Sprouted lentils to add to everything

Lately I have been sprouting my own lentils, a trick I learned from one of my favorite blogs. It's a really easy way to add a little protein, crunch, and flavor to a salad or sandwich. It only takes about five minutes to set up, and has the added bonus of looking pretty in a mason jar on your counter! Here's how to do it:

Find a large jar (a quart Mason jar will work) and fill it with 1/3 cup lentils and 2 cups water. Make sure to use a large enough jar because the lentils will expand like crazy. Instead of the round lid, cover it with a piece of cheesecloth or fabric, so the lentils can breathe a little.

Let soak for 24 hours. Strain off the water, lay the jar on its side (so the lentils can spread out), and wait another 12 hours. At this point the lentils will start to sprout and you can eat them! They'll continue to grow, though, so if you want to wait to eat them, be sure to rinse them off every 12 hours or so. Pretty soon they'll fill up the whole jar!

You can basically add sprouted lentils to any dish where you'd like some extra crunch, like wraps, salads, sandwiches, or stir fries. Here are some recipes that I want to try!

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Continuing on my avocado kick, I finally decided to try one of the many avocado-infused recipes I've pinned on Pinterest. This one adapted from Flourishing Foodie turned out to be delicious. I added garbanzo beans for a little protein, and used one of those hand blenders to mash up the avocados and garlic. The sauce is deliciously creamy but also good for you...Enjoy!

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

• 6 large tomatoes, sliced into quarters
• 4 T olive oil
• 16 oz pasta, any type [I used spirals]
• 3 ripe avocados
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 t salt
• 2 T lemon juice
• black pepper to taste
• 1 can garbanzo beans

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place sliced tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 50 minutes. Cook the pasta until al dente, strain, and pour into a large bowl.

Use a hand blender or food processor to combine the avocados, garlic cloves, salt, and lemon juice. Stir the sauce into the pasta, then add the tomatoes, beans, and pepper to taste. That's it!

Recipe of the Week: Tortellini with Lemon & Brussels Sprouts

This recipe was fast and easy and gave me leftovers for several days. I suppose you could make your own tortellini, but it's so much easier to just buy it premade! This recipe is adapted from Everyday Food magazine, a little tiny magazine that costs only $10 to subscribe to. I recommend it.

Tortellini with Lemon & Brussels Sprouts

• 1 pound brussels sprouts, with ends cut off, quartered
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound cheese tortellini [I bought the packaged kind from Trader Joes, but you could also buy frozen]
• zest and juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix brussels sprouts in large bowl with 3 teaspoons olive oil and salt. Spread on a cookie sheet or pan and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes, until they're slightly browned and crispy on the outside. 

While those are roasting, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil on stovetop and saute onion until translucent, about 8 minutes. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Toss tortellini with onion and brussels sprouts, then add lemon zest and juice. Top with Parmesan cheese!

Inspiration for the weekend: Quiche, mental health, and amazing Olympians

one of the images posted on I.A.M.

I'm staying with my family this weekend, and my mom is making a quiche for dinner. I haven't had a quiche since I lived with one of my college roommates, who would make a version of this delicious potato-crust quiche!

This badass college student fought his insurance company, via Twitter, to pay for his cancer treatments, and he won.

I came across this project called Internal Acceptance Movement (I.A.M.), put together by a 20-year-old who struggled (and still struggles) with an eating disorder. She posts inspirational quotes, images, and stories for people who are struggling with their body image, depression, or other mental unhappiness.

The U.S. Women's Gymnastic Team member McKayla Maroney causes a judge's jaw to drop. You go girl.

Inspiration for the weekend

Why food waste matters, and how to prevent it in your kitchen.

Zucchini fritters recipe. Add some feta and they're so delicious!

Apparently, other countries are catching up to the U.S. when it comes to obesity and sedentary lifestyles. This tool call "Where are you on the global fat scale?" compares your BMI to people across the world. Pretty interesting.

It's finally tomato season! Here's a summer side salad recipe that I found in a random cookbook I was looking through at the store:

• 1 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 2 T fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
• 1 t salt (or more if desired)
• pinch black pepper

Stir and enjoy! 

Recipe of the week: Lemon Grain Salad with Asparagus, Almonds & Goat Cheese

So there is a slight theme to all of my meals lately. Take one type of grain, add multiple types of vegetables, olive oil, lemon juice, and cheese. Stir, and enjoy. I just don't feel like cooking complicated meals when it's been this hot. So here is another good one I found while browsing recipes in one of those stands at the co-op near my house. While the asparagus is out of season now, you could replace it with something else (sauteed zucchini maybe?).

