Arugula and Fig Salad

This salad is easy, fast and packed with nutrients. The sweetness of the figs provides a unique flavor that pairs perfectly with the balsamic vinegar. 

Preparation time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 

Ingredients:

6 cups fresh washed arugula or rocket

1 pomegranate or 1 cup of grapes, halved

1 pound figs, washed and quartered substitute with dried figs if fresh are not in season

¼ cup toasted almonds

3 tablespoons cherry balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons blood orange olive oil

A pinch of salt

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix.

Vegan Crockpot Chili

As a parents we are always busy, running from one obstacle to another.  Whether you are a stay-at-home dad, an executive mom, or a homeschooling parent; we just cannot keep up with all the demands and delights of parenthood, not to mention cook a decent meal.  So in an effort to provide my growing children with a healthy diet and appetizing food, I began to embrace my crockpot.  In effort to live up to my dreams of feeding my family a clean cuisine in the shortest amount of time possible I came up with this vegan recipe.  We couldn’t get enough of it, and I made extra so there was enough left over for lunch for a couple days too.  If you are using dried beans instead of canned remember to soak them 24 hours in advance.  Dried beans are cheaper with less salt, chemicals and preservatives than canned beans.

 

Vegan Crockpot Chili

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon flaked basil

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups of dry kidney beans soaked overnight or 2 cans of organic PBA free kidney beans.

2 fifteen ounce cans low sodium tomato sauce

1 cup red or orange sweet peppers chopped (red or orange so the family will not know they are there)

Directions:

1.       Put olive oil in a skillet and sauté onions, garlic, cumin, basil and black pepper until onion start to lightly brown.

2.       In your crockpot, put the beans in first, then the tomato sauce and onion mixture then combine.  Finally put the peppers on top.  Cover the crockpot and turn to low if you want it to be ready in 8 hours or more.  Set to crockpot to high if you want it done in 4 hours.

3.       Once it is done, stir in the peppers and serve with a side of rice or crusted bread.  Most importantly, add a salad or some roasted vegetables as a healthy side.

 

Basil

Greek cuisine is known for being one of the healthiest, especially since hundreds of studies have been published about the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet [1].  One of the unique traits of the Mediterranean Diet is it’s richness in fresh herbs such as basil.  This amazing herb has been shown to be a potent antioxidant and an anti-carcinogen as it detoxifies mutations in the cell [2].  Basil also has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiviral properties [3].  That is not all; basil is also an anti-inflammatory and immunostimulating herb [3], which help induce cardiovascular health and rid the body of sickness respectively.  

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/healthy-basil

 

In order to harness all these health promoting properties, it is best to consume the basil leaves as soon as possible.  An easy, cheap way to do this is to grow your own basil plant. It can be grown in a pot in a sunny window or in the back yard.  You can grow it from seed or buy a potted plant at a local famer’s market.  Basil is easy to maintain and grows like a weed.  Just water it every day and make sure it gets adequate sun light.  Then when you need some fresh, fragrant basil just snip some off, chop it up and add it to the dish.

 

1.            Sofi, F., et al., Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis. British Medical Journal, 2008. 337(sep11 2): p. a1344.

2.            Tapsell, L., et al., Health benefits of herbs and spices: the past, the present, the future. Medical Journal of Australia, 2006. 185(4): p. S4-S24.

3.            Lee, J. and C.F. Scagel, Chicoric acid found in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) leaves. Food Chemistry, 2009. 115(2): p. 650-656.

 

Meatless Monday Menu

Wondering what and how to cook a Meatless Monday meal?  But first, what is it? Meatless Monday is a nationwidemovement to help encourage person to eat healthier and preserve the environmentat the same time.  Mass meat productiontakes a big toll on the environment and by avoiding meat even for only one daya week can help reduce the carbon dioxide levels in the environment and loweryour cholesterol levels too.  This fitshand in hand with Earth Day being on Monday, making it the perfect way tocelebrate Earth Day this year.

