Kidney Bean Summer Roll

It's a rainy day, but I'm home for the weekend and had some time to make something different today... this morning went to Bikram yoga with my dad and needed some hydrating, refueling food after class. The summer roll rice paper wrap, fresh veggies, and kidney beans seemed to be appropriate.

Ingredients: 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 cup dark red kidney beans, tsp sesame seeds, 1/2 cup shredded lettuce, 2 rice or tapioca paper sheets

1. Cook 1/2 cup kidney beans (different packages or raw require different preparation)

2. Wet the rice paper sheets and spread out on flat surface

3. Add shredded lettuce, pepper strips, and kidney beans inside each rice sheet

4. Roll up the rice wraps

5. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top

Berry Sesame Oatmeal

If you have 3 minutes in the morning, try this awesome and balanced breakfast! Gathering the ingredients did echo the "eating like a bird" theme, but if seeds and berries fuel them to fly, I think this will be energizing enough.

Ingredients: 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1/3 cup dry oats, 2/3 cup mixed berries, tsp cinnamon

1. Add 2/3 cup water to 1/3 cup dry oats and either cook on stove or microwave for about 2 min.

2. Add 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 2/3 cup mixed berries, and tsp cinnamon

Green Eggs and... Avocado!

If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, I think Dr. Seuss would be proud of this recipe! And it's healthier than what Sam-I-Am tries to convince the other character to eat (ham). I think that if he was served green eggs and avocado, he would definitely eat it. Who would pass up on all of those B vitamins and potassium? Anyways, this is a nice omelet-type dish and very easy to make!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup spinach, 1 egg, tsp olive oil, nonstick cooking oil spray, 2/3 bell pepper 1/3 avocado, tbsp lemon juice, pinch of marjoram and oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to taste

1. In a pan on stove top, sauté the 1/2 cup of spinach in 1/4 cup of water and tsp of olive oil

2. Whisk an egg in a bowl and add in the sautéd spinach to it. Mix well

3. Add in oregano and marjoram and pour mixture into pan

4. Dice the 2/3 bell pepper and 1/3 avocado and save on side for after cooking

5. Grease pan and cook egg mixture on low heat

5. When ready, take off of heat and add fresh diced pepper and avocado to top it along with tbsp lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste

Red Quinoa Warrior Bowl

Last week was the start of exam week for me so it's been pretty crazy for me! Didn't get to blog (or cook anything cool…); but today between studying, ballet class, and being outside enjoying the 61F weather, I've found time to make this colorful meal. And as for the red quinoa- I honestly chose to buy it because colorful foods are more exciting, but I just did some research and found out that it was eaten by Inca warriors who wanted to get some extra energy and strength. So eating this will make me an exam warrior.

Ingredients: 1/4 cup dry red quinoa, 1/2 lemon, pinch of parsley, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup broccoli, dash of salt and pepper

1. Dice 1/2 lemon

2. Pour 1/2 cup water into a saucepan and add the 1/4 cup dry red quinoa and diced lemon, parsley, salt and pepper

3. Cook on medium to high heat until the quinoa absorbs all of the water (should take 15 minutes)

4. Steam 1/2 cup of broccoli

5. Add 1/2 cup blueberries to a bowl and add the broccoli and quinoa to it

Kiwi Kick Salad

I have a perfectly ripe kiwi and an avocado in the kitchen, and I have to use them! I used to only eat avocado in sushi, but now that I've become a little more adventurous, I'm adding it to this veggie kiwi salad. Avocado and kiwi is a strange combination, but I have seen it in a vegan sushi place in Chelsea Market, so anything goes!

Ingredients: 1 egg, 1/3 avocado, 2 cups romaine lettuce, 1 kiwi, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 cup shredded broccoli, tsp olive oil

1. Hard boil the egg and slice it

2. Slice the 1/3 avocado and kiwi

3. Squeeze half a lemon

4. Add avocado, lemon juice, 1/2 cup grated broccoli, tsp olive oil, hard boiled egg, and sliced kiwi to 2 cups of romaine lettuce

Banana Almond French Toast Sticks

French toast just seems like a Sunday thing for me…there are no classes to run to, homework to do, not much going on, and I like to swim in the afternoon. It's nice to sit down and leisurely have some french toast!
Also, if you haven't picked up on it, one of my tricks to eating without adding sugar is to add banana. The banana in this french toast really makes it nice and sweet.

