Chipotle Chop Salad

Salads are one of my favorite meals but they can get a bit boring. But with a bit of creativity (and blog or cookbook browsing), you can create unusual but delicious salads that are filling and don't make you want to reach for a burger after. 


One of the best ways to make a filling salad is by incorporating beans and grains. My favorite grain to include is quinoa. It is protein packed and because its light, it sticks to the lettuce in the salad (instead of collecting at the bottom of the bowl like brown rice). Fun fact: quinoa isn't even actually a grain. It's a seed and a complete protein, thus ideal for vegetarians and vegans. 

Today I was in charge of lunch for me, my sister and my dad so I whipped up this simple but colorful salad that tasted much better than it looks. The recipe is adapted from one of Chef Chloe's recipes from her book, 'Chloe's Kitchen', which has become a staple for me. This salad actually tastes better when it has had time to soak just a bit, because the beans and quinoa soak up the dressing, so its a perfect make-ahead meal. 


Chipotle Chop Salad
Serves 4
Adapted from Chloe's Kitchen
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 cup red cabbage, sliced thinly
1 carrot, shredded
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 cup beans of your choice, I used navy beans but black would have been tastier
2 tbsp hemp hearts, optional
2 spring onions, thinly sliced 
handful walnuts, chopped 
handful cilantro, chopped
1 tsp chipotle seasoning


for the dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp agave or honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lemon (lime is better but I only had lemons) 
1 garlic clove, minced


Combine all ingredients and serve! Easy peasy and delicious. 

No One Likes A Judgmental Omni

Editor's note: There is no recipe in this post. Skip it if you don't wanna hear me rant! 


I was actually going to title this post, 'No One Likes a Judgmental Omni or Veggie' but it got too long. 


A few weeks ago I was invited to a dinner with a friend, where a bunch of her friends were present. I hadn't met any of them before, and I had a good time. Except for one thing that happened that I haven't been able to stop thinking about.


Enter the judgmental omnivore. 


As anyone who chooses to live life differently realizes, many people are uncomfortable with outliers. 


Vegans and vegetarians, however, really get a shocking amount of judgment for their dietary choices. 


Let me get back to the dinner. There I was, chatting with everyone, minding my own business, when it came time to order. Everyone ordered pasta or meat, and I ordered fish. Somehow it came out that I don't eat meat. I'm pretty sure I was asked, because I don't readily offer up that information. I have learned my lesson from past experiences. 

Yes, that is Dana Carvey, as 'Church Lady'.

What ensued was pretty awful, but unfortunately not as uncommon as you'd think. A guy at the table, who was sufficiently intoxicated to perhaps give him an extra dose of courage, basically started attacking me and my choice to not eat meat. He said he thought vegetarians were stupid. He said he didn't like people that don't eat meat. He laughed at me, when I tried to politely explain my beliefs. He was incredibly rude, for no other reason, than the fact that I don't eat animals. 


Now, this has happened to me a lot before. And it's just something I can't get my head around no matter how much I think about it. 


There are a number of reasons why I don't eat meat and over the last three years, I have learned that these reasons are quite personal. I don't push my beliefs on anyone. 


What gives you the right to judge me and my lifestyle choices? 


What drives me crazy is that people have this misguided belief that vegans and vegetarians are judgmental and try to push their beliefs on other people and I personally have found vegans and vegetarians to be much more understanding and compassionate than meat-eaters. I don't want to generalize- this is just my experience. But for some reason, either because they feel bad about their own meat consumption, or because they think I think I'm better than them, I have been in many, many situations where people have said terrible things to me just because I choose to not eat dead cows. 


This guy was Turkish, and maybe it's a cultural difference, but I doubt it. Aren't we supposed to be accepting of different peoples beliefs and lifestyle choices? 


I can almost always tell when someone is actually curious to learn my reasons for not eating meat, and when someone is just waiting for their chance to talk so they can try to eviscerate me with their own beliefs. At that moment, it was clear this guy didn't want to learn anything, but rather just wanted to be right. 


No matter, it's not about this particular jerk. I'm writing this mostly to vent but also to hopefully allow someone to reconsider their attitude towards people who have different beliefs than them. 


The next time you meet someone who chooses to practice a belief system you don't agree in, or someone who doesn't eat animals, or whatever it may be, stop and think of what a wonderful opportunity that is to learn something new. Stop and think that maybe everything you've been taught isn't 'right'. Just stop and think! (My sister took a class with this title; maybe they teach this stuff there!) 


