Category: Meals

We are already in the middle of July and it is so unfortunate that a large percentage of the U.S is still under the attack by Corona. It boggles my mind, how a speck of a virus can cause such utter chaos and death in the entire world!

All that being said, life has to go on and as informed citizens we need to do what we can to stay safe and keep others safe.

On my end, life is going on as well as can be. AJ has developed some histamine sensitivity  so we are trying to change our diet. He has to try and avoid high histamine foods and histamine is  found in lots of processed,fermented and spicy foods, and believe it or not, left over cooked foods develop histamine. So I am trying to cook something  not spicy and fresh a few times a week, mainly plant based. It is quite a feat considering I have been cooking spicy Pakistani food a couple times a week for the last 20 years and we usually always have leftovers!

I did realize that cooking with fresh garlic and ginger adds a lot more flavor than the bottled garlic, so I bought a garlic press and I use it daily.

I wanted to make pasta today, with a side of roasted squash but then I realized that tomatoes have histamine so I decided to use the summer squash to make my sauce. I was pleasantly surprised with the result. I served it with a kale apple salad as apples are low in histamine.

Summer yellow squash is high in vitamins A, B6, and C, folate, magnesium, fiber, riboflavin, phosphorus, and potassium. It is a serious nutritional power-packed veggie. Yellow squash is also rich in manganese. This mineral helps to boost bone strength and helps the body’s ability to process fats and carbohydrates. Squash is a very versatile vegetable as it does not have a strong taste.

Summer Squash pasta sauce

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow squash cut into semi circles
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1-2 Tbs chopped parsley or any herb you have
• 1 tsp dried herb, I used basil
• 1/2 cup water from boiled pasta
• Parmesan cheese to sprinkle
• 1 box pasta, I used ziti
• salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Method

Boil the pasta as directed and save 1/2 cup of water.

Pour the olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet and add garlic, chili flakes, salt and pepper, saute for a minute the add the sliced squash and dried herb and saute at medium heat for 5-7 minutes till squash are slightly brown. Using the back of a wooden spoon smash up the squash to thicken the sauce and add the water to help with this process. Once you have a chunky sauce, add the pasta and toss, add the herbs and cheese and toss again before serving.

Let me know if you make this and how it turned out.

Happy New Year to all who follow this blog. With the New Year come all our New Year resolutions and mine is going to be moderation and balance in my life.

Moderation basically means enjoy all foods but in limited amounts and be mindful of what you are eating, so that you are aware of why and when you indulge. Same with exercise, do something you enjoy and what you can sustain long term in moderation.

Balance is understanding that if you did indulge at breakfast, balance it out by eating something healthy at lunch or if you did not go for your regular work out at the gym, then do a 10-15 min workout at home, or increase your daily steps.

So now that the holidays are over and I ate out nearly every single day, I need to balance it by cooking at home for the next few days. I wanted to concentrate on plant proteins, so I decided to make a quinoa stir fry as quinoa is a great source of protein. I added some eggs to bump up the protein since I was not adding meat.

1 cup of quinoa has approximately 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, it has 2.76 mg of iron and 118mg of magnesium. Total calories if cooked in water is approximately 200. Quinoa may help regulate blood glucose and total blood cholesterol levels.

I added corn, peas, carrots, onions and celery. You can add any vegetables you want for color, fiber and lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Stir Fry Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1/4 cup chopped onion, carrots and celery
• 1/2 cup thawed peas
• 1/2 cup thawed corn
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 chopped green chillie
• salt, pepper, lemon juice and chillie flakes to your preference

Method

To make life easier, I bought the onions, carrots and celery pre chopped from Trader Joe’s, its called, Trader Joe’s Mirepoix. Total time saver!!!

Rinse the quinoa in cold water and make according to directions. I used vegetable stock to make mine instead of water. Once the quinoa is cooked, empty into a long dish and put it to cool in the fridge.

In a large wok, add 2-3 tablespoon olive oil, once heated add the chopped onions, carrots and celery, sauté for 2 minutes then add the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes till the onions and carrots are soft but not mush. Add the cooled quinoa, peas and corn to the pan.

• Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli flakes and add to the pan.Mix everything well, but be careful of the quinoa sticking to the pan. Once everything is mixed, make a well in the center of the quinoa and pour the beaten eggs and scramble them with the wooden spoon. Toss everything together and add cilantro and green chillies and lemon juice for a kick.

