As a nutritionist, I am always on the lookout for new easy, healthy AND delicious recipes. Pinterest is great for this but it always seems to lead me to on-line shopping, and I really just can’t afford to keep up this “1 new recipe – 2 new tops” lifestyle. This month it occurred to me, why don’t I ask my favorite healthy and delicious people for help?
However, I can’t expect you to do this solely out of the kindness of your heart. Luckily the delightful people over at organicgirl have offered to reward one of you generous people with free produce!
So who is this organicgirl? Well, truth be told, I had no idea either. But once I put them on my radar, I realized they were everywhere. I snapped this picture at Von’s last week:
Not the best picture, I know! Here’s one of their pictures that was probably not taken on a phone.
Basically, organicgirl makes high quality organic produce with an extra emphasis on minimizing the environmental impact during their growing, packaging and delivery process.
From a food quality standpoint, I absolutely love their greens! They are fresh and delicious and you can honestly taste the extra care and effort they put into their product. I also applaud their environmental effort. All of their packaging is made from 100% recycled material and they make sure that your spinach hasn’t seen more of the country than you have. However, I think what I really like the most is they are making a high quality product available to everyone – not only those who can get to the farmer’s market or can afford the price tag that usually comes with organic. This way a busy person can run to their local store and buy something that they know will be healthy for their family and is making an effort to protect the world around them. We all know how I love small steps!
So, if you want to try it yourself you can find a local store on the organicgirl website. If you want to try it for FREE you can share a recipe in the comment section below! Here’s a quick rundown of the rules:
- Each post of a recipe here in the comments section of this blog or on my Facebook account will count as an entry.
- The postings must occur between now and May 22nd at midnight (unless you just want to keep sharing!).
- Each entry will be assigned a number and that number will be chosen at random.
- You win and then get to relish in your free greens…get it, relish?! (i’m sorry, please don’t hold that against me.)
Summer Cucumbers
5-6 medium sized cucumbers sliced thin (peeled or unpeeled is ok)
2 cups sliced sweet onion
Mix sliced cucumbers and onions and let stand for 2 hours. Do not rinse.
DRESSING:
4 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
2 Tbsp water
1/2 c cider vinegar (you can also use plain or red wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (you can use dried – but use less)
Mix until sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumbers and notions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The longer they sit the better. Enjoy!
My favorite recipe is …
Gluten Free Crab Cake
16 ounces fresh crabmeat (we like Dungeness)
3/4 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade is great, but the stuff in a jar works too)
1/2 large ear corn, kernels shaved off
1/2 large carrot, peeled and fine-diced
2 tablespoon fine-chopped fresh dill
1 heaping teaspoon fine-chopped shallots
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
dash Tabasco sauce
1 egg (optional)
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Go through the crabmeat carefully, picking out stray shells and cartilage.
Combine 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs and the mayonnaise together. Add this combination to the crab meat.
Add the remaining ingredients, up to the salt and pepper. Stir well (or use your hands). If the mixture doesn’t feel bound enough to you, add the egg and combine.
Season with salt and pepper. Taste. Season again according to your taste.
Make 2-ounce balls of the mixture, then pat each into a thick cake. Coat with the remaining breadcrumbs, on both sides.
Bring a large skillet to high heat. Add the oil. Put the crab cakes into the hot oil (you might have to do these in two batches). When the bottom has browned, about 3 minutes, flip the crab cakes and put the skillet in the oven.
Cook in the oven until the crabcakes are firm and browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
This recipe is so easy and does not taste gluten free at all!
1/2 C. dry quinoa
2 C. vegetable broth
8 oz garbanzo beans
1 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 avocados diced
2 C. spinach
1 bunch cilantro
1/4 C. onion
2 small cloves garlic
For the dressing:
Juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. agave nectar
1/2 tsp. cumin
dash of salt and pepper
The Gerson Institute is an alternative cancer and degenerative disease treatment org located in San Diego – I volunteer with them. Their book has a lot of yummy healthy recipes in the back, and also a lot of other good info in it. My favorite (so far) is their special soup. Most of the recipes are really simple.
http://gerson.org/gerpress/
http://gerson.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17
Lets see if i can remember the soup recipe…
1 medium celery root if available(if not sub 4 celery stalks)
2 leeks
2 medium onions
5 cloves garlic
some parsley
1.5lbs of tomatoes
1lb potatoes
wash and cut vegetables into 1.2 inch cubes, put in large pot, add water to cover the vegetables, bring to a boil, cook on low for 1.5-2 hrs until veggies are soft. Pass through a food mill, done. (add salt and pepper to taste, you can also squeeze some lemon in it or add some fresh garlic and parsley at the end)
Banana Soft Serve
It couldn’t be more simple. Take 2-3 frozen bananas (you can freeze them in ziplock bags or in tupperware), And throw them in your food processor (I’ve tried this in a Vitamix, but the results weren’t great — you could also use certain juicers). Then turn the processor on and let it run for about five minutes, stopping every now and then to scrape it down. The bananas should get increasingly light, fluffy, and smooth. By the time you’re done, they’ll resemble a creamy bowl of soft serve. Unbelievable!
