Carrot Salad with Green Onions

A great recipe from my amiga, Piper Hackett:


Carrot Salad with Green Onions
2 pounds carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (about 7 cups)
6 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix carrots, green onions, and parsley in large bowl to blend.  Whisk vinegar, lemon peel, and mustard in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over carrot mixture.  Toss to coat evenly.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead.)  Keep refrigerated. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before serving.

Quinoa Pudding With Strawberries

makes about 4 8 oz servings

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup quinoa

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 Tbs sugar

chopped pistachios

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse it with cold water for a few seconds.

Combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes stirring every few minutes. If skin starts to form on top of the milk, just stir it back in. The milk will reduce and thicken. Ladle into bowls or jars.

Place cut strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with sugar. Toss them and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour until juices start to come out.

This 1-Year-Old Happy Meal Has Aged Surprisingly Well

Our amigo Andy Buteau sent us this:

Have you ever wondered what a McDonald's Happy Meal looks like after it's sat on a shelf (not in a freezer) for a year? This seems like one of those things I would learn accidentally, but writer Nonna Joann Bruso decided to find out on purpose.

READ ON...

If You Can't Read It You Shouldn't Eat It

Your Thursday Reminder.

50 Must-See YouTube Videos to Improve Your Health and Happiness

One of the most important nurse practitioner duties is to help patients learn how to live healthy. For many people, though, it can be a challenge to access the information that they need to make better decisions about their health and wellness... READ ON

Braised Leeks

Last Saturday part of our Food for Families food pickup were two giant leeks. What in the work do you do with leeks!? So, tonight I found a recipe and we tried them out. They were delicious! One of my new favorite vegetables and the best part of tonights dinner! Here is the recipe. . .

1. Cut the white and light green parts of the leek apart.
2. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a saucpan, add 1/2 c. water
3. Add leeks and cover. Simmer for 14 minutes
4. Flavor with salt and pepper.

Taco Seasoning

It is crazy how EVERYTHING really is processed and full of mono this and ribo that. So, when making tacos I had to find a recipe for taco seasoning to put on the ground turkey taco meat. This one was on allrecipes.com and had 1487 five star ratings. Once it is all mixed it can keep for future taco making.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

P.S. I also found these great tortillas that are all natural and you cook yourself. Clay and I love them! They are at Smith's Marketplace under the cheese on the back wall and are about $3.00 for 12- not too crazy.

Spaghettini with Checca Sauce

This is one of the few Italian dishes I didn't learn in Italy, but from the good old Food Network. But man is this one amazing and tasty dish. And the sauce is all raw foods tossed on a blender for a few seconds!

Ingredients

•                8 ounces spaghettini or angel hair pasta

•               4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped

•                3 garlic cloves, crushed

•                1 (12-ounce container) cherry tomatoes, halved

•                1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan, coarsely chopped

•                8 to 10 fresh basil leaves

•                Salt and freshly ground black pepper

•                3 tablespoons olive oil

•                4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

•                Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the next 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (do not puree).

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and fresh mozzarella in a large bowl. Add some of the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) if the sauce looks dry. Serve immediately.

Best of the Past: Trainer Tells All – What I Have Learned About Health and Fitness

Fantastic list of advice! (Thanks Mr. Buteau)

I was riding my mountain bike yesterday and all of the sudden it just came to me. I just started thinking about how many things I’ve learned through my own personal working out (since I was a kid and playing competitive sports) as well as being a trainer (since 1998). So today I just wanted to share some of the things this 36yr old has personally learned about all things health and fitness….in no certain order….

• Pushups are the best upper body workout designed….no machine can replace that…you don’t need any equipment and you can do them anywhere.
• It’s easy to become a certified trainer (as I have seen overweight people become certified)….it’s not easy to work as one full time (hence a high turnover rate in many clubs)
• Diet is 85% of where results come from…..for muscle and fat loss. Many don’t focus here enough.
• Working out too much doesn’t lead to good results….hence most people are still struggling after years of hard effort and little return.
• Most people do not lift heavy enough to make stronger muscles.

...READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Stand Up While You Read This!

From the New York Times recently:

"Your chair is your enemy.

It doesn’t matter if you go running every morning, or you’re a regular at the gym. If you spend most of the rest of the day sitting — in your car, your office chair, on your sofa at home — you are putting yourself at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, a variety of cancers and an early death. In other words, irrespective of whether you exercise vigorously, sitting for long periods is bad for you...

Read the entire article

I'm going to buy me a therapy ball!