My favorite healthy breakfast

It's no secret that I love all incarnations of breakfast food. French toast, pancakes, eggs, hash browns, Turkish 'tost', menemen (turkish breakfast dish consisting of eggs, tomatoes, peppers and cheese (optional), croissants and everything in between. 

But I like to enjoy these dishes in moderation (once a week, maximum), so as to keep it special and because I don't believe these are nutritionally sound dishes that should be consumed on a daily basis.

My favorite way to start the day is with a spinach saute. The dish consists of sauteed spinach + whatever else we have lying around. What's fun about this dish is that you can pretty much add any veg to it, depending on the season and it still tastes great. In the winter, we make it using spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, peppers (red or green) and a teaspoon or two of olive paste. In the summer, spinach, fresh tomatoes and olive paste. It tastes delicious every time and starting the day with something green sets a good tone (at least for me). 

The real deal.

On a separate note, I am totally obsessed with tomatoes. I have apparently been a fan ever since my father forced me to try one (it was that or bedtime, I think). As soon as the bright red, juicy flesh touched my lips, a smile spread across my chipmunk-like 5-year-old face. Even so, I have serious beef with being able to get tomatoes in the winter. We shouldn't be able to! I know, globalization and the changes in the food industry in recent years mean you can get anything you want, anywhere in the world, but why bother if it's not even going to taste good? 


The tomatoes you find at the market in winter are 'nominal tomatoes' as I think Micheal Pollan had said in 'Food Inc.'. They are only tomatoes in name and nothing else. This is why I try to refrain from eating them raw in the winter, and would rather wait out for the real deal in the summer. It's also more exciting to enjoy fruits and vegetables in season. If you allow yourself to have everything all the time, there is no anticipation, and then you won't look forward to the seasons changing as much. (Maybe this is also a good metaphor for life, too?)

Cooking directions: Saute two cups of frozen spinach in 1-2 teaspoons olive oil. Add chopped red peppers or sliced mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute a few minutes until the veg are soft and spinach heated through. Finally add a teaspoon or two of olive paste and mix to combine. 

Healthy tip: The less you cook the vegetables the better, as longer cooking times reduce the vitamins and minerals. 

Flaxseed and replacing eggs

Flaxseed is one of my favorite things to bake with for a number of reasons. I first got into it after reading that it can help reduce your risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke. In particular, it is chock-full of Omega- 3 essential fatty acids, which are the 'good' fats that protect your heart, lignans, which have antioxidant qualities and fiber (both the soluble and insoluble kind). I initially would sprinkle it on my morning cereal or add a spoonful to a smoothie 


Once I figured out that flaxseed mixed with water is a perfect egg replacement in baked goods, I knew I had to try it out. I wanted to try to revamp a carrot cake muffin recipe I found on the NYTimes website over the weekend but was fresh out of eggs (and too lazy to head out, just for the eggs). 

Flaxseed meal; image: bobsredmill.com

After looking online a bit I found out that 1 tablespoon flaxseed mixed with three tablespoons water can replace one egg. It's even better if you can allow the mixture to set a bit (it thickens as it sits). Honestly, after I let the mixture sit for about a half hour, it was the exact consistency of a whisked egg! I was encouraged. 


I used the mixture in place of the 2 eggs called for in the recipe and they turned out well; in fact, I doubt you'd even know there weren't any eggs in the recipe. Keep in mind that replacing the eggs with flaxseed in a recipe won't work if you are using the eggs for a purpose other than binding. Or if its a recipe that calls for lots of eggs like quiche or souffle, I doubt this method would work. 


Note: I'm not sure where you can find Flaxseed Meal in Istanbul, but Bob's Red Mill  ships to Istanbul and since they've got lots of other cool products like gluten-free flour and xantham gum, you could order a bunch of stuff to make the shipping worth it. 

Mark Bittman's appetizing soups

I just finished reading an informative article on various soups by New York Times food writer Mark Bittman. 

Photo from Bittman's own website. Credit: Sally Stein. 

A little background on Bittman for those who don't know: In addition to the column he writes for the NYTimes, titled 'The Minimalist', Bittman has written a handful of books including  'How to Cook Everything' and 'How to Cook Everything Vegetarian'. 


What I personally find most interesting about Bittman is this idea he spearheaded called, 'Vegan before Six'. In order to consume fewer animal products and more fresh, healthy produce, Bittman follows a vegan diet for breakfast and lunch and eats a normal SAD (Standard American Diet) meal for dinner. 


