FitFeat

Archive for October, 2010

My Everyday Halloween Costume

Oct 31

Posted by Shari B. in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Hi again friends!

How was your Halloween?  The neighborhood quieted down around 8:30, so we finally blew out the jack-o-lantern candles and turned off the lights.  We had more trick-or-treaters than we figured we’d get, and yet we still have SO MUCH candy left.

I, for one, do not want to see another piece of candy for a long time.  We knew we should not have purchased candy for the trick-or-treaters a few days in advance, sensing that we’d break into the bags.  Which we did.  And we probably gave ourselves 5 cavities.

My favorite costume worn by trick-or-treaters was a pair of teenage boys, one dressed as Al Capone and one as a cop.  I wish I’d asked to take their picture.  It was well done!

And my costume?

Well, my original plan was just a standard witch.  I had some crazy stockings from one year when I was Pippi Longstocking.  I’ve had the velvet hat in our Halloween box.  And black dresses are easy to come by in my closet.

And I was going to ‘green’ my face with some of my Bare Minerals green eye shadow!

And then it occurred to me that I have a ready-made costume that I leave the house in daily!  Why not be a CHEF???  ;)

So I did!  I added a red tie, and a mixing bowl of candy with a wooden spoon.

The dogs liked it!

Oh wait – they were just after the candy…

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Last Year: Hallowmas. This Year: Hallowsgiving

Oct 31

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Natural Chef Culinary School | 7 Comments

Hi friends!

Happy Halloween!  I still can’t believe it’s October 31 and tomorrow will be NOVEMBER!  It really is true what they say about time going by faster as you get older!

While I know it’s not yet Thanksgiving, I’d definitely like to give thanks that we are going to have great fall weather for the trick-or-treaters (65 degrees today!).  Check out last year’s Halloween Eve and Halloween posts – it was the complete opposite!

I’d also like to give thanks that no one was hurt or lost their home in the most recent Boulder wildfire that started on Friday.  Here are a couple of pics I took as I was driving to school on Friday:

About 20 miles from school

Still about 10 miles away

Still about 10 miles away

When I got to the block where I normally park for the walk to class (in order to avoid paying for parking, I need to park about 5-7 blocks away), the smoke was VERY thick so I decided it would be worth a few extra dollars to park in the paid garage right at the school, just in case they blocked off any streets.  As it turned out, they did evacuate to one block from where I normally park.   About 2 hours into class, the administrator for our building informed us that power for that whole area would be cut and it could happen in 20 minutes or 2 hours.  So we hustled to get our food prepared and our Kitchen Manager washed everything up as we used it.  We didn’t end up losing power while we were there, so we did finish out the day.

The firefighters plan to have the fire 100% contained today.   After the huge fire Boulder had in September, losing 6000 acres and 170+ homes, this is the last thing that community needs.  So I’m glad everyone is safe.

***

Back to Halloween….!

Allison inspired me to want to carve some pumpkins this year (you  have to click on her name and go check out her pumpkins – they rock!) so we had a couple of our good friends over for dinner and drinks Thursday night, and carved away.

Can you see the "woof"?

The Riley & Rascal Jack-o-lantern

In honor of our dogs, Jeff carved their names into his pumpkin (with WOOF on the backside).  SO COOL!

Somehow my pumpkins always look like Mickey Mouse:

My Happy Pumpkin

I saved the pumpkin seeds to roast later, and I’ll be delivering some later today to our friends who came to carve!

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds "Delivery Style"

I did three batches (all were doused in macadamia nut oil): one with nutritional yeast and sea salt, one with soy sauce, and one with some cinnamon, Sucanat, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.  My favorite was the nutritional yeast.

My friends were game to let me try out a school recipe on them, Braised Tempeh with Coconut Curry Sauce served on a bed of Cauliflower Couscous.  I so appreciate that they were willing to try some vegetable protein since I know that’s not something they would usually eat.  I didn’t do any fancy plating while they were here, but I did practice with the leftovers:

Mmmmm curry & coconut milk!

It was even better as a leftover!