I served the stir fry with a spinach salad and my whole family enjoyed the healthy dinner. I hope you enjoy it too.

I ate the leftovers for lunch today! My pics are not the best, maybe something I can start working on!!!!

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Fresh blueberries in July from the farmers market are delicious, but nothing like picking your own blueberries from the farm.

I went to Portland Maine to drop my niece to college and on the way back stopped to pick blueberries, they were so delicious. There is huge taste difference between the Blueberries available at the supermarket and the local ones.

I used the fresh blueberries to make whole wheat oatmeal pancakes for my students and at home I made baked French toast for 4 sets of guests. It was quick and delicious. The pancakes were also great the recipe was from epicurious, I will post it later this evening, it has a host of benefits due to the oats and whole wheat, surprising it tastes good too. Even if you add maple syrup, you still get many nutrients compared to traditional pancakes.

Blueberries have so many benefits, that I could fill a whole page, but to me the most important are that they are a part of the MIND diet. They help against Alzheimer’s. They have many antioxidants and have a lot of fiber, vitamins A, C, K, B6, and minerals. The MIND diet is part Mediterranean and part DASH. Both diets have shown in several studies to help against many diseases like heart disease and stroke, but the MIND diet can help with Dementia and Alzheimer. The rates of Alzheimer’s in the USA are rising and it really is a scary disease, so let’s try to do all we can to help prevent it or slow its decline.

Taken from Wikipedia.org

MIND diet

“The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet, or more commonly, the MIND diet, combines the portions of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and the Mediterranean diet.[1] Both the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet have been shown to improve cognition; however, neither were developed to slow neurodegeneration (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease).[2] Therefore, a team at Rush University Medical Center, headed by Martha Clare Morris (a nutritional epidemiologist), worked to create the MIND diet.[3] Like the DASH and Mediterranean diets, the MIND diet emphasizes the intake of fresh fruit, vegetables, and legumes.[4] The MIND diet also includes recommendations for specific foods, like leafy greens and berries, that have been scientifically shown to slow cognitive decline.[3] Recent research has shown that the MIND diet is more effective at reducing cognitive decline than either the Mediterranean or DASH diets alone.[3] Additional testing has shown that the level of adherence to the MIND diet also impacts the diet’s neuro-protective effects.[5]”

The recipe for the pancakes and French toast are great to add blueberries.

Blueberry baked French Toast

Ingredients

• 1 cup blueberries
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 a loaf of Challah bread or French bread
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1-2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar.
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Method

Beat the eggs with the vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar.

Cube the bread and layer it in a greased 8 inch square or rectangle glass dish, then add the blueberries.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread and blueberries. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, sprinkle shredded coconut over the dish and dot with the butter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees, for 40 minutes.

Eat and enjoy. This dish can be frozen.

I got some yellow zucchini and squash in my  CSA produce on Tuesday and since I was barbequing, I decided to prepare it as a side dish. I love roasting vegetables as its so easy and with just olive oil and some seasonings it tastes delicious. The yellow zucchini is high in vitamin C and fiber and has beta carotene, which is a form of vitamin A. I added a green jalapeno to give it a kick.

Ingredients
2 yellow zucchini
2 yellow squash.
1 green jalapeño chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
Method
Chop the zucchini and squash into moon shape sizes. Place in a dish add the jalapeño and Pour olive oil, garlic and seasonings. Mix well and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I usually roast my vegetables in a roasting pan in a single layer as it prevents the vegetables from being mushy.

I just returned from Crete and apart from the drop dead views, the food is what I will miss.

The food in Crete is all grown in Crete and everywhere you go, you buy local. The apricot, cherries and oranges were juicy and bursting with sweetness. The vegetables which included fresh butter lettuce, sweet tomatoes and crisp cucumbers were  full of flavor. The fresh herbs like oregano and thyme added amazing aroma to our salads and grilled chicken. Not to forget the taste of fresh olive oil and olives.

What I loved the most was the fresh Sheep milk yogurt and cheese, oh my god that taste was just so creamy and unforgettably melt in your mouth. I added Greek walnuts, dried figs and local thyme honey to the yogurt every day. The yogurt is set in clay pots, which takes away some of the sourness of the yogurt. I am on the lookout for home made sheep milk yogurt in New York!