No one deserves to be judged so cruelly because of the way they live. 


I've learned to accept the fact that some people are just really close-minded. And after all, karma's a bitch. 

A Healthier Alternative to Cheese

I'm not vegan anymore. I was a while ago, and to be honest, I've never felt better than when I was vegan. You feel lighter. Everything works right. You are more focused. Your skin clears up. And you lose weight. 


And even though I'm not vegan anymore, I eat vegan 90% of the time. Just like Dr.Oz;) What this means is that if I'm out at a restaurant, and my friends want to share some dishes that include dairy or fish, I won't make a big fuss. But at home, it's vegan all the way.


Especially if I've got a few lbs. to lose, I focus on eating more plant-based. Just in the past week I've been eating strictly plant-based and shed the 5 lbs. I was struggling with. Veganism works people!


I'm not talking about being a 'junk-food vegan' though. In the world we live in today, especially if you happen to live in a city like New York City, vegan junk food options abound. And there are a lot of overweight vegans. Those who live on mock-meats (vegan sausage, vegan bacon), vegan cupcakes and vegan cheeses. I'm not a fan of this way of eating either. 


When I say vegan, I mean plant-based, which means eating lots of fruits and veggies at every meal, as well as lots of beans and tofu (and nuts for good measure). 


One of the reasons I am no longer vegan is because I love cheese, like most people. But it's really mucus-forming, bad for your skin and full of saturated fat (not to mention loaded with calories!). I made this cashew cream the other day and altered it a bit today for a broccoli and mushroom wrap I was making for lunch. It was so creamy and delicious, I didn't miss dairy cheese at all. 

I'm using an Android at the moment, so photo quality sucks. 

Give it a try, it might surprise you. 


Cashew Cream with Sun-dried Tomatoes
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder (or chopped onions, I was out)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast 
handful chopped sun-dried tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil


Soak the cashews in enough water to cover them overnight in the fridge. The next day rinse them and place them in a high-speed blender with a cup of fresh water. Blend until a smooth consistency is formed. This is your basic cashew cream. 


Saute the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add the cashew cream and remaining ingredients and cook on low for 10 minutes or until everything is incorporated. 


Use as a base for wraps, in a vegan mac 'n' cheese or really anywhere you would normally use dairy cheese. 

Lemon Zested Broccoli with Parmesan

This broccoli is hands down the best broccoli I've ever had. Don't think I haven't noticed that I've been coming to you with really simple vegetable recipes recently. I think I owe you a dessert sometime soon. Actually, they can hardly be called recipes, because they are more food preparation techniques. But I think summer calls for simplifying. 


Take really fantastic ingredients (which are plenty in the summer) and do very little with them. Play with them just enough to make them shine. That's what I'm all about these days. 


Now, I've always been a fan of broccoli but when something is so good prepared simply, you don't really think to dress it up a lot. Thank goodness I found this recipe, and of course I owe it all to the ever-charming Ina Garten. And as much as I love my Barefoot Contessa, I am a nutrition student at the end of the day, which means I slashed the oil by a lot. 

Yum. 

This recipe is super simple but there's just something in the way all the flavors come together that is beyond. 


Lemon Zested Broccoli with Parmesan
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp (or more) grated Parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice*
salt and pepper to taste


Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Separate the broccoli into mini-florets and place on baking sheet (do not wash the broccoli! or if you do, make sure to really dry it. You want the broccoli super dry when it goes into the oven. It roasts better). Slice garlic cloves and add to pan. Pour oil over broccoli and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix.


Roast the broccoli for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Once the broccoli has browned a bit, remove from the oven, zest the lemon with a microplane, squeeze the juice of one lemon and add the grated parmesan. Mix, taste and adjust for salt and pepper. 


I think you'll find like I did that it's just something about the combination of the lemon zest and juice and parmesan that just makes the broccoli really sing. 


Best broccoli I've had yet, hands down. 


*Remember to zest the lemon before you squeeze it for its juice. It's impossible to zest a lemon after it's been juiced, which I had to learn the hard way. 

Perfect Sweet Potatoes

I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes as I've mentioned on here before. They are extremely good for you (438% of your daily Vitamin A, 37% of your daily Vitamin C and 15% of your daily fiber needs) and just delicious as well. 


Though I am a fan of sweet potato fries, I try to stay away from fried foods most of the time. I get why normal potatoes need to be fried- they aren't that great prepared simply, so frying them in oil and adding a bunch of salt elevates them to a whole other level. 

How good does that look!?

