 With a little over two weeks left until the “big exam,” I’m the girl I never thought I could be. I’m buying jarred pasta sauce, pre-cooked rice from prepared foods sections, and, yes, even frozen meals. All I can say is, thank goodness for Amy’s Organics. That said, being that I still have another 1/2 week of 3-4 hour lectures to listen to a day, snacking is a must — not so much for my physical or mental endurance, but for my emotional endurance as well. If it weren’t for snacks to look forward to, I’d have lost my sanity weeks ago. Here are a few of my recent favorites. They’re easy, simple and satisfying, and protein-carb balanced as well (mom taught me well).
Apples with yogurt-almond butter dip: Combine 1 part smooth, roasted almond butter with 2 parts Wildwood unsweetened plain soyogurt. Add in a few drops (I use about 7-10 for a 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup almond butter to yogurt ratio) liquid vanilla stevia to taste. Use as a dip for apples, pears, pretzels (if you can find GF!) or anything else you can think of!
Mini Mexican Pizzas: Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with corn tortillas. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until outsides are golden brown. Spread tortillas with canned refried black beans (I used Trader Joe’s with jalapeno), prepared pico de gallo or chunky salsa and a sprinkle of daiya vegan cheddar cheese. Return to oven and bake for another few minutes, until cheese is metly and outsides are crisp.
 This recipe was inspired by a recipe from Spain: A Culinary Road Trip, which Gennaro bought for me a few years ago after witnessing my sheer excitement every time Spain: On The Road Again (the PBS show with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow) was on T.V. In anticipation of a honeymoon in Barcelona, I’ve been re-exporing some of the book’s lovely recipes, many of which are simple and accessible, despite the fact that a big-time chef’s name appears on the cover.
I made this dip about a month ago and was instantly addicted. It’s the kind of dip that really makes any type of cracker or bread just a vehicle for the dip, which is rich and flavorful and, dare I say, somewhat healthy to boot (with omega-3 packed walnuts and vitamin-packed beets). I apologize for the rather imprecise measurement of the beets. I was originally not planning on sharing the recipe. But since I veered slightly from the original and enjoyed it so much, I thought I would pass this one on to all of you. I’m sure slight variations on the amount of beet used won’t change the fact that this is one great recipe. The original recipe also calls for water, in addition to much more olive oil that I used, making it more of a puree than a dip, as it is presented here. Feel free to add a bit of water or more olive oil as needed to reach desired consistency.
Walnut Beet Dip:
Adapted from Spain: A Culinary Road Trip
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 large beets, boiled, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame tahini (I used raw)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons curly parsley, minced
sea salt
Directions:
Puree walnuts in a food processor with a sharp blade until finely ground. Add beets, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley and puree until combined. If the consistency is too thick, you may add a bit of water to thin it out. Add enough salt to taste, plus another spinkle of lemon juice or drizzle of olive oil if desired.
 Another bout with flu-like symptoms landed me at the gastroenterologist Thursday. Needless to say, I made this chili before that whole ordeal went down. Actually, a few of the doctors I visited Thursday suggested some of my symptoms might be induced by stress. So I really must limit my posts for the next month, as anxiety currently sweeps in everytime a week has gone by without a new recipe to share.
But this one deserves some credit for being perhaps the fastest-to-come-together soup or chili I’ve ever made. I think Sandra Lee herself would be impressed. The secret is Trader Joe’s brand roasted garlic salsa, which adds flavor in an instant. You can experiment with other brands or types of salsa, but make sure whichever you pick is packed with flavor and is good on its own.
Black Bean Chili:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Salsa
2 cups water
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
pinch cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 block extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and crumbled
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, until transluscent. Add jalapeno and saute for another minute. Add black beans, water, salsa and spices. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer and add crumbled tofu. Heat through. Add enough salt to taste plus enough cayenne to reach desired spiciness. Serve with tortilla chips or your favorite gluten-free cornbread.
