Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

I've recently fallen in love with the spice store called Penzy's.  They are located in multiple cities and states.  Houston has one in the heights that my mother-in-law introduced to me.  She took me there and gave me a gift of selecting several spices.  I am now hooked.  Not only do they have great fresh spices but they have a store magazine that describes the spices and has recipes shared by people from all over.  I got this recipe from Penzy's but made a few alterations and it is so easy and tasty - perfect for the hot summer!

By the way, bear with me as I try to get better at this food photography thing.  Hopefully my pictures will begin to improve!

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 mango peeled and diced small
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 red onion, diced small
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon Penzy's Italian Salad Dressing Seasoning (You could probably substitute with some Italian Salad dressing)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
• 1 15-ounze can black beans, rinsed and drained

 Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the box.
2. Mix everything together.  Serve chilled.

Comments on Ingredients:

• Benefits of Cilantro (just a few that I particularly care about)

1. Powerful anti-inflammatory capacities that may help symptoms of arthritis
2. Protective agents against bacterial infection from Salmonella in food products
3. Acts to increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind), and reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
4. Reduces minor swelling
5. Strong general antioxidant properties
6. Disinfects and helps detoxify the body
7. Contains immune-boosting properties
8. Helps ease conjunctivitis, as well as eye-aging, macular degeneration, and other stressors on the eyes.

• Benefits of Mango (just a few...) 

1. One cup of sliced mangoes supplies 25 percent of the needed daily value of vitamin A, which promotes good eyesight and prevents night blindness and dry eyes
2. Boosts the Immune System due to high levels of Vitamin C and A.
3. Mangos are a great source of vitamin E!

Gluten Free Carrot Muffins

I went to the hair salon today...funny how great you feel after getting your hair "done" :)  But I'm feeling pretty great these days anyway... my son is sleeping through the night regularly, I have started taking more of my vitamins now that I am done with breastfeeding, and we have been eating so good!  I was reading People Style Watch at the salon and they had a list of about 10 things you could be doing to be healthy and fit for the summer.  Not that I ever take health advice from a style magazine but the funny thing was that I actually could say that I am doing all of the things on their list for the first time in my life.

So this recipe came from my friend Leslie Ann's blog and originated with Elana's Pantry (fantastic site for Gluten Free cooking - mostly great baking.)  Leslie Ann changed it a bit and I made my own changes from there.  These muffins are so delicious!  No one would guess they are gluten free and really good for you.  We usually double the recipe and freeze them for future breakfasts.

Makes 12-14 muffins.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup organic coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 6 organic eggs
• 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
• 2 Tablespoons organic blackstrap molasses
• 6 Tablespoons honey (4 Tablespoons make 1/4 cup)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded organic carrots
• 4-5 dates, cut into small pieces (after cutting, rinse them in water to keep them from sticking)
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces (or walnuts)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until blended
2. In a separate large bowl combine the eggs, coconut oil, molasses, honey, and vanilla.  (Depending on the time of year or the temperature of your eggs the coconut oil may solidify.  We usually stick the bowl in the oven for a minute or two so it will become liquid.)
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend.  Then fold in shredded carrots, dates, and nuts.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top of the muffins are dry and hold their shape when you press them lightly.  Serve warm with butter or cream cheese.

Comments on Ingredients:

• Blackstrap molasses is a sweetener that is actually good for you.  It contains iron, calcium, copper, manganese, potassium, and magnesium.
• Dates are not only fantastic to use to sweeten things up but they are really good for you and especially good for me!  The fruit is very rich in antioxidant flavonoids such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants have the ability to help protect cells and other structures in the body from oxygen free radicals.  Zeaxanthin, an important dietary carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions

Thai Chicken Curry

Last week was a little crazy for me so I didn't get around to posting recipes.  We had this delicious curry dish last week and writing about it is already making my mouth water.  I feel I can actually call this recipe an original as it stems from the combination of two recipes and has been altered significantly from there.  Please don't be deterred by the longer list of ingredients!  My husband and I make this one together and usually have a great time cooking together.  It shouldn't take more than 30-45 minutes total to make and has so many ingredients that are so good for you!

