End of Summer Green Popsicles

I don't know about you all out there, but the summer has flown by for me... I didn't realize how little I've blogged but I guess it's just the sign of spending wonderful time outdoors and not in front of the computer :)

The weather is still warm here for a bit longer and my daughter has been loving our homemade "ice-smoothies" as she calls them, so I thought I would share our recipe for them.  We often drink green smoothies for breakfast so I just froze them and they make an awesome treat packed with great nutrients and delicious too! Adding and avocado makes it extra creamy and a little less icy than if you just freeze liquids so I really love having it in there. Of course you can add/subtract whatever you like but I find this balance to be not too sweet but still fruity and cooling.

Creamy Green Popsicles

2 leaves kale (aproximately 2 cups)

1 cup organic spinach

1 avocado

1 cup coconut milk (canned is creamier)

1 apple (sliced, cored)

3 clementine oranges

1 cup mango

2 Tbsp ground chia seeds

1 tsp Spirulina powder

Blend all ingredients in your blender until smooth. Pour into Ice Pop Molds and freeze upright for a few hours or overnight.

If you have leftovers, enjoy as a smoothie!

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Beet, Dill, and Avocado Salad (gluten free, dairy free, soy free)

I love vegetables... always have. But there was one I never quite liked. (okay two- the second was turnips). It was BEETS. My mom always has pickled beets or boiled beets on the table at dinner and every now and then I would "check in" with them to see if I had developed a taste for them and still... no.

Then last summer my cousin Samira made this beet and avocado salad with dill on it so I was like- oooh let me give the good ol' beets a try again! And what do you know... victory! I ate so much of it and then I came home and asked her for the recipe to make for my daughter's first birthday party and her response was add some lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and dill together. So I did that and have a few more times. So now I just thought I would share with you the deliciousness of this combo because I actually did some measurements, but feel free to add more of this or that according to your tastes. I think they go well together because the avocado is soft and the beets slightly hard, a bit tangy, and herb-y all at once. If you don't like fresh dill, add chopped basil- either would be great! It's great for spring and summer picnics and a refreshing yet filling salad.

Avocado, Dill, and Beet Salad 
(gluten/grain free, soy free, dairy free, nut free, egg free)

4 medium cooked beets (I steam mine)

2 avocados

4 Tbsp fresh organic lemon (1 large lemon)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill (or basil)

Chop your beets into cubes and put in a bowl. Cube your avocado into similar sized pieces and place on top of the beets. Add the rest of your ingredients on top and stir just enough to mix. Taste and adjust to taste. 

If you over-mix, your avocado will turn as red as the beets and get mushy so be gentle!

Enjoy!

***Update: 6/27/12:

This is also amazing with one or two chopped champagne mangoes as well!!

I used Chioggia Beets in this picture, and they don't bleed as red beets do.

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Spinach Bites (gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, nut free)

Since having my daughter I feel that a lot of my recipes have shifted quite a bit- I've moved towards simpler foods that are prepared quickly but can be adapted for whatever mood you're in.

When I found out that my daughter had an egg allergy it wasn't a huge issue for me since I was already familiar with egg replacers, but definitely flexed my cooking/baking muscles a bit more than normal! My daughter eats a lot. A LOT :) So I'm always looking for snacks that I can give her without compromising our desire to have her eat healthy. As I've mentioned in other posts like this one or this one, finding snack foods for little ones that aren't full of fillers, sugars, or fortified with unnecessary vitamins is quite difficult!

I had spotted Dr. Praeger's spinach littles and broccoli littles in the store, but they had egg whites in them so that was a no-go. I adapted the ingredients a bit to suit our tastes, but you can of course adjust the seasoning to you or your child's preferences- we tend to like food with a lot of spice (my daughter included). I make a bunch and just store them in the freezer (info below) to re-heat whenever she needs a quick and healthy snack.

A note about shapes: This recipe does take a bit of work if you wish to make shapes like I did in the pictures. If not, just plop little portions onto your baking sheet and bake! You can also use a mini cupcake tray or silicone cupcake holders. I used a Mini Noah's Ark cookie cutter set that I found at Joann Fabric (also available at Amazon as well as one of my favorites. If you have high cookie cutters just be aware that cooking time will vary.

Spinach Bites - for babies, toddlers, kids, or anyone!!

