You may have noticed I've taken a break from making my tasty three-fruit salad every morning. It's not for lack of inspiration, but I've really only been eating one fruit - red grapes. I just can't get enough! Breakfast, snack, dessert.... I even roasted them with dinner last night. I don't remember liking them this much before baby, so I guess this would be considered my first pregnancy craving. Not as traditional as pickles and ice cream, but much healthier!
Another food I have been craving a lot is Chinese, especially egg rolls. They are so tasty, but terribly fatty - deep fried, full of ground pork, and incomplete without that sticky sweet sauce. I really wanted to eat them without feeling like crap afterward, so I edited them down to the best bits and made a version I'm not afraid to indulge in every week. I hope it satisfies your craving too.
Five-Spice Mushroom Egg Rolls
1 tsp. olive oil
2 medium shallots, minced
6 oz chopped brown mushrooms (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped green cabbage
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Chinese 5-Spice powder
4 oz firm tofu, crumbled
1 Tbsp. tamari, or to taste
6 egg roll wrappers (find them in the produce section)
1 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil
Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup mango chutney or apricot preserves
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shallots, mushrooms, and cabbage and cook until the mushrooms have released their water and cooked down a bit, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, 5-spice powder, and tofu, and saute 1-2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in tamari.
3. Fill the wrappers like a burrito, placing about 1/4 to 1/3 cup in the center. Fold the bottom corner over the filling, fold the sides in, and roll it over the top corner. Seal the flap with a dab of water and set aside on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
4. Brush the egg rolls with melted butter or oil and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until browned on one side. Flip them over and return to oven until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes more. Remove and allow to cool while you mix the sauce. These are lava-hot when they come out of the oven, so be sure to let them cool a bit.
These tasty rolls make an excellent appetizer for an at-home Chinese dinner, or can be a complete meal when served with my Asian Cabbage Salad. Now I just have to find a way to incorporate red grapes....
Every year the Environmental Working Group tracks pesticide use on fruits and veggies, then compiles a list of the worst offenders, calling them the Dirty Dozen. They also share the Clean 15, which have the lowest pesticide concentration. You can find it here if you're interested (there is a Get the Guide Here link to click if you don't want to sign up). While it varies from year to year, stone fruits typically top the list, so it's good to make a point of always buying them organic. Stone fruits are those with hard pits, like peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, even almonds! With that in mind, here it is:
Today's Salad
Peaches
Red Plums
Banana
Tart and tangy from the plum, sweat-sour from the peach, and creamy smooth from the banana. This was a good one!
I was cruising the aisles at Whole Foods today and discovered a new fruit, the Aprium. I pretty much assumed these little gems would be a lot like the Pluots I ate all the time in California since they are both hybrids of the apricot and plum. Turns out they have different names because they are quite different kinds of fruit. While the pluot is like a tart plum, the aprium seems to be more like a regular apricot except without the fuzzy skin. Tasty! With that as my starting point, here it is...
Today's Fruit Salad
Aprium
Banana
Strawberries
This is just the right blend of sweet and tart. You can see from my previous posts that I'm really enjoying strawberry season. And with a fresh new salad every day, they get a chance to shine in different ways.
Today's Salad
Strawberries
Pink Lady ApplesCherries
This pink salad was very fresh, but a bit tart.
I like to start my days with a fresh fruit salad. I know what you're thinking, chop fruit, put in bowl, eat. Not the most challenging of dishes. But while many people think the best way to add interest to a simple salad is to include a wide array of fruits, a raw food book I read once recommended a much simpler method. Try only three. But try a different three every day. That is so easy, why didn't I think of it? Now I buy a variety of in-season fruits, but only use three in my salad each morning. You can really taste the nuances in each and I have created some delightful combinations that otherwise wouldn't have crossed my mind. I will be sharing my latest salad creations here along with any tasting notes. And if you are inspired to try your own, please share them!
Today's Salad
Strawberry
Watermelon
Mango
Since all of these fruits err on the sweet side, I added a squeeze of lime to balance it all out. This is one step farther than I usually go, and in this case it really paid off. Everything was juicy, sweet, and just a bit brighter because of the lime juice. Yum yum!
The temperatures are dropping and it's time to come in for a snack. Why not try this delicious Banana Chai Bread? It's loaded with warming spices like ginger, cloves, and black pepper. Cinnamon adds not only a delicious flavor, but helps balance blood sugar. Plus, coconut flour and flax meal add a healthy dose of fiber (5 grams per serving - that's 20% of the daily recommendation in just one slice!) while the bananas and yogurt keep everything moist and yummy!
In less than 20 minutes you can have it all mixed and in the oven, filling your house with the spicy-sweet smell of fall. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a week, if it lasts that long!
Banana Chai Bread
Serves 10
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup rapadura (unrefined cane sugar)
2 eggs
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces yogurt, plain or vanilla
3 organic bananas, very ripe
1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter or oil a 9x5 baking dish and set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, blend the butter and rapadura together until well mixed, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and mix well for another couple minutes.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a sifter or mesh strainer and sift well into a separate bowl. This is important! Coconut flour usually has a lot of lumps. Just break them up by pressing through the screen, then combine with the butter mixture and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, then add the yogurt and vanilla extract. Add this to the mix and use the beaters to work it all out evenly.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out with no crumbs attached. Allow to cool as long as possible (30 minutes is best) before slicing and enjoying.
I love stuffed veggies. They are easy to make, easy to freeze and reheat, and you can pack a lot of good stuff into those healthy pockets. This recipe for Southwest Stuffed Peppers is one of my favorites. It's a great way to make the most of that end-of-season corn and green chiles that we have here in New Mexico. It also has black beans and quinoa, so you're getting complete vegetarian protein in this meal! If you can't find roasted green chiles near you, substitute a diced fresh jalapeno for the heat. If you have any quinoa mixture left over, it is great over salad greens or as a burrito filling.
Freezing - to freeze these stuffed peppers, don't roast them before filling. Just stuff them raw, then individually wrap and freeze. Defrost them in the refrigerator before reheating in a 375 oven for about 20-25 minutes.
Southwest Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans
Serves 8
1/2 cup black beans, soaked overnight plus 1 piece kombu OR 1 cup canned black beans4 large red bell pepper, cut in half
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 small zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup corn (cut from 1 ear)
2 cups greens, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
2 roasted green chiles, minced, or to taste OR 1 jalapeno, minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese (optional), shredded
1. If preparing peppers to be eaten immediately, roast them briefly (3-5 mins), cut side down under a broiler to soften. If they will be frozen to eat later, proceed with raw pepper shells.
2. Drain the soaked beans and place in a small saucepan with the kombu and ample water to cover. Simmer 45 mins to an hour, until tender. Drain and set aside. Or just open a can of beans, rinse well, and measure out 1 cup.
3. Rinse the quinoa well and place in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat briefly until toasty and then add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 mins or until done and set aside.
4. Saute the onion with a little oil in a large skillet until soft. Add the garlic and spices and saute a minute or so longer. Add the zucchini, corn, greens, tomatoes, and green chiles or jalapeno, and saute until greens are wilted, about 5 mins.
5. Combine the cooked quinoa, beans, and veggie mixture in a large bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, and lime juice.
6. Fill the peppers with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the quinoa and black bean mixture. Top with shredded cheese if desired and bake in a 375 oven for 15-20 mins, until cheese is bubbly and filling is hot.
