Recipes « feedyourroots

Recipes

Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Stew

Saturday, January 1st, 2011

Over the last two years, since I moved to North Carolina from New York, I have learned a lot about southern living. Sometimes it really feels like a different country down here, but I love it! Just a few weeks ago, my fiancé and I were shopping for Christmas presents for our angel tree child, a 17-year-old boy that enjoys hunting, at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Boy did I learn a lot about camouflage clothing (also known as “camo”), deer calls and pocketknives that day. Woah.

But I digress. Black-eyed peas (the food, not the band) is another example of something that I only heard of back north, but southerners love them down here. There is a tradition of eating black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread in the south on New Year’s.

Health, prosperity and good fortune are common wishes and hopes in the New Year. Those of you that are superstitious might want to pay attention. Black-eyed peas swell when they cook, symbolizing prosperity. Collard greens ensure plenty of greenbacks (money) in the new year and the cornbread signifies a wealth of gold.

So for the second time in my life I spent time in the kitchen with black-eyed peas. We’ll see if this year brings prosperity, greenbacks and gold. Any meal loaded with greens, vegetables and legumes is guaranteed to bring easy digestion and good health, that I know for sure.

Happy new year!

Ingredients: (serves 4-6)

1 ½ cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight

3 cups water

1 cup vegetable broth

1 head collard greens, stems removed and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 head celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

14.5 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 ½ teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Optional for a little kick:

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon hot sauce

Directions:

Soak black-eyed peas in water for at least 12 hours, preferably 24 hours. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and apply high heat.

Bake until beans are fully cooked, about 8 hours.

Posted in Asheville, Digestion, Eating Local, Holidays, Recipes, Vegetarian / Vegan, Wheat Free, Winter | 1 Comment »

Pumpkin Cocoa Muffins

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Have you entered to win my first-ever FREE giveaway? Contest is open until Dec. 31st so get your entries in!**

I’d like to introduce you (if you don’t know them already) to 2 new ingredients that I have become rather fond of recently. I’ve known about them for a long time, but only now started cooking and baking with them. It’s all part of my conscious effort to step outside of my comfort-zone, and not just in the kitchen, as I’ve mentioned here and here.

First up is teff. While very popular in Ethiopia and India, it is not as commonly used here, although I assure you easy enough to find if you are looking. It is the smallest grain in the world and mostly consists of bran and germ. Remember, what makes a whole grain “whole” is that its bran and germ has not been lost in the refining process. This is where the nutrients are found in whole grains. Teff is very high in calcium and is also a great source of phosphorus, iron, copper, aluminum, barium and thiamin. It is high in protein, carbohydrates and fiber. Teff is gluten free, which is an added bonus if you are sensitive or intolerant to gluten, and has a sweet nutty flavor. Store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

Moving onto grapeseed oil. I think the thing I love most is its very high smoke point (420 degrees), which makes it ideal for baking and cooking at high temperatures. Compare this to the smoke point of unrefined extra virgin olive oil, which is only 320 degrees.

Side note: It is important to know the smoke point of the oils you are cooking with because at that specific temperature the oil begins to break down and form free radicals. Free radicals can lead to disease.

An excellent source of vitamin E, it is not surprising that grapeseed oil is a popular ingredient in cosmetics from hair conditioners to lotions and anti-aging products. Make sure your grapeseed oil is “expeller pressed”, which means that a chemical-free mechanical method of oil extraction was used.

These two high quality products contribute to some very tasty muffins. High quality ingredients create high quality food. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (makes 12 muffins)

1 cup teff flour

1 cup Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix

¼ cup grapeseed oil

¾ cup Maple Syrup (I used organ Grade A Dark Amber. It’s a little sweeter than the light syrups so you don’t need as much)

15 oz pumpkin

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I like the Chatfield’s brand)

Dried cranberries (optional)

Dark Chocolate – 70% or higher (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups.

Combine all ingredients except dried cranberries and dark chocolate in mixing bowl.

Use electric hand mixer to blend ingredients thoroughly.

