Sweet and Spicy Roasted Acorn Squash

This work thing isn't working out! As you may have noticed, I have been a wee bit absent, since starting a new job. Today is the day that changes. I have been making excuses, telling myself that I will start again when I get used to my new schedule etc., but the reality is I don't think that will ever happen. Each weekend, as I am sure you know, I set off to do one or two things on my to-do list only to realize the couch feels so good! And let's get real Candy Crush won't play itself! Anyways.... I have decided to make a conciouse effort to do at least one post a week. If I cant do that....well then I guess I will just quit this ol' J-O-B of mine and get back to cooking! Along with that big change in my life, I have also decided to try the vegan thing again. I wouldn't say 100% vegan, but a solid 95% at least. I feel like life without cheese will be like amputating a leg rough to say the least, but I am stopping at the health food store on the way home to pick up some nutritional yeast, which I hear from vegans is a good cheese substitute. We will see.....we will see.

And of course I get out the dusty old camera to snap a pic.....and it is dead. Camera Phone it is!!

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash
1-2 tablespoons of chipotle sauce (depending on how spicy you prefer)
2 tablespoons cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon hoisen sauce
2 tablespoons ov olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut your acorn squash in half and then into 6 wedges. Scoop out seeds and discard. Place on a lined baking sheet and set aside.

In a small bowl combined chipotle sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, and pepper. Using a cooking brush, cover squash wedges generously in the sauce. Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until fork tender, removing every 15 minutes to glaze with remaining sauce.

Once done top with chopped cilantro, green onions, or sesame seeds or all three!!!

Red Kale, Asparagus and Mushrooms with Romano Cheese Polenta

I know, I know. I have literally been absent for months. I would come up with an amazing excuse....but I think it is just winter wearing on me. I only have so many hours of good lighting to take pictures with, and if I am not feeling the cooking vibe...well I think you know what happens. But now Spring is just around the corner. It stays light until almot 7:00pm! Despite the fact that there is a snow storm looming on the horizon because I live in Antarctica.... I mean northern Canada.... it seems like I can almost taste summer coming.  But since the first day of spring here.....is very different than the rest of the world I am doing a warm and cozy recipe with mushrooms and hot polenta.  A little asparagus in this recipe is just the spring I need to hold me over, until real spring gets here

Red Kale, Asparagus, and Mushrooms with Romano Cheese Polenta

2-3 cups purple kale, torn into bite sized pieces

1 cup dried porcini mushrooms*

1 cup asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 cup hot water

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup corn meal

1 cup mushroom or chicken broth

1/2 cup low-fat milk

3/4 cup shredded romano cheese (optional)

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

If you don't have dried mushrooms (and mushroom broth) , just used your favorite fresh mushrooms and chicken broth. I used a combination of dried and fresh. 

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl. Pour 1 cup of hot water, or enough to cover mushrooms in bowl. Set aside.

In a large pan heat olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes until softened. Drain mushrooms, and reserve liquid for polenta. Add mushrooms and kale, along with a splash of mushroom liquid, stir reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale has begun to soften. Add asparagus, cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a medium pot,  bring mushroom liquid and broth to a boil. Whisk in cornmeal and milk and reduce to a simmer. Continue to whisk for 5-10 minutes until desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, until melted. Immeditely plate and top with the kale and mushrooms. Sprinkle with chopped chives and some extra cheese.

Poached Eggs and Brussel Sprouts

This is what nightmares are made of. For kids. Runny yolks and mini cabbages. Ever since I started making  brussel sprouts this way I literally cannot stop. I have had them 1-2 times a week for a month. I recently added the poached egg for a great little lunch. I really need to invest in an egg poacher....because as you can tell from the picture....not my best performance. 

Speaking of performances I did a workout today that was the bee's knees. I will post it below this recipe!

Poached Eggs and Brussel Sprouts

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

3-4 cups brussel sprouts

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and Pepper

2 lemon wedges

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vinegar

Makes 2 servings

In a large pan melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft.

While garlic and shallots are cooking, peel off any damaged leaves of the brussel sprouts. Cut off ends, and then slice as thin as possible. If you have the slicing attachment for your food processor this works great too. Add sliced brussel sprouts to pan and stir. Cover and cook for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat 6-7 times, always stirring after a minute to prevent burning or sticking. Once the brussel sprouts have softened, season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

You can poach your eggs however you please. If you have the old fashion tools, bring water and vinegar to a simmer in a small pot. Slowly crack eggs into the pot, using a slotted spoon to help keep their shape. Cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on how runny you would like them. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain. 

Place a heaping spoonful of brussel sprouts on a plate, create a small crater with the back of the spoon and place egg inside. Squeeze a lemon wedge over egg and enjoy!

