It’s playtime in the Dream Kitchen!

On April 25th, VIBRANCE Nutrition and Fitness teamed up with Design Kompany to do a educational lunch and work party for solopreneurs. Design Kompany provided the space and I came in and demonstrated how easy it is to make a quick, healthy lunch in under 20 minutes. Here is shortened video footage of the event: (more…)

I first enjoyed this recipe at the Winter Blues Party in Manhattan while a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. As halibut comes into season here in the Pacific Northwest, I cannot help but want to transition these flavors over to the fish of my homeland. The lightness of a white fish coupled with refreshing lime illicit visions of sandy white beaches and salty ocean surf. Enjoy!

Lime Mahi Mahi

Prep Time: 5 minutes

 Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients: 2 6-8 ounces, mahi mahi fillets (or use halibut when in season)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
2 inches fresh grated ginger root grated, 1 ½ teaspoons
1 tablespoon olive oil
Lemon, cut into 4 slices
Directions:

1. Rinse fish, season with sea salt and pepper, and place in a shallow baking dish.
2. Combine the lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, and olive oil in a small bowl and pour over fish.
3. Turn over the mahi mahi in the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
4. Preheat skillet on medium-high heat.
5. Cook fish with marinade for 6-7 minutes per side or until fish is firm and opaque.
6. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Looking through my kitchen, I noted I had some chard and yams that were beginning to look a little past their prime. Utilizing the power of Cookin’ With Google, I found a recipe for African Yam Stew, which I altered to suit my own tastes. Below is the modified recipe, which yielded fantastic results.

African Yam Stew

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp. chili oil

1/2 chopped onion

3 cups diced yams

1 can canned chick-peas

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup “The Heat is On” Spiced Peanut Butter

2 cups chopped collard greens
1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Saute’ onion in chili oil until soft. Add broth, yams, chickpeas, rice and salt; simmer for 30 minutes.

Blend peanut butter with 1/2 cup stock to make a smooth paste. Stir into the stew along with the greens and turn heat to low, allowing flavors to marry for 5 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, and additional chili oil or chili sauce to taste.

Serves 4-6

A belated congratulations to Keith of Thundering Hooves for his prize-winning potluck entry at the VIBRANCE open house in late April. Keith won a $25 gift certificate to Sur La Table to further cultivate his culinary imagination!

Keith’s grass-fed Mongolian Beef recipe was a fantastic addition to the potluck, and narrowly pulled ahead of a southwest quinoa dish contributed by the Purcell family. The mongolian beef was rich with multi-colored veggies and contained very added fat. Grass-fed beef is not only more humane, but it contains less saturated fat and has omega3 fatty acids from the cow’s natural diet of wild plants. VIBRANCE guests raved over the flavor and vegetable variety within this dish.

Thundering Hooves Grass-Fed Mongolian Beef with Veggies

• 1 lg head broccoli, chopped into florets, stalk diced
• 1 lg. onion, thinly sliced
• 1 each – red and green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 sm. serrano chili, diced
• 2 cups snap peas
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into matchsticks
• 1 lb. grass-fed top sirloin steak (skirt or flank steak will also do nicely)

Coat the beef in the following marinade for an hour, then stir-fry until browned:

• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. dry white wine
• 2 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

Whisk together the following sauce for the veggies:

• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp. dry white wine
• 1 tbsp. oyster sauce

As meat is browned, add veggies and stir fry with sauce until crisp tender.

A Costa Rican Staple

Gallo Pinto is a Costa Rican breakfast staple. Like many Latino cultures, it is, well – rice and beans. This combination of protein and whole grain is a very satisfying way to start the morning and a great way to utilize leftovers. I recommend serving it Tico style – with a egg on top!
It can also be wrapped up in a corn tortilla, or covered in your favorite salsa. This recipe comes from the Feb. 2007 issue of the McDougall Newsletter.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes (need cooked rice) Cooking time: 15 minutes Servings: 4

• ¼ cup vegetable broth or water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans black beans, drained (liquid reserved) and rinsed
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper

Place the water in a large non-stick frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until onion softens and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a bit more water or broth and repeat until onion begins to stick again. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Add a bit of the reserved liquid from the beans to make the rice look “dirty”, if desired. Cook until heated through. Serve hot with salsa on top.
Hint: To be more authentic, you can cook dry black beans in water to cover until tender (about 3-4 hours). You will need about 3 cups of cooked black beans. Save some of the cooking liquid to mix with the beans and rice.

