Potato and Veg Salad with Chermoula Spiced Potatoes

Monday was another one of those busy days for me. It started early with some strength training at home and then went for a hot and sweaty walk. With the heat and humidity I cut my walk short and stopped after 2 miles. It was one of those days where you came home dripping in sweat. *ugh*  At the moment I am really missing winter.

After I had a quick shower and felt more human I made myself a kale smoothie with wild blueberries. It always surprises me how draining our hot and humid weather can be. I should do my cardio inside but I find being outside to be more mentally stimulating so I typically opt to brave the humidity. ;-)

I met our friend Will for lunch on Monday. Will has been swamped working at Woodberry Kitchen so we haven’t had much time to catch up. We decided to go to Jesse Wong’s in Hunt Valley since they cater to vegetarians and vegans as well as omnivores. I ordered our usual Hunan “faux duck” and Will had sushi. I ask Will to try the “duck” and he was surprised by the texture too. Hopefully between the two of us we can figure out how to make the “duck” at home.

To throw my “cyber stalker” off the track I checked into Jesse Wong’s on Foursquare as we were walking out of the restaurant. It is such a shame that people need to behave inappropriately. We will see if checking in when we leave places works. *fingers crossed*

Will and I ended up chatted for about 2 and ½ hours and then it was time for me to get home and try to get caught up on my never ending to-do list. Did I make much progress on my list? Not really, LOL. *shakes head* For a retired woman I sure do have a busy schedule. ;-)

When it was time to make dinner I had no idea what I was going to prepare. I ended up making a batch of chermoula which I used to season roast potatoes and this became the basis for dinner. In addition to the potatoes I also roasted zucchini and add that to the potatoes. Both of these went in the refrigerator to cool. I also added artichoke hearts, shaved raw carrots (for texture and color), cilantro, and sliced almonds (for crunch) to the dish. I served the salad cold with tomato wedges.

This is how most of my meals develop. I typically have no idea what I am going to cook and just start winging things together. Usually I am inspired by something that I have eaten or cooked in the past but not always. One of the nice things about cooking now is that I have been doing it so long I don’t need to use cookbooks for recipes.

If you are new to cooking and thinking this will never happen to you, I disagree. I wasn’t always a good cook either. In fact I grew up in a home with a mother who hated to cook and consequently she didn’t. I learned to cook out of necessity because it was cook, buy carry out or go hungry. Believe me if I can become a good cook anyone can do it.

Happy thoughts:

Monday was a good day even though it was busy. Here is what I am grateful for today.

• It was very nice to see Will Monday for lunch. It is hard to believe that we hadn’t seen him since the end of May. Time really has been flying this summer.

• While it has been hot and humid this week at least we were no longer in the 100’s and that was something to be thankful for. We also got a little rain over the weekend which we desperately needed.

• My fur children are mostly back to normal which is very nice. The boys are running and playing together every day. Luca Belle has resumed her position as alpha cat and has the boys under her thumb toe like normal. ;-)

• Both Dan and I enjoyed the chermoula potato salad yesterday. It is great when I come up with new ideas for old recipes.

Signing Out:

It was another day which wasn’t terribly productive. Tomorrow I need to keep my mom company while my father goes to the oral surgeon so I don’t expect to get a lot done at home. Hopefully I am wrong about that and tomorrow will be a productive day.

Talk eith you again soon. I hope you enjoy what is left of your evening.  I am going to finish watch an episode of "Criminal Minds" which we recorded but haven't had time to watch yet.

Italian Chickpea and Zucchini Soup in a Tomato Base

I am feeling much better since I forced myself to do a little exercise. A couple of slow miles, some pilates, yoga and abdominal work and I am almost feeling human again. With this new found energy I decided to get myself into the kitchen and make some food.

Having soup in the refrigerator earlier this week made it easy to grab lunch for me and pack lunch for Dan. I had forgotten how nice it was to have on hand so I decided to make another batch for Thursday and Friday’s lunch. After contemplating mushroom or bean I opted for a bean based soup. Here is what I made:

Italian Chickpea and Zucchini Soup in a Tomato Base
Makes 6 servings of about 2 cups each

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpeas, dried
4 cups of water for soaking
6 cups water for cooking (assumes you are simmering the beans in a covered pot which allows less of the water to evaporate)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (allow to stand 10 minutes before heating)
1 red onion, peeled and minced (allow to stand 10 minutes before heating)
2 bay leaves
1 carrot, finely diced
28 ounces diced tomatoes (or the equivalent in fresh peeled diced tomatoes)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 zucchini, finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

For serving: either cashew crème fraiche, walnut parmesan or fresh minced parsley and balsamic or wine vinegar

Directions:

Soak the chickpeas for at least 4 hours, 8 is better. Then rinse the beans and cover with the cooking water, add the garlic, onion and bay leaves and simmer until the beans are tender. You don’t want to add the tomatoes until the beans are tender as the acidity will keep the beans from getting tender. The same thing is true of salt. Only add that after the beans are tender, assuming you are using salt that is. ;-)

Once the beans are tender add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 15 minutes. Then store in a covered container until you are ready to eat.   Like all soup this will be better tomorrow after the flavors marry.

To serve, top with cashew crème, walnut parmesan or some fresh minced parsley. If desired you can serve on top of cooked pastina (small soup pasta), brown rice, quinoa or millet. The grains will change the texture and make this more like a stew than a soup. If you need extra calories adding the grain makes sense. I like the make certain that we have a little fat with our meals so that we efficiently absorb our fat soluble vitamins. In addition the cashew crème and walnut parmesan tastes good on top of soup and it look pretty. ;-) I also like to finish my soup with a little acidity to brighten the flavors. Today I used a drizzle of balsamic on my lunch serving but you can also use wine vinegar or lemon juice. That little bit of acid makes a big difference in flavor.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 171.8
Calories From Fat (12%) - 21.08

Total Fat - 2.52g
Saturated Fat - 0.31g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 57.37mg
Potassium - 786mg
Total Carbohydrates - 31.32g
Fiber - 8.89g
Sugar - 8.64g
Protein - 8.69g

Comments:

This is a simple soup that I have made for years. In the past I would have added small soup pasta to this dish. However soup pasta is hard to find in whole wheat and isn’t much better for you even if you can find it. Brown rice and quinoa work well as substitutes. I cook the grains separately and add them to the portion of soup that we will be eating. That method keeps the grain from overcooking or making the soup too thick.

Happy Birthday to my shy friend:

A very close friend of mine has decided to treat themselves more kindly and eat more produce and eliminate processed foods. Can you imagine how thrilled I was to hear this? I was doing the happy dance when I got the phone call. I promised my friend I would not out them publicly on the blog, though I am dying too, LOL. Since this person is buying themselves a Vitamix for their birthday this week you know I have to jump on the health bandwagon. I can’t share what I have bought my friend for their b’day (because they read my blog) but I took pictures of everything before I wrapped it so I could tell you all about it. Let’s hope my friend is half as excited about this stuff as I am. I had the best time shopping for the b’day present this year. Normally I agonize and don’t know what to get, but not this year. Since I know my friend is reading, don’t worry it isn’t bad I am 90% sure you will like it all. It will remind you of my healthy theme from this past winter holiday gift giving season though. ;-)  But I know you will accept it for what it is, a sign my affection.  I am so thrilled that you are focusing on health you have no idea, this is the best present you could have given me.

TRX:

If any of you have or have worked out on a TRX I would love to hear your thoughts on it. This has been on my list of possible gym acquisitions for about a year. What do you think, is it a good workout and intuitive to use? Any input on this is great appreciated.

What are you thankful for today?:

Do you ever have one of those weeks where things just don’t seem to go right and you find yourself wanting a “do over”? That describes my week so far. How can it only be Wednesday? *sigh* When I have these sort of weeks I push myself to write at least 10 things that I am thankful for to remind myself how great my life really is. Somehow the act of writing these things down allows me to focus on what is good in my life. I thought I would share my list with all of you in the hope that you will think about what is good in your life when you are having a bad week. Here goes:

1. I am married to my best friend.

2. I love my husband more now than I did decades ago when we met which I did not think was possible.

3. I can’t imagine a marriage happier than mine. It is so nice to know my husband knows all my faults and still adores me. I am a very lucky girl.