Thursday Burpee Pyramid

For this workout there are no breaks. You move from one exercise right into the other. I think that is why I almost puked felt amazing. The only pyramid part are the burpees, everything else is always a set of 10. 

10 burpees

10 squats

10 push-ups

10 box jumps

10 calf raises

9 burpees

10 squats

10 push-ups

10 box jumps

10 calf raises

8 burpees......

and so on down to 1 burpee

Death by burpees!

Sweet Potato and Oat Falafel

 

Healthy comfort food is sort of an oxymoron. "It is so cold out there today! I could really go for a salad" - said no one ever.  Well it is officially winter here and I was in dire need of a way to get some comfort food that wasn't loaded with cheese or made from chocolate. These aren't your traditional falafels, mainly because they are not deep fried, and do not contain any flour. But they do have chickpeas and are served with a delicious tahini sauce that is a great alternative to the greasy falafels you might be used to. You can stick 'em in a pita or enjoy them all by themselves.

 

Sweet Potato and Oat Falafel

 

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup oats

2 cloves garlic

1 handful cilantro

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

Salt and Pepper

 

First you need to cook your sweet potatoes. You can do this by roasting at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, peeling and boiling, microwaving, whatever works for you. Once they are cooked, scoop only the orange insides into a food processor.

 

Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the oats and sesame seeds. Pulse until mixture is smooth.

 

Remove from food processor and add to a large bowl along with oats. Fold oats in until they are evenly incorporated.

 

On a non-stick baking sheet, place heaping spoonfuls about an inch apart and top with a few sesame seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until you see the tops to get a little crunchy and golden brown.

 

For these bite sized treats I made a lemon tahini dip! See below:

 

Lemon Tahini Dip

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons parsley

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth .

 

 

 

All inspired by the awesome recipe below!

My New Roots

Mashed Cauliflower and White Beans

Have you ever had a brilliant idea only to find that weren't the one who thought of it? Well that just happened to me dammit. I have had mashed cauliflower before but I was thinking or ways to get some protein in my diet and I thought, "HEY! I will add some white beans because they are pretty neutral tasting and the same color and will add a little texture as well." So I write up a neat little recipe, and right before I post it I google "mashed cauliflower and white beans". Only to see that it is some recipe from the biggest loser Thanksgiving show? What in the hell is going on? So I still post it (obvi) and add some leeks like the recipe I saw online. Pretty good and I guarantee it will fool most people into thinking it is regular mashed potatoes. What is the moral of the story? Biggest Loser stole my idea before I even had it. 

Mashed Cauliflower and White Beans

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 leek, sliced into rounds

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Place cauliflower in a large pot with 2 inches of water. Cover and cook on high heat until water begins to boil and then let boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain and add cauliflower to a large food processor along with white beans. Pulse until smooth. 

In a large pan add olive oil on medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and cook until soft. You can either add these to the food processor and pulse to combine, or serve over the top. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you wanted to de-vegan-fy this adding some shredded romano or parmesan cheese would be delicious!

Tabouli Quinoa Salad

I just watched 20 minutes of Kristin Wiig video clips so I am in a fantastic mood. I also fell asleep for 20 minutes while in corpse pose at the end of yoga. So if my math is right I am 20 minutes away from the best hour in the history of man kind. Booya.

Starting Vegan week #1 off right is my take on tabouli salad.  I think bulgar wheat is sorta gross and chalky tasting so I added quinoa instead for a great vegan + gluten free side dish. You also better be sure you like tabouli salad, because i think it is a bit of an acquired taste. There are so many fresh herbs that it can be overwhelming. My husband said it tasted too much like nature. <--- whatever that means. Be sure to have lots of fresh parsley and mint on hand! 

Tabouli Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa

1 cup flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons mint

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 lemon

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Finely chop parsley and mint and add to a large bowl. Slice cherry tomatoes and mince garlic and add to the bowl along with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into bowl. Stir until all ingredients and combined. Add quinoa and toss to coat.

Warm Sesame Green Bean and Quinoa Salad

My mom used to make a recipe similar to this when I was growing up. I think instead of quinoa it might have been brown rice though, obviously, because quinoa is now the trendy thing to eat. And no one had heard of it until about 2 years ago. And now I put it on my face at night as a cleansing mask. Just kidding :) I wish I had a badass story to go along with this but I just got back from a mega long run and I think I just might take a nap instead. Happy Wednesday!

Warm Sesame Green Bean and Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa, cooked

3 cups green beans

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

In a large bowl combine rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, honey, and chili paste. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Place trimmed green beans in a steamer basket and place over  boiling water. Steam for 3-4 minutes until barely tender. Drain and add to bowl with dressing,  along with cooked quinoa. Toss to coat. This salad is best when served warm, but not hot.

