Scrumptious Summertime Salad

Hi everyone!  Today I have decided that I am a culinary genius.  Here is why...

This is a simple, delicious, summertime salad that takes less than ten minutes to put together. I just made it for myself for dinner tonight so the proportions are small but I'm sure it expands easily.  The sweet strawberries, tangy lime juice, and slightly bitter greens make for a very flavorful simple salad.  It's very different than what you might be used to but try it - let me know if you like it as much as I do.  :)

Servings 1-2 

1 leaf of kale

5 leaves of baby spinach

3 whole ripe strawberries

1/4 cucumber

juice of half a lime

1. pull leafy part of kale of steam, slice thinly - toss in bowl.

2. chiffonade spinach leaves (lay spinach leaves on top of each other, roll- up, thinly slice) - toss in bowl

3. remove tops of strawberries, thinly slice - toss in bowl

4. quarter cucumber, thinly slice - toss in bowl

5. squeeze lime juice over top of salad, shake or toss together

Serve and Enjoy!

Yum. 

Raw

Today I had a lunch date with my friend, Libby. We went to our favorite lunch spot in Santa Monica . . . Raw, on 6th and Broadway. (http://www.planetraw.com/)

As you can guess by the name, it is a raw food vegan restaurant. I know what you're thinking - you think "Raw food? What is that? Is it all salad? Is it all cold?" The food might actually surprise you. They do have a few warm things on their menu. Mostly they get really creative with freeze-drying things and making surprisingly delicious combinations. For example, today Libby had a "burger" with "fries." I'm not sure exactly what ingredients went into the dish, but it was a veritable cocophany of color and veggies and it all tasted delicious.

That said, today I was a little disappointed in Raw. I was very much expecting to go there, have a great time, and be able to write a stellar review about a fantastic raw cuisine place. But alas, Raw seems to have declined since our last visit.

Don't get me wrong, the food still tastes great. But, they have removed Libby's and my favorite dish from the menu. The pesto "pizza" was truly a foodgasmic experience. I couldn't even begin to tell you what was in it, but it was truly delicious. We voiced our disappointment to the server, and she told us that two other people had made the same complaint just that day.

In addition, Raw's prices have gone steeply up - which, given the current economic climate, does not seem to be the smartest move. I made the mistake of ordering tea and THEN looking at the price on the menu. Since when does one cup of jasmine tea cost over $5???

I'm not going to go so far as saying that I will never eat at Raw again . . . because I probably will. However, Libby and I have decided that next time we'll go to Real Food Daily, which is another vegan restaurant down the street from Raw. I'll let you know how that one goes . . .

Happy eating! :)

Hey All!!!
So here is a great way to get more greens into you diet. mmm... "greens, greens, and nothin' but greens."

Sharon's Deliciously Awesome Dinosaur Delight

1 bunch of Dinosaur Kale (also known as red kale), washed and ripped into medium sized pieces
1/2 box of mushrooms (any kind will do - mushrooms are amazing! read at the end of this recipe to see why)
1 shallot or half an onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed or diced

1. Pour 1/2 tspn olive oil (or use olive oil spray) onto skillet. Heat oil, sweat onions. Add garlic.
2. Once onions begin to appear translucent add mushrooms. Saute together for about 5 minutes until mushrooms get soft and tender.
3. Here's the fun part while mushrooms and onions are cooking pick any 3 seasonings you like and sprinkle over the mixture. My favorite combination is yellow curry, cumin, and sage. Or try red pepper, basil, and oregano. Feel free to use a little salt and pepper but be careful with the salt as the mushrooms will soak it up really fast and get over salty. I actually prefer to add a little umeboshi vinegar to the mushrooms instead of salt (but be careful here too - this stuff is really strong and salty if you get too much)
4. Add Dinosaur Kale on top of the mixture. Cover the mix while the kale cooks down a bit. (the water left on the leaves after washing them should provide enough moisture for them to steam down but if not feel free to add a tablespoon of water to get some steam going).
5. Stir and Serve.

