Green Goddess Pasta

I love making delicious comfort food that is also super healthy! There was such a great smell to this dish, I knew the flavors would rock! Michael confirmed this as well since he was the one eating it! I love all things Kale so it was so great to add this to the pasta for that healthy, tasty punch. Plus Broccoli, olive oil and garlic; such a good combo! The pasta I used is so fun and colorful, anyone would love it!

pastaGreen Goddess Pasta

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

serves 6

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
6 tablespoons vegan or organic dairy butter (I prefer to use organic butter rather than vegan because of all the processed ingredients, but you could probably substitute oil instead to keep this vegan, or use vegan butter of course 🙂 )
3 quarts water
about 6 teaspoons fine sea salt
12 ouces whole wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni (I used Eden Organic Vegetable Shells Golden Amber Durum Wheat Pasta)
2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise ad cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 bunch (about 4 ounces) kale, cut into 1/2 inch long strips
1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup pine nuts

Preparation

  1. In a 1 quart saucepan over low heat, combine the garlic and coconut oil ad cook, swirling occasional, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat, add the butter,  swirling until it melts and set aside.
  3. In a -6 quart stockpot over high heat, combine the water with about 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until about 1 minute shy of being done.
  4. Stir in the zucchini, broccoli, and kale. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked , about 1 minute.
  5. Drain the pasta mixture, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water.
  6. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in the garlic butter, pepper, 3 tablespoons f the pine nuts, and the remainging  teaspoon of salt, garlic and onion pepper.
  7. Transfer the pasta to plates or a platter, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon of pine nuts and serve

Chicken Breasts Provençal with Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli

I don’t eat chicken of course, but these are all flavors I love and I knew it would be a big hit! It smelled great as it was cooking and I was right, Michael loved it!

I love the technique of blanching tomatoes and peeling them. I learned this a while back in a cooking class at the The Natural Gourmet Institute and thought it was so cool that the 10-30 seconds the tomatoes spend in the water makes it so easy to peel them.

The Broccoli was great too! I steam broccoli most of the time, but Michael really enjoyed the crunch of the roasted Broccoli. It was insanely easy to cut up the broccoli and put in the oven. Such a great idea!

chicken and brocChicken Breasts Provençal

 Adapted from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes
  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons anchovy paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 10 pitted brine-cured black olives, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon finely shredded basil
Preparation
  1. Core tomatoes and cut a shallow X in bottom of each, then blanch in a medium pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel, seed, and finely chop.
  2. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
  3. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook chicken, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, covered. (I have a wonderful warming drawer that is so perfect for this!)
  4. Add garlic and anchovy paste to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Stir in tomatoes, stock, and olives and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened into a sauce, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in butter and any juices from platter.
  5. Add chicken and simmer until just heated through, about 1 minute. Serve sprinkled with basil.

Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli

Makes 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper (depending on how much you like spice, this dish is not very spicy, so feel free to use more!)
Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli with 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

High Raw: A Simple Approach to Health, Eating, and Saving the Planet

High Raw: A Simple Approach to Health, Eating and Saving the Planet

 

High Raw: A Simple Approach to Health, Eating, and Saving the Planet  by Kevin Gianni

Check this out! The whole book in PDF form is on-line just click on the title!  There are great tips on how to become High Raw or to at least incorporate more of a raw diet & lifestyle (fitness, nutrition and spiritual) into your life while keeping it simple and convenient to help you stick with it for the long haul. You can also sign up for his newsletters here.

The Five Principles of High Raw:

  • Principle #1: Eat Real Food & Think Like A Raw Foodist
  • Principle #2: Make Your Health Your TOP Priority
  • Principle #3: Know Your Body
  • Principle #4: Educate Yourself
  • Principle #5: Take Action!

 

Silk Importation of Soybeans from China: Most Products No Longer Organic!

Check out this article from Organic Cosumers Association that tells all about it!

Raw Star Cafe

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Raw Star Cafe 687 Washington Ave. (between St. Marks & Prospect)  Brooklyn 718-975-0304 menu

Delicious Raw vegan Caribbean food in a great atmosphere with super friendly people. My husband and I both completely loved this place! We went last weekend for the first time although I have wanted to go since it opened in June 2008. It is a totally laid back Caribbean vibed place that has great food and amazingly friendly service. I felt like I was on vacation and I could have hung out there all day if it wasn’t so gorgeous outside! The space is really tiny but cozy in a good way. The place, the waiter and chef really give off such a friendly vibe that even all the customers are feeling at home and super friendly with each other.