I returned to New York with a few of the foods, but the yogurt and cheeses were obviously not allowed. I decided to do some research on Sheep’s milk and was surprised at the benefits compared to cows milk. I also did some research on the benefits of yogurt and Kefir a yogurt drink that is pretty common in Greece.  In my next blog I will share the information I learnt which pertains to a healthy gut.

So back to the Cretan diet, characterized especially by a high consumption of vegetables and olive oil and moderate consumption of protein,”researchers found that people who eat a Mediterranean diet have lower odds of having a heart attack” studies done on world diets have shown the Mediterranean diet to be the healthiest in terms of heart health. What’s amazing is that if we eat local this diet even tastes good and is not that expensive. This diet is not low in fat as olive oil is calorific, but a small amount is satiating and keeps you full. I personally feel the low fat craze has made our taste buds dull and causes increased hunger. Low fat products are also processed, they are changed from their original state, usually by adding some sugar or artificial ingredient,the Cretan diet is not for weight loss, but for flavor and heart health its the best way to eat.

I have been meaning to blog, but somehow typing takes me ages and coming home after 8pm, I have been pretty lazy. I have been making notes of my meals and will post them this weekend.

Today on my way home from work, I was craving pizza. I got home and looked into my fridge to figure out, what I could eat with the pizza to get some of my needed nutrients.

Pizza, once in a while I feel is fine, it’s high in saturated fat due to the cheese, but the tomato sauce has the antioxidant lycopene, which is great for your eyesight. The thin crust is healthier than the thick crust due to the refined flour.

I had a bag of Trader Jo cruciferous crunch collection in my fridge, I added almonds and cranberries and decided to make a dressing, so I experimented with Greek yogurt and I came up with a pretty delicious creamy dressing. The ingredients are all from the Mediterranean diet.

The cruciferous vegetables are unique in that they are rich sources of sulfur-containing compounds known as glucosinates. These exert a variety of biologically activities that maybe relevant to health promotion and disease.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Fage 2% Greek yogurt
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and fresh black pepper

Method

Blend all ingredients till creamy and smooth, if too tart add a little more honey. Mix the dressing with the salad and store the rest. This dressing can be used as a vegetable dip too. The Greek yogurt is high in protein and calcium and the 2 percent fat in the yogurt add a creaminess.

My meal of pizza and salad was filling and satisfying.

I just started a new job last week, I am a Nutrition Educator at Harlem Children’s Zones Healthy Harlem program. The main mission of this program is to help kids from Harlem graduate from high school.

Obesity can decrease life expectancy due to the killer diseases, such as Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, stroke and cancer. Diet can play a role in these diseases. Educating kids and their parents about Nutrition and health has been shown to help decrease the incidence of obesity.

The curriculum is based on encouraging plant foods and last week was Beets and turnips. I have always known beets to be a very healthy vegetable, but have never researched the nutrients. I also have never really cooked with beets. I have eaten beet salads at many restaurants and decided to try making one at home for dinner.

Beets are powerful in terms of their benefits against diseases. They have many antioxidants and are anti inflammatory. The deep red color comes from Betacyanin, this phytochemical helps against cancer. Beets also help the liver with detoxification. They are a great source of Fiber, Folate, Magnesium and Potassium. These Nutrients are missing in our diets due to all the processing of our foods. I myself am always figuring out how to increase those nutrients in my diet through food.

1 cup of beets has 3.8 grams of fiber, 442mg of potassium, 31.3 mg of magnesium and 148mcg of Folate. It also has 2.2 grams of protein.

Beets are high in natural sugars,  9.2mg in 1 cup. Natural sugars in fruits and vegetables are fine, but when you juice the plant, you are removing the fiber and its important to be aware of that, if you have a choice, try eating the fruit or vegetable whole.

I decided to make a salad with quinoa, so that I could get away not cooking any meat. Quinoa is a grain high in protein and fiber. I used the Trade Jo steamed beets.

Beet and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 packet Trader Jo steamed baby beets
• 1/2 bag shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoon roasted pumpkin seeds
• 3 cups mixed greens
• 1/4 bunch chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoon honey (Manuka is great for you)

Method

Cook the quinoa according to the directions, then let it cool. Grate the beets with a grater. Mix the beets with the salad, quinoa, carrots and half the chopped cilantro. To make the dressing add the all the ingredients and the left over cilantro in an empty jar and shake very well. Pour the dressing on the salad and mix well. Sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds and mix again.

