Supremely Spicy Hummus Recipe

Hummus is by far one of my favorite snack foods. I love dipping fresh raw veggies, such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers into it. I finally decided to experiment in making a hot and spicy hummus…and it turned out to be delicious! This recipe is super quick and easy and it makes a HUGE bowl of hummus!

What You Need:

• 2 Cans Garbanzo Beans- No Salt Added, Drained
• 1/3 Cup Organic Tahini (Sesame Paste)
• 4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• Lemon Juice from 2 Lemons
• 2 Tbs. Hot Sauce
• 1 Tsp. Sea Salt
• 1-2 Tbs. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Tbs. Cumin
• 2 Tbs. Pickled Jalapenos and a Tbs. or 2 of the juice
• 2 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper

*If you’re not big on spicy foods,  you can make this a regular hummus recipe by omitting the hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and jalapenos!

What To Do:

• Place ALL ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender.
• Blend until hummus is nice and creamy.
• Pour into bowl and you can top with some extra hot sauce and red pepper flakes.
• Refrigerate to serve chilled or serve at room temperature with fresh raw veggies, pita, or anything else you like!

New Information on Garbanzo Beans:

• A recent study conveyed that participants had more dietary fulfillment when garbanzo beans were incorporated, and participants ate fewer processed food snacks during test weeks of the study when garbanzo beans were eaten. They also ate less food overall during this time.
• Garbanzo beans are known for their high fiber content. Just two cups give you the Daily Value of fiber!  Recent studies suggest the fiber benefits of garbanzo beans may exceed  the fiber benefits of other foods. In a recent study, two groups of participants were given 28 grams of fiber each day. The first group consumed dietary fiber primarily from garbanzo beans, while the other group consumed dietary fiber from other sources. The garbanzo bean group showed better blood fat regulation, plus lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides.
• About 65-75% of the fiber found in garbanzo beans is insoluble, which stays undigested throughout the majority of digestion- improving colon health.
• Another study has conveyed that we can gain health benefits from garbanzo beans, even when small amounts are eaten over a short time period. In this study, all it took was eating 1/3 cup of garbanzo beans for ONE week to see significant improvements in blood sugar regulation and insulin secretion, thus diabetics could greatly benefit from adding garbanzo beans to their daily menu.
• Garbanzo beans are also high in molybdenum, manganese, folate, protein, phosphorus, and iron.

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Oven “Fried” Okra

Fried okra is a staple here in the south. But unfortunately, it comes along with a lot of fat and calories.  So, I’ve come up with a healthy spin on this southern staple that everyone will love.

What you need:

-Fresh, Organic Okra

-Organic Ground Flaxseed or Organic Flaxseed Meal

-EVOO

What to do:

-Thoroughly wash okra

-Trim the edges and cut into about half inch pieces

-Put about 1 1/2 to 2 cups flaxseed meal in a large plastic bag.

-Toss in okra, close bag, and shake until okra is covered in flaxseed meal.

-Spread okra out evenly in a baking pan or pyrex dish.

–Lightly spray with extra virgin olive oil.  You can also add some spices if you’d like. (In my opinion, adding some of your favorite spices is a must)

-Bake for about 40 minutes on 350 or until nice and crispy. (I like to broil mine for a minute or two at the end to make it extra crispy)

Nutritional Info for 1 cup of okra:

• Fiber – 2.5 grams. 10% of RDA. Vitamin C – 16.3 mg. 27% RDA. Folate – 46 mcg. 11% RDA. Vitamin A – 283 IU. 6% RDA. Vitamin K – 40 mcg. 50% RDA. Niacin (Vitamin B3) – 0.9 mg. 4% RDA. Thiamin (Vitamin B1) – 0.1 mg. 9% RDA. Vitamin B6 – 0.2 mg. 9% RDA. Magnesium – 36 mg. 9% RDA. Manganese –  0.3 mg. 15% RDA. Beta carotene – 225 mcg. Lutein, Zeaxanthin – 516 mcg.
• *The ground flaxseed in this recipe will also give you a boost of Omega 3s and a wide array of vitamins and minerals.

