Power (brownie) Bars

I'll admit, I've been sneaking brownies at work. Chocolate chip cookies too. I don't know why this sweet tooth is hanging around so long, but I had to do something about it. So I jazzed up my protein bar recipe with CHOCOLATE! With the right ingredients, I even made them VEGAN. Now, I can feed my chocolate craving, guilt free, and get my protein too!

If you saw my last entry, I'm focusing on protein this week. Follow this recipe, and each bar packs about 6g of soy-free protein! Their great in the morning to accompany a smoothie, easy to grab on the go, and make for a great little snack between meals, or before or after your workout.

 Power (brownie) Bars

Ingredients: 

• 6 oz dried pitted dates, chopped
• 6  oz dried black figs, chopped
• 1 cup raw almonds, chopped
• 1/3 cup hemp seeds
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• zest of two oranges
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6-8 ounces of chocolate protein powder (I recommend Vega One)
• 1 1/2 cup espresso - brewed and chilled 
• 1/2 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life, so yummy)

Optional Ingredients: 

There's a lot of room in this recipe to be creative, add 1/3 cup of walnuts, or some shredded coconut if you like. I encourage you to add your personal touch so these become something you crave.

Equipment:

• 8x11 brownie pan
• A food processor is highly recommended. The first time I ever made 'power bars,' I chopped all my dates and figs by hand. It was ridiculously laborious, and very sticky. To make these today, I borrowed my sister's.

Step 1.
   Brew 2 cups of strong espresso, and set aside to cool.

Step 2.
   In a food processor, combine figs and dates. Depending on how good your machine is, you may want to do a little pre-chopping. I just threw the whole fruits right in there, but add only a few at a time as you pulse the blade, so as not to overheat the machine.

Step 3.
   Add the next 5 ingredients, and anything else you want, like toasted coconut flakes, dried cherries, or even puffed rice cereal. Pulse the machine until this resembles a dry dough. It may seam a little flakey, or stickey, but don't worry, we're going to add moisture.

 

Step 4.

   In a mixing bowl, slowly add 1-2 cups of the cooled espresso to your chocolate protein powder, and whisk until no lumps remain. This should resemble brownie batter, which is what gave me the thought that these remind me of brownies. 

Step 5. 

   In a large mixing bowl, combine your 'dough,' with your chocolatey sauce, and chocolate chips until everything is evenly distributed. It's good to use a strong wooden spoon for this part (or even your hands).

Step 6. 

   Line a brownie pan with plastic wrap, and cut a small sheet of parchment paper to fit inside the bottom of the pan. This will help when it comes to cutting and serving the bars. Spread your mixture into the pan, it should be about 3/4 to 1 inch high. You can smooth another piece of plastic wrap over the top and press down firmly with a smaller, or similar sized pan to really flatten the bars into the pan. Cover, and cool for a few hours, or overnight is best.

 

Step 7. 

   Wrap em up. This batch yielded 21 bars, about 1.5x3 inches, and I wrapped them individually in plastic.

 

Store them in the fridge, and grab one out for breakfast, before yoga, or when you just need a boost of energy. 

 

These are sure to please your tummy and your friends. Make them now, because figs are popping up at local farmer's markets, which means they're in season!

 

Please enjoy! 

Special thanks to Suzanne, who helped with these too. She's due to give birth in less than four weeks, and when she ate these, her baby girl started kicking. We think she liked them. 

Demystifying Meatlessness

Don't eat these.

When I became a vegetarian, naturally I became more concerned about protein. And now, when someone finds out I don't eat meat, the first question I'm usually asked is, "Where do you get your protein?" And I think people are expect to hear that I eat a lot of tofu, and soy chicken nuggets, and tempeh. But in fact, I don't eat any of that. And the reason for this is...

Because they all contain soy.

 

Soy isolate, to be exact, or some other form of deconstructed soy. I guarantee you that if you've bought a 'high-protein' cereal or shake from a grocery store, you can expect to see this kind of soy amongst the first ingredients listed. I'd be willing to bet that soy is listed on the back of your favorite snack food (not to mention MSG), even if it's not labeled on the front.

Soy is America's favorite protein, next to meat. Over 72 million acres of America's farmland are dedicated to the soybean, the same amount that's also given to corn. In addition, most of those farmers are harvesting Genetically Modified crops, which have been linked to CANCER!  Most real health-nuts will tell you to avoid soy completely. If you just can't break the habit, at least buy organic, or whole soy product, like soybeans, whenever possible.

Today, an alarming 60% of the food on America's supermarket shelves contains soy derivatives (i.e. soy flour, textured vegetable protein, partially hydrogenated soy bean oil, soy protein isolate).

Back to my story about becoming a vegetarian. I was worried about getting enough protein, especially since I'm pretty active. So I did what you would think, I ate tofu. And I ate a lot of tofu. I cooked whole bags of frozen edamame and ate them for dinner. I bought veggie burgers, and protein shakes,  high-protein cereal, soy milk, and high-proetin energy bars. The Thai restaurant on the corner knew me by name.

