Chocolate Covered Dried Mangoes

Happy Halloween! For most of us the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Halloween is candy. Lots of it. This recipe is a healthy alternative to sugary processed candy. Made out of wholesome, naturally sweet,  antioxidant-rich ingredients these treats taste way better than regular candy. Plus they look cute and Halloweenish.
Mangoes are one of my all time favorite foods, which I ate a lot growing up in Hawaii. However I rarely eat them now because they obviously aren't local to New York. The mangoes available here simply can't compare to the ones I pick fresh off the tree back home. In between trips to Maui I get my mango fix from dried mangoes. Dried mangoes are high in antioxidants, fiber, potassium, iron, Vitamin C, and Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6. You can find dried mangoes at Whole Foods and most health food stores, just be sure to buy a brand without any added sugar or preservatives. I'm spoiled because my Mom sends me dried mangoes from my favorite health food store on Maui.
The other superfood in this recipe is raw cacao. Cacao contains more antioxidants than blueberries, red wine, or green tea. Cacao raises the levels of serotonin in the brain and acts as a natural anti-depressant. So this Halloween indulge in something sweet that will also benefit your health! I should warn you that these are delicious and highly addictive.

Ingredients:

about 15 pieces of dried mango

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup of pure maple syrup

1 tbsp of coconut oil

raw cacao powder

In a double boiler bring water to a simmer.
Turn off heat.
In the top pot of double boiler combine chocolate chips and maple syrup.
Allow to melt for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
When chocolate has completely melted stir in coconut oil.
Dip the dried mango into the melted chocolate.
Fill a small bowl with cacao and immediately dip the chocolate coated mango into the cacao.
Place on a piece of parchment paper.
Chill in the fridge until the chocolate is solid.
Enjoy!

What To Do With Pumpkins (Besides Carve Them!)

How is it the end of October already? Chances are (I hope!) pumpkin carving is somewhere on your agenda this weekend. Wether you’re carving Jack-O-Lanterns, or preparing squash or pumpkin to eat, the first step is to scoop out the seeds. Just don’t know throw them out! The seeds are nutrient power houses with unique health benefits. The seeds of pumpkin, and other sweet squash, are an excellent source of magnanese, phosphorus, iron, copper, vitamin K, and zinc.

Ok so the picture above isn’t of pumpkins; it’s kabocha squash. Cute right?! The little guy on top was my dinner last night. Kabocha squash might not be as widely popular as it’s cousins pumpkin and butternut squash, but it’s just as delicious and has an even more impressive nutrition profile. The vibrant colors of kabocha squash (usually bright orange or green) signify high levels of antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium.

Squash season is at it’s peak right now, therefore it's the perfect time of year to experiment with different varieties of squash. So go crazy! My favorite right now are the sweet squashes. Here is an easy and delicious way to prepare them.

Sweet Squash

Ingredients:

1 sweet squash (pumpkin, butternut squash, buttercup squash, kabocha squash)

1 tbsp of coconut oil

cinnamon

sea salt and pepper

pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Wash squash thoroughly (buy organic so you don’t have to remove the skin!)

Chop into 2 inch pieces

Lightly coat with coconut oil

Season generously with cinnamon and a dash of sea salt and pepper

Bake for about 20 minutes or until soft enough to easily pierce with a fork

Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup

Squash Seeds

Ingredients:

squash seeds

extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350

Rinse and wash seeds thouroughly

Place on lightly oiled baking pan

Bake for about 20 minutes

Season with sea salt to taste

Enjoy!

Hummus Recipe/Ode to Cauliflower Part Two

I cannot stop eating cauliflower recently! It’s just so fresh and delicious this time of year. One of my favorite combinations right now is cauliflower and hummus. This recipe was inspired by my picnic lunch last week, the one that started this whole addiction. 

I had been meaning to try out a new hummus recipe to pair with my current favorite vegetable, when I found this one on Green Lemonade. I love the flavor and the health benefits of adding turmeric to the hummus. Turmeric aids the liver in detoxification, speeds up the metabolism, purifies the blood, and improves skin tone. Also the flavor just so happens to complement cauliflower perfectly! Need I say more?

Serve with raw cauliflower and carrots. The leftovers are great as salad dressing. Today I made a salad  of spinach, carrot, and cauliflower topped with hummus, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. Perfect lunch to bring to work!

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 tbsp of tahini

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (optional, I usually omit)

the juice of 1 large lemon

1/4 tbsn turmeric

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of sea salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. It’s that simple. Enjoy!

