Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Chat Night Reminder
We have had a few people tell us they would be interested in coming to a Green Shakes and Giggles Chat Night about once a month, but before we plan it, we would like a little more feedback. Yea or Nay? Let us know! Thanks :)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Black Bean Soup, Café Río Rice, and Tomato-Tomatillo Salsa
I often surf the internet looking for dinner ideas, but rarely do I ever find a food blog or internet page with a whole dinner that has the nutrition and ingredients that I want in a meal. I might find a side dish here or a salad dressing there, but I would really like to just be able to go to one of my favorite blogs and find a relatively easy and healthy dinner planned out for me. So this is what I have decided to do for all of you. This is what we had for dinner the other night (plus a salad) so if you're needing an idea for dinner, here it is! The soup is warm and smoky due to the chipotle chile, the salsa is probably the best homemade salsa I've ever made, and the Café Río rice? Well, who can resist that??! So fire up the stove - you're in for a treat!
Black Bean Soup
(from Cooking.com, but with a few changes. Also, this makes a lot so I halved the recipe)
1 pound of dried black beans*
2 tbsp. grapeseed/coconut oil
1 cup fresh, chopped tomato
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile spice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. Real Salt
Bean options:
1. You can soak your beans in water over night (this cuts down on the "gassy effect" of beans, minimizes cooking time, and preserves nutrients) and add them, still uncooked, to the pot.
2. You can soak them overnight and cook them during the day, so when it comes time to make dinner, you can add the already cooked beans to the pot and dinner is ready really fast.
3. You can add plain ole' dried beans to the pot, but you'll probably get a lot of foam rising to the top of the soup and it will take a while.
Instructions:
In a deep pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent (about 5 min). Add the beans (uncooked or cooked is fine. Uncooked will take a LOT longer, though.), garlic, and 6 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, skimming away any foam that comes to the top ( the skimming only applies to those using UNcooked beans). Reduce to a simmer and when the beans are soft (about an hour for those using uncooked beans, and no time at all for those using cooked beans) add the tomato, chipotle spice, cumin, coriander, and Real salt. Continue cooking until beans are really soft. You can puree about 1/2 of the soup in your blender and recombine with the rest of the soup to make it more creamy. The soup will thicken on its own if refrigerated overnight.
Café Río Rice
This is a recipe from my cousin's blog, I Love to Eat Good Food. It is sooo good, and a great alternative to the white rice that Café Río serves.
1 Tbs. olive oil (or grapeseed or coconut oil)
1 c long grain rice (I used brown basmati rice...YUM!)
1.5 c broth (I actually used 2 cups of vegetable broth)
2 Tbs. lime juice, freshly squeezed
Zest of one lime
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. Real salt
Heat oil over medium high heat, add rice and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low or low, and cook until rice is done.
Tomato-Tomatillo Salsa w/ Spicy Brown Rice Chips
(Recipe from Cooking.com but w/ a different preparation method)
1 large tomato, diced
3 medium tomatillos (husks removed), diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 serrano or jalapeño chile, diced
(I used a jalapeño...Be careful not to touch the inside of the pepper with bare hands. I used a knife to slice it open and scoop out some of the seeds. I left a few seeds in for some kick, though!)
1/4 cilantro, roughly chopped
Real Salt to taste
If you don't have a food processor, finely chop all ingredients. Otherwise, throw everything in the food processor and whirl until desired "chunkiness". I served these with my Spicy Brown Rice Chips. SOOO good :)
Black Bean Soup
(from Cooking.com, but with a few changes. Also, this makes a lot so I halved the recipe)
1 pound of dried black beans*
2 tbsp. grapeseed/coconut oil
2 large onions, finely diced
4-6 garlic cloves, minced1 cup fresh, chopped tomato
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile spice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. Real Salt
Bean options:
1. You can soak your beans in water over night (this cuts down on the "gassy effect" of beans, minimizes cooking time, and preserves nutrients) and add them, still uncooked, to the pot.
2. You can soak them overnight and cook them during the day, so when it comes time to make dinner, you can add the already cooked beans to the pot and dinner is ready really fast.