Mmm, Mmm, Delish! Serve with some red quinoa on the side and not only do you have a tasty veggie filled meal but you get all the protein you need (quinoa contains all 10 essential amino acids, whole grain + protein= love) in one beautifully colorful plate.

AND, if you want to know why I think mushrooms are so amazing check this out...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/Mushrooms-Health-Benefits.aspx

and definitely check out bioremidiation...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioremediation

Happy Cooking!!!

- Sharon

"The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin

www.sharonstevenshealth.com

Brenda's Barley Fantastico

Here's what I made for dinner tonight. Super yummy and super healthy. It was inspired by a combination of the recipe for Zucchini-Barley Mexicali found in "Healthy Cooking For Two" by Brenda Shriver and the recipe for Barley Primavera found in the "Whole Foods Market Cookbook."

olive oil
1/2 medium onion - chopped
2 small cloves garlic - minced
1 tomato diced (or you can use sundried tomatoes)
1 small zucchini cubed
1 small summer squash cubed
1 tbs fresh chopped parsley
1 cup cooked barley
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Parmesan Cheese (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil for about 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and zucchini. Cook until the zucchini is tender, but still crisp (this should only take a couple of minutes).
Add balsamic vinegar, stir until vinegar thoroughly coats the vegetables. Add barley and parsley. Stir together over heat for another couple minutes.
Transfer entire mixture to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 for 10 - 15 minutes.

Oh so yummy!

Unfortunately because I combined two different recipes and added some of my own elements, I have no idea what the calorie count is for this dish. In the Healthy Cooking cookbook, it says the calorie count is 187 with 6 g of fat - but that dish calls for cheddar cheese, which I omitted in this dish, so there's probably even less in this version.

Happy eating!

Warm Up on a Wintery Day

So anyone on the east coast right now knows that it's COOOOLLLLDDD out there! It's March 2 and it's 21 degrees outside AND we have several inches of snow on the ground. We just keep waiting for spring and it doesn't seem to want to happen - but just because spring isn't here just yet doesn't mean you can't find a way to get some delicious fresh veggies into your diet. Here is a great hearty, wholesome, and WARM way to get those tasty veggies to brighten your day...

Minute Minestrone
recipe originally found in the Food Network Kitchens "How to Boil Water: life beyond takeout" *modifications by Sharon Stevens

2 medium zucchini (about 1lb) *I actually like to mix it up and use zucchini and yellow summer squash it adds more color to the soup - use whatever is in season and looks best. Mushrooms and carrots are also scrumptious additions
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1 14.5 ounce can cannellini or navy beans *I've used black beans and kidney beans as a substitute here and it works deliciously - so experiment choose any bean you like or happen to have lying around.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt *I prefer to use natural sea salt but thats up to you
Freshly ground black pepper
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth *I've used vegetable stock to make the soup vegetarian friendly and it works out well too. You can also mix the broth with water if you don't have enough stock on hand.
2-4 tablespoons pesto or tapenade, such as olive, tomato, or artichoke *optional
I also add...
*1/2 cup whole wheat pasta - either shells, stars, orzo, etc. It doesn't matter the type so long as it is smallish. Add an extra cup of broth or water if you are doing this so that there is room for the pasta to absorb some of it without thickening the soup to much.

1. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and cut crosswise into half-moon bite size pieces. Halve and slice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic. Rinse and drain the beans.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; season with the 2 teaspoons salt and some black pepper; cook, stirring occasionally until the onion wilts, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes look dry, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and broth and adjust the heat so the soup simmers. *Add pasta here. Cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes more.
3. Just before serving, stir in the pesto and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Pour into soup bowls and serve with grated cheese and Bruschetta, if desired.


This soup is incredibly forgiving and you can play around with it all you want. Mix up the spices, the veggies, basically throw whatever you want into the pot and see what happens. Chances are the result will be delicious!

Happy Cooking!

