Channel Your Inner Popeye

Happy Meat Free Monday gang! I received an email from a dear friend yesterday who is a vegetarian. She’s had a number of health problems but has maintained her choice to keep her diet meat free. Her latest issue wearing her down is dealing with anemia. She was concerned she’d have to start eating meat again to get enough iron in her diet. This is not necessarily the case..  So today I’m going to talk a bit about ways to get iron back into your body without having to eat a huge steak.

Iron is in a ton of foods.  Organic produce is also has more  iron  than the veggies coming from mass produced commercial farms.  Some of the most iron dense foods include dark leafy greens such as collards & spinach, egg yolks, dried fruit such as prunes & raisins, chickpeas, artichokes, soybeans, lentils, beans and iron enriched cereals (read the labels). For all of you pescetarians out there, most mollusks are an excellent source of iron as well (oysters, scallops, mussels & clams)    Being anemic myself, once of the first tools I learned was when you eat iron rich foods pair them with foods that are rich in vitamin C, this will help your body absorb them better. So pairing your favorite iron rich foods with some citrus or broccoli can really be helpful.  One thing to watch out for when eating iron rich foods: try not to pair them with a lot of dairy products, such as milk & cheese. These products can actually inhibit absorption of iron.

Another myth about anemia is that it is only cause by low iron in the blood, this is not necessarily true. It can also be caused by a deficiency in B12, so it was no surprise to me that one of the biggest side effects of anemia is exhaustion & fatigue. One of the easiest things I do to help combat this is to take a b complex vitamin everyday. IT makes a world of difference in my stress levels and helps my energy level remain steady through the day. 

A lot folks ask me about iron supplements. Yes, iron supplements are available but they have their downside.  There are several different types available. The drops that would be diluted in liquid such as water seem to be the easiest to take. One thing I’ve found is that all iron supplements seem to make my stomach really uncomfortable.  It is much easier, and a lot tastier just to try to get the iron in my diet naturally.

Here are a few iron rich recipes to get you started: 

-the lime juice in this Three bean salad recipe serves as the vitamin C to help your body absorb all the great iron in the beans. Its also a great way to clean out your pantry or freezer. It also makes a nice summer side dish at all those fourth of July bbqs coming up. 

-Fire up the grill and enjoy these awesome & easy to make  artichokes

-This Firecracker Spinach Salad is a hit in our home & I love the orange dressing.

-Don't grimace at the thought of brussel sprouts, they're a great source of iron! check out this slaw recipe that we enjoy at home from one of my past posts  : Brussel Sprout Slaw

I hope you can use these tools to pump a lot more iron into your diet and still have the option to do so in a meat free way.  Coming up soon, by request, some yummy desserts for those folks dealing with lactose intolerance.  Hope you all have a great week. Be Good to yourselves!

Black Bean Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

There are three types of foods that I crave once the warm summer weather hits, lots of fruit, tropical inspired dishes and Mexican inspired dishes. i live in Arizona for  few years when I went to culinary school out there. My favorite meals were ones made at home and taught to me by my Mexican roommate.  He taught me a lot about his heritage and the best ingredients to make some truly amazing food.(His tamales will always be my absolute favorite!)

I was thinking about him when I was working on today's meat free Monday recipe. It is by no means truly authentic, but it does use a lot of the flavors I enjoy most when cooking with him. This recipe is great not just for vegetarians but also for people watching their waistlines. Its a low calorie meal with a ton of fiber. I hope you enjoy it!

You'll need:

• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 cups coleslaw mix
• 1 jalepeno, seeded & chopped superfine
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 white or yellow corn tortillas
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce, I use Chalula brand.

Place beans, jalempeno, garlic, 1/2 of the lime juice and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside. Makes 4 servings or if you eat like my husband does, 2.  

How green is your sunscreen?

Summer is here and I can't be outside long enough to keep me satisfied. Whether you are headed to the pool or just going to work in your garden, one important kindness you can do for your body is wear sunscreen. A kindness you can do for our planet is make sure that your sunscreen doesn't do any additional damage to our ecosystem while it's protecting you.

We don't think about it but many of the oils in sunscreens and tanning lotions come off of our skin and wash into the marine ecosystem when we go swimming in natural bodies of water. In tropical climates this is a huge problem for the coral reefs. The oils in the water settle on the reefs & have the same effect as an oil slick, suffocating them and bleaching them. Our sunblock is partly responsible for slowly killing the world's coral. Oxybenzone, an ingredient used in a number of sunscreens has also been known to potentially cause feminizing of fish.

The way I see it, if it's going to harm the planet, it could potentially harm me. It goes without saying that I don't want to put it on my body's largest organ, my skin.


 My husband is literally part albino, so having a good sunscreen is key to our having a nice vacation.  In preparation for our honeymoon we tried several eco-friendly sunscreens and below are our results.