I made 3 muffins with dried cranberries added and 3 muffins with chopped dark chocolate added. 3 squares of chocolate for each muffin is a good estimate or ½ cup of dried cranberries for each 3 muffins.

Fold in your toppings and fill each muffin container all the way.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until muffins are golden brown on edges.

Posted in Baking, Desserts, Fall, Nutrients, Quick & Easy, Recipes, Snacking, Vegetarian / Vegan, Wheat Free | 3 Comments »

Navy Beans are not Navy

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

So it turns out these white beans got their name because they were a staple food in the US Navy in the early 20^th century. There’s a fun trivia fact for you! These little guys are a great source of fiber, folate, manganese, protein, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, iron and vitamin B1.

I threw this together from what I had in the refrigerator and have to say it came out pretty darn tasty. I ate it on top of a bed of steamed kale and mushrooms. I think next time I make this I will slice the red onions instead of finely chopping them. Oh and I’ll add sliced avocado on top. Mmmm.

Ingredients: (serves 6-8)

2 ½ cups (or 2 cans) navy beans

1 large eggplant, chopped into ½ inch cubes

1 large red onion, chopped or sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup low sodium vegetable stock

Extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash

3 whole chilies, chopped with seeds (optional)

Directions:

Lightly steam eggplant so that is just cooked a little bit – about 8 minutes. You don’t want it to get mushy.

In large skillet, sauté onions, garlic and chilies in extra virgin olive oil or water until onions are soft.

Add carrots, eggplant and vegetable stock.

Turn heat up until stock is boiling. Reduce heat and simmer.

Add beans.

Stir and cook until vegetable stock has thickened. Add spices.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Posted in Nutrients, Quick & Easy, Recipes, Vegetarian / Vegan, Wheat Free | 1 Comment »

Dinner In Less Than 15 Minutes

Sunday, November 28th, 2010

This afternoon I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. By the time I got home it was almost 7:00pm, and needless to say, I was pretty hungry. Since I was out of town all week and spent the day catching up on schoolwork after the long Thanksgiving weekend with family, I didn’t have anything waiting for me to heat up for dinner. Yikes!

Instead of ordering take out on the way home, I got to work as soon as I walked through the front door. To start, I poured about 30 ounces of low sodium vegetable broth into a medium pot, stirred in a can (15oz) of sweet potato puree (although pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree would have worked just as well) and cranked up the heat. While the soup was heating up, I chopped one head of broccoli, about five mushrooms and put them into a pot to steam. By the time the broccoli and mushrooms were steaming, I had chopped up a head of swiss chard and added that on top until all the vegetables were perfectly steamed. Although I didn’t plan it, I have to admit the timing was perfect, because the soup was hot and ready. I grabbed a ladle, and poured the soup into a bowl, added the veggies and dinner was ready. Dinner made with whole foods and satisfying? Double bonus!

We all are busy this time of year. Whether it’s shopping for holiday presents, putting in extra hours at the office, or cramming for exams, planning and preparing wholesome meals can be forgotten until our stomachs are already grumbling. It’s important to have a backup plan instead of resorting to take out or that leftover cake sitting on the counter from Thanksgiving to help keep our immune systems alert, energy constant and overall feeling good.

What are your favorite “back up plans” for dinner?

Posted in Fall, Quick & Easy, Recipes, Vegetarian / Vegan, Wheat Free | 3 Comments »

Spicing things up with dahl

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Recently I have decided to begin learning about and experimenting with Indian-style cuisine. Ryan is a big fan of Indian food, which is very unfamiliar to me, as I grew up eating mostly Mediterranean-style dishes. I also have never had a high tolerance for spicy foods. As I have previously mentioned, I am making a conscious effort to break out of my food-related comfort zone, and learning how to cook Indian-style food falls under that umbrella. I like to think of it as an early Hanukah present to Ryan – the gift that will keep on giving!

