Sprouted Grains & MFM Recipe: Eggplant Lasagna

Happy Meat Free Monday all! In my post last night I mentioned I was having a sprouted grain bagel with almond butter for breakfast this morning. I did and I added some sliced banana on top and it was delicious!
But what is exactly the difference between a sprouted grain bagel and a regular one?

Until about a hundred years ago, humans harvested their grains, tied them into sheaves, and left them in the field until they were ready to thresh the grain. Inevitably, with this exposure to the weather, at least some of the grain would begin to sprout.

First, a quick primer on what sprouted bread is, and how it differs from white and whole-wheat bread:
Whole-wheat bread is made by grinding wheat kernels -- comprised of a vitamin-rich germ, a protein- and carbohydrate-dense endosperm and an outer shell called the bran -- into whole-wheat flour.
White bread is made by removing the wheat kernel's germ and bran, grinding up only the endosperm into flour.  Sprouted-grain breads are made from wheat kernels (often called wheat berries) that are allowed to sprout and then ground up and baked into bread. Because the kernels are not ground into flour, such breads are often referred to as "flourless." (Sprouted-grain breads do, however, contain gluten -- so they are no easier to metabolize for people who are unable to digest this wheat protein.)

Sprouted-grain breads made from an array of grains and legumes can provide a complete set of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins Sprouted-grain breads may also be slightly higher in protein because some carbohydrates are lost in the process of sprouting -- resulting in a final product in which protein represents a greater fraction of the sprout than it did in the germ.  Sprouting grains increases many of the grains' key nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin C, folate, fiber, and essential amino acids often lacking in grains, such as lysine. Sprouted grains may also be less allergenic to those with grain protein sensitivities.


So that is the cliff notes version of sprouted grains.  I was in a good mood and determined continue my healthy day but hadn't had time to pack lunch. Lunch out on meat free Monday is always a challenge but is still doable. Today I headed to Wegman's and raided their salad bar. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of really good whole grain salads there today. I tried a barley & wild rice salad that had raisins and cranberries. I also tried a red quinoa salad that had some cranberries and blueberries, accompanied by some fresh spinach.  It was yummy, filling and I got in more whole grains and fruit for the day.

my yummy lunch

Dinner in our household on meatless days is always a challenge.... I eat just about everything, but my husband on the other hand, can be quite the picky eater. I settled on a meat free lasagna. I made it by layering eggplant that I had sliced thin, mozzarella cheese, fresh sauteed spinach, whole wheat fresh pasta and a ricotta filling. For the ricotta filling I used 1 egg, a quart of part skim organic ricotta, about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, and a bunch of dried Italian herbs. I tossed in a handful of Parmesan cheese and mixed everything together.

A note for you gluten free folks, The sliced eggplant can be used instead of lasagna noodles when making your layers. I learned to do this years ago while on a no carb diet and its really tasty. You won't even notice the pasta is missing.

In between my layers I used a spicy tomato sauce to give it a bit of a kick. It turned out really tasty and we'll be enjoying the leftovers in our lunches.  Lasagna really hits the spot for me on chilly nights.  Well that's it for tonight gang.  My next post will be about ways to pack a greener lunch. I'll also be continuing my breakfast experiments throughout the week. Until next time... Bon Appetito!

New Beginnings

Did you ever notice how starting a new school or course of study tends to change your outlook on life and how you see the world? I remember at about this same time of year back in 2009, I began a journey at the Mt Nittany Institute of health to become a life coach. Part of the basis of the program was that we learned techniques to help people discover aspects of their lives that have been dormant, by going through the program ourselves. The program gave me an entirely new perspective on how to practice the often neglected art of self care. It also helped me to understand biases I had developed over time and gave me a new way to interact with my fellow humans. Throughout the program there were some stumbling blocks as I tried new things both in my daily practices and in my life at home. As I worked through each of these stumbling blocks, I discovered my life becoming increasingly rewarding with each new step.   Now, I find myself in a similar starting point.

