EVERYTHING GREEN!

We have dedicated March as our EVERYTHING GREEN! Theme since March represents so many things green. March 20th is marked as the first day of spring, and no matter where you live the weather is changing bringing new life, new buds, and greener grass!

Another day marked on the calendar is St. Patrick's Day - A day of green food, green clothing, and the green four leaf clover associated with St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th.  This Irish Holiday is celebrated with wearing the color green, homemade green dishes and green beer. Many of the green recipes, including green beer is a result of adding green food coloring to the dish/drink.

Food for Thought is celebrating EVERYTHING GREEN! with natural green foods. Making dishes with green foods wasn't very difficult, and it really made me aware of so many green foods that I hadn't used in a while, or haven't tried at all. I hope you enjoy the EVERYTHING GREEN! Theme and find some new ways to incorporate natural healthy foods into your recipes and diets to improve your overall health and well-being.

Avocado Spread

http://www.medicaldaily.com/fit-food-fruit-7-benefits-avocado-long-healthy-life-332918

Avocados have been rising in popularity over the last decade and for good reason. They are nutrient dense and they contain nutrient to improve quality of life, and the health benefits of living a healthier, longer life. However, many people do not like the taste of a plain avocado, or do not know how to pick, or prepare a healthy avocado recipe. Here is an easy, delicious, healthy recipe that everyone will love!

RECIPE

2 Ripe Avocados

The juice of 1/2 lemon, or more if you like lemon like I do :) 

1 Roma tomato diced

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

2 green onions/scallions or purple onion

Salt and Pepper

Fresh Cilantro

Fresh Parsley

Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine avocado and lemon immediately to prevent the avocado from oxidizing or turning brown. Next mash avocado and lemon. Add other ingredients. Mix together gently and enjoy! This is spread is great on toasted bagels, or as a guacamole with chips and salsa. 

Spinach and Kale Stuffed Mushrooms

When we think of spinach we often think of Popeye the sailor man. Mothers around the world have been trying to get their kids to eat their spinach for centuries. Unless you can incorporate the nutrient dense green leafy vegetable into other ingredients, then chances are you might not be so lucky in getting your loved ones to eat their greens. 

This spinach and kale stuffed mushroom recipe is absolutely delicious. I made this recipe as an appetizer for a wine tasting party and it was a big hit. 

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

24 Baby Bella Mushrooms

1 package frozen spinach (Defrosted, and squeezed out in a clean towel)

1 bunch fresh baby kale (if you cannot find baby kale at your grocer, then use mature kale cut up and steamed). Steam the kale and let cool. Wring out any excess water in a towel the same way that you do with the frozen spinach.

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 lemon zested

1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese style)

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil to drizzle

DIRECTIONS

Defrost frozen spinach and wring out with clean towel. Cook kale until it is wilted. After cooling, wring out the kale with clean towel. Add spinach and kale to bowl. Finely chop onion and celery and add to bowl. Chop and mince 4 cloves of garlic. Add remaining ingredients, salt and pepper to taste. Toss together, and add mixture to stuff the mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 Degrees for about 25 minutes, or until slightly golden brown, cheese is melted and mushrooms are tender. 

Stuffed mushrooms before they are baked.

 

BABY KALE, SPINACH, AND AVOCADO SALAD

We have all heard of the well known green leafy vegetable that is making its reputation around the world as one of the most nutritious vegetables, Kale. Most of us have heard of that kale is good for us, but how do we use it or cook with it? There are many recipes out there floating around the internet on the many uses of kale, however I wanted to show you one recipe that is simple palatable, and easy to make. If you have shopped around for kale you might have noticed the big dark leafy green. Although mature kale is great in many recipes I have found that baby kale is great for salads. Baby kale is much sweeter, tender, and finally making its way into grocery markets across the country. I found a bag of baby kale at Trader Joe's. Baby kale to me, has the mildness of spinach, and a milder version of peppery arugula. It really is a great flavor, nothing like raw, fresh mature kale which can be a bitter and rough unless it is cooked. This baby kale and baby spinach salad is a refreshing and good for you. We have included a video on the benefits of kale below. 

Recipe

Baby Kale
Baby Spinach
Avocado
2 Hard boiled eggs
1/4 Purple onion sliced
1 Orange
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper flakes (As desired)
Garlic powder (a couple shakes)
Oil
Vinegar

Directions

Cut up baby kale, and spinach as desired. Section off orange segments. Slice purple onion. Chop one hard boiled egg. Slice avocado to preference. Assemble salad as desired. Drizzle with oil. I used avocado oil, however any oil of preference will do. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon, a splash of vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. 

ENJOY!!!

HEALTH BENEFITS OF KALE

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO 

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

RECIPE

2 Chicken breasts (You can also use canned chicken if you prefer)

2 stalk celery diced

1/2 medium onion diced

1/4 cup of cran-raisins 

1/4 cup cashews chopped

1/2 avocado

2 Tablespoons of mayo

The Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 Teaspoon thyme

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder (You will need about 1/4 for the chicken mixture and the avocado mayo.

1/4 Teaspoon Italian seasoning (Basil, oregano, parsley mixture)

1/4 Teaspoon Parsley

Salt/Pepper

Good bread (I used multi-grain bread)

Baby Kale

Baby Spinach

DIRECTIONS    

If you are using canned chicken you can disregard this first step. Boil chicken until cooked. Cut chicken into bite size chunks after boiling. Put chicken in bowl and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Next dice celery and onion and put in bowl with chicken. Chop the cashews into pieces large enough to bite into but not crushed. Add cashews and cranraisins to bowl. Add spices and toss together with all ingredients. 

