All posts filed under: Food

healthy eating: sweet potato and hummus

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Who would have known my mediterranean cultural food would be the most sought after food groups to plan for healthy eating.  I mean as a child I was embarrassed when my mother spread humus in pita bread and send me off to school in the US (that is). Now, I laugh, as all those kids who poked fun at me back then, are now clicking their way through the internet for humus recipes. In light of some tidbit about my life, I want to share a recipe with you which I found here. In my opinion,  a very creative take on humus. I’ve eaten humus in all variations throughout my life: spicy, with eggplant, garlic or not, pasty, watered down and whatever else any store now offers, and am always still open to trying something new. So here it is Sweet Potato, Tahini/humus (as you know when you combine tahini and chickpeas, it’s humus) spread.  Let me know what you think: Ingredients for the sweet potato-tahini spread: 1/2 cup cooked & mashed sweet potato 2-3 tablespoons tahini …

healthy snack: vacation inspired granola bar recipe

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First day back from any vacation is always the hardest, especially from a relaxing one. (Meaning mostly spent by the poolside or under an umbrella at the beach, sipping cool drinks). The funny thing was, while I wondered what to post on my blog at the start the week after a vacation, I came across the perfect recipe to make the transition and bring a little of the island back with me. Tropical Chewy Granola Bars Makes 12-16 bars Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. chia seeds + 6 Tbsp. water 2 cups / 200g rolled oats (certified gluten-free if possible) ½ cup / 150g raw buckwheat groats 1 cup / 50g coconut flakes ¾ cup / 100g macadamia nuts, chopped 60g / 2 oz. dried banana, chopped (or Medjool dates) 60g / 2 oz. dried mango, chopped ¼ cup / 60ml coconut oil 1/3 cup / 80ml honey (or maple syrup) 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 1 tsp. extract) 2 very ripe bananas ½ tsp. coarse sea salt Directions: 1. In a small bowl, combine chia …

how do you make your cake?

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I love cupcakes and occasionally a slice of cake and although I consume either in moderation, I often wonder what is the best fat to add to my recipe.  Just to clarify the confusion, I am referring to butter, oil, shortening or margarine. It was interesting, when I came across this amazing blog and while scrolling through the contents, I found  the answer or perhaps not. You be the judge and please do share  – how do you make your cake? {Click here for photo and article credit}

san francisco gem: the ferry building

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I love it when friends show up in town unannounced and beg to spend a day with you.  I really mean it, I do love it, even though it throws me pleasantly off schedule (If that makes sense). Anyway, I got the word my friends were in town at ten in the morning and asked them to meet me at the end of Market Street at noon for lunch.  When I asked, what they wanted to eat, they mentioned Sandwich shops and fast food and I basically rolled my eyes. I pointed to the Ferry Building and asked if they had been there and they both shook their heads NO and so we ventured into one of our proudest conversion of a historic building into an amazing waterfront hangout.

healthy eating – not just as a new year resolution

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While in my twenties, I have to say I had no worries about eating healthy, nor in moderation. I was able to eat and maintain my size 4 figure for decades,  so of course when I hit 40 I figured I was still one of the lucky ones who could eat whatever she wanted to and stay thin and healthy, until of course I developed high blood pressure and other health concerns which got me to re-think my eating habits. In the last two years, I’ve been on a crusade to find the best possible recipes and menus to follow just so I could, not only maintain my weight, but also ensure, all my health issues are under control. What I got sucked into during the time was following an accelerated and pre-packaged diet plans and  although I lost weight, I didn’t do it the (very) healthy way I wanted to. I won’t mention what didn’t really work for me, but from all the aggressive dieting I not only gained the weight back, but my …

