Roasted Garlic Pesto Mushroom Stacks

May 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under Recipes

Hello foodies!!! Today we are here to feature another meatless dish. This recipe is from our good friend and biggest fan Janah of Delishyourdish. We had the honor of making this dish with her at her house and today we are asking you to support her by voting for this dish for the Springlicious Recipe Contest. Please vote for this dish!! http://www.iledefrancecheese.com/blog/?cat=51

Roasted Garlic Pesto Mushroom Stacks by Janah A.

Ingredients:

1 Bulb Garlic
3 Zucchini (sliced on an angle into 1/2” slices)
1 Large Eggplant (sliced into 1/2” rounds)
1 Pkg. Sliced Portabello Mushrooms
1 Pkg. Fresh Basil
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Goat Cheese
Tomato Sauce
2 Red Peppers
1 Pkg. Firm Light Tofu
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt

Direction:

For The Roasted Garlic:

Set oven to 350 degrees
Slice off the top of the garlic bulb. Pour about 1 tbsp of olive oil over the top of the garlic bulb so that the oil drips down between the cloves. Top with a few shakes of sea salt.
Wrap the bulb in tin foil and place in the oven with cut side down. Allow garlic to roast for 1 hour.

For Pesto:

In a blender or cuisenart, add in bulb of roasted garlic (squeeze out the roasted cloves into the blender), lemon juice, goat cheese and basil.
Blend until you’ve reached your desired texture. Taste to see if you may want to add more lemon juice or goat cheese. Set aside.

For Red Peppers:

Set Oven to Broil.
Lay the red peppers onto a greased cookie sheet. Allow red peppers to cook on broil until they become blistered on top. Should take about 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

For The Eggplant, Zucchini and Mushrooms:

Set oven to 400 degrees on convection.
Place the zucchini, tofu and eggplant onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in the convection oven until the veggies and tofu begin to crisp. Or you can also cook the tofu in a sautee pan on high heat until crispy.
In a greased sautee pan, toss in the mushrooms on medium heat. While the mushrooms are cooking, add just a small dollop of the pesto into the pan. Cook until the mushrooms are tender. Set aside.

Make the Stacks:

On a greased cookie sheet begin to layer the veggies, tofu, pesto, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Be sure to start with a piece of eggplant on the bottom then build the stack any way you like.
Place back in the oven for about 5-10 minutes just to warm.

Tags: be organic, meatless, mushroom stacks, organic takeover, pesto recipe, roasted garlic, vegetarian dish

Organic Blue-Mango Soy Shake (Vegan)

May 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under Recipes

1 Comment

Good hot, scorching, burning, flaming, sizzling, blazing, blistering day all (if you’re living in South Florida). It’s foodie Roosevelt and as of today my new AKA is “Roo”. Your probably asking why “Roo”? Well I feel like it is too hot for anyone to even try pronouncing my name in this radiating heat. Today is an unbelievable HOT day!! To make it worst, it’s not even summer yet!!! So that’s why I had to stop in and save my foodies (you all of course) with a nice cool shake. The best part of this shake is that it is vegan! I am still trying to get over that video I watched about what happens to the meats that we as a society consume. Please remember to drink plenty of water during your day.

Ingredients:

4 fl. ounces organic vanilla or regular organic soy milk

1 cup organic vanilla soy ice cream

1/4 cup fresh or frozen organic blueberries

1/4 cup organic mango

sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (garnish)

Directions:

Add ingredients in a blender, blend on medium or high speed until creamy. Enjoy!

Serves: one

Preparation time: 5 minutes

If you’re a diabetic, on weight watchers, or simply a parent who would like your kids to eat healthy check this Sensational Smoothies book today! It also features a FREE bonus recipe E-Book.

Tags: be organic, blueberries, healthy shake, ice cream, mango, organic takeover, quick recipes, sensational, smoothies, soy shake, vegan recipe, vegetarian dish

Vegan Alert: Curried Kelp Noodles with Coconut Kale

May 11, 2010 by admin
Filed under Recipes

3 Comments

Vegan alert, vegan alert!! It’s foodie Roosevelt and we’re back again. I just recently watch one of the most sickening videos in my life. It kind of makes me not want to eat meat. Of course, I picked the perfect time to watched the video; right before lunch time and trust me right now meat is definitely not on the menu! Guess it was the perfect timing because here is a great recipe that you can enjoy as a snack. It’s a good thing that our friend Nutritionista save me with this recipe on a blog. This one is completely vegan!

