Orange, Ginger Salmon and Baby Bok Choy

Ingredients: 

Marinade:

1. 1/4 cup orange juice
2. 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
3. 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (keep your fresh ginger in the freezer for easier grating)
   
4. 1 clove garlic

Baby Bok Choy:

1. 4 baby bok choy, washed
   
2. 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or olive oil
3. 1 teaspoon Ume Vinegar
4. Gomasio or Sesame Seeds
   

Rice:

1. 1 cup brown rice
2. 1 tablespoon coconut oil
   

Additional ingredients:

1.  2 salmon fillets
2. Sweet chili sauce
   

Directions:

• Put salmon into a container for marinating.  Add 1/4 cup orange juice, two teaspoons soy sauce, a pinch of freshly grated ginger and one chopped garlic clove.  Let marinate in refrigerator for several hours or over night.
• After marinating the salmon, measure out the dry rice and let soak for a few hours.  Soaking the rice allows for the phytic acid to be removed, which makes it easier to digest and for your body to absorb the nutrients. 
  
• Start rice 50 minutes before meal time.  Add the coconut oil to the rice water and cook as directed on the package (about 50 minutes).
• When rice is close to being finished, turn the oven on broil and heat a cast iron skillet for a few minutes.
• Once the pan is hot, add the salmon fillets with a little marinade to the skillet.  Place under the broiler for 7-9 minutes (no need to flip).  This cooking method is called "Quick Broil", you can read more about it on the World's Healthiest Foods website.
• While the salmon cooks, start boiling water in a vegetable steamer pot.
• With about 3 minutes left for the salmon to cook, add the baby bok choy to the vegetable steamer pot.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Top with the Ume vinegar, toasted sesame/olive oil and Gamasio.
  
• Place a scoop of rice on your plate, and top with the salmon.  Cover with sweet chili sauce and accompany with the baby bok choy.

Yum.

Left-Over Rice for Breakfast!

Ingredients:

1.  1 cup left-over brown rice
2.  1-2 tablespoons orange juice
3.  1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (the real stuff)
   
4.  2 teaspoons (organic) raisins
   
5.  1 tablespoon walnuts
6.  Cinnamon to taste

Directions:

• Heat rice in a small sauce pan over medium heat on the stove.
• Add orange juice, maple syrup, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon.
• Heats in about 5 minutes.

Voila, breakfast!

But Organic is Expensive....

Although you might like to buy all organic fruits and vegetables it can get expensive.  The good news is, some conventional foods are lower in pesticides than others.  The rule of thumb is that if you have to peel it, then it's probably okay to buy conventional. 

Here the dirty dozen list of fruits and veggies that you should buy organic:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

Here is a list of the fruits/veggies that are okay to buy conventional:

Eggplant
Broccoli
Cabbage
Bananas
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapples
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onions

Not sure if what you are holding is organic or conventional?  Check out the PLU number (the number listed on the sticker).  If the number starts with a 9 then it's organic!

Raw Chocolate Truffles

Here is the source for this recipe:

Raw Chocolate Truffles Galore and much more…

Chef Karolina’s Raw Chocolate Truffles 
 
Prep time:  10 mins.
Un-Cook time:  20 mins (to roll and dredge in toppings)
Yield:  25 truffles

Ingredients:

1 cup cacao powder
1 cup cashews
½ cup maple syrup
Water (to mix) 

Mix cashews in a food processor to a powder, adding water to mix.  Add maple syrup to cashews and process then mix with cacao powder, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight for better results.

*roll in shredded coconut, chocolate nibs, cacao powder, dehydrated cherries or ginger, or whatever you love!
*try macadamia nuts instead of cashews


THEY ARE SOOOO GOOD!

I made some last night and coated mine with coconut, crushed salted almonds, and crushed biscotti.  Macadamia nuts would also be really good, or maybe add in a little orange or lemon zest.

The recipe calls for raw cacao, which is considered to be a "super food".  If you want to learn more about cacao, then watch this video of David Wolfe.  You can find raw cacao powder at most health food stores.  I bought the brand Navitas at Super Supplements.

If you love dark chocolate, then give these truffles a try.

