Confession Tuesday.

I have a confession.

I've been slacking in the kitchen department. Cooking department? I don't know. I just don't want to eat anything remotely hot at the moment. Maybe because I don't want to turn the stove on because it takes too much energy. Energy --> calorie burning --> sweat.

And no one likes sweat.

Okay, I do. But sweat has a time and a place. And the place is not in the kitchen whilst cooking.

I'll get over this phase by tomorrow. But for now, let's talk about this icy mango lassi that I finally got to make with a ripe mango! (I'm really on a roll with the Indian recipes lately, eh?).

Mango Lassi


Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango, roughly chopped
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon brown rice syrup (or 1-2 teaspoons sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4-5 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Drinking it by the poolside is optional.

Mmm...mangoes. Fun fact: I used to be allergic to mangoes. Thank goodness that allergy magically disappeared.

Sly.

I successfully converted my nutritional yeast-and-kale-hatin' parents to nutritional yeast-coasted-kale-chip-lovers.

*Insert evil laughter here.*

Okay, okay. In their defense, it might have something to do with the fact that I sometimes accidentally come back from the store with a few bunches of kale that were clearly not indicated on the grocery list instead of the tortilla chips that were very clearly indicated on the grocery list...

Heh.

I guess I should also mention that I didn't tell them the kale chips contained copious amounts of nutritional yeast.

Heh. Heh.

Sly, eh? Unfortunately, that wasn't the point of this post. The point I'd like to make is that if you don't know how to make Indian food, you can still impress your parents/friends/neighbors/distant relatives.

Indian Food 101: Veggies

Things you'll need:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
• 1-2 tsp turmeric
• Salt
• Vegetables of choice
• Optional: chili powder (the kind that makes you sneeze when you smell it)

Start off heating oil in a pan over medium on the stove. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

The seeds will start to get fragrant and sputter. Actually the oil gets pretty violent during the sputtering, so don't be alarmed!! I was.

Add the veggies as soon as you hear the sputtering. I used 1 bunch kale, 3 carrots, and some frozen corn.

Add salt and mix around until the veggies are coated with the oil mixture. Turn the heat down slightly. Allow this mixture to heat for about 5 minutes, and then add the turmeric and chili powder.

Stir and cover. Turn the heat off after a few minutes. 

And you are done!! Serve with a whole wheat tortilla (or chapati, or whatever...it's pretty much the same thing!) and a side of dal.

When I figure out how to make dal, you'll definitely be the first to know.

The One with the Fuzz.

I have a hilarious story to share with you today. I'm going to have to start at the beginning (as I do with most stories). But this time, it's actually relevant.

I went to Sprouts on Wednesday (double ad Wednesday is pretty awesome!) and as soon as I walked through the door, I spotted a gigantic basket of artichokes and a sign that said "99 cents each." I didn't even hesitate before throwing a few of those spikies into my shopping cart. Literally. I didn't even put them in a bag. And I gave myself a splinter in the process. But whatever.

Do you even know how expensive artichokes usually are? I don't mean the marinated kind that you can get in a jar. I mean the real kind.

They are usually way too expensive. While I was picking up some other veggies, I overheard a lady on the phone who was freaking out to her friend about how the artichokes were on sale. She picked up five. I suddenly seemed less crazy.

Anyway. I sought out to cook one of the artichokes yesterday. Here is my experience in a nutshell. Oh and some directions on how to cut/cook an artichoke.

1. Rinse the artichoke in water.
2. With scissors, cut the thorny part of each petal off. And while you're at it, take a knife and chop off all but 1 inch of the stem.

A clean-cut artichoke!

3. Rinse again.
4. Steam the artichoke. The whole artichoke. It's okay if it takes a ridiculous contraption to do so.

The artichoke was too tall for the lid that goes with the pot...just a normal problem.

5. After steaming for 20-30 minutes, you should be able to easily pull the petals off. I didn't think this would be such a big deal. I mean, there was a lot of artichoke that I started with, so I didn't think the entire artichoke would be petals.
6. I was wrong. There are a lot of petals. Don't eat them. They taste bad.

There were still petals on there. Tiny ones. They look like flower petals towards the middle!

7. Keep pulling the petals off (it'll seem like an eternity) until you reach the fuzzy creature inside.

8. Laugh your head off at the fact that the inside of an artichoke is FUZZY. And inedible. Don't even try to eat it.
9. Cut out the fuzzy part.
10. You'll be left with the edible portion. It's soft. However, it tastes extremely bland. So bland, I thought I did something terribly wrong.
11. Season it. With something. Anything. I chopped up the edible portion and mixed it with some balsamic vinegar in a bowl and marinated it for 15 minutes or so.

So now you're probably wondering what I did with the tiny bowl-full of artichoke pieces I obtained from that once gigantic artichoke monster.

Artichoke pizza, of course!!

Swiss Chard and Artichoke Pizza


Ingredients:

• 2 pre-made pizza crusts (they usually come with pizza sauce)
• ~1 cup chopped swiss chard
• 1 artichoke, cooked, chopped, and marinated
• 1/4 can olives, chopped
• ~1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

To make the crust extra crispy, brush with olive oil and stick in the oven while it pre-heats for about 2 minutes.

Spread the pizza sauce and top with the veggies and cheese. Check this out: my dad not only grows tomatoes and eggplants in his garden, but also swiss chard!!

