Friday, August 26, 2011

Sauteed Purslane




Purslane, not just your average weed!  It grows wildly and is a beautiful, leafy, succulent vegetable packed with Fatty Acids, Vitamins, Minerals and Fatty acids. Can be eating raw in salads or cooked in soups and stir fry's.  Extremely low in calories, and taste great!

4 Cups Purslane, Chopped
1/2 Onion, Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/2 Tomato
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil




Heat the oil and add all the ingredients... 


Cook for 3-4 minutes... 


Top some pinto beans, add to a burrito, top a chicken breast or a piece of fish... 





Fatty Acids
Purslane is an excellent source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which are instrumental for brian function & development.  Also a very useful nutrient to aid in the prevention of cancer, heart disease and arthritis.  
Vitamins
Vitamin A (beta carotene) , Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Vitamin B, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pyridoxine and Vitamin E.  This low calorie vegetable has only 7 calories in a whole cup.  
Minerals
1 cup of raw purslane can provide up to 7% of the US Recommended Daily Allowance of Potassium, Iron, Calcium, and magnesium, and Manganese. Copper, Phosphorus and Selenium can also be found in small amounts. 
Amino Acids
There are 8 essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce naturally and must be obtained through diet and proper nutrition. I cup of Purslane is one of the best sources to provide these amino acids. 

So add purslane to your salads, works as a great substitute to spinach and other greens in recipes.  Also taste amazing when added to refried beans and put in burritos!



Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans




I know not everyone has an Electric Pressure Cooker... if you don't have one... GO GET ONE!  I don't know how I have survived without one all these years.  You can cook perfect beans in less than an hour, whole meals in less than an hour... you can cook in crazy hot weather and not heat up your house.  By pressure cooking you are not loosing any nutrients.  I cannot imagine ever cooking my pinto beans any other way.  

4 1/2 Cups Pinto Beans, Sorted, and Washed
12 Cups of Water
1/2 Onion
1 Tablespoon Salt


Let's just say we like beans!!!


Place the sorted beans in pressure cooker...


Wash thoroughly... 


Add the measured water, onion, and salt. 


Set the pressure cooker to high pressure for 45 minutes... 


Perfection!!!





Purslane and Basil Pesto


I have discovered Purslane... and what a discovery it has been !  This fabulous, succulent green is amazing.     You absolutely have to try this recipe.  If you cannot find purslane you can substitute purslane with spinach.  

4 Cups Purslane
2 Cups Fresh Basil
1 Cup Roasted Pine Nuts
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Honey or Agave Nectar
1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper 

Place all ingredients in the food processor and pulse until smooth.  Use this wonderful pesto in pasta... risotto, as a spread in sandwiches or as a dip for some crudite.  Enjoy!


This is Purslane...












Thursday, August 25, 2011

Mung Bean, Sausage & Kale Soup



I love Mug Beans!  The health benefits are out of this world! See below and read about the 5 top benefits of Mung Beans I found online.  Here is a simple, delicious, stick to your ribs goodness!

1 Onion, Sliced
4-5 Garlic, Chopped
2-3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil 
1 Link Sausage, Linguica, Italian, Kielbasa, or Vegan 
1 Cup Dry Mung Beans
1 Whole Kale Bunch, Stemmed and Chopped
12 Cups of Water
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Dry Oregano 


Heat oil and start cooking the onions and garlic.  Cook for approx 3-4 minutes. 


Add the sausage and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 



Add the mung beans and the water. 


Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes... 


Add the Kale... 


Simmer for another 15 minutes... 


This soup is wonderful!!! 




For thousands of years, mung beans have been used for a variety of purposes. Mung beans originated in India and were cultivated throughout Asia. The ancient Chinese used mung beans for culinary and medicinal purposes such as dispelling heat and detoxifying the body. Today mung beans are still being used for culinary and health purposes due to the beans’ high nutritional content and value. 


