Five Easy, Healthy, Flavorful Indian Recipes

My dad is an amazing cook. We go there for dinner almost every week, mainly because it’s fun to hang out with my dad but also because I get to eat his gourmet meals. The thing with Indian cooking is it can go one of two ways:

1. Really tasty, but super oily and full of fat (curries are made with butter, ghee, oil, cream, etc.) or
2. Really tasty, with inventive ingredients and substituting spices for the oil – making it healthy and flavorful

The dinners I grew up with at home were more like option #2 above. My dad can make a “sabji” or “bhaji” (vegetable Indian dish) out of pretty much any veggie. It’s awesome. We have “Butternut Squash” sabji, “Collard Greens” sabji, “Beets and Beet Greens” sabji–the list goes on and on. It’s a great way to add a twist on a regular vegetable dish, and it’s not something you’d traditionally get in Indian Cooking. So these recipes are straight from my dad, and represent what I think is Indian Home Cooking at it’s best: easy to prepare, really nutritious and good for you, but so flavorful you keep going back for seconds, and thirds, and fourths… you get the picture.

Here are five easy and healthy Indian recipes, straight from my dad’s kitchen:

Moong and Toor Daal, Beans and Carrots Sabji, Whole Moong Daal, Zucchini Sabji, and Spelt Rotis (yes – that’s right – spelt!). The only note on these recipes is my dad’s “measurements” are super old-school — in that, there aren’t any. What I’ve found works well is to just play around with the spices and taste as you go. The recipes are really easy so you can’t totally mess them up.

Recipe #1 Moong and Toor Daal

The ingredients: 1 Tbsp EVOO, 1/4 cup Moong and 1/4 cup Toor Daal, equal parts Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds and Turmeric; a pinch of Hing (asafetida), a pinch of Cayenne pepper, Salt & Brown sugar (gud) to taste, 3-4 pieces Dried kokam fruit (you can get this at the Indian store, or try dried sour plums), Cilantro

The directions: Cook the daal in the pressure cooker. Once the daal is done, fry the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric and hing in 1 Tbsp EVOO. Put the spice mixture into the daal and stir until combined. Add the cayenne, salt, brown sugar and kokam fruit and heat through. Sprinkle cilantro in at the end

Recipe #2: Blue Lake Beans & Carrot Sabji

The ingredients: 1 Tbsp EVOO, 1 pound of Blue Lake Beans chopped, 1 Carrot chopped, equal parts Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds and Hing (asafoetida); Turmeric, pinch of Cayenne pepper, 1/8 cup Urad dal, Salt & Brown sugar (gud) to taste, Masala (curry powder), Cilantro

The directions: Fry the spices (mustard seeds, cumin, hing, turmeric, urad daal) over medium heat in 1 Tbsp EVOO for about 1 minute. Add the vegetables and stir until combined. Cook, covered for 10-15 min until the vegetables are cooked through and the spices have been fully absorbed. Stir in cayenne, salt, brown sugar, and masala. Top with Cilantro and serve.

Recipe #3: Whole Moong Daal

The ingredients: 1 Tbsp EVOO, 1/2 cup Whole Moong Daal, equal parts Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds & Hing (asafetida); Turmeric, pinch of Cayenne pepper, Salt, Masala (Curry Powder) & Brown sugar (gud) to taste, 3-4 pieces Dried kokam fruit (you can get this at the Indian store, or try dried sour plums), Cilantro

The directions: Cook the daal in the pressure cooker. Once the daal is done, fry the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric and hing in 1 Tbsp EVOO. Put the spice mixture into the daal and stir until combined. Add the cayenne, salt, masala, brown sugar and kokam fruit and heat through. Sprinkle cilantro in at the end

Recipe #4: Zucchini Sabji

The ingredients: 6-8 Zucchini chopped, 1 Carrot chopped, equal parts Mustard seed, Cumin seeds & Hing (asafoetida), Turmeric, 1 Serrano pepper cut in half, Salt & Coriander powder to taste, Cilantro

The directions: Fry the spices & serrano pepper over medium heat in 1 Tbsp EVOO for about 1 minute. Add the vegetables and stir until combined. Cook, covered for 10-15 min until the vegetables are cooked through and the spices have been fully absorbed. Stir in salt. Top with Cilantro and serve.

Recipe #5: Spelt Rotis/Chapatis

The ingredients: 5 parts Spelt flour to 1 part Quinoa flour, Water (enough to form into a sticky dough – about 1/3 of the amount of dough) very small quantity of EVOO

The directions: Combine all ingredients to make the roti dough.  If you have a gas stove, hold the roti/chapati over a medium flame and it will puff up immediately. Turn quickly to flame-bake the other side. Do this several times, taking care that the edges are well cooked. Otherwise you can preheat a cast-iron tawa over medium heat. Place the rolled dough on the palm of one hand and flip it over on to the tawa. When the color changes on the top and bubbles appear, turn it over. When both sides are done, use kitchen tongs (chimta) to remove the roti from the skillet.

