medi.summer.salad

On my last trip to the market I found beautiful purple peppers and green zebra heirlooms as well as local garlic. The peppers are meant to be eaten raw as cooking will rob them of their vibrant color. I threw together this easy summer salad for a quick backyard lunch with some of my new favorite hydrator, cucumber lemon juice.

Serves 2
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup quinoa(cooked)
1 purple pepper (or any local pepper)
3 small green zebra heirloom tomatoes
2 small yellow heirloom tomatoes
2 mini cucumbers
mini bocconcini
1 clove garlic; these local cloves are huge
1 large handful of basil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

Fine dice the garlic and chip basil; toss these into a bowl with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper and whisk until combined.

In a medium size bowl toss your chopped selection of peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and the bocconcini cheese, add the chickpeas and quinoa and toss with the dressing.

I like to garnish my plate or bowl with a squeeze of balsamic reduction and whole basil leaves to top off this bright, clean salad.

omega.efa.dha.what.does.it.all.mean???

A lazy day at the lake during the summer with friends and the brain is in ultimate relax mode. As we walked down to the waters edge my long time friend Rebecca pops the question, “What is the benefit of these omega vitamins I take every morning anyway?’ I think for a moment and tell her, it’s good for the fat cells in your body and really beneficial for your brain. Good answer Joyanne, I think to myself; obviously I have been neglecting mine;)

Although what I have told her is true there is much more to it than this. Had I kept on with my explanation she may not have heard anyway, as a mother with two beautiful babies under the age of three all she cared about was the brain…. boasting to her other gal pal that it was going to help her remember things.

Fat is essential in our bodies and fatty acids are the main components of these fats. Omega 3’s are only obtained from food such as cold-water fish, fish oil and nut and certain vegetable oils. These fats help to protect again diseases such as heart disease, cancer and stroke; they also help to lower bad cholesterol or LDL. Omega 3’s also contribute to brain and eye development and can help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.We can thank our omega 3’s for shiny hair and beautiful looking skin!

Omega 6 is another essential that our bodies cannot produce on their own so again we rely on the food we consume for this one. Omega 6’s are found primarily in meat, poultry, eggs, raw nuts, seeds and legumes and in unsaturated vegetable oils such as grape seed oil, sesame oil and primrose oil.

Lastly Omega 9 fatty acids are produced by the body but may also be obtained from food. Canola, olive oil, sunflower oil and nut oils have high levels of omega 9.

My favorite source of this oil’s is UDO’s Choice, Certified Organic, Udo’s Oil 3.6.9 Blend (an ideal 2:1:1 ratio of unrefined omega fatty acids)

As far as fish oil my preferred brand is, Metagenics, EPA DHA 720 Omega-3 Fish Oil 120 Softgels.

mmmmmm.miso.soup

Miso is a fermented product made from beans or grains. The aging process produces large amounts of enzymes that break down the nutrients into simple, absorbable forms. There are many different colors, flavors and varieties of miso depending on what it was derived from and the length of aging.

You can make many variations to your miso soup depending on the type of miso you use and the seasonal vegetables you add to your broth.

Simple Miso Soup

4 cups water, mushroom or vegetable broth

½ cup tofu, diced (optional)

1-3” piece wakame seaweed (I leave it whole and remove it before eating, you can also dice it up small and leave in the broth)

4-Tbsp red or yellow miso

3 green onions, finely chopped

Bring the water or broth to a boil in a medium sized pot. Reduce to medium, add the tofu and seaweed and simmer for 3 minutes.

Mix the miso paste with a bit of the broth and return to the pot.

Reduce the heat to low and do not boil after this point as you will destroy the enzymes in the soup.

Add the green onions.

*For a heartier soup I would add sliced carrots and shitake mushrooms during the boiling time and garnish with cilantro, sprouts, radish and a touch of sesame oil for warmth.

pumpkin.curry.soup

This easy prep soup is warm and comforting, a simple dish to prepare to warm the bellies and hearts of friends and families.

