Noshtopia

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Pecans and Pea Sprouts

2012-06-04T03:33:00-07:00

Sheena over at The Little Red House blog in a post about a couple of her favorite brussels sprouts recipes including an amazing looking Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Avocado, and Lime dish insisted as a public service that we all stop boiling our brussels sprouts because "boiling does nothing for their flavor, it decreases nutritional benefits, and it turns them into a bowl of mush."

I agree with the mush part as I have liquified many a brussels sprouts in my day. No amount of herbs, seasonings or cheese can fix a bland veggie mush.

I have never roasted brussels sprouts before, so because of Sheena, I roasted about a dozen sprouts at 400 degrees for 20 minutes bathed in some olive oil, sea salt and slivers of sweet onion and OMG! I will never go back to boiled brussels ever again.

Once you experience roasted brussels sprouts, you cannot go back to boiled. It's just not possible!

I could eat these awesome roasted brussels sprouts on their own, but I got fancy and made a simple dish which is vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free.

I shredded the brussels sprouts by simply cutting them in strips sideways from head to tip.
In a wok on medium heat, I sauteed a quarter of a sliced sweet onion in one tbsp of Earth Balance Soy-free butter until the onions wilted.
I tossed the sliced brussels sprouts in the wok with the burnt onions from the pan as these crispy bits made for a nice tasty crunch in my dish.
Next, 2 tbsps of pecans were added into the wok, and everything was mixed together for about a minute.
I took the wok off the heat, and quickly mixed in a handful of pea shoots I got from Trader Joe's, then put my brussels sprouts on a nice platter. The pea shoots do not need to be cooked. The shoots are delicate so the heat from the brussels sprouts will cook the shoots a bit. Slightly crunchy pea shoots makes for a fun texture.

My roasted brussels sprouts dish did not make it to leftovers. So good!

All Natural Sparkling Energy Drink: Vuka Workout Berry Lemonade

2012-05-30T03:33:00-07:00

I felt compelled to try this Vuka Sparkling Energy Workout Drink because the designer in me thinks the bottle is really pretty and I was curious what a sparkling energy drink would taste like.

I like the idea of boosted energy drinks but in reality I avoid them because most are made with ingredients that frankly scare me. I found this Vuka drink in a Pharmaca store, so I felt a little bit more at ease.

What's the consensus?

I liked it and it didn't cause any reactions in my body. I'm sensitive to many things so I'm excited when I can try something new and everything is fine The flavor is sweetly pleasing and the bubbles are a nice feeling after a 5-mile run. I ran some hills the day I drank my Vuka, so I was ready for a boost.

Roobius African Redbush Tea is used as the pick-me-up. The drink also contains L-carnitine, potassium, sodium and magnesium as well as vitamins B3, B5, B6, B12 and grape seed extract.

Even though one serving only has 90 calories and 0g of fat, the one drawback is that the drink has 22g of sugars per serving and there are two servings per bottle. Energy drinks commonly have lots of sugar so this is not unusual. The sugar used in Vuka Workout is pure cane and beet sugars. No high fructose corn syrup and no preservatives are used. But again, 22g of sugars is pushing sugar overload, so I'd drink this on occasion not after every workout.

There is a Vuka Workout Zo-Cal which uses Stevia Rebaudiana leaf extract for the sweetener and comes in at 0g of sugars so that makes for a healthier option. There wasn't any at Pharmaca so I'll have to try the Zo-Cal version next time. Vuka does make other flavored drinks. Next, I want to try Think which is pomegranate and lychee flavored.

On a side note, this Vuka Workout would go great with vodka. Remember drinking Red Bull and Vodka? This Berry Lemonade + with some Kettle One would be a nice for late night partying on your 20% days. Just saying :)

Have you tried any of the Vuka drinks? Thoughts, favorites?

Vegan and Seriously Creamy Awesomeness! Kale and Spinach Gratin with Jalapeno Garlic Havarti

2012-05-29T00:10:06-07:00

I can't believe this dish is vegan! Even my meat-loving dad really liked this Kale and Spinach Gratin.

Over on Pinterest, I found Rosewater & Thyme's recipe for Kale Gratin, and I was so mesmerized by Shelley's beautiful photos that I had to make this dish. Plus, as you all all know, I'm a kale addict, so anything with kale, I'm putting it into my mouth.