I have recently started on a new journey at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I am really excited about this new path and already started implementing some new daily habits. One aspect of the program that I'm most excited about is learning about many of the different nutritional theories and diets out there. As with much of my studies at Mt Nittany, this too is an immersion program with many new practices to add to my daily life.

One of the beginning exercises of the program is a special journal with some checklists to be filled out each morning and each night. I'm currently sitting in bed marinating on the wonderful day I spent with my hubby today: we went to a local winery and enjoyed the chilly air and sunshine along the wonderfully winding country roads in our area.  Then I began reflecting on what my eating habits were like today......massive fail.  This is especially a shame because I did great all week and my energy and attitude definitely reflected my eating choices.  I do tend eat very healthily and mindfully in general, but what I'm discovering about myself is that I only do it when I have time/ it feels most convenient. This is a habit I need to change. The biggest violation of that consistency is my breakfast habits.

So, dear readers, my next several posts/ recipes are going to be focused on trying some new things.  I can be your own personal Guinea Pig on all those weird health crazes you've hear baout/ wanted to try. So if you've heard of something you're curious about drop me a line. I'm trying to expand my personal food boundaries.   My first experiment will be tomorrow. Later in the week I will be seeing if I like Chia seeds and attempting Vegan overnight oats which I've read about on the Oh She Glows blog (really good recipes there).

Hopefully, I'll discover some new breakfast favorites that I'll be able to make in advance or in a hurry so I can develop some better morning habits to help me get through the rest of my day.  Tomorrow's breakfast: a sprouted grain cinnamon raisin bagel with almond butter. Yum! More details coming tomorrow. Good night. 

Have a Fiesta Friday!

Its crazy in the world out there lately. A few weeks ago we experienced a hurricane and an earthquake all in the same week. I was trying not get caught up in everyone's doom & gloom, especially when people were yelling at me at work for situations I can"t control (the entire east coast had sold out of sump pumps and I'm a kitchen designer at Lowe's)...

Anyway, amidst all of that negativity,  my hubby & I decided to have fiesta Friday.  We made up some sangria and some nice turkey tacos. I was determined to get some more veggies on our plates and didn't want to have unhealthy refried beans (besides I really don't like them), so I came up with a nice black bean salad instead. We both really enjoyed it. I love having leftovers to use in burritos & salads the next two days as well. Below are the results.


This experiment turned out surprisingly well for a last minute idea and it was great to use up some of my leftover bits in the fridge & pantry.
Toss together all the following ingredients and let marinate at least 30 minutes before serving.
1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups corn kernels (we used leftover from the local farmers market, but thawed frozen kernels work well too
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green onion sliced
1 cup diced jicama 
1 Tbsp lime juice
spice blend I used: cumin, paprika, cilantro, red chili pepper, garlic and a smidgen of sea salt

***Note: if you're not familiar with Jicama its kind of a cross between a potato with an apple or a pear. It is usually found in the produce section of your grocery store or favorite Latin market.


This weekend we are "rained in". We live in central PA and the flooding has been way worse than anyone expected. So instead of being grumpy about it, we're reveling in having time to actually be home together for a long weekend. We'll be cleaning & organizing to give ourselves some stress relief, have some laughs while playing our favorite games and of course, I'll probably be cooking up a storm as usual. Not sure what I'll be making to keep the dark clouds away, but I'll be sure to post the results. Happy Friday!

Fresh Gazpacho- Summer In a Bowl

As soon as the weather gets warmer, my body craves veggies & fruit like you wouldn't believe. I am definitely, and always have been, a seasonal eater. When its hot I prefer the majority of my meals to be of a chilled variety and that usually means heavily vegetable based. My favorite of these meals has always been a cold bowl of fresh gazpacho.

