Saturday, May 25, 2013

Quick & Easy - 5 Minute Hummus Dip

Hummus holds a very special place in my heart.  The first time I had hummus was with my  college suite-mate when we were hanging out in her room.  From the very first dip, I was hooked...to the point where I would finish a container of Trader Joe's roasted garlic hummus by myself in 1 sitting.  I would continue this pattern of eating my friend's hummus until a Trader Joe's opened near my parents' home & I was able to get my very own.  I don't eat so much hummus anymore, but whenever I do happen to get my hands on it, you can expect me to go a little bit out of control.

I was feeling particularly snack'y the other day but I didn't want to eat my pita chips by themselves so I rummaged around my cupboards in search for a condiment.  I found no such thing but I did find a can of garbanzo beans that has been in my possession for...let's just say much longer than it should.  Hopeful to rid my home of this can of beans & inspired by the pita chips, I went for the first thing that came to mind.  A quick minute on the internet & a recipe from the magnificent Alton Brown & I'm ready to go.

No tricky ingredients...
     3 cloves garlic, peeled
     1 can garbanzo bean (a.k.a. chickpeas)
     2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
     0.5 lemon, zest & juice
     2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
     Salt & black pepper to taste

No complex steps...
Drain the garbanzo beans really well & set aside
In a food processor, pulse to chop the garlic gloves
Add in the garbanzo bean & continue to pulse until it starts to look like a paste
Add in the peanut butter, lemon zest/juice, olive oil, & process until smooth
Season with salt & pepper & blend for an extra minute























Makes approximately 2.5 cups

The end product looked like store-bought hummus except slightly more liquid.  The flavor was really nice, especially the little bit of spiciness from the raw garlic.  However, there was a "raw" flavor from the garbanzo beans that was pretty prominent.  Maybe that's the disadvantage of using canned beans.  Or maybe my can had just been around for a little too long.  Traditionally, hummus is made with tahini (sesame paste) but since I didn't have any, I used peanut butter as a substitute.  I couldn't really taste the peanut butter & it didn't do anything for the texture of the hummus.  Perhaps I can use sesame oil in place of half of the olive oil next time to get that sesame flavor.  After letting the dip sit in the fridge overnight, the consistency became much thicker but the weird bean flavor was still there.  For an even healthier snack, I eat the dip with radish instead of pita chips.  Now that I know hummus isn't that difficult to make, I am going to try & come up with a copy cat version of my favorite - Trader Joe's roasted garlic hummus!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Quick & Easy - Seared Tuna Salad with Tangy Sesame Dressing

It was a very important time in our household last week - Russell was going to be "cashing in" months of studying & preparation to take the MCAT.  That test is not only hard because of its content, but it's also hard because it takes hours; @ least they have removed the writing section.  So on the eve of the exam, he wanted a meal that would load him up with brain- & body-boosting nutrients so he could go into the test center in tip top form.  I wasn't sure what to make but Russell suggested tuna since it's full of Omega-3 fatty acid, it's tasty, & really quick to prepare.  With that as my guide, I decided to take the rest of the meal in an Asian direction; & instead of making our usual white rice to go with the fish, I went with a hearty, bright-tasting salad.

There are some kooky ingredients that might require a trip to the store...
     2 8-ounce sushi-grade tuna filets
     0.13 cup low sodium soy sauce
     1.5 teaspoons mirin
     1.5 teaspoons honey
     1.5 teaspoons sesame oil
     3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
     1 cup cucumber, sliced into semi-circles
     1 avocado, sliced
     0.25 cup tangy sesame dressing*

Dinner will be ready in a flash...
     In a wide dish, mix together the soy sauce, mirin, honey, & sesame oil
     Generously coat each tuna filet in the marinade
     Heat a skillet until it is very hot & sear the filets for 30 seconds on each side
     Let the filets rest for 1 minute before cutting it into thin slices
     In a large mixing bowl, combine the romaine lettuce & cucumber & toss with the sesame dressing
     Place the sliced avocado on top of the salad once it has been plated & then place the tuna on top























Makes 2 servings

This meal was super light & it was filled with a whole bunch of good-for-you nutrients.  The salad by itself is fantastic & the zippy taste is great for waking up the palate, especially on those days when the weather is hot & you feel all "bleh."

I am not a huge fan of mayo but I do love me some Japanese mayonnaise.  Before you say they are the same thing, let me assure you that they are not!  Japanese mayonnaise is more yellow in color & it tastes a lot richer than regular mayo.  Plus, it comes in this squeeze bottle with a baby printed on it & it has a star-shaped opening for decorative dispensing!  If you are really against using mayo or if you just don't have any on hand, try substituting it with dijon mustard & halve the amount of rice vinegar.  I am also contemplating making the dressing using a bit of avocado next time, but that would require the usage of my mini blender.

