Currently Obsessed With: Soba Noodles

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Friends, let me introduce you to my newest obsession: soba noodles. I'm seeing them pop up all over my favorite blogs, and I'm wondering if soba is the next quinoa or brussels sprouts. These little guys are from Japan and are made from buckwheat flour so they're gluten-free, low-cal, high in protein. Soba also contains all eight essential amino acids, cancer-fighting antioxidants and heart-healthy nutrients. 

Pair them with some veggies and you've got a full on party. 

I made the ginger scallion bowl this week, and I can't wait to try all these other recipes. Do you have any go-to soba dishes? Do share. xo.

Sesame, Ginger + Cucumber Soba Noodles

Soba + Ginger Tahini with Crispy Kale, Shallots + Romaine 

Sweet + Spicy Ginger Scallion Noodles

Soba + Carrot Noodles with Watermelon Radish

 Simple, Salty, Sweet + Nutty Broccoli Soba

Soba Bowl with Kale, Sesame and Slivered Brussels Sprouts

More recipes here, here, and here.

Summer Favorites: Recipe Edition

Oh hi, its been a while. When you have a blog, you are supposed to write in it, right? Right.

Here's a confession: sometimes I think I can do it all, but I can't. Its been a busy time, and in trying to practice what I preach about eating and exercising, I guess I just took a hiatus from preaching. But I'm back and it feels so good. I've missed this, but I hope you've all been out enjoying summer and not missing me too much.

In honor of summer's passing all too quickly (RIP June & July), I wanted to share my favorite go-to summer recipes. These have become staples over the last few weeks, and I hope you enjoy them too!

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1. Lemon and Herb Cous Cous
Cous Cous: easy, filling, and the leftovers keep well. It must be love.  You can use whatever herbs you have, but I recommend cilantro. It makes it so fresh.

Photo & Recipe Source

2. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
Have I talked about my love for quinoa before? Yes, I believe I have. Throw in some summer tomatoes and... heaven.

Photo & Recipe Source

3. Peach Mozzarella Salad
I'm actually not eating cheese right now, but this has been a big favorite in summers past. It's an interesting variation of the caprese salad that sounds strange but tastes divine.

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4. Sweetcorn Polenta

This photo does not do this recipe justice. It is SO GOOD. A sweet friend lent me the cookbook Plenty, and oh goodness, it's amazing. It has a whole section on eggplant, and as I've been getting a lot of eggplant in my CSA lately, I can't stop making this. But I cheat and use store bought polenta. (Please don't tell.) Its so quick, the polenta is a great substitute for pasta, and its really filling. My kinda meal.

Photo & Recipe Source

5. Lentil & Rice Salad
A friend once told me that brown rice and lentils are the key to keeping your waistline trim, and I couldn't agree more. If you are like me and a salad for dinner doesn't fill you up, lentils are a great option. I add as many veggies as possible and toss with my go-to homemade salad dressings.

What are your favorite summer recipes?

Guest Post: Margie's Homemade Veggie Burgers

Hi friends,

Meet Margie. She's been a dear friend, mentor and inspiration to me for almost seven years now. She's an avid cook, a yoga instructor and one of the most socially conscious & responsible people I know. So when she told me she found the best recipe for veggie burgers, I asked her on the spot to guest blog for me. I can't wait to try these out, and I hope you enjoy them too!
xoxo, Tiff

Homemade Veggie Burgers

I chose to “meat reduce” about a year ago for environmental and ethical reasons, but also for my own health.  Most factory farm meats that we purchase have so many hormones and chemicals in them to make the animals yield more meat for the companies to sell.  These animals are fed unnatural diets, mainly consisting of corn.  And corn fattens everything up, including us.  Naturally cared for and fed animals are too expensive for me right now, so I’m reducing my meat intake altogether. It was a challenge for me, though, to do so without feeling like there was something missing from my plate.  I grew up with meat being the star of the meal.  

In an effort to trick myself, and also to supplement my diet with the protein I was losing as a pseudo-vegetarian, I came up with a recipe for my own veggie burgers.  This was inspired by some organic dried beans and lentils I got in my first CSA box, and some onions and veggies that were going bad in my fridge.  This recipe can be made vegan very easily, and most of the veggies can be substituted for whatever you need to use up in your refrigerator.  It is not an exact science, so I encourage you to experiment to find the balance that you like.  However, I will say that the key flavor ingredients here are chickenless chicken broth, sracha (or a full head of garlic if you don’t like heat), and onions.  Don’t skimp on them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup beans, soaked over night or 1 can organic beans (I prefer black beans, but they all really can work)
• 1 cup lentils
• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 tablespoon of concentrated chickenless chicken broth (vegetable broth will work)
• 2 tablespoons of Sracha, or to taste

(I wouldn’t substitute it for another hot sauce only because I like the spice combination and garlic that it adds, but you might want to)

• 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
• 1 cup corn

Optional Additions:

• Any other veggies you might want to use up (I sometimes throw in a handful of shredded carrots, frozen peas, or boiled potatoes that I’ve cut up into small pieces)
• Seasoned bread crumbs
• Mayonnaise/vegannaise or eggs for binding

If you are using dried beans and lentils, allot for a longer cooking time, and begin preparing the legumes overnight by soaking them in filtered water.  The beans take the longest, so start to cook them first in two cups of water, covered.  Check and stir the beans ever 15-20 minutes to make sure the water has not cooked off, and the beans on the bottom of the pot have started to burn.  This should take about 90 minutes to have the beans fully cooked.  When they are, add the lentils and two cups more of water and chickenless chicken broth.  