For 2 slices:
Ingredients: tsp vanilla, 1 egg, 2 slices tolerated bread, 2 tsp cinnamon, 5-10 crushed almonds, 1 banana, nonstick cooking oil spray

1. Cut the banana in half and mash half of it; slice the other half

2. Whisk 1 egg and mix in 2 tsp of cinnamon, a tsp of vanilla, and the mashed 1/2 banana

3. Cut each of the 2 slices of bread into three long pieces

4. Soak the pieces of bread in the egg banana mixture and let absorb for about 10 min

5. Spray a pan with nonstick cooking oil spray and on medium heat cook the pieces of french toast

6. When egg is cooked, turn heat off

7. Top with banana slices, a dust of cinnamon, and crushed almonds


For another version, I was thinking of having a cocoa-carob topping or a strawberry mint topping. What's your favorite french toast topping?

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Oatmeal

To me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I usually eat the same thing or variations of it: oatmeal! And a grapefruit on the side! This morning I had ballet class and then walked to the library to study, so I figured that banana cinnamon oatmeal would be good fuel (and I was right)! Also bananas are great to eat before exercise or athletics because the potassium helps prevent muscle cramps.

Ingredients: 1 ripe banana, 1/3 cup of oats, 2/3 cup of water, 2 tsp cinnamon

1. Mash up the banana and mix with 1/3 cup of oats, 2/3 cup of water, and 2 tsp cinnamon

2. Either cook on stove or microwave:

If you cook the oatmeal on the stove:

Stir the oat mixture and cook for about 25 minutes or until desired consistency

If you microwave:

microwave for about 2.5 minutes (take out once the oats have expanded and before the pour over the rim of bowl!)

Lemon Kale Pi

Pi day is always fun and reminds me of bringing circular foods to math class and pi recitation competitions. Lehigh has no recitation competitions (that I know of), so I figured a good way to celebrate would be by making pie. But traditional pies have butter, flour, sugar, and lots more ingredients I can't have…so I've come up with this lemon kale PI!

For about 2 portions:
Ingredients: one lemon, cup of kale, 2 eggs, 3 rice cakes, pinch of dill and parsley, dash of salt and pepper, tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Steam the kale with one cut up lemon with dill and parsley

2. Whisk two eggs in a separate bowl

making the "pie crust"

3. In an oven-safe bowl (greased with olive oil), put one rice cake on the bottom of bowl and surround it with pieces of rice cakes

4. Add the steamed kale and lemon to the rice cake "pie crust"

5. pour the eggs over the veggies and make sure that all of the rice cake pieces have some egg glazed over them

6. add some salt and pepper

7. Bake until eggs are cooked (around 30min)

HAPPY PI DAY!

Grilled Peach Pepper Sandwich

Made this and packed it in my lunch bag today and it was yummy- if you like peach salsa this one's something to try! And how did I magically get peaches during the winter? I used frozen peaches and they are just as good and nutritious.

Ingredients: 2 slices of tolerated bread (rice, spelt, buckwheat, etc), 1/3 cup diced bell pepper, 1/3 cup diced peaches, tsp paprika, tsp lemon juice, tsp olive oil, tbsp vinegar, pinch of parsley, dash of salt and pepper, optional: pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (for a kick)

1. Add 1/8 cup of water to a pan and add the tsp lemon juice, tsp olive oil, and tbsp vinegar into it

2. Put on medium heat and grill the pepper and peach

3. Add in the tsp paprika, parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed pepper flakes

4. Stop grilling once the water is barely left

5. Load a piece of bread with the peach pepper grilled mix, add slice on top, and toast or grill the sandwich

     

Easy Green Soup

The rainy, cool weather put me in a soup mood today. This recipe is quick and easy (convenient for college) and nutritious. I use frozen veggies because I can stock up on them in my freezer at the dorm and they don't require much preparation. 

