Late Summer Lentil Salad

As the last summer rays ripen the tomato vines, plump up squashes and stretch out green beans, I'm looking to use the most healthful ingredients in a filling, yet light summer salad.  Pairing lentils as my base and layering with loads of fresh crunchy beets, tangy feta cheese, earthy eggplants and super food spinach creates a summer salad that is as easily used as a side dish or vegetarian main dish.  Other than the lentils and olive oil, I purchased everything at a farmer's market. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-1 cup of green or brown lentils, picked through and washed

-3 to 4 cups of washed baby spinach or other mixed baby green

-1 small purple eggplant or several baby eggplants

-1 large beet, peeled or several small beets, peeled

-1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese

-10 to 12 chopped kalamata olives

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp fresh lemon zest

-1 juice of one lemon

-fresh cracked black pepper 

-sea salt to taste

Directions:

Using a zester or the smallest option on a box grater, rub a washed lemon down to just when the white pith begins to show.  Then rotate and repeat until you have about 1 tsp of zest, which is full of flavor with the lemon oils that are in the skin opened up.  In a small bowl, add the zest, juice of the lemon, 1 tsp salt, 15 turnsof the pepper grinder and whisk in the olive oil.  Set aside.

Cut the eggplants, lengthwise, in half. Dust with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and drizzle a small amount of oil over the flesh.  Place under a broiler, skin side up for 5 minutes, flip and broil other side until the flesh is blackened slightly.  Cool and chop into medium size pieces.

In a sauce pan, fill to halfway with water and add the cup of lentils.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium, keeping the lentils at a steady simmer.  The lentils will take about 25 minutes to cook.  Taste test one or two lentils and make sure they are tender and no crunch is left. Depending on the age of your lentils, they might need a littler longer to become tender.  Be sure not to overcook and let them become mushy.  Drain the lentils and set in a large bowl.

Wearing gloves to protect your hands from staining slide the peeled beets over a box grater or cut them into thin slices. Add to the warm lentils.  Toss in the eggplant, olives, baby greens and feta and toss well with dressing.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Serving size is 1 cup.

Super Seasonal Salad and Upcycle Tips

Have you ever thought about using all of your vegetables?  Instead of taking those roots and throwing them in the compost or in the trash...let's upcycle. Using a little water, some potting soil and any container you have on hand, you can grow a lot more food from the roots, saving yourself a little money perhaps, but having fun with your food while doing so. Here are a few of my favorite upcycle ideas:  Celery - Simply cut the bottom off of the green stalks,  leaving 1-inch of stalks with the root. Peel away a few outer layers and suspend in a glass of water.  You can also transplant this into soil for even more growth.  Green Onions - Super easy one!  Cut the bottom root part off and plant the roots in potting soil in any container or plant them outside for loads more green onions.  Garlic and shallots - got shriveled or sprouted garlic or shallots?  Plant individual cloves in any soil and enjoy garlic or shallot greens  and you'll have yourself a new full bulb next year. Ginger -snap off a finger and plant it in a fairly large pot. Done! Not only will you have a fantastic houseplant, you'll be able to dig up new roots for stir frys as the plant grows.  Most herbs can grow roots by simply cutting a piece with the stem and placing them in a glass of water, after a few days when healthy white roots are showing plant them in some soil for your own herbs year-round.  This works great with basil & mint.

Great grains, quinoa and bulgur mix with crisp radishes, salty olives, and feta, dressed with olive oil and lemon, to create a salad that helps transition from the green salads of summer to the hearty dishes of winter. This salad, although still on the light side, will satisfy the most famished, but paired with a dollop of Greek yogurt it becomes a full and balanced meal.  Great Seasons Salad Ingredients: 1/3 cup quinoa 4 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/3 cup medium bulgur 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 3 TBSP. chopped mix of chives, garlic shoots (if you try the upcycled gardening) 8 brine-cured black olives, such as Kalamata, pitted and cut into slivers 2 radishes, thinly sliced 2 oz feta, coarsely crumbled (1/2 cup) 3 cups arugula or baby spinach leaves 1 cup of Greek yogurt, divided for garnish Directions: Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve between changes of water. Stir together quinoa, 4 cups water, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, and simmer, uncovered, until quinoa is just tender and germ starts to separate from grain, about 20 minutes. Drain well in sieve, then transfer to a medium bowl. While quinoa is simmering, cover bulgur with warm water by 2 inches and soak until tender and chewy, about 10 minutes. Drain well in a sieve, then stir into drained quinoa. Cool grains completely, about 20 minutes. While grains cool, stir together oil, lemon juice, pepper, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and let stand 15 minutes, then stir into grains along with olives, radishes, feta, chive mixture and greens. Garnish with Greek Yogurt and serve immediately.

