A Cruciferous Salad

To be honest, I've always seen and been curious about this salad at the Whole Foods Deli, but I have never actually tried it.   When I saw that there were a plethora of homemade versions out there on the interweb (the one that particularly inspired me was this one), I figured it would be a good opportunity to try making it for myself.  This is a great salad for those days you feel like "detoxing" after not eating so great ( Like me, at work...) or just a great side dish to have on hand.

I've talked about the benefits of eating raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc. with all of their vitamins, fiber, and disease fighting phytochemicals before on a post.  In fact, Cy's Broccoli Salad is still one of my favorite salads, but this one is a good one to have in the arsenal.

If you notice, this recipe uses Kelp granules - a new ingredient for me.  I've always known that sea vegetables have amazing nutritional value, and they are a major part of Japanese cooking, but I didn't realize that they offer kelp in granule form - kind of like a healthier version of salt I guess, almost like furikake. You can find them in most grocery stores and read more about them here.  I think it's great that they make this so that benefits of sea veggies can be incorporated into western dishes. I will definitely be doing more posts on Japanese dishes that feature sea vegetables in the future :)

In the meantime, eat more cruciferous veggies!

Chia Seed & Coconut Pudding with Raspberry Sauce

Chia seeds are so interesting.  It's hard to imagine that something so tiny has so much energy and goodness packed into it.  There's actually a long list of benefits to consuming chia seeds, including omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, and protein just to name a few.

I'm especially interested in the fact that chia seeds have been shown to improve blood pressure in diabetics, and that they are currently being studied as a natural treatment for diabetes.  Because of its nature of turning gelatinous when mixed with fluids, they have the ability to slow down digestion helping to prevent sugar spikes in your blood, and this in turn can help fight insulin resistance as well as help lower LDL and TGL cholesterols!  

Needless to say, I'm always looking for ways to incorporate these little seeds into our diet.  Sometimes I'll sprinkle it in our morning yogurt, or throw it into whatever I happen to be baking. I've also made the Mint Cocoa Bars with Chia seeds in the past.  This particular panna cotta like dish, is one I discovered over at Le Pain Quotidien.  It tasted so creamy and delicious I knew I had to try to recreate it.  It was a happy day when I discovered that the recipe is actually incredibly simple with really only 3 ingredients, and requires almost no sugar  :)  This makes for a perfect snack or dessert when you want a little something indulgent without it actually being too indulgent, or even for breakfast!

Green Juice: Mojito style

Juicing is a trend that I think has now become a mainstay in the busy and health-conscious culture of metropolitan cities.  There's a nice convenience to knowing that if I feel like I'm not getting enough servings of veggies, I can just run to the nearest cold-pressed juicery (I think there are at least 4-5 in my neighborhood alone) and drink down my daily servings worth.   I haven't bought into the idea that the average person needs to go through a juice diet to in order to "detoxify" our bodies, but I do think that the occasional, if not daily veggie juice helps me feel like I'm doing something good for my body.

When we first bought our Omega Juicer, we were so excited we juiced pretty much every morning, but nowadays we make green juice only occasionally - when we feel like our fruit and veggie intake could use a boost.   I've posted about making homemade Honey and Vanilla Almond milk with it before, but I've been meaning to put up our green juice recipe.   We usually like to make something that's inspired by the Greenest #3 over at Juice Crafters, and I'll post that sometime in the near future, but this one which is reminiscent of a mojito with the fresh mint and lime, is another version we enjoy.