Tuesday "Try"... Okra

Okra

A friend gave me some okra from her garden last year and I have to say I'd never really eaten fresh okra before then, and only knew of the slimy stories that come along when someone mentions the word "Okra." So when I was at the farmers market this past Saturday, I saw this okra and it was so beautiful AND organic. Okra is typically green but don't be afraid to try the same food in a different color. I just bought a few to play with and try something new with it ( now that I have fond memories of eating okra). I found a simple recipe... Just wash and cut the okra in slices.

Then cook some onion, diced fresh garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes in oil ( I used some homemade beef broth I'd just made a few days ago. More about that in another post to come) until slightly done.

Then put the sliced okra in with the onion mix and continue to cook until the okra in tender as you like it. I left it slightly undercooked. I didn't want it to be to mushy. It was really really good. A nice summery side dish to add to any meal. I can see where this dish could have a lot of different spices added to it, depending on what you were pairing it with. Don't be afraid to play with your food!

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Tuesday "Try"... Conscious Eating

Try and pick one meal in your day that is not distracted by, TV, cell phones, phone calls, emails, reading, or even conversations and try to consciously eat that meal. Pause ~ take a moment to really look at the colors, smell the aroma that rises up from your plate, feel the work and care that was put into preparing it ( even if it was yourself). Bring your awareness to each small bite and consciously chew and taste your food. Feel the appreciation for the abundance that this meal is on your table and take a breath before the next bite.

Just give it a "try" ~ One meal ~ one try...

Tuesday "Try"... Skinny dipping

Homemade Hummus

Looking for something to dip your naked vegetables or chips in? 

Try homemade hummus! 

http://allrecipes.com/Video/172/How-to-Make-Hummus/Detail.aspx

     I have to admit, I've never made it before, but it was SO easy and really good!! And like a lot of my cooking, I didn't make it all in one day. When I made dinner (and with planning to make hummus on my mind) I decided to cook the chickpea's ( you can use canned, but I like to use fresh when possible) and then put them in the refrigerator until the next day when I had more time. I also made a double batch so the next time I want hummus that part is already done. 

      Hummus is one of those foods that you can do so much with. You can taylor it to your liking, with extra garlic, hot chili peppers etc. You don't even have to use chickpea's (garbanzo beans) - try making a bean free hummus with, spinach, beets, cauliflower or carrots. Even the traditional recipe you can played with like, extra tahini, lemon juice etc. just taste and adjust.

       Try making hummus to take to a party, spread it on your sandwich or hamburger bun instead of mayo, turn it into a salad dressing with vinegar, salt and pepper, or just have something yummy and healthy to use as a dip. The idea's are endless... google it!

       A few health benefits are: there high in fiber, minerals and vitamins (manganese, zinc, magnesium, copper and iron) and lots of protein. And it only takes a few ingredients, a blender or food processor and a desire. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/hummus-for-real-recipe.html

2 cups of cooked chickpea's (garbanzo beans)

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8- 1/4 cup water

1/3 cup tahini

1/8-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

(This is my adjusted recipe from the original link posted above)

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Tuesday "Try"... Mochi

Mochi is a traditional Japanese food made from a special short-grain sweet rice. It's steamed then the rice is pounded to accentuate its chewy texture and nutty flavor.

I found a cinnamon raisin Mochi the other day marked down, so I thought why not give it a try ( there is a plain flavor available too). The recipe on the back of the package was, Raisin Cinnamon Mochi Danish that I decided to follow and see what happened, but Pinterest is full of ideas for what to do with Mochi. I even saw one idea to make waffles.

This is what it looks like when you take it out of the package.

The recipe said to cut 2 inch squares and follow baking instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Place pieces at least 1 inch apart on a baking sheet

Bake 8-10 minutes, until Mochi pieces puff up and brown.

Here is what they look like after they come out of the oven.

The recipe said to remove them from oven, let cool and take a sharp knife, cut a slit in one side of each Mochi pocket and stuff with cream cheese, nuts and honey.

I didn't have cheese or non-dairy cheese on hand, so I used peanut butter, honey and chopped up some walnuts. I'd like to try the cream cheese ( non - dairy for me) next time. It would add a very nice contrast that the peanut butter didn't. But it was still really good, easy and fun to play around with. 