I recently celebrated Lammas, an old festival day celebrating the first harvest of the year. I was debating on what to make for a special dinner and then Gazpacho popped in my head. I had a ton of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes from my parents garden to use up and as a city dweller, that is about as close to a first harvest as I'm going to be able to do. I accompanied my meal with a whole grain zucchini corn bread. Since today is my MFM post for vegans I'll post that recipe later....In the meantime, make up a batch of this easy to make and delicious chilled soup. Serve it up with some good crusty bread and I guarantee you'll be hooked. Gazpacho also works great for all of you out there that are raw food fanatics as well, since it involves zero  cooking. All you need to make it is a good knife or a food processor.

You'll need:
4 large ripe tomatoes
3 medium cucumbers, peeled
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 small can tomato juice
2 red bell peppers

Cut the vegetables into large chunks. Place all the ingredients in your food processor or blender and pulse until is the same consistency as a chunky salsa.  Chill in the refrigerator for one day to let the flavors marinate before serving. 

Note: this is a good recipe to make at least one day in advance as it tastes so much better once the flavors have had a chance to marinate together for a bit.

Holy Zucchini Batman!!

I love summer produce and getting food from the garden, but right about this time every year I get overwhelmed. There is so much produce I don't know what to do with it all before it goes bad. I can only can & preserve so much of it. This week I feel like Bubba Gump, but instead of 50 ways to serve shrimp, I'm coming up with ways to use up an insane amount of zucchini. Just look at all this veg in my fridge.....awesome, but I need to seriously cook like crazy.  Especially, considering my parents are giving us another load this weekend when we visit them on the eastern shore.

So, I woke up this morning feeling motivated, but I've learned that in order to keep up my momentum I need to reward myself....what better way to do that than have a nice breakfast. I sauteed some zucchini in garlic & olive oil, tossed in some eggs and a hint of milk to make an omelette. Top that off with some sliced grape tomatoes, italian seasoning (harvested from my patio garden of course) and a smidgen of parmesan cheese. What I ended up with is a super yummy, mediterranian inspired omelette. I also got my protein and first serving of veg in for the day.

BTW, a small side note: I cooked this in my eco-friendly nonstick pan (they use ceramic instead of that nasty PFOA that is used on traditional nonstick pans), that is made by Cuisinart. It works fantastic. We received it as a wedding gift and my husband likes it so much he's been cooking breakfast almost every weekend for me. 

I still have a ton of zucchini left so here's how I'm using it:
-Its not summer without zucchini bread. I make several loaves, slice them up and then store the slices in the freezer so I can enjoy the summery snacky goodness for a few months. ITs also great for breakfast on the go.
-On the indulgent side, I love making chocolate zucchini bundt cakes. The zucchini keeps the cake super moist and whats more decadent than chocolate cake with chocolate chips baked in?!
-Breaded & baked zucchini fries are always a yummy snack. I like to served it with homemade roasted  tomato ketchup or a good marinara for dipping sauce.
- Here's an awesome recipe from Gourmet magazine that we love for parties: Zucchini Bacon Fritters
-We also love grilling off the zucchini and other veg with some fresh mozzerella to make paninis. The grilled vegetables also freeze surprisingly well.
-There's a family dish I love in the summer that my Great Aunt Jeanette calls LOMO. We have no idea where the name came from. Essentially all you do is saute about 2 sliced onions with some ground beef (I prefer ground turkey to cut the calories & fat).  Drain the excess fat from the pan.  Then add about 4 diced Roma tomatoes, 2 whole zucchinis (sliced into rounds), garlic, rosemary & oregano.  Let this cook covered until the juices reduce down and form a kind of stew. Then add a handful of Parmesan cheese.  This is a great way to use up extra zucchini from the garden as well as tomatoes. We usually will make batches of it and store it in seal a meal bags in the freezer. When we heat it back up, its great served over rice.

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to enjoy your own zucchini explosion at home. I'll be posting form Maryland's eastern shore this weekend, who knows what I might get into to post about..
After that, the long awaited wedding wrap up (I finally got my wedding proofs). Hope you have a great weekend and can stay cool in all this extreme heat this week. Happy Summer!