- Sharon

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." - Benjamin Spock, MD

NYC Restaurants, Scrumptious Salmon, and Mmm Mmm Good Mango

Hey All,
Sharon here - the dark, sultry New York City sister. =P So I thought I'd start off my first post like any good city girl with two absolutely amazing NYC restaurants that everyone ought to try...
Number 1 - Pure Food and Wine
www.purefoodandwine.com
It's a raw food restaurant and it is incredible! It's a little bit on the pricey side but is so worth it. The menu has lots of fun intriguing dishes and the wine list features lots of organic and biodynamic wines. Do yourself a favor and try the Chocolate Mousse for dessert it will be the best foodgasm of your life!

Number 2 - Nanoosh
www.nanoosh.com
It's a Mediterranean hummus bar - so delish! Try their sauteed mushroom and hummus wrap with the quinoa salad it's incredibly satisfying. Then rejuvenate and revitalize with a nice warm cup of their mint infusion. The best part is it's also pretty afforable too!

Now even a city girl needs to stay in and cook sometimes. So thought I'd share this incredible recipe I made the other day. It's easy enough for everyday but also fancy enough you can make it for company. It's really fast too!

Mustard and Brown Sugar Rubbed Salmon
recipe found in Prevention Magazine

2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp mustard powder
4 salmon fillets (6oz each) skin removed
1 tsp olive oil

1. Stir together sugar, salt, pepper, cumin, and mustard in small bowl. unwrap fish and leave it on paper you bought it in, placing it so side that had skin is down. Press sugar mixture evenly onto fish.
2. Heat oil in large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, place fish rub-side down in pan. Cook until rub dissolves and darkens slightly (be careful not to burn), about 4 minutes. Flip fish and cook to medium doneness, about 1 minute.


It's so delicious! I recommend serving it with some quinoa or brown rice and a steamed veggie. The first time I made this I also made a mango salsa to go along which was quite tasty - here is the recipe for that as well...

Mango Avocado Salsa


1 ripe mango
1 avocad0
1/4 to 1/2 red onion
fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp sea salt
just a dash of red pepper flakes

1. Dice mango, avocado, and red onion.
2. Toss together in a medium sized bowl squeeze lemon juice over mixture. (This adds a nice acidity to the dish as well as keeps the avocado from oxidizing too much)
3. add seasonings to taste.


The sweetness of the mango with the creaminess of the avocado is really nice. To make things even faster just toss all the ingredients in a tupperware dish and shake! shake! shake! Feel free to add anything else for some extra color - a little cilantro or parsley can be really nice to add a fresh bite.


That's all I have for now but stay tuned more fun and delicious recipes will come and until then Happy Cooking!

Creamy Spinach Bisque

Hiya - West Coast sister, Brenda, here. I figured I would get the ball rolling by posting a recipe that I recently made, which was oh-so-yummy and oh-so-healthy.

I found this one in "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook" by Steve Petusevsky and Whole Foods Market Team Members. If you haven't had a chance to look at this book, you really should - it is filled with fantastic healthy recipes. As with any recipes I post, I have modified it the way I modified it when cooking it (at the end I will give suggestions on other modifications).

Creamy Spinach Bisque

Ingredients:
4 tbs butter
1 red onion
2 large leeks (sliced and washed well)
1/4 unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable stock
16 oz frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed of any excess water)
3 cups milk
1 pint half and half (or heavy cream)
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and leeks. Saute the onions and leeks until soft (the recipe says it should take about 2 minutes - although, I swear it took longer than that).

Add flour and cook for about 2 minutes to form a roux (which I learned from Top Chef, the very night that I cooked this soup, roux is the stuff you get from browning the flour and butter and other ingredients. While the recipe says 2 minutes, I guarantee it will take longer than 2 minutes for any browning to occur).

Add the stock. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and thickened.

Add the spinach, mik and cream - bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about a 1/2 hour. Add salt/pepper to taste and cook for 5 more minutes.

According to Whole Foods, the nutritional info is as follows: 1 cup = 220 calories, 5g protein, 11 g carb and 18g fat.


The soup overall was fairly successful - though I did not watch Top Chef until AFTER I had made the soup and was sitting there, bowl in hand, when I thought "Oh, THAT'S what roux is!" Aaron made a suggestion that, I think I will follow next time, which would be to add potatoes. You could also use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock (the only downside being that it would make the recipe non-vegetarian friendly.)