3. You can add plain ole' dried beans to the pot, but you'll probably get a lot of foam rising to the top of the soup and it will take a while.
Instructions:
In a deep pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent (about 5 min). Add the beans (uncooked or cooked is fine. Uncooked will take a LOT longer, though.), garlic, and 6 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, skimming away any foam that comes to the top ( the skimming only applies to those using UNcooked beans). Reduce to a simmer and when the beans are soft (about an hour for those using uncooked beans, and no time at all for those using cooked beans) add the tomato, chipotle spice, cumin, coriander, and Real salt. Continue cooking until beans are really soft. You can puree about 1/2 of the soup in your blender and recombine with the rest of the soup to make it more creamy. The soup will thicken on its own if refrigerated overnight.
Café Río Rice
1 Tbs. olive oil (or grapeseed or coconut oil)
1 c long grain rice (I used brown basmati rice...YUM!)
1.5 c broth (I actually used 2 cups of vegetable broth)
2 Tbs. lime juice, freshly squeezed
Zest of one lime
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. Real salt
Heat oil over medium high heat, add rice and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low or low, and cook until rice is done.
Tomato-Tomatillo Salsa w/ Spicy Brown Rice Chips
(Recipe from Cooking.com but w/ a different preparation method)
1 large tomato, diced
3 medium tomatillos (husks removed), diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 serrano or jalapeño chile, diced
(I used a jalapeño...Be careful not to touch the inside of the pepper with bare hands. I used a knife to slice it open and scoop out some of the seeds. I left a few seeds in for some kick, though!)
1/4 cilantro, roughly chopped
Real Salt to taste
If you don't have a food processor, finely chop all ingredients. Otherwise, throw everything in the food processor and whirl until desired "chunkiness". I served these with my Spicy Brown Rice Chips. SOOO good :)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sweet Sesame Tofu
Over the past few weeks I've experimented a little bit with tofu. Unfortunately, I have ended up feeding most of it to the neighbors dog. I've been desperate to convert my family to this rubbery source of nourishment that holds such a select place in my heart. I've known for a long time that with the right combination of ingredients, victory could be won. And so comrades, tonight I'm overjoyed to announce that indeed we have begun the conversion process. NEVER say never.
Sweet Sesame Tofu *brown sticky rice is the BEST but I was all out of it
14 oz. extra firm organic tofu
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger root
1 cup green onions, sliced and separated (white part from green part)
3 Tablespoons vegetable broth
1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon white or black sesame seeds, toasted
Remove tofu from package and drain well. Cut tofu into slices about 3/4-1 inch thick. Put each slice between two paper towels and press down on it so most of the liquid is absorbed into the towel, then cut the tofu into square cubes.
Put wok or heavy frying pan on stove and preheat pan until it feels hot when you hold your hand over it. Add oil and heat until shimmering. then add garlic and ginger, cook about 10 seconds, and quickly add tofu cubes and white pieces of green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is quite browned. Helpful hint: it's more effective to cook at a lower heat for longer amount of time.
When tofu is well browned, add the broth and cook, stirring, until it is mostly evaporated. Add the green parts of green onions and cook about 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce or tamari and stir to distribute. Turn off heat. Add honey and sesame seeds. Stir to distribute. Serve warm over rice.
Sweet Sesame Tofu *brown sticky rice is the BEST but I was all out of it
14 oz. extra firm organic tofu
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger root
1 cup green onions, sliced and separated (white part from green part)
3 Tablespoons vegetable broth
1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon white or black sesame seeds, toasted
Remove tofu from package and drain well. Cut tofu into slices about 3/4-1 inch thick. Put each slice between two paper towels and press down on it so most of the liquid is absorbed into the towel, then cut the tofu into square cubes.
Put wok or heavy frying pan on stove and preheat pan until it feels hot when you hold your hand over it. Add oil and heat until shimmering. then add garlic and ginger, cook about 10 seconds, and quickly add tofu cubes and white pieces of green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is quite browned. Helpful hint: it's more effective to cook at a lower heat for longer amount of time.