Oh My Basil!

Cooking with fresh basil is a culinary pleasure I like to indulge in as much as possible.  Thanks to its popularity, basil is readily available, even in winter months.  This time of year you'll find the leafy greens blossoming in backyard gardens, fragrant and especially delicious, so take advantage while it is abundant. Basil has many health benefits to.  I've included some tips to help you utilize the herb in ways beyond my recipe this week. 1.  According to botanist James Duke, author of The Green Pharmacy, basil has anti-anxiety effects.  It contains phytochemicals that studies suggest may lower cortisol, a hormone secreted when you're tense.  Simmer down on a hot or harried day by adding the herb to your iced tea: add 2 or 3 leaves (per serving) while your tea is steeping.  Lounge chair optional.   2.  The herb is a super source of iron with a little more than two cups of chopped Click to watch!  fresh basil leaves or 1 tablespoon dried providing 10 percent your daily value. That is right up there with spinach!  You could easily get your dose by subbing basil in for spinach in your salads, tossing into scrambled eggs or adding chopped basil to your vinaigrettes.   3.  Vitamin K is essential for helping blood clot and basil is full of it!  In fact, just two tablespoons of basil provides 29 percent of the daily recommended value. Practice your knife skills by chiffonading basil.  Check out this video where I'll show you how.   For best results with all these tips and suggestions, use fresh basil whenever possible.  When cooking with it, add to the dish during the last few minutes for maximum flavor.

Are you ready to do more than garnish tomatoes and salads or spike soups and sauces?  Great!  Let's use this herb at the peak of flavor and availability in a convenient and versatile sauce.  While pesto certainly highlights the bounty of fresh, summer taste, combining parmesan cheese, olive oil and nuts means it's tipping the scales at about 8 grams of fat per one tablespoon serving.  I'm going to keep the heart healthy fats from the nuts and olive oil, but substitute the parmesan to reduce the fat.  Let's get blending! Pumped Up Pesto Ingredients: -2 large bunches basil (about 5 cups fresh basil leaves) -2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped -1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil -2 TBSP lemon juice -1/4 tsp fine sea salt -1/4 tsp black pepper -1/4 cup raw walnuts -1/2 cup of cooked white beans (butter bean, northern beans, navy, etc). Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  You'll need some power to blend everything smoothly, so your Magic Bullet might not make the grade for this project.  I like to layer the blender in this order: walnuts, garlic pepper, sea salt, lemon juice, beans and basil.  Pulse the ingredients a few times until they begin to homogenize a bit, then transfer the power to medium speed and drizzle in the oil in a steady stream.  Blend well until the consistency is smooth.  Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper to your taste. Pesto can keep well in the fridge for about three days and freezes extremely well. I would recommend making a second batch.  Just think...you'll be able to pull it out of your freezer, in the harsh cold of January and taste a little summer in your meal.

Kelly Bowlin

Cook your Best Steak and Venison Steak Salad

Steak cooks quickly and requires very little prep time in the kitchen.  Perfect for nights when it's just too hot to stand over the stove-top.  However, many people are unsure of how to cook with venison or beef steak, so here are some tips!   1.  Deer are free range, so they roam and exercise more than domestic animals. This is one of the reasons venison may become dry and less tender if cooked too long since the short muscle fibers will get tough.   2.  The finer cuts like tenderloin, loin or steaks only need to cook a few minutes per side on high heat.  Typically 3 to 4 minutes per side is plenty.   3.  Also, marinating is a great method to reduce any gamey flavor and to help soften less than the tender cuts of beef steak.   4.  Prior to marinating, be sure to remove any fat from the steak.   5.  After cooking, serve immediately.   Best flavor comes hot off the grill.