4. My other best friend Louis is like the brother I never had. Please know how much I appreciate and love you. You have always been there when I really needed you. Thank you for holding me together. Who else would have taken time off of work to go shopping with me during the surgery so I didn’t pace and obsess? ;-)

5. We have a comfortable life that gives us one less thing to stress about.

6. I am able to care for my family (Dan and the fur children) and parents rather than leaving that to others.

7. Being home allows me to concentrate on keeping my family healthy by studying nutrition and reading medical and scholarly journals. I can’t tell you how much of a difference that has made in our lives.

8. I have a husband that puts up with my “nutrition nazi” ways (as he calls them) and still eats what I give him and doesn’t complain (well not seriously). I am thankful that he trusts me enough to go with what I think is best for our health. Thank you sweetie.  I love you!

9. I wake up every morning next to the person that means more to me than anything else in the world. Every day I get to spend with Dan is a great one.

10. Our felines are very loving and bring us happiness every day, though they are a little spoiled. We both adore those bad little cats.

Okay your turn. Can you name at least one thing that you are truly thankful for in your life? I know it seems a bit corny but focusing on the good things seems to have a calming effect and focuses my attention on what is right rather than looking for the negatives in life. We have all things we would rather change but in the end the big stuff matters so much more.

Weight Watchers Commercial Rant:

Am I the only one that is tired of the commercial with Jennifer Hudson? What sort of signal is it to young girls when she says, “it makes me love myself that much more” regarding her weight loss? Really? And to think we wonder why so many young girls have eating disorders. *argh* The message behind that commercial really irritates me. Okay, rant over now.

If I am going to get my mushroom pate finished before Dan gets home I need to get into the kitchen. Talk to you all again soon. With a little luck I will have time to write up the mushroom pate tonight. I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday.

Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Much to my surprise Dan actually left work earlier than usual today, before 6:30pm if you can imagine. This meant I didn’t have dinner ready since he has been working late this week. When I need a quick meal zucchini pasta always works.

The sauce I made today is a raw version of a creamy tomato sauce that typically has vodka. I used raw cashews in place of cream and added wine vinegar for the vodka. Both Dan and I liked the way this turned out. Here is what we had tonight:

Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, spiralized
14 ounce can artichokes hearts, quartered
2 large tomatoes, rough chopped
½ cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 30 minutes and drained if not using a high speed blender)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 medjool date, pitted
½ tablespoon wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 basil leaves, julienned
2 sprigs oregano, for garnish

Directions:

Combine the tomatoes, cashews, garlic, date and wine vinegar in your blender and process until smooth. If you are using a high speed blender it is not necessary to soak the cashews. Taste the sauce once it is smooth and add black pepper and/or adjust seasonings to your taste.

To plate, place the zucchini pasta on the base of the plate, top with sauce, artichokes and herbs. Serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 342.51
Calories From Fat (28%)-  97.36

Total Fat - 11.67g
Saturated Fat - 2.01g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 222.92mg
Potassium - 2031.13mg
Total Carbohydrates - 55.28g
Fiber - 18.31g
Sugar - 17.78g
Protein - 16.16g

Comments:

Both Dan and I enjoyed this dish. The sauce is rich (from the cashews) yet still light and with a hint of sweetness from the date. I will definitely be making this again since we both enjoyed it and it was quick.

Unrelated note:

I wanted to let you know why there have been fewer posts recently. I seem to have lost my blogging voice temporarily. Over the last week or so I haven’t felt like I have much to say. Additionally I haven’t felt much like cooking. I assume this will pass but at the moment I am riding it out while I wait for things to return to normal.

The raw cracker experiment from yesterday turned out different from other raw crackers I have made. It isn’t exactly what I wanted but they are thinner and very crisp. I am moving in the right direction with the crackers but we aren’t there yet. But given the results on the latest recipe I am fairly sure I will come up with a raw version of Mary’s crackers at some point. I think it is only a matter of time.

I made another version of lentil pate late this afternoon. It is still chilling so I am not ready to post the recipe yet. I hope to be able to sample it early tomorrow so I can share the recipe. This version is seasoned like traditional pate.

For now I need to run. A certain husband “needs” strawberry banana soft serve while he watches sci fi. Talk to you tomorrow.

Zucchini Pasta Dressed in Spicy Peanut Sauce and Topped with Tofu and Fun Facts Friday

Yesterday was a bit busy at our place. We had a late dinner and needed to get moving early this morning which is why this post didn’t make it up last night. Other than documenting the ingredients I didn’t have time to write the directions and the remainder of the post.

In the past I would have made used this sauce on soba or whole wheat noodles. However since zucchini pasta provides vitamins and minerals it is a better nutritional choice. It is also nice that it is faster to make. Since this is a cold dish it came together in about 10 minutes. This is always welcome when you are having dinner at 9pm. Here is what I made:

Zucchini Pasta Dressed in Spicy Peanut Sauce and Topped with Tofu
Serves 2

Vegetable Ingredients:

1 zucchini, spiralized
2 carrots, julienned
1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks

Sauce Ingredients:

3 tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter
1 clove garlic, peeled
½ inch fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fresh citrus juice (either 1 lime or 1/2 lemon)
sriracha, to taste (start with a teaspoon)
water, to achieve the consistency you like (I used about 2 tablespoons)

Garnish:

6 slices of sweet and spicy baked tofu

Directions:

Place the veggies in a large bowl.

Combine the sauce ingredients in your blender and process until smooth. Add as much water as is necessary to achieve a sauce consistency. You want the sauce thicken enough that it will cling to the sauce and not too liquid. Mine was approximately the consistency of sour cream.

Toss the sauce with the veggies and serve. Top with sweet and spicy baked tofu.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 398.86
Calories From Fat (41%) - 162.8

Total Fat - 18.87g
Saturated Fat - 2.31g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 214.24mg
Potassium - 1027.05mg
Total Carbohydrates - 41.28g
Fiber-  6.65g
Sugar - 23.15g
Protein - 23.68g

Comments:

I documented the recipe in my cookbook program before I made it. I reduced the peanut butter so the fat grams were in a range I was looking for. However if you are more concerned about taste I would suggest you add another tablespoon of peanut butter to provide a more intense peanut flavor. Though I will say that we thought it was good the way it was.

If you are eating earlier than we did and want to spend more time on the dish I think that chopped peanuts and cilantro would be great as a garnish. I would also like red bell pepper added to the veggies.

Fun Facts Friday:

Since Fridays tend to be hectic at our house I thought I would get the Fun Facts into this post just in case I don’t have time for another post today.

1. What is the one thing about yourself that you are most proud of? I am one of those extremely honest people. You know the ones that you never want to ask how an outfit looks on you because they will tell you. Everyone that knows me knows what I think. I absolutely will not lie. This has gotten me into trouble in life. When I don’t have something nice to say I tend to keep my mouth shut but sometimes people ask me what I think. That is normally when I get into trouble. But I wouldn’t have things any other way. In a world where lying happens every minute of every day I prefer honesty and can say that I don’t contribute to the BS that goes around.

2. What is one habit you have that you would like to change but don’t know where to start? I cannot leave my cuticles alone. When I get nervous or upset I have to clip them or tear them. Where does that come from? If I had any idea how to stop that I would. *shakes head*

3. Do you have an embarrassing moment that is now funny? I actually have quite a few embarrassing moments to select from. What does that say about me I wonder? I decided to go with the one my husband thinks is so funny.

It happened about 15 years ago. We were spending a week at the Outer Banks in NC. I had on a cute black bathing suit with a bandeau top that had removable straps. Dan and I had gone into the water waist high to cool off. Foolishly I had worn my contact lenses into the water. You didn’t expect me to wear my glasses did you? No way! Wearing my contacts meant I needed to close my eyes when the waves came. This also meant that I didn’t immediately realize a wave pushed my suit down causing me to expose myself. All Dan could do was laugh. You can imagine the rest. I can’t open my eyes or lose my contacts so I am trying to stay mostly underwater, hold my suit up, getting knocked over my waves that I don’t know are coming, and Dan is laughing his ass off. I finally get him to help me ashore and he keeps saying to me, “When will we see these people again.” This is where it gets even funnier.

