Monthly Archives: April 2012

Pineapple Pad Thai w/Crispy Tofu

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in pasta, vegan

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Food:

Pineapple Pad Thai– Serves 2 (with leftover sauce)

Sauce:

1/2 cup almond butter (I used my DIY Almond/Walnut Butter)

2 T. water

2 T. liquid aminos (soy sauce of your choosing)

2 limes, zest and juice

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. Thai red curry paste

2 tsp. coconut oil

1/2 c. fresh pineapple juice

1. All of the ingredients go into a small saucepan, heat over medium low heat and whisk to combine. Heat through till there are no lumps. Serve.

The dish:

1 package brown rice noodles, cooked

1 c. peas, steamed

Green onions/scallions, chopped

Limes, to garnish

Cilantro, chopped

Crispy Tofu

1. After you have cooked the noodles put them in a bowl big enough to mix in. Pour some of the sauce over the noodles and toss well to combine. Divide between 2 bowls and garnish with the peas, crispy tofu, scallions, cilantro and a lime wedge.

Crispy Tofu (adapted from a secret recipe book)

5 T. liquid aminos

3/4 c. water

2 garlic cloves

1 lime, juiced

3 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 fresh pineapple juice

1 package firm tofu (look for no GMO’s)

1 T. fresh ginger

1. All of the ingredients EXCEPT the tofu go into the food processor or blender. Blend until there are no chunks of garlic or ginger.

2. Cube the tofu, pour the sauce over the cubed tofu and marinate over night.

3. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Keep and eye on the tofu and turn a few times while cooking. You be the judge of how crispy you want your tofu. Eat as a snack or add to Pineapple Pad Thai, great in salad and stir-frys.

Nutrition:

Sometimes (healthy) comfort is the only nutrition we need!

Love:

My sweetie loves Pad Thai w/Tofu! Sometimes after a long day I’ll call and say ‘wanna get Thai tonight?’ Billy is quick to oblige. This means noodle soup w/veggies for me, which is like a grown up version of Top Ramen, but on a whole other level with its spicy broth and chunks of garlic lingering in the bottom of the bowl. For Billy this means Pad Thai w/Tofu and a side of peanut sauce, he LOVES his peanut sauce! As we are both enjoying our slurpy noodles and pretending we are on some kind of exotic vacation (not!) it hits me that I SHOULD MAKE MY OWN PEANUT SAUCE for my sweetie- BRILLENT idea Brooke! To the kitchen I go. It took me a few attempts, all of which Mr. William didn’t mind testing, but this Pineapple Pad Thai was my favorite and I feel is ‘blog worthy’.  It’s a goodie. Enjoy!

DIY-Almond/Walnut Butter… Happy B-Day Kimmy!

14 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in dips, DIY, vegan

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, ,

Food:

Almond Butter- DIY

1 c. raw almonds

1 c. raw walnuts

(I decided to do a combo butta’, but you can just use almonds, or just walnuts or any combination you like.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds/walnuts across the baking sheet. Place the nuts in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. (Until the center of the almond is golden)

2. Take the nuts out of the oven and cool completely. When the nuts are cool transfer them to the food processor. Turn it on, let it grind the nuts for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the side and process again until the nuts turn to butta’. (Be patient this takes a minute, you may need to scrape down the sides a few times.) Transfer to a clean jar with a lid and store in the pantry or the refrigerator.

Nutrition:

DIY- DO IT YOURSELF- what a concept! I love when I can take something that usually goes on my shopping list, off. I know exactly what is going in to a recipe and I know exactly how it was prepared. Nut butters are expensive and some of them have sugar, salt or added oils, all of which we can all do without. Homemade almond/walnut butter is a new staple in my house!

Love:

This recipe is dedicated to my TBC (Tall Bitches Club) girl Kimmy. My girl Kim, her husband Don and their baby daughter (not really a baby anymore) Martine are fulfilling their dream of living in France, and even though I miss her (them) like crazy I love and support their journey. Here are a few reason I am dedicating this post to Kim…

1. She is a great friend, she showed me what it means to be a friend. She let me join the TBC and introduced to me our other lovely TBC’S Alisa and Sadie.

2. She would always pick me up a jar of Almond Butter @Costco- no more of that!

3. She is one of Cosmo Hippie Chef’s biggest fans. When I started this blog I wanted to inspire those around me to get in the kitchen and cook, well that is exactly what my girl Kimmy did. I am so proud of her. (I can’t wait to see her in a few months and give her some new recipes to take back to France to share with her new friends, see that’s the thing about Kim- she makes friends where ever she goes.)

