Gwyneth's "My Ivy Chopped Salad"

I got my socks knocked off by a salad last night.  Sounds crazy I know, especially considering it contained beets, my least favorite food.  The recipe was out of Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, My Father's Daughter, which I checked out of the library (I like to test drive before I buy).  The salad is a knock off of the grilled vegetable salad from The Ivy in LA.  It's not something you can really throw together last minute but it's worth the extra effort.

2 large beets
3 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into slices
2 fresh ears of corn, shucked (I used frozen corn kernels)
1 bunch scallions
2 6-oz wild salmon fillets
2 heads butter lettuce, washed, spun and cut into thick strips
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves roughly torn
1/2 pint grape tomatoes quartered
1/3 cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
1/2 cup balsamic & lime vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1 lime quartered for serving

Steam or boil the beets until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Cool, peel and dice. Reserve.
Preheat grill or grill pan over medium low heat.  Rub the zucchini, corn, scallions, and salmon with just enough olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt.  Grill the veg and fish until everything is nicely browned and cooked through. Cut zucchini and scallions into medium dice and reserve.  Cut corn off of cob and reserve.  Break the salmon in to large pieces with your hands and reserve.
You MUST plate the salads separately to ensure everyone gets goodies! Arrange layer of butter lettuce, top with basil, tomatoes, beets, corn, zucchini, scallions, and cilantro.  Lay salmon along the side of the dish.  Drizzle the vinaigrette over the whole thing and serve with lime wedges alongside.  USE the lime it adds to the flavor!  Voila! Not super fast but pretty simple and tasty.  The dressing is also very good and I anticipate I'm going to use it as a shrimp marinade in the near future ; )

Balsamic & Lime Vinaigrette

Whisk together 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Hope you are well! XOXO

Turkey, Kale and Brown Rice Soup

I have been wanting to try this soup as another way to use the kale I grew in the garden.  I harvested the rest of the kale and got busy. I made this soup with some of the smoked turkey that I had smoked the day before instead of the ground turkey.  I also waited to add the rice last so it wouldn't get too soggy to give the kale time to cook.   It is more like a stew and I had to add extra stock.  Overall it was quite good.

I've included the link to the recipe on Food Network.  It is by Giada De Laurentiis.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/turkey-kale-and-brown-rice-soup-recipe/index.html#

photo from Food Network

GOOP's Kale Chips

Do you read GOOP??  Occasionally I will hop on Gwyneths site and get lost in the loveliness of it all.  Yesterday, looking for healthy inspiration, I was perusing GOOP and came across a recipe for kale chips.  I was immediately intrigued as I had previously had kale chips, at Josephs Table in Taos, which were mouthwatering!! The nice thing about this recipe is how unbelievably simple it is.  It does take a little foresight because it takes over an hour, but other than that it's ideal. It's nice too that this is a snack food as that tends to be my greatest weakness.  I'm having to use her photos as my computer all of a sudden thinks my sd card needs to be formatted and wants to delete everything so...

Slow-Bake Kale Chips

While you're there you might as well have a look around, there are quite a few very healthy, tasty looking recipes!

XOXO
-Amber

Bean Soup

Amber gave me the box of"Gourmet Bean Blend" to try. The problem is that the beans, peas, and lentils are cooked at different times. Here's what I did to get a soup that I will make again.

 2 cups of bean blend, soaked in cold water overnight
2 tsp salt

 1 T olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 box chicken stock

 about 1 tsp each:
oregano
thyme
garlic powder
red chili flake
 Cook the beans in just water until done. It took several hours to get everything soft and the lentils are over cooked. I added the salt after 2 hours.   Drain the beans when they are all cooked to your liking.

 Saute the celery, carrots, and onion in olive oil until soft but not brown. Add stock, seasonings and cooked bean mix. Simmer about 30 minutes.

 This is not a soup that you would "feed the queen" but it is a good basic soup for commoners. You can use vegetable stock to make this completely vegetarian.