If you are using canned beans, simple put the entire can of beans, undrained, in a large pot with two cups of water and chickenless chicken broth.  Add the lentils immediately.  Heat on medium until the lentils have absorbed most of the water.

Take it off the heat, and set aside, covered.  

Start cooking your onion in a pan with some olive oil, and cook until the edges of the onion pieces are brown (about 20-30min).  Add the diced bell pepper, and other veggies, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until all the veggies are soft.  Add to the lentil mixture, stir, and cook uncovered until the water has cooked off, and the beans and lentils start to break apart, like mashed potatoes.  The consistency should match that of a meatball mixture.  Add sracha, salt, pepper, and any other spices you feel like (sometimes I put in some curry).  Mix everything together, and taste.  Add more spice or seasonings to taste.  

Form two patties from this mixture and put the rest in containers to freeze for later (this is a great make-ahead recipe, and the mixture can be used for meatless meatballs, “neat”loaf, or as a substitute for any other meat dish).  Put a skillet coated with olive oil back on a burner set to high, and wait for the oil to get start to bubble, and brown your veggie patties on each side.  If you want to get fancy, you can coat the patties in breadcrumbs, which help give them a brown crunch on the outside.  

Put your patties on buns or pita, with your choice of toppings, and you’ve made a great, healthy, satisfying, socially responsible veggie burger.

Detox Salad

I'm so glad its Friday! I mentioned a few weeks ago that things have been crazy busy, but I'm finally starting to get back on track with making cooking, eating well, and working out a priority again. There have also been a couple conversations around the office about detoxing after this busy season, which inspired me to share this quick and easy salad. A week-long cleanse feels overwhelming right now, but a salad, I can do. If you need to detox after a long week or an indulgent weekend, try this out!

All the ingredients.

Use food processor w/ mandolin attachment to thinly slice ingredients.

Final product.

Detox Salad:

(From iGreen Nutrition)
1 apple

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 medium beet

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon wedge

Grate all the ingredients using a food processor or mandolin. 

Mix together with the lemon juice.

Health Benefits:
(Also from iGreen Nutrition)

Apple- contains malic and tartaric acids which inhibit the growth of ferments and disease-producing bacteria in the digestive tract. Contains pectin which removes cholesterol, toxic metals such as lead and mercury and residues of radiation. Cleansing for the liver and beneficial for the gallbladder.

Carrot- Improves liver functions and stimulates the elimination of wastes. It also eliminates putrefactive bacteria in the intestines that cause poor assimilation.

Celery- Calms an aggravated liver, improves digestion, purifies the blood, and clears digestive fermentation. Combining celery with lemon has been used in the past as a remedy for colds and headaches.

Beet- Purifies the blood, aids the liver, moistens the intestines, and helps stop constipation.

Lemon- Destroys putrefactive bacteria in both the intestines and mouth, encourages bile in the liver, and cleanses the blood.

Enjoy! xo.

Sweet Potato Curry Quinoa

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Happy Monday! I wanted to start this week out with a new recipe. Over the weekend, I made this curried sweet potato quinoa for the first time. My husband was a bit apprehensive since I never cook with curry, but this dish has been on my to-make list because I love sweet potatoes and quinoa. I've already written about my love for quinoa, and I eat sweet potatoes like candy. So I figured that when you put them together, it could be magic.

It was. Maybe magic is a strong word, but it was delicious, filling and packed with nutrients. Quinoa is a complete protein and the sweet potatoes provide complex carbs and fiber, as well as beta carotene, vitamin C & vitamin B6.  Plus, onions and garlic are superfoods, ginger is great for digestion, and - according to wikipedia - curry releases endorphins. So you are getting a ton of amazing health benefits from this dish.

I got the recipe from one of my favorite recipe blogs, Happyolks, and modified it a bit based on what I had available. I left out the currants to avoid added sugar, but you can use those, dried cranberries or golden raisins if you want a hint of sweetness. Here's my version, but check out hers because the pictures are divine. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato, Curry, and Quinoa (in a bowl) 

Serves 2-4

• 1 cup quinoa
•  4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 large red onion
• 1/4 cup evoo
•  large handful of spinach
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup currants (optional)
• 1 clove garlic
• fresh ginger
• 1/8 cup curry powder of choice
• 1 tsp sea salt

Scrub potatoes. With skins on, cut into 1″ cubes and lay out on a baking sheet. Toss with a bit of oil and salt. Bake at 475′ for 20 minutes. Combine two cups of water to one cup of quinoa (remember to soak and rinse first!) in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 12-15 minutes until water is fully absorbed. Remove from heat.

Roughly chop red onion and saute in a large saucepan with the evoo until softened. Add minced garlic and grated ginger to the onions and saute for a bit longer. Remove from heat. Add sweet potatoes when they are just beginning to brown and crisp on the edges. Add a cup of stock and the curry powder, stirring to coat. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, adding stock and some salt to develop flavor. Add some well chopped spinach and toss to barely wilt.

Serve over a bed of quinoa with a sprinkling (or more) of currants.