Black Bean-Brown Rice Patties

Happy weekend everyone! I hope spring has started well for you all.  It's still quite cold here in CT and it'll be a few weeks more before we actually start feeling any spring-like weather, but for now I'm enjoying the lengthening of days and searching for signs of buds and shoots pushing up from the earth. It looks like we possibly might have snow on Monday, and honesty, that doesn't bother me at all. That's just one of the things I expect from living in New England. The snow this winter has not burnt me out yet! 

These patties are a wonderful light, but hearty meal, that are one of my top contenders for my favorite recipe of the cleanse. I served mine with romaine lettuce drizzled with olive oil and lime juice, with some buttery avocado and cilantro on top. I didn't even miss having a bun for these patties. The only issue was that they were a bit dry, so maybe next time I'd add a little bit more oil, or possibly bake them a bit less.  Regardless of this though, they were fabulous!

Black Bean-Brown Rice Patties

Makes 6 Patties (Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 3/4 cup cooked brown rice (For reference, 1/2 cup uncooked rice will yield about 1 1/2 cups cooked rice)

2 scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and chopped

1 Tbsp flaxmeal

1 tsp ground cumin

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Coarse salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Add all ingredients to food processor, and pulse until combined. Season to taste with salt.

3. Form 6 patties, about 1-inch thick. Place patties on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake about 20-minutes, until the tops are crisp and golden.

You can serve these plain if you'd like, but they are fabulous with a few extras- some ideas: lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, cilantro. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lime.

Source: Whole Living, January/February 2013

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew

I wanted to share with you one more of my favorite meals from week 1 of the Whole Living 2013 Action Plan. This red lentil and sweet potato stew is so flavorful and exciting it is hard to believe that it is incredibly healthy for you. Full of fragrant spices, sweet peppers and sweet potatoes, and those wonderful red lentils, this is something I see myself making time and time again. It was one of my favorite meals of the whole cleanse. Speaking of- I completed it this past Saturday! It was a wonderful experience and something I could see myself doing once a year! That said, I did indulge in pretty much everything that was off-limits on Sunday. I probably should have eased back in to eating gluten, dairy, meat, sugar, and coffee, but I couldn't help myself!  I needed that large coffee, bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, and those chocolate stout cupcakes! I do plan on keeping up with the healthy eating most of the time however, with only occasional splurge meals.

I'll definitely be sharing a few more of my favorite meals from the Action Plan, so stay tuned!  And then, once I update you on those healthy recipes I want to share with you the recipe for the chocolate stout cupcakes I made for St. Patrick's Day (aka the BEST chocolate cupcakes in the world), and also a recipe for an awesome Buffalo Chicken Salad.

One more thing I wanted to share- my best friend (who I did this cleanse with, and whose Maid of Honor I'll be in her November wedding) just started her own blog, Living Life Brightly, and would love for you to check it out! She has a great write-up on her experience with the Whole Living Action Plan over there!

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp coconut or extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 large onion, diced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
6 cups cleansing broth or vegetable broth
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1. Over medium heat, heat oil in a large pot. Add cumin, turmeric and curry powder and cook about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add onion and a few pinches of salt, and cook about 6 minutes until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and ginger and cook about 2 minutes, until tender, stirring frequently. Add sweet potatoes and red bell peppers, and cook for a minute.
2. Add lentils and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender.Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro.

Source: Whole Living Magazine, January/February 2013

Roasted Beets on Greens

My mom always says that when I was a baby I LOVED beets. I have to laugh when I think about how much of a mess I must have made trying to eat beets- the stains that must have resulted from that! Nowadays I still love beets, but it is so rare that I actually eat them.

Ron is so picky about vegetables that I pretty much stick to those he'll eat- lettuce, peppers, onions, cucumbers, mushrooms (I know- not technically a vegetable)... This is another reason that I've been enjoying this detox- I actually have a reason to buy vegetables I don't usually purchase, and it has also allowed me to make some things for myself that I wouldn't ordinarily have made, as I try to cook things that Ron will eat as well. This has allowed me to discover some really great recipes, and also has inspired me to seek out more variation in meals (such as lunch) that I am only cooking for myself.

These roasted beets on green were great! At first glance I did not think this recipe would satisfy me, but the amount of food is deceptive. I also was a little leery of using the fennel seeds and caraway seeds in the vinaigrette as they are not (or at least I thought they weren't) my favorite flavors, but I ended up loving the flavors in this. I had this as a lunch the first week of the detox, but it could also work as a side dish to a more substantial main dish if you cut down the portions.

