Collard greens – like all greens – are among the most nutrient-dense foods. Collards are loaded with vitamins, minerals (including calcium), and phytochemicals that help our bodies fight cancer.

This table gives the USDA National Nutrient Database values for calcium in collards, kale, and milk. Look! Collards are a great source of calcium!

Note: It’s hard to understand why the calcium in frozen/cooked collards and kale are higher than the calcium in fresh/cooked collards and kale. (I wrote to the USDA and asked them. I am waiting for an answer. When I find out, I’ll post the response here.)

COLLARDS, KALE, MILK – Calcium content

Note re lowfat milk: I put lowfat milk in this table because it tends to be higher in calcium than whole milk. That’s because manufacturers add milk solids (dry skim milk) to low fat milk in order to make it taste creamier.

ORGANIC
I always buy organic collards (and kale), and that’s because these two veggies are listed on the Environmental Working Group’s list of the 12 most contaminated fruits and veggies.

LIGHTLY STEAMED COLLARD GREENS

I make a batch of collard greens at least twice a week. In fact, they’re one of my go-to vegetables for lunch or dinner AND breakfast – where I serve collards along with scrambled eggs, made with with fresh turmeric and black pepper!

This recipe for lightly steamed collard greens is as simple as it gets – just a few pointers on technique!

Directions:
Roll the collard leaves lengthwise tightly. Slice the leaves crosswise into rolls of ribbons about 1/2-inch wide and slice the stems into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces. Cut the ribbon rolls in half, and then in half again, if desired. Wash the cut pieces by putting them into a bowl of water and swishing them around; drain off the water and repeat washing with fresh water once or twice more.

Take a large pot with a large steamer basked (a pasta pot, for example) and place the washed and drained collards into the steamer section. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the collards in the pot. (This helps cook the collards evenly as the collards on top of the steamer basket are touched by the boiling water that you pour on, and the collards on the bottom of the steamer basket are more directly in contact with the boiling water below the basket.)

Let the collards steam, covered, for 1-2 minutes. Use a pair of tongs and toss the collards; replace the lid; continue to steam the collards for another 30 seconds to a minute. The collards should be bright green when cooked!

Save the nutrient-rich liquid at the bottom of the steamer pot and use it in cooking, for example in making soups!

More information about collard greens and nutrition, including a few cautions about oxalates and calcium absorption:

• World’s Healthiest Foods re collard greens.
• National Osteoporosis Foundation re calcium.
• EatToDefeat (cancer) - See the videos and check out the database about foods that prevent cancer through anti-angiogensis! THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE SITE about foods to prevent cancer!!!! Check it out!!!!

By the way, the beautiful photos in this post were taken by Jillian Lopina of Secondhand Exposure Photography (found here on Facebook  and a blog).

THANK YOU, Jillian!

I’m really obsessed with making stock making these days! It’s so healthy! And it brings me back to the days when my mom made stock in the “deep well” in our gas stove and my grandmother made a clear chicken soup (stock) for every family gathering.

I am excited to share with you my basic bone stock recipe and and a few tips that I have picked up from reading and experimenting these past few weeks.

RECIPE FOR STOCK

• 1 part bones
• 1 part vegetable “formula” (shown below)
• A few additions (shown below)
• Cold filtered tap water to cover contents of pot with 2 inches of water

Note: I use a mixture of bones. In the stock pictured below, I had beef marrow bones, oxtails, chicken backs, and chicken necks. In the future, I would like to add knuckle bones and also chicken feet because they are excellent sources of collagen (which my doctor who is an expert in osteoporosis says is good for bones, though I have not found much literature on this yet). And, if available, I get bones from grass-fed beef and the most humanely raised chickens that have not been given antibiotics or hormones.

For 16 cups of finished stock, I used: 1.5 pounds chicken backs and necks, 1.5 pounds beef marrow bones, and 1 pound oxtails.

Beef marrow bone

VEGETABLE FORMULA

2 parts yellow organic onions
Note: I remove and discard the first layer of the brownish onion peel. Then I remove the inner layer(s) of the brownish onion peel and toss those into my stock pot. Next, cut off the two ends of the peeled onion, and then roughly chop the onion.
1 part carrot, sliced
1 part celery (including the flavorful leaves), sliced

For 16 cups of finished stock, I used: 1 large onion, 3 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery.