Mexitan- kind of greasy. just worked ok. It had a whitish tin we didn't like and we found we had to apply it a little more often than normal. It also had an odd smell to it.

Soleo- we thought this was a bit greasy and despite wearing the block, my husband still got a little bit burnt. Smelled a little funny too.

Alba Botanicals- worked well, smelled nice and doesn't seem to bother those with sensdative skin & allergies.  we did have to apply it rather frequently but a good sunscreen. It was a little more expensive than its competitors. 

Loving Naturals- worked well , but not really a good choice if you're in and out of the water frequently. this one smelled nice & wasn't greasy. We did have to reapply it more often than normal. It tends to leave a bit of a white tint on your skin.

Badger- this sunblock really worked fantastic. it was definitely our favorite. It took some extra rubbing in but it wasn't greasy and pretty much odorless. This also was wonderful in the water. We wore it surfing and didn't get burnt at all, after two whole hours. The only sunburn we received was on the back of our knees and that was because we forgot to put it on there. All right, you can say it, what king of moron goes surfing and forgets to block on the backs of their knees right? i highly recommend this sunscreen.

Anyway, that is our two cents on the best green sunscreens out there. I hope you have a fun, safe and healthy summer!

Meat Free Monday Recipe: Summer vegetable ragout over polenta

At my wedding we made a dish similar to this with ratatouille over grilled polenta triangles.  This is a modification of a recipe I tried from this month's issue of Self magazine. As today is the second Monday of the month, this recipe is a vegan & gluten free version. I hope you enjoy it!

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup basil, chopped, plus 15 leaves for garnish
• 1 tube (18 ounces) prepared polenta, cut into 16 slices
• 1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 pound of japanese eggplant, sliced
• 1 bottle (7 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained
• 2 roasted garlic cloves, chopped
• 10oz rice cheese, mozzarella style diced (you can find this in most natural grocery stores)

Preparation

Heat grill. Fold four 18-inch-long pieces of foil in half; unfold and coat inside with cooking spray. Combine beans, tomatoes, chopped basil, 5 oz rice cheese and garlic in a bowl. . Place 1/4 of bean mixture in center of 1 half of each piece of foil. Working 1 packet at a time, place 4 slices polenta in an overlapping circle over beans. Top with 1/4 of zucchini slices, 1/4 of red peppers and 1/4 of remaining 5 ounces rice cheese. Fold foil to close and crimp edges to seal packets; place on grill; close lid; cook until packets are fully puffed, 10 minutes. Carefully cut foil to open and garnish with basil leaves. Serves 4.

Eating in Oahu

I'm one of those travelers that when I visit a new town, I really want to get to know the local people and culture. I generally despise tourist traps. A great way to get to know a local culture, I find, is through it's food.

I currently am on a vacation in Oahu, Hawaii. There are two main things I love about this place, the respect for and incorporation of nature in the city and all the amazing food. Nature I will get to in a separate post, but today I'm talking about the Ono food (Ono means really good).
NOTE: This post was actually written back on May 29, 2011 while on my honeymoon. I had some trouble with internet access to get it up, I apologize for the delay.

A  coconut curry of local shrimp & Opa (one of the local  fishes that was caught that morning)

The first thing that struck me at our first meal when we arrived in town, is how proud the people are that their food is locally sourced. We admittedly headed to a tourist trap around here called Duke's. It's located right on Waikiki beach. I honestly didn't expect much & for it to be crazy overpriced. Surprisingly enough neither was true. The service was impeccable. The food was amazing and surprisingly healthy.  I didn't even ask, but the waiter volunteered that the chef could create anything to suit vegetarian or special needs. We were told which fish was the freshest and was caught earlier that morning. And seriously, who has ever heard of a tourist trap that serves burgers made of local, grass-fed beef served on a homemade taro bun (we went back later in the trip for lunch one day & let me tell you, it was as good as it sounds). 

 They also offered beers from local breweries too. If you make it Hawaii try the pale ale and red lager from Kona brewing company.  We also enjoyed the Walua Wheat beer.  And seriously, who has ever heard of a tourist trap that serves burgers made of local, grass fed beef.

Our second day we started the morning off rather indulgently. I had banana macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup. As you can see from the picture they were huge and oh so delicious (man I love local food when it's in a tropical climate). We headed to the spa for some traditional lomi lomi massages to ditch our stress and tight muscles from the crazy long flight. We walked a bit before going out for the dinner of a lifetime.

Chef Alan Wong is a major celebrity when it comes not only to preparing traditional Hawaiian cuisine, but also educating the public as well as promoting local farmers. We were fortunate enough to be in town when he hosted a farmers market series chef's tasting dinner. Dinner was 5 courses of incredible food that was completely comprised of locally sourced ingredients. In addition to Chef Wong being there, the farmers who grew the ingredients were on hand to answer questions we may have had, including the Hawaiian fish council.