Since Indian-style cuisine is vegetarian friendly and the notorious spices and seasoning contain many health-promoting properties, I find myself wondering why I didn’t start this little project sooner. While a little intimidated at first, because lets be honest, unfamiliarity can be daunting, I am happy to report that I found a wonderful introductory cookbook, and that my first attempt was a huge hit.

As I learned, dahl includes the entire family of dried beans and dried peas – split, whole, skinned and unskinned. It is a major source of protein and is often eaten with grains, including rice or flatbreads, and yogurt. The texture is usually wet and slightly soupy.

If you’re like me and you have no threshold for spicy chilies, add the chilies to half of the dahl for your heat-loving dining companions, or just leave it out. The dahl will still be loaded with flavor, but without the extra heat.

Adapted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils, washed and drained

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 medium onion, half finely chopped and half cut into fine half rings

½ teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices

3 or 4 dried hot red chilies, sliced in half and chopped

Directions:

Put red lentils, 3.5 cups of water, turmeric and chopped onions into pan and bring to a boil.

Turn heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the lentils are very tender.

Add salt and stir in

Pour oil into frying pan with medium heat. Add sliced onions once oil is hot. Stir for 30 seconds.

Add garlic and chilies. Stir until onions and garlic are golden-red.

Pour contents into pot with lentils and stir to mix.

Serve warm over rice or vegetables.

Posted in Books, Recipes, Rice, Vegetarian / Vegan, Wheat Free | 1 Comment »

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Until recently, butternut squash ranked pretty high on my list of “foods that intimidate me”. Ok, so may be I don’t really have a list, but there are some pretty intimidating gifts from Mother Nature out there! Note: I have been and am continuing to approach these foods and figure out how to enjoy them at home, not just when someone else is preparing them for me.

I love the way butternut squash tastes, but its shape (it looks like a giant pear) and hard outer shell can make preparation…well, a little intimidating. I’ve seen this winter squash sold chopped up into cubes in grocery stores, but the extra cost and environmentally-unfriendliness (packaging isn’t very “green”) of this concept has kept me from caving and making the purchase. So when I saw this recipe from Smitten Kitchen I thought this was the perfect opportunity to “squash my fear” (pun intended).

Butternut squash is in peak season in October and November. This is when you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck – maximum flavor and nutrients and minimal cost. Butternut squash is an excellent source of the omega-3 essential fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, which can lower triglycerides and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. It’s also a great source of vitamins A, C, B1 and B5 as well as manganese.

So if you also find butternut squash to be a little scary, keep reading to learn how to deal with this beautiful and delicious vegetable. If you know you’re way around already then skip to the recipe and enjoy!

To begin, cut the butternut squash in half between the neck and the bulb. Slice each half in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Then you can peel the skin off and cut the remaining portion into cubes. How easy is that?

So here is the recipe, which I adapted from Smitten Kitchen. I love the combination of the butternut squash and the chickpeas! I ate it on top of a bed of steamed kale with some broccoli, but it makes an excellent side dish as well. It serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil

15oz (1 can) chickpeas, drained, rinsed

¼ sweet onion, coarsely chopped

Tahini Sauce:

1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In baking dish, combine butternut squash, garlic, coconut oil and onions. Make sure the butternut squash and onions are evenly coated with oil.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the squash is soft, and remove from oven.

To make the tahini, combine all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. Add more water as necessary for preferred consistency.

Pour chickpeas onto butternut squash. Add tahini or serve it on the side. Serve warm or at room temp.

Posted in Eating Local, Fall, Recipes, Vegetarian / Vegan, Wheat Free | 4 Comments »

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bread

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Pumpkins are everywhere this time of year. Not only do they make a great fall decoration, but they are actually pretty good for you too. Pumpkin is a great source of fiber, alpha and beta-carotene, potassium, magnesium, vitamins C and E and pantothenic acid. The carotenoids that give the pumpkin its orange color are antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and serve as a good immunity booster.

