Carrot Bread

This is a great alternative to carrot cake. Much healthier and better texture if stone ground wheat is used. After a few days it's prefect with a bit of oatmeal or to be used as french toast, or in a bread pudding.

Ingredients:

• 2 c chopped carrot
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c vanilla or egg nog flavored milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 c stone ground whole wheat flour

Directions:

• Put all ingredients in the mixer except flour
• Slowly add flour
• Grease plan
• Bake mix at 375 degrees until done
• Let the bread cool
• Cut and serve

Enjoy!

Lentil Soup

I never really liked lentil soup all that much until I started eating it at work. During the winter it's perfect to keep you warm. Lentil soup is really simple to make, and the beans don't need the traditional soaking that other dried beans need. With a few other vegetables on hand lentil soup can be very nutritious.

Ingredients:

• Dried lentils
• Chicken bouillon
• Carrot
• Garlic
• Water
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion flakes

Directions:

• Put lentils, water and spices in the crock pot
• Cook on high for 3 hours
• Add additional water if necessary

Serve with crusty or toasted bread

Enjoy!

Greek Yogurt with Agave and Pecans

This is a nice and simple dessert for the holidays. It's great because it's not too sweet or too fattening for you. You can strain your own yogurt or buy it from the store. Honey or maple syrup can be substituted for the Agave syrup. Toast the pecans to get a rich nutty flavor.

Ingredients:

• Plain greek yogurt
• Agave syrup
• Toasted Pecans

Directions:

• Coat pan lightly with oil
• Roast nuts until fragrant
• Put yogurt in a bowl
• Drizzle with sweetener
• Top with roasted nuts

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

This is a great way to provide a filling and cheap lunch. Grilled chicken breast and roasted veggies served over rotini with a sauce made of pureed red peppers and Italian dressing. For a bit of sweetness you can also add a small tablespoon of french dressing.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast
• Roasted peppers
• Zucchini
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Italian Dressing
• French Dressing
• Tri colored Pasta

Directions:

• Grill chicken and veggies in vegetable oil
• Cook pasta and drain
• Coat pasta with dressing
• Puree half a roasted red pepper
• Coat pasta with dressing, blended pepper
• Top with chicken and grilled vegetables

Enjoy!

Chili Relleno

Chili Rellenos are amazing. You can use poblano peppers or the cubanelles. I stuff mine with the queso blanco or a good mozzarella. The trick to to fire char them to get the skin to peel off. I don't coat mine in egg or cornmeal, which is traditional. This way you save on the calories but really get the intended flavor of the chili.

Ingredients:

• Peppers
• Cheese
• Hot sauce or enchilada sauce
  

Directions:

• Put pepper directly over flame until blackened
• Rotate until entire pepper is charred
• Place pepper in a plastic bag (this will help steam it and make pulling the skin off easier)
• Peel pepper
• Cut open pepper and discard seeds
• Fill with sliced cheese
• Bake in pan
• Cover with enchilade or hot sauce

Enjoy!

Cider Pumpkin Bread

This is great as a breakfast item or as a snack. I used apple cider in place of milk in this recipe. It gives a nice spice and mild tart flavor. Dried cranberries add to the flavor. Expect this bread to be on the softer side.

Ingredients:

• 2 c pureed pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 4 c flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 c dried cranberries
• 1/2-3/4 c apple cider
• cinnamon
• vanilla extract
• salt
• baking soda

Directions:

• Cream butter, sugar and eggs
• Add liquid ingredients
• Add dry ingredients
• Use mixer to blend
• Poor into bread pan
• Bake at 350 until soft

Enjoy!

Unchicken wings

Being home I was craving chicken wings, or as everyone else calls it "buffalo wings" but I hate all the fried badness that comes with it. I decided to learn how to make buffalo chicken. I used drum sticks since there is a lot more meat on it. I used a mixture of sauces and cooked it in the crock pot. You can leave the skin on and brown first or remove the skin and put the drumsticks right in the crock pot.

Ingredients:

• Chicken drumsticks
• Hot sauce
• Worschester sauce
• Honey
• Garlic
• Onion flakes

Directions:

• Pour sauces in crock pot
• Add a few tsp water
• Brown chicken in a pan
• Transfer to crock pot
• Cook on high for 3 hours

Peel off skin and remove meat from bones.

Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin

Over Thanksgiving I went to my sister's boyfriends parents house and we had pork tenderloin. It was so good! I wanted to learn how to make it. Well my version was made in the crock pot instead of on the grill but turned out pretty good. I used an extra-lean cut, and this was a bit drier than what I had at their house, not sure if it was the technique I used or less fat, but nevertheless it was still pretty good (pics will follow)

Ingredients:

• Peppers
• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• BBQ sauce
• Honey
• Spicy Mustard
• Worschester sauce

Directions:

• Saute the peppers and onions in a pan
• Add spices, vegetables and sauces to crock pot
• Brown pork tenderloin on all sides in the pan
• Place pork in crock pot on high for 3 hours
• Rotate pork each hour

Cut and serve!

This is great with the chinese steamed buns!!

Or with rice!

Steamed Pork Buns

I realize it's been over 2 months since I've posted. Work is ridiculous and even though I continue to cook and cook and cook I haven't had the chance to upload the pictures and recipes of everything I've done since then. I have a lot of pics to catch up on over Christmas. I've been trying to cook new foods the past few weeks, mainly different cuts of meats that I tend to avoid.

