Thanksgiving Sides Part 4 - Warm Butternut Squash and Kale

I love butternut squash.  It's colorful and sweet and doesn't need much help to make it shine.  Paired with kale this makes a great hearty side or have a larger portion for a satisfying meal.

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash 

1-2 bunches kale (I used the red kale curly for color)

3 cloves garlic

1/2" knob of ginger

Pink Himalayan 

Veggie Broth

Step #1: Add veggie broth to coat large pan.  Zest in garlic and ginger and put on medium heat. While flavors are infusing,  peel and cube butternut squash.  

Step #2:  Add butternut squash & salt, mix well, cook covered until tender.  De-stem kale, rip into manageable pieces,  and wash.

Step #3: Add kale to cooked squash until slightly wilted and warmed through.  Add more salt if desired. Serve & enjoy.

Thanksgiving Sides Part 3 - Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed potatoes are a staple at every Thanksgiving table, but they are super starchy, sticky and very heavy.  Give this recipe a try for a delicious, light and easy to digest alternative.
Feel free to play with this one and use this recipe as a base! A few examples: add caramelized onions, mushroom gravy, etc.  Please feel free to post your adds in the comments below.
Stay tuned for more light and simple recipes to come.

Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
2-5 garlic cloves (or more for a really garlicky mash)
Olive oil (or organic butter if desired)
Chives (few) (Can use scallions instead)
Pink Himalayan Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (optional)

Step #1 - Wash and cut cauliflower into florets. Peel and cut garlic cloves into halves.  Steam cauliflower & garlic until fork tender.

Step #2 - Use food processor or blender to blend cauliflower to desired consistency (anywhere from chunky to creamy puree).  Add drizzle of olive oil (or butter), salt and pepper and pulse a couple of times to incorporate flavors.

Step #3 - Chop chives and add to cauliflower mash.  Serve & enjoy.

Thanksgiving Sides Part 2 - Colorful Baked beets

I loved baked beets.  They are delicious, easy to make and will brighten up and dinner table. So here is Thanksgiving Sides Part 2...

Ingredients:
2 large red beets (or as many as needed)
2 large golden beets (or as many as needed)
parchment paper

Step #1- Preheat oven to 400*.  Wash beets and wrap in parchment paper.  Place in glass dish or on baking sheet and bake until fork tender (at least 1 hour pending on size of beets)

Step #2 - Let beets cool enough to touch.  Unwrap and peel beet skins. Please note, your hands will get messy, but that's part of the fun.  If you have kids, they will probably love to get in on the action. Tip: Peel the golden beets first then the red.

Step #3 - Chop (golden first, then red) and serve. I used the parchment to keep the cutting board from being dyed. Serve room temp, hot, or cold and for fabulous option, add some goat cheese.

Thanksgiving Sides Part 1 - Brussels Sprouts

Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and loved ones.  I have some great sides that are simple, tasty, and easy to digest - leaving you with more time for togetherness and less time wanting to take a nap after dinner.

Here is my recipie for yummy Shaved Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts (I used about 4 cups)
1 shallot
1-2 cloves garlic
pink Himalayan salt (to taste)
Veggie Broth
Organic Dijon Mustard
1 packet stevia (addition pending taste)
water

Step #1: Wash & peel brussels sprouts.  Cut off bottom stem, half then cut to make thin shavings or you can use a mandolin.  I just used my knife.

Step#2: Thinly slice shallot and mince garlic.

Step #3: Add veggie broth to bottom of pan and sauté shallots and garlic until soft.

Step #4: Add shaved brussels sprouts to pan.  Stir well then cook covered until desired.

Step #5: While brussels sprouts are cooking, mix about 3-4 tablespoon mustard with stevia and water to facilitate blending.  I like my dressing to be like the consistency of  slightly thicker than milk. Add to brussels sprouts and stir.

Step #6: Serve and enjoy.

Stay tuned for more sides to come in the next few days!

Have your own healthy turkey-day dishes you want to share? Comment below.

Stuffed Patty Squash

A friend gave me a few patty squashes from her garden.  I never had them before so I went online to get some ideas of how to use them.  This is a simple baked squash with mushroom stuffing.