When tofu is well browned, add the broth and cook, stirring, until it is mostly evaporated. Add the green parts of green onions and cook about 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce or tamari and stir to distribute. Turn off heat. Add honey and sesame seeds. Stir to distribute. Serve warm over rice.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Chocolate Hemp Frosty & Other Shakes
As the sun reveals itself from a long hibernation, and the weather turns warmer, we turn our shake-making up a gear. There's nothing better than an icy shake during the Spring and Summer. Here are a few we've been making.
Chocolate Hemp Frosty
1 banana
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1 tbsp. cocoa/carob powder
Handful of ice (or more, depending on how frosty you want it)
Blend and enjoy!
Strawberry Blackberry Shake
2 handfuls spinach
2 cups strawberries (with stem)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1 banana
1/3 to 1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 cup hemp seeds
Juice of 1 lime (optional)
Ice
Blend!
(My 4 yr. old doesn't look too excited, but I assure you he LOVED this shake)
Grapey Green Shake
2 handfuls spinach
Blend!
(My kids downed this shake, and I also think it is really tasty, but my husband said it was okay. The verdict? You be the judge!)
(If you have a tree nut allergy and can't use coconut milk, I'm sure the latter two recipes would still taste great without it.)
Chocolate Hemp Frosty
1 banana1/2 cup rice milk
1/2 cup coconut milk1/3 cup hemp seeds
1 tbsp. cocoa/carob powder
Handful of ice (or more, depending on how frosty you want it)
Blend and enjoy!
Strawberry Blackberry Shake
2 cups strawberries (with stem)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1 banana
1/3 to 1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 cup hemp seeds
Juice of 1 lime (optional)
Ice
Blend!
(My 4 yr. old doesn't look too excited, but I assure you he LOVED this shake)
Grapey Green Shake
2 handfuls spinach
1.5 cups grapes (if using seeded grapes, leave seeds in)
1 banana
1/3 to 1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 cup hemp seeds
Ice
Blend!
(My kids downed this shake, and I also think it is really tasty, but my husband said it was okay. The verdict? You be the judge!)
(If you have a tree nut allergy and can't use coconut milk, I'm sure the latter two recipes would still taste great without it.)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Green Shakes and Giggles Chat Night???
Whenever I attempt to write a post for Green Shakes and Giggles, I have a hard time sticking to one single topic. It could just be that I'm riddled with ADD. But in reality, I think it's more that there are so many ideas and concepts related to living a healthy lifestyle that are all intertwined. It's difficult to discuss just one without delving into at least 1/2 dozen more. Know what I mean?
We have an idea. We've hedged a bit as to whether or not we can pull this one off. So you fine ladies are going to have to give us your vote. We feel that it might be beneficial to start a support group as a way to swap ideas and discuss the things that sometimes get looked over. We also have some AWESOME people who are ready, willing, and eager to come share their expertise with us.
We are firm believers in the bonds of womanhood. Especially women who are doing their best to raise healthy, happy children. Jenny and I have also spoken recently about how we see the trends in medicine turning toward prevention. A shift that has been long anticipated.
So what do you think? Who would be interested in joining us for an evening of green shakes, giggles, and swapping of ideas? We'd like to schedule the first meeting during the 3rd or 4th week of April. Leave us a comment letting us know what day of the week you'd most likely be able to attend. Or feel free to tell us we're lunatics. We wouldn't blame you.
We have an idea. We've hedged a bit as to whether or not we can pull this one off. So you fine ladies are going to have to give us your vote. We feel that it might be beneficial to start a support group as a way to swap ideas and discuss the things that sometimes get looked over. We also have some AWESOME people who are ready, willing, and eager to come share their expertise with us.
We are firm believers in the bonds of womanhood. Especially women who are doing their best to raise healthy, happy children. Jenny and I have also spoken recently about how we see the trends in medicine turning toward prevention. A shift that has been long anticipated.
So what do you think? Who would be interested in joining us for an evening of green shakes, giggles, and swapping of ideas? We'd like to schedule the first meeting during the 3rd or 4th week of April. Leave us a comment letting us know what day of the week you'd most likely be able to attend. Or feel free to tell us we're lunatics. We wouldn't blame you.
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