healthy Archives - Page 4 of 5 - domenica dreams of calamari

April 6, 2015April 6, 2015

Cabbage-Beet Tahini Slaw

This is my bastardized version of Mission Chinese Food’s beautiful cabbage salad. But hey, sometimes when you’re a college student on a budget you have to pick and choose which exotic pantry items you can afford and which are just going to have to wait. I used peanuts for a crunchy element, although I would love to try it with some sort of grain. I also cut out quite a few ingredients that I couldn’t find at the local market but still thought it came out pretty good.

note: This makes a BIG salad. I wanted to use the whole cabbage in one go so I upped the dressing, the good news is it makes for great leftovers. On the other hand you can always use half a cabbage and dial down the dressing measurements.

1 head red cabbage
1 large yellow beet
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
4 tbsp tahini (you’ll definitely want a runnier tahini for this, the Whole Foods 365 one is my best friend)
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
8 anchovy fillets (preferable ones packed in olive oil)
juice of one lemon
2 sheets nori (like the big sushi ones)

slice cabbage and beets (I did matchstick cuts-see photo) and mince garlic
in a bowl or jar add tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, tamari (or soy sauce) and rice vinegar and shake well
slice the anchovy fillets as finely as possible then add them to the dressing and continue shaking until combined
heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat then add the sesame seeds, make sure to keep an eye on them and continue tossing them
once they start to smell nice and turn a little brown remove them from the pan
in the same pan add the peanuts and do the same thing
rip the nori into little pieces and add it to your big bowl of cabbage and beets, add the nuts and seeds as well then pour dressing over
mix thoroughly with tongs or your hands

April 6, 2015August 1, 2016

Chard with Anchovy and Crushed Tomato Dressing

We get a lot of chard in our CSA and I always tend to steam or saute it with some garlic and vinegar or citrus. And that’s always good but this time I wanted to try something different. Chard is full of vitamins and it’s actually better wilted so it is a great vehicle for warm sauces, unlike other daintier leafy greens. Anchovies and capers give this a salty-umami Mediterranean taste and the warm yellow tomatoes balance it with a little sweetness.

1 bunch chard
4 anchovies in olive oil
15 yellow cherry tomatoes
1 lg garlic clove
splash red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp capers
red chili flakes
pepper

slice chard off of ribs then julienne the leaves (long skinny slices), I like to roll together a few pieces then slice them to save time and make them more uniform, put chard in a mixing bowl
drain olive oil from the anchovies and heat it (the oil) over medium heat in a sauce pan
mince the garlic and add it to the pan, once garlic is opaque add anchovies and mash with the back of a fork, add red chili flakes
add capers, tomatoes and red wine vinegar then cover the pan for a minute
uncover the pan once the tomatoes appear to be deflating a bit then carefully squash them with the back of a fork (angle them away so that you don’t squirt yourself or your kitchen with hot tomato juices)
pour the sauce over the chard and cover for a couple minutes until chard is just starting to wilt, then mix it all together, finish with pepper

March 21, 2015March 21, 2015

Use-Everthing-in-the-Fridge-Before-Spring-Break Quiche

I embrace having perishables when I’m about to go out of town. It’s the ultimate motivator to use only things you have/things you have open. This week is spring break and last weekend I realized we still had quite a bit of perishable items that needed to be attended too. Luckily they were all things that lent themselves swimmingly to a Mediterranean quiche. And it worked out quite well if I do say so myself.