Pizza, Pizza, Pesto Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough:

1.  1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3. 1 cup warm water 
4. 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
5. 1 cup whole wheat flour
6. 1 teaspoon sea salt
7. 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
8. Garlic powder and Italian seasonings 

Toppings:

1.  Pesto sauce
   
2.  Fresh mozerella
3.  Spinach
   
4. Black olives
5. 1 red Tomato
6. Zucchini slices
7. Canned artichoke hearts
8. Cheddar and Parmesan

Directions:

Pizza Dough:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let stand for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• In a food processor, add the flour, salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Season with a little garlic powder and Italian seasonings.
  
• While the machine in on low, add in the liquid until absorbed by the flour.
• Let knead for an additional 30 seconds.
• Place in a zip lock bag and add in the remaining olive oil to coat the dough.
• Let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to rise.
  
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into desired size.
• Lay crust on a pizza stone or baking sheet.
  

Preheat oven to 425:

 Toppings:

• Coat the crust with pesto sauce, slices of mozzarella, and veggies.  Top with a little bit of shredded cheddar and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Not enough time to make your own crust?  Try an individual pita pizza!  I like to use Ezekiel Pitas.   You can find these in the frozen section of your health food store.  You will only need to bake them for about 7-10 minutes.  Instant pizza.

Nuts about Raw Pecan Pie

Here is a good dessert to try out.                            

                                                      

I actually found this recipe in UsWeekly (not that I read that garbage or anything...wink...wink)  Of course, I had to modify it just a bit, but mainly because I don't like following directions.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1. 2 cups raw walnuts (rinse them first, this helps eliminate any bitter taste)
2. 2 cups pitted dates 
3. 1 cup coconut flakes

Filling:

1. 1/2 cup unrefined virgin  coconut oil
   
2. 1 cup organic raisins
3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. 1/3 cup maple syrup
5. 1 tsp sea salt
6. 1 cup raw pecans, soaked

Directions:

• Mix walnuts, dates and coconut flakes in food processor until combined.
• Press mixture into the bottom of a pie pan, or muffin pan.
• Blend the filling ingredients until smooth.
• Pour into crust/s
• Garnish with pecans and freeze for 5 hours.

I suggest the muffin pan and keeping the extras in the freezer.  Wrap them individually, or put them in a Tupperware.  

You can find organic virgin unrefined coconut oil at most health food stores.  It is all the rage right now because of it's proposed health benefits!  If you want to read more, click on the hyper link above.  I bought a jar and put half in the bathroom and half in the kitchen.  I use the one in the bathroom for skin care.  I put it on my face, lips and hands.  The one in the kitchen I use as a butter or oil substitute (it's solid below 85 degrees).  Try it on toast instead or butter, or add it to the water when making rice.  It will give your rice a nice tropical flavor.

Another thing I like to do with coconut oil is add it to my coffee!  No, it's not gross, it's good!  I put in a little soy milk and a small dab of coconut oil.  Okay, at least try the dessert :-).

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti!

Ingredients:

1. 1 Spaghetti Squash
2. Marinara Sauce (my favorite is Dave's Gourmet Red Heirloom Organic Pasta Sauce from Costco)
3. Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees

• Cut squash in half lengthwise (hot dog cut)

• Scoop out the seeds and rinse the squash 

• Place halves face down on a baking sheet or roasting pan.

• Bake for one hour, or until the inside of the squash is soft.

• Use a fork to scrape out the squash.  It should, start to look like spaghetti noodles when you do this.

• Place the "noodles" on your plate, top with sauce and Parmesan cheese.

I coupled my "spaghetti" with the kale recipe below (I'm really into kale right now) and a simple arugula salad.  The salad had candied walnuts, a little Parmesan cheese, pear slices, a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of fig balsamic vinaigrette.

Feel free to make your own sauce from scratch or add meatballs.  Trader Joe's and Jenny-O  make some really tasty turkey meatballs (I'm sure you can find organic meatballs, as well).  I know it can be hard to sit down to a dinner that has no meat and no carbs, so feel free to embellish.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving (a healthy version)

This year I decided that I would host Thanksgiving, but I wanted to put a healthy spin on the traditional feast. It turned out great! Below are the recipes that I used.