Cholesterol

If you have high cholesterol you may benefit from eating mung beans daily. Mung beans are low in cholesterol and high in soluble dietary fibers. Dietary fiber refers to certain food particles that cannot be digested. Dietary fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber aids in normalizing bowl movements, but it does not do much for lowering blood pressure. Soluble fiber when mixed with water in the digestive tract will form a gel-like material, which in turn aids in supporting essential bodily functions.
Foods rich in soluble dietary fibers are shown to help lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) by encouraging the production of LDL receptors that are responsible for removing excess LDL cholesterol out of the blood stream. It is recommended to consume 10 to 25 g of soluble fiber per day to reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol. Mung beans contain 1.9 g of total dietary fiber per cup. Mung beans may be combined with other dietary fiber-rich foods to further lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Breast Cancer

Mung and other type of beans contain protease inhibitors. Protease inhibitors slow the replication of  certain cancer cells including those found in breast cancer. Protease inhibitors are known to block and prevent formation of tumor cells.

Post-Menopause

Beans such as the mung bean variety contain isoflavone Nutrients Isoflavones help regulate hormonal activity. Isoflavones are a class of phytoestrogen, making mung beans estrogenic in nature. Mung beans contain about 495.1 µg of phytoestrogen content, making mung beans a good source of phytoestrogen.
In a 12-week trial, phytoestrogen was shown to relieve hot flashes that are often disruptive and unpleasant. Potentially taking 90 mg per day of phytoestrogens may benefit post-Menopausal  women in preventing the often devastating effects of osteoporosis by stimulating bone formation.

Diabetes

Mung beans are a low glycemic index food, which means the beans are a diabetic friendly food. Low glycemic foods promote healthy blood sugar levels. People who eat foods that have a low glycemic index tend to have lower total body fat levels as opposed to those who consume high-glycemic foods, such as white bread and soft drinks. In recent studies, mung beans have shown promise in reducing blood glucose, plasma C-peptide, glucagon and blood urea nitrogen levels in non-human type-2 diabetic subjects. In the study, mung bean sprouts and mung bean seed coats were consumed for a total of five weeks before reaching a conclusion.

Protein

Mung beans contain approximately 3.16 g of protein per cup. While meat is still one of the best sources of protein at 7 g per ounce, mung beans and vegetable based foods have far less saturated fat and cholesterol than certain meats.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Grilled Chicken & Veggies in Red Wine Vinegar & Cilantro Marinade


It is so hot!  Who wants to cook inside?  This was simple to make, and best of all Clean Eats!

2 Boneless Skinless Organic Chicken Breast 
1 Thick Slice of Red Onion
1 Whole Tomato, Sliced Thick
1 Whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thick
2 Yellow Squash or Zucchini, Sliced in Half right down the middle
1 Portabella Mushroom, Sliced in Half
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Minced Cilantro or 2 Dorot Cilantro Cubes
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

Set the grill on high and heat for at least 10 minutes... 

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss 
every couple of minutes for about 10 minutes. 





Lower the heat on half of the grill... 

Place the chicken on the side that is set at high along with the mushroom and onion. 


On the side set at medium place the remaining veggies.  


Save the remaining marinade to baste while grilling. 




Serve alone or with some brown rice or Quinoa









Thursday, August 18, 2011

Spinchiladas with Chicken


So I had this massive bag of spinach and a table full of jalapeno's and anaheim chili's I picked yesterday from my garden and I had this brilliant idea... SPINCHILADAS!  I know... sounds nuts but Good God!  I served them "montadas" (with an egg on top) which is how enchiladas are traditionally served in Chihuahua.  You have to try making these!

5 Jalapenos
2-5 Anaheim Chili's (I used very small ones)
1/2 Onion
4 Garlic Cloves
5 Handfulls of Baby Spinach
1/2 Cup of Water 
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt (Omit for Clean Eats)
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
2 Poached Chicken Breast Shredded
6 Corn or Flour Torillas (to make it a Clean Eats use Sprouted Tortillas)
2 Cups Monterey Jack Cheese (Omit for Clean Eats)

Heat the oil and add the chile's and the onion... 

Add the garlic... 

Cook at med heat for about 7-10 minutes... 


Put in blender or food processor and add the salt, oregano... 

Push the spinach in and make it fit!  Add the water... 

Blend until smooth... 


Heat your tortilla of choice in a pan with a tiny drizzle of oil... 

SHred the chicken ... 

Put some of the chicken in the center... 


Smooth on some of the sauce and sprinkle with cheese... 

Roll and set n the center of the plate... 


Smoother in more sauce... 

A bit more cheese... and microwave for about 1-2 minutes until all the cheese is melted... 

Place over medium eggs on top... 




MMMmmmm....