So juicy.

I don't think I've ever blogged about juicing before, so today's your lucky day, reader!

A few years ago, the bf bought me this monster chomper and, while I don't use it as often as I'd like (hello, sinkful of dirty dishes and compost bucketful of discards), when I do, it makes me feel like I've done something good for myself.

Everyone I know right now is sick with the flu or some other gross, disgusting, mucus-y illness.  I refuse to fall prey to these germs as well and I believe juicing helps me through these seasons because there's no way I could eat a bushel of oranges (or however oranges are sold) in one sitting in order to get all of the vitamins and nutrients needed to fight a cold, but I can definitely drink the juice of a bushel*.

The other day I juiced up a bunch of kale, an apple, and a lemon**.  Today, my juice is pictured here: quite simply, a couple of carrots, a couple of oranges, and a pink grapefruit.  Could you imagine eating all of that stuff in the "before" photo...together...in a row?  Enter, the lovely, whirled-up concoction on the right.

Fun facts:

• Kale - provides comprehensive support for the body's detoxification system; high in Vitamins K, A, and C
• Apples - help regulate blood sugar (I use this to cut the bitterness in my green juices)
• Lemon - good source of Vitamin C, which is vital to the function of a strong immune system
• Carrots - protect cells from damage; high in Vitamin A (beta-carotene)
• Oranges - super high in Vitamin C
• Pink grapefruit - high in Vitamin C

*Disclaimer: I have no idea what a bushel of oranges looks like, so this might be a lot of big talk, but you get my point.
**Normally, I would also add ginger and parsley to this mix, but I was out of both that day.

La Festa dei Sette Pesci

I'm too full to make up a new post for today, so I'm recycling last year's.  Going to lie down now.

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As I scour my wardrobe looking for a pair of pants with an elasticized waist, I reminisce about Christmas Eves past at my parents' house and the many family members who have gathered around their table enjoying my mother's most favorite holiday ever (I can actually hear her snort-laughing over that right now).  Per the tradition of our province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy (and the tradition of many other parts of Italy), Christmas Eve means my mother will have spent an entire month shopping and poring over recipes for what is known as La Festa dei Sette Pesci (The Feast of the Seven Fishes) as part of the celebration of La Vigilia (The Vigil).  For me, it means I will have to ask politely for everyone at the table to please move the plate of eel far, far away from me.

Today also means about sixteen pounds worth of assorted holiday treats. By tomorrow, I believe I will be officially made out of chocolate...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Wishing my friends, family, and fellow bloggers a very safe and happy holiday!

Quasi-recipe: Lovely lentils

Inspired by one of my favorite side dishes at LIC Market, I set off to incorporate lentils into my salad yesterday.  There are so many good things about lentils and they're so simple to make, dressing them up or down as you like.  As a kid, I remember having homemade lentil soup all the time and they've always been a favorite of mine.  Here are the ingredients I used to make the dish in this photo:

Green lentils
Mesclun greens and baby spinach
Hard-boiled egg
Pitted Manzanilla olives
Dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper)
French bread
Hummus

Recipe: It's quinoa-nderful!

Instead of oatmeal, I sometimes like to use quinoa for my morning meal.  It's just as nutty, filling, and tasty as an instant oatmeal package would be, but better, nutritionally (be mindful of your calorie intake for the rest of the day since quinoa's a little up there).  Today, I used the time while the quinoa was cooking to get in some yoga and stretching.

Below is my recipe (serves 2); but, as always, feel free to add/substitute your own ingredients and make it palpable for you.

Part 1 

1/2 c quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 c water 

Part 2 

1/4 c almond milk
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon 

Part 3 

1/2 c fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp raw almonds
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp dried cranberries

From "Part 1," in a small saucepan over low heat, combine quinoa and water.  Bring to boil, then cover, lower flame and simmer until almost all water has evaporated (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Remove lid, raise heat slightly, and stir in "Part 2" ingredients; cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once mixture is smooth and all excess liquid has cooked off, remove from flame, divide into two bowls and top with "Part 3" ingredients.

Recipe: Chilling with Chili

Ah, the one-pot meal.  What could be easier?  Chop up a bunch of stuff, chuck it in a pot, cook it, and chow down.  If you have a big freezer, you can pack up half of what you make and freeze it for another time; you can pick at the other half in your fridge every other day or so for about a week.

My one-pot meal last night was homemade chili (I make mine vegetarian, which is quite hearty, but you can add ground turkey to yours if you want).

Depending on your dietary restrictions, some great sides to go with this or any kind of chili are:

• blue corn tortilla chips
• multi-grain pita chips
• corn bread (beware the butter content on this one or consider a vegan version)
• sour cream (low-fat or vegan would be my choice)
• cheddar cheese (ditto above)

I don't drink alcohol, but the bf prefers a solid red wine with this (or beer).

Here's my recipe, but feel free to mix it up, substitute/add/subtract as needed, and make it your own.  I like my version (minus the ground turkey) because it's chock full of protein and veggies.

Part 1

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled & chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
1 med carrot and/or 1 sm sweet potato, peeled & chopped
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded & diced*
4 kale leaves, de-stemmed & finely chopped/shredded (chiffonade)
1/2 c water
2-4 cans beans** (2 if you're also using ground turkey), drained
1 12- or 15-oz can tomato sauce (plain)
1 lb ground turkey, if using 

Part 2 

1 Tbsp low-sodium soy or tamari sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce 

Part 3 

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

*if you don't have a raw pepper, you can use 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (even if you do have a raw pepper, toss in these other peppers, too, for extra spice)

**best beans for this: kidney, black, pinto

From "Part 1," in a large pot over very low heat, add olive oil, onion & garlic. Cook 7 minutes or until soft & translucent, stirring often. Then add carrot/potato, pepper & kale. Cook 7 minutes, then add water & cover pot; cook another 5 minutes to soften veggies.

Uncover pot, stir up ingredients and then add beans, sauce & turkey, if using. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Whisk all ingredients from "Part 2" in a small bowl; stir into pot of chili. Cook another few minutes. 

To pot, add all ingredients from "Part 3" and stir/mix well. Cook another 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

(If chili starts to dry out, add another 1/4 c water. If too watery, raise the heat and bring to boil for a few minutes to evaporate.)

Taste chili and season more with "Part 3" ingredients, if needed; otherwise, turn off flame and you're ready to serve it up!

Chew on this

I'm slowly getting this blog back up and running—finally—but it's taking a while. New stuff is above, but you can check out the old posts below while you wait.  E-mail me with any questions, and follow me on Twitter @DishWithDina.