Dissolve Bad Cholesterol

The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 2009 University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center suggests that by eating 1 cup of blueberries will give you 85 calories. May speed up your digestion and reduce belly fat. The antioxidants in blueberries can boost your immune system, also help fight heart disease and its abilty to dissolve bad cholesterol.

Here’s a so refreshing and healthy snacks recipe of Blueberry Coconut Shake from Lauren On Health Food.

Blueberry Coconut Shake

 

Add and mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

½ cup frozen blueberries
½ cup young coconut meat
1 cup coconut water
1 tsp. agave nectar (optional)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ice cubes

organic snack bars

This post was originally published as Skout Trailbars Giveaway by Laurel on Health Food.

This week I tried out some awesome all natural snack bars from Skout Natural. The bars come in five yummy flavors: Cherry + Vanilla, Chocolate + Peanut Butter, Apple + Cinnamon, Blueberry +Almond, and Chocolate + Coconut. They contain all organic ingredients and are free of dairy and added sugar. Oh, they’re also kosher and vegan. Suhweet.

My favorite flavor is apple cinnamon, but they were all pretty good. Second favorite: cherry vanilla. I was expecting for the chocolate peanut butter to be the best, but it didn’t have enough quite enough peanut butter taste to it, and I am a peanut butter lover! To me, the best thing about Skout’s bars is the simple, all natural ingredients. They’re a great thing to eat if you need some energy after a workout, or anytime on the go. I’m planning to bring a few with me on an upcoming camping trip.

Announcing a giveaway! To submit your entry to win 5 free Skout Trailbars (all 5 flavors), leave a comment on this blog post telling me why you’d love to try them out. I’ll choose one winner to receive a box of the 5 bars. All entries must be complete by Friday July 29th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. If you’re chosen as the winner, I’ll contact you by email to ask for your full name and address to send you the bars. Open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!

Summer Treat In NY

This post was originally published as Weekend Eats by Laurel on Health Food.

I’ve been so busy the past few weekends and didn’t do much cooking at home, but I’ve had some wonderful food while out and about.

We had some family in town last weekend, and I recommended Land Thai Kitchen on the Upper West Side for dinner on Friday night. We went early and didn’t have to wait to sit down. I had a lychee margarita and shared root vegetable spring rolls and vegetable dumplings for appetizers. Both apps were delicious, but I especially loved the vegetable dumplings because they had a nice crunch inside (thanks to crumbled peanuts). I ordered a Jamaican Curry Tofu and Vegetables meal for the entree. I forgot to ask for brown rice, so I mostly stuck to eating the tofu and mixed vegetables which included green tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus, carrot, and more. I’m always happy with my food at Land Thai. It’s so fresh and the vegetables are never overcooked.

Vegetable dumplings at Land Thai Kitchen

Root vegetable spring rolls at Land Thai Kitchen

Jamaican curry tofu and vegetables at Land Thai Kitchen

The weekend before I was on my way to meet up with my boyfriend and his business partner over at their Midtown studio and had worked up a healthy appetite on my walk across town. Le Pain Quotidien is always a favorite of mine, so I swung by and picked up an Organic Red Quinoa salad with arugula, chickpeas, artichoke, side of avocado, and a basil dressing. I absolutely loved this fresh salad. It was filling and perfect for the hot summer afternoon. Oh, I also tried the watermelon cooler with fresh mint. Le Pain makes it with fresh watermelon juice, and it’s just heavenly.

I love my home-cooked meals, but eating out is such a treat here in NY.

Red quinoa salad at Le Pain Quotidien

Watermelon cooler at Le Pain Quotidien

Tropical Rum Cocktail

This post was originally published as Vote For My Recipe! by Laurel on Health Food.

Happy Thursday friends! I wanted to let you know that Cascade Ice Water is holding a contest where 3 bloggers created healthy cocktails using their low calorie sparkling flavored waters. I am one of the bloggers with a recipe in the running. So, would you please vote for me? I submitted my recipe for a yummy Tropical Rum Cocktail.
Visit the Cascade Ice Facebook page and click the link for Cocktail Contest on the tabs running along the left-hand side of the page. When you enter the contest on Facebook, you’ll be entered to win a Cascade Ice prize pack.
The other two cocktails entered in the contest look delicious, so it’s anyone’s game. Cheers!