Lemon Grain Salad with Asparagus, Almonds & Goat Cheese

• 16 oz. grain (the original recipe called for farro, but I didn't know what farro was, so I used pearl couscous - you could also use orzo or another small pasta or grain)
• 1 lb asparagus, ends snapped off and sliced into 2 in. pieces
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 cup almonds, sliced and toasted
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 lemons, juiced and zested (aka grated)
• 1 T neutral oil (like grapeseed, walnut, or Canola)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the grain according to directions. Drain well, place in a large bowl, and set aside.

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the asparagus in a single layer, and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and add to the bowl of grains.

Add the almonds, goat cheese, and lemon zest to the grain and asparagus. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice with the rest of the olive oil and the neutral oil. Add salt and pepper to taste (I was generous with them both). Pour over the grain salad and toss.

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Photo source

Breakfast solution: overnight oatmeal

I eat oatmeal every morning. It's become a habit for me, because it's cheap, easy to make, and healthy. I don't have to think about breakfast in the morning, and it keeps me full until lunch. Making it from scratch every morning takes a bit of time (about fifteen minutes, after boiling the water and waiting for the oats to be done, plus mixing together toppings). What's worse, though, is that it's so HOT. With the weather the way it is this summer, I hate making boiling hot oatmeal and sweating (in my non air-conditioned house) while eating it on a hot day. Well, I finally found a solution! I am so pumped about this one. As I told my friend who showed me how to do it, I think it'll change my life. Or at least my morning breakfast routine.

Overnight Oatmeal

The night before, put 1/3 cup yogurt, 1/3 cup water, and 1/3 oats in a jar. Mix together, and let it sit overnight. In the morning, pull out the jar and voila! Your oatmeal is made. The oats will absorb the liquid overnight, becoming soft and ready to eat. Then add any toppings combinations you'd like - fresh fruit, flax seed, nuts, raisins. It's so good, and so easy. No cooking necessary, and if you use a mason jar, you can screw the top on and throw it in your bag to eat at work. Hooray!

This idea came from the blog Kath Eats Real Food. The author is apparently even more obsessed with oatmeal than I am. She has endless toppings ideas, and also notes that you can use any type of liquid in the overnight oats recipe - water, milk, yogurt, whatever. Here are a few of her overnight oats ideas: Tribute to Oatmeal.

Image credit

Recipe of the week: Israeli couscous and chickpea salad

Now that it's getting hot, I'm pretty much eating only simple, grain-vegetable-and-bean recipes. Here's one I'm obsessed with lately, from the NYTimes Well blog. I make a double batch of it and then eat it for lunch for the rest of the week!

Israeli Couscous and Chickpea Salad

• 1 cup Israeli couscous (also called pearl couscous)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 T chives, chopped
• 3 oz. feta, crumbled
• 2 T pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 t ground cumin
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 t chili powder

Heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium-heat. Pour in the couscous and stir until the couscous begins to brown and smell toasty, usually four to five minutes. Add two cups of water and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until couscous is soft but not mushy.

Put the couscous in a big bowl and add the cilantro, chives, feta, pine nuts, chickpeas, and red pepper. Stir. Mix together lemon juice, cumin, a little salt, yogurt, and chili powder. Pour the sauce on top of the couscous mixture. Enjoy!

Image source

From Scratch: Homemade pizza

Until a few years ago, I didn't make any food from scratch. The most complex meal I made was adding cooked broccoli to macaroni and cheese made from a box. But eventually, I learned skills for making meals from scratch, gradually adding more and more whole foods into my diet, and eliminating most processed foods. Processed foods are pretty ubiquitous though, and it takes a lot of time and effort to eliminate them. (I don't think I'll ever have time to eliminate them completely...but it's a noble goal.) I've decided to start a little series on the blog called From Scratch. Each month I'll choose a food that I often buy premade, and attempt to make it from scratch!

This first recipe comes from a close friend of mine, who recently taught me to make pizza from scratch. It takes more time than frozen pizza, but the result is so much more delicious. Below is a recipe for homemade pizza crust and sauce. I also included some good topping combinations to put on top of your from-scratch pizza!

