Sentiments by Denise

Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers

Food is never boring since I started eating a mostly plant based diet more than a year ago. I can honestly say that I've discovered some wonderfully interesting foods that have definitely enlightened my taste buds!

Recent recipe discovery: Ancient Grain Stuffed Red Bell Peppers.

 
Some foods that I eat these days I had never even heard of, or at least wasn't familiar with a year ago. I found this recipe in the sale flyer from Whole Foods (Jan/Feb 2011) and it sounded so impressive, yet very simple. It also gave me the opportunity to try something I've never eaten before: a sea plant.
Arame is a mild sea vegetable, very similar to kelp. Arame is high in calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, and Vitamin A. It does take some getting use to, but if you're a fan of sushi or other seafood, you'll probably like it.

Stuffed Peppers

1/2 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/4 c. uncooked amaranth
1 c. frozen edamame, thawed
1 c. arame seaweed, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, drain well
6 green onions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, grated
1/2 c. roughly chopped fresh cilantro, dill, or parsley
2 T. brown rice vinegar
4 red bell peppers, tops removed and reserved, cored and seeded

Preheat oven to 350deg. Put grains and 1-1/2 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low; cover and simmer until liquid is gone and grains are tender, about 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.
Toss edamame, arame, onions, carrots, cilantro, and vinegar.
 
 Stuff peppers with mixture and arrange in a baking dish, pour 1/4 cup water into dish. Place tops on peppers, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until tender, 20-30 minutes more.  Serves 4.

**I only used 2 bell peppers cut in half, so I had extra "stuffing" leftover. This might be good in a wrap or pita for a portable lunch. I also left out the cilantro because I didn't have any, but added black pepper and a couple dashes of curry powder for some extra flavor.

I shared this meal the first time with Emilee. Tonight I had a leftover pepper and topped it with some crumbled goat cheese - even better!

This meal was loaded with protein (about 20g per serving) and so colorful!
 
It's great to try new foods - new flavors!

It's All About the Vegetables!

People often ask me what I eat since I don't eat meat anymore. My reply?

"Vegetables! Lots of vegetables!

Tonight when I came home from work I knew I needed to use up some food in the fridge to make room for my CSA delivery tomorrow.

I chose some crimini mushrooms, mini sweet peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and broccoli slaw. I cut up these vegetables and tossed them into a pan with a bit of grapeseed oil (great for sauteing or stir-frying, as it's suitable for high heat).
Then I added a few wheatberries that I had cooked the other day (these are a great source of fiber), some red kidney beans (more fiber and protein), and about a 1/4 cup of brown rice that was leftover from Ed's stirfry. I seasoned this with a bit of black pepper and my staple favorite - szechuan sauce!

 
Doesn't it look great!?  This is enough for two servings - I'll have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I love mixtures like this - they are quick to make, very nutritious, and fill me right up! Vegetarian cuisine can be so easy and I find now that I don't center my meals around meat, I am much more creative in my cooking and how I put my meals together. I like them to be colorful (vegetables give me that). I like them to be healthy - choosing a variety of vegetables, legumes, and grains make it so. And I like them to taste great and all of these flavors combined (or combining other flavors - veggies with beans or veggies with grains) really satisfy my taste buds.

Tonight it's cold outside so I think a cup of hot tea might just hit the spot.

 
I'm rockin' the Green Tea - extra special since it tastes like candy canes and is decaf! Love that!

My Favorite Meal is Breakfast

I could never understand when people would tell me that they didn't eat breakfast - it's my favorite meal of the day!
I'm usually famished in the mornings and look forward to taking in some healthy and tasty nutrients to start my day. Since I've started eating with better intentions (healthier) this past year, I've tried to add some variety to my morning meals. Here is a list of my favorites:

Oatmeal

 
I dress it up with lots of healthy options. Above is banana oats with almond butter stirred in, some coconut shreds and cacao nibs on top.

