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recipe
Roasted Cauliflower
Delicious and nutritious!
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- olive oil
- a pinch of salt
- a larger pinch of black pepper
Preparation:
- pre-heat the oven to 400.
- cut the head of cauli into 1/2 inch thick slices. Small pieces will break off of the slices, no worries–they’ll taste just as fabulous!
- place the slices on a cookie sheet or flat pan.
- drizzle with olive oil, spreading the oil around on both sides.
- sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- bake for 5 – 8 minutes, turn the pieces over, and repeat.
- Enjoy the rich, buttery taste and crunchy texture! Let the kids pick up the slices with their hands to bite off delicious mouthfuls!
Note: I’ve been bringing home orange cauliflower whenever I find it at Briarpatch, my local natural foods co-op. It’s got a fuller flavor than it’s white cousin and offers an intriguing viewing variation.
This delightful side dish was introduced to me by my colleague and friend, Wendy Van Wagner of In the Kitchen.
Posted in Eat, Recipes, Thanksgiving recipes | 
Tags: Briarpatch natural foods community market, cauliflower, Eat, Fall Foods, In the Kitchen, recipe | 
No Comments »Quinoa Salad
Quinoa is a super nutritious grain, chock-full of protein and fiber. The nutty flavor and slightly crunchy texture make it unique, either as an ingredient in a salad or casserole, or as a hot breakfast cereal. It cooks more quickly than most other whole grains–just 12 to 15 minutes–an important fact to remember to maintain the crunch. Enjoy the following recipe for one of my favorite ways of cooking and savoring quinoa.
Ingredients:
2 parts water to 1 part Quinoa
Grilled eggplant
Grilled peppers
Basil
Garlic
Feta cheese
Kalmata olives
Roasted pine nuts
To prepare:
- Bring water to a boil, add quinoa, turn down heat to simmer for 12 – 15 minutes. When the grains are cooked, add a bit of garlic infused olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- Rub the veggies w/ garlic infused olive oil, place under the broiler for 3 – 5 minutes, on both sides. Of course you can grill other favorites such as tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus…
- Chop the basil and garlic.
- Crumble the feta.
- Chop the olives in half.
- Mix it all up gently (cooked quinoa is fragile!), let it sit in the fridge for a few hours.
Then…
- Place the pine nuts in a non-stick pan, cook on low, constantly stirring to prevent burning; add these right before eating (so they do not become soggy!).
Note: Pine nuts are fabulously rich, adding not only a divine flavor to this or any dish, but are also a good source of mono- and poly- unsaturated fats and protein.
Enjoy!
Best Beets Recipe
Yep, it’s true: Beets are delicious. If your memory of beets are from the canned, mushy slices your mom served you, be prepared to have your taste buds delighted and your body rejuvenated! Beets are nutrient dense and can be prepared in a very tantalizing way. Here’s my favorite recipe:
Ingredients:
Red or golden beets or a mixture of both
Blue Cheese, crumbled
Turkish apricots
Candied pecans or walnuts
Balsamic vinegar
- Wash and wrap beets in foil, bake at 400 for 60 minutes. Let cool completely (several hours).
- Wearing kitchen gloves, rub the beets gently and the skin will fall right off.
- Clean up the beet tips.
- Chop into bite sized chunks.
- Add crumbled blue cheese, chopped turkish apricots and (optional) just a few candied pecans.
- Drizzle with good quality balsamic vinaigrette (I used fig) and sprinkle a tad of salt and pepper.
- This dish can be eaten at room temperature or cold from the fridge in the summer. Enjoy!
Posted in Eat, Recipes, Updates | Tags: beets, delicious, nutrient dense, recipe, simple | 5 Comments »A quick and delish dinner
Simple Tortilla Casserole
Prep time: 10 minutes; Baking time: 30 minutes
Purchased ingredients: Prepped ingredients:
Whole grain tortillas Grated cheddar and jack cheese
Salsa or chili sauce Chopped cilantro
Black olives, drained Chopped green and purple cabbage
Grilled peppers, canned or jar, drained
Black or pinto beans, drained
- Pour a bunch of salsa or chili verde sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish.
- Place 3 tortillas on top of the salsa or sauce.
- Cover with ½ of the cheese.
- Beans next.
- Then peppers.
- Sprinkle on the cilantro and olives.
- Layer with more torts.
- Top it off with a healthy dousing of salsa or chili sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 28 minutes.
- Remove foil, sprinkle on remaining cheese and bake 2 more minutes.
- Top with a lot of cabbage at the table for added zip and crunch.
This dinner is so quick, so yummy, and so simple, that you won’t even mind that it is a complete protein, high fiber, and low fat meal!
My choice is to shop at our local co-op for all canned or prepared items; I buy organic and I recommend you consider this as well—there will be no added fats, coloring, sweeteners, preservatives, etc. Having said that, the point here is to have a quick and delish dinner, you should buy whatever you think is best.
You already know that I am not a recipe user. I love free flow creativity in the kitchen. This dish can have virtually anything you want to put in it that you and your family like and that maintains the Mexican or Spanish flavor. And of course, you can leave out any of the ingredients that don’t thrill you.
Finally, I sometimes buy a bunch of rice to go with this dinner. There’s a fab little Mexican place in town, called Tortilla Grill, which uses all organic ingredients for their rice and beans. It makes me feel better to bring that kind of rice home for an easy side dish to an already simple dinner. The big box food stores sell cooked Mexican or Spanish style rice also, again your choice. Occasionally, if I am feeling really sassy, I will throw the rice into the casserole, on top of the beans to bake into the cheesy goodness!
Enjoy this meal—it is one that kids and spouses like—if you have them around the house—and either way, you’ll love it because of the ease and taste!
Posted in Recipes, Updates | Tags: delicious, easy, healthy, newsletter, quick, recipe, Tortilla Grill | 4 Comments »Simple, Spectacular, and Savory Soup Recipe
Yes! Another soup recipe being offered to you, for a quick, yummy, and healthful dinner.
Minestrone Soup
Prep time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
15 ounce can of cannelloni beans
2 cups whole grain pasta (elbow or penne)
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 small zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
pepper and salt
dried basil and oregano
olive oil
a full-bodied red wine, to sip as well as to add into the soup
Directions:
- Saute onion in olive oil for a few moments.
- While the onions are still firm, add the zucchini, carrots, and celery, a goodly amount of black pepper and basil, and a pinch of oregano and salt. Saute another few moments. Mix in the tomatoes (with the pulp) and garlic, and continue to saute, but only for as long as it takes for the veggies to be slightly cooked and still al dente.
- In a in a large soup pot, cook the pasta, while enjoying a glass of wine. Drain the pasta, then pour it back into the pot.
- Add the cooked veggies to the pasta. Dump in the can of beans, including the bean juice. Bring to a boil for just a moment, pour in 1/2 cup of red wine, check the spices to meet your palate desires.
- Enjoy! This is a rich, high protein and fiber, delicious dinner. For an easy side dish, slice a good quality, whole grain baguette, layer with swiss cheese, and put under the broiler for 3 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and yummy.
How’s that for 30 minutes well-spent in the kitchen preparing this nutritious meal?
Posted in Articles, Recipes, Updates | Tags: delicious, easy, nutritious, quick meal, recipe, soup, whole grain | No Comments »