Post Christmas Inspiration

It has been over a year since we have touched this blog. After visiting with family, and more specifically - Lisa, I am motivated to try again. This blog served to lead me down the path of discovering what healthy eating means. It's fun to look back now and see how far I have come. Lisa, I hope you and your friends will enjoy reading along as I rediscover the way I like to eat both to live and to love food.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

I'm kind of obsessed with adding pumpkin to my oatmeal right now. I've been adding about 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, along with a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice to my morning oatmeal during the last couple minutes of cooking time and it's a nice seasonal change to a morning routine. Not to mention that pumpkin is high in fiber and contains phytonutrients. As a side note, this is the first time I've gotten Coombs Family Farms Maple Syrup, which the bottle says was voted #1 by Gourmet magazine, and it deserves that title, it's DELISH!!

Hope you are well!! XOXO -Amber

Granola

I decided to actually write out the recipe for this. It will make it easier for everyone to find.



1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups thick rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 chopped pecans
1/2 sliced almonds
1 cup dried fruit, use what you like

Preheat overn to 225 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine the oil and syrup and heat, stirring, over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
In a large bow. toss together the oats, wheat germ, seeds, and nuts. Add the syrup mixture and stir to coat evenly. Spread the granola mixture out on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 90 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally while baking so it toasts evenly.

Transfer the warm toasted granola to a large bowl and stir in the dried fruits and let cool. Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 2 weeks. It can be frozen for up to 2 months.


It is very tasty on plain yogurt.

Cows

This is how cows are supposed to be raised - not fed corn, processed corn, drugs, animals by products....... Our cows live in a pasture. While they could not be certified organic I know that they eat grass, clover, and alfalfa. In other words, real cow food. I don't eat lots of beef but when I do I want to know what they have eaten because that's what I'll be eating too. You know how it goes- you eat what you eat eats. I tried to get grass fed sirloin at Whole Foods but they were out so you know what I did??? I just bought the grass fed hamburger. I'll eat steak when I know the cows have eaten cow food.

I took the picture because the cows seem so content in knee high clover.

Food Additives

I'm just checking email this morning and I find a link on yahoo to an article about the 10 scariest food additives. I was aware of some of them but caramel color was a surprise. I'm trying to seriously limit the amount of processed foods I eat and this was interesting to me. For some reason the link is acting up so here it is for you to copy and paste.

health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/top-10-scariest-food-additives

I want to be able to go back to it.

Smoothie Options

I was perusing the blogosphere like I normally do each morning when I came across this "Smoothie Guide" --> Simple Blueprint's Smoothie Guide. I don't normally make smoothies because my blender is a piece of crap and I just don't ever think to do it. I also think fruit smoothies are good but get boring pretty quick. I have seen several alternative smoothie type recipes lately that have caught my attention due to their addition of veggies like parsley, spinach and even avocado. After I saw this guide I was on Williams Sonoma's website blender shopping in no time : ) What do you think??

OMG

I am reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I'm guessing that this is the book that led to Food, Inc. I had heard about what happens to beef but it is different to read it for yourself. Ignorance is bliss, as the saying goes, but now I am not ignorant of the horrendous conditions by which beef and corn are put into our food supply. What a vicious cycle- poor farmers looking for help, government subsidies, turning corn into everything, cheap food and a health crisis.
I'm almost afraid to continue reading but I have to know so I can make educated decisions.

Tofu

Ok, I'm going to do it. What is the it? I'm going to make a tofu main dish. I've used silken tofu in smoothies but never in a main dish. I've eaten tofu in a restaurant and like it but can I cook it? I've found a recipe that looks good and easy. Stay tuned for the result.


Well.....I'm not too excited about the spicy crusted tofu. It was dredged in spices and pan fried in a little EVOO. A sauce with lemon juice and honey was not much help.

BUT... I will try again. I've already found the next recipe to be tried.

Dinner Everyone Likes

My mom recommended this recipe Wine & Tomato Braised Chicken which is from Eating Well magazine. The recipe is really simple and very delish! This however, is not the point of this post. The magazine had a section focused on dinners that you cook the first night and then re-fashion into something else the second night. This usually doesn't work for me because we never have enough leftovers for me to be able to pull of the second nights dinner. That said, the first night I served my fam and then alerted them that I needed the leftovers and if they were still hungry to eat an apple... and it worked. The point of this post then, is the second nights dinner, Braised Chicken Gumbo. It is Divine!! Even my husband loved it and it has brown rice which he normally turns his nose up at. It is very very easy, like 10 minutes easy but it is so flavorful and super healthy. If you're looking for something a little different that packs a punch, this is my recommendation.