These rotis are soft and fluffy – you’d never guess that it’s unleavened bread. When I was growing up, it was common for us to have four out of five of these dishes for dinner: 2 sabjis, one daal and the rotis. This is completely my version of comfort food: warming, nutritious, delicious, and filled with nostalgic memories of dinners at home.

Quick & Healthy: Black Bean and Pumpkin Veggie Burgers

It’s no secret that I adore veggie burgers. I just love all of the different flavors and ingredients you can pack into one delicious burger – it’s the perfect combination of health and comfort food. Yes – health and comfort food can go together! I’m always on the lookout for new veggie burger recipes, even though I’ve already made quite a few: my five ways with a Gardenburger patty, my southwest pinto bean burgers, and my budget-friendly black bean burgers. But recently I came across a recipe from Fannetastic Food for Black Bean & Pumpkin Burgers. I was intrigued by the idea of adding pumpkin into the burger mixture, and loved how simple the recipe was.

Btw – it’s also no secret that I’m a “fan” of Fannetastic Food – she always comes up with great recipes that are easy to make and healthy. The recipe with my notes are below, and you can see Anne’s original recipe and pictures here. Thanks Anne for a great recipe that was ridiculously easy to make (took less than 30 min), tasted great, and was full of nutritional goodness!

Ingredients

• 1 cup black beans (rinsed and drained) – I basically just used 1 15oz can of black beans – once you drain out the liquid/etc. it ends up being just a little over 1 cup
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin – make sure you get just pure, canned pumpkin (the only ingredient should be pumpkin!) make sure there are no sugars, etc. added and definitely don’t get “pumpkin pie filling” or anything to that effect
• 1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (I just used regular whole wheat flour and it turned out fine)
• 1/2 tsp cumin (I might have added a bit more!)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• If you like your burgers with a bit of a kick, add a *small* pinch of cayenne pepper too
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Veggie burger fixings: ketchup, sliced red onions, sliced roma tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, whole wheat bun, spinach leaves (optional)

Directions

Step 1: Combine all ingredients (black beans through chili powder or cayenne if you’re using it) in a food processor and mix until mostly pureed – with a few chunks of black beans left. Note – you can also mash all the ingredients in a bowl, I used the food processor because it was faster and easier (for me).

Step 2: Once the bean mixture is at a desired consistency, form into 2 patties. Spray a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray, and cook on medium heat for 5-10 min on each side until lightly browned.

This what they looked like when they started cooking…

And what they looked like when they were almost done

One thing to note about this recipe is that the veggie burgers aren’t as “hearty” or “dense” as your normal Gardenburger or Boca burger patty. They tend to fall apart a bit more easily and are a bit softer. I really enjoyed the different consistency of the burgers – felt a little “falafel-esque” which was fun to eat. The husband thought they were a little too soft for him, and would have liked them to be more dense/thick like a traditional veggie burger patty. But he did say that regardless of the texture of the patties, the burgers had amazing flavor (and you couldn’t taste the pumpkin which was pretty cool) and were a great weeknight dinner. I pared the patties with a simple combination of pepper jack cheese, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes and ketchup, on a whole wheat bun of course. So satisfying and healthy!

 

Eating Our Way Through Palo Alto

Last week was just one of those insane weeks – where you’re so busy that you barely see your significant other (even if you’re married and living together). I remember there were like 3 days in a row where the hubby and I would wake up at different times to leave for work/school – so we wouldn’t see each other in the morning – and then we’d get home super late and have maybe one hour to hang out at home – max. So, on Friday of that week – I suggested that we disregard our responsibilities for the weekend (household chores, groceries, running errands, etc.) and spend the day eating around in Palo Alto. I think we both really needed a break – sort of a day vacation in our own neighborhood. Neither of us was in the mood to drive very far (e.g. go to SF or Berkeley), so Palo Alto was the perfect choice: no traffic, easy parking, short drive away, and tons of great restaurants to choose from.

We didn’t really plan out our day (other than buying tickets to see The Adjustment Bureau in the late afternoon), and so of course – on Saturday morning I woke up an HOUR later than I had planned, and we were already running late for our first stop – brunch at Saint Michael’s Alley. Luckily – somehow I pulled it together and we managed to arrive 15 minutes before brunch service was ending! Woohoo!

The cool thing about Saint Michael’s Alley – is that they serve brunch on the weekend in a totally separate location from their actual restaurant – so you could actually eat brunch at one of their restaurants and dinner at the other in the same day, and it feels like you visited two separate restaurants. Which is exactly what we did – but more on that later. I was so relieved that we made it on time. By that point, we were both starving so of course – we ordered with our stomachs and not our brains.

I started with hot tea – English Breakfast – served in this cool glass

I also ordered the Market fresh fruit plate – which had strawberries, sliced bananas, melon, cantaloupe, and pineapple.

The fruit tasted so fresh and juicy – it was the perfect side to my entree – which might be the best egg scramble I’ve ever had. I ordered an Egg White Curried Vegetable Scramble. It was served with cauliflower, caramelized onions, tomatoes, peas, sauteed tomatoes – all tossed with yellow curry spices.

