can buy fresh fruit and greens from the farmer's market as well. Also, it's easy to grow spinach and chard in your garden!
Frozen fruit is great. It is picked when the fruit is at it ripest, and even if you choose not to buy organic, the fruit is not sprayed with fungisides (like fresh conventional fruit might be). It is so much cheaper than fresh, and it eliminates the need to add ice. Remember that if you have fresh fruit laying around that is getting over ripe, just throw it in a baggie in the freezer and use it for smoothies (bananas too!)
I know it sounds expensive, but remember that when you eat this stuff regularly, you are less hungry and don't need to snack as much. I was sure that my grocery bill was going to go up when I started drinking these twice daily, but it has not at all. I just replaced some of the other food I was eating with this stuff.
I'm hooked on green drinks! Ever since I got my Vita Mix blender, I just can't stop making them. I am now up to 2 a day, which equals over 1 pound of raw leafy greens + 1 pound of fruit. Leafy greens are the most nutritious foods in the world. But I won't get into that, you can read all about it here or even better, here. I make a green drink for breakfast, and one about an hour before dinner.
After many many mistakes, I have come up with a couple of yummy, basic green smoothie recipes. Many of the ones I find online are (in my opinion) too sweet, or have too many things added to them (also adding in the calorie count). I want to keep it simple, so here are my top recipes:
2 cups water + 2 romaine hearts (or 1 head) + 1 apple (cored and sliced) + 1 lb frozen pineapple
2 cups water + 2 romaine hearts (or 1 head) + 1 lb frozen mango
1 cup soymilk + 1 cup water + 10 oz baby spinach (one Ready Pac bag) + 1 banana + 1 lb frozen blueberries
1 cup soymilk + 1 cup water + 6 oz greens (I mix 2 of the following: kale, mustard, turnip, & beet) + 1 banana + 1 lb frozen strawberres + 1 pitted date
Put in the blender in the order given above. I usually put my liquid and greens in first, blend, then add my frozen fruit slowly. The above recipes are enough to fill 2 big glasses (about 16 oz each).
I chose the above greens because they are the most affordable. My WFM sells a 6 pack of romaine hearts for $5. Ready Pac baby spinach is $1.99, and a 12 oz bag of mixed greens is $4. But when something else is on sale, hey--I buy it. In the summer, I can buy fresh fruit and greens from the farmer's market as well. Also, it's easy to grow spinach and chard in your garden!
Frozen fruit is great. It is picked when the fruit is at it ripest, and even if you choose not to buy organic, the fruit is not sprayed with fungisides (like fresh conventional fruit might be). It is so much cheaper than fresh, and it eliminates the need to add ice. Remember that if you have fresh fruit laying around that is getting over ripe, just throw it in a baggie in the freezer and use it for smoothies (bananas too!)
I know it sounds expensive, but remember that when you eat this stuff regularly, you are less hungry and don't need to snack as much. I was sure that my grocery bill was going to go up when I started drinking these twice daily, but it has not at all. I just replaced some of the other food I was eating with this stuff.
ORGANICS 101
ORGANICS 101
As I move through my day-to-day duties working in a natural foods store, it has come to my attention that many people are adamant about buying organic food, and don’t really have a good understanding of what the USDA legal definition of “Organic” means. I would like to help de-mystify this.
Organic Food, by USDA definition, must meet certain qualifications and be certified by 3rd party accredited certifier to be sold under the term “organic.”
Here are the standards that food must meet in the US for it to be certified Organic:
Crops grown without the use of residual pesticides, fungisides, or herbicides, and no chemical/synthetic fertilizers.
No GMO (genetically modified organisms) seeds or ingredients
No sewage sludge used on crops.
Farming/ranches practices that are sustainable.
Animals fed organic feed.
Animals raised without the use of synthetic growth hormones & antibiotics, with humane treatment. (additional standards for animals will be put in place in 2011)
Farm/ranch/facility must keep records and logs, and have an Organic Plan.
Must be certified annually.
