fifty-nine

59

Fifty-nine is the age my parents turned last week. And as a reminder that the're only that much closer to the big six-oh, they came to me seeking healthful guidance. Of course I told them to exercise; take small walks around the neighborhood, and stretch while watching TV. I even bought my mom a cute little set of bright pink 3lb hand weights. But their diet needed an overhaul and that was clear. Here are some pictures I took of their fridge and cabinets. 

If you want to drop some lbs after 50, the refined sugar in sodas, juices, and sugary cereals, are not going to help. Neither are sweet "weight loss" drinks or pre-packaged smoothies. I formulated some small changes for my parents to start transitioning away from these processed foods, and try to intake more whole, natural, and even raw foods as a part of their daily diet. 

A complete overhaul of their fridge was done. I moved everything I didn't want readily available to them, out to the fridge they have in their garage. This way, if they want to cheat, they have to hunt down that bad food first. Then I replaced the majority of their everyday foods with healthier options. Here's a look at my purchase from Whole Foods. 

I focused on less processed, dairy-free, & gluten free items like: dressings, bread, butter, fresh almond butter, beer, and hummus. And of course RAW VEGETABLES. But I know my parents also like convenience, so I even got some frozen pizzas, mac and cheese, and a few vegan desserts I like. But I didn't want to leave them with a bunch of pieces to assemble and no instruction booklet, like an IKEA nightmare. So I drafted a plan, discussed taking small steps towards a healthier diet, and said I'd be checking in regularly (5 days in and they're not annoyed yet). I also made them a set of my vegan burgers, a huge batch of coconut lemongrass soup, and THIS recipe for Curried Quinoa & Vegetables.

This dish reminds me so much of my favorite Thai fried rice. I'm thinking about adding raisins and pineapple to my next batch. Kimberly puts cayenne pepper in her recipe. It's great to make a big batch and eat throughout the week.

Curried Quinoa & Vegetables

(Modified from The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tbs. coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
• High quality sea salt (adjust to personal taste)
• 1 Tbs. curry
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup coconut milk 
• ¾ cup dry quinoa

Optional Prep: soak the quinoa in water for a few hours, or overnight.

Instructions:

Step One. In a saucepan place 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the quinoa to the hot water, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the grains become translucent soft (about 10-15 minutes). Pour through a fine strainer and set to the side in a bowl.

Step Two.Heat the coconut oil in a skillet pan. Add the diced onions, and lightly sauté for a few minutes, adding the Celtic sea salt, curry, turmeric, and black pepper. I also like to add some minced garlic here. 

Step Three.Add the other vegetables and lightly sauté for 5-6 minutes, until they become softened (but not overcooked).Add the cooked quinoa, and the coconut milk and stir everything together. Adjust flavoring as needed.

All Seasons Tarte

   It pains me to say that I haven't been cooking much lately. Since the holidays really. I guess I should have made a resolution to keep up my blog, but I was doing so well, I did not foresee what shortfalls were ahead of me. So, I apologize. And with the spring upon us, guaranteed, I'll be cooking up some fresh seasonal goodies to fill your kitchen for the months to come.
  
Next week for example, I'm taking on my second catering task. My sister and I will be providing food for 100 guests at my mom's first annual garden party. We'll be serving up tiny sandwiches, caprese kabobs, and yummy finger desserts. So I can at least promise a few recipes in advance that will be great for your upcoming summer get-togethers.

    But first, a long awaited tarte recipe. This is not the same as a quiche (you can see my first quiche and crust recipe here), it's a tarte, because it contains more veggies than egg mixture, a quiche is slightly more eggy, but to me, they are really the same thing. I made this tarte for Christmas dinner, but I thought it was still appropriate for Easter, so here it is, 'The All-Seasons Tarte'.


notes on the recipe:
  Of course, I made my own crust, but it's alright to buy a pie or pastry crust form the store. Prepping and cooking could take close to two hours, and this on definitely calls for a grocery list, but it is SO worth it. This tarte is all the reward you will need in the end. 
   

