Kale Salad with Citrus, Mint, and Feta

Good news: I can eat again. Even though I didn't think it would ever happened, my throat is perfect and I'm healthy again. Of course, the first thing I thought to care about was food.

When I wracked my brain for what exactly to eat, I came up short on life's little delicacies.

Pizza? No.

Chocolate? Not a chance.

Lemon poppy muffins? Absolutely not.

You sure about that chocolate? Don't tease me.

You see, for over a week, I ate poorly. Poor in nutrition and poor in amount. My diet consisted of every soft carb I could force down my near closed throat. Oh, and milkshakes. And ice cream. So, where did this leave me?

Vegetable hungry. So very vegetable hungry. All I could think about was the crunch of a carrot, starchy sweet summer corn, and raw kale.



Well, those were all I could think about aside from s'mores, of which I ate many. Something about completely charred marshmallows makes me irrevocably happy.



Anyway, back to this salad. It's easy to toss together, inexpensive, and full of fresh, clean flavors. Chewy kale, bright citrus, and beautifully salty feta cheese combine to make a perfect lunch or side dish. It's simple, it's healthy, and it quelled my vegetable hunger.


Kale salad with citrus, mint and feta
Ingredients
- 1/2lb curly kale, chopped
- 1 grapefruit, segmented
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, torn
- 2T sesame seeds
- 1T olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Combine kale with olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Massage with your fingers for a few minutes, or until kale begins to soften and slightly wilt. Toss together remaining ingredients, season to taste, and let sit at room temperature until ready to serve.

Serves 2

Crispy Almond Crusted Eggplant

If you learn nothing else from me, please take away this little bit of knowledge: salt your eggplant. Trust me, it makes all eggplant dishes much more palatable. It takes away the bitter bite often associated with the berry (yes, eggplant is a berry!) and makes it tender and lovely. Just sprinkle each slice of eggplant with salt on both sides and allow to sit for about 15 minutes, pat with a paper towel to remove excess liquid and salt, and you have some mighty tender eggplant.

It works wonders. It made this dish so tender that the only utensil I needed was a fork. Well, that is until I decided to stop being dainty and just inhaled the last few pieces using my hands. One of the joys of living alone, people.


Crispy almond crusted eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 flax egg (1T flaxmeal, 3T water)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced, or garlic powder
- 1/2t each dried basil and oregano
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Slice eggplant in 1/2" rounds and salt using the above directions.
- Combine panko, almond meal and seasonings on a large plate. Dip each slice of eggplant first in the flax egg and then into the panko mixture, coating each side liberally. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and tender.

Serves 4



You could top this with marinara and Daiya (or mozzarella) for a fun twist on eggplant parmesan, balsamic reduction, or, as I did, with homemade vegan gravy.



I used Emily's recipe and it came out perfectly. I'm normally not a gravy fan, but I thought this went beautifully with the eggplant, which was silky on the inside and had the right amount of crunch on the outside. It was almost like a vegan remix on chicken fried steak, but with some fiber and healthy fats.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to work on a writing project and then rest up for some (undoubtedly embarrassing) booty shaking tonight. Happy weekend!

Warm Baby Artichokes with Tarragon and Pine Nuts

Foodie confession: Prior to last evening, I had never eaten an artichoke. I suppose one may argue that I still haven't, as these are baby artichokes, but they were too cute to pass up and this dish sounded good as I perused Whole Foods, so I went with it.



I'm so glad I did because this was such a perfect little meal. The artichokes were tender and perfectly acidic from crisp white wine and fresh lemon and had a beautiful anise note from freshly torn tarragon. Have you ever smelled fresh tarragon? If not, I totally recommend rushing out and buying some, if for nothing else than to let it perfume your kitchen.





With a fresh bunch of tiny radishes, a crusty roll and leftover wine, this meal sent me in food bliss. I love me some big, heavy meals, but sometimes there is nothing lovelier than a light, small dinner where you can bite into crisp radishes and scoop up delicate artichokes with pieces of bread.