I didn't slice my tuna into thin pieces because it was getting torn apart by the knife & that would not make an appetizing photo.  I know that to get a tender piece of steak, I am supposed to cut "across the grain", but what about slicing tuna?  I tried to go along with the segmentation on the filet but that also did not go well...Russell's plate looked like it had been "inspected" by Sheldon before dinner was ready.

* To make the tangy sesame dressing, vigorously whisk together 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds, 1 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise, 1 tablespoons rice vinegar, 0.5 tablespoons soy sauce, 0.5 teaspoon sugar, 0.25 teaspoon mirin, 0.25 teaspoon sesame oil, & a pinch of salt.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Edible Beauty - Honey Apple Cider Vinegar Oatmeal Facial Scrub

HAPPY 100TH POST

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I am happy to introduce a new series of blog posts: Edible Beauty.  I tried to think of a more creative title but alas I was unsuccessful.  We all know eating healthy foods can help improve our bodies from the inside; but some of these same foods can also help improve our bodies from the outside...sometimes even better than the über expensive products.  So why not give them a try?

To start off the series, I want to share the recipe for a facial scrub that can either be used daily or once in a while & it promises to leave the skin feeling great for hours to come.

About a week ago, my face broke out with a ton of tiny bumps.  After browsing the web, I was pretty sure I had contact dermatitis (allergic reaction to something my face touched).  I don't know for sure how I got it but I suspect it happened when I was trying on clothes a couple of days before.  These bumps itched like crazy & the ones on my cheek even burned a bit.  I didn't want to go to the doctor because I was already doing what she would tell me to do: take antihistamine & rub hydrocortisone cream on my face.  What's worse, if I were to tell her that's what I was already doing, she might give me steroids. No, thank you!

I needed something that would relieve the itch/pain & I wanted it to be natural.  So I went browsing through the web once more & many say a facial scrub can help unclog pores & relieve my symptoms.  There are a ton of recipes for natural facial scrubs out there but settled on the one that had the properties that I was looking for & had all the ingredients in the house already!

What you will need to make this scrub...
     2 tablespoons oat meal, crust into smaller pieces
     1.5 teaspoons natural honey
     0.25 teaspoon natural, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

In a small bowl...
     Mix everything together using your fingers until well incorporated
     Add a water if the paste is too thick, it should be thick but not paste like
     Spread the scrub all over the face using circular motion
     Leave the scrub on for a couple of minutes & then rinse with plenty of tepid water
     Pat the face dry & moisturize























For a daily scrub, ground up the oatmeal until it looks almost like a powder.  I ground up a whole bunch & keeps it in a tupperware container & just take out the amount I need.  For an occasional scrub, crush up the oatmeal a little bit with fingers or with a spoon.  The bigger pieces are going to be rougher on the skin, giving it a more thorough scrub down.

So oatmeal, honey, & apple cider vinegar; what exactly do they do & how do they benefit the skin?

As foods...
Oatmeal is great for lowering high cholesterol & high blood pressure to improve cardiovascular health.  The high amount of fiber is also good for regulating the digestive system.  Honey is a great natural sweetener that can be used to substitute sugar & it has been shown to be able to lower cholesterol.  Apple cider vinegar recently rose to superstardom for its multitude of benefits as a health food.  When consumed with water, it can aid weight loss & help detoxify the body.  When consumed by itself, it is a really good digestive aide.  Long term consumption of apple cider vinegar can lower high cholesterol, lower high blood pressure, & some even say it can relieve seasonal allergy symptoms.

As skin care ingredients...
The texture of oatmeal makes it a great exfoliant.  The saponin in oatmeal naturally cleanses pore while the protein & polysaccharides moisturize the skin.  Additionally, the Avenanthramide in oatmeal helps reduce skin inflammation.  Honey has natural antimicrobial properties which makes it great for fighting acne.  There are plenty of antioxidants in honey (especially darker ones) which makes it great for anti-aging.  Finally, the thick, sticky consistency of honey helps draw in and holds moisture in the skin.  Apple cider vinegar, being an acid, is a natural astringent that can help reduce acne & skin redness.  Also because it is an acid, apple cider vinegar can regulate the skin's pH (which is normally slightly acidic) to make it feel supple & look radiant.

I have been using the more gentle version of the scrub everyday for the last 5 days and my bumps are almost all gone.  I don't think it is all because of the scrub but it did help with the itchiness & the burning sensation.  Also, it didn't leave my skin feeling super dry & tight like it had felt when the bumps first appeared.  I don't know if the scrub has done a good job in terms of exfoliating my skin - it feels soft but not like "baby's bottom" soft - but I will probably have an answer when I go see my esthetician next week.

For $8, I can buy all 3 of these ingredients enough to make this natural facial scrub for @ least a year.  For the same amount of money, I can buy half a tube of the Body Shop facial scrub that I have been using & that would last about 4 months.  You do the math.