Happy Bastille Day!

Yup, I'm celebrating French independence day.  Why? because that is where my father's family is from.... and also I'll make any excuse to cook my favorite comfort food recipes from my ancestral heritage.  Also, this is the 3rd day in a row I'm stuck at home nursing a sinus infection. When I am stuck at home & get a dose of cabin fever or if I am really upset about something, I cook. Any of my dear friends and family have witnessed this because I channel my grandmother during tough times and then feed everyone way too much food until whatever the current storm in my life passes over. Cooking calms me down, gives me a project to work on by myself providing time to think  and also some sort of peace knowing that a little bit of myself is in every dish I make and that the people I care about most in this world will get to enjoy it.

So for today, I've  made two things: a triple berry pie because I have berries from Strite's orchard that I refuse to go to waste and they happen to be the patriotic colors of the French flag as well. I also am making a variation of Ratatouille.

My grandmother and her sister, my great aunt Jeanette, grew up in a tiny farming village in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. They ate simply growing up, living off the land. this was not because it was the right thing to do, but it was because that was what they had to do.  One of my favorite stories from their childhood, was that often it rained, they ran out in the grasses outside, picked snails and enjoyed escargot for dinner.  I always found it funny how dishes that many American think of as fancy French food, actually started off as peasant fare.  Ratatouille is one of those dishes that a lot of folks in farm villages ate. It consists of summer squashes, tomatoes and eggplant with garlic and herbs cooked together until it forms a stew. To me, it is the taste of summer on a plate.

Michelle's Ratatouille Pasta

• 2 eggplants (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• coarse salt to taste
• 4 yellow squash (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds penne rigate (with ridges) or fusili
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

I actually halved the above recipe since its just myself & my hubby enjoying this tonight. Traditionally this dish is a vegetarian one, but since my hubby wanted some more "oomf" to it, I also added some spicy andouille sausage sliced up.We also used whole grain & vegetable fusili. This time we tried Hodgson Mill brand & its not bad.  If you have a gluten free diet, this dish is excellent on its own and really doesn't need the pasta, I just use it to turn it into a full meal as opposed to a side dish.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Stir together eggplants, onions, 1/4 cup oil, and kosher salt in a large roasting pan, then roast mixture in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in squash, bell peppers, 2 tablespoons oil, and more kosher salt and roast mixture, stirring occasionally, until bell peppers are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

While vegetables are roasting, simmer tomatoes, garlic, thyme, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and kosher salt in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir tomatoes into roasted vegetables and season ratatouille.

Cook penne  in a  pot of boiling salted water until al dente (to the bite) and drain. While pasta is cooking, stir parsley and basil into ratatouille and season. Toss pasta with 1/3 of ratatouille and serve topped with remainder. Enjoy with a nice light red wine and a crispy hunk of a baguette.

Getting tired? I tend to keep myself  going with some inspiring tunes. Today I'm enjoying the sounds of Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier while I'm relaxing and then maybe I'll play some French house music later when I have to motivated for the cleanup.


Triple Berry Summer Pie
Ok so first things 1st, the pie.  In France they usually eat tarts or free form pies called galettes, as pie is more of an American dessert. Unfortunately  I'm out of almond flour  to make a proper crust, and galettes are a huge mess in the oven, so pie it is!  First I tossed a mixture of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries together with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch and about 1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon.  You can use any mixture of berries you like, these were just what I had on hand.  I added 2 hearty splashes of Cointreau (Note: Cointreau is an orange flavored liquor, using Grand Marnier will give you the same flavor profile) liquor (about 2 tbsp),    and then tossed the mixture with my hands. when its was mixed it looked like this:

Next I poured this mixture into my pie dough shell which I had already formed in my stoneware pie plate. Incidentally my mom always taught me to keep homemade pie dough in the freezer, ready to go. If you're not this fortunate to have it on hand, the ones in the refrigerated section of the grocery store work too. For those of you with Gluten intolerance, Wegman's carries some great ready to use gluten free pie shells in their frozen section.  I took a second piece of pie dough and cut it into strips to make a lattice.  Once I placed this on top I baked the pie for 35 minutes at about 350F in my convection toaster oven.  (I didn't want to waste the energy of heating up an entire oven and the apartment for just one pie).

