Tag Archives: Cooking

GF: Chai Spiced Coconut Pancakes with Macadamia Nuts, Toasted Coconut, and a Creamy Coconut Sauce

Posted on March 2, 2011 | 28 Comments

Oh my soul.

Heaven.

This morning I decided to break out of my oatmeal rut and make pancakes. Not gonna lie… It took me two rounds of failed pancakes to get the recipe down, but in the end I was rewarded with crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, chai kissed-coconut pillows. :) The macadamia nuts are a perfect compliment to the chai and the creamy coconut. I must warn you though, if you make these, follow the recipe! My first two batches fell apart, stuck to the pan, didn’t cook all the way through and basically just spat in my eye.

Chai Spiced Coconut Pancakes with Macadamia Nuts, Toasted Coconut, and a Creamy Coconut Sauce

Recipe: Serves 1

1/2 tbsp coconut oil (to fry in. This is so important. Do not skimp on oil! They will stick!)

1 tbsp toasted coconut (for topping)

Dry ingredients –

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 macadamia nuts, roasted and crushed (save some for topping)

pinch salt

Wet ingredients -

1 egg

1/2 cup milk (you could try subbing coconut milk, I used regular though)

couple drops vanilla extract

1 tbsp chai concentrate

Creamy Coconut sauce –

1 tbsp Artisana coconut butter

2 tbsp coconut milk

(optional: if you want a maple flavor, add 1 tsp maple syrup)

Directions:

1. Beat the egg in a mixing bowl until fluffy, about a minute. Add the milk, chai, and vanilla and beat again.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in another bowl and mix until there are no clumps of coconut flour. Pour the dry onto the wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula until the batter is homogenous.

3. Melt the coconut into a pan on the stove at medium-low heat. Mine was set to 3 of 9. Spread the oil evenly around the pan.

4. Pour the batter into 3-4 pancakes. Let them cook slowly. Only flip them when the tops have some bubbles and the bottoms are light/medium brown. Make sure that when you flip them there is oil on the pan for the other side.

5. When they are cooked through, transfer the pancakes to a plate. Prepare your coconut sauce by stirring together 1 tbsp melted coconut butter and 2 tbsp coconut milk. Drizzle over the pancakes. Top with crushed macadamia nuts and toasted coconut. Enjoy!

And they are gluten free!

Benefits:

Coconut * coconut gets a bad rap because of its saturated fat content, but its fatty acids are mainly medium-chain triglycerides, not long-chain. The long-chain triglycerides are bad for our cholesterol levels, but coconut has been shown to improve cholesterol levels. Animal studies suggest that medium-chain triglycerides can increase metabolism.

Coconut flour * 1 cup contains 40 grams of fiber and 16 grams of protein. It is one of the lowest carb flours you can use!

Eggs * the yolk is where all the nutrients are! It contains tryptophan, selenium, iodine, B vitamins, and phosphorous, many of which are necessary for optimal metabolism. The egg white has 6 grams of complete protein!

Questions: How are y’all? What are your favorite pancake flavors?

Send me your absolute favorite recipe to try!

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Two recipes from the sea

Posted on March 1, 2011 | 12 Comments

Yesterday was the last day of me trying to completely clean out my fridge and freezer. Somehow, this yielded me eating fancy schmancy seafood for both lunch and dinner. Not that Im complaining… Both of these recipes are quickies, but they stay classy.

Time to go to Whole Foods….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scallop Salad Sandwich

Warm scallop salad on a toasted whole wheat bun!

Recipe: Serves 1

6 scallops, thawed

1 whole wheat bun, toasted

few spinach leaves

1 tbsp mayo

1 tsp greek yogurt

1/2 tsp dill

pinch cayenne pepper

few drops lemon juice (optional)

sea salt

Directions – Coat a pan with grape seed oil. Cook the scallops on the stove on medium-low heat. Flip only once. They are done when they are white all the way through! Do not overcook them. Meanwhile, toast your bun and prepare the dressing. Mix the mayo, greek yogurt, cayenne pepper, dill, and sea salt in a bowl. When the scallops are done, transfer them to the bowl with the dressing. Slice them and toss in the dressing. Put the spinach and scallop salad in the bun and enjoy! Serve with a side salad.

