Vegetable Curry

Vegetable Curry over Brown Rice

 Wow! Day 5 and I am not missing the meat...or really the refined grains...not even the sugar! Crazy I know. I think it's been a long process to get to this point. We've gone without sugar before but the withdrawals usually last much longer. It probably helps that I'm not giving up coffee at the same time! I'm also finding some really great ways to satisfy my sweet tooth with fruit, and fruit desserts. Last night I blended up 3 cups of frozen watermelon cubes and about 1/2 cup Vanilla Soy Milk in the food processor and we had watermelon sorbet! It was refreshing and scrumptious. We also discovered Kind Bars, which are delicious! They are basically nuts, dried fruit, natural sugars, and of course we like the dark chocolate ones! But they only have 5g of sugar. Way better (for you) than a candy bar.

This morning for breakfast was oatmeal with a drizzle of agave nectar, dried cranberries, and honey roasted almond slivers (from Trader Joe's). For lunch I made a veggie wrap: whole wheat tortilla, roasted garlic hummus, spinach, roasted red peppers, tomato slices, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, and a little bit of feta. Yum!

Tonight for dinner I made vegetable curry. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no expert when it comes to Indian cuisine. I found a recipe awhile back and I've been tweaking it and loving it! I've changed it up enough to call it my own, so I thought I would share it. This recipe is actually one that Josh and I have enjoyed several times over the last few months. It's full of veggies and beans, and you can eat it over rice or even in a pita. It's quick and easy too so that's always a plus!

Vegetable Curry

Vegetable Oil Spray
Water
1 Small to Medium Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Medium Carrot, sliced
1 Medium Zuchinni, sliced
1 Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
Curry Powder
Garlic Powder
1 to 1-1/2 cups Lite Coconut Milk
Salt Pepper

Coat a skillet with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium high heat. Add the vegetables (I usually just use whatever I've got in the fridge, but always bell pepper and carrots) and 1 Tbsp of water. Stir around and add water a tablespoon at a time as necessary to keep the veggies from burning. Cook till just soft, about 7 min, stirring occasionally. Add curry and garlic powder to the mixture. The seasoning is really to taste but don't be shy. Start with about a tablespoon curry powder and a sprinkling of garlic powder. Stir and cook for about a minute. Add the garbanzo beans and coconut milk. I usually add just enough milk to make a nice sauce, not too much though. Heat through and finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Smoothies!

At the Beach First Weekend in June!

Yesterday I made a couple of really yummy smoothies. I just have to share the links because these were some good snacks!

In the morning I needed a little extra energy because I was going to be doing some marathon cleaning. I wanted a candy bar but I decided a smoothie would be a better idea. Plus the candy bar was not an option! I found a recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Smoothie. Basically it's pumpkin puree (the kind you use at thanksgiving to make pumpkin pie), frozen banana slices, soy (or almond, or whatever non-dairy kind) milk, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, protein powder. So easy and I loved it! I omitted the protein powder, not on purpose, I just forgot. Also, I only had the prepared pumpkin pie pumpkin so there was added sugar, but either way I think it would be divine! It was like thanksgiving in a cup.

After dinner I was wanting some ice cream really badly. I thought I could possibly attempt another smoothie when I had the brilliant idea to use coconut milk and pineapple slices to make a pina colada. I thought I should see if I could find any recipes for measurements and sure enough! Here it is! I made a smaller batch and a simple substitution of adding orange juice to frozen pineapple chunks since I didn't have a can of pineapple in juice. Besides that it was lite coconut milk and frozen banana slices. It was a refreshing little treat that perked us right up. I  am planning on turning this into a pina colada sorbet very soon. And I will be investing in some popsicle molds because it is so stinkin' hot here already!

Zachy and Me Soaking up the Sun

Super Easy Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

Ah Sunday. Sundays are a bit hectic and a little bit of a cheat day every week (even if we've already had one). We usually have coffee and snacks for the choir and band between church services. Usually someone brings a lot of yummy, sugar-laiden treats, and possibly some fruit. Today I got to bring the snacks so we had a variety of bagels and cream cheese, and grapes. I had a cheese bagel and cream cheese, and creamer in my coffee. So, yeah, not quite up to par, but my only cheat for the day. We had Chipotle for lunch -- sofritos (tofu) salad bowl with brown rice, black beans, grilled peppers and onions, salsa -- delish! For dinner I made this delightful black bean soup, which we will be eating twice more this week.

