Impromptu Tostadas with a Vegan Chipotle Aioli

After a wonderful and exciting weekend filled with friends and family, a half marathon, and a delicious brunch with a celebratory toast, I welcome the busy week ahead of me. Midterms are in full force, and projects are slowly swooping in. All the while the bright colors of poppies in the garden and the warm breeze of late spring entice me to play....."strong and steady, strong and steady." This is my mantra for life. Not only when I am racing up another steep hill, but also when I need to start charging through my growing to-do list. "Don't lose focus." It helps me accomplish one hour at a time and one day at a time until I get to break!

Break time means either running or cooking during the week. After a long race yesterday, I decided to give my legs a rest and enjoy the quiet kitchen all to myself. With a glimpse into the refrigerator, I quickly decided what would hit the spot...something savory, spicy, but not too heavy...tostadas!

I love tostadas. I probably make them once or twice a week. They are incredibly delicious and very versatile. You can use whatever you have in the fridge and load them up with a ton of fresh goodies. Also, tostadas are one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to make an impressive gluten-free meal. Since corn tortillas are gluten-free, as well are beans, veggies, your homemade chipotle aioli, and pan-fried eggs, within minutes you can have yourself a balanced nutrient dense and gluten-free meal! 

So if you have a busy week ahead and are craving some Mexican flavors, try these healthy and fresh gluten-free and dairy-free tostadas!

Impromptu Tostadas with a Vegan Chipotle Aioli

Tostadas are refreshing and delicious, especially when it is 80 degrees outside. They are easily assembled, and can be put together with whatever you have in your refrigerator. Don’t be frightened by the long recipe, it is really easy and quick to make. Just get creative and have fun!

Serves two

For the vegan chipotle aioli:

¼ cup coconut milk (full fat)

½ lime

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon chipotle powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast powder

For the corn tortillas:

4 corn tortillas (I used Mission “extra thin”)

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

For the toppings:

10 small mushrooms, sliced

½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

½ mango, peeled and diced

½ avocado, diced

1 tomato, diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Squeeze of lime

1 carrot, shredded

½ cup shredded cabbage

2 cups mixed salad greens

4 eggs

½ cup refried beans

To prepare the chipotle sauce: Mix all the ingredients together in a small mason jar and set aside for flavors to develop.

To prepare the corn tortillas: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place corn tortillas on to a baking sheet and brush each side with olive oil. Sprinkle each with a little sea salt and place into oven. Set timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes have passed flip the tortillas and return to oven for 5 minutes. They should be crisp like a corn chip. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool.

To prepare toppings: Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan to medium heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil, the onions, and the mushrooms, and sauté until onions and mushrooms are golden brown. Season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.

In a small bowl add the mango, avocado, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. Season with a pinch of sea salt. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix together the shredded carrot and cabbage. Place mixed greens into a small bowl as well.

Finally, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat in a small frying pan. Add the 4 eggs and reduce heat to medium low. Season with salt and pepper. To heat the refried beans place into a small saucepan or cover them and microwave for a minute.

To assemble the tostadas: Either offer the toppings individually and allow people to pick and chose what they like or assemble yourself. First spread the refried beans onto the baked corn tortillas. Then add the sautéed onions and mushrooms, and spoon 1 teaspoon of the aioli over top. Continue to top with mixed salad greens, shredded carrot and cabbage, and once again top with chipotle aioli. Finally add the mango avocado salsa and top each tostada with a freshly fried egg. Serve immediately. Offer more chipotle aioli or your favorite hot sauce.

Note: To mix it up replace eggs with: sauteed turmeric tofu, pan-seared and sliced pasture-raised beef, or some garlic prawns.

For another great gluten-free recipe and tips on how to have a gluten-free kitchen check out the Zing Bars Blog.

Cravin' Me Some Quinoa

What a gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest! Blue bird skies and temperatures up into the 80's have us reaching for last years bathing suits that are patiently waiting in the back of our dressers. Our white arms and legs are now free to the warmth of the sunshine and the cool tickle of the warm afternoon breeze. Break out the skin and let the vitamin D absorb into our much deficient bodies! 

