All posts filed under: healthy cooking

recipe: autumn cauliflower soup

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A few days ago it was hot in San Francisco. The super hot, almost breathless and as usual the locals who were freezing over the summer complained about being too hot. We just can’t get it right in this amazing city. Nevertheless, I woke up this morning to chilly weather, breezy, hinting that we are in the midst of fall or autumn if you will. So, naturally I craved soup and clicked through many websites to find just the right one and here it is – my favorite vegetable cauliflower and some trimmings: Roasted Cauliflower Soup Ingredients 1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces ¼ cup olive oil sea salt & freshly ground black pepper 1 good pinch red pepper flakes 3 cloves garlic 2 minced shallots 2 finely chopped celery stalks, cut into bite-sized pieces on a bias 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground clove 1 splash mirin 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 piece kombu 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup Juice from ½ lemon ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, …

healthy suggestions i live by for years

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There are lots of articles, ads, and more about eating healthy or what to eat and not. Some even contradict one product over the other, worrying us into sleepless nights and added stress over our eating habits. I grew up on Mediterranean food and indulged just fine the things naturally available each season, maintaining my weight. It was when I arrived in the US and ate processed food that I gained weight and was among the millions in this country labelled as overweight.  I put an end to it years ago, returning to eating just as did when I was younger, and avoiding processed food at all cost. The changes I made require commitment and time, since I prepare all my foods at home and seldom eat out and when I do, I go for the lighter meals, salads mostly or salmon, to avoid from developing bad habits again, throwing me off. Couple of interesting articles I came across recently which I have proven to work for me: {click here for source article} {click here for source article} …

the damages of eating out

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Several years ago, we ate out all the time. Not only did it hurt the pocket book. It also affected our health – gaining weight, high blood pressure and other unwanted ailments I choose not to list. So we stopped, deciding that it was important to grocery shop and making our own home-cooked meals. It worked. We lost the weight. The blood pressure went down, and we acquired a new and improved taste for food – using less salt and bringing about the flavors by choosing other spices and garnish. A little over a month ago, due to my hectic schedule in general and trying to fit in too much in a day, we reverted back to eating out at minimum 4 nights a week. Suddenly, I hated food, everything we ate had too much salt used for flavoring mostly or even to cover up some unpleasant tastes. I wondered if it were possible to ask for less salt when ordering my food, but never considered bothering the waiter. Then I went for a physical …

healthy recipe: french lentil kale soup

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I found this recipe mostly by accident. I was researching online for info on organizing a local expo and strangely enough this recipe popped up. So I clicked on it for a number of reasons. French->Lentil->Kale-> Three of my favorite things. I tagged it and saved it, slowly getting ready for soups I plan to make this coming Fall/Winter (which technically is our summer here in San Francisco) but, just in case we experience a real winter this year, dipping down below 50degrees F, I will turn to soups, paired with toasted tortilla pieces for some substance. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 2 small carrots, diced 2 celery sticks, diced 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon ground cumin 32 ounces vegetable stock 5 kale leaves, washed 1 1/2 cups precooked French lentils Salt and pepper Method: Heat the oil in a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute on medium-low heat until the onion is translucent. …

restaurant challenge: san francisco, los angeles and new york

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Who doesn’t love a good restaurant, a new place to eat, some different style of cooking to experience, especially if you happen to be from out-of-town, travelling through San Francisco (my hometown), Los Angeles (my playground), New York (my inspiration). With that said, click on each photo to be redirected to some of the local best kitchens/restaurants/cafes/eateries and let me know what you think? Have you tried any of the places? {Please note I absolutely take no credit for photo or list of restaurant. To find out who deserves the credits, please click here}

healthy recipe: oats and currant shake

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I am always looking for healthy eating recipes online or magazines or even while checking out a new restaurant in San Francisco. We’ve got a ton of health conscious eateries here now. So, of course I stopped and saved this recipe and made it at home. Clearly an interesting tasty treat, something new, easy to make and different from the norm (being banana, strawberries and pineapple juice). RECIPE  1 cup currants (or plums or strawberries or cherries) 1/2 cup oats 1 cup almond milk 1 tbsp honey 1 tsp lemon juice zest from 1/2 lemon 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp coconut flakes to garnish Place everything except for coconut flakes in a blender and give it a good blend. Garnish with coconut flakes. And when you are done, this is what it should look like {Under no circumstances do I take credit for the photo or the recipe. Please click here for reference}

recipe: fun grilled cheese sandwich

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My weakness indeed. I can eat cheese every day, twice even, but I know my limitations and opt to eat healthy mostly and cheesy foods maybe once a week. I loved this grilled cheese sandwich and since I make a variation of it at home, I wanted to share it with all of you. My variation is freshly sliced tomatoes and just ripe avocado, and if the tomatoes are old, I stew them and spread that across the sandwich. Delicious doesn’t even express how good this sandwich is – in moderation of course. 😉 – choice of bread is left up to you. I use toasted Italian or French sliced bread. For The real recipe please click here and under no circumstances do I take credit for the photo – it came from here. I am just luring you with it.

healthy suggestions to share

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Let’s face it. We are on information overload about how to be healthy, eat well, sleep enough, drink plenty of water and the ‘do’s and don’t’ to consider to maintain a fine lifestyle. On occasion, I scroll through these articles only to validate what I already know and decide after 30minutes of scanning the information, to keep going, just the way I have for years – eating the good and the bad in moderation, exercising and staying positive, knowing, deep down, those are the key ingredients for a lasting effect. Once in a while, I want to share what I firmly believe in and have practiced for decades, hoping it would at least help make a change in someone’s life, since it’s been validated. Here are some of the best suggestions – click on photo to be redirected:

post u.s.a. – belgium world cup game – belgian waffles

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  I was on the fence with US-Belgium  game. I figured it was wonderful the U.S. made it thus far, but I knew deep down, it wasn’t our time yet to go all the way. I say give it a decade or maybe soccer or football isn’t really our thing and we should stick to American football. Either way, we played, not so well,  but now it’s time for the team to come home.  So, since I am not a sore loser, much luck to Belgium against Argentina in a few days and to go with that thought process, I have included a healthy version of Belgian waffles.  Ingredients 2 cups buckwheat flour (all-purpose or whole wheat flour will work) 4 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp. coconut sugar (granulated sugar will work 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 2 large eggs, separated 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (other oils will work) 1-3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (any milk will work) 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract Instructions Prepare waffle iron with natural cooking spray and turn it …

healthy recipe: kale salad in all sorts

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Although it’s more cold in San Francisco during the summer months than it probably is in Alaska during the winter (yes I am exaggerating a little but you get the point) I still crave salads and fruits more than comfort food.  So, I run to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods Market (two of my favorite grocery stores) and stock up on quinoa and Kale and pounds of fresh fruits, insisting for my hubby to indulge just the same. Kale is a hit or a miss if not prepared right. So, I had to make sure I found just the recipe or ingredients to add.  I found  a recipes here , (ten variations to be exact) and have managed to test out  three of them so far, my favorite being all of them 🙂 So please thumb through the list of recipes by clicking on the photo below and let me know what you think?