 
This is non-cooked oatmeal called "overnite oats" where I mix raw oatmeal with yogurt, chia seeds, pumpkin (or banana or apple) and almond or coconut milk, then let it "soak" overnight in the fridge. In the morning I heat it for just a minute, add my toppings (here it's almond butter, almonds, and blueberries) and it's ready to eat! Saves a lot of time.
Other times I make steel cut oats in my rice cooker (my favorite way to make them now). I've experimented with additions to my oats - oat bran, ground flaxseed, or buckwheat groats. All of these raise the bar to a healthier breakfast.

 
Mixed in some fresh peaches, pecans, and peanut butter!

Sometimes I get fancy and make amaranth:
 
(yes, there's whole grains under all those yummy toppings!) I try to always add some kind of raw nuts or nut butter (sometimes both!) to my whole grain cereal - a great source of healthy fats and protein. Here I've also added a tiny scoop of coconut butter and some cranberries - this is a winning combination!

Smoothies

 
The green ones are my favorite! Simple recipe of a frozen banana, a couple handfuls of raw spinach, chia seeds, yogurt, other frozen fruit (like mango, strawberries, or peaches - although this is optional), and some almond or coconut milk. Lately, I've been adding a 1/2tsp of Matcha (green tea powder) to my green smoothies.

 
This is known as the Purple Slurple - same ingredients as above except add frozen or fresh blueberries as your other fruit option. I make a Cherry Banana Slammer, too, with frozen cherries. There are all kinds of options for great smoothies. You just have to be creative!

 
Besides adding the green tea and fun ingredients like the POM juice pictured above, I love to add pumpkin (1/3 cup) to my smoothies. What a great way to get some extra beta carotene in your diet!

Pancakes, Cookies, Muffins, and Bagels

 
Chocolate spelt pancakes with blueberries. I've even made them with fresh raspberries, too.

 
Skip the high calorie butter and syrup - add a mashed banana, some coconut shreds and some cacao nibs. These are amazingly filling at only about 500 calories for 3 medium pancakes. I love that these are made with spelt flour - a whole grain that is full of protein!

 
Whole grain muffins (blueberry flax) with a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. Most of the time I eat yogurt as a snack (the Greek kind is higher in protein!), but for a heartier breakfast I'll have a small whole grain muffin with fruit and yogurt.

 
Mini wholegrain bagel with nut butter (almond - my fav!) and a sliced nectarine. This photo is from a few months back (archived). I like to eat fruit in season as much as possible as it's so much better tasting that way.

 
Sometimes something as simple as millet french toast with nut butter, sliced banana, and a few favorite toppings. I don't even miss the syrup anymore, but if I ever do eat it, I like to choose pure maple syrup (though it's very rich tasting).

 
Oatmeal breakfast cookie! If you're friends with me on Facebook, then you probably saw this posted on my page a few weeks ago. Here's the recipe -

Breakfast Oatmeal Cookie

1/4 c. quick oats
1 egg white (1/8 c.)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T. dark chocolate chips
1 T. chopped nuts
1 T. dried cranberries
1.5 tsp raw sugar or honey
2 tsp flour (whole wheat, spelt, or your favorite)
(sometimes I add a couple tablespoons of pumpkin puree, too!)

Mash ingredients together to combine. Form into a cookie shape on a plate. Microwave for 45 seconds on high. Let cool. EAT!
*this cookie is great with a thin spread of nut butter spread on top!**

 

I hope I've given you some ideas for breakfast and that you will try these to add a healthy start to your day. As you can see, my morning meals are never boring. And every once in awhile I'll have a bowl of cereal - I love it when I find a great nutrient-loaded one like this:

 
What are some healthy choices you make for breakfast?

Mornings with Amaranth and the Word

This morning we woke to a pleasant cool breeze blowing through our house, after sleeping with the windows open a crack all night. It made me hungry for a hot cereal breakfast, but not oatmeal.