 When one imagines the many ways they might spend a rare, few hours of free time — catching up on trashy reality T.V., perhaps; exploring a new neighborhood; sitting at a coffee shop while people-watching and reading the paper — I suspect spending an hour-and-a-half at the DMV in midtown Manhattan is not one of the things that first comes to mind. Nevertheless, that is precisely where I found myself this morning, looking to exchange my expired Michigan license for what has turned out to be quite the elusive New York card. First, it was the realization that New York requires — no exceptions — a valid, original social security card. I couldn’t find mine (thankfully, it’s since been recovered. Phew!) Then it was the quite demoralizing rejection when I finally reached the front of the line this morning, where I was informed that that I need a letter from Michigan confirming the date my first license was issued, since Michigan doesn’t have a date of issue on the actual license. Ugh. Fighting back tears (yes, real tears — I take my free time very seriously these days) I sighed and walked out with my head down, both frustrated and defeated.
While it was only a minor hurdle in an otherwise good day (I found out that my grandpa — Opa — was free to go home from the hospital today. Yay!) it was nevertheless enough to make me want to run to the nearest ice cream shop (in my case, the nearest vegan ice cream shop) and pig out. That’s what us girls do when we’re stressed, right? (To be fair, I suppose there are guys who do so, too, though I know Gennaro would reach for a beer rather than an ice cream in such situations. Then again — to be fair — I suppose there are girls who would go for the beer, too. But me? I’m all about the pity party ice cream).
Then I heard Jillian’s voice in my head again (see: crushed lentil soup post). I could feel her shaking her head at me as I was en route to Stogo (the aforementioned vegan ice cream shop). You finally get to see what your ab muscles look like and you’re going to throw it all away because of a botched trip to the DMV? I could hear her talking me out of it (not only am I near-crying in public places now, I’m also having internal dialogues with a trainer I’ve never met. Yep, in case you were wondering, studying for the bar really will make you crazy). But ohhhh, how wonderful a big scoop of chocolate ice cream sounded — how could such a wonderful indulgence not melt all my troubles away?
After a few more minutes of crazed internal dialogue, I made a compromise by deciding to tackle an at-home mousse – a sensible solution, don’t you think? Perhaps I’m not going crazy after all…
Chocolate? yes. A little (healthy) fat? Yes. But sugar and carbs were not invited to this party. My newfound friend, NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia is the star of this show. And, since I’ve been craving cherries for some reason lately, I topped it off with a few fresh slices (and a few toasted almonds, just ’cause). It’s all very “Cherry Garcia” — without the wrath of your personal trainer (or not-personal celebrity trainer you’ve never met), that is.
Serves: 2-3 very comfortably; double for a crowd (or for a really bad day)
Vegan Chocolate Mousse:
1 12-oz. package Mori-nu extra firm silken tofu at room temperature*
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified
1/4 cup good cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia**
Directions:
1. Over a double boiler, heat coconut oil, cocoa powder and liquid stevia until warmed through and shiny.
2. Add mixture to a blender with silken tofu and blend until smooth.
3. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover, and let set in refrigerator for at least an hour, the longer the better. Serve alone or topped with your favorite fruit, nut or other healthy treat.
* It’s important you use this brand because — as far as I know — it’s the only brand that’s packaged so that the tofu is safe to be out at room temperature. It’s equally important that you use room temperature — rather than cold — tofu because otherwise the coconnut oil will harden before it’s blended into the mousse, which is never a good thing, unless you want chocolate chip mousse.
** Use NuNaturals. My mom reported the dreaded “stevia bitterness” after using a different brand.
 Jillian Michaels has been kicking my butt. Every morning. I hear her voice as my alarm clock goes off, her signature “don’t phone this one in” line reverberating as I contemplate pressing snooze. I don’t; instead dragging myself out of bed, mentally preparing for what is sure to be another grueling workout ahead.