Lentils are a fabulous food. Like all legumes, they are rich in soluble fiber, heart-friendly B vitamins, and are a wonderful source of cholesterol-free protein. However, unlike their cousins, they require no soaking time nor do they cause as much gas as many other beans! This Indian inspired dish tastes wonderful over a brown basmati rice or folded into a tortilla with some crunchy veggies. If you do not feel like pulling out your blender or Vitamix, add extra broth or water at the onset of cooking, leave the lentils whole and enjoy a lovely Indian Lentil soup.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup brown basmati rice, cooked according to package directions
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeño chili, seeded, chopped

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup onion and 1 minced garlic clove and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Combine 3 cups water, lentils, remaining 1 cup onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, turmeric, cumin and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer half of lentil mixture to Vitamix; purée until smooth. Return purée to same saucepan. Mix in sautéed onion mixture. Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice into bowls. Spoon dal over rice. Top with tomatoes, cilantro and chili.
Per serving: calories, 410; total fat, 5 g; protein, 18g; fiber, 9g; cholesterol, 0. Serves 4.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Basil Lemon Dressing

• 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups organic vegetable broth
• 14 oz. package firm tofu
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. grated lemon rind (use an organic lemon)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (10 oz.) package of frozen edamame, shelled and thawed
• 4 cups chopped tomato (about 3 medium)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Rinse quinoa to remove saponin, a bitter coating. Place quinoa and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Remove from heat.
Drain tofu and pat dry. Cut into cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place cubed tofu in skillet and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Saute’ tofu until browned, about 9 minutes. remove from heat and cool.
Combine remaining oil, remaining salt, and the next six ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl and whisk until blended. Stir in quinoa.
Add thawed edamame, tofu, onion, tomato, carrot, and black beans to the quinoa mixture, stirring gently to combine. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Yields ten 1 cup servings.
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, March 2006

Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons Moroccan spice blend (see below to make your own)
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed (choose low-sodium, if possible)
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped seeded tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped, seeded, peeled cucumbers
• 1 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 4 whole pita bread rounds, halved crosswise
• Plain yogurt

Whisk together olive oil, white wine vinegar, and Moroccan spice blend in medium bowl. Place drained garbanzo beans in large bowl and mix in just enough vinaigrette to coat. Let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
Add tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, red onion, and parsley to garbanzo beans. Mix in just enough vinaigrette to coat. There should still be some vinaigrette remaining. Season bean salad to taste with salt and pepper. Fill pita halves with bean salad and top with dollop of yogurt, if desired. Place 2 pita halves on each of 4 plates; pass remaining vinaigrette separately.
Makes 4 servings.
Bon Appetit
August 2003

To Make Moroccan Spices:
Combine 1 tablespoon ground cumin with 1/4 teaspoon each of ground coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.

Source: adapted from www.whfoods.com

This tasty pasta salad is a wonderful way to celebrate Springtime! Asparagus is a member of the lily family, and the portion we consume is actually a shoot from an underground crown that can produce for up to twenty years! Asparagus is rich in folic acid – a B vitamin necessary to reduce birth defects and keep the heart healthy. It also is a good source of potassium (making it an ideal component to a post-workout meal) and contains inulin – a fiber that is used as fuel by the friendly bacteria in our digestive system (like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli). Asparagus is best enjoyed in April and May, when the tender stalks are in season.

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb whole wheat fusilli pasta
• 1 large bunch asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths, (remove fibrous bottoms and discard)
• ½ medium red or sweet onion, minced
• ½ basket cherry tomatoes, quartered (squeeze gently to remove seeds)
• 5-6 medium cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
• 3 TBS chopped fresh basil
• 1 TBS chopped fresh tarragon
• 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt, cracked black pepper to taste
• *optional – 4 oz reduced fat feta cheese

Directions: Cook pasta according to instructions on package. While pasta is cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place everything but asparagus in a bowl and set aside. When pasta is about 3 minutes from being done, add asparagus to cooking pasta. (If asparagus is thick you may want to add at 4 minutes. Or if it is thin, add at 2 minutes. 3 minutes is for medium thick asparagus.) Drain and rinse in cold water through a colander when done. Make sure it drains well so the final flavors are not diluted. Toss with rest of ingredients, and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4