Chickpeas salad with sundried tomatoes, zucchini and spices

Today for lunch I made a delicious chickpeas salad... Super healthy, no added fat, and very tasty :)

What you will need :

- 2 cups of chickpeas already cooked ( in a can )

- 1 large fresh white onion

- About 6 sundried tomatoes, that you will rehydrate in boiling water 5 min ( no oil )

- 1 large zucchini or 2 smaller ones, cut in little cubes ( and steamed in microwave 5 minutes )

- balsamic vinegar

- cumin

- soy sauce

- salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

-Drain and rinse the chickpeas

-Peel completely the zucchini ( unless its organic ) and cut in little cubes.

Then, place the cubes in a small bowl, add a table spoon of water and cover with plastic warp.

Microwave 5 minutes, they will be cooked but still very tender.

-Boil some water and put the sundried tomatoes in it. Wait 5 minutes, take thm out and rinse them to bring them to a cool temperature

- Chop the fresh onion ( fine half moom shape is better )

Once all the preparation is done, assemble all the ingredients in a larger bowl.

Add 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar, and 1 tbsp of soy sauce.

Sprinkle some cumin on top, add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix well.... and chill in the fridge before serving it very cold.

Bon Appetit !

Capers and Sun dried tomatoes Bruschetta

I have been home all day and i decided to create some new recipes, vegan still, and low fat...

I started reading "eat more, weight less" from Dean Ornish and I have to say that this guy is a genius.

I definitely recommend to anyone to read that book, it may help you save your life :)

And on top of that at the end of the book there are a bunch of delicious almost vegan low fat recipes.

Thing is that those recipes are kinda elaborated and either take time to make or need a LOT of different fresh ingredients to make them, and as a result its kinda expensive...

A pinch of this, a tablespoon of this, and a teaspoon of that etc ...

Here is a "easier but as tatsy recipe" from Dean Ornish book.

Making the topping ( for 18 pieces of bread )

6 sundried tomatoes cut in small pieces.

1 small fresh white onion ( or any kinda onion really - add as much as you like ) chopped

1 large or 2 small garlic cloves , chopped

1 ripe tomato, cut in small dices

3 tablespoons of capers

A little bit of dried :

-oregano, basil, thyme, or mixed dried or powdered herbs

salt and pepper o taste

1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

A small loaf of whole wheat bread, sliced ( from the bakery rather than from publix ) and use 18 slices

Put the whole sundried tomatoes in boiling water for about 10 minutes

Rinse them with cold water and cut them in small pieces.

Add all the other ingredients to a bowl and let marinated for at least 15 minutes at room temperature.

Put each slice of bread, flat, add some dried herbs and bake at 375F* until crispy and golden

Take them out and top them with the mixture while the bread is still hot

A pure delight !

Ideal with a green salad for lunch or as appetizer when you have guests or family

They will certainly be impressed ! : )

( picture to come )

Bon appetit !!!

Vegan Stuffed Vegetables

I haven't been posting for a long while now...

I have to say that I have been very busy lately,...

Moving out from my apartment, going in the caraibeans for a week vacations, and finally moving to France for the summer

...

I am getting a bunch of delicious vegan recipes from here, that I will start posting too .

Tonight dish :

STUFFED VEGETABLES

We are going to use only 5 types of vegetables, very easy to find... nothing too fancy.

South of France - Provencal cuisine is all about Simple, healthy, in season products ...

This is a recipe for 16 stuffed vegetables, or 4 people.

Preparation : 30-40 minutes

Cooking in oven : 1 hour

Vegetables to be stuffed:

4 big tomatoes

4 medium eggplants

4 bell peppers ( color of your choice )

4 zucchini

The stuffing:

1 1/2 cup of long grain rice

1/4 + 1/2 cup of olive oil

1 large onion ( chopped )

1/2 cup of parsley ( chopped )

2 carrots ( grated )

2 medium size zucchini ( grated )

1 small eggplant ( grated )

salt

pepper

breadcrumbs

Preparing the vegetables:

Wash the vegetables.

Cut the caps off the tomatoes and peppers.

