Quinoa Tabouli Time

Tabouli salad is one of the most nutrient-packed Middle Eastern dishes. After learning that I had a wheat and gluten sensitivity five years ago, I was bummed that I could no longer have this delicious salad that is made with bulgur wheat...until I made my own recipe with qunioa (keenwah). This is a great dish to bring to a barbecue; it's the perfect dish for athletes with it's plethora of antioxidants and it's complete amino acid profile.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

-3 cups pre-cooked quinoa, refrigerated

(to cook quinoa, take 1 dry cup of quinoa, rinse in water.  Bring two cups

of water to boil, add the cup of quinoa, reduce to simmer and cover for

20-25 minutes)

-1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

-1 cucumber: peeled, seeded and chopped

-2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

-Handful of cilantro, chopped (can also experiment with mint or parsley)*

-Juice of 1 Lemon

-2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:  In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well.

*Add more for an antioxidant boost!

Wild Rice Fueling & Recovery Salad Shannon-Style

The best type of food to have before and after a workout (about 2 hours after your recovery shake) is a nice complex carbohydrate with a decent amount of protein! This tasty wild rice salad meets the criteria with Aduki beans (which actually do NOT cause gas). 

Ingredients:

- 1 package of Lundberg Jubilee wild rice, cooked

- 1 can of Eden Aduki beans

- 1 handful of cilantro chopped

- 2 stalks of celery, diced into small pieces

- 2 medium carrots, diced into small pieces

- 3/4 cup dried cranberries

-3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Dressing: 

- juice from two limes

- 2 Tablespoons olive oil

- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

- 2 squirts of agave nectar

- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

- dash of salt

- dash of pepper

Directions: 

Cook rice according to package instructions. Allow to cool (I often cook it the night before I make the salad). Mix all of the ingredients well. Prepare the dressing and pour over the salad and mix well again! That was easy!

Finally...my Sweet Potato, Quinoa Stew

Looking for a warming, healthy, delicious vegan recipe that even meat lovers will like? Try this! It calls for quinoa (keenwah), which you can find at any health food store and most chain grocery stores carry it now as well. It is the only grain that contains all essential amino acids, making it a phenomenal source of protein!


Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups cooked black beans (2 cans, drained & rinsed)
• 1 cup hominy (1 can, drained and rinsed)
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
(I use Pacific Organic)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet potato or yam, peeled, chopped in bite size pieces
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 Tbsp (2 - 3 cloves) garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 can chopped green chilies (for spicier, use 1 chopped jalapeño)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• More Heat: Add more cayenne
• 1 tsp dried basil leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf
• 2 bay leafs
• 2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Peel & mince the garlic, jalapeno (if using) and ginger
2. Wash and trim the celery, slice lengthwise, then crosswise to dice
3. Seed and dice the bell pepper
4. Peel and chop the sweet potato in bite sized pieces
5. Heat the olive oil on medium low in a large dutch oven
6. Sauté the garlic, ginger, celery, & chilies/jalapeno 5 minutes
7. Add the sweet potatoes and bell pepper, sauté 5 minutes
8. Add the herbs and spices, stir for a minute
9. Add the beans, quinoa, soup stock or water, salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 30 minutes
10. Add Braggs or soy sauce, pepper, cilantro or parsley just before serving

Charlie Brown Smoothie (serves 2)

This recipe is PERFECT to recover from workouts. I also find it to be a very satisfying breakfast. Hey, it can even help you for those moments when you are craving Charlie Brown ice cream!

Ingredients:
- 1 chopped frozen banana
- 2 cups of Silk chocolate almond milk
- 2 Tablespoons of almond butter
- 1 scoop of LifeTime Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed

Directions:
Place the banana in the blender on the ice chopping setting for about 10 seconds. Add the chocolate almond milk and almond butter and then blend for 10 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for about 15 seconds! Enjoy!

Butternut Squash for a SNACK?

Yes, you read that right! If you've been reading my blog for a while or if you've been a client of mine, you know a lot about the convenience trap that forces us to make unhealthy food choices...and we sabotage our good intentions!