It was SO delicious. The addition of the yellow curry spices and peas gave such a wonderful flavor to the eggs, and was a really unique take on a  scramble. If you ever visit Saint Michael’s Alley for brunch – you have to order this dish! The potatoes on the side weren’t bad too – they were seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper – and roasted to perfection. The husband decided to order some of his own for good measure.

Don’t they look amazing? They were the perfect accompaniment to his French Toast made with Rich Challah / Egg Bread, topped with fresh strawberries and dusted with powdered sugar.

Yes, we ordered a lot of food. But it was such an awesome brunch that we polished off everything – even the extra potatoes! It was the perfect start to our day – we left Saint Michael’s Alley completely stuffed, happy and content, and ready for our next stop – Sprinkles Cupcakes.

For those of you who haven’t been to Sprinkles – you HAVE to try their cupcakes. These might be the best cupcakes I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten a lot of cupcakes. Their shop in Palo Alto has a nice whimsical feel to it and there’s always a line out the door on weekends, but the wait is totally worth it. When we got inside, I managed to snap this quick picture before we had to make room for other people eager to get in.

I love the little circle logo on their cupcakes – each circle color corresponds to a different flavor. We finally decided on the Banana Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting to eat in the shop itself, and took the Black & White and Chocolate Marshmallow cupcakes to go.

This was the best cupcake I’ve ever eaten. The cake itself has a rich banana flavor and a golden hue, the texture is moist and light, and the frosting – while creamy and delicious – isn’t overwhelmingly sweet. Eating inside the sprinkles store was also an experience: the walls are all glass so tons of natural light comes through, and the store is kept relatively not-crowded so you can enjoy your cupcake in peace.

The bar-like table by the window is also cool and creative, and has fun cupcake designs underneath the glass. They matched perfectly with the top of our actual banana cupcake.

After our amazing cupcake experience, we were all ready to sit for ~2 hours watching a movie. I just hoped my husband wouldn’t fall asleep in the movie from a food coma! (Which – I think he did for a few min here and there 🙂 ). Overall, I’d say the movie was ok. If you can get past the fact that much of it is incredibly unrealistic (to the point of being a little ridiculous) – and focus on the themes and the love story underlying it all – it’s a pretty interesting movie. I could get past the unrealistic stuff and thought the love story and the chemistry between Matt Damon & Emily Blunt onscreen was great. My husband couldn’t get past it – and really didn’t like the movie. So I’d say, averaging our two opinions: it was just ok. But it was still fun to go to the theater and see a movie – we are so Netflix Addicted and have a huge flat panel TV in our house – so it’s rare when we actually do see a movie in a theater these days.

After the movie, it was on to our favorite coffee shop in Palo Alto – Coupa Cafe for a quick drink before our dinner reservation at, where else, Saint Michael’s Alley (location #2).

My husband’s favorite drink here is the Elephant Vanilla Chai. It’s unbelievably rich, creamy and full of that great chai spice flavor (but if you don’t like sweet drinks you won’t like this drink). Both of us have huge sweet tooths – so we love it.

I ordered a simple Green Tea – which is served in the cutest tea bags.

We were having a great day – I couldn’t believe how fast it all went! It was finally time to walk to the second Saint Michael’s Alley location for dinner. We got lucky with great weather in the Bay Area that evening, so walking around felt really good. Both of the Saint Michael’s Alley locations have amazing ambiance – the brunch location has a cozy, homey, cafe feel; while the dinner location has an elegant-casual feel with a bit of rustic charm.

We only ordered two dishes to share between us since we were still pretty full from our indulgences earlier in the day! We ordered the Roasted Beet and Spinach Tart served with Toasted Walnuts and a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce.

The beet flavor in this tart was slightly sweet, and the combination of the gorgonzola and walnuts made for a really richly satisfying dish.

I loved all the layers in the tart too – the colors were so vibrant! We also ordered the Winter Vegetable Lasagna with Swiss Chard, Roasted Mushrooms, Fontina, Parmesan, and Ricotta Cheeses, served with Garlic Levain Bread

I really enjoyed the roasted mushrooms and the combination of cheeses in this dish. It was baked to perfection, so the cheese formed a nice crust on top of the lasagna. I wished there was a bit more chard – but overall it was very tasty and a great last meal for the day.

Throughout our dinner, I kept thinking about how lucky I was: not just because we were able to spontaneously take this day off from “regular life” with no consequences, and eat at amazing restaurants – but mainly because I realized that I had been with my husband for almost exactly seven years on that day, and the excitement from when we first met hasn’t changed. We even had a random “heated discussion” in the middle of dinner that lasted quite a while, but it ended up being one of the best conversations we’ve ever had. It just made me appreciate how much we’ve grown together as a couple and grown up together (since we met when I was in college), and I felt so lucky to be with my best friend: someone who knows me and loves me inside and out. The meals that day were a perfect complement to the time we got to spend together, free of responsibilities.