From Scratch Pizza Crust

Note: The key to perfect homemade pizza is a really hot oven (500+ degrees) and a nice big pizza stone. This recipe also calls for a pizza peel, which is the large wooden flat thing that chefs in fancy kitchens use to slide the pizza in the oven. Having one of these makes it easier, but it's not essential to make pizza crust. This dough recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes, but you can really use any dough recipe you like.

•  1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour if necessary)
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 t salt
• 1 t sugar

Put warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for five minutes while it dissolves. If yeast isn't dissolved after five minutes, give it a stir. Add flour, olive oil, salt, and sugar. Stir to mix, then knead until it turns into a dough ball. Coat a large bowl lightly with olive oil. Place dough ball in bowl, and roll it around so it gets coated with olive oil. Put plastic wrap over bowl, and let rise in fridge overnight. This helps improve the flavor. If you don't have enough time, let it sit for at least 90 minutes.

When you are ready to make the pizza, take the dough out about fifteen minutes before and let sit on the counter at room temperature. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Shape dough into a ball, coat lightly with flour, and let rise on floured counter. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a flat, thin circle. (The thickness of the crust is up to you. Make it as thick or thin as you like!) If it doesn't stretch well, let it sit for a while longer.

Sprinkle a generous amount of cornmeal on the pizza peel. Then fold the pizza dough and place on the peel. Add the toppings on the pizza, and slide the entire pizza off the peel onto a pizza stone. Cook until the crust looks browned and the cheese is sufficiently melted, somewhere around ten minutes.

Dustin's From Scratch Pizza Sauce

•  1 12 oz. jar whole tomatoes, drained
• 2 large cloves garlic, diced
• 2 generous tablespoons tomato paste
• a few pinches of salt, pepper, and oregano (or more to taste)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
• Lots of black pepper
• Tiny pinch of brown sugar

Add one tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat. Saute garlic until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook until soft. Add tomato paste and taste to make sure it tastes thick and tomato-y. If not, add more tomato paste. Then sprinkle on salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and pepper. Add a tiny pinch of brown sugar and stir. Let sit until ready to spread on pizza.

Good pizza topping combinations

• Portobello mushrooms, spinach, goat cheese (with pizza sauce as a base)
• Roasted eggplant, spinach, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomatoes, caramelized onions, shredded mozzarella (with pesto as a base)
• Tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella (with olive oil as a base)
• Onions, mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, shredded mozzarella (with pizza sauce as a base)
• Artichoke hearts, garlic, spinach, red onion, black or kalamata olives, feta (with olive oil as a base)

Eating healthy takes organization

I came to a realization the other day, while talking to a friend about eating good food cooked from scratch, and the realization was this: eating healthy takes a lot of organization. It really does. It takes a lot of effort, planning, and time. There are a million reasons why it's hard for people to eat healthy, but I think this is a big one. Thus, I have thought more about how I organize the way I eat. I'm certainly not a perfect eater, but these are some of the steps I try to take each week in order to make sure my diet stays healthy:

1. Make a grocery list. 

This one is huge. I used to go to the grocery store and just sort of buy whatever was on sale or looked appetizing at the time. Then when I got home, I would have no idea how to combine the ingredients to something tasty, so I would end up eating frozen pizza or the same three dishes every week (macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and chicken pot pies). Looking up recipes ahead of time, and writing down all the ingredients I'll need, really changed all that, because now I have everything required to make better meals. Also, I keep my list on the fridge and add things to it whenever stock things start to run low (aka when we only have one jar of oats left, I write it on the list right away).

2. Store recipes somewhere so it's easy to pick out good ones.
I like to find recipes online and store them on my Pinterest. I also print the best ones out and put them in a binder that I can flip through when I'm making a list. Other people put sticky notes in their cookbooks on the pages with good recipes. Then look through these recipes when deciding what you'll want to eat that week. I usually pick out four recipes at the beginning of the week, and write the ingredients on the list.

3. Only buy what's on the list.
The other benefit of a list is that you can save money if you only buy what's on the list. That way, you'll only buy the food you need, and none of it will go bad in the fridge when it doesn't get used. Food waste is a huge money waste. A friend of mine sent me this article on how to prevent food waste. It talks about how to "tie your meals together" in order to prevent food waste. (For example, if the store only sells ground beef in one-pound packages, find two recipes that use a half-pound of ground beef.)