One of the people we enjoyed Meeting the most was the owner of Kuahiwi Ranch, who raises cattle for local grass fed beef. They started raising British White cattle, as opposed to Angus. He was saying not only is the flavor incredible ( it really was very tender) but the cows have such a different temperament. Have you seen the commercials for happy cows? Well, these ones really are. They're sweet & loyal. He likened them to having the attitude of your favorite pooch. Another highlight of the meal was the Poke (pronounced pokay) made from Nairagi, a striped marlin. I am addicted to poke and tried as many varieties as I could on this trip. Unfortunately, my husband's camera went wonky and the pictures of the beautiful food at this dinner did not turn out. Dessert was outstanding as well, , a Kaffir-Lemongrass Jasmine rice pudding, surrounded in produce from the Makaha Mango farm.

Other stops on our trip included Leonard's bakery. This is enjoyed by the locals but tourists have caught on, so there is always a long line out the door. They make the most amazing Portuguese doughnuts called Malasadas.  They are served  super fresh & piping hot. I think the one filled with coconut custard was my favorite, but the original style is perfect for dunking, even after a day or two.

Another fun stop was Puka Dog. I had seen them featured on Tony Bourdain's "No Reservations" and had to check them out for myself. I was not disappointed. These dogs (polish sausage or a soy dog) are inserted vertically into a toasted bun (they had wheat buns available too ;-)  ).  I could enjoy hot dogs with pineapple relish and guava mustard for the rest of my life and be a happy gal. My husband preferred his mango jalepeno relish.  They now ship their sauces, so I have a feeling I'll be ordering these regularly. 

 If you make it to the north shore keep your eyes peeled for all the local shrimp trucks. (yes I bought food on the side of the road, but this is not like the roach coaches we find here on the mainland.) The farm shrimp locally and then stir fry them up in a garlicky scampi style sauce. One of the best one's is Giovanni's. If you're up there around dinner time check out Jameson's By the Sea for a great sunset view (sit downstairs, not up, which is contrary to what people will suggest). We went there for lunch after our surfing lesson. I had a curried chicken salad served in a papaya that was incredible. We also really enjoyed the Thai shrimp summer rolls.


One advantage in Waikiki to all the Japanese tourists being everywhere, is that you can get great and authentic Japanese food very easily. Try to look in unusual places (as opposed to the ones on the main shopping stretches).  We found a wonderful Ramen shop (the real kind) tucked in the back of  the underground floor of  a shopping mall. We knew we had found a winner when we discovered we were the only non-Japanese people eating there.  I had mine with Hawaiian salt pork... so yummy!

We enjoyed amazing food everywhere we went. The fresh pineapple that was served as a garnish on just about every plate didn't hurt either. There is so much great food to be had. So if you make it to Oahu, skip the tourist restaurants on the strip, like Jimmy Buffet's & the Cheesecake factory, and see what you can find by exploring. You will not be disappointed.

Asian style pasta primavera

Good morning & happy meat free Monday to all!  I've returned to the muggle world after visiting the magical land of Oahu......and I'm in Hawaii withdrawal. Everything just is so fresh there and tastes so good I had a hard time deciding what to post for today's recipe.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the food there was that there was so much Asian influence in the majority of the food. Those of you who know me well could testify to the fact I'd be perfectly happy eating Asian or tropical food 5 days a week. In that tradition I present this week's recipe.

One great thing about the summer is that great local produce is so easy to get this time of year. This recipe is basically a mish-mosh of whatever veggies you want. I just used Japanese soba noodles, snow peas, Thai basil and cilantro from my patio garden to give it an Asian kick.  My husband also likes things with a bit of kick so we like to add a dried Thai chili pepper to the oil when we're sauteeing up the onion & garlic. Be creative and make it your own! The corn looked so good form the local farm I ended up cutting an ear to add it to the mix as well, even thought its not in the recipe below.

This recipe makes about 8 servings
1 pound dry soba noodles (you can find these in the international section of the grocery store)
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 medium size zucchinis, sliced & then halved
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 2" pieces
1/2 pound sugar snap peas, cleaned & halved
1/2 head of broccoli,  cut into florets
6 shallots or green onions, sliced very thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons Thai basil, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Sesame oil to taste

Prepare a pot of boiling water. Once it hits a rolling boil, cook the soba noodles per the package directions. Drain into a colander and set aside until your veggies are done.
While you're waiting for the water to boil:
In a large skillet or wok heat the oil and butter. Stir fry the vegetables, onion and garlic about 3 minutes. Add the cilantro & basil, and cook until the vegetables are done to your taste (they should be a little crunchy).  Toss with the cooked soba noodles. Add the soy sauce, and sesame oil then season with salt & pepper. I hope you enjoy it!