You’ll need (makes two servings):

1 bunch kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 cups kelp noodles
3/4 C coconut milk
1 T curry powder
1 T coconut oil
salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
(optional: Be Organic’s Coconut Creme Finishing Sauce)

Make it: Saute the kale in the coconut oil on medium-low heat. When the kale starts to get a little browned, add the kelp noodles, coconut milk, and spices. Here’s the kale and noodles before adding the milk:

Let cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Within minutes you are good to chow down!

This is a very simple vegan dish that you can sacrifice meat for one meal…..in my case I think I will be holding off meat for a couple of days maybe months!!!

Tags: be organic, coconut milk, curry dish, finishing sauce, kale, kelp noodles, organic takeover, vegan recipe, vegetarian dish

“How Do I Start My Way To A Healthier Lifestyle When It Comes To Eating Food?”

May 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Blogs

1 Comment

Ok it’s foodie Roosevelt. Today I’m here to save a couple of people from falling into that dark center bottomless pit of hopelessness! First of all I would like to say if I can save you all I would. But I know for a fact that before I can do that you must have to want to save yourself first from whatever it is that is ailing you. My business partners Mr. Captain Kirk “Preventative” Nelson, Mr. Sky Andre “Diabetes”Walker, and I Roosevelt “Cancer” Desir (what…you thought I had a nickname? I do I’m just not telling lol) not only love educating people on ways to live a healthy lifestyle, but we also enjoy empowering people like you to better themselves through our personal stories. We want you to be that change to a healthier and more enjoyable life that you deserve. Now “where do I start” you say? Well that’s when you call on the three young, black, well educated, single, and sexy foodies of Be Organic/OrganicTakeover to save the day, or in this case your health. I am sorry. I have to apologize almost thought I was on a dating network. Ok back to the business at hand.

Yesterday I had two good friends of mine call me and asked for advice on where to start the change to eating healthy. I would like to thank them for coming to us for help because we truly feel everyone has the right to live a better and healthy life. The guys and I are here to assist you to the path of better health. Your journey to becoming a healthier person will benefit greatly if it is preceded by self-love and self-respect. I will be honest and tell you this; it is going to be very difficult to take the necessary steps of self-care if you don’t think that you are worth the effort.

First I would like to point out that diets are only temporary. Rather it is that you want to lose weight, lower your cholesterol/blood pressure, managing diabetes, and avoiding certain cancers or heart diseases you have to change your lifestyle. We do not promise that you will lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks; and definitely are not forcing you to adopt a completely new menu of foods. We are simply going to offer you a lifestyle tool. With this tool you will have the knowledge to tweak your current lifestyle into a healthy one.

Well ladies and gents what we are offering you is a food dairy. This approach is much easier for you to maintain for the long haul. Eating right is the first step toward long-term success. From understanding basic nutrition principles and counting calories, to making healthful restaurant choices, the basics are covered here.

Counting Calories:

Counting calories is the mathematical part behind long-term, successful weight loss. By understanding your body’s caloric needs and how to track them in the food you eat, then you will truly learn how to eat almost anything you want and still lose weight.

Recipes That Are Low in Calories:

We host a lot of cooking demos and classes. At these classes we really stress the importance of cooking at home. Cooking at home is an ideal way to control calories. You are the one that is in charge of exactly what goes into each dish, how much of any higher-calorie ingredient is used and how large your portions are. Even if you are new to cooking, the guys and I can give you the ultimate cooking experience (in the comfort of your home) to help you enjoy learning to prepare delicious low calorie recipes.

Start Off Smart with Breakfast:

I am going to be honest with you. For a long time I used to hate eating breakfast. If I was in a rush in the morning I wouldn’t bother. Or if I wake up late I would wait until lunch to have my first meal of the day!! That wasn’t doing my body any justice. It’s the most important meal of the day, so put breakfast on the top of your to-do list starting tomorrow morning. Make sure to leave a good amount of time to enjoy it and not rush the eating process.