***

From a workout standpoint, this past week was a little lacking (that’s an understatement) so yesterday MSP and I did a solid lower body workout and today we are both feeling the fruits of our labor!  :)   My slow walking should come in handy if/when I transform into a witch this evening for our trick-or-treaters! (If I dress up I’ll be sure to share a pic!)

Have a WONDERFUL HALLOWEEN, friends!  Share pics if you dress up!

See you next time with recaps from last week at school as well as some of my externship fun!

– Shari B. =)

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Autumn Beauty and Pumpkin Envy

Oct 28

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 5 Comments

Hey blog buds!  It’s FRIDAY EVE!  Wahooo!

So first I want to say thanks for the interest in sea vegetables!  I loved reading your comments, about how you want to learn more about how to use them, so I’ll definitely let you in on any recipes I try (or create).  You all wanted the agar agar “jell-o” recipe too!  OK, twist my arm!  ;)   I’ve updated the original Sea Veggies post so if you go back to that page and scroll to the bottom the instructions are there!  I can’t wait to hear what you think after you give it a try!

It’s been a really great and hectic week, so I’m thankful that last week, MSP and I were able to take some time to just tool around in the car to see some of the fall colors before they all blow away.  Here are a few of the pics from our drive.

The mountains got hit really hard with a lot of snow early this week (which was after the photo taken above), but so far “down here” at 6,000 feet of elevation we’re still having amazing autumn weather.  While the mornings are getting cold (in the 20s), we’re going to see mid-70s tomorrow and Saturday!  Thank you, Mother Nature, for granting my wish for a late start to winter weather this year.  I can’t complain!

And on the way to school the other morning, I had this gorgeous sight!

Yes, I’m snapping photos at 70 mph through my car windshield.  Shhh – don’t tell anyone!  ;)

Well I’m off to the kitchen to cook a school recipe that we sampled yesterday:  Braised Tempeh in Coconut Curry Sauce.  I’m going to pair it with Cauliflower “Couscous”.  And later, we’ll be carving pumpkins because we are actually going to open our door to trick-or-treaters this year (gasp) instead of retreating to our basement like we usually do.  I’m blaming this on Allison from One Day at a Time ;) because her awesome jack-o-lanterns inspired me.   You have to go take a look – they did a great job on theirs!

Do you have any fun and exciting plans for Halloween weekend?

Have a fabulous day, friends!

– Shari B. =)

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Natural Chef Culinary School – Sea Veggies

Oct 26

Posted by Shari B. in Natural Chef Culinary School | 7 Comments

Hi friends!

You’ve heard me sing the praises of seaweed before on this blog, so you can imagine how excited I was for Sea Vegetables class!

I regularly use dulse in my kitchen, adding strips to my salads and flakes to numerous other dishes in place of sea salt.  I’ve used kombu when cooking beans.  And nori for miso soup and sushi rolls.  But my horizons have been broadened after this class!

One of the best uses I learned for seaweed that day was with one called agar agar (kanten).  You may know this one from science class, as it’s often used as the culture medium in petri dishes.  But because of its ability to gel, it is used in the culinary world as a thickener.  One of my classmates was assigned Apple-Pomegranate Kanten with Cashew Cream.  The agar agar was dissolved (and boiled) with unsweetened fresh apple juice, then apple pieces and pomegranate seeds were suspended while it was cooling.  The result was a dish similar to a Jell-O salad, but without all the sugar and artificial ingredients.

I was so excited to make a version of this at home for MSP.  He picked unsweetened grape juice and here is the result (recipe at the bottom of this post):

I garnished it with a little TruWhip and some ground flaxseed. (A shout out to my grandma for handing down her wine glasses to me, which also serve as beautiful dessert dishes!)

Agar agar is pretty cool, huh?  What a great way to make desserts for kids that are natural, high in minerals and fiber and FUN!  You would NEVER know you are eating seaweed – there is no flavor from the agar agar.

This is also a good substitute for gelatin in a vegan diet, since gelatin is an animal product.