Soaking Matters

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in beans

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Every week in you’ll find glass bowls scattered around my kitchen full of beans, nuts, grain, etc, soaking in water. Why you ask?

In a ‘nut shell’ what we are essentially doing is mimicking nature. Nature acts to protect these little morsels of goodness until proper conditions are present, when it rains these beans, nuts, seeds and grains get wet, their skins soften and the sprouting process begins, they germinate and produce plants. Thus creating a living food.

Soaking beans promotes the elimination of phytic acid which gets in the way of mineral absorption. Not only does soaking beans promote faster cooking time, it also helps improve digestibility because the gas-causing enzymes are released into the water. I like to soak my beans for a minimum of 8 hours to a maximum of 48 hours (if soaking longer change the water daily). Beans are a great source of vegetable protein and after soaking and cooking an easily digestible plant food.

Grains are strengthening, grounding and rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein, little power houses if you ask me, but they two contain phytic acid. Phytic acid interferes with the absorption of zinc, calcium, iron and other essential minerals. Lucky for us phytic acid is water-soluble. So be sure and soak your grains for a minimum of 1 hour and probably no longer than 12 hours.

Remember Sleeping Beauty and the Prince? And how Sleeping Beauty needs to be kissed by the Prince to come alive again? That what happens when we soak nuts and seeds, they become alive. Did you also know that you can grow you own sprouts from broccoli seeds or alfalfa seeds? Sprouts are extremely nutritious, alkalizing and a fun science project in your very own kitchen, turning these dormit edibles into sprouts are easy. Check out this website on how to grow your own sprouts…Enjoy!  http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/04/how-to-grow-bean-sprouts-in-a-jar.html

Smoked Salmon Dill Egg Cups- Happy Easter

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in breakfast, Fish

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Food:

Smoked Salmon Dill Egg Cups Makes 12

8 oz wild smoked salmon, chop into smaller pieces

2/3 c. low-fat organic cottage cheese

4 eggs (mine came from my buddy Dean’s chickens)

1/4 c. water

1/4 yellow onion, grated

1 c. raw broccoli, chopped (sub with asparagus)

1/4 c. each dill, parsley

zest of one lemon

3/4 c. almond meal

3/4 c. Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

freshly grated pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, line a 12 serving cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl combine cottage cheese and grated onion, add some freshly grated pepper and mix together. Next add the salmon, broccoli, dill, parsley, lemon zest and mix until well combined.

3. In a separate bowl whisk the 4 eggs and the 1/4 c. water. Lightly season with salt and pepper, add this to the salmon mixture. Mix to combine. Lastly add the almond meal and mix one more time.

4. Using a 1/4 c. measuring cup fill the each of the cupcake/muffin liners with the salmon mixture. Top each one with 1 tsp. of either Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. Place in the oven and bake for about 28 min, or until set and golden brown on top. I like mine cold, so let them cool completely and place in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve alone or along side a big green salad.

Nutrition:

Wild Salmon- Omega 3 fatty acids, High Quality Protein, Essential Amino Acids, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B, Vitamin E, Appreciable amounts of calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus (Courtesy of Wild for Salmon)

Eggs: In my opinion eggs sometimes get a bad rap. They are an excellent source of low-cost high quality protein. They are a great source of vitamin K and very good source of selenium and vitamin D. Some eggs contain omega-3 fatty acids depending on what they eat. Commercially produced eggs contain virtually no omega-3’s. Local eggs are your best bet. (The eggs pictured above came from my buddy Dean’s chickens. These chickens live in a healthy happy environment, they are so fresh that there is a feather in the egg carton!)

Love:

I have made these little egg cups a number of times, usually for a snack mid morning or late afternoon. But when I was thinking about this up coming Easter weekend I thought they would be great for brunch, maybe with a big green salad and fresh fruit. You can bake them of the night before, place them in the fridge and they will be ready to go the next morning- genius! I love recipe that make Sunday morning a breeze and this one will definitely do that. Also, its Spring so sub out the broccoli for asparagus. Good luck and I hope you all have a beautiful Easter weekend, for other Easter ideas check out my post below for last years menu.

Crepes- Happy Easter

Twice Baked Potatoes- Easter Dinner