Pumpkin

PUMPKIN

Pumpkin unfortunately is a seasonal ingredient, but nonetheless extremely delicious and good for you!  It’s signature fall and can be used in a great variety of ways even I wasn’t aware of until just recently.  Pumpkin is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, beta-carotene, and potassium.  It also helps with skin health and can prevent wrinkling. The seeds contain tryptophan, which produces serotonin helping our mood, and are also high in protein.

Roasting your own pumpkin is well worth the effort.  I must admit I hadn’t done it myself until this year.  I always reverted to using the canned pumpkin for convenience, but now that I know the difference I will always take the time to roast my own whenever possible.  The taste is so much better and it’s just better for you.  It’s really easy, here’s how it’s done:

- Cut the top of the pumpkin off (stem side) and then cut in half. 

- Remove guts and seeds and set aside

- Scrape out middle with a spoon to make sure to remove all of the guts

- Cut pumpkin into wedges and bake with a little olive oil and salt at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until tender

Use roasted pumpkin for any of the fun fall recipes I’ve provided below; I promise it’s worth the extra effort!

Roasted White Pumpkin Soup

1 medium roasted pumpkin

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup shitake mushrooms

½ white onion

½ shallot

1 clove garlic

1/8 cup cider vinegar

1/8 cup honey

Salt to taste

Balsamic vinegar

 - In olive oil sweat onion, shallot, and garlic.

- puree pumpkin, vegetable broth, mushrooms, onion, shallot and garlic in a food processor or a blender.  In a large saucepot heat all ingredients over medium heat for 30 minutes. 

- Stir in cider vinegar and honey and salt to taste.

- Serve and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar

Pumpkin Banana Protein Shake

 

½ cup vanilla almond milk

1 cup fresh roasted pumpkin, frozen

1 banana, frozen

1 tbs honey

1 cup vanilla greek yogurt

cinnamon to taste

nutmeg to taste

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

- In a blender combine all ingredients, blend until smooth, adjust seasoning as necessary

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds from 1-2 pumpkins

1-2tbs olive oil

Salt to taste

- Gut and clean out the insides of 1 or 2 pumpkins, remove all strings from seeds

- Lay a paper towel in the bottom of a colander, place seeds in and let sit overnight to dry out

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Remove seeds from colander and mix with olive oil and salt in a mixing bowl

- Lay out on a baking sheet and place in the oven

- Check after 10-15 minutes, if starting to brown mix them up, shut oven off and let sit in the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until crunchy

Chickpeas (Garbonzo Beans)

CHICKPEAS (Garbanzo Beans)

Introducing or even continuing to incorporate chickpeas in your diet can be very beneficial to maintaining and or losing weight.  High in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, chickpeas are something I think everyone should learn to love.  Chickpeas, which are in the legume family, help with digestion and overall general intestinal health, which is an important aspect of maintaining a healthy weight and body.  They are also very low in fat and versatile when it comes to cooking with them!  I have developed a couple healthy, relatively quick and easy recipes to peak your interest. 

Roasted Tomato Hummus

2 cups Campari tomatoes quartered

2 cups partially cooked chickpeas

1 Tbs tahini paste

juice of ½ lemon (2-3 Tbs)

touch of honey

Cumin to taste

Salt & Pepper to taste

1-2 Tbs olive oil

-      - Roast tomatoes in a 400 degree oven seasoned with salt and pepper and a little cumin (30-35 minutes or until golden brown)

-       - Bring chickpeas and 6 cups of salted water to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender

-       - Strain in a colander and rinse with cool water to loosen skins

-       - Remove skins as best you can and combine in a food processor with tomatoes, tahini paste, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper and cumin.  Mix until well blended

-       - Season as necessary, serve with your favorite dipping veggies or chips

Roasted Crunchy Chickpeas

2 cups partially cooked chickpeas (you can also used canned)

1-2 Tbs olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Paprika to taste

Red Pepper flakes to taste

- Preheat oven to 375

- Bring chickpeas and 6 cups of salted water to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender

- Strain in a colander and rinse with cool water to loosen skins

- Remove skins as best you can, toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and red pepper flakes

- Spread on a baking sheet and roast in oven until crunchy (30-35 minutes)

- Toss with a little olive oil after taking out of the oven

Spicy Chickpea Mash with Turkey Burgers and Sweet Tomato Jam

1 package ground turkey

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 cups partially cooked chickpeas (you can use canned)

¼ cup chicken broth or stock

½ jalepeno

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

1 cup Campari tomatoes

1/8 cup cider vinegar

1/8 cup water

½ tsp vanilla

1 tbs honey

Salt to taste

Chickpea Mash

- Bring chickpeas and 6 cups of salted water to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender

- Strain in a colander and rinse with cool water

- Combine chickpeas, salt, jalepeno, lemon juice and oil in a food processor, mix until blended, season as needed, set aside.