comfort food: french toast bread pudding

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Technically we are only a few days away from the official start of winter.  Which means much more colder weather and less of a desire to eat healthy. I don’t know about you, but I currently am always looking for comfort food, in moderation of course, to fuel me up during the day . In light of that fact, I found this amazing recipe here for bread pudding, one  of my favorite winter comfort foods and thought of making it over the weekend with a few alteration.   I will use Almond Milk (Original flavor) and add pecans and sliced banana and I will let you know how it turns out. Meanwhile let me know if you have other suggestions. French Toast Bread Pudding  1 challah loaf, sliced ¾ inch thick 8 extra-large eggs 5 cups half-and-half or milk 3 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon kosher salt Confectioners’ sugar and pure maple syrup, for serving Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the bread in two …

healthy recipe: fig, ricotta and hazelnut hors d’oeuvres

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There are evenings, when I come home from work, I don’t necessarily want to have dinner or even bother with making one, so I open a bottle of red wine and put together something quick to pair it up with and voila it’s dinner. (I don’t recommend this if you have small children in the house 🙂 ) Anyway, here is an easy recipe I found here and I must say it is heavenly and a wonderful pairing with a bottle of red wine on those evenings when you need to have an out of the norm experience. Grilled Fig, Hazelnut and Ricotta Crostinis Ingredients: 1 cup part skim ricotta 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon hazelnuts, lightly toasted 1/2 cup honey, divided 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 10-12 fresh figs (mission or kadota or whatever is local), cut in half lengthwise 1/2 French or sourdough baguette, sliced into ½ inch slices and lightly toasted 1. Place ricotta, hazelnuts, 1/4 cup honey, and ground cinnamon in a food processor and process …

healthy eats: butternut squash, black beans and goat cheese tostada

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I love the fact, most of us Californians have adapted to healthy eating habits and for that, we are constantly looking for ways to boost the traditional cultural meals introduced  to us, throughout our state. Mexican food is one type of cuisine guaranteed to be a favorite around this part of the country, so when I discover a creative healthy recipe to replace the more  traditional one, I share it. Roasted Chipotle Butternut Squash, Black Beans, and Goat Cheese Tostadas Ingredients 2 cups ¼” cubed butternut squash 1 medium red onion 1 tablespoon olive oil 1-2 teaspoon crushed dried chipotle peppers ¼ teaspoon salt ———————— ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained if using canned Juice from half a lime 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon olive oil ———————— 4 corn tortillas 2-3 ounces goat cheese Directions 1. Preheat oven to 425˚. 2. Roughly dice onion and toss with cubed butternut squash. Combine olive oil, 1 teaspoon crushed chipotle peppers, and salt. Add to butternut squash and toss again to coat. Roast for 20-25 minutes or …

healthy eating: israeli or mediterranean salad – a twist to salsa and chips

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I took a couple of days off to run inland just to see sun and visit with a  very special person in my life. The only trouble going from 50degree foggy weather to a 102degree muggy hot dry weather is that I, not only don’t want to do anything, but I also don’t want to eat. So to solve the eating dilemma, the first thing we do was go to the market and buy fruits and vegetables to make salads , which would last us throughout my visit plus a couple of days more.  Before the market and while I waited for her to wake up in the morning,  I scrolled through my favorite recipes to see what I want to try next. I came across this recipe and decided to try it. It reminds me of fresh salsa, which I love to eat with tortilla chips. So what I plan to do is, instead of tortilla chips,  eat them with toasted pita chips to stay in tune with the mediterranean theme. Israeli Salad  Try to …

healthy recipe: grilled kale ricotta and plum salad

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I love fruit, especially summer fruit, so when I stumbled upon this recipe, I grabbed the listed ingredients from one of the many San Francisco farmer’s markets and now am anxiously waiting for the weekend to try the recipe out with a bottle of Beringer chardonnay and a slice of old world Italian bread toasted of course. Ingredients 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon honey Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper 4 medium plums, halved, pitted, thinly sliced 12 large or 16 small curly kale leaves 3/4 cup fresh ricotta Preparation Whisk 3 Tbsp. oil, vinegar, thyme, and honey in a medium bowl. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Add plums and toss to coat; transfer plums to a plate. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Brush kale leaves with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt. Grill kale, turning once, until crispy and charred at edges, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a work surface; let stand until cool enough to handle. Remove large center stems …