Mexican Brown Rice Casserole
1 large yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing in the baking dish
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces (your preference, really) Monterey jack cheese
1 diced roma tomato
1/2 can organic whole black beans
2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
2 cups cooked meat, such as beef, chicken, or chorizo
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8×8 inch casserole with a little olive oil. Chop the onion. Smash, peel, and chop the garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, dice the cheese and set aside. Add the tomatoes (and green chilies to the skillet if you like spice), increase the heat to high, and simmer until thickened, 4-5 minutes.
Stir in rice, black beans, cheese, and cooked meat if using. Transfer to casserole dish and bake until browned and bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.
Delicioso!
My favorite Asian Salad recipe:
Lettuce of your choice
Napa cabbage
Red bell pepper, diced or sliced
Bean sprouts
Cucumber, sliced
Fresh cilantro
Snap peas
Carrots, sliced
Green onions, sliced
Sauteed shrimp
Rice noodles, cooked according to directions, then chilled
Topped with a peanut Asian dressing and chopped peanuts
Simple, cool and refreshing for summer:)
Quick Organic Protein Slaw
(I eat this after my outrigger canoe races.)
1 pkg Trader Joe’s organic broccoli slaw
1/2 pkg TJ’s organic baked tofu cut into small cubes
Handful of toasted slivered almonds
Sea salt + ground pepper
Dressing: Equal parts TJ’s organic 2% plain yogurt and Caesar dressing
[Option: use curry instead of caesar dressing]
Mix it all together… yum!
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
1 lb tail-off cooked shrimp
1 sm cucumber peeled and chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 sm red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/3 cup ketchup
6 limes, juiced
salt, pepper, Tabasco to taste
mix all together and serve with tortilla scoops and sliced avacado
ENJOY!
One of my favorite healthy recipies is home made black beans.
* Soak 1 cup of black beans in two cups of water over night. (8-12 hours)
* Transfer beans and liquid to a pot and add enough water to coat beans. (1-2 cups depending on size of pot)
* Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
*If you like a little spice, cut a jalapeno in half and add it to the pot
*bring the pot to a low boil and cook for 1-1.5 hours. Beans should be easily smashed with a fork
*Remove most of the liquid leaving enough to keep the beans from drying out. smash if desired or eat as is!
Chicken and White Bean Salad
Vinaigrette
1 medium clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more to taste
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Mash the garlic with salt to form a coarse paste. Whisk in 5 tablespoons oil. Add 6 tablespoons orange juice, vinegar and mustard; whisk until well blended. Add up to 4 tablespoons more juice to taste.
Salad
1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
2 cups diced zucchini and/or summer squash (about 2 small)
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced ricotta salata, halloumi or feta cheese
1/3 cup chopped, well-drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus whole basil leaves for garnish
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)
2 cups torn escarole or romaine lettuce
2 cups torn radicchio leaves
Combine beans, chicken, zucchini (and/or summer squash), celery, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) until well blended. Add chopped basil and 3/4 cup vinaigrette; toss until combined. Season with salt and/or pepper, if desired. Toss the remaining vinaigrette with escarole (or romaine) and radicchio in a medium bowl. Serve the salad on the greens, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
There’s nothing healthy about it, but I love a good Cuban. I guess you could have some Organic Girl on the side. Here’s a link to a great recipe.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cuban-pork-sandwiches-10000001875324/
My 1 ½ Gallon Kombucha Recipe
Boil ½ gallon of water.
Add 1 1/8 cup of organic sugar.
Add 11 organic green tea bags.
Let it steep 3 min
Pour in a little over ½ gallon and let it sit until room temperature.
Pour in glass container with 1 ½ cup starter tea. (For your first batch you can use a store bought kombucha. After that just use some of your previous batch.)
Store in a cool, dark area with a paper towel rubber-banded over the top.
Leave 2 weeks or until you like the taste.
If you want it to be effervescent, use a funnel to pour it into 10 Grolch bottles and store them in a cool, dark area for another week.
Ginger Syrup
1 1/2 cups sliced ginger
3 cups water
3 cups sugar
Put it all in a pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 45 min.
strain out ginger pulp.
You can use this stuff all over the place. Mix it with sparkling water and a squeeze of lime for home-made ginger ale. I will put about 2 table spoons in each bottle of my kombucha before sealing them.
YUM: Salmon Bowl with mango salsa- Caribbean jerk style
◦1 lb. wild caught salmon filet with skin (in one or several pieces)
◦1 teaspoon oil
◦1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
◦1/2 teaspoon curry
◦1/2 teaspoon chili powder
◦1/2 teaspoon allspice
◦1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
◦1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
◦pinch of sea salt
◦2 cups cooked white rice
◦1 12 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
◦2 mangoes, peeled and diced
◦1/2 large red onion, diced
◦1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
◦1 squeeze lime juice
◦1 avocado (optional)
Put spices on fish; cook fish. combine veggies, fruit and cilantro; stir in rice, beans and top with fish and avocado! And heck, add some organic girl greens!