Shannon's ***-Kickin' Kohlrabi Slaw

I incessantly encourage my clients to eat more cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, bok choy).  They are loaded with phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals that can help with hormone balancing, cancer prevention, heart disease prevention, and because of their natural anti-inflammatory properties can avert any form of inflammation.

If you dislike any of the aforementioned vegetables, no worries! There is an unfamiliar cruciferous vegetable that I love more than all of the above. It’s sweeter and more succulent. It’s called Kohlrabi and it’s in season— go find one at a farmer’s market near you! Kohlrabi has more than 100% of your daily vitamin c needs and it is loaded with minerals as well as the cancer-fighting phtonutrients.

Try out this ***-kickin Kohlrabi Slaw.

Ingredients

-          1 Kohlrabi, peeled and shredded

-          ½ cup plain yogurt

-          2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

-          3 Tablespoons of honey or agave nectar

-          2 shredded carrots

-          Handful of raisins

-          Sea salt to taste

Directions

Mix the yogurt, vinegar, and honey or agave nectar. Mix the kohlrabi and carrots. Pour yogurt mixture over the kohlrabi and carrots. Season with sea salt and toss in the raisins!

Quick and Easy Fueling Food of the Month: Quinoa and Lentils

I may be a proponent of consuming more whole foods and less processed foods, but I am REALISTIC too. Just like you, I have days where I am lucky if I have 20 minutes free for lunch. What do I do? I put together something that's convenient and healthy.

Yesterday's lunch was microwaveable Quinoa and Brown Rice from Seeds of Change with Tasty Bite's Jodhpur Lentils over it. Neither product has harmful ingredients. And this meal was perfect for fueling my run. It gave me 12 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber. Quinoa and lentils are both great for sustaining energy as complex carbohydrates. The seasonings are great natural anti-inflammatories too. With processed food, you have to be careful about sodium content. I usually look for products with less than 500 mg of sodium (or less than 20% RDA). The lentils had 460 mg of sodium and the quinoa had 400 mg. Here's the trick though: each package equals two servings so I had half of each...and saved the other half for today's lunch! I should also note that I DID NOT microwave these in their packages because I did not want harmful  xenoestrogens to leach into my food, especially because I am breastfeeding! I use glass pyrex dishes for microwaving and never microwave plastic for this reason!

If you have quick and healthy lunch ideas like this, email them to me at shannonlynn.nutritionATgmail.com and I will feature them on my blog!

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!

Tasty Gluten-Free Tea Cookies!!!

What is your favorite dessert food? My ultimate favorite is brownies—I am a major pushover for brownies, especially when made with dark chocolate and walnuts. Brownies are special; they’re not something I crave everyday; a nice-sized brownie is something I reward myself with after big accomplishments. However, I am not perfect; I admit to having a sweet tooth and fruit doesn’t always do it for me. What’s a girl to do, especially when she would love to have shortbread cookies with her tea yet she’s on a gluten-free diet? Introducing…my gluten-free tea cookies. I made these cookies last week and the whole batch vanished within a day; turns out my husband loved accompanying his coffee with them!

Shannon’s Gluten-Free Tea Cookies

2 cups of raw almonds

1/3 cup coconut sugar

Grated lemon rind from 2 lemons

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Use a food processor to pulse the almonds into flour. Add sugar, lemon rind, and egg and process until a dough forms. Spray olive oil on a baking sheet. Form the dough into small balls and place about an inch a part on a cookie sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden.

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!