Rice Bowl Salad ...easy healthy food

Eating Healthy
making clean choices
ITS HARD
you have to be organized
willing to plan a bit
and being inspired doesn't hurt
Seeing a pretty picture of a salad
seeing how easy it can be to throw one together
can inspire
In the produce section of your grocery mart cruz for different pretty colours
healthy variety
chop it up
and build your own Rice Bowl Salad
the possibilities are endless
add toasted nuts shredded seaweed strips orange slices blueberries blackberries strawberries
use kale spinach or even rocket (Arugula)
Seriously....Greens called RoCkET...you just know that is gonna be a fabulous salad!
I have lots of dressing that I love to make with tahini or Balsamic vinegar But often I will just throw in a nice blob of homemade hummus and give it a good stir
 SO Super Yummy!
I hope the pictures inspire
see how easy it is
just prep a few veggies make some brown rice
you can throw a salad together for a quick dinner
Why not build one to take to work for lunch tomorrow while you have it all out
HECK pillage your tupperware drawer and make a bunch for grab and go meals for a couple of days
For extra protein Boil a few eggs ...add some Tuna ...cooked chicken breast ...Vegetarian option balsamic roasted Tofu
Sorry ..I get carried away
Your salad can be a different creation every single time
No such things as a boring Salad my friends!

Quick Zucchini Relish

Its that time of year again!
Yes...of course I mean the time of year when we suddenly want to put pumpkin in everything!!!
Pumpkin lates, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins.....
Also I think
Fall brings the hunter gatherer out in all of us
We suddenly feel the uncontrollable urge to make large pots of soup, Crusty loaves of bread,
pick mushrooms, stack fire wood
Can
Freeze
dehydrate
and do whatever we can to stash away the bounty of summer to last us throughout the fall and winter
neighbours will likely stash gigantic out of control zucchini's on your door step while you aren't home
This is a recipe that along with a Good Chocolate Zucchini cake, Zucchini Pancake, and Zucchini Fruit Leather can be your secret weapon for magically whipping these Big Green machines into Goodness for your family to enjoy :)


Ingredients:

1 Small Onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp yellow or black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt & pepper
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
2 Zucchini, grated
1 sweet Red Pepper, grated or finely diced
3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

In a Large Sauce pan heat some oil over medium heat:
Add onion, mustard seeds, ginger, turmeric, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes
Cook until Onion is softened, about 6 minutes
Stir in Zucchini, red pepper, vinegar Cook stirring for about 2 minutes
Stir in 1/2 Cup water bring to a bubbly boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes
Remove from heat and cool
This will keep in your fridge in a glass jar or container for about 2 weeks :)

Quinoa Yam Kale Cakes

These are one of those recipes that requires a little prep and work but the pay off is huge
You can freeze these and bring them out when needed
Having healthy food ready and available plays a huge role on how successful you can be at healthy eating.  These cakes can be crumbled on a salad or yummy filling to a Nori roll or rice paper wrap
Pair with a light soup
OR just grab a puck for quick on the go food
These are one of those 'you will thank yourself later' things

Ingredients:

2 Cups Cooked Quinoa
2 Cups Baked Sweet Potato
6-7 Large Kale leaves
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp ground Coriander
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
**about 1/2 Cup Garbonzo Bean Flour (cooking option #2)

Roast your sweet potato in oven @ 350 degrees for 30-40 mins
Cook your Quinoa at the same time

Chop Kale in a food processor or with elbow grease until it is finely chopped

In a large glass Bowl mash sweet potato (remove skins)
Add Kale & Quinoa Mix well
Add Lemon Juice, Salt, Cumin, Coriander, garlic, & Cinnamon
Mix well
Now you need to assemble your little Patties
TWO OPTIONS
I made my little blobs and lined them up on a baking sheet lined with a silicone Mat, baked them in the oven for 20 mins @ 350  This creates more like Quinoa Yam BITES ...I like them this way
BUT you can create fabulous little patties and cook them on your stove top in a pan coated with some lovely coconut oil and they turn out nicely too
**For the Stove Top method it will help to get them un-sitcky this is what you would use the Gabonzo bean flour for.  Simply dump the flour on a large plate, make you patty and place it in the flour coating both sides
Heat your Pan or skillet and cook your patties about 10 minutes on each side until golden brown

Easy Thin Crust Pizza

The current weather has me feeling very...FALL-ish
EEEKKK
I have to admit it
I Can't help it!!!
It is only late August buttttt
cooler morning's / evening's,
Grey skies,
The return of the only slightly unfamiliar drops of wetness falling from the sky
These things have me feeling like I should be practising such festive activities as....
picking mushrooms,
chopping/stacking fire wood
...making bread...soup...
you get the picture here
EEEK
Summer is not yet a novelty!!! I am NOT ready!!!