Vitamin D is essential for overall health and well-being. Almost every day a new study reports another important role vitamin D plays in our bodies. Everything from bone health to immunity relies on vitamin D, a vitamin so precious for it is unavailable to us in the Pacific Northwest between the months of October to March. However, there is a trick, one that many do not know. Sunscreen blocks out vitamin D absorption. Therefore, let those warm sun rays tickle your skin for 20-30 minutes (in a bathing suit) to achieve your days worth of vitamin D, and then apply the sunscreen.

Well in celebration of the lovely weather, today I share with you my sunshine quinoa salad, stock full of good nutritious grains, veggies, and fats. It doesn't provide any dietary vitamin D, but while eating this outdoors on the patio, you will get your added D3! The salad is however, full of fiber, vitamin C, good healthy fats, and bioactive compounds, vegetarian protein, and lots of happy vibes. So enjoy!

Quinoa:

Many grains are incomplete protein sources, lacking significant amounts of lysine and isoleucine, and lack a natural source of fat.  Quinoa, on the other hand, is note worthy grain offering significant amounts of lysine and isoleucine making it a complete vegetarian protein. It is also rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat oleic acid, as well as alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3. Also on the plus side, because quinoa is a whole grain, its sugars are broken down slowly in our gut, allowing us to manage blood sugar levels and maintain a steady source of energy. Yaay!

So go out play in the sun, and eat yourself some energy and nutrient dense Sunshine Quinoa Salad!!

Sunshine Quinoa Salad

Preparation Time: 35 minutes

This refreshing summer salad can be a great lunch entrée or a side for an outdoor barbeque. Accompanied by fresh strawberries and sparkling lemon water this sunshine quinoa salad can change from side to main course in no time.

Makes 4 large servings

For the quinoa:

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

For the vinaigrette:

Juice of 1 large lemon

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

For the salad:

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup craisins

1/3 cup chopped mint

1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

2 cups finely shredded green cabbage

10 radishes, thinly sliced

To prepare the quinoa: Place quinoa, water, turmeric, and sea salt in a 2-quart saucepan and cover with lid. Bring to a boil, stir, and immediately turn off heat, leaving the pan on the hot burner. Keep covered and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. Uncover and fluff with fork.

To prepare the citrus vinaigrette: Meanwhile, using a citrus juicer juice the lemon and pour into a large serving bowl. Add extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and sea salt. Stir until honey and sea salt are dissolved. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

To prepare the salad: In a skillet over medium heat, toast pine nuts until golden. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Set aside and allow to cool. Add the mint, parsley, cabbage, radishes, and cooled pine nuts to the vinaigrette. Mix well. Slowly fold the cooled quinoa into the vinaigrette mixture making sure to break up any quinoa clumps. Mix well.

Parsnip and Great Northern Bean Soup with Sage

Wow, how fast time flies! Christmas has come and gone, and my short little vacation to the Olympic Peninsula now remains only in my memories and a few photographs.

Along with adventures trekking through the snow along Hurricane Ridge, we cozied up with family and friends. Good conversation, food, and drinks carried us into each night. We talked about the past, the future, and all the influential people in our lives. It was a time to reflect and be thankful for the family and friends that have supported us every step of the way.

Sadly, my dear grandma passed away the night of Christmas Eve. I will miss her deeply. She was a woman of strength and courage, and one who has loved me from the moment I was born. So much of my success as a young woman, I have her to thank. May she find eternal peace.

Now that Christmas is over, and all the indulgences that follow along, fresh light meals will be the mainstay in my home once again. With parsnips, apples, and great northern beans, I have created a light yet creamy, vegan soup with sage and nutmeg. Slightly sweet and salty this soup will hold hunger cravings at bay and will not weigh you down.

Parsnips are a little sweeter than carrots, but also carry along a lot of fiber. 1 cup of parsnips has only 100 calories and 6.5 grams of fiber, about 25% of your daily needs. In addition parsnips carry along trace minerals such as potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc, as well as high levels of vitamin C and K. Along with great northern beans, which are also high in iron, fiber, and protein, this soup is a well-balanced vegetarian meal.

Serve this soup with bread and salad, and garnish with olive oil sautéed yellow onion, and roasted walnuts.