Kale and Red Cabbage Detox Slaw

I am always weary of anything labeled "detox". What does that even mean? If I drank a bottle of poison, then ate this salad would I be cured? Is that a little dramatic? Lol, ya I guess. This salad is clean and pure. Raw vegetables. Nothing touches heat. A dressing containing apple cider vinegar, a great cleanser, and olive oil. Protein and healthy fats from pumpkin and sunflower seed. I am guessing that is as cleansing as it gets? 

Kale and Red Cabbage Detox Slaw

2 cups raw kale

2 cups red cabbage

1 large carrot or 6-7 baby carrots

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup red or green onion

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Chop kale and cabbage into thin slices and add to a bowl. Grate or very thinly slice your carrots and add to bowl. Finely slice red onion and chop parsley, and add to bowl along with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. 

In a smaller bowl add vinegar, oil, mustard and salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified and pour over slaw. Toss to coat. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour to allow flavor to combine. 

This is also super easy to make into an Asian slaw, which I did the second time I made it. Add some red peppers and sesame seeds. For the dressing use sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar and a little soy sauce. It is a great way to continue to reap the benefits of such a healthy salad, but have a totally new flavor!

Cilantro Lime Hummus

While scouring the grocery store for healthy, clean food yesterday I stumbled upon a neat little snack. They were baked chips, made with chickpea flour, pea flour, and rice flour. Sounded pretty legit so I gave then a try. They tasted like salted cardboard, but could have used more salt. Anyways they were supposed to be roasted red pepper hummus flavor. Random right? So when I got home I thought I will just make some hummus and then have a sweet ass healthy snack that has super hummus power. 

Cut to me making hummus and staring at a jar of tahini that has been in my fridge for a questionable period of time. But the jar was in a foreign sandskrit or some non-sense and i couldn't read it. So my last resort was a taste test...... Let me just be clear here,I think rotten tahini may be my new topper for bad rotten foods you accidentally eat. I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth. It was pretty vile. But the good news is if you don't have tahini on hand, you don't need it for this recipe!!!

Cilantro Lime Hummus

1 cup packed cilantro, stems included

3 garlic cloves

1 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon salt

1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse. You may need to stop and push down mixture from the sides. 

 Slowy pour in olive oil, while pulsing, until desired consistancy is reached. I think I used about 1/4 of a cup. Serve with your favorite chips or veggies!

Vegetable Fried Quinoa

So a month ago I promised you a better version of fried rice. After checking in on my pal Lacey and our clean eating challenge I saw that she had essentially made the quinoa fried "rice" I have been meaning to make! Since it is so easy, healthy, and fit in our clean eating challenge, I guess there is not better time than the present. 

Vegetable Fried Quinoa

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup broccoli, broken into small florets

1 cup assorted bell peppers, diced

1 cup mushrooms, diced

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

In a medium pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot add carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until carrots begin to soften.

Add broccoli, bell peppers, and mushrooms and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

Push vegetables to one side and add quinoa, remaining soy sauce and sesame oil. Quickly stir, mixing in vegetables about a minute, then add chopped cilantro, stir and serve!

Super easy and really, really delicious. Especially if you are craving chinese food, but don't want to go into a sodium coma. 

Oven Roasted Curry Cauliflower

In an attempt to eat all of the vegetables in my fridge before we go on vacation, I actually made some tasty cauliflower. I also had this far fetched plan to only eat vegetables and fruit for a week before vacay so I look good in my bikini. But let's get real. When there is Christmas chocolate to be eaten, someone has to eat it!! 

I am not really a fan of cauliflower, unless it is dipped in fondue :) But this is pretty, tasty, and not a bad way to eat this odd little veggie. I think you could easily replace curry, with some Mexican spices like cumin and chili powder, and the result would be great too. 

Oven Roasted Curry Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 tablespoon yellow curry powder

1 tablespoon red curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Add florets, curry powders, olive oil, and salt to a large bowl. Toss to coat. Make sure each piece is coated with olive oil and spices. Spread cauliflower on a baking sheet and place in oven for 10-15 minutes. Half way through shake pan, or use tongs to flip pieces. 

Remove and enjoy! A garnish of cilantro or a dollop of plain yogurt would be good too!

Garlic and Herb Tomato Salad

If you are living in a place where you may have the last of your fresh tomatoes, this is a great recipe to try! Even if you have to use store bought tomatoes, this fresh and super easy recipe is a great side dish, and is healthy to boot. Basil and garlic are the perfect accompaniment to fresh tomatoes, and also a great alternative to the Halloween candy I am sure you are all still eating. I would be, but I already ate it all. 

Garlic and Herb Tomato Salad

 3 cups of tomatoes of your choice

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 tablespoons onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut tomatoes into manageable pieces. Cherry tomatoes halved and medium tomatoes in quarters. 