Onion skin goes in too!

ADDITIONS
The amounts of these additional ingredients should be proportional to the quantity of stock you are making.

Bay leaves
Whole black peppercorns
Organic lemon, cut in half with seeds removed. Squeeze the juice into the pot, and toss the remaining lemon halves into the pot. Lemon peel is nutritious and flavorful! If you do not have an organic lemon, you can use apple cider vinegar. Note: The lemon (or vinegar) adds acid which helps leech the calcium and other minerals out of the bones – and does not give a lemony or vinegary flavor – unless you use too much.

For 16 cups of finished stock, I used: 1 fresh organic lemon (and next time I’ll try 2 lemons), 2 large bay leaves, and 6 whole peppercorns.

Lemon helps to leech minerals from bones!

DIRECTIONS for making stock — could not be easier — all you need is a big pot and patience

• Bring the contents of the pot to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to a simmer and let the pot simmer, covered, for about 20 hours.  Note: If you do not want to leave the pot simmering on the stove, you can always put it in the oven. For a discussion on the correct oven temperature for simmering stock, see Chowhound. Or if you prefer, use a slow cooker as they do for this chicken stock recipe.
• When the stock has been simmering for hours and the marrow bones will give up their marrow easily, insert a chopstick or blunt knife into the marrow and let the marrow slide out and into the stock.
• When the cooking time is up, remove the bones, most of which will not have much meat on them anymore. I used a pair of thin tongs to remove the dainty chicken bones, but next time I might just tie the chicken (or at least the chicken necks) up in cheesecloth so I would not have to fish out all those little neck bones.
• Pick the remaining meat off the bones and add it back to the pot, or if you wish, reserve the meat for another use.
• Remove the bay leaves, lemon halves, and onion peel, and discard after you have squeezed the stock out of the lemon halves. (See tip below.)
• In the interest of food safety, cool the stock down as quickly as possible (See “Cool Your Stock” shown below.)
• Refrigerate the stock in glass containers, for no more than 2 or 3 days. For longer storage, freeze.
• Right before you are ready to use the stock, remove the layer of fat on top of the stock. (If stock is frozen, warm it just a little in microwave so you can remove the fat.)

The stock making directions in this post do NOT make a clear stock. If you want a clear stock, you need to modify the directions so that you:
SKIM THE FOAM(scum) that forms at the top of the simmering soup and discard the foam. (I read that contrary to wham a lot of chefs say, the foam doesn’t have an affect on the flavor…and since I can’t find any effect, I don’t skim it off.)
Simmer stock UNCOVERED and add water as needed.
STRAIN OUT all the vegetables and REMOVE the meat.

DIRECTIONS FOR COOLING AND STORING STOCK – be sure to read!
Since stock is a nutrient rich medium (a great place for bacteria to flourish), so it’s important to cool your stock quickly.

COOL YOUR STOCK
For food safety reasons, cool your stock quickly! To do this, I  put empty glass storage bowls into a big pan. Then I add ice cubes to the pan scattering them around the bowls. Next I pour the hot soup into the bowls. Then, I pour cold water over the ice to make an ice-water bath that the bowls with the soup sit in.  After about 5 minutes, I stir the stock. After about 2 or 3 more minutes, it’s cool enough to refrigerate or freeze.

Cool hot food QUICKLY for food safety!

STORE STOCK IN REFRIGERATOR OR FREEZER
Cover the cooled stock and and refrigerate the stock, for no more than 2 or 3 days.
For longer storage, freeze.

NOTES

• Remove the layer of fat on top of your stock right before you are ready to consume the stock as is or use it in cooking.
• Some people make stock in a slow cooker (crock pot) and others make it in a pressure cooker.

MORE INFORMATION

• Chowhound discussion board:  information about making chicken stock ,  making chicken broth from bones ,and beef bones used for stock.
• International variations on chicken stock recipes: whats4eats.
• Tips on making chicken stock, see About.com.
• Chicken feet – for making stock that’s full of gelatin and extra delicious. Here’s how to prep chicken feet for your stock pot.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH STOCK?
Just about everything! In upcoming posts, I’ll tell you what I’m doing with mine…

In other words, I think it’s healthy to eat eat lots of low carbohydrate veggies and some low carb fruits (especially berries) and to put meat, fish, chicken, and eggs back on the plate in reasonable amounts.