 Here is an easy,healthy, fast dinner to prepare in celebration of Earth Day: Roasted Asparagus,Cherry Tomato Sauce and Pasta. 

First start with the cherry tomato sauce since is takes thelongest.

Cherry Tomato Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 pint baby bell mushrooms

1 tsp dried onion

A pinch of corn starch

Salt to taste

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put olive oil in apan and turn on heat until warm then add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet andcover.  While the tomatoes warm, wash thebella mushrooms and halve the bigger mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are all washed add them to the skillet.  Also add the dried onions and a dash of salt,put heat on medium and cover skillet. Now cook the pasta of your choice accordingto the package.  Make enough for 4serving.

2.      Next start the Roasted Asparagus.

Roasted Asparagus:

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1        pound asparagus

3.      Rinse asparagus and chop off bottom fibrous inchof the asparagus stocks.  Put theasparagus on a cookie sheet drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle on salt andpepper. Now mix it all up with your hands and put the cookie sheet in theoven.  It should be ready in about 15minutes.  Now go set the table.

4.      Once the mushrooms and tomatoes are soft add asprinkle of cornstarch and stir the vegetable juices to thicken up the sauce.It should take the vegetables between 30-45 minutes to soften.

5.      Your food is done and your table is set, now godig in.

Carbs: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

One day carbs are bad, the next they are good then bad again. What is it about carbs and what exactly is a "carb"? Carb is short for carbohydrate which is just a smarty-pants way for saying sugar or energy. Where do carbs come from? You can find carbs in almost everything. Unless you are eating pure fat and protein i.e. corn oil and steak, your food contains carbs. Fruits, vegetables, dairy and most sources of protein other than meat have carbs. The foods with the richest amount or carbs are the grains food group.

Are carbs bad? Should you avoid them? No. But why do they have such a bad wrap? Because some carbs are bad for you but the carbs are not to blame the method in which the food was made or other ingredients make it unhealthy. What do twinkies, white bread, and white flour have in common? You guessed it, refined grains. When wheat undergoes a long process of beginning peeled, polished, bleached, and ground white flour or refined grains are produced. This flour becomes so lacking in nutrients due to rigorous production methods manufacturers must add nutrients back. Then they call the product enriched making it sound like they are doing the consumer a favor. These refined grains have negative impacts on your health. People who eat products rich in refines grains are more likely to gain weight, be diagnosed with diabetes and suffer from high triglycerides and elevated cholesterol.

On the other hand, whole grains provide numerous nutritional benefits. Particularly whole grains not ground into whole grain flour for example quinoa, bulgur, freekeh, wild rice and many others. These grains provide fiber, and B complex vitamins, while some supply iron and even calcium. New research shows whole grains are also rich in antioxidants. Due to the high fiber content whole grains result in a more controlled blood sugar compared to refined grains, in others words whole grains generally fall lower on the glycemic index. The fiber content also promotes satiety so you will feel full longer which aids weight loss and weight control.


Want to add more whole grains to your diet? Have oatmeal or granola for breakfast, throw a handful of barley, oatmeal or buckwheat into a soup. Make wild rice, bulgur or quinoa instead of white rice or pasta. Experiment with freekeh as a side dish, soup or stuffing for your chicken. Remember Nation Nutrition Month is about 'Eating Healthy, Your Way, Ever Day,' find out how you like your whole grains, exploring new dishes can be quite fun.

Astonishing Asparagus

Spring is here; and along with it comes the warm weather, beautiful flowers and sunny afternoon walks.  But more importantly, the fresh produce starts coming in soon.  Finally, after a long winter of frozen vegetables people can start buying fresh from the farmers market and enjoy the true flavor of “fresh.”  One of the vegetables native to March is asparagus.  These tasty stalks are from the lily family, which also arrive in April. 

