Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 8!

So finally got to the 8th week of this post. A bit after 8 weeks, but it is titled the "Forever Week" so whenever works? The goal here was to have the changes instituted during the course become permanent, which for me they did not. Kinda: I find myself eating less meat and more nuts than I used to. And a lot of veggies: one week's worth of prepped veggies for just myself, though some went into the soon to be opened sauerkraut.

Two recipes of the week, one from the site, one from my heart. Other challenge of Forever Week was "share with someone in your life and reflect on the positive power of real food" so I made the dishes for the Summer Solstice cookout for the community garden, which now has chickens! Challenged myself to cook with veggies we are growing!
http://www.oneingredientchef.com/chard-wraps/
His recipe is probably better but I used more local produce: carrots and radishes instead of peppers and avocados.



Then my recipe:
Wasabi Peas and Ginger candied-sunflower seeds

1 cup wasabi peas (from the store, cheating, I know)

Mixed w/

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp sriracha

1 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp ginger powder

Start a skillet on medium heat, adding just a smidge of oil (I recommend coconut oil spray). Once it warms, throw on just the sunflower seeds. Stir constantly to make sure they cook evenly. They will be ready when they start to smoke a bit and are turning golden brown, probably will take 5 minutes. Once they are the desired degree of toasted: throw on rest of ingredients: sugar, sriracha, soy sauce, and ginger, mixing quickly. Continue to cook in skillet as the liquid is cooked off. Once the seeds start clumping together, transfer to dehydrator at 125 degrees or onto a cookie sheet at lowest oven temperature, watching carefully as they crystalize together. Will take about 2 hour by dehydrator or 30 minutes by oven.

The amount of ginger, soy, sugar, and sriracha was low and mild, definitely could have made a stronger dish. But thought the mildness balanced well against the kick of the wasabi!

P.S. Christiani: thanks for visiting and the pic I snagged!
P.P.S. If anyone wants access to the course, let me know!

Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 7!

Sorry for silence, got distracted by Step 2CK. But that is behind me now. So now it is time for dessert week.
My favorite one ingredient dessert is date-nut balls. Didn't actually make them recently but the recipe is simple:
1 cup nuts
1 cup dates
Pinch salt, some spices of your choice
Food process together. Wet hands and roll 'dough' into balls. Place if fridge until hungry.
Quick, simple easy. I often vary this up depend on my mood: almonds, almond extract, then take out some dates and put in 1/4 cup cranberries. Or use hazelnuts and cocoa nibs as the nut for a Nutella-like dish.
Or you can use the same recipe as a pie crust! I like using springform pans for easy cleaning, but a normal pie tin works well too.

From there, you can get bold.
http://www.oneingredientchef.com/banana-pie/
Ingredients I used:

• 1 cup nuts (pecans), 1 cup date, blended together
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 frozen bananas blended together w/ pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 frozen bananas blended together

Important lessons on this recipe: remember to keep it in the freezer, in the fridge it gets a bit.... runny.

And a next up a few recipe from a cookbook, using blended cashews to make 'cheesecake': coffee chocolate and ginger lime berry! I took photos of the recipes here but dropped the pics from the book so my pies didn't look bad in comparison.
But I was happy how my pies of Black and White (almost) for Game of Thrones finale turned out. The characters I liked getting killed off, not so much.


And since we are on the topic of desserts, shout out to Hummingbird Macaron that opened a few months ago but due to the roof collapsing, they have moved over to Granby for a few weeks along with Cure! Maybe not vegan, but that is okay. Hazelnut praline macaron - ice cream sandwich. And bacon in a macaron! They have normal options too, like nutella, pistachio, and lemon meringue.
https://www.facebook.com/hummingbirdMacarons?fref=ts

Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 6!

So this week was 'unrecipe' week. It challenged me to make some of my own recipes, so I will share some of my culinary adventures of the week!
First off, followed the one new recipe from OneIngridientChef:
http://www.oneingredientchef.com/sparkling-sangria/
Well mostly: I lacked prosecco and didn't intend to drink it in one night so used a 'flat' white. Very tart drink but once I added the blueberries and added some basil too, blended together very well!


The first of my recipes was a take on polenta /reversed Shepard's pot pie.
1 cup gluten free polenta
1/4 nutritional yeast
1/4 gluten
3 cups water with some salt, pepper, and dash of vinegar
w/ One bag of mixed veggies from Trader Joe's on top!

