All posts filed under: healthy cooking

thanksgiving menu: quinoa cauliflower patties

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This year, I plan to be a bit ‘oddballish’ in putting together my Thanksgiving dinner menu. Since I’m not a fan of turkey, I’m still trying to figure out what to replace the main course with. In the meantime, here is something I want to try instead of the typical mashed potatoes and gravy. Call me crazy, but I like to keep things interesting: For Full recipe and photo credits please click here: QUINOA CAULIFLOWER PATTIES // Makes 12 Barely adapted from Vegetarian Everyday I try to make a dressing or two on days I’m cooking so I just have them on hand when I need a quick meal. I don’t really have a recipe for the one pictured here, but it was a quick whiz in the food processor of garlic, tahini, lemon, chives, cilantro, olive oil and a teeny splash of white wine vinegar. If you’re the measurement sort, it’d be something like the dressing here but double the tahini. 1 cup quinoa 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets 4 eggs 6 scallions, white and green parts …

healthy recipe: vegan pumpkin pie

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On this Halloween day, I decided to share a healthy recipe I found here, mostly to make myself feel better for not running to the office candy jar at the receptionist’s desk for a fix or showing up to a conference room full of sugary treats in celebration of. I decided to remain focused and persevere 🙂 no matter how challenging the task. vegan mini pumpkin pies Yield: approx. 6-8 3-inch mini pies Ingredients for the filling: 1 cup original Almond Breeze Almond Milk 3 tablespoons corn starch 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt optional – 2 more teaspoons maple syrup for the pies: this recipe for vegan pie dough crushed pecans for garnish optional-coconut whip, or whipped topping of choice Instructions Make your pie dough and set it in the fridge to chill while you make the filling. (note-leave in the fridge if you’re not going to assemble pies right away. Dough will …

healthy recipe: pear pizza as comfort food

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Definitely during the colder months I crave nothing but pizza, pasta and fresh-baked breads – also known as comfort foods – to sooth my soul. However, this year, having been on a work-out kick plus healthy eating, I am a little nervous about the holiday get togethers and menu planning. So, to ease my anxiety and help me get through the season, I decided to compile healthy alternatives for my comfort food cravings. Here’s a pear pizza recipe I found to try and to share. Let me know what you think. Ingredients pizza dough, rolled thin olive oil with some minced garlic 1 almost ripe pear, thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch) 1/3 cup (or more), grated pecorino 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced part of a red onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup good feta cheese 1/4 cup pine nuts handful of arugula sage leaves, fried salt optional: a few pinches of red pepper flakes optional: drizzle of honey Instructions Brush pizza dough with olive oil, garlic and a bit of salt. Evenly sprinkle with grated …

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 …

no ordinary recipe: orange fennel cake

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I probably make a pit stop at Starbucks at least once a week, to treat myself to a shot of no frills espresso and a low-fat lemon mini loaf. The combination is amazing. Zesty lemon, not too much sugar, paired with coffee all black. So, you can imagine how excited I was to discover this amazing recipe – using mostly orange zest to create a similar cake I just cannot resist. Toasted Fennel & Orange Morning Cakes (makes 6 mini bundt cakes) 3 cups finely ground almond flour, packed ( I used Honeyville) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 TBS fennel seeds 3 eggs 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt 1/4 cup honey 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup fresh orange juice zest from one orange Preheat oven to 350F and grease your mini bundt pan. *You may use a muffin pan but note that the baking time may vary. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the fennel seeds until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Crush or chop fine and set aside. Combine the almond flour, salt, …

healthy recipes: skinny red velvet cupcakes

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My weakness for sure, red velvet cupcakes. I can eat them by the dozen and make them everyday meal replacement if I had it my way. But, since I have to watch my weight and eat right, blah blah blah, 🙂  I decided it was time to search for a ‘skinny’ version of this wonderful dessert. I found the recipe here: Skinny Red Velvet Cupcakes Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes Servings: 26 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Calories: 141 • Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 cup white whole wheat flour 1 cup sugar 1 tbsp unsweetened dutch-process cocoa 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp white vinegar 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 egg 2 egg whites 2 tsp vanilla 1 1/3 cup light buttermilk 1 tbsp red food coloring Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake tins with liners. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flours, salt, cocoa, and baking powder. In another large bowl beat sugar, applesauce and butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix baking soda and vinegar. Add half of the dry ingredients …

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 …

healthy cooking: lemon coconut pancakes

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While I searched online for a new pancake mix recipe for the Easter morning breakfast  I had in mind and of course while staying  on my healthy eating kick, I discovered one, similar to pancakes I’d eaten at a restaurant in Emeryville, California several weeks ago and figured I’d try it. (Phew!!!) So, here it goes: Lemon Coconut Pancakes with Honey-Tart Yogurt Sauce 1 cup Gluten-Free flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1 cup Brown Sugar 2 eggs 1 cup Coconut Milk 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil Juice of 1 Lemon 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract Yogurt Sauce 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt of Choice (Goat, Sheep, Cow) 1 Tbsp Honey 2 tsp Strawberry Preserves Juice of 1/2 a Lemon Mix all ingredients together well; set aside and serve with pancakes First, mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, and set aside. In a separate bowl mix all the wet ingredients together and whisk well. Slowly stir in wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly until a smooth batter …

healthy eating: cauliflower dough pizza

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Can a recipe get any better than this? Cauliflower dough pizza plus your favorite veggies and you have an amazing alternative to  everyone’s favorite meal. No seriously I must be feeling better, because the first thing I craved today was pizza, but not the doughy kind, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I found a healthy recipe here and wanted to share, like I normally do when I am happy about something. Healthy + Gluten Free Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust Prep time 15 mins Cook time 35 mins Total time 50 mins   Author: Eating Bird Food Serves: 8 Ingredients ½ head cauliflower (about 2 cups riced) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon oregano   Instructions Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Prep a cookie sheet or pizza stone. You can grease the cookie sheet or use greased aluminum foil. It will stick if you don’t grease it properly. (I used a Pampered Chef baking stone, which doesn’t require any prep if …

healthy eating: lavendar granola

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I have to say I love granola, more so soaked in Almond Milk than over yogurt, although I’m not that picky. But the store bought version tends to have too much sugar, which is something I am trying to definitely cut down.  So, I was happy to find the recipe from here to try and also to share.  The only difference is, although, I love lavendar, I prefer not to incorporate it in my food, so I substituted the exotic flavor with a dash of cinnamon (my favorite) instead. Lavender Granola Ingredients: 2 cups Oats 1/4 cup Flax Seeds 3/4 Nuts of choice or mix them all! (A mix of almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds) 1 tsp Vanilla 4 Tbsp Honey 1 Tbsp Lavender Buds Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, bring all ingredients together and mix well. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden, dry and toasty. Let cool, then transfer to a mason jar to store. Serve over yogurt and top with fresh berries …