Of course, all this torture is self-inflicted. I’ve made up my mind to do at least a little something for myself this summer, given that the majority of my day these days are spent sitting behind a desk, studying, with a rare break to eat or walk Woodley. But I must say, I’ve become slightly addicted to Jillian’s workout DVDs. I now own all of them, after discovering — via exercise T.V. — that the full, 40 minute version of “Banish Fat, Boost your Metabolism” (they’ve since cut it down to a meager 25 minutes — not nearly as hard) was more challenging than any gym boot camp or personal training session I’ve ever done. But perhaps even more shocking was that I wasn’t bored while doing it, despite feeling like I might die. Despite having to break out my emergency-only “breathing machine” once (“emergency-only” usually meaning an asthma attack, which I may or may not have had during the workout). Despite sweating enough to wring out my shirt afterward. Despite all that, I actually find myself enjoying working out these days. In the comfort of my own home. With Jillian Michael’s no-nonsense attitude motivating me perhaps only half as much as her perfect abs staring back at me on my T.V. screen. Maybe that’s just because anything is less boring than studying for the bar exam…
So, what does any of this have to do with crushed lentil soup? Well, I realized that I don’t really want to be one of those people who kills themselves for an hour only to throw it away on a high-carb, high-fat meal afterward. Still, my appetite has been a bit more voracious these days, given my early-morning calorie expenditures. This soup was a quick and satisfying solution to my newfound problem.It’s high in fiber. Low fat. Low carb. High protein. And not too heavy. It’s great with a salad and takes only a little more than a half hour to come together. This Middle Eastern take on red lentils is a nice change-of-pace from the traditional — and also very good — Indian Dahl.
Crushed Lentil Soup:
My bad: The original version of the recipe was supposed to say “1/4″ cup lemon juice, not 1/2 cup. Apologies for anyone who made it with the error — hope it wasn’t too lemony! I have to remind myself that even though I’m busy I should still edit my posts for errors!!!
1 medium-sized sweet onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups split red lentils, rinsed and picked over
6 cups water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
pinch of cayenne pepper
parlsey or cilantro, chopped, for topping
Directions:
1. In a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, saute onion with olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until transluscent.
2. Add lentils, water, cumin, coriander and salt. Stir. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occassionally.
3. Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Remove from heat. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.
 The next few months are going to be an exercise in simplicity and restraint. Simplicity because I don’t have time to make elaborate — even borderline complicated or time-consuming — meals. Restraint because creating new dishes and spending time in the kitchen is my passion.
I had heard that studying for the bar exam would be like a full-time job. Somehow I thought I would be able to post as often as I’ve been posting — even cook almost as often — on the side. I’m beginning to think I was wrong. So, I’m going to try to show a bit of restraint in the coming months. I’m really trying to make this my first and last bar exam. Therefore, for the next few months, less recipe-creating and more quick, easy and healthy recipes to get me through the summer. This is one of those recipes.
This two-ingredient frozen yogurt recipe is vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free. It’s a wonderful, healthy and filling summer dessert, with probiotics, fiber, protein and Omega-3s. At first I was a bit hesitant to post a recipe for yogurt that calls for two things: 1) yogurt and 2) sweetener. Can we say duh? But then again, some of my favorite “recipes” are not recipes at all but rather ideas I never thought of: the idea of strawberries stuffed with peanut butter that I found on this site, or Mario Batali’s “asparagus a la plancha,” which is really just asparagus rubbed in olive oil, cooked over a skillet and lightly salted. Next time you’re craving something slightly sweet and healthy, try this quick and simple yogurt topped with fresh, summer berries.
Frozen Yogurt:
1 24-oz. container unsweetened, plain Wildwood Probiotic Soyogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla-flavored liquid stevia
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, stir together yogurt and stevia until incorporated.
2. Turn yogurt mixture out into ice cream machine and turn on machine.
 Please forgive yet another week’s lapse in posting. I was struck — rather swiftly, actually, so the word is appropriate — with a fierce case of food poisoning. Or the flu. Or food poisoning. Or the flu. Well, I still haven’t been able to figure out what it was, and I guess I’ll never know. But the point is my kitchen got a nice break from me for the week, as I only passed through a few times a day to refill my cup of ice chips. And by passed, I mean stumbled. Yep, I was pretty much a zombie; a scary sight, indeed. But now that my appetite’s (just about) back and better than ever, I’m starting up where I left off last week. I’m experimenting with rhubarb recipes.
As a side note — and as someone who does not like waste — I must say it was quite disheartening discarding the rotting food I had bought during the beginning of last week — food that was left to waste away in the fridge, as I was wasting away in bed. Of course, I could have instructed Gennaro on how to prepare my intended meals for himself only, but that would have required energy, of which I had none.