Butternut squash is a satisfying snack that can attack the allure of convenience foods. Some of you may be thinking you do not have time to peel, de-seed, and chop a butternut squash. Hey, I don't have time either. Do what I do: pay a little bit more and get pre-peeled and chopped butternut squash that is available in the produce section of most grocery stores! Here's a delicious recipe that takes only 10 minutes of your time (the oven does most of the work) and voila, you have a healthy snack available for the week.

Shannon's Cherry-licious Baked Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
- 1 pack of Wegmans family-sized butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup organic dried cherries
- 1 cup organic raw pecans
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- Sea salt to taste

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450.
- If the squash pieces are larger than one inch, take a bit of time to chop them into one-inch pieces.
- Drizzle olive oil over the squash in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Arrange the squash in a casserole dish and sprinkle the cherries and pecans throughout.
- Add a tiny bit of sea salt.
- Drizzle maple syrup over the squash.
- Bake covered for 50 minutes.

Recipe for Happiness: Millet Sweet Potato Breakfast Cakes

It’s no wonder that depression is such an epidemic in our country—look at the food we eat. Because of our obsession and need for convenience, we consume refined flour and sugar far more than the nourishing grains and vegetables that our ancestors ate. These refined products create harmful blood-sugar fluctuations, which no doubt affect our moods. Further, these foods lack nutritional value and it is scientifically proven that our cells will not thrive without nutrients, leading us to feel icky. Put simply, junk foods make us feel junky.

So, how do we rid our junk food addictions? Breakfast is the place to start! Eating a nourishing breakfast sets the stage for the rest of the day. Millet is one of my favorite comfort foods; it’s a complex carbohydrate with dozens of nutrients. I’ve recommended it for clients diagnosed with mild depression and it has worked wonders. Potato-family foods have been shown to have a positive effect on serotonin and dopamine, our feel-good neurotransmitters (read Potatoes Not Prozac to learn more about this).

Make a big batch of these cakes on a Sunday and have a couple each morning for breakfast. You’ll notice a positive effect right away. Serve them with a tablespoon or two of REAL maple syrup; the darker grade the better.

Millet Sweet Potato Cakes:

Ingredients

2 cups leftover millet* (millet can be found in the bulk section of health food stores)

1 large sweet potato mashed

¼ cup gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)

A couple tablespoons of rice milk

Sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Mix the millet, sweet potato, and rice milk. Add a bit of sea salt. Form cakes and douse them in the gluten-free-flour. Place oil on a medium-heated iron skillet. Pan-fry the cakes, about 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden.

*Learn more about amazing millet!

Vegetarian Chicken Parmesan-I Kid you Not

I'm a sucker for chicken parmesan. Most of you know that I was a vegetarian for 12 years. I’m surprised I made it 12 years being deprived of this delicious dish! If only I had this recipe back then! We all know that eggplant parm. is not the same. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of eggplant parmesan during that 12-year period and still make it during the summer months when eggplant is in season. This dish is different and best of all, it doesn’t use any soy or wheat-gluten fake meat. It uses chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). I didn’t even make the connection to chicken parmesan until my husband said “Wow, this is like chicken parmesan!”

This recipe came to me as I scanned my pantry, desiring to concoct a recipe with what we had on hand. I was going to call them chickpea burgers, but I like vegetarian chicken parmesan better. So, here’s the deal!

Ingredients:

2 cans organic chickpeas

1 Tablespoon organic Italian seasoning

Up to 1/3 cup warm water

¼ cup raw walnuts

½ cup nitrate-free sundried tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic minced

1.5 Tablespoons olive oil

4 slices organic mozzarella cheese (soy or rice cheese for vegans)

Directions:

Blend the chickpeas in a food processor so it turns into “mashed chickpeas.” Pour into bowl and mix in Italian seasoning, sundried tomatoes, and garlic.

Slowly mix water in and use your hands to mix all ingredients until the consistency feels like dough.

Preheat oven at 350.

