Spicy Deviled EggsWhat To Do With Leftover Easter Eggs

Use red pepper aioli to spice up these deviled eggs.

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Leftover Easter Eggs?

It's the day after Easter and if you're looking at a pile of hard boiled eggs and wondering what to do with them, here's a simple and tasty way to use them up.

Remember my recipe for Spicy Red Pepper Aioli? Today we're going to use it to spice up those deviled eggs!

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Deviled Eggs with Spicy Red Pepper Aioli

Vegetarian

[makes 8 servings]

8 hard boiled eggs

3 to 4 tablespoons spicy red pepper aioli

1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)

Carefully remove the shells from your hard boiled eggs by cracking them gently all over and removing the shells. If the shells stick to the eggs, remove the shells under cold water.

Cut the peeled eggs in half, remove the yolks, and place them in a bowl. Set the egg halves aside.

Using a fork, smash the yolks. Stir in the aioli a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is smooth and reaches the desired consistency. 

Fill the egg halves, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Per serving (2 halves): 105 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 213 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 0 mg dietary fiber, and 145 mg sodium.

Matzo Ball Soup With Veggies And Shiitake Mushrooms Vegan And Vegetarian Options

Vegan or vegetarian matzo ball soup for Passover.
Less than 200 calories per serving!

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This Italian Girl LOVES Matzo Ball Soup
For some reason Jews and Italians seem to live in the same neighborhoods in Brooklyn. At least that was the case in Borough Park and Ocean Parkway, two of the neighborhoods I lived in as a child. I was introduced to matzo balls at an early age and have always loved them. I usually don't think about them until Passover comes around and the shelves in the local supermarkets are stocked with matzo meal which immediately triggers a pavlovian response. 

This was the case this week when I bought a big container of matzo meal. I wanted to create a vegan matzo ball for those of you who avoid all animal products. For my readers who enjoy eggs (so many of you raise happy and well cared for chickens), I'll also include a recipe that uses real eggs instead of flax eggs.

Nutritionally, the vegan matzo balls have slightly fewer calories, zero cholesterol, 16 times the omega-3 fatty acid, and more the fiber. The vegetarian matzo balls have more protein. With either one, a serving of soup with 3 matzo balls has less than 200 calories.

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Matzo Ball Soup with Veggies and Shiitake Mushrooms
Vegan or Vegetarian Options
[makes 6 servings]
Requires a 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot with cover

For the soup
8 cups veggie broth*
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped onion
6 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
1 small turnip, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* Instead of veggie broth, you can use 8 cups of water and 1 whole Rapunzel Vegan Bouillon Cube with Herbs.

For the vegan matzo balls
3 tablespoons ground golden flax seeds
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water (divided)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup matzo meal (do NOT use matzo meal mix)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

For vegetarian matzo balls
3 fresh eggs from happy chickens
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup matzo meal (do NOT use matzo meal mix)
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

To make the soup, fill a 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot with all of the soup ingredients. Set aside.

Soup ingredients

To make the vegan matzo balls, make flax eggs in a medium bowl by mixing the ground flax seeds with 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of room temperature water. Beat until gooey, about a minute.

Flax egg

After the "eggs" are nice and gooey, stir in 1/2 cup of water and olive oil. 

(If you are making the vegetarian matzo balls, you would use 3 fresh eggs instead of making the flax eggs. First beat the eggs, then add 1/2 cup of water and olive oil.)

Add the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley.

(If you are making the vegetarian matzo balls, notice that the amount of baking powder is reduced from 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1/2 teaspoon.)

Mix until completely combined and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the soup and veggies to a boil.

Let rest for 10 minutes while soup is coming to a boil.

Divide the matzo mixture into 18 pieces and roll them into small matzo balls. If they get sticky and hard to handle, wet your hands. 

Drop the matzo balls into the boiling soup. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Do not stir or disturb during the soup during this time, other than occasionally peeking in.

Serve while hot and enjoy!

Per serving of soup with 3 vegan matzo balls: 171 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 840 mg omega-3 and 694 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 4 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, and 782 mg sodium*.

Per serving of soup (using a bouillon cube) with 3 vegetarian matzo balls: 184 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 93 mg cholesterol, 58 mg omega-3 and 739 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 732 mg sodium*.

* Using a Rapunzel bouillon cube instead of low-sodium veggie broth.

Per serving of vegan matzo balls (3 balls): 133 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 833 mg omega-3 and 648 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 17.5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 218 mg sodium. 

Per serving of vegetarian matzo balls (3 balls): 146 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 93 mg cholesterol, 51 mg omega-3 and 694 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 5 g protein, 16.5 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, and 168 mg sodium. 

Raw Beet And Kale Salad A Delicious Way To Detox!Vegan And Vegetarian Options

Raw beets and beet greens are mixed with raw kale
in this simple and delicious gluten-free salad.

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Beets Aid Detoxification
If you are looking for a spring cleanse, adding raw beets to your diet is the way to go. The body rids itself of toxins in a two-step process - Phase I detoxification and Phase II detoxification. Beets contain betalain pigments which support our body's Phase II detoxification operation. In this process, toxins are hooked up to other molecules, neutralized, and excreted from the body. Betalains lose their potency when cooked for long periods of time so they are most effective when eaten raw, steamed for 15 minutes or less, or roasted for less than one hour. Beets are also known to purify the blood.

Other Benefits of Beets
The phytonutrients in beets also reduce inflammation by inhibiting the activity of COX-1 and COX-2 inflammation-triggering enzymes. Beets also provide strong anti-oxidant support, especially for eyes health and nerve tissue.

1 cup of raw beets is only 58.5 calories and provides:
4 