But my body was not havin' it. I was trying to lose weight, but no matter how much I exercised, I couldn't seem to shed any of it. I was bloated ALL the time, I mean 24/7. And I had started to see a dermatologist for a subtle type of acne that was occurring around my chin and cheeks. Finally, I went to a 'natural' healer, a  doctor trained in eastern medicine. She asked me a few routine questions about my sleeping and eating habits, and when I told her I was a vegetarian, I expected kudos. But she quickly gave me my first big lesson on soy. I learned that soy isoflavones interact with your estrogen receptors, and this was sending my hormones into a tizzy. Immediately, I cut soy out of my diet. I went out and bought all the foods and supplements she suggested, and within a months or two, all my symptoms and concerns were gone.

I urge you, my friends, whether you're reducing the meat in your diet, becoming vegetarian, or you simply enjoy protein shakes, please be aware of soy, and try to avoid it. READ YOUR LABELS.

Now this whole discussion may have dispirited you from your vegetarian ambitions. And to be honest, knowing what I know now, it IS harder to find a good quick meal somewhere that's high in protein and soy-free. I'm blessed that I live in LA, where good healthy food is easier to come by, and that I love to cook. Try not to be discouraged. One of the objectives of my blog is to show you that you can get everything you need out of good, whole produce, grains, and herbal supplements; and that eating vegetarian can be delicious.

Some high-protein foods that I enjoy: 

• eggs
• goat cheese
• organic greek yogurt
• raw almonds
• homemade almond milk
• quinoa
• brown rice
• lentils
• garbanzo beans/ chickpeas
• kale
• spinach

AND NOW FOR A RECIPE!

This recipe is high in protein, easy to make, and a great thing to cook on the weekend so that you're stocked for the whole week. It's one of my favorites, as adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day.

Little Quinoa Cakes

 Ingredients: 

• 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled to room temperature
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup chopped chives
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesean
• 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, finely chopped or put through a food processor
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated on a microplane
• 1 cup bread crumbs (whole grain or panko)
• olive oil for cooking surfaces
• water, if needed

Preset oven to 400 degrees.

Step 1.
 Cook your quinoa using box instructions. Usually, 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water (I add a splash of olive oil & a dash of salt). You can also substitute broth for the water for added flavor. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover until the water has all been absorbed. For faster cooling, spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

 Step 2.
  Beat eggs.  Combine with quinoa, garbanzo beans, and salt until well mixed. Stir in chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes to absorb some of the moisture.

Suzanne came over just in time to get her hands dirty

Step 3.
   You should be able to form patties from this. If the mixture is dry, add water a 1/2 tbsp at a time. If the mixture is moist, add more bread crumbs or garbanzo beans. I like to err on the side of moist, because these can get dry in the baking process. Place cakes parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 4.
 Bake for 20 minutes, and flip, then bake for 5 minutes on the reverse side.  They should have risen slightly and be golden brown.

Mini Quinoa Cakes

It was Suzanne's idea to put the left over quinoa mix into a muffin pan. We sprinkled more Parmesan on the top and cooked them for 25 minutes on the bottom rack while the patties cooked on the top rack. I have to say, it was a genius idea. I'll be making quinoa muffins again. Also, a great grab-n-go food for the morning. Since these have plenty of eggs, their perfect for the AM.

Serving.
I ate mine with ketchup, but we both decided these are best served on a bed of arugula that's been slightly tossed in olive oil. Try the little cakes on a piece of toasted wheat bread with some lettuce and tomato, and maybe melt some cheese on top like an open-faced quinoa burger.  There also great just next to some steamed seasonal vegetables. These guys are so versatile, i'm sure you'll find your favorite way to eat 'em.

The Doctor, by the way, that got me off of soy, her practice is in La Jolla: http://www.lajollalymphatic.com/ 

enjoy!
 

Other popular questions for vegetarians*: 

• Do you eat fish? 
• So, is that like a moral choice for you, or is it just about the environment?
• Do you eat eggs?  Cheese? 
• Do you eat a lot of tofu?
• Do you ever miss eating meat?

*I do not recommend asking a vegetarian any of these questions.

Please, if you have questions about the information in this entry, leave me a comment and I'll be sure to respond. 

"Jitterbug Perfume"

“Breathe properly. Stay curious. And eat your beets.”- Jitterbug Perfume 

I'm obsessed with this book right now. So obsessed, in fact, that I intentionally only read one chapter at a time, so as to put off ever finishing it. Concurrently, I have fallen in love with beets. Before, throughout, and after reading this book, I love beets.