Ingredients:

1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp of Patak’s Garam Masala paste
Your favorite winter squash, in this case I used pumpkin
1 1/2 cups aduki beans (preferably soaked)
3 inches seaweed (kombu or wakame)
5 cups vegetable, chicken broth or water
Sea salt
¼ inch piece of gingerroot
½ cup pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Peel and cube squash into two-inch squares.
Place washed beans and seaweed into pot. Add broth or water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
While the beans are simmering dice the onion and garlic cloves, place the onion in a second pot on medium heat with a touch of olive oil, once the onions have become translucent add the garlic and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
Stir in your curry paste then add your broth with the bean and squash cubes to the pot.
Feel free to remove the seaweed at this point if you prefer as the nutrients are already in the broth
Simmer for 30 more minutes.
Uncover, add splash of sea salt and stir until water evaporates.
A quick puree with a hand held blender is the last step before enjoying;)
I like to grate a touch of fresh ginger on the top and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

Variations:
Try with roots like carrot, parsnip, and turnip. These roots don’t need more than twenty minutes to cook with beans. You could also used the canned variety of the bean if you are short on time simply simmer for the last 5-10 minutes.

miso.sablefish

1 pound sablefish
¼ cup white miso
¼ cup H20
1 Tbsp mirin or white wine
1 Tbsp ginger
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sambal oelek
1 tsp lemon zest
-blend all ingredients together, cover fish and marinade overnight.
1 Tbsp each butter and olive oil (for the sauté pan)

Prepare brown rice with fish or vegetable broth and a touch of butter

Preheat Broiler (medium)
Place fish on a cookie sheet, broil for 3 minutes on each side.

In a medium high skillet heat olive oil and butter, add 1 cup thinly sliced leeks and sauté for 1 minute, add ½ pound chanterelle and shitake mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Season in the pan with salt and pepper.

Serve saute of mushrooms on top of sablefish.



glorious.grains

I continue to find myself confused yet excited to discover that someone doesn’t know what a true whole grain is. Confused because marketing leads everyone to believe that whole grains are trapped in the packaged, processed products pushed on consumers through the power of creative marketing.

Excited, yes very excited to educate others on the benefits and ease of cooking of those good for you whole grains.

For myself and I, whole grains are essential. They are an excellent source of nutrition containing iron, dietary fibre, vitamin E and B complex vitamins. The body slowly absorbs these whole grains providing you with sustainable high quality energy.

Here are some great grain worth trying that do NOT contain any gluten; brown rice, wild rice, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, kamut, oats, corn and amaranth. Here are some additional grains that DO contain gluten; wheat berries, cracked wheat, bulgur, couscous, wheat bran, spelt, barley and rye.

1 cup grains Water/broth Cooking time
Brown rice 2 cups 60 minutes
Buckwheat/kasha 2 cups 20 minutes
Oats (whole groats) 3 cups 90 minutes
Oatmeal (rolled oats) 3 cups 20 minutes
Quinoa 2 cups 30 minutes
Amaranth 2 cups 20 minutes
*Barley (pearled) 2-3 cups 60 minutes
*Barley (hulled) 2-3 cups 90 minutes
*Bulgur (cracked wheat) 2 cups 20 minutes
Cornmeal/polenta 3 cups 15 minutes
*Couscous 1 cup 5 minutes
Kamut 3 cups 90 minutes
Millet 2 cups 30 minutes
*Rye berries 3 cups 2 hours
*Spelt 3 cups 2 hours
*Wheat berries 3 cups 60 minutes
Wild rice 2 cups 60 minutes

Cooked grains keep very well, I like to cook up a variety of grains and reheat with a little water throughout the week especially in regards to my morning steel cut oats.

for.the.love.of.learning

In my search to discover all I can about whole foods I have decided to write a blog where I change the theme from month to month as I learn and/or relearn the basics about food. It can be very daunting to look at the topic of WHOLE FOOD or NUTRITION and be an expert on every aspect. I have my favorites and must haves in a day and this is where my journey will begin. Grains; for my body they are an essential part of my everyday meals.