 

This next recipe is insanely quick and delicious, but the picture doesn’t do it justice. I rarely blog dinner because it is virtually pointless when you don’t have compelling pictures to back it up. Without natural light, my pictures look flat and lackluster :(

Seared Salmon with Steamed Broccoli and Herbed Goat Cheese Dressing

I made this in less than 10 minutes. No joke.

Recipe: Serves 1

4 oz salmon

1/2 head broccoli

1 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp goat cheese

1 tbsp greek yogurt

1 tsp fresh chives, chopped

1/2 tsp dill

squeeze of lemon juice

few drops Worcestershire

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Directions – Lightly oil a pan with grape seed oil. Cook the salmon on the stove at medium heat, skin side down. Meanwhile, steam your broccoli. The lazy way is to chop it up and put it in a bowl with 1/2 tbsp of water. Cover it with a small plate and microwave it for 1 minute. Voila!

Prepare your sauce by simply combining the goat cheese, sour cream, yogurt, dill, chives, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in a bowl and stirring. [Sauce adapted from the cookbook Nourish.]

When the salmon is about a third way cooked, flip and cover. When it is no longer bright pink, it is done. You can eat the skin or toss it.

Drain the broccoli and place on a plate. Top with salmon and goat cheese sauce. Enjoy! Feel free to serve with a grain of some sort. Or dessert…….;)

Benefits:

Scallops * are extremely high in protein (they are a MUSCLE, after all!) and a great source of B vitamins, which play a key role in metabolism and hangover prevention. They also contain several minerals and are a good source of omega 3′s! Omega 3s aid in lowering LDL and VLDL and raising HDL cholesterol.

Salmon * contain monounsaturated fats, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamins A, D, B6 and B2. The omega 3 fatty acids raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Also makes hair grow faster (from personal experience!) and your skin smoother.

Dill * aids in digestion, is a relaxant, can help ease insomnia, and contains the antioxidants monoterpenes, which protect against cancer!

Cayenne pepper * high in antioxidants and temporarily raises the metabolism!

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The best way to get your professor’s attention..

Posted on February 23, 2011 | 30 Comments

If you ever want to get someone’s attention – and I mean anyone – munch on kale chips in front of them.

I was at my Biochem professor’s office hours with about 20 other students itching to get some tidbits about the midterm and was having zero luck getting his attention to ask a question.

So, I pulled out a snack.

It was green and flaky. It looked like seaweed. It was delicious.

It was kale chips.

In the midst of talking, he abruptly stopped, mouth hanging open, and asked, What are you eating? I responded with a meek …Kale chips…Wanna try one? And he did! After saying you couldn’t pay me to eat that, he popped one in his mouth and liked it. Keep in mind that this is man who wears cowboy boots and jeans to lecture and only eats animal fat and protein and seems to imbibe on a daily basis.

He continued to eat my chips for the rest of office hours.

This shiz costs you 7$ for a tiny bag at Whole Foods and 9$ at Daily Juice in Austin! My recipe only costs 2.50$. Score!

Homemade Zesty Kale Chips

Recipe: Makes 1-2 servings

1 bunch kale, destemmed

1/4 cup cashews

1 small red bell pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp yellow curry paste or powder

1 clove garlic

1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp chopped sweet onion

1/2 tsp cumin

sea salt

Directions - Combine everything except the kale in a blender. Blend until smooth. Rub the mixture onto the kale stalks. Lay the stalks single file on a baking sheet.

If you want them to be more raw (but I am pretty sure they wont count as raw still) you can bake them for a 3-4 hours until crispy at your lowest oven setting. You can go up in temperature (until about 350) and the baking time will decrease. Simply remove from the oven when they are crisp.

 

Also, just another quick little dinner idea for you!