For a hot night, a cold, veggie filled salad is just perfect.  Make it a full meal with a boost of lean protein like venison steak or beef flank steak. Teriyaki Venison Steak Salad Ingredients: -1/2 lbs venison steak or beef flank steak -1/2 cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki -5 cups of chopped mixed salad greens like arugula, baby greens & spinach -1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes -1 crown of broccoli, large, chopped -1/4 cup raw walnuts -1/8 cup brown sesame seeds Directions: Marinate the venison for 30 minutes in a Teriyaki marinade.  I recommend SoyVay Veri Veri Teriyaki, since even though it is store bought it's very clean and prepared with preservative free soy sauce, fresh ginger and garlic, onions, expeller pressed soy and sesame oils and bursting with sesame seeds. Heat your grill and cook meat to medium rare, tossing on broccoli in the final flip of the steak to blacken slightly.  Allow meat to cool for 1 minute and then slice thin.  Toss with baby spinach, baby greens and arugula, raw walnuts, grilled broccoli, sliced cherry tomatoes and toasted brown sesame seeds.  For your dressing, just splash a tiny bit of fresh marinade and toss well.  Enjoy!

Kelly Bowlin

Is the Taco as American as Apple Pie?

A continuance of subject on an American family favorite: the taco, but first a brief history. This favorite food was heavily introduced to the American public in the early 1950’s when Taco Bell founder, Glen Bell, borrowed heavily from his Mexican-American neighbors and opened up his restaurants in areas of different ethnic and racial makeups. While Bell certainly did not invent the taco (patent records give that honor to Mexican restaurateurs located in California in the 1940’s), he did help assimilate this native Mexican food into the general American population. Today, the debate continues to wage whether or not the taco is authentic or not. While I cannot give a finite answer on that, I can tell you the following taco recipe is definitely not authentic, but still delish.

Shrimp and Slaw Taco with Grilled Corn and Refried Black Beans

All of these ingredients go so well together that you can make them all part of the taco, mix and match, or choose one ingredient only and eat the rest on the side. It’s a very family friendly approach to taco night.

1 lb. of raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 TBSP oil

Juice of 1 lemon, divided

¼ cup Uncle Bob’s Sauce http://www.ubsauce.com/

½ head of savoy cabbage

1 TBSP ground Herb de Provence

1 TBSP red pepper flakes

1 tsp. pink Himalayan salt

3 TBSP chopped chives

4 Peeled corn on the cob

1 can black beans, drained very well

1 tsp. oil

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp. ground cumin

8 corn tortillas

Special equipment needed: 3 large grill skewers and a grill

In a bowl, mix the raw shrimp, oil, 1 TBSP of the lemon juice together. Thread the shrimp onto skewers and set aside. Heat your grill to medium high heat, add the peeled corn on the cob and rotate frequently to avoid burning. Cook for about 15 minutes, then add the shrimp to the grill. Turn after about 2 minutes and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. Coat the cooked side of the shrimp with a swipe of Uncle Bob’s sauce (a vinegar and tomato sauce with spices that is a mix between BBQ sauce and a St. Louis BBQ sauce variety) and remove from grill when shrimp is fully cooked. Set aside.

Meanwhile, while the corn is cooking, slice ½ a head of Savoy cabbage (discarding the tough white core) very thin and add to a large bowl. Toss with the remaining lemon juice, ground herbs, red pepper flakes, chives and salt. Toss well and allow to marinate.

In a small pot, add the drained black beans to the pot. Using a spatula, smash about ½ of the beans while leaving others unscathed. Mix together well. Add the oil, tomatoes and cumin and mix well. Heat over low heat until the mixture is steaming, but the tomatoes still have some body.

Heat your corn tortillas is a heavy pan and then assemble your amazing meal! Try combinations of black beans topped with shrimp and slaw or just shrimp and slaw or just beans and slaw, you get the idea! Have fun. Serves four (two tortillas and 1 corn per person)  

 If you have leftovers, toss them together! They make a wonderful salad for your lunch the next day. 

Tacos Five Ways. Five Ingredients Each.

