Posts Tagged ‘healthy’

Earlier this week I made my own homemade granola! I figured since I had all the right ingredients, why buy it at the grocery store? I took this basic recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. Making granola allows you to be creative. Any kind of nuts and dried fruit will work. You can also experiment with adding things like coconut, vanilla, nut butter, ginger, nutmeg, or chocolate chips; the options are endless!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup mixed nuts and seeds (I used almonds and cashews)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of sweetener (I used honey, but you could also use maple syrup, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or molasses)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries)

Preheat oven to 300*F. Place 9 x 13 inch roasting pan over 2 burners at medium-low heat. Add oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and become fragrant (about 3-5 minutes). Add the nuts and seeds and continue to cook for another 2 minutes stirring frequently. If using it, add coconut and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add cinnamon and sweetener and stir to coat. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice while baking. Add the dried fruit after granola is done baking and place pan on a wire rack to cool. Be sure to stir the granola every so often to break it up as it cools. Transfer granola to a sealed container and store in cupboard or refrigerator.

I love the idea of making homemade granola! I can’t believe I haven’t done it soon, its so easy and budget-friendly!

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In search of a healthy summer dessert I came across a recipe in Clean Food for a fresh fruit tart with an almond crust. I’ve never been the type of person to make pies or tarts but I thought I would give this one a try. And I’m so glad I did! This tart is not only healthy, its extremely delicious! Without the use of butter or sugar, this tart has a natural not-to-sweet flavor that’s perfect for a summer dessert. This recipe is also extremely versatile, you can substitute any fruit that’s in season to make a healthy tart anytime of the year!

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat or oat bran
• pinch of salt
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp almond extract

Filling

• 4 kiwis, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 peaches, thinly sliced
• 1 cups berries
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup fruit nectar (I used apricot nectar)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp gelatin or agar powder
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*F. Put almonds in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add oats, wheat bran and salt and process until mixture is a coarse meal. In small bowl whisk maple syrup, oil, and almond extract. Add mixture to almond-oat mixture and process to combine. Transfer to a 9-inch pan and press down to form crust. Pierce crust several times with fork and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Arrange peaches around the outside edge of tart. Next arrange kiwis and finally fill the center with berries. In medium pot combine apple juice, fruit nectar, syrup, gelatin or agar, and arrowroot. Turn heat to medium-high and whisk continuously until ingredients dissolve and mixture thickens. Add vanilla and remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes. Spoon mixture evenly over tart. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

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Last night I had a dinner date with the girls! We had the most incredible dinner cooked by the one and only Jessica in her new apartment!

The menu included a tomato, basil and mozzarella salad, grilled chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto,

Asiago cheese risotto, grilled zucchini, and fresh fruit with homemade whipped cream for dessert!

We gathered around the coffee table in the living room with a bottle of wine for a fabulous night of laughs and great eats!

Good luck in Peoria Catherine!

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Tonight I went with Mediterranean cuisine for dinner: pitas, tabbouleh, and lentils! The lentils were the very first recipe I have made from Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook! The tabbouleh comes from a previous recipe on Eat Chic, which can be found here. The cold tabbouleh paired with the hot lentils and warm pita made the perfect delicious combination for dinner; not to mention it just so happened that it’s also all vegan!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 2 1/2 cup water
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat 1 cup lentils and 1 1/2 cup water in a saucepan until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. In a large saucepan, combine lentils, tomatoes, onion, salt, coriander, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot with pitas, rice, or couscous. I omitted the cilantro from my recipe because I wasn’t really in the mood for cilantro, but I may add some in to my leftovers for later!

Can’t wait to enjoy leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

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For lunch today I went to Amsterdam, a small falafel and kabob Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of Dundee. This small eatery (about the size of a small studio apartment) was started by 3 friends who felt Omaha needed a fresh, healthy, local, late-night fast food option. Amsterdam’s limited but delicious menu consists of a falafel sandwich or a donor kabob sandwich, both of which can be made into salads as well. Sides include a hummus plate or curry fries.

The sandwiches are packed with fresh cabbage slaw, chickpeas, lettuce, tabbouleh, hummus and your choice of spicy, garlic, or herb sauce. I ordered the falafel sandwich with a side of curry fries, both were extremely flavorful and absolutely delicious! Amsterdam is open until midnight on weekdays and 2am on Saturday; they even deliver via bicycle on Friday and Saturday nights!

If you are looking for a quick, fresh, Mediterranean meal in Omaha, I would definitely recommend checking out Amsterdam!

Information and pictures from eatafk.comEnjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!