This article made me so so happy =D

If you love a cold glass of milk as much as I do, The Truth About Milk should put a big smile on your face = )

Frank would like to urge you to eat your vegetables!

Meatless Options

If you are going to embrace a healthier diet you will most likely need to eliminate some of the meat from your diet. Red Lentil and Potato Soup is a fabulous meat-free option. The soup is full of flavor, it's thick and delicious! I made it with spinach instead of kale (after previously having promised my husband that I would never put kale in a soup again) and I omitted the file powder and cilantro for a lack of having them. I also used a tablespoon of olive oil instead of the suggested 2 tablespoons of butter. This has a little bit of bite but it's very good and I will definitely make it again!

Just Words

I am really happy with the success of this challenge. I've been thinking about what is different. During a Kid's Cook lesson we were tasting tomatoes. Before I took a bite I asked the class if they thought I eat tomatoes. They were right when they said yes. Then the Kid's Cook educator asked what I don't eat. The class was quick to tell her that I don't eat cupcakes, cookies, brownies, hot dogs....... I've been thinking about that. The words are just slightly different but they make a world of difference.
" I don't eat that." vs. "I can't have that." Interesting that one little difference means so much.

Eight Weeks of Challenge

Tuesday marked 8 weeks since Amber and I started this challenge. What a difference it has made! I am down one whole size and 16 pounds lighter. I know that the challenge is about eating delicious food and that's what makes it so sweet. I AM HEALTHIER but have not suffered or feel cheated out of something. I eat delicious food. I think one big difference is that I have not and will not say that I am on a diet. I just eat differently and I plan on doing that forever. Cooking is fun but sometimes even Betty Crocker needs a night off.
Tonight I stopped to pick up dinner. Two months ago a stop at Rudy's would have been brisket, ribs, creamed corn, potatoes and probably peach cobbler. Tonight it was pulled pork for Paul, smoked turkey breast and corn on the cob after the guy promised me it had not been dunked in butter.( He told the truth as my taste bud are a witness.) I've found another place, Jason's Deli, that boasts of organic foods on their menu. Ok then, you've got me as a customer. So on nights when I need to stay in town or I'm just really tired I've got options. NICE! Let's see what wonders the next 8 weeks brings.

Busy

Ok, so school has started and my schedule has been crazy. In other words, normal for this time of year. My well laid plans for great cooking were developed and shopped for last Saturday. Saturday night and Sunday both went well with good food and then came Monday. The details of why the great cooking for the week didn't happen are not what this blog is about so lets get to the food part.
1. The emergency stash of vegetable curry came in handy. It was a great lunch one day.
2. Ryan left me a nice bag of grilled chicken with brown rice with a hint of sauce he made. He's catching on.
3. You CAN order a salad on the side of Mexican food and keep it in the healthy range. You have to ask but they'll do it.
4. Even when you're just making food for dinner (aka - throwing something together) you can use the ingredients that you know are better such as whole wheat pasta.
5. The smell of freshly made cupcakes can be resisted, really.

I will admit that if I wasn't 5 weeks into the challenge I might have caved a little (or a lot) but I'm just not willing to put junk into my mouth very often any more. I sure do hope that this challenge mentality lasts a lifetime because I know the lifetime will be more enjoyable.

Just One Day

We went out of town this last weekend. We had a great time but healthy food was not on option. I know..... it should always be an option but not this time. Sometimes love of family is more important. But I learned something. Gosh, it seems like I've been saying that a lot lately. Anyway, I realized that one day of "bad" food does not mean you fall off the wagon of healthy, tasty food anymore that eating a healthy meal one time makes you a healthy eater.
When we got home I went shopping for my organic veggies, grains and natural meats. I planned for a week of healthy choices and cooked some yummy vegetables and lean meat. It felt great. Tabbouleh for lunch today and salmon for dinner. Divine.