My favorite Chinese food take-out item has always been and probably always will be fried rice. It is so simple but so satisfying. You can basically add any meat or vegetables to it but I kept it basic this time. The number one trick in making this is to use rice that has been cooled completely and refrigerated, using freshly cooked rice changes the texture completely because it is lighter, stickier and fluffier. Continue Reading →
Cacao Mountain Granola Bars
Sometimes I just want to put chocolate on everything. These bars contain four different chocolatey elements, without imposters like white chocolate or diluted milk chocolate (no offense to them). There is raw cacao, roasted cacao, cacao nibs and raw carob. Dark chocolate has been making its way onto several healthy food lists because of the antioxidants and nutrients naturally present in cacao like magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. Continue Reading →
Ayurvedic Khichari
Ayurveda is translated as the science of life and originated in India several thousand years ago, making it the oldest form of healthcare we know of. Ayurvedic medicine takes a very holistic view and classifies people, body and mind, according to the three doshas (or energies). The patient is prescribed different foods and spices customized according to their dosha constitution. The idea is to heal any imbalances and cure or prevent ailments that people are particularly susceptible to. Continue Reading →
Mexican Bean Salad
This is a very vibrant salad with lots of different vitamins and nutrients. The beans are a great source of folate, calcium, potassium and B vitamins. They are very dense and help your body utilize leptin, a hormone that signals to your brain that you are satiated. A salad like this a more food safe option for BBQs than mayonnaise based or dairy heavy salads, because it can sit out longer. Continue Reading →
Southern Granola
I have never been to the American south but I imagine lots of sun drenched porches scattered with people drinking sweet tea, old pickup trucks racing down dirt roads and ladies slaving away in country kitchens to make endless amounts of hearty soul food. Maybe I have been watching too many country music videos but I love the flavors and ingredients from this region and they provided my inspiration for this granola. Continue Reading →
Agua de Jamaica
The beautiful red color of this drink comes from dried hibiscus flowers. I like it when Western science can prove the effectiveness of natural remedies, as is the case with hibiscus. Many recent studies have shown it to be effective at lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, regulating blood sugar levels and promoting improved circulation. Plus it also contains a high concentration of many antioxidants and Vitamin C. Continue Reading →
Oatmeal Bar
This is by no means a complicated breakfast, and that is the beauty of it. If you want to have a warm, relaxing breakfast on your own or if you have several picky eaters to feed, this is a great way to start the day. A couple months ago, I went to a retreat on Denman Island and we had this every day at 7:30 am. Normally I am not a morning person. Not at all. I never liked eating breakfast, especially so early, but by the third day I started to wake up excited for my daily oatmeal creation. Continue Reading →
Iced Coffee Cubes with Fresh Vanilla Almond Milk
This is my idea of heaven in a glass. Sweet, refreshing and delicious, a nice treat on a lazy summer weekend morning. Of course you could use store bought almond milk but I suggest trying homemade because most off-the-shelf varieties contain preservatives and stabilizers such as carrageenan, a red seaweed derived thickener. Even the organic brands use this, a vegan alternative to gelatin, but many recent studies have shown that it is inflammatory and linked to a range of gastrointestinal cancers. On a larger scale, the increased farming of this specific red seaweed is invading and ravaging entire colonies of coral reef, which are already severely endangered. Continue Reading →
Spiced Berry Grain Muffins
I generally am not that into baking, it’s much more precise than cooking so I feel a bit stifled creatively. Plus it usually revolves around processsed sugar and white flour, items that I like to avoid. Although I do love making ugly rustic loaves and muffins from chopped nuts and left over whole grains, especially quinoa and millet. Continue Reading →
Tabbouleh en Beige
Tabbouleh is a traditional Middle Eastern salad, usually very green with much more parsley. This version is predominantly beige from the millet with little specs of green, but I promise it is not lacking in taste. I like to use millet instead of the more traditional bulgur since it is gluten free and very rich in several important nutrients including iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Continue Reading →