Shakshuka

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holiday season and are looking forward to a great 2022! Here is an easy to make, tasty, recipe to start off this New Year.

This simple poached egg dish uses cumin, chili powder, paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper to make a spicy tomato sauce as a bed for the eggs. It is perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dinner. Traditionally a North African recipe, it is popular in Israel and the Middle East. Check out this recipe and many other Mediteranean recipes at oldwayspt.org

JUMP TO RECIPE

I like to cook the yolks all the way through, where some like it traditionally poached.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a dutch oven or large skillet.. Saute’ one small yellow onion (1/4-1/3 cup) for 5 minutes until translucent.

Add one clove of garlic, minced and saute’ for one minute, Then add one diced, red bell pepper, saute’ 7-10 minutes until softened.

Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Simmer 5 minutes. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as desired. You can also add 1/2 of the spice to test out how much spice you prefer.

Here is the fun part… adding the eggs one at a time, gently into the sauce.

Using a large spoon or a ladle, crack the egg into the ladle and gently place egg into the sauce.

Repeat 5 more times, cracking the eggs one at a time on to ladle, and spacing them out in the sauce. Cook, covered for 10-15 minutes depending on desired doneness.

Garnish with parsley and or cilantro. Optional garnishes are green onions and some crumbled feta cheese if desired.

My husbands creation…This meal goes great with greens and some sourdough toast!

YUM! The salad addition is Jessicas Crunchy Kale Salad from Gelsons Market

I hope you enjoy this easy, nourishing meal! All the best in 2022!

-Brenda

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Shakshouka (Shakshuka)

Yield: 6

Author: oldwayspt.org

A North African dish, made by poaching eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. Great for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 (14 ounce) cans no-salt diced tomatoes, or about 4 cups ripe diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Pinch of sugar (optional, to taste)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, for garnish
• other possible garnishes include cilantro, green onion and some feta cheese.

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about a minute more. Add the diced bell pepper and cook until softened, about 7-10 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add a little bit of spice at the beginning so you can adjust to your preference. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to reduce. Adjust the spice and other seasoning to taste.
3. For the eggs, create space in the sauce for each egg with a ladle or large spoon. Rest the spoon in the sauce and crack the egg on top. Gently remove the spoon and allow the egg to settle in the space left behind. Repeat for the remaining 5 eggs. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, checking regularly, until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Garnish with minced parsley and serve.

Notes:

Garnish with parsley and/or cilantro. Sliced green onion is also a yummy addition. Optional sprinkle of feta cheese crumbles or sliced avocado can change it up.

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad with Feta Dressing

This is a delicious salad for savoring the last days of summer!!

It has a few steps to get it done but definitely worth it based on the rave reviews from people at my last couple backyard gatherings! I’ve made it both with jalapeño and hatch peppers, that are all the rave right now, and only here for a short time. I have not made this with romaine, substituted a mix of greens instead. Tomatoes are a great addition to this salad as well.

No picture of the dressing in this blog post, but so easy to make and soooo good! You need to grill the veggies first though since the pepper is added to the dressing. I’m a little wimpy with peppers so I use less than the recipe calls for.

Jump to Recipe

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad with Feta Dressing from @NYTcooking

Brush corn, scallions and pepper with olive oil and grill for 5-8 minutes. Grill pan works fine too or even the stove top! (picture below)

You can bypass the grill by putting veggies on the stovetop. But if you have the grill already going outside, it’s much faster to do that!!

Let the corn cobs cool a bit, and then cut the kernels from the cob.

Add favorite greens or romaine lettuce, about 8 cups, to a large bowl. I love a mixture of chard, baby kale, and spinach. Toss with 1/2 of the dressing.

Add the rest of the ingredients and top with remaining dressing.

Wonderful as a side salad and also can be an entree salad (below) with chicken.

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad With Feta Dressing

Author: Sue Li @NYTcooking

Delicious Summer Salad with an amazing Feta Buttermilk Dressing! Yum!

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn (about 3 pounds), shucked and silk removed
• 1 bunch scallions (about 6), trimmed
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• ⅓ cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• ¼ cup sliced fresh chives
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 medium head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
• 2 avocados, sliced

Instructions

1. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high. Brush corn, scallions and jalapeño with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until corn kernels are browned in spots, 6 to 8 minutes, and the scallions and jalapeño are charred all over and tender, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
2. In a medium bowl, using a whisk, mash the feta into a coarse paste. Whisk in buttermilk, lemon zest and juice and garlic, then stir in chives and parsley. Finely chop the charred jalapeño and stir it into the feta dressing; season with salt and pepper.
3. In a large bowl, toss lettuce with half the feta dressing and arrange on a platter. Cut corn kernels off the cob and slice scallions into bite-size pieces. Arrange avocado slices, corn and scallions on top of the lettuce. Serve with remaining dressing.