Ahh, the taco, a humble tortilla wrapped around a filling can tip the scales at over at 500 calories a piece for the American tradition of ground beef and cheese. I’ll be honest, there is nothing I love more than a taco, but I just can’t justify that calorie cost. Feel the same? Read on as I have 5 simple and satisfying taco combinations for you featuring just five ingredients each. Let’s get cooking.

Pan Asian Taco: Pork Tenderloin, caramelized onions and mushrooms, spinach and hoisin sauce

Marinate one pound of pork tenderloin in ½ cup of soy sauce and a splash of olive oil for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, thin slice a large onion and 10 button mushrooms. Sauté on low heat in a skillet for 20 minutes or until onions are nice and brown. Set aside. 

Toss marinated pork on the grill and cook completely done, about 15 minutes, turning over half way through.  Slice thin and serve immediately with flour tortillas, chopped spinach, a dollop of hoisin sauce and onions and mushrooms on top. Serves four.

The Cobb Salad Taco: Grilled Chicken, spring greens, hard-boiled egg chopped, avocado and lemon juice

Season two boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper and toss on the grill. Cook completely about 8 minutes per side. Set aside and allow them to rest for 5 minutes and then chop into a large dice.

 Peel 2 hard-boiled eggs, chop and mix with one chopped avocado (see directions under flank steak recipe) and the juice of one lemon. Assemble your taco with a flour tortilla, a handful of spring greens, a spoonful of egg, avocado mixture and ½ cup of chopped chicken.  Serves four.

The New American Tradition Taco: Flank Steak, Romaine lettuce, avocado, chives and Sriracha sauce

Allow steak to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or more then sprinkle steak with a little salt and pepper. Toss on grill and sear about 4 minutes per side. Let this rest for 5 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. 

Chop and wash romaine lettuce. Cut chives into little dots. Slice one avocado lengthwise around the core and split in half. Remove the pit and with a small knife (not super sharp), cut the flesh into a dice while it’s still in the shell. 

Use a spoon to remove the flesh into a bowl. Assemble your tacos: flour tortilla, Sriracha (to taste or use salsa), romaine lettuce, avocado chunks and flank steak. Serves four.

The Clean Fish Taco: fish with cabbage, lemon juice, Greek yogurt and wasabi

Cut one pound of fresh fish into small fillets and toss in a small amount of fresh lemon juice and 2 TBSP of olive oil salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile slice half of a red cabbage into thin slices and squeeze the juice of one lemon onto it. 

Mix ¾ cup of Greek yogurt and 1 TBSP of Wasabi together in a small bowl. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the fish to the pan and don’t move the fish in the pan for 4 minutes. Allow the bottom to brown and then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes.

 Assemble your taco with a corn tortilla (warmed in pan for 20 seconds per side) topped with 2 TBSP of the yogurt mixture, a pinch of cabbage and fish. Serves four. 

The Truffled Egg Taco: Farm Fresh Eggs, sauteed spinach, white truffle oil, chives and Sriracha dots

Mix two eggs together and add to a large cast iron skillet. Cook thoroughly and set off to the side of the pan, finishing with a few drops of white truffle oil (about 1 tsp.)  

Add one cup of spinach to pan and cook until wilted. Assemble your tacos: flour tortilla, ½ of the spinach, ½ of the cooked and truffled eggs, a sprinkle of freshly chopped eggs and dot the top with Sriracha. Serves 2.

I'm Done Feeling...

Okay...I'm done. I'm done feeling bloated. I'm done feeling like I don't want to put my swim suit on. I'm done feeling tired. I'm done dreading what I'm going to look like in my wedding dress!

Start with me July 8th...I'm using the brand new Focus T25 for 4 weeks and I'll coach you everyday in my exclusive Facebook group. You don't have to be local to join me either. http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/yogakelly

What do you have to do? Five days a week in the comfort of your home complete one of the 11 workouts that are only 25 minutes, clean up your act in the kitchen and eat better. Replace one meal a day with a Shakeology and boom, you're gonna get results babe.

I'm doing it and my fiance is too. Are you in? I'm serious! I almost put a picture of myself in a swim suit...on Facebook. It's bad y'all. Help me and I'll help you. I always do better with a group:) That' one of the reasons I love teaching classes.

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/yogakelly