This summer we went to Momofuku in Manhattan and they had AMAZING steamed pork buns. I wanted to recreate these after that day.

Here is the recipe I used for the buns (pics will hopefully soon follow) and then I cooked a pork tenderloin for the first time and it also turned out great. That is the delicious filling.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bread flour
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions:

• Mix everything in a bread maker and let rise.
• Form into balls
• Cover in light dust of flour
• Steam in steamer for 6 minutes

Cut in half and serve!

Tortilla Sandwich

These are another great use for left over chicken. I used the thick corn tortillas to make a hearty mexican sandwich. First I grilled both sides of the tortilla and then added my cheese to melt. I topped the tortillas with fresh pico de gallo, peppers, onions, black beans and chicken. Add a little bbq and hot sauce = so good!

Ingredients:

• chicken
• tortillas
• cheddar cheese
• pico de gallo
• black beans
• roasted peppers and onions
• hot sauce

Directions:

• grill tortillas on both sides
• top with cheese and grill until melted
• add ingredients to tortillas
• fold into a sandwich
• cut in half

Enjoy!

Chicken Meatballs

Chicken meatballs are delicious and better for you than red meat. These can be used in greek dishes, on sandwiches or in italian pasta dishes. I used left over rotisserie chicken, but feel free to use whatever sort of chicken you have left.

Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Green onion
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Peppers
• Basil
• Bread crumbs
• Egg
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Saute peppers, onions, garlic in pan
• Use food processor to put shredded chicken, veggies, bread crumbs, egg and spices
• Blend until mixed
• refridgerate for at least 1 hour to better keep meatballs together
• Form into round balls
• Pan fry on each side to lightly brown meatballs
• Bake for 20 minutes on 375

Serve on pita bread with salad and dressing

Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo

This is a great topping for Mexican food and much healthier than those prepackaged taco sauces. Pico de Gallo provides a great deal of flavor without a lot of calories. You can add whatever ingredients you want but this is a very basic tomato based topping.

Ingredients:

• Roma tomatoes
• Red onion
• Cilantro
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic

Directions:

• Dice tomatoes, onion and cilantro
• Add a sqeeze of lemon or lime juice
• Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste
• Let sit overnight in refrigerator
  

Enjoy!

Spinach Pie (Spankopita)

Spankopita is super easy. This one I used fresh spinach with cottage cheese and feta. Butter spray is ideal for laying the filo dough. This can be made in under 30 minutes with pre packaged filo.

Ingredients:

• filo
• spinach
• cottage cheese
• feta
• basil
• salt
• pepper
• garlic
• onion

Directions:

• Layer 4 filo sheets making sure to butter spray each sheet before setting down the next
• Layer spinach, basil and onion
• Sprinkle with spices
• Spread cottage cheese and feta over veggies
• Layer 4 more sheets of filo making sure to spray butter between each
• Repeat spinach and veg layer
• Repeate cheese layer
• Top with 4 sheets of filo
• Bake for 2o minutes at 375

Serve and enjoy!

Iron

Here is an article I wrote on iron supplements. As a women or someone that has a mother, sister, girlfriend, wife, etc etc it is important to understand irons role in womens health.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/192780-the-effects-of-taking-iron-supplements/

Article on Quinoa

Here is an article I wrote about quinoa. If you haven't tried it, it is really versatile and quite tasty. You can find it in most larger grocery stores or health food stores.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/245393-nutritional-value-of-quinoa/

Calories in a Cup of Coffee

Here is an article on the hidden calories in a cup of coffee.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/244597-calories-in-a-cup-of-coffee-with-cream/

Choose wisely!

Chicken Empanadas

These empanadas taste great and are pretty good for you. They give off the illusion of being fried but are baked instead. Pair these with mexican rice and beans or poblano peppers.

Ingredients:

• Empanada shells
• Cubed chicken
• Beans-black or kidney
• Corn cut from cob or canned
• Green onion
• Tomato
• Red and green peppers
• Hot sauce
• Tomato sauce
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Saute veggies and chicken in a pan
• Add hot sauce, tomato sauce and spices
• Sautee until chicken is cooked
• Add beans
• Put filling into empanada shells (fold 1 in half cresent or use 2 round ones)
• Pinch off ends and imprint with a fork
• Spray with butter spray
• Bake for 10 minutes and flip to other side
• Bake an additional 10 minutes
• Serve

Enjoy!

Bread and Butter Pickles

Okay these are so easy it's amazing that people don't pickle their own food all the time. I used what I had on hand, red wine vinegar but cider vinegar is also a good choice. The recipe can make pickle slices or spears. I did both.

Ingredients:

• 7 kirby cucumbers
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 2 teaspoons mustard seed
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Directions:

• Boil vinegar and sugar until sugar melts
• Add spices
• Add slices or spears to boiling mixture
• Boil 1-2 minutes
• Place pickles in glass jar
• Pour liquid over top making sure to fill jar
• Close jar and let sit over night in refrigerator
  

Enjoy!