The All-Seasons Tarte

(Published in 'Plenty' by Yotam Ottolenghi as the 'Very Full Tart')

Ingredients: 

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 5 tablesoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium eggplants (aubergine), cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 medium sweet potato (kumara) , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 medium zucchini (courgette), cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 medium onions, cut in half and then cut in thin wedges
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 purchased or homeade pie or shortcrust pastry
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs, picked
• 4 ounces Ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces Feta cheese
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup half and half
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

step one. 
    Preheat oven to 450?F (230?C). Cover a large baking sheet with foil.

step two. 
    Cut peppers in half and discard seeds and stem. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and place on one side of the prepared sheet pan.

step three. 
    On the opposite side of the baking sheet, combine the eggplant with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 12 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes to the eggplant and stir to combine. Roast for another 12 minutes, then add zucchini, return to oven and roast 12 more minutes. After a total roasting time of 36 minutes the peppers should be charred in places and the other veggies golden and quite fragrant. Remove from oven and immediately cover the peppers with foil. Once the peppers are cool, the skin will easily slip off. Remove the skins and cut into 1″ pieces.

step four.
    While the veggies are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions with the bay leaves and a half teaspoon of salt for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, soft and sweet. Discard the bay leaves and set aside.

step five.
    Reduce oven temperature to 375?F (160?C). Line a 11-inch shallow tart pan (or a 9-inch deep tart pan) with pastry crust. Blind-bake the crust by lining it with parchment paper, then fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, lift out the paper and beans (or rice), and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

step six. 
     Spread the onions over the bottom of baked tart crust, then top with roasted vegtables. Scatter with half the thyme and dot with small chunks of both cheeses, then the tomato halves, cut-side up. Whisk the eggs and cream with a half teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, and pour into the tart; the tomatoes and cheese should remain exposed. Scatter the remaining thyme on top. Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the filling sets and turns golden. Rest for at least 10 minutes, then remove the tart from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

enjoy!

 

Summer Mango Salsa

Spotting whales from the Shake Shack at Crystal Cove

Family Vacation

The perfect time for making big portions of food, something I don't often get to do when cooking for myself in my little apartment. I got to make three great recipes for my family this week as we vacationed in Newport Coast, CA. The first, is a sweet mango salsa, the perfect compliment to the poolside beverage of your choice. My brother-in-law, who picked out this delicious beer for us, was practically begging me to make a second batch. This salsa is a healthy and colorful expression of summer, and a great way to change up a snack food favorite.

Honey Mango Salsa

Ingredients*:

• 3 mangos
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 jalepeno pepper
• 2 serano chiles
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• salt & pepper to taste

*note: These measurements are guidelines. Everybody likes their salsa a little different. I like a little a lot of cilantro, and not as much heat. But if you like things spicy, feel free to throw in an extra pepper or chile. 

 

 

step. 1

peel and dice your mango. If you've never chopped a fresh mango before, it can be a little tricky because the center, or pit, is unusually shaped. I like to peel it first, and then cut lengthwise as close to the pit as I can, on both sides; splitting the mango into three pieces. 

 

 

   Then I make diagonal cuts toward the pit so I can figure out where it is, and then I slice chunks of the mango away from the pit. It can be a weird experience the first time, I'll be honest, so I suggest you buy an extra mango for practice. Once you get it, it's really easier to do than to explain. But you'll be thankful for your sous chef next time you see mango in your fruit salad. 

 

 Three fully diced mangoes should look like this:

step 2.

    Get the corn off it's cobb. I grilled my corn first so it had a little char on it, but this is optional. If you don't have a grill, you can rub a little oil on the cob and stick it under your broiler, rotating every 5 minutes or so. The honey and lime juice will deglaze the char later and you won't see any black corn in your salsa, but the smokey flavor will hang around for a subtle difference. 

 

step 3. 

  Chop your peppers. For your bell peppers and your chiles, you want to get out the veins and seeds. Just slice your pepper in half and scrape along the inside with a teaspoon until all the white parts and seeds are gone. Then chop finely. Go ahead and chop up that onion too. 

step 4. 

    In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and lime juice with a pinch of salt. Pour this over your fruit and veggie mixture and toss lightly. 

step 5.

    Chop your cilantro and gently fold into your salsa. Give it a taste, and add salt, pepper, or more spicy chiles as desired. 

 

Suggested serving: Sweet potato tortilla chips, or on top of a three cheese quesadilla.

A note on mangoes:  

If you're taking an iron supplement, which most vegetarians do in one way or another, the vitamin C in Mangoes will help your body absorb the iron into your blood. One raw mango carries almost 75% of your daily recommended value of Vitamin C.