Notes:

I find I do not need any extra salt since the feta cheese provides that salty flavor. You can use the stovetop, grill pan or broiler to char the vegetables if you do not want to use a grill!

Modify with heartier greens such as kale, chard and spinach. Addition of chicken makes it an entree salad. In season tomatoes are a nice addition as well. Enjoy!!

Two Easy Summer Salads

Hello! Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Here are a couple of, oh so simple but tasty salads. Summer Watermelon Cucumber Salad from Gelsons Markets and Avocado Corn Salad from Natashas Kitchen.

Who wants to be in the kitchen in the heat of August? These salads beg to be enjoyed outside! I had no idea it was National Farmers Market week this week. If you can visit your local Farmers Market and pick up some produce…what a treat. Juicy heirloom tomatoes, sweet fresh corn, crisp cucumbers. Yum!

So simple, yet so refreshing! A Summer Watermelon Cucumber Salad.

3 cups diced watermelon, 1 cup diced, peeled hot house cucumber, 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 2 Tbsp fresh mint, slivered, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup crumbled feta and DONE! Salt and pepper optional to me since the feta gives the salty flavor!

Watermelon Cucumber Salad from Gelsons Markets. So juicy and crisp. Just love it!

Avocado Corn Salad

JUMP TO RECIPE

You’ll need 1/2 medium red onion, 2 avocados, 3 ears of corn cooked and kernels cut from the cob, tomatoes, 1 lime, cilantro, garlic, olive oil., salt and pepper. I also add some cumin.

Cook 3-4 ears of corn in some salted water, bring to a boil and then simmer covered for about 5-6 minutes or until done. When cooled, cut the corn off the cob.

2 Tbsp olive oil, 2-3 Tbsp lime juice, approximately 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 2 cloves garlic, zest of one small lime. whisk together and toss into salad below.

1/2 medium red onion sliced, 3-4 ears of fresh corn cooked and cut off the cob, 1-2 large heirloom tomatoes, 1/4 cups chopped cilantro, 2 avocados sliced.

I added a bed of arugula and some chicken. On the side is some flatbread with the leftover feta and red onion. Yummy!

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Avocado Corn Salad

Yield: 6

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Delicious Summer salad using in season ingredients!

Ingredients

• 1 pound cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
• 3 ears corn shucked, cooked, and cut off the cob
• 2 avocados peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 red onion (medium) thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped (1/2 small bunch)
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 Tbsp lime juice from 1-2 limes
• 2 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
• 1/2-3/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin, optional

Instructions

1. In a large salad bowl, combine sliced tomatoes, corn kernels, sliced avocado, thinly sliced red onion, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and press in 2 garlic cloves
2. Drizzle the top with 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 Tbsp lime juice (adding it to taste) add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss the salad gently until just combined and serve.

Notes:

Tips: In season Heirloom tomato, is wonderful in this salad. Salt this salad to taste, you may not need much. I added some ground cumin to my dressing which I combined in a separate bowl and added to the salad.

I put this salad over a bed or arugula, added some grilled chicken and served with a side of flatbread. Yum!

Enjoy!

Taco Tuesday!

Crunchy or soft, who doesn’t love a taco? 

Not to mention a quick way to get dinner on the table. A taco bar is a fun way for kids to explore with different vegetables, beans, and cheese and build their own taco.

Ground turkey taco with roasted mushrooms, refried black beans, angel hair cabbage, cheese, tomato and avocado

My secret ingredient is to use roasted mushrooms and add them to the meat. I love the flavor and its a great way to eat more plants! Use at least 16 ounces of baby Bella mushrooms cut uniformly, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees. Turn every 5 minutes for 20 minutes. When cooled, put in a mini chop and pulse until the mushrooms look like the ground meat.

Cut 16 ounces or more of Baby Bella mushrooms into uniform pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms to browned meat of your choice with some taco spices.

Easy taco spice mix

Approximately 1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

With the addition of some refried black beans, angel hair cabbage, tomatoes and avocado, These tacos are over half plants!

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped, softened in olive oil

Add meat of choice to softened onion, brown, and then add some taco spices. Approximately 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, salt and pepper to taste

Add the ground mushrooms to the browned meat of your choice and heat to serve

Heirloom tomato, angel hair cabbage, avocado

The addition of refried beans helps everything stay in place!

Enjoy!

Happy Tuesday!

Warmest Holiday Greetings!