Roasted Beets on Greens
Serves 4 (as a main)

Ingredients:
2 bunches beets, trimmed
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups baby spinach, divided
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, divided
Thinly sliced red onion

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beet in tinfoil, and roast for about an hour, until tender. Remove from oven, let cool, and then peel the beets and dice them.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, fennel, and caraway seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the beets to the bowl, and toss together.
3. To serve, toss each serving of beets with 1 cup of baby spinach and 1/4 cup of parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with slices of red onion.

Source: Whole Living, January/February 2013

Cauliflower "Rice" Stir-Fry

Wow! I really didn't mean to go so long without posting! Time is speeding by, and I just can't keep up with it. How is it already March?!  Soon buds will be sprouting on the trees, flowers will be blooming, I'll be able to open the windows in my apartment, and I'll be able to go outside without a coat. It's insane how time is speeding by.

Anyway.... As I mentioned in one of my last posts, my best friend and I decided to do the Whole Living Cleanse as a healthy living challenge and we are currently about 2/3 into it! It's been hard at times (the beginning especially), but really good! I'm definitely feeling healthier and have even dropped a few pounds! The cleanse has you omit certain things from your diet- dairy, gluten, meat, processed foods, added sugar, alcohol and coffee. The things I'm struggling the most with are not drinking coffee, and my cravings for salty things and carbs. I really haven't been craving sugar at all, and I'm doing fine without the meat and dairy. This cleanse has made me realize just how much mindless snacking I do in my everyday life- I realize that I just reach for a handful of this here, and a handful of that there and it really adds up, so I think this cleanse has been great as it has made me be mindful of what enters my body. I can definitely see myself keeping up with this way of eating in some capacity when it is finished. Limiting my intake of processed foods and added sugars especially. I will definitely be getting a cup of coffee as soon as this is done however- I think the research on the benefits of coffee supports me on that too :)

So doing this cleanse has definitely been not quite as hard as it could be due to the mostly delicious recipes it has encompassed. I wanted to share some of my favorites here, but go to the website for the remainder!!  My favorite of the first week was this cauliflower "rice" stir-fry. I loved using the cauliflower as a rice substiiute! I've seen this done, but have never tried it myself. Of course it doesn't taste quite like rice, but it is super delicious and if you looking at lowering your carb intake, this is a great way to do it.

Cauliflower "Rice" Stir-Fry
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 Tbsp coconut or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 sliced red onion, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
Coarse salt
1/4 cup cleansing broth, or vegetable broth
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 small red chile, thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
1 large carrot, julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp shelled pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:
1. In a food processor pulse cauliflower florets until finely chopped.
2. In a large skillet, heat one Tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add half of the onion and half of the garlic, and cook about 6 minutes, until tender, stirring frequently. Add cauliflower. Season with salt. Add broth, and place cover on pan. Steam about 6 minutes until the cauliflower is tender, and the broth has evaporated. Remove to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
3. Wipe out pan, and add remaining oil. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add remaining onion, and cook about 5 minutes until tender. Add remaining garlic, ginger, and chile, and cook for 1 minute. Add the broccoli, carrot and red pepper, and cook about 5 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt.
4. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
5. When serving, sprinkle pumpkin seeds and cilantro on top of the stir-fry.

Source: Whole Living, January/February 2013

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I bet that chicken soup is a comfort food for a huge number of people out there, and rightfully so in my opinion.  It's something many of us associate with childhood, and our mothers. It's something I crave in the winter, and especially when I'm under the weather. I made this soup a few weeks ago when I was nursing a seemingly never-ending cold. One that seems to have finally gone away- I'd like to attribute that to this soup! This is my favorite quick and easy version of chicken soup. It is from the wonderful cookbook Fresh Flavor Fast, which comes from the people over at Everyday Food, one of my most favorite cooking magazines that unfortunately is no longer a standalone magazine. That magazine, this cookbook, and the other two in this series- Great Food Fast and Everyday Food: Light, I seem to turn to again and again for reliable and delicious weeknight meals. This soup comes together relatively quickly, uses some shortcuts such as store-bought chicken broth, but cooks in such a way that imparts it with so much flavor. Sauteing the onions and poaching the chicken in the chicken broth really work to make this soup so flavorful.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

32-oz low-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup wild-rice blend

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 oz), or 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast 

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot, preferably a dutch oven. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until onion starts to soften, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, rice, and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 35 minutes.

2. Add chicken, carrots, and celery. Return soup to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Remove the chicken, and shred.

3. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, and season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Source: Fresh Flavor Fast

Potato Frittata with Feta and Scallions

Whelp, remember when I said that I was hoping for a snowy winter?  Looks like I got my wish, plus some!  As I'm sure everybody know, Connecticut got a gigantic storm over the weekend, starting Friday morning, and ending Saturday morning.  We got about 3 feet of snow! That's the most I've ever seen in one shot. I couldn't even see my car when the storm was done, and we were stranded in our apartment for a few days. Luckily we never lost power, and so we were able to stay inside all warm and cozy, with an excuse to be totally lazy. We did get outside and shovel, which was extremely exhausting, and my arms feel dead now because of it, but other than that, this was the perfect time to just relax. As I am a hoarder of food, we had no problem keeping ourselves well-fed. We even decided to risk salmonella poisoning, and made a batch of cookie dough and no cookies. Here's to snow!

So this is something I cooked last week before the blizzard hit. It's the second recipe I've made from Deb Perelman's wonderful cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. (The other was her flat-roasted chicken with tiny potatoes- something I will be making again and I will make sure I share it with you were when I do.) Her blog is one of the best out there, and I urge you to check it out! Ron got me her cookbook for Christmas, and over vacation I read the entire thing, front to back. I am now slowly working my way through the archives of her blog. I love her writing, and reading both the cookbook and her blog make me feel like I'm sitting right there with her in her tiny kitchen listening to a good friend tell me a story.

I made this frittata for dinner and Ron and I devoured it! I busted out my cast-iron skillet to cook this, and as I did, I resolved to not fear this skillet. I don't know why, but cooking with cast-iron really intimidates me. I decided that I have to get over this once and for all, especially since this frittata turned out so beautifully in it. This frittata reminds me of another dish I love, Ina Garten's Omelet for Two, from her cookbook Barefoot Contessa at Home. I love that recipe and that cookbook. I don't think I've ever made an Ina Garten recipe that I've disliked! While that omelet (which really is more of a fritatta also), uses cheddar cheese and diced potatoes, this one uses feta cheese and sliced potatoes. Other than that they are very similar and are both awesome! I'll post that recipe soon.

Potato Frittata with Feta and Scallions
Serves 4 (as a dinner) or 6-8 as a breakfast

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-1/2-inch slices, and then into half-circles
1/2 tsp table salt, plus more for roasting potatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound bacon, thick-cut, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 bunch (3-4) scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2/3 cup (3 oz) crumbled feta cheese
6 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk or cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a baking sheet or roasting pan with 1-2 Tbsp of oil. Place the potatoes, on the pan, and season with salt and pepper. (They do not all have to be in one layer). Roast about 30 minutes until the potatoes are mostly cooked through, tossing halfway. Remove from oven, and let cool down a bit.
2. Place a cast-iron or other 9-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat, and cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Add the remainder of the oil to the skillet with the bacon drippings (1 Tbsp), and reheat on medium. Make sure you swirl the oil and drippings around in the skillet to coat the sides of the pan.
3. Place the potatoes in the skillet, browned side up. Then sprinkle on the bacon, scallions and feta.
4. Whisk together your eggs and milk, adding 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the potatoes.
5. Cover your skillet with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil, and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the eggs are set in the center, and the edges have puffed up.

Source: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

Artichoke and Basil Bruschetta

This weekend my Grandmother and I celebrated our birthdays! I still have 2 weeks until I reach the milestone age of 30, but since I can remember we've always celebrated our birthdays together, as they are so close together. Hers is the 2nd and mine, the 17th. This year we are both celebrating big birthdays- my 30th as I said, and her 80th!! It was a great party- lots of delicious food (of which I unfortunately got no pictures). We had a surf and turf feast- London broil, seafood chowder, paella, oysters... It was all delicious! We had cheesecake and a chocolate-hazelnut cake to finish the evening.

I brought an appetizer- this artichoke and basil bruschetta! I made it in the summer for a birthday party and loved it so much I just had to make it again, and then I had to make more for a light dinner tonight as I didn't eat my fill yesterday! This is such an easy appetizer to make- the assembly is the only thing that takes a little time, but it is so worth it. This comes from one of my favorite blogs- Shutterbean- go check it out if you haven't heard of it! And if you are into podcasts, I heartily recommend the Joy the Baker Podcast, which Tracy from Shutterbean and Joy the Baker of course do. It's hilarious, sometimes informative, and always entertaining!

Artichoke and Basil Bruschetta

Makes about 20

Ingredients:

1 Baguette, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/3 cup olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic

12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts

1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)

10-20 Basil leaves

20 shavings of Parmesan cheese

Fresh lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Bake about 5-10 minutes until lightly crispy. 

2. When the slices are toasted, remove from oven, let cool slightly, and then rub with a garlic clove.

3. To assemble, spread each baguette slice with about 1/2 tablespoon ricotta, then lay on a basil leaf (if large, tear in half), then an artichoke heart (again, if large, can be halved), then a shaving of Parmesan. Squeeze a little lemon juice on each bruschetta, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Source: Shutterbean