4. Make time for cooking. If you aren't going to have time, make sure you have leftovers or a premade meal ready.
I love cooking from scratch, but it does take a lot of time. I usually budget an hour to make the food and some more time to eat it and clean up, as well. Sometimes the recipes aren't that complex, but I still make sure I can set aside an hour to make the food. There are some nights, though (usually Tuesday nights for me) that I can't cook because I have too much else going on. Those are nights when I try to find a reasonably healthy "instant" meal to eat. Here are some awesome ideas for ten-minute meals. I also eat pasta with pesto and cherry tomatoes at least twice a month.

5. Throw away (or compost) food that is old.
Then your fridge or cabinet won't overwhelm you. You'll be able to see what you have, and what you need to buy at the store.

I'm sure there are many more ideas that help make eating healthy easier. If you have any ideas, leave them in the comments!

Recipe of the week: Red lentil dal

This isn't a low-fat meal, but it's delicious, pretty healthy, and cheap to make. I like to eat it with naan or over rice. Basmati rice is perfect and cooks in only 15 minutes! If you keep your cabinet stocked with these ingredients, this is a good meal to make when you've run out of ideas or don't have a lot of time.

Red Lentil Dal

• 2 T butter
• 1 T black mustard seeds
• 3 T ginger, chopped very finely
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
•  2 cups red lentils
• 1 can coconut milk
• water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• hot chiles, diced (optional)

Melt butter in pan and add black mustard seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop, add chopped ginger and garlic. Saute until fragrant (only a few minutes). Add lentils, stir and cook until translucent (usually about two minutes). Add coconut milk, then add two or three cans of water (fill up the empty can of coconut milk with water). Add the salt and turmeric. Cook until soft. It usually takes around 20 minutes but could be longer. Stir and taste the lentils periodically to see if they are soft. If the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add small amounts of water. Top with cilantro and chiles (optional), and enjoy!

Image credit: Cheryl's Nourishing Spoonfuls

Using Pinterest to store recipes

So, I am on again/off again about Pinterest. Sometimes I think it is an awesome way to store links that I want to visit again. Other times, I think it is a time-sucking distraction that makes me feel way too overwhelmed to cook or craft anything. But where I find it most useful is in storing recipes. I have two Pinterest boards, one called "recipes (to try)" and one called "recipes (delicious)." Whenever I see a recipe online, I don't have to worry about whether or not I want to add it to the long list of recipes in my bookmarks folder, or print it out. I just pin it on my "recipes (to try)" board in Pinterest. If I end up liking the recipe, I can move it over to the "recipes (delicious)" board.

 

Then, when I'm making my grocery list, I can go back to either of these boards and be inspired to cook these meals. It's so much less overwhelming than trying to search All Recipes for something I might like...The best part is that the board shows pictures of the meals, making me much more likely to choose one of them.

Another idea I've been meaning to try is to make a board called "recipes (for the week)," and use that board to store the recipes that I've chosen just for that week. When I get home from work, I wouldn't have to remember which meals I've bought ingredients for. I could even plan ahead, and choose a bunch of meals for the entire month! But that sounds a little too organized, even for me...

Homemade granola

This granola recipe is quick to make, and so delicious. It's a filling and healthy snack as well. The recipe comes from a family of very inspirational friends that we lived near when we lived in the Hudson Valley. They lead a creative, healthy and sustainable lifestyle that I am slowly working towards each day. So thanks Emma, Eric, Mathilde and Alice for your inspiration, and for the granola recipe! Here it is:

Emma's Granola

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ (can be raw)
• 2 T dark brown sugar
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 cup extra ingredients, such as pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, etc
• 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 T flavorless oil, such as Canola
• 1 T water
• A few pinches of flavoring, such as cinnamon, vanilla, and any other spice or flavoring that you like

Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Bring maple syrup, oil, and water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add flavoring. Pour maple syrup mixture over the oat mixture and coat all oats with liquids.

Place in a large pan. Ideally the granola is in a layer less than 1 inch thick. Bake for 30 minutes at 275F, then add raisins or other dried fruit on top. Bake for 15 more minutes. If you like clumpy granola, don't stir it while it bakes.

Let cool and keep in an airtight container, up to two weeks. As Emma said, it never lasts that long in our house! It's very easy to make a double or triple batch.

Image via Free People

Recipe of the week: Vegetable pad thai

We just got a subscription to Everyday Food, the tiny little magazine full of recipes that we always looked through while waiting to check out groceries. We've only gotten one issue so far, but it's packed with recipes and all of them look good. Here's one we tried that I really loved.