I love black bean soup...it's thick and bean-y and delicious. Usually it's also bacon-y...mmm...bacon. But alas all that bacon is behind me and I have found a pretty delicious black bean soup recipe sans the meat-candy. It's from a show called "Let's Dish" on The Live Well Network. It's not a show I watch very often but I was fortunate to catch this episode. I immediately looked up the recipe and this super easy black bean soup has become our go-to. Even today when it is 100 degrees outside I am making it because we love it and it is good for you!

You can find the recipe here, but I'll share my modified version.

Black Bean Soup
2 cups diced onions
2 Tablespoons canola oil  -- I just used enough to coat the bottom of the pot
2 green bell peppers, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can black beans
2 15 oz. cans refried black beans
12 oz. vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
10 oz. cooked brown rice -- I used the microwave kind from Trader Joe's
1 Tablespoon chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaf

In a large saucepan, brown onions and bell peppers in oil over medium high heat (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and spices and cook for another minute. Adding the spices here will intensify the flavor, so if you'd like it a little milder just add them after the garlic with the rest of the ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and warm through. You can let it simmer for awhile till it thickens up a bit. Taste for seasoning and serve with whatever garnishes you like on top -- tomatoes, cilantro, avocados, lime, cheese, sour cream.

I did try my hand at making black beans myself instead of using canned. They came out perfectly and were super easy to make, just a little time consuming. Also if you can't find refried black beans you can just refry them yourself, and this way you leave out much of the fat that is added. I simply heat and mash. You're really only adding them to thicken the soup so the extra oil is unnecessary.

If you try this recipe I'd love to hear how it turns out!

Pasta Salad and a New Goal

Pasta Salad

A couple weeks ago Josh and I got a little bit of food poisoning from some not-hot-enough pulled pork. Ugh. My stomach hasn't been the same since. The last couple weeks we've eaten nothing but soup and crackers! In the meantime I started reading a new book called Veganist by Kathy Freston to help me stay motivated (or get re-motivated) to eat healthfully. As you might have been able to tell from the fact that we were eating pulled pork, we haven't really been keeping up with our goal of Dr. Fuhrman approved eating. As I started reading this book though I realized that it doesn't have to be a huge deal to eat well, I just have to be consistent about making better, healthier choices.

I decided that for the month of June -- all 30 days -- I am going to eat entirely vegetarian, also eliminating refined sugars and refined grains. The plan is also to keep the dairy to a minimum without cutting it completely. Reading the book isn't the only thing that brought about this decision. I also recently read an article in Good Housekeeping magazine about how sometimes doing something all or nothing is the best approach. Basically if you don't give yourself the option of choosing the unhealthy thing there's no debate. You just don't do it. Then I also saw an episode of The Drs. about how anyone can do anything for 30 days. One of the things they had a couple ladies do was to go vegan. (Kathy Freston was their consultant on this, which is when I first heard about her books.) I figured why can't I do that?!

So here I am. First day of June, first day of reaching for this new goal. I think the hardest thing for me will be eliminating refined sugars. I've developed quite the sweet tooth since being married to Josh. But today has been okay. I had Josh make my morning latte with vanilla soy milk and no extra sugar. Not too bad. For breakfast we had whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana slices with blueberries on the side. We munched on fruit after our trip to the farmer's market. And for lunch we had black bean burgers on whole wheat sandwich thins with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, and a side of pasta salad, with strawberries for dessert. Yum! For dinner the plan is homemade veggie pizza on whole wheat dough, followed by Banana-Raspberry Sorbet.

I feel good about making healthy choices. I know it won't always be easy, especially as I come off my sugar addiction. But I believe it's worth it. I want to be healthy. I want my family to be healthy. And I am the one who controls what we eat. So really it's up to me.