Wasabi crusted chicken with brown rice, vegetables, and peanut sauce

Bad lighting :( delicious though :)

Recipe: Serves 1

4 oz chicken

1 tbsp wasabi powder

1 egg white

precut zucchini & carrots

1/2 cup brown rice, prepared

1 tbsp peanut flour

1 tsp teriyaki sauce

2-3 tbsp peanut sauce

2-3 tbsp peanuts

Directions –

1. Dip your chicken breast in 1 egg white. Then, cover in wasabi powder. Cook on the stove until white all the way through.

2. Steam your veggies. I simply put them in a bowl, covered, and microwave for 90 seconds with 1/2 tbsp water. Drain (but drink the liquid)!

3. To prepare your sauce, take 2-3 tbsp of a store bought peanut sauce (I used Trader Joes, but you could also just use some type of milk/almond milk and increase the peanut flour) and mix with the peanut flour and teriyaki sauce.

4. Toss the rice and veggies in the sauce. Top with wasabi crusted chicken. Sprinkle on a bit more wasabi and the peanuts. Enjoy!

Benefits:

Kale * Extremely high levels of vitamins K, A, and C! Also has manganese, calcium, fiber, and antioxidants.

Onions * contain anti-aging antioxidants phenolics and flavonoids. A study by Dr. Liu showed that pungent and Western yellow onions protected the most against colon cancer, while pungent yellow, Western yellow, and shallots protected the most against liver cancer.

Peanuts * a great source of manganese, Vitamin E, tryptophan (calming!), niacin, folate, and copper! Peanuts also contain lots of healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants! They have been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and have been shown to significantly lower your chances of getting colorectal cancer.

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A phyllo-fail and guiltless cookie dough…

Posted on February 20, 2011 | 25 Comments

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope everyone’s weekends have been going fabulously. I have been studying and functionally procrastinating during the day and going out at night. One of my procrastinating activities was playing around with whole wheat phyllo dough. I assumed making little, stuffed phyllo pastries would be easy peazy. Wrong. The dough is so hard to work with! It sticks together and gets dried out extremely fast. I managed to make 2 decent looking pastries and 1 that was quite deformed, but they all tasted good!

My phyllo fail:

Left to right: stuffed with avocado and sea salt,

feta and red onions,

and goat cheese, a dab of honey, and sea salt

Once I figure out how to make them properly, I will post a how to and recipes. Having only two to show doesn’t seem quite sufficient:

Anyway, I have a biochemistry midterm on Tuesday so that means I will probably post a super sciencey, informational post tomorrow in order to help myself review. But you’re in luck – it will be about metabolism and the biochemistry behind fat burning, fat synthesis, and cholesterol synthesis!

Im sure many of you who read my blog no doubt read Heather Eats Almond Butter. You may have noticed that she mentioned me in a post a couple days because of a recipe I sent her on the down-low. Now that she has outted my guiltless cookie dough to the blog world, it looks like I better post it!

Guiltless Cookie Dough

This recipe is a hybrid between Lori’s Black Bean Cookie Dough, and Evan’s PB Chip Hummus, and me! It sounds weird and it doesn’t look pretty but IT IS DELICIOUS. I ate the whole thing in two servings. It really tastes like cookie dough, but it is packed with 13 grams of fiber, 15 grams of protein, and healthy fats!

Don’t be fooled by its semblance to excrement. This shit is good.

Recipe: Makes 2+ servings

1 1/2 cups black beans

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp vanilla extract (a tinyy bit less than)

24 drops stevia

optional: 1 tbsp cream cheese (I have made it with and without this ingredient and am not sure which I like more. maybe without?)

Directions – Combine all in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until cool. Enjoy!

Benefits:

Peanut butter * a great source of manganese, Vitamin E, tryptophan (calming!), niacin, folate, and copper! Peanuts also contain lots of healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants! They have been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and have been shown to significantly lower your chances of getting colorectal cancer.

