New Year (does not) = No Carbs

NEW YEAR (DOES NOT) = NO CARBS

With the arrival of the New Year, we are always guilted in to making the same New Years resolution of dieting, juicing, and detoxing after holiday food binging. But in all honesty, I feel that drastically changing your diet is just a temporary fix. I think nutrition is a game of inches, and as Oprah says, ‘I LOVE bread!’ I’m with her ALL the way on that statement...

With that being said, it is good to take a step back after indulging (umm, heavily....) over the holidays and fitting in some healthier options to your diet. No one says you have to go carb free! It’s definitely harder in the cold winter months to think and be healthy when all you want is warm comfort food (and pizza...), so I put together some healthier options that have some seasonal ingredients to help you get off to a good start to the New Year! Enjoy!

COCONUT DAAL WITH SUPER GREENS

OVERNIGHT OATS WITH CURRANTS, PISTACHIOS & COCONUT

HOMEMADE CHICKEN THIGH SHOYU RAMEN

BETTER SALAD!

POISSON YASSA

SWISS CHARD "LEAVES"

USE-YOUR-VEGGIES QUINOA SOUP

7 Healthy Substitutions

7 HEALTHY SUBSTITUTIONS

At this point in the year, my mind always starts to turn away from winter stews and comfort food (umm, pizza) and towards the lighter and brighter. Food and healthy choices are truly a game of inches, so I wanted to share a few of my go-to, healthy substitutions, stuff I do on an everyday basis at home to help offset my splurg-y meals out. One of my requirements as a cook, though, is that I can't miss what I'm substituting - it still has to taste amazing and fulfill whatever sense (taste, texture) gets activated. So hopefully you guys will like these subs as much as I do...

AVOCADO INSTEAD OF MAYO

I like to pulse an avocado or two in the processor with a bit of salt and lime to get a smooth, creamy and slightly whipped avocado crema. Mayo is not missed.

SWAP OUT OATS FOR AMARANTH OR QUINOA AT BREAKFAST

Breakfast for me is where I stuff in as much nutrition as I can! I love using cooked amaranth or quinoa for an easy breakfast pudding. Add a bit of milk of your choice to the cooked grain, some chia or even ground flax seeds, sliced almonds or other nuts, berries/fruit, and you have a super satisfying meal in no time. Much better than store bought cereal!

WHOLE GRAINS INSTEAD OF BREAD OR BREADCRUMBS

When I'm making meatloaf or meatballs, I like to use cooked bulghur, oats, or a short grain brown rice (slighly overcooked) as my binding agent in lieu of soaking bread in milk or using breadcrumbs. The texture is amazing, and it just makes the meal more nutrient-dense. Love it.

VEGAN BANANA ICE CREAM FOR DESSERT

I'm an ice cream snob, and there are obviously times when a pint of Mint Chip is called for. But when I know I need to keep it light, I whir up some frozen, sliced banana pieces in the processor with a bit of cinnamon to make vegan "ice cream." After it gets kind of icy / shredded, the processor warms it up and it turns into a super, whipped custard (and a bit of water or almond milk can get the blade moving if it's taking too long). It really is delicious - creamy, sweet and light; it hits the ice cream-craving texture spot on. AND you can make endless variations. Add frozen berries for more of a sorbet feel, vanilla bean to go traditional or peanut butter and raw cacao for a peanut butter cup treat.

DATES OR CINNAMON FOR SWEETNESS

I use these in totally different ways, so it may have been misleading to put them together. Dates (particularly the Medjool type) are my go-to for smoothies, muffins and cake batter - they have a caramelized sweetness that is hard to rival. Cinnamon is just what I put in coffee or my homemade almond milk to add some (blood sugar-balancing) sweetness; it's kind of a brain trick and takes some weaning off the real thing, especially when it comes to coffee, but it's worth it. Sugar gives you wrinkles (which is enough to send me screaming), so sub where you can.

MAPLE SUGAR RATHER THAN REFINED

If you must (and there are times that you MUST), using maple sugar rather than the refined, white sort is amazing. Full of antioxidants and lower on the glycemic index, this is my option for baking for my little one. Check it out in this Butternut Squash & Apple Bread recipe.

OAT + BROWN RICE + ALMOND FLOUR INSTEAD OF AP

Also, in that recipe, I use a great, gluten-free mix of flours instead of all-purpose. Really, since no one in my family has a gluten allergy / intolerance, I'm motivated again by nutrition - more fiber, higher vitamin / mineral content, full of good fats. And, again, I don't miss the AP here - this bread is just as good, if not better, with this healthy flour mix.

Enjoy!