I made this cobbler tonight for my family (my parents and grandparents are in town for my graduation). Actually, I prepared and baked it earlier today and tested some of it myself (not wanting to make my family members guinea pigs yet again). I thought it was delicious, and I’m not always easy to please with desserts. It was crispy on top and the filling was nice and sweet and flavorful. Plus, the cardamom really goes nicely with it. I was so pleased with the final result that I couldn’t wait to serve it to my family. But being that by the time we were done with dinner and getting home, it was getting a bit late for certain members of our constituency to be eating dessert. So I did something stupid. I heated the oven to 300 and stuck the cobbler in there to heat up, trying to speed up the process. When I went to check it again about 15 minutes later, it was dry and, it seemed, overcooked (as I had not undercooked it the first time around). Despite my assurances that “it was soooo good when I tried it earlier,” I feared every one’s endorsement of my new dish would be less-than-enthusiastic. Still, I received generally good remarks and thumbs-up. I guess, in the end, I figured an overcooked and dry version of the cobbler being still pretty tasty would mean the cobbler-at-its-full potential was worthy of a full posting.
Cobbler Filling:
5 cups rhubarb, chopped (about a pound, give or take a few stalks)
2 teaspoons NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if you like a more tart filling)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoons potato starch
Cobbler Topping:
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/3 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon NuNaturals vanilla stevia
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, toss rhubarb, stevia, cardamom and potato starch until combined. Turn out into 2-qt. baking dish and set aside.
3. In another medium-large bowl, whish together flour, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and cardamom. Add shortening and, using fingers, break up into flour mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk and stevia and add mixture to contents of larger bowl. Stir to combine. When topping comes together, drop in equally sized pieces, a few inches apart, over the filling.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until filling is bubbly and topping is golden-brown.
 I got the idea to do a spinach cashew spread from one of my favorite blogs, Raw Mazing. While I somewhat veered from the original recipe, I tried my best to keep the proportions similar, as I had been having a rough day of trial-and-error with my recipes. A failed strawberry clafoutis. A failed gluten-free bread. A second failed, though edible, gluten-free bread, which you can see pictured above (it made a great vehicle for this spread!). The bread was tasty, but rose no higher than an inch. I did happen to make a really nice cardamom-rhubarb ice cream (I really, really love that flavor combo), though it didn’t turn out to be all that photogenic (the color was kind of blah, and at that point I was too lazy to really style it up). So for my final test recipe, I wanted something that was as close as possible to a sure thing, but that I could still play around with a bit. I had lots of herbs on hand from my trip to the Greenmarket today — with some new potted varieties for my window sill as well. I like bringing a little bit of nature into my dingy, NYC apartment. So I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes from the original recipe and instead threw in some of my favorite fresh herbs, including some of my new window sill basil.
This cashew spread is great on bread (and can even liven up the most failed of gluten-free breads as well, as I can attest). I could also see it being nice over pasta (zucchini pasta for a raw meal, perhaps?) or even sauteed vegetables.
Cashew Spinach Spread:
Adapted from a recipe by Susan Powers at Raw Mazing
1 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
8 fresh basil leaves
2 handfuls (about 2 cups packed) fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup golden flax seed meal
1-2 tablespoons water as needed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
Not only have I been really into fresh mint lately (see: mint chocolate chip ice cream), but I’ve also been on a bit of a parsley kick. I’ve always loved tabbouleh, but I’ve recently been enjoying parsely in cole slaw and romaine salads. To me, it’s a wonderfully fresh and detoxifying ingredient. Plus, it’s rumored to get rid of the “bloat.” I tend to buy into this rumor based on personal experience: my high school prom. Two days before, and I couldn’t fit into my dress. It wouldn’t zip. My mom’s good friend (and go-to resource for girlie issues such as these) suggested I drink some parsley tea. A few hours later, I was in my dress with no problem. Now, on the days I’m feeling like I’ve overdone it on the salty foods, I try to eat some parsley.
One healthy ingredient that I haven’t always been a fan of is celery. Maybe it’s the stringiness, or the fact that I’m just not in love with the taste, but for whatever reason, I’ve never gotten into celery. Still, every time I hear about all of its surprising health benefits, I can’t help but thinking that I’ll find some way to enjoy it. This tabbouleh actually turned out to be one of those ways. I think that it’s chopped small enough to add a nice crunch without its signature stringiness. It also lends a nice bit of flavor here.