The recipe I got to work on that day was Sea Vegetable Caviar.  We used wakame for this dish, but to make it look like little caviar ‘eggs’, arame is the suggested option.  You soak the seaweed to reconstitute it, sauté it in some sesame oil, add some water and tamari, bring to a boil then let all the liquid cook out.  Add in some sauteed minced garlic/shallots, a little ginger and lemon juice to taste, place on top of a flax cracker, and you have a fun appetizer sure to be a conversation starter at your next dinner party!

You can tell your guests all about how full of minerals sea veggies are, how well they detox the body and that they are a highly alkaline food, helping to cut down the acid in the blood.  And they are easy to make look pretty on the platter – this was probably my best plating presentation yet!

A couple of other dishes we ate that day included nori-wrapped whitefish:

And sesame sweet potatoes with wakame:

Do you use seaweed in any of your daily nutrition?  If not, are you convinced to give it a try? I was a seaweed lover before but am even more excited now to incorporate these amazing superfoods into my daily recipes, knowing how FANTASTIC it is for our bodies.  I’ve already picked up some arame at the store and made a seaweed salad for dinner Sunday night.

Have a FABULOUS day friends!  See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

***

If you weren’t online over the weekend, check out the previous recap post about Grains, Legumes, Nuts and Seeds.

***

Edited to add Agar Agar “Jell-O” recipe by popular demand ;)

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Choose your favorite juice (preferably fresh squeezed and unsweetened)
  • For 6 servings that are wine glass sized like I made, use 2 cups of juice and 1 to 1.5 tablespoons agar agar. (I used 1.5 and feel that it could have been dropped down to 1 tbsp. if your package has you using one tablespoon to one cup liquid, ignore it!  Mine did too!)
  • Mix them together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and continue stirring to ensure the agar agar is fully dissolved.
  • Pour into 6 wine glasses or dessert dishes.  Let them sit for 10 minutes while you chop up your favorite fruit to ‘suspend’ in the dessert.  At school we used pomegranate seeds and apples.  Pick something that matches with your juice selection.  I only needed 1 apple (finely diced) and the seeds from half of one pomegranate.  More or less to your liking will work!  Add the fruit to the glasses and then refrigerate for at least one hour.
  • You can garnish with some TruWhip like we did or you can make a homemade vegan cashew cream whipped topping, like we did at school.

Let me know what your friends and family say when you serve this!  :)

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Natural Chef Culinary School – Grains, Legumes and More

Oct 23

Posted by Shari B. in Natural Chef Culinary School | 3 Comments

Good morning blog buds!  This week, I’m breaking the recap into segments to keep the size a little more manageable.  A wise blogger (Joan) once told me that she’d heard blog posts should be able to be read quickly, and I agree.  No one wants to see a post so long they think it will take them 10 minutes to read, right?  Hopefully you’ll prefer this shorter segment.

So the first class of this past week that I’m going to share with you is Grains, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds.

Funny story about something I learned in school this week:  MSP and I were playing “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” on our Wii last night, and one of the questions was, “Who is the Goddess of Agriculture?” from Greek Mythology.  The answer is CERES, hence “cereal” grains – which we just learned on Monday!  I may have been taught this in grade school as well, who knows!  Hey, at least I know my education dollars are improving my Wii Trivia performance!  ;)

Another tip that’s been discussed here at FitFeat is adding kombu to your beans during soaking and cooking to help reduce “gassiness” and impart additional minerals (thank you Alicia Silverstone…).  But you can also add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 cup of beans to your cooking liquid to help reduce gas as well.

Soaking grains, beans, nuts and seeds (and even taking it one step further and sprouting them) will make them ALL more digestible and increase their nutrients.

My assigned recipe for this class was Nut and Seed Brittle.  It turned out SO tasty!  I modified the recipe they’d provided somewhat, eliminating the cashews and sunflower seeds and adding some extra spice and dried fruit.  This brittle is made by mixing your favorite nuts, seeds and spices with some high-quality maple syrup and then baking and breaking.  Mine had almonds (run through the food processor), pepitas, sesame seeds, flax seeds, crushed goji berries, a few chopped dried cherries, Saigon cinnamon, orange zest, and ginger.  As it was cooling I topped it with some minced fresh mint.  To serve, I made a batch of “chocolate syrup” to drizzle on top using maple syrup, brown rice syrup, carob powder and cocoa powder.