Black beans * contain high amounts of sulfite oxidases which means that they combat the damage done to your body when you eat foods containing preservatives. They also are fiber super stars and have lots of iron and folate.

Tahini * a good source of essential unsaturated fatty acids, copper, iron, calcium, fiber and B vitamins. Copper is good for treating some of the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Magnesium can help lower blood pressure and help women going through menopause maintain normal sleeping patterns. Also, seseami seeds have the highest content of phytosterols of all nuts! Phytosterols look similar to cholesterol and are believed to lower cholesterol levels, aid in immunity and decrease the risk of some cancers!

And each serving’s stats are pretty cool!

Calories 262.0
Total Fat 8.7 g
Saturated Fat 1.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.5 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 48.8 mg
Potassium 548.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 33.9 g
Dietary Fiber 12.6 g
Sugars 0.7 g
Protein 14.6 g
Vitamin B-6 6.7 %
Calcium 7.0 %
Copper 21.8 %
Folate 51.7 %
Iron 19.6 %
Magnesium 27.6 %
Manganese 41.3 %
Niacin 10.8 %
Pantothenic Acid 4.5 %
hosphorus 26.1 %
Riboflavin 7.1 %
Thiamin 27.7 %
Zinc 13.4 %

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A functional procrastinator makes biscuits..

Posted on February 17, 2011 | 12 Comments

Sometimes, I am a procrastinator. But I am a functional procrastinator – meaning that when I avoid a particular task, I make sure that whatever I do instead is accomplishing something. For example, on Tuesday I had a Systemic Physiology midterm at 3pm. Instead of studying for the 4 hours leading up to the exam, I made those vanilla protein bars you saw, some cookies, and pumpkin goat cheese biscuits. To me, that was totally accomplishing something. I have nourished my house mates with protein-laden bars and I have learned how to incorporate these delicious biscuits into breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Pumpkin Goat Cheese Biscuits

These biscuits are whole wheat, but still very light and fluffy. They have a buttery pumpkin flavor with little notes of goat cheese until you bite into a big chunk and are floored by the delicious combo. :)

Recipe: Makes 7 biscuits

1/2 cups whole wheat white pasty flour

1/2 cup stone ground whole wheat flour

1/2 tbsp raw sugar

1  teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pumpkin

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

5 tbsp goat cheese

1 large egg

1/4 milk

Directions – Preheat oven to 375.In a large bowl, sift together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mash butter in with a fork until it is well incorporated and piece-y. Crumble in the goat cheese until combined. In another bowl, stir together the egg, pumpkin, and milk. Pour the wet over the dry and combine with as few swoops of a spatula as possible. Use a 1/4 cup measure to plop dough balls onto a baking sheet. Slightly flatten with your fingers. Bake for 15-17 minutes.

Breakfast idea: Combine 1/2 of an avocado, 1 crumbled biscuit, some goat cheese, sea salt, and 3 scrambled eggs in a bowl and enjoy!

Kept me full for hours.

Lunch idea: Slice a pumpkin goat cheese biscuit in half, lightly toast it, and spread some fruit jam one side. Layer in some turkey or turkey bacon and serve with an arugula side salad.

Benefits:

Pumpkin * An impressive source of vitamins A and C and iron, manganese, and riboflavin! Also is high in fiber and low in saturated fat.

Whole wheat flour * a great source of dietary fiber, niacin, thiamin, B6, folate, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium! Make sure to use 100% whole wheat flour or else you are missing out on these vitamins and minerals and almost all of the fiber!

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Homemade Protein Bars (that actually taste good)!

Posted on February 15, 2011 | 17 Comments

I am so excited to share this recipe with all of you! It all started a few days ago when my house mate and I were at Savemart. Chelsea asked me which bar she should buy for breakfast and I told her that I avoid basically all bars in general (except Kind almond macadamia and Perfect Foods bars). I think they tend to be full of mediocre and/or synthetic ingredients and are usually high carbohydrate and low protein. Disheartened, she ended up not buying any. When we got back to the house, I offered to try and make her a bar that was both high protein and not super high calorie so that she could munch on other things throughout the morning. After two trials, I am proud to present my recipe for homemade protein bars!