Creamy Parsnip and Great Northern Bean Soup

Makes about 10 cups

Ingredients:

2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped

½ large yellow onion, diced

1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 15oz can of Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups vegetable broth

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

½ tsp marjoram

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

juice of ½ lemon

¼ tsp apple cider vinegar

freshly grated nutmeg to taste (can also use pre-ground)

Garnish:

Roasted walnuts

½ yellow onion, sliced, sautéed in 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1.  In a large pot over medium heat add 3 Tbsp olive oil, chopped onions, celery, apple, garlic, fresh sage and marjoram.  Stir. Add the salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and allow veggies to sauté until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add the parsnips and the vegetable broth. Allow the stock to simmer about 20 minutes until the parsnips are soft to the bite.

3.  Meanwhile sauté yellow onions for garnish until golden brown. Roast walnuts in a preheated oven for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

4.  Add the great northern beans and with an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, transfer soup into a food processor or blender to puree. Make sure not to fill your blender too much otherwise it will overflow with soup! You may have to do it in two batches.

5.  Add fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and fresh nutmeg to taste.

6.  Serve garnished with sautéed onions and roasted walnuts. With bread and a side salad this soup will become a whole meal.

Cornbread is my Soul Food

As fall sets in and the leaves are turning, and a light crisp breeze brushes across your cheeks, you know its time to get cozy. I love the light in the fall, warming and orange and am often reminded of my younger childhood years. Fall to me is always full of excitement. School starts, family birthdays are almost every weekend, and Halloween and Thanksgiving are only days away. Scarves and wool sweaters, boots tall or short, start coming out of the back corners of the closet. It is like a new chapter, a new beginning, and a new mindset. So bring on the rain, bring on the winds, and let those few sunny days warm your heart. Its time to start those fireplaces, stock up on teas and cocoa, and huddle around with your favorite people for a game of cards.

Cornbread is my soul food. The coarse ground grits of corn and the delicate hint of maple syrup make my stomach grumble. Even more so, I love it pan toasted in pasture-raised butter. This tops fresh baked cornbread any day! With fall fully present, it is time to break out the comfort foods of cold weather days. Last year I discovered a wonderful recipe by Sally Fallon in her Nourishing Traditions cookbook. This is the recipe I will share with you today and remains to this date the only way I make cornbread.

Most cornbreads I have tried use half or less than half cornmeal. Not only that but the rest is substituted with white flour. This recipe is made mostly with cornmeal and then additional spelt and whole-wheat flours are used. Although light in fat and light in sugar, this recipe remains flavorful and moist. It is simple and easy. All it requires is a day of forethought for optimal fermentation.

Using cornmeal in place of flour products allows you to bring in both B vitamins as well as antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin C into your diet. Also cornmeal is a good source of whole grain fiber. The fermentation process in this cornbread recipe helps reduce the phytic acid content, which can bind to essential minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and zinc. Soaking grains in an acidic medium, such as the lime and yogurt, activate the production of phytase, an enzyme produced by good bacteria. Phytase helps neutralize the phytic acid allowing the magnesium, calcium, and zinc available in the grains to be absorbed instead of excreted.

So hurray for fermentation, and yay for some good tasty cornbread!!

Fermented Cornbread (adapted from Nourishing Traditions)

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups medium ground cornmeal

½ cup spelt flour

½ whole-wheat flour

1 ½ cups filtered water

Juice of 1 lime

1 cup non-fat plain yogurt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup organic maple syrup (or honey)

¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1.  Soak cornmeal and other flours in the water, lime juice, and yogurt. Allow to sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. It will rise better if soaked for 24 hours.

2.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and pour into a buttered/oiled pan (I used a large cast iron skillet)

3.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

4. Enjoy fresh and warm…..or like me,  heat another iron skillet/pan place a little bit of butter in the center and “toast” a slice of cornbread in the butter. You will find a simply delicious and crispy treat awaiting you!

Optional: Personally I like cornbread kept simple, but you can add cheese, chilies, and/or fresh corn to the recipe to add additional flavors and textures.

Raw Thai Collard Wraps for Vibrancy and Health

I feel good, I knew that I would, I feel good, I knew that would now. So good! So good, because I got you!" This song describes exactly how I feel today...GOOD!

