Kale Pesto

I try to eat healthy every single day. It doesn't always happen and sometimes I find myself in a rut. I tend to get comfortable with a certain type of food or way of cooking and stick with it. On one occasion I had a bunch of kale and was so not interested in sauteing it. So instead I turned it in to pesto. Voila! It was super yummy, didn't taste at all like kale and could be used as a sauce or condiment.

1 large bunch of kale blanched
20 basil leaves
1 large clove of garlic chopped
2 Tsp of pine nuts
1/4 cup parmigano regiano cheese
1/2 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
Olive oil

Add first 8 ingredients to a food processor. Turn food processor on and add olive oil slowly through top. Add just enough olive oil so that the ingredients come together. Process for 1 minute. Remove top. Scrape down sides. Process for approximately two more minutes or until pesto is smooth.

I used this pesto as a sauce for dinner one night. The next day I added it to mayo and used it as a dressing for a sandwich.

Seaweed Salad is Delicious!

I am on a little bit of a seaweed kick. I know that by continuing to extol the virtues of eating seaweed I might be alienating some people. But I stand by my earlier proclamation that seaweed can be delicious, filling and completely unslimey. Here is why you should be eating seaweed... it is chock full of nutrients that will reduce your blood pressure, balance hormones and is a great source of protein. It contains vitamin A, B-complex, iodine, calcium ad iron. Here is the recipe I just made. No pictures this time but it came out awesome!

Quinoa and Arame Salad- Serves 4-6
2 cups of uncooked quinoa
1 c. or 1 oz of dehydrated arame
1 14oz can white bean or chick peas
2 scallions sliced thin
1 jalapeno de-seeded and diced
1/2 english cucumber diced
1 handful of cilantro chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Cook Quinoa according to package directions (yields about 4 cups)
Soak arame in water for 20 minutes, drain.
Toss arame, quinoa, beans, scallions, jalapeno, cucumber, cilantro and lemon in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil or sesame oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.

This makes a great side dish with dinner or a healthy protein and fiber packed lunch.

The Once A Week Vegan

Becoming a mom has been momentous. In my life I am no longer the focus. Center stage is Ayla. Some days I am so enamored with my role, that this fact doesn't matter. Other days I wonder, "Where am I?" My day starts at 7:30am and ends some time around bedtime. There is little room for my own desires and wishes. Like time to myself. So consequently I often find myself struggling to make the food that I want to cook all the time, if I had all the time. However, I have found a compromise. I have decided to carve time for my health and therefore ultimately my family's health. I am making a commitment to eat a Vegan meal at least once a week. This is my first attempt and the meal is an adaptation from Myra Kornfeld's "Voluptuous Vegan."

The Menu:
Orange and Ginger Tofu Triangles
Arame Salsa
Citrus Scented Basmati Rice with Cinnamon and Cumin
Teriyaki Vegetable

This meal was absolutely delicious! It is super filling and healthy. I especially loved the seaweed salad, it was incredibly refreshing because it included cucumber, cilantro and a little jalapeno to give it some kick.
Most people are a little hesitant when it comes to seaweed. They think it will taste "fishy" or are just not sure how to prepare it. The arame salsa was a perfect dish for anyone that has ever wanted to make seaweed.
By law I am not able to reproduce the recipe for the internet, and since I tend to be a law abiding citizen and want to stay that way I cannot write the whole recipe here. However, if you are interested in cooking this meal yourself, drop me an email. I'd be happy to share the recipes with you!

Re-Fresh

My last post on this blog was December 8, 2009. That was a long time ago. Really a different person ago. 10 days after that day, I found out that I was pregnant with my first child. I was ecstatic. I was thrilled. I was nauseous. I spent the next 8 weeks being sickened by the thought, the idea, the very mention of food. And then I spent the remaining time nesting, resting and getting ready for the birth of this child. I had no time to blog! Or so I thought. Then I actually gave birth. I had no time now for realsies. And so I decided, deliberately to give myself one year. In this year I would do nothing and be nothing but a mom. And I have savored every sweet incomparable second of it. Nothing compares to motherhood. My daughter, Ayla teaches me more about myself than any amount of introspection could have provided. I am often left breathless by these lessons.

In this year I have cooked with the same intensity, love and passion I always have but perhaps on a smaller scale. I have thrown myself into the nourishment of my family and had my daughter act as my guinea pig and toughest critic. I have had kitchen triumphs and disasters. And now I return to the internets to begin once again to chronicle this journey.

I have no photo for this recipe, so imagination will be necessary but I can tell you it was created in the midst of this past weekends hurricane. The inspiration came from the threat of no power. We never lost power. I made this anyway.....

Disaster Salad
1 can of chickpeas drained
1 can of Tuna drained
1 can of artichokes drained
10 cherry tomatoes sliced anyway you like
1/2 English cucumber diced
2 Tbl of Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbl of Olive Oil (extra virgin if you please)
1 Tbl of Cilantro chopped fine
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, toss to combine. Nosh.

And since I don't have a photo of this salad I will instead leave you with my favorite, recent Ayla picture