While some vegans were up in arms about this diet ('the word vegan shouldn't be used in that context' etc.), I think it's a wonderful illustration of how we don't have to be so black and white, and how different lifestyles work for different people. 


Additionally, if you haven't watched any of Bittman's cooking videos, you should check them out. They're all relatively short and very easy to follow. 


What's nice about the soup article is that he shows you how to easily make four types of soup (creamy, brothy, earthy, hearty), and each one's cooking directions are maybe 2-3 sentences. Soup is hard to mess up, but even so, it's nice to know these are really no fail. And don't require a particularly long attention span either. 

From left: Creamy spinach soup, squash and ginger soup, curried cauliflower soup. 

The article can be found here. 

Green detox soup

Today I spent most of the day at Koç University, where I am taking a course on Nutrition and Health. Hopefully I'll learn some exciting things to share with you guys. 


Since I'm kind of beat, today's recipe is short, easy and perfect for this weather. This green soup recipe is inspired by a recipe I saw on GOOP, Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle website. What's nice about it, is that you can basically throw in whatever green veg you've got lying around and it'll taste fine. 


Green vegetables, especially leafy greens like kale, spinach and swiss chard, have lots of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. They're also rich in Vitamin K which can help prevent atherosclerosis (or the clogging of your arteries). It's much easier to consume the amount of recommended fruit and veg everyday in a soup, which is why I love them so much. The problem with many restaurant soups is that they're loaded with cream, milk or fat so be sure to ask when dining out. 


Detox green soup
2 heads broccoli
1 cup frozen green peas
2 stalks celery (with leaves), chopped
1 bunch arugula
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups water


Directions: Saute the onions in the olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and saute until just fragrant (you don't want to burn the garlic!). Add the broccoli and cook until bright green. Add 4 cups water (or as many as needed to completely cover the veg), celery (without leaves) and peas. Cook until soft (about 10 minutes). Add the arugula and celery leaves at the end. Puree until smooth. 


Note: This soup is not gonna be super smooth unless you have a very strong hand-blender. If you prefer, you can strain the soup once it has cooled, however, doing so will eliminate all the wonderful fiber, so I don't recommend it. And then it really wouldn't do the 'detoxing' we're looking for here, if you know what I mean. 


I like to enjoy mine with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast (I'll have a post on it later) and Sriracha. 

Miraculous Vegan, Whole Wheat, Sugar-free, (almost) no fat muffins!

You MUST make these muffins right now. Actually, wait till you finish reading this post, and then make them. But you must, because they are that good. 
And they are good for you as well. 

Seriously, I don't get overly enthusiastic like this often (well, maybe I do). But these muffins are miraculous because they are very healthy and deelish. 


The recipe is a riff on one of Itaintmeatbabe's vegan oatmeal muffin recipes, but I modified it to make it much healthier. Basically, there is only 1 tablespoon of oil in the entire thing, no sugar whatsoever and it's half whole wheat. And I added a bunch of add-ins like yummy cranberries and walnuts. 




Ingredients
makes 8 muffins
1 cup of raisin bran cereal (or oats or All-bran or any bran-y cereal)
1 cup of soy milk
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1 tablespoon oil
1 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/4 cup cranberries


Heat oven to 300° F (148° C). 


1. Combine the flax seed mixture with the cereal and allow to sit. 
2. Combine and sift the dry ingredients (don't worry if the whole wheat doesn't sift completely, just dump the remaining bits into the mixture). 
3. Mash the banana, milk and oil together. 
4. Add the banana mixture to the dry mixture, combine and fold in the cereal mixture. 
5. Sprinkle the crushed walnuts and cranberries over the mixture. 
6. Do not overmix (overmixing will result in a rough texture). 


Place by heaping spoonful into a pre-greased muffin tin or into muffin liners. 
Bake for 20 minutes until golden. 


Also, my sister thinks these will be great with a thick glob of almond butter, and I have to agree. 


Nutritional Info
for 1 muffin
Calories 175.7
Total fat 5.9 g
Sat fat .6 g
Sugars 7.3
Protein 4.6 g
Fiber 3.9 g
(The fat and sugar are from the cereal; there is no added sugar or fat) 

Cookbook review 3: The Kind Diet

 by Alicia Silverstone


Background: Alicia Silverstone is a very devoted celebrity vegan who has done a lot for the veggie movement. After her first book was published, she launched a website, thekindlife.com, promoted it on the daytime talk show circuit, and has most recently started a book club on her blog. 


