5 steps to a lifetime of clean eating

We’re constantly inundated with marketing, convenience foods, and food trends, that it’s hard to know what foods are healthy and make you feel good. As the saying goes “You are what you eat.” but do we really know what we’re eating and how it affects us? Or, we always know what we “shouldn’t” be eating, but do it anyway for lack of choice, inspiration or knowledge. It may seem like a daunting to take charge of your food choices and to eat healthy, but it can all be achieved with five easy steps.

Raw Spice Bar

I recently discovered Raw Spice Bar, an awesome company that toasts whole spices, and freshly grinds distinct spice blends from around the world. Each month, in their "Spice of the Month" subscription offers a trio of regional flavors. Previous months include: Jamaica, Japan, and Navajo blends. It's really a brilliant way to explore the globe in the comfort of your own home. I was really excited to receive this month's Istanbul blends. They inspired me to think about foods differently and the combination of flavors. Not only that, but the spices transformed these simple recipes that I chose to make into something really special.

Leaf-to-Stem Goodness

There is an abundance of fresh herbs, especially in summer. If buying a big bunch and only using a few leaves as a garnish, and letting the rest go to waste, think again! These recipes utilize both the leaves AND the stems (and lots of it!) to make the most of these nutrient-dense, alkalizing, and immunity-boosting small (but mighty) plant foods. Enjoy!

Time for a Spring Clean!

Have you been hibernating this winter, "comforting" yourself with food? Need to kick that sugar habit? Get rid of that brain fog? Ready to shed those winter coats... and maybe a few extra pounds?

It's time to start a spring clean with the Yommme™10-day detox program!

Successful completed session April 13-22, 2015

5 steps to Healthy, Happy Kids

We're constantly inundated with processed foods. I realize that in many countries there isn’t this extreme industrialization and availability of fake-foodlike products. Kids just eat what their families eat, a home-cooked meal, no big deal. But here, busy people lead ultra-busy lives, and packaged foods and snacks are everywhere! It’s all about convenience. I have parents complain to me that their kids don’t eat any vegetables; kids don’t eat dinner; kids who only will eat neutral-colored foods; kids who won’t try new foods... the list goes on and on. There could be underlying reasons for these things, but most likely the cause is all the sugar- and salt-laden manufactured things that they're allowed to eat! Honestly, in a kid's eyes (and tastebuds) how can a simple vegetable compare with the chemically-loaded, flavor-enhanced foods that scientists have developed to incur addiction? With childhood obesity and related diseases on the rise, isn't it time to break free?

Healthy Packed Lunch

It's that time of year again: Back To School! Are YOU ready to get back into the swing of things? Getting your little one(s) up, fed, and out the door with food?

To ensure that your kids are getting necessary nutrients throughout the day, consider what the foods that you pack them for lunch. Research shows that processed food (with added flavor, coloring and preservatives) affects a child's well-being as well as learning and behavioral issues. 

Love Your veggies!

In all of my favorite new lunch restaurants, like Hü Kitchen and Mulberry & Vine, you choose a variety of prepared plant-powered dishes to make a very filling and substantial meal. Over the past months I've been focusing on integrating more veggie dishes into our meals. Inspired by my recent visit to Yotam Ottolenghi's restaurant, I came to this realization: "Why not make a variety of salads for dinner each night?"

Family-style/tapas/dim sum has always been my favorite way to eat. Everyone shares and gets to eat a little bit (or more!) of everything. I found that a few vegetables go a long way, and meal prep isn't so difficult when you have some pre-cooked grains, and make a few of your salads are raw. Below are my plant-powered meals for last week. We share all these dishes. These are my mains, and occasionally, my family will have a meat dish on the side. ;)

Healthy Eating Shopping Guide

Not sure what to buy when shopping for food? Want to make informed choices for a healthy diet? Here are a few suggestions and lists to help you stock up on nutritious foods. 