Ingredients:
2 patty squash (these come in different sizes, shapes & color)
1 small container baby bellas
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1/2 small red onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 sprig rosemary
1 tsp organic tomato paste
Himalayan Salt (to taste)
Veggie Broth

Step #1: Preheat oven to 400.  Dice onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms & mince garlic.  Cut patty sqaush in half and scope out seeds (on of the squash was super small, so it really was just 1 and a top instead of 2)

Step #2: Add veggie broth to cover bottom of pan.  Add minced garlic and rosemary.  Saute on low for a few minutes to infuse rosemary to broth.

Step #3: Add in onions, carrots, and celery & salt.  Saute until start to get tender. While veggies are sauteing, cut patty squash in half and scope out seeds (on of the squash was super small, so it really was just 1 and a top instead of 2). Place on parchment lined baking tray and cook until fork tender (about 45-60) (Note, they may cook faster if you cook cut side down instead of what I did)

Step #4: Add in mushrooms.  Saute until soft.  Remove rosemary sprig and add to food processor or blender. Add tomato paste.  Gently blend.  (Add additional veggie broth is needed)

Step #5: Stuff squash and enjoy.

Tomato Salad

It's tomato season!  When I was a kid, one of my most favorite things to eat was the fresh tomato salad my dad would make with bread for dunking in all the yummy juices.  Fast forward many years later, I still love it and instead of bread, I dunk with Lydia's Sunflower "Bread"

Ingredients:
Variety of Tomatoes
Handful fresh basil (chopped)
1-2 cloves garlic
Organic Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil
Himalayan Salt
Water
Lydia's Sunflower Bread, or if you eat it Ezekiel's Sprouted Bread (Wholefoods, health food stores, and well as other markets carry these as well as Amazon and other online sources)

Step #1: Clean and cut tomatoes.  I used a variety of amazing organic heirlooms from the Farmer's Market.  The green and yellow zebra stripes are my favorite!

Step #2: Add a few drizzles of olive oil, about 1/4 cup water, basil & salt to taste.  Zest in garlic using a microplane or zester.  Mix well. (Pardon the cell phone picts!)

Step #3: Let stand for a couple of hours.  The tomatoes will start to create a yummy juice

Step #4: Enjoy tomato salad.  Add some extra juice to your bowl and dunk your favorite "bread"!

"Peanut butter" Banana "Milkshake"

One of my favorite deserts as a child was a simple peanut butter and banana shake.  Unfortunately I had to give up peanut butter several years ago after discovering that it can hold mold.  If you are interested there is some interesting (and scary) information about peanuts here.

Luckily I discovered sunflower butter and it was love at first taste! Sunflower butter has a similar consistency and a great taste that works as a perfect replacement for peanut butter in a variety of recipes.

So this is my re-worked version of a Banana Sunflower Butter "Milkshake"

Ingredients:
1 frozen banana (tip: peel bananas and freeze without the skins)
1 fresh banana
1 tbsp sunflower butter (I use the no salt or sugar version)
Coconut water (to facilitate blending, I use raw coconut water) (Can use almond or hemp milk)
Cocoa Nibs (optional for garnish)
Stevia (Optional, I find the banana is sweet enough for me and omit it)

Step #1:
Blend all of the ingredients, pour (I used a wine glass), top with nibs and enjoy!

Busy Schedule? Here's some tips!

Want to eat healthy, but your not sure how with a busy schedule? Below are some tips I have learned along the way to not be overwhelmed and stay on track.

Tip#1: Juice Prep in the Evening
If you want to make fresh juice in the am, but time is a bit of a crunch, prep in the evening by:
-Wash all your greens, vegetables & fruits
-Prep your ingredients by cutting cucumbers, celery, lemons, etc before bed.  Fruits tend to spoil quickly so leave things like apples or pears until the morning and have the cutting board & knife out and ready to go
-Set up the juicer
-Have jars or containers to hold juice ready to go


Tip #2: Prep & Cook Ahead
There is plenty you can do on a Sunday afternoon to prepare for the week.  These are some of the things I've learned over the years.