What a morning this Saturday turns out to be. I wake up refreshed, energetic, and alive. The weekend is here with two days where my biochemistry textbook remains closed, and out of service. This last week my head felt full of cotton, and my body heavy with inactivity. I can see it my classmates’ eyes, as well as in my professor, everyone is feeling tiresome and overworked. Week 7 down, and week 8 left to go. Bring it on!

With such an information overload during the week, and a test every Friday, the weekends have a whole new meaning to me. They are beautiful. Nothing can be over or under planned. A simple weekend, is just as great as one filled with parties, adventures, and friends. This weekend greets me with a quiet peace, and sunrays rays peak through my window. I breathe in and I breathe out, at ease and excited to start this beautiful day.

Since today I crave the sense of purity, I am inspired to share a meal with ingredients that shine in their purest forms. Raw food is cleansing and cooling. If one is overworked, overheated, anxious, nervous, or stressed, eating raw foods can bring a sense of clarity. Especially on warm sunny days when all you crave anyways is something fresh and bursting with color. The high dose of unaltered vitamins, minerals, and oils available in raw foods, is a great way to cleanse and boost your body and soul.

Raw collard wraps, are a great way to make an easy, beautiful meal. Since I love the combinations of Thai spices and ingredients, I decided to venture down the path of East Asian cooking.

I don’t believe that collard greens are traditional Asian vegetables, but here we have heard of them often in southern cooking, smothered in butter and cream. Collard leaves are wonderful. Not only are they a versatile vegetable, where one can use them creatively in many ways, but also they are overlooked superstars. Perhaps you have heard that cabbage and broccoli are great against cancer due to high amounts of sulfur compounds. Well, so is the collard leaf. It has four main compounds that are part of the glucosinolate family, which are easily converted to isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanates help support the body in detox and immune system functions, as well as working against inflammation. Collard greens are most highly noted with their ability to support the body in the prevention of bladder, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

However, what is the most exciting news for me is the ability of collard greens, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, to bring a healthy ratio of progesterone and estrogen in the human body. Cruciferous vegetables have a compound called diindolylmethane, or DIM. This phytochemical is able to modify the metabolism of estrogen, by blocking estrogen receptors. This enables the body to naturally balance its progesterone and estrogen levels. High estrogen levels are associated with breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers, as well as infertility. DIM not only inhibits “bad” estrogen from estrogen receptors, but it also promotes the production of beneficial estrogen.

So, I would say, eat cruciferous vegetables often! In today’s world, we are constantly surrounded by pesticides and consume high fat diets. These both promote elevated  “bad” estrogen exposure. Men and women alike can support healthy aging, by eating a whole foods diet, and adding collards, cabbage, and broccoli, more often as mainstay vegetables.

These wraps are great as appetizers or can be the main course of a meal. My simple papaya and lime salad would be a great addition to these delicious wraps. 

Raw Thai Collard Wraps

Makes 4 Wraps

Ingredients:

For the wraps:

4 collard leaves

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1/2 ripe mango, thinly sliced

1 avocado

8 basil leaves

1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the dressing:

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp organic seasoned rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sesame oil, organic cold pressed

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp tamari

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 thai chili pepper (or any spicy chili pepper)

Directions: 

1.  First start by preparing the dressing. This allows the flavors to infuse while you prepare everything else. You can make this dressing ahead of time for more flavor. 

2.  In order to properly crush the garlic cloves, press down firmly with the side of a large knife. This crushes them. I place the side of the knife on top of the garlic and with the palm of my right hand I push my weight on top of the clove. This allows the juices to flow out without the chunks of garlic.

3.  Finely chop the 1/2 chili pepper and put in a glass jar with the crushed garlic cloves. 

4.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Allow the dressing to infuse at least a half an hour prior to serving. 

5.  Then prepare the collard leaves. Chop off the stem, and carefully with a sharp paring knife shave down the thick stem of the collard. Try to cut it down as flat as possible without cutting into the leaves. 

2.  Once your "wraps" are ready, place the cucumber down first in the middle, then top with the shredded carrot and cabbage. Spoon two teaspoons of the dressing on top.