Potato Pancakes Plus

It seems that the demise of the Standard American Diet (SAD, as coined by author Mark Bittman) is heavily reliant on French fries as the "vegetable" portion of the meal. Did you know the average American consumes 29 pounds of french fries a year!? Processed and fast food fries are not only high in cholesterol, calories and salt, they could also be the cause cancer, diabetes. If you "need" fries, simply cut up a potato, toss in olive oil and bake it in the oven. It's that easy. Alternatively you can give your family their potato "fix" with healthy potato pancakes/fritters/latkes loaded with vegetables. French fry-loving kids won't have to miss the potato taste, and they're getting the benefits of a variety of vegetables they might not otherwise eat. If you make these a staple part of your family meals, you can gradually reduce the starchy potato in favor of more vegetables. 

Cauliflower rice sushi

"Cauliflower Rice" with greenmarket farm-fresh purple cauliflower! I'm so in love with the vibrant color!!!

A video posted by christine (@conscious_cooking) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:52pm PDT

We eat a lot of rice. While it is brown rice is a whole grain, I have always been conscious of not having it as the predominant part of the meal. When you go to a Chinese diner, the fried rice is always 90% rice, 10% meat and vegetables. At home, the fried rice is a 50%/50% ratio. Again, like with the zucchini "pasta" when I first saw Instagram posts for cauliflower rice and cauliflower rice sushi, I knew I had to try them both. (continued below...)

Power Foods

Gluten-free? Dairy-free? Sugar-free? Meatless? I've been a little confused lately in making the right choices of what to eat. We, as a society, have become so accustomed to so many foods, that it's hard to break these habits. Thankfully, little by little, the world is getting more health conscious... and its amazing to be a part of it! I feel like I've a head start with all the cooking I've done, but have some catching up to do in recognizing and fully understanding some of the latest health food trends: From juice fasting/cleansing to raw foods or paleo, or even just going gluten-free (see 11 hidden sources of gluten), it's a definite commitment to break old habits and make these work. A special diet is easiest to adhere to if you make all your own food. Ultimately, I also believe that, unless you have health-related, religious or ethical dietary restrictions, as long as you vary your foods from day to day, and eat lots of vegetables and whole foods (not processed), it's clean, healthy eating. Here's a list of "power"or "super" foods from a book of the same name, as well as from some other sources. So whether you are a meat-eater, milk-drinker, carbo-loader, or have a sweet (or salty) tooth, integrating any of these foods into your meals can only be good for you. 

Quinoa!!!

For a salad, combine with 2 cups of vegetables,
raw and/or cooked, finely chopped and dress lightly
with a simple vinaigrette

QUINOA (pronounced KEEN-wah) is THE superfood. Gluten-free and easy to digest, this seed is a complete protein (equivalent to milk). High in B vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, calcium and vitamin E, it's the ideal food for endurance and strengthening your body. 

Use quinoa as a substitute for any grain, like for a couscous, a fried rice, a salad, or with granola. 

Red quinoa – Quinoa cooked
together with 1/4 of a beetroot,
peeled and finely chopped

Ratatouille's Ratatouille

Yesterday's "meatless" Monday is a classic favorite of ours. Ever since we watched the brilliant Pixar movie "Ratatouille", I knew I had to make ratatouille this way. Traditionally this is a peasant vegetable "stew", but honestly, Thomas Keller's adaptation of this dish has taken this to a new level. Simple healthy ingredients, impressive looking and absolutely satisfying. 

It's nice to try to buy all the vegetables the same diameter (easier to stack and layer), which is why I specify an Asian eggplant/aubergine. It's only because they are skinnier, but any one will work. You'll find that just a few veggies goes a long way.

This is one of my favorite dishes to prepare with children of any age! 

Meatless Mondays

Stuffed Portobello mushrooms with a tomato-mozzarella-eggplant tower

For the past few months, Mondays have been busy. Trying to embrace the Meatless Monday and come up with a full meal without meat, without relying on carbohydrates like pasta, has been a challenge. It really shouldn't be, as so many countries around the world sustain a mainly vegetarian diet. Here are some meals I have come up with from using some familiar recipes, but without the meat. I actually feel great after eating these meals, and working on going meatless 2-3 times a week. Veggies need more prominence in any meal, to have a whole meal with all that natural goodness is so much better for you!