So I realize the irony of how I played it out, but gluten really makes the polenta much stickier and hold together better, so not for Celiacs but with nutritional yeast one may accidentally think there is cheese in it. But once it was boiling for 10 minutes, put it in the oven with the cast iron skillet for 30 minutes, getting a nice crust on top. Then I threw the veggies on top with more spices (southwest seasoning) and back in the oven for another 10!

My last one was a very lazy combo dish of canned tomatoes and Beyond Meat's fake ground beef, which is like ground turkey but tastes better. And is quicker to make since I don't have to cook it through. Raw peas are safer than raw meat. So combined it with a can of crushed tomatos, curry powder, and tumeric on the stove top. And plated it with cilantro and basil to help mild the spices! Quick, easy, and nutritious. Plus, all the ingredients keep well so can be easily remade because I buy everything in bulk!

Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 5!

First off, my favorite 'one-ingredient' recipe I tried this week: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Side_%28cocktail%29
Even got the waitress to give us the recipe they used!

Cheesy Kale Chips
So this week I finally tried kale chips with my dehydrator I got last month. I have done these is the oven before and they are tricky. Some parts of the leaf always dried faster so you have burnt parts, gooey parts, and accidentally just right parts. Fun easy recipe if you can set your oven to 200 degrees, mine would not go that low!
Although I realize many people couldn't do that for this reason, fun recipe to try out, go to showcase for the nutritional yeast/tahini/lemon juice combo for a sharp cheese substitute. I know it isn't a real substitute. But it does taste amazing, trust me! His pics on the left, all pure and vegan vs. mine with homemade sausage and coleslaw (again)!
http://www.oneingredientchef.com/cheesy-kale-chips/


Chickpea "Tuna" Salad

The next recipe I followed from the course is, of course, blocked. So I copied it in below. However, it is very easy, also hits the tahini/lemon combo (I added 2tbsp of yeast when I made this too). I had no nori on hand and would save that for sushi regardless. There are a lot of solid sea-flavored substitutes if you look hard enough, but even without it, chickpea salad would still taste great. Just taste less fishy. Choices include fish sauce (less than vegan), dulse flakes, or seaweed snacks (at Trader Joe's now!).


INGREDIENTS
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 stalks celery
3 tablespoons red onion
1/2 sheet nori (optional)
                                                                             
                                                                                                                                The spices I threw into my dish: lemon pepper and seaweed flavoring!

Step One

First, use a kitchen strainer to thoroughly rinse and drain the can of chickpeas. Then, add them to the food processor with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper until partially broken down, but not completely smooth.

Step Two

Chop the celery and red onion into small chunks, then throw them into the processor as well, along with half a sheet of nori (optional) to add a mild oceany flavor to the spread. Pulse several times until incorporated.

Step Three

At this point, you’re basically done, taste a piece of this spread and feel free to add anything else it needs: salt? Garlic powder? Lemon juice? Go for it. In addition, feel free to add a tablespoon or two of water if you’d prefer a thinner consistency.

Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 4!

So I made two recipes from the site this week, again!

http://www.oneingredientchef.com/sweet-potato-shepherds-pie/
I have made this with my brother a few times but usually throw some meat down as an additional bottom layer so my father and him will eat it. But this time I stayed true to the recipe. Besides switching out sweet potatoes for white sweet potatoes (because they were on hand). This made the dish a little bit milder and look more like normal shepherds pie. But without the meat, I think it was actually better. Much lighter so it drew out the flavor of the lentils and tomato.

http://www.oneingredientchef.com/vegan-meat-sauce/
So for this one, it is quick to make if you have the burgers on hand, which I usually don't. I just go with BeyondMeat's beef instead: quick and easy. And decently priced if fake meat is your thing and you buy in bulk from Organic Food Depot. http://beyondmeat.com/



In more exciting adventures, played with my Kitchen Aid this week to make lamb merguez sausage then grilled it with the waffle iron, which worked better than the time with the bean hash. Didn't look too much like sausage when it came out, but tasted excellent and was properly crisped. I then quickly roasted onions and garlic with the waffle iron and threw them on my homemade chips for nachos for Game of Thrones: Nachos of Black and White!
Black = chocolate with coffee cashew cream with craisins
White = mango salsa, roasted beans, cilantro, onions, and garlic

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/08/homemade-merguez-sausage-recipe.html
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=778811

Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 3!