We go out to breakfast the next morning. Who is sitting at the table next to us? You guessed it a couple that was close to us on the beach the prior day. It is funny now, but I was not laughing then. Now when my husband says, “When we will see these people again,"  I always respond, "Tomorrow morning at breakfast” and we both laugh.

Okay your turn. I can’t wait to hear some of your stories.

Unrelated notes:

Since it is Friday that means it is errand day in my life. I will try to come back later with a post but I can’t guarantee it. I have too much on my agenda today.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Talk to you again soon.

Watercress Pesto Dressed Zucchini Pasta and Veggies

I imagine someone is reading this is wondering how I can call this pesto when it doesn’t include any basil. Easy, pesto does not have to include basil. The pesto that most Americans are familiar with is Genovese pesto which is made with basil but the options are endless for pesto. The word pesto comes from the Italian word pestare which translates as to crush, pound or bruise. This is because pesto is typically made in mortar and ground into a paste with the pestle. Now you can make you pesto that way if you want to go old school. Many Italians will tell you the pesto tastes better made my hand. I do have a mortar and pestle and have made it by hand. Seriously, I could not tell the difference. I use my food processor it is easier. ;-)

When I made pesto I typically (though not today) make extra to have on hand. It is great on a sandwich (made with collards for bread of course), on pizza, in a baked potato, as a coating for tofu, stirred into salad dressing, added to soup just before serving. I think you get the idea. Pesto is not just for pasta anymore.

Here is what I made today for the mid-day meal with my parents:

Watercress Pesto Dressed Zucchini Pasta and Veggies
Serves 6

Pesto Ingredients:

1 bunch watercress, approximately 4 cups lightly packed well washed and spun dry
¾ cup walnuts
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
water enough to achieve the texture you want (the amount will depend on the juiciness of your lemon)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional if you want a cheesy undertone (add to taste)

Veggie Ingredients:

approximately 12 cups spiralized zucchini , it may have been more (4 big zucchini)
2 carrots, julienned
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 tomato, finely diced and drained of liquid so it doesn’t make your dish too wet

Directions:

Combine the pesto ingredients in your food processor and blender and process until smooth. Add as much water as is necessary to get a thick but creamy consistency. The nutritional yeast is optional but 2 tablespoons is enough to add a little cheesy umami background but not enough to overwhelm the sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper, as or if desired. Refrigerate until needed.

Combine the veggies and toss to distribute evenly. Add the pesto and toss again. Serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories-  209.5
Calories From Fat (53%) - 111

Total Fat - 13.31g
Saturated Fat - 1.29g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 68.88mg
Potassium - 1180.57mg
Total Carbohydrates - 21.39g
Fiber - 7.94g
Sugar - 6.75g
Protein - 8.57g

Comments:

This dish is somewhat mild intentionally because my parents were coming for dinner. Since they are definitely meat and potatoes people I know there is only so much intense veggie flavor I can push on them. However if you wanted to add a few kale leaves to the pesto I think that would be great and would add to the flavor as well as nutrition.

Everyone (vegans and omnis) enjoyed this dish today. I suppose you would say it was another success. Not on the same level as using salsa for salad dressing, but a success none the less. ;-)  Anytime they eat my food and don't reach for the salt shaker or olive oil I am quite happy.

Quick Question:

Laura just bought a Saladacco and is looking for tips on how to make it easier to use. Any of you that have that particular brand of spiralizer please let us know if there are any tips or tricks you have found using it. Thanks so much!

Unrelated notes:

Poor Dan has been sequestered in his home office most of the weekend. He has come out periodically to eat or get fresh juice but mostly he has had his nose to the grindstone all weekend. I really wish he would rest a little but I know letting things get further behind would stress him out more so I am trying to understand and not fuss. *sigh* You have no idea how hard this is for me.

With my hubby working I have had the weekend to myself. I have taken the time to do a few things around the house that I normally wouldn’t get to on the weekend. Hopefully that will make Monday more laidback so that I can watch a few things on the tube. I have a few health related DVDs I want to get to soon. Shocking, right?

I need get going for now. I will talk to you all again soon. Enjoy what is left of your weekend.

Unusual Breakfast and Cold Lunch

This morning it was hot outside when we got up. I really don’t enjoy hot food in the summer. Instead of a smoothie I thought I would use the cold brown rice I had leftover from dinner last night. There was also a pound of organic asparagus that I wanted to use. Since asparagus has been shown to fight cancer when consumed raw (and we enjoy it that way) I cut it into thin coins and tossed it with the cold cooked brown rice. I topped this with my Asian walnut dressing and some torn basil leaves. That was breakfast along with a fresh veggie and fruit juice that is. Here are the specifics and nutrition breakdown:

Asparagus and Brown Rice with Walnut Dressing
Serves 3 (meaning a double portion for Dan and a single one for me)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked and cold
1 pound of asparagus, cut into 1/16 inch coins
6 tablespoons Asian Walnut dressing (I added sriracha to it today)
6 fresh basil leaves torn

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 198.29
Calories From Fat (28%) - 55.57

Total Fat - 6.68g
Saturated Fat - 0.76g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 76.08mg
Potassium - 431.8mg
Total Carbohydrates - 30.44g
Fiber - 5.59g
Sugar - 3.15g
Protein - 7g

Comments:

While not a typical breakfast we enjoyed it. The best part was that it came together in about 5 minutes. This is why I keep cold cooked grains in the refrigerator all the time. With cooked grains and fresh veggies you can always make a meal very fast. I keep cooked beans on hand for the same reason.

To go with this we had a fresh veggie and fruit juice comprised of: 1 apple, 5 carrots, 3 stalks celery, 2 kale leaves, 1/3 pound spinach, ½ lemon, 1 inch ginger, 2 frozen wheat grass shots. Of course we also had our powdered green drink. Can you ever have too many vegetables? I don’t think so, obviously, LOL.

Next recipe

Since it is a little warm here Dan and I have decided to take it easy again today. We watched something from PBS on Netflix and decided to make another simple and easy cold mid day meal. After much discussion this morning we settled on a cold bulgur and veggie salad and some fresh veggies marinated in lemon juice. I still hadn’t decided how I was using the marinated veggies, whether on a salad, or in a wrap. By the time I needed to make a decision I decided to toss the marinated veggies with spiralized zucchini. Here is what I used:

Lemon Marinated Veggies with Spiralized Zucchini
serves 6

Ingredients:

2 red bell pepper, julienned
3 carrots, julienned
2 collard leaves, julienned
1 lemon juiced and zested
4 cups spinach, julienned
4 zucchini, spiralized
¼ cup pine nuts

Directions:

Combine the red bell pepper, carrots, collard threads, lemon zest and juice in zip top bag. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Turn the bag over periodically to make certain all the veggies are in the juice. The point of the lemon juice is to soften the veggies. Most raw recipes use oil and salt with the lemon juice. Since I have eliminated oil and try to cut back on sodium I don’t use either and it works just fine. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

When you are ready to serve toss the marinated veggies and juice with the spiralized zucchini and spinach. Top with pine nuts and serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories-  99.87
Calories From Fat (37%) - 37.1

Total Fat - 4.43g
Saturated Fat-  0.37g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 60.26mg
Potassium - 755.94mg
Total Carbohydrates - 14.04g
Fiber - 4.56g
Sugar - 6.91g
Protein - 3.99g

Comments:

This was the hit of the meal. Even my omni parents had seconds. Needless to say both Dan and I were shocked. My father really seemed to enjoy this. It was very light but had good flavor. Some fresh basil would be a nice addition to this if you have it.

Each serving of this dish contains approximately 10,600IU of vitamin A, 100mg of vitamin C, 65mg of calcium, 115mcg of folate, 130mcg of vitamin K, 120mg of phosphorus, and 65mg of magnesium. Pretty amazing nutrition for less than 100 calories.