Eating Healthy Snacks:

Incorporating healthy snacks into your day can help curb your appetite and keep your metabolism going strong. To keep your metabolism going strong and to prevent overeating, it’s important that you have a healthy snack around every three to four hours. If you are at home, it’s fairly easy, but “what about in the middle of the Nevada dessert”? Well if the heat doesn’t kill you first; here are some ideas for on the go healthy snacks:

Fruit snacks

Egg (hard-boiled ahead of time)

Low-fat or non-fat yogurt

Single serving orange juice bottles

Single serving tomato juice cans

Sliced veggies

Fruit (apples will store the best)

Instant oatmeal

Healthful Restaurant Choices:

We all love to eat out and socialize with friends and family for all types of occasions. Eating out doesn’t have to be cause for panic. I know you hear about the oversize restaurant portions and the plethora of fattening menu choices available all the time, but that doesn’t mean dining out will doom your dieting/healthy eating efforts! Just use these 5 simple tips for eating out:

1. Cram for tonight’s dinner. Many eateries post their entire menu online so you can print it out for reference. If you often eat at “mom and pop” type restaurants that aren’t online, call and ask for the menu to be faxed to you, or pick up a takeout menu on your next visit. Highlight the healthiest options for each menu and store them all in a central location. Then, when you are planning your next night out, take the time to decide on your dishes at home before you’ve been tempted by the sight of other choices.

2. Order your main dish from the appetizer menu. Not only are appetizers more reasonably-portioned, they will save you some money as well. (This is a great way to save enough calories and cash to split dessert with someone!) Too peckish to be satisfied with just a starter? Order a side salad, too — the fiber -rich veggies will round out your meal. Soup is super-filling, so it’s an awesome appetizer add-on, too (just steer clear of cream-based ones).

3. Beware these high-fat menu buzz words: Cream sauce, butter, oil, au gratin, breaded, Alfredo, battered or batter-dipped, “with gravy,” or smothered. Unless you’ve spared yourself treats for several days and snacked on salad greens all day, these little “extras” aren’t worth the extra calories.

4. Modify the menu. In my neck of the woods, anything and everything can be batter-dipped and fried, so I make special requests all the time. Many restaurants will take your dietary needs into account so you’ll be a happy customer and return. Don’t hesitate to request anything on the menu to be prepared in a more diet-friendly and for sauces or dressings to be served on the side. It’s not likely that you will be denied.

5. The meat is on. As tempting as that bucket of fried chicken looked on the commercial before you left home, order poultry steamed, poached, roasted, broiled, boiled, grilled or baked. Ask for skinless chicken whenever possible or remove it yourself. If you do treat yourself to fried chicken, choose white meat as it has fewer calories than dark. Of course, chicken, chicken and morechicken gets old after a while, so if you’re asking, “Where’s the beef?” allow yourself red meat a few times a week — just be sure to choose leaner cuts of meat like loin or flank.

Healthy Grocery Shopping List:

One of the things that I personally touch base with my section on nutrition on the OrganicTakeover is learning how to read food labels, decode label claims, and making the best choices for healthy foods at the grocery store. My dear friends always remember to make a shopping list that way you don’t get distracted picking up unnecessary items.

Bread, Pasta and Cereal

· whole-grain bread

· whole-grain bagels

· whole-grain English muffins

· low-fat, reduced-sodium crackers

· whole-grain cereal

· oatmeal

· brown rice

· whole-grain pasta

Meat/Protein

· white meat, skinless turkey

· white meat, skinless chicken

· sliced turkey breast

· lean beef

· pork tenderloin

· dry beans

· tofu

· vegetarian burgers

Fruit and Vegetables

· fresh fruit

· frozen fruit

· canned fruit (in 100% juice)

· fresh vegetables

· frozen vegetables

· canned vegetables (low sodium/no added salt)

· vegetable-rich canned soups (low sodium if possible)

Condiments

· low-fat salad dressing

· olive oil

· mustard

· ketchup

· jam or jelly

· honey/agave (substitute for diabetics)

· salsa

· herbs and spices

Dairy

· fat-free or low-fat milk

· fat-free or low-fat yogurt

· low-fat cheese

· low-fat cottage cheese

· light margarine

· eggs or egg substitute

This food diary can be used for recording your food intake and to reflect on your eating habits at the end of the day. Please copy this and print to start your food dairy planner. We suggest that you start off on a Monday and end on Sunday.

Morning (Time: ________)

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________