Chocolate Avocado Mousse {Dairy-Free}

Served here with frozen blueberries (what I had on hand), but fresh strawberries are AMAZING...

At a vegan dinner party this past week, one of the ladies made this, and it was literally finger-licking good.  Not only did we finish it all, but swiped the rest from the bowl with our fingers and licked the spoon clean!  This is an incredibly simple dessert with a "wow" factor: it's made from avocados, and it's dairy-free!  My version uses local honey, and I enjoyed the consistency with gooey honey....but make it completely vegan by using agave or maple syrup instead.  Seriously, your friends, kids, mom or co-workers will NEVER know it's made with avocado...until you tell them. Dr. Oz has this recipe posted...but uses egg whites and sugar (certainly not necessary). I apologize for the bad photo quality - my camera was left at my sisters house last week. :)  ENJOY! <3

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Ingredients: 



1 c cocoa powder
2 large ripe avocado
1/2 c almond milk (or coconut, or water even)
3/4 c agave syrup or honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt

Directions: 

Whiz in a food processor, scraping the sides and bottom occasionally until nice and thick.  Serve with fresh fruit, biscotti, or just eat it plain.

Feta & Herb Baked Salmon + Couscous, Cuke & Kale Salad

Happy Friday! I was craving salmon & salad for dinner...this really hit the spot. My mom & dad make lamb in a similar way (baked in individual foil packets), so I thought I'd try with salmon. As a Greek girl, I have a strong affinity for lemon + garlic + herbs. ;) The tang from the lemon & feta is delicious, and all in all, is a really quick & SUPER healthy (see below) meal.

Feta & Herb Baked Salmon
(4 servings)
Prep time 10 min, Cook Time: 25 min


1 lb Wild-Caught Salmon
4 oz Feta Cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano. Some mint, dill or a combo would work)
1/2 lemon (juiced)
1 tsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Red onion (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 375. Clean and pat dry your fish, and cut into 4 portions. Salt & Pepper. Mash up the topping: feta, olive oil, lemon, herbs and fresh cracked black pepper. I added some red pepper flakes too. Portion the topping on each individual piece of fish and wrap into 4 neat foil packets, topped with a few thin slices of red onion. Bake for 20 minutes, then unwrap the packets and cook an additional 5 min.

Kale, Cucumber & Couscous Salad
(4 servings)
Total time: 10 min

1/2 bunch organic kale (I used red kale)
3/4c dry couscous, cooked according to package directions
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt & Pepper

Wash, dry and trim kale of thick stems. Coarsely chop. Throw into a mixing bowl with a little salt and olive oi. IMPORTANT: Massage with your hands until kale breaks down and softens a bit (about a minute). Toss with couscous, cucumber and then add lemon (and a bit more olive oil, maybe a tsp or two and toss.

Plate the finished salmon on top of the bed of salad and devour. ;)

Best part about this meal? Super nutritious and well-balanced. This meal is highly anti-inflammatory and blows your daily requirements of Omega-3, Omega-6, Vitamin A, Vitamin K and Vitamin C out of the water.

Nutrition per serving:

487 calories
39 g protein
35 g carbs
21 g fat

Southern-Style Greens {BACON}

(The tasties. Not pictured: brown sugar)

I like greens. A LOT. Since many people associate "greens" with any green vegetable: lettuce, celery, asparagus, etc., I'll refer back to this post that clarifies what constitutes a Dark Leafy Green.

Greens should be eaten with fat in order to properly absorb the fat-soluble vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin K. Hmmm. Usually I go for the standard, yet ever-delicious combination of olive oil, lemon and fresh garlic. Every once in a while, I have to switch it up. Enter: bacon in all of it's glory!

Southern Style Greens {with bacon...}
(Serves 2-4, takes approx 25 min)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb thick-cut organic bacon (preferably from a butcher, not from a package!)
1 large bunch organic collard greens (washed and prepped like pictured below)
1 sm-med brown onion (cut in half and sliced thinly)
3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
1/4 c water
1/4 c Apple Cider Vinegar (I like Bragg's)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper
Black Pepper

Directions:

Wash and prep your veggies. For the collard greens, I find it easiest to cut the stems off, and then roll the leaves up into one large jelly roll. Then slice into approx 1 in ribbons:
After than, cut the "ribbon circles" in half again.

Cut your bacon into bite-sized chunks. Sautee in a pan until most of the fat is rendered and they look nice and golden-brown, like so:

Is your mouth watering yet?? Ensure it is by adding in the onions, garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Sautee on medium-low until flavorful and soft. Then add your green ribbons.




Whisk together the water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and a small pinch of sea salt. Pour over your mixture. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 8 minutes, or until greens are softened, stirring often.

Season with fresh cracked black pepper. Careful, these are WAY delicious. Greens might be tricky to get your family to eat...but mix some bacon in, and they won't be able to resist! :)

Anti-Inflammatory SUPER SHOT!

So, my shoulder has been a terrible wreck for the past 6 weeks. Pretty sure I injured my rotator cuff by "flipping my dog" wildly in yoga. So, upon Dr. Matt's recommendation, I have ceased all yoga (trust me...it's been a LONG month) and any weight training. I have been incorporating fresh turmeric & ginger in my cooking, juicing 1x a day, eating lots of fresh veggies (per usual) and overall taking it easy.