With red pepper and celery and no tomato or bulghur wheat, this is not your traditional Middle Eastern tabbouleh. But if you’re willing to look past the authenticity issues, I think you’ll enjoy this healthy, detoxifying, gluten-free version as much as I did. Also, unlike most salads, this is one that gets better the longer it’s in your refrigerator. So feel free to make it in advance.
Tabbouleh:
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 scallions, finely chopped (green ends topped off)
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix quinoa, parsley, mint, celery, bell pepper, and scallion.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil and sea salt.
3. Add dressing to salad and mix. Add salt to taste.
 Well, I’ve had my ice cream machine for a few months now and the novelty has yet to wear off. I’ve been making ice cream so much that I get antsy waiting for the bowl to re-freeze between batches. I’ve learned — and this info might be of use to others with a Cuisinart machine — that it takes over 24 hours for my bowl to freeze completely (even though the instructions say about 4-12 hours). That’s a whole day without making ice cream, which is quite the test to my patience (but probably for the best).
I know my posting has been a bit spotty lately. Trust me, I’ve been cooking, I just haven’t had much time to share my recipes. The transition from law school to the real world and wedding planning have taken on toll on my free time, which usually consists of posting here. But fear not, I have a lot of recipes in the arsenal that are waiting to be shared.
My blog posts also suffered a bit of a setback due to a broken computer. Not a broken computer as in low memory, slow performance, a damaged hard drive, or any of that. I mean, I literally opened it up one day and the screen just collapsed and parts started falling out. It had had enough, I guess. May I just add that it is not cheap to be technologically “with it” these days? A few months ago the screen on my phone shattered. A few hundred dollars later, I had a new phone and a new, more expensive plan. Same with the computer. I’m pretty sure they design these things to have a short shelf life. There must be some pre-programmed directions telling our electronic devices to break down after a certain period of time so that we have to go out and spend more money. Oh, well.
I’ve been on a mint kick lately. I just LOVE fresh mint. I’ve been putting it in my smoothies with frozen strawberries, Chocolate Greens Superfood Powder, soy or almond milk and a few drops of vanilla stevia. It’s so delicious — and a great energy boost! But the mint really makes it special. I’ve also been putting fresh mint into my salads. Stay tuned for a tabbouleh recipe with fresh mint this weekend or early next week. This mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe is made with agave, but the chocolate chips are actually made with the NuNaturals vanilla stevia in order to reduce some of the overall sugar. I’m usually try not to mix sweeteners in recipes (just one less ingredient to have to worry about), but here, I think the agave improves the texture and creaminess of the ice cream, and the stevia adds a nice hardness to the chocolate. I took a tip from Ricki Heller over at Diet, Dessert and Dogs and added some carob powder to the recipe to cut some of the bitterness of the stevia. You can always experiment with other sweeteners if you’d like.
Finally, I hope you all are enjoying the new site design. I tried to keep the general feel the same while making the interface a bit more user-friendly. I’m still working on some things (I am definitely not a coding aficionado, by any means) but I’m hoping you’re liking the look in the meantime.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream:
1 13.5-oz. can light coconut milk
2 teaspoons potato starch
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup fresh mint, minced, tightly packed
Chocolate Chips:
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened carob powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla stevia
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whish together coconut milk, agave and potato starch until starch is dissolved into mixture. Add in mint. Pour mixture into ice cream machine and turn on.
2. Meawhile, whisk together all ingredients for the chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside.
3. After ice cream has had about 10-15 minutes in the machine — or until the mixture has begun to freeze — slowly drizzle in the chocolate mixture. The coconut oil will harden the chocolate as it hits the cold ice cream, so it should break up into tiny little chips as it goes in. You may want to test with a small amount first just to make sure ice cream is cold enough.
4. After you’ve added the chocolate, continue to run machine until ice cream comes together to desired consistency. Serve.
|
 Featured Author  Email Me: beth.versical@gmail.com
A special thanks to Aubrey for designing my lovely header and cupcake logo. You're the best!
|