I’m having fun working to improve my garnishing & plating skills.

When I think of “brittle” I think of the peanut brittle that we used to eat around the holidays growing up, incredibly high in refined sugars (white sugar and corn syrup), butter and using roasted peanuts which don’t really provide anything in the way of health.  So this holiday season I’m thinking about making this MUCH HEALTHIER nut/seed brittle for gifts, maybe with some dried cranberries as the holiday fruit.

Some of the other dishes from that day included Persian Split Pea and Barley Stew:

Pecan Loaf with Creole Glaze (meat free and it was SO good – I can’t wait to try this at home!):

Black-Eyed Pea and Corn Biscuits (gluten free) – another delicious treat that I will definitely make at home:

This was a VERY filling day of class what with all the beans and grains!  Good thing I got in a solid weight-training session that morning!  ;)

Have a SUPERB Saturday friends!  See you soon with a recap about SEA VEGETABLES!

– Shari B. =)

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Burger-n-Fries, FitFeat Style

Oct 22

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Vegetarian | 4 Comments

Happy Friday FitFeat friends!

I’m heading off to class shortly but wanted to quickly share with you a fun lunch I made this week, using Jicama “Fries” that one of our instructors, Brigitte Mars, showed us how to make last week.

It’s so easy!  Basically you peel and cut a jicama into “fry” shapes, toss lightly with some olive oil until well coated, add some sea salt, nutritional yeast, and chili powder (or other seasonings of choice).


And all of a sudden you have a super-fast, raw snack that looks just like a french fry!  Only MUCH healthier!

Serve as a side to a wonderful Sunshine Burger and lunch is served.  Take that, MickyD’s.  ;)

Have a FABULOUS Friday blog buds!

– Shari B. =)

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MandarinBerry Smoothie & Tabata Yoga

Oct 19

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit, Recipes | 8 Comments

Good morning friends!  Happy Tuesday to you!

Lookie what I found this weekend at Whole Foods!  I’m so excited!

My BUBBLY -  in the brand I adore!!!  Wahooo!  And the best news is that it tastes identical to what it did before it was removed from the shelves so long ago!  Now, yes – I am still making my homebrewed version.  In fact last night I bottled yet another batch and started a new one (this new one made with CHAI tea and using a different ratio of tea/water/sugar — can’t wait to try it!).  But I still haven’t mastered that wonderfully fizzy taste that you find in Synergy or Vibranz, so it’s a great treat to have every once in a while.  So if you are a Synergy kombucha fan, hit up your local health food store and see if they have it in stock for you yet!  (And Joan, I think the change to their formula means no “floating mother” – I didn’t see any in this batch so maybe you’d like it!)

***

SITE UPDATE: If you head back over to the Indian Spiced Quinoa post, you’ll see that I’ve added a HEALTH BENEFITS feature for you (located at the bottom of the recipe).  We do that for some of our homework, so I thought you’d like to see what good things you’ll do for your body eating quinoa, dates and sweet bell peppers!

***

And on the topic of recipes, check out this morning’s post-yoga green smoothie:

Postworkout MandarinBerry Green Protein Smoothie:

All ingredients go into your blender – blend until deliciously smooth!  ;) 251 calories, 19g protein (30%), 37g carbs (59%), 3g fat (11%).

Today I did yoga moves with Tabata timing, just because I was feeling like trying something crazy.  It was a fun change of pace!  Chair pose was especially challenging!  Hold your favorite yoga position for 20 seconds, getting as deep as you can, come out of it for 10 seconds, then back in for 20 seconds.  Repeat for 4 minutes straight.

Image Source

Today I used plank, warrior 2, balancing stick, chair pose and eagle pose (after a good warmup of course, like walking on a treadmill for 5-7 minutes, then a light jog for 3 minutes).

