Eat Your Greens!

Now is the season for some wonderful greens like kale, swiss chard, beet greens, collard greens. Try this easy and low fat way to prepare greens.
1 bunch of greens or mixed greens (kale, swiss chard, beet greens, collard greens)
1-2 leeks or a large onion
2 carrots

Wash and chop the greens.
Slice the leeks or slice the onions into half moons
wash the carrots and slice into half moons

Place the leeks or onions on the bottom of a large soup pot.
Cover with the carrots and then the greens on top.
Add about 1/2 inch water, cover and simmer 5-8 minutes until carrots are tender. Check often to make sure the greens are still bright green.
Once cooked, add 1 tsp wheat-free soy sauce and mix all vegetables together.
Serve with a miso-nut butter gravy: mix together 1 Tbsp miso and 1 Tbsp tahini or almond butter. Add warm water until smooth and creamy. Add enough water until desired consistency of gravy is reached.
Drizzle gravy over the greens.

Zucchini Overload!

Are you still getting zucchini from your garden? Or maybe you keep buying it from the nearest farm stand. Here is something you can do with all that summer squash....a lasagne that uses zucchini slices in place of the noodles, a delicious tofu ricotta, and your favorite sauce. Very simple. Sorry my picture isn't too pretty, I'm not a great photographer but the lasagne was easy and delicious.

3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (1/4") lengthwise

then bake on oiled baking sheet for 30 min at 350 degrees. 

3 cups cooked brown rice combined with 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 cups your favorite GF tomato sauce

1 recipe tofu ricotta, add 1/4 c fresh basil if you have

Layer in a 9x13 baking dish:

all rice/sesame on bottom

top with 1/2 zucchini slices laid next to each other, cover all the rice

top with 1 cup tomato sauce, spread over the slices

top with all tofu ricotta

top with remaining zucchini slices

top with remaining cup tomato sauce

Bake 350 x 30 min uncovered. Top with vegan cheese if desired.

Tofu ricotta: 1 package tofu, 1 Tbsp mellow white miso, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 large clove garlic, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp basil (or 1/4 cup fresh), 2 tsp oregano, 1/8 tsp salt. Blend all in food processor.

On the Road in Boulder, CO

Well, we 've been home now a couple of weeks but while it is still fresh in my mind I wanted to tell you about some of our eating experiences in Boulder and Denver. For us, it was a wonderful area to vacation with lots of dining options and at least one Whole Foods in Boulder to help with our picnics and breakfasts.

Some of our hiking days were very long and there was no time to prepare any dinner much less feel like going out after a long day on the trails. Whole Foods provided lots of options from their prepared deli to the salad bar and even just picking up raw salad material and delicious hummus for a simple meal.

On days when we had more time, we enjoyed a meal on the town. Our first restaurant meal was the day we flew in....we walked from where we were staying to a Vietnamese restaurant called Chez Thuy . There was not a specific gluten free menu but many dishes with no gluten ingredients. They have a very extensive vegetarian menu and will make any of those entrees vegan. There was enough food on each entree for at least two meals. We took our leftovers home and had them for dinner on one of our long trail days.

Another night we had dinner at Leaf vegetarian restaurant which I was excited about b/c I had seen the menu on line and they had some raw food choices that I was interested in trying. It is a funky atmosphere and we were a family of four without funky clothes.....so we were seated in a dark corner away from anyone in the street passing by to look in. The food was good, a variety of options for vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists, etc. but a bit overpriced I thought. I ate the raw food special which was a raw zucchini pasta with a cashew Alfredo sauce....tasty.

We did a little overnight to the Manitou Springs area south of Denver and ate in a Greek restaurant called Jake and Telly's. We were excited that they had some felafel sandwiches on gluten free bread and then after we were seated learned that those were only lunch items. They did not seem very comfortable with answering the typical gluten free dairy free questions about menu items but the food was good.

In Denver we had a WONDERFUL time at City O' City, a vegetarian restaurant right next to the  WaterCourse Foods Bakery, specializing in gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free desserts.You can create your own pizza with your choice of crust, toppings including a non-GF vegan cheese and a gluten free raw cashew cheddar, lots of vegetables, and tempeh bacon, veg pepperoni etc. Some of these toppings are not GF but there were plenty of toppings that worked. The crust was homemade and delicious!!! It was a very exciting meal to be able to get pizza with a gluten free crust AND vegan cheese.  YUM. And then to top it off Chris got a gluten free cookie sold in the restaurant but baked next door at WaterCourse. They called it Scout and it tasted a lot like those Girl Scout cookies called Samoa. A total treat.

Ok. Then back to Boulder. A lovely meal at Sunflower with some friends we were meeting. Something there for everyone!! Menu items are listed with a GF for gluten free and V for vegan. Makes ordering so easy. My children and I enjoyed the Bamboo Steamer which came with an array of steamed veggies and your choice of brown rice or noodles, and an optional protein of tofu, tempeh or seitan. A delicious change when you've been eating out so much; very nice to be able to get a simple meal of veggies and rice.

We also "discovered" the Mediterranean Deli (also known as Caspian Deli and Grocery) which makes delicious hummus and felafel (no wheat). Eat in or take out. Located at 2607 Pearl St., Boulder, CO.

Lastly, I should mention the Boulder Farmer's Market, Wed. and Sat., which had many gluten free businesses including 2 Moms in the Raw, and some gluten free breads and fresh pastas.  Udi's Bakery offers a white and a multi-grain  gluten free bread that is delicious if not expensive (name a gluten free food that is NOT expensive), very much like real sandwich bread. The bakery is located in Denver and has a booth at the farmer's market and is also selling in Whole Foods.

We breakfasted once at Walnut Cafe in Boulder. No gluten free menu but certainly some GF options and they did know what we were talking about. Plenty of vegan options as well. Delicious food, and plenty of it.

I've been talking about food but I would also like to mention the FIT people we saw out there. Hardly a woman with jiggly arms!! Not surprising with the great dry weather and plenty of nearby opportunities for activities like rock climbing, strenuous hiking, bike lanes all over Boulder, etc. Rocky Mountain National Park is about a 1 hour drive from Boulder, easy enough to be able to get in a very long day hike. Would love to see it in winter!!!

Post Workout Pancakes (no flour, gluten, dairy)

Need protein? Try these high protein pancakes for your post-workout meal.
Mix in the food processor:
1/2 cup good quality rolled oats
1/2 cup mashed tofu
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp your favorite protein powder (we use a non-soy powder made of pea and rice protein)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
dash cinnamon
non-dairy milk, enough to make a batter (approx 1/2 cup)

Mix the batter in the food processor and make the pancakes the usual way. Serve with sliced bananas, apple butter, or pure maple syrup.

Sports Nutrition Tips:
Your body uses carbohydrate for energy so make sure you fuel your workout with high quality carbs like fruits and whole grains. Post workout add some protein to your meal/snack to help repair "damaged" tissue which occurs during the workout.

Raw Low Carb Lunch Idea

Try this:
Take a large romaine lettuce leaf and spread it with 1 teaspoon cashew butter, top with 3 thin slices cucumber, 4 thin slices of fresh peach, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp hemp seeds. Roll up and eat!
Repeat as many times as it takes to fill you up or serve everyone. Increase cashew butter and hemp seed portions if you are not watching your weight or fat intake.