Sunday, February 22, 2009

Famous Vegetarians

This is so cool, I had to post this link.  You'll be surprised by some of the names.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Crazy for coconuts

One of my latest foodie initiatives is to ensure I buy a variety of new or different foods when go food shopping on a weekly basis.  I do not want to get into a rut whereby I purchase the same exact foods by rote week after week.  That's not very exciting and food should be exciting and contribute to variety in my diet.  So, this past week, true to my goals, I purchased a whole coconut.  It's been literally decades since I have enjoyed a whole coconut.  Furthermore, I am proud of myself for thinking of an inventive way to pierce the soft hole (one of the set of three holes) to get to the liquid: by inserting a corkscrew.   I then poured the coconut water (not called "milk", btw) into a bowl and then filtered it before drinking to remove the coconut bits and shreds that ended up in the bowl, too.   I ended up with around 2 cups of yummy (and filling) water to enjoy - a toast to health.   

Next week, I plan to buy quince fruit (which is in the apple and pear family, I just learned; not sure how I will prepare it yet) and dandelion greens, both completely new foods to me.    I will let you know how it goes.

A few days later (note to self, do not wait this long next time as the coconut dries out)...
I decided it was time to crack open the coconut, but how?  After a Google search, I came upon a  few YouTube videos, touting different methods.  The first involved whacking the middle of the coconut with the back of a large knife.  Not only was this a scary experience, but it did not yield the desired result.   As a cautionary move, I placed a towel under the coconut in case my knife went astray.  Anyway, I do not recommend this method.  

The second method was indeed the winner.  If you have any pent up anger or frustration, this will even be fun for you!  I wrapped the coconut in a dishtowel, headed for the garage and went at it with a hammer on the garage floor.   This was very effective!  Then, I used a grapefruit knife to pare off the meat and that was time-consuming.  Once I had some clean pieces, I grated the coconut meat to make homemade granola with almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and coconut shreds.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Superfoods and chocolate for breakfast!

I am enthralled by the idea of "superfoods" and want to incorporate some or all (!) into my diet in some way for optimal nutrition.   I constantly mix up my food menu, as I've indicated in previous posts and recently I introduced millet, the ancient whole grain that resembles fluffy rice, into my breakfast bowl as a new cereal selection.  I decided to pair the millet, which, let's face it, is quite mild on its own, with pumpkin granola and the superfood,  cacao nibs (dark chocolate covered cacao nibs to be exact), and it is the perfect taste combination!  For more on superfoods, follow this link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superfood

Monday, February 16, 2009

Quick, easy and healthy pizza

I want to share this quick, healthy meal tip because everyone is pressed for time these days.  I picked up a delicious whole wheat flatbread pizza crust earlier and topped it with olive oil, crushed tomatoes, baby portabella mushrooms and shredded rice "cheese".  Ten minutes later I had a hearty and healthy meal.  Simple and almost vegan (rice cheese contained casein).  Eat your heart out, literally!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Valentine's Day "Truffles"

In honor of Valentine's Day, I took it upon myself to make, from scratch, vegan truffles using an "easy" recipe from www.dairyfreecooking.com. The recipe follows for anyone bold enough to try it, with my notes in parenthetical. Let's just say they tasted amazing, were healthy (no butter, cream or sugar) but didn't resemble truffles I've ever seen. The batter was not gelled quite firm enough to form round balls so instead I ended up making chocolate pancakes; the dough was gooey and stretchy. If you try this, prepare to get chocolate all over yourself...I know I did. In retrospect, I could have left the batter in the fridge a little longer or perhaps left it out on the counter after the refrigeration step , but hey, I was anxious to finish up and eat. The finished product wasn't pretty, I must admit. I did dust my pancakes with cayenne pepper, sea salt and cinnamon, separately, of course, not all together and it tasted good, like high end chocolate without the high end, um, professionalism. This is why I didn't gift my confections, as planned. Instead I ate the lot of them, every last one. I had to, right?

Maybe I've stumbled on the next big trend - chocolate pancakes. Watch out Vosges! Wouldn't that be serendipitous?

Makes about 12-16 truffles (I halved the recipe, just FYI. You didn't think I ate 16 of these things, did you?)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup good quality cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1 ¼ cup agave nectar
pinch of salt
Preparation:
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, mixing until well combined. Place the bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (maybe longer, unless you, too, want pancakes).

2. Line a small baking sheet with parchment. Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and, using your hands, roll the mixture into small balls, placing them on the sheet as you work. Place the sheet in the freezer for 1 hour (I froze them overnight).

3. Remove the sheet from the freezer and dredge each of the balls well in cocoa powder (cayenne pepper, sea salt, cinnamon). Place back in the freezer for an additional 10 minutes to overnight, and enjoy. Truffles will keep for one week in an airtight container (or a few hours, if you are like me)

Just for the record, I will be going on a chocolate walking tour in the Village tomorrow. Yes, more chocolate for me. I am sure that none of what I will taste will resemble my confections.

