Cy's Broccoli Salad

We often make a big batch of Cy's favorite Broccoli Salad to have during the week.  I think this has pretty much become his trademark salad and he often makes it for potlucks and dinners.  It's simple, healthy, and makes a great lunch during the week...another one of those versatile recipes that can be altered with what you have on hand.

I've always liked broccoli, but I've tended to dismiss it as an "ordinary" vegetable.  Nothing as exciting as say an artichoke?   But did you know that Broccoli has amazing beneficial qualities for your health?  

Like other cruciferous veggies, when you chew broccoli, isothiocyanates are produced.  This byproduct can help eliminate carcinogens in your body before they can cause genetic damage.  Not only this, Broccoli also produces sulforaphane, which has been shown to help repair damage to your blood vessels caused by hypoglycemia...so important for diabetics!  I'm sorry the nerdy science major in me tends to get very excited over information like this...if you want to read more, check out this article.

It's best not to overcook broccoli and lose it's amazing nutritional value, so this salad is the perfect way to get your dose of broccoli. 

Cy's Broccoli Salad

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Broccoli...2-3 small bunches

Grape Tomatoes....1 cup

Basil...a handful

Chopped Nuts...1/2 cup  **I used pecans, but you can use almonds, walnuts, whatever floats your boat!

Dijon Mustard...1 tsp

Honey...1 tbsp

Olive Oil...1/4 cup

White Wine Vinegar...4 tbsp

Lemon Juice...4 tbsp

Salt & Pepper...to taste

Directions:

1.   Toast Nuts.

2.   Mix Mustard, Honey, Vinegar, and Lemon Juice.  Stream in Oil, whisking constantly. 

3.   Add Salt & Pepper to taste.  Set dressing aside.

4.   Wash and chop Broccoli (including stems) into small bite size pieces.

5.  Halve grape or cherry tomatoes.

6.  Chiffonade (fancy way of saying chop) the basil. 

7.  Toss broccoli, basil, nuts, and tomato mix into the bowl with the dressing.  Toss and let sit in the fridge for at least   30min.

Made some Pork Katsu Curry with shredded lettuce - less carbs than rice;)

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

V-day has passed, but that doesn't mean that we can't indulge in a little bit of chocolate right? ;)

I'm not going to lie, if you really want the true brownie filled with butter and sugar, then you might want to try this recipe.  BUT if you're looking for a healthy alternative that can make you believe that you're biting into that sinful chocolate brownie, you've come to the right place.

This "brownie" recipe mainly uses blackbeans as its base and is sweetened with an apple and some honey.  I imagine that if you don't want to use honey, then you can replace it with some brown sugar, or a natural sugar alternative such as stevia.

Cy is not a big black bean fan, but this recipe passed his test.  You can't tell that it's made with black beans and it's nice and moist and chocolatey.  Perfect with a tall glass of milk...or if you can't do dairy, a glass of sugar-free coconut milk (my fav)!

Black Bean Brownies

adapted from The Best of Clean Eating

Ingredients:

Olive or Canola oil cooking spray

1oz...dark organic chocolate (70% cocoa or greater)

1.5c..soft-cooked black beans, rinsed and drained (can will also work)

2.......eggs

1.......egg white

2tbsp.olive oil

1/4c...unsweetened cocoa powder

1tsp...espresso powder(optional)

1c......baking powder

1tsp...pure vanilla extract

1/4c...unsweetened applesauce **I didn't have applesauce so I just threw a small apple in the processor

1/3c...raw organic honey

1/3c...chopped toasted unsalted walnut

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350.  Mist an 8inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

2)  Melt dark chocolate in a double broiler over low heat with one tablespoon of water mixed in. (Or if you're in a rush, you can zap in the microwave for about 20sec and stir)

3)  Combine all ingredients except for walnuts in a food processor and process until smooth.  Stir in walnuts.  (If you want to add some more chocolatey goodness, you can also stir in 1/4c of semi-sweet chocolate chips).  Pour mixture into baking dish.

 

4) Bake for about 30min, or until tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides.  Let cool, and ENJOY :)   

**The texture gets even better if you leave it covered in the fridge for at least 30min before consuming.  I topped them with a little bit of non-fat greek yogurt and some pomegranate seeds

A Happy V-day with "Healthy" Strawberry and Banana Muffins

Happy Valentine's Day!  I definitely don't believe that we need a holiday to show the people we care about how special they are...but, the day is a good excuse to make cute heart shaped goodies.

I happen to think that one of the best features of the muffin is its consistency.  And sometimes, you just want to sink your teeth into that warm soft cake in all of its carbolicious glory.  He won't admit to it, but I know Cy has those moments too.  So as a compromise, I tried to make a "healthier" version so that Cy can indulge too...and I can enjoy them with less guilt ;)

"Healthy" Strawberry Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

2........eggs

1/4c...unsweetened applesauce

1/2c...plain yogurt

2tbsp..honey

1tsp....vanilla extract

2-3.....bananas (mashed)

1c......almond meal

1/2c...whole wheat flour

1/2c...oats

1tsp...baking soda

1tbsp..ground cinnamon

1c.......fresh strawberries (chopped)

Recipe:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 cup muffin tin with liners.

2) In a large bowl, mix together all wet ingredients (eggs, applesauce, yogurt, honey vanilla, and bananas).

3) In another bowl, mix together dry ingredients (almond meal, whole wheat flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon).

4) Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  It's important not to overmix since we are using some wheat flour - this is the secret to fluffy muffins! 

5) Stir in the strawberries, and fill the muffin liners evenly with the batter. 

6) Bake for about 20min or until the muffin tops spring back when pressed lightly.  Let muffins cool and 

    ENJOY!

*I decorated mine with strawberry slices cut out to look like a heart ;)

*Also, this is another very versatile recipe.  If you don't have almond meal, feel free to use all wheat flour.  Or you can even add maybe a 1/4c of flax seeds instead of oats for some extra fiber.