(egg free, gluten free/grain free, dairy free, soy free, nut free)

1 cup cooked & mashed organic potatoes (2-3 small potatoes or 2 cups raw cubed potatoes)
2 cups frozen organic chopped spinach
2 tsp flax seed meal + 2 Tbsp boiling water (mixed in small bowl)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp Herbamare Organic Herb Seasoning
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp Grapeseed or Canola oil

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
1. Cook your potatoes in a small pot of boiling water with a bit of salt added. When done, drain and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Steam or lightly cook your spinach. Blend until creamy**. Add to potatoes.
3. Make your flax egg: mix the flax with boiling water and let sit to gel while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
4. Add the spices and oil, mash and stir well. Add the flax egg and stir until combined well.
5. Place on silpat/Silicone Liner or Unbleached Parchment Paper lined baking tray and bake for 40 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack and then serve!
**I usually blend the spinach, but you can also leave it unblended but it will look different and the spinach will be more obvious (see pictures below).

With blended spinach

With un-blended spinach

To store:
Keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
To freeze for later snacks- cool and freeze in storage bag/container.

To re-heat:
Place on foil-lined tray in a toaster/convention oven and warm. Alternately, if you run them under cool water for a minute and then place in the toaster oven they thaw MUCH faster and will be ready within a minute or two. I don't have a microwave so I can't tell you how they come out from there :)

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Quick Achiote Black Bean and Collard Green Soup

 

Tonight I was in the mood for a quick and savory fall soup! I love black bean soups, so tonight I thought I would put a bit of a different twist on it with a different spice and veggie blend. I made the whole dish in probably 30 minutes and loved it.  You can of course let it simmer longer for a deeper flavor, but the less it cooks the more fresh the veggies are, so I don't recommend it.
Achiote, also called Annato is a great, rich and flavorful spice that I've really enjoyed using in my cooking. It can be found in most international sections of grocery stores under either name in powder or seed form.  I used the powder in this recipe- already ground.  The good news: it's pretty inexpensive too!  If you don't have it, you could probably sub a smoked paprika for a similar quality.
For the beans, if you plan in advance definitely use dry, but I love the Eden brand canned onesbecause the cans are BPA free, and they use Kombu seaweed instead of salt! Amazon has a great subscribe and save deal as well.

Quick Achiote Black Bean and Collard Green Soup
(gluten free, soy free, dairy free/vegan, grain free)

1 small onion or 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp achiote powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano or Mexican oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your tolerance)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

3 carrots, chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red pepper (mine was a skinny long one, but bell will do)
4 large collard green leaves, chopped

4 cups organic broth (chicken or veggie)

1 can Eden Organic Black Beans

Avocado, sliced - optional 

Heat your coconut oil. Add the onion and saute until soft.  Add the garlic and spices and stir for about a minute over medium heat, letting the spices release, but careful not to burn them.  Add the carrots and stir for a few minutes, letting them soften a bit (you can chop your peppers and greens while these cook). Add the peppers and greens and stir for a minute or two. Add the broth and beans, stir, and bring to boil with the lid on.  Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes, taste, and serve garnished with avocado if desired.

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Stuffed Whole Butternut Squash

i love stuffing vegetables. for some reason i wondered if i could stuff a buternut squash and decided to go for the challenge.

the result? it worked. just a little tricky.

here's what i did-  i scrubbed the squash well and baked it in the oven until half cooked, then cut off the top and scooped out the seeds with a long spoon. stuffed it and baked it until done.

the result? i loved it- the flavors were great and the butternut flavor got inside the whole thing.

you can use your favorite stuffing or use my black eye pea one below-this one is vegetarian. i have another one HERE too that has meat or you can always add meat to this one if you want it, but i don't think it's necessary.

Stuffed Whole Butternut Squash

1 large butternut squash, baked whole
1 C Dried Black Eye Peas (soaked and cooked) or 1.5 Cups cooked
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 mini peppers (about 1 cup chopped)
2 TBSP coconut oil
1 cup organic carrots, chopped
1.5 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sage
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup broth
1/3 C dried cherries
1/3 C slivered almonds


Bake your butternut squash at 400 degrees F until it is halfway cooked (approximately 30 minutes, depending on the size). Here's the tricky part- you're going to want 2 halves to stuff, but each half will need a slice to put on top after you stuff it. So- Remove from oven and cut off the neck leaving part of the neck closest to the bottom on to save as a top for the lower part. Carefully cut off a slice from the bottom half and save it. Scoop out the seeds. With the top half: cut off a slice from the top and save, then scoop out the middle using a strong spoon.
 