Nutrition Tip of the Week

The idea behind the Nutrition Tip of the Week is the tip will be something quick and easy to execute but the benefits will be great.  

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or a doctor.  I need to state this so there are no misconceptions about my friendly "advice".  I am passing on my own healthy eating tips; decide for yourself what you consume.   

2/14/09:  Getting caught up here, I have been slow to post tips as of late.  This one, a recipe, is from my Aunt Mona and her friend Sarah. 

Goji Berries Trail Mix

Pumpkin seeds (raw and then roasted at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes)

Goji Berries (it looks like a 4:1 ratio) 4 parts pumpkin seeds to 1 part Goji berries.

Sprinkling of dried coconut (to taste)

Currents (experiment with the amount--it looks like about 1/4 cup to 1.5 cups of pumpkin seeds).

For those not familiar with Goji Berries (also called Wolf Berries) the following is useful information:

Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China, Tibet and India to:  protect the liver, help eyesight, improve fertility, strengthen the legs, boost the immune system, improve circulation, promote longevity.  Wow, they are in fact a "superfood".  They are also rich in antioxidants.

2/14/09:  I officially like kombucha, well, certain flavors or flavor: the mango madness is the best, in my opinion.   Guava is my least favorite.  I now buy one bottle and that lasts me a week or just about, drinking a little each day.  I must admit, I do feel more energized after having some. 

1/17/09:  Happy New Year!  I have been remiss in passing on my weekly tips so here are two to get me caught up.

1.  Kombucha tea:  I don't care if it tastes horrible (and it does, to me at least, like a combination of apple cider vinegar with champagne fizziness), the health benefits outweigh the taste, in my opinion. 

You can brew your own if you are really ambitious or you can buy some at a healthy grocer such as Whole Foods.  I first tried this drink in Seattle last week and then attended a brewing class a few days ago.  Kombucha is sometimes referred to as the tea of immortality and is basically a fermented tea, well, sort of.  It's actually a living organism, with probiotic cultures.  As for the http://www.essense-of-life.com/moreinfo/foodcharts.htm, they range from its alkalinity (more on that below), B vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, improved energy, relieving stress and depression, liver detox, and normalizing the digestive system
Alkaline diet  and much more.  Check out this website for more information and to do further research, if you are interested:  http://www.gokombucha.com/health_benefits.html

2.  Alkaline/acid diet (80/20%):   I just discovered recently that an alkaline body has lots of health benefits, including potentially anti-cancer properties, so I am starting to keep an eye on my alkaline-acid proportions to keep my body properly balanced and healthy.   The following link details which foods are alkaline vs. acidic:

12/26/08:
These days when I am at the supermarket, I tend to linger in the baking aisle and since it's the healthy area otherwise known as "Nature's Marketplace" at Wegman's, there are lots of (overwhelming) options, especially for a staple like flour.   I've started to experiment with wheat flour, spelt flour and rice flour.   Now, each type of flour has its place, I would assume.  I must admit, I haven't figured it out yet.  Readers - do you have preferences or comments on this topic?

12/16/08:
This week's tip is substituting agave nectar, a sweet liquid from the cactus, for sugar or honey, when baking.  Some people do not recommend substituting a liquid for a dry sugar, however.   I have tried it in my chocolate chip banana cake and it comes out delicious, so don't believe everything you read (this blog withstanding, of course).    Do not use a 1-1 ratio of sugar to agave; decrease the quantity of agave by 25% of the sugar called for because it is very sweet and decrease the other liquids in the recipe by 25%, too.  How sweet it is.

12/7/08:  I am a little late with this week's tip; for anyone who has been waiting, my apologies.  I will continue the egg replacement theme here with Ener G egg replacer.  I baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies today and the empty plate speaks for itself. Excellent taste and texture in the finished product and importantly, you can lick the bowl without worrying about salmonella.  

11/26/08
Replace eggs with applesauce in recipes  for a vegan alternative.  1/4 cup applesauce = 1 egg.     I did this switch in a chocolate chip recipe and the texture was a little rubbery, I must admit, so it needs further refinement.  Maybe it's not suitable for cookies but I am sure I will try it again in some other foods.

11/18/08:
Grind your own whole flaxseeds in a coffee grinder and add the grinds to cereal, salad and other foods for a punch of omega fatty acids and a host of other health benefits too numerous to enumerate.  Check out this link for more information: 


Incorporate a few tablespoons into your daily routine and reap the benefits.

And, dessert lovers take note, ground flaxseed can also be an egg substitute in vegan baked goods.

Credit for this great idea goes to my Aunt Mona, who introduced to me the world of flaxseed grinding.