Sustainable Seafood or Maybe Meat Free during Lent?

Hello all. As many of you know, many Christians around the world began celebrating the season of Lent this past week. Growing up in a Catholic household, we always did "Fish Fridays" this time of year. If we were especially busy it was usually something deep fried or  even worse majorly processed, like fish sticks. ....not exactly the healthiest of choices, but there were rules we had to follow (and vegetarian options weren't really that experimented with or popular in our household).  I started thinking about all of my friends who participate in Lent and many of them are on a budget. Lets be honest, seafood is expensive and if you live on the East coast like I do, most of it is not exactly sustainable let alone in season this time of year.

Instead of buying a "fish" sandwich with who knows what in it from a certain fast food chain with yellow arches, why not treat yourself to a really delicious and sustainable vegetarian meal? Just something to think about. I should also say I am not anti-seafood...  I absolutely love it! I would simply rather eat it when its fresh and  when I know where it came from. If interested in finding out more about sustainable seafood check out some great information on The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Website

With vegetarian options in mind, here's a nice hearty meat free recipe I found while web surfing Epicurious' web site for  Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie. For those of you who celebrate Lent I hope you find all the bountiful options available to you and enjoy them, instead of feeling restricted by a perceived lack of choices. 

Have a Happy & Healthy Valentine's day!

I spent my day off today thinking of something special to do for my sweetheart for Valentine's day. We  don't especially like going out on this very big, expensive and commercialized holiday . Instead we enjoy spending the evening at home, enjoying a nice dinner and watching a good movie. In this spirit I thought I'd share with you some recipes and articles to help you celebrate this day in a healthier way.

My husband really enjoys a nice piece of red meat so I was able to find some grass fed & organic lamb chops for dinner. I'll be preparing them grilled on our green egg to give them a hint of smokiness and rub them in a rosemary brown sugar mixture.  To incorporate some veggies I will be making a a nice salad with roasted beets, as well as some grilled asparagus (two of his favorite veggies). The beets bring some nice pinkish red to the meal and asparagus just happens to be one of the vegetables associated with aphrodisiacs, due to its suggestive shape....oh darn! :-) You can find the recipe for the beet salad below.
Roasted Beet Pistachio & Pear Salad 
Ingredients:

• 2 beets (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 cup diced Asian pear or ripe pear
• 1/4 cup diced celery 
• 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon honey 
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• Dash of salt 
• Dash of ground red pepper
• 2 curly leaf lettuce leaves (optional) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets in a small baking dish. Bake at 425° for 50 minutes or until tender. Cool. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Dice beets.
3. Combine beets, pear, celery, and pistachios in a medium bowl.
4. Combine juice and next 5 ingredients (juice through red pepper), stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over beet mixture, tossing gently to coat.
5. Serve at room temperature or chilled on lettuce leaves, if desired.

If you happen to be a vegetarian here are two yummy entree ideas to celebrate your love and help take care of your heart.

Morrocan Stew for Two
Italian Potato Torta

For me, its not really Valentine's day without some chocolate for dessert and I only want the good stuff. You can get the best health benefits form organic dark chocolate. You can usually find several good ones in the natural health aisles of your local grocery store.  Are you living a gluten free and vegan lifestyle? Check out these awesome chocolate cupcakes on the Organic Soul blog:

Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

Still not sure why celebrating Love is such a big deal?- check out all the great health benefits being in love has to offer from this great article on Health.com:Why Love is Good For Your Health

I hope all of you have a wonderful Valentine's day full of romance and wonder!

Its cold outside so Lets Talk Turnips

I went home to Baltimore this past weekend and spent much of my time there reminiscing and talking with my husband  about great meals and fun times I had growing up. We talked about Sunday dinners in our family after a long day of chores. We always loved the pot roast, but we hated what it came with: turnips. My exposure to turnips was pretty bland: they were sliced and then boiled. pretty flavorless. Pot roast night was the only night we ever saw them so we usually slathered them in gravy. My brother (Happy birthday today Eric, BTW) also got pretty creative trying to pass them to the dog, but even Brandy had his limits of what he would eat.

I was checking out a blog post on the New York Times and the turnips popped up.  It seemed like fate and I was determined to remedy my turnip stigma from my childhood.

So here are the great facts about turnips and a few ideas for you to truly enjoy them.  Turnips are very low calorie root vegetables; contain only 28 calories per 100 g.  The root part of the turnip is high only in vitamin C (which is usually the only part most of us have ever eaten). The green leaves of the turnip top ("turnip greens") are  where all the action is. They are a good source of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium.   They are very good source of anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber.  Turnip greens are also high in Lutein. Turnips also are rather inexpensive compared to many other vegetables so they can be great for families on a budget.

As an adult, I'm finding a lot of new ways to play with my food and there are so many great resources available online to get recipes and ideas quickly. The turnip is no exception to that. It can be used in soups, gratins, all kinds of wonderful dishes. I especially love using the greens, they are packed full of nutrients.

Here are a few of my favorite finds that I'll be making at home this winter.
Wilted Greens with Garlic & Anchovies
Roasted Vegetable with Pecan Gremolata
Warm Turnip Green Dip
Roasted Turnips with sweet potatoes, apples, & dried cranberries
Black-Eyed Pea Cakes and Beer-Braised Turnip Greens
Chinese Hot Pot of Beef and Vegetables
Beef Beer & Barley Stew
Lentil Stew with Winter Vegetables
Brussel sprouts, beets and Turnips with hazelnuts

Hopefully you'll find one or two gems that you like as well and incorporate more of this wonderful root vegetable into your meals at home.