Ingredients: 1/2 cup frozen kale, pinch of dill and parsley, 1/2 cup frozen broccoli, 1/4 cup diced celery, tsp of soup broth powder, tsp olive oil, dash of salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a pot half filled with water and keep on stove until the broccoli is cooked enough (this can take between 20-60 minutes depending on how high stove is…)

ENJOY!

Refreshing Melon Berry Salad

First post from my kitchen at Lehigh! Anyways, today was such a sunny day and it felt great walking around campus. Had engineering classes and ballet so went to the pool to cool down, but still needed something refreshing… So here is my solution:

Ingredients: 2 cups cut up romaine lettuce, bell pepper, 1/2 cup of honeydew cubes, 10-20 almonds, some dill and parsley, 1/2 cup berries, optional: olive oil and balsamic vinegar, side of tolerated type of bread

1. Chop up lettuce and bell pepper

2. Add in 1/2 cup of honeydew cubes

3. Add 10-20 almonds

4. Throw some dill and parsley into the mix

5. Put 1/2 cup berries into the salad

6. Dress with tsp olive oil and balsamic vinegar

7. Enjoy with a side of some toasted, tolerated kind of bread

Looks good and tastes better!

It's a lunch-bag day...

Ballet class, more ballet, go to a museum (get some culture), central park (in the spirit of spring break), car ride out of the city with dad + traffic… Which means I should have lots of reinforcement to refuel myself during the day. So here’s my twist on the classic lunch box menu:

THE GLORIFIED PB&J

Ingredients: ½ cup favorite type of fresh or frozen berries (I used raspberries), tbsp. organic peanut butter or almond butter, dash of cinnamon, tsp sesame seeds, 2 slices of tolerated bread (I use spelt bread but other options are oat, potato, tapioca, or rice based alternatives)

1. Lightly toast the bread slices

2. Spread the nut butter on one slice and add the dash of cinnamon and tsp sesame seeds to it

3. Press the berries evenly onto the other slice

4. Close sandwich and wrap up!

ISRAELI SALAD

Ingredients: 1 lemon, 1 bell pepper or 5 mini peppers, 3 mini cucumbers, tsp olive oil, dash of salt and pepper, dill, parsley, optional: a few cut up olives

1. Dice the pepper, cucumbers, and lemon

2. Toss the salad and add tsp of olive oil, dill, and parsley along with a dash of salt and pepper

3. Pack up in a leak-proof container

CITRUS BERRY SALAD 

Ingredients: 1 grapefruit, 1 cup strawberries or raspberries

1. Peel skin off grapefruit and peel apart

2. Mix in the strawberries

CUCUMBER AVOCADO RICE CRACKER SANDWICHES

Ingredients: 10-12 Rice crackers, tbsp lemon juice, ¼ avocado, 1 mini cucumber, tsp sesame seeds

1. Mash ¼ of an avocado and add lemon juice to it (keeps the nice color)

2. Spread avocado onto 5-6 rice crackers

3. Cut a mini cucumber into slices and add to the avocado crackers

4. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the cucumber avocado

5. Add a cracker on top and tightly seal the sandwiches in a container or bag

SUPER EASY, NO PREP SNACK IDEAS

Bananas, nuts, hard boiled eggs, peaches and plums (in season), citrus fruits, veggie sticks, rice cakes with nut butter, bag of rice cereal

Cocoa Banana Mini-Souffles

To happily get my daily dose of oxidant rich dark chocolate, without the chemicals and additives, I make this special cocoa treat. They’re like little brownie bites, but actually super healthy and energizing!

To make 6 cocoa banana mini-souffles:

Ingredients: 3 tbsp raw cocoa powder, 3 very ripe bananas, 4 eggs, tbsp. vanilla, tbsp. cinnamon, dash of salt, tsp almond oil, non-stick cooking oil spray

