Nopales, Quinoa, Avocado Salad

I first saw nopales at the grocery store in San Diego.  TDH and I had no idea what they were but we were just dating back then and he was willing to try anything!  For the next few days I added them to our salads or stir frys while teaching him and his roommate how to cook.  I was unaware of their nutrition benefits until a few years later when I read The Jungle Effect by Dr. Daphne Miller.  Nopales are full of dietary fiber, vitamins, magnesium, potassium and calcium.  Dr. Daphne "prescribes" nopales to her diabetic patients because studies show they affect the glycemic index.  Plus, they are crunchy and tangy!

Last week I mixed them with quinoa, ripe avocado, green onions (my kitchen staple), cucumbers and jicama.  All of these ingredients can easily be found at the farmers market right now.  We actually picked up the nopales at a road side stand in Fallbrook while en route to pick up our new chickens.

Ingredients
nopales, chopped
jicama, chopped
green onions, chopped
cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 c quinoa, cooked
lime
lemon
cumin
olive oil
maldon salt
pepper

To Do
1.  Mix all chopped vegetables, cilantro and quinoa.
2.  Squeeze half a lemon and half a lime over the salad mixture.
3.  Drizzle olive oil.
4.  Top with a few shakes of cumin and pepper and a dash of maldon salt. 

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Vegan

START FRESH + FINISH HEALTHY

Beet + Pineapple Salad

TDH and I are making this salad for dinner tonight.  I made it last week and he can't stop raving about it.  Plus, tonight is Monday Night Dinner with our good friends in La Jolla.  It's turned into a weekly tradition where we switch off making dinner for each other.  I can't tell you how much I look forward to every other week's night off from cooking and doing the dishes.  (We don't have a dishwasher!)  To round out the meal we are adding a homemade quiche with fresh backyard eggs and blanched asparagus.  The Lemon and Thyme Scones I posted a few weeks ago would pair well too. What did you make the last time you had breakfast for dinner?

Beet + Pineapple Salad (gluten free, vegan, nut free)

Ingredients
3 medium size beets (the more colorful the better)
extra virgin olive oil

1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh if possible
2 cups lettuce greens
3 green onions

salt
pepper
1 lemon juiced
first cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil


To-Do
- Preheat oven/toaster oven to 400* F.
- Rinse beets, no need to peel or cut them unless they are large.  
- Toss beets in olive oil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour turning every 15 minutes. 
- While the beets are roasting cut the pineapple into bite size chunks. 
- Chop green onions, white and green parts.  
- Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper for the dressing.
- Cool beets for 10 minutes or longer if you have the time.  If not, throw on some gloves to peel off the outer skin.  Chop into bit size pieces. 
- Add all ingredients, mix and serve.



 

Bell Pepper Boats

I'm headed to Belize in 6 days, which means its bikini season in March!  Yikes.  Here's a little recipe I've been using a lot lately to clean up my eating.  My goal for the week is to be a Lean & Green fighting machine.  It's going to be a busy week before I leave.  We just launched a new website and collection at Borelli and I have a few freelance projects to wrap up.  Happy Monday ya'll.  

Bell Pepper Boats (gluten-free, raw, vegan)

Ingredients
1 bell pepper
hummus
garlic paste
sprouted chickpeas or any other bean or vegan protein
spinach, chopped
green onion, chopped (white and green parts)
sun-dried tomatoes, slivered
sunchoke, chopped
nutritional yeast flakes
first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

- Wash bell pepper, slice down the middle, scrape out seeds.
- Spread hummus and garlic paste inside each bell pepper half.
- Stuff boats with spinach, chickpeas, green onion, sunchoke and sun-dried tomatoes. 
- Sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes, salt and pepper. 
- Drizzle olive oil.
- Serve with a salad of the veggies you have leftover.

Makes 1 bell pepper boat, good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Cinnamon, Nutella and Soy Latte

Rise and shine!  Satisfy your sugar cravings today with this tasty latte.  Easy to make, easy to drink and way less of a sugar crash than a bag full of maltodextrin, yellow 5, blue 6, fake sugar candy.