1 can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup pesto
olive oil (optional if pesto is oily)
2 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 clove garlic
salt (truffle salt if you have it!)
4 eggs
1 handful spinach
1/2 cup soft herb-garlic goat cheese
1/2 cooked sausage (I used garlic-gruyere)

line a baking dish with parchment and pre-heat oven to 350°F
drain and rinse garbanzo beans
dice tomatoes roughly and mince garlic
pour garbanzo beans, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pesto and olive oil (if using) into the prepared dish, stir well then bake for 20 minutes, taking out and turning occasionally
once garbanzo beans start browning, mash them with the back of a fork and add goat cheese in globs and mix in until incorporated
in a separate bowl, whisk eggs
slice spinach and add to eggs
pour the egg mix over the garbanzo bean mix and return to oven
bake for about 25 minutes or until it starts to separate from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015

Eggplant and Sardine Greek Yogurt Dip

My friends and I went to the Monterey Bay aquarium last week and got completely transfixed by the schools of sardines that swim in sync. Since then I’ve been craving sardines. Kind of messed up but hey, there are a lot of fish in the sea, especially sardines.

Sardines are not only tasty little guys but swimming in health benefits. According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, they promote heart, bone and cell health leading to “optimal health”. They’re also packed with vitamin D, omega 3s, protein and low in calories AND cheap.

Here’s a fun fact; sardines were the first canned fish and Napoleon Bonaparte was the genius behind this. They were a convenient way to feed his people. Thanks Napoleon

1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/2 of a large eggplant
2 large sardines packed in oil
3 tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 medium sized shallot
1/4 of a lemon

in a small pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat and chop eggplant roughly
add the eggplant to the pan with 1/4 cup water and generous sprinkles of salt and pepper, cover and let cook until fairly mushy
let cool and add to food processor
slice shallots and heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, add shallots and cook over medium heat until they’re just starting to brown
add them into the food processor, squeeze the lemon in and add the mustard and yogurt then blend until smooth
break the sardines into chunks and add to the mix then blend until incorporated

November 12, 2014January 22, 2015

Sauteed Chard with Dates and Garbanzo Beans

This was another attempt to use up large amounts of greens before they wilted past the point of no return. I love making warm wilted greens in the winter instead of salads. It’s so much more satisfying and comforting. The combination of sweet dates and savory spiced garbanzo beans adds complexity and takes these healthy greens to a whole new level. If it wasn’t already good enough, another reason to eat chard is its’ plethora of health benefits. It has lots of antioxidants, vitamin C (for immunity), vitamin K (for bone strength), omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin A, calcium, potassium and iron (red blood cell production).

According to “nutrition-and-you.com”, regular inclusion of chard in the diet has been found to prevent osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin-A deficiency; and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and colon and prostate cancers

1/2 can garbanzo beans
2 cloves garlic
1 large bunch green chard
about 8 cups-worth spinach
1/4 cup water
10 dates
2 tbsp olive oil
salt pepper
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1tsp red chili flakes
1 lemon (juice)

heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and mince garlic
add garlic to the pan with the cumin paprika and chili flakes
drain garbanzos and add them to the skillet, stirring to coat them in the spices
continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until garbanzos start to brown a little bit
slice chard and spinach and add chard in batches to the skillet, pit and slice dates
in the first batch add the water and cover for 1 minute
then remove cover and add more chard, flipping so that the already cooked greens are on top
continue this process until all of the chard and kale are cooked about evenly, turn the heat down
add the sliced dates and mix in, remove from heat and move to a large mixing bowl
squeeze lemon juice in and mix, adding salt and pepper to taste

November 11, 2014January 22, 2015

Breakfast Hash

Veteran’s Day was gloomy and kind of cold. My roommate and I both had a lot of studying to do so we decided we would hole up at home (not too out of the ordinary for us). I made this comforting breakfast hash to get the day off to a good start. It made the house smell nice all day and then I re-heated the leftovers for an easy dinner. Caramelized onions make anything 10 times better. Especially potatoes. The secret to making good caramelized onions, is keeping the heat low and letting them cook low and slow them for a long time.