The ambiance is important of course but you are there to eat, and mmmmm, the food is soooo good there! All time favorite of both my husband and I was the Curried Plantains. I have dreamed about them since 🙂 We also loved the Hi Green Salad, so divine! We started out with the Spinach Cheese Puffs which were fun! The nut loaf was yummy and the lasagna had just come out of the dehydrator and was so warm and soft that I thought it was cooked! (of course it wasn’t) Melt in your mouth goodness! The Pineapple Mango Chutney was also amazing! We were there for lunch so we passed on dessert, but I want to try them all! I am actually really looking forward to trying all the dishes there! Plus they have a brunch that looks divine!! I am already planning my next visit back.

One of the best parts is that the cost is very reasonable. The menu does not change for lunch or dinner, so apps will run you around $6 and entrees $7-13. And most of the entrées come with a salad and a side! This is a great deal for such a fabulous experience and delicious organic raw food.

Update: Since I wrote this review I have already been back 2 other times and this place just gets better and better!! I always get the Hi Green Salad and the Curried Plantains because they are just sooo good!! But I have had many of the other entrees and tried some of my friend’s entrees as well. The Spinach Pie was yummy, The Curry Tempeh with Tamarind Sauce was super good (I am totally getting this again next time!),  Stuffed Bell Pepper was great and had some really nice spice, the Pistachio and Pine Nut Pesto was some of the best pesto ever and they really were generous with the portion and the Nappa Sandwich was a little messy but super deelish! I will try the desserts and brunch soon I am sure! Love this place 🙂

rawstar2

Rawstar Vegan Live Cuisine on Urbanspoon

Time Magazine: Skip the Steak

Time magazine published a global warming survival guide with their tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. One of their top themes, is too skip the steak.

Quick excerpt: Which is responsible for more global warming: your BMW or your Big Mac? Believe it or not, it’s the burger. The international meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions—even more than transportation—according to a report last year from the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Go to the article for more info on what else you can do to lessen your carbon footprint.

Rockin’ Raw, Williamsburg NEW Raw Restaurant

178 North 8th Street between Bedford and Driggs

So awesome!! I am more than excited to try this NEW place. Thanks to We Like It Raw for the heads up! The menu looks divine!!! MMM Carmalized Plantains! Plus an outdoor garden, what a great way to kick off the summer.

An excert from the We Like It Raw article: Here’s a note from owners Tere Fox and Luis Salgado on Rockin’ Raw’s style of cuisine:

Our cuisine is Peruvian/New Orleans style. We have jambalaya, cebiche, “tuna” poboys, live pasta dishes, lucuma ice cream… This is food like your mama never made for sure. We are not heavy on nuts like some raw food restaurants tend to be. We are strong headed about fresh produce and making foods that rock all your senses.

All of our foods are from local farmers except of course Maca and Lucuma which is still organic and straight from Peru. We are also using ecofriendly paper and togo products. We are green, green, green.

Rr-home

Owen Wilson skips the line at One Lucky Duck

owen_wilson

This is hilarious that it made Page Six! haha! I for one, think it is incredibly HOT that Owen eats at One Lucky Duck (the take out part of the best raw food restaurant ever, Pure Food & Wine). Love it!!

Don’t Believe the Hype – Fructose Truly is Much Worse Than Glucose

I am sure many of you have seen those insane commercials touting that High Fructose Corn Syrup is the same as sugar. Not that sugar is great, but high fructose corn syrup; they are mad and probably marketing geniuses, but still! Check out this article on how Fructose is no bueno. I am not talking Delicious whole fruit, but the processed over-hyped high fructose corn syrup variety.

Locavore Restaurant on the Bowery

Homegrown Kitchen, a new Bowery restaurant opening in June will grow all its vegetables in a rooftop garden. [NYP] See this article from The Villager as well.

I always want to support Locavore Restaurants but often they are not interested in putting out any vegan or vegetarian food, so I guess I will have to wait and see about this new hopeful place!

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