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Happy Healthy Christmas Salad!

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Christmas Salad

This simple Christmas salad is drop-dead gorgeous AND a welcome break from heavier holiday standards! I love using a veggie chopper like the Vidalia Chopper for this, because it makes perfectly even squares for a really pretty salad, and I think it even tastes better because there are so many tasty surfaces!

A big bowl of this salad plus a bit of bread is a great light meal, or add a soup if you need some warming!

Celebrate in holiday colors with this fresh-tasting snowy green and white salad. ENJOY!!

Salad Ingredients
1 cup white quinoa (uncooked)
2 cups water
2 large red bell peppers, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium white or yellow onion
1 cup very finely chopped green or red kale, any type, but chop super-finely, as you would an herb, or like parsley for tabbouleh (this is also fabulous with parsley or any other green)
1 cucumber, finely chopped
crumbled feta cheese (omit to make vegan)

Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
two pinches sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 avocado (if available)
1/2 seeded jalapeño (if desired)

Cook the quinoa in the two cups of water (I’m guessing you have a favorite method already; if not, the simple method is to rinse the quinoa, add 2 cups water for one cup quinoa, bring to boil then turn down to simmer, covered, for about 15-20 min or until you can see the white curly bits).

Cool the quinoa for a few minutes at least (can be cooked ahead and refrigerated). Toss together with the other salad ingredients, except feta cheese.

Combine dressing ingredients in your blender and blend for a few seconds until smooth.

This can all be done up to 4 hours or so before eating; add the dressing, sprinkle with feta and stir to mix, 30-60 minutes before serving to let flavors combine.

Feel free to add your own touches to this salad – it’s a great base. Try:
Mexican style: add pepitas, tomato, avocado chunks, black beans and corn, and cumin.

Mediterranean style: add oregano, olives, and herbs de provence seasoning.

Superfood style: avocado, winter squash, diced beets, pumpkin seeds and arugula

Quick Comfort Food: Grits and Greens (Plant Based!)

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So …some (most? :-)) days, I look forward to comfort food for dinner … but don’t have the time it takes for most slow-cooked meals, and don’t want the junk that comes pre-packaged. This super-fast grits/greens recipe takes no time at all, but tastes like love, feels like something grandma used to slave over, and takes <15 minutes from idea to table!

Oh, and it’s ALL plant based – so you’re going to feel great afterwards! Feel free to play around with the recipe – use what you have on hand! No greens? Sub broccoli (or brussels sprouts or …)! Have a batch of peppers about to go bad? Add them! And so on!

Enjoy.

Quick-cook Comfort Food: Grits and Greens (Plant Based!)

Serves: 2-3

Grits:

3 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup white corn grits or medium grind organic cornmeal
1 tablespoon vegan “butter” or olive oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Black pepper, to taste
About ¼ cup of any non-dairy milk or cheese – as you have on hand, or you like

Bring water and salt to a boil – dump in grits and stir. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes, or until the grits are thick and creamy (cooking time will depend on the type of grits you use – course grains may take a little longer). When ready, turn off the head and stir in vegan “butter” or olive oil, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk/cheese (if using), plus a grind of black pepper to taste.

Greens:

Splash olive oil
1 small- medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups vegetable broth (I REALLY like this one)
1 teaspoon smoked salt (I used Maldon but if you don’t have smoked, use regular)
~½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb cleaned organic greens – I love a mix of collards and kale, but either/any would do. See screen shot for reference – this is a LOT of greens
Hot sauce of your choice – I LOVE this one, it’s kind of magic: https://wildbrine.com/product/smoky-jalapeno/

Even faster: bought these already trimmed and cleaned from the farmer’s market!

Add a splash of olive oil to a large deep skillet or pot, and set to medium heat. Add onions and saute until almost tender, then add in garlic. Cook til onion and garlic are fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add vegetable broth, smoked salt and red pepper flakes. Now is a good time to taste the mix for balance. If it needs salt, this is a good time to add. Bring to a simmer, then add in the greens. It will seem like WAY too much, but toss the greens around a bit into the liquid and they’ll quickly start to reduce. Cook for about 5-10 minutes for tender young greens, or up to 20 minutes for more mature greens (just keep tasting little bits until it’s as tender as you like). Add a squeeze of hot sauce, or more salt, pepper, red pepper flakes if you like. If you can find Wildbrine Probiotic Sriracha, I would HIGHLY recommend it – kinda rocked my world when I made this today! But, any Sriracha would be delicious!