Next Recipe:

To go with the zucchini spaghetti I made a quick bulgur dish. I added the bulgur for fiber and calories. Here is how I made that dish:

Lemon Bulgur with Vegetables and Mint
serves 6

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups bulgur
3 cups water
1 lemon zested and juiced (use 2 if you love lemon)
1 cup edamame
1 cup snow peas, sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 cups spinach, julienned
¼ cup mint, thinly sliced

Directions:

Combine the bulgur and water and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice while the bulgur is still hot so it can absorb the lemon flavor. Chill the bulgur until cold. Add the edamame, snow peas, spinach and mint and toss just before serving. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories 161.61
Calories From Fat (10%) - 15.76

Total Fat - 1.88g
Saturated Fat - 0.25g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 19.86mg
Potassium - 354.01mg
Total Carbohydrates - 31.45g
Fiber - 8.47g
Sugar - 1.45g
Protein - 7.78g

Comments:

This cold salad has a subtle flavor and freshness from the mint. You can use any veggies you like with the lemony bulgur. This dish would have been great with the lemon marinated veggies. I added the edamame to this dish for protein. Snap peas were included for texture.

Each serving of this salad contains approximately 1,100IU of vitamin A, 50mg of calcium, 115mcg of folate, 60mcg of vitamin K, 160mg of phosphorus, and 85mg of magnesium.

Unrelated note:

Earlier today we watched a two part documentary which originally ran on PBS. It was called “The New Medicine”. Here is the description from Netflix, “The Before her death in 2006 from lung cancer, Dana Reeve filmed this thought-provoking program exploring the use of holistic remedies in modern medicine. Moving beyond traditional treatments and examining more lifestyle factors, an increasing number of doctors are supplementing their work with a host of healing alternatives -- including meditation, hypnosis and acupuncture -- to treat the whole body and restore their patients' health.” Dan and I both found it fascinating. Some of the scientific information about the mind body connection was very interesting.

For those of you that are wondering yes I am as interested in health and nutrition as it appears. For the last few years it has been my favorite topic of choice which is how I amassed so much information on nutrition. If I am not reading something on the topic of health or nutrition than I watching something on it.

I am going to spend some time with Dan and then make dinner. I will be back later to let you know what I came up with. I hope you are having a great long weekend. Talk to you all later.

Brunch with an Italian Zucchini and Potato Bake

“Oh the weather outside is frightful … “, and thankfully you can’t hear me sing. As predicted we are getting buried in snow. We have about a foot on the ground and it is still coming down. I don’t think we are going to get the 28 inches they are predicting. However this one storm has already dropped more snow than we normally get in an entire season.

Because the wind is blowing and it is so cold outside I decided to make a mostly hot brunch today. This zucchini and potato bake was just part of our brunch. Here is what I made.

Italian Zucchini and Potato Bake
Serves 4

Ingredients:

10 ounces of red potatoes, scrubbed (2 medium sized), I left the skin on since they are organic
1 ½ medium zucchini, scrubbed (approximately 2 cups)
¼ onion, peeled and diced
¼ cup water
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 pinch fennel seeds
1 pinch hot crushed pepper flakes
1 pinch thyme
1 pinch oregano
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
reduced fat tofu sour cream in a squeeze bottle, for garnish and flavor

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap four small spring form pans with aluminum foil around the bottom so they don’t leak. Place the pans on a half sheet pan.

Pierce the potatoes with the tip of paring knife and microwave until they are just tender (3 ½ minutes in my microwave). Set aside to cool so you can handle.

While the potatoes are cooking start the tomato sauce by water sautéing the onion and garlic until tender. Then add the tomato sauce, fennel, red pepper, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper and cook for a few minutes so the flavor can combine and the sauce reduces a little. You want to taste the fennel and there to be a little heat from the red peppers.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle slice them into ¼ inch thick slices. Then slice the zucchini on a diagonal, so the pieces are approximately the same size and thickness as the potatoes. Layer the potato and zucchini slices alternately in the spring form pans in a spiral fashion.

Top each zucchini and potato spiral with a couple of tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Bake for 20 minutes until the zucchini is cooked through.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 90.24
Calories From Fat (6%) - 5.5

Total Fat - 0.64g
Saturated Fat - 0.09g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 394.72mg
Potassium - 760.93mg
Total Carbohydrates - 19.36g
Fiber - 3.06g
Sugar - 3.86g
Protein - 3.56g

The nutritional numbers above assume that you use two tablespoons of tofu sour cream in total when plating.

Comments:

I liked these exactly as they were, but the hubby has his second one seared for a few minutes in a lightly oiled cast iron pan. He wanted a little crisp on the bottom.

We had these today for brunch with a porky seitan cutlet (it hasn’t been posted yet since I need to tweak the recipe) and a small green salad with raw cashew Caesar dressing. My husband had two servings of the zucchini and potato bake for additional calories.

Unrelated note:

The hubby just came in from shoveling and the snow is really piling up. Everything is so beautiful and white outside. I love being inside looking out the window when it is snowing. Everything looks so clean and fresh outside.

Today I am going to spend as much time inside as possible. I think some almond milk hot chocolate may be in order later tonight.

For now I need to go and figure out what I am making for dinner tonight. As usual I have no idea other than some type of soup and probably seitan since my parents like it.

After I finish dinner planning for today I am going to try out one of my new exercise DVDs I picked up last night. Everyone has been raving about Jillian Michael’s 30 day Shred so I got that last night at Costco. How could I leave it there since it was on $5.99? I don’t know why it was so cheap, but I a love a bargain so it jumped into the cart with a few other exercise DVDs, with a lot of other stuff.

I will be back later with a dinner recipe or two. I hope you are all having a great day and stay warm.

Middle Eastern Eggplant and Zucchini in the style of Imam Bayildy

(pictured: eggplant on the left, zucchini on the right, with reduced sauce on top)

There is a Middle Eastern dish that I love called Imam Bayildy, which means the Imam fainted. It is a famous Turkish dish that you find in most Middle Eastern restaurants. The original dish is quite high in fat from the amount of olive oil that is traditionally used. Some say that is where it got its name. The Imam fainted when he heard how much of the precious olive oil was used to make the dish.

Since we are trying to keep our fat down to minimize our inflammation I decided to change the dish significantly. Additionally I decided not to stuff the whole split eggplants and then also to add zucchini. This is why I am calling this “in the style of Imam Bayildy". Many of the flavors are the same, but the technique and calorie count are very different.

Middle Eastern Eggplant and Zucchini in the style of Imam Bayildy
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
½ teaspoon of cumin seed
¼ teaspoon of coriander seed
¼ teaspoon of fennel seed
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of agave
14 ounce can of tomato sauce
½ cup of water
2 medium white eggplant
2 medium zucchini

Directions:

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender. Add the remaining ingredients except the zucchini and eggplant. Cook over medium heat while you prep the zucchini and eggplant.

Slice the zucchini and eggplant lengthwise from top to bottom. Score the exterior of the eggplant to make it easier to cut later. Cut a deep cross hatch pattern into the interior of both the eggplant and zucchini to help them collapse so that they are reasonably flat when cooked.

Put the zucchini and eggplant interior down into the bubbling sauce. Cook covered on low heat for 20 minutes. Turn the zucchini and eggplant over and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

When the zucchini and eggplant are soft, remove them from the pan and move to a serving platter to cool to room temperature. The eggplant may cook more quickly than the zucchini. If this happens cook the zucchini until it is also soft and then remove to a serving platter to cool.

Continue to cook the sauce (uncovered) to reduce the sauce to a thicker consistency that you can serve on top the zucchini and eggplant. When the sauce is thick (about 15 minutes) cool it to room temperature.

This dish is best served room temperature or cold. Imam Bayildy is traditionally served cold but I think the flavors are better at room temperature.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 147.92
Calories From Fat (26%) - 37.83

Total Fat - 4.34g
Saturated Fat - 0.62g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 538.45mg
Potassium - 1168.11mg
Total Carbohydrates - 27.45g
Fiber - 11.71g
Sugar - 11.96g
Protein - 5.47g

Comments:

You can make this dish with all eggplant or zucchini if you wish. I prefer eggplant and my husband likes zucchini so I make both versions at the same time. This is a much easier and healthier version of the iconic original dish. If you like Middle Eastern dish you should give this a try.

