getting back in the habit

dear friends,
i have been a bad blogger. i haven't updated this in a very, very long time. i would like to get back into it, at least on a semi monthly basis. a lot has been going on - i've moved twice in the past year, finished up my masters degree, and i am starting a new job. but, i have been still cooking & baking - although not raw, and not completely vegetarian either. it's a rare occasion when i do eat animals, but i did start again. i recently made a very delicious dish - ginger, lime & peanut chicken with a very healthy potato salad. thank you clean eating magazine. i do not have pictures, but i will share the recipes here. normally i am not a big fan of potato salad, but this one is light & fresh.

something things that i really would like to try making by the end of september are: homemade bread (not in a bread maker, but actually letting it rise & baking it in the oven), artichokes, and tofu. when i go out & get tofu, it is always so delicious - this includes the new starbucks vegan sesame noodles & tofu. but i have not yet mastered how to make it just as yummy. (& i've never even attempted artichokes or bread) if anyone has any recipes & is willing to share they would be greatly appreciated!

ginger, lime & peanut chicken
1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 lime

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a mini food processor, grind peanuts until fine (I actually put the peanuts in a bag and crushed them with my rolling pin)
In a small bowl, combine peanuts, garlic powder and ginger.
Place chicken on a cookie sheet and squeeze juice from lime overtop.
Then roll chicken in peanut mixture until well coated.
(I actually used the lime mixed with the peanuts & drizzled over the top & it made the chicken very juicy)
Bake chicken in oven for 25 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

healthy potato salad
5 russet potatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup low fat/fat free/vegan mayo
4 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 sweet onion
2 tablespoons of dill

peel & cut potatoes, into small cubes. boil over high heat until tender. strain & put in refrigerator until cool
while potatoes are boiling, also boil the eggs. once eggs are boiled, also put in refrigerator until cool
once eggs have cooled, chop finely.
once potatoes have cooled, combine celery, onion, dill, mayo, vinegar & eggs

eat slightly warm or cool until cold in the refrigerator.

summer strawberry rhubarb pie

i've recently been cooking (& baking) up a storm. funny how that happens when you have someone else to cook for! i always feel less inclined to spend the time on cooking just for myself, but enjoy spending a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for others. (sometimes i wonder if maybe i should have done something in culinary arts/nutrition). anyways, the gentleman i'm seeing has a strong affinity for rhubarb pie. having never tried it before, i did a little research & found out that it's season is very short lived! (june only!) rhubarb is very tart & only the stem is edible (the leaf is actually poisonous). so i thought i'd jump on the chance to treat him to a night of favorites - steak, potatoes & pie!

i also made homemade crust! (which i do not have a photo of, but here is the great recipe i found). note: the colder the crust, the flakier that it will be once it's baked!
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold

mash together (much easier with something electronic). best if it sits in the refrigerator for one to two hours.

3 1/2 cups rhubarb, in 1/2-inch thick slices
3 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces






before

after


preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a well-floured counter, roll half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.

stir together rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, lemon, salt and tapioca in a large bowl. mound filling inside bottom pie crust and dot with bits of unsalted butter. mix one large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze to make the pie gel together better). roll second half of pie dough into an 11-inch circle and cut decorative slits in it (this is the recipe i used, but i liked cutting strips better to make a design). trim top and bottom pie dough so that their overhang beyond the pie plate lip is only 1/2-inch. tuck rim of dough underneath itself and crimp it decoratively.

transfer pie to a baking sheet and brush egg yolk mixture over dough. bake for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the pie is golden and the juices bubble visibly.

Transfer pie to wire rack to cool. When full cool (several hours later) the juices gel.

asian edamame noodle dish (& asian dumplings)

this past weekend i whipped up an asian dinner delight. i used this recipe from a previous post










& used this recipe that i modified a little bit from yoga journal magazine.











Dressing

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

Noodles

8 oz. egg noodles (or really any noodles you find in the asian section of the super market)
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame
2 cups grated carrots
6 oz watercress coarsely chopped
1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

saute sesame seeds in a pan with a little bit of sesame oil.
boil the egg noodles in water.
mix the edamame, carrots, water cress, green onions together.
add sesame seeds & noodles.
make dressing & sift in through noodles.
enjoy!

raw veggie stir fry

hello fellow bloggers. sorry it's been so long... i recently tried this great recipe. it's so good (& great for the summer!) enjoy!

raw veggie stir fry

'Rice':

2 cups chopped parsnips
2 carrots
1/2 cups pine nuts
3/4 cups broccoli, chopped
1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup pepper, sliced (any color, though i love red)

chop parsnips, carrots, and pine nuts and place in bowl. if you are using a food processor to do this, you will want to do each separately. combine with chopped broccoli & sliced mushrooms & sliced peppers.

Sauce:

1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili peppers (dried)
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
1 tablespoon agave nectar (optional, depending on if you like sweet or not)

Combine all ingredients in food processor, process until well combined. stir into “rice mixture”.

great quinoa & bee pollen

i haven't posted in a while because i haven't made anything new! i've mostly been doing the juicing stuff, eating raw when i can. i did start adding bee pollen to my smoothies, which definitely gives me a little extra zing. its known to slow down the aging process, help with weight loss, reduce allergies, lower cholesterol, contains vitamin C, D, E, and K. it is also known to help strengthen the body, and help with endurance, stamina & mental clarity. all that in a tablespoon of bee pollen! and, as i did further research, i found out it takes one bee eight hours each day, for a month to make a tablespoon of this stuff! pretty crazy!

i've also been making this quinoa (a great alternative to rice) dish lately. i don't have a photo, but it is so delicious, and especially with the summer season coming up and fresh herbs readily available, courtesy of giada delaurentis (of the food network) but with some of my own tweaking.

cook the quinoa: 2 cups of water (or veggie stock) to 1 cup of quinoa

Dressing:

* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
* salt and black pepper to taste

For the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, add quinoa & water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Good stuff, enjoy!

banana nut muffins

i had a few in the process of going bad bananas so i thought i'd make some muffins. found a recipe online that had coffee in it: so good. these are my new favorite!

3 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup butter (vegan earth balance)
3/4 cup sugar (florida crystals, organic & raw)
1 egg (or the equivalency of one egg replacer)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tbsp coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of flour (whole wheat)
1 cup chopped walnuts (raw)

mix bananas and sugar
then add butter, egg, vanilla, coffee, salt, baking soda & mix
add flour, mix
add walnuts, mix

put in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes! perfect muffins! (i think the secret ingredient is the coffee, gives it an extra zing!)

nut butter bliss

i am obsessed with almond butter... i might actually have to have an english muffin with some of it right now... anyways, i am a big fan of two brands: justin's, and mara natha.

















however, i was in chamberlain's (my local health food store here) today, and mara natha just started making almond butter nutella! this is such exciting news! now i can enjoy a new flavor with my english muffin, fruit or veggies.