After warm-up this is 20 minutes of yoga, and it was a great way to just mix things up a bit!  I’m never bored with workouts when I use Tabata timing.  So much fun!

Have a TERRIFIC day friends!

– Shari B. =)

***

Shari Becht is a Fit Living Coach & ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy living into their busy lives. She has decided to take her love of nutrition one step further as a student in the Natural Chef Culinary Program at Bauman College and will graduate in Spring 2011.  If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to fit more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

*affiliate link to my OpenSky store – I do receive commission on products purchased through this link.

hari Becht is a Fit Living Coach and ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy living into their busy lives. She has decided to take her love of nutrition one step further by being accepted into the Natural Chef Culinary Program at Bauman College and will graduate in Spring 2011.

If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to fit more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat  [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

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Natural Chef Culinary School – Week 4 Recap

Oct 17

Posted by Shari B. in Natural Chef Culinary School | 5 Comments

Hi blog buds,

Wow what a week it was for school!  I felt like I was eating, breathing and sleeping school every day and behind in every other part of my life.  My house is in dire need of some dusting and scrubbing.  :)

So let’s get to it!  Monday was Salads and Dressings.

My teammate and I were assigned two salads:  one with a recipe and one as an improv.  The recipe was Adzuki and Green Bean Salad with Tamari-Glazed Almonds and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette:

It was VERY tasty – another keeper to make at home some day.  Even just the Tamari Glazed Almonds for a snack would be great!

For our improv salad we are given a list of ingredients and asked to come up with something using some or all of them, but nothing else.  We made a savory Olive Egg Salad over Baby Greens – my teammate made the egg salad, so I’m not sure I could create it if I tried, but it was spectacular.  I loved the zip from the green olives in it.

And as is becoming customary in class, I sliced my finger a little.  My new knife is just CRAZY sharp and you barely have to GRAZE yourself and you’ll bleed with this thing.  So on went the GLOVE of SHAME again. :D

Here are some of the other salads made by our class that day (with my apologies on the blurry photos.  My camera does NOT like the lighting in this banquet room at all!):

Wednesday was Appetizer and Garnish day.  An interesting tidbit on appetizers that I hadn’t known is that BITTER flavors in appetizers will best stimulate digestion to prepare it for the upcoming meal.  Then I got to wondering if this is because the area of the tongue that registers bitter is the farthest at the back, and therefore closest to the digestive tract… things that make you go “hmmmm!”.  I’ll have to remember for my next dinner guests to create them something with radicchio and lemon.  ;)

After lecture, it was time to hit the kitchen.  This was the first day that I’d received my own recipe and not paired up with a teammate.  I’d read the recipes the night prior and had a weird feeling I’d get the one that was going to be incredibly cramped for time, and sure enough, I got it.  (We have a set time limit for our cooking time, regardless of how long our recipe takes or how late we get to start.  At 1:30 sharp, it feels like the end of the SATs where “Pencils down!” is shouted.   This is the part of school that I don’t love.  I am already a stress-monster without that added craziness.  Being new with a lot of these cooking techniques, my stress levels rise to boiling point when I feel crunched for time in the kitchen, you have 7 students trying to use 6 burners on the stove, all of us trying to track down “Who has the olive oil?” or “Anyone seen the salt?”.  It feels like pure chaos to me and then all of a sudden time is up and we are supposed to eat.  It’s no wonder that I’ve had a stomachache and poor digestion almost every day we’ve been at school.)

But I digress…. my recipe was Polenta and Wild Mushroom Crostini with Balsamic Reduction.  It turned out alright – with more time at home someday and a less stressful kitchen, I’ll tweak it up some to make it again.  Here’s how it looked:

Some of the dark dots are mushrooms that wouldn’t stay put and some are the overly thick balsamic reduction that didn’t want to come out of the squeeze-bottle in a steady stream. I’ve had two different types of reductions assigned to me so far in school.  One wouldn’t reduce, the other over-reduced.  I’m hoping that, like Goldilocks, the next one will be JUST RIGHT.  ;)

Some of the other appetizers are pictured below – everything turned out amazing and this feast was fun because it was like being at a Tapas Bar!

