A Wrap with a twist

I often get tired of eating salads to get my vegis in. So, I was very excited to see this idea of a pure vegi wrap on the Sun Drenchers site. It's a great way to get lots of vegis in at one sitting. So what you do is use cabbage leaves for the "wrap" and load it up with whatever vegis you like. I used pretty much all the ingredients I used for my Asian salad : one carrot, green onion, 1/4 red pepper, handful of sprouts, cashews, sesame seeds, and I added over half an avacado. I julienned all of my vegis so they would fit nicely in the wrap. I used both a green leaf and red leaf of cabbage, then I topped it off my the Asian Sun Drencher. It's very fun to eat, but can be a bit messy so make sure you get a big enough leaf of cabbage to hold all of your filling nicely. I'm excited to try this out with different flavor combination's. Enjoy!

Asian Salad and Sun Drenchers:)

Ok, so I've had a break through. A Healthy breakthrough :) I've been sick of the same old salads I've been having, I always do a dressing consisting of olive oil and lemon, because that's healthier than the alternative store bought dressing loaded with bad oils, mayonnaise, and preservatives. However, I have to admit that I have been longing for a change! Well yesterday I was looking on green smoothie girls site, and she had an interview with one of the creators of Sun Drenchers, I wont go into detail because I will give you the links if you want to find out more about it, but basically Sun Drenchers is a dressing that's actually good for you. It's created by a raw foodist so they are 100% raw, organic, and gluten free. The ingredients in these dressings are amazing, nothing bad for you, if you have a chance you should definitely read more about them here.

Of course after reading about Sun Drenchers I ran right out to my local Good Earth and bought some. I got the Italian and Asian Sun Drencher. I was a little hesitant to pay the almost $10 each, but decided to go for it. I made an Asian salad today to try out my Asian Sun Drencher. Now, this is hardly an exact recipe, but here's what I put in my salad:

-red cabbage
-green cabbage
-shredded/grated carrot
-sesame seeds
-cashews
-red peppers
-sprouts
-a little bit of romaine
and of course, topped off with the Asian Sun Drencher

Let me tell you, I was not excited about this salad, but was desperate for something new so decided to try it. Boy I am so glad I did! It was delicious, and what made it was the Asian Sun Drencher. It was amazing!!!!!! One of my favorite dressings ever. And one of the best dressings out there for you, it has 90 calories per 1 1/2 T., compared to the 120 calories per 1 T. olive oil has. And, those 90 calories are good calories! I haven't tried the Italian Drenching yet but will tomorrow and let you know how it is.

So if you have still stuck with me throughout this very long post, and are still reading now, and haven't checked out Sun Drenchers yet, do it now! :) it's very inspiring and you can read all about their "drenchings" and hopefully you can have a chance to try then out!!

Tabbouleh

Who ever said that Ina Garten can't cook without using a stick of butter must have missed this delicious recipe. There are so many health benefits in this dish and it is so delicious. My husband loves this! I honestly think he is part rabbit because he can sit down and chomp on a red pepper like it's an apple, but it's kinda nice because I am able to serve him yummy healthy meals like this and he really appreciates it. You can serve this as a side dish or eat up a bigger portion for the main dish. I made this full recipe and Micah and I ate it for a few days. If you make it for dinner any extra left over will make a great lunch the next day. You will love the texture and flavor the bulghur wheat gives this dish. I have been using bulghur wheat a lot-talk about good for you! I will work on a post examining the benefits of eating this wheat because it will make this dish that much more appealing:)

Tip: To make this a heartier meal I added some chunks of feta. Also, I have seen Ina serve this in pita bread with big chunks of feta.

Tabbouleh
Ina Garten
serves 8

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 cup bulghur wheat
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I used red pepper instead, just because I don't like tomatoes....I know I really gotta work on that one)
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

Quick and Easy Stir Fry

Lately I have been making a lot of stir fry. It's a great meal for when you have no idea what to make, it's inexpensive, and it can be very healthy. Now, I say it can be healthy, because a lot of stir fry recipes call for cooking the vegetables in oil or butter for a while. I used to do that, but lately I have been steaming my vegetables and find that the stir fry's turn out just as good. This stir fry is hardly an exact recipe. Whatever vegetables I have I use. I usually have brocoli and carrots on hand, so sometimes I just do a brocoli and carrot stir fry. But if I plan ahead I will grab zucchini, green onions, and peppers. Bok choy would be a great addition as well. I used to serve my vegis over brown rice, but lately I have been serving them over quinoa which I like better because it takes less time to cook and it's better for you. So like I said, this isn't an exact recipe but I will give you the jist as to what I do for my quick and easy stir fry meal:)

For the Sauce:
3 T. soy sauce (low sodium if you have it)
1 T. corn starch
1/4 c. water
1 T. honey (this is optional, but I like to add it to give it a little sweetness)

mix and set aside.

Steam assortment of vegies. I usually steam over a cup of vegies per person. You could do more or less if you like. I steam my vegies for about 10 minutes, I like them to remain a little crunchy. After vegies are steamed transfer them to a pan with just a tsp of olive oil, and sautee for just a minute (this step is optional, I like to do it because it sears the vegis a little which I like). Toss in the sauce and green onions if you have them (I like alot of green onions, about half a cup) Cook until sauce thickens. Serve over rice or quinoa.

Note: The sauce makes a lot, you could probably get 4 servings out of it. You could also toss in some chicken if you wanted, but quinoa is a good source of protein so this really is a nicely balanced meal.