Happy Holidays! I hope this greeting finds you feeling well and safe. For clients I have seen this year, (masked in office or via telehealth) this picture above and recipe below should look familiar. For anyone seeing this recipe for the first time, it will not disappoint! You will love this soup! I just realized this soup was the subject of the last post of mine many months ago.

I have made this so many times over the last 10 months! I am thankful my family enjoys it as much as I do. For me, I don’t care for the red pepper flakes and only add a pinch of cayenne pepper, but if you like spicy food, you will love the addition of the red pepper flakes. My favorite additions are pictured, above…any leftover roasted veggies, avocado and pistachios. I also love to put some arugula on top.

I send you my most sincere wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year. Stay safe, stay well. There is Hope in 2021.

-Brenda

Curried Lentil Soup

Hope this Tuesday finds you safe and well! I am enjoying making some soups and stews while the weather is rainy and chilly. I am also trying to use what I have so that I am not running to the store in a time where we need to be staying home as much as possible! This recipe is quick, easy, healthy, and adaptable to whatever beans or vegetables you have on hand. I waited until I needed to shop this week to pick up the dried apricots since I did not have them on hand. Probably just fine if you left them out too.

This recipe is another awesome recipe from the Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives Conference I attended in February 2020! Auden McClure, MD, MPH, a Pediatrician and Chef presented this dish. She is director of Culinary Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchock Medical Center in New Hampshire. My thoughts, safe wishes and gratitude goes out to all the Physicians, Nurses, Healthcare workers and Hospital Staff everywhere. Thank you for all you do! And thank you to anyone who is working in those essential jobs and professions that keep us safe and healthy!

This recipe calls for 6 cups of stock so make sure to use a pot big enough to fit that along with all of the other ingredients! Recipe at the bottom of the post.

Start with one onion chopped. I had some shallot to use up so I added that as well! Saute’ in oil (whatever you have on hand) until a bit brown.

Add 2 finely chopped carrots, diced, dried apricots, garlic, spices and 1 celery stalk. I love using the celery leaves as well. I tend to add the garlic towards the end so it doesn’t burn. I also tend to go lighter on the salt and add more to taste at the end, especially if you are not using a low sodium broth or stock. Saute’ around 5 minutes.

Vegetables, spices, and garlic added to pan with onion.

Saute’ 3-5 minutes

Add the lentils 3/4 cup each of green lentils and red lentils

Add the stock or broth of any kind, 6 cups. I like to use low sodium broth or stock and add salt to taste..

All that is missing is the addition of whatever greens you need to use up! I made this last night to have for dinner tonight so I did not add the greens. When I reheat it, I will add greens to it!

And here it is….A very tasty, very nourishing, very adaptable soup to whatever ingredients you have on hand. See the suggestions for alternate ingredients in the recipe below. This is a high fiber, vegetarian dish but you can easily add leftover chicken or meat to it if you wish. Use whatever greens you need to use up; kale, chard, spinach. I hope you enjoy it!

Looking forward to the day that I can see you again, face to face in my office. In the meantime i am “seeing” clients via telehealth which has been great! Please reach out if you would like to “see” me this way.

Stay safe, Be Well!

-Brenda

A Sweet Treat with a Twist!

Hello! I hope you are all doing well. It’s been quite a week or so. Let’s think of using some of this extended time at home to try new things! I was going to wait to post this in a few months when everyone is trying to figure out what to do with all the canned black beans in their pantry however, I’m thinking now is a perfect time to bake a little something! You likely have these ingredients on hand.

My daughter loves to remind me of National Food Days and they usually are treat type foods. Thursday February 20th was apparently National Muffin Day and I made these delicious chocolatey gems. Never got around to posting it but now I’ve got a little time on my hands! :) I tried this awesome muffin at the Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives conference in Early February. This conference was the perfect balance of the science of health and nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, and the delicious, fabulousness of the Culinary Institute of America. Recipes were presented that highlighted food with a purpose…Plant predominate, mediterranean diet principles, done in a a way that makes them easy to love.

These muffins are easy to make, moist, super chocolatey, AND…

are made from black beans! Please, DO NOT stop reading! I had to make these and see for myself. Were they so yummy because the chefs at the Culinary Institute of America made them? If made them at home would they really be that good? Well they are. I may not have mentioned to my high schooler that there was a whole can of black beans in these 12 muffins. She gobbled them up and asked me to make them again. So I did, last night!

If we think about the usual muffin, white flour, lots of sugar, not much fiber, they are far from nutritious. This muffin does have added sugar from the maple syrup and is still a dessert type food however, the batter is made from an entire can of black beans which has amazing nutrition. Black beans are a great source of potassium, soluble fiber, B vitamins and plant protein. The deep chocolate flavor comes from pure cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips which have lots of flavonols. Read more about dark chocolate and flavanols here from Harvard Nutrition source. Using dark chocolate that is not dutch processed or not processed with alkali will provide more flavanols and increase the health benefits derived from dark chocolate. Looking for chocolate chips with 70% or more cacao is ideal. The higher the percentage cacao, the more bitter the taste.