So this week was a quick recipe, the "8-Minute Black Bean Soup"
http://www.oneingredientchef.com/black-bean-soup/ but the name is a bit misleading, takes a bit longer than 8 minutes to make and less than 8 minutes to eat!
However, it is a quick and light dish, with no oil, sautee, and minimal cutting involved. His ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients:

• 2 15 oz cans of black beans
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
• 1 large roma tomato
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 lime, juice
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 avocado (optional)

I went on the edge and used green lentils (dried) instead of black beans since I am a fan of the crunchier texture. Also probably why it took longer than 8 minutes. Also used a (preserved) lemon due to lack of limes, which would have been better. I was also heavy on the spices since I think Sriracha is sweet: I would follow his suggested amounts.

But if you were being true to the recipe, only 3 things to cut so it really is a breeze. Because there is no frying/oil/cheese/meat involved, the dish is very light and fresh. If you want something with more 'umami', just add what you feel to the recipe. I would probably go with something on the lighter end like a white fish, but follow your heart!

In other news, Sentara Cafeteria has this cute little display! They did eventually add some greens to it but aren't selling it at this time. However, they promise me a "farmer's market" at some point this Spring from local farmers. Hopefully this comes to fruit so it saves me trips to the grocery store!

Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 2!

So as stated, this week was breakfast week, which I always skipped. Except for the one day I made cookies for that evening and enjoyed the dough. But all from one ingredients!

The one recipe I did try for brinner last night was: http://www.oneingredientchef.com/waffle-hashbrowns/

Didn’t have a green bell pepper on hand though so substituted chipotles, jalapenos, and beets instead. I like spicy and bright colors, so worked for me. The hash mix was pretty easy to assemble but I had misgiving about putting it in the Belgian waffle iron, which I had never used before (main reason I was going with this recipe). So threw the ‘batter’ in, which obviously didn’t spread too well so I had to spread it with a bit of pressure and crossed my fingers it would hold well. It didn’t. But after removing the hash from the non-stick iron, I disguised the destroyed ‘waffle’ with an avocado, celery root (also ironed!), parsley, and lemon. I think it looks presentable. And tasted delicious.

After re-reading the post, was drawn to a helpful line: “NOTE: as readers have suggested, adding 1-2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour to the mixture before cooking will result in waffles that are much easier to remove in one piece. Thanks, guys!” May actually be worth trying again with this advice!

My other cooking adventure for the week was making a few dishes for my dogs second birthday. Cooked him up collard greens, heart tartare, and heart jerky (with my new dehydrator!). Needless to say, I really just wanted to continue testing out pork heart. Knowing this isn’t most people’s cup of tea, if you are curious about tartare, check out this article: https://food52.com/blog/12354-how-to-make-steak-tartare-at-home for a quick history lesson! Not too surprisingly, Beau and the other dogs happily ate everything and so did I!

Because someone asked me about hard to find products in Norfolk, I get most of my ‘eccentric’ ingredients/brands from organic food depot: https://www.organicfooddepot.com/ where I order stuff online from a wide selection and it gets delivered to their store on 20^th and Granby (at very good prices).

Quick reminder that we have a brunch next Sunday at Pendulum and it will only be $5 for FiM members! RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/a/email.wm.edu/spreadsheets/d/1lzJni0xj8E1jfMSK2UXOpRjLhV_cOmUvJ_stCkhvSZU/edit#gid=220842482

Cooking from one ingredient items, Week 1!

So for my posts initially, I will be following a course I bullied my mom into doing: http://oneingredientcourse.com/. If you want to follow the 8 week program, let me know and I will get you my account info!

I have been following his blog for a few years (http://www.oneingredientchef.com/) and really like the philosophy the author ascribes to: cook all your foods from one ingredient (vegan) items. Sometimes I follow his recipe then replace tofu with chicken… But anyhow: following this blog is a good way to get familiar with fresh, ‘real’, food and learN interesting new ways to prepare it. Check it out and try some of the other recipes I don’t cover!

So for week 1, we had two assignments: read the label of food in the grocery store for 20 minutes, which I do neurotically anyhow. Fun to see if I can figure out what most of the ingredients are for on the list. Good way to appreciate cooking things yourself when you see how intimidatingly long the ingredient lists all too often are.