Pulse the walnuts in the food processor for 10-15 seconds until they turn into small pieces/crumbs (not flour).

Dry roast the walnuts for 3 minutes on a pan over a medium flame.

Pour olive oil in a large pan (I like cast iron) over a medium flame. Make four patties out of the chickpea mixture and press into the pan with a spatula.

Turn the patties every few minutes and sprinkle walnuts on the outside each time to get a crunchy outer texture.

Place cheese slices over the patties and place in oven for 10 minutes or until patties are thoroughly heated. Delicious!

I like using Eden canned beans because these cans are BPA-free unlike most canned foods. BPA is a toxic xenoestrogen, which just means it's like the female hormone estrogen, except for two things: 1) it's foreign to the body, which is what "xeno" means, and 2) it is way more harmful than our natural estrogen for everyone, male and female. It can lead to fertility problems and even certain types of cancer, like breast cancer.

A Homemade Thai Meal for a Hectic Life

People sometimes have this misconception that I cook intricate, time-consuming, healthy meals every single night. Unfortunately, I do not; like many of you, my lifestyle is not conducive to that. I have a 9-5 job in addition to my holistic health counseling practice, my daily exercise regimen, and important relationships that I nouirsh. There are only so many hours in the day!

I'm very conscientious about not consuming a lot of packaged foods, but there are some options that are free of crazy additives. For this recipe, I use Trader Joe's light coconut milk and Thai Kitchen's red curry paste. Isn't that great that even the simplest meals can be healthy?! I like whipping up this Thai dish. So simple.

Shannon's Simplest Thai
(Serves two)

• Get your rice cooker going with 1 cup brown rice and 2 cups of water!
  
• Chop 2 heads of broccoli into small florets.
• Steam the broccoli for 8 minutes
• Meanwhile, rinse 18 pre-peeled and deveined shrimp
• Chop 3 cloves of garlic into tiny pieces
• Sautee garlic in 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil for 1 minute.
  
• Add shrimp and cook until it turns pink.
• Toss in broccoli.
• Mix 1 Tablespoon of Thai red curry paste with 1/2 cup of lite coconut milk and pour over shrimp and broccoli.
• Serve on top of rice. Voila!

Shannon's Yummy Granola Bars

I created this recipe a couple of years ago as an alternative to commercial nutrition bars. I could only stand the Lara Apple Pie bars for so much longer. Since creating these, I have shared them with athletes that I coach and also with kiddies that I teach...and both groups LOVE them. They are high in protein and fiber. I will say that they are slightly high glycemic, so not the best choice for those who have diabetes. However, endurance athletes need high glycemic carbs and a decent amount of protein immediately before, immediately after and during (especially you cyclists out there) exercise to keep the energy levels stable and to prevent glycogen depletition. This is also a great snack to take when hiking! Sticky, but fun!!!

Ingredients:

- 1 ¼ cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

- 1 ¼ cup brown rice kipsie cereal

- ½ cup oat bran

- 3 Tbs ground flax (optional)

- ¾ cups nuts of choice

(dry roasted slivered almonds work great as do chopped walnuts or pecans)

- ½ cup dried fruit of choice

(dried cranberries or cherries have been favorites among many..dried mango is great..and sometimes I'll add in 1/4 cup of dried coconut when I use the mango)

- 1 cup brown rice syrup

- 1/8 cup date sugar, beet sugar, succanat, or natural cane sugar

- 2 Tbs vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, except for the last three. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, heat the brown rice syrup with the “somewhat-healthy” sugar of choice until it boils. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract and mix well. Pour this over the dry mix and stir well. Pour the mixture into a non stick pan and flatten using a metal spatula with olive oil cooking spray sprayed on it. Let sit for 45 minutes and the cut into bars.