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and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

Tuesday "Try"... Food Swap

Change comes in small doses. Take what your family is already eating and "try" a food swap. Below are some ideas and a website to help you start swapping! Don't get overwhelmed, just try one swap a week and before you know it, a habit is formed.

*Try grilling meat instead of frying

*Brown rice instead of white or start with half brown and half white

*Open face sandwich - use one piece of bread instead of two

*Make soup once a week instead of a meat dish (put all ingredients in a crock-pot)

*Dip veggies in dip instead of chips

*Incorporate veggies whenever you can ( like in your meatloaf - no one will notice)

*Use avocado instead of mayo

*Eat a whole piece of fruit ( like an apple) rather then apple juice 

Here are 50 more healthy food swap ideas

http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/50-Healthy-Food-Swaps

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Tuesday "Try" Cacao Nibs..

Candied Cacao Nibs

http://candy.about.com/od/chocolate/r/candiedcacaonib.htm

In honor of Valentines day this week I thought I would try something with chocolate ( any excuse to eat chocolate is good enough for me!) Cacao nibs are a healthier option then most chocolate consumed and they offer great benefits for your body http://www.livestrong.com/article/462015-benefits-of-cocoa-nibs/. They contain, magnesium, calcium and zinc to name a few, and what better way to get these minerals then through eating chocolate. Now with that said they do have a dark chocolate bitter taste and the internet if full of great ideas to remedy that without loosing all the good qualities. I found this recipe for candied cacao nibs, and it was easy to make and great to put away for later use, like sprinkling on my coconut yogurt, or grind them up and put in a smooth or just nibble on them, which I found myself doing and put the rest away before they were all gone.

This is what they look like. They have a rough crunchy texture with somewhat of a bitter taste.

I put the sugar ( the recipe didn't specify what kind of sugar, so I used my coconut sugar to add a more brown sugar/molasses like taste). Then put on med. high heat and continued to stir.

The recipe said to wait till the sugar was dissolved to put the butter in ( I used Earth Balance instead of butter to make it dairy free) but after a few minutes I put the Earth Balance in and it did fine. It got a caramel like coating on all the cacao nibs ~ Yum! Once it was all incorporated I spread them out on parchment paper and sprinkled some salt while still hot. I love sweet and salty.

~Happy Valentines Day~

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and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

Tuesday "Try"... Jicama

Jicama

Pachyrhizus erosus, also known as Mexican yam or Mexican turnip, is a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Plants in this genus are commonly referred to as yam bean, although the term "yam bean" can be another name for jícama. The names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok, and Chinese potato. (In Ecuador and Peru, the name jicama is used for the unrelated yacón or Peruvian ground apple, a plant of the sunflower family whose tubers are also used as food).^[2]

This is the Jicama I bought at my local store, it was 1.69 lb. and I'm so glad I tried it. The taste and texture was similar to an apple, celery and a potato and my favorite part was the "crunch". I loved it! When I "googled" how to use it, there were many options, from salads to stir fries, and a great snack idea, like the one I made. I tried peeling the Jicama with my potato peeler but the skin was a bit tough ( could have been my peeler ), so I just used a small knife and it came off easily. 

I then cut in half, sliced thin, sprinkled sourthwest seasoning an lime juice on it. I had a hard time not eating them all. I just LOVED the crunch I usually crave when I'm looking for something to snack on. I even made a few with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on ( thought if it tasted like an apple - why not) and that was yummy too. I'm looking forward to incorporating Jicama in my diet.

Some health benefits..

Jicama is an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C ( 44%) of the daily value per serving. 

It's a powerful antioxidant that zaps free radicals to protect against cancer, inflammation, viral cough, cold, and infections. http://foodfacts.mercola.com/jicama.html

Tuesday "Try"... Parsnips

"Parsnip"

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable closely related to the carrot. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long tuberous root has cream-colored skin and flesh and can be left in the ground when mature as it becomes sweeter in flavor after winter frosts. In its first growing season, the plant has a rosette of pinnate, mid-green leaves. If unharvested, it produces its flowering stem, topped by an umbel of small yellow flowers, in its second growing season. By this time the stem is woody and the tuber inedible. The seeds are pale brown, flat and winged.