Mince garlic, dice onions, and chiffonade basil. 

Add all ingredients to a medium bowl, along with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and refrigerate for 1 hour before eating. 

Coconut Ginger Jasmine Rice

This simple recipe is a great way to spice up your regular old rice. It goes well with any Asian inspired dish, or by itself as a side. I am still trying to perfect coconut rice, like the kind you get from Thai restaurants, but until I figure it out this will have to do. If you know how to make Real coconut rice (the type that you can serve with sticky mango as dessert) and you aren't telling me. I will find you. 

Coconut Ginger Jasmine Rice

1 cup Jasmine rice

1 3/4 cup water

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

In a small/medium pot add water, rice, coconut milk and shredded coconut. 

Peel ginger and mince. Or if you have dicovered the awesomeness of of Gourmet Garden, just squeeze tablespoon into the pot and stir to combine. 

Gourmet Garden is my new favorite thing....ever. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and serve with your favorite curry or stir fry. 

Caramalized Brussel Sprouts & Pearl Onions

Before you run away screaming, let me say that I have never had brussel sprouts. I always thought of them as a childhood nightmare, that you would see kids in cartoons scream over. So I never tried to cook them, and since you usually don't see brussel sprouts on the menu at your favorite restaurant, I have never even tasted one!

Expecting the worst, I gave these babies a go. They are so cute, and look like little baby cabbages. So I decided to pair them with pearl onions, which are little baby onions. And make the tiniest, most frustrating dish ever. In the end it was so tasty, and definitely worth the trouble!

Caramalized Brussel Sprouts & Pearl Onions

2 cups brussel sprouts

1 cup pearl onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Start by preparing your brussel sprouts. This was a totally new experience for me, but it is very similar to how you would prepare cabbage or a head of lettuce. Peel away any outer leaves that may be damaged. Trim the thick base of with a sharp knife, then cut in half length-wise. 

Prepare the onions in a similar fashion. This is a little more difficult because onion skin is thin and not so easily peeled. By more difficult I mean this: by the end I was sobbing from the onions and never wanted to see another pearl onion in my life. 

Miniature devil vegetables.

Place brussel sprouts in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, along with salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to coat. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan. Once oil is hot, add brussel sprouts, cut side down, placing larger sprouts towards the middle and smaller sprouts towards the outside. 

Cover pan and let cook for about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 5, turning brussel sprouts over half way. 

Remove from pan and set aside. Add peeled onions to pan, and if oil is low, add a bit more. Sautee' onions for about 10 minutes on low, until brown and nicely caramelized. Add onions to brussel sprouts and toss to combine! 

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Sesame Garlic Noodles

When I was little, I used to think Top Ramen noodles were the bomb.com. I would eat them for lunch every weekend. I would add frozen peas and sesame oil, and think I created the perfect dish. So recently I wanted to re-create that feeling, only to discover that Top Ramen noodles have A TON of fat!! Who knew? I thought they were made of cardboard?

Anyways, I wanted that same sesame, Asian noodle taste. So this is a grown up version of my childhood favorite. Complete with whole-wheat, and not a ton of fat :)

                                       

Sesame Garlic Noodles

1 package whole wheat angel hair pasta

5-6 cloves garlic

4 green onions

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and boil until al dente tender.

 While pasta is cooking, mince garlic and slice green onions. Heat butter over medium heat in a large pan, and add garlic and green onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until garlic softens. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and oyster sauce.

When pasta is finished, drain and add to the large pan along with soy sauce mixture. Stir to combine, coating all noodles with sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until sauce has thickened a bit, and noodles are coated.

 Return garlic and green onions to pan and toss to combine. Sprinkle sesame seeds over top and enjoy! 

                                       

Summerland Quinoa Salad

I have found the perfect salad for all of the vegetarians out there, and it can easily become a vegan favorite too! My brother-in-law, Brett, made this for dinner one night this summer and it was an absolute hit. The unusual flavor combinations work so well together. Strawberries with salt and pepper. Dried cranberries and Swiss cheese. This will soon become your favorite way to have quinoa.  This dish can be served hot as satisfying side dish, or cooled as a protein packed salad. The best part is that it took me 20 minutes to make, start to finish!

Summerland Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup strawberries

2 stalks celery

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon Sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

*to make vegan, leave out Swiss cheese :)

Rinse and dry celery and strawberries. Cut celery in half length wise, and then chop into small pieces. Slice strawberries into thin pieces. 

Place into a large bowl, along with dried cranberries, Swiss cheese,  salt, pepper, and olive oil. Chop parsley and add to bowl. 

Cook quinoa and allow to cool slightly. Add to bowl and toss to combine. Top with fresh parsley or chives.