Amir does not like beets but because they were shredded, he did not even notice. Some recipes add chopped avocado and edamame.

 

Its been a week since I posted, I have been out of town and returned Saturday. Today my son and I went to the DeKalb market in Brooklyn and I highly recommend everyone to visit. We decided to eat Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches and they were delicious.

Since I had a heavy lunch, I came home and made a lentil soup, most Pakistani’s call it phiki daal which is bland lentils. I made some cumin rice and corn as that was all I had in my freezer.

The sweet corn is a quick Indian recipe my aunt makes. In a few teaspoons of olive oil add 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of chili flakes. I add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and a bag of frozen corn. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Salt is added to taste.
A lot of people  avoid sweet corn as it is high in carbohydrates. In my opinion every single vegetable can be eaten in moderation. Sweet corn  can be used as a side dish with a meal.  Sweet corn has 3.5 grams of fiber and  5 grams of protein in 1 cup. It has 325 milligrams of potassium and vitamin A.

The lentils were the yellow split moong as that’s my favorite being the lightest on the stomach. I boiled 1 cup of the lentils in 3 cups of water with a green chili and turmeric. It cooks very quickly. Beware of the lentils boiling over. I then added a baghar. In 2 tablespoons of heated ghee, I added a few curry leaves and 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of garlic and a few dried red chilies. Once everything sizzled, I added it to the lentil soup. Salt is added to your taste. Before serving add lemon juice and cilantro.

The cumin rice took 15-20 minutes to make.  In 1 tablespoon of hot ghee, I added a teaspoon of cumin seeds. After they sizzled, I added 2 cups washed rice,3 cups of water, salt and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. I let the rice boil for the water to evaporate, then I covered the pan and cooked it on a very low flame for 15 minutes. Open the pan and fluff the rice with a fork. Its a hit and miss with the texture of the rice. The grains should be whole.

The meal was nutritious, comforting and so easy. I use grass fed ghee for some of my desi cooking, but it does contain saturated fat and is an acquired taste. Olive oil or Avocado oil can be used instead.

Most of my recipes are with red chilies and green chilies as my family enjoys spicy food. The spice level can be changed to your taste.

I had my nephew over for dinner last night and I didn’t want to go out in the rain, so I decided to make a simple nutritious daal, Daals are vegetarian and can be made into liquid soups that we serve with rice or dry versions with masalas. There are many types of Lentils you can buy, but the four I use the most are-

1. split moong that is yellow.
2. split Masoor that is red
3. Split Chana that is a bigger yellow
4. Toor which is a split pigeon peas it’s a little smaller than the Chana.

I decided to make the yellow moong as it is the lightest and easiest to digest and least gassy on my stomach, also because I was making it dry, I did not need to make rice. I cook it with a variety of masalas and you can make it as spicy as you want to.

100 gram of this daal dry has 1.2 grams of fat of which only 0.3 grams is saturated. The best figures for health are that it has 12 grams of dietary fiber, 28 milligrams of sodium and 25 grams of protein. It has a lot of B vitamins.

I made it with onions and tomatoes and and olive oil to add some antioxidants. I usually add zucchini, but I had none available.

Recipe

1. 1 cup moong yellow daal washed well.
2. 3 Tablespoon olive oil
3. 1 tomato chopped
4. 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
5. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
6. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
7. 1 small onion chopped
8. 1 teaspoon chili flakes
9. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
10. 1 large green chillie
11. Salt to taste
12. 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

Boil the daal in 1 cup water with turmeric. The daal should be soft but not mushy. It should hold its shape. You may need to add more water as it does stick to the pan. Leave aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet add the cumin and mustard seeds let them pop and then add the onion, salt and chili flakes. Sauté the above till the onion is translucent and the spices have some aroma, then add the tomato and green chili. Cook for a few minutes till the tomato is softened, you may need to add water to help it mix.

Once the onion mixture is ready add the cooked daal. Mix it well so it absorbs the flavors, add the chopped cilantro and lemon juice. Cover and let it steam for 5-10 minutes.

Serve it with any type of bread you want.

I roasted green beans and fried some chicken kebabs. The lentils were the best for the rainy gray day.

After writing a blog on sugar, I had a craving for sugar and opened up my fridge to eat some fruit instead. I took out the container of blueberries and ate a few, but they were soft.