Aloe Vera Juice

Here is an article I wrote on Aloe Vera juice.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/187212-why-drink-aloe-vera-juice/

Mexican Eggplant Parm

So this recipe comes from an evening of deciding what to do with eggplant when you don't feel like making babaganoush and you don't have mozzarella or any standard canned tomato product. Examining my fridge I found cheddar cheese, salsa and roma tomatoes. So, Mexican eggplant was born and IS delicious. However any sort of Parmesan is a multi step process so it is a bit time consuming.

• Step 1: Dice and soak eggplant in salt water
• Step 2: Bread eggplant
• Step 3: Fry eggplant
• Step 4: Layer eggplant, shredded cheese and salsa in crock pot
• Step 5: Cook eggplant
• Step 6: Cook pasta
• Step 7: Eat!

Ingredients:

• Eggplant
• Egg
• Water
• Cornmeal
• Flour
• Spices: basil, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder
• Cheddar cheese (or any cheese)
• Salsa

Directions:

• Slice eggplant and soak for 15 minutes while preparing breading
• Mix flour, cornmeal, spices in one bowl
• Mix egg and water in another
• Drain eggplant
• Dip eggplant in flour
• Dip eggplant in egg mixture
• Dip eggplant again in flour mixture making sure all sides are covered
• Spray Frying pan with butter spray
• Place in frying pan
• Fry on both sides until browned, spraying other side of eggplant when necessary

In crockpot:

• Layer salsa, one layer of eggplant and top with cheese
• Layer send layer of salsa, eggplant and cheese
• Continue layering until finished
• Top eggplant mixture with diced tomatoes
• Bake for 1-2 hours on high
• Serve over pasta
  
  
  

Enjoy!

Aerobic vs Anaerobic Exercise

http://www.livestrong.com/article/199444-efficiency-of-aerobic-anaerobic-respiration/

If you're curious the differences, here's a bit of info on the use of oxygen during exercise.

French Toast with Yogurt and Berries

This is my favorite breakfast. It's very filling and tastes like a dessert. I used home made honey wheat bread but you can use whatever you have in the cupboard. The yogurt is greek yogurt, which I also strained myself but can easily be bought. To make your own vanilla add a bit of sweetener, like maple syrup or agave syrup or honey and some vanilla or almond extract. The berries and peaches are fresh and very ripe. They are a great addition to the toast. This french toast doesn't need any additional butter or sugar. Plus these look great when made for house guests!

Ingredients:

• Sliced bread
• Egg
• Milk
• Cinnamon
• Flavored Yogurt
• Berries

Directions:

• Beat the egg and mix a small amount of milk and cinnamon for toast batter
• Soak toast on both sides
• Heat up a frying pan and spray with non stick spray
• Cook french toast until slightly browned
• Top with yogurt and berries

Serve with a mimosa or bellini

Enjoy!

Panzella

Panzella is Italian bread salad. It is great for a quick meal but even better if it can set for a few hours. Panzella can be made with fresh bread, but is much better with day old bread. Fresh bread can get too soggy if not eaten immediately. Panzella can be made with an assortment of ingredients but usually includes, bread, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. Bread salad is dressed with an oil based dressing. Feel free to experiment with different flavors.

Ingredients:

• Cubed day old bread
• Sliced cucumbers
• Cubed deseeded tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• Sliced scallions
• Fresh basil
• Dried garlic
• Shredded lettuce
• Olive Oil
• Basalmic vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Make dressing by combining oil, vinegar, and spices
• Mix bread, lettuce, and veggies
• Pour dressing over salad
• Let marinate for 1/2 or longer

Enjoy!

Bulgar Cucumber Maki

Sushi is one of my favorite Japanese foods to make. This time I didn't have any short grain rice, so I tried it with bulgar. White rice and brown rice have a chewer texture but bulgar will certainly do the trick for a last minute meal. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi. If you have pickled ginger it's great too!

Ingredients:

• Nori (seaweed paper)
• Cucumber sticks
• Bulgar, rice, or some sort of granular grain
• Rice wine
• Sugar
• Soy sauce

Directions:

• Steam rice/bulgar
• Slice cucumbers or other veggies into thin strips
• Lay nori flat on bamboo mat, tin foil, wax paper or plastic wrap
• Mix sugar and rice vinegar together and heat until sugar is melted
• Stir sugar/vinegar into rice mixture
• Spread rice mixture on to nori about 1mm thick
• Spread soy sauce on 1-2 mm at the end of nori to help seal roll
  
• Lay cucumber strips in beginning 1/3 of rice
• Slowly and carfully role the nori covering the cucumber and continue to roll until sushi roll can be sealed
• Reshape if necessary and cut with a very sharp non serrated knife

You may have to wet the knife and remove any rice/bulgar residue between cuts. Any residue can cause tearing or uneven cutting of nori.

Serve with soy sauce and wasabi
Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is delicious, especially when it's not that instant cup of soup nonsense with ridiculous amounts of sodium. This soup has a much lower sodium content, high nutrient content and good texture. It can be made in 20 minutes if you use canned chicken or rotisserie chicken and frozen veggies.

Ingredients:

• canned or rotisserie chicken (this is already cooked)
• egg noodles
• chicken bouillon
• baby carrots
• broccoli
• celery
• salt
• pepper
• garlic

Directions:

• boil water adding in frozen veggies and egg noodles (if you use fresh veggies make sure to cook them first or your egg noodles will get soggy)
• drain water if needed, reserving enough pasta water for the soup broth
• add cubed or shredded chicken
• add spices and chicken bouillon
• cook for another 5 minutes
• serve

Enjoy!

