Orange sesame stir fry & brown rice noodles

My younger sister lived off bowls of Ramen noodles as a kid and I know a lot of college students do too. Ramen might be quick to prepare, but those noodles don't contain much nutritional value. There are no vegetables and they are incredibly high in sodium, not to mention preservatives. All the flavor resides in those little mystery foil packets.

I was inspired by this week's Food Matters Project recipe to make a big vegetable stir fry. Stir fries are great, because you can pack them full of vegetables like cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, turnips, bean sprouts, onions, and more. I mixed in some brown rice noodles to make this a one pot dinner. Since I used brown rice noodles this dish is gluten free, but soba or buckwheat noodles would work great too.

I added garlic and ginger to the orange sauce, and used local spring onions in place of the scallions. No mystery foil packet here. And don't worry about heating the leftovers up, they taste delicious as a cold noodle salad the following day.

This dish honestly doesn't take too long to prepare. Your health is important, so spend a little extra time preparing your food. You won't regret it.

Orange sesame stir fry & brown rice noodles
Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook
1/2 lb brown rice noodles
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1.5 oranges, zest and juiced
2 tbsp tamari
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 spring onions, sliced thinly
1 container mung bean sprouts
2 carrots, grated
1/2 turnip, grated

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, minced
6-8 mushrooms, sliced thinly
1/4 of savoy cabbage, sliced
1/4 c cilantro

Cook brown rice noodles according to the package. When cooked, drain, and put into a large serving bowl.

Heat sauté pan over medium. Add sesame seeds, cooking until toasted. Set aside.

Mix orange zest, orange juice, 1.5 tablespoon of tamari, and honey in a small dish. Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil over medium heat. Add the sprouts and half of the spring onions, cooking until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Then add the grated carrot and turnip, stirring well. Add the ginger and half of the garlic, cooking until fragrant. Now mix in the orange sauce. Cook for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and pour over the noodles. Mix well.

Heat the remaining sesame oil over medium heat. Add the remainder of the spring onions and the mushrooms to the pan. Add the remaining tamari to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked down. Now add the cabbage, stir, and cook until wilted. Remove from heat, mix into the noodles, and sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Superfoods for the sick

It's that time of year when colds and strep throat run rampant through offices and schools. I was hit hard with a nasty head cold the past three days. I've never sneezed so much in my life. I only got up to make soup, smoothies, tea, take spoonfuls of this natural remedy or drink a glass of water.

When sickness strikes what do you eat? I turn to whole, nutrient dense soups and smoothies. I prefer homemade soups because they have so much more flavor and less sodium than canned or boxed soups. I also get to control the ingredients that go into the soup, adding extra superfoods to boost my immunity. I made a coconut carrot soup and this superfood packed miso soup. A few reasons why the ingredients in this soup are considered to be superfoods.

Garlic & onions: From the allium family, the sulfur compounds are thought to have incredible anti-biotic and anti-viral powers for fighting infection. Garlic reduces sinusitis, influenza, cholesterol, eat troubles, blood pressure. Also reduces fever by causing the body to perspire. Onions are an excellent source of immune-supportive, vitamin C.

Mushrooms: Help reduce mucus and toxins. High in protein and a good source of vitamin B2 and zinc. Great for boosting immunity.

Miso: A fermented soybean paste containing live lactic acid bacteria and enzymes that help digestion. Also contains zinc, omega 3 fatty acids, protein, tryptophan, and vitamin K. Zinc is very beneficial to the immune system.

Kombu: Kombu is a type of seaweed. Adding kombu to boiling water not only flavors the broth, but adds essential vitamins and minerals like iodine, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and C. Vitamin C is essential for fighting infection. 

Cilantro: An herb that supports perspiration which means it treats fever. Also soothes nausea, headaches, and coughs. Cilantro is thought to safely rid the body of toxins.

Miso soup can be made in minutes, which is perfect if you're feeling pretty awful. The most difficult part is boiling water.

Miso soup
1.5 c water
1 stick kombu
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 dried mushrooms
2 tsp miso paste
1 green onion, sliced
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp seaweed gomasio mix*

Boil 1.5 cups of water. Remove from heat, add the kombu, garlic, mushrooms. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Take 2 tbsp of water and put into a smaller dish. Add the miso and stir well, dissolving into a thick sauce. Add the miso to the bowl of soup along with the onion, cilantro and gomasio. Enjoy!