Sweet & Spicy Carrot Bisque

I love soups that have layers of complex flavors. Where, in every bite, you taste multiple ingredients with bursts of sweetness and spice. It’s the sort of soup you’d expect a good chef to make, creating the flavors from the bottom up with wonderful innovative ingredients. Little did I know, when I decided to try this Sweet & Spicy Carrot Bisque recipe from VegetarianTimes Magazine, that I’d be creating that exact soup masterpiece. This might have been the best soup I’ve ever made – and it’s all thanks to my monthly subscription to Vegetarian Times.

The Ingredients

The secret ingredients are really the banana, coconut milk, ginger and lime in this dish. And here is the detailed list of ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp + 1 pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 cups of peeled, sliced carrots
• 1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 15oz can light coconut milk
• 2.5 Tbsp lime juice

Directions

Step 1: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt, saute 5 min until onion is soft. Stir in ginger, cook 1-2 min. Add curry powder, cayenne and 1/4 cup water. Cook 1-2 min, stirring to coat onion & ginger with curry mixture.

When the onion is fully coated it looks like this:

Step 2: Add carrots, banana, 1 tsp salt and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered for 25 min or until carrots are soft enough to be pierced with a fork.

Step 3: Puree soup using an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender. Return soup to pot and stir in 1 cup light coconut milk and lime juice.

After stirring in the coconut milk, the soup will look like this:

So creamy and delicious, and I loved how vibrant the color was!

Step 4: Simmer remaining 3/4 cup coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium high heat for 10 min, or until reduced by half. Ladle soup into bowls, and swirl 1.5 Tbsp coconut milk reduction into each serving

I thought the swirls made the soup look really pretty. I served this soup with my baked pita chips & masala lentil dip – it was the perfect complement to this sweet and spicy soup. All in all, it made for a wonderful, warming dinner.

Foodie Friday Giveaway: Gourmet, Healthy Frozen Pizzas from A.C. LaRocco!

Who here doesn’t love pizza?? Pizza is one of those amazing, wonderful foods that’s comforting, warm, easy to make and pretty much available anywhere you go in the world. Trust me on that last one – I think my husband and I have eaten pizza in every single country we’ve ever visited. I love pizza, but I especially love when you can “dress up” pizza with fun toppings like gorgonzola cheese, pears, & walnuts; or feta and roasted tomatoes. I don’t usually eat pizza that often, because unless I make it myself it’s hard to find a “healthy” pizza that still tastes great.

Which is why, I was SO excited when A.C. LaRocco contacted me to try their gourmet, healthy frozen pizzas and partner with them on a giveaway! These pizzas are some of the best frozen pizzas I’ve ever tried. They come in eight delicious gourmet flavors like: Greek Sesame, Spinach & Artichoke, Tomato & Feta, Bruschetta Style on Sprouted Grain Dough, and Garlic Chicken Parmesan!

So why are these pizzas healthy? To start, ALL of the pizzas are made with all-natural organic ingredients. All of the doughs are made with organic whole grain / whole wheat or sprouted grain which makes the pizzas super high in fiber. All of the cheeses used are low fat and REAL (not processed, no additives). Most of the pizzas have TONS of veggies on them, and all of the pizzas can be eaten guilt free! The whole wheat dough variety average about 200-250 calories, 9-10g fiber and ~13g protein for 1/3 of a pizza; and the sprouted grain dough are about 350-450 calories for one WHOLE pizza (with about 2g fiber and 20g protein per pizza). How awesome is that??

And the best part is, A.C. LaRocco has given me coupons for free pizzas to share with all of you!

Two lucky readers will have the opportunity to win this giveaway:

• The “grand prize” winner will receive 3 coupons (each coupon will get you one free frozen pizza) – so you can try out three of the A.C. LaRocco Varieties!
• The “runner up” winner will receive 2 coupons to try two of the pizza varieties

Now the important part:

To Enter: You can enter in one of three ways –

1. Subscribe to The Picky Eater via RSS or via email
2. Follow me on Twitter (@pickyeaterblog)
3. Like The Picky Eater on Facebook

Leave a comment letting me know which option above you chose! Note – if you already are a subscriber, follower, or like The Picky Eater on Facebook, just leave a comment indicating that – it will count as one entry 

For Extra Entries:

• + 1 Entry if you share this post on Facebook or Twitter
• + 2 Entries if you invite 5 or more of your friends to like The Picky Eater on Facebook!

This giveaway will be open for TWO weeks. It will close on Thursday, March 17th at 11:59pm PST. I will be selecting the winners at random (via random.org) and will contact them via email. I’ll be announcing the winners on Friday, March 18th when I launch my next giveaway! Be sure to enter today–you’ll LOVE these delicious, good-for-you, gourmet, organic pizzas!

 

Guilt-Free, Healthy 7 Layer Bean Dip

Can 7 Layer Dip actually be healthy? Absolutely! It’s usually filled with fat, calories, and not much nutrition – but with a few easy swaps you’ll get a dip that’s still FULL of flavor, but healthy enough to be a one dish meal. I was inspired by this recipe from Fannetastic Food, and made a few modifications to Anne’s recipe for dinner a few nights ago. My modified ingredients list is below, and you can find the original here. Thanks Anne for a great recipe! My husband totally loved this dish – and it’s great as a quick & easy weeknight meal, or as an appetizer for parties.

