Greek Yogurt

One meaningful modification I have made in my families diet is with non-fat Greek Yogurt.   Our preference is Fage and at 23g of protein per 1 cup serving this is a substitute really worth considering. One of the biggest modifications is replacing sour cream.  Sour cream has about 3g of protein per cup and saturated fat, unless you choose the nonfat version however, then you are consuming modified corn starch and thickeners.  I never noticed the change however if you do it will only take a few times to adapt to the taste.

Some ways we use this staple:

- mix with previously frozen, warmed berries and serve on oatmeal, pancakes or french toast in the morning.

- mix with honey and whip as a substitute for cream cheese frosting.  I promise this is DELICIOUS!

- dollop on top of black bean soup or any hearty soup or salad

- added to a smoothie for extra protein and calcium and creaminess

- cream sauce for fish tacos

- mixed with berries for popsicles

- mixed with granola for a hearty snack

BEANS!!

Beans Beans they're good for your heart! In our non-meat-eating diet, beans play an important role.   Beans are high in protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals and good fats! Whoa!  AND they are CHEAP!
Canned beans contain high levels of sodium and recently there have been many articles floating around regarding the BPA lining of canned products.   In an effort to have a more wholesome diet, I have started cooking my own beans.  They are cheaper, healthier and they have much better flavor than canned!

In the bulk section of your grocery store there is a variety of dried beans.   Pick a few that you would use often.  I use Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans), Black Beans, and Navy Beans most often.   Give it a try!

EASY STEPS

Place beans in a large stock pot, cover them with water, at least 3 inches over the beans, and place the pot in the refrigerator overnight.  I usually leave them for about 24 hours but you can do as little as 8 hours.  Before cooking, drain the beans and add the same amount of fresh water.  SECRET: This process of changing the water is said to decrease the bean effect on flatulence!  Place pot on stove top over medium heat and vigorously simmer until the beans are the desired doneness, about 30-40 minutes depending on bean type.
Drain water and cool.  Then place in mason jars or plastic freezer bags in 2 cup portions and freeze.  EASY!

Roasted Salmon with Lime Wasabi Drizzle over Baby Bok Choy

Salmon is an almost weekly meal for our family.  It is a great source of protein and omega-3s and it is generally easy to procure.  We served it atop Baby Bok Choy which was perfect.  A side of Brussel Sprouts was delicious but not exactly the right pairing choice.

Marinade
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Sesame Oil
2 Tbs Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbs Honey
1 Tbs fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs King Salmon (wild if possible)

Drizzle
1/2c non fat Greek yogurt
1/4c cilantro
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 tsp wasabi paste
1 tsp fresh ginger

10 stalks of Baby Bok Choy

Combine all ingredients in a shallow dish and marinate the salmon for about 30 minutes.   Remove the salmon from the marinade (reserve for bok choy) and grill or roast in oven at 400, depending on thickness of the fish, for about 20 minutes.
Chop Bok Choy separating stem and leaf sections. Heat remaining marinade in a wok or large pan until boiling.  Stir fry stems first until tender then add leafy part until wilted.

Place all ingredients for drizzle in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Hint: it really doesn't taste very well by itself but tastes fantastic on the fish.

Place Bok Choy on a plate with the Salmon on top and drizzle.

Chana Masala with Cauliflower

We have a taste for Indian cuisine! Amazingly, this heavily spiced dish is a favorite for our children as well!
High in flavor and nutrients and relatively quick to prepare. It is a perfect weeknight meal.  We paired it with a Tempranillo tonight and it was superb!

2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 medium head Cauliflower
1 28oz can Tomatoes (diced or chopped if whole)
2 c chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 1 can if using canned
1/2 c water
1 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbs garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
salt and pepper to taste
handful of fresh cilantro
nonfat Greek yogurt (we prefer Fage)

Saute onion in olive oil until softened, add garlic, cook for one minute. Add cauliflower, saute for about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, chickpeas, spices and water, simmer for 20 minutes.  Toss in fresh herbs and serve with dollop of greek yogurt.  Serve atop quinoa for added protein and grain to sop up delicious sauce!

Protein Bars

These protein bars are multi- purpose in our house.  A post workout protein power boost, an after dinner dessert or a mid-day snack for the children.  They are super healthy, with added protein, omega 3s, and they taste AMAZINGLY GOOD!!  Cut the batch into 12 bars and each little serving packs about 9 grams of protein and about 175 calories.