But sweet potatoes are fantastic prepared simply. You really don't have to do much to make them really amazing. 


My favorite way to prepare them is by roasting them in the oven with some smoked paprika (an obsession), salt, pepper and just a touch of olive oil. A little really does go a long way here. 


The Perfect Sweet Potatoes
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into fourths*, skins on**
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
a few whirls of fresh ground pepper


Heat oven to 425 degrees F. 


Cut the potatoes into fourths, combine oil, paprika, salt and pepper on parchment paper on a pan with the potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 20 minutes. 

* I used to always dice my sweet potatoes, but after seeing the Barefoot Contessa cut hers into fourths, I realized leaving them larger allows for more fluffy center to crispy edge ratio in the finished product. So go larger, trust. 


** You really should keep the skins on as that's where all the fiber is. I give them a good scrub with a dish scrubber (sans soap!) and they're good to go. 


Finally, if you haven't noticed, I only used 1.5 teaspoons for all three potatoes! And as you can see in the photos, it was more that enough to get them crusty and delicious. I know a lot of people who are very generous with the oil and it really does add up (1 tablespoon has 120 calories vs. 40 calories for one teaspoon). 


I enjoyed one of these at lunch, on top of a bed of arugula with cannellini beans. Yum! 

My Favorite Tuna Salad

It's finals time. Which means I'm doing everything under the sun except studying for finals, of course. That includes deep-cleaning the apartment, going for long runs and cooking a lot. 


I'm a fan of tuna salad. But it can be a total calorie-bomb because of one word: mayonnaise! However, it's really easy to make a lighter and tastier tuna salad that features a bunch of gorgeous vegetables as well. This is my favorite recipe. I like mine wrapped in nori (seaweed), but I enjoy it over salad greens or wrapped in an Ezekiel wrap as well. 

Lightened Up Tuna Salad
Serves 2
4 oz tuna in oil, drained
2 tsp mayonnaise, vegan or normal
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp nonfat yogurt, or whatever you have
1 tbsp capers
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 pickles, chopped
a few baby carrots, chopped
handful arugula, chopped
2 nori wrappers


Combine all the ingredients except the nori in a bowl. Spread the tuna salad in a nori wrapper. Enjoy. 


Nutrition Info
Per serving
Calories: 135
Fat: 5.8 g
Carbs: 1.2 g
Protein: 17.2 g

Banana Soft Serve, 2 Variations

Hey there! It's been a while! No excuses, I've just been busy. 

Bloggers tend to read other blogs and get inspired for ideas from what others are making. I'm no exception. I've read about a homemade raw, vegan banana ice cream/frozen yogurt on a few blogs for a while now and wanted to try it. But then I thought, 'banana ice cream? meh, not so much'. Turns out this easy one-step yogurt is amazing, healthy and so easy. I know, I said that, but for real. 

Plus, for some reason the banana-ness of it is not overpowering, considering that it basically only consists of bananas. Now, I'm starting to sound crazy so I'll tell you the secret: you freeze a bunch of bananas. Throw them in the food processor. Add a dash or non-dairy (or dairy) milk, and give it a whirl. After a few minutes of processing you'll have the most amazing frozen banana yogurt ever. And it's guilt-free as well. I will be making this all the time from now on. 

Sometimes the simplest ideas really are the most brilliant!

The coolest part is that it is pretty easily customizable. I added some cinnamon on top but later I started thinking of tons of fun ways to jazz it up. You could add some nut butter for a peanut butter banana version or cocoa for a chocolate version. You could probably add a date or two to make it extra sweet and some other frozen fruits if you wanted. 

Banana Soft Serve

Serves 2

2-3 frozen bananas

a dash of non-dairy milk

cinnamon

Place all ingredients in food processor and allow to mix for a few minutes until a creamy consistency is achieved. 

I must be honest, if this recipe weren't so delicious, I'd be a bit embarrassed coming to you after weeks of absence with this no-work, no-frills recipe. But it's really that good. So get to it. 


Chocolate Hazelnut Version

This version I created the other night and it's infinitely better than the one above. Since a few of you asked for the recipe, here it is! I can't explain how this has changed my life. Maybe I'm easily impressed, but this actually tastes like real frozen yogurt. 


Makes 1 serving
1 frozen banana
1 tsp hazelnut butter (or whatever nut butter you have)
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 drop vanilla extract


Place ingredients in a food processor. Let work for at least 5 minutes, or until a creamy consistency occurs. Enjoy with crushed hazelnuts on top, or plain. That's it! Easy peasy and so good.