makes 3 8-oz servings

1 banana, peeled & sliced
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup pineapple, fresh or frozen
½ cup kefir or greek yogurt (optional)
½ cup coconut water
1 tsp spirulina
1 cup ice

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

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1 ½ cups cooked cracked freekeh
1 cup chopped parsley
½ cups chopped scallions
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
1 clove garlic minced
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and mix well.

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serves 4-6

1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2” ginger, peeled & minced
1 large butternut squash, peeled/seeded & chopped (about 6 cups)
1 medium Asian pear, chopped (about 2 cups)
Zest & juice of 1 orange
32oz chicken broth
Dried cranberries, chopped for garnish
Crystallized ginger, chopped for garnish
Wasabi peas, chopped garnish

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until beginning to turn translucent.

Add garlic and ginger.  Sauté another 1-2 minutes.

Add squash, pear, orange zest & juice, and broth.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until squash and pear are mashable, about 20-30 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or transfer soup to blender and puree in batches.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish soup with chopped cranberries, ginger and wasabi peas.

The post Gingery Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Soup appeared first on Simplicious Magazine.

serves 8-10

1 large leek, whites chopped & rinsed
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large celery root, peeled & chopped
1 lb sunchokes, peeled & chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced thyme leaves
2 quarts chicken broth
½ cup cream (optional)

In a large pot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until they begin to soften.

Add garlic and thyme to leeks, mixing well.  Sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Add cauliflower, celery root, sunchokes and broth.  Broth should just cover the veggies.  Add more water or broth as needed.  Mix well.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until veggies are mashable.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or transfer the soup to a blender and puree in batches.

Add cream just before serving.   Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Top with fried leeks for garnish.

This soup is hearty and thick.  Add more broth or water to thin it out if desired. 

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Photo by Francoise Villeneuve
Recipe by Victoria Cannizzo

Serves 4

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 generous teaspoon honey
½ cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:
1 head young kale
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup balsamic and honey roasted beets
2 white nectarines, pitted and sliced
½ cup toasted walnuts
1 cup goat cheese, crumbled

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Put the vinegar, garlic, mustard and honey in a medium mixing bowl and whisky thoroughly. Then pour in the olive oil in a slow and steady stream, whisking continuously. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

For the Salad:
Wash the kale thoroughly in cold water and spin dry. Remove the stems and thickest part of the ribs. Roughly chop the kale and put it in a large mixing bowl. Season the kale with salt and the juice of the lemon. Toss the kale for a minute or two, then let sit for 5 minutes so that the acid and salt break down the kale and make it tender.

Add the beets and nectarines to the bowl with the kale and toss together. Serve the salad in a bowl, then scatter the goat cheese and walnuts over the top. Drizzle with the whole salad with the balsamic vinaigrette. Serve as an appetizer, or as a side with herb-roasted fish or chicken for a colorful and healthy meal.

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Photo by Francoise Villeneuve
Recipe by  Victoria Cannizzo

Serves 4

8 medium beets (about the size of a fist)
¼ cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 whole cloves garlic
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the tops of the beets and scrub them thoroughly in cold water to remove any dirt. If the beets differ in size, you can cut some of the bigger ones in half or in quarters. If you do cut them, wear gloves or they will stain your hands.

Toss the beets with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the beets on the baking sheet so they have space and are not piled on top of each other—otherwise they will steam. Roast in the oven, adding the garlic cloves after 20 minutes so that they don’t burn. Continue to roast for another 20 minutes to 40 minutes, or until the beets are tender when a paring knife is inserted. Turn them over halfway through cooking so they roast evenly.

Remove the beets from the oven and immediately toss with the balsamic vinegar and honey. Season with more salt and pepper. Serve immediately as a side, or reserve for the kale, beet, and nectarine salad.

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Plant-Powering Your Way to Optimal Health & Wellness

Sharon Palmer, RD, author of The Plant-Powered Diet

Step aside low-fat, low-carb, no-taste, no-fun diets. Make room for the best new dietary trend to hit the nutrition world. The plant-based diet, one that simply emphasizes plant foods, is gaining in popularity. The message to “eat more plants” is coming from numerous sources these days, ranging from celebrities to chefs to the scholarly authorities in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Adding to the mix are food and nutrition experts. In my newly released book, The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Optimal Health, Beginning Today (The Experiment, 2012), I explain the dramatic benefits of eating a diet that focuses on more plant foods and why hundreds of research studies have led to one conclusion: a plant-based diet is indeed the healthiest on the planet.

While health is a definite motivator for making the transition to eating more plant-based foods, other factors come into play. As people are becoming more interested in supporting local food, farms, and agriculture, they’re in turn asking more questions about the food on their plates. Asking questions about the food that feeds your family and nourishes your body is a good thing, and it often leads towards a shift in eating more plant-based foods.