As Promised - My Betther than Rice-n--Beans Recipe

This is a quick meal I prepared after becoming quite hooked on whole grains again during my quasi-10-day cleanse. Because I only had 1 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of millet in my pantry, I decided to mix the two and was extremely pleased with the result. This is better than rice any day! This meal was made with some healthy prepared foods (like canned beans and salsa), so it's excellent for those nights when you want to make something quick and easy. And don't let these whole grins intimidate you. They are widely available in most grocery stores, especially those with a decent organic section.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of millet rinsed
- 1 cup of quinoa rinsed
- 4 cups of water
- 2 cans Eden brand Aduki beans, drained
- 1 jar of organic salsa of choice (I like Newmans)
- 1 zucchini chopped in small cubes and steamed for 5 minutes

Directions: Bring quinoa, millet and water to a boil in water. Once boiling, turn to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes. Immediately transfer grains to a big mixing bowl and fluff with a fork. Add beans, salsa and zucchini, and voila! You can add a small amount of part-skim cheddar if you are a cheese fan…and put it in a tortilla if you are more in the mood for a burrito. Any way you have it; this is a tasty, easy way to get in good, hearty whole grains.

An Awesome Use for Bruised Bananas

I have an affinity for bananas, but let me be more specific here: I have an affinity for barely ripe bananas . . . you know when they still have a hint of green? That’s how I love my bananas. When they start to freckle, I instantly become a banana hater. They’re way to sweet for my taste. I do love a mean banana bread, but this time of year banana bread doesn’t appeal to me. So I invented a new recipe . . . great for athletes . . . great for kids . . . great for people with diabetes. Why? Because the bananas replace the sugar in traditional cookie recipes. Try it out and let me know how you liked ‘em . . and I’m always interested in variations!

Ingredients:
- 3 freckled bananas blended into a liquid
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 Tablespoons of olive oil (TRUST me, you won’t even taste the olive oil after they bake)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup tart dry cherries
- 3 cups Old Fashioned rolled oats

Directions.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Mix all dry ingredients except nuts and cherries. Add oil and toss to coat. Add banana liquid, nuts and cherries. Mix well. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop the cookie mixture on a non-stick baking sheet (I wound up using two baking sheets, with six mounds on each). Spray olive oil spray on a metal spatula and flatten each mound a bit. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until nice and golden.

Keep these refrigerated. They’ll last about 3 days this way, otherwise, they’ll go bad!

Improvisation in the Kitchen . . . and the result a Mediterranean Frittata!

My New Years Resolution this year is a simple one: really walk my talk. I am passionate about healthy eating and healthy living. I have committed so much time, attention and effort over the years to helping others prioritize their health and wellness. And I proudly assert that I usually prioritize my health and wellness too. But this year, I am going to do so with passion. 2009 is the year that I can say I transitioned my life into a most amazing balance. So what have I been doing so far: more yoga and meditation, retaining sermons from church, plenty of exercise, quality time with my family, friends, and dog, and lots more home cooking.

Home cooking all the time isn’t easy, trust me I know. It can be a challenge, but it’s one I take with joy! So, last night, after a long day of work, I was ready to make a quiche. In fact, for the past six months or so, I have made a weekly quiche. My pantry makes it easy; I always have healthy frozen pie crusts on hand, fresh farm eggs, low-fat organic plain yogurt, mustard, an organic cheese and vegetables. But last night, there was one dilemma: the yogurt I had was bad! Ack – what to do??!! It was already 8:00 PM; there was no way I was going to make a grocery store run! I improvised using what I had on hand…and this is what I came up with. It took a little more time and effort that a quiche, but it was in fact healthier, more wholesome, and oh so delicious!

Mediterranean Frittata
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
- 6 farm fresh eggs
- 4 organic cloves of garlic minced
- 4 organic red potatoes, cubed
- 2 teaspoons dried mint
- 1 can artichokes, quartered
- 1 red pepper, diced
- Handful of Kalamata olives, chopped
- 3 packed cups of fresh organic spinach
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 4 ounces of French sheep feta…YUM!