Et voila! We're sure to be enjoying this later tonight with some vanilla ice cream while watching some of our favorite french inspired films. I think Pixar's Ratatouille & French Kiss will be our movies of choice. I hope you have as nice an evening as we will and happy summer!

Lactose Allergy? Don't Worry. You can still have your cake and eat it too!

Just because you have chosen to live a vegan lifestyle or you have a dairy allergy, does not mean you shouldn't be able to eat the foods you love the most.  An old grade school pal of mine that I recently reconnected with (thank you facebook!) has been doing great with most aspects of her new dairy free diet, but she really misses the sweets.  After all, everyone deserves  to have a good brownie or piece of cake after a really tough day.

In recent years, there has been a lot of new information and recognition about food allergies. Along with that, a lot of cookbooks, recipes, and bakeries have become available to those living with food intolerance. The results in many cases are very good. 


The hardest part of eliminating dairy is learning what you can use in place of eggs, milk and butter while still getting similar results in your favorite treats. Here are some great posts about easy substitutions you can make to convert your recipes to lactose free/ vegan versions:
1) The savy vegetarian's notes on   Vegan Baking Substitutes & Dairy Free Desserts
2) The post punk Kitchen has some good ideas after trial & error on how to Lose the eggs ,milk & butter from your favorite recipes
3) Here's another great article I found on about.com  on baking without butter

Nervous about converting over your own recipes and want to try some that have already been tested? Never fear, there are a ton of great cookbooks out there. So take a trip to your local Barnes & Noble or peruse the online shelves at Amazon to find some of these great books.  The easiest wat to find themis to look for Vegan baking books.  One of the most popular, now that they have bakeries across the country and are frequently on national television is Babycakes bakery. They specialize in vegan and gluten free yumminess.  Here is a recipe for banana bread from their website that I thought turned out surprisingly well:

Babycakes NYC Banana Bread Recipe

from the Babycakes website

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (gotta be Bob's, no sub)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons of good quality vanilla
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush your loaf pan with oil and set aside.

In a medium bowl, measure in flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and whisk. Add oil, agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla and then mix again. Fold in bananas until nicely distributed.
Pour batter into loaf pan (only halway!) and set in the oven. After 20 minutes, check on the loaf and continue baking until it passes the toothpick test. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes.






Don't have room for more cookbooks? (Much to my husband's chagrin, mine are taking over the apartment), there are a ton of specialty blogs out there. One of the best ones I've found is Vegan Baking.net . they have a huge wealth of information, a ton of recipes & even a bake-off contest. It is definitely worth your time to check it out. I'm looking forward to making the Tropical Paradise bars. 

I know this is a lot of new information for many of you to swallow but once you restock your pantry with a few new ingredients, dairy free baking is fairly easy to do and still tastes great. Since I 'm a chocoholic and peanut butter addict  I'll leave you with one of my favorite dairy free dessert recipes:

Peanut Butter Agave Cookies

adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar 

by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romera

1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup creamy or chunky salted peanut butter
2 tbsp nondairy milk
1 tbsp ground salba ( or ground flaxseeds)
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the agave nectar, brown rice syrup, oil, peanut butter, nondairy milk, salba/ flaxseeds, and vanilla and almonds extracts until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Sift in flours, baking soda, and salt and mix to form a soft dough.
3. Drop large, generously rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets.  Flatten the cookies to about 1 inch using the back of a measuring cup.  Lightly spray the back of the cup with non-stick spray if the dough starts to stick.  Then use a fork to press a crosshatch pattern onto the tops of cookies.
4. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are golden.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.  Store in a tightly covered container.