Each bar has 215 calories, 12 grams of fat (10 of them unsaturated!), 14 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, and 17 grams of protein.

Homemade Vanilla Protein Bars

Recipe: Makes 10 bars

10 tbsp almond butter (or your favorite nut butter)

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 egg whites

5 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (or your favorite flavor, don’t use isolate)

1 cup oats

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup dried, shredded coconut (I used reduced fat for this recipe to increase the fiber)

1/4 cup vanilla almond milk

1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin (optional, I think)

shake cinnamon

stevia to taste

Directions – Preheat the oven to 250. Mix the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and egg whites in a large bowl until smooth and homogenous. Add in the protein powder and stir until well combined. Add the oats, oat bran, shredded coconut, pumpkin, cinnamon, and milk. Stir until well combined. Taste it and if it isn’t sweet enough for you, add a bit of stevia. I didn’t need to because the protein powder was sweetened enough. Pour into 2 greased pie tins (or you can use something square if you want them to be rectangular) and bake until the edges have separated from the tin.

To be honest, I should have paid more attention to how long I baked them for. Between 10 and 15 minutes? They will be soft throughout and a bit gooey in the very center. You don’t want to overcook them because they will be dry and not taste nearly as good, so watch and check them!

Remove from the oven and let cool (you can put them in the fridge to speed process). Cut into 10 bars/slices.

So yummy!

These bars remind me of some of my favorite blogging friends who I know kick ass in the weight room. Ahem Lori, Lindsay, Ms Wood, April, Mimi, and Melisa.

Benefits:

Rolled oats * A prime source of fiber. Also contain potassium, phosphorous, pantothenic acid, and magnesium.

Coconut * coconut gets a bad rap because of its saturated fat content, but its fatty acids are mainly medium-chain triglycerides, not long-chain. The long-chain triglycerides are bad for our cholesterol levels, but coconut has been shown to improve cholesterol levels. Animal studies suggest that medium-chain triglycerides can increase metabolism.

Cinnamon * In one study, after taking 1/4 – 1 tsp cinnamon daily for 40 days, all participants benefitted from a reduction of fasting blood sugar levels, blood triglycerides, and LDL (bad) cholesterol! It is very high in antioxidants and can help stabilize blood sugar levels, which will help prevent an insulin spike, and thus the storage of fat.

Almond butter * A great source of monounsaturated fats! These are the fats that raise HDL (good cholesterol) levels and lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels!

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“Now, those are some sexy crab cakes!”

Posted on February 10, 2011 | 30 Comments

I have been missing New Zealand lately; the fresh seafood, the ocean, the warm weather, the people, everything! So to transport myself back there, I decided to make crab cakes for lunch today. Unlike in New Zealand, the crab came from a can, but that didn’t stop these crab cakes from rocking my pants off. These were seriously so, so good.

The outside was perfectly crisp and the inside was packed with buttery crab meat. When my house mate walked into the kitchen, she made a beeline for the crab cakes, stopped, stared, and yelled “D*AMN, those are some sexy crab cakes!” And she’s right. Albeit, she does call everything sexy, including her dog. To top ‘em off, I made a light lemony aioli that contrasted perfectly with the savory cakes.

Buttery Spiced Crab Cakes

Recipe: Makes 3 crab cakes, serves 1

1 can crab meat (½ cup, drained)

1 organic egg

½ tbsp onion, diced

½ tsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1 heaping tbsp whole wheat panko bread crumbs

big pinch of paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 tsp ApresVin garlic infused grape seed oil (to fry in)

Directions –  Drain the crab very well. Mix all of the ingredients, except the oil, in a bowl. Place a pan on the stove on medium heat and add the oil. Divide the crab mixture into three round patties and place in the pan. Let them cook until the bottom is medium brown, then flip. Make sure that there is some oil on the pan when you flip them. They are down when they are medium brown on both sides! Serve with lemon aioli.