So on the continuum of veg and non-veg, mine is a “hedge your bets” style of healthy eating. I think this makes good common sense. After all, the science of nutrition is constantly changing and evolving. In addition the official doctrines put out by the government (any government) and American Association of This or That are by their very nature influenced by special interest groups. And…even the scientific research published on the pages of prestigious journals depends, at least in part, on the currently held doctrines of the field (as expressed by the editorial boards).

So…making all the right food choices is impossible because we don’t have, and can’t possibly have, all the information we need to choose the most wisely.

In addition we are all genetically different, so there is no one-size-fits all diet.

Still I think there are a few absolutes to guide food choices today:

• Many whole foods are very healthy (especially vegetables) and we should eat more of them.
• Some things we think of as foods are not foods at all – just packages of refined junk with advertising to make us want what’s not good for us.

In the future on this blog you will find some delicious and easy to make veggie and non-veggie recipes that are nutritious – at least for most people given what I understand of what we know today about nutrition.

I can’t wait to share the next post I’m working  on — about making delicious and nutritious stock. It’s a winner of a recipe! Coming soon! I promise!

* If you are interested to read the book that turned my mind around and convinced me that a vegetarian diet is not ideal, read The New Atkins for a New You by Eric Westman, MD, MHS, (associate professor of medicine at Duke University Health System and director the Duke Lifesytle Medicine Clinic), Stephen D. Phinney, MD, PhD, (professor of medicine emeritus at the University of California Davis School of Medicine), Jeff S. Volek, PhD, RD, (associate professor and exercise and nutrition researchers in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut).

* If you are interested to know more about choosing healthier carbohydrates (lower in glycemic index and high in nutrients), check out  the information contained in the website for the GI Database hosted by the U of Sydney Australia. Also, I highly recommend you listen to two People’s Pharmacy podcasts which feature Jennie Brand-Miller’s (known for her work with GI index) and Dariush Mozaffarian (author of recent study on diet and weight gain published in The New England Journal of Medicine). 

For more information on what I put into one of my favorite chopped salads and why I chose these veggies, see the short video/podcast that I did with my sister – who was kind enough to agree to participate without any notice at all. In fact, as soon as I called her on her cell phone to ask if she would work with me on this, she pulled over in her car and we did this video/podcast with her on her cell phone and me on my regular speakerphone.  So this video/podcast is totally unrehearsed, and yet I think it came out really well! I’m still amazed!

Since we did this podcast, I have come up with another idea I want to share with you. If you do not like sardines that much, you can get used to eating this very healthy fish, gradually. For example, you could bake a mild fish like Dover sole; let it cool; and then mix it in with the sardines. Over time, you can add more sardines and less sole. I made this half-half mixture and added LOTS of chopped fresh dill, and it was great!

Kitchen tips on how to do some of the things mentioned in the video:

Zest lemons or limes (and freeze the fresh juice in small quantities for use later)

One way to cut a ripe avocado into chunks and another way to cut a ripe avocado into chunks

Note: Wash the avocado before you cut into it!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

For a comprehensive and authoritative summary of the many health benefits of blueberries, see the excellent Huffington Post article (published online in 2011) by Leo Galland MD.

This post is about an awesome blueberry dessert — one that reminds me of a mixture of blueberry pie and key lime pie – but guilt-free! And, yes, this recipe involves parchment paper, which might make it seem difficult and complicated, but trust me, working with parchment paper is easier than wrapping a present! And the results are dramatic and delicious! This dessert will delight you and wow your guests! I guarantee it!

And…if you have kids at home…you might want to ask them to help you — or let them make it all by themselves. This recipe is really EASY and FUN to make!

So let’s get cooking!

Thyme and Lime Flavored Blueberries with Tofu Avocado Cream

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cold tap water
3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1, 10-ounce block of firm tofu
1/2 medium-size, ripe Hass avocado
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

For garnish: fresh blueberries and fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper, each 12 x 12 inches. Place each square of parchment paper over a small bowl (for example, a cereal bowl). Carefully place 1 cup of the blueberries into the center of each piece of parchment paper. (Note: This takes two hands, because with one hand you need to make a well in the center of the paper for the blueberries.) Set bowls with blueberries aside.

In a cup (or small bowl), mix lime juice, honey and water until fully mixed. Spoon 2 tablespoons of this mixture over each serving of blueberries. Then sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves evenly over the blueberries.