Warm baby artichokes with tarragon and pine nuts
Ingredients
- 12 baby artichokes
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1T olive oil + extra for drizzling
- 1T fresh tarragon
- 2T pine nuts, toasted
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Prepare artichokes: peel away outer leaves until you reach the pale green center. Cut the tips of the artichoke as well as the stem and then halve it. Place each artichoke in cold acidulous water (water with lemon juice) until ready to cook.
- Saute shallot and garlic in olive oil on medium high until translucent. Add white wine and lemon juice/zest. Bring to a boil, then simmer. Add artichokes and tarragon, cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until artichokes are tender.
- To plate, top with a drizzle of olive oil, a bit more tarragon and toasted pine nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 2-4

Crisp: Not Just for the Fruits

I get the most recipe ideas either late at night while lying in bed, or at the gym. For some reason, thinking about what to cook while working out makes the time go by faster. There's no explanation for my late night thoughts other than it's probably my version of counting sheep. But I digress - last night before bed the wheels started cranking and I came up with what I thought was a fantastic idea: savory crisp. We're all acquainted with fruit crisps with their juicy, sweet filling and buttery crunchy topping, but why not make a savory version? So that's exactly what I made tonight.


Savory vegetable crisp
Ingredients
- 1 cup eggplant, cubed
- 1 cup zucchini, cut into half moons or cubed
- 1/2 beefsteak tomato, diced
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Dried basil and oregano, to taste
- S&P, to taste
- Pinch o' red pepper (optional)

Topping
- 3 tbsp oats
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs*
- 1 tsp Earth Balance
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Pinch of dried oregano
- S&P, to taste

Ingredients
- Preheat oven to 425.
- In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add zucchini and eggplant and saute until they begin to soften. Add balsamic, stir to coat, and continue cooking until tender but not overly limp. During the last few minutes of cooking, add tomatoes and cook until they begin to break down. Remove from the heat and place in a casserole dish (I used the usual 8" round Corningware dish).
- Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients and rubbing together with your fingers to incorporate the Earth Balance evenly.
- Spread a layer of the topping over your veggies. Bake for 10 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and feast.

* I used one piece of quinoa bread that I put in a 300 oven until thoroughly dry. Then I processed until fine.

Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side


Crisps are no longer just for fruits! I can safely say that not only was this absolutely delicious, but it rivaled most sweet crisps I've had. It was herbaceous, buttery, and the veggies had a nice flavor from the balsamic. The tomatoes added just enough "wetness" so that the filling wasn't too dry, but everything held together nicely.


I'm in love with this meal! I'm thinking maybe an autumn root vegetable crisp next?

Simply Raw: Rice Bowl

I apologize for not being around much lately, but I'm busy! Since switching my major to nutrition, I've had to plunge head first into a sea of chemistry and it's taking up a huge part of my life at the moment. Between the course load, going to the gym and trying to have a social life, I'm pooped and lack motivation to cook. When I told my friend that she said, "You? Not want to cook?" I know, shocking. But yes, lately I've honestly been making SIABs or salads for dinner and calling it a night. However, tonight I wanted to whip something together to share with you guys. Luckily for me, what I decided to make required little prep work and zero cooking.


Raw "rice" bowl
Ingredients

Rice
- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into medium florets
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
- Pinch o' red pepper flake


Marinated vegetables
- 1/3 cup crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large zucchini, cut into thin planks or rounds
- 2 tbsp shoyu or braggs
- 2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
- 2 tsp olive oil

Additional
- 1/4 bell pepper, julienned
- 1 small carrot, julienned
- 1 tsp raw sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions
- For rice, place ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it reaches a rice-like consistency. Set aside.
- Combine marinade ingredients and divide into 2 bowls. Place the mushrooms and zucchini in each bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring every once in a while.
- When ready to eat, assemble the bowl. Toss the "rice" with a few tablespoons of leftover marinade. Top with marinated veggies, pepper and carrots and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Serves 1




Raw food does it again! This was beyond amazing. I love the process of marinading vegetables because they get so soft and flavorful; if only I could plunge into a sea of marinated mushrooms instead of chemistry. The dish tasted completely similar to cooked rice bowls but was so much fresher and lighter. Like all raw food, I was left feeling satisfied but not stuffed and had a burst of energy! This dish proves that raw food doesn't have to be intimidating or complex - it uses common ingredients, is simple and easy to prepare, and is lower in fat than most raw recipes.