Tofu Veggie Skewers

Skewers are fun to make and look great served over rice. These are good especially if you want to bbq something and don't necessarily want to add meat. But you can easily add shrimp, chicken or cubed steak. The ingredients can be mixed and matched depending on what you have but I think keeping onions, peppers, mushrooms and a sweet fruit is a good base. I chose to use plantains. They hold up on the grill and give the skewer a more tropical taste. Pinapple would also be great. Make sure to marinate these before you grill them and then drizzle with some left over sauce when serving with rice.

Ingredients:

• green peppers
• red peppers
• red onion
• button or baby bella mushrooms
• ripe plantains (the black/yellow ones)
• pinapple
• tofu, chicken, shrimp, beef or a mix of all
• marinade: basalmic and oil, italian, terriayaki, orange juice/soy sauce, etc
  

Directions:

• marinate veggies overnight in chosen marinade
• assemble skewers
• grill directly over flame or roast in the oven in roasting pan
• turn every 1-2 minutes to avoid sticking or burning of veggies
• drizzle extra marinade over skewers (for safety reasons if you are using seafood or meat do NOT reuse the old marinade)
• serve over white or brown rice

Enjoy!

Summer Rolls

Summer rolls are delicious and so good for you! They include lots of fresh veggies and very little fat. Most of the calories comes from the dipping sauce while most of the nutrients from the summer rolls. You can mix and match different veggies to your liking or whatever you happen to have in the fridge at the moment. These are great with a soy/rice vinegar/sesame mixture or a peanut sauce.

Ingredients:

• rice paper
• rice noodles
• julienned carrots, zucchini, red peppers, yellow peppers, avocado
• Bean sprouts
• tofu, chicken or shrimp
• soy sauce
• hot sauce
  
• sesame seeds
• rice vinegar
• peanut sauce

Directions:

• soak rice paper until soft
• center veggies sticks, bean sprouts, noodles and meat
• pour small amount of soy sauce and hot sauce over mixture
• roll into summer roll (like a burrito)
• let rolls dry slightly
• cut and serve

Enjoy!

Cardio for Special Populations

http://www.livestrong.com/article/181100-cardio-exercise-for-people-who-do-not-have-use-of-their-legs/

This article is about upper body exercise and special populations

Soy Chocolate Cappucino

I'm a huge coffee drinker and I'm also a sucker for cute espresso cups. This is really simple and is much healthier than all those 500 calorie Starbucks drinks. It provides the caffeine and chocolate you need to get through the day. And it has less saturated fat, sugar, and more protein than a regular latte.

Ingredients:

• Chocolate soy milk (or soy milk and chocolate syrup)
• Espresso
• Carmel syrup (optional)

Directions:

• Brew espresso or use coffee machine to make very strong coffee
• Steam soy milk
• Pour into espresso cup
• Drizzle with caramel syrup

Enjoy!

BMI, Body Type and Waist to Hip Ratio

Check this out if you are interested in what constitutes "normal" body size

http://www.livestrong.com/article/191824-the-ideal-measurements-for-an-athletic-woman-by-body-weight-size/

My Probiotic Article

Here is one my articles on Livestrong.com about foods containing probiotics.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/191340-what-foods-have-acidophilus-bifidus/

Homemade Cottage Cheese/Ricotta

I always read about how incredibly easy it is to make cheese. And well, it is. Homemade cheese is very fresh with a soft texture and very mild flavor. Be prepared to salt and season it. I tried two methods, the lemon methods and the yogurt method. There is also the vinegar method, though the lemon made the cheese taste lemony so I have a feeling the vinegar would do the same...supposedly you can also accomplish this with 3 tablespoons active live butter milk. I have not tried it. This is a curd cheese great to use sweet as fresh ricotta when making desserts or as a fresh cottage cheese with fruit. Or it'd be great savory in homemade lasagna, stuffed shells, etc. The higher fat content the greater amount of curds produced. I used 2% and it leaves with a LOT of left over whey. I also tried to make cheese constantly heating in the microwave, and it turned out very good for a harder cheese as you don't has as much control over the separation from the whey but it's certainly quicker.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart whole milk, half and half or cream (I wouldn't attempt anything less than 2% milk)
• 1/2-1 6 oz container plain yogurt (regular, low fat, non fat, whatever works)

Directions:

• Heat the milk until just boiling
• Add yogurt container
• Keep stirring until curd has separated
• Scoop out curds with mini strainer and put in a bowl* or
• Strain using cheese cloth*

Scooping will result in a runnier cottage cheese with a liquid base
Straining it with cheese cloth will result in a creamy ricotta type cheese

You have two options..

Sweeten for desserts

• add vanilla or almond extra
• add powdered sugar or fruit

Savory

• add salt
• add pepper
• add any other spices desired

Remember this is EXTREMELY perishable. I would eat it when 2 days though you probably have a bit more of a shelf life

Enjoy!

Japanese Stir Fry Soup

Japanese soup is not complete without a soft boiled egg. The best part of these eggs is their creamy texture because they are still semi soft in the center. Prepare the soup first and then allow the egg to steam in the soup mixture before serving. For a soup closer to hot and sour texture, beat egg prior to stirring into soup. This soup is also very versitile. Use whatever veggies you have on hand.