School Lunch

Now that all the kids are back in school, what are they having for lunch? if your child gets lunch in school, there is always the concern of what kind of meal they are getting. Tune into Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for the controversies he faces trying to get school kids a proper meal and educating parents on caring about what their kids eat. It's taken for granted that the get good meals, but at the end of the day, much of it is processed, whether is comes from school or the home. I remember one episode where the child brings a packed lunch from home with candy, chips and a juice box. Convenient, yes, but nutritious? 

Check out 9-year-old, "Veg"'s blog, Never Seconds. In the spring, she was forced to stop taking photos of her school lunches and posting them, but the ban caused an uproar from her supporters, and she's able to continue her plight! Her blog has expanded with posts of meals that kids around the world have sent to her. I love her rating for each meal (health-o-meter, number of mouthfuls, pieces of hair...). She also tries to replicate some of the food that her fans send in, very inspirational! 

Glazed Ham for the Holiday

This is a great alternative to turkey, and it takes a relatively short time for a roast. The ham that you purchase is usually smoked already, so it is only a matter of glazing and warming it through. You can boil away the excess salt first thing in the morning (tip from Nigella). The recipe comes from an old issue of Vogue Entertaining Australia. Once we even slow-roasted it on the barbecue! The key is to baste it regularly. These two recipes work well together at the same temperature. 

Thanksgiving Sides

Today's morning prep

Happy Thanksgiving! I am glad to see some of you checking out some of the simple holiday recipes: Cranberry Sauce, Pecan Tarts, and Apple Crumble with cranberries is great, add some freshly grated ginger too.... Today we're headed to a friend's house. They're taking care of the bird while I am working on the sides (in my opinion, the best bits!). 
I used to go out and get all the ingredients for the recipes, including buying port and brandy for only small portions. While it's nice to have complexity of flavors, it is also good to pare down to the basics, when you don't have something on-hand. I've simplified the Fruit and Nut Stuffing this time, which we are baking on the side. This considerably reduces the roasting time of the turkey and also keeps the stuffing from turning to mush. The cranberry sauce without the port needs a bit more sugar, so below is the recipe, slightly changed.
If you plan on making lots of sides, you only need small portions of everything. The recipes below are enough for 4 adults and 4 kids, but are very flexible.

Summer Soup – Gazpacho

In my 8th grade Spanish class, I remember making gazpacho in the class one day. It was pretty unique, but never really thought about it nor had it again until this summer, when I came across it more than three times, after so many years later (I'm not telling how many...) A hot weather favorite, this cold soup utilizes fresh summer vegetables, and is refreshing, palette-cleansing and a great way to beat the heat. In Spain, you can pick up cartons of gazpacho in the supermarket as one would a carton of milk. The soup originates as a bread-based soup and typically uses stale bread, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar, and salt, but the flexibility of ingredients and variations of the soup are numerous. 

The recipe I have to share with you a pared-down, back-to-basics / purist version that is so delicious in it's simplicity, I hope you will love it as much as I do. We were spending the weekend with good friends and were served a small "shot" of ice-cold gazpacho to accompany each meal. A non-cook cook, this has become my friend's latest reliable favorite, and, if she can do it, I promise, so can you! The recipe originates from her dear friend Niki, in Spain, who kindly has let me share this recipe with you all.

Tomatoes are still abundant, and amazing. Even though the weather is changing, this is a dish you can try out now and get ready for next summer.

Roasted Vegetables & Couscous Salad

Spring is in the air and enough of the meats and stews. Time for veggies and lots of them! This is a lovely colorful dish, a meal in itself, or great with a spicy merguez (lamb sausage), meatballs, or any barbecue. As flexible as this is to make, this can be served at any temperature. So you can prepare it in advance, or even just before serving, adding the vegetables fresh off the grill. We first had this simple, yet impressive dish at a friend's house one summer, and it has been a part of my repertoire ever since! However you choose to cook the vegetables, make sure the chunks/slices are large, to avoid over-cooking them... you can always cut them up into bite-sized pieces when tossing into the couscous. 

You can use millet or quinoa for as a gluten-free substitute.

Potluck Quick Fix

After a busy day, I needed something fast and easy to bring to the class potluck. What better than chopping up some tomatoes, onion and herbs, and toasting some bread. It was easy to carry the topping in a plastic container and the prepared bread sliced in the bag it came in. I brought a platter and it was a cinch to assemble a few upon arrival and whenever more was needed.