The secret swaps / ingredients that make this dish healthy are:

• 1 15 oz can of Refried black beans, made with all-natural ingredients with no oil, sugar, etc. added (instead of the processed refried beans usually used)
• 2 Mashed avocados (instead of avocado “dip”) Season them with 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
• 8 oz of 0% Fage Greek Yogurt seasoned with Taco Seasoning, or you can also use fat-free sour cream (instead of full fat sour cream or mayo)
• Fresh veggies! I used 1 bunch of green onions and 3-4 roma tomatoes, diced (per Anne’s suggestion) – but you can use diced red onions, diced red pepper, etc – the sky’s the limit.
• 1/4 cup low fat Mexican Cheese blend
• I served the dip with homemade, baked tortilla chips: made using corn tortillas, olive oil spray, and salt – and broiled in the oven at 350 degrees

Directions

1. Warm up refried beans in a small pot over medium heat. Add in taco seasoning to taste. Once all combined, set aside to cool
2. Peel, pit, mash avocados in a small bowl – add lemon juice, salt, pepper and stir to combine
3. Combine yogurt and taco seasoning mix in another bowl
4. Cut corn tortillas into eighths, spread on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Spray the tops of the tortillas with cooking spray, season with salt, and broil at 350 degrees on low until the tortillas are crispy & golden brown.
5. To assemble:
   • Spread refried beans on a large, shallow serving platter
   • Spread avocado mixture over bean dip
   • Spread yogurt mixture over bean dip
   • Sprinkle with green onions and tomatoes
   • Cover with grated low fat Mexican cheese
6. Serve with the homemade corn chips!

Here’s the mashed avocado ready to go…

And the yogurt dip (Note – my husband didn’t like this as much as low fat sour cream, but I LOVED it – so try it out and see what you think)

Aren’t the veggies pretty?

The bean dip, all assembled and ready to eat

Served with my baked corn chips

Doesn’t this just make you want to dig in and devour the dip? And the best part is – you can enjoy it totally guilt-free.

A Warming Winter Dinner: Skillet Gnocchi with Spinach and White Beans

It’s no secret that for the past week or so, the weather in the Bay Area has been pretty crappy. Gloomy, rainy, and really cold! (well, cold for the Bay Area, that is). So a few nights ago I decided to make a really hearty, warming recipe that I found on EatingWell.com – for Skillet Gnocchi. I had never made Gnocchi before so I thought it would be a fun experiment – and it turned out really well!

Tell me that doesn’t make your mouth water 🙂 It was surprisingly easy to make, and didn’t take very long at all. Of course, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly – so my modified recipe is below. You can find the original here. To anyone who’s a “Gnocchi virgin” or hasn’t enjoyed Gnocchi in the past, I’d really encourage you to try this dish! My husband has never enjoyed Gnocchi before – but he loved it. The dish is also really balanced and healthy – tons of fiber and protein from the beans & veggies, balanced with carbs from the reasonable portion of Gnocchi.

The Ingredients

A couple of notes:

• The original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp of EVOO to fry the gnocchi before you add it to the dish. I just used EVOO cooking spray to pan fry the gnocchi and it worked perfectly! That was one main modification.
• I also substituted frozen spinach for the chard in the original recipe – mainly to save time & prep work.
• AND – I found whole wheat gnocchi at Trader Joe’s so I substituted that for the regular gnocchi.
• I also added 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper and fresh basil to the dish to amp up the spice & flavor.

My ingredients list:

• EVOO cooking spray
• 1 tsp EVOO (to pan fry the onions)
• 1 package whole wheat gnocchi
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 package frozen spinach
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings added
• 1 15oz can white beans
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup part skim Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1-2 tsp fresh basil
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Cook the gnocchi in boiling water according to package directions. Drain, cool, set aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large skillet, and add the onion – cook for a few minutes
3. Add the garlic and water – cover and cook until the onion is soft (4-6 min)
4. Meanwhile, using EVOO spray, pan fry the gnocchi in a separate skillet until lightly browned
5. Add the spinach to the skillet with the onion in it, and cook until the spinach defrosts/starts to wilt
6. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, pepper, basil, crushed red pepper and salt to taste – bring to a simmer
7. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
8. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3-5 min.

Pictures – step by step:

Slicing the onions & pan-frying the gnocchi

How cute do those gnocchi pillows look? Once they were done cooking, I set them aside in a bowl

Meanwhile, the veggies were cooking

Don’t the colors look beautiful? When they were almost done cooking, I added in the gnocchi

And then, the best part – the cheese.

Look at all that melted, gooey cheese. With all the wonderful smells filling our house and the bubbling sauce & cheese in the dish, we couldn’t wait to dig in!

Amazingly satisfying, healthy and delicious. The perfect meal for a cold winter day.

I finished off my meal with a HUGE chunk of Fearless Chocolate – the Hibiscus & Ginger flavor to be exact. To try your own sample of Fearless Chocolate – enter my giveaway here.