7.  Then follow with slices of mango, avocado, and finally basil. Sprinkle with a bit of chopped peanuts.

8. To properly fold the collard wraps, begin by folding the bottom edge (where the stem used to be), up and over the veggies. Then fold in both sides. Follow by rolling the wrap up. Some may want to unroll, if the filling is not heavy enough. If need be, pierce them shut with a toothpick. Usually, I do not have this problem. 

9.  As a garnish, add any left over chopped peanuts to the remaining dressing. Serve the wraps with additional dressing on the side. 

Optional: If you want them to be more hearty, add quinoa or amaranth. These two grains are complete  vegetarian protein sources, containing lysine, which most grains lack.

Reference:

Zeligs, M. Safer Estrogen with Phytonutrition

World’s Healthiest Foods: Collard Greens

Halibut Ceviche for Good Health

When it is hot outside, I often have little to no appetite for anything warm. Instead fresh, raw foods get my stomach a growlin'. I love salads and fresh fruit, but sometimes I crave a little something different. Today I made a summer favorite, halibut ceviche. It is cool, it is refreshing, and it is tasty! Ceviche is a latin american dish, where raw fish or seafood, is "cooked" in lime and lemon juice and mixed with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno. The flavors of this meal always take me back to my travels abroad in Central America. Ahh...the good times at the beach and in the jungle.

So what is so good about ceviche? Well its fresh, quick and easy to make, tastes delicious, and is full of healthy fats and lean protein. Halibut is a deep water fish and is known for its good omega-3 fatty acids, which are easily destroyed by heat. Therefore, ceviche is a great way to get the most out of the fresh seafood.

Fatty acids are important in a balanced diet, especially if they are essential. Essential fatty acids cannot be made from triglycerides, but can only be taken in through food. Omega-3 fatty acids happen to be essential and play a large roll in reducing inflammation in the body. They help increase the ratio of HDL/LDL, decrease triglyceride levels, decrease blood pressure, and decrease inflammation. Today the western diet has a very unbalanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, promoting many diseases involved with inflammation such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. Although both are essential, we are getting 15x more omega-6 fatty acids in our diets, and hardly any omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 is part of the inflammation response in our bodies, whereas omega-3 counteracts this process. We need omega-6 to help in immune response. However, if we are consuming too much omega-6, our bodies will undergo a continual inflammation response. This can be harmful over long periods of time. Researchers have found that increasing our ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 increases suppressive effects of pathogenic diseases.

Omega-6 is found in most vegetable oils and grains and therefore is consumed readily. Large amounts of omega-3 is found in deep-water fish, chia seeds, flax, walnuts, and animal products from pasture-raised cows and chickens.

Halibut also provides good a source of vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin B6, and tryptophan. Vitamin B12 helps stimulate healthy brain function and blood formation, while niacin, B6, and tryptophan work together to promote ATP (energy) production. Tryptophan is also a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate appetite, sleep patterns and mood.

Wow, isn't Halibut great? Not too mention a 4 oz. serving has 30 grams of protein and weighs in at only 160 calories. Therefore, not only is ceviche a nice refreshing summer meal, but it will help keep you energized for the rest of the day.

Ceviche is great as an appetizer or as a light meal. Let the flavors of Central America keep you healthy and fit over the next hot summer months.

Halibut Ceviche
Makes a large bowl full 
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh halibut filet
3 roma tomatoes, diced
3 organic limes
2 organic lemons
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 bundle cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:
1.  Lay the halibut face down, and while pulling the skin back, use a sharp knife to separate the meat from the skin.
2. Dice the filet into small chunks, and put into a large bowl.
3. Zest 2 limes and 1 lemon, and put zest into bowl.
4. Juice all the limes and lemons and add juice to the bowl. Stir well
5. Leave in refrigerator at least 30 minutes.
6. Add the onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, and olive oil.
7. Season with sea salt and pepper. Mix well.
8. Allow to rest at least an hour in refrigerator before serving.

I love to serve ceviche with avocado and baked corn tortillas. My favorite way to serve corn tortillas is to brush each side of the corn tortilla with a little bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Then bake in 450 degree oven until lightly crispy.

References:
Simopoulous, AP. The Importance of the Ratio of Omega-6/Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids. (2008)
Worlds Healthiest Foods: Halibut, Omega-3