Endive Spoons with Olive and Walnut Tapenade:

Spring Rolls & Almond Dipping Sauce:

Improvisational Canapé:

Gluten-Free Cheese Crackers with Lemon-Parsley Hummus:

The whole table:

My tasty plate – check out the Spicy BBQ Tempeh Meatballs wrapped in basil! mmmmm….

On to Friday, Greens and Vegetables day.  This day was like a breath of fresh air for me.  This class was being taught by Brigitte Mars, author of 14 books, master herbalist and RAW FOODIST!  I had met her before and couldn’t WAIT for her to be teaching our class.  (You may be familiar with her daughter Rainbeau Mars, a well-know yoga instructor in LA who has quite a few DVDs.  I have her Ra’Yoka one.)  I adore Brigitte’s teaching style – she has had an amazing life upon which to draw great stories that relate to our teachings (she used to live in a TEEPEE!)

Something about her demeanor made me comfortable and I felt 100% better this time when we moved class into the kitchen.  It was my first really ENJOYABLE cooking experience there where I didn’t feel like my head was going to explode from stress.

My teammate and I were assigned a recipe to prepare (Braised Cabbage and Carrots with Mint and Cider Vinegar) and another improv dish (we made a Savory Sage Delicata Squash Soup).  Both turned out delicious!  I was skeptical of the braised cabbage – we thought it would be boring, but it actually had a LOT of flavor!   My teammate had the great idea to save the seeds from the squash, flavor & roast them, and serve them as the garnish.  SMART! 

And some of the other dishes from the day (again with the blurry photos, sorry!) included Steamed Baby Artichoke Salad with Spiralized Beets and Herb Dressing, Stir-Fried Szechwan Broccoli with Zesty Spiced Pecans, Blanched Greens in Cashew Curry Sauce and Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Tomato Gratin with Basil Cream:

All-in-all it was another great week where I learned an amazing amount of information that ended on wonderful note:  with margaritas at Centro in Boulder!  Six of us from class went out for a happy hour drink after school – it was great to get to know each other even better and feel a stronger sense of “TEAM”.  I really love all of my classmates.  Afterward, a few of them went on to dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant – since I have a long drive and a short budget, I headed home.  I was a sleepy girl after that long week!

Any of these dishes look great to you?  Have you made something similar at home?  What’s your favorite appetizer?

Have a FABULOUS day, friends!  See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

PS:  so next week, maybe I’ll have to break this down into sections to keep the post from being so long!  Thanks for hanging to the end if you made it this far!  ;)

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Buried!

Oct 16

Posted by Shari B. in Natural Chef Culinary School | 2 Comments

Hi friends!

I wanted to put out a quick post to let you know that I am still here and haven’t given up on blogging, LOL!  I spent a crazy amount of time buried under homework this week.  Who’d have thought that coming up with one’s own recipes from scratch, shopping for them, testing them, tasting them, then tweaking them to get right, etc., would take so long?

This week’s assignment required:

1 appetizer
1 salad with dressing
1 soup
1 main dish with sauce
1 vegetable side dish

While we only need to prepare one dish, I am also working on an externship project concurrently so all 5 (well 7 including dressing and sauce) have been prepared this week.  Then we write about health benefits of certain ingredients, enter into a nutrition program, write a recipe analysis and include costing.  Let me just tell you that costing takes FOREVER when you are trying to figure out how much that 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon REALLY cost you.  I will think twice next time before adding a “pinch of this” and a “dash of that” if costing needs to be done!  ;)

Just 5 minutes ago I finished this week’s homework assignment that is due on Monday.  I worked on it Tuesday, Thursday and all day today as well (you know, those days that I typically try to get a blog post written!).  Tomorrow I will need to proofread my 14 pages and then send it off to my instructor.

A glass of wine to unwind is definitely in order.

And then I’ll begin working on my recap of week 4, which I really hope to post by Monday.

Anyone try the Indian Spiced Quinoa yet?

Also a BIG SHOUT OUT to Cindy who will be running her first 5K tomorrow!  Hop on over to her blog and wish her luck!