Elegant, modern and playful Indian cuisine at All Spice

A few nights ago, my husband and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner at All Spice Restaurant in San Mateo.

We heard about the restaurant’s opening about 3 months ago from a friend, and given that we LOVE modern twists on Indian food, thought we should give it a try. The chef at All Spice used to be the chef at another one of our favorite Indian Fusion restaurants in the Bay – Sakoon. So we figured we’d be in for a treat at All Spice as well. We were not disappointed!

The service was excellent: each of the waiters were extremely knowledgeable about the dishes and ingredients, and were very friendly and welcoming. Since All Spice had just opened, they didn’t have their wine list completed – and only had non-alcoholic drinks. We started with a Tangerine Soda and a Pomegrate Apple Cider.

Both were excellent! We didn’t miss the alcohol at all. Soon after our drinks came out we were served an Amuse-bouche: a treat from the chef – a cauliflower and mushroom gratin.

We had a hard time deciding on which appetizers to get – everything on the menu looked so good! Eventually we decided on the Indian Bread Fritter “Ma Mere”

It was stuffed with mushrooms, potatoes, and Indian spices, served over stewed chickpeas. It reminded me of a much fancier, elegant version of the samosas you often get in traditional Indian restaurants, and had the perfect blend of spiciness and sweetness. We also ordered the Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup, which was absolutely divine.

It was served with minted spaghetti squash “noodles,” that the soup was then poured over at the table – very cool presentation. The soup itself might have been the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. Every bite enveloped my palate with flavor, and the warmth of the soup was a perfect balance to the cold weather outside. If you get a chance to visit All Spice, you MUST order this dish!

Our entrees were equally inventive and satisfying – rounding out the meal perfectly. We ordered the Pumpkin Dosa

Which was basically a crisp rice and lentil crepe, stuffed with a nigella seed-flavored pumpkin and creamy goat cheese filling. It was served with a roasted garlic tomato chutney which provided the perfect sweet balance to the spiciness of the dosa filling. I’ve had a lot of dosas before in my life, and nothing compares to the experience I had at All Spice!

I loved the addition of pumpkin and goat cheese to the filling, stewed with Indian spices. It was a wonderful balance of flavors: rich and delicious. Our last entree was the Khaman Chickpea Flour Pasta, sauteed with mustard seed, curry leaves, baby tomatoes and artichokes.

Again, this dish provided a very modern take on meals that my husband and I ate growing up. I loved the addition of artichokes to this dish, and the chickpea “pasta” just melted in my mouth. After this amazing journey through the menu at All Spice, we were stuffed and had no room for dessert – although the Chili-Mango Bread Pudding with ginger creme anglais was tempting. We’ll definitely be visiting this restaurant again and will be sure to try the desserts next time.

The Peanut Butter Sandwich: Reinvented

Who said that peanut butter sandwiches had to be 1) boring 2) just for kids and 3) the same every time? I’m a huge fan of PB&J, probably because I had it almost every day when I was a kid and eating it for lunch has some element of nostalgia for me. And even though I can be a creature of habit a lot of the time, the same three ingredients (which for me are: sprouted wheat bread, almond or peanut butter, and blueberry preserves), can get a tiny bit monotonous. Then I heard about this PB&J sandwich shop in Portland that makes the coolest PB&J sandwiches, and I was inspired to get creative with one of my childhood favorites. So here goes – the peanut butter sandwich: reinvented!

The Ingredients

These were the ingredients I used, but you can obviously experiment with your own. My list included: Sprouted wheat bread, walnuts, sliced bananas, cinnamon, a mix of almond and peanut butter, and honey.

The Directions

Step 1: Spread the peanut & almond butter mixture on both slices of bread, and top one half with sliced bananas

Step 2: Chop 3-4 walnuts, and add on top of the banana slices along with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey

Doesn’t that just make you want to take a big bite out of that sandwich? I couldn’t resist taking more than one picture of it.

Step 3: Top with the other slice of bread (that already has peanut/almond butter spread on it), and put into the panini press (or grill in a pan if you don’t have a panini press)

At this time, the nut butters, banana and honey are getting all melty and gooey…

Step 4: Once the top has browned and is slightly crispy, remove from panini press and let cool for 1-2 min.

I love the grill marks!

Step 5: Cut sandwich in half (I always like cutting on the diagonal because I think it looks more fun)

Eat and enjoy!

A Tale of Two Lasagnas

Food Bloggers visit other sites quite frequently to support, inspire, comment and learn. A couple months ago, I received a wonderful comment from Sanura of My Life Runs on Food complimenting the style and tone of my blog. I was thrilled to receive her comment, and clicked through to her blog to check it out. What I found was a beautifully written, healthy food blog that seemed really aligned with my philosophy on food. I decided to email her to request a guest post for my site – I thought she’d bring a wonderful and fresh perspective on food and health. After several emails were exchanged, we agreed to collaborate on writing about lasagna. Both of our versions are relatively healthy and they have plenty of vegetables and cheeses. My version is an “Old World” traditional recipe with the classic tomato sauce, and Sanura’s version is a “New World” traditional recipe sans the tomato sauce. To be historically accurate, both tomatoes and squash are ingredients from the “New World.” It’s the techniques and stories that separates our recipes, which makes them endearing and comforting to both of us.

