Apple Pie Quinoa

Full disclosure: I invented this recipe in a desperate need to figure out ways to use a gallon of apple juice that was purchased to make cider for a party that never got put out. I found myself with a giant glass jug of apple juice in a two person household that never drink juice. You know I love a sweet quinoa, so when I woke up on this cold and rainy morning craving something warm and comforting, inspiration struck! Why not cook the quinoa in the cider and see how the flavor gets absorbed? I have to say it turned out even better than I'd imagined, and I think this could be a really healthy, gluten free, vegan alternative to an apple pie (if one were so inclined). It also made for that warm and comforting breakfast I craved.

Apple Pie Quinoa (serves 2) 
1 cup quinoa
2 cups apple juice
1/2 apple (sweeter varieties work best)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice 

Slice the 1/2 apple into bite size pieces (about an inch thick). Add quinoa, apple, and apple juice into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. After boiling, turn burner to low and add cinnamon and lemon juice. Let the mixture simmer until quinoa and apples are soft (about 15 minutes). If you are not concerned with this being particularly low in sugar or vegan, I imagine a dollop of whipped cream on top would make it a really pretty and extra delicious dessert.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts

Ah the Brussels sprout! It has to be the #1 vegetable in the category of once hated and then loved. How many people dreaded the sight of this steamed plant on their plates as children and have come to love it in its far better conceived perfectly roasted variation? I am one of those people that used to hate Brussels sprouts until I discovered Ina Garten's recipe of simply dousing them in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasting them for 20 minutes. That being said, I never really do anything else with them, until I came across several recipes that suggested shredding them. I decided to start off with the simple and very french idea just sautee those shredded leaves in butter and see what happens. Man it worked! This is an excellent side dish and the sprouts take on an almost green bean like flavor. Definitely a crowd pleaser to bring to a potluck or even an alternative to a traditional Thanksgiving dish.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts
1 pound Brussels Sprouts
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Begin sliding the Brussels sprouts on the mandolin to shave them into thin little shreds. You will inevitably lose some of that pound of sprouts, and that's ok! You can compost those nubby ends and the recipe assumes you'll lose a lot. Once you have your little hill of shredded Brussels sprouts. Begin sauteing the butter in a large frying pan until mostly melted. Toss in the shredded Brussels sprouts and turn the burner to medium-low. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste (don't be shy with that salt!) and once the shredded sprouts are soft and just starting to brown, they're done. Serve hot!

Breakfast Quinoa

It's that time of year when all that I want when I get out of bed in the morning is something warm to fill my belly. The only problem is that oatmeal gets old. That processed instant crap that is full of sugar is just no good for you and sometimes there's no level of flavor change up that gets me passed the boredom with that steel cut oat texture day after day. Luckily I attended a fantastic nutrition workshop at Yoga District Tea Lodge this past spring that had a fantastic idea for changing it up, breakfast quinoa! It's hearty and comforting the same way that oatmeal is, but can be a nice switch up to the texture routine. You can add a lot of different flavor combinations to it, but below is my favorite maple almond blueberry combo. If you're generally weirded out at the idea of a sweet flavored quinoa, just try it once and I have a feeling you will be sold.

Almond Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa
(serves 2)
1 cup quinoa
1.75 cups water
15 dried blueberries
1 tablespoon maple syrup (make sure it's really maple syrup and not corn syrup in disguise!)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Boil water and then add quinoa and dried blueberries to the pot. Note that the sweetness of blueberry is going to permeate all of the grains, so if you are choosing a tarter berry you might want to hold off on adding it until the quinoa is cooked. Let it simmer until quinoa is soft (about 12 minutes). The quinoa doesn't need a lot of attention, so feel free to spend this time making your lunch or other morning routine activities. After the quinoa is cooked, scoop it into a bowl and drizzle with a teaspoon of maple syrup and quarter cup of almonds in each bowl. Enjoy!

Garbanzo Bean "tuna" Salad

I'm back to my whatever I can smear on a cracker phase. For years I was a huge tuna salad eater. It was one of the first things my mom taught me to make and it was a quick and easy meal on my shoe string college budget. Then I learned about mercury poisoning, over fishing, dolphins in nets, you know the list and sought to drastically reduce my seafood consumption (or at least save it for really special sushi restaurant occasions, see Sushi Taro). While learning more about vegan and vegetarian alternatives, I stumbled across the approach of using macerated garbanzo beans (or chick peas as I've learned to call them on the East Coast) in lieu of tuna for a great "tuna" salad. The inspiration for this particular recipe came from Sticky Fingers former menu item the "tuna" melt. I don't know that I've fully recreated their amazing dish, but it's pretty close. As you can see above I usually pile the salad on a cracker along with some sliced up cherry tomatoes for a really delicious and filling lunch.