Ingredients:

• Udon, soba, or whole wheat pasta
• Beef bouillon or chicken bouillon
• Soy sauce
• Chili oil or red pepper flakes
• Sesame oil
• Garlic
• Green onion
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Stir fry mix or green peppers, red peppers, water chestnuts, baby corn, broccoli, etc
• Edamame (s0y beans)
• Egg

Directions:

• Cook pasta in salted water
• Drain pasta
  
• Reserve some pasta water for soup
• Stir fry veggies or steam in pasta water
• Add veggies to enough pasta water for desired soup consistency (if not already in water)
• Add bouillon, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and sesame oil to veggie and pasta water
• Add basil, cilantro, and green onion
• Re-add pasta to mixture
• Break egg open on top of soup, making sure not to disrupt the yolk
• Steam until egg whites are cooked
• Serve in bowl with chopsticks

Serve with a side of steamed rice or dumplings if desired

Bleu-Feta Spinach Red Pepper Pizza

This is one of those last minute dishes that tastes great and can be prepared on the spot. Prep time is under 15 minutes if you use pre-made pizza dough or Mediterranean pita bread. For a thin and crispier pizza use a flatbread or pita pocket bread. Though make sure you toast both sides sufficiently before applying toppings. Due to the thinness of the pita pocket, they get soggy very quickly when sauce is added.

Ingredients:

• Mediteranean pita bread
• Sauce
• Fresh spinach
• Fresh basil
• Red Pepper strips
• Diced tomatoes (deseed)
• Olives
• Any other veggies you want
• Bleu cheese
• Feta
• Basalmic vinegar (optional)

Directions:

• Lightly saute peppers, tomato and spinach
• Heat the pita until crispy on one side
• Flip pita over in pan so crisp side is on top
• Add sauce
• Add veggies and chopped basil
• Add crumbled cheese
• Heat until cheese is slighly melted
• Drizzle with vinegar if desired

Enjoy!

Babaganoush

Babaganoush is another good summer favorite. It's basically a roasted eggplant hummus, and so it's perfect served cold for a hot summer day. I use japanese eggplant because they are mild and have less seeds but you can use any sort of italian eggplant. Remove the skin if desired, I prefer to keep it in for the fiber.

Ingredients:

• 2 japanese eggplant
• fresh basil
• tahini paste
• lemon juice
  
• roasted garlic or dried garlic granules
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• dried onion flakes

Directions:

• Cut eggplant in half
• Spray with cooking spray or oil
• Roast eggplant in oven until tender
• Cut eggplant into pieces
• Use food processor to blend eggplant, basil, tahini and lemon juice
• Mix in spices
• Refridgerate

Use with veggie crudites such as carrots, celery and cucumbers.
Serve with warm pita bread or as a sandwich spread.

Enjoy!

Greek Salad

Greek salad is an easy and very tasty appetizer. The trick is getting good feta cheese and real olives, not the stuff from the can. Greek salads can be turned into a meal by adding pita bread or put into pita pockets. If using it as a meal, add in falafel, greek meatballs or souvlaki.

Ingredients:

• Leaf lettuce (arugula, mixed greens, baby spinach, romaine all work great)
• Roma tomatoes
• Red onion
• Cucumber
• Marinated olives
• Feta cheese (use firm tofu if you want to keep it vegan)
• Parsley
• Oil
• Balsamic or red wine vinegar

Directions:

• Wash and rip lettuce
• Dice tomatoes and deseed
• Cut onion, cucumber and parsley
• Mix tomatoes, onion, cucumber, olives and parsley with oil and vinegar to marinate
• Dress lettuce with marinated veggie mixture
• Crumble feta cheese on top of salad

Serve with warm pita bread or marinated chicken, pork, beef or lamb skewers.

Enjoy!

Curried Acorn Squash Soup

I'm always looking for new ways to use squash and decided to try to make a soup that can be served warm or cold. This soup is relatively easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for the squash to cook.

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1/3-1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 crushed chicken boullion
curry
cinnamon
dried onion
dried garlic
salt
pepper

Directions:
Cook the squash in the microwave, oven or crock pot
Cut cooked squash open and remove seeds
Put squash meat in food processor with spices and coconut milk
Puree and add more or less coconut milk for desired consistency.

In the summer this soup is great cold but as it gets cooler it is definitely something worth serving hot. Garnish with toasted squash seeds if desired.

Enjoy!

My Custom Exercise Plans Article Published!

Here is my latest article on custom exercise plans. As you can see, these articles are very brief, 400-500 words but exciting to get them published none the less.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/177574-custom-exercise-plans/

Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

I love this dish. However, it's usually fried in most restaurants and unfortunately eggplant absorbs so much oil that despite being vegetarian, is full of more calories than some of the meat dishes. Here is a quick and easy way to make it in less time than it takes for you to call and actually get your chinese delivery (and its 1/3 of the cost). I use my rice steamer to expedite the process.

