Dolma Wrap

Lunch is always hard to get excited about.  The same patterns are repeated and that cherished one hour break becomes just as dull as a limp salad or ham sandwich.  But, who has time to brown bag anything else in the morning?  The magic is what you put in the middle of the mundane.  I've recently become obsessed with wraps since I've been trying to limit my bread consumption (a little problem).  Because they are just a little different, for some reason my imagination is a little more creative with them.  Meet Dolma Mediterranean Wraps.

Little Treasures

Dolmas are the ultimate meat substitute for my kind of wrap.  These marinated rice stuffed grape leaves are little jewels that can make a wrap or salad way more exciting to eat.  Fresh or in the can will due, but I prefer canned actually because they have been marinated longer in olive oil and lemon.  My favorite brand is Divine, but you can find them usually in the Greek section of any major grocery store.


I usually stuff my Mediterranean wraps with dolmas, hummus, tomato, goat cheese and lettuce.  This whole wheat wrap pictured was especially sinful stuffed with dolmas, goat cheese, avocado, sundried tomatoes and a crack of pepper.

Banilla Nut "Ice cream"

It's been getting warmer in Seattle, and naturally, ice cream is what my Sweet Tooth desires.  The New York Times and several foodie bloggers have convinced me that there is nothing more genius than frozen banana ice cream.  That's right, one banana, one serving of delicious ice cream.  All you need is either a food processor or a blender.  You can add any other fruit or sweetness to it as you desire.  I added 1 tablespoon almond butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

The Method

Peel banana and throw all ingredients into food processor and set on puree for a few minutes.  Scrape the sides in between blending.

Blend until smooth like frozen yogurt.

Protein Wrap

"Hey what's for lunch?  I'm hungry like now?"

How about 4 food groups in one meal then some fruit for dessert?  This is one of my favorite easy-not-greasy quick meals.  If you like tuna salad, then give canned smashed sardines a try!  A revival of these omega-3-friendly fish is making a big comeback in the foodie world.  Their taste is rich and does not require adding much to the mash to make it flavorful, unlike tuna fish. This wrap is a protein punch before attending hot yoga.

What's in my wrap?

Wrap: Low-carb Whole Wheat Wrap

Veggies: Baby Spinach leaves and Roma Tomatoes

Dairy: Crumbled Goat Cheese

Meat: 1 can, fork-mashed sardines (I prefer either the mustard dill or spicy flavors) 

+ a few grinds of the pepper mill

 

Avocado Toast

Can we officially call this food porn?

When I see a ripe avocado, I first think of this delicious snack.  I learned about this from my chef friend Dani in Chicago.  It's simple, it's good, it's delicious.  Avocado Toast is good for breakfast or for a tasty protein snack before or after class.

Ingredients

1 piece of whole grain toast

1/2 avocado

1/2 T. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 squirt of lemon or lime juice

1 shake of sea salt

1-2 shakes of crushed red pepper

The Method

Place avocado half on toast and smash with fork until spread to your liking.  Next, a splash of citrus then a sprinkle of EVOO. Add salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Kale Nachos

On New Years Day in the South, it is good luck to eat blackeye peas for luck.  Unfortunately, I forgot to eat mine this year!  But, never-ye-mind because as long as you eat your beans within the month, you'll still have luck in the New Year (my rule...shhh!).  I've also been dreaming about a new Hot Yoga Food recipe: Vegan Spicy Kale-Blackeye Pea Nachos!  This recipe sounds gross at first, but you'll be surprised how good these are (and filling)!  It avoids the bad fried food/dairy rule, but you still get the taste and texture of cheesy, spicy, crunchy goodness!  These aren't too heavy like standard Mexican food, either.  These are great to whip up for lunch or after hot yoga class for a quick dinner. 


Ingredients


(chips)
1 bundle of kale
canola oil spray

(bean-cheese sauce)
1 can cooked blackeye peas, drained
2 c. water
2 T. or 1/4 cup sliced, jarred jalapenos (depending on your heat endurance)
1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. cayenne
2 T. cornstarch
1.5 T. sea salt
2 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
2 T. nutritional yeast
2 T. chopped black olives

(optional toppings)
light sour cream or greek yogurt
sprinkle of chopped black olives

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degree F.  Remove kale stems by tearing the leaves into large pieces away from the stem.  Discard the steams and dry the torn kale pieces with a paper towels.  Spray a large cookie sheet with canola oil, and place the torn kale pieces in a single layer. Spray again with canola oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Roast the kale for approximately 25 minutes until the edges of the kale become brown. 

While the kale is crisping in the oven, blend the blackeye peas and jalapenos in a food processor on high until it is a smooth paste.  Add the pepper-bean paste, water and the rest of the sauce ingredients to a medium pot and heat on medium until the sauce thickens.  