Avocado Mayo

Some people love avocado while others do not eat it due to its bland taste but they want the health benefits from it. Mixing avocado with something else can provide the taste you are looking for and offering the excellent benefits that avocados offer.  I used about 3/4 of the avocado. You can use as much or as little as you like! Add 2 tablespoons of mayo, salt, pepper, dry parsley, garlic powder, and the juice of one lemon. In a food processor, or by hand, mix ingredients. Add the avocado mixture to the chicken ingredients.

SERVE THE CHICKEN SALAD ON GOOD BREAD. I USED A MULTI-GRAIN BREAD FROM TRADER JOE'S. TO MAKE A HEALTHY SANDWICH ADD BABY KALE AND BABY SPINACH!

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO- V

 GREEN PEA HUMMUS

Keeping the Everything Green theme going! If you haven't read earlier posts, we are celebrating the color green for the month of March. We felt this was fitting since St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in March, and so is the first day of spring!
Today was one of those days that I could not think of a thing to make for dinner. My son was craving steak, and I had some red skin potatoes, so steak and potatoes it was.  Now for a vegetable...hmmm. I had froze peas in the freezer and the standard green peas with butter sounded okay, but I was feeling a bit more creative so I searched my cupboards and refrigerator and came up with the idea of a pea hummus. 

Now what would I use to put this lovely idea of pea hummus onto? I didn't have any good bread in the house however I did have frozen pre-sliced garlic bread that I had gotten on sale for only .88 cents. I bought a few of them and so far we had only eaten it with spaghetti.
The hummus spread on top of the toasted garlic bread would be a perfect match for the steak and potatoes. I also wanted to use my new found treasure, Avocado Oil! So I used it to fry up the steak, and I used it in the Pea Hummus. I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe as much as I did. This recipe will go down in the books as one of my favorite family recipes that I can pass down to my kids.

RECIPE

1 Bag of frozen peas

Avocado oil or other oil of your choice

Parmesan cheese 3/4 cup (More or less to your preference)

The juice of 1 lemon

3 medium cloves of garlic

1 handful of fresh parsley

2 tablespoons of dry basil (I would have used fresh basil, but I was out of it)

Salt and Pepper

A few shakes of garlic powder (If needed)

 DIRECTIONS

Another simple recipe. Heat one bag of frozen or thawed peas until they are heated through but not fully cooked or tender. The peas will be warm and they will still have that bright green appearance. Next in a blender or food processor add the juice of one lemon, about three tablespoons of avocado oil, garlic, peas, chopped parsley, basil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and blend. As you blend you will need to add additional oil in order to keep the peas moving. You can also add lemon juice to help thin out the consistency. I liked mine a little thicker. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder as desired. I liked mine a little more garlicy So I added a few shakes of garlic powder, making it just right! 

 ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

This side dish is one of my favorites and I typically make this when asparagus goes on sale. Asparagus is in season and at its peak from February to June with April being its peak season, and you will more than likely find the best sales during this time. Take advantage of the incredible nutritional health benefits that asparagus has to offer in addition to is peak flavor and sale prices during these months. 

The asparagus may be the star of the show in this recipe, however there are other important ingredients in this dish that make this dish a powerhouse of nutrients, such as the tomatoes, lemon and garlic, all equally serving our immune systems and over health and well-being. 

Recipe

Asparagus

Cherry or grape tomatoes

Lemon

Minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

Directions

Place asparagus into a baking sheet. Place tomatoes into pan. I like to place them on top of the stems to  keep them moist and to prevent them from burning. Next place minced garlic over vegetables. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 of lemon (more or less if you like) and drizzle olive oil over the vegetables. Salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until tender.

HEALTH BENEFITS AND ASPARAGUS

SPINACH TORTILLA BLT WRAP WITH ORGANIC BROCCOLI BEAN SPOUTS AND TURKEY BACON

This delicious wrap is both nutritious and easy to make! When I saw these spinach tortilla's from Trader Joe's I knew I had to have them. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to make with them, but I had a few ideas in mind. After a wonderful Sunday breakfast I noticed that we had a lot of turkey bacon left over so I put it in the refrigerator for future use. As you know the beginning of any work/school week can become hectic, and this Monday was no different. After a long day and no ideas of what I was going to make for dinner I opened the refrigerator to see the perfectly cooked turkey bacon cooked the day before. The first thing I thought, BLT. It all came together from there. I pulled out the spinach to replace the L-lettuce, grabbed the tomatoes, turkey and noticed I had fresh, crunchy broccoli sprouts that I also bought on my trip to Trader Joe's over the weekend. Instead of grabbing for regular bread to toast, I grabbed for the healthy, tasty spinach tortillas, and BAM! in less than ten minutes I had beautiful BLT wraps! I thought about creating a masterpiece dressing, however I decided to make things simple and I decided to top off my perfect sandwich wrap with ranch dressing.

Recipe

Spinach tortillas

Turkey bacon

Spinach

Tomatoes

Organic Broccoli Sprouts

Ranch (Or dressing of your choice)

Directions

This recipe is so simple all I have to write in the directions is to ASSEMBLE! Haha! Healthy and Easy.