-Salads!  I wash and chop veggies like, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, etc ahead of time and store them in glass containers in the fridge.  Then all I need to do is throw my greens (I use the organic triple washed as much as possible)  into a bowl, pull my containers out of the fridge and add which veggies I want.  The more delicate salad adds, like avocado or tomato, I cut when I make the salad.  Cut lemon, and squeeze half over my salad
-Want salad for lunch?
Leave a bowl at the office.  Prep as above & add to large ziploc bag the night before.  I used to make a salad at home and carry in a glass container, but it got to be too heavy walking around the city so I switched to this plan.
-Cook ahead of time. Quinoa, baked sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, steamed veggies and more can all be made in advance.  I would usually make stuff on Sunday to get me through midweek then do a little more if needed.  Plenty of raw dishes can also be made ahead of time

Tip #3: Shop to Save time
My husband and I only go to the grocery store when no one is around! One of us would go on a Saturday or Sunday as soon as the doors opened or on a weekday evening around 8pm.  This means you can go in and out fast with carts not crowding aisles or long lines.
Go with a list.  This will cut down on your shopping time.

Tip #4: Take a Helping Hand
This can mean many things depending on your needs.  Here are a few things I have discovered over the years to help me out:
-Sprouts & Microgreens.  I love them, but I don't have the time, space or green thumb to grow them.  My local farmstand grows sprouts.  I have gotten on a schedule with them so once a week I pick up my sprouts
-Local CSA.  If you don't have time to go to the farmers market, join your local CSA and have fresh veggies & fruits delivered weekly.
-Purchase things like fresh homemade guacamole if you don't want to make it yourself (or while you are waiting for your avocados to ripen!).  Don't want to fuss with a dehydrator?  You can purchase things like raw macaroons or kale chips online, from your local raw food cafe, or from grocery or health food store

Sexy Summer Spring Rolls!

I'm taking on the challenge of creating a Sexy Summer Spring Roll  from Kimberly Snyder's Recipe Assignment for this week!

I've been so inspired, that I will be posting more recipes for this over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for nut based & dessert wraps.  In the meantime, enjoy this evening's creation.

Ingredients:
Curry or plain Coconut Wraps (or sprouted grain tortilla, collard green, or wrapping material of choice)
Carrots
Pea sprouts (or you favorite sprouts, micro greens or other greens)
Guacamole (I took a helping hand and used Wholefoods homemade guac)
Salsa (your favorite kind) - optional for dipping sauce

Step #1:
Get your wrap set!  I love the Curry wraps from Pure Wrap.  If you can't find them, Amazon sells the Paleo coconut wrap.  If you haven't had them before they have a mild flavor and won't overpower.

Step #2: 
Add your guacamole!  Leave some space for when you roll it up.  I spread a nice layer over 3/4 of the wrap

Step #3:

Julienne carrots and add to wrap.  This peeler set from Bed Bath & Beyond is amazing!  Don't have a julienne peeler?  That's ok.  Use a regular veg peeler and make some ribbons.

Step #4:

Add your nutrient dense sprouts (micro greens, greens or a combo).  Want to know more about why sprouts are so good for you?  See Kimberly's blog post on sprouts & micro greens packed full of info!

Step #5:

Roll it up!  Use some guacamole along the edge as "glue" to seal the roll.

Step #6:

Cut in half & plat it up with your favorite salsa for dipping.  Enjoy!

A special thank to my husband who took the photos as I was making my version of Sexy Summer Spring Rolls.

I'm back!

Hello everyone!

I took some time off from creating in the kitchen to creating with watercolors, pastels, & acrylics!

I will be posting new recipes again. Please enjoy them and if you would like to see what I've been up to for the last few months, you can check out my art website jencolombo.com

xoxo
Jen

Butternut Squash as a Side or Dessert

This Butternut Squash dish is super simple and really delicious. I plan to make this again for Thanksgiving Day as dessert, but you can also use it for an amazing side dish.

