Nutty Oatmeal cookies

Nuts, chopped dried apples or other fruit, coconut or a combination help oats produce a great cookie. Choose the first options throughout this recipe ingredient list, and you've got a surprisingly good vegan cookie! (psst...This recipe can handle an extra 1/4 cup of bits of semisweet or dark chocolate)

To make the spice flavors more powerful, bump up the amount of cinnamon to a teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and 1/4 spoon of each ground allspice and nutmeg. Make these cookies bite size because you know people will have more than 5 in one seat and its just more fun.

1/2cup peanut oil lor vegetable oil or 1 stick unsalted butter, softened.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup applesauce or 2 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups all porpuse flour

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup chopped dried apples or another fruit

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

1.Heat the oven to 375F. Use an electric mixer to cream the oil or butter and the sugars together; add the applesauce or eggs and beat until well blended.

2. combine tthe flour, oats, fruit, nuts, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Alternating with the milk, add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture by hand, a little at a time, stirring to blend. Stir the vanilla.

3. Put teaspoon-size mounds of dough about 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. bake until light browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes on the sheets, then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature!! yum yum, Enjoy!

Not your usual Ratatouille

Have you ever had a movie induce a specific food craving? I cant sleep when this happens!! So here's a recipe from a movie I've watched over and over again! You know how much I love zucchini (obviously, its appears all over this blog!) but cauliflower makes a much more interesting contribution to ratatouille, because its crunchy chew complements the creaminess of the eggplant beautifully. If you prefer, replace the cauliflower with 2 or 3 small zucchinis or 1 large summer squash. To add more substance here, stir in some white beans, cut pasta, roasted potatoes, or bits of chicken or feta cheese as the cooking nears its end.

Ingredients
1 medium or 2 small eggplants (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (I always keep minced garlic in a jar with olive oil)
1 red pepper chopped
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped (boil to take skin off and seeds)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (optional)
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves, for garnish
freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional but do it!)

Step by step
1. Cut the eggplant into large cubes (sprinkle them with salt and place them in a colander for 30 min. I dont know WHY but it increases the flavor but if you dont have the time dont do it) Then rinse, drain and pat dry.
2. out 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and when hot, add eggplant, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir occasionally until soft and golden, about 10 min. remove and drain on paper towel.
3. put in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the pan and ass the cauliflower. Cook, stirring ocassionally, until it loses its crunch about 4 min. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper and cook and stir for another minute or two, until they are soft. add the tomato and thyme and cook for another minute, until the tomato just starts to release its juice. Return the eggplant to the pan, along with basil leaves. Give a good stir, taste and adjust seasoning (this is a good time to improve your chef skills and shake the pan throwing veggies up in the air and catching them!) finally, the lemon juice.

The ratatouille will keep for a couple of days, covered and refrigerated! May your dreams be filled with delicious meals and wines (not rats in your kitchen!) .

-Recipe from Food Matters

Food and Feelings

If we have learned to associate food with love and nurturing- As children, we may have been rewarded with food for good behavior. We may have received a special treat to make us feel better when we were hurt. As adults, most of us (..Including me!!) have continued the practice of rewarding ourselves, lifting our spirits, or searching for love through the same means. . food. YES..Food is friendship. Food is love. Food is soothing. Food is attention. Take a moment and think about your eating patterns. I believe food should ONLY be used to nourish the soul and the body. Let's keep candy as a happy TREAT (I said treat!! so..please throw away the ones you have hidden in your office or in your drawers haha).

I call candy a HAPPY treat because endorphins are released when we eat tasty, sweet or creamy foods. Believe it or not, candy and sweets which are simple carbohydrates have the greatest impact in the increase of serotonin levels but the effect will only last one to two hours. Here's a healthier way to improve our eating habits and still get all of those positive feelings!

Do you know when your lowest energy time is? If not, pay attention. Most of us have a time of day that we are more tired than usual. Mine is around 2pm. Be sure and have a carbohydrate rich snack ready for this time. Watch for the sugars and starches, though. A piece of fruit or fruit and yogurt or whole grain crackers will work!

Love your caffeine? Me too (just the smell of coffee makes me feel warm and calm). The sad truth is that you need to avoid it with meals. Why, you ask? Because coffee and tea have something called tannins and these reduce the iron that gets absorbed into your body (this is not a good thing) so for every can or cup you drink, drink that much water to make up for it. Caffeinated drinks act as diuretics.

Hope you have a fabulous week!

PA’ ELLA!