Using 4, 18-inch pieces of raffia or kitchen twine, tie each bundle of blueberries tightly and finish it off with a little bow.

Place the 4 packets of blueberries onto a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. (Note: I tested the time with frozen blueberries, and it was the same!)

While the blueberries cook, place tofu, avocado, honey, vanilla extract, salt, and thyme leaves (2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves) into the work bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for 30 seconds; scrape down the sides with a spatula; process again for 30 seconds to 1 minute; scrape again, and process again if needed, until fully blended and smooth. Using a spatula, remove the tofu avocado cream from the food processor and place the cream in a small bowl. Garnish with fresh blueberries and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.

When the blueberry packets have finished baking, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the packets of blueberries cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.

To serve, place each packet of blueberries in a small shallow bowl and then place each bowl on a plate. As you can see, the packets are very dramatic and beautiful! So this is how I like to serve them at the table. But to make it easier to eat, it’s good to trim the packets to within about an inch of the tie. So I pass a pair of scissors around the table and let everyone do their own trimming.

After a little trimming — and a lot of laughing about how this reminds everyone of kindergarten — it’s time to open the packets. (Be prepared for “oohs” and “ahs”!) Then pass the bowl of Tofu Avocado Cream so everyone can top their blueberries with a dollop or two.

Ingredient notes

• Blueberries –  This recipe should be made with highbush (cultivated) blueberries (not the small wild blueberries).
• Lime juice – If you don’t have fresh limes, use store-bought organic lime juice which comes packed in glass jars. A really nice product to have on hand!
• Thyme leaves – You can store fresh thyme leaves (on stems) in your freezer so it’s ready when you need it.
• Tofu – For this recipe, use the tofu that comes packed in water and found in the refrigerated section.

Equipment notes

• Parchment paper – The unbleached parchment paper (kraft or light brown color) can be found at health food stores and it is a much better choice than the bleached (white) parchment paper. Who wants bleach leaching into their food?!
• Raffia – I like the look of raffia (what you see in the photos) but plain kitchen twine will do. If you choose raffia, make sure it’s the natural raffia – not plastic. Plastic will melt in the oven.

Recipe note

• I have entered this recipe into the “Make It – Blog It – Win It! Blueberry Recipe Contest for Bloggers.” Results will be announced on or before 20 September! (I will let you know how it turns out…) Meanwhile, if you would like to leave a message about this recipe, please do. I’m sure the contest judges would like to know what you think!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

What I eat before I exercise in the morning…

GREEN TEA with FROZEN FRUIT
My morning starts with a nice big mug of green (usually decaffeinated) tea: I place about 1/4 cup of frozen fruit, (organic blueberries, organic strawberries, or pineapple tidbits – from Trader Joe’s) into a mug, add boiling water, and stir. The frozen fruit cools the water just enough so that it’s about the proper temperature for brewing green tea. Then I place 2 decaf tea bags into the mug and let it brew for a few minutes. Stir and sip! (To learn more about the heath benefits of green tea, the best temperature for brewing green tea, and how vitamin C helps make green tea even more beneficial for health, see Frozen Berries For Green Tea and follow the links from this post to previous ones. )

BERRIES and GREEK YOGURT with CINNAMON and WALNUTS
I mix plain fat-free Greek yogurt (which is regular yogurt with much of the liquid strained out), with Ceylon cinnamon, and then add some chopped walnuts on top. (To find out why cinnamon and, in particular, Ceylon cinnamon is so good for you, see Ceylon cinnamon.)

What I eat after I exercise in the morning…

A second cup of green tea with frozen fruit plus…

Breakfast is served!

EGG WHITES, VEGETABLE TOPPING, and GREENS
As you can see in this photo, what I eat for breakfast is a bit unconventional. But it works for me!  The round things are just plain egg whites that have been baked in a non-stick muffin pan. As those of you know who have been reading this blog for some time, I used to mix herbs and veggies with the egg whites and then bake them. But I stopped doing that. Now, I put the vegetable and herb flavorings on top. It’s easier!