Garbanzo Bean "tuna" Salad
1 can garbanzo beans
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 tablespoons onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper
2 tablespoons mayonaise or veganaise

Combine garbanzo beans and carrots into a food processor and mash on high until it's a nice thoroughly mashed substance. Scoop mixture into a bowl and add diced celery and onion, mayo/vego, garlic powder, paprika, celery seed, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until all the mayo/vego chunks have been thoroughly spread out. Serve with crackers, tortilla, chips, or make into a sandwich. Essentially do anything you'd do with tuna salad, enjoy!

Delicious Green Juice

I try not to be too over the top with the weirdo healthy stuff on this blog (and believe me that I have had many failures that I never subjected you to), but when done the right way, green juice can be so delicious! This is the prime time of farmers market abundance in the DC area to make really tremendous green juice and I wanted to share my tried and true formula for a sweet and pleasant tasting juice that is loaded with all of the healthy nutrients from lots of green veggies.

Delicious Green Juice
1/4 organic water melon, cut into slices with rind (If you are not able to find an organic watermelon, cut the rind off)
1 bunch kale with stems still on
5 stalks of celery cut into 1 inch pieces
1 apple, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
If watermelon is unavailable, simply add 3 additional apples for sweetness. The core of this ratio is one part sweet, one part green, one part celery, and one part citrus (can be lemon or lime).

My best piece of advice for juicing is to prepare everything before you turn the juicer on. Have everything handy and available and make sure the pieces are small enough to prevent overloading your juicer. Mine is particularly finicky around the stringy celery stalks, so I cut those extra small. Once you're ready, start feeding all ingredients through the juicer with the exception of the lime. Once all ingredients are juiced, squeeze the juice of one lime and enjoy.

Recipe Round Up

Recipes from around the internet that I'm currently getting excited to try:


Sunchoke Kale Hash with Farro from Food and Wine

It looks so hearty and this is just in time for the first week sunchokes will be available at several markets in the area. Local and fresh is always best!












Cauliflower and Leek Puree from Every Day with Rachel Ray

A variation on this dish with no breadcrumbs and less butter is all the rage on several paleo recipe sites. I have had moderate to 0 success with most paleo options, but apparently failure does not deter me!







Turnip Green Salsa Verde from Dan Barber via Food and Wine

This actually comes from a very interesting article Chef Barber contributed to the magazine regarding eating more sustainable vegetables from a soil degradation perspective. I was ignorant to the fact that tomatoes and carrots are soil nutrient drainers while brassicas and turnips are great for returning nitrogen to the soil. It's a great read.

Apricot Breakfast Popsicles from Serious Eats

Just in time for this warm start to September. 

Lunch on the Go - Kale Wraps

Sometimes it's time to bite the bullet and go uber healthy. For example, you spent the end of your summer eating and drinking your way from Charleston to Hilton Head and back and it's time to reel it in and make some responsible dietary choices for a while. This is my favorite delicious lunch that is loaded with tons of vegetables, proteins, but super low-carb. Wrapping them up tightly and storing them in a small tupperware with no extra room as you see above is the key to making to work with them still in tact. I also think using the delicate lacinto/dino kale instead of the curly leafy varieties really cuts out that bitter raw kale taste. If you prefer a different combination of vegetables to tomato, cucumber, carrot, scallion, and avocado feel free to mix and match. The only limit is how much you can stuff in that kale leaf. They are so tasty you won't even notice you're eating something so healthy.

Kale Wraps

3 leaves of lacinto (dino) kale in tact with bottom stem removed

1/2 avocado

1/2 medium sized tomato, sliced and then divide each slice into quarters

1/4 cup carrot shavings (use a vegetable peeler to shave off slivers)

1/4 cup cucumber, sliced and then divide each slice into quarters

1 tablespoon spring onions, diced

1/4 cup hummus

Start by preparing everything as listed above so you're ready to just assembly line this task. I recommend making each wrap one at a time and placing them into the tupperware as they are rolled up. Spread a tablespoon and a half or so of hummus onto the kale leaf. It should cover the whole thing. Start arranging your veggies. I prefer slicing the avocado on the bottom layer, then drizzling in tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and scallions. Start rolling from the bottom end where the stem was removed and then immediately place in tupperware. Repeat that process for remaining two wraps and pack them up very tightly! If this all falls apart, you can always mix it all up into a salad when you are ready to eat it. It's all still delicious in whatever form it winds up in, but there's something nice about the wrap shape if you can achieve it.