The second was to make 2 one ingredient dishes, so when my parents came to visit this weekend for Easter, we made the two of them together:

http://www.oneingredientchef.com/aloo-gobi-pies/

Basically a shepherd’s pie with an Indian vegan spin, it involves making a masala paste, sautéing cauliflower in it then layering mashed potatoes on top. I didn’t have any potatoes on hand so I grabbed other white root vegetables: celery root and turnips, for the mash instead. Which worked out well: both have light flavors that added a bit of a fresh, peppery touch to this dish. Though I think potatoes would have been easier. My one big complaint is that this dish took three separate cooking steps: make the masala cauliflower, make the mashed potatoes, assemble them together then bake. I really like the flavor of the masala cauliflower but if I was pressed for time (the norm), I would drop the mashed potatoes and make the cauliflower sauté but use store-bought masala spice blend. Same flavor, not quite as fun, but so much quicker!

http://www.oneingredientchef.com/one-ingredient-ice-cream/

So I am sure a lot of you have made banana ice cream before (aka blend a frozen banana). So have I. And although the texture may be creamy, eating just bananas that are overripe and too sweet for me is not my favorite. I also happened to have a frozen orange and an overripe plantain chilling around in the freezer. So I  used those, threw in 1tsp of vanilla extract, 2tbsp almond milk, pinch of ginger, and 1 tbsp pistachio oil. Any oil adds the ever important fat to the ice ‘cream’ and helps. And then I blended it together. Then most importantly to add some character: crushed up a bar of dark chocolate and threw that in there too. Cause that tends to make most things better. I forgot to take a picture of the final product, was otherwise distracted…

But you can see the remains in the blender!

Next week is breakfast week with the challenge of doing a one-ingredient breakfast every day. Which will be easy: I don’t usually eat breakfast…

Breakfeast Alternative

5-min Flourless/High Protein Pancakes Using 2 Ingredients

In case you have not seen the internet sensation that is egg and banana pancake, I wanted to bring them to every one's attention, because they are awesome their prep process is really straightforward. Just blend one egg and 1/2 banana (per serving) 2 forming a batter that can be used as the basis for any creation where you looking for a higher protein/lower carb pancake or crepe substitute. It is just a bonus that they are fast, easy, and delicious! 

You can doctor them up however you want, just be mindful of how many carbs & fat you add-on! But if you like things plain, try with 1 spoonful of natural and local or raw honey instead as your syrup. Have fun and get creative with adding your favorite toppings...which if you have a sweet tooth like me could include combining fruits, nuts/nut butters, yogurt, and different forms cacao. If you like savory and salty, chop-up and sautee your favorite veggies and throw

NOTE:  Be mindful where you get your eggs; due to the political involvement of the food industry in food labeling regulations, it is not always clear what we are getting and where these eggs are coming from/what conditions the eggs were produced in. Know that cage-free IS NOT the same as free-range, the latter typically associated with better health outcomes for us and the chickens...but since lots of speculation arises on this topic and I know it may seem hard to splurge on $5-7/eggs, you do what you think is best for you :)

A 5 Min Breakfast- A Brain-Food Pancake:

Cacao & Peanut Butter Ban-Egg Edition

Ingredients:

(amounts listed are for 2 "diet-sized" servings/ 1 serving for an individual with a high-protein demand)

1 tbsp oil/butter

 Batter:

 2 eggs (raw, include yolk)

1 banana (fresh, cut into chunks)

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Toppings:

1 tbsp peanut-butter (all-natural or DIY-style are ideal...can substitute for almond/ favorite nut butter for a different fatty acid profile!)

2 tsp cacao nibs (sold in all major grocery stores...good in smoothies and a worthy health-food investment if you LOVE chocolate like me)/ dark chocolate chips (chunk of a chocolate bar will work as well, just know 60% cacao or higher is ideal)

Prep

1. Add batter ingredients to blender, food processor, or mixing bowl and blend/mix until smooth, creamy batter texture is achieved. 

2. Grease a saucepan/griddle with avocado/coconut oil (can use butter or canola oil as substitute...use what you've got, just don't use olive oil) and set over stovetop heat on medium-high.

3. Pour 1/2 the batter (~1/2 cup) into the center of the pan/surface and let cook for ~3 minutes until it the pancake is visibly cooked all the way through and then flip and cook on the other side for 30s then place it on a plate. 

4. While it is warm, spread spoonful of your favorite nut butter on the pancake and sprinkle with your desired form of cacao. 