On this Tuesday "Try" I decided on another in season vegetable that I'd never eaten before. It was easy to find in my local grocery store, and it was available in big and smaller sizes. I had one of each and I found the smaller one softer to work with then the larger one. The description said it was closely related to a carrot and I thought it looked and did taste similar to a carrot. The taste was not over powering and it complimented the sweet potato. I found a recipe that mixed parsnips and sweet potatoes http://glutenfreegirl.com/2011/01/sweet-potato-latkes-gluten-free/.

First I peeled the parsnips and sweet potatoes.

Then I grated them and soaked them for 10 minutes in water to release the starch.

After I drained all the water out, I put the shredded parsnips and sweet potatoes in a towel to get out as much of the excess water as I could. Then I added, thyme, plain coconut yogurt, salt and pepper, shallot, and potato starch. Then I mixed a little earth balance and olive oil in the pan and made small patties.

Now that I've tried parsnips I certainly will be using them again in my recipes. I've even found my next idea ~ baked parsnip fries http://www.delightedmomma.com/2012/01/baked-parsnip-fries.html

Tuesday "Try" ~ Miracle Noodles...

Another Tuesday means another day to search for something to "try." Today as I was wandering the aisles of the grocery store I came across these noodles. I was first taken with the name, "Miracle Noodles" and who couldn't use a miracle! Then there was the lure of words like, guilt free, gluten free, soy free, low in calories and the back of the package stated that "these noodles were made from plants that were not genetically engineered." Okay that was enough words for me to want to give it a "try." 

(There was a plain noodle available - not spinach flavored)

The directions said: Drain the water out of the package and rinse the noodles in cool water for 10-15 seconds. Blanch in boiling water for about a minute. Place on a paper towel to dry and then add to your favorite dish. 

When I first opened the package to drain it, it had a slight fishy smell, which I think came from the spinach powder. I was a bit skeptical, but wanted to finish the process before I gave a final review. And I have to say, first impressions are not always what they seem. So next time you have that experience, get to the final result and see if it doesn't surprise you, as it did me.

So my idea of a favorite dish when it comes to noodles is to make something cheesy! I melted a tablespoon of earth balance butter, added a couple tablespoons of almond milk, a sprinkle of garlic powder and onion powder, with some non dairy cheese and made a cheese sauce. And keeping with the theme of spinach, I decided to steam fresh organic spinach to mix in. The texture of the noodles seemed a bit lighter then your average pasta, which I liked. Over all - It was Yummy!

There were a couple of interesting words in the ingredients that I will investigate on my facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodLiving , so visit tomorrow on Wednesday "word" and find out what is in the "Miracle Noodles."

And as always, visit  me at  http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

Tuesday's "TRY"

     http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/f/fennel01.html

Welcome to Tuesday's Try, where I'll be experimenting with food I've never eaten or trying something with a food that's familiar and trying it in a different way. Today I'm using Fennel. I had never eaten this vegetable before and had always been a bit intimidated by the way it looks and just unsure what to do with it. But after doing a search for ideas, I'm excited to use fennel again in my recipes. Plus fennel is good for you. It contains Vitamins A and C as well as potassium and calcium and has a slightly sweet anise flavor and can be used to help with stomach distress.

Fennel Apple Salad

First I cut a very thin sliver off the bottom (discard) then cut off the fronds (feathery top - saved for another use).

As you can see in the above picture the outside can sometimes be bruised or discolored so I took off the top layer of the fennel bulb. But you can just as easily use a vegetable peeler and remove some of the discoloring. I cut the bulb in half and cut out small triangles of the core to discard.

Then with each half you can slice them really thin with a knife or use a mandolin. I also cut up one Granny Smith apple into thin slices.

I mixed the fennel with the apple, toasted pecans and made a simple dressing of orange juice, honey, olive oil and apple cider vinegar, mixed it all together then put in the refrigerator to chill. There are many ways to use the fronds but I just steeped them to make fennel tea, which I enjoy.

Recipe

1 fennel

1 apple

1/4-1/2 cup pecans - toasted

1/4 cup orange juice 

1 Tb. olive oil

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tb. honey

(adjust to your taste - play with the ingredients)

Only thing left is to ENJOY!

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