the gogozo detox: the recipes

so, i think there are 2 ways to look at this whole cleansing thing. the major thing i wanted to focus on was to make it actually realistic. this meant a whole lotta food prep over the weekend. i'm not quite sure i can say it was worth it but we'll wait and see...in addition to the recipes i'm using for the week, i'll try to point out how i've simplified along the way...

breakfast: oatmeal with berries and walnuts
i prefer steel cut oats but in the time trap of the weekday, the easiest thing to do seems to be instant oatmeal. HOWEVER, i'm not talking about the sugar filled, random crap packed kind. i'm talking about normal oatmeal, with nothing else in it (except a bit of salt in this case). but what can i say? it's the plainest version i've been able to find.
add a 1/4 cup of frozen or fresh berries and 1 tblspn walnuts. i've been adding a tiny splash of vanilla almond milk, just for an extra flavor boost.

lunch: quinoa salad with grilled chicken
4 servings
if this looks familiar, it's because it's slightly modified from a quinoa salad i've made many times

• 1 lb chicken
  
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 1/2 cups cucumbers, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons parsely, chopped
• salt and pepper
• juice from 1/2-1 lemon
• tiny drizzle of sesame oil
  

• cook quinoa (a rice cooker is perfect for this!)
  
• while quinoa is cooking, sautee 1 bunch kale with garlic and small amount of olive oil
• allow quinoa to cool slightly, then mix in veggies, lemon juice, sesame oil, salt and pepper
• grill chicken with salt and pepper
  

dinner: miso soup with 1/2 cup brown rice and 4oz fish
dashi (adapted from epicurious)
4 servings

• 6 cups water
• 1 12-inch piece kombu (dried seaweed)
• 3/4 cup loosely packed bonito flakes

• place water and kombu in a pot and cover. allow to sit for 20 min.
• slowly heat up water. just before it comes to a boil, remove kombu.
• add bonito flakes and lightly simmer until they sink, about 4 minutes. do not stir.
• remove bonito flakes.

to make miso soup:

• 1 small bunch bok choy, sliced and steamed
  
• 1 cup snow peas, sliced and steamed
  
• handful dried sliced shitake mushrooms
  
• silken or soft tofu, sliced into cubes
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  

• place dashi, mushrooms, bok choy, snow peas, tofu, scallions in a pot and bring to a simmer until heated through
  
• turn off heat and stir in about 8 tablespoons of miso paste (start with less and add to taste)
  

stay tuned for grocery list and cooking prep plan...

low-fat cranberry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

subtitle: more oatmeal

by now, we all know that i'm oatmeal obsessed. (but not quite so obsessed as this guy.)

another birthday called and therefore another baked good. trying to respect the health concious, i stuck with the recent low-fat theme. AND since bday boy was going to be leaving the office early, i figured oatmeal cookies counted as breakfast cookies. because you just can't bake someone muffins for their birthday. and just to anticipate any griping, there really isn't anything boring about cranberry chocolate chip cookies.

if you're feeling my current oatmeal addiction, the serious eats' oatmeal roundup is not to be missed. now back to the bday baked good...

low-fat cranberry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
(adapted from baking bites; original recipe from foodfit)

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1/4 c plain unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  

• preheat oven to 375F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• cream butter and sugars. beat in the egg, vanilla and applesauce.
• stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and oats until just combined.
• add chocolate chips and cranberries and stir.
• drop tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. bake for about 9-12 min at 375F.
  

makes 2 dozen cookies

oatmeal with apple and pears (csa week 8)

if you've read the blog before, you've undoubtedly read more than one oatmeal rambling. i've become quite a fan of it for breakfast since i discovered trader joe's quick cook steel cut oats. what is it about steel cut oats exactly? their texture is just so much more satisfying than rolled oats. i'm thinking it's a mush factor. these ones just don't get as mushy. cook them in soymilk (rather than water) and you're really talking. so on my most recent csa pickup, i got all of these apples and pears. and sadly, didn't have the time on my hands to make a crisp or any other sort of baked good. the perfect solution seemed to be a quick stew for some morning oatmeal!