Optional:

This meal is delicious as-is, but if you would like some meat or something “meaty” on top, this can be topped with sausage or veggie sausage links (as shown in the pic). Just brown and slice before serving.

Plating:

In a low, wide, bowl, fill half the plate with grits, then the other half with greens. Spoon the pan liquids from the greens pan over everything, and serve and enjoy!

Good with:

Great by itself, but a vinegar-heavy side salad would be nice, too!

Chocolate Power Balls – Delicious and Easy

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This Chocolate Power Balls recipe is one of the top 3 reasons I keep a small food processor on my counter – yes, that is precious space, but I like to keep a few fresh Power Balls in my fridge to keep me from making bad choices when I. Need. Food. Now! I try not to let that happen, but … life happens!

And these make a wonderful portable breakfast with a hot cup of coffee … one of my favorites!

I’ve dropped the instructions into the graphic itself, to make it easier to save/share on Pinterest, Instagram, etc., and have also posted the full written instructions below in case that’s easier for you. As always, feel free to play around with the ingredients: walnuts are delicious, macadamia nuts … you can substitute some of the dates with dried cranberries for a seasonal sweetness. Enjoy trying new things, and working with what you have on hand.

Chocolate Power Balls Recipe

Delicious and nutritious snack to have on hand for after work or after school. And delicious with coffee!

Chocolate Power Balls

Balls
1/3 c almonds (soaked for 3 hours and drained)
1/3 c pitted soft dates
2 tbs nut butter
1 tbs hemp seeds
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp water or nut milk
1/2 c cacao

Garnish: 4 tbs ground nuts (I like to use hemp seeds and cashews, and if you have a bit of Maldon Salt on hand, crush a bit of that in as well for a salty offset to the sweet cacao!)

Put all ingredients except the cacao into the blender or food processor. Blend or pulse on low until combined. Pour the mixture into a big bowl; stir in the cacao powder.

Roll in to bite-sized balls. If it is too dry you can add more water; if it is too soft add more cacao and/or refrigerate to harden the mixture slightly.

Once all balls have been formed, gently roll each one in to the garnish mixture.

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve, and enjoy!

Savory Sweet Butternut Squash Soup

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When it’s cold and wet outside (like today), I want comfort food with a kick … and this Butternut Squash soup, with its sweet and spicy flavor profile is really perfect. A light salad with a tarragon vinegar and oil dressing makes a perfect companion, clearing your palate and letting you rediscover the creamy warmth again and again.

And fair warning – it’s a “little” addictive … so it’s good that it’s super-simple to make.

Butternut Squash Soup - Eat Yourself Well

All the best flavors – sweet and spicy – in a creamy, delicious, healthy soup!


The Amazing Savory Sweet Butternut Squash Soup

-1 tbsp. coconut oil (Click here to cart my favorite!)
-2 shallots
-2 cloves garlic
-1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (5-6 c.)
-1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-salt and pepper
-1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
-2 c. vegetable broth
-2 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tsp. sriracha (or dry chili spice)


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1. Heat the oil over medium heat; once warm add the shallots and garlic (finely chopped) and sauté until light brown.
2. Add the squash and spices, stirring frequently over the next four minutes.
3. Cover and simmer over low heat (until squash is tender).
4. Blend with immersion blender, add more spices as needed over the next few minutes of simmering (just for a few minutes after blending it all together), then serve with desired garnishes. Pictured here with parsley and pepitas (crunchy texture is awesome to offset the creaminess!). Also very tasty with a bit of candied nuts.

7 Tips in 7 Days: Eating Consciously, Day 2

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Another unconscious eating trap I’ve seen (and experienced) is forgetting about the visual part of eating. Marketers know that if you have a beautiful table setting and food arrangement, diners will mistake fast food for haute cuisine. And many dieters have reported that when they involve several senses in their meals, they feel full faster and longer! So, it’s worth the few extra moments it takes to think through how to make your meal more visually appealing: thoughtful plating, a sprinkle of fresh parsley, or similar! And just in case you’re interested, the simple recipe for the mushroom salad is below.