So, I put my little red rice cooker to work, making some amaranth to enjoy!

 

Amaranth is a grain (seed) that is:

• high in protein
• contains vitamins A, K, B6, C, riboflavin, folate and minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese
• great for reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol with regular consumption
• also high in antioxidants, which help the immune system

My rice cooker is a gem and does a great job cooking so many grains/rice without much interaction from me!
I poured one cup of dried amaranth grains into the cooker with 2-1/2 cups of water, pushed the START button, and just walked away. Twenty minutes later there was a small pot of cooked amaranth just waiting to be consumed. This portion ratio, as noted above, actually makes 3-4 servings.

Cooked amaranth has a consistency similar to cream of wheat. It is darker in color and has a slight sweetness, which surprised me.

Naturally, I had to add some other fun, healthy ingredients to it - organic coconut butter (a healthy fat that is good for healing dry/damaged skin and has other amazing benefits - one of which is stimulating the thyroid, which is one that I truly need!), dried cranberries, and sliced almonds.  
I also added a splash of almond milk to cool it down some so I could eat it. This is so good! You must try it!
 

When I put some thought into the meals that I eat, mentally assessing the nutritional value of what I am putting into my body, healthy foods taste so much better to me than grabbing a quick, non-healthy option.

 

 Leftovers, about 2 servings worth, go into the fridge for a couple more meals this week.

This morning I'm reading/studying out out 1 Peter, the last chapter. Our pastor finished up a sermon series last week on the book of 1 Peter and we missed this last sermon because we were out of town.
The great thing is that the sermons are video-taped and posted on line, so I can catch up on what I missed (and not only hear the expressions, but see them as well!).

That's my morning.

Then on to enjoy this long weekend, doing some housework, laundry, grocery shopping, reading, and a possible road trip on Monday with my husband in the Triumph. Driving on the backroads of central/southern Indiana, looking for adventure! Sounds fun to me!

Have a great weekend!  

Time Flies!

I realized today that it's been a couple weeks since I posted! Wow, time flies!

Here are some highlights of the first half of August:

• Ed & I celebrated our 29th anniversary (see last post!).
• We've been able to see some of our young friends who no longer live close by - Jonathon came home for a visit from Budapest Hungary where he & his family are missionaries. Also, we were able to spend time with Ben & Amanda who live in Nashville TN when they were home last weekend. It's always fun to catch up with those we don't see much. Social networking (Facebook) may be all the rage these days, but it certainly doesn't replace the time when we can talk face to face, laugh and catch up on each others' lives.
• We've started attending a new church over the past several weeks and are excited about the opportunities its presenting and the way the Lord is guiding us. I, personally, have been soaking up the pastor's sermon series this month on 1 Peter - good truth and life application!
• My parents came for a visit this weekend. Always dynamic and interesting! They brought a plethora of produce from their abundant garden to share with us - carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, zucchini, peppers, potatoes, raspberries. Even after sharing a lot with the kids, I have so much good fresh food to work with over the next week! Very excited about that!
• Stephen is starting his fourth year of teaching this year. The high school where he teaches has a bigger enrollment this year, so he's added an extra class, plus he's teaching a new subject this year. Lots of fun for him!
• The family that Emilee nannys for had a new baby two weeks ago, so her "job" just became more exciting! She loves watching the two little girls. Em is also working part time in missions, bringing awareness to anti-human trafficking.
• Still experimenting with whole grains that are new to me. Yesterday on my trip to Whole Foods Market, I picked up some organic Amaranth from the bulk bins. Now, I'm on a quest to find some good recipes to try with this grain. Hope to blog about this soon!
• Trying to add more walking to my exercise regimen, as I find this is the best cardio exercise for me these days. I've been ignoring my treadmill lately to take advantage of the good weather and walk outdoors in the mornings. Even then, I can work up a good sweat because of the heat we've been experiencing here these days in central Indiana.
• Ed has been working about an average of 20 hours a week lately, which is good. The Lord never fails to meet our needs, however, and  this past week He amazed us again with His provisions and gifts when we weren't expecting it! I love surprises! Thank you, Lord, for Your constant care!
• Last week I finished an amazing book by Charles Martin called Where the River Ends. What a great story - one of the best I've read in a long time. Find this book and read it...you won't be disappointed! Now, I'm on to my suspense thriller hero - Jack Reacher (Lee Child's latest). I never get tired of reading about Reacher's adventures. Also, reading a couple nutrition/health books along the way and learning so much.