(we read this morning that some of our family in Iqaluit experienced white stuff falling from the sky last Tuesday...ahhheemm we love you guys ..you are major champs please excuse my for my very whiney Blog post...i love you)

SO .....I make soup
Browse Blog posts pondering the idea of creating my own Sour Dough Starter
and because Bodo starts school next week I have no choice but to prep for school lunches
the school lunch thing uggggggg!

Enter the thin crust pizza recipe (pretty much flat bread)
This is very fast and easy to prepare then freeze
So your very fussy  wonderful son who will not eat sandwiches will have fun lunches that he will actually eat (insert double fist pumping mommy victory chicken dance here)
I understand your disgust....claiming it is my own fault.... I am creating a spoiled child monster
...Oh MY NOT my sweetheart lil Bodie Odie!!!
Friends I just simply cannot stand opening up that lil lunch bucket at the end of our long day to find a full lunch that I have to throw away since it has been sitting unrefrigerated for 8 hours :(
I am committed to making my son a nutritious lunch
He is my lil champion ...on the Judo mat, on the Rugby Field (Gooooo Hornets!) and in the Drum Studio...you have to fuel this sort of Glory
This is my most important job
(end of rant)

Ahhemm The recipe:  I made two versions you will see in the picture.
One with Spelt Flour
One with White Flour

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
makes 2 12-inch round pizzas
Ingredients:
Water 3/4 cups (lukewarm)
Active Dry Yeast 1/2 teaspoon
All Purpose Flour 2 cups
Salt 1/2 tsp 

Add the yeast to water and stir to dissolve.

Put the flour and salt in to the mixing bowl, attach the dough hook and set the mixer to “stir” to mix. Then slowly add the water mix until you get a solid ball of dough.  Alternatively of course you can mix this in a large bowl and knead knead knead...works just as well and I think sometimes is much better than dragging you mixer out from whatever cupboard you store it in.

Cut the dough in half and place one portion aside. Roll, press or stretch to dough out into a 12 inch circle on a piece of parchment paper or fancy food bloggie silicone matt.  You can spread on a thin layer of olive oil...and even minced garlic, if that’s your sort of thang

 Cook at 500F in a preheated oven for 5 minutes.  At this point you can stick your beautiful thin yummy crust onto a cooling rack.  Cool.  Then freeze on a cookie sheet...then pop into a large feeder ziplock bag to be cracked out in the wee hours of the morning as you prepare the oatmeal etc for the Chaos of the morning...pre heat oven..spread tomato sauce sprinkle with cheese...bake it off Voila Fresh Kiddo Pizza...."My mom makes the BEST pizza" (insert double fist pumping mommy victory chicken dance here)  Twice in one blog post ...hmmmm showing off now you got an audience (Newfy voice)

Beautiful Beet Soup

Beets are absolutely BEAUtiful Super Food

NOT just because of their most beautiful colour but consider THey give a big nutritional punch loaded with potassium, magnesium, fiber, iron and vitamins A,C, and B6 which by the way is responsible for how your body metabolizes amino acids and lipids...Tons of make you smile and dance energy as well as Mega Magical Muscle Building !!!

I mean Beets are really cool okay

This soup started out as a Sauce for Rice Bowls and Steamed Veggies ...but somehow became so much more when a bunch of Beautiful BEETS and Onion jumped into the Blender ..added a few more tweeks and VOILA 

Beautiful Beet Soup

Ingredients: 

Coconut Oil 

1 Large Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

2 Cups Chopped Beet

1/2 Cups Tahini

2 TBSP Miso 

5 TBSP Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed ...nothing else is acceptable here ..its just not the same 

2 TBSP Tamari or Braggs liquid aminos

1 TBSP Ginger

3 Cups Water

In a Large skillet sauté Onion and garlic in Coconut oil, when onion is translucent add Beets about 1/4 cup water just a bit to take a bit of the raw out of the Beets

Blender or Food Processor:  Put all your ingredients in including you sautéed Beet onion mix (this will smell fabulous) Blend about 2-4 mins in Vitamix 

Low Fat Corn Bread TOO!