*A blend of seaweed, sesame, sea salt. Eden Foods makes this or you could make your own.

Sources:
Bauman College, NE Handbook, 2008.
whfoods.org, 2012.
Wood, Rebecca. The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, 2010.

Millet croquettes with eggplant puree

Celiac awareness day is celebrated on September 13. I'm a few days late, but I thought I'd share this delicious gluten free recipe.

If you're not familiar with millet, you should be! Millet is a non-glutinous grain that has a very small, yellow round shape. It's hypoallergenic and is a great substitute to wheat. It's a common grain in birdseed, but it's definitely for more than just the birds. Rich in magnesium—which is thought to help with asthma and reduce migraines—phosphorous and the B vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and B6. It's also a better source of protein than wheat, corn and rice.

When cooked millet becomes pretty sticky, so it's perfect for croquettes. You don't even need an egg to help bind these veggie-packed patties. These croquettes are baked, not fried so they're better for you.

Millet croquettes
1 c millet, rinsed
3.5 c water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1.5 c kale, chopped
1 T olive oil
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
1 pepper, minced
1 tsp freshly ground cumin
1/2 tsp zaatar
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Rinse millet. Add 3.5 c water, millet and 1/2 tsp sea salt to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 15-20 minutes. (Starting with cold water makes the grain stickier which is perfect when making croquettes. If you wanted to make a pilaf or grain salad, start with boiling water.)

Bring another pot of water to boil. As you're waiting, you can chop up the kale. Make sure to remove the stems. Have an ice bath in another bowl ready (Fill bowl halfway with water and add ice cubes). When the water is boiling add the kale. Blanch the kale for about 1 minute then dunk into the ice bath. When the kale is cool, remove from the ice bath and mince.

Put a saute pan over low heat. Add the olive oil. Then add the onion, cooking until translucent. Stir in the minced pepper, salt, pepper, cumin and zaatar. After a few more minutes add the garlic. Cook until the garlic has become fragrant and then remove from heat.

When the millet is done, let is sit for a few minutes. Mix the kale and onion mixture together in a large bowl. Then add the millet. Mix well with your hands. When it's all mixed, form small patties with your hand. Put onto the baking sheet and bake on each side for 10 minutes or until it side lightly browns.

Makes about 12-2 inch croquettes.

Eggplant puree
6 small eggplants
1 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c plain yogurt
3 T tahini
1/4 c parsley, minced

Preheat oven to 350. Place eggplant onto a baking sheet and poke a few holes in each eggplant. Put into the oven, cook for about 25 minutes or until the eggplant is soft.

While eggplant is cooking, saute the garlic in olive oil over low-to-medium heat. Remove when you start to smell the garlic.

Mix the yogurt, tahini and parsley together in a small bowl. Add the garlic and olive oil.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and let it cool. When it's cool enough to touch, slice it open lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Put the eggplant and yogurt mixture into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Top the millet croquettes with the eggplant mixture.


Makes about 3/4 a cup.


Sources: 
WHFoods.org
Murray 2005, p. 347-348.

Feel good chickpeas & kale

The weather has been surprisingly cool and rainy for NC this time of year. Our spring is usually very quick with temperatures soaring into the 80s by May. I'm not complaining, I love this weather, especially when the afternoon is filled with rain.

Have a bunch of kale (or any green) on your hands that you need to cook? Here's a quick and delicious recipe to whip up for a light lunch or a side with dinner. I love the mixture of garlic and ginger, it gives this dish a punch of flavor as well as health benefits from these amazing spices.

Feel good chickpeas & kale
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 bunch of russian kale (or any kind), rinsed and cut into thin ribbons
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 inch knob of ginger, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1.5 c chickpeas or 1 can, rinsed (or use any bean on hand)

Add the coconut oil to a saute pan over low-to-medium heat. When the oil has melted, add the cumin seeds, cook until fragrant. Toss in the kale, garlic, sea salt, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes, until fragrant and the kale starts to wilt. Mix in the chickpeas and cook until warm, just a few minutes longer.