i threw a bit of salted butter in the bottom of a pot, then threw in chopped apples and pears, added some brown sugar and cinnamon, stirred, brought to a simmer and allowed it to cook until the fruit softened into a syrupy bath.

go go zo calls food trends?

i might just be onto something here...

it all started with the oatmeal. i read this article in one of my favorite food blogs, grub street. however, this trend seemed like a relatively obvious one and so i read the blurb, smiled and only mentioned it to one or two people. i received quite a few weblinks to the $1 jamba juice coupon after i had posted it.

but NOW, the nytimes featured an article in the dining section today about the popularity of whoopie pies (vs. cupcakes). for you 4 loyal readers out there, this just might sound familiar. if you said birthday brunch dessert, you win!

is this like horoscopes? throw enough general things out there and eventually you'll be right? i'm not sure but as long as this week's nytimes dining section is current, i'll bask in the glory. next food trend, you ask? chocolate covered popcorn. but that's only because i'd like some right now.

just in case you ran out of oatmeal coupons...

back to the oatmeal thing...

there's nothing quite like oatmeal on a 12 degree morning. that's why I decided to use my $1 jamba juice oatmeal coupon earlier today. i realize that to an outsider it may seem that i'm a bit obsessed (see oatmeal post 1 and 2) but seriously everyone, oatmeal is great and jamba is kicking starbuck's ass on this one. these steel cut oats taste like just that. cooking them with soymilk gives them an additional creamy taste. and the topping! i'm usually not a fruit compote fan but in this case, my apple cinnamon topping had the perfect balance of tart apples and a sweet sauce. my vote is to omit the brown sugar topping. not only does it have wheat in it but the topping was sweet enough for me.

what's that? you want one of those coupons? okay, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page. you're welcome.

jamba vs. starbucks
jamba oatmeal (plain)
180 calories
3g fat
5g sugar
topping options: bananas (50 calories), berry compote (70 calories), apple cinnamon topping (70 calories), brown sugar crumble (40 calories)

starbucks oatmeal (plain)
140 calories
topping option
3g fat
0g sugar
toppings: mixed nuts (100 calories), brown sugar (50 calories), or dried berries (100 calories)
price: about $3

the oatmeal trend continues!

Watch out, Starbucks, Jamba Juice is on the loose! Now I know this doesn't help those gluten-free people out there but if wheat is your issue, then take note!

I was pleasantly greeted upon my exit from the subway this morning by a man in a giant banana costume. Keep in mind it was 18 degrees and snowing. AM New York man didn't stand a chance. In any case, banana man (jamba juice employee) was handing out fliers. The man was wearing a giant banana, so I took one. Not only did it announce the new oatmeal offering but it also provided me with TWO $1 oatmeal coupons!

The oatmeal is organic steel-cut oats (no instant oatmeal here) made with soymilk. Flavor choices include apple cinnamon (compote), blueberry-blackberry (compote) and fresh banana. There is also a brown sugar crumble but careful--upon inspection of the jamba juice website, the brown sugar topping contains wheat!

read my full review of it here.

airport breakfast

Eating wheat-free can be hard enough. Traveling and eating wheat-free is even harder. Eating wheat-free breakfast on-the-go, while traveling can be nearly impossible.

I always travel with food but sometimes I rather die than eat yet another granola bar from my purse or am just in the mood for something different. Who would have thought that STARBUCKS, out of all places, would be the place to save me the other day in the airport at 7:45 am. With oatmeal! Genius! (Although beware, not gluten-free.) Starbucks now offers oatmeal, with a choice of toppings (brown sugar, dried berries, or nuts). Thanks to the friendly midwest attitude, my barista gave me all 3 toppings. The plain oatmeal is instant and poured into a cup with hot water. At less than $3, you can't really go wrong. For the record, I do not conceptually support Starbucks but they are the only place I can rely on for almost guaranteed soy milk stock (and now oatmeal, too!) Think of all the trips I can go on without worrying about bringing breakfast supplies!

Even though it's instant, the oatmeal tastes pretty good. It doesn't get that gloppy, overcooked consistency that you might find in oatmeal that has been stewing for hours. The dried fruit and nuts are a welcome accompaniment, especially compared to your standard raisin topping. It made waiting for an early morning flight positively pleasant--not an easy thing to do.