Zucchini Bacon

(pictured: zucchini bacon draining on paper towel)

Zucchini bacon was a request of my husband. I have been making bacon bits for a while now and he wanted me to make bacon strips. I tried using thinly sliced tofu and it worked reasonably well, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. Since my hubby thought zucchini would be a good replacement that was what I worked on next.

This marinate is a combination of many different recipes I have seen for flavoring TVP to make bacon bits. I used the oil to replicate the fatty texture of bacon. Agave and black pepper were included to give the bacon a flavor similar to maple pepper bacon. Liquid Aminos was included for saltiness. Liquid smoke was required if I was going to get anything remotely bacon like. Apple cider vinegar was added to balance the sweetness of the agave.

Zucchini Bacon – Version 1
Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline one setting up from thinnest)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of amber agave
2 tablespoons of liquid aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
½ tablespoon of liquid smoke
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk the marinate and place it and the zucchini slices in a container with a lid, or a Ziploc bag. Marinate the zucchini at least 2 hours, tossing the zucchini periodically to make certain all the slices absorb some of the flavor. I marinated my zucchini for about 15 hours in the refrigerator. When I removed them from the marinade they were more pliable than when they went into the marinate.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees preferably using your convection setting. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment or a silpat and place the zucchini strips in an even layer on the pans (do no overlap). Save the excess marinade since you may want to brush it on your zucchini bacon while it is cooking. Or you could use it for the next batch.

Check the zucchini every hour to see how it is doing. I turn mine over each hour so I can check the consistency and obtain even cooking. You can brush the bacon with the reserved marinade each time you turn it over. This may extend the length of time required to bake the zucchini, but I think it will add more flavor. How long you cook the bacon will depend on how chewy you want the end result and whether you brush the zucchini with the extra marinade. I removed mine from the oven after 3 ½ to 4 hours (the smaller pieces came out earlier).

Nutritional Information (higher than actual):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 58.85
Calories From Fat (78%) - 46.04

Total Fat - 5.21g
Saturated Fat - 0.73g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 259.23mg
Potassium - 147.89mg
Total Carbohydrates - 2.86g
Fiber - 1.02g
Sugar - 1.04g
Protein - 0.72g

I posted the nutritional information so that you had some idea of where the upper end of the calories and other nutrients were, but I know they are overstated. I had a good amount of the marinate left when I finished cooking. Additionally, there was a lot of fat on the baking sheet when I finished. It looks like most of the oil doesn’t get absorbed. My best guess is the fat and calories above are at least double what they are in reality. When you make the zucchini bacon you will see what I mean about the leftover marinate and fat.

Comments:

This is another one of those recipes where I expect the first question is "how much is it like the real thing". Like the vegan cheese brick, you aren’t going to fool anyone into thinking this is bacon. However, it a little smoky, a little sweet and peppery like bacon. The chew is also closer to bacon than I expected. So the answer is no, it doesn’t taste like bacon, but it is similar to bacon and it does taste good. In my opinion, tasting good is what matters most in a successful recipe. However, just because it tastes good doesn’t mean I have finalized this recipe. I think I can make it more “bacon like” but this will take a few more variations.

Next time I will increase the liquid smoke, and I will probably decrease the apple cider and fat. I am considering adding a liquid Dijon to emulsify the dressing but I haven’t decided on that yet. Assuming my husband wants me to continue to “tinker” with this recipe you will see another version of this in a week or so.

If you decide to try this concept and make some changes please let me know what you do. I think this recipe is going to take some effort to finalize. I posted this recipe early in case anyone has any suggestions or wants to work on this recipe at their house. Since zucchini is so abundant now, I thought this would be a great time of year to play around with this concept.

Update:

I grabbed a slice of this from the refrigerator to see how the texture and flavor changed when cold and it is better cold. The texture firms in the refrigerator and the flavor seems more rounded. I do still think it needs a little more smoke, but it is definitely better cold.

My husband thinks this only needs more smoke. It appears I am being too much of a perfectionist again. I still may tinker with it a little, but not much since the hubby is happy with it.

Zucchini Fritters

I made zucchini fritters on Saturday as part of dinner and didn’t have time to post them until today. When the zucchini is abundant in the summertime I am always looking for ways to use zucchini. Summer squash are some of my favorite vegetables.

These fritters are whole grain and lower fat than traditional recipes. Both my husband and parents love it when I make fritters of any sort which is why you are seeing another version so soon after the corn fritters. We didn’t have any leftovers and I only ate two fritters so I guess the family really enjoyed them.

Zucchini Fritters
Makes 4 entrée sized portions – 16 fritters

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole-wheat pastry flour
¼ cup of finely ground white cornmeal
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon of oregano, dried
1 ½ teaspoons of egg replacer
2 tablespoons of warm water, to dissolve egg replacer
1 cup of almond milk
2+ cups of zucchini, shredded (from 2 zucchini)
2 tablespoons of canola oil, for cooking cakes

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees to keep the cooked fritters warm while you finish.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, cumin and oregano and whisk to thoroughly combine. Set this bowl aside.

Combine the egg replacer and warm water and whisk to dissolve the egg replacer. Add the almond milk to the wet ingredients and whisk again.

Stir the zucchini into the dry ingredients to coat them with flour. This will help the zucchini not sink to the bottom of the batter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. If the batter is dry add a little extra almond milk or water until the batter resembles pancake batter. Don’t overbeat the batter or your fritters will be tough.

Heat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium heat and coat with a little of the canola oil.

Dollop the fritter batter on the hot griddle in approximately ¼ cup measures. Cook until bubbles form on the top of the fritter and then flip and cook the other side.

You can keep the fritters hot in a 200-degree oven while you cook the remaining batter.

Serve hot with tofu sour cream or muhammara.

Nutritional Information (assumes 4 servings):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 223.29
Calories From Fat (35%) - 78.6

Total Fat - 8.93g
Saturated Fat - 0.71g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 645.67mg
Potassium - 477.13mg
Total Carbohydrates - 32.88g
Fiber - 5.82g
Sugar - 1.98g
Protein - 6.36g

Comments:

This traditional American fare is a favorite at my house. My husband grew up eating this food and my Southern grandmother used to make things like this all time. I think they are traditionally fried in butter but I don’t like to cook with Earth Balance. Sometimes I add caramelized onions or garlic to the fritters and that makes them a little sweeter.

Coffee Rubbed Seitan with Zucchini Salad and Sprouted Flat Bread

Dinner tonight was my vegan take on a traditional protein, vegetable and starch meal. I decided to make a coffee spice rub today and use it on my pressure-cooked seitan cutlets. The spice rub worked well on seitan and imparted a faint coffee taste that no one could identify even after I told them what was in the rub. The spice rub imparted a complex flavor that we enjoyed.

The zucchini salad is a cold counterpoint to the hot seitan cutlets. If you don’t have zucchini, you could use cucumbers instead. Red bell peppers would also be good in this salad if you had them on hand. The flat bread was included to scoop up the salad/salsa.

Coffee Spice Rubbed Seitan Cutlets
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of espresso powder (or cocoa powder if you prefer)
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon oregano, dried
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon of paprika
4 pressure-cooked seitan cutlets
pan spray

Directions:

Combine the espresso, salt, oregano, garlic, and paprika and mix to combine. Dust the cutlets with the spice rub on both sides. There will be very little if any spice rub leftover when you are finished.

