Funky Foods

Ello!

The reason I've begun this particular blog post is in honor of my dear friend, Liz, or as I call her, Lizard. We've been friends since we were little tots, and our friendship has stayed strong through all these years. Even when I transitioned to a healthier lifestyle by implementing more vegetables, soy, and healthy cooking, Lizard stayed interested and often teased me about my new health crazes. Haha, Lizard, it is SO funny. With that in mind, I have catered this post to those odd yet delightfully healthy foods I so lovingly adopted as part of my diet. The following quote has nothing to do with healthy food, but I deemed it necessary to this post nonetheless.



I'm on the left, Lizard is on the right. Aren't we precious?



When you hear someone you dislike is pregnant, just call her a cat. It really means she's slutty. -Lindsay and Lizard

First,

Soy Vanilla Milk

* This delicious dairy milk substitute has less calories and more calcium than cow's milk.

* I purchase the vanilla flavor because it is just like drinking melted vanilla ice cream. Ah!

* This item is about the same cost as cow's milk

* According to an article on LiveStrong's website, using soy milk instead of whole milk in a drink can omit over 100 calories.

Easy Healthy Breakfast

 

The crazy healthy breakfast complete with a Rise Up Coffee mug.

-Soy Vanilla Milk (or sometimes I go with almond milk, as pictured)

-Post brand's Wheat n' Bran cereal (it's all natural, contains no sugar or salt, and is made of whole wheat, rendering it incredibly healthy albeit flavorless)

-Chopped fruit or a bee-na-na on the side

This is just a cereal dish, and I hope you know how to assemble. The vanilla-flavored milk and fruit really spice up the bland cereal. I eat this when I'm being a lazy butt. It is phenomenally healthy and really does fill you up because the fiber content in the cereal is so high. Remember this: Fiber=Full Belly.

Soy Chai Latte

When I don't order coffee at a coffeehouse, I order a chai latte with soy milk. It is a ridiculously awesome drink. Here's how to make it:

Steep a chai tea bag (there are a variety of flavors) in hot soy milk. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, sugar, and/or nutmeg to the top. That's it! Oh, and this costs you less than $1 whereas a soy chai latte at a coffeehouse would cost you an upwards of $3.

You can also substitute soy milk in baking recipes for cow's milk.

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Cocoa Zuke Muffins (adapted from silksoymilk.com and photo from website)

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

2 tsp. vinegar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup wheat germ

Directions:



In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, wheat germ, and salt. In another bowl whisk together Silk, vinegar, vegetable oil, beaten egg, and vanilla until combined. Pour Silk mixture over dry cocoa mixture and stir by hand until all the flour is incorporated. Stir in the zucchini followed by boiling water. The mixture will be thin.

Fill muffin liners 3/4 of the way full, sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake for 13-17 minutes until tops spring back and a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

When I pop out children, I'm going to trick them into eating vegetables with this recipe. Mwah ha ha.

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Second,

Wheat Germ

This is really an easy ingredient to implement into any recipe. While it is not a flavor boost, this ingredient is a nutritional agent. You really can put it in anything with the exception of soup. Perhaps this is a personal preference though; I don't want to see floaties in the soup.

It has folic acid and Vitamin E, which are both good for preggo women.


My aunt brings a little baggie of wheat germ with her to restaurants. It is hilarious to see her sprinkle this on food and nearly insult the servers as if their food needs improvement. What's scary is that I've been known to do this very thing. We become our family. 

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Third,

Falafel



* This is a glorified bean burger the Mediterranean peoples like to claim.
* Chickpeas a.k.a. garbanzo beans have natural estrogen in them, and if you have seen Sex and the City 2, you can appreciate the hormonal things estrogen does for you.
* To the left, you will see all the ingredients you need for both the sauce and the burger. And get yourself a big ass knife, too.




Falafel and Bean Sauce

Falafel:
2 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
cilantro leaves, washed and removed from the stems
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup white flour

Bean Sauce:
1  can cannelini beans, rinsed
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 lemon (the juice and zest)
2 tbsp. olive oil
cilantro leaves, washed and removed from stems

For the falafel, blitz together the first 6 ingredients in a blender. Then, add the last ingredients and pulse until mixture is combined. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or overnight. I usually make the mixture on Sunday and eat it the rest of the week. You can also freeze the mixture.

For the bean sauce, blitz all ingredients in a blender. If the sauce isn't thin enough, add more olive oil. Serve the sauce with the falafel (cook it by frying it in a pan until crispy) in a pita, tortilla, or in salad with cucumber, feta, and avocado. DELICIOUS.

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Fourth,

Edamame


* This is the natural, unadulterated version of soy products. Manufacturers use this product to create things like tofu.
* Straight from the nutrition facts: 1/2 cup of edamame contains 4 grams of fiber, 8 grams of protein, and vitamins. There's no cholesterol or gluten in these little green magic beans for those of you who are on the G Diet.
* With the exception of green M&Ms, most green foods are healthy. This little bean is no exception to this rule. Also, the darker the lettuce, the healthier (spinach is way better for you than iceberg lettuce-ick).


No. 1 Stir Fry (I can't resist playing on the name of ALL Asian take out restaurants. Seriously though, why?)


1 package of extra firm tofu, squished with paper towels to remove water
1 package of frozen edamame beans (not the pods), thawed
1 bunch of cilantro, washed and removed from stems
2 tsp. red pepper flakes (add more if you've got an inclination to spicy foods)
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2-4 tbsp. soy sauce (reduced sodium) *Taste frequently to avoid over-salting.
chopped garlic
carrots cut into little cigarette sticks
chopped ginger root
chopped onions
chopped celery

Directions:

If you know how to make stir fry, you will know how to assemble this dish.
1. Heat a wok or big skillet on medium-high heat
2. Fry tofu after you have pressed water out with paper towels and cut into cubes
3. Cook tofu until lightly brown on all sides
4. Remove tofu from pan
5. Saute onion, celery and carrots for about 5 minutes then add garlic and ginger
6. Cook for about 5 more minutes then add edamame
7. Add the sauce, vinegar, and pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes.
8. Restore all ingredients together in pan and stir to combine. Add cilantro.


This dish is super fun because it's versatile and while I have supplied a list of ingredients, you can practically substitute any veggie you want for another. You can even use all frozen veggies if you want, just make sure to thaw before throwing into pan. I served this dish over Chinese noodles which I burnt, so I can't necessarily recommend them. Aside from the questionable noodles, I also made some spring rolls (or are they egg rolls? I don't know the difference). So here's a freebie recipe.

Spring/Egg Rolls


-Wonton wrappers (sold in produce section)
-packaged slaw mixture
-soy sauce
-chopped onions




Directions:


1. Saute onions and slaw mixture over high heat for a few minutes. 
2. Add soy sauce to mixture
3. Remove from pan after the onions are wilted somewhat translucent
4. Put some mixture on a wonton wrapper and fold into a little package (don't stress over technique because the frying process will seal the wrapper)
5. Finish wrapping all little premature egg rolls
6. Fry in a pan, wok, or skillet like the one in the background of the picture over high heat
7. Make sure you put enough oil in the pan to coat the entire bottom 
8. Flip sides when one side is sufficiently brown
9. Serve with dipping sauce and get your Asian on!


Happy cooking, people.