A new focus of my blog is to be posting recipes that are relatively easy and quick to prepare. Like I said, I'm going to be very busy for a while, so I don't have time to think of complicated recipes that take multiple hours to prepare and cook. Over the summer I had that luxury because I had plenty of time, but now there's just no way that can happen. So, expect to see a lot of quick and easy meals on Organically Me, but rest assured they will all be healthy, delicious whole foods.

Whirled Peas...Hummus?

I know, hummus is supposed to be made with chickpeas, but listen to me for a second. I woke up this morning and wanted to make baba ghanoush only to discover that my eggplant was mushy. I actually contemplated roasting it anyway, thinking that cooking it at a high temperature would kill any bacteria (I know, I know) but my rationality beckoned me to throw it away. So then I figured I'd make hummus, but I just wasn't in a chickpea kind of mood. So I tried thinking of a new way I could spin an old favorite. Many ideas later (including mushrooms) I remembered there were peas in the freezer. So I got to work, and created something pretty tasty.


Whirled peas hummus
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 basil leaves, torn
- 1 tbsp parsley
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Throw everything into a food processor and...whirl...until smooth. Chill until serving.




I know this isn't very hummus like, but I want it to be hummus so that's just what it's going to be. It's sweet, herbaceous and has a color that instantly put a smile on my face. Why eat a bowl of beige chickpea hummus when you can have a beautifully bright green spread that tastes great on veggies and pita and my fingers? The answer is obvious.

Now I'm going to sip some tea, watch the (original) Iron Chef, and begin concocting my next Desserts for Moi endeavor. Ciao!

Blog announcement: Organically Me has a new look! I was up until 1AM working on it and I'm quite happy. More pages to come as well.

Food Network Inspired

I love The Food Network. I'm sure many of you, being foodies, also love it, but my love can be described by some as unhealthy. Nine times out of ten, The Food Network is what is on my television. When that's not on, it's usually The Cooking Channel or The Travel Channel. I'm not a creature of habit or anything.

I digress. I had no idea what to make for dinner tonight. I initially thought Indian food, but decided to wait and possibly celebrate Indian Wednesday a la Fitnessista.Then I remembered I had a few tomatoes in the fridge which should be used up, so I got to googling tomato recipes. After sifting through pages of marinara and fried green tomatoes, I stumbled upon a recipe from Ina Garten for tomatoes provençal and knew I had to make it. I did, however, make some modifications.


Tomatoes provençal (adapted from Ina Garten)
Ingredients
- 2 medium tomatoes, halved with insides removed
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs*
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil + more for finishing
- Sprinkling of vegan parmesan
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Set tomato halves in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, mix breadcrumbs with herbs, salt and pepper. Fill each tomato half with 2-3 tablespoons of breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle pressed or minced garlic evenly on top and drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil over each tomato half (to keep tomatoes moist).
- Bake for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, sprinkle with vegan parmesan** and put back into the oven for 5 more minutes, or until top is browned and tomatoes are soft. Drizzle with more olive oil and serve!

* For the breadcrumbs, I cubed 2oz of locally made baguette and toasted them in a 250 oven until bone dry (15-20 minutes). Then I put the cubes into the food processor until they reached my desired consistency.

** I'm sure you can just put the parmesan on top when you first put them in the oven, but I enjoy taking a dish out towards the end and adding the "cheese"; it tickles me.


These were so good for being so simple. The flavors of the herbs came through nicely and the dish tasted so fresh and light. I highly recommend using fresh breadcrumbs and high quality bread because store bought just doesn't compare. I also recommend sprinkling the top with garlic instead of mixing it in with the breadcrumbs because it added another layer of flavor which I enjoyed.


They're so beautiful, too.

Braised Cabbage

I finally figured out a way to use some of the two heads of cabbage in the fridge. Unfortunately, this only used 1/2 of one, but luckily it was delicious and gave me incentive to find ways to cook more. Braising is typically a cooking method saved for cooler months when the weather is dreary and people want hot, slow cooked food. However, I don't exactly cook weather appropriately (e.g. the many soups I've made in the past few weeks) and I'm really looking forward to autumn, so braising was perfectly appropriate for me.