Since it was just the four of us we didn't need a full turkey. I used a free-range turkey breast and prepared as follows:

Turkey

Ingredients:

1. Free range or organic turkey
2. Earth Balance Spread
3. 1 packet of fresh turkey herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage)
4. 1 bottle of Chardonnay wine
5. 1 clove garlic
   

Directions:

• Rinse the bird with cold water.
  
• Crush one clove of garlic and melt it in about 2-3 tablespoons of Earth Balance Spread.
  
• Use the melted garlic butter to coat the bird.
  
• Stuff the bird's chest cavity with a packet of fresh store bought turkey herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage).
  
• Pour about 1/3 bottle of Chardonnay over the bird and cover with aluminum foil.
  
• Bake at 350 for about two and a half hours (20 minutes per pound). Make sure you baste the bird every 20 minutes or so and bake the last 20 minutes without the foil, so the bird can brown up.

Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

1. 1 organic acorn squash
2. 1 Tablespoon Earth Balance Spread
3. 1 cup unsweetened organic apple sauce
4. Sprinkle of brown sugar
5. Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Wash squash and cut in half.
• Scoop out the seeds and wash the squash again.
• Place the halves skin side down in a roasting pan.
• Spread half the Earth Balance onto each squash half.
• Fill each half with 1/2 cup of applesauce. (Sprinkle with brown sugar if you want extra sweetness)
• Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper
• Bake for about an hour at 350 until squash is soft.

Kale and Zucchini

Ingredients:

1. One bunch of kale
2. 1-2 zucchinis depending on size
3. Olive oil
   
4. Vegetable broth
5. Garlic powder and red pepper flakes
6. Sea salt & pepper

Directions:

• Pull the leaves off of the kale stem and chop.
• Chop zucchini in 1/2 inch rounds.
• Heat saute pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Add zucchini and kale.
• Add about 4-5 tablespoons of vegetable broth (I usually just eye ball this. You want enough that the kale steams and does not burn).
• Add garlic powder, sprinkle of red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook on medium heat for about 7-8 minutes until the kale is tender.

We also had organic cranberry sauce, Ezekiel bread stuffing and packaged organic turkey gravy.
My mom brought these items, so I'm not sure exactly what recipes she used. I think she just followed a traditional cranberry recipe and substituted Ezekiel bread for regular bread in the stuffing. In the gravy she used chicken broth instead of water (which adds move flavor). When you are only cooking the turkey breast there really isn't enough dripping to make gravy from the bird.

For dessert I made a vegan pumpkin pie, but with real whip cream (mom supplied this and I didn't want soy-whip, but you can try that).
The recipe for the pie I found on the website vegweb.com . Don't freak out, but there is tofu in this pie (you can't tell I swear it's really yummy).

Tofu Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar or sucanat (or 1/2 cup maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch to firm up the pie filling
1 package (10-12 ounces) silken/soft tofu
1 9-in unbaked vegan pie shell

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Blend the pumpkin and sugar. Add salt, spices, cornstarch and tofu, mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 F and bake for another 60 minutes. Chill and serve. Don't use the low fat tofu, then the pie tastes like it was made with tofu. This pie is soooo yummy, it will fool almost anyone. I made it last Thanksgiving for my whole family, I am the only one, and everyone asked for seconds. They begged me to make another one for Christmas dinner. Top with non dairy topping and it will fool any pumpkin pie lover.

Makes: 8 servings, Preparation time: about 1 hour + chilling time, Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

For the crust I used a vegan Graham cracker crust from VegWeb.com. I added cinnamon to mine, a little extra butter (it was too dry) and a splash of maple syrup to sweeten it up. I also used the food processor to make both the pie crust and the pie mix.

Here is the recipe:

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Ingredients:

1 small package of graham crackers (10 sheets of crackers)
1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) of butter (I use Earth Balance)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Using a rolling pin, smash all of the graham crackers into very tiny pieces.

Melt the butter in the microwave until it is liquid.

Mix together the melted butter and the smashed graham crackers in a small bowl.

Transfer the cracker and butter combination into a pie pan and press it down until it sticks together. Arrange the mixture until it looks like a pie shell.

Bake in a 375 oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Serves: 1 pie shell

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

That was the feast! The pie went over surprisingly well. I even bought biscotti as a backup dessert, but everyone liked the pie!