BROWN RICE PRIMAVERA WITH ARUGULA AND ALMOND PESTO

I personally try to avoid white rice.   I eat it on occasion, and it's practical as it cooks faster, but there is a reason why that's the case (and it's not a great one). See white rice would be brown if they did not remove the side hulls and bran. They are full of protein, thiamine, calcium, fiber, magnesium, and potassium. They do add to the cooking time, but their benefits are way worth the extra mile!  Most manufacturers will add back those vitamins and iron in a synthetic form to white rice  and label it as "enriched" or "nutritious".  But at the end of the day, I think we can all agree that all things equal, its best to get the natural form of vitamins and nutrients, as opposed to the man made synthetic ones.  Brown rice also has a much nuttier texture and flavor, which I absolutely love. 

This recipe calls for a few nice summer veggies, so it is full of nutrients. The pesto, made with arugula and almonds instead of basil and pine nuts, was a nice touch as it brought the flavors to a whole new level. I seriously wish I made a double batch, as this was gone in no time, and I am now craving some more!  This can be enjoyed warm or cold, so you can make it ahead of time and pack it for lunch as well. 

BROWN RICE PRIMAVERA WITH ARUGULA AND ALMOND PESTO

Ingredients:

For the rice:

• 1 1/2 cups of dry short grain brown rice
• 3 cups of vegetable broth 
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup of zucchini, grated
• 1 cup of carrots, grated
• 1 1/ 2 cups of broccoli florets, cut small
• 3/4 cup of frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup of spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the pesto:

• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 cup of raw almonds 
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of avocado oil (can substitute with olive oil if you do not have)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a small sauce pan, bring the vegetable broth to boil, and add the rice.
2. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 45 minutes.*
3. Once the broth is mostly absorbed, remove from the heat, and let the rice strand for another 10 minutes, covered.
4. In the meantime, put all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Reserve.
5. In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil under medium heat, and cook the onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until translucent,
6. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook another 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
7. Add the rice and the pesto, mix well, and adjust the seasoning.
8. Serve warm, or put in the refrigerator for later use if you want to eat it cold.

Enjoy!

This will make 4 servings

*If using a different kind of rice, your cooking time will vary, so please verify with the manufacturer's instructions to be safe.

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY FREEZER FUDGE

Happy Canada day!

Since the Canadian flag is red and white, I decided to go with a decadent dessert to show off these two colors.  This recipe for freezer fudge is nothing like the fudge I grew up with, which was made with processed ingredients, and also high in refined sugars.  These are made with real, whole food ingredients that actually nourish your body.  They also happen to be very satisfying. Since they are kept in the freezer, you can definitely save them for a longer period of time, and enjoy them when you really have a sweet tooth craving.

Now keep in mind that although this fudge is healthier than the ones you will find in most stores, it is still quite high in fat and calories.  So indulge knowing that it is made of whole ingredients, but do not go overboard with them... especially if you are trying to lose weight! They are what I like to call a decadent treat. Which are great to have from time to time.

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY FREEZER  FUDGE


Ingredients:

For the fudge:

• 2 cups of raw unsalted cashews
• 2 cups of raw cacao butter, melted
• 1 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of water

pure raw cacao butter

For the raspberry coulis:

• 1 1/2 cups of raspberries
• 1/3 cup of agave

Preparation:

1. In a high speed blender, put all of the fudge ingredients together, and blend until very smooth.
2. Line a pan with plastic wrap or parchment paper (I forgot to do that step and had a really hard time getting the fudge out of the pan). 
3. Top the lined pan with the fudge batter.
4. In a clean blender, mix the raspberry coulis ingredients together until smooth.
5. Drop spoon fulls of the raspberry coulis on top of the fudge, and use a knife or a fork to swirl it together.  The trick is is to not mix it fully. Take your time and add more of the coulis as you go.
6. Place in the freezer, and let it set for a few hours to overnight. The time will depend on the size of your pan ( I used a 8 X 6 pan and it took about 5 hours to set. It also made a very high fudge. I think  a 9 X 9 pan would have been better). 
7. Once set, remove from the freezer, and cut into small squares, to the size of your liking.
8. Store any left overs in the freezer.

Enjoy!

