Cleanse Meal #1: Apple Snack

My husband and I are testing our will power and doing a 14 day colon cleanse. I know what you are thinking, stock up on the toilet paper and head for the bathroom. I am writing this on day #3 and so far so good. No fighting for the throne up to this point at least. Unlike other cleanses where you cannot eat any food (which I am against), this cleanse focuses on very healthy eating and some supplements and shakes to clean you out. As far as the diet goes, this meals no caffeine (no coffee!, sugar, baked goods, dairy, alcohol, red meats). Basically it is a ton of fruits, veggies, brown rice and legumes. Certainly puts my cooking skills to the test. Given that Dusty and I are constant snackers, this area can be challenging, given we don't feel like munching on a bunch of black beans at 10:00 at night. Here is a simple delicious snack I came up with last night. We will defiantly make this part of our regular diets.

Apple Snack
2 apples (I used Macintosh, tart green ones would be really good too)
All Natural peanut butter
Honey

Very easy. Core and cut apples into sections, put on plate. Put in a hunk of peanut butter in a bowl, a good squeeze of honey in another. Dip apple slices into both bowls. Enjoy!

Gimme some more

I love granola. Absolutely love it. I used to buy it from the bulk bins at Whole Foods, but apparently they don't have those in NYC. Boo. So this weekend I made my own and it is equally delicious. You can add or subtract ingredients as desired. I used the base of the recipe from Cooking Light and then just add stuff I had from my pantry (dried coconut, whole almonds, walnuts, chopped dates). I love to eat this with milk for breakfast or for lunch with Stoneyfields vanilla yogurt.

Maple Almond Granola
Cooking Light

4 cups regular oats (I used Bob's Red Mill GF oats)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water (I used apple juice instead of water)
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
Cooking spray
1 cup minced dried apricots (I swapped these for craisins)
1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Combine water, honey, syrup, sugar, and oil in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Pour over oat mixture; toss to coat.

4. Spread oat mixture on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.

5. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until golden, stirring every 10 minutes. Place in a large bowl; stir in apricots and raisins. Cool completely.

Note: Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Mini Snack

Need a little pick-me-up? Something to tide you over until the next meal? These are delicious, easy to make, and healthy. Great to throw in a tuperware and throw it in your bag and head out the door.

Chickpea Nibble
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, pat-dry
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pinch ground pepper
1/2 tsp favorite dried herb or spice (I like garam masala, also try thyme or oregano)

Put chickpeas in bowl. Toss with oil, add spices/herbs, salt, pepper. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Cook at 300 degrees, stirring occasionally until they have browned and crisped. (Recipe says about 50 minutes, some times it needs longer). Store in air tight container.

Sweet Goodness

One of my favorite restaurants is Blue Smoke, a BBQ joint in the city. They serve delicious sweet potato fries with this amazing maple dip. I decided to try to make some at home.

Sweet Potato Fries with Maple Dip (Blue Smoke style)
serves 2-4

2 large sweet potatoes, washed and dried, with skin still on, cut into wedges
olive oil
salt and pepper

For Fries:
1. Preheat oven to about 400.
2. Place prepared sweet potatoes on oiled baking tray. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over top, toss with your hands.
3. Bake fries about 15-20 minutes. I suggest flipping them half way through so they get brown and caramelized on both sides.

Meanwhile, make dip:

1/3 cup sour cream (you can use plain yogurt for lower fat version)
1 tbsp (or more if you liked) of real maple syrup (don't bother trying this with the fake stuff!)
few shakes cinnamon
3 tsp powdered sugar

1. Mix above ingredients in a bowl. Season more to taste. Serve with warm fries. Enjoy!

Don't get crabby

Crab Dip

This is a modified version of crab dip my mom has adapted from a restaurant in Houston. It is delicious and can be served as an appetizer or for an entree with a light salad.

Mix in a medium bowl:

4 oz sour cream

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayo

add enough cream to soften

Add to bowl:

1 minced garlic clove

1 small chopped onion

3/4 cup of grated cheeses (combo of monterey jack, American, and parmesan)

1/4 package frozen drained spinach (previously thawed)

2 artichoke hearts (can use frozen-thawed or canned), chopped

1/2 lbs fresh lump crab

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Once combined, add to oven-proof serving dish. Top with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese. Bake 400 degrees in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Serve with warm pita chips.

Yum Yum Hum...mus

In an attempt to do some healthy snacking...my husband and I have become fans of la sabre's tahini-hummus mix with pita. I was excited when my recent issue of Cooks Illustrated tested hummus recipes to give the best one for hummus they could find. I was pleased.

Restaurant style Hummus
(Cooks Illustrated, May/June 2008)

3 tbsp lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
1/4 cup water
6 tbsp tahini, stirred well
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 (14 ounce) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne
garnish of minced cilantro or parlsey

1. Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and oil in another bowl.
2. In food processor, combine chick peas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne until almost fully ground about 15 seconds. Scrape down sides. Run machine and add lemon juice/water mix in steady stream through tube feed. Scrape down bowl. (about 1 minute) Again run machine and add tahini-oil mix through tube feed. Process until hummus is creamy and smooth, about 15 seconds.
3. Transfer hummus to serving bowl and sprinkle with garnish.
4. Serve with warm pita. Enjoy!

Spring has sprung!

I love to try to eat seasonally. Fresh food always taste the best and doesn't need a lot of embellishments to be delicious. I make these sammies when we are hanging around the house on a lazy spring Sunday.

Radish and Cucumber Sandwiches

4 radishes, cleaned
1 hothouse cucumber
Thin white bread
Course Salt
1/2 cup cream cheese
Butter
Few sprigs of fresh dill

For Cucumber sandwiches:
1. Peel cucumber and slice into thin rounds.
2. Spread thin layer of cream cheese on 2 pieces of bread.
3. Top bread with cucumber slices in a single layer. Top with fresh (or dried) dill and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

For Radish Sandwiches:
1. Slice radishes into thin slices (rounds).
2. Spread bread with thin layer of butter.
3. Top bread with radish slices in single layer. Top with course salt and pepper.

Mid Morning Munchie

At about 11:00 am everyday at work, I get a pang of hunger. With lunch over an hour to go, I need something with a little protein to keep me going through the day. These are the perfect solution--the quinoa bulks up the muffins without making them too dense. I throw in 1 tbsp orange zest, some dried cranberries in addition to the raisins and even a few chocolate chips. You can also add cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts or other fun treats that give the muffins a little excitement.

Quinoa Muffins
From Everyday Food

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa
and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until
water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust
with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together
flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa;
reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add
milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide
batter among prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes
out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer
to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up
to 5 days. Makes 12 muffins.