For more specific info, check out the USDA’s website here: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Organic/
People buy organic for various reasons. Some do not want pesticides on their food, while others are concerned about the environmental impact from conventional farming. Some folks just feel organic food “tastes better.” I am pretty creeped out by GMO’s, so that is my main reason, combined with environmental impact.
But getting certified to be organic can be a huge cost burden on a small farm or ranch, so some alternatives are popping up. Check out Certified Naturally Grown , “a non-profit alternative certification program tailored for small-scale, direct-market farmers using natural methods.”
Organic food is typically more expensive than conventional, because it is much more labor intensive for the grower. The cost of certification also increases the price as well.
If you are passionate about buying organic, but are concerned about the price, it might benefit you to find a local farmer’s market in your area and shop there. The prices are lower because the farmer is selling directly to the consumer. If you can get out of the city a bit and go to a more rural farmer's market or farmstand, the prices will be even lower. Transportation is a huge cost to farmers trekking into the city to sell food.
You may also be interested in joining a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture. CSA's work in several ways, but basically you purchase a "share" of food from a farm (or collective of farms) that is delievered to a pick up area near you. Some CSA's let you choose what you want to buy, and with others you get whatever they have available. In my experience, most CSA's can be pretty costly, and I find farmer's markets to be cheaper. But I know plenty of folks who LOVE CSA's, so check it out.
Let me know if you have any questions!
As I move through my day-to-day duties working in a natural foods store, it has come to my attention that many people are adamant about buying organic food, and don’t really have a good understanding of what the USDA legal definition of “Organic” means. I would like to help de-mystify this.
Organic Food, by USDA definition, must meet certain qualifications and be certified by 3rd party accredited certifier to be sold under the term “organic.”
Here are the standards that food must meet in the US for it to be certified Organic:
Crops grown without the use of residual pesticides, fungisides, or herbicides, and no chemical/synthetic fertilizers.
No GMO (genetically modified organisms) seeds or ingredients
No sewage sludge used on crops.
Farming/ranches practices that are sustainable.
Animals fed organic feed.
Animals raised without the use of synthetic growth hormones & antibiotics, with humane treatment. (additional standards for animals will be put in place in 2011)
Farm/ranch/facility must keep records and logs, and have an Organic Plan.
Must be certified annually.
For more specific info, check out the USDA’s website here: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Organic/
People buy organic for various reasons. Some do not want pesticides on their food, while others are concerned about the environmental impact from conventional farming. Some folks just feel organic food “tastes better.” I am pretty creeped out by GMO’s, so that is my main reason, combined with environmental impact.
But getting certified to be organic can be a huge cost burden on a small farm or ranch, so some alternatives are popping up. Check out Certified Naturally Grown , “a non-profit alternative certification program tailored for small-scale, direct-market farmers using natural methods.”
Organic food is typically more expensive than conventional, because it is much more labor intensive for the grower. The cost of certification also increases the price as well.
If you are passionate about buying organic, but are concerned about the price, it might benefit you to find a local farmer’s market in your area and shop there. The prices are lower because the farmer is selling directly to the consumer. If you can get out of the city a bit and go to a more rural farmer's market or farmstand, the prices will be even lower. Transportation is a huge cost to farmers trekking into the city to sell food.
You may also be interested in joining a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture. CSA's work in several ways, but basically you purchase a "share" of food from a farm (or collective of farms) that is delievered to a pick up area near you. Some CSA's let you choose what you want to buy, and with others you get whatever they have available. In my experience, most CSA's can be pretty costly, and I find farmer's markets to be cheaper. But I know plenty of folks who LOVE CSA's, so check it out.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Rice & More Portable Food
I made a great lunch today to take to work. It's funny that the more effort I put into making my lunches, the more excited I am to eat them at work (and the more satisfying they seem)...
And one basic rule I'm learning about healthy eating is this:
Make your rice at the beginning of the week!!!
Every sunday I make a big container of rice to keep in the fridge for the week. (Don't forget to sprinkle it with a few spoonfulls of water each day to keep it from drying out) There's so much you can do with a big container of brown rice:
* add a few spoonfulls to soup to help thicken it
* make rice pudding
* spoon into a tortilla with beans & veggies to make a burrito (portable food!)