Vegetable Pad Thai

• 8 oz. dried, wide, and flat rice noodles
• 2 T dark-brown sugar
  
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 3 T soy sauce
• 2 t vegetable oil
• 3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 large eggs (optional), lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 chopped roasted, salted peanuts

Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, and soy sauce.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, for 30 seconds. Add eggs (if using) and cook, scraping skillet with a rubber spatula, until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to a plate. Add noodles and soy sauce mixture to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about one minute. Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking up eggs gently.

Serve noodles topped with scallion greens, cilantro, and peanuts.

Recipe source: Martha Stewart
Image source

Recipe of the week: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

In our attempt to add more protein to our diet, I always look for recipes that incorporate beans, since they're an easy way to add more protein without using meat. Here is an awesome recipe that I am currently obsessed with. If you bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time, it only takes fifteen minutes to get these ready. Perfect for the days when I get home from work starving.

Also, the recipe website I got this from, fresh365, is pretty awesome. But they adapted it from the Vegan Planet book, which I've been meaning to look at. Anyway, here is the recipe...

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in. cubes 
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small jalapenos, finely chopped
• 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 c crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• 8 whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 c salsa 

Preheat oven to 400F. On a baking sheet, arrange sweet potato cubes in one layer, and bake for 20 minutes until tender. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, and add garlic and jalapenos. Saute 2-3 minutes, until garlic begins to brown. Add tomatoes, beans, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, just to heat it up. Turn off heat, stir in onion, feta, and cooked sweet potato.

Arrange half of tortillas on baking sheet. Bake for two minutes in oven. Remove from oven, top with sweet potato mixture, and add another tortilla on top. Cook in oven for six minutes, until tortillas are desired shade of brown and crispiness. Top with salsa. Eat and enjoy!

Photo credit

Recipe of the week: Pasta with Swiss Chard, Goat Cheese, and Red Peppers

This recipe is delicious and a good way to use Swiss chard which is still somewhat in season. It calls for orecchiette pasta, but sometimes it's hard to find, so I just use medium shell pasta. Additionally, it asks you to blanch the Swiss chard (put it in boiling water, then dip it in ice water, then chop it) but you could just saute it instead. Whatever you have time for.

Orecchiette Pasta with Swiss Chard, Goat Cheese, and Red Peppers

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound Swiss chard (1 bunch), stemmed and washed in two changes of water
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers, cut in small dice
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
• 3/4 pound orecchiette
• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup) 

Directions
1. Begin heating a large pot of water while you stem and wash the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard. Blanch the chard leaves for one to two minutes until tender. Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer the chard to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine. Keep the pot of water at a simmer.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the bell peppers and the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until tender, five to eight minutes. Add the garlic and salt to taste, and stir for half a minute. Then stir in the chopped chard and the marjoram. Stir together for a few seconds, then turn the heat to very low.

3. Bring the water in the pasta pot back to a boil, and add the orecchiette. Cook al dente, following the timing instructions on the package. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the chard and peppers. Stir in the goat cheese. Drain the pasta, transfer to the pan and toss with the chard, pepper and goat cheese mixture. Serve hot.

Recipe and photo credit: NYTimes

Recipe of the week: Easy (and filling) vegetarian chili

Now that it's getting cold, hot soups and stews are comforting and delicious. Here's a recipe for easy vegetarian chili that's filling and good for you. You can use the vegetables suggested, or add anything else that is in your fridge, like carrots, corn or celery. Cornbread on the side makes a perfect fall meal.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 28-ounce cans Italian stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin

Directions
1. In a large pot, saute zucchini, onion, peppers and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Recipe credit: Food.com
Photo credit: Bhakti in NYC

How to can tomatoes (it's easier than you think)

So, I used to be afraid of canning because I thought it was way too complicated and required expensive materials. But after our generous neighbors gave us a water bath canner (see one here - it only costs about $20, and it's really just a giant pot), we finally gave it a try. It turned out to be pretty easy, and a lot of fun! It made me feel like an accomplished adult, as if canning was some right of passage to adulthood. But besides that, canning is a great way to preserve food in order to have fresh, flavorful vegetables all year long.

An easy place to start is by canning whole tomatoes. They don't require a lot of preparation, and you can use whole tomatoes in all sorts of recipes. We love to use them for making pizza sauce; just dump the tomatoes, juice and all, into the pan and mash them up to make flavorful sauce.

Here's our method for canning whole tomatoes. We learned by using this website and this book, two great resources for canning all kinds of things.