1-2 shots of espresso or 1 c coffee
1/2 c soy, almond or coconut milk
a dash of cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutella

1.  Make the espresso or coffee as you heat up the milk over the stove
2.  Whisk in cinnamon
3.  Whisk in nutella until it melts and you make the milk froth up
4.  Pour milk mixture over espresso or coffee and savor each sip

*If you don't like coffee this would also be good with Rooibos tea. 

heat milk

whisk in cinnamon and nutella

pour milk mixture over coffee

savor each sip like you are sitting at a cafe in Paris

Healthy Thanksgiving Options

Still don't know what to make for the Holidays?  Some of my go-to's and on the to-do list recipes:
* Spicy Brussel Sprouts with Mint
* Tempeh and Eggplant
* Italian Indian Squash
* Raw Egg Nog
* Gluten Free Almond Cookies
* Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Bouchons with Toasted Nutmeg Ice Cream
* Thyme, Sage and Parmesan Biscuits 

Enjoy the weekend! 

5 minute Avocado, Kale and Sprout Salad

Ingredients
1 bushel kale, washed, de-ribbed, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 avocado
peach, champagne, or any light balsamic vinegar
handful of mixed sprouts
salt
pepper

1.  Mix kale and avocado with your hands to soften up the kale.
2.  Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  Start light and add more.
3.  Top with sprouts.

ps - anyone else LOVING their new iphone!? the camera is amazing!

Bittersweet Vegan Fall Lunch

Ummmmm, Mariss, what is that title?  Random I know but once you taste this dish you will know what I mean!  The bitter broccoli rabe and acidic vinegar balances the sweetness of the apple juice and agave.  While the eggplant and tempeh soaks up ALL the flavors.  Instead of stir-frying uber spongy eggplant and tempeh in oil and tacking on hidden calories (why do you think restaurant eggplant is sooooo tasty!?) braise everything in lighter-on-the-waistline juice and vinegar. 

Ingredients
red chili flakes or 1 chili pepper de-seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 good-size bunch broccoli rabe, washed, ends trimmed, cut remaining in half
2 tomatoes, quartered
1/2 medium globe eggplant or 2 Japanese eggplants, cut into 1" chunks
1 block tempeh, chopped into 1/2" pieces
apple juice
apple cider vinegar
walnuts, raw or toasted

1.  Heat a medium size pan to medium heat, add chili peppers and garlic for about 15 seconds.
2.  Add eggplant, tomatoes, tempeh, 1/2c apple juice and 1/4c apple cider vinegar.  Cover and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.
3.  Add broccoli rabe and a few splashes more of the juice, braise for 5 more minutes.
4.  Drizzle with a little agave and top with walnuts.

Serves 3-4 as a main meal, 4-6 as a side.

* Great alternative for meat-laden Thanksgiving dishes. 
* Don't forget to add all your veggie scraps to the composter.

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins

When I make homemade oatmeal for breakfast I make a big batch for the week.  But by the 4th day I find every excuse NOT to eat the leftovers.  No matter what I add, fruit, nuts, agave, honey, even nutella it's no longer appetizing.  I'm over it.  So, this morning when TDH requested muffins I used the leftover oatmeal as the base of the recipe.  And the result, he asked for seconds :)

Ingredients
1 1/2 c leftover oatmeal (mine was laced with strawberries and agave syrup)
1 c milk (dairy, soy, rice or nut)
1 large egg (Egg replacer if you are vegan)
1/3 c melted butter (dairy or Earth Balance)
1/2 c plus 1 TBS brown sugar
3/4 c unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 medium bananas, cut into small chunks (the riper the better)

12 cup muffin tin
12 unbleached muffin cups

Steps
1.  Preheat oven to 425*
2.  Mix oatmeal, egg, butter and sugar.
3.  Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon onto the the oat mixture and stir briefly.  Fold in chopped bananas.  Do not overmix, muffin batter should be lumpy.  Using an icecream scoop or big spoon fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full.
4.  Bake for 19-23 minutes or until golden brown.
5.  Eat muffins within a day or two.  Share with neighbors, the office or the mailman.