The red topping you see in the photo is just something I threw together  in the food processor.
Sorry I don’t have a recipe. But here’s what it includes:

• Sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
• Canned artichoke hearts, drained (reserve liquid to add as needed to make the consistency you want)
• Fresh fresh or frozen herbs such as basil, thyme, and oregano, or Monamiofood Pesto

EGG WHITES – in muffin pan

Ingredients
1 1/2 cartons liquid egg whites

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Pour the liquid egg whites equally into a 12 muffin cup,  high-quality (heavy) non-stick pan.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the muffin pan from the oven and a few minutes later, use a spoon to remove the muffins from the pan. I like to use the spoons made from corn starch (from Whole Foods) because they are so thin that they slip easily between the eggs muffin and the pan.

You can store these egg muffins in the refrigerator for a few days.

To assemble my plate in the morning, I put some frozen/defrosted organic spinach (or other greens such as steamed kale) onto a plate, sprinkle with organic lemon zest (fresh or frozen), 3 egg white muffins, each topped with a dollop of a flavorful vegetable mixture, such as the tomato-artichoke-herb concoction you see in the photo.

This plate just takes a minute to assemble when the egg white muffins and the vegetable topping are prepared ahead!

SWEET SOMETHING – Walnuts and Raisins

I often also have about 2 tablespoons of organic raisins and a few walnut halves – my favorite trail mix — and I usually enjoy this with a second cup of green tea.

Why do I eat this for breakfast? 

1. Green tea – It’s so good for you!

2. Veggies for breakfast —  If I get some veggies for breakfast, it’s a lot easier to get all the veggies that I want/need in a day.

3. Plenty of calories for breakfast — I want to get enough calories at breakfast so that I won’t be hungry for lunch until around 1:00 PM.

4. Lots of protein for breakfast — Recent research shows that protein, especially if consumed after exercise is effective at building and maintaining muscles and that;s important for building and maintaing bone. To learn more about all this protein, muscle, exercise stuff, see the article, Staying Strong: How Exercise & Diet Can Help Preserve Your Muscles, from Nutrition Action Health Letter, April 2011.

+++++++++++++

And…so this is what I eat these days for breakfast. And…just for fun…you might be interested to find out what people around the world eat for breakfast…

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P.S. MORNING EXERCISE
I am determined to build my bones and improve my balance – even if it takes me about 1 hour and 20 minutes almost every day!!! So after I’ve had my tea, and yogurt with berries, I grab my laptop and login to start exercising using Melio Guide - an online exercise program for treating and preventing osteoporosis. I have been following this program for a few months and have seen amazing improvement! (Note: I have no affiliation with Melio Guide. I just want to let others know about it since I think it’s a FANTASTIC program!)

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Here’s my simple recipe for beet greens with lemon and also some recipes that I found on the web that I would like to try, and thought you might like, too.

Fresh beets from the farmer's market

Beets - 3 veggies in one

Beet Greens with Lemon

+ Saute the chopped beet green stems in a little canola oil or just steam the chopped stems to cook them a bit.

+ Saute thinly sliced beet greens until leaves start to wilt.

+ Toss to mix the sauteed (or steamed) stems with the sauteed leaves.

+ Squirt on some fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with grated organic lemon peel.

Easy and delicious!

Sauteed beet greens with lemon

Recipes from the web 

If you want something a bit more unique, here are some recipes that you might try:

Note: Instead of the butter called for in some of the recipes, I would use just a little canola oil. Or, if I was lucky enough to have organic butter made from grass-fed milk, I would use a little of that.

Beet Greens with Yogurt — from culinate.com 

Beets and Beet Greens — from lesliesarna.com

White Beans with Slow Roasted Tomatoes — from theroadforks.com

GarlickySauteed Beet Greens — from eathealthyfeelgood.com

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Chocolate Banana Gelato with Blueberries

This gelato is made from frozen bananas. You may wonder: Why feature a recipe made from bananas when bananas are not one of the more nutritious fruits? According to the ANDI scoring system of nutrient density, bananas rate a mere 30, while strawberries are 212, and cantaloupe comes in at 100. Why do bananas score so low? Because they’re not chock-full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, or phytochemicals.

In addition, per unit weight, bananas are quite high in sugar, and very respected medical nutrition experts have been waving the red flag against sugar.

But what if bananas came packaged with cocoa – which is rich in antioxidants, proanthocyanidins, and many polyphenols? Then the ANDI scoring system would surly give bananas a much higher score! So…

• Step one: Add cocoa to bananas as we do in this recipe.
• Step two: Enjoy this gelato at the end of a meal – especially at the end of a meal loaded with fiber — not as a snack all by itself (as explained by the medical nutrition experts who caution against sugar, as mentioned above).

