Papas Bravas, Roasted Florets and Cheesy Dressing

It’s hard to believe that September is already here. In just a few more months M and I will be traveling back to the States for a visit so she can attend a medical conference. We are both looking forward to it, but for now we are enjoying the beginning of spring here in Buenos Aires.

This coming weekend we will be running the 21K Maraton de Buenos Aires. We are excited forward to it, as it should be a beautiful course, which goes right through the heart of our city. We will be running the course together. This will be my first race since moving, and unless I'm mistaken, my first event for 2015! Crazy, but it's been nice focusing on other things besides training and racing.

For today, I have a great recipe that can work as either a side-dish or the main course. It’s a blend of a two different dishes, a favorite in North America, the other a common dish from South America.

Papas Bravas (or Patatas Bravas if you’re from Spain,) are a common latin-style dish where typically white potatoes are cut into irregular shapes and then either roasted or fried in oil and served with a spicy or smoked aioli sauce. They are considered bar food, and are often part of a tapa menu - which means they're perfect for watching futbol or Argetnine-style gatherings where the first person arrives 40 minutes after they were suppose to, and the last person arrives when you were hoping everyone would be leaving! Of course the BYOL version is oil-free.

I use to make this dish in New York using the oven-roasted florets and cheesy sauce as a healthier play on the ever-popular Broccoli and Cheese. With oven roasted broccoli and cauliflower florets, this dish boasts a significant amount of nutrition, and is also a great way to encourage youngsters to eat their greens - I mean what kid doesn't love dipping?

Papas Bravas with Oven-Roasted Florets and a Cheesy Caesar Dressing dipping Sauce

Serves 3-4

Papas Bravas

3 potatoes cut into wedges

2 sweet potatoes cut into wedges
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more to taste)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Placed the cut and seasoned potatoes into a pan with parchment paper. Place into the oven at 350. I typically keep all the potatoes on one side of the pan leaving room to add the florets later. Check the potatoes every 12 minutes and flip to ensure they cook and brown evenly. Cook for 30-40 minutes until soft and slightly browned.

Florets

1 small head Broccoli – broken into florets

1 small head Cauliflower – broken into florets

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion flakes

Black-pepper to taste

After placing the potatoes into the oven, wash and cut the florets. After tossing them with the above seasonings, if you saved room, add the florets to the pan with the potatoes. If not, cover a second pan with parchment paper and place into the oven. Cook the florets for 20-25 minutes until well roasted. If you are trying to time the florets to finish cooking with the potatoes, let the potatoes cook for 10-15 minutes before adding the florets.

Cheesy-Caesar Sauce

¼ cup raw cashews

2 heaping tablespoons of nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon chia seeds

½ tablespoon mustard (dijion or yellow)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 clove of fresh garlic or 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender (if using a normal powred blender, try using cashew pieces and soaking them in water them for 1 hour before blending). Blend on high until all ingredients are well blended. This also makes a great dressing for a salad

Now you can heat the sauce up if you like, or serve at room temperature with the oven hot potatoes and florets.

Enjoy!

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Oil-free Baked Falafel

In my last post, I shared a hummus recipe that got some really kind feedback, well today I’ve got another chickpea-based Middle Eastern inspired recipe: oil-free baked falafel.

As I mentioned in my post about mung beans, legumes are one of the healthiest foods available worldwide, and some recent research suggests that bean intake is the most important factor associated with longer lifespans! Not only this, but beans are some of the cheapest foods making their nutrition value a huge bang for the buck!

This falafel recipe is super easy, essentially fool-proof, and tastes phenomenal.

I’m also including a very basic tahini dressing recipe. This is one of those once-in-a-while foods. Tahini is a thick paste made from pulverized sesame seeds, which sounds healthy on its face. However, it is very high in calories with most of those calories coming from fat. Unfortunately, most of that fat comes from Omega-6, an essential fatty acid, but one that most westerners get too much of in relation to their Omega-3 consumption. It is also possible for tahini to oxidize as it ages, which can cause the release of free radicals in your body.

That said few things are so cut and dry. Tahini is rich in phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron. It’s also a good source of methionine and very high in calcium. It also boasts vitamin E and many of the B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15). Most tahini’s are around 20% protein as well. So feel free to weight the costs for yourself. If you’re healthy and fit, including tahini in your diet won’t have a negative impact on your health when consumed sparingly.

Oil-free Falafel:

1 ½ cups dried chickpeas

2-3 cloves fresh garlic

1 small sweet onion

1 cup fresh parsley (it’s important to use fresh for this recipe)

Juice from ½ of a lemon

1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax in 1 tablespoon of water)

Pinch of baking soda

1 tablespoon cumin

Black pepper and salt to taste

Soak the chickpeas overnight or for several hours. Try adding some citrus (like apple cider vinegar) to speed up the process and help with digestibility. Once the beans can be crushed by pinching them between your fingers they are ready. (Note: if you don’t have time to soak them, boil the chickpeas until they are about half cooked. Roughly 30 minutes).

Now, put all of the above ingredients into a food processor or hand held blender. Process until well combined and relatively processed, but not completely smooth. Stop the food processor and push the ingredients down towards the blends when needed. The entire mixture should turn into a light green from the parsley and have a pleasant cumin smell.

Now pre-heat the oven to 350 and line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the mixture into small 2 inch balls and put onto the pan. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes and check. The falafel balls should begin to brown. Flip them over and return to the oven for another 8 – 10 minutes. Take out and let cool.

While the falafels are cooking making the tahini sauce.

Tahini sauce:

2 tablespoons tahini

Juice of 1 lemon

Onion powder

¾ cup water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined and smooth.