Cut both ends of the eggplants and zucchinis.

lay the eggplants and zucchini on their more stable side, so they dont roll all over, and cut open the top, carefully leaving an inch on each end of uncut vegetable.

( see picture )

With a spoon, spoon out th pulp and seeds of the peppers, eggplants and zucchini.

Discard all or save the zucchini and eggplant pulp to make a ratatouille type sauce-dish later on.

Scoop out the tomatoes and save the pulp, we will need it for the stuffing.

Lightly salt the inside of the vegetables.

Save the caps off all the veggies, we will use them to cover them once they are stuffed.

Preparing the stuffing:

In a large pan, warm up 1/4 a cup of olive oil, and the onion, chopped.

When the onion becomes transparent, almost golden, add the chopped parsley.

Keep stirring for 3 minutes.

Add the grated vegetables all at once.

Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes or until well softened.

Add the tomato pulp ( if possible, crush it well ) and cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.

Then add the rice, salt and pepper and mix it well.

Assembling everything:

With a spoon fill in the vegetables with the stuffing , loosely ( because the rice will double or triple in volume ).

Prepare a mix with 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup of water , and pour it over the veggies.

Close back each vegetable with its cap, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Cook for about an hour at 450 Fahrenheit or 220 Celsius.

Check that the veggies do not burn if placed too close to the top of the oven.

If they brown too fast, cover them with aluminium foil.

It is simply delicious, not heavy at all.

Without the breadcrumb its a gluten free dish as well as vegan.

Bon Appetit From South of France !!!

Brown Rice with vegetables

Tonight, I am making a very simple yet tasty and healthy dish...
Brown rice with vegetables ...

For 1 person:
-1/4 cup of brown rice
-1 cup of mixed vegetables ( cut in small pieces - frozen or not )
( mine has green beans, peas, corn, carrots, edaname)
-1/4 cup of chopped onion
-olive oil

Preparation...
1)Chop your onion and sauteed it until golden in a pan with olive oil.
2)Add the brown rice and sauteed the rice too for another 3 minutes ( med-high heat)
3)Add the vegetables and sauteed for another 3 minutes, while stirring.
4)When the veggies are half cooked or defrosted, add 1/2 cup of water ( or double the volume of whatever amount of rice you put in there )
5)Cover and let simmer and cook for about 15 minutes ...
Stir occasionally
Add salt and pepper to taste
When the rice has absorbed all the water, taste it, and if it is too crunchy add a bit more water, cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
I like to add some fresh thyme to it when it is done cooking, it adds more flavor to the dish.
Also I usually add a tbsp or 2 of mixed seeds and nuts to almost everything i cook. Read below why !

FDA only approved the heart health claim for almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts as these nuts contain less than 4g of saturated fats per 50g. However that doesn't mean you should restrict yourself to these 7 nuts only. In addition to nuts, seeds such as flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds may offer the same heart health benefits. Again moderation is the key - limit your intake to 1 to 2 oz of unsalted nuts per day. Source: http://www.healthcastle.com/nuts-benefits.shtml


And as a side dish, I am making sauteed spinach with olive oil and garlic... to add some fiber intake to my dinner.

BON APPETIT !!

Quinoa and sauteed veggies with marinara sauce

Today for Lunch I had planned on going to go and try one of the Vegan restaurant downtown...OM GARDEN, But it's such a beautiful day that I did not want to waste 1h30 sitting inside a restaurant.... I'd rather be at the beach... So I opened my fridge and made up a quick lunch with leftovers ...
And it ended up very good : )

Ingredients for 2 persons :
- 1.5 cup of Cooked Quinoa ( or as much as you want )
- 1 squash
- 1 zucchini
- 1 cup of diced raw eggplant
- 2 button mushroom
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup of organic marinara sauce
- Olive oil
- Basil
( you can use any veggies really... those are what i had in the fridge )

Preparation:

Dice the eggplant in big pieces and set it in the microwave, full power for 2minutes ( its a secret way of cooking eggplant and so far I haven't found better ! )
Dice all the other veggies, all at approximately the same size.
First put some olive oil in the pan, warm it up, and sauteed the carrots first. then add the eggplant ( make sure it roasts on each side ), the zucchini, squash and mushrooms.
Sautee them all together until golden. Add chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste.
When done, add the marinara sauce ( I love the Whole foods market brand for the organic marinara sauces ) and heat it up.
Place quinoa in a bowl, top it with the veggies and decorate with some fresh basil leaves.