Tone: The book is informative without being too preachy. About half the book deals with the ethical issues behind veganism. Topics addressed include factory farming, the soy debate, bottled water vs. tap, testimonials from formerly sick people who went vegan, and insight from the top vegan-advocate doctors in the field including Dr. Dean Ornish and T. Colin Campbell. She also has a section devoted to frequently asked questions, where she debunks a lot of myths associated with veganism (like that you can't get enough protein!) 


Silverstone allows you to choose between three different levels of her plan: flirts, vegans and superheroes. Flirts try to move towards a more animal-friendly lifestyle without giving up animal products completely, vegans don't consume any animal products but still enjoy sugar and treats, while superheroes (loosely based on the macrobiotic diet) stay away from sugar, soy and limit fruit. The idea is that you will begin a flirt and eventually graduate to a superhero lifestyle. I read her readers' comments and many definitely appreciate that here are stages rather than having to go cold turkey. 


Recipes tested: So far I have only tested the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, which were incredible. The vegan 'Reese's' were super easy to make and didn't require any unusual ingredients, which was a welcome change from the rest of the book. The main reason why I haven't tested any of the other recipes so far is because I never have any of the ingredients on hand, and most are hard to find at normal supermarkets anyway. Here is a sampling of ingredients frequently used: seitan, white miso, Earth Balance (vegan butter), shoyu, carob chips, daikon, kabocha squash. Yes, I'm sure I could make substitutions, but I honestly can't get excited about a cookbook that requires so many expensive and hard-to-find ingredients. 


Accessibility: While the first half of the book is really well-written and would be very helpful for a newbie vegan, the second half (namely, the recipes) failed to impress me. They look good, but because they aren't accessible, I've only made one recipe so far. And in my experience, that does not a successful cookbook make. 


Rating: 3/5 

Vegan banana pancakes

When you start the day with banana pancakes, you know your day can only get worse. After all, nothing you do can possibly top those delicious fluffy not-too-sweet flapjacks. I didn't intend to make vegan pancakes this morning, but alas we were out of eggs and I was not about to head out into the freezing cold just for an egg. There are actually many great vegan pancake recipes online; in fact, I'd dare say you can find a vegan version of most any favorite dish. 

The recipe I used was one by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, from her cookbook titled 'Vegan Brunch'. I've yet to review this book, but it's a classic as well. Fans of breakfast should definitely think about picking it up. 

Wouldn't you say that there are two kinds of people- those that love breakfast and those that hate it? I think so. My fiance belongs to the former, while my sister belongs to the latter. I'm crazy about breakfast; I would rather have breakfast and not eat all day, than NOT have it. 

Anyway, on to the recipe! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2 tsp Baking powder  
• 1 tsp Cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp Canola oil (or whatever you have) 
• 1/3 cup Water 
• 1/2 cup soy creamer mixed with 1/2 cup water (or 1 cup soymilk)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract 
• 1 banana chopped

Now the original recipe called for 2 tablespoons canola oil, but I used just 1 and it was fine. Also, it calls for 1 cup soymilk but I didn't have any! So I just mixed 1/2 cup of soy creamer with 1/2 cup water, which also worked out just fine. I've learned to not be afraid of making little substitutions like this, as most of the time, you won't have exactly the ingredients called for and if you wait till you do, you'll never make anything! 

The real delicious addition I made was to add a chopped banana to the batter. This was awesome! If you coat the bananas well before pouring the batter, they won't burn. I highly recommended this addition, as it just adds a whole 'nother layer of goodness to your breakfast (plus you get 1 serving of fruit in that way). 

Normally, I like to add fresh or frozen fruit on top but I didn't have any so I just topped mine with some real maple syrup. Real pure maple syrup is all natural so it's better than something artificial or super processed, but agave would have been the better choice to not make my blood sugar spike so much. But, it's okay once in a while, and I don't eat pancakes everyday. 

This is a delicious and super easy recipe that doesn't call for a lot of ingredients. If you happen to have some different fun flours on hand like rice flour or even better whole wheat flour, I would recommend subbing half the white flour for that. It'll add depth of flavor and be a lot more nutritious than white flour. 

I really wanted to try this recipe by Londonfoodie, but it'll have to wait till next time. 

What's your favorite pancake recipe?