Okra Health Benefits:

• Preventing diabetes
• Promoting colon health
• Improving digestive health
• Weight management
• Supporting a healthy pregnancy
• Healthy skin
• Protecting against free radical damage
• Asthma relief
• Improving eye health
• Boosting mood

Plant Strong- All Day Long

Always strive to make each meal plant-based.  This will ensure a nutrient rich menu which will promote optimal health! As I have said many times, strive to eat the rainbow so you are getting key antioxidants from each color group! As you can see, this spinach salad is packed with a wide array of nutrients. There’s spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple, blueberries, and sliced raw almonds in this salad.  I like to put good fruits in my salad so I do not have to use salad dressing.

So remember…be PLANT STRONG ALL DAY LONG! Hope all of you are having a happy and healthy weekend!

Fresh Squeezed OJ

To me, nothing tastes better than a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice on a hot day!  I bought this citrus juicer from Big Lots for only $15.00!  I’ve also seen some citrus juicers at TJ Maxx for a good deal.  Juicing oranges in a centrifugal juicer, such as the Breville, just doesn’t do the oranges justice (puts too much air into the juice).

How can oranges boost your health?

For starters, as we all know, oranges are packed with Vitamin C.  One orange gives you about 115% of your daily value of Vitamin C.  Vitamin C neutralizes free radicals in our bodies to help fight against aging,  inflammation. and disease.  Recent research from Italy proves that drinking a fresh glass of OJ trumps taking Vitamin C supplements any day.  A protective effect against free radical damage was shown when participants consumed fresh orange juice, while no protection was shown after taking vitamin C supplements alone.

Oranges are also high in flavanones, anthocyanins, and polyphenols.  One of its most valuable flavaones, herperidin, has been linked to lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol. A British study conveyed that drinking 1/2 a liter to a liter of fresh orange juice a day increases urinary pH, significantly reducing one’s risk of developing kidney stones and infections. Oranges have also been shown to prevent stomach ulcers and stomach cancer, protect respiratory health, protect against rheumatoid arthritis, and fight cancers.

“LIKE” if you LOVE fresh squeezed orange juice as much as I do!  What are some creative ways you’ve used fresh OJ?

Watermelon Juice

Craving a refreshing juice for the summer time?  Watermelon juice is the way to go!  You do not even need a juicer for this one!!  All you have to do is throw the watermelon into your blender and voila you have yourself a delicious drink!  I juiced half a watermelon which gave me a large pitcher of juice! This juice is super sweet so I like to dilute mine with water.  You can also mix it with other fresh juices such as orange, pineapple, or a little lime! Try adding watermelon juice to your green smoothies for an extra boost of flavor and sweetness!

What can watermelon do for you? For starters, watermelon is high in lycopene, which is beneficial for heart and bone health and has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains large amounts of the amino acid citrulline, which is converted in our bodies to arginine.  Citrulline has been linked to cardiovascular benefits as well as minimizing adipogenesis (the creation of fat cells).  Go get your juice on!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts might be the most hated vegetable of them all, but cooking them this way will leave even the biggest vegetable-hater wanting more!

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Soak sprouts for about five minutes in warm water.  Cut each sprout in half and space them out on a baking sheet.

-Spray sprouts lightly with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Season with fresh ground pepper,  a little sea salt, and you can add in any of your favorite spices (I like to throw in some cayenne pepper for a nice kick)

-Roast for about 30-35 minutes. I think the more crunchy they are, the better!

These make a great appetizer, snack, or side dish!  Hope you love them! Happy Monday!

Portobello-Zucchini Tacos

These are so yummy and easy to make!  All you have to do is slice up a few large portobello mushrooms and a zucchini.  I threw in some onion and bell pepper to the stir fry as well! Add in some seasonings and some cayenne pepper for a little extra spice. Top the finished product with your favorite extras, such as tomato, salsa, guacamole, etc.  *I also like to use spinach instead of iceberg lettuce (gives you the nice crunch with the added nutrients of spinach).  Also, try using a romaine lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla. Hope you guys enjoy these as much as I do! Cheers and Happy Friday!!

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

These are yummy veggie burgers…with a kick!