VOILA !

Bon appetit !

Sarah's Double Vegan Burger

I had dinner with a friend last night and he is not a vegan, i made him a wild mushroom risotto, yes, with cream : ) and chicken on top of that !
For myself I made a very quick Double Vegan Burger... It's a simple vegan burger but really good... with original ingredients ... Im not sure it has its place here, but it might give ideas to some ...

What is special about this burger is :
- the type of bread I use
- the 2 different flavors of burgers

Here are the ingredients:
- 1 " Food for life " Sesame Burger bun
- 1 " GardenBurger Portobella " veggie burger
- 1 "GardenBurger Sundried Tomato " veggie burger
- 1 Slice of tomato
-1 Lettuce leaf
- Olive oil
- Mayonnaise ( optionnal )

Put The bun in the toaster so it toasts a little.
Spread a little bit of olive oil ( or mayonnaise if you are not watching your calorie intake ) in both inside sides of the bun.
On the bottom bun, place the lettuce leaf, add the tomato slice, and top it with your 2 veggie burgers.....
It goes very well with a fresh garden salad ....

Bon Appetit ! !

Brown Rice Pasta with Sauteed Brocoli

This is a very healthy and satisfying dish, done in few minutes...
Perfect for lunch or dinner ... the proportions for the ingredients can be changed if desired.

Ideal serving per person :
56g of brown rice pasta - or more depending on how hungry you are ! -( i like the fettuccine better for this recipe)
6 large broccoli florets ( fresh or frozen )
1 large garlic clove ( or more , to taste )
2 tbsp of olive oil
2tbsp of water or vegetable broth
Salt
Freshly grounded pepper

1) In a pot, put water to broil and add salt, pepper and olive oil to season the water ( and the oil to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other ). When broiling, add the rice pasta, cook according to instructions on the box ( usually 10-13 minutes. they handle very well being over cooked but for no mistake, just taste them )
2) While the pasta is cooking, put the olive oil, and the garlic, crushed or sliced, in a medium heat wok or pan. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC, it shouldn't turn dark brown or it will taste very bitter and will damage your dish.
3) When the garlic is softer, throw in there the broccoli florets ( even frozen its ok ) and add the broth or the water ... it will create some steam and the broccoli will cook faster. Cover the pan. Do not over cook it, it has to stay crunchy : )
4) Drain the pasta when they are propoerly cooked and add them with the broccoli, in the sauteed pan. Cook for an extra minute.
5) Serve hot.

BON APPETIT !!

I made it for lunch and it was really good : )

How hard it was to give up meat, fish, and dairy ...

I am more on the "carnivore" side and I have grown up with the idea that a hyper
protein diet was the way to go to lose fat ... and weight. Of course i was taught wrong...

I LOVE meat... A juicy steak well seasoned, grilled to perfection on a BBQ ...
The smell of roasting chickens, and the display of freshly caught fishes by local fishermen at the market...
Those handmade cheeses made by the farmer next door ( the one your great-grandmother used to buy fresh cheeses and butter from )
All those home made pates... the display of cured meats cuts from Corsica to Sicilia, ...
This is what I have grown up with...
This is NATURAL to me
This is HEALTHY....
This is GOOD !

Well, the only true thing here is that yes, IT IS GOOD !

And as I told you before, i love food, i love to cook, and i love to eat.
I also enjoy very much seeing people cook ( especially chefs ) and I like to see people enjoying good food.

For me the fact that i had to give up on all those great tastes was hard to swallow...
No more milk, no more butter, cream, cheese, chicken, shrimp, meat, pork, fish, seafood etc...
That is going to be a real challenge !