Light Lemony Aioli

½ tbsp mayo

1 tbsp sour cream

½ tbsp greek yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

garlic salt

pinch salt

Directions – Mix all together in a small dish.

Benefits:

Crab meat * extremely high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. The fat that crab does contain is largely omega 3 unsaturated, which helps prevent heart disease. Also contains high amounts of selenium which is anti-carcinogenic and chromium which helps regulate blood sugar.

Paprika * contains the antioxidants flavonoids, carotenoids, and capsicum, which aid in circulatory system health (thus preventing heart disease). Capsicum also raises the metabolism temporarily. Also used as a digestive aid.

Cayenne pepper * high in antioxidants and temporarily raises the metabolism!

Eggs * the yolk is where all the nutrients are! It contains tryptophan, selenium, iodine, B vitamins, and phosphorous, many of which are necessary for optimal metabolism. The egg white has 6 grams of complete protein!

Question: What are some of your favorite breakfasts and lunches? I need some inspiration over here!

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Gluten, Dairy & Sugar Free: Purely Coconut Muffins!

Posted on February 8, 2011 | 51 Comments

I, personally, am very tolerant of gluten. You could even say I love gluten because ingredients that contain gluten often have a high fiber content… and we all know I love fiber. However, I have been interested in gluten free and lower carbohydrate baking lately. My biochemistry class has emphasized over and over again how our bodies do not need dietary sugar (glucose). We can make glucose from lactate (from weight lifting or heavy drinking…), amino acids (dietary or – hopefully not – muscle protein), pyruvate, or glycerol (from fat). So, I have been wanting to make more gluten free muffins (like my Lemon Poppyseed) and ever since Heather introduced me to coconut flour, I have had coconut flour muffins on the brain! With a few trials, I have created a gluten free coconut muffin that I have been enjoying every morning with some greek yogurt and shredded coconut!

*Recipe has been updated and improved! 9/10/2011*

GF Coconut Muffins


Recipe: Makes 6-8 muffins

Dry ingredients:

1 cup coconut flour

1  tsp baking soda

(optional: 1/2 cup sugar)

Liquid ingredients:

4 eggs

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup coconut milk

sweetener of choice (1 mashed overripe banana, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup coconut nectar, the sugar listed above, or just the stevia listed below – I recommend a combo of liquid sweetener and stevia)

1 tsp vanilla extract

stevia drops, to taste

coconut oil to grease muffin pan

Directions – Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and mix. Combine all of the wet ingredients in another bowl and mix. If possible, use room temp milk so that the coconut oil doesn’t harden when you combine them.) Pour the wet over the dry and combine with a spatula. Grease a muffin pan with some coconut oil and add the batter. If you wish, you can sprinkle some shredded coconut over the tops for a pretty effect. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.

Benefits:

Coconut * coconut gets a bad rap because of its saturated fat content, but its fatty acids are mainly medium-chain triglycerides, not long-chain. The long-chain triglycerides are bad for our cholesterol levels, but coconut has been shown to improve cholesterol levels. Animal studies suggest that medium-chain triglycerides can increase metabolism.

Coconut flour * 1 cup contains 40 grams of fiber and 16 grams of protein. It is one of the lowest carb flours you can use!

Eggs * the yolk is where all the nutrients are! It contains tryptophan, selenium, iodine, B vitamins, and phosphorous, many of which are necessary for optimal metabolism. The egg white has 6 grams of complete protein!

Next up: Chocolate Coconut Muffins and COCONUT RUM MUFFINS!

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White bean dip: Two ways!

Posted on February 3, 2011 | 11 Comments

I am basically incapable of purchasing pre-made goods that I know I can make. It’s actually a problem because I don’t end up making all the things that I can, and so I go without. An example of this is Trader Joe’s white bean hummus dip. I had been hearing about it for ages but refrained from purchasing it. I bought the white beans and assumed I had everything else I needed to make it. Wrong. Instead, I went with the flow and created my own delicious white bean dip that I can’t imagine TJ’s can beat. It goes really well on lentil chips or pita chips! Seeing as I made about 20 ounces of it, I had to start getting creative for uses for it. Thus, these two wraps were born.

