Marathon Pasta

Katie has cooked up a delicious recipe for us all!  I am going to be trying this asap.  If you have any healthy recipe's you would like to share, I would love to see them.

Carpe Diem,

Jesse

Recipe for a (long) Run.

I'm not a big fan of pasta. I mean, it’s good stuff, but I've somehow convinced myself that my body can't handle these carbohydrates.  Big bowls of white pasta smothered in creamy sauces scare me, and so I tend to stick with fish, salads, and the occasional pizza when it comes to Italian dining. 

But no food should be the enemy, so last year when I had my "last supper" before running a half marathon, I figured some carbs would do me good.  I went with gluten-free brown rice pasta because the slower processing carbs would give me longer lasting energy and not spike my blood sugar like processed white pastas can.  Here’s what I made:

What you'll need…..

1 cup uncooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta (whatever one serving is, more if you plan to share)

Any fresh veggies you have on hand:  broccoli, cauliflower, Kale, zucchini, onion, squash, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, brussel sprouts etc…  Feel free to add in some chopped apple for sweetness or yam for more heartiness.

Salt

Pepper

Rosemary or Oregano

Soy sauce

Balsamic vinegar

Parmesan, Goat, or Ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Chop all veggies to desired size and put in the same bowl.  Pour in soy sauce, balsamic, and olive oil.  I'd say about 3 tablespoons of each. Add spices to taste, but be careful with the salt as soy sauce is salty on its own. Toss to coat. Spread onto a baking sheet and place in oven for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.  Move veggies around sheet occasionally for more even cooking and to prevent burning.

When you've got 5-10 minutes left on the veggies, cook your pasta according to package instructions.

Put pasta into your bowl and add as many of the roasted veggies as you'd like.  Top with cheese (optional, but it's good) and enjoy!

Best,

Katie

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos

Mmmmm, Yummmmmy.... Katie has put together quite the delicious recipe for you all!  Enjoy :)

I love tacos. Fish tacos, tempeh tacos, chicken tacos veggie tacos…all delicious and a healthier option at restaurants depending on how you order them. If you want to make good tacos at home, it takes time and a lot of prep, but it’s definitely worth it. My roommate has made tacos with sweet potato and black beans before that sound amazing, but I like to keep carbs low in my evening meals so swapped the sweet potato with butternut squash, and flour tortillas with corn (gluten free). I also made crispy black beans and a cabbage and onion salad/slaw for more veggies. Feel free to make them your own, but here’s how I made mine:

What you need:

* 1 cup butternut squash, cubed (you can get a package of pre-cubed squash at Trader Joe’s, but cut it smaller so it cooks faster)
* 1 package shredded purple or green cabbage
* Green onions (also called scallion or spring onions)
* 1 can black beans (get NO sodium. I use the Cuban style black beans from Trader Joe’s)
* Corn tortillas
* Red wine vinegar
* Fresh lime juice
* Cumin
* Salt, pepper, hot sauce, salsa (use all to taste)


Prep:

Butternut Squash: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put cubed butternut squash on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil spray. Salt and pepper the cubed squash. Roast in oven for 25-30 min, until soft

Slaw: Place shredded cabbage in a bowl. Thinly slice as much scallion as you’d like and add it to the cabbage. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice. Use pepper to taste. Toss to coat all the cabbage. Taste the slaw and then you can decide if you need any more of anything.


Black Beans: Drain and rinse black beans. Mix with 1 teaspoon cumin and a tiny bit of salt. Spray a small sauté pan with olive oil spray and add black beans over medium heat. Flatten beans into one layer with a fork and mash a little. Once the beans are hot they’ll start to get a little crispy (you’ll hear sizzling). Move around in the pan to prevent burning.


Tortillas: Place one tortilla at a time over the open flame on your stove top until char marks appear (maybe 1 minute). Or you can heat in the microwave, whatever you prefer.


Eat:

Layer each tortilla (two were plenty filling) with black beans, then squash, then slaw. Feel free to add as much hot sauce or salsa as you like. A little extra lime juice never hurts either. Enjoy!


Happy chomping,

Katie

Healthy Recipe

Healthy Recipe!!

Some of my absolute favorite things to read online are cooking blogs. There are a ridiculous amount, specializing in recipes for vegans, vegetarians, paleo and gluten- free dieters, and people not on ANY sort of diet. These blogs are awesome tools now that we are becoming more educated and concerned about what foods go into our bodies. Food blogs make it easier to find healthier alternatives for our favorite comfort foods: carbs, sugar, and cheesy goodness.

It can be super overwhelming if you are just starting out on the road to healthier eating. Sometimes, these alternative recipes and ingredients seem complicated, iffy or just plain gross (meatless meat? Um, no thank you). I’ve found that an excellent place to start is Pinterest, or the website www.Tastespotting.com. Simply type an ingredient and a keyword like “healthy” or “vegetarian” into the search bar, and a plethora of pictures will come up. Click on a pic that looks good to you! We eat with our eyes first: :)

I recently made Cauliflower Fried Rice from the blog “Deliciously Organic” by Carrie Vitt. This recipe can be 100% vegetarian and is starchy carb free. That’s right, NO rice! By vigorously chopping cauliflower into rice sized bits (chop until your arms fall off), or going the easy route with a food processor, you can create a dish that is SERIOUSLY tasty. I left out a few ingredients like sherry and bay seasoning because I didn’t have them, and didn’t buy them because I know I won’t use them regularly. Here is my (really easy) adaptation:

What you need:

Cauliflower – 1 or 2 heads. Use fresh.
Peas and chopped carrots – About 2 cups. I used a frozen mix from Trader Joes.
Coconut Oil – 2 tbsp for cooking the veggies. I recommend coconut for flavor, but olive or grape oils work just fine.
Eggs – 2 or 3. Can be left out, but makes the recipe more closely resemble fried rice.
Green Onion – 1 handful chopped. Also called scallion, use fresh.
Tamari Sauce – 4 tbsp, divided. Found with the soy sauces, says “Tamari” on the front. Low sodium soy works too.
Chicken – I left out. Use about 1 ½ cups chopped if you prefer it in your dish, or to add more protein than the egg.
Salt and pepper - For taste. You don’t need much salt because the Tamari is salty on its own.

Prep: I like to have everything ready before I begin to speed up the process.
Chop cauliflower into rice sized bits.
Cook Trader Joe’s frozen veggies according to package instructions, or steam your fresh veggies until soft, drain.
Chop green onion (scallion)
If using chicken, cook in a pan with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper. Once cooked through, chop and set aside.

Cook: This is a one pan meal. Choose a big one.

1. Heat your pan over medium-high heat. Place oil in the pan and wait for it to melt (coconut) or heat up
2. Put chopped cauliflower in the pan, along with 2 tbsp of Tamari or soy
3. Stir until all cauliflower is coated with oil and Tamari, hot, slightly softened and lightly fried
4. Make a well in the middle of the cauliflower and crack all eggs in the well. Stir eggs until scrambled.
5. Mix scrambled egg into the cauliflower, then add your veggies and onions (and chicken). Stir.
6. Add additional 2 tbsp Tamari or soy, salt, and pepper, stir until all ingredients are hot and coated.
7. Enjoy!!

 

Best,

Katie