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 (14-ounce) can of coconut milk
• 1 cup organic chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1 pound boneless, skinless, organic chicken breasts, pounded to thin and tenderize and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 5-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 6 ounces fresh green beans or snap peas
• 1 cup fresh pineapple cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Curry powder to taste
• Ginger powder to taste

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the sweet potato and carrots and then steam them for about 15 minutes.  (This will shorten the amount of time the dish needs to simmer as the carrots and sweet potato take the longest to cook.)
2. Heat a large saucepan to medium high heat and place the Tablespoon of olive oil and minced garlic in the pan.  Next add the chicken and let it sear until you no longer see any pink on it. (Don't worry about making sure it is cooked through as it will simmer.)
3. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, curry paste, and lime juice to the saucepan and stir.  
4. Add the steamed carrots and sweet potatoes. 
5. Add the green beans or snap peas.  (We prefer the snap peas but use whichever we have on hand.)
6. Add the curry and ginger powder to taste.
7. Simmer for 15 minutes and add the pineapple and fresh basil just before serving.  Serve with brown rice.

Comments on Ingredients:

• Pineapple is packed with the enzyme bromelain which plays a major role in the body's healing process. Bromelain is a natural potent anti-inflammatory that has many health benefits and encourages healing. According to recent researches, bromelain is very effective in treating bruises, sprains and strains by reducing swelling, tenderness and pain. This powerful anti-inflammatory effect can also help relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and reduce postoperative swelling.

Banana Oat Flour Pancakes

Almost every Saturday we have pancakes.  It's so nice to know we are actually eating healthy when we make these pancakes and they are so delicious and wheat free!  (If you buy gluten free oat flour, you can exclude any traces of gluten.  Oat flour, unless noted, is processed in facilities that also process wheat.)  This recipe comes from the Anti-inflammation Diet and Recipe Book.  I should also note here that my husband is our breakfast cook.  I had to ask him what kind of changes he has made to this recipe as I have never actually made them myself.

Serves: 3 (we usually have 2 pancakes leftover and save them for another morning)

Ingredients:

• 6 Tablespoons raw sunflower seeds, ground
• 6 Tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds, ground
• 5 organic eggs
• 2/3 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup rice milk or regular milk (we don't notice a difference in taste)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1.5 bananas, sliced
• 2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients except the bananas and coconut oil together in one mixing bowl.  Then stir in the sliced bananas.
2. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut oil to a hot griddle or pan.  Once melted and hot, pour on the batter.  When pancakes begin to bubble, flip and cook on the other side for a short amount of time.  Save the remaining coconut oil to use as needed for the next batches of pancakes.

Comments on Ingredients:

• We use coconut oil whenever possible for baking or cooking anything sweet.  It's so delicious and nutritious and can handle high temperatures well.  Coconuts are one of the top 10 superfoods.  They have so many health benefits that I would take up pages to list them.  A couple of comments on them... Coconut oil contains the most lauric acid (a powerful antiviral substance) of any plant source.  Coconut flesh, cream, and coconut oil all increase metabolism and speed up the thyroid, helping with weight loss and ridding the body of excess toxins.  
• (from the Whole Foods website)  Aside from providing a wide range or nutrients, The healing properties of pumpkin seeds have also been recently investigated with respect to arthritis. In animal studies, the addition of pumpkin seeds to the diet has compared favorably with use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin in reducing inflammatory symptoms.

Feta and Sundried Tomatoes Brussels Sprouts

Yesterday we went to the children's museum and got back late in the afternoon so the main dish last night was chicken thighs in the crockpot - a healthy main but nothing to write about.  However, our side dish was a good one - brussels sprouts.  Before you run the other way, please take into consideration that my husband does not like brussels sprouts at all but has wanted this dish once a week since we first tried it.

This recipe is not original so I do not have specific measurements.  However, you'll find it is difficult to mess up!