Angelica Kitchen

As much as I love cooking at home, sometimes there is nothing better than going out, enjoying a good meal, and letting someone else do the dishes! Recently some friends and I went out to a healthy dinner at Angelica Kitchen in the East Village. It had been on my mental list of restaurants to try for quite some time now. Every New York based health freak I know claims it’s their favorite local restaurant. Thankfully the vegan restaurant lived up to it’s reputation! Everything was delicious. Angelica Kitchen uses only organic and local ingredients, and you can taste the difference! Many of the dishes are inspired by Macriobotic philosophy, which is particularly comforting this time of year as the weather is getting colder.

I ordered the restaurant’s signature dish, called the dragon bowl. It’s a wholesome combination of squash, rice, beans, and sea vegetables. I would recommend ordering the half portion, what they call the wee dragon bowl. It was such a generous serving I can’t even imagine what the full portion would look like!

Sometimes it can be difficult to make healthy choices while eating out. I know it’s not fun having to navigate an entire menu for your healthiest option, only to end up with an expensive and flavorless salad. That is exactly why I love restaurants like Angelica Kitchen. I know I can order anything of the menu and it will be a healthy choice! On top of good food, the restaurant has a pleasantly eccentric and busy East Village vibe. It was also very reasonably priced. The total bill for the three of us (and we all ate a full meal) came to barely $35! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone living or visiting New York. I feel so fortunate to live in the East Village, where there are a plethora of health focused and innovative restaurants.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes/ An Ode to Cauliflower

I have a new vegetable obsession; cauliflower! Last night I made this recipe and I ended up eating an entire giant head of cauliflower all to myself! So simple and so delicious.

Cauliflower is in season right now, so look for it at the farmer’s market. It’s a cruciferous vegetable, which means it has natural cleansing properties and supports the body’s detoxification process. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitmain K, folate, and fiber.
My cauliflower obsession began the other day. After trying out a new yoga studio in Brooklyn, my friend Lea and I bought hummus and cauliflower and ate it picnic style on the Williamsburg shore of the East river. I love that cauliflower is so versatile,and so easy to make into a complete meal. Also, it was such a beautiful fall day! Couldn’t imagine a better day to enjoy a healthy meal outside by the water. As I’m writing this I am regretting not having a camera on hand at the time, as the weather allowed for such a beautiful view of Manhattan, si la vie.

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

salt + pepper

Remove the greens and the stem from the head of cauliflower.
Wash thoroughly and cut the cauliflower into small florets. 

Steam cauliflower for about 10 minutes. 

When soft (you should be able to easily pierce it with a fork) transfer cauliflower to a blender or food processor. 

Puree until smooth, add unsweetened almond milk if needed. 

Before serving drizzle with olive oil.

Season generously with pepper and a dash of sea salt to taste.

You can also top with fresh herbs, I used finely chopped onion chives.

Enjoy!

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

This time of year there is an abundance of delicious squash at the local farmer’s market. They are so beautiful in color, signaling their high nutrition content! Vibrant colors in fruits and vegetables are a sign that the plant contains high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Squash are high in antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, and magnanese. They are a healthy complex carbohydrate and an excellent source of fiber.

Unfortunately many people admire the colors of squash, but don’t bring them home because they are unsure of how to prepare them. This is a shame because squash is one of the most amazing vegetables of the fall harvest!

Here is a recipe for acorn squash, although I’m sure this recipe would work with other types of squash as well. The flavors are a delicious contrast of sweet and pungent. The cinnamon adds a warming effect to the entire dish, making it a perfect dinner on a chilly day.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1/2 cup of quinoa

1 medium clove of garlic

1/2 of a sweet onion

4 large kale leaves

1 cup of raisins

olive oil

cinnamon

salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut squash in half, lengthwise.

Scoop out the seeds and gunk (save the seeds to bake later!)

Coat the inside of the squash with olive oil.

Season generously with cinnamon, and a dash of salt and pepper.

Place squash on baking pan, and bake for 45 minutes.

While squash is cooking prepare quinoa.

Add 1/2 cup of quinoa to one cup of water or vegetable broth.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking prepare the vegetables.

Finely chop the garlic and sauté it in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil.

Finely chop the onion and sauté with the garlic.

Wash and finely chop the kale and add to the garlic and onion.

Add quinoa and raisins.

Season generously with cinnamon, and a dash of salt and pepper.
Stir fry for a few minutes, and then remove from heat.

After 45 minutes, remove squash from oven.

Fill the bowl of the squash with the quinoa mixture.

Put back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve in the squash bowls, remember that the skin of the squash is edible and delicious!

Enjoy!