OH yeah ...since I included corn bread in the picture I might as well include the recipe in case you want to make it too.  Corn bread is super fast and easy...and I think compliments any soup or salad into a meal...kids LOVE corn bread

For some reason Corn bread makes me remember Taisa Hart ...I once tasted her corn bread at Aroma cafe when she absolutely insisted that I eat some... If anyone else remembers Taisa you will understand how much she tolerated someone saying no to her...even no thank you...just give in and eat the Corn bread....and I'm glad I did cause I am certain I have never tasted a better corn bread since...Mandolyn do you have her recipe?

So here is my recipe:

Corn Bread: 

1 Cup  Rice Flour or Spelt Flour (you can also use all purpose Flour)

1 Cup Yellow Corn Meal

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

1 Cup 0 Fat Greek Yogurt

1 Cup Water

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees prep 9x5-inch loaf pan 

Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking Powder, and salt in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl whisk together Egg, Greek Yogurt, Water, and melted coconut oil 

Stir Wet into Dry

Mix until just barley combined

Spread batter into your prepped loaf pan and bake for 22-25 mins 

A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean

Serve in slices

TIP...1/2 cup tahini + 1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup ....spread this on your corn bread ...

Oh My GOSH !!!

enjoy your soup and bread my lovelies 

xoxo

Ashie Girl 

BBQ Salmon low carb sushi & Miso Dipping Sauce

I guess I probably Blog the same stuff a lot
But I think each time the ingredients are just a little bit different
I think My Blog is meant to inspire ...so pretty pictures of all new meals even if they are repeats STILL inspire...I feel inspired...do you??? lol
Nori Rolls are definitely a staple at my house
This Miso Tahini Dipping sauce adds a ton of flavour and is less salty than plain ol' Tamari / soya sauce
ALso it adds nutrition - bonus!!!

Todays Roll: ingredients makes
2 Nori wraps
2 TBSP 0 Fat Greek Yogurt
1/4 Cup Long grain Brown Rice
1/4 Cup BBQ Salmon (leftover from last nights yummy dinner)
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (I discard the yolks for this recipe I only want the whites)
4 Snap Peas
Yellow pepper Strips
Organic Salad Mix

Building from the Nori wrap up:

Nori Wrap (shiny side down)
Smear of greek yogurt
1/2 of your brown rice (sprinkle in a long thin line on top of your yogurt)
Add chunks of your Egg white and BBQ Salmon
Line up your snap peas and your yellow pepper
Top with salad mix
Wrap it up!!!

Miso Dipping Sauce:
Prepare to be obsessed with this stuff ...you've been warned!

2 tsp Miso Paste
1 tsp Tahini
1 tsp Braggs/tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon
1 clove garlic, minced
3 TBSP water

Just add these ingredients to a small canning jar or container with a lid
SHAKE it

Gluten Free Baked Brown Rice Pudding

Growing up my mom always made Rice Pudding with leftover brown rice
COMFORT FOOD ALERT
I still love this
I thought I would make a batch today and see how Boden likes it
I hope he likes it as much as I always have
as for desserts go I think this would be somewhat of a healthy one
Brown rice, milk, and just enough sweet
Cinnamon and vanilla extract
To me it just sounds like a big cookie pudding!
Only thing I did different was I used organic coconut milk
my mom always used canned milk
I am hoping it will come close to how amazing it was when she made it

Ingredients:

2 Cups Cooked Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
1 Organic Egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 Cups unsweetened Coconut Milk
2 TBSP Agave (I used Local Honey)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 Cup Organic Raisins
2 tsp Cinnamon

Heat Oven to 350 degrees

SO Easy!!!
In a Medium sized Bowl lightly beat Egg.  Add Coconut Milk, Agave, Vanilla, salt, Raisins.  Mix in your Brown Rice.  Pour into 2 Quart Casserole Dish
I lined my dish with parchment paper
I sorta dislike scrubbing dishes
parchment paper is pretty fabulous
It makes it so you don't have to grease your pan (yay)

Bake @ 350 for 1 hour
Cool and enjoy