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Cooking without Oil

A while ago, I presented two research pieces on oils in general and one specifically on coconut oil. Not only are oils highly processed and bad for your arteries, but oil has around 4,000 calores per pound, making it the most calorie dense but nutrient-poor item in the American diet. Since my earlier postings, several people have asked, “well then, how do you cook?” Here are a few tips.

First, when buying pans, it’s best to buy heavier stainless steel or cast iron cookware. While any type of cookware will work, these higher grade metals are less likely to burn.

Dressings and Sauces:

·         My biggest suggestion is to become accustomed to using vinegars – particularly on salads. These are highly alkalizing and health promoting foods that taste great and can be found everywhere.

o   Try apple cider vinegar, balsamic, red and white wine but also look for flavored infused vinegars. I’ve had some delicious fig and berry infused vinegars. Even chocolate! I’ll be honest, pomegranate vinegar is gross.

·         To re-create creamier sauces or dressings replace the oil with blended silken tofu. I find 1 – 2 tablespoons does the trick.

·         You can also add ground flaxseed or chia seeds to hot water. Start using the same amount of water as you normally would use oil. Slowly add the ground seeds to the water and mix well until the water starts to almost gel and thicken. White chia seeds help make the most appetizing dressing color.

·         White beans or cashews are other great options for creating creamier sauces. Use the same amount of white beans as you normally use oil. If using cashews (always get the raw if you can,) I typically soak the cashews for at least 1 hours before – longer is better. I normally will do 1 part cashews and 1 part old fashioned oats. This creates a delicious creamy blend and helps cut the total fat from the cashews.

To sauté or Stir-fry:

·         Simply replace the oil you would normally use with either water or vegetable broth. First heat the pan and then add your food, add a small amount of water or broth as needed –note you will need less than you are expecting. Depending what you’re making, you can also try juices as well. Be sure to stir often.

·         Several vegetables such as mushrooms or onions contain enough liquid which will release while cooking. Heat the pan first and then cook at a slightly lower temperature for several minutes to caramelize onions or brown mushrooms. Stir constantly.

Baking:

·          To replace oil or margarine in baking, try using non-sweetened applesauce as a substitute for cookies, cakes, and other sweet baked goods (check out our Peanut Butter and Oat Cookies, the Quinoa and Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Engine 2’s Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies.)

·         Mashed or pureed tofu can replace oil in other (non-sweet) baked goods.

·         Ground Flaxseed can also be an excellent sub for oil as well as for eggs (mix 1 tbsp ground flax with 3 tbsp water to create an egg replacer). For baking, use 3 parts flaxseed for every part oil or fat you are replacing. This can cause baked goods to brown more quickly so keep an eye on your dish.

·         Parchment paper is a game changer. It’s safe to cook on and makes clean up a breeze!

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Holiday Meals 101: Black Friday’s Powerful Cranberry Sauce

The day after Thanksgiving always amazes me. All day long I hear how people are already feeling guilty and ashamed about how they treated their bodies the night before. Many talk about going for a long run to help burn off their Thanksgiving indulgence. While a long run will successfully help you burn off those extra calories, it unfortunately will not help repair the damage that a traditional Standard American Diet Thanksgiving meal can cause.  

lots of colors for vegan thanksgiving

Just one benefit of a whole-food, vegan thanksgiving dinner is you can eat as much as you want without feeling any remorse the next morning (more importantly, in my mind, is that no animals have to suffer). A plant-based thanksgiving meal also doesn’t cause that all-too-familiar fatigue that sets in after a large meal of animal protein, grease and fat. If we step back for just one minute, it becomes very obvious that if the food you eat makes you tired, you probably should not consume that food. (And don’t go blaming the tryptophan, quinoa and oats both have tryptophan in it, and they are energy-boosting foods!)

So why don’t more people incorporate healthy, hearty, plant-strong vegan meals into their holiday routine? I believe part of the reason is because it can be emotionally difficult to give up some of your favorite traditional foods. However, this does not always have to be the case. As a result, BYOL will be posting great seasonal and festive recipes over the next month to help everyone enjoy their holiday without the side of remorse that typically accompanies them. 

Black Friday’s Powerful Raw Cranberry Sauce: Cranberry sauce is a holiday classic. While cranberries are excellent sources of magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) the stuff that comes in a can is about as far removed from its original goodness as can be. Even as a junk-food-loving kid, that stuff always freaked me out. It is loaded with sugars, preservatives, colors and “natural flavors.” It also undergoes an intense level of processing which leaves the gelatinous can-shaped blob while striping the cranberries of much of their original nutritional value. Instead, substitute the canned sugar sauce with this simple to make, truly delicious, and extremely healthy version of the holiday classic dish.

the goods

The recipe originally comes from the dietitians and MDs at PCRM, however I’ve tweaked it slightly to help give it an extra boost of goodness. A high-powered blender works best for this recipe, however a food processor also does the job ably.

To make, simply toss all of the ingredients into the blender or food processor and process until smooth.  (start with half an orange and add more if desired)

12-16 oz of fresh cranberries

½-1 navel orange

3 dates (or date sugar)

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tsp Navitas Naturals Pomegranate powder (optional)

The result will be a vibrant and scrumptious cranberry sauce that will impress all at the table. The antioxidant count in a small serving of this side dish alone will trump the entire meal in the Standard American Diet and it pairs perfectly with mashed sweet potato. It is sure to become a new fall family favorite!

I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday, and sorry for the sporadic posting as of late. Life has been crazy as I just started a new job, moved, and ran my first marathon.... 3:17:53.... 

PLANTSTRONG