Tag Archives: healthy

06Jan / 2011

Karen’s Botanicals Skincare

I must’ve been an angel all last year because Santa was too nice to me. Two of my most-used gifts so far have been Karen’s Botanicals Gentle Cleansing Lotion and Perfect Lotion. Dawn has been a pretty devoted follower of Karen for a while; I’ve heard nothing but good things about almost every Karen’s Botanicals product she has tried. And surely I’ve told you guys about my total lack of a skincare routine? Until now, I’d been unable to find anything with barely decent ingredients that was close to affordable and worked well with my crazy (combination, hyper-sensitive, prone to clogged pores) skin. I’d been washing my face with Dr. Bronner’s, the same stuff I use in the shower (and in the kitchen), but my skin had become pretty irritated.  After finally accepting that Dr. Bronner’s is simply much too harsh for washing my face every day, I put some of Karen’s gentler skincare products on my wishlist.

Karen's Botanicals Gentle Cleansing Lotion and Perfect Lotion

This duo has been the best thing to happen to my skin in a long time.

And I got them!  We didn’t open gifts until late on Sunday, January 2nd, so I’ve been using these products for less than a week.  However, I’ve been using them much more regularly because they’re so enjoyable.  The cleanser reminds me of a slightly thinner cold cream–something I’ve always thought of as very fancy but could never bring myself to use because of its universally horrible ingredients (no matter the brand).  The lotion is on the lighter side and is thankfully unscented (sometimes smells make me queasy), but does a great job at making my face and neck feel smooth all day.  I’ve even noticed that my  makeup goes on smoother, though I’ll admit I haven’t felt the need to wear it as often.  I did briefly consider posting a picture of my naked face (which I took at the same time as the picture above, directly after washing and moisturizing), but thought better of it.  The only real downside is that my face is so soft that I can’t stop touching it (and, worse, asking other people to), which I know puts tons of bacteria on my sensitive face.  Oh well!

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02Jul / 2010

Dawn’s Famous Muffin Recipe

Dawn, my younger sister and health and beauty blogger over at Turby and John, is visiting today to share her famous (at least among our circle of friends and family) muffin recipe. I’ve eaten more of these than I’d like to admit, so I can testify to their deliciousness. Welcome, Dawn!

muffin time

Hi, I'm Dawn. I love muffins.

I truly am crazy about muffins. I can easily think of ten reasons why I should not eat them, but sometimes I throw caution to the wind (not entirely, though, since I tend to bake with organic unbleached flour and sugar…which makes me feel better than it probably should). Months ago, I discovered this Awesome Blueberry Muffin Recipe on RecipeZaar.  Needless to say, I’ve had some time to play with the recipe and make it even more delicious. My most recent successful alteration of the recipe resulted in some slammin’ blackberry peach muffins. Here’s how to make it happen:

Muffins:

muffin ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unbleached organic cane sugar
  • 2 T local honey (not pictured, since it was an afterthought)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 organic egg (I haven’t found that these work better for any reason; we just typically have organic eggs in the fridge.)
  • 1/3 cup almond milk
  • 2 large handfuls of blackberries (These and the peaches are also not pictured, primarily because they wouldn’t fit.)
  • 1 small handful of peaches

Crumble Topping:

crumble topping

  • 1/2 cup unbleached organic cane sugar (I have found that using this kind of sugar for the topping makes it significantly better.)
  • 1/3 cup unbleached organic all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners (I always use liners.)

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder.

Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup.

Mix this with flour mixture.

fruity muffins

Fold in fruit.

Fill muffin cups right to the top.

muffin cups

Mix together crumble topping with a fork or clean hands if needed.

Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stab with a toothpick, and continue for a few more minutes if needed.

muffins

They should look about like this when they're done.

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04Jun / 2010

Asparagus Salad with Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese

This salad knocks my socks off.

A couple of our professors invited us over for dinner one night last week.  The whole evening was a lot of fun, but one of my favorite parts was this delicious salad.  Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, and the combination of asparagus, roasted red peppers, and goat cheese is so fresh and light–perfect for a summer night.  After raving about this salad for several days, I finally emailed my professor and she sent me the link to this Asparagus Salad with Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese recipe on foodandwine.com.

This salad is great for people who aren’t sure about salad, as I used to be.  When I first became a vegetarian I didn’t like vegetables (I subsisted on bean burritos and Boca burgers for longer that I’d like to admit), and I wasn’t crazy about salads for quite a while.  I think this salad would be a great baby step for someone unsure about vegetables–I wish I could go back in time and make it for my high school aged self.