Braised cabbage with cauliflower rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 head savoy cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar + more for drizzling
- Dried thyme, to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- Cracked pepper (and salt if using salt free stock or water)

- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 tbsp Vegan parmesan cheese
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Wash and core the cabbage and divide into four wedges. Set aside.
- In an 8x8 or 9x13 casserole dish, add stock, thyme and bay leaves. Set cabbage wedges on top, drizzle with red wine vinegar and cracked pepper. Cover tightly in foil and bake for an hour, turning halfway through.

- While the cabbage braises, prepare the "rice":
- Cut florets in small pieces and add to a food processor along with seasoning and "cheese". Pulse until it has the consistency of white rice.
- Just before cabbage is done, heat "rice" in a sauce pan on medium heat until warm. Plate and serve cabbage over top with a drizzle of vinegar.




This was lovely and would probably be even better on a cool November evening, snuggled up in a blanket and a glass of merlot. However, it worked well for a ridiculously hot August afternoon while guzzling a big glass of water after a sweaty power walk. The cabbage was completely infused with the broth and practically fell apart at the touch of a fork.

The cauliflower rice wasn't used for any low-carb reasons; I needed to use some up before it went bad and it doesn't hurt that cauliflower rice is tasty. If you'd prefer real rice, then by all means use that instead. Lord knows I love my carbs.

Edible Blanket

For reasons beyond my realm of comprehension, I'm craving soup. No, not gazpacho or other chilled soups. Hot, hearty, warming soups. I know it's blazing hot outside, but nothing sounds better than a big bowl of soup; it's like an edible blanket. I also have a fondness for adding coconut milk to soup, which works in a pinch if (like me) you currently only have sweetened soy milk in the fridge. Don't worry about the coconut milk giving it an overwhelmingly coconutty or Thai taste, it's quite subtle and simply adds a nice creaminess. I added it to the soup below, along with a medley of other ingredients I threw in on a whim, to create something perfect for summer.


Creamy summer vegetable soup
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn, kernels removed
- 1/2lb green beans, cut into bite size pieces
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 large zucchini or 2 small, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 15oz can light coconut milk
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Old bay, to taste
- Cracked pepper

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Add corn (in husks) and roast for 15 minutes.
- While the corn is cooking, sweat aromatics in olive oil. Once translucent and soft, add to crock pot.
- Allow corn to cool, remove husks and remove kernels using a sharp knife going in a downward motion. Set side.
- Add all vegetables and remaining ingredients in crockpot. Turn on low and cook for 4-6 hours.
- Ladle into bowls and top with a sprinkle of old bay. If your stock is salted, only add additional salt at the end. I actually didn't use any additional salt and it was perfectly seasoned.


This soup was so good. It was creamy and hearty without being heavy and its flavors were perfect for this time of year. If nothing else, add the Old Bay. I promise you it makes the soup.




Add potatoes or chickpeas if you want a more calorie dense soup. I just wanted something light.

Now, to resist the urge to make more soup or else my fridge will be full of leftovers.

Mmm, Balsamic

Something beautiful happens when you reduce balsamic vinegar: it becomes a syrup so decadent and heavenly that the only thing you can do is lick it off of your fingers. I attempted to do so in a dainty, seductive fashion, but unfortunately it's difficult to do that when you're so entranced by how wonderful it tastes and how much you wish you were sitting in a bucket of it. Oh, it's super simple to make, too. Here's how:

- Bring 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small pot. Turn to a simmer and let it reduce for 15 minutes or until it has reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from the heat and set aside.

See? One ingredient and less than 20 minutes can give you moments of pure bliss. Anyway, I used said balsamic reduction to drizzle over my last minute dinner tonight.



Ratatouille salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup eggplant, cubed
- 1 medium summer squash, cubed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, left whole
- 1 cup button mushrooms, halved if large and whole if small
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small garlic cloves or 1 large, minced
- 4 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Toss vegetables in olive oil, rosemary and S&P. Cook for 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft and golden.
- Put vegetables in a bowl and toss with garlic and basil. Serve warm or at room temperature. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Try not to lick the remaining balsamic from the spoon, I dare you.




I had mine over quinoa and Boston lettuce leaves. Feel free to use peppers and onions in the roasting mix as well, but I wasn't in the mood for them tonight. I originally used the lettuce leaves for presentation sake, but it was a lovely temperature and texture contrast and tasted lovely with the balsamic.