Ingredients:

• Approximately 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Brussels sprouts, quartered
• Feta Cheese to taste (we use about 1/2-1 cup)
• Sun dried tomatoes to taste (we use about 1/2-1 cup)
• Approximately 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium in a medium pan.  Saute the brussels sprouts until they are cooked but still have a little crunchiness - about 5 minutes.
2. While the brussels sprouts are cooking, pulse the sun dried tromatoes in a small food processor to chop them up finely.
3. Add the sun dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese and mix thoroughly.  Serve warm.

Comments on Ingredients:

• (from Whole Foods website) Brussels sprouts may have unique health benefits in the area of DNA protection. A recent study has shown improved stability of DNA inside of our white blood cells after daily consumption of Brussels sprouts in the amount of 1.25 cups. Interestingly, it's the ability of certain compounds in Brussels sprouts to block the activity of sulphotransferase enzymes that researchers believe to be responsible for these DNA-protective benefits.
• sun-dried tomatoes contain the same nutritional value as the fresh equivalents. Specifically, sun-dried tomatoes are noted for their lycopene and antioxidant content.
• The Feta Cheese we use is made from sheep's milk and is delicious.  Another wonderful Costco find!  (Tnuva brand)

Five-Minute Breakfast

This morning we decided to use the leftover brown rice from the past two nights for our breakfast.  I get tired of the same breakfasts so I love having this once in awhile.  The recipe comes from The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book.  (By the way, the book is good for explaining the Anti-Inflammation Diet but unfortunately most of the recipes I find pretty flavorless.)  We slightly modify this recipe though and it is pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

2 cups leftover cooked brown rice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3-4 chopped dates
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1/2 sunflower seeds
1 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or to taste)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan on the stove.  Add milk to cover the rice for a cereal consistency.  Warm over moderate heat to desired temperature and serve.

Serves 2-3

Comments on ingredients:

• You can use regular milk but many people with inflammatory issues need to stay away from dairy.  I love my dairy so I choose to only substitute it when it doesn't make a difference (Plus wheat and sugar seem to be the main issues for me).  And why not use rice milk when you are eating rice?!
• We substitute any recipe with raisins for dates because dates are sweeter and oh so good!!
• Sunflower seeds (as are most seeds) are incredible for you.  Just a hand full of sunflower kernels a day provides much of the recommended levels of phenolic anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins, and protein.

Balsamic Baked Tilapia

Last night was a rough night.  Our son Noah bumped his head yesterday evening so we had to wake him two hours after he went to sleep to ensure he was OK.  Additionally, he woke at 3AM due to a diaper failure and continued to wake every hour after that possibly due to his head hurting.  Needless to say, I am not feeling extremely inspirational in my cooking today so I plan to make one of my husband's new favorites.  It happens to be super easy as well!  (You'll begin to see that as a theme in my recipes as I don't have a ton of time as a mom of a one year old!)

Coincidentally, this dish is another Balsamic dish!

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 package of Kirkland's Fire Roasted Vegetable Blend (found in frozen foods)
• 1 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 tilapia fillets
• Crumbled blue cheese to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Kirkland's Fire Roasted Vegetable Blend and cook until the vegetables are slightly soft, about 10 minutes. Stir extra balsamic vinegar into the vegetables.
3. Rub tilapia filets with 2 teaspoons olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place fillets in a small baking dish, and top with the balsamic vegetable mixture. Sprinkle fish evenly with blue cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Serve atop brown rice.

Braised Balsamic Chicken

Tonight I am making a very simple recipe from AllRecipes.com that I have modified a bit to suite our taste.  It's so simple and delicious!

Ingredients:

•  2-3 skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts
• ground pepper to taste
• ground sea salt to taste
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• feta cheese crumbled to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat them dry with a paper towel.  Then pound the chicken breasts with a mallet until slightly thinned.  
2.  Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and sea salt. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high, and brown the onion and seasoned chicken breasts.  Once the chicken is browned, add the garlic cloves using a garlic press and cook until fragrant.
3. Pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken, and season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes.
4. Add crumbled feta cheese and serve with brown rice or quinoa pasta.