Sweet Craving Salads

This post was originally published as Healthy Summer Salad – TCOP by Laurel on Health Food.

Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion (TCO) salad is a staple in my family. We always make big batches in the summertime when the tomatoes are ripe and everyone’s craving salads. I love the simple ingredients in the recipe. It’s a perfect healthy dish to bring to a summer BBQ or pool party.
Back in 2007 I posted the recipe with avocado: TCOA Salad. This year I added some sweet raw bell peppers and a garnish of fresh basil. I hope you enjoy this one. The colors in the salad are beautiful, huh?

Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, Pepper (TCOP) Salad

4 vine-ripened tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 large hothouse cucumber
2 sweet bell peppers (orange or yellow)
Fresh basil (for garnish)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Sea salt & pepper

Cut the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and bell peppers into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of olive oil and red wine vinegar on top. Add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and mix well. Cover, refrigerate, and stir before you eat. Serve chilled with fresh basil on top.

Tip: This salad gets better as time goes on. It’s wonderful right after you make it, but it tastes best after it’s had a few hours to sit in the refrigerator.

Super Healthy Fillings

This post was originally published as Doubles (Trinidad Street Food) by Laurel on Health Food.

Ever since we got back from Trinidad, I’ve been dying to make some of the foods we ate on our trip. Last night I made curried chickpeas and fried bread (doubles). They came out great! When we were in Trinidad we ate doubles on the street several times and I loved them. They are loaded with flavor thanks to gobs of curry powder, garlic, onions, and hot sauce. I used a half teaspoon of some super-spicy homemade hot sauce we brought back with us from our trip.

Frying the bread was a new thing for me. I typically don’t fry my foods because it’s obviously not the healthiest cooking method. But this was fun for a special treat. Plus, the curried chickpeas filling is super healthy, vegetarian, and full of disease-fighting curry spices.

I used a Doubles recipe from the cookbook I bought on vacation: The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & The Caribbean. If you want to make these doubles too, I found an almost identical recipe on the Fabulous Foods website.

It feels good to experiment with new recipes, and I know my boyfriend loves that I’m learning how to make homemade Caribbean food. Can’t wait to try more recipes from the cookbook! For more on Trinidadian food including pictures from my recent vacation.

Food To-Go Stores In NYC

This post was originally published as Rickshaw Dumpling Bar by Laurel on Health Food.
Before I left for my 4th of July vacation in Florida, I stopped by the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar on 23rd street. I had heard about the Rickshaw food trucks, but just realized they have two stores in NYC.
The Flatiron store was very clean and I also got great service. I ordered my food to-go and it was ready in 2 minutes. There were lots of things I wanted to try, but I narrowed it down to the Vegetarian Edamame dumplings and one Herby Spring Roll as an appetizer. The spring roll was made with glass noodles, carrot, cucumber, jicama, cilantro, mint, basil, and a peanut dip. It was super fresh and served chilled. I love that they used three different green herbs in there.
The Vegetarian Edamame roll was made with mashed up edamame beans with lemon and wrapped in a whole wheat dumpling wrapper and served with a lemon sansho dip. They were pretty good and tasted healthy, but I thought they were a little plain. Next time I’ll try the mustard green dumplings with tofu, mustard seeds, and soy sesame dip instead. What I did love was the fresh Soy-Sesame Salad I got on the side of the dumplings. It was made with spicy-tofu that tasted like they were dipped in chicken wing sauce. Plus, there were a ton of crispy bean sprouts, scallions, and garlic. The flavor-packed salad made up for the mild-tasting dumplings.
Overall, I had a good experience at Rickshaw. I’ll definitely be back. They also have a Peanut Sate Salad I want to try that’s made with young coconut and thai basil.