Materials: muffin/cupcake tray, optional: blender

1. Prepare the muffin/cupcake tray with a little of non-stick cooking oil spray

2. Preheat oven to 350 F

3. In a large bowl, whisk the 4 eggs

4. Either blend the bananas or beat in a separate bowl, but SAVE 1/3 banana on the side for topping

5. Gradually mix the banana into the eggs

6. Slowly add the 3 tbsp cocoa powder, tbsp. vanilla, tbsp. cinnamon, dash of salt, and tsp almond oil to the mixture

7. You can either keep mixing until a homogenous consistency is reached or blend it

8. Fill the muffing cups with the mix

9. Put the tray into the oven and after 10-12 minutes add a few slices of banana on top of each mini-souffle and a dust of cocoa powder and cinnamon

10. Continue baking for 5-10 minutes and check frequently with a toothpick to get a soufflé-like consistency

11. Some great optional toppings: organic peanut or almond butter, berries, nuts

You can freeze these to save for another time!

Banana Raspberry Nut Mini-Souffles

Always on the go, at school I don't always have time to make food everyday, so I make a dozen of these, put them in my freezer, and bring them in my lunch bag for a snack between classes. They're easy to make, egg based, and taste really good. Also, they look like mini muffins and my food-limitless friends who tried them even asked for the recipe!

To make 6:
Ingredients: 5 eggs, handful of walnuts, 2 bananas, cup of frozen raspberries, cinnamon, non-stick cooking oil spray, tsp vanilla
Materials: muffin or cupcake baking tray, optional: blender


1. Prepare the muffin or cupcake tray with some non-stick cooking oil spray

2. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add a tsp of cinnamon and tsp of vanilla

3. Puree the bananas (by mashing with a spoon or using a blender) and put in a new bowl

4. Puree the raspberries (again either mash or blend) and put in another new bowl

5. Save a few spoons of the raspberry mix in a small cup for the topping

6. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture to the big raspberry bowl and mix

7. Add remaining 2/3 of egg mixture to the banana bowl and mix

8. Fill 1/4 of each muffin cup with banana mixture

9. Fill to the 1/2 of the way of each muffin cup with raspberry mixture

10. Fill to the 3/4 of the way of each muffin cup with the rest of the banana mixture

11. Dust with cinnamon

12. Put in oven for 10 min.

13. Add raspberry topping and crushed walnuts to the top of each soufflé

14. Put back in the oven for 5-10 min (test with toothpick to see if it has a soufflé consistency)

15. Let cool and carefully take out the mini soufflés

Very Veggie and PB Rice Noodles

With multiple food allergies and limits, when I go to restaurants its not usually possible to make the chef change the whole dish to suit me. Little things I do ask for, but I usually don't ask to alter an entire recipe- that's what cooking at home is for… Anyways, this good, substantial dish was inspired by a trip to a Thai restaurant with my family (and not having much to eat).

Ingredients: serving of straight cut rice noodles, 1 tbsp organic peanut butter*, 1 red bell pepper, half cup frozen spinach, half a lemon, rice vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, tsp sesame seeds, tsp sesame oil, dash of salt

*a note about our peanut butter: this is a one ingredient, nutritious, organic container of goodness. This is ideal for the low fructose people because there are no additives (HFCS) or unnecessary sugars, which frequently hide in the PB jar

1. Put half a cup of water, 1/8 cup rice vinegar, and a tsp sesame oil in a medium pan on the stove

2. In a separate pot, add water and start boiling it

3. Squeeze the lemon half and add juice to the veggies in the pan, or you can chop up the fruit itself and add it it for more flavor

4. Gradually stir in the peanut butter to the mix and let the veggies cook

5. In the separate pot, add a serving of straight cut rice noodles and let cook for 4-6 min, or until desired

6. While the noodles are cooking, add a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes, dash of salt, and tsp of sesame seeds to the veggies and stir

7. When the noodles are ready, add the veggie mixture over the noodles and mix

8. Voila! Enjoy!

Color Block Ice Pops

It's my Spring Break now, and although the weather outside has not been very warm (as it is not even Spring yet), I've made these ice-pops to build some excitement for the warmer weather…

Ingredients: Any of your favorite frozen (or fresh) fruits; I used blueberries, raspberries, and peaches

1. Blend each color of fruit separately with some ice and water and put each in a separate bowl

2. Layer the colors (darker on the bottom) in an ice pop mold or plastic cup

3. Freeze for a few hours

4. Enjoy your beautiful, healthy treat