This recipe below was adapted from ambitious kitchen. The almond butter addition (not listed in the original recipe) packs more nutrition in it’s protein, and plant based fats. For those who need to avoid gluten, these muffins are gluten free as there is no flour at all. No almond butter on hand? Peanut butter and chocolate go wonderfully together!

Do not let the idea of black beans in a dessert scare you off from trying this yummy muffin. Definitely worth making. I hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Black Bean, Almond Butter, Swirl Muffin recipe presented at Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives Feb 5-7, 2020, adapted from Ambitious Kitchen.

In a food processor (7 cup or greater size) add one 15 oz can drained, black beans and one egg. Process until well blended. See below….

Add remaining eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and coffee and process again, until smooth. If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, another cooking oil could work since it is such a small amount.

Then add cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and process once more until smooth.

Look at this!! Looks just like brownie mix!! The lumps are bubbles by they way, not beans! :)

Add 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips. Ok I may have added more! I did not have mini on hand, so used regular size. Mine were 63% cacao. In general aim for 70% or higher to maximize flavanol content.

Take 1 tsp of almond butter and swirl into each muffin. Don’t try to mix in completely, just take a knife and make a design! :)

Top with toasted sliced almonds and a few chocolate chips. Put in a 350 degree over and bake for about 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

I made some with almond butter and some without! I do like the flavor the almond butter and topping adds to the recipe!

Hang in there! Day by day! Take good care!!!

I am available via telehealth in this important time that we are staying at home!. Thinking of you all!

All the best!

-Brenda

Updates: Telehealth, Healthy Eating and Self Care

Hello everyone, I hope this finds you well! These are challenging, uncertain times. Information is changing regularly. The emphasis on enlisting the help of all of us to “flatten the curve” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is clear. Social distancing is important to keep our vulnerable populations well. Seniors and those with chronic health conditions are advised to stay home.

I am available via phone/telehealth to proceed with regularly scheduled appointments and questions/concerns. I am reaching out to all clients to discuss.

Good nutrition and self care that includes stress management are more important now than ever.

Laughing can help our mood and stress reponse. Keeping informed is important but if we are staying home it is probably a good time to turn down the news and tune in to more comedy. Taking a walk or just going outside while keeping social distancing can feel wonderful. Getting enough sleep is important in keeping us well. Connect with people through social media and the phone and reach out to a mental health professional if you need to. Simple deep breathing is effective. There are many apps and resources online that can guide you.

A trip to the grocery store can be a bit anxiety provoking. You probably already have many staples in your pantry and refrigerator that are great sources of key nutrients involved in keeping us well.

Frozen fruits and vegetables are great and easy go to items. Canned or dried beans, tomato sauces, canned tomatoes, frozen spinach, oats, quinoa, brown rice, nuts, nut butters, yogurt, and eggs are represented in most of these categories listed below.

Protein: beans, peas, nuts, nut butter, fish, greek yogurt (plant based or regular), eggs, tofu, edamame, poultry or meats. Quinoa has 8 grams of protein per 1 cup cooked.

Vitamin C: outside of the obvious source of oranges and orange juice are; strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, red bell pepper, tomatoes, tomatoes sauce, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale and potatoes.

Vitamin A: carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots, dark leafy greens, butternut squash

Vitamin E: nuts, seeds oils, nut butters, salad dressings

Zinc: pumpkin seeds, cashews, eggs, fish, chicken, meat, whole grains, leafy greens, milk, cheese, yogurt, beans, fortified cereals

B vitamins: beans, grains, greens, fortified cereals, and many found in dairy, fortified dairy alternatives and protein foods.

Vitamin D: in supplements, fortified dairy and dairy alternatives

With our local weather being on the rainy and cold side, it is a great time to make some soups and stews and plenty of trays of roasted vegetables. Head over to my Pinterest page for some easy ideas. If you are feeling too much stress about cooking or do not have what you need, restaurants are still making food to go and can be delivered or picked up curbside to provide a full meal or to complement what you make at home.

We can take something and improve the nutrition by adding things to it.

Whether it is homemade pizza dough or even a frozen pizza, we can improve it!! Add a salad or cut up vegetables to your plate or onto of your meal and enjoy!

Do the best you can! Breathe and be mindful but be kind to yourself! You might not have the perfect meal. Its better to eat regularly, hydrate and take it meal by meal, day by day.

Let’s take care of ourselves and our neighbors. We are in this together!