Heat a heavy skillet and spray it with canola oil (pan spray). Sear the cutlets on both sides. If you find the cutlets are sticking you can add a little water to the pan to encourage them to release. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 188.77
Calories From Fat (12%) - 21.91

Total Fat - 2.48g
Saturated Fat - 0.24g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 860.67mg
Potassium - 351.26mg
Total Carbohydrates - 12.22g
Fiber - 0.93g
Sugar - 0.79g
Protein - 29.92g

Grilled Zucchini Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Avocado
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into small dice
1 cup of corn kernels
½ cup of cilantro, minced
½ teaspoon of oregano, dried
1 avocado, cut into small dice
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Grill the zucchini slices and cool. Cut the zucchini into bite size pieces. Add the tomatoes, corn, cilantro, and oregano to the zucchini and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Add the avocado just before you are ready to serve. Stir to incorporate the avocado. Taste for salt and pepper and season as you desire and serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 134.55
Calories From Fat (45%) - 61.12

Total Fat - 7.29g
Saturated Fat - 1.01g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 189.69mg
Potassium - 763.02mg
Total Carbohydrates - 17.76g
Fiber - 6.03g
Sugar - 4.96g
Protein - 3.81g

Sprouted Wheat Flat Bread
Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups of sprouted wheat flour
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
¾ cup of water

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and knead. All the water should be incorporated into the dough. If all your flour does not incorporate add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to knead until the flour is fully incorporated.

Wrap the dough completely with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron pan or griddle with a little oil over medium high heat.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball the size of a golf ball. Take the ball and flatten it with your fingers to form a disk. Flour your board and rolling pin and roll the dough into a flat disk approximately 8 inches round.

Place the flat bread on the lightly oiled grill and cook until it begins to puff up (this should happen in 3 minutes). If you bread doesn’t puff flip it over and check to see if it is beginning to brown. Cook on the other side and move to a wire rack.

You can hold this bread in a 200-degree oven for an hour if necessary.

To serve cut the bread into triangles like tortilla chips.

If you have any leftover bread it can be sprayed lightly with water and reheated in a foil pouch in a 350-degree oven.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 105.47
Calories From Fat (40%) - 42.65

Total Fat - 6.75g
Saturated Fat - 0.13g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 240.67mg
Potassium - 0.22mg
Total Carbohydrates - 22g
Fiber - 6g
Sugar - 1g
Protein - 4g

Comments:

Tonight’s dinner was more mild and traditional than most I make. The coffee rubbed seitan idea came from a coffee rubbed pork we did in cooking class a few weeks ago. The zucchini salad was something that I tossed together based on what I had in the refrigerator and it turned out really well. The sprouted wheat flat bread is best eaten warm. The bread becomes harder as it cools and is not as good so be sure to serve it straight from the griddle or oven warm.

Zucchini, Tomato, Okra and Seitan Sausage Over Polenta

All is right with the world again because my sweetie is home safely from Oklahoma. I get is such a funk when we are apart. Ok, enough of that, back to cooking. Since I wanted to get a lot of veggies into my husband, I made a vegetable medley to serve over polenta for a late lunch today.

In order to keep the fat down, since I wasn’t certain how much fat he had on the road, I used only a teaspoon of oil to sauté the onion, and no fat in the polenta. Normally I would use a little more fat but I wanted to try to get the fat percentage a little lower than normal to bring the two day average down.

I used what I had in the house that I knew would go together. The okra was included for its ability to lower cholesterol. Okra isn’t my husband’s favorite (he complains about the “slime factor”). However, I have found if okra is a component of a larger dish he will eat it without much complaint. At least without any serious complaints (only his joking complaints), so that works for me. The zucchini was added for bulk. Zucchini is great to use as a vegetable filler. The red bell pepper adds a lot of vitamin C (more than an orange). Onions, garlic and tomatoes are cancer fighters, but also provide great flavor and are the foundation for many of my dishes. I included a seitan sausage to add a little more protein to the dish. I served this over polenta because I wanted to increase the calories without adding fat.

Zucchini, Tomato, Okra and Seitan Sausage Over Polenta
Serves 2

Polenta Ingredients:

1 cup of dry polenta
3 cups of cold water
1 teaspoon of salt

Vegetable Medley Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of canola oil
1 red onion, finely minced
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 cup of zucchini, minced
1 cup of okra, minced
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, grated or minced
½ teaspoon of dried oregano
½ teaspoon of dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 Mexican spiced seitan sausage, sliced thinly

Directions:

Add the polenta, water and salt and stir to incorporate the three. Taste the water to see if it tastes salty enough for you. Polenta is like rice, you can’t salt it later, it just won’t ever have enough salt if you do. Turn the heat on lower and periodically stir the polenta. When it starts to tighten up and bubble like lava turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan. You can hold the polenta for 10 – 15 minutes before it begins to firm. If necessary you can leave the heat on low and add a little water to keep it from getting too tight.

When you start the polenta you should also begin the vegetable medley so that they are both finished at the same time.

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until soft. When the onion has softened add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until the polenta is ready. The cooking process should take about 15 minutes.

Serve the vegetable medley over the polenta. If you have fresh parsley, that would be a good garnish on top of the vegetables.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 463.63
Calories From Fat (11%) - 51.97

Total Fat - 6.05g
Saturated Fat - 0.71g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1393.27mg
Potassium - 1316.03mg
Total Carbohydrates - 82.85g
Fiber - 13.88g
Sugar - 5.31g
Protein - 26.51g

Comments:

Lunch today was very filling. I don’t think we will be having a heavy dinner tonight. The flavor was mild, but complex. There were no complaints about the okra (thankfully).

Overall, I think we both liked this meal. My husband did comment that the texture of the sausages was good. It appears we both prefer the pressure cooked seitan sausage methodology. This meal was all about comfort food to me. The creaminess from the polenta makes it very comforting, in my opinion.

Corn, White Bean, Poblano and Zucchini Enchiladas with Pumpkin Seed Salsa

We were in a Mexican food mood tonight. Well, to be more specific I was in a Mexican food mood tonight, since it is difficult to get my husband to express any opinion on what he wants for dinner. He did choose white beans over black beans today but that was the extent of his involvement. Initially I was going to make empanadas tonight, but then I got lazy and dinner turned into enchiladas (sorry about that). Since I have not posted a healthy whole-wheat empanada yet I will do that soon.

I used corn tonight because it is in season and local. The beans were added for fiber and protein. The poblano pepper was a much heat as I thought my elderly parents could tolerate (my husband and I would have liked much more). The zucchini was included to add bulk to the enchilada without a lot of calories. Pumpkin seeds are such a traditional Mexican item they seemed appropriate tonight. You can’t have Mexican food without cilantro … so it went it too. The chia seeds were used for their omega 3 content and because they are a great fat replacer in dressing type applications. Not to mention they are high in omega 3’s which fight inflammation and cancer.

None of the reasons I added items sounds very technical, and it shouldn’t. I cook completely by instinct. I have had many friends ask me why I combine different things or add things and the answer is normally “I have no idea I just wanted to use it”. I think this is what happens when you have cooked for 30 years as I have. I almost always make recipes up as I go along. After years of friends asking me for recipes I decided it made sense to start a blog. It is much easier than emailing recipes to people everyday. My husband was thrilled when I started the blog because he can see what he is having for dinner from work, and it reminds him of things that he really liked so he can ask me to make it again. I hope what you are getting from this is that cooking is more art than science. Once you learn what foods go together and how different things react (like chia seeds, agar, etc.) under various conditions (hot or cold temperatures) the rest of cooking is just playing in the kitchen.

I have one food book that I love and use every week. That book is Culinary Artistry. It is a wonderful book that outlines which foods combine well in terms of flavor. If you don’t have a copy pick it up the next time you are at the bookstore or library and see what it is all about. I have found it to be the most useful book in my kitchen and given the hundreds of books on food and cooking that I have, that is saying something.

Corn, White Bean, Poblano and Zucchini Enchiladas with Pumpkin Seed Salsa
Serves 4 hearty appetites

Enchilada Ingredients:

½ tablespoon of canola oil
1 poblano pepper, stem and seeds removed, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cups of zucchini, finely chopped
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
1 roasted red pepper, finely chopped
2 cups of white beans, drained
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon of ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon of oregano, dried
4 whole-wheat roll ups (or tortillas)

Enchilada Sauce Ingredients:

15 ounce can of tomato sauce
½ teaspoon of ancho chili powder, or to taste
1 clove of garlic, grated – optional
½ teaspoon of cumin seed, toasted and ground - optional

Pumpkin Seed and Cilantro Salsa Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of white chia seeds, finely ground
1/4 cup of water, filtered
1 clove of garlic, grated
¼ teaspoon of cumin seed, toasted and ground
1/3 cup of fresh cilantro
juice for ½ lime, or to taste

Cucumber Salad Ingredients:

3 cucumbers, quartered and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite size strips
½ cup of fresh tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
4 tablespoons of acid (lime juice, lemon juice, sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar), or to taste
oregano, to taste
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup of fresh cilantro, minced

Directions:

In a heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) cook the peppers and onions in the canola oil until the pepper skin is blistered and the onion is softened. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the vegetables have given up their liquid. Allow the mixture to cool so that you can fill the enchiladas without getting burned.