I started by making easy changes at my first grocery shopping at Whole Foods Market :

I replaced regular cow milk by rice milk, and soy milk ( haven't tried hemp, coconut or almond milk yet but will do )
I bought soy butter instead of regular butter ( it is salty but tastes as good as regular salted butter )
I bought soy cheese instead of regular cheese ( I HATED IT , IT TASTED LIKE SHIT SO I JUST GAVE UP ON CHEESE... ITS EASIER ! )
I bought sun-dried tomatoes, portobella mushroom, and eggplant burgers instead of regular meat.
I bought a lot of nuts and seeds
I got plenty of whole grains foods like : whole wheat pastas, brown rice pastas, quinoa, lentils, bulgur, buckwheat, brown rice, whole wheat Israeli couscous etc ...
I got some organic-vegan soups, sauces , and beans ( all kind of beans )
Plenty of vegetables ( organic for what i could afford, because YES they are more expensive than regular veggies)
That wasn't very hard to do....

I just kept in mind that if I am invited somewhere and there is no vegan option, no big deal, I could break my new diet...

Same thing for cheeses, ... here in America, cheeses suck !!
I do not really appreciate cheese here, so it wasn't a big deal for me to give that up... I used cheese to put on pasta mostly and giving that up is not very hard!
But if I get a chance to taste incredible cheese, fine stuff i mean... well, my diet will have to be on hold for that moment ... but yet again, if I can avoid it, I will.

No more eggs... that was harder cause it had been my breakfast for the past 3 years : ( but when i realized how poisoned they were, I felt good when I stopped eating them.
No one died from not eating omelets or scrambled eggs... right ?

And about desserts... well I wasn't really crazy about sweets anyway.... Most of them are made with milk, eggs, butter ... so it is very hard to find good tasty vegan desserts! I found a delicious /vegan/ out of this world chocolate ice cream ... "purely decadent" made from coconut milk ... a pure delight... so when after lunch or diner I feel like eating something sweet or chocolaty, I grab a spoon and satisfy my craving with a spoon or two of that ice cream ! ( Some non vegan friends of mine tried it and loved it !! ) I also love the chocolate coconut macaroons that they make at Gables Green Cafe ( intersection of Alhambra and Salzedo, in Coral Gables, FL 33134 )

I am not a huge fan of fake products...
Like fake shrimp.... or fake chicken wings ...
I mean How can you possibly fake a shrimp... or a chicken wing ?
There are so many tasty options better than those fake whatever !
If you were not born vegan, then you know how cheese, fish, shrimp, crab, meat, chicken and bacon is supposed to taste like, and you probably wont like anything but the real thing...

I guess its all about the person's taste...

I'd rather go for other options if possible, like exclusively real veggies, eventually veggie burgers ... and save my taste buds for that day when I will have to face a delightful cheese platter ...
: )
Same for some very particular types of meat that i love like Merguez ( Moroccan lamb sausage ) , porterhouse on a BBQ, and freshly caught lobster, fish and shrimp....
I will save myself for that one day I will have to eat them... and they better taste delicious !!

I do see veganism as a way to live and a cruelty free way of living... Even though I follow (or try to follow) it more for the health benefits that it will bring me in the short and long run.
But I have been a carnivore all my life and Its really hard to resist those things.... And so far I have done pretty well ....

I have been doing that diet for over a month now, and my only faults were :

- a fillet Mignon with caramelized veggies that the chef at Anacapri cooked for me on my last day at work ( I couldn't possibly not eat it !! )
- a marinated fillet of black cod ( with quinoa and organic sauteed veggies though ) that a private chef in a mansion I was invited at, cooked ( I couldn't possibly not eat it neither !! ).
- Few pieces of imported cheeses with whole wheat crackers at a Miami Heat Basketball game ( in Bacardi suite... and NO there was nothing else healthier !! )

VOILA ...

And since I have started the vegan diet, I feel a lot more energy, i sleep better, wake up better, go a lot more to the bathroom ( sorry for the details) , I do not feel sleepy or tired after eating, I eat less, its like my entire body is thanking me : ) And I have lost over 8lb so far... and no working out is involved ( I have been kinda lazy about that and was very busy with other things )
I also gave up coffee, sodas, Splenda and other 0 calories sweeteners ... among other things.