Here is a picture of how mine turned out. I served mine with my new favorite citrus, blood oranges. 

Other topping combos I have tried are shown below. Feel free to come-up with your own and comment/post/ & share!

I overcooked this one a little so I made up for it by adding sauteed apples (cooked in cinnamon, vanilla, and a splash of lemon juice) & added some 60% cacao chocolate chips:

I added Dreaming Cow Maple & Ginger Yogurt, a peeled clementine, and a couple chocolate chips...

Asian Veggie & Quinoa Salad (Vegan)

Featured at the Chinese New Year Potluck, this recipe is  great to make for spring picnics and parties and is also a great dish to make on the weekend and bring in for lunch. this recipe was based off of the following recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/asian-quinoa-salad/

Prep Time: 30 min.

Ingredients (4~6 servings):

Dressing: I add 1/2 bottle of Stonewall Sesame Ginger Dressing (from Fresh Market)
(If you are not a ginger fan, add your favorite Asian-style salad dressing. Try to avoid ones with preservatives and high amounts of sugar if you can. Fresh dressings can often be found refrigerated with the pre-made salad bags in the grocery store and are worth the extra dollar/two.
You don't need to add dressing for this to be a tasty dish. If you prefer NO dressing, add 1/4 chopped green or white onion/shallots, 1 tsp pepper, and/or 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger to add zest. If you have extra time and are feeling adventurous, make your own dressing with the link posted above).

Cooked:

1 cup quinoa, cooked in 2 cups water & 1/4 tsp. salt

(Any kind of unseasoned/plain quinoa will do, I prefer Ancient Harvest organic, tri-color Harmony Blend)

1 cup shelled and cooked edamame 

(Any form brand will do, just make sure they are unsalted, buying frozen & microwaving is easiest)

Fresh: *buy organic &/wash thoroughly to reduce pesticide exposure*

2 cups of mild-tasting leafy greens

 (Pick your favorite- I have used both raw baby spinach and Earthbound Farm's Zen salad green blend)

6-7 chopped/diced mini sweet multi-colored peppers OR 1 red bell pepper

(sweet peppers add great flavor; remove seeds and tops when chopping)
1/2 cup shredded carrots 

(You can finely chop/shred baby carrots/whole carrots in a food processor if you don't want to buy a bag of shredded carrots)
1 cup diced cucumber

(I add an entire medium sized, mostly peeled cucumber)

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

(Adds fresh flavor; I remove leaves from stems before chopping)

Prep Instructions:

1. Cook Quinoa. Follow packaging instructions is fine, but I have found these directions to be a quinoa-prep gold standard: "Add water, quinoa, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork." Let cool for ~10min (can put in refrigerator to save time).

2. Cook edamame according to packaging if using pre-shelled frozen edamame. 

If you buy fresh/frozen whole edamame, bring 3 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt to boil, then add edamame and cook until tender (6-7 min.). Strain and split open,releasing peas from their pods and let cool in small bowl. 

3. While the quinoa is simmering, chop up the fresh veggies and cilantro and add each of the fresh ingredients to a large mixing bowl. 

4. Once quinoa and edamame have cooled and are at about room temperature, add them to mixing bowl.

5. Stir in dressing of your choice, mixing well.

6. Serve at room temp/chilled. Try to eat within 72hrs of prep. 

Be creative with this dish! If you add different veggies/change-up the dressing, let us know! Personalize this dish & post in comments! 

Happy Spring Cooking :)

[Recipe] Cucumber Dishes - Cucumber&Tomato Salad + Cucumber Yogurt

So spring is almost upon us and it reminds me of my childhood. Growing up I was put in charge of preparing the "Iranian Salad" as we called it, a salad mainly made during the warm months when cucumber and tomato came into season. Cucumbers give such a refreshing and cooling taste, it's no wonder many people enjoy this vegetable during the summer months.

Nowadays when I go to the grocery store, I have an uncanny knack of buying more cucumber that tomatoes, so when I start chopping up the cucumbers I usually need another dish to use up the rest. This is when I usually decide to make cucumber  yogurt, which uses similar ingredients. It's a simple dish with many variations from Mediterranean to Indian culture. In fact, I would also recommend spinach yogurt as well as eggplant yogurt that I would make if I had excess of those vegetables. Since time is valuable to me, I usually combine the preparation of multiple dishes [this means reduced set up/preparation as well as cleanup time].