Ingredients for steamer:
2 japanese eggplant
1 cup quick cooking brown rice
1 cup water

Ingredients for garlic sauce:
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili oil
1/2 chicken boullion
Garlic granuales
Onion flakes
Red pepper flakes
Sesame seeds
1/3 cup water

Directions rice and eggplant:
Put water and rice on bottom of microwavable rice steamer
Put diced eggplant on top of steamer separated by veg steaming platform
Microwave for 12 minutes

Directions sauce:
Heat the oil in the frying pan
Add all spices to sautee
Add water, crushed chicken bouillon, rice wine and soy sauce
Add brown sugar
When mixture starts to boil/sugar caramelize add steamed eggplant
Coat eggplant with sauce and let it cook until sauce becomes sticky (1-2) mins

Feel free to add other veggies, such as baby corn, carrots, onions and green peppers. Just make sure to add them to the steam with the eggplant to keep this ready in under 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

My Article on Hamstring Injuries Published!

My second article, regarding hamstring injuries, is published on Livestrong!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/176856-what-where-is-a-pulled-hamstring/

Vegetable Quiche

Since I diced up all the veggies earlier this week I have them on hand and ready to go for a quick meal. I stir fried them and put half in the fridge to use for vegetable fajitas as a meal for tomorrow. Today however I made quiche. It is crust-less, so you cut out a bunch of fat and calories, that you really won't even miss (trust me). This quiche is very good for you. It substitutes half the egg for silken tofu and is more vegetable than egg. If you have a spring form pan, use it. Crust-less dishes tend to absorb more oil and stick to the pan. I always use these for crust-less cheesecakes and they turn out great. If not, it might be better to line the pan with some sort of parchment paper.

Ingredients:

• Diced silken tofu
• Sauteed peppers
• Sauteed onions
• Sauteed tomatoes
• Sauteed zucchini
• Chopped arugula
• Fresh basil
• Eggs (I used 2 but you can use more if you want it more "eggy")
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Spray pan with cooking spray
• Mix veggies, crumbled tofu and herbs in a separate pan
• Pour into spring form pan
• Whisk eggs separately
  
• Pour over top of mixture making sure to coat the top
• Bake in oven for approx 30 mins at 350

The great thing about this quiche is that the veggies and the tofu hold a lot of moisture so you don't have to use a water bath for cooking and it won't get dry.

Enjoy!

Hard Peach Lemonade

I bought 2 peaches earlier this week and wanted to find something creative and tasty to use them for. And then, I thought about how much I love lemonade especially when it's homemade. So here is my recipe.

Ingredients:

• Lemons or lemon juice
• Peach brandy
• Water

Directions:

• Dice peaches and put into carafe
• Measure 1 shot of peach brandy for each serving (approx 2 per 1/2 carafe)
• Add equal amounts of lemon juice or more
• Fill 3/4 of the way full with water
• Mix and serve over ice

The peaches and the peach brandy are sweet so you don't need to add additional sugar to the drink

Enjoy!

My Garlic Consumption Article Published!

So I just started writing some wellness articles for Livestrong.com and got the first one published! This one is about the benefits of garlic consumption. It's more of a summary/overview of it more than anything, but here is the link:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/176598-is-garlic-recommended-for-detoxing-the-body/

Buying fresh vegetables

Buy assorted foods that are in season and be creative!

The easiest way to eat healthier is to buy the majority of your groceries at a fresh fruit and vegetable market. My rule of thumb is to always go to the market first, and buy 80% of my groceries. When you are on your way home, then go to the store. You are much less likely to buy prepackaged crap at the grocery store. Today for example I bought a bunch of fresh veggies, canned beans and instant oats for less than $11. Since I can buy things in small servings it makes cooking for one or two much easier without wasting or having too many leftovers.

Here is an overview of what I bought, for yes, under $11:

• Red bell pepper
• Italian pepper
• Poblano pepper
• Roma tomatoes
• Red Onion
• Zucchini
• Chinese eggplant
  
• Cucumber
• Arugula
• Parsley
• Artichoke
• Peaches
  
• Large container of quick cooking oats
• Kidney, black and garbanzo beans

Obviously the biggest reason that people order to-go foods or prepackaged foods is the time and effort needed to prepare fresh foods. The trick is to buy most of your produce on Sunday or the day before you busiest week. Prepare all the veggies for optimal storage and quick cooking.



Directions:

• Slice onions into rings
• Cut peppers into strips
• Cut zucchini into strips
• De seed tomatoes and cut into chunks
• Wash and dry parsley
  
• Wash and chop arugula
  
  
  *Keep all cut veggies in airtight containers in fridge

**I would suggest leaving cucumbers whole, otherwise they will go bad much quicker

I will feature recipes with these foods for the week to give you and idea of how versitile they can be with the addition of a few additional kitchen staples.

Guacamole

Avocados are probably the most loved or hated vegetable of many. I happen to love the way they taste, and so I try to add them to salads, sandwiches or mexican food at every possible chance I can get. Avocados are full of good fats, so substituting guacamole in place of a cheese dip or a mayonnaise based dressing is actually going to be better for you.

Basic Guacamole Ingredients:

• 1-2 avocados
• fresh cilantro
• good olive oil
• 1 lime or lime juice
• fresh diced or dried garlic granules
• fresh chopped or dried onion flakes
• salt
• pepper
• tomatoes* optional

Directions:

• Half the avocado and remove the pit
• Cut avocado into cross sections and scope out of skin
• Put avocado squares in a bowl
• Add and mix ingredients
• Mash avocado to desired consistency

Serve with homemade tortilla chips or warm mediterranean pita bread as a snack
Serve on top of tacos, enchiladas, burritos or any other mexican foods
Serve with a homemade limeade or margarita

Enjoy!