At this week's local farmer's market, I found a bunch of kale for $1. Yes, I got a whole bunch of kale for $1. That's Walmart pricing! Good deals on fresh local produce can be found.

I put a couple of my own twists into Shelley's recipe because:

I'm trying to get my dad to eat more greens, and he's not warmed to straight kale yet. He likes spinach, so I decided to add spinach as a transition food into kale dishes.
I remember loving gratins because of the cheesey goodness, but because of my allergies to dairy, I cannot eat those lovely cow cheeses anymore. However, Daiya Foods has changed all that for many like me with their new Wedges. I LOVE their Jalapeno Garlic Havarti Wedge which is so tasty and melts heavenly. Remember my roasted tomato and basil grilled cheese sandwich?

Let's make some gratin!

Follow Shelley's recipe, except instead of two bunches of kale, use one bunch of kale and one clamshell of spinach. I used Fresh Express Organic Baby Spinach.

Because we're using the Havarti, you won't need to use the nutritional yeast. The yeast is used to give the gratin a cheesy flavoring.

For breadcrumbs, I slathered one piece of Sprouted Wheat Bread like Alvarado Street Bakery California Style Protein Bread or Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread on both sides with Earth Balance Soy-free buttery spread and sprinkled one side of the bread with a little garlic salt, then toasted the bread in the oven at 400 degrees for 8 minutes until the bread was hard. I pulverized the toast in a food processor to make the crumbs.

To make the vegan bechamel sauce:

2 tbsp Earth Balance Soy-free Buttery Spread
2 tbsp Organic unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup + 2tbsp Rice milk
3 tbsp Daiya Jalapeno Garlic Havarti*
2 pinches of Salt
3 shakes of Ground black pepper
1 tiny pinch of Nutmeg**

*You can add a little more Havarti but the Jalapeno starts to make the sauce spicy hot.

**Nutmeg can quickly take over the sauce so, I added just a tiny pinch.

Over medium heat in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the flour to make a roux. Whisk with a fork until the roux becomes a golden brown color.
Slowly add in the rice milk, continuing to whisk the sauce as you pour so there are no lumps.
Add in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and continue to whisk until you have a nice smooth thick sauce.
Add in the havarti and continue to whisk your sauce until all of the havarti has melted.
Set the sauce to the side to cool until you are ready to pour the sauce into your kale and spinach.

If you try making this Kale and Spinach Gratin, let me know how it turned out. Enjoy!

[infographic]: America's Test Kitchen's 12-Step Path to Recipe Perfection

2012-05-24T12:33:41-07:00

I love this infographic. America's Test Kitchen let's the cat out of the bag and gives the public a peek into their 12-step path to recipe perfection.

They make cooking seem so easy! Step 10 looks like it would be a lot of fun.

Fast & Simple: Colorful Vegan Baby Potato Salad

2012-05-21T17:07:22-07:00

We're heading into summer time which is big for BBQs and picnics. Here is one of my favorite vegan potato salads mainly because it is really easy to make and I love using colorful baby potatoes.

In this recipe, I use Brianna's Poppyseed and Dijon Honey Mustard dressings. Besides using these dressings on my green salads, I use the Poppyseed dressing like it's Miracle Whip in tuna salad, macaroni salad, or sandwich spreads. I add vegenaise to tone down the sweetness of the poppyseed dressing.

I found a 1lb bag of Melissa's Gemstone baby potatoes at Trader Joe's, but you can find these cute potatoes in most of your major supermarkets.

Ingredients:

1lb bag gemstone baby potatoes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup Brianna's poppyseed dressing
1/4 cup Follow Your Heart Grapeseed Vegenaise
1-1/2 tbsp Brianna's Dijon Honey Mustard dressing

Boil the baby potatoes with a pinch of salt for 18 minutes.
Cool down the potatoes.
Cut the baby potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
In a small bowl, mix well together the poppyseed dressing, honey mustard dressing, and vegenaise.

In a big bowl, put in the baby potatoes, onion, celery, dill, and the dressing mix. Mix all the ingredients together until all the potatoes are well coated with dressing.