To fill the enchiladas I place the tortilla (or whatever thin flat bread you are using) in the pan I am going to bake in. Next place ¼ of the filling in the flat bread and gently roll the flat bread around the filling with the seam ending on the bottom. Continue until all four flat breads are filled.

Open the can of tomato sauce and add the chili powder and grated garlic (if using) to the can and stir to thoroughly combine. Top the filling enchiladas with the sauce. Sprinkle the top of the sauce with the cumin (if using). Place the baking dish in the oven at 350 for at least 30 minutes. If the to is beginning to brown and the edges of the flat bread are starting to crisp the enchiladas are ready to come out of the oven. If you aren’t certain you can use a thermometer to check the internal temperature (you want at least 180 degrees on the inside).

To make the salsa, add chia seeds to the water in a measuring cup and stir to thoroughly combine. It will take 15 minutes or so for the seeds to absorb all the water and the mixture to get thick. Process the pumpkin seeds in the your food processor until they are completely ground. Add the chia seeds, garlic, cilantro and cumin to the food processor and pulse until everything is homogeneous. Place the pumpkin seed salsa in the refrigerator in the covered dish until needed.

For the cucumber salad, toss the cucumber, tomato and bell pepper with the acid, to taste. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until needed. Add the fresh cilantro just before serving.

Place the enchilada on the plate, top with the pumpkin seed salsa and serve the cucumber salad along side.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 477.46
Calories From Fat (13%) - 63.54

Total Fat - 7.9g
Saturated Fat - 1.22g
Cholesterol- 0mg
Sodium - 1231.21mg
Potassium - 1964.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 88.67g
Fiber - 21.59g
Sugar - 13.31g
Protein - 27.95g

Comments:

I know this isn’t going to sound right …. but did you see those nutritional stats? I was so psyched by the numbers (that is my finance geekiness coming out a little I fear). The fat percentage was perfect for the Life Over Cancer book (happy dance occurring at my house). Add to that over 21 grams of fiber and almost 28 grams of protein. I am one happy girl let me tell you. How can you not love a meal with those statistics that also tastes great? I know we loved it. Even my opinionated 80year old omnivore parents enjoyed it. We didn’t have any leftovers (not one bite).

Now you all know my favorite kitchen book what is yours? Do you have a favorite cookbook? I would love to know what it is and why you like it.

Laotian Style Vegetables

For some unknown reason I wanted Laotian food tonight. I like to mix up the origin of our food, as you may have noticed. Laotian food is reasonably new to me. I was introduced to it at our favorite local restaurant where a couple of the guys in the kitchen are from Laos. The cuisine is quite nice and seems to use a lot of hot Thai chilies, lime and fresh mint. If you like that combination you will like Laotian cuisine.

This dish has a lot of flavor from the chili garlic sauce, lime and mint. It is hot and refreshing at the same time. I didn’t serve this over rice, but it would be great that way or in a lettuce wrap.

Laotian Style Vegetables
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups of zucchini, halved or quartered and thinly sliced
2 Japanese eggplants, thinly sliced
1 cup of fire roasted diced tomatoes
½ - 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce (depending on how much you like heat)
1 scoop of stevia (or agave)
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup of fresh mint, chopped

Directions:

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot add the red onion, zucchini and eggplant, fire roasted tomatoes, chili garlic sauce, stevia and lime. Cook until the vegetables are as tender as you like them.

Stir the fresh mint into the vegetables just before serving. You want the mint to stay fresh and vibrant. This would be good over brown rice or any other whole grain.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 93.83
Calories From Fat (7%) - 6.64

Total Fat - 0.82g
Saturated Fat - 0.14g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 254.17mg
Potassium - 902.81mg
Total Carbohydrates - 22.9g
Fiber - 7.78g
Sugar - 4.64g
Protein - 4.73g

Comments:

This dish packs a punch of flavor. It you like spicy Asian food you should give this a try. I served it tonight with a whole-wheat tortilla with a little nutritional yeast sauce and fire roasted tomato bits. However, this would be great over brown rice.

Country Style Breakfast: Crispy Seitan Cutlets, Potato Hash and Raw Zucchini Salad

This morning I wanted a big hearty breakfast. I don’t know why I was so hungry this morning, but whatever the reason a big “country style" breakfast was in order. I decided to crisp a couple of seitan cutlets this morning and serve it with potato hash and raw zucchini salad. It sounds like a lot of work but I had breakfast ready in about 15 minutes.

First I sliced the zucchini and onion thinly and moved it to a big bowl and topped with sherry vinegar, oil, oregano, salt and pepper to marinate while I made the hot dishes.

The hot portion of the breakfast was made this morning in my cast iron skillet. When I put the skillet on the heat to warm up I also set my onion to 200 degrees to keep the cutlets warm while I made the hash.

For the cutlets I crisped them quickly in the cast iron skillet in a touch of canola oil. This took just a couple of minutes per side and then moved them to a baking sheet in the oven.

While the cutlets were crisping I had the potatoes in the microwave getting soft.

Next I placed the sliced onions and poblano pepper in the skillet and quickly cooked them in the skillet until the onions soften and the peppers blister. I then added the potatoes and cooked them until they began to get a little crunchy on the outside. It is important not to move the potatoes around often so that they will form a little crust. Add the sliced roasted red pepper for a couple a minutes and then plate the potatoes. I moved the seitan back to the skillet briefly to make certain that it was warm enough and then moved it to the plate. Add the raw zucchini salad and you are ready for breakfast.

If you are looking for a very filling country style breakfast, we thought this was a very nice breakfast this morning. This breakfast also contains a nice amount of protein (36 grams) and fiber (7 grams). The total fat was a little higher than I wanted (18%), but when that happens I lower the fat content in the remaining meals to get the total down for the day.



Raw Zucchini Salad
Serves 3

Ingredients:

3 cups of zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
a few thin slices of red onion
2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
dried oregano, to taste
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat. Allow the salad to sit for a few minutes before serving (longer is also good). You could add fresh parsley or capers to this salad.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 37.67
Calories From Fat (40%) - 14.92

Total Fat - 1.75g
Saturated Fat - 0.26g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 12.84mg
Potassium - 339.41mg
Total Carbohydrates - 5.48g
Fiber - 1.57g
Sugar - 2.15g
Protein - 1.61g



Crispy Seitan Cutlets
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 pressure cooked seitan cutlets – mild flavor
½ teaspoon of canola oil

Directions:

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat and wipe the pan with a paper towel coated with a little canola oil. Cook the seitan for a couple of minutes per side. You want the cutlet to form a nice crust on the exterior. Move the seitan to a 200-degree oven to stay warm while you make the rest of the meal.

Nutritional Information:

Amount per Serving
Calories - 205.74
Calories From Fat (20%) - 41.32

Total Fat - 4.67g
Saturated Fat - 0.4g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 390.31mg
Potassium - 331.19mg
Total Carbohydrates - 11.62g
Fiber - 0.73g
Sugar - 0.65g
Protein - 29.8g



Potato, Poblano, Roasted Red Pepper and Red Onion Hash
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 large red potatoes (approximately 6 ounces each)
1 poblano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 roasted red peppers, sliced
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel that has a little canola oil. You won’t need any more fat than what is on the towel. It works well to use tongs to hold the towel.

Clean the potatoes and pierce them with the tip of a paring knife. Microwave the potatoes until they are just tender.