Saute your onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add in carrots, peppers, dried cherries, and your spices and cook a few more minutes. Add in broth and black eye peas and simmer a few minutes. Turn off and stir in your slivered almonds. If the stuffing appears too dry, add in some more broth.

Stuff the stuffing into your squash, and replace the top and secure with toothpicks. If you have leftover stuffing, stuff whatever other veggies or fruit you have laying around. Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until squash is tender.

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Corn

i blogged a little while ago about a Nando's side dish that I wanted to recreate-- a tasty butternut squash dish. since then i've tried to make it twice, each a little different. it's not exactly the same, but quite good! i use nando's sauces to spice up and add a bit more flavor, but you can also leave them out or sub a few other ingredients (or your own favorite hot sauce). i've added some suggestions for subs in the end. the recipe is quite simple to make and can be a main or side dish.



Roasted Butternut Squash with Corn

1 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled
1 large red onion, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic peri-peri sauce
1 tsp wild-herb peri-peri sauce
1 Tbsp sea salt
1.5 cups frozen corn (roasted if you like) or 1 cup fresh
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup organic dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped organic cilantro

-preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
-chop the butternut into pieces (about 4" x 3" pieces- the smaller they are the faster they will cook) and place inside down on a baking tray. you can lightly toss the pieces in olive oil or coconut oil and a bit of salt before baking if you choose.
-bake the squash until soft (mine took approx. 15 minutes, but check after 10).
-meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pot and sautee the onion.
-add the corn, hot sauces, salt, and cayenne to the onions and stir for a minute or so. if using fresh corn let it cook for a bit.
-add the cranberries and stir until the corn is heated through.
-chop the squash into cubes and add to the onion mixture. continue to stir the mixture for a few minutes for the flavors to blend. i like there to still be some cubes left, but also a mashed consistency--the more you mix it the more mashed it will become. remove from heat
-add chopped cilantro to taste.

**notes:
- in the picture below, i made this dish with organic bison sausage chopped up and cooked with the onions. you can also add some grilled chicken if you would like more protein in the dish.
-if you don't have the nando's sauces, you can either leave them out, add your own smoky hot sauce, or probably a mixture of vinegar, herbs, garlic, lemon, agave, and some heat
-i've made this with sweet potato as well and added a dash of cinnamon in for some more added flavor

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Green Chard with Wild Rice

i know people often wonder about what to do with the tall green things in the store... those leafy ones, or the ones that have stalks attached. here's a quick and easy recipe i made the other day with green chard that arrived in my organic delivery. we've changed companies btw since we've moved... this is our new one: Door to Door Organics - they serve CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC, so a pretty wide range and they have a variety of sizes. i must say i prefer our old company, but they don't deliver to our new place :(

anyways, i'm getting off track! i haven't been feeling that well recently, so i've been making a range of 'quick and easy' meals that i'll be sharing soon. in fact, this one was so easy, i'm kind of ashamed to share it! so this is more of a recipe idea than a recipe. anyways, it tasted great and is great for you...


Chard with Wild Rice

After boiling a serving of wild rice, i sauteed an onion and garlic along with some red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and peri-peri sauce. i used Galito's Famous Peri-Peri Sauce - Garlic or Nando's Garlic Peri Peri Sauce would be great as well- lots of flavor really quickly. i then added the chopped chard into the pan and cooked for about 8 minutes. i really wouldn't have thought about pairing the two of these, but they went so well together... the slightly nutty taste of the wild rice along with the spice and greens made a great quick meal.

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greens greens the magical.... vegetable?

i've loved greens of all types since i was little... call me a southern girl, but they've been part of my family meals forever. i didn't start cooking them myself until a year or two ago though-- partly because i didn't realize how easy they were to make! i always watched my mom make an intimidatingly big pot of them, overflowing full of mustard greens, kale, spinach, and collards, and watch them cook down for a lonnnngggg time... my dad's favorite way to eat them is with apple cider vinegar, so we would always sprinkle some on top.

now that's great, but after experimenting and reading more about them myself, i realized number one, you don't have to cook them forever. number two, there are so many things you can do with them!! i do still love to mix all the different types of greens together, but sometimes i like them separately as well. i also read something else recently, that you should chop them right before you put them into the pan, because a lot of the nutrients drain out when you cut them.

so here's one fairly simple mix i did recently:


Kale with Cashews and Sun-Dried Tomatoes







1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 red onion
approx 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup cashew pieces or halves
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds (depending on your liking)
salt
a dash or two of red chili flakes (optional)
optional: 1/4 cup chicken broth

Sauté the onion in some oil (flavored olive oil works well here). Add garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add chili flakes here if you're going to use it, or use black pepper. Also add the salt (I'm not sure how much i used, but I used sea salt, and tended to be generous with it and taste and add more depending on the flavor in the end).