The tomatoes were fantastic. The flavor intensified and they simply burst inside my mouth. Eaten with a glass (or two) of Sauvignon Blanc makes this girl very, very happy.

You Can Go Home Again

I'm having fun in Orlando, but sometimes it's hard being away from home. Even though I'm 20 (21 in two days!), this is the longest I've been away from my mom, so I miss her. Last night after an incredibly long day I was craving something that comes straight from my family recipe vault - zucchini and potatoes. My grandmother would make these on holidays or special occasions and knew how much I loved the dish. I haven't eaten it in a long time, mostly because her version involves a lot of oil and Parmesan cheese. Well, today I knew I had to make the dish my way. So I went to Publix and picked up the biggest zucchini I could find and some rosemary and set my sights on this beauty.

Note: This could easily feed 2 people, but after more intense work outs my appetite is raging, so this was perfect for just moi.


Zucchini & Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 medium russet potato, cut in uniform chunks
- 1/2 large zucchini or 1 small, cut similarly to potato
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp rosemary leaves
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
- 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- In a pot, bring water to boil. Add potato pieces and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add zucchini to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until potato is just shy of fork tender. Drain.
- In a large pan, saute onion and garlic until translucent on medium heat. Add zucchini and potatoes, rosemary and seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Let everything sit in the pan for a couple minutes without touching anything. Toss once and repeat. This is important because a crust begins to form and the flavors begin to meld.
- Turn on your oven broiler.
- Transfer mixture on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with nutritional yeast. Broil for 2-3 minutes. Vegetables should be golden and the nutritional yeast will add to the crust. Mangia!




Don't be afraid of the white potato. They have a bad reputation, but they're still nutritious and perfectly fine to eat in moderation.

As soon as I took my first bite I was immediately home again; could picture myself sitting around a table with my loud Italian family, all of us stuffing our faces. This dish is total, amazing comfort food. My addition was the rosemary - my grandmother never used it but I absolutely loved it here. I think rosemary and potatoes are the perfect combination.

I also had a salad with romaine, baby spinach, crimini mushrooms, sunflower seeds and my special homemade dressing (recipe to come, but it's so simple and delicious even my dad loved it!). I added some navy beans for more protein.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to Universal again (yay season pass) so it's going to be another early night and a lame food day tomorrow. But remember, with food, you can always go home any time.

Lazy Sunday

...wake up in the late afternoon.

No really, incredibly lazy. This is my day in a nutshell:

Wake up. Morning yoga. Breakfast. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Lounge.

That went on for quite a few hours. Then I had a burst of energy, so I decided to get all dolled up for the gym. Went outside and almost got blown over by the wind, so I scurried back inside to do some more lounging. I have a love/hate relationship with lazy days. On the one hand, it's nice to just simply do nothing. On the other hand, I feel, well, lazy. I packed some things and donated clothes; that counts as something, right?

Then I chair raced down the hall with my roommates/friend Keith and did a backflip over the chair. Needless to say, I lost.

Then I made dinner after being inspired by Angela's recent eats. Totally basic and simple, but comforting:

Brown mush rice and roasted vegetables

The vegetables were bomb. I just chopped up:
- 1/2 sweet potato
- 1 orange pepper
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 zucchini
- 1 huge garlic clove

and tossed it with 1 tbsp olive oil, S&P, dried basil and oregano, then popped it in a 400 degree oven for around 40 minutes. Perfetto.

The only roommate who brought pots/pans is moving out today, so I didn't have my standard pot to cook my rice. So, after some googling, I decided to try making rice in my crock pot. I added 1 cup of rice and a little over 2 cups of water, put it on high for around 2-3 hours, and then ate a nice pile of mush. I swear, one minute it was still firm and looking promising, and the next it just turned into the consistency of oatmeal. I like my rice sticky, but not to that degree.

Actually, one of the things I have yet to master is rice cooking. I can make some killer quinoa, kickin' couscous, marvelous millet, etc, but rice is still a fickle little grain. Don't get me wrong, I'll eat it regardless, but I want to make the most perfect, fluffiest rice ever.

To top off my lazy day?


Who needs a man when you have Endangered Species chocolate? I apologize for my hair and clothes, but it is lazy Sunday after all.