Chill for 20 minutes and then enjoy!

[infographic]: Portion Distortion in Snack Foods Over 20 Years

2012-05-17T11:08:48-07:00

Here's an example of how food marketing is making us heavier. It's pretty eye-opening to see how sizes in snack foods have grown in a 20-year span.

What may look like a single size doesn't necessarily mean it is a single serving which is why many of us are eating more than we think we are.

image: Weight of the Nation

Leafy Salad Inspiration: Greens, Blues, Reds, and Nuttiness

2012-05-15T19:34:30-07:00

Need some green salad inspiration, here's what I ate today. This salad has:

Arugula
Kale
Snap Peas
Avocado
Blueberries
Cremini mushrooms
Garbanzos
Vine tomatoes
Trader Joe's brand Broccoli slaw mix
Pistachios

I know that's a whole lot to put into one salad but, oh my this meal was fantastic and filling.

I cut the snap peas vertically into small pieces and the designer in me liked how the shapes came out. I also love how the blue color of the blueberries stand out against the leafy greens.

I always put nuts in my salads because it adds protein, healthy fats, and a crunch. Pistahios are one of my favorite nuts.

For dressing, I used Brianna's Blush Wine Strawberry Vinaigrette.

Such a colorful and yummy salad!

Awesome Homemade Crunchy Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

2012-05-11T11:11:00-07:00

Cookies and rice milk. Yummy-looking huh?! I like crunchy cookies, and most vegan cookie recipes I've tried usually turn out soft and gooey which is fine if you are a squishy cookie lover. I like me some crispy.

The quest is over. I found this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe over at Oh She Glows, and made a batch and ma cookies came out crunchalicous. Oh how I was a happy camper! The secret is olive oil and the freezer.

I added walnuts to my recipe because I love nutty cookies, and I can joke with myself that my cookies are packed with protein thus making them "healthier." Ok yes, I jest. These cookies are 20% food.

For the chocolate chips, I have fallen in love with these Semi-sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks made by Enjoy Life. These chips are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and kosher. They are also some of the best vegan chips I've tried. You can melt them and also make some wonderful chocolate bark.

The Mega Chunks are rather large so I chopped them up a little. The designer in me liked the idea of having odd shaped, chopped chips in my cookies. I also used soy-free Earth Balance so that the entire cookie recipe was also soy-free.

I remembered why I rarely bake cookies anymore. I can't eat just one cookie when they come fresh out of the oven. These vegan cookies were phenomenal!

Note: All photos were taken with an iPhone 4. I was really impressed how good the shots came out.

More Reason To Eat Whole Foods Instead Of Processed Foods. Let's Look Inside Your Stomach

2012-05-08T09:33:00-07:00

I'm a visual person, so the best way to get a point across with me is to show me a photo or video.

Artist Stefani Bardin partnered with gastroenterologist Dr. Braden Kuo at Harvard University, and showed at TEDx Manhattan the findings of the first ever clinical study of the use of the M2A™ and SmartPill devices that look at how the human body responds to processed versus whole foods.

Yes, we get to venture into the stomach and actually see what happens to food in there. From a scientific standpoint, the videos are fascinating. From a personal standpoint, seeing what happens to the processed foods in the stomach was rather frightening.

I started wondering what other processed foods look like when going through the digestion process, and before scaring the hell out of myself, I quickly squashed the thought and found comfort in my arugula and avocado salad.

5 Min Recipe: Vegan Broccoli Coleslaw

2012-05-07T19:07:34-07:00

Coleslaw is one of my favorite BBQ side dishes. In my pre-eating wellness days, I used to love KFC's coleslaw because of the sweetness.

I have figured out a healthier way to make a similar coleslaw that is also vegan so I can eat it. The best part is that this recipe takes 5 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

1 bag of Trader Joe's Organic Broccoli slaw
1 cup sliced red cabbage
1 tbsp chopped red onion
1 tbsp Grapeseed Vegenaise
2 tbsp Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing

In a small bowl, mix the Vegenaise and Poppyseed dressing together.

In a bigger bowl, mix 2 cups of the brocccoli slaw, the red cabbage, the red onion, and the vegenaise/dressing blend all together until the vegetables are well covered with dressing.

Done!