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
1" ginger
Cinnamon (to taste)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 handful of unsweetened fine shredded coconut

Step #1: Peel and cube butternut squash (approx. 1" square). Place in parchment lined baking dish.
Step #2: Add coconut oil, sprinkle in cinnamon, peel & zest ginger onto butternut squash.  Toss well.
Step #3: Bake on 350* for about 45 mins or until fork tender.  Turn off oven, throw 1/2 handful unsweetened coconut and mix. (Enough to give each cube some coconut, add more if desired).  Leave in oven about 5 minutes, remove and enjoy.

Cabbage Slaw Salad

We went to dinner the other day, and me husband's food came with a little side slaw.  I tried it, and thought they added sugar or something to it which I found to be unnecessary.  So I decided to created my own clean version, full of flavor and color.  If you want to be fancy, you can use the mandolin.  I was being lazy and didn't want to pull the mandolin out and  just cut up the cabbage by hand with a good knife.

Ingredients:
Red Cabbage Shredded(1/4 - 1/2 depending on size of cabbage)
Green Cabbage Shredded (1/4 - 1/2 depending on size of cabbage)
1-2 Carrots Shredded (I use a julienne peeler - super simple)
1 lime
Handful of cilantro
Scallions - diced (optional)
Pink Himalayan Salt

Step #1 : Shred & cut ingredients.  Toss into bowl.  Add juice of 1 lime, cilantro, & salt.  Mix well & serve.
Step #2 : Enjoy.  The simplicity allows the lime & cilantro to really shine through for a very satisfying salad meal or side.

Mexican Inspired Salad

I love the flavors of Mexican food!  This simple salad is inspired by the flavors & spices from Mexican rice, pico de gallo, & guacamole. (See my versions of Mexican "rice" here and here).
You should feel free to switch anything out for what you have around the kitchen.  I am not crazy about heat in my food, but if you love it, go ahead and add some minced up jalapeno!

Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce (or mixed greens, or baby kale)
Handful Cherry tomatoes
1 Green pepper
1 Avocado
2 scallions(or red onion)
Parsley, about half a handful
Cilantro, about half a handful
1 clove garlic(zested or minced)
1 lime (or half depending on how juicy it is)
Cumin (to taste)
Sea or Pink Himalayan Salt (to taste)

Step #1: Chop up veggies, herbs, & cube avocado. Add everything to a large bowl. Zest in garlic, add cumin & salt to taste, &  squeeze in lime juice.
Step # 2: Mix well and enjoy!

Almond Coconut Treat

I decided to continue no sugar (with the exception of raw young coconut water) and a very green centric diet for the month of August after completing the month of July. 
I found that I was fine without any fruit and was satisfied with coconut puddings for dessert.
Then we went to a wedding this past weekend (no coconut pudding access).  Seeing all the brownies, cookies, & ice cream made me want a little bit of an almond based cookie or raw treat.  Determined not to break the Extreme Green Cleanse I am doing, I experimented with this simple almond coconut treat earlier and it was a success.
These measurements are approximate, you can experiment, you won't go wrong!

Ingredients:
Approx. 2 teaspoons Raw Almond Butter
Approx. 2 teaspoons Unsweetened shredded coconut
Cinnamon (to taste)
1/4 of a vanilla bean (open & scrap beans)
Stevia (optional, I didn't use it)

Step #1: Place almond butter into a bowl and add shredded coconut as needed to thicken. Add cinnamon & vanilla and stir.
Step #2: Use a teaspoon measuring spoon to form mixture & place in mini cupcake liner.  Place treats in freezer for at least 20 mins before enjoying. They are bite sized, but filling. I made 3 total, but only ate 2 of them.

Salads, salads, salads

I am participating in the "Extreme Green Cleanse" for the month of July lead by author & CN, Natalia Rose.
It involves a green centric diet for the month so I have had a lot of fun so far making different salad version every night.

Here is the idea behind my creations:
1. Your favorite greens (with optional shredded cabbage)
2. Your favorite herbs
3. Your favorite sprouts
4. Your favorite veggies
5. Optional raw olives or avocado (not if using nut/seed based dressing)
6. Dressing: Lemon juice, a tahini dressing, raw almond butter dressing, guacamole, avocado or zucchini based pesto

Below are 2 of my creations.