But 6 weeks...and no improvement. :/ Time to go see Dr. Rich, DC. He's very holistic-minded, which of course, I like. He did a vision test and some physical tests. I am stressed, he says. He might be right. His RX? Well, I'm sporting purple kinesio-tape on my shoulder, doing left-brain exercises on the computer, and spinning slowly (clockwise) in my chair 3x per day. I have to work on another form of stress relief besides yoga, he says. I have also agreed to keep up on the couch potato-ing, high dose of EPA/EHA and potent anti-inflammatories. I decided to get SERIOUS about turmeric today, which is the whole POINT of this post. :)

Went to Whole Foods, which is right next to Dr. Matt & Rich's office and bought a big bag of turmeric root, and a big bag of ginger, and a couple of habanero peppers. I juiced THE most powerful concoction I've tasted today, to help heal my inflamed shoulder: approx 1 lb ginger, 1 lb turmeric root and 1/2 HOT habanero. I got about a cup of beautiful bright yellow liquid, with a bit of screaming from my Breville juicer. Had to scraped the mesh screen a few times to move all of the thick pulp out of the way.

I took a shot of it plain earlier, but as Dr. Matt & I were thinking about it, realized that the anti-inflammatory powers of the turmeric are fat-soluble, so it is best taken with a fat. Thinking of traditional curries (which traditionally incorporate spicy, ginger & turmeric anyway), I decided to use coconut oil, and created this second "shot" for before bed. Went down a lot smoother, but....OH MY. This stuff. Is. Strong!

Here's the finished potion: 1.5T turmeric/ginger/habanero juice + 1.5 tbsp warm (liquid) coconut oil. Mix and drink quickly (the coconut oil will turn back solid if the refrigerated juice is too cool).
TURMERIC is part of the same family as ginger. It's the small, orange root sitting on top of the ginger in my photo. It's beautiful, and be careful, because it stains everything (even stainless steel knives). That's how you know it's working, I guess. ;) Turmeric supports everything from joint pain to Alzheimer's to detox of liver to a possible prevention for cancer. Warning: it's said to NOT take this during pregnancy. You can read more about it's healing effects on Natural News. Also, here is some more info on World's Healthiest Foods.

GINGER is delicious, also a potent anti-inflammatory, known for soothing the stomach, and boosting the immune system. I love the taste and use it in juices and stir-frys, as well as in asian/indian dishes. Here is some more info on Ginger.

HABANERO PEPPERS are small and usually bright orange or red. I generally use only 1/2 of one in any given recipe, as they are WILDLY hot. They have a high capsaicin content helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and is also a potent anti-inflammatory. (hence it's included in my shot!) LiveStrong talks about the benefits of the habanero pepper here.

COCONUT OIL is a super versatile oil rich in monolauric acid and therefore has wonderful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It helps control weight and supports thyroid and heart health. It's usually in solid form (here in MI), but when it gets warmer (76+ degrees), turns to a liquid. I cook (anything/everything) with it these days: cooking eggs, in pie crusts, in curries, stir frys, use it for oil-pulling, as a body lotion on face & body. I even make home made sugar or sea salt scrubs with coconut oil. I love the taste of it, and it's a good-for-you fat with MCFA's (medium chain fatty acids). Here's Dr. Mercola chatting about the benefits of coconut oil.

I plan on taking on 3x a day until I feel better.
TRY it yourself and let me know how you like it!

Cauliflower & Cashew Biryani (Vegan)

Craving Indian today like nobody's business, after a friend had mentioned her delicious Indian take out in Royal Oak. I found a few recipes which gave me a starting point for this cauliflower biryani dish. I added tofu to the traditional rice pilaf for additional substance & protein, but go ahead and leave it out if you don't eat soy. Chicken would make a nice substitution as well!

This hit the spot! Nice mixture of sweet, spicy, hearty, and tart. It's got a nice, delicate spice profile, and has a gorgeous yellow color from the turmeric. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list. Anything that you don't have around, just omit.

Cauliflower & Cashew Biryani (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, cored and split into small florets
2 medium carrots, halved and chunked

1 large tomato (diced)
1 inch ginger (finely diced)
1 jalapeno (finely diced)
1/2 red onion (finely diced)

Coconut oil for coating florets, plus 1-1/2 tablespoons

Salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp each - chili powder, coriander, cardamom powder, garam masala, cinnamon
1 bay leaf

1 cup brown or basmati rice

1/2 cup coarsely chopped unroasted, unsalted cashews

1/3 cup seedless dark raisins

1/3 cup dried apricots, diced (I used dates and apricots)

1/3-1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

Put oven rack on upper level and preheat over to 450 degrees.

In large bowl, toss cauliflower and carrots with coconut oil. Season with salt. Dust florets with cumin and turmeric, chili powder, cardamom powder, garam masala, coriander powder and cinnamon. Spread on rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, turning florets once or twice to prevent burning. Let cool.

In a medium sauce pan, sautee the tomato, red onion, ginger and jalapeno with salt until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice, another cup of water and bay leaf. Simmer rice until done (15-20 min). Pull bayleaf out.

Cut tofu into cubes, dust with cumin and turmeric and fry in a large sautee pan until golden brown. Let cool.

In a large bowl combine everything: the tofu, cauliflower/carrots, rice, cashews, raisins, apricots and cilantro. Add the lemon juice and the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of coconut or olive oil (optional). Salt & pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.