To make this, you’ll need:

  • 2 pounds medium asparagus, tough ends removed
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon or dill
  • 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (I used white because that’s all we had)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 ounces soft mild goat cheese
  • 12 Niçoise or Calamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

Cook the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until it’s bright green and tender (about 3 minutes). Transfer to a colander and refresh under cold water. Drain and pat dry. Roast the peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until charred all over (I’d never done this before, and I’ll admit it’s harder than it sounds. My professor confessed to using jarred peppers, and they tasted just fine too). Transfer to a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel the peppers and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
To make the dressing, stir together the vinegar, capers, mustard, tarragon, garlic and onion in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper and then whisk in the olive oil.
Arrange the asparagus on a serving tray. Lay the roasted pepper strips over the asparagus and drizzle with half of the vinaigrette. Crumble the goat cheese on top. Garnish with the chopped olives and the parmesan shavings and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

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18Nov / 2009

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I didn’t think it was possible to love spaghetti squash any more than I previously did. I won’t lie: the long stretch of hot months between last year’s trip to the pumpkin patch and this year’s was filled with a lot of noodly, marinara-drenched daydreams. I had just two big squashes left over from our most recent trip, and I really wanted to do something special with them (This is sounding more like a creepy woman-vegetable love affair that I’d intended), so when Kirby informed me that our recent Porch Swing Media get-together was to be a potluck, I knew I had to share the noodly love. Enter this Spaghetti Squash Gratin Recipe from Once Upon a Chef, which I decided to call a casserole in light of the fact that it sounds a little more southern.

Cut in half and scooped out--ignore my wrinkly hand, please.

Cut in half and scooped out. Ignore my wrinkly hand, please.

I decided that baking the squashes would be necessary to complete my spaghetti squash preparation experimentation (I dealt with boiling and microwaving spaghetti squash in early October).

To bake: I got a big (fairly dull, since I’m pretty clumsy) knife and cut my two squashes in half lengthwise. I scooped out all the guts and seeds (paying careful attention to the area just below the stem, where the thin and tricky seeds especially like to hide out) and lay the squashes flat on a cookie sheet. I baked them in a 350° oven for somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour, until the hard-ish flesh was easily punctured with a fork.

While the squashes were baking I mixed up the old reliable Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever recipe, going extra heavy on the basil and parsley and adding a couple of bay leaves and around 1/2 tsp. thyme. The longer this simmers the better, so I just let it do its thing the entire time the squash was in the oven.

I accidentally broke one of them; I guess I don't know my own strength.

I accidentally broke one of them; I guess I don't know my own strength.

Once the squashes had cooled (This part is important! Baked spaghetti squash halves are heavy, unruly, and HOT) I scooped the “noodles” out into a baking dish and dumped the spaghetti sauce on top (don’t forget to remove the bay leaves!). I found that tossing everything together with tongs worked well. I then sprinkled a cup of grated parmesan cheese on top, and topped that with a mixture of 1 T unsalted butter, melted, and 1/2 C breadcrumbs (Once Upon a Chef recommends Panko, but all I used the regular kind as that’s all I had and they seemed to work out fine). All this went into a 425° oven for 25 to 35 minutes.

What can't be improved by covering it in cheese and breadcrumbs and baking it?

What can't be improved by covering it in cheese and breadcrumbs and baking it?

If you ever have the problem of uncooked bits of spaghetti squash, this recipe is an easy way to combat that. Furthermore, it’s a lot easier to just scoop out and heat up than squash and sauce cooked and stored separately. I brought home what I didn’t eat on Sunday night at the PSM potluck (there was so much good food there, so I had a lot of casserole left), and I’ve been eating it for lunch and dinner all week. I’m studying like mad for the GRE this week, which I’m scheduled to take on Friday, so it’s been really nice to have this big tray of awesome sitting in the fridge and requiring very minimal preparation. As soon as I can get my hands on some more spaghetti squash, I will definitely be making this again.

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04Nov / 2009

Berry Zucchini Bread

I had a few zucchinis hanging out in the fridge just begging to be turned into something delicious before they became mush. Zucchini is my favorite summer squash because it can be used in so many ways. I love it in savory dishes, but I tend to use it more in sweet breads because it adds so much fiber and moisture.

Shredded zucchini--a raw ingredient that can be turned into so many different, delicious things.

Shredded zucchini--a raw ingredient that can be turned into so many different, delicious things.

I used grist.org’s Blueberry Zucchini Bread recipe, which I typically follow very closely because it comes out perfect every time.  Today, however, I didn’t have fresh blueberries on hand so I used a frozen mixed berry blend I had in the freezer.  To make this, you’ll need:

1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (I used about three medium sized zukes)
1 1/4 cups frozen mixed berry blend (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
2 ungreased loaf pans
Preheat oven to 350°.  In a smaller mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together with a fork and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the three eggs until they’re all yellow and the yolks and whites indistinguishable.  Add the sugar, then beat again until everything is combined.  Add the oil and vanilla and beat until combined (1 cup sounds like a lot of oil, but keep in mind this recipe makes two loaves of bread).  Next, add the grated zucchini and mix well.  Pour half of the flour  mixture into the wet mixture and mix well.  Once everything is evenly distributed, add the remaining flour mixture.  Again, mix until everything is combined.  Fold in the fruit.  (The original recipe calls for fresh blueberries.  I used a frozen mixed berry blend because it’s what I had on hand, but any combination of fresh or frozen berries should work fine here.)  Distribute the batter evenly between the two loaf pans and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until they are golden.  To be safe, start checking them around 45 minutes–when a toothpick or fork inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, you know they’re ready.  Let them cool for five to ten minutes, but cut them while they’re still pretty hot because they’re wonderful with a generous pat of melty butter on top.
Full of fruit and fiber!

Full of fruit and fiber!

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