This is serious health food. It is loaded with fresh, raw vegetables potent with nutrients and made palatable through the magic of two sauces laden with healthy fats. If you are looking to get your body back into top shape after holiday feasting, make more room on your plate for raw vegetables. They are an integral part of the diet because of their vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which all support functions throughout the body. Beyond this, they can also enhance digestion because contain something called enzymes. Continue Reading →
Cranberry Maple Pecan Yam Rounds
Many fruits and vegetables can provide a base to eat off of, as a replacement for crackers but roasted yams are one of my favorites. When cut thin enough and roasted they start to crisp up around the edges and the inside becomes soft but still sturdy enough to hold its shape and keep the toppings from toppling off. Many yams are thin and long but for something like this the best ones are almost spherical, being nearly as thick in diameter as they are long. Continue Reading →
Fresh Yam Spring Rolls
If you think that fresh, non-deep fried spring rolls look kind of gross and potentially slimy, I get you. I have watched friends snack on these for years without any desire to try them myself, even though they are a very versatile way to eat more vegetables and use up scraps and leftovers. Then, the other day in the grocery store I saw the wrappers and had an uncontrollable urge to try them. Since there is pretty much no healthy food that I don’t like I realized my affront to these is probably unwarranted. Well, they turned out to be ever better than I expected! Continue Reading →
Pear Polenta Squares
Polenta is a hearty dish made from cornmeal (ground corn) that thickens up to a consistency similar to porridge. From there any flavorings can be added and then if it has some time to set in the refrigerator it will firm up and become quite dense. Then it can be sliced and baked or grilled and used as a base in place of bread or crackers. Polenta hails originally from Northern Italy where it was a staple dish among the poorer classes but on this side of the ocean it is considered a more fancy foodie option. Polenta is mainly composed of complex carbohydrates with lots of fiber and iron and it has very little fat, making it a healthy substitute for the more processed and refined breads used in appetizers like this. Plus, its nutrient profile balances out the richer food usually served this time of year. Continue Reading →
Roasted Za’atar Cauliflower with Tahini Dressing
Eating the rainbow is a good way to ensure that you are getting a wide range of different nutrients, but don’t forget about the plain old white produce. Different colors of fruits and vegetables generally have higher concentrations of specific vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. White, and shades of white produce contain potassium and magnesium, two important minerals that can be deficient in western diets. Cauliflower has the added bonus of being a member of the cruciferous family, boasting special sulfur compounds that have been found to fight cancer. It also offers high levels of vitamins C, K and some of the B vitamins. Continue Reading →
Hummus
Hummus is a Middle Eastern chickpea dip accented with tahini (sesame butter), olive oil, garlic and lemon. It is flavorful enough to make raw vegetables exciting when dipped in or to liven up sandwiches and burgers. It is rich and creamy and the secret to getting it really smooth is to use chickpea flour instead of chickpeas themselves. A few years ago I was in Germany while following a vegan diet, luckily there were lots of Middle Eastern restaurants around, so I was able to avoid the bratwurst and basically lived off of hummus and falafel (and fritz) for a few weeks. One day I found a small health food store tucked away on a back alley riddled with cobblestones and went in to try and find some chickpeas to make the dip myself. The owner could barely speak English and I could barely speak German but through lots of sign language he taught me that the flour is actually what was used there more commonly and that it worked better. I thought he was crazy, the flour seems bland and chalky, but when you mix it with boiling water the magic happens. Continue Reading →
Acorn Squash Boats
Acorn squash is the perfect size to build off of. It can be cut into halves and used like bowls or cut into quarters like this and used as a base for any kind of topping. In this way it is kind of like bruschetta but the squash is many times higher in fiber and several antioxidants, vitamins and minerals than the traditionally used white bread. Continue Reading →
Heirloom Tomato Salsa
Canning is a bit of a lost art in our world of convenience. My brother offered to just buy me some salsa if I wanted it. Yet if you have an interest in the slow food movement or a bit of nostalgia for simpler times, canning can be a nice way to spend a couple hours. Continue Reading →
Warm Mediterranean Potato Salad
Making a warm potato salad is much faster than roasted or baked potatoes but it still provides the same grounding comfort food. I like to use it as a side dish when I don’t have much time to throw together a dinner for hungry people. Potatoes have an unfairly bad reputation, when they are fried they are definitely not a health food but if they are baked, steamed or roasted they are a great source of fiber and several vitamins and minerals. Continue Reading →
Ahi Tuna Ceviche Bites
Ceviche is basically some kind of raw seafood marinated in citrus juice (lime in this case). The marinade slightly changes the texture so even those who find raw fish in sushi unappealing may like it in ceviche form. Continue Reading →