Pour the sauce over kale chips, the add dollops of sour cream and sprinkles of black olives on top of the cheese sauce.  Enjoy!

A Little Bit of Sweetness

In addition to be a Carb Addict, I have a Sweet-capital T-ooth.  And I love to bake. This addiction doesn't make hot yoga any easier.  As I sweat in class, I feel especially light-headed and queazy on days I eat too much processed sugar.  Should we add "processed sugar" to the list?  I believe so.

So yeah.  There's that problem. 

Oh and - 

I love, love, love nut butters!  Especially almond butter!  I love a teaspoon in my oatmeal or dipping fruit and carrots in them!  Yet, is this a problem, too?  Studies show that it is not.  Almond butter has become extremely popular over the past few years with health food bloggers, especially.  Known as one of the "healthy nuts," almonds have proven to lower cholesterol and contain protein, calcium, fiber, magnesium, folic acid, potassium, and vitamin E.

Therefore, raw almonds as snacks 2 hours before hot yoga or almond butter in my breakfast oatmeal does my body good.  The natural sweetness also tames the Sweet Tooth!  So far, hot yoga has tamed it somewhat, but I need little tricks, and almond butter is one of them.  My Sweet Tooth used to be a size 16, I'd say now it's more of a size 10 or 12?  (Women's, not Juniors)  Though, I still love to bake as a hobby.  It's very meditative and relaxing for me.  And, your house smells so good!  I give a lot of my baked goods to yogi friends so I don't eat them all ;-p  One can get carried away with nut butters, so I try to only have only 1-2 teaspoons a day if I am in need of duh buttah.

I recently purchased MaraNatha's new Dark Chocolate Almond Spread since I am a huge fan of Nutella  (uh, who isn't).  Whereas Nutella is very sweet and made with hazelnuts, this AB/Chocolate spread has very subtle hints of cocoa that isn't too overbearing on the palette.  It tastes more like almond butter ("AB") than a chocolate spread.  I also like coconut-based spreads like Artisina's Cacao Bliss.  This stuff goes for around $8/jar, but it is well worth the money.  If you are craving a piece of chocolate, just have a teaspoon of this stuff and you'll get not only the health benefits of almonds, but also satisfy your sweet tooth!

p.s. Another trick for Sweet Tooths is to keep a huge supply of different sweet teas around.  After supper is usually when I want something sweet.  All those years of habit - opening the freezer to select what flavor of ice cream is still with me.  Instead, you open your pantry door to see a vast selection of yummy teas!  Just a splash of cream, and it really does fight off the sugar demons!  These teas have no nutritional value, but are obviously way better to consume than cookies or cake.  Anything that can slay the sugar beast for me is worth the few extra calories.  Plus, it's kind of fun to have a cup after supper.  I understand now why tea time is so important in other cultures.  It can be very relaxing.

Here are some of Celestial Seasonings favorites:

 

Snack Attack!

It happens to all of us.  2pm, 3pm, 4pm rolls around at work.  Your blood sugar drops.  You get snackish.  You try really hard to ignore it, but the thought of not eating a morsel until 8pm after hot yoga class makes your stomach quiver.  My acupuncturist says I should make myself a cup of green tea to trick my stomach.  This sometimes works, but sometimes it doesn't it.  I've played it safe for the most part with my snacking.  I usually only want a snack in the afternoon since I eat lunch at 12:30pm every day.  I will say that string cheese doesn't work well for me on yoga days.  I used to have a string cheese and V8 as an afternoon snack but the cheese (see post) just doesn't do my body any favors in class later that day.  This is a great South Beachy snack on off-days, for sure, though!  I began a conversation with my body at this point.  I asked, "what do you want" and it said, "to digest."  It wants and needs protein and potassium before I go to class.  Here is my list thusfar of tasty, flavorful snacks that really help me out on afternoons when I have this conversation with my body.  They've never given me grief in class, don't taste like cardboard or like diet food and even help my endurance! 


1.) Bananas  - sometimes I cut them in half vertically and smear the inside with almond butter to make a banana boat sandwich!  Great snack a few hours before class.

2.) Synergy - a raw Kombucha power drink found in most health food stores.  It's fizzy, kind of strong at first, but you feel like a million bucks after one of these.  These are a good re-charger for after class.

3.) Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds - so delicious!  They come in a handy bottle with a cap that holds the perfect portion size.  Otherwise, I'd keep eating these addictive little morsels!  Another great snack a few hours before class.

4.) Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cliff Bars or Carrot Cake Cliff Bars - been eating these babies since college.  They never fail me.  These 2 flavors are the best in my book.  I usually nibble on half of one of these if I feel snackish in the afternoons.  They are loaded with vitamins and minerals and are very dense, so half usually does it for me.  Another before class snack.