* mix with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and herbs then stuff in bell peppers and bake
* open a can of beans, drain, season, and pour over the rice
* rice + avacado + diced tomato + black beans
* rice + lentil soup + jack cheese
* rice + green peas + cheesy sauce (real or vegan)
* rice + broccoli + cheesy sauce
* rice + baked tofu + sauteed bok choy + teriyaki sauce
* INARI!!!
This sunday I spent the morning in Chinatown here in Philly. I went with no plan other than just to peek around at all the great food. While there, I picked up some aburage in an Asian grocery store. Aburage are seasoned fried tofu skins that you can stuff to make inari sushi. If you are not a fan of sushi, you might still enjoy inari, because you can really make it your own (no raw fish). Here's a basic recipe for inari. I use brown rice, which is not nearly as yummy or sweet as white rice, but I'm use to it. I know there is such a thing as sweet brown rice, and at some point I will experiment with it. The aburage I found was frozen (it also comes canned), and came with the rice seasoning packet--very convenient!
Making the inari isn't very time consuming if you take a few steps to prepare things the night before (like make your rice). Thaw the packets in the fridge overnight, and have a vision of what you want your entire meal to include. Inari can also be eaten as a snack, but I like to take it to work for lunch because it is PORTABLE FOOD!!
My delicious lunch today contained:
* 4 inari (made with brown rice, grated carrot, a little bragg's liquid aminos, and sesame seeds)
* Quick pickles (from an earlier post)
* Lentil ginger soup (canned lentil soup, pureed in the blender w/ fresh ginger, cumin, and corriander)
(Keep the inari at room temp for the morning at your office, and throw the rest in the fridge till you're ready to eat)
And I love that the inari is pocket-like, keeping with my accidental theme this week!
And one basic rule I'm learning about healthy eating is this:
Make your rice at the beginning of the week!!!
Every sunday I make a big container of rice to keep in the fridge for the week. (Don't forget to sprinkle it with a few spoonfulls of water each day to keep it from drying out) There's so much you can do with a big container of brown rice:
* add a few spoonfulls to soup to help thicken it
* make rice pudding
* spoon into a tortilla with beans & veggies to make a burrito (portable food!)
* mix with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and herbs then stuff in bell peppers and bake
* open a can of beans, drain, season, and pour over the rice
* rice + avacado + diced tomato + black beans
* rice + lentil soup + jack cheese
* rice + green peas + cheesy sauce (real or vegan)
* rice + broccoli + cheesy sauce
* rice + baked tofu + sauteed bok choy + teriyaki sauce
* INARI!!!
This sunday I spent the morning in Chinatown here in Philly. I went with no plan other than just to peek around at all the great food. While there, I picked up some aburage in an Asian grocery store. Aburage are seasoned fried tofu skins that you can stuff to make inari sushi. If you are not a fan of sushi, you might still enjoy inari, because you can really make it your own (no raw fish). Here's a basic recipe for inari. I use brown rice, which is not nearly as yummy or sweet as white rice, but I'm use to it. I know there is such a thing as sweet brown rice, and at some point I will experiment with it. The aburage I found was frozen (it also comes canned), and came with the rice seasoning packet--very convenient!
Making the inari isn't very time consuming if you take a few steps to prepare things the night before (like make your rice). Thaw the packets in the fridge overnight, and have a vision of what you want your entire meal to include. Inari can also be eaten as a snack, but I like to take it to work for lunch because it is PORTABLE FOOD!!
My delicious lunch today contained:
* 4 inari (made with brown rice, grated carrot, a little bragg's liquid aminos, and sesame seeds)
* Quick pickles (from an earlier post)
* Lentil ginger soup (canned lentil soup, pureed in the blender w/ fresh ginger, cumin, and corriander)
(Keep the inari at room temp for the morning at your office, and throw the rest in the fridge till you're ready to eat)
And I love that the inari is pocket-like, keeping with my accidental theme this week!
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