Add the chopped kale into the onion/garlic mixture, and sauté for approximately 5-8 minutes. Add the broth if you're using it.

Add in the cashews, tomatoes, and half of the sesame seeds and stir for another few minutes.

Serve hot and sprinkle more sesame seeds over it for garnish.

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stuffed vegetables

i should really be ashamed of myself for having such huge breaks between my posts, but let's just say i've been "busy." between work, sickness, becoming a doctor, finishing work, traveling, moving, and still unpacking, i've been taking a lot of pictures of food but not ever uploading them. so! hopefully i will start to get back into my blog (especially now that i'm unemployed at the moment ;))

here is something i made fairly recently-- stuffed vegetables. in homage to my persian side, i make these once in a while, but everytime it's a bit different. i usually make them vegetarian, but this time i used some nice grass fed organic beef. my recipe is to feed a small army, because i always feel that if i'm going to put that much work into it, i should freeze some of the stuffing for a later meal. i ended up putting away two bowls in the freezer for later, and i'm happy i did so... you can stuff just about anything. in this recipe i stuffed peppers and green apples. you can also do butternut squash (my favorite), zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, etc...

(as always, this is the basic recipe that i play with, so feel free to up the spices to the combo you're happy with!)






Stuffed Vegetables

2 cups basmati rice
2 cups yellow split peas
3 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 lb organic beef
1 jumbo onion, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp cumin
3 Tbsp coriander
2 Tbsp saigon cinnamon
2 Tbsp salt+2 Tbsp for rice
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp hot sauce of your choice (i used Nando's wild herb)
1-2 Tbsp italian seasoning (or your own herb blend)
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
1 large can of diced tomatoes
4 Tbsp lime juice
1/8 cup flavorful olive oil
(optional: chopped parsley)
vegetables of your choosing

In a small pot cook your rice (i boiled down the rice with 2 Tbsp salt). In another small pot cook the split peas (no salt!). Skim the foam off as it develops on the top. While the rice and peas are cooking, chop your onion and saute in oil. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two. Add the beef to the onions, along with all of the seasonings. Cook until the beef is done. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cooked rice, peas, and beef. Add the tomatoes, hot sauce, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro and mix well. Taste and add more seasoning to your liking.

For the vegetables:

If stuffing peppers, cut off the tops and stuff, then replace the top and stick toothpicks in to keep the top in place.

For apples, cut of the top, scoop out the insides with a spoon and stuff. I like to scatter the insides around the cooking vegetables in the pyrex to give some more flavor to everything.

Baking:

Preheat the oven to about 375F when you start stuffing the veggies. Spray olive oil on your pyrex. Arrange the veggies standing up on the pyrex, and add some of the juice from the diced tomatoes as well as the insides of your vegetables around the stuffed ones. You can also add some stuffing around the veggies too. Cover with foil and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Uncover and roast another 10 minutes or so or until they are done. They will be very hot, so sit back and admire before digging in :)

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spring has sprung

i've really missed our organics delivery the past couple weeks, and was so delighted to see it yesterday... it's sad to see the winter veggies start to go, but i'm looking forward to all of the berries and summer fruit as well. here is the box that arrived yesterday:

getting these deliveries has been great for so many reasons. one has been that no longer do i have to go to the annoying grocery store with super long lines (that will remain nameless), but it allows me to branch out and come up with recipes for veggies that i would not necessarily buy spontaneously. for instance the last box we had included yellow beets. who buys yellow beets!? but we really enjoyed them.

speaking of spring, i've made this twice already in the past week--- avacado salad. i was going to make "salad shirazi" a persian salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, but i had a bag of avocados from costco in the fridge as well, so i added those in and was extremely delighted! :)

here is what i used:

2 ripe chilled avacados, chopped into chunks
1/4 english cucumber (the really long kind)
1 firm and ripe tomato (or grape tomatoes will do as well)
1/2 large yellow onion
salt to taste
pepper to taste
approximately 2 tbsp lime juice

combine all ingredients and let stand a bit in the fridge if you can wait... i don't usually :)

simple enough, but so fresh and tasty!!

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