Add the poblano pepper strips and onion slices to the pan and cook until the pepper skin blisters and the onion has softened. Add the roasted red pepper strips and the sherry vinegar and cook until the red peppers have been heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 198.38
Calories From Fat (12%) - 23.2

Total Fat - 2.64g
Saturated Fat - 0.22g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 155.6mg
Potassium - 1049.43mg
Total Carbohydrates - 40.77g
Fiber - 5.02g
Sugar - 1.15g
Protein - 5.05g

Comments:

This is what I consider a vegan country style breakfast. My grandmother used to make big southern breakfasts when I was a small child. Potato hash was something she included in her weekend breakfast feasts. This breakfast was very quick but somehow felt like a weekend breakfast. Both my husband and I liked the mixture of hot and cold items. We are both fond of the acidity from sherry vinegar, which is why it appeared twice this morning. The seitan cutlets that are pressure-cooked have such a nice tender texture with a little crispiness on the exterior from the cast iron pan. We both enjoyed this weekend breakfast on a Friday before work. I hope you like it as much as we did.

Zucchini, Brown Rice, Wheat Germ and Sunflower Seed Burgers

(pictured: zucchini, brown rice, wheat germ and sunflower burger cooking in cast iron)

The Don Lee Burgers we purchased at Costco last week inspired this burger recipe. We liked the inclusion of seeds in the Don Lee burger so I decided to try them in a homemade veggie burger to see how they worked. I included wheat germ to this burger to add more plant phytosterols.

I was reading an article this morning on the role of plant phytosterols in cancer angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth) and apoptosis (cancer cell suicide). Since I didn’t want to buy Take Control or Benecol margarine I decided to find out what foods contained phytosterols. I found a nice table at this site.

So, now that you know what I added wheat germ I will go back to the burger recipe. The zucchini was included to provide moisture so that the gluten would develop without added liquid. The paprika adds vitamin C to the burger. The raw sunflower seeds are a good source of vitamin E and are anti-inflammatory. Sunflower seeds are also a good source of phytosterols (a nice bonus). Additionally, sunflower seeds are a good source of selenium, another nutrient that is reported to fight cancer.

These burgers are higher in calories and fat than most of my veggie burgers. The wheat germ and sunflower seeds are both calorie dense from fat. The fats they contain are healthy. In order to get back to our 12% fat target I will add a good portion of grain and vegetables to our dinner to get the overall numbers into line.

Zucchini, Brown Rice, Wheat Germ and Sunflower Seed Burgers
Makes 4 large burgers (about 6 or 7 ounces)

Ingredients:

2 cups of zucchini, finely shredded
¼ of a red onion, finely shredded
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 ½ cups of brown basmati rice, cooked (cold is fine)
2/3 cup of wheat germ
½ cup of raw sunflower seeds, unsalted
½ tablespoon of garlic powder
½ tablespoon of onion power
½ tablespoon of sweet paprika
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
6 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten

Directions:

Wilt the zucchini, red onion and kosher salt in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook until the volume has reduced by half. Move the zucchini mixture to a wire sieve and allow the excess fluid to drain away. This will happen in 5 or 10 minutes. You want the zucchini to retain some moisture that will be needed for the gluten.

Lightly grease your cast iron pan with canola oil and heat it over medium heat while you mix the burgers.

Move the zucchini mixture to a large bowl big enough to mix all the ingredients. Add the rice, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, kosher salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Now add the vital wheat gluten and knead to develop the gluten. This should only take a few minutes. If the gluten does not fully incorporate add water a tablespoon at a time and continue to knead to develop the gluten. A few minutes of kneading is sufficient.

Form the mixture into four roughly even burgers. Cook the burgers in the cast iron pan over medium heat until brown and crispy on each side. This took approximately 4 minutes per side at my house.

These are good hot or room temperature.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 283.06
Calories From Fat (26%) - 74.88

Total Fat - 8.94g
Saturated Fat - 1.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 484.58mg
Potassium - 520.05mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.5g
Fiber - 6.21g
Sugar - 1.96g
Protein - 18.55g

Comments:

The taste of these burgers was very good. The texture was much more dense than I expected and I am assuming that is from the wheat germ. However, my husband and both thought the texture was good even though unexpected. My husband did suggest that I make the burgers a little thinner. I will try that next time. These burgers are very filling.

Overall, we both enjoyed these burgers. You can expect to see more variations that include wheat germ and sunflower seeds in the future.

Zucchini and Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Pesto and Fresh Tomatoes

(pictured: raw zucchini spaghetti)

Julienned zucchini is something that I have been doing for a few a years now. Sometimes I make it with pasta and sometimes I make it without pasta as a side dish. It is a wonderful dish to make in the summer time when the zucchini are plentiful. It is also a great way to use up large zucchini. The bigger zucchini give a much better “spaghetti” yield since the flesh of the zucchini is the only part you need for this dish.

Zucchini is mostly water, like all vegetables, and will release the water and become very limp if cooked for too long. The zucchini spaghetti is better if it is cut using a larger julienne setting (if you have that option) on your mandoline. If you use the really fine setting the texture isn’t quite as nice.

This pasta has a hint of a spicy undertone from the red pepper flakes, but is not what I call hot. The most dominant flavor in this dish is the basil and then the garlic. The fresh tomatoes add a nice fresh burst of flavor. I also like the coolness of the tomatoes compared to the hot pasta.

Zucchini and Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Pesto and Fresh Tomatoes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini (approximately 4 pounds)
16 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti
6 quarts of water, filtered
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 cup of packed fresh basil leaves (more would not be bad if you have it)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, sliced (allow to stand 10 minutes before heating so the allicin will develop)
¼ teaspoon of oregano, dried
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of fresh tomatoes, diced

Directions:

Use the julienne blade for your mandoline and slice the zucchini into “spaghetti”. Stop when you get to the seeds in the center turn the zucchini a quarter turn and slice again until you get to the seeds. Continue until all the zucchini is julienned. You can save the zucchini seeds for soup, or throw them away.

You can use a vegetable peeler to make zucchini pappardelle if you don’t have a mandoline and it works just as well. If you use a vegetable peeler I would pair the zucchini with a thicker pasta like a fettuccini or pappardelle. Ultimately you want the pasta shape and size to be similar to the zucchini.

Bring the water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Add the whole wheat pasta to the boiling water and stir for the first two minutes to keep the pasta from sticking together. Many people will tell you to add oil to keep the pasta from sticking together, but this does work and causes other problems. The reason the pasta sticks is the starch that is released into the water as the pasta cooks. If the starch is not disturbed by stirring it will cause the pasta to form a lump.

If you add oil to the water you will lightly coat the pasta exterior with oil when it is drained which will keep if from absorbing the sauce as well. Sorry for the rant, the oil on pasta issue is a hot button for me. Every time I hear someone on TV recommend adding oil to the pasta water it gets my Italian up. If you have any Italian friends, you know this isn’t good.

Process the basil, olive oil, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes in your food processor, blender or until the basil and garlic and thoroughly pulverized.

When you pasta is almost cooked (you have a minute or so remaining on the timer). Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the basil mixture. If the basil starts to dry out add a little of the starchy pasta water (now more than a ladle or two). When the pasta is cooked add it to the basil pan and toss to coat. Taste the pasta for salt and pepper before adding the zucchini. You want the zucchini in contact with the hot pasta for the shortest time possible.

Add the raw zucchini threads to the pasta pot and toss to evenly distribute it into the pasta. Turn off the heat. Add the chopped tomatoes just before serving.

You can garnish with a few basil leaves, whole or julienned if desired.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 269.29
Calories From Fat (12%) - 32.66

Total Fat - 3.79g
Saturated Fat - 0.58g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 415.41mg
Potassium - 962.62mg
Total Carbohydrates - 52.18g
Fiber - 6.49g
Sugar - 7.28g
Protein - 12.17g

Comments:

This is a good refreshing summer pasta dish. You could make it with all zucchini and warm it quickly in the pan and leave out the pasta altogether. I wanted this to be a one dish meal so I added the pasta. If you weren’t watching your fat as closely as we are it would be great with a few toasted pine nuts on top or a few sprinkles of almond feta on the top. It would also be great with a few olives in the sauce or on top the pasta.