2/3 c red lentils

1/4 c honey

1/2 c almond butter(or peanut or reconstituted PB2 - a favorite in our house that makes it even healthier)

1 1/2 c rolled oats

1/2 c whey protein (vanilla or chocolate your choice!)

1/3 c toasted wheat germ

2 Tbs chia seeds

1/3 c dried fruit (cherries are my favorite, also prunes, dates, apricots, all would work)

1/4 c pumpkin seeds

1/4 c chopped almonds

1 tsp cinnamon

Simmer lentil in water until softened, approximately 10 minutes, drain.  Heat nut butter and honey in small saucepan until combined and creamy texture, then stir into cooked lentils and cool.  In medium sized bowl add remaining ingredients.  Add lentil mixture and stir to combine.  Line a 9x9 square pan lined with parchment paper, spread mixture evenly onto paper and place in the freezer until hardened.  Cut into squares and store in freezer or refrigerator. 

Green Smoothie

My son has been begging me to buy popsicles.   Supermarket popsicles, even the healthiest versions, usually contain added, processed sugar, dyes and other unhealthy ingredients.  To ensure he is getting the best I decided to make my own.  The kids LOVED them!

2 scoops Vanilla whey protein
1/2 papaya
2c spinach
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 banana
1c pineapple
1 tsp agave syrup
1 small peeled orange
water

Blend all ingredients, add water if smoothie is too thick, and pour into popsicle molds. YUM!

Healthy Shells!

I love stuffed shells! We have created a healthier version that are higher in protein and lower in fat, higher in taste and lower in guilt! Go ahead have another!!
I served mine with a locally sourced, tuscan kale salad with dried figs, cherry tomatoes, avocado and pea pods.

1 lb large shell pasta (Conchiglie)
1 block firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1 large eggplant
1/2 c pesto
1/2 c mozzarella cheese, plus 1/4 c to sprinkle on the top
11/2 - 2 c marinara sauce

Slice eggplant, brush with olive oil and roast in oven or on grill at about 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until soft and smooth textured.
Cook shells according to package directions.
In your food processor add tofu and pulse until broken into small pieces.  Add pesto and 1/2c mozzarella. Blend until mixture is creamy.
Once eggplant is cooled, stir into tofu mixture and stuff into cooked shells.
Coat the bottom of an oven safe dish with marinara then place stuff shells on top.  Top with marinara and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Green Bean, Sweet Potato and Zucchini Stew

This recipe sounds boring.  It was a concoction I came up with because these were the ingredients I had left around the kitchen.  The flavor in this stew is AMAZING! My whole family loved it!  And it was so easy! One secret to many of my successes in the kitchen is my fresh herb garden.  I try to keep as many herbs as possible growing on my lanai and use them in almost every recipe.  I forgot to take a picture of the food but here is the garden!

1 Tbs olive oil

1 large onion saute 

3 cloves garlic

10-20 green long beans, sliced into 2 inch pieces

1 sweet potato, cubed 

1 zucchini cubed

1 Tbs fresh oregano

1/2 Tbs fresh thyme

1 Tbs fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbs fresh (I had to use dry)

dash cayenne pepper

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes

11/2 c chicken broth 

Saute onion in olive oil until softened.  Add all ingredients bring to boil then simmer until ready to eat 45 mins at least.

Monchong Over Braised Fennel

My husband made an AMAZING Sunday feast for our friends!  So delicious! We served it with a, fresh from my garden, arugula salad on the side. 

2 large fennel bulb, sliced

1 large onion sliced

1/2 tsp anchovy paste

1 Tbs olive oil

1 c low sodium chicken stock or white wine

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

28 oz can tomatoes whole tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup kalamata olives

2 tbs capers

2 lbs Monchong or other white steaky fish

Cook fennel, half onion, anchovy paste in olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute until coated.  Add salt and pepper then add the stock and braise for about 20 minutes until tender.  Take off lid and continue to cook, if there is still liquid, until liquid is almost all gone and then layer in a casserole dish or baking pain.

Meanwhile make the sauce: we made a cross between a puttanesca and arrabiata.  Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft,  Add some anchovy paste or a few chopped up anchovies add can of tomatoes and mash with a potato masher.  Add a little white wine, olives, capers, basil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the sauce is very thick.

Place individual filets of fish over the braised fennel, spoon sauce over the fish and then cover and bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees for about 20 min.  Garnish with fennel fronds and serve.

Kale Soup

We are lucky enough to live in a place that has weekly Farmers Markets and our family always takes advantage of this.  Kale is one of our favorite, consistent finds and our children LOVE Kale Soup.