BLUEBERRY-NANA OVERNIGHT OATS

Nothing is better than waking up to a breakfast that is ready to eat!   I am not the fastest/ most efficient person in the morning, so these overnight oats are quite the life saver.  All I have to do is open the fridge, grab a spoon, and I am ready to eat. Perfect!!!

I love playing with oatmeal, as it is such a versatile food. Plus, it is both quite filling and healthy. I am seriously full for a few hours after eating oats.  Oatmeal helps lower cholesterol, and can help cure type 2 diabetes (as it slows down the digestion of starch, preventing a sharp rise in blood sugar levels).  By keeping you full, it helps in weight loss.  It is also full of nutrients that nourish your body, and as an added bonus, the insoluble fibers in oatmeal have cancer fighting abilities (they attack certain bile acids, thus decreasing toxicity).  All these reasons should be enough to make oats your new morning best friend.

BLUEBERRY-NANA OVERNIGHT OATS



Ingredients:

For the oatmeal:

2 1/2 cups of vanilla almond milk
1 cup of blueberries
1 banana
2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal (gluten free optional)
1/4 cup of chia seeds
1/4 cup of hemp seeds

For the topping:

1 cup of blueberries
2 bananas
Maple syrup to drizzle (optional)


Preparation:

In a blender, blend together the almond milk, the blueberries, and the banana until smooth.
In a large bowl, put the old fashioned oats, the chia seeds, the hemp seeds, and top with the blueberry smoothie mixture. Mix well with a spoon.
Transfer to individual bowls or small jars, layering some of the oatmeal mixture with the blueberries, bananas, and syrup (if using) topping.  
Cover and set in the refrigerator overnight (or at least one hour)

Enjoy!

This will make 4 servings

JICAMA, BLACK BEAN, AND MANGO SALAD WITH AVOCADO LIME DRESSING

Oh this salad was yummy!  It's packed with some of my favorite ingredients, and also very filling.  It was perfect as a meal on it's own. but you can certainly you can serve it as a side dish or appetizer as well. 

So many people stir away from eating avocados because they are high in fat and calories, but it is a huge mistake!  Avocado's fat is the 'good fat', the kind that our body needs. Plus it's a very alkaline food filled with so many nutrients. Of course, that doesn't mean you should have 5 a day, but a little bit here and there is definitely good for you. So please do not shy away from them. 

I left my dressing chunky as I like to eat pieces of avocados in my food, but if you would like a creamier version, just blend it longer. All I did was a few pulses in the blender to achieve the chunky version.
It really a matter of personal preference. 

JICAMA, BLACK BEAN, AND MANGO SALAD WITH AVOCADO LIME DRESSING

Ingredients:

For the salad:

3 cups of cooked black beans (about 1 1/3 cups of dried beans. Click here to learn how to cook beans)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 mango, pitted and skin removed, diced
1 1/2s cup of jicama, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 jalapeno, seeded and copped very small
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the chunky avocado dressing:

2 avocados, pitted and skin removed
1/3 cup of fresh squeeze lime juice
2 tablespoons of agave nectar
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Put all of the salad ingredients in a bowl.
In a blender put all of the dressing ingredients together and pulse a few timse if you would like it chunky, or blend until smooth if you prefer the dressing creamier.
Add the dressing to the salad, and mix until well combined.
Serve on it's own, or on a bed of lettuce.

Enjoy!

This will make 4 servings

CAJUN CREAM OF ZUCCHINI SOUP

So I was at the farmer's market last weekend just as they were about to close. One of the merchants had only a few things left for sale: a few gigantic zucchinis, a few eggplants, and some hot peppers. They really didn't want to bring them back so they let me have it all for an amazing deal... $4 for the whole lot. They were organic as well! I felt like I had won the lotto.

The size of the zucchini's were unreal; one of them was nearly 2 foot long! I was a bit worried about how the insides would look like as I thought they would be mushy and have a lot of seeds.  But they were surprisingly firm, with only a moderate amount of seeds. I have a feeling there will be a few recipes with zucchini in my near future!  

Since the size of those zucchinis were pretty unusual, I cannot tell you exactly how many to buy, but I did measure 6 cups of them for the soup. So the quantity will depend on how large yours are. Usually between 4-6 should be enough, but like I said, since mine were the largest I have ever seen, I used only 1/2 of the largest one.  That should give you an idea of how big of a green monster I dealt with.