Eating out is not that easy... especially in Miami where the only vegan option in a Latin restaurant is rice and beans... : ( And God know that Latin restaurants are EVERYWHERE in Miami...

I have found 2 restaurants close to where i live that serve organic and vegan food but they are only open week days and for lunch :


LifeFood Gourmet
1248 SW 22nd street
Miami, FL 33145
(305) 856 6767
www.lifefoodgourmet.com

Green Gables Cafe
237 Alhambra Circle
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 445 7015
www.greengablescafe.com


On my following posts, I would like to give you some recipes, vegan of course, that i made up and are delicious, some come from France, some are from the web.... All the recipes i will put out there will have been tasted and approved first ( not only by me, but also by the people surrounding me : friends, neighbors, coworkers etc... )

I will try my best to behave and follow my diet while in Turks and Caicos for a week - April 24th, May 1st 2010 ) ( capital of conch.... its gonna be hard not to try them... and all the freshly caught seafood.... ) and in south of France for 4 months.
I am a little scared of what i will find ( or not find ) in my town, La Ciotat, ( i do not come from Paris ) and I hope I will be able to find what i need to follow my diet properly.... and cook my vegan way to my family, not so thrilled about my sudden eating habits changes ...

Wish you all a beautiful Wednesday !!

BON APPETIT !!!

How I decided to become Healthier... By adopting a healthy vegan diet

It was 10PM on Monday, February 15th 2010 that i bought the book that changed my life.

I was in Coral Gables, FL, waiting for my roommate to finish work to pick her up, and as I had half an hour to wait, I decided to go to Barnes and Nobles and look around the aisles for a new book...
I had put on some weight lately ( I have always been overweight and have been doing yo-yo with my weight all my life... I have never been FAT or OBESE but still, way too overweight for my taste, and after different diets and work outs, i ended up being kinda satisfied by 155lb for my 6'... but in the past months i had put on 20lb ... i quit smoking and have gone out a lot -diner-drinks etc... ) and i decided that I had to start again dieting in order to lose those extra pounds and be better looking in bikini for my SO expected vacations in Turks and Caicos islands ( in the Caribbeans ) ... and my summer in France.

So I was over the "diet books" area when I saw it.
It was there, laying on a shelf, among many other diet books... SKINNY BITCH !
I heard that title before, and I have picked it up many times at the book store but never bought it,... I am still wondering why ...

That day i also bought other books and when i got home, i started to read the first one I bought: "My horizontal life " by Chelsea Chandler .... Funny book ...
It took me maybe 2 or 3 weeks to read it ... ( im not much of a fast reader, do not have much time for it neither )

Then came the time of " Skinny Bitch " ...

I first bought it with the idea in mind that I will bring it to my sister back in France when I will be done with it... I had not read any review about it, I didn't know what the book was about, I didn't know what to expect ... ( except some diet stuff )

It was an afternoon before going to work ( I used to work in an Italian restaurant- delicious and the best in town for sure : Anacapri ) and i was laying down on my bed.
I pick up the book.
I had 30 min to "kill" before having to go to work.

I started reading ...

First thing I noticed : I LOVE the way those girls speak ( or write )... I find it Funny, Catchy, and REAL ! Like someone - a friend or a coach - is talking to you... It is very ALIVE , nothing to do with boring diets books ... ( even though i never read any before but I have an idea of how it is supposed to look like ).
I even remember telling my roommate who was in the living room : "This book is hilarious!" ( i said that in French though lol )

The book starts with a chapter called " GIVE IT UP ".
I start reading :
" You cannot keep eating the same shit and except to get skinny. Or smoke. "
I stop... and ask myself.... What does cigarette has to do with a diet ?????
I had quit 8 months ago, so i felt a relief that THAT was done already...
I keep reading ....
"Of course it's easier to socialize after you've had few drinks. But being a fat pig will hinder you, sober or drunk"
We all know that DRINKING IS BAD for any diet ... A glass of red wine a day is supposed to do some good to your body ... but a bottle of vodka has never helped anyone losing weight or being healthier... And at that point of my life, going out and partying a lot, I was drinking way too much and way too often...
What I like is that they explain in details what they affirm.
Why are beers and alcohol in general bad for your body... for your diet and health in general...
They go from common sense facts to scientific facts... but they write things a certain way and with certain words that even me, a 26 years old French girl, living in America for only 3,5years, i can fully understand ...