CHOCOLATE BANANA GELATO
I absolutely love this desert! And it’s a lot healthier than the square of dark chocolate I used to eat after dinner. After all, compared to even just a small piece of a dark chocolate bar, this Chocolate Banana Gelato is very low in fat and saturated fat. Just take a look at this table to see how cocoa and dark chocolate compare.

Each serving of Chocolate Banana Gelato contains 2 tablespoons of cocoa. A 1-ounce serving of bittersweet chocolate has about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa, if made according to the recipe provided by Joy of Baking. So Chocolate Banana Gelato is a great low-fat way to get the health benefits of cocoa without all the saturated fat that comes with a chocolate bar!

Serves 2

Method 1 – food processor

Ingredients

1 large very ripe banana, peeled, cut into triangular chunks, and frozen (See ingredient note below.)
1/4 cup high quality cocoa (See ingredient note below.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
a little freshly grated nutmeg
2 – 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (See ingredient note below.)
Your choice of berries for garnish

Directions
Place the frozen banana chunks, cocoa, vanilla extract, and nutmeg into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Wait a minute or two to let the banana thaw ever so slightly (makes it easier to process the bananas). Then place the almond milk into the feed tube of the food processor and process the mixture until it’s smooth and creamy.

Method 2 – Vitamix (heavy duty blender)

I don’t quite have the quantities down, but you can wing this on your own. Just use about 4 frozen bananas broken into 1-2-inch pieces (they do not have to be pre-cut into triangles). Put the bananas into the Vitamix along with all the other ingredients (in about four times the amounts shown above). Be sure that the almond milk comes up to right over the blades; if not, add more almond milk. If you have to add a disproportionately large amount of almond milk in order to cover the blades, then add about 1/2 of a ripe avocado. That will keep the resulting gelato nice and creamy!

Freeze for later

You can freeze this yummy desert for later, too.  Just freeze in individual serving dishes or in silicone muffin pans. If you are using the muffin pans, then remove the frozen individual servings and store them in a plastic bag for the freezer.  When ready to enjoy, just microwave (set on defrost) to bring the frozen gelato to the right consistency.

Ingredient notes

Banana - cut into triangular pieces

Bananas – For food processor only: Cut the banana into triangular pieces as shown in the photo so that there is more surface area for the blades of the food processor to grab onto, which helps the processor process faster and better.  Also, when you freeze the banana pieces, spread them out on a baking sheet so that they freeze individually, not clumped together. This will make it a lot easier for you to remove just the quantity you want when you are ready to make your gelato.

Note: Click on photo to read details

Penzeys High Fat Cocoa – Be sure to choose a pure cocoa powder – not a cocoa mix that contains sugar and other ingredients! I like Penzeys Natural High Fat Cocoa, even though it has more fat than cocoa not labeled “high fat.” But the Penzeys product is still not high in fat when you compare it to chocolate itself! And this Penzeys Cocoa is also not Dutch processed, which is good because Dutch processing (adding alkalizing agents) destroys some of the antioxidants in the cocoa.

Almond milk – It’s best to use almond milk rather than dairy milk because dairy foods interfere with the absorption of the antioxidants in cocoa.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Okra -- ready to microwave

Okra -- ready to eat!

Okra doesn’t have to be slimy! In this fat-free recipe, the okra is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Okra is available at well-stocked supermarkets and Asian markets. At Asian markets, you can also pick up besan (gram) flour. Made from ground chick peas, besan flour is a great gluten-free substitute for wheat flour when used for coating foods with seasonings. Just remember that because besan is ground up chickpeas, it naturally contains the oil of the chickpea and therefore it’s best to store besan in your freezer to maximize the shelf-life (keep the oil from going rancid).

I highly recommend you give this recipe a try! It’s delicious and easy to make!

Ingredients

14 ounces okra
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon besan flour
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoon ground corriander
1/2 – 1 teaspoon red chile powder
pinch asafoetida
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

If the glass go-round in your microwave is removable, take it out of the microwave, clean it (if needed), and place it on the kitchen counter. If the go-round is not removable, find a large, microwave-safe plate; set it aside.

Rinse the okra; do not dry. (The water clinging to the okra after rinsing, helps the seasonings stick.)