I grabbed a generous amount of swiss chard. Apparently it grows back quickly!

Check the baking instructions on the pizza crust. I pre-heated the oven to 425F, then reduced it to 400F, put the pizza in, and let it bake for less than 10 minutes. 

Delish!! In the end, I think the adventure I had with that artichoke was worth it. 

Nom nom nom. Love my greens in pizza form. 

Cooling off.

I'm going to give you a little break from the nutritious? delicious? complete? meals I've been posting lately, and do something a bit more summery.

Besides the yoga pants I'm sewing out of a t-shirt. (Yeah...I changed my mind and decided against making the dress. Maybe someday. But the pants are pretty cool looking if you ask me).

Uhh. Anyway. I originally planned to make mango lassi. That didn't work because of all the mangoes in the produce section, I managed to pick the one that was most raw. And I didn't realize it until I began to cut it and... it refused to cut.

That just means you'll be seeing some mango lassi in the future, if I can get my hands on a squishy mango.

But for now, if this doesn't scream summer, then I don't know what does.

Nectarine Ginger Smoothie


Ingredients:

• 1 nectarine, roughly chopped
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or a combination of milk + yogurt)
• ~1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 2 cardamom seeds
• drizzle of honey (or ~1-2 teaspoons sugar)
• handful of ice

Magic ingredient: cardamom.

Take two of the seeds, break them open, extract the insides and smash them. Use this for the smoothie.

Blend all the ingredients until combined. The end result will be nice and frothy!

Perfect to sip by the poolside. Or by the window by the poolside.

Artsy.

I think I somehow forgot that summertime means hot weather.

And that means I just want to sit inside and be lazy. However did I act upon my lofty goals of obtaining a 6 pack last summer? I wish I knew.

At least this summer my artsy side has made its presence and I'm making dresses out of t-shirts and cooking fancy meals. (I'll get back to you on that t-shirt dress...it's a work in progress).

Getting back on topic...if you want to make enchiladas and don't have enchilada sauce on hand, don't you worry!! I recently discovered that homemade enchilada sauce is not only easy to make, but it is infinitely healthier than the canned version. Score!

Spinach Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce


Enchilada Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 (20 oz) can diced tomatoes (or equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 cloves garlic
• pinch chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. 

This is so easy, you'll think you did something wrong. But you didn't, don't worry.

Enchilada Ingredients:

• 7-8 cooked tortillas
• 1 can refried pinto or black beans
• 2 1/2 cups cooked spinach
• ~1 cup shredded cheese
• enchilada sauce
• olive oil (for greasing the pan)

Combine spinach and refried beans.

Pour some enchilada sauce in a plate. Dip a tortilla in the sauce and fill with spinach mixture and some cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place it in a greased baking pan.

Repeat for each tortilla.

Do you spot my two whole wheat tortillas at the top? :)

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce (or the majority of it, if you'd like to save some for later) over the filled tortillas. Top with more shredded cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with mango salsa.

And enjoy thoroughly until it is all gone (which doesn't take long).

If you can't get enough enchiladas, check here and here for other kinds that I've made in the past!

PESTO! Part II.

The first time I made pesto seems like so long ago.

Yesterday, I decided to increase the fancy factor of my eggplant non-parmesan meal and make a spinach pesto to go alongside the dish. 

Not just any spinach pesto, a nutless spinach pesto.

Well that is just unheard of. Pesto with no nuts? What's next, quinoa for breakfast?

I bet the majority of you are not even a little surprised at that statement. Aww, you know me so well!

Light Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups cooked spinach (I used frozen + thawed)
• 3 teaspoons chopped basil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 teaspoons parsley
• salt/pepper
• juice of half a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Serve with whole wheat pasta and sauteed mushrooms for garnish!

Eaten with the eggplant parm, this meal was ridiculously fancy. And ridiculously healthy. And ridiculously easy. 

Can't wait to hear if you make this! (Seriously, it makes my day when you tell me you make my recipes)!

Small eggplant. Big meal.

Remember those cute little eggplants from my dad's garden?

I was waiting for them to grow to normal eggplant size, because I had big plans for them!!

Unfortunately...these little ones were meant to be little. Vertically challenged. Whatever you call short and stout eggplants.

So cute!!

Anyway, I couldn't do much with just the little guys. I also had to bring out the Mama Eggplant.

Please excuse the anthropomorphism(s).

Eggplant (Non)-Parmesan 


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 eggplants (or 1 big and 2 small)
• 1 egg
• ~2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal
• pasta sauce*
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt/pepper

*I made pasta sauce by combining diced tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and heating it over the stove.

Cut the eggplants into strips or slices, about 1/2 inch thick. Brush each eggplant piece with olive oil and set aside.

Pour the Grape Nuts into a blender and blend until the consistency resembles that of bread crumbs. Empty into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

In another small bowl, beat the egg and mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.

Take each eggplant slice and dip into the egg mixture. Then dip into the Grape Nuts mixture. Arrange pieces on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Make sure to check frequently to ensure that the crust does not burn! Also, a way to check if the eggplant has been cooked completely is to poke a hole; it should be soft and slimy (for lack of a better word).

Serve while hot with pasta sauce and top with mozzarella. 

Now when you're at a restaurant and eyeing the eggplant parm on the menu, you won't have to feel compelled to order it because you know how to make it! It can't get fancier than this.

Actually, it can. I served this with another dish, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see it! Don't you just love cliffhangers?