 The above is butter lettuce, fennel, parsley,alfalfa sprouts, scallions, raw olives, & lemon juice + pink Himalayan  salt.

This was before the greens were added.  Cherry tomato, scallions, parsley, mint, cilanto + greens and lemon/salt dressing.

If you like Pina Colada...

try this pudding recipe...

Ingredients (2 servings):
8oz coconut meat (I use Exotic Super foods, this is 1/2 a bag)
3/4 of a large pineapple (the rest for garish & eating, reserve the core for juice)
coconut water to facilitate blending

Step #1: Blend all in high powered blender, pour into glasses or bowls and garish with extra pineapple.  Blends to a beautiful soft yellow color.

Enjoy!

Juice, Juice, more Juice!

A couple of months ago, I decided to do a juice fast.  My main juices where typical green juices, but since I was drinking so much per day, I wanted more variety and some options that yielded a lot of juice in a short amount of time.
Please note, there is a BIG difference between a juicer and a blender.  Blenders use the whole vegetable/fruit (nothing left as scrap) while juicers leave pulp behind.  All the recipes below have been made using a juicer.  Currently, I own the OmegaVert.  You could probably use a good blender to make some of the following, but I could not say what the results would be.  I am going to place a ** next to those I think may work for blenders.

Happy juicing.

**Minty Watermelon - nice and refreshing and yields a lot of juice (approx. 72 oz):
1 baby watermelon
1 cucumber
1 lime (skin removed depending on your juicer)
handful of fresh mint
(I actually drank this over  a 2 day period since I did not want that much watermelon juice (it was a happy surprise how much this yielded!).  Make this to share or you can cut the recipe in half)

Grapefruit/Fennel Delight (approx. 24-32oz pending size of produce):
2 grapefruits (skin removed)
1 small/medium fennel with fronds (or 1/2 large bulb)
half to whole 5oz box of spinach (optional)

Fennel/Apple Combo:
1 Fennel Bulb & fronds
2 granny smith apples

**Cool Sweet Cucumber (approx. 12-16oz):
1 large cucumber
1 pineapple core (I save the core when I eat pineapple, use within a day)
handful mint
Option 1: Add spinach
Option 2: Add snowpea shoots
**I would use pineapple chunks instead of core if using blender

Carrot Apple Juice as Base:
You can use carrot & apple alone, or use a few variations
2 granny smith apples
4 extra large carrots (or around 2 - 2.5 lbs)
Option 1: Add knob of ginger (peeled)
Option 2: Add 1 whole celery bunch or heart
Option 3: Add 1 whole celery bunch and 1 knob ginger
Option 4: Add 1 small beet

Challenge #100 - 2 in 1 meal

This was inspired by the fabulous 2in1 soup/salad recipe by Ana Zaharia!

I had a beautiful salad for lunch and ate kind of late, so I wasn't super hungry.  I left the house for a couple hours and when I returned, I was hungry, but not for a huge meal and salad. Since I just ate salad a short time prior, I just wanted warm veggies.  So I took a page from Ana's book and did a sauteed veggie medley "salad".
You can use any veggies you have handy.  You can also substitute in your favorite herbs & spices.  Right now I am obsessed with using fresh thyme!

Ingredients:
1 zucchini (chopped)
generous handful brussel sprouts (cut in half, quartered if large)
1 large carrot (peeled and chopped)
Couple handfuls spinach
Veggie Broth (to coat bottom of pan)
Herbamare (or sea salt, garlic powder, whatever you like!)
few springs of fresh thyme (optional)
Nutritional yeast (optional)

Step #1: Coat bottom of pan with veggie broth and add in thyme.  Heat until broth becomes fragrant.
Step #2: Add in all veggies, with the exception of the spinach. Sprinkle with Herbamare (to taste). Saute until desired tenderness is achieved (I like my brussel sprouts still with a bit of crunch - but that's me!)
Step #3: Remove thyme springs.  Add veggies to bowl and throw in spinach.  The heat from veggies will start to soften the baby spinach some.  If desired, add in nutritional yeast, mix, and Enjoy!

Super simple, and yummy.  This recipe with portobello mushrooms in the mix is in the near future!