Lush Cabbage-Carrot-Avocado Rolls December 21, 2011

Shredded Purple Cabbage, Sauteed Onion, Shredded Carrots, Mini Broccoli Pieces, & Sprouts combine with Avocado and Hummus for a fresh, nourishing meal. Wrapped in a large collard green leaf with green onion tie.

Cool Components: Prep well-rinsed leaf, sprouts, green onion slices, avocado, and hummus while the onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, & carrots simmer on your stove.

Lush Cabbage-Carrot-Avocado Rolls
wrapped in Collard Green Leaves

–a perfect lunch or snack–

Ingredients
Serves 2-4
-Large, fresh collard green leaves
-Purple cabbage (I used fresh sliced thin)
-Alfalfa Sprouts (optional- wash well)
-Green onion (chopped)
-1 large carrot (shredded)
-1 ripe avocado
-1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
-3 cloves garlic (minced)
-2 tbsp olive or canola oil
-Your favorite hummus (lemon or spinach & artichoke work well)
-1 small head of broccoli (break off small, thin pieces)

Wrap Filling: Sauteed onions, garlic cabbage, carrots, & broccoli.

Methods

1) Finely chop/slice onion, garlic, cabbage and green onion. Peel and shred carrot. In a medium sauce pan, add olive oil and set to medium-high heat. Add onion and stir frequently for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add cabbage, garlic, and carrots. Break off small pieces of broccoli and add to pan.

2) Rinse and dry large collard green leaf and spread about 1/2 tsp hummus around center. Add sprouts, a few small avocado slices, and chopped green onion. Be sure to thoroughly rinse all ingredients before using and be mindful of any recent recalls in your area (sprouts have had several bad press spotlights in recent years. Skip these if you or a guest has a compromised immune system. For a healthy adult, fresh, well-rinse sprouts are an excellent source of nutrients including vitamin C.)

3) Add ~3 tbsp of your sauteed mix to the wrap, roll it up and serve fresh. Tie with a green onion string or slice in half. For a snack, enjoy with a large glass of water or unsweetened tea (iced or hot). For a meal, serve with a side of brown or wild rice and your favorite fruit-packed smoothie.

Thanks to Tin for the awesome idea to use collard greens for the wraps! I love them!

Brown Rice & Goat Cheese Cakes February 26, 2011

Brown Rice & Goat Cheese Cakes

Brown Rice & Goat Cheese Cakes with fresh Carrots and Shallots

I first tried this recipe a couple of summers ago and it was absolutely delicious but I didn’t make it again for a long time because it is definitely pretty time consuming. Plan at least an hour from peeling the carrots to pulling your freshly baked brown rice and goat cheese cakes out of the oven. If you have the time, the results are well worth it. To make this batch a bit more time-friendly I made enough to freeze some and keep several in the fridge for the next couple of days.

Check out the recipe from EatingWell.com here.

Featured Ingredient: Shallots
Shallots, part of the Allium family which includes onions, garlic, leeks, scallions and chives, have anti-inflammatory properties and may have anti-cancer and anti-arthritis properties as well. Shallots have a lighter, mildly sweet flavor when cooked than most onions or garlic and pair very well with the goat cheese in this recipe.

Penne with Cumin, Cabbage, & Carrots January 10, 2011

Penne with Cumin Cabbage & Carrots

We found this recipe in a recent copy of The Dallas Morning News. All of the peeling, slicing, and shredding involved took a bit more time and effort than my family had expected but the final meal was one that everyone liked and there were plenty of leftovers to use for easy meals in the next couple of days.

We used whole wheat penne and fresh veggies. The only change we made to the recipe was to use Italian Asiago shredded cheese instead of Taggelio or fontina cheese (which I could not find at the store).

Scroll down to the third recipe on The Dallas Morning News website here to try this dish at home.

100 Calorie Upgrade: Hummus, Fresh Salsa, & Baby Carrots November 12, 2010

Hummus, Fresh Salsa, & Baby Carrots: Filling, packed with nutrition and flavor and, if you stick to the serving size shown here (2 tbsp hummus, 1 tbsp fresh salsa, 7-8 baby carrots), ~100 calories.

What’s in Your 100 Calorie Snack?

The wave of 100 calorie snack packs have seen enormous sales in recent years and, to their credit, may help a lot people stick to a moderate serving size for their favorite processed snacks. On the run, stuffed in a lunch box, or given out in large groups I can definitely see their value: foods we like, controlled portions, conveniently wrapped.

The problem is that I have yet to find a packaged 100 calorie pack that actually makes me feel less hungry. I feel like I am just putting a taste that I like in my mouth for a few minutes, then it’s gone, and I’m ready to find something else to eat. If you’re on the run you will probably be too distracted by other things to fixate on this feeling. If you’re sitting (near access to the rest of your food) working on a stressful homework assignment, however, fixation on anything happens readily.

When your 100 calorie snack becomes a mere appetizer to more snacking on processed foods, the 100 calorie pack’s purpose has lost its value. To fix this, try to make your dorm, your home, or your apartment, a place where your snacks are mostly fresh, unprocessed foods. A 100 calorie pack of cookies is useful if that’s your means of restricting your cookie intake, but should not be considered a “healthy” snack because it doesn’t provide you with anything that does something for you by packing nutrients, fiber, or satisfying flavor.

Here’s one healthy snack idea to get you started: 2 tbsp of your favorite hummus, 1-2 tbsp fresh salsa, and 7-8 baby carrots. The trick is to actually dish out the portions, put them on a plate, and then put all of the extra ingredients away. Keeping out a full container even of a great, healthy food like hummus, will make it tempting to eat more than a serving and consume excess calories. Instead, only have your prepared plate within your sight and have water or unsweetened tea with your snack to make it more filling without adding calories. (Note that adding diet soda, even if it is calorie-free, is not such a great idea for your health. Look for an upcoming post to learn more.)