Smörgåsbord Sandwiches

Smörgåsbord basically means a variety of foods to mix and match. I associate the word with with my fridge. I always cook more than I can actually eat at each meal, so I always have leftovers. You may have noticed that several of my recipes have included the same ingredients, like the use of the same cheeses throughout different postings. That is because this blog is about the home chef, who actually has leftovers and needs to be creative with their food. No one wants to eat the same thing every day, but the same ingredients can be used again and again for new and exciting meals. A recycled favorite is the sandwich. I present two that combine new ingredients with left over ingredients found from other recipes made this week.

Grilled Fig, Bleu-Cheddar, and Tofu Pita

Ingredients:
Tofu (ham or turkey would be a great replacement)
Figs
Bleu Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Whole Wheat Pita

Try pear and smoked gouda as another good sandwich combo

Directions:
Heat leftover tofu in frying pan or fry new container of tofu
Slice Figs, Bleu Cheese and Cheddar cheese into narrow strips
Grill Figs on both sides (they will grill quickly)
Melt cheese on top of Figs
Assemble in pita pocket and lightly heat on both sides
Serve with a side salad

Cheddar Apple Grilled Cheese on Poppyseed Brown Bread

Ingredients:
1 granny smith apple
Mild Cheddar cheese
Spring mix or arugula
Slices of brown bread

Directions:
Butter both sides of the bread
Assemble sandwich
Grill the sandwich until the cheese is melted

These sandwiches pack a lot of flavor and a lots of good nutrients.
Instead of another $20 wasted on takeout, explore your fridge and see what you can make.

Serve with a homemade black iced coffee.

Enjoy!

Multigrain brown bread

Having a bread maker, I do tend to eat a lot more carbohydrates than I should. But it is so good you can’t help it. And as long as you use recipes that are heart healthy, there is nothing wrong with enjoying carbs. Here is a recipe for a savory soda/yeast bread, as compared to the sweet chocolate banana one I made earlier this week. If you have a bread maker this one is best in the 88 minute quick cycle as opposed to the 58 minute one. For being dairy free, you will be impressed with how moist and chewy this bread is. The seeds give it a nice texture and the black strap molasses gives it a deep flavor. If I had quick oats on hand I would also add those to give an added texture. So if you happen to have the 5 minute cooking oats (not the just add water kind) go ahead and make this even more of a multigrain bread. Anytime I have oats available I usually add an additional ½ cup of oats to add dimension to my multigrain bread (if you do this increase the water to 1 1/2).

Ingredients:
1 cup bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1-1 1/2 cup(s) water
1-2 tbsp blackstrap molasses (great way to add iron, potassium and calcium to your diet)
1-2 tbsp flax seed
1-2 tbsp poppy seed
1-2 tbsp honey
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 pack yeast
1 tbsp oil

Directions:
Again having a bread maker is a time and lifesaver for making bread.
Put the bread mixture in the breadmaker
Bake according to directions

This bread is great fresh with butter or prepared as toast.

Keep in mind that the flax and poppyseed will add extra fat calories to the bread but they are healthy fats and are a good source of added fiber

Also because of the added fats, please refrigerate this bread if it is not to be eaten within the day. The oils could cause it to go rancid quickly, especially in hot weather!

Easy Bleu Cheese Ravioli for Those Lazy Weekends

I ran a 6.2 mile race this morning at Central Park and then went to an overly satisfying brunch. Unfortunately I was starving 2 hours after we left the restaurant, so I needed to make something easy. It's only partly homemade. I did not make this particular ravioli, though it is certainly easy enough to make and I will post a recipe in the future. For a super easy and quick meal, you only need 2 real ingredients in addition to your ravioli/pasta and then you can supplement with what ever spices you have on hand. The time to make this is the equivalent to boiling the ravioli plus 2-3 minutes prep time.

You don't need to add too much oil or bleu cheese, just enough for a taste. The garlic and basil should be the stronger flavors with the oil and cheese merely complimenting it.

Ingredients:

• Ravioli
• Blue cheese
• Fresh Basil Leaves
• Good olive oil
• Garlic granules or powder
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Cook ravioli as directed
• Crumble and melt bleu cheese over ravioli
• Rip fresh basil and dress ravioli mixture
• Add olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper
• Toss mixture together and reheat if necessary
  
  

If you want to add a bit of pasta water for a more creamy sauce, add a tsp or two to the bleu cheese while melting

Add a splash of balsamic vinegar for added flavor

I prefer meat ravioli, but if you want to use cheese and spinach, cheese and mushroom, or a butternut squash mixture those would be good too.

Don't just limit this to ravioli. Tortellini, stuffed shells, and even plain pasta will taste great with this sauce.

Enjoy!

Potato and Kale Chips with Onion Dip

There is this restaurant called Vynl in NY that I'm in love with, if you are in the area check it out. They make great food and have fun drinks but the best part is it's record theme. Now I can't replicate the decor, but I can make the homemade potato chips.