Tomato Jam

-         - Cut tomatoes into bite sized pieces

-         - In a small saucepot combine tomatoes, vinegar, water, honey, vanilla and salt and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid has evaporated and everything has thickened

-         - Season as necessary

Turkey Burgers

-       - Mix meat with spices in a mixing bowl

-       - In the meantime preheat grill or grill pan (300 degrees)

-       - Form patties (I do 4 to a package) and grill for 4 minutes per side, turn grill off and let stand for another 2 minutes, remove from grill.

-       - Serve with chickpea mash and tomato jam

Rice Flour

RICE FLOUR

Rice flour is actually a relatively new ingredient to me as a cook.  I just recently used it for the first time when experimenting with making a ‘flourless’ chocolate cake for people who desire gluten free foods.  The cake turned out really nice and this intrigued me to learn and experiment more with this versatile ingredient.  Rice flour is used heavily in Asia and India, which is really no surprise considering they are the biggest producers of rice in the world.  It is high in protein and fiber, two essential things for a healthy and well balanced diet.  Both protein and fiber help one to not feel ‘hungry’ all the time and leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction and so called ‘fullness’ after a meal. 

I’ve developed and listed below a seared tuna recipe and a pancake recipe using brown rice flour.  The recipe for the seared tuna is a little involved and will take some time, but it will be well worth it, enjoy!

Rice Flour Crusted Seared Tuna with Brussel Sprout Puree, Red Wine Poached Baby Carrots and Soy Agave Reduction

1 lb fresh tuna steaks

1 cup brown rice flour

1/8 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/8 cup toasted flax seeds

Salt & Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

10 oz bag brussel sprouts

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup water

juice of 1 lemon

1-2 cloves garlic, rough chopped (depending on it’s strength)

1/2 chopped shallot

2 Tbs honey

1 Tbs salt

2 cups baby carrots

1 cup red wine

¼ cup cider vinegar

½ cup water, or enough to barely cover carrots

1/8 cup brown sugar

½ tsp salt

1/8 cup agave nectar

¼ cup soy sauce

Brussel Sprout Puree

- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add brussel sprouts, cook until tender (Approximately 8 minutes), strain.

- Meanwhile sauté your shallot and garlic in a sauté pan with a little oil until soft.

- In a blender or food processor combine brussel sprouts, water, cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper, honey, garlic and shallot.  Blend until smooth (if needed add more liquid to get to consistency).  Season as necessary, strain through a mesh strainer.

Note: As a general consensus I feel like people don’t like brussel sprouts.  If prepared correctly they can be delicious and I think this puree is a fun way to eat them without really even realizing it!

Glazed Baby Carrots

In a shallow sauté pan combine carrots, wine, brown sugar, vinegar salt and water (should barely cover carrots), bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until carrots are tender and liquid has thickened (About 35 minutes).

Agave Soy Glaze

Combine Agave and soy sauce, reduce until a syrupy consistency is reached (10-15 minutes)

Seared Tuna

- Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat with olive oil.

- Combine rice flour, salt, pepper and toasted seeds in a shallow pan

- Salt tuna filets; roll filets in rice mixture so all sides are covered.

- Once pan is hot (oil should be slightly smoking) add tuna to the pan, sear on each    

   side for 30 seconds or until crust is golden brown.

To assemble:

Spoon puree on the bottom of the plate, slice tuna into thin slices and lay on top of puree.  Add a spoonful of carrots and drizzle soy reduction over the top.

Pumpkin Rice Flour Pancakes with Honey Butter

3 eggs

2 egg whites, whipped until light and fluffy

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup yellow cake mix (optional, just gives it a little sweetness)

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ cup pumpkin puree, fresh or canned

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean

1 tbs honey or agave

pinch of salt

- Pre-heat skillet or griddle to low-meduim low    heat

- Beat egg whites with a hand or standing mixer, set aside

- Whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon nutmeg an salt

- Combine whole eggs, vanilla, pumpkin and honey

- Combine wet and dry ingredients

- Gently fold in egg whites

- Laddle batter onto pan, flip when bubbles form around the edges or when golden brown

Notes:

- Adding fluffy beaten egg whites will help to lighten the batter.  Rice flour is a denser texture than all-purpose flour and it can have a tougher bite to it.  The egg whites help to soften that bite just a touch.

- You can substitute mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin for another fun fall spin on this recipe!

Honey Butter

¼ cup honey

1 stick butter

Combine honey room temperature butter either by hand or with a stand or hand mixer, chill and serve over pancakes.

Introduction/Quinoa Recipes

I have been passionate about fitness for years, even if I wasn’t blatantly aware of it at the time.  I grew up playing various sports; gymnastics from 1^st to 8^th grade, soccer from age 6 all the way through my sophomore year in college and in the past few years long distance running is a daily activity for me.  I’d say my love for fitness has really grown in the past year after really beginning to pay attention to what works, what doesn’t, and physically being able to maintain a healthy body, mind and image.  Trying to break into the fitness industry as a personal trainer is on my agenda for the very near future, and something in my opinion that will set me apart from your average fitness guru is my second passion that is food.  I just recently graduated from culinary school and possess knowledge about food that a typical fitness professional may not.   Being classically trained in the kitchen is what will help make me successful in what I want to do with food and fitness.