Cut almost all of the stem off each piece of okra and then slit each piece of okra in half, lengthwise; set okra pieces aside.

Into a large bowl, place remaining ingredients – the seasonings. Mix the seasonings with your hands (be sure that your hands are dry) until well mixed. Add reserved okra and, using your hands, mix the okra around so that it gets evenly coated with seasonings.

Place seasoned okra directly on the microwave go-round (or large microwave-safe plate), with cut end facing up and stem end facing out. Scrape the last bits of seasoning out of the bowl and scatter the remaining seasoning over the okra.

Place okra-filled microwave go-round (or plate) back into microwave oven. Heat on high for 8 minutes.  Check for doneness — which in this case means crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It will probably need another 2-4 minutes, depending on your microwave.

BE CAREFUL: The microwave go-round gets hot!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

From January 1 to mid-March, I was eating vegan only and as a result I lost about 10 pounds – which was more than I wanted to lose. I always thought it would be nice to lose 5 pounds or so – around my mid-section. Well, those 5 pounds slid off and that’s great! But so did another 5 pounds  - and that’s not so great for me. I concluded that for me personally vegan is a bit too extreme. So I am now adding a little eggs (mostly egg whites), and dairy foods, as well as fish (but not meat) to my diet.

With the added eggs, dairy foods, and fish, it’s easy for me to get more protein than I was getting with my vegan diet. Why is protein so important? For me it’s critically important because I want a diet that’s optimal for bone health – plenty of calcium, vitamin D, and enough protein for maintaining and regenerating bone – which is part protein. And protein also helps keep muscles from wasting — and that’s important because strong muscles, especially those that help with balance, mean you are not as likely to fall!

So…that explains why I am now offering on this blog a recipe for Crustless Mini Quiches —  an updated version (easier and faster) of my earlier recipe for Spinach and Onion Crustless Quiches. This new recipe has lots of veggies, just like the former recipe, and a bit more protein than in the former recipe! In fact, per Crustless Mini Quiche you get about 7 grams of protein (4 grams from the egg whites + 2 grams from the Parmesan cheese mixture + 1 gram from the nutritional yeast).

For more on an optimal plant-based diet, including the latest information about the amount and kind of protein we need at different ages, see Happy, Healthy Long Life blog, 9 April 2011.

Crustless Mini Quiches

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Ingredients per recipe (makes 12)
1, 16-ounce bag frozen organic chopped spinach
or
1, 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli pieces

1, 16 ounce container of liquid egg whites

Ingredients per Crustless Mini Quiche (1 of 12 mini quiches)

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
+The nutritional yeast adds flavor – some would say it’s a cheesy flavor, but to me it seems like it adds just a little more depth of flavor.
+ Available at Whole Foods, in the supplement section; sold in cans. Some people use nutritional yeast as an amino acid supplement, but in this recipe it just adds a little high quality protein to each quiche.

a sprinkling of onion powder
a sprinkling of garlic powder
a little freshly grated nutmeg
+I like to use a microplane to grate whole nutmeg. Here’s a video showing a microplane being used to grate whole nutmeg.

2 teaspoons grated Parmesan  cheese or Parmesan and Romano cheeses

Directions
If using spinach….
Place frozen spinach in a large microwaveable container and heat in the microwave, uncovered, on high, until fully cooked — and then two minutes more. This will evaporate some of the moisture from the spinach and that’s good in this case. Divide the cooked spinach into the 12 cups of a non-stick muffin pan. Leave the spinach loose, not packed down.

If using broccoli…
Defrost broccoli in the microwave and then let it cool. Place cooled broccoli into work bowl of food processor and process until it’s finely chopped. Divide the broccoli into the 12 cups of a non-stick muffin pan; do not pack down.

Sprinkle the nutritional yeast over the spinach (or broccoli).

Spinach with nutritional yeast

Into each muffin cup, add onion powder, garlic powder, a little freshly grated nutmeg and the Parmesan cheese.

Pour the liquid egg whites into each muffin cup, filling almost  to the top. Gently mix the contents with a fork.

Bake for about 25 minutes in pre-heated 375 F-oven, or until quiches just start to brown on top.

Baked!

Allow baked quiches to cool slightly and then remove the mini quiches from muffin cups. (They slip right out!)

Enjoy and be healthy!
~Leni