Simply eating more plants and less animal products is associated with improved health outcomes, including lower levels of obesity, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, and lower total mortality. Let’s also not forget about the impact a plant-powered eating pattern has on Mother Earth. Eating one to two vegetarian meals per week can make a serious dent in your carbon footprint; it is more effective than driving a Prius in terms of global warming.

The great thing about making the transition to a plant-based diet is that it doesn’t involve complicated instructions. It’s a simple shift towards more whole, unprocessed foods that come directly from plants. To help jumpstart your way to optimal health and wellness, try these 10 plant-powered steps.

1. Don’t rule out the gray zone. A plant-based diet is not to be considered a one-size-fits-all diet prescription; it leaves room for a spectrum of dietary preferences and observances. By simply cutting back on your animal intake and adding more plant-based foods such as grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds to your diet, you’re already on your way.
2. Ease into it. If you eat meat at every meal, you have room to cut back. Start out slowly with having one completely vegetarian meal per week or even having an entirely meatless day. The Meatless Monday (www.meatlessmonday.com) website is filled with tips and recipes, and is a great resource to get started.
3. Start your day “veggie.” Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to skip on the meat. With so many delicious breakfast foods available, such as whole grain cereals and breads, fruit, and even vegetables, there’s little reason to rely on meat for your first meal of the day.
4. Look at the glass as half full. It’s not what you can’t have, it’s what you can have! Visit the produce section of your supermarket or a local farmer’s market and feast your eyes on the rainbow of plant-based foods available.
5. Change the plate. When planning your meal, start with the vegetable or whole grain component. Meat doesn’t need to be the “center of the plate.” Cut down on the amount of meat you consume by taking one individual portion of meat or chicken and using it to flavor an entire family-size meal of stir-fry, casserole, or stew.
6. Keep it simple. There’s a common misconception that preparing vegetarian meals is laborious and complicated, but scores of meatless recipes are incredibly simple to prepare. Think black bean burritos or spaghetti with tomato sauce.
7. Use the crock-pot. Using your crock-put or slow-cooker can be quick and easy! Combine all the ingredients in the morning, turn it on and leave it until dinnertime.  One-dish meals such as chili, stews, pasta dishes, casseroles, and stir-fries are one of the simplest ways to prepare veggie-filled meals.
8. Take your taste buds on vacation. Some cultures know how to do vegetarian right! Visit a local Mexican, Indian, Thai, or Vietnamese restaurant and observe how dishes are prepared. Then, take home a few culinary tricks or ideas with you.
9. Keep it whole. The “whole” point of a plant-based diet is to reap the nutritive benefits of whole foods. Rather than piling up on refined grains, which do little for your body from a health standpoint, load up on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains like quinoa and bulgur, legumes, seeds, and nuts.
10. Forget the old cliché. The “veggie” lifestyle has come a long way since the days of munching on alfalfa sprouts and granola. There is a huge variety of plant foods now available – a much bigger variety than meat, chicken and fish. Choose one night a week to experiment with a fun, new recipe.  Want a good recommendation? Try my Strawberry Salad with Mache, Brazil Nuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Sharon Palmer is a registered dietitian, food & nutrition writer, editor, and author of The Plant-Powered Diet. She is passionate about foods that are grown locally and sustainably. Checkout Sharon’s Blog at sharonpalmer.blogspot.com

The post The Plant-Powered Diet with Sharon Palmer {Guest Post} appeared first on Simplicious Magazine.

When I saw these little peppers on my kitchen counter at the farm I thought they were just baby green bell peppers.  Oops…

Although related to bells, I learned that Padrón Peppers are actually a unique variety of pepper originating in Pardón, Spain.  Ranging from the size of an olive to the size of your finger, Padróns have a deliciously mild flavor that is perfectly suited to a simple sauté with olive oil, garlic and salt (but I threw in some thinly sliced chili too).

Prepare a bowl full and serve as a fun finger-food appetizer at your next dinner party, along with some crusty bread.  But be careful…diving in to a bowl full of Padróns can be a spicy adventure as some are very mild, but some are very hot!

Look for Padrón Peppers at your local farmers market or farm stand.

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Makes 1 drink

2 tbsp Junper-Infused Blackberry Puree
2 oz Gin
4 oz Lemonade
2 oz Soda Water

Combine ingredients in a glass and stir.  Add ice. Enjoy.

Leave out the gin for the kiddos…

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Makes about 4 cups puree

8 cups blackberries
8 juniper berries
½ cup honey

Combine ingredients in sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Simmer gently for about 30 minutes.  Cool, then puree and strain through fine-meshed sieve to remove the blackberry seeds and juniper berries.

Use this puree as a sauce over ice cream or pound cake.  Or use it to make this Blackberry Gin Lemonade.

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