– Shari B. =)

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Indian Spiced Quinoa

Oct 12

Posted by Shari B. in Natural Chef Culinary School, Recipes, vegan | 12 Comments

Here is the recipe for the Indian Spiced Quinoa from my homework assignment that I promised to share with you.  I’d love to know what you think if you try it!

This is a super easy recipe that provides a lot of flavor punch for the small amount of effort involved.  You will definitely want to use the dates and FRESH mint leaves (as opposed to dry) – the power of the fresh flavors in those two ingredients makes all the difference in this recipe.

  • 1 cup quinoa (measured dry)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 orange pepper, chopped (feel free to use red or yellow)
  • 1 finger of ginger, peeled and minced
  • ½  teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 medjool dates, pitted and minced
  • Mint leaves from 3-4 sprigs, finely chopped

Directions
Soak quinoa for 30-60 minutes prior to cooking.  Rinse well, drain and set aside.

Melt coconut oil over medium heat.  Add shallots, orange pepper, garlic, ginger and garam masala, stirring often until peppers soften, about 5 minutes.

Add quinoa and stir well to coat with spice mixture.

Add vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa begins to look fluffy and liquid has absorbed into the grains.

Allow to sit uncovered for 3-5 minutes.  Using a fork, mix in dates and mint leaves.  Serve immediately.

Adapted from ‘Carla’ at www.food.com (Garam Masala Basmati Rice)

Health Benefits

Quinoa:  Often thought of as a grain, but actually a seed, one ½ cup serving of quinoa provides 251 mg of potassium, as well as 4.5 grams of complete protein (www.calorieking.com).  Quinoa has a macronutrient breakdown of 71% carbohydrate, 14% fat and 15% protein (www.nutritiondata.self.com).  It is also an excellent source of manganese, magnesium and iron.  Originally a South American crop, it has an interesting Colorado connection, as it was brought here in the 1980s for cultivation by two Americans (Murray 2005, 348-349).

Dates: Dates are a delightfully sweet treat that should be a part of any diet, especially for individuals looking for whole, natural solutions for fueling their endurance exercise. This glucose-rich fruit is easily digestible and highly alkaline (Brazier 2007, 142) providing an astonishing 262% more potassium than an orange per ounce yet providing a relatively low caloric count of 23 calories per pitted date (Murray 2005, 272).  Studies have shown dates to be rich in both antioxidant and anticancer compounds, bringing new meaning to the coined term “The Tree of Life” for the date palm that bears this fruit (Murray 2005, 273).

Sweet Red Bell Pepper: Bell peppers are considered one of the highest nutrient-dense foods based on the ratio of their nutrient level to calories, at only 20 calories per 3.5 ounce pepper.  A one cup serving of bell pepper will provide you with 291% of the RDA for Vitamin C and 105% for Vitamin A (www.whfoods.com).  The red pepper is superior to green from a nutrient standpoint.  Eating bell peppers is thought to be protective against cancer, heart disease, strokes, cataracts and cholesterol levels.  Because bell peppers are members of the nightshade family (which have been thought to worsen the symptoms of arthritis), people suffering from arthritis may choose to reduce or eliminate their consumption of these particular vegetables.  (Murray 2005, 167).

Bibliography

Bauman, Edward. Eating for Health: Your Guide to Vitality and Optimal Health. Pengrove, CA:  Bauman College, 2008

Brazier, Brendan. The Thrive Diet: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. Philadelphia, PA: DeCapo Press, 2007

CalorieKing’s www address www.calorieking.com.

Livestrong’s www address www.livestrong.com

Murray, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. New York, NY: Atria Books, 2005

SELF NutritionData’s www address www.nutritiondata.self.com

The World’s Healthiest Foods’ www address www.whfoods.com

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Shari Becht is a Fit Living Coach and ACE Certified Personal Trainer.  She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take the steps to fit healthy living into their busy lives.  She has decided to take her love of nutrition one step further by enrolling in the Natural Chef Culinary Program at Bauman College and will graduate in Spring 2011.

If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to fit more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat  [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

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