Hope this gives you an idea of what I've been up to. No photos this time - sorry!

Cooking Grain-y Goodness

Tonight's dinner:

 

When I came home from work tonight I started soaking and cooking a variety of whole grains to have them readily available for easy meals this week (even popped some portions into the freezer). 

First  - Steel Cut Oats:

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, steel cut oats are my favorite type of oats to eat. They are very minimally processed, which means I'm getting the full effect of the nutrients they contain.
Since steel cut oats take awhile to cook (about 25-30 minutes) I like to cook four servings at once (1 cup of oats to 4 cups of water). Then I portion the servings out during the week when I want to have oats for breakfast. And I never eat them plain! Oh no! I add all kinds of goodies to my oats to make them really fun to eat! Such as nut butters of all kinds, dried or fresh fruit, special "milk", seeds (chia, sunflower, pepitas, flax), and even cinnamon, coconut shreds, or cacao nibs. Whenever I make oatmeal for breakfast I make sure it is nutritious and calorie dense to keep me full for several hours since I do a lot of moving in the mornings.

While the oats were cooking, I put my little rice cooker to work and started a small batch of short grain brown rice (this is the grain that is in the photo at the beginning of this post). My rice cooker will also steam veggies while the rice is cooking, so after debating whether I wanted asparagus or broccoli tonight, I opted to toss some fresh asparagus into the steamer:

Then the quinoa was set to soak for about 30 minutes. It is important to rinse quinoa thoroughly before cooking to remove the bitter outer coating. I do this by soaking it and then giving it a quick rinse.

Quinoa can be cooked on the stove top or in a rice cooker. I found this great website recently and this link will take you directly to some really tasty quinoa recipes (in case you were wondering what on earth you do with quinoa - I know you're thinking this!) and tips on cooking it. I don't have any finished photos of the quinoa, but there are several servings tucked away in my fridge/freezer that can be used for breakfast (substitute it for oats!) or stir fry (in place of rice) or as a side dish (imagine a pilaf-like creation with some almonds and dried cranberries mixed in!).
I only recently "discovered" quinoa and can't believe I have lived so long before without this grain in my diet! One of my favorites now!

Wheat-berries:

This grain - called Hard Red Wheat-berries - has a high protein count (like quinoa). It takes longer to cook than the other grains I've mentioned (about 45 simmering minutes on the stove top), but is well worth the effort. I like to toss a tablespoon of cooked wheat-berries on a green leafy salad or mix them in my morning oats. I'm searching the internet and my cookbooks for more recipes to incorporate these little gems into healthy meals. If you have a favorite, please send it my way!  

Tonight's meal started with heating some grapeseed oil (a stable cooking oil that is good for high heat - does not smoke) and stir-frying onion and orange bell pepper together, adding the steamed asparagus and brown rice, mixing in some seasonings for a little kick and enjoying to the fullest!

Simple, quick, and very nutritious!

I ended my meal with a cup of fresh pineapple. I try to eat at least 3 whole (raw) fruits each day. 
Today I had a white peach about mid-morning, a cup of fresh blackberries after lunch, and the pineapple tonight. All organic and loaded with vitamins.

Are you trying any whole grains? If so, I'd like to hear your comments about them and please share any good recipes you have - I'm always looking for different ways to cook grains and make them a part of my daily meals.