So I decided to make a quick healthy dessert. I love a crumble, so I mixed oats and almond flour and coconut. I added cinnamon and walnuts. I had to add some Sugar, so I added less than 3 Tablespoons brown sugar.

I mixed the butter with the flour mixture and added a handful of walnuts. Once it was crumbly and all mixed, I sprinkled it on the blueberries in a baking dish. I baked it for 30 minutes. It was delicious. It satisfied my sweet craving.

I got a lot of antioxidants from the blueberries and vitamin C and fiber. From the walnuts, I got omega 3 fats.

1/4 cup of almond flour has 6 grams of protein and 3 cups of fiber and without wheat, the recipe is gluten free. If the Oats are gluten free too.

This dessert is not necessarily low in calories, but its full of nutrients, low in sugar. Once in a while its a great treat.

Here is the quick recipe,

Ingredients

2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup regular oats

1/4 cup almond flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 -3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoon butter melted

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tablespoons shredded coconut

1 1/2 Tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon raw honey

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon and coconut.

Pour in the butter and mix all the ingredients till crumbly. Add the walnuts and mix again.

In a loaf pan mix the blueberries with the cornstarch add a tablespoon of honey and and lightly toss the blueberries.

Sprinkle the topping on top of the blueberries and bake for 45 minutes.

My family and I love potatoes in all forms, but since they are usually fried or mashed, they have a high Glycemic Index, which is how quickly the food raises your Insulin. That being said potatoes that are baked with the skin or made into a vegetable do have lots of vitamin C and the skin has fiber.

The star root vegetable is the sweet potato.  The Vitamin A , fiber and potassium are amazing as my earlier post noted, we are  usually   low in potassium and fiber and that’s due to the processed foods which have more Sodium.

Since, I had no meat at home, I decided to use the sweet potato with quinoa.   1/4 cup of quinoa has 6 grams of protein. It was a quick on the spot meal, but Amir loved it. I added Zucchini and green chilies and cilantro to add color. Here is the  recipe and below  are the actual nutrition facts of a sweet potato taken from the Nutrition Data website.

Ingredients

• 2  sweet potatoes peeled and cubed( this took the longest time)
• 2 green zucchini chopped with the skin on
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• salt to taste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 2 cups water or chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 green chili, either whole, slit
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.

Method

In 2 tablespoon of olive oil, add 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and then half the spices, then add the sweet potato and saute till the potatoes absorb the flavors and get caramelized. For the sweet potatoes not to stick or burn add a bit of water and let them cook in some steam. The sweet potatoes should be soft but not mushy. Take it out in a dish. In the same pan saute the zucchini in the left over oil and  the same left over spices in the exact same way, they should be crisp not soft.

Cook the quinoa according to the directions, I added chicken stock instead of water for added flavor.

When your ready to eat the meal, in a large skillet drizzle some olive oil add the quinoa saute for a few minutes then add the sweet potatoes and zucchini. Mix it all up, then add the  green chilies and cilantro a few tablespoons of water and let it steam in a covered pan for a few minutes.

Before serving add some lemon juice. Beware of the quinoa sticking to the pan.

Amount Per

I went to a vegetable market in Brooklyn with my husband and since starting this blog, I am really trying to be adventurous with my vegetables.

I decided to buy a butternut squash as I had recently had an amazing soup.

I looked up recipes for soups and nearly all the recipes has some sort of cream, I also had no idea what to serve with the soup. In my pantry, I had a box of Penne Pasta that was high in protein, so I decided to use the squash as a pasta sauce and serve it with a salad and sauteed Broccoli.

When I looked up the nutrients in one cup of butternut squash, I was Blown away by the amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Butternut squash pasta sauce

Ingredients

• 1 medium size butternut squash peeled cubed
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon red chili
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 box pasta
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.

Method

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and garlic, once the onion is translucent then add the chopped squash and the spices. Then saute for 5-10 minutes, so that the squash absorbs the flavors. The add the broth and cook on low heat till the squash is soft and mushy. Use your spoon to soften the squash further. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon as the mixture does stick to the pan. Boil your pasta, once it is cooked then add to the squash mixture and toss well , add your cheese and serve hot. I Loved it and will make it again. I looked at lots of recipes and took out ingredients and added some to get it my taste, many said to puree the squash, but I liked the chunky soft texture. I have copied the table of Nutrients in the butternut squash below.

Amount Per serving