Help Me Write My Book!

I am very excited to be able to put my cleanse program and recipes into a book!!

If you are able to help provide feedback on the recipes I intend to include I would really appreciate it!

Here is one of my favorite kale recipes. I swear I eat about 1 head of kale a day either in smoothies or a simple recipe like this. I am always looking at creating new ways to incorporate it into a meal. This takes about 10 minutes and is fabulous topped with grilled fish or chicken.

I often eat mine for lunch with brown rice. Yum! If you are on the fence with kale, please give this a try and let me know what you think!

Sauteed Kale with Lemon Zest

Serves 4

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 head kale, spine removed & diced into thin ribbon like strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt & Pepper

optional: parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and kale; saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until kale is bright green and tender, about 5-8 minutes more. Do not overcook! Remove skillet from the heat and add crushed red pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest and parmesan if using. Mix well and serve warm or room temperature.

Tasty Frittata

It feels as though it has been raining FOREVER. In a valiant effort to honor the Spring that never was, I have been searching for delicious, warm, seasonal recipes. I LOVE making eggs for dinner. They are a quick, inexpensive, easily digested source of quality protein and they pair so well with most vegetables. This recipe below has become my new favorite.

I hope it warms you up..

Tasty Frittata

Cilantro Chile Sauce

2 large cloves garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 small bunch cilantro

1 green (serrano) chile, seeds removed

2 pinches ground cumin

a couple big pinches of salt

6 large organic eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

3 small potatoes, very very thinly sliced

1/2 cup yellow zucchini or cauliflower,1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

couple pinches of salt

Preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Make the cilantro chile sauce by pureeing the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro, chile, cumin, and salt until very smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt. Set aside. In a (small) 8 1/2-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onion, and another pinch of salt. Saute, stirring constantly, until the onion starts to brown, 5 - 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini (or cauliflower), cover, and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Slide everything out of the skillet onto a plate and set aside. Turn down the heat a bit. Using the same skillet, add the eggs and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are just set and there isn't a lot of liquid running around the pan. To facilitate this, run a spatula underneath the sides of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside and cook. Drizzle the eggs with a few tablespoons of the cilantro chile sauce, now sprinkle the potato onion mixture over the top. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 9 minutes, or until well set and puffy. Add a crumble of goat cheese and the pumpkin seeds across the top of the frittata in the final 2 minutes of baking. Remove from oven (be careful the handle is hot!), cut into wedges and serve. Serves 2 to 4.

*photo and recipe scans via 101 Cookbooks

White Bean + Shitake Soup with Herb Oil

Rain, rain, go away....

Where did Spring go?

This delicious soup is sure to warm you up!

White Bean + Shitake Soup with Herb Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small white onion diced

2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 box of organic chicken stock.

Equal parts water

1 parmesan rind

2 cans of white beans drained and rinsed

5 to 7 Shiitake mushrooms sliced very thinly

Salt + pepper to taste

mint

parsley

basil

meyer lemon

Sauté the garlic + onion in a stock pot with olive oil over a medium heat until the onion is translucent and fragrant. and the beans and sauté for a few minutes adding salt + pepper to taste. Add the broth, water + rind and raise heat slightly, allowing the soup to simmer for 20 minutes. For the last five minutes add the sliced shiitakes. Once you remove the soup from the heat, remove the rind before serving. To make the oil combine equal parts mint, parsley + basil in a food processor while drizzling in olive oil + a teaspoon of fresh meyer lemon juice. Chop until oil is thin enough to drizzle, but thick with herb bits. Drizzle oil over soup just before serving. Enjoy !

*recipe and photo scans via Sunday-Suppers.com

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Chickpeas

Since it is officially Spring time and the greens are at their peak, I thought I would post a simple and delicious way to prepare them. Enjoy!

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Chickpeas

serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Pinch of crushed red pepper

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 bunches Swiss chard (1 1/2 pounds)—stems sliced 1/2 inch thick, leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons

3/4 cup canned chickpeas, drained

2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until lightly golden around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the Swiss chard stems and leaves and the chickpeas and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until the greens are wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cook until the stems are tender and the pan is dry, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates and serve.

Lovely Advice

I couldn't help but posting this...

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s – Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2010.
7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
8. Sleep for 7 hours.
9. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

1. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
3. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
6. Dream more while you are awake.
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more.
14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

1. Call your family often.
2. Each day give something good to others.
3. Forgive everyone for everything.
4. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
5. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
6. What other people think of you is none of your business.
7. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

1. Do the right thing!
2. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
3. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
4. The best is yet to come.
5. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Try these little beauties instead of chips or crackers. They are also kid approved!

Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Makes 1 cup

One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground hot paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss chickpeas with oil and spices until evenly coated. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, shaking pan occasionally, until chickpeas are golden and crunchy, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Chicken with sun-dried tomatoes & capers

A perfect meal for a drizzly Spring day....

Chicken with sun-dried tomatoes and capers

serves 6

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups button mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Marinade:

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed

3 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp. capers

1 tbsp. caper liquid

For the marinade: whisk together all the marinade ingredients and pour in a shallow dish. Place the chicken breast in with the marinade and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to one hour.

Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken, the marinade and the mushrooms and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

In a small skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter until the the foam recedes. Add the flour and mix well, cooking for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the marinade, whisking and simmering over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens.

To serve, arrange the chicken breasts on individual plates, pour the sauce over and sprinkle with parsley.