Tostadas

I found this recipe years ago in the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. When I made them way back then, I felt like it took hours, and I was left feeling exhausted! But I always thought it was worth the work because they are really good. Now when I make this meal, it doesn't seem like a big deal at all. I've got pretty good chopping skills now and more help in the kitchen. The beans are cooked in a little olive oil, rather than bacon fat, and you don't need to fry the tortillas in oil, so it really is a - good for you too - recipe.

Refried Beans

2 cups dry pinto beans, soaked

2-3 Tbs. olive oil

2 cups minced onion

5-6 (or more) medium cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. salt black pepper

optional: 1 small bell pepper, minced

1) Cook the presoaked beans in plenty of boiling water until very soft. Drain and set aside.

2) Heat teh olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, half the garlic, cumin, and salt. Saute over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add (or don't add) the optional bell pepper, and saute another 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic; season with black pepper.

3) Turn heat to low, add beans, and mix well. Mash with a fork or a potato masher, and cook for just a few minutes more. Serve right away, or store in refrigerator or freezer until time to reheat.

Tostadas

Tortillas - You can deep fry them or just spray a pan with Pam and heat. I've been making my own and they are fabulous.

Refried beans - layer on top of tortilla.

Accessories -(use all or some - I always use cabbage rather than lettuce.)

shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, avocados, minced olives, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, shopped hardboiled egg, minced mild chilies, sour cream

Salsa Fresca - I think this is what makes them so good. Recipe follows.

Salsa Fresca

3-medium-sized ripe tomatoes

2 scallions, finely minced

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

a handful of parsley, finely minced

a handful of cilantro, finely minced

1 tsp. lightly toasted cumin seeds

3/4 to 1 tsp. salt

1 T. cider vinegar

1 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh lime juice

crushed red pepper, to taste

Just combine everything in a small bowl, cover tightly and chill.

GRILLED ASAIN SALAD

This yummy salad become a regular on my 2 salads a day diet! It is a variation of Paula Deen's salad found in her magazine.

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil 1 tsp. ground ginger

2 T. white wine vinegar 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 or 2 cloves minced garlic fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Whisk together in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Salad:

1 (1 lb.) bag carrots, sliced thin

2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/8 in. thick slices

1 1/2 c. english cucumber

1/2 c. sliced green onion

1 T. light olive oil

1 lg. head red leaf lettuce

In a lg. bowl, combine carrot, bell pepper, olive oil. Grill on a grill pan or in a basket on your grill, turning occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes, or until vege's begin to soften (I like to carmelize them). Remove vege's from basket, and place in a large bowl. Add cucumber green onion, dressing, and 1/2 tsp. salt, tossing gently to coat. Top lettuce with vege's and serve immediately. Enjoy!

One of the times I made this, I had no green onions so I grilled a yellow onion with the pepper and carrot. Another time, I added the chopped vege's from my big bowl of vege's!

Cauliflower Leek Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree

Hey everybody! Because Lisa is not super computer savvy, I will be posting for her too. A few days ago we saw this recipe on Studio 5 - Cauliflower Leek Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree. We just had to try it. It has just about no calories and of course "it's good for you too!" We followed the recipe pretty much to the tee, with the exception that we used red potatoes - they are less starchy. After we ate it we thought of a few things that could be added to give it different flavors such as curry, turmeric, or basil.

Cauliflower Leek Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree

2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Leek

2 Carrots

1 Celery Stalk

2 cloves of Garlic

2 Potatoes

2 cups Cauliflower

5-6 cups Chicken Stock

pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

fresh Ground Pepper - to taste

Chop up leek (use white part only), carrots, and celery stalk. Peel and cut up potatoes in 2-3 in. pieces. Cut up cauliflower into pieces about the same size as the potatoes. Heat oil in a large pot and saute the leek, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften (just a few min). Mince garlic and add, cooking for only another minute or so. Add the chicken broth, potatoes, and cauliflower. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes and cauliflower are fork tender. Puree in a blender (only use about 2 cups at a time).

Roasted Red Pepper Puree

1 Red Pepper

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Cut up red pepper into 4 pieces (remove the seeds) and place them skin side up on cookie sheet. Press them a little to flatten. Broil for about 15 minutes until blackened. Remove from oven and place peppers in a brown paper bag for about 5 minutes (this helps the blackened skin to come off). Puree peppers in blender. Place a spoonful in the middle of the soup and swirl using a knife or skewer.

We hope you enjoy because we sure did!

Lisa and Montell

Keen What?

Up until about a month ago, I had never heard of quinoa. Most of you probably already know what it is, but for those who don't:

Quinoa (KEEN-WAH) is the most nutritious of all grains. It's high in fiber, a good source of Iron, and has all eight essential amino acids! Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of a plant. It is used as a grain or grain substitute because of it's cooking characteristics.

Now that you know how good it is for you, try this delicious recipe. It's quick and easy to make, and a good introduction to quinoa if you haven't tried it before.

I have had this for lunch everyday for the past week and a half, and I am not sick of it yet! I like to add a clove of crushed garlic to the dressing because everything is better with a little garlic, right? I also add blanched broccoli or asparagus for a more filling meal. It’s also great over a bed of greens for a yummy salad.

Herbed Quinoa

by Giada De Laurnentiis

• 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, add the chicken stock, lemon juice and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.