In addition to bursting with flavor and texture, asparagus is packed full of nutrients and stripped clean of calories.  Four asparagus shoots are only 13 calories with 12% of the Daily Value of vitamin A, 38% vitamin K and 22% folate.  This wealth in folate is important because many scientists believe folate deficiency to be one of the most common deficiencies in the USA [1].  Folate deficiency increase ones risk for heart disease and causes megaloblastic anemia which could result in depression, irritability, forgetfulness and disturbed sleep [1].  Additionally, the fetuses of pregnant women who do not consume enough folate are at risk for neural tube defects [1].  Getting enough folate before pregnancy can prevent such mishaps.  Fotunately, asparagus is high in folate and other vitamins while it is low in calories and easy to prepare.

The good stuff does not stop there; asparagus is also called a prebiotic food.  Everyone has heard of probiotics, the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt that promotes digestive health, but what about prebiotics.  Prebiotics nourish the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.  Prebiotics not only nourish the good bacteria which reduce pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella and clostridia while beneficial microbiota also decrease carcinogen activity in the gut [2].  So on top of being packed with healthy goodies, asparagus also promotes good digestive health.

With all these benefits, eating asparagus is a no brainer but preparing it properly may be tricky.  Asparagus, like many other vegetables lose a significant amount of vitamins during preparation because they dissolve in the cooking water.  In order to preserve the greatest amount of vitamins steam, bake or grill your veggies.  My favorite way to prepare asparagus is to cut off the woody bottoms, rinse them with water thoroughly, then place them in a baking pan.  Drizzle with a tiny amount of olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bon Appetite!

References:

1.            Insel, P., E. Turner, and D. Ross, Nutrition. 2 ed. 2004, Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

2.            Mahan, K. and S. Escott-Stump, Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy. 11 ed. 2004, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Saubers.

 

Simple Salad

All of us could use to eat more fruits and vegetables. Even if you do fill your plate half full of vegetables; eating a few more serving a day will not hurt. In celebration of National Nutrition Month we will talk about ways to incorporate more veggies and fruit into our diet. One of the easiest ways to introduce a selection of new fruits and veggies is through salad.

I love salads; light, crisp, crunchy and fresh. But chills flow down my back when people smother them with salad dressing. Most dressing a full of fat, emulsifiers, dyes, preservatives and flavors just to mention a few. On the other hand, salad can be dry and difficult to swallow without some dressing. Which is why I make my own. Homemade salad dressings can be full of taste and free of the chemicals and concoctions in store bought dressings.

Homemade salad dressing is not a one size fits all deal. Try experimenting with different oils, spices, citrus and vinegars. Olive oil, lemon and plain salt and pepper are my favorite. Using herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary and dill add an exciting kick to fresh spring salads. When making dressing with your own dressing you know exactly what goes in it, not to mention the nutritional benefits of the healthy oils and fresh herbs.

Simple Salad Dressing:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of the fresh chopped herb of your choice (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a jar and shake it well. Pour contents on your salad. It makes enough dressing for 6 servings of salad.

Tabbouli Syrian Style

Tabbouli or tabouleh is a salad that originates from the Middle Eastern Mediterranean area fomr countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.  In the USA I have seen many variations to this healthy salad but this is an authentic Syrian recipe used by most Syrian cooks.

Tabbouli is rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, iron, fiber, monounsaturated fats and numerous other beneficial nutrients.  This salad can be eaten as a main course or a side.  At my house we eat is as a main course with a side of cheese or spinach pies.  But jazz it up however you like, you cannot go wrong with tabbouli.

Preparation time: 30 min

Ingredients:

2 bunches of parsley

¼ cup of very fine bulgur

1 large tomato diced

½  medium onion,minced

2 squeezed lemons

1 tsp dried mint

¼ tsp pepper

Salt to taste

3 tblsp olive oil

Directions:

To prepare parsley, cut parsley leaves into a food processorwith scissors including about 1 inch or 2 cm of the stem attached to the leafthen process using the pulse button until parsley is the preferred texture.Repeat until all the parsley is minced. You should be able to process one bunch of parsley at a time.  Do not process for too long or the parsleywill get mushy, we a looking for minced not mushed.  After cutting the parsley, soak it is icecold water to clean and remove dirt. Change water every 10 minutes until the water is clean.