Eating Consciously Tip 2

Super-Simple Mushroom Pasta Salad (pictured above)

Serves 2

3 cups (or more if you like) of fresh mushrooms – whatever you have on hand – cleaned and chopped if they are large
3 cups (or more if you like) of greens – a mix of bitter winter baby greens is delicious with this
1 cup of cooked pasta (dried or fresh)
Couple of dashes of vinegar (I prefer white wine vinegar)
Two “glugs” of high quality olive oil – one for the pan, one for the salad
Salt
Pepper

Prep the mushrooms and heat a cast iron or similar skillet with a bit of olive oil. When hot, toss in the mushrooms, and cook for about 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring/flipping occasionally, until slightly browned.

Note: do not use a nonstick pan if you can help it. In addition to releasing chemicals, these pans keep the mushrooms from browning properly.

In the meantime, wash the greens, cut if necessary, and dry. First toss in the vinegar, then a pinch of salt, then toss with olive oil. (Order is important – if you start with the olive oil, the vinegar will slide off.)

When the mushrooms are ready, toss in the cooked pasta (great way to use cold leftover pasta) until the pasta is warmed through. Add fresh ground pepper, taste, add salt if needed, and then plate the salad with the mushroom/pasta mix over it.

Health-Preserving Quick Veggie Noodle Soup

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Healthy Veggie Pot

There’s not much cooking here, but a fair amount of chopping. It helps if you have a grocer with a good salad bar nearby … but even if not, it’s about 5 minutes of chopping, and I promise it’s well worth it!

2 quarts water
1 cup Broccoli florets, in small pieces
1-2 cups Sugar snap or Snow peas
2 Carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 Shiitake mushrooms, cut into matchsticks or finely diced
2 Chinese napa cabbage and/or bok choy, finely shredded
handful Bean sprouts, well rinsed

2 tbsp Sesame oil
2 Garlic cloves, pressed or cut to small dice
1 Small piece ginger, cut to small dice
1/2 Onion, finely diced
2 Scallions, sliced lengthwise, very thinly

2 1/2 cups vegetable or miso broth (or 2 1/2 cup Water + 1 tsp stock granules)
2 cups Udon, soba or rice noodles – cooked ahead/separately, or with the soup, per the below

Optional add-ins
Tamari or soy sauce
Asian Hot pepper sauce
Lime (wedges)
Cilantro

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS!

Put water on to boil, and prep the broccoli, peas, and carrots. Toss into the water and cook for 5 minutes. While the veggies are cooking, prep the mushrooms and cabbage. With a strainer, remove the vegetables (leaving water boiling) and rinse in cold water, and set aside. Add the mushrooms, cabbage, and bean sprouts to the boiling water, cook for one minute, then rinse in cold water, and add them to the rest of the veggies.

In a large pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat, and add the garlic, ginger, onion, and scallions and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from heat, and carefully (so it doesn’t splatter) add the broth and 1/2 to all of the cooking water from the veggies. If you want the soup brothy, add more; if not, add less.

Add the noodles to the soup (using rice noodles will keep the broth nice and thin, as they’re less starchy), and cook until the noodles are ready. Add the veggies back in, top with sauces as desired, and serve.

Developed and posted by: Jennifer Silverberg, Eat Yourself Well

Weekday Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

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Weekday Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

This is one of my very favorite recipes, because it’s endlessly variable. Add coriander with the cumin. Top with that leftover salsa. Slip in some spinach … and on and on. But I digress … here is the basic recipe!

Makes Two Meals

1 cup raw quinoa – any type
1 large or 2 medium (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 tbsp cumin
splash of olive oil (doesn’t have to be extra virgin – you’re cooking with it)
—————-
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
About 2 cups (or more) of arugula
1 green onion, sliced
—————-
1/4 cup tablespoons balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Optional: Avocado, pepitas, lime juice, walnuts, diced bell peppers, or anything else you have on hand!

Preheat oven to 425.

Slice the sweet potato into small squares (no need to peel first). Toss in just a small bit of olive oil, the cumin, and salt, put in single layer on cookie sheet (or similar) and put in oven for about 25 minutes or until brown. Stir once or twice so that they brown evenly.

In the meantime, rinse quinoa, place in saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

While they are cooking, put the raisins/cranberries, arugula and green onion into a bowl, and sprinkle with the vinegar, mustard, and salt, then toss to coat (yes, you can just toss it all in there and stir it around). Let sit for a few minutes, then add pepper and olive oil and stir it around again. Add any optional items you would like.

