Healthy Green Eats For Earth Day

Mother Earth Day Salad

Mother Earth gives us a bounty of beautifully nutritious fruits and vegetables to create plates of amazingly good tasting dishes. 

So in honor of "Earth Day" 2015 I created a salad made with raw and natural ingredients straight from Mother Earth's finest ingredients of organic kale, carrots, brown mushrooms, beets and sunflower seeds.

This salad is so darn delicious, simple and quick using only 5 ingredients.  Celebrate life and Mother Earth!

Mother Earth Day Salad
1 bu. Flat Kale, Chopped
4 ea. Organic Brown Mushrooms. Sliced
2 Organic Red Beets, Cooked, Peeled and Sliced
1/4 c. Shredded Carrots
2 Tbs. Raw Sunflower Seeds

Walnut-Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette
4 Tbs. Orange Juice
1 tsp. Orange Zest
2 Tbs. Honey
1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 c. Walnut Oil
Salt/Pepper to Taste

Method:
In a small mixing bowl add the Dijon mustard, honey, orange juice and orange zest.  Whisk in the walnut oil to emulsify.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add the kale, mushrooms, beets and carrots.  Add the vinaigrette and toss lightly.  Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and top with the raw sunflower seeds.  Enjoy!


  
 

Healthy Tip of the Week...Eat Greek!

Eat Greek - Prevent Dementia

According to health magazine's, did you know you could slash your risk of Alzheimer's by 60 percent with just two healthy habits: Eat like a Greek, and go for a walk.

Why a Walk Helps
Wish you could remember yesterday like it was only . . . yesterday? Then take a 30-minute walk today. And every day. No excuses. I recently read that a recent study showed that a little less time than that -- a mere 20 minutes of physical activity -- helped counter faltering memories in people over age 50. But there are plenty of important reasons -- including your heart, your blood pressure, your stress level, your mood, and your joints -- to extend that to at least 30 minutes a day. Get your daily dose of excersie and then make yourself my recipe of a "grilled halibut greek salad w/shallot vinaigrette" for a great lunch or excitingly light dinner.

Mediterranean Magic
According to health magazine's, people with the lowest dementia risk ate the highest amounts of fruit, veggies, legumes, and fish, but less meat and dairy products. All very typical ratios in a Mediterranean-style diet that doctors and health experts alike recommend for all sorts of reasons. These nutrient-dense, healthy-fat-focused foods could help protect brains against disease and cognitive decline and help protect the body from lots of other bad things, too.

Mediterranean Greek Salad

2 lrg. Roma Tomatoes, medium chopped
1 lrg. Orange Bell, medium chopped
1 lrg. Yel. Bell, medium chopped
½ lrg. Spanish Onion, small chopped
1 lrg. Hothouse Cucumber, chopped

6 oz. Kalamata Olives

¼ c Italian parsley, chopped coarse
4 oz. Premium Feta Cheese, loosely crumbled
1/2 lb. Mache

1 bu. Romaine Lettuce, chopped

1 lb. Grilled Halibut (or whitefish)


Shallot Vinaigrette:
4 Tbl. Lemon juice
2 oz. anchovies, chopped +1 tsp. anchovy oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Garlic clove, crushed
½ c Grapseed oil
1 ½ Tbl. Oregano, dried
S&P (to taste)


Method:
Get a medium saute pan hot and steaming on the fire with a touch of EVO in the pan.
Salt and pepper the halibut and lay in the pan until seared and golden. Turn and cook through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl and drizzle the vinaigrette on top. Toss
together lightly. Place the mache and the chopped romaine on a serving platter and top with the dressed greek salad mixture. Add the crumbled feta and the grilled fish and place on top of the salad and salad mixture. Top with chopped parsley and drizzle with additional vinaigrette across the grilled fish.

To make the Mediterranean Greek Vinaigrette:

In a small mixing bowl add the dijon, lemon juice, anchovy,anchovy oil, garlic and oregano,

whisk in the EVO and season to taste.

(Recipe Courtesy of: Chef Kai Chase)

Best Ways To Spruce Up Your Salads For Summer

It's summertime and summer salads have teamed up with their light and tasty counterparts such as sweet summer fruits, lightly grilled proteins, earthy, crunchy toasted nuts, herbal vinaigrettes and low-calorie creamy dressings. By adding these ingredients to your salads you can spruce up a well known side dish or starter and make an entree meal that's full-filling, satisfying and delicious.

Consider adding fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries, apples and grapes. Or toss in some dried fruits like cranberries, apricots, and golden raisins to make your salads come alive with the vibrant tastes of sweet and refreshing ingredients.

Hot off the grill proteins easily turn any salad into a main meal with the addition of succulent shrimp, juicy chicken, savory salmon, sliced steak and marinated tofu. You can also add the protein of cheese. Cheese such as blue, feta, goat and mozzarella often goes well with fruit and adds tons of flavor.

Avocados, olives, and toasted nuts add a whole new taste dimension, not to mention some heart-healthy oils. Cooked whole grains such as hard wheat berries, quinoa, and bulgur add fiber. Beans or chickpeas add protein and fiber. A variety of great greens like the sweet tastes of Boston, red and green leaf and romaine are great and have nutritious value. While others have a nutty or bitter taste, like endive, radicchio, arugula, watercress and spinach. Mix and match the tastes and textures for an explosion of mother nature's gardeny green goodness. You can also throw in herbs like basil, dill or cilantro so that each bite surprises your taste buds.
To top it all off go with a vinaigrette and low-calorie creamy dressings. Choose a vegan-ranch made with tofu and veganese mayo for a Grilled Chicken California Cobb Salad over a mix of crisp romaine and spinach. Try a sesame-soy vinaigrette with grilled shrimp, avocado, toasted almonds and mandarin oranges over a mix of romaine, raddichio and watercress. Or how about a lime-cilantro vinaigrette for that steak, chick pea, corn and avocado salad. You can make your own healthy vinaigrettes by infusing vinegars with some of your favorite herbs…and you can turn high-fat creamy dressings into healthier vinaigrettes. You're guests will surely enjoy every lasting bite!