(4 to 6 servings/ 45 min) ..time Flyes in the kitchen so do it!
Paella often looks like a big deal, but in its soul its just rice with good stuff in it, isn’t it!? that stuff can be anything, so lets make a healthier paella!! (The common restaurant paella is just an interpretation.) This version relies on good tomatoes, but you can use eggplant, root vegetables or winter squash, or improvise in other ways: Substitute a few scallops or mussels for the sausage and shrimp; toss slices of eggplant, zuccini, mushroom caps, or carrots in some olive oil; and set them on top of the rice to roast. To use White rice here, reduce oven time by about half.
3 ½ cups any stock or water plus more if needed, pinch saffron threads (optional but do it..!) 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into thick Hedges, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion chopped, 1 tblspoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoons Spanish pimenton(paprika), 3 ounces chorizo cut into ¼ inch pieces. , 2 cups short grain brown rice, 6 large peeled shrimp; or 2 boneless chicken tights, cut into ½ inch chuncks, 1 cup fresh or frozen peas, copped fresh parsley leaves for garnish.
1. Heat the oven to 450F. Warm the stock, and the saffron if you’re using it, in a small sucepan. Put tomatoes in a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle them with one tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to coat.
2. Put the remaining oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens 3 to 5 min. Stir in tomato paste, paprika, and chorizo if you are using it and cook it for a miute more.
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until its shiny, another minute or two. Carefully add the warm stock and stir until just combined, then stir in the shrimp and peas.
4. Put the tomato wedges on top of the rice and drizzle with the juices that accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. Put the pan in the oven and bake, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. Check and see if the rice is nearly dry and just tender. If not, return the pan the oven for 5 min and check again, and repeat if necessary. If the rice looks too dry at a point, but still isn’t quite done, ass a small amount of stock or water. When the rice is ready, turn off the oven and let it sit for at least 5 and up to 15 min.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you lik, put the pan over high heat for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving.

Everyone loves paella! serve it with sangria! (recipe coming soon..!)

Scam Alert!

Marketing gone BAD- Promoting consumption of products in company’s obvious ways like advertisements and branding, and in much more devious, subtle ways, like paying supermarkets for shelf space have gone wild. In the food world, as elsewhere, advertisements, licensing arrangements and promotional campaigns are universal. They are successful too- A 10 year deal between McDonalds and Disney was worth about $1billion; a similar alliance between Pepsi and the Star Wars movies was estimated to be worth about $2billion. The web has made promotion easier than ever, they are offering infomercials in the form of recipes which are becoming scarier, look a www.kraftfoods.com so-called “healthy” updates often questionable like yoghurt promoted on www.activia.us.com, with its two week challenge to improve “intestinal transit”. This is the greatest marketing assault in history according to Mark Brittman. No one of course is forced to look at this junk. But it affects not only children who often become true believers but adults as well. Almost all foods grown in the united states are promoted through nonprofit marketing organizations. The idea is that all producers contribute to a fund, usually called checkoff. Basically, advertisements are used to increase consumption of the food in question in the United states and abroad. You have seen this everywhere and probably not realizing how bad it had gone like “Got Milk?” ¨Pork-The other white meat¨ ¨Beef: Its what´s for dinner¨ are the best known examples and among the most successful marketing campaigns in history. Food advertisements use every means at their disposal to convince us of the “health” of their products and their benefits of consuming more of them. A quick look at www.gotmilk.com (PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!! ) demonstrates this. Want to “rebuild muscle” or “increase stamina”? You don’t need soy protein or Gatorade (or, god forbid, WATER!); Milk or chocolate milk is what you should reach for. Want an excuse for drinking more coffee or eating more cookies (specifically in one recent campaign Oreo’s)? add milk. They show that their food is good and good for you even when it isn’t. But more on the so-called healthy ingredients later.

..If it's too good to be true, It probably is you idiot! Read the nutrition facts before you buy any product and stay healthy!!

One Hot Quickie!

I went to a friends house last night and got sooo turned on by the smell coming from the kitchen, no one had to tell me where the kitchen was, the smell was so amusing I literally ran to get there haha..it smelled like peppers, onions, garlic, serranos, wine..MmMm...!! There was something about this kitchen that made me want to stay there forever, it’s the type of kitchen that invites you in, it has an island where you can gather around with friends and watch what’s going on in the pan at the same time(an actual torture for me) but that’s exactly what we did. My friend said he was doing fine and although I was truly dying to grab that pan and get into my cooking mood I poured myself a glass of wine instead and sat down with friends to chat. (jazz music on the background) MY PERFECT SCENARIO! Ok so about the food.. Its surprising how simple it is to make a delicious meal with ingredients we all have at home IN MINUTES- spaghetti, canned tuna, colorful peppers, serranos, onion, tomatoes, garlic, lemon and olive oil. He already had the pasta ready so the next step was to chop everything into small pieces, sauté it for a few minutes (this is when you can see eyes rolling and hear angry stomachs haha) Mix this with the canned tuna, add some lemon, a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Finally, place some pasta in a plate, top this with the tuna mix and enjoy it with some crackers!!! I had dinner twice last night, how could I refuse, it was soo gooood! Enjoy.

It's time to UNDRESS!

Every day, one out of four americans eat a Fast food meal. If you are eating out, a Fast food restaurant seems like the cheapest, faster option but unfortunitely, its not the healthiest one. One Fast food meal contains almost enough calories, sodium and fats for the entire day. Here’s how you can make healthier choices and still enjoy the “Fast and cheap” meals.

“Undress” your food- when ordering a salad be aware of the calories in the dressings or sour cream, do you really need that much? Order it separately and just pour what’s necessary. Or when ordering a chicken sandwich, you can ask for the mayonnaise separately..by doing this you can control how may calories ad fats you are eating!