Sanura’s “New World” Traditional Lasagna

The basic traditional lasagna dish we all know consists of pasta, plenty of cheese, and a rich Bolognese sauce. Occasionally, it’ll have a Basil Pesto sauce, too. The richness of the dish makes it the ultimate comfort food we all crave. The ingredients are basically the same, but every household’s technique for preparing the dish varies. The result is usually deliciously satisfying every time it’s served. Who would dare recreate another version with drastically different ingredients? One afternoon, I happened to catch a food show hosted by Tyler Florence. He’s a lucky guy, who travels around the world in search of the origin of classic dishes of popularity. Between Anjali Shah of The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog’s recipe for lasagna, and watching Tyler Florence travel to Italy of which lasagna originates, both provided some inspiration. For a while, I was seriously thinking about breaking from the traditional holiday dishes to making a classic lasagna dish. When I mentioned the idea to the boyfriend, he begins telling me how to make the best lasagna, “It should have at least three types of cheeses…”

“Well, babe…” I thought. Tyler Florence had an Italian guest whose lasagna interpretation was not quite the same as our American classic. His version uses a freshly made basil pesto sauce, layered with freshly made sheets of pasta, blanched green beans and potatoes. Those ingredients on the show demonstrates the time of year the visit took place, in which everyone in the background were relaxing in short sleeves and shorts. My version uses a winter vegetable, acorn squash. I paired it with sauté mushrooms to add more texture. They’re plenty of differences between this freshly made Italian-Inspired and the American version. One, this recipe is not baked. Two, this dish is refreshingly light, but it’s still hearty. Lastly, it’s made sans tomato sauce. It’s a dish best serve at room temperature. With a nice Winter Salad, this Italian-inspired dish is also beautiful as an elegant meal to serve.

The Recipe: Roast Acorn Squash, Sauté Mushrooms, and Basil Pesto Lasagna

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 Lasagna sheets, cooked and al dente according to the manufacturer’s directions, gently tossed with olive oil
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• Fresh basil, roughly chopped
• Basil Pesto Sauce (see recipe below)
• Roast Acorn Squash (see recipe below)
• Sauté Mushrooms (see recipe below)
• Good quality olive oil

Directions

1. Gently take one lasagna sheet and visualize it into three sections forming an “S” curve. That is the structure of this lasagna dish.
2. Smear 4 tablespoons of Basil Pesto Sauce on a plate.
3. Lay the first third of it on top of the Basil Pesto Sauce on the plate. The excess two-thirds lasagna pasta will hang over the plate’s edge. Gently smear a tablespoon of Basil Pesto Sauce on top of the first third section of the lasagna pasta. Spoon a couple tablespoons of Roast Acorn Squash on top of the Basil Pesto Sauce that was smeared on the first third section of the lasagna pasta. Sprinkle a little basil on top. Fold second third of the lasagna noodle over the Roast Acorn Squash.
4. Spoon a tablespoon of the Basil Pesto Sauce on top of the second third section of the lasagna pasta. Lightly smear a couple tablespoons of the sauté mushrooms on top of the pesto sauce. Sprinkle a little basil on top. Fold the last third of the lasagna noodle over the mushrooms.
5. Spoon more Basil Pesto on top of the lasagna. Garnish with basil leaves, fresh black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
6. Repeat to serve more people or for seconds. Enjoy!

…

Roast Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 1 Acorn Squash; slice in half horizontally, discard seeds (or toast as a snack), sliced a half inch wide thick
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• A dash of crushed red pepper
• Olive oil
• A drizzle of red balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove; minced

Directions

1. Preheat an oven at 400°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up.
3. Toss all ingredients together. Place on baking sheet.
4. Roast squash for at least one hour, or until it is soft.
5. Remove from the oven. Let cool before handling. Either use your hands or a paring knife to remove and discard the skin. Roughly chop roast acorn flesh.
6. Place aside for the lasagna.

…

Sauté Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 3 to 5 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small red onion; thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove; minced
• 1 lb. white button or baby bella mushrooms; cleaned and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Salt and fresh black pepper; to taste
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup white wine
• A dash of red balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Over a medium-high temperature, heat olive oil in a large skillet.
2. When the oil is hot, add the red onions. Sauté until the onions are almost translucent.
3. Add the garlic, salt and fresh black pepper, and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Add the mushrooms, wine and a dash of red balsamic vinegar.
5. When the mushrooms are soft, remove from the pan.
6. Set aside for the lasagna.

…

Basil Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Basil Pesto
• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Whisk all ingredients together until fully incorporated.
2. Set aside for the lasagna.

About Sanura Weathers of MyLifeRunsOnFood.com

Since 2009, Sanura Weathers manages and creates sweet, savory, buttery, green and healthy food-related stories and recipes. With 15 years of combined experience in graphic design, social media, and project management, Sanura has a background of working with marketing, publishing, educational, non-profit, financial, and public relation organizations. Writing and managing MyLifeRunsOnFood.com is a project of passion inspiring people to prepare healthy, well-balanced meals using seasonal and fresh ingredients on a busy schedule. Read more about Sanura at MyLifeRunsOnFood.com/aboutme.