I've never had to measure how much of each ingredient I put into the dish, so I will do my best to explain the amounts of each.

Cucumber & Tomato Salad
[Salad]
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Mint
- Salt&Pepper (to taste)

[Dressing]
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Water

For this salad I would use an approximately 3:3:1 of Cucumbers:Tomatoes:Onions. This means that for every cup of cucumber I would also have 1 cup of tomatoes and 1/3 cup of onion. It's not very particular on the types of vegetables you use. I prefer sweet onions, but you can also use standard yellow onions, or vidalia onions - your choice. Just be sure to cut up the cucumbers and tomatoes into small cubes, about 1cm wide maximum. The onions should be minced, but you don't have to do this too finely as they only need to be smaller than the cucumbers and tomatoes.

After combining the above ingredients, all that's left is mint and salt/peppers. Mint is an herb that you can adjust depending on how strong you prefer it. If I were making a couple cups of salad, I would probably put in 1-2 tbsp of finely minced mint. It is important that you finely chop the mint so that large pieces don't get stuck in your teeth when you eat the salad. Without mint on hand I've also been known to substitute in cilantro or oregano. Salt&pepper to taste.

Lastly, pour the dressing over the salad. The ratio I work with is also about 3:3:1 of water:lemon juice:vinegar. It can be adjusted based on how acidic or how sour you prefer your salad. For a couple cups of salad I would probably make around 1/2 cup dressing, but I love sour foods so finishing up extra dressing left over without solid salad comes easy to me, so you may only want to make 1/3 cup.


Cucumber Yogurt
- Cucumbers
- Plain Yogurt
- Mint
- Salt&Pepper (to taste)

In this dish you also have cubed cucumber. Many people prefer the cubes to be smaller, or even shred the cucumber. If you decide to shred the cucumber you may also elect to strain excess liquid out so that the yogurt does not get watery (you can do this by pressing the shredded cucumber against a strainer)

For every cup of cut up cucumber, I would put in approximately 2 cups of plain yogurt. It all depends on how much cucumber you want in your yogurt. Then you would also add in finely minced mint, about 1 tbsp per cup of yogurt used (or more if you like the flavor). There are other related dishes that use other herbs such as dill or oregano, and feel free to experiment and substitute ingredients.

Add in salt&pepper to taste. I know pepper in yogurt sounds funny, but it's based on Iranian cuisine theory that the "hot" taste of pepper balances out the "cool" taste of cucumber.

Meal Planning...or not? Includes recipe for Hot Pepper Turkey!

Good evening FiMmers!  

Were going to get right down to the topic of the week- Meal Planning! 

Planning multiple meals for the week takes a bit of thought and just enough time to rummage through this week's ad for items on sale. Furthermore, when you are feeding a family of three like me,  planning meals a month ahead and doubling up on cooking every other day prevents a stressful dinner time routine. Ideally, I like to have a few staples on hand (rices, grains, frozen veggies, etc) and buy the meats and fresh produce we need each week. Writing this all out helps me stay organized and there is little variability to worry about. I have even subscribed to various websites that offer recipes and shopping lists for ideas. Unfortunately, the last time I planned anything ahead of time was 5 weeks ago and today I felt all out of options for a quick and healthful meal.

I arrived at my local grocery store at half past four (idiot move- everybody and their mom was in line to check out) thinking I could drum up a fabulous Spring themed concoction while walking though the aisles. This was another not so smart idea; I just wanted box up all of the prepared foods and scarf them down immediately. So I gave up and dashed out the store refusing to buy anything other than my three year old's favorite yogurt. Between reviewing the alphabet, completing homework assignments, and pretending to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we needed to eat SOMETHING. I fell back on the basics and prepared my favorite 20 minute meal: poultry, rice, and vegetables. I know, I know...sounds super boring. And in reality it is. But when your working with a limited schedule and hungry tummies you learn to modify simple dishes. I cannot tell you how many times I have made this exact combination, but I can tell you that it is tasty and easy every time.

Disclosure: I do not use measuring cups or spoons. My taste buds tell me how much I need, so please view this more as a guide and modify amounts or substitute ingredients as you like.  This was more than enough for 5 servings, so plenty of left overs to enjoy! Also, if you have never eaten a scotch bonnet pepper or tasted a Jamaican pepper sauce, a cream (yogurt) base lessens the extreme heat.  