Developing and experimenting with recipes has also been on my interest list for quite some time, even before I decided to pursue culinary school.  I love a challenge and the thought of creating something new and great to please others is why I do what I do.  I must admit more times than not things won’t turn out just as I planned, but this is all part of the learning process and part of the fun, right?  Creating healthy and satisfying recipes is what I want to do.  Healthy food can taste great and I want to teach you how it’s done.

My goal is to take an ingredient, something healthy of course, and focus on developing and sharing recipes using these ingredients.  The first ingredient I want to focus on is Quinoa, what Americans have recently discovered as a superfood.  Although others have known it for centuries, fitness professionals and nutritionists alike are hopping on the bandwagon of this well-rounded food.  Containing all 8 essential amino acids, a good source of protein and fiber, this faux grain (actually a seed) is a good bang for your nutritional buck.  Quinoa is very versatile and can be eaten alone, mixed with vegetables and or proteins to create a salad, be used as a binder for burgers, or even be included in sweet treats such as cookies.  Below are a few recipes I’ve put together for a healthy satisfying ‘salad’, cookies and pancakes.  These recipes are easily adaptable to personal taste and any dietary restrictions one might have.  I have also included a few notes on how you can modify ingredients for seasonality or just a way to switch things up. 

Chicken & Quinoa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Balsamic Reduction (4-6 portions)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cups Quinoa (red, yellow, or black)

4 cups water or stock of your choice

1 cup cucumber medium dice, skin on

1 cup bell peppers medium dice

1 cup green beans, ends trimmed and halved

½ cup black beans

2 cups tomatoes, quartered

1 cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup red wine

1 tbs Olive Oil

½ cup pine nuts, toasted

¼ cup tbs cilantro, chopped

1 lime

1 Tbs thyme chopped

1Tbs parsley chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Balsamic Reduction:

-       - Combine balsamic vinegar and red wine in a medium saucepot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until it’s the consistency of a syrup, approximately 30 minutes (note it will thicken as it cools).

Quinoa

-       - Combine Quinoa and water or stock in a medium saucepot.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer until tender and all the liquid is absorbed (15-20 minutes)

Roasted Tomatoes

-      -  core tomatoes, and quarter.  Gently toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley.

-       Place on a rack and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown color begins to form on the tops.

Vegetable Prep:

-      -  Cut cucumbers into ¼ inch cubes, leave skins on.

-      -  remove both ends of green beans and cut in half, seed and chop peppers, sauté with lime juice and salt for 5 minutes, set aside

-       - Rinse black beans in a colander, set aside.

For the Chicken:

-       - Season chicken with salt and pepper, grill, rest, dice into bite sized pieces

To Assemble:

-       - in a large mixing bowl, combine quinoa, chicken, beans, cucumber, peppers, and green beans.  When ready to serve garnish with 2-3 roasted tomatoes, pine nuts, cilantro, and drizzle with balsamic reduction and lime juice and zest.

Notes:

-       - This balsamic reduction can be used for various things; it’s great as a salad dressing, on sautéed or roasted veggies, or even just drizzled over chicken.

-       - Substitute any vegetables you like, whatever is in season.  Examples: zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potato cubes, broccoli or even beets, almost anything works!

-       - Also feel free to substitute your protein, turkey cutlets, tofu, shrimp or even steak could be other options.  Or leave the meat out entirely.

-       - Dried fruit can be a bright addition for some sweet and sour components.

-       - To put another spin on it, try putting an over easy egg on top.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Quinoa cookies

2 Cups whole-wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup applesauce or pumpkin puree (mashed banana could work here too)

2 tbs of almond or vanilla extract

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup cooked, cooled quinoa

1 10 oz bag of 60% cocoa (semi-sweet) chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and baking soda. Set aside.  

3. Cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add in the eggs and extract. Add the applesauce and mix until combined.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into liquid ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the oats, quinoa, and chocolate chips.

5. Spoon about a tablespoon of dough onto a large baking sheet. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are just barely set. Remove cookies from baking sheet and cool on a wire cooling rack.

Banana Quinoa Pancakes with a Peanut Butter Mousse

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup yellow cake mix

¼ cup cooked, cooled quinoa

1-2 fresh mashed bananas

1 tsp baking powder

1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

½ cup 2% milk

1.     Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. 

2.     Mix together milk, banana, egg and vanilla bean.

3.     Add dry ingredients to wet, stir in quinoa

4.     Preheat a griddle to medium-low-medium heat, spray with pan spray to prevent sticking

5.     Laddle in batter, flip when bubbles begin to form around the edge or until golden brown

6.     Carmelize some sliced bananas in the pan, use for garnish

Peanut Butter Mousse (optional)

½ cup peanut butter

1 cup whipped cream

- Whip cream until stiff peaks form, fold in peanut butter.

Pancakes are versatile and almost anything can be added to them, feel free to experiment!