While soaking the parsley, put bulgur, tomatoes, onion,lemon, mint, salt and pepper into a small bowl. Mix together and allow it to sit so bulgur can soak up the lemon andtomato juices (we do not cook the bulgur). After the parsley is cleaned and drained, mix parsley with the bulgurmixture and add olive oil. Serve immediately and decorate with lettuce leavesif you wish. Saha wa hana!  i.e. Withgood health and pleasure in Arabic.

Nutrition Information:

 

How do you Kale?

Most of what I read in the nutrition realm these days is about kale.  All I hear is kale provides loads of antioxidants, vitamin A, C, K and B6.  It provides all the amino acids your body needs to make protein. It also supplies a notable amount of iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.  Scientists cannot seem to say enough about this leafy green vegetable.  Kale belongs to the Brassica family, the same family as broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts.  Kale specifically and the Brassica family generally are both known for their cancer fighting and cholesterol lowering powers.  Not only that, but kale contains lutein and zeaxanthin compounds which play a significant role in promoting eye-health.  You thought carrots were good for your eyes, try kale instead.

To be honest, I had never tasted kale. Nor did I know what it looked like before today.  So I bought a bunch of kale and decided to try it.  I was missing out on this nutritional power house; I could not stand it any longer.  After internet research and social networking with friends, I decided to try the kale 3 different ways: kale chips, sautéed kale, and raw. This is what I found:

1.       Raw Kale: it has too much texture, especially for salads.  I saw some baby kale packaged for use in salads.  Baby kale may not be as tough, I will try it next time I see it.

2.       Sauteed Kale: Definitely not for me.  I tried a recipe off of recipes.com.  The reviewers gave it 4.5 stars but it had a bitter after taste I did not care for.

3.       Kale Chips: Ah, I am in love. Light and crunchy but with almost no calories; they are addictive.  I had 4 different people at my house today.  All of them loved the kale chips.  They did not taste at all like potato chips but it was a pleasant surprise for my palate.  I will do it again soon.  The recipe is simple.

Crunchy Kale Chips

 

Kale Chips:

Serving:  4

Ingredients:

½ a bunch of fresh kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

A touch of salt

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  It is very important to heat the oven beforehand so the kale does not get soggy.  Wash the kale, dry it and remove the soft leafy part from the stems.  This is not hard; you can just tear it off the stems. Then tear them to about the size of potato chips.  Put the kale leaves in a large bowl then slowly drizzle the olive oil over the leaves while mixing them with your hands.  Once you have drizzled all the oil and added a dab of salt, continue to mix the leaves making sure the olive oil covers all the kale with a very thin layer.  Arrange the kale in a thin cookie sheet over parchment or wax paper.  Put in the heated oven for ten minutes.  Once the ten minutes are up; remove promptly, kale chips can easily burn.  Put them in a plate and enjoy nutrition with a crunch.

Avocado Edamame Salad

Last week we discussed the benefits of edamame.  In short, edamame is a fancy name for boiledsoy beans but they are full of beneficial nutrients; protein, iron, and fiberjust to name a few.  Despite its greatbenefits, most people do not know how to eat them except in the pod.  Mind you, it would be hard to get tired ofeating those tasty treats, but variety is the spice of life.  This week you will learn how to make AvocadoEdamame Salad.  My kids loved eating itwith a spoon, but you can make it more attractive to little fingers by adding aside of tortilla chips.

 

Avocado Edamame Salad

Preparation time:15 minutes

Serving: four ½ cupserving

1 cup frozen corn kernels

¼ cup sliced olives

2/3 cup shelled edamame, thawed

½ a small onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
½ a lemon squeezed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, diced
1 small tomato chopped

Directions:

Mix together corn, onion, edamame, garlic, lemon, oliveoil, salt and pepper in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Just before serving, add avocado andtomato.  Mix and serve then enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Per serving: 190 calories, 6.5 g protein, 19.5 gcarbohydrate, 12 g fat, 1.9 g saturated fat, 6.6 g monounsaturated fat, 3 gpolyunsaturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 100 mg sodium. Calories fromfat: 52%.