In the past I have made kale chips, which are insanely easy and delicious and wanted to actually try to make potato chips without all that nonsense of frying and adding preservatives. They also turned out to be pretty easy.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Kale
• Olive oil or butter spray
• Garlic salt or other dried herbs of your choice

Directions:

• First step is making sure both of the veggies are dry, water will not allow for crisping
• For kale, rip into chip size pieces (Collard greens would probably work well too, but I tried this with spinach and it is just too thin to hold up)
• For potatoes, slice very very thin (I used a paring knife but a thin cheese slicer may be better)
• Spray or coat the bottom of a pan with oil or oil substitute
• Lay veggies flat and try not to overlap
• Spray veggies or use a basting brush to olive oil the top*
• Sprinkle with garlic salt and other seasonings
• Bake around 375 until starting to crisp**
• Then flip over to crisp the other side

*Brushes are good to evenly coat small amounts of oil and save calories
**Potatoes especially may cook at different rates if your chips aren't evenly sliced so be prepared to pull out the thinner ones before thicker cuts are done

Obviously kale chips do not look like potato chips but they have the same crunch with less starch and added nutrients

Eat still warm, the kale especially will get soggy after a few hours
If potato or kale chips start to get soggy, just reheat them in the oven until crispy again
Eat within the day because of freshness

These can be served with a homemade onion dip or hummus

Onion dip:

• greek yogurt
• dried onions
• garlic powder
• crumbled veg or beef bouillon (or you can cheat and use store bought onion soup mix)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Brown Bread

Brown bread is an Irish favorite that can be sweet or savory. For breakfast I like to use a sweet recipe. This bread is extremely moist and doesn't even need butter to be enjoyed, though it is definitely welcomed.

I used the quick setting on the bread maker, the 58 minute cycle. Yeast breads do not rise well in such a short period of time, so I primarily use this setting for a yeast/soda bread combo. The bonus is you have hot delicious bread with very little prep time in under an hour.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet fast rising yeast
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp backing powder
• 1/2-2/3 tsp salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/4 cup flax seed
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp black strap molasses
• 1-2 mashed over ripe bananas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2-1 2/3 cups whey (use water, milk or buttermilk as substitutes)*
  

*The whey was left over from when I made cheese. Whey lasts in the fridge for several weeks and works well adding subtle flavor in bread

Tips:

• If you want a stronger flavored bread with a higher nutrient content add more black strap molasses and less brown sugar
• You can also use 3 cups of whole wheat flour but the bread will be more dense and will not rise as much as with bread flour

Bread maker directions:

• According to the bread maker, put all liquids in first
• Add dry ingredients
• Make a well for the yeast in the center
• Bake in quick bread setting

Oven directions:

• Mix ingredients by hand
• Allow mixture to rise for 20 minutes in a warm place
• Bake in oven at 375 for around 30 minutes or until done

Slice and enjoy!

Note: If you use dairy products make sure to refrigerate this bread!
Or eat it within the day.

Udon Pad Thai

Udon noodles are the ultimate japanese comfort food. They are chewy and great served hot or cold. Keeping with the cold food theme of the week, here is a simple udon with peanut sauce recipe. Add whatever veggies you have on hand.

I chose to keep it vegetarian and pretty simple.

Ingredients:

• udon noodles
• fresh basil
• fresh cilantro
• baby bok choy
• podded peas
• cornmeal fried tofu
• peanut sauce

Directions:

• Soak tofu in marinade and bread in cornmeal
• Stir fry tofu in cast iron pan and set on papertowel to blot excess oil
• Steam peas and bok choy while udon is cooking
• Chop up herbs
• Drain udon and toss with herbs and peanut sauce
• Top with veggies and tofu

Peanut Sauce:

• peanut butter
• honey
  
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• rice vinegar
• lime juice
• minced garlic
• dried onion
• toasted sesame seeds

If you'd rather buy your own, there are many commercialized products that are pretty tasty

Serve with a side salad and a cold cocktail of plum wine and seltzer or gingerale

Light Summer Salad with Fig and Bleu Cheese

When it's super hot out you don't want to keep the oven on. Cold and luke warm foods are the way to go. Here is a quick and easy summer lunch or dinner for those muggy days. I choose figs because I always see fresh ones at the market and never quite know what to do with them but see them paired with cheeses and crackers all the time. I'm not so much a snack person and wanted to make something that can be used as an appetizer to a 3 course meal or in a larger portion as the main entree.

Fresh figs are not as sweet as the dried version but offer a nice subtle sweetness and texture when added to salads. You don't have to cook them if you are in a hurry, they are a fruit and can be eaten raw. This is a good idea if you want to keep the oven completely off. However, I suggest lightly browning them to give them a creamier texture and caramelize the honey.

Ingredients:

• Fresh figs
• Blue cheese
• Mixed greens (arugula also works well)
• Honey
• Olive Oil

Directions:

• Cut off the tips of the figs and then cut them in half
• Thread them on to skewers or chop sticks
• Drizzle with olive oil and place face down in pan
• Flip skewers over and while grilling place a dollop of honey in the center of each fig
• Flip skewer one final time to caramelize honey
• While figs are grilling assemble salad
• Crumble or chop blue cheese and add to salad
• Garnish with fig skewers
• Serve with a drizzle of lemon and olive oil or a light citrus vinaigrette

This literally takes under 5 minutes to make including the grilling time of figs

Enjoy!