Monthly Archives: September 2013

Curried Quinoa Salad with Raisins and Chickpeas

Curried Quinoa Salad with Raisins and Chickpeas Curried Quinoa Salad with Raisins and Chickpeas

Curried Quinoa Salad with Raisins and Chickpeas

Cooler temperatures call for more warming foods.  But I don’t always want the heaviness of meat and potatoes (sometimes yes, but not always!).  This curried quinoa salad provides the warmth and savoriness of curry paired with the sweetness of plump raisins and meatiness of golden chickpeas.

I came up with this recipe when I didn’t particularly feel like cooking dinner.  But I still had to feed the family, so I wanted something quick and easy – ideally a one-dish meal.  This came together in under 30 minutes and was pulled primarily from pantry staples like dried quinoa, canned chickpeas, and raisins.  Although fresh spinach will be tastiest you can also use frozen in a pinch – simply saute it in with the onions and chickpeas to thaw it.  Like many grain salads this will keep well for days and is a great leftover for lunches.

Curried Quinoa with Raisins and Chickpeas
Total Prep Time: 30 minutes
Active Time: 30 minutes
Serves:  4

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 ¾ cups water or chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup raisins
1 small onion minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic from about 2 cloves
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 large carrot cut into small dice
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas from ½ cup dried or 1 can
1 tablespoon curry powder
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

  1. Bring the water or stock to a boil, add [...]
By |September 26th, 2013|Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Meal Plan, Recipes, Soy Free|
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Wild Coho Salmon with Mushrooms and Shallots

CohoMushrooms

Wild Coho Salmon with Sauteed Mushrooms and Shallots

It’s the tail end of salmon season.

 On the other end is the vibrant, deep orange-red, velvety, wild Coho salmon.  Coho salmon is only one of the multiple varieties that lives wild in the pacific northwest, but it is one of my favorites.  Here he is in all his glory:

All you need to accomplish fancy-restaurant-quality salmon is a good-quality fish and to not overcook the bejeesus out of it.  The good-quality fish is really key.  And getting fresh fish that hasn’t been frozen is really a nice treat – the texture is buttery and smooth.  At my grocery store some beautiful Coho salmon is available through the first week of October.

I decided to pair my lovely salmon filet with some oyster mushrooms from the farmer’s market, a little dried thyme, and some minced shallot.  Easy peasy.  I sauteed the mushrooms and shallot while the fish was roasting in the oven.

My rather large, 1 1/3 lb salmon filet was too big to fit into a 13×9 inch baking dish, so I cut that bad boy in half and he was snug as a bug.  He was done roasting in 15 minutes.  Just enough time to saute my fungi.

I served this with some roasted red new potatoes and some collard greens sauteed with a little tomato.  Get this recipe in the context of its complete meal-plan by signing up here.

Coho Salmon with Sautéed Mushrooms and Shallots
From Eat Happy Meal Plan
Total Prep Time: 25 minutes
Active Time: 25 minutes
Serves:  4

Ingredients
1 [...]

By |September 19th, 2013|Dairy Free, Food as Medicine, General, Gluten Free, Meal Plan, Seafood, Soy Free|
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Whole Roasted Yellowtail Snapper with Tomatoes and Olives

roasted yellowfin with tomatoes and olives_wholeWhy roast a whole fish?

Roasting a whole fish is easy, practical and delicious.  The first time I ate a roasted whole fish was in a fancy restaurant.  It was the moistest fish I had ever eaten, and I soon discovered that it was incredibly easy to do at home.

Find a fresh, whole fish at a trusted market and ask for the fish gutted and any sharp fins removed.  Then it’s basically a matter of throwing a few ingredients in a roasting pan that will create a tasty sauce while the fish roasts.  So easy, and you’ll get more for your money, as much of the fish is lost if it’s cut into filets.

roasted yellowfin with tomatoes and olives_filet

Roasted Yellowtail Snapper with Tomatoes and Olives
Total Prep Time: 25 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Serves:  4-6

Ingredients
2 lbs whole yellow fin snapper, fins removed and gutted (if you prefer, have the fish fileted, which will be a little over 1 lb of filets)
1 large tomato, diced
½ cup green olives, chopped
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), sea salt and fresh black pepper

Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Drizzle a little EVOO in the bottom of a glass 13 x 9 inch pan or roasting pan.  Place the whole fish or fish filets in the dish.
  3. Sprinkle the fish with some salt and pepper.  If using whole fish, be liberal with the salt – [...]
By |September 10th, 2013|Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Meal Plan, Recipes, Seafood, Soy Free|
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Reduce Your Stress with Food

Green juice with kale, lemon, celery and ginger Green juice with kale, lemon, celery and ginger

Do you feel like this poor guy, with stress practically coming out your ears?  With our go-go-go lifestyle and constant demands on your attention, it’s easy to start feeling overrun with stress.  The result can be emotional, physical, and sometimes chronic symptoms, such as the following:
hair pulling

  • fatigue
  • irritable mood
  • sugar and coffee cravings
  • anxiety or depression
  • increase in colds, flu, and/or infections
  • chronic inflammation, pain, and/or headaches
  • weight gain, especially in the midsection

Stress increases the circulation of the “stress hormones” cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine, and chronically high levels wreak havoc on your body’s processes, causing discomfort, weight gain, and decreased immunity.  Long-term this can increase your risk for getting cancer, heart disease, and other chronic health problems.

The good news is that you can do something about it.  I tell my health coaching clients to view stress as weights on one side of a scale.  Sometimes you can decrease your stressors – lighten that side of the scale.  But sometimes that’s not possible, so when you can’t decrease it, counter-balance it.  Build up the other side of the scale with things that decrease stress.

That’s where food comes in.  Food has the unique ability to increase or decrease the burden of stress on your body.  If you eat the wrong foods they will add stress – sugar, refined carbs, low-quality meats and dairy all contribute to inflammation and an acidic environment.  Too many chemicals add to the burden on your kidneys and liver, your detoxification organs, [...]

By |September 10th, 2013|Food as Medicine, General|
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