I like what i read ... I keep reading :
" Brace yourselves, girls: Soda is liquid Satan. It is the devil. It is garbage. There is nothing in soda that should be put into your body."
I think: "Good for me, I NEVER drunk soda in my whole life. "
I bought my first can of DIET COKE few weeks back.... and i have to say that diet coke was kinda addictive, and i was drinking maybe few glasses per day, i even started to buy bottles of COKE ZERO... ( Sorry for the detail, but as soon as i started drinking diet coke, my pipi was fluorescent yellow !! I was kinda concerned but kept on drinking it... lol )
I didn't even know how regular coke tasted like... neither sprite or other stuff like that...
I felt better ( like I was already doing healthy choices before reading this book) and reassured myself thinking that DIET soda was the way to go...
I keep reading : "Now, don't go patting yourself in the back if you drink diet soda. That stuff is even worse. Aspartame(...) has been blamed for a slew of scary maladies..... "( list follows.. )
And there, I am like: " Shit!! I have to give up my COKE Zero too "

I keep on reading ... excited about what else I will have to give up on to be a Skinny Bitch ...

Follows : " 'Dont talk to me until I have had my morning coffee.' Uhm.... Pathetic ! Coffee is for pussies. Think about how widely accepted it has become that people NEED coffee to wake up. You should not NEED anything to wake up. If you can't wake up without it it's because you are either addicted to caffeine, sleep deprived, or a generally unhealthy slob. It may seem like the end of the world to give up your daily dose, especially if you rely on Starbucks as a good place to meet men"
I started laughing ! I love those girls ! I wish i had friends like them !
Of course they do explain to you why coffee sucks...
( i let you discover it by yourself )

Follows some hilarious and SO TRUE paragraphs about junk food, ((" no one never got skinny on junk food" " Not only they are bogged down with saturated fats, sugars, hydrogenated oils, calories, and cholesterol, but they also contain enough chemical residues to put hair on your chest" )), "fat free" foods, and all the chemicals and poisonous ingredients in them (("whenever you see the words'fat free' or 'low fat', think of the words 'chemical shit storm' " )), pills ( over the counter drugs " Do you think putting CHEMICALS in your body is good for you? Every medicine comes complete with a list of side effects. That means that taking medicine will make you feel better for the moment, but will fuck up something else in your body" ), and a brief summary about the benefices of working out ((" Give up the notion that you can be sedentary and still lose weigh. You need to exercise, you lazy shit." ))

I AM GOING TO LOOOOOVE THIS BOOK
I already know it...
I have a hard time putting it down, and its already time to go to work... I am taking this book with me at work, for sure... I need to read more ....
I am addicted to knowing all about what they have to say.... One of the author has a Masters of Science degree in Holistic nutrition, and all they affirm in the book come from very serious and most of the time, medical journal and sources ( at the end of the book you will find out that all the facts they put out there do not come from their imagination but from numerous sources that they list )

They are becoming my best friends !

I will carefully read the book until the last page... taking briefly notes about what is good and bad, and why...

As soon as I was done with the book, I remember, it was a Friday morning, I ran to WHOLE FOODS MARKET in South Miami and bought all kind of healthy, organic, whole foods, ...
Upon exiting the supermarket, I felt in me this satisfying feeling that I was doing the right thing, I hadn't even put that stuff in my mouth yet that I was already feeling better and healthier. I was very happy and all excited about cooking all those veggies and grains I had never seen or even heard about before ... I do love to cook ... I could spend days and nights cooking so for me it was a new journey full of healthy discoveries and tasty surprises !

Before realizing it ... I was becoming a VEGAN !