What You Need:

• 1 16 oz. can Organic black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large Portabello mushroom, cut into large pieces
• 1/2 onion, sliced into large pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbs. Spicy Montreal seasoning or Chili Powder
• 1 Tbs Cumin
• 1 Tbs. Hot Sauce
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats or bread crumbs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a bowl, mash black beans with a fork until well mashed, but chunky.
• In a food processor or blender, chop mushroom, onion, and garlic into fine pieces. Then mix into the mashed black beans.
• In another bowl, mix eggs with spicy montreal seasoning (or chili powder), cumin, and hot sauce.
• Stir egg mixture into the black bean/veggie mixture.  Add in the oats, mixing thoroughly. Divide mixture into four patties.
• Cook on oiled baking sheet  for 10 minutes on each side.
• These could also be grilled on aluminum foil on your grill.

*Top with your favorite condiments such as lettuce, tomato,  spinach, onion, mushroom, mustard, ketchup, etc. and serve on a toasted bun or go bun-less 🙂

*These are pretty spicy, which I love. But if you can’t handle the heat, you may want to reduce the amount of hot sauce and spicy seasoning. Next time I’m also going to try throwing in more veggies with the mushroom and onion…I’ll let you know how it goes!

Chia Gel as an Egg Replacer

I recently had to do a food science project and decided to experiment with chia seeds.  Sometimes it can be really difficult to find a suitable egg replacer for baked  products, whether it be that you’re vegan, you have an egg allergy, or you just wanna switch things up. I have now discovered that chia gel is the way to go!

Here’s a little background on chia seeds:

• žChia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family that grows abundantly in southern Mexico
• žChia seeds have more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant food, even flax seeds.
• žSo rich in antioxidants that the seeds don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid
• It was the third most vital crop for the Aztecs, who viewed it as a superfood and valued it so greatly that it was often used as currency. Aztec warriors are thought to have sustained themselves for a whole day on just a Tbs. of chia.
• žChia seeds also provide calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, niacin, and zinc

When you soak chia seeds in water, it forms a gel, which I decided to test out as an egg replacer in a cake recipe for my experiment.  I then had panelists rank the chia gel cake to a basic yellow cake (the control).  The chia gel cake ended up getting great reviews. So if you’re in need of an egg replacer in baked goods, go for the chia gel! It is an easy way to get an extra boost of Omega 3s!

How to make chia gel and use it as an egg replacer:

*Place 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in a cup and add 3 tablespoons of water (increase amounts depending on how much you need). For example, 1/2 cup of seeds would need to soak in 1  1/2 cups water.  Allow the mixture to sit for about 20 minutes. 1/4 cup of hydrated chia seeds equals approximately 1 egg.  I would also suggest grinding the chia seeds into a powder before making the gel. This will give a much better texture.

Here is a picture of the chia gel cake I made. I did not grind mine into a powder first, which is why it has a poppy-seed cake look to it. I def. wish I had made mine into a powder first.  You may also need to bake the product for a little bit longer than if you were using eggs.

Veggie Pot Stickers

Kudos to my friend Meredith who made these at our girls night where we each made a healthy app!  These things are AMAZING!

What You Need:

*Makes 12 pot stickers:

•   6-7 mushrooms
•   1/2 pepper (green, yellow, or red)
•   5-6 green onion stalks
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (soy sauce alternative)
• Nasoya won ton wraps

Directions:

• Dice up mushrooms, pepper, green onions. add oil to skillet–add green onion and peppers. Cook for 2 minutes. add garlic and mushrooms. Stir in soy sauce substitute (about 1/4 a cup then add more once it dries out some). Add a little water and cover mixture to allow peppers to get soft.
• Once mixture is cooked, add a small fork-full to center of wonton wrapper. wet the edge of the wrapper using some water and seal the wonton closed.  Place wrapped wontons on a paper towel or plate
• Once all of the mixture has been used, add oil to the same pan you previously used. Allow it to heat, add pot stickers, pour enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, and cover them. Allow them to simmer on medium heat for about 2 minutes. You can flip them over to cook both sides…just make sure they don’t burn!