Here's my Pasta Salad recipe:

1 lb Whole Wheat Pasta -- I used elbow macaroni, but you could use rotelle or whatever your fav is
Veggies -- I chopped carrots, orange bell peppers, zucchini (but pretty much anything would be good here...cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, artichokes, you could even add onion)
Roasted Red Peppers
Sliced Olives
Trader Joe's Tuscan Italian Dressing -- I used to use the Italian Dressing mix and make the dressing myself, but I just discovered that the first ingredient is SUGAR! Boo!

Boil the pasta according to package directions. I tossed the chopped veggies in with the pasta for the last three minutes of cooking to take the bite off. (I'm still getting used to eating raw veg.) Drain everything off and place in a large bowl. Add the roasted red peppers and sliced olives. Drizzle the dressing around the edge of the bowl and toss with the salad. Add more dressing as needed to suit your taste. Now put the salad into the refrigerator and chill for a couple hours. Couldn't be simpler!

Chinese Chicken and Rice Soup

 I found this great recipe and I just have to share it! It's from the Food Network website and it is delicious! Josh said it was better than the soup we usually get at our favorite Chinese food restaurant. When I first read the recipe I was a little suspicious of starting a soup with eggs and tomatoes. It just seemed odd. But after reading all the raving reviews I thought I would give it a try. It was worth it!

I did make a few tweaks to the recipe just because I can't help it! And to make it just a bit healthier. I used brown rice instead of white. I also used kale, which I pre-steamed because I find it to be a little too tough otherwise. This actually turned out to be a good thing because Jer thought the kale was broccoli and picked it all out and ate it first! I omitted the extra helping of oil at the end and just started with the sesame oil to get rid of some of the extra fat. I also only used two eggs instead of the suggested four. More than enough.  You could also leave out the chicken and I think it would be just as flavorful. The rice and eggs are more than enough to fill you up.

I've made this soup three more times since the first. Yeah it's that good. I've tried, without success, bok choy and red cabbage. Not so much. But the original suggestion of baby spinach is good. I sliced it up into little pieces for picky eaters. Overall, this recipe is a big ol' keeper! You can find it here: Chinese Chicken and Rice Soup.

Birthdays and Spanish Rice

Wow we've been busy around here! Jeremiah's and Josh's birthdays are only two weeks apart. So we've had lots of birthday celebrating, and unhealthy, but delicious eating. We've also been working on our living room area and have some great additions, including this beautiful piece of art!!!

Found the DIY plan on pinterest. Here's the website if you'd like to give it a try. It was super easy and I love the way it came out.

I haven't had much time to create any new and delicious recipes, but I have been cooking it up around here and pulling out some of our favorite recipes for birthday festivities. One of my love languages is food after all... That is one of the love languages right?

I didn't really take many pics of the food. Weird, I know! But it was just so good, or maybe we were just so hungry, everyone was halfway through their meals before I even thought of taking pics.

For Jeremiah's birthday I tried to allow him to make all the food choices. Being that he was turning three, it really wasn't a varied or exciting menu. When I asked what he wanted for breakfast he said cereal. "Really, just cereal? What about pancakes?" "No." "Waffles?" "No." "French Toast?" "No. Just cereal." Fortunately I'm the parent and I got to veto that ruling. Pancakes it is! I made the original, non-healthy version and added chocolate chips. So delish! We even used Mrs. Butterworth's. What a celebration!

Enjoying birthday pancakes!

Everyone had full tummies!

For dinner Jer requested Mac 'n' Cheese, of course. That I was willing to accomodate, simply because Josh and I both love it! Fortunately we had come across some delicious mac 'n' cheese the weekend before at Panera Bread. Apparently they have a new recipe and it's really good. We were a little jealous of Jer's meal when we ate there. So Josh asked me to figure it out. We had a plan but I decided to search the internet for a copycat recipe just in case. Guess what...it's on the Panera website! How exciting is that! It's a white mac 'n' cheese, super creamy and yummy. You can find the recipe here. It is by no means healthy or good for you, but definitely good for a splurge.