…

Anjali’s “Old World” Traditional Lasagna

One of my husband’s favorite meals is vegetarian lasagna, but we rarely ever ate it for two reasons:

1) It’s usually hard to find at most restaurants. Lasagna will often have a Bolognese sauce–which has meat in it!

2) Any veggie-friendly lasagna is often made with white pasta (no fiber), with egregious amounts of cheese (too much fat and calories), and barely any veggies (that’s just no fun).

So one day, soon after we had gotten married and before I had really learned how to cook, I decided to experiment and create a vegetarian lasagna that was both healthy and flavorful.

To try to recreate the lasagnas we’ve craved in the past, I decided to stick to more of the “traditional” route: using a tomato based sauce and traditional Italian cheeses, and baking it in the oven. I made healthy modifications without losing any of the flavor–e.g. using whole wheat lasagna noodles instead of white and adding more veggies to increase the nutritional value. I was really nervous as I served this meal, as I hadn’t really cooked before and I had no experience creating recipes from scratch. The good news is–it was a HUGE hit. And, I was able to stay true to my healthy mission–a double bonus! This meal has quickly become a favorite at dinner parties and potlucks, and is a great one-dish crowd-pleaser. After I created this dish, I started looking for alternative vegetarian lasagna dishes, and I came across My Life Runs On Food‘s approach to a creative and non-traditional lasagna. I love her take on modernizing and modifying the “old-world” lasagna, and I look forward to trying her dish!

The Recipe: The Healthy “Old-World” Traditional Lasagna

Ingredients

• Whole wheat lasagna noodles (uncooked)
• 4 fresh, organic zucchini
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 bag of organic baby spinach
• 1 red onion, chopped
• Garlic; minced
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• 1-28oz. can of crushed tomatoes (with Italian spices added–like basil, oregano, etc. if you can find that)
• 1 jar ready-made spaghetti sauce (I like the tomato basil marinara from Trader Joe’s!)
• Olive oil & cooking spray
• Fat-free ricotta cheese
• Low-fat shredded mozzarella
• Shredded Parmesan or 4 cheese blend (I used this shredded 4 cheese blend from Trader Joe’s that has Parmesan, Asiagio, Mozzarella and Fontina)

Directions – Noodles

1. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions (leave them al dente)–salt the water, if you like.
2. Once they’re done, lay them flat on foil and set aside.

Directions – Vegetables

1. Quarter all 4 zucchini and thinly slice.
2. Thinly slice one of the red bell peppers (I cut the slices in half so they’re not so long).
3. Mince 3 cloves of garlic.
4. Heat about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a pan over medium heat (I might have used a little less–maybe 2-3 tsp), saute the garlic, zucchini, red pepper together.
5. Add the whole bag of baby spinach at the end (when the zucchini/red pepper are almost done cooking).
6. Sprinkle oregano and dried basil to taste on top, stir, and let it cook a couple more min.
7. When the spinach is cooked, turn the heat down to low.

Directions – Sauce

1. Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.
2. Dice half a red onion (If it’s a small onion, dice the whole thing).
3. Dice the other red bell pepper.
4. Heat 2-3 tsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
5. Saute the red onion, garlic, and red pepper for a few min (until the onion starts turning a little translucent).
6. Add the crushed tomatoes.
7. Add dried oregano (I’m not sure how much I put–I basically sprinkled it over the top and stirred it in–maybe 2 tsp.).
8. Once the sauce is heated through, turn the heat down on low.

Directions – Cheese

1. Combine 1.5 cups of the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1 cup of the Parmesan (or 4 cheese mixture if you can find that at Trader Joe’s) in a bowl.

Assembly

1. I used a casserole dish to assemble the lasagna in–and sprayed the bottom of the dish with cooking spray.
2. Put a layer of sauce at the bottom of the dish (I did about half of the pre-made spaghetti sauce and half of the sauce I made myself–I did this for every layer except the top).
3. Put a layer of the lasagna noodles.
4. Put another layer of the sauce (1/2 pre-made, 1/2 self made).
5. Put a layer of the veggies.
6. Take the cheese mixture, and put little crumbles of the cheese mixture all over the veggie layer (don’t try to spread it out, the little crumbles seemed to work well).
7. Put another layer of the lasagna noodles.
8. Layer of sauce (if you have enough use the self made, otherwise add in the pre-made as needed).
9. Layer of veggies.
10. Cheese mixture crumbles.
11. Layer of lasagna noodles.
12. Layer of sauce (only self made).
13. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese all over the top.
14. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.
15. Uncover and bake for 5 min. longer until the cheese has melted.

“The Picky Eater” sends a special thank you to Sanura Weathers of MyLifeRunsOnFood.com, for collaborating on this special feature post. Visit her food blog for additional flavorful recipes for healthy eating. Follow her on Twitter here, and check out her Facebook fan page here!