3 medium sized potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
1 pat butter
2 tbsp olive oil plus 3 more
splash of balsamic vinegar
2 white onions
1o baby bell peppers (or capsicum)
a few sprigs each rosemary, thyme and or sage, whatever you have/can find
salt and pepper

melt butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a non-stick skillet
slice onions thinly and add to the skillet
let caramelize, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, add a splash of balsamic vinegar
seed and slice the capsicum and add to the skillet, caramelize for 5 more minutes then take off the heat
pre-heat the oven to 400 F and line a large baking pan with tin foil or parchment paper
dice potatoes and sweet potatoes as uniformly as possible

in a large bowl mix potatoes and sweet potatoes with herbs, 3 tbsp olive oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper
spread out the mixture in the pan and bake for 20 minutes stirring occasionally
remove and add caramelized onion mixture, continue baking for 25 more minutes or until potatoes reach the consistency you’re after. serve with eggs, toast, cottage cheese or pretty much anything. Parsley Chimichurri (pictured) is a great addition!

November 9, 2014January 22, 2015

Cauliflower Curry

So today while I probably should’ve been studying for the midterm I just realized is coming up next week, I decided to spend some time making curry. It’s not as time consuming, difficult or ingredient intensive as most people assume but it is definitely something that takes a little time and planning. Curry is great with different veggies, especially cruciferous ones like broccoli and cauliflower.

1 head cauliflower
yellow curry powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
pickled jalapenos
10 green beans
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
coconut oil
2 roma tomatoes

over medium high heat, melt 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pot, dice onion and add along with 2 tbsp of the curry powder, once coconut oil is melted
cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces and add to the pot with the chicken broth, reserve 2 cups of the cauliflower bits
add coconut milk slowly, stirring as you go
add another tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp cinnamon then cover and let cook for 10 minutes
cut tips off of green beans and cut in 2 inch pieces, add to the pot
cut tomatoes in bite sized pieces and add to the pot along with the pickled jalapenos (slice if need be)
in a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil on medium low heat and mince garlic
once coconut oil is melted, add garlic
after 2 minutes add the reserved 2 cups of cauliflower
take a couple spoonfuls of the curry coconut milk sauce and spoon it over the cauliflower along with 1 tsp cinnamon.

November 8, 2014January 22, 2015

Veggy and Shrimp Stir Fry

1 small head broccoli
3 cloves garlic
3 small bok choys
1 box crimini mushrooms
10 green beans
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
10 shrimps
2 tsp red chili flakes
generous squirts sriracha
1 tbsp chicken broth

in a frying pan or wok (ideally) add sesame seed oil, garlic and red chili flakes over medium high heat
cut florets off of the broccoli and cut the tips of the green beans off then cut the beans into bite size pieces, clean the mushrooms and quarter them
clean bok choy and slice off the bottom couple of centimeters, add to pan
add chicken broth, apple cider vinegar and fish sauce and use tongs to turn constantly for a minute, remove bok choy from pan
add broccoli and green beans to the pan and let cook on medium high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally
remove and add mushrooms, sriracha, soy sauce and maybe a sprinkle more chili flakes, turn mushrooms with tongs until coated and cooked, about 2 minutes
remove and add shrimp to pan. turn each shrimp once the underside turns pink and cook until white/pink throughout
serve everything together with noodles or rice or on it’s own

November 8, 2014January 22, 2015

Cabbage Salad

1 large head purple cabbage
1/2 large red onion
1 large grapefruit (juice)
2 large lemons (juice)
3 tsp salt
3 limes (juice)
2 tbsp fish sauce

slice the cabbage and the onion, cutting around bitter white middle of the cabbage and add to a large mixing bowl
juice grapefruit, lemons and limes into the cabbage/onion mixture
add salt and fish sauce and mix well
let sit for 6 hours to overnight or a couple days, it’ll just get better

October 30, 2014January 22, 2015

Plum Polenta Breakfast

3/4 cup Plum Compote
3/4 cup leftover polenta
1/2 cup greek yogurt
cinnamon
honey
slivered almonds

reheat polenta in microwave or on stovetop
top with yogurt and plum compote
sprinkle with cinnamon, honey and slivered almonds