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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Fajitas with Corn Salsa

This recipe originally comes from "Clean Food" by Terry Walters, though I have modified it a bit from its prime form. The key to this recipe is lime juice and cilantro!

There are 2 parts to this recipe: the Fajitas themselves and the Corn Salsa.

To make the fajitas, you will need:

- 3 sweet potatoes
- 3-4 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 and 1/2 c cooked black beans
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 8-10 soft fajita-size corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and bake 45 mins - 1 hr or until soft. Remove from oven and cool.

While potatoes are baking, make corn salsa and set aside or in fridge (below).

Peel sweet potatoes and mash with fork. Add lime juice and distribute evenly, stirring into potatoes. Fold in cooked black beans and tomatoes. Spoon filling into center of each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into shallow casserole. Top with shredded cheese and place in broiler for roughly 5-7 minutes, watching closely to keep cheese from burning. Remove from broiler, top with sour cream and cold corn salsa, and serve.

To make corn salsa, you will need:

- Canned or frozen corn
- Lime juice to taste
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2-3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
- salt to taste

Blanch or thaw corn by placing corn in a strainer and pouring boiling water over it. Pour blanched corn in a medium-sized bowl and combine with diced onion (ratio should be roughly 2 parts corn : 1 part onion). Drench with lime juice and stir in chopped cilantro. Salt as necessary.

Notes: Can also use canned diced tomatoes if not in season (use roughly half a 15-oz can). Reheat value on this recipe is excellent. Resist the urge to zap these in the microwave, since microwaving removes much of the nutritional value. When reheating, place in warm oven or under low broiler to heat insides without burning outsides.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Again, if oats aren't an obstacle for your system, these healthy treats are a great snack! This recipe comes to me from my new cookbook, "Clean Food" by Terry Walters (which, btw, is an EXCELLENT resource for those interested in eating deliciously and nutritiously).

For this recipe, you will need:

- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 c maple syrup
- 1/2 c canola or veg oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 c dark choc chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, combine oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. In separate smaller bowl, whisk together syrup, oil, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until evenly combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon dough onto sprayed cookie sheet and do your best to make it stick together as a mound. Bake 13-15 mins or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and enjoy warm :)

Makes roughly 2 dozen.

Notes: Can also add 1 c chopped toasted walnuts for variation.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Julie / Julia

The first time I saw "Julie & Julia," I fell in love. Julia Child does that to you. Or at least Meryl Streep does that to you in the way she portrays her. And several of my friends tell me that I am just like Julie Powell as she is portrayed in the movie. I take this as a huge compliment. To make a long and sentimental story short, I have become obsessed. I call this the Julia Effect.

Anyway, an old friend of mine, Melanie, has also experienced the Julia Effect. And she actually went to the trouble of finding Julie Powell's old food blog from 2002. I've been reading it... it's like watching the movie in REAL LIFE. I. love. it.

I am posting the link to this blog below so you can enjoy it too. I just love her thoughts on so many things. Most of all, I love that she's just trying to figure out what works for her and she graciously allows her readers into that process. And even when things don't go her way, she still figures out a way to deal with it and be ok. I so get that. Adulthood is a tricky thing to navigate. But don't just take my word. Read it for yourself:

http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/2002/08/25.html

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Sushi

Ok, ok... this isn't REAL sushi. Technicalities! But this recipe keeps fairly well and can be taken easily in lunches since you'll be using cooked, canned crab.

For this recipe, you'll need:

- 1 pkg nori sheets (dried seaweed)
- 1 small can cooked crab meat (not imitation)
- 2-4 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 cups short-grain whole grain brown rice
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced thin and lengthwise
- 1 cucumber, sliced thin and lengthwise
- salt to taste

Prepare rice as directed on package. Allow rice 10 mins to stand after full cooking time. Stir in rice vinegar.

While rice is cooking, peel vegetables, slice, and set aside. Mix mayonnaise with crab, enough to make stick together and set aside.

On hard surface, spread a medium-sized piece of wax paper. Carefully remove nori sheet from package and lay on wax paper, shiny side down. Spread rice over nori sheet 1/4" thick, leaving about 1" on the edge of the sheet for sealing the roll.

Place vegetables and crab mixture in a long thin strip across middle of nori-rice sheet. Take edge of the sheet and fold over rice, carefully rolling entire sheet with rice, vegetables, and fish in middle. When finished rolling, seal non-riced edge with wet fingertips. Wrap wax paper around roll to compact and further seal.

Sushi roll may be stored in refrigerator, rolled in wax paper with edges twisted, as a candy wrapper.

Repeat with remaining ingredients. Recipe makes 3-4 sushi rolls.

When ready to serve, remove wax paper and slice sushi roll. Best served cold.

Notes: Nori sheets and rice vinegar may be found in ethnic food section of grocery store. Can use with other types of fish as well (tuna, salmon, etc). Health benefits best derived when using whole grain brown rice.