Step 1: Buy a ton of tomatoes, or use the ones you've grown.

If you're lucky enough to have a garden, this is a great way to use up tomatoes that are becoming too ripe. If you don't have a garden, go to the farmers market in late September. Farmers often sell bulk tomatoes for really cheap, because they're trying to get rid of them. It doesn't really matter how many tomatoes you get. It just depends on how many you want canned. We bought 20 pounds of tomatoes, and it made about 15 pint-size jars of tomatoes.

bulk tomatoes bought at the farmers market

Step 2: Sanitize your jars.

You can just put your jars in the dishwasher on the "sanitize" cycle. If you don't have a dishwasher, put the jars in boiling water. Don't put the lids in the dishwasher. Instead, dip those in boiling water before you are ready to use them. Meanwhile, fill your water bath canner halfway with water, and start bringing it to a boil. 

Step 3: Peel the tomatoes.

The quickest way to do this is to blanch the tomatoes. Get a big pot of water boiling, and drop the tomatoes a few at a time into the boiling water. Once the skins start to break, take the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of ice water. This will stop them from cooking further. Use your hands to slide the skin off the tomato.

the tomatoes after blanching and peeling them

Step 4: Cut the cores out of the tomatoes.

You can actually do this step before peeling the tomatoes, or afterwards. Whatever you think will be easiest. Cut out the cores (which is just the top part, near where the stem was attached) and any bruises or bad spots. You'll probably end up with some squished tomatoes, but we use those anyway.

Step 5: Put the tomatoes in the jars.

We use a slotted spoon that we have dipped in boiling water to put the tomatoes in. You can also use a funnel (which should be sanitized ahead of time). After you fill the jars, take a spoon handle and slide it around the inside edge of the jar. This will get rid of any air bubbles.

Step 6: Add lemon juice and water (if needed).

Add two tablespoons of lemon juice to all the jars. If there is still too much room at the top, add some boiling water. There should only be a half inch of space between the liquid and the top of the jar (this is called "head space").  Put the lids on the jars.

Step 7: Put the jars in the boiling water, and boil for 35 minutes.

Your water bath canner probably came with a rack that you can put the jars on so they don't touch the bottom of the pot. (This can cause the jars to break.) We use one of these fancy jar holders to slide the jars into the boiling water. (And by "fancy," I mean they cost $5 at the hardware store.)

the filled jars in the water bath canner

That's it! Take the jars out, and wait for them to cool. After a few hours, check to make sure the lids have sealed. You'll know because the lid won't pop back up after you push down on it. And voila, you've canned tomatoes!

Eating unhealthy not necessarily cheaper

There's a myth going around that eating healthy is expensive. People use it as an explanation for why obesity is such a huge problem in this country. This idea, wherever it came from, is a pretty dangerous one. I've worked with both children and parents who think eating healthy is not worth it because it's beyond their financial means. As a result, they don't make the effort to pick out meals that are good for them.

While I agree that organic produce is pricey and your average person can't afford to shop at Whole Foods, that narrow subset of food choices is not the only type of food that fits the definition of "healthy." Healthy foods are simple, unprocessed foods, can be found at any supermarket, and provide a multitude of nutrients that keep you full longer. And, as Mark Bittman explains using the graphic below, healthy foods are often cheaper. By a lot.

Once you realize that choosing healthy foods won't wreak havoc on your budget, the next step is to learn to cook them.

Recipe of the week: Cherry Tomato Orzo Salad

One of my favorite things about summer is making easy, fresh pasta salads. This week's recipe is another delicious one I found on Simply Recipes. The ingredients are easy to find, and prep only takes about twenty minutes. I always double recipes like these so we can eat them for lunch all week long. Enjoy!

Cherry Tomato Orzo Salad 
Ingredients

• 8 ounces orzo pasta
• pinch of salt
• 2 pints tomatoes, chopped
• note: you can chop up any type of tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes are sweet and easy to slice in half so I like to use those
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 2-6 green onions, sliced
• 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced
• juice of a lemon
• black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the orzo and stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Boil uncovered until pasta is firm but cooked all the way through. Strain using a fine mesh sieve so the pasta doesn't go through the holes.
2. Toss the pasta with the olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
3. If desired, add a little balsamic vinegar and cayenne pepper to give it more flavor. For more protein, add chickpeas or another bean.
4. Eat hot or refrigerate for later!

Image credit: Very Culinary