So in the spirit of fall and eating seasonally, enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups Arrowhead Mills All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix

15 oz canned pumpkin

½ cup coconut oil, liquid form

½ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 tablespoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Dash of salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Small dark chocolate bar, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pan

Combine ingredients, except for chocolate chunks, in mixing bowl. Add the coconut oil last and blend immediately before the oil has a chance to harden back up.

Use electric mixer to blend ingredients thoroughly until smooth

Fold in chocolate chunks with spoon

Pour batter into loaf pan

Bake for one hour

Allow to cool before slicing

Posted in Baking, Desserts, Eating Local, Fall, Quick & Easy, Recipes, Wheat Free | 1 Comment »

Trick or Treat!

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

With Halloween just around the corner, followed by Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas and finally New Years, I think it is fair to say that the “eating season” is about to begin. Sugar is addicting, takes control of our cravings, and has a negative impact on our energy level (just to name a few “side effects”). The way I see it, Halloween and all of the sugar that has somehow become socially essential to this holiday sets the tone for the remainder of the “eating season”. Why do we allow ourselves, and perhaps more importantly our children, to be gorged with sugar, not just on Halloween but any day? It’s no secret that childhood obesity is a growing health issue in the States, and if we know that sugar is one of the leading contributors to this epidemic, why are we setting the future generation of this country up for failure? As adults we have to take responsibility and that starts with setting the right example. But enough venting. At least for now.

The other day I did something that I haven’t done since I was a child – I carved a pumpkin, and I invited a few friends over to join in the fall festivity. Walking through Target to pick up a few pumpkin-carving kits, I found myself surrounded by Halloween themed paper plates, home décor, and of course, candy. The sugar must have gone straight to my head because I caught myself wondering if I should bring home some treats for my guests. ‘Tis the season, right? After reading through the ingredient list on the back of a few different candy packages I gave up and walked over to the check-out isle and left the store with my pumpkin-carving kits. It occurred to me – if I felt even a drop of pressure to serve candy to my guests then surely moms and women who do not work in the health industry must also feel some sort of guilt and obligation to give in to this disturbing American tradition.

For a healthier Halloween and holiday feasting season, keep the candy (and all things sugar) out of the house. If it isn’t accessible then it can’t be eaten. It’s that simple.

You might be wondering, “How can I satisfy my sweet tooth?” or “How can my family enjoy the upcoming holidays without the candy and baked goods?”. These kinds of questions come up a lot year round with my health-coaching clients. The solution that works best for me is if I make it myself and only use real whole foods than it is ok to eat. This rule of thumb has a direct and deliberate impact on my actions. For example, I have to find the time (which includes buying the ingredients and spending time in the kitchen) to make something sweet and savory instead of dropping an item into my shopping cart, which takes all of two seconds. Guess which one is going to happen less often?

So here are some of my favorite sweet and savory treats that are sure to make your holiday feasting season just as delicious and satisfying. Click on the picture for the recipe.

Chocolate Cake

Crust:
1 cup walnuts
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
15 deglet dates (small) or 8 medjool dates (large)

Mousse Filling:
3 avocados
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup – 1/2 cup water
10 deglet dates (small) or 6 medjool dates (large)

Directions:

I strongly recommend using a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix. The ingredients are very tough to blend well and the crust gets very sticky!
Blend ingredients for crust. I think it helps if you do one ingredient at a time starting with the walnuts and adding to it to make it easiest on the blender. Scoop out and fill bottom of pie pan and up the sides evenly. You need to use your hands for this. It’s pretty sticky.
Blend ingredients for the filling and follow the same method (adding one ingredient at a time). Scoop filling onto pie crust and spread evenly. Any extra can be “icecream”. Put cake in freezer until it hardens. It will never freeze like an ice cream cake does – just firms up a lot. I would plan to let it sit in the freezer for at least 4 or 5 hours.