Chia Seeds

Ok, so if you follow these posts, you’ve read about me toting around green juices and coming up with natural replacements for certain desserts out there. Let’s not get too crazy – I’m not going full-on natural (note the butter and crème fraiche in my dish earlier this week…), but I am acknowledging my health a bit more now that I’m in my 30’s and want to take a bit better care (slash vanity wants me to hold back the aging process!). My parents’ obsession with Dr. Oz adds fuel to the fire, and it seems like every week they are sending me tips on what to incorporate into my diet. My mom the other day went OFF about chia seeds, and I won’t say I was skeptical(particularly if you are reading this, mom) but I wanted to dig a bit deeper…

As always, she was right. It’s like beyond a superfood, a super-super-superfood if you will! A member of the mint family that is mainly grown for its seeds, this food has history – native to parts of Mexico and Guatemala, the Mayans and Aztecs used to grow it as a staple, using it to increase their stamina and energy levels, and knew what they were doing. It’s a complete source of protein, has more calcium than skim milk on a per ounce basis, and is the richest plant source of Omega-3 (even higher than salmon!).

Soaking these little guys in water, the seeds swell up and become gelatinous (like basil seeds) actually holding 9 to 12 times their weight in water. What this means is that they help prolong hydration and retain electrolytes in the body. Before I get completely off my soapbox…they also prevent blood sugar spikes, help clean out the intestinal tract (a huge source of fiber) and are very high in antioxidants and other minerals. There, I’m done.

They do have fat, fyi, for all you naysayers, so I’ll just give you that to criticize, but most seeds are rich in oils (think: flax). And they can be eaten a number of different ways – ground into a flour to include in breads or sauces, sprouted like alfalfa, bloomed in water or liquids (think rice pudding-esque) or merely by themselves.

I personally have been adding them to my water with a bit of chlorophyll in the mornings as a pre-workout booster. And I will be including them in next week’s recipe, so I thought I would brief you before you look at the recipe like “what the heck is that.”

Anyway, would love to hear if any of you guys have been eating this stuff…

My Homemade Nutella

So, admittedly, I’ve been on a bit of a healthy kick lately – toting around awful looking bottles of green juice, trying to eat more raw foods and roughage, and avoiding alcohol (gasp!). A bit of a spring cleanse, if you will. It’s been about two weeks (14 days, 11 hours and 33 minutes but who’s counting?), and I’m feeling pretty good. For some reason, over the last few days, my sweet tooth has gone a bit haywire, so I decided to make something I crave pretty often…nutella!

Now, nutella is one of those items with which I avoid eye contact in the grocery store. God forbid I bring a jar of it home, and it sits there longingly, just asking for me to take a spoon to it each time I go into the kitchen. I grew up eating it on special breakfast occasions, a lusciously chocolate-y and nutty filling for crèpes, a tradition I’ve carried on to adulthood. It’s popular for breakfast in Europe, where it’s touted as healthy! Can you actually believe it??

On closer inspection, it really isn’t that bad for you! Nuts, skim milk, a bit of cocoa powder – I thought a homemade version could only be better. I used a slightly healthier oil, hazelnut oil, in lieu of the palm oil used in the original version. I also used a local honey instead of sugar. I did add some real dark chocolate to mine, but I rationalized that 3.5 ounces spread out over a whole jar can’t be that bad for you, and isn’t dark chocolate an antioxidant anyway? This nutella is creamy, rich, and delicious and tastes just like the ingredients it’s made from (so use good ones!). Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted*

¼ cup raw almonds, toasted*

2 tbsps hazelnut oil

1-3 tbsps local honey**

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp kosher salt

½ cup skim milk

3.5 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped

Procedure

To the bowl of a food processor, add the toasted hazelnuts and almonds and process until a fine crumb. Add the oil, honey, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and salt and process until a paste.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and chocolate together until the chocolate is completely melted. Add to the food processor and process until the nutella’s texture is smooth and creamy. Cool and refrigerate. This can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.

*I chopped up the hazelnuts here to increase their surface area, so they toast up quicker. You can easily toast the chopped hazelnuts and almonds together in a 350° F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

**The variation in the amount of honey really depends on 2 things: (1) what type of chocolate you are using and (2) your personal preference for how sweet you want this. I used a 70% dark chocolate and about 2 tablespoons, but if you are using a semisweet or even a milk chocolate, you may need less. This is something that you can add at the end to taste if you like.

Flaxseeds

These bear an uncanny resemblance to the Himalayan red rice of a few weeks ago, no? But red rice these are not. Although we think of flaxseeds as super healthy (which they are) and great on oatmeal and in granola (also true), flaxseeds have actually been used for centuries in cultural cooking from ancient Rome to the Egyptians.

A few years back, when I was learning about Ethiopian cuisine, I was pleasantly surprised to see flaxseeds toasted and sprinkled on top of salads, ground and mixed with water and honey to make a cool drink (telba), or ground into a paste to have with bread or the famous Ethiopian flatbread, injera. In Italy, it’s baked into bread, and, in India, flaxseeds are ground with spices to add to dishes or chutneys.

These cultures all recognize the not-so-secret health benefits of the seed and have found smart ways to incorporate it. High in Omega-3 fatty acids, high fiber, and cholesterol lowering, this is just a great ingredient to add in to cooking. I’m a huge fan of the morning, breakfast shake, where I always throw in a handful of flaxseeds. I take a cue from the Ethiopians and toast them like sesame seeds to sprinkle on my salads, and have thoughts about making a gorgeous spread out of it with spices, roasted garlic and cannellini beans.

How do you cook with flaxseeds?

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