White bean dip & smoked salmon wrap with spinach, onions and tomato

Too classy to eat in class.

White bean dip & turkey bacon wrap with spinach, onions and tomato

Yeah buddy, rollin like a big shot

Of course, each was sprinkled with sea salt and rolled in a whole wheat tortilla! These were perfect for taking to school (or work) with an apple and bag of nuts.

LD’s White Bean Hummus dip

Recipe: Makes.. a lot

3 cups cooked white beans (I actually soaked dried beans, drained, and cooked them myself)

4 garlic cloves

3 tbsp tahini

allspice

cumin

1 tbsp olive oil

garam masala

coriander

lots of soy sauce

balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

dijon mustard

lemon pepper

1 tbsp honey

Im sorry for the lack of measurements! I just kept adding more until it tasted good.

Directions – Throw it all in the blender and blend away!

Eventually, though, I sucked it up and went to the store to buy the spices and sun-dried tomatoes to make the TJ’s dip. It is delicious! My version is a bit lower fat, higher protein than the original so the texture is thicker, but I loved it. I ate it with pita chips, in wraps, thinned out as a dressing, and made these cute little appetizers with it:

Lentil chip, bean dip, sour cream, smoked salmon, and sea salt!

Homemade TJ’s White Bean Hummus Dip

Recipe: Makes about 3 cups

3 cups white beans

4 garlic cloves

3 tbsp tahini

4 sun dried tomatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp parsley

salt

fresh ground pepper

Directions – Throw it all in the blender and blend away!

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Quiche so good I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner..

Posted on February 1, 2011 | 22 Comments

This quiche recipe is very simple and very healthy. I wanted to make a quiche that you could enjoy a huge slice of and feel truly satisfied afterwards. Satisfaction stems from both high quality taste and a food’s nutritional profile. This recipe includes both, and is also extremely quick to make because you can use a frozen whole wheat pie crust. Oh, and did I mention it has 80 grams of protein?

Goat Cheese Quiche

Concrete isn’t really an ideal background…sorry.

Recipe: Makes 4 servings

1 whole wheat pie crust

3 whole eggs

8 egg whites

1 tbsp half and half

3 tbsp chopped purple onion

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp dill

2-oz goat cheese

Directions – Preheat the oven to 400. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, except the goat cheese. Stir with a fork until well mixed. Pour into the pie crust. Crumble the goat cheese over the top. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Serve with a side of greens or fruit for a complete meal!

Benefits:

Eggs * the yolk is where all the nutrients are! It contains tryptophan, selenium, iodine, B vitamins, and phosphorous, many of which are necessary for optimal metabolism. The egg white has 6 grams of complete protein!

Dill * aids in digestion, is a relaxant, can help ease insomnia, and contains the antioxidants monoterpenes, which protect against cancer!

Whole wheat flour * unlike refined white flour, whole wheat flour has more B vitamins, fiber, folic acid, calcium, zinc, phosphorous, copper, and iron. Whole grains reduce your risk for diabetes and have also been linked to weight loss and maintaining a lower BMI.

Check out those stats!

Amount Per Serving
Calories 354.6
Total Fat 23.2 g
Saturated Fat 11.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.2 g
Cholesterol 167.3 mg
Sodium 411.0 mg
Potassium 53.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 19.1 g
Dietary Fiber 4.1 g
Sugars 2.1 g
Protein 19.5 g

And remember! Saturated fat is not the devil.

Vitamin A 8.0 %
Vitamin B-12 6.9 %
Vitamin B-6 4.5 %
Vitamin D 4.9 %
Calcium 4.2 %
Copper 5.5 %
Folate 4.9 %
Iron 8.5 %
Pantothenic Acid 5.8 %
Phosphorus 10.7 %
Riboflavin 14.7 %
Selenium 17.2 %

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