Directions:
First, chop the potatoes and then boil them for 10 minutes in a pot of water, until they are just about tender. Wile they are boiling, chop all other veggies. Drain the potatoes. Heail 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on an iron skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic. Stir for one minute. Add the potatoes and stir frequently for about 12 minutes or until they become almost crispy. Add the chopped red peppers and artichokes, stir for 5 minutes or until the peppers start to become soft. Add the mint, olives, and spinach. Stir well until spinach wilts. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Remove veggies from pan. Beat all six eggs (I did it in my Kitchenaid Mixer). Heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in the same iron skillet. Add eggs. Let cook over medium heat until eggs begin to solidify by top is still slightly liquefied. Pour vegetables over the eggs. Sprinkle with feta. Place skillet under your broiler for 5 minutes.

This was So so so tasty, and because it’s just Brent and me, we had it again for breakfast this morning!

Dumpling Heaven

The first time I ever had a dumpling was in the fall of 1999. My dear friend Rhonda and I decided to take a road trip from Philadelphia to Amish country. After a long day of sightseeing, we stopped off at

an Amish restaurant for dinner. As this was during my vegetarian phase, I was quite

disappointed that the only options open to me at the buffet were pickled corn and apple dumplings. Thankfully, the dumplings were very pleasing.

Since then I’ve had the desire to make dumplings. So much about the wonder of food is the texture. Texture is the reason why I am enamored with chickpeas, cassava, and grits…and dumplings! Can you believe it has taken me over nine years to make dumplings of my own? I was inspired by this tasty root veggie soup recipe from Eating Well. Root vegetables are very grounding and warming in the winter time. Such an awesome recipe. Aren’t root veggies so pretty?

Let them eat "apple" cake

So, how many of you tried to cleanse this autumn? It can be tricky, but I can not tell you how great it feels to slash processed foods our of your diet. You begin to feel more vibrant, truly. While I rarely eat processed foods, I certainly crave cake from time to time. Not super sweet cake - because I rarely eat sugar, I am annoyingly sensitive to it. It's not the sweetness that I crave, but it's the texture and I'm sorry, but whole grains can not mock cake very well. And there is nothing quite as divine as a piece of cake and tea. So, after some experimenting and blending various recipes together, I came up with a delicious apple cake - perfect for the season! Try it and let me know what you think. Be adventurous and change it up a bit to suit your taste buds!

Apple Cake:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups diced apples
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
2/3 cup chunky “sugar-free” apple sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Grease 9” or 10” round pan with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle diced apples with sugar. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a larger bowl, beat the egg. Mix in the applesauce, vanilla, and maple syrup. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until well-combined.If it's not completely moist, add a little more applesauce. Add the apples. Stir well. Pour into round pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

Can I offer you a drink?

When I have company over these days, I am delighted to offer them a drink because I get to share with them my latest experiment: Iced Pomegranate Green tea with sliced lime. It's so refreshing and so excellent for you. Green tea is filled with disease fighting antioxidants as are pomegranates. And the limes add such a refreshing tang (think of the way that limes make your Corona actually taste good).

Here's how to make it. Bring a large teapot almost to a boil (green tea tastes better when the water isn't too hot. With piping-hot water, you will actually "overcook" the green tea, making it taste bitter). Pour water in a 2-quart pitcher. Add 4 tea bags. Let brew for an hour. Slice two limes. Toss limes and a tray of ice cubes in pitcher. Refrigerate for an hour and voila, it's ready to enjoy!

A Tasty Seasonal Salad

One of my favorite salads to make is an arugula salad with warm beets, goat cheese, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Last night, I made a delicious mushroom soup and planned to make this tasty arugula salad to accompany the soup, only to find out that I didn’t have goat cheese. So I improvised and came up with a beautiful red and green salad, perfect for the Christmas season!

Here’s the recipe!

Shannon’s Christmas Salad
Serves:2

Ingredients:
1 large beet, peeled, chopped into small cubes
4 cups of arugula rinsed
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup chopped pistachios
¼ cup pear-infused balsamic vinegar (or use regular balsamic vinegar)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Dash of sea salt

Directions: Boil chopped beets for 8 minutes. Toss beets, arugula, cherries, and pistachios. With a fork, mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, and salt. Pour dressing into salad and mix well. So tasty!