This soup has a really nice little kick.  If you are into spicy food, this will be right up your alley.

CAJUN CREAM OF ZUCCHINI SOUP


Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 cups of zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups of red potatoes (I left the skin on as this is where most of the nutrients are), cubed
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 5 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

The large one was almost 2 feet long!

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, heat up the olive oil under medium heat.
2. Add the onions and garlic, saute 4-5 minutes until translucent
3. Add the zucchinis, the potatoes, the tomatoes, and the jalapeno, and saute for 3-4 minutes
4. Add the vegetable broth, the Cajun seasoning, the paprika, the cumin, the salt, and the pepper, and bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium- low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
6. Puree the soup in a blender (you might need to do this in a few batches).
7. Serve warm

Enjoy! 

This will make 6 servings

SUMMER CORN SALAD WITH CHIMICHURRI DRESSING

I love corn, and can say that we are spoiled up in Quebec (where I am originally from) as we got some of the sweetest, juiciest corn over there.  It seems corn is popular with everyone these days; especially kids. 

It's too bad that companies such as Monsanto had to play with mother nature.  They came up with a GMO (genetically modified organism) version of corn that is now mainstream, and potentially harmful to our health. Studies on rats have shown GMO corn to cause tumors and multiple counts of organ damage

GMO corn also contain BT toxin, a pesticide added to the DNA of the corn.  BT is an aggressive toxin that damages cell membranes and kill insects by literally making their stomachs burst.  Even though Monsanto claims the product is safe for human consumption, we do not have the long term studies to prove it . GMO corn is actually banned in most of Europe, and in 26 countries around the world. That alone should ring some sort of alarm. I personally would rather not take a chance with it.  Since most conventional corn is GMO nowadays, I steer away, and only buy organic.

So as much as I love corn, I only can eat it when in season as it is the only time that I can find it organic.  Unless I buy frozen organic of course, but it is not quite as tasty.  So now that I got my hands on some fresh organic corn, I was very excited to use it for a recipe. This salad came out so delicious, and became one of my new favorites!

SUMMER CORN SALAD WITH CHIMICHURRI DRESSING


Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 4 corn husks
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped finely
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped very small (spicy, optional)
• 1 cup of spinach, chopped small
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the chimichurri dressing:

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bunch of Italian parsley (2 cups) 
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil.
2. Remove the corn from the husk. and place the corn in the saucepan. Boil for about 7 minutes until it is tender,
3. Remove the corn from the water with thongs, let it cool.
4. Once cooled, slice the corn kernels off the cobs.  Put the corn kernels along with all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
5. In a food processor, put all of the chimichurri dressing ingredients together and process until pureed.
6. Add the chimichurri dressing to the salad and blend well.

Enjoy!

This will make 4 servings

CHOCOLATE POPSICLE

It has been extremely hot here in Las Vegas. We're going through a heat wave, and the temperature has been reaching around 115 F. I am one who usually loves the heat, but I have to admit that I even find this a bit much!

I don't know if you are like me, but when it's really hot outside, I crave colder food. Usually, salads, guacamole, raw food of some sorts, and also colder desserts. Since I also crave chocolate while being pregnant, these little popsicles were perfect.

I actually have to say that this was amazing to enjoy in 3 different ways.  When I finished blending it, I poured myself a little sippy cup to drink, and was shocked at how great it tasted.  It reminded me of this drinking chocolate that Italians enjoy. So rich and delicious. I could have drank the whole jar!
I also tried it slightly before it was frozen. It had set, was cold, and both looked and tasted like a chocolate mousse.  

And then we enjoyed it as a popsicle.  It was divine and gone in no time. I cannot say which was my favorite way, as they were really unique in texture and delightful each time.  So you may want to consider trying all three of these variations as well!

CHOCOLATE POPSICLE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of raw unsalted cashews (preferably soaked in water for 2 hours)
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup of cacao butter
• 1/3 cup of pure cacao powder (not the processed cocoa)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 cups of water

Preparation:

1. Put all the ingredients in a high speed blender and mix until very smooth.
2. Transfer into popsicle mold and freeze overnight.
3. To remove the popsicle from the mold, run some warm water over the mold for 1-2 minutes.

Enjoy!

This will make between 8-14 servings depending on your mold size