Pumpkin Muffins

Date Coconut Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tahini Oat Cookies

Apple Pecan Muffins

Posted in Baking, Desserts, Entertaining, Fall, Health Coaching, Holidays, Recipes, Sugar | No Comments »

Fall Friendly FatFree Vegan’s Quiche

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned over the course of my wellness and nutrition journey has been the importance of eating locally and seasonally. Before my journey began I rarely factored the season into my grocery list and menu planning. Not only was this a huge waste of money, but I was also contributing to environmental pollution by supporting businesses that transported food from several hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

This quiche, inspired by FatFree Vegan, follows the same general formula, but I replaced the vegetables in the original recipe with fall friendly foods instead.

Ingredients:

One 12-ounce package extra-firm silken tofu
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoon tahini
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked and still warm or room temperature

1 apple (I used Pink Lady)

1 small onion, chopped

3 mushrooms, chopped

4 generous handfuls of spinach

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease pie pan (I used one that is 9 ½ inches)

Combine tofu, water, nutritional yeast, tahini, onion powder, turmeric and sea salt in blender and puree until smooth and creamy.

Add 3 tablespoons of tofu cream to brown rice and blend thoroughly. Spread brown rice into pie pan and press evenly into the bottom and sides of the dish. Bake for 10 minutes, remove dish from oven and set aside.

Slice out 6 to 8 thin slices of apple and set aside. Peel and chop the remaining apple.

With heat, add a thin layer of water to the bottom of a saucepan and add onions, apple and mushrooms. Once cooked, add spinach and cook until it is wilted.

Spread the cooked vegetables on top of the rice crust in the pie pan. Distribute it evenly across the crust.

Pour the tofu mixture over the vegetables and spread it evenly across.

Add the 3 inch asparagus tops on top and spray lightly with olive oil.

Bake for one hour or until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for 10 to15 minutes before serving.

Posted in Eating Local, Entertaining, Fall, Holidays, Recipes, Rice, Vegetarian / Vegan, Wheat Free | 2 Comments »

The FatFree Vegan’s Inspired Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust

Monday, October 11th, 2010

I have to admit, this recipe, inspired by The FatFree Vegan Kitchen, is a little more involved than what I usually prepare in the kitchen. That being said, it is completely worth the effort and now that I did it once, each additional time will be faster and easier. It is a great recipe to have in my “back pocket” for special occasions and holidays. Plus, it’s so darn pretty.

When I first came across the quiche recipe on The FatFree Vegan Kitchen I was tempted to tuck it away until spring or summer when asparagus and bell peppers are in season, but mushrooms are seasonal in the winter and the daytime temperatures have been in the 70’s and 80’s lately, so may be I didn’t have to wait after all. With the warmer temperatures, I was craving something a little lighter and cooling, but still filling. I decided that this quiche wasn’t too out-of-season if I made it now before jackets became mandatory for the next handful of months. May be it’s a stretch for you, but I was eager to make this quiche so this is my reasoning, as nutty as it may sound. Now that I have the general skeleton of the dish down, I am ready to make it Fall friendly – I’m thinking apples, spinach and mushrooms for the second layer. Yum!

Since this recipe is a little more intricate than what I am used to, I followed it pretty closely. The biggest differences are that I used more spices and skipped the vegan milk and substituted with water instead. I also ended up using less brown rice than what the original recipe called for. The pie pan that I used was 9 ½ inches in diameter.

Ingredients:

One 12-ounce package extra-firm silken tofu
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon rolled oats
2 teaspoon tahini
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked and still warm or room temperature
1 bunch asparagus
1 small onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease pie pan (I used one that is 9 ½ inches)

Combine tofu, water, nutritional yeast, rolled oats, tahini, onion powder, turmeric and sea salt in blender and puree until smooth and creamy.

Add 3 tablespoons of tofu cream to brown rice and blend thoroughly. Spread brown rice into pie pan and press evenly into the bottom and sides of the dish. Bake for 8 minutes, remove dish from oven and set aside.

Chop off the top 3 inches of the asparagus and set aside. Chop the remainder of the stalk into ½ inch slices.

With heat, add a thin layer of water to the bottom of a saucepan and add onions, garlic and the thin slices of asparagus (do not add the asparagus tops. Cover and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and bell pepper and more water if necessary.