When it’s all ready, plate the salad, spoon some quinoa over it, and toss on the crispy, delicious, hot sweet potato.

And have fun with this … have some fresh herbs on hand? Toss ’em in. Like garlic in your dressing? Toss it in. Don’t have raisins but have apples? Go with that. Enjoy!

Simple lunch: Pita with Hummus + Sprouts

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Pita with Hummus and Sprouts

I thought I’d share my version of yesterday’s Food Challenge lunch … which was a little bit of a riff on the recipe for the day. When I went shopping to get wraps, the store had handmade whole wheat pita for half off, so I bought those instead; on this budget you get creative with what’s on sale, for sure!

And, since I keep sprouts growing on my windowsill, I tossed those in for extra flavor, crunch, nutrition, and beauty. It was SO simple and delicious – I will do this again and again anytime I need to grab a quick, simple lunch that’s also healthy!

Ingredients
Gluten-free or Whole Wheat Pita
Organic Hummus (homemade or store-bought, any type)
Sunflower sprouts (or any other greens or veggies you have on hand)
Turmeric
Black pepper

Instructions

Cut the pita in half and spread hummus on both inside surfaces. Toss sprouts into the pocket, sprinkle with turmeric and black pepper (or any other spices you like), and eat!

Would REALLY like to hear from you – how is your challenge going?

Recipes for Friday, September 26 – Real Food Challenge

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Butternut SquashThe Real Food $100/4/7 Challenge

Friday Breakfast: Eat Yourself Well Simple Scrambled Eggs

Eggs, 8, frothed with fork in a small bowl
Coconut oil, 1 tsp
1.5 tsp turmeric
Freshly ground salt and black pepper

Turmeric intensifies the yellow of the eggs, adds just a hint of flavor, and a huge health benefit! Be sure to add fresh ground pepper at the end, to dramatically increase absorption of the turmeric.

In a small bowl, add turmeric to eggs and mix until blended. Melt coconut oil in pan over medium-low heat, gently add the eggs and stir until no longer runny, but still soft. Top with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Friday Lunch: Leftover Pasta from dinner last night

Friday Dinner: Eat Yourself Well Hearty Freekeh (Wheat) Pilaf

5 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
1 butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 bunch kale (about 5 ounces), center stems removed, leaves torn
1 cup freekeh
1 diced small white onion
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a bowl toss squash, about 1 tbsp oil, and a bit of salt and pepper,until coated. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet (lined with aluminum foil if desired for ease of cleaning). Roast, turning squash every 10 minutes, until tender, 30–35 minutes.

Place 2.5 cups cold water, 1 cups Freekeh, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tbs. olive oil in a large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Cover the saucepan with a tightly fitting lid. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes if cooking cracked grain, and 40-45 minutes for whole grain.

Melt olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; stir until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup vegetable broth or water, kale, 1 tbsp oil, and cheese; stir gently until cheese is melted and kale is lightly heated, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in roasted butternut squash and let sit a few minutes to combine.

Mix in freekeh and serve in a single dish, or serve alongside.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mediterranean Feast in <5 Minutes!

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Weeknight Mediterranean Platter

With just a little planning and some common prepared foods on hand, weeknight dinners can look like this Mediterranean Feast – in under 5 minutes! Be sure to plate them in a way that pleases your eye as well as your palate (yes, it matters) … those fast-food places on your way home won’t stand a chance.

Plus, this kind of eating – little bits of several high-nutrient and high-quality foods – is a great way to give your body a variety of nutrients to support your health!

What I used:
Organic Hummus
2 organic peppers – red, and purple
2 pickled hot peppers (I made these over the weekend in a simple vinegar brine)
A couple of bits of cheese – I had a goat brie and a bit of Iberico
Bagged greens – I love the Cruciferous Crunch Collection that Trader Joe’s sells, but you can use kale, chard, or lettuces if you prefer
A bit of wine vinegar and olive oil to sprinkle over the greens
sliced mini-cucumber
sliced tomato
A few wheat crostini
Salt and fresh ground pepper
100% grape juice

What I might have also used, if it were handy and sounded good:
Any other in-season veggies – avocado, chickpeas, carrots, celery, etc.
Herbs to mix into the greens
Raw, organic almonds, cashews, etc.
Leftover grains of any kind – quinoa, freekeh, etc.
Wine

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