For Josh's birthday celebration meals we went all out. I made Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast, the recipe I posted a few weeks back. We tried it on French bread instead of the whole wheat, and I must say I like the whole wheat better. Go figure. Dinner was Josh's favorite tostadas: tinga. It's weird because it's a Mexican dish I'd never heard of till we saw them make it on America's Test Kitchen. You can find the recipe on their website. You have to sign up to get it. It's worth it. Basically it's pork shoulder braised with thyme, onions, and garlic. Once it's cooked you smash it up and fry it with chipotle, garlic, oregano, and salt. Then you eat it on top of freshly fried corn tortillas. Topped with queso fresco... it's mouthwatering! My mom made refried beans and I made Spanish rice. Yeah. There were no vegetables.

The next day we did a short "tour" of coffee shops in San Francisco. We started at Blue Bottle and had poached eggs on toast and a "waffel", which will be recreated in our kitchen this weekend. I'll let ya know how it turns out.

And then after some shopping we made our way to Four Barrel.

It was a good day!! Gosh, I love food! And coffee... and my hubby!

I know this is really long already, but if you'd like to know how to make Spanish rice, here's my recipe...

Spanish Rice
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 C Long Grain White Rice
1/4 of an Onion, diced or in long thin slices
1-1/2 C Water -- heat it in the microwave for a minute or two till it's almost boiling
1/2 C Tomato Sauce -- I usually just use regular sauce but the Pato brand is really good and spicy
S & P
Garlic Powder

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. When it starts to shimmer add the rice. Stir it around to coat the rice. If some of it seems dry add a little more oil. Let it cook for about 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  You want the rice to brown but not burn. Once it starts turning golden add the onion and cook for another couple minutes to soften the onion. When the onion is translucent and the rice is golden brown, add the water and the tomato sauce.  Season liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Taste as you go. This is your only chance to season it so make sure it's good. Bring it to a boil then lower heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Check at 15 and stir it up if it needs it. Eat up!

Egg and Black Bean Breakfast Burritos

Burritos are amazing. You can basically put anything in a tortilla and it'll taste good. Now, I'm not recommending this, but my dad puts tuna in his tortillas. My mom swears they grew up eating peanut butter and jelly burritos. And one of the only ways I'll eat mayo is is rolled up in a warm corn tortilla. So good!

That being said, I almost feel silly posting a recipe for a burrito. Seems like such a simple thing. What I'm really sharing is the way I learned to make amazing scrambled eggs from watching "The Chew". Thanks to Michael Symon and Mario Battali for teaching me what I should have known for at least the last 10 years!

But, before I get to that, I must tell you that the best breakfast burrito I have ever had by far was at a restaurant called "Soup Nuts and Java Jazz" on Maui during Josh's and my honeymoon. It was the most random little cafe, but that burrito has been recreated time and again in my kitchen! It was pretty simple actually -- chorizo and eggs, black beans, cheddar cheese. Served on a bed of Spanish rice with a side of salsa. OMG! So flippin' good!!! Try it sometime. You'll love it!

Anyway, back to my weekend burrito, and making delicious scrambled eggs! They're super easy and buttery. So good!

Jeremiah enjoying his burrito!

Egg and Black Bean Burritos
4 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or 4 white American cheese slices, torn
4 soft tacos size flour tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas)
2-3 Tbsp Butter
Salt to taste

You wanna start with a good size pan, 10 or 12 in. Heat it to about medium heat. While it's heating crack your eggs and scramble them up really well. Do not salt! Now drop a couple pats of butter, maybe even a tablespoon into the pan. Swirl it around the pan to coat. When it starts bubbling (not browning) it's ready. Pour the eggs into the pan and add some more butter. Let it sit for a bit, just about 15-20 seconds. Using a spatula swirl the eggs in long sweeping motions. Add salt and continue to stir the eggs. As they're beginning to cook through add the beans and cheese and keep stirring till the eggs are cooked, glossy, not browned or over cooked. They almost look under cooked, but don't worry, turn them off, remove from heat, and let them sit while you heat up the tortillas.

Heat your tortillas on a cast iron griddle or directly over a gas burner. Make each burrito as the tortillas are heated. Before you put the egg/bean mixture into the tortilla, put some extra cheese onto the tortilla. Don't overfill, wrap it up, and enjoy! You can add salsa, homemade or Tapatio. So delicious!

If you're a visual person you can check out the clip of Michael Symon making the perfect scrambled eggs (along with the entire steak and scrambled egg tacos recipe) here.