In the book, a once king seeks to live forever and ignore death. The king soon befriends the goat-like deity, Pan. And as Pan faces near extinction, and is being hunted by angry religious radicals, who think him to be Satan, the king designs a perfume to hide the goat's unmistakable stench, thereby covering his tracks. The perfume includes a base note made from beets.

Part of the king's ritual for longevity are a few basic principles, including: "controlled breath work, simple eating, sex, and bathing in extremely hot water."* Sounds like he'd make a good hot-yogi. 

And while I recognize this book to be a work of fiction, I believe their is some truth to the fact that controlled breath work can ward off stress, disease, and and even aging (to some extent). The ancient yogis certainly believed it.

Beets have some pretty amazing qualities as well. Some call them 'Nature's Multi-vitamin." In addition to protein, magnesium, and potassium, beets are full of vitamins, and minerals your body needs, but most especially, folic acid. It's no wonder Tom Robbins made it the favorite vegetable of his protagonist. Folic acid aids in cell renewal, which if you've watched any ad for skin cream in the last ten years, helps fight the look of aging. Some articles I found said that folic acid can prevent or slow the greying process of your hair, and even slow the aging of the brain, thereby preventing side effects such as dementia.  And although cooking any vegetable reduces their antioxidant power, and nutrient value, I prefer to eat my beets after they've been roasted (Although, I recently did a juice cleanse that involved a lot of beet juice, but that's for another blog).

In this entry, I share a recipe inspired by one of my new favorite tales, and give some tips on using your breath to increase the quality of your life. 

My mom gave me a beet plant...

So I harvested them.... 

...And washed them...

 ...And roasted them with garlic, and then I peeled them. For instructions on this, see my recipe for beet soup. I used goat cheese, for Pan; and mint, because it smells nice, and this dish needed an herb; mixed it all with brussel sprouts, because it's a delicious combination unearthed by my fellow yogi, Kate Korman (her blog here). Eh voila!

Jitterbug Brussels & Beets

Ingredients :

• Equal weight beet root, and brussel sprouts (I used about a dozen brussel sprouts to match my mom's beets)  
• 1-2 ounced of plain organic goat cheese
• 1-2 sprigs of mint, chiffonade 
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

First, wash and trim your beets, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and add a few halved cloves of garlic, wrap in foil, and bake at about 400 degrees until the skin of the beets is easily removed with the swipe of a finger (about 25 minutes). Set beets aside. 


Wash and quarter the brussel sprouts. In a small roasting pan, coat brussels lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the green color has brightened. 

Slice the beets to resemble the size of your quartered brussel sprouts and sprinkle goat cheese on the mixture. Toss lightly and roast for 20 more minutes, or until some of the brussel sprouts have begun to brown and crisp. 

Right away, sprinkle the mint, toss, and serve. 

My mom's beets tasted sweeter than cherry tomatoes, this is a delicious easy recipe for impressing at a potluck. Easily eaten cold or hot the next day.  

Pranayama - प्राणायाम 

Prana, in Sanskrit, is life force. To the yogi, this is your breath. 

Pranayama, is the extension of life force, otherwise known as breathing. But the way we usually think about breathing in and out, is different than the yogi practice of breath control. We use our breath to control our body temperature, our heart rate, blood pressure, vitality, and especially our deepness of concentration or meditation. Prana is the ever-flowing force of life, it does not just move in and out. It flows throughout and around our bodies to where there is pain, where there is restraint, and where there is static or cold energy. Prana ignites movement in the bones and muscles, and soothes the wandering or troubled mind. 

If you've taken a yoga class recently, you may be familiar with, "Ujjayi breathing," or "breath of fire," or even "standing deep breathing," as is done in Bikram classes. But let's forget all this for a while, and just imagine, you're lying in bed at night and you can't sleep. Instead of counting sheep, try counting your breath. Maybe you're counting 3 seconds on each inhale and and 3 seconds on each exhale. Now try making your exhale ONE second longer than your inhale, and repeat. As long as your exhale is longer than your inhale, your heart rate will slow, creating a calming feeling, which should help you get to sleep. Enhance this practice by only breathing through your nose. 

Simply taking notice of your breath can help reduce stress and anxiety at anytime in your day. Try even-counted inhales and exhales for 1-2 minutes the next time you get frustrated at work, or sitting in traffic.  See how you feel after taking control of your breath. You should feel like you've gained more control over your emotions as well.

Prana is amazing. Play with it. 


That's all for today.

Namaste 

"We relate to air through the breath. Most of us don't breathe properly, which is to say, we take in too little or too much and fail to consume it efficiently. Alobar and Kudra develped a method o' breathin' whereby the inhale and exhale were connected in uninterrupted rhythm, a continuous, circular, flywheel pattern like a serpent swallowin' its own tail. Their breathin' was deep and smooth and regular. When they brought air into their bodies, they visualized suckin' in as much energy and vitality as possible; when they expelled air, they visualized blowin' out all the staleness and flatness inside o' them." Pg 257