Rickshaw Bar – Flatiron Location

Inside look at Vegetarian Edamame dumplings

Herby Spring Rolls

Vegetarian Edamame Dumplings and Soy-Sesame Salad

Seasonal Local Stores

This post was originally published as What’s in Season? by Laurel on Health Food.
Hey there! I’ve been thinking a lot about seasonal cooking this week. Last Saturday I took a trip to the local farmer’s market and was excited to see some of my favorite fall produce on display. Down in Florida, we’re not feeling much of a change in weather (it’s still hot & humid), but we should get a break soon enough.
One of the best things about cooking and eating in-season foods is they taste better and they’re at their peak levels of nutrition and freshness. Eating seasonally means you can eat locally (supporting farmers and community-supported agriculture). Your food will travel shorter distances from the fields to your plate.
Here’s a list of fruits and vegetables in season for Autumn/Fall: apples, arugula, asian pears, beans (for shelling), broccoli, Brussels sprout, fennel, green tomatoes, hard-shelled squashes, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, radicchio, sweet peppers, and sweet potatoes. (Ref: Fresh From the Farmers’ Market by Janet Fletcher)
Look out for these foods in your local stores and markets. Or maybe you’re lucky enough to have a few growing in your garden!
I picked up some fresh Brussels sprout last weekend and they’re really delicious. I recently learned that these magically healthy cruciferous vegetables are sweeter during their peak season. I could really taste a difference and they didn’t have the strong bitter flavor Brussels sprout tend to have other times of the year (the longer they’re stored off the stalk, the stronger their bitter flavor becomes).
Happy Fall Season and I hope you enjoy some seasonal produce!

Food Truck Event NYC

This post was originally published as Taste of Parks NYC by Laurel on Health Food.

Yesterday there was a food truck event in Central Park, and I was all over it! New York City’s Taste of Parks event showcased over a dozen gourmet food trucks in a gathering at The Arsenal in Central Park over on the east side. Several of the best food trucks were there including Desi Food Truck (my fav), Fatty Snack, and Coolhaus.

Here’s a roundup of the food I sampled (or saw someone else eat):

• Desi Food Truck – I tried the vegetarian-friendly Aloo Masala (potatoes & peas) kati roll and a sample of the Dal & Rice (yellow & red lentils over basmati rice). Desi’s Indian food is authentic, super fresh, and very spicy. Just like I like it.
• Ladle of Love – I sampled a chilled gazpacho and their truffled chickpeas. Wow, the chickpeas were a fun, salty snack. Plus, they were vegan and dairy free. I’d definitely like to try more from this truck another day.
• NY Dosas – This South Indian food truck was making vegan crepes. This was the smallest cart there but people were loving it. I talked to a group of guys and girls who said the crepes were “amazing.” They are regularly located at Washington Square Park at West 4th and Sullivan. I’ll definitely be there for lunch someday soon.
• Food Freak – These guys were serving samples of their gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and “watermelon freak juice” which was so fresh and perfect for summer (recipe here). I tried a bite of the Garden Grillz sandwich with shaved carrot & zucchini salad tossed in red wine vinaigrette. I don’t eat a lot of cheese, so a sample size bite was perfect. They toasted the bread perfectly.
• Pullcart – Fatty Snack’s pull cart was giving out samples of their pulled pork sandwiches, but they sold out early (no surprise there). I’d like to visit them another time because I noticed they sell fresh coconut water.
• Rouge Tomate – Their chilled white gazpacho with almonds, grapes, and cucumber was refreshing and classy. What a surprise to have something like this come out of a food truck.
• Kelvin Natural Slush – The slushie cart had samples of their almond palmer slush made with citrus, tea, and mixed berries. I really liked it and it wasn’t overly sweet, so that’s a plus. I bet the Kelvin trucks do very well in the summertime.
• Coolhaus – The ice cream sandwiches coming out of this truck looked so good, but I just drooled over what other people were ordering. I was definitely too full for dessert. Some of the creative flavors included dirty mint chip, tahitian vanilla bean, matcha green tea, and brown butter & candied bacon ice creams. Whoa.

One more thing! While I was there I spoke with a reporter from DNAinfo (Manhattan local news). Today I found her article with my picture and a quote. Check it out here.