Hot Pepper Turkey with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Mushrooms

Ingredients

12 ounces roasted turkey breast (cut into strips)

1 bunch of cilantro

6 ounces of plain Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons Jamaican scotch bonnet hot pepper sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

8 ounces of whole mushrooms

1 pound of raw brussels sprouts (in microwavable bag)

2 bags of Multigrain Medley (10 minute)

 One tomato

Salt, pepper, and other seasonings on hand to taste

10 minute Multigrain Medley 

Directions

1.                 Preheat oven to 500’F [broil].

2.                 Line a baking sheet with foil.

3.                 Cut bag to vent and place Brussel sprouts in microwave for three minutes

4.                 Wash and wipe the whole mushrooms, cut them into half inch chunks.

5.                 Remove Brussel sprouts from  bag and cut in half

6.                 In a bowl, drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the mushrooms and Brussel sprouts.

7.                 Season with salt free Cajun seasoning, paprika, and cumin.

8.                 Place veggies on foil lined pan and broil for 10 minutes.  

9.                 Prepare rice as directed.

10.           Flip vegetables with a spatula and broil another five minutes or until golden brown.

11.           Mix yogurt, scotch bonnet pepper sauce, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and turkey strips in bowl.

12.           Add the rinsed and finely cut cilantro to the mixture, then season to taste with salt, paprika, and cumin.  

13.           Serve with sliced tomato and enjoy!

Hot Pepper Turkey 

Roasted Brussel sprouts and mushrooms

March: National Nutrition Month and Spring Produce!

It’s finally March! 

 The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has dubbed March “National Nutrition Month” to focus attention of the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating.  The theme for 2015 is “Bite into A Healthy Lifestyle.” What better way to do that then incorporating delicious spring produce into our meals! Below are some vegetables that are best harvested during Virginia’s spring months:

Chard These bunches of brightly colored stems and dark green leaves can be eaten in salads or stir-fries. The stalk and ribs are edible, resembling the flavor and texture of celery. It is also an excellent source of vitamins A and C.

Arugula This peppery flavored green can be found in bunches or loose with attached roots and only stays fresh for a couple of days. It is an excellent source of Vitamin K and can be served similarly to chard- in salads or cooked.

Radishes These firm bulbs should be picked while still attached to bright whole leaves. They may be available year-round, but these roots are at their best in the spring. Ever popular in salads and slaws, these veggies are packed with B vitamins and potassium.

Leeks The skinner the better! Leeks are very similar to onions but have a subtler, sweeter flavor. Leeks are fantastic cooked in soups, with potatoes, and accompanying seafood.

Asparagus What's a spring produce list without asparagus? Don’t be fooled-an asparagus’s thickness in no way indicates tenderness (which is related to how the plant is grown and how soon it is eaten after harvest rather than spear size). Try to purchase asparagus just before using it. To prep, snap off the thicker, woody end of the asparagus.

Rhubarb Though technically a vegetable, this stalk can compliment fruit in desserts all spring long. Red stalks are sweeter than green. Wash and remove leaves just before using.

Sugar Snap Peas Look for plump, bright green pods- this hybrid veggie is crisp, sweet, and a great source of vitamin C. Also plump, bright green pods. Unlike favas, the whole bean is edible — pod and all. They’re great raw, but can be cooked too.

Vidalia Onions Large and super sweet- these onions should be picked while they have a firm dense ord and no visible soft spots.

Other produce worth mentioning:

Artichokes

Fava Beans

Cherries-end of spring

Apricots

Baby carrots (true baby-not the shaved down bagged kind)

Mint

Morel mushrooms

Welcome to Food Is Medicine

Welcome to the new Food is Medicine (FIM) student run blog! FIM is a student group dedicated to nutrition in medicine as both preventative medication and treatment.

Over time nutritional guidelines have changed drastically as new studies come out extolling the health benefits of certain foods, or the hidden dangers of others. Because of this, we have created a blog to showcase evidence-based nutrition. If you have specific questions feel free to contact our group through the Email Us link to the right. We plan to have monthly posts dedicated to these issues and answering your questions.

Additionally, as medical students, we know how hard it is to fit making nutritious meals between studying, class, and working in the hospital. Through this blog we will bring quick&easy recipes that can be used by those on a busy schedule.

Stay tuned for our regular recipes and newsletters from numerous student contributors!