Buying local, organic kale and using homemade vegetable broth make this soup the health packed star of our weekly rotation. 

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 large carrots pealed and chopped

3 stalks celery chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf 

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

1 can low sodium, fire roasted tomatoes

1 1/2 Tbs organic tomato paste

4 c Homemade Vegetable Broth (see recipe on this blog)
1-2 c water

2 cups navy beans (1 can if you use canned beans, be sure to rinse)

2 cups garbanzo beans (1 can, use low sodium and rinse)

1-2 bunches of curly kale, thoroughly washed and torn into small pieces

Instructions:

In large stock pot, over medium heat cook onion in olive oil until softened.  Add carrots and celery and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme and basil and stir to combine.  Add tomato paste and saute for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth and water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add beans.  Right before you are ready to eat, increase heat again to gentle boil and stir in kale.  Once kale is wilted, dish into bowls and serve topped with shaved parmesan cheese and a piece of crusty bread.

Kale, Black Rice and Eggplant Salad

One of my favorite things about cooking nutritious food for my family is experimenting with a new ingredient. A recent addition to my repertoire is Black Rice.  Also called Forbidden Rice, it is considered by many to be a "super food", higher in protein at about 8.5grams of protein per serving and high in antioxidants.  

Here I add it to a kale salad with baked eggplant and lentils for a super protein and vitamin packed weeknight meal, I have adapted from GreenKitchenStories.com. 

1c black rice, rinsed

1c french green lentils, rinsed

4c water

pinch of salt

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1tsp cumin

1tsp turmeric

1/2tsp chili powder

1tsp garlic powder

juice of 1 lemon, set aside 1Tbs

3Tbs olive oil, plus 1 Tbs

1 bunch Dinosaur Kale

1 avocado

1 small red onion

1 Tbs mint leaves

1/2 toasted walnuts

1/4c dried cherries

1/2c nonfat Greek Yogurt

Toss eggplant with cumin, turmeric, chili powder, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.  Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes until browned, turning halfway.  Can be done ahead of time. 

In medium saucepan place rice, lentils, water and salt.  Cover and bring to a boil, decrease heat to simmer for 30 minutes and stir occasionally.

Massage kale with 1Tbs lemon juice and 1 Tbs olive oil.  Chop other ingredients.  

Combine all ingredients and serve topped with dollop of yogurt.

Roasted Kabocha Squash Farro(tto)

Yum! Sunday dinner is a big deal in our family.  We love to share the meal with friends and family and frequently make a more involved dish on this day.   The Hawaiian weather has been a bit chilly lately so roasting vegetables is particularly comforting.  :)
Kabocha squash is our favorite.  You could easily substitute butternut if you prefer.  Also, because we do not eat meat, we choose a higher protein grain as often as possible.  Instead of making risotto, using arborio rice, we have substituted Farro which has about 6 grams of protein per 1/2c versus 4 in the rice.

2-3 Tbs Olive Oil, plus more for drizzle

1 medium Kabocha squash, also called Buttercup

2 medium yellow onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4c Marsala Wine

4c low sodium chicken or veg stock

1 1/2 c Farro

2 Tbs chopped plus about 10 leaves Sage

1/2c toasted pine nuts

shaved parmesan cheese

Slice, scoop seeds from Kabocha and cut into 1 inch cubes and leave a few "C" shaped for presentation.  Toss in olive oil and lay on baking sheet with sage leaves.  Bake at 400F for approximately 30 minutes or until softened.

Meanwhile, caramelize onion in olive oil over low heat for approximately 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally until lightly brown. Turn up heat and caramelize for about 3-5 minutes.

Add farro, garlic and chopped sage leaves to onions and cook until farro becomes coated and fragrant, about 2 minutes

Add marsala wine and simmer until absorbed.  Add stock and simmer, stirring occasionally until farro softened, about 30 minutes.  When finished toss in toasted pine nuts

Add shaved cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

Welcome to Active Epicurean

Aloha and welcome Family and Friends! This is for everyone who asks, "Can I have that recipe?", "What are you having for dinner tonight?", "What are you feeding your children these days?".  

My husband and I LOVE food and are passionate about our health.  We put a lot of thought into what we fuel our bodies with and place extreme importance on the TASTE of our food as well as the nutrients.  We live in Hawaii and love to play outside with and sometimes without our two children.  

Through this site I hope to share our love of food and inspire others to enjoy cooking, eating and adventuring as much as we do!

Thanks for stopping by and BON APPETIT!