Make careful menu selections- To make this try not to look at the pictures and read the menu and the ingredients. Avoid Deep-fried, au gratin, crispy and those kinds of words (the yummi ones).

Drink water with your meal- soda is a huge source of hidden calories. Try adding lemon wedges to your glass of water or order unsweetened iced tea because this will make them both waay tastier!

Take your time- avoid eating on the run because when you take your time, you can stop eating right before you are full.

Keep it healthy bitch!

Popcorn-Healthy or junk food?

It's amazing how much popcorn has invaded our lifestyle. Whats not to love about popcorn, right!? Its easy to make, its hot, it smells wonderful, its playful (I'm pretty much an expert on throwing them high and catching them with my mouth). New studies have shown that popcorn is high in antioxidants (polyphenols) which is a group of natural plant chemicals that have a variety of health benefits, its in the same group of compounds that give red wine, tea, olive oil and chocolate their beneficial properties-against cell damage, anti-cancer and keeping a healthy heart. Popcorn is also a whole grain in the same league as oatmeal, barley, brown rice and millet-grains that are also known for their health benefits-all of this grains retain the bran and germ of the plant which is the source of most of the vitamins and minerals. BUT you cant just go to the movies and order popcorn with extra butter and expect it to be healthy haha In order to get this benefits you have to prepare it right, the way its prepared makes all the difference. If popped in oil and doused in butter, they will be so high in fat content that it will completely override many of its good aspects. the best way to prepare it is to air pop them and go very light on the butter. Resist the temptation to shake on too much salt. Try sprinkling a little garlic, salt-free chili powder, or low fat parmesan cheese sprinkles. Its a simple matter of modifying your lifestyle-At the supermarket buy the healthiest ones (take the time and look in the back of the box), when going to the movies get the SMALL popcorn combo even if the large bucket is only 50 cents more. Ordering a medium popcorn and soda combo from a major national movie theater chain is the equivalent of eating three Mcondlads Quarter pounders with 12 pats of butter, according to a new study by the Center for Science in the public Interest. Keep enjoying popcorn, just make it a healthy snack-not something to bitch about at the gym!!

Ta-Dah!

No one wants to turn on the oven during summer time, its too fuckn’ hot to stick your face into a 175 degrees oven! No- Cook meals begin with smart supermarket choices-canned tuna, Fresh lettuce, prosciutto, peaches, mozzarella, tomato, chicken, pasta, peppers,arugula-fresh produce! Develop your inner chef creativity and start making your own delicacies at home! Sweet, salty, sour or bitter its your choice from entrees to desserts! Here's a knockout salad-arugula with peaches wrapped in prosciutto, spread some goat cheese, olive oil, salt pepper and done! It does not take much to create a fabulous dish in minutes! Have fun with ingredients this weekend!

cocktails and spirits!

Yes, Its that time of the year when your car seat burns your ass or when a 3 minute ride in a subway feels like 20 minutes underwater!! We could stay inside with air conditioner and pay a high electric bill but what fun is there in that? Lets beat this summer heat and enjoy whats left of the summer! What better way to cool off the than sharing some cocktails with friends! Here are some tips to spend a fun summer and saving some money!

One of my favorite cocktails are margaritas- get your blender out to the pool party or when using the grill and pour in 4 cups of ice, half a cup of white tequila, a hint of triple sec(cointreau), the juice of 4 or 5 lemons, a hint of salt, some midori (for flavor and color) and sugar syrup as desired, blend well and before serving, sprinkle the ring of the glass with salt (kosher).. yum! If having brunch outside order mimosas or invite your friends over and make them yourself! (to keep mimosas cold and not lose the flavor have ready some icecubes made of sparkling white wine or champagne in your freezer!) If you have a basement, use it during the hottest hours of the day when the sun is the highest because its usually 10-15 degrees cooler than the rest of the house.

Finally when you are about to have a meltdown crisis, sit back, close your eyes and picture snow. Research has shown that the body reacts to these daydreams, reducing its overall temperature (I just made this up haha but how cool if it were true!) I hope you enjoy whats left of the summer! cheers!

A handful of your heart's desire.

Want a snack that loves you back? Reach for heart-smart, nutrient-rich almonds. Just a handful a day can nourish your heart by helping you maintain healthy cholesterol levels!!

*Turns out,a handful of almonds a day (about 23 almonds) really can keep the doctor away. Imagine that!

Patient-"We need to schedule a surgery"

Nurse-(looking over the patients chart) "surgery? for what, ma'am?"

Patient-"The doctor said I had high cholesterol. And I want him to go in and cut it out, take it all"

Nurse-"I cant just go and remove the cholesterol. There are ways you can lower your cholesterol." Patient-"Don't lie to me. There's cholesterol free food. I've seen it. Someone has to go into the food and take it out, now don't they? You just dont want me to use my free health care. You probably voted for McCain!" Nurse- Let me call the doctor." I overheard my friends talking about their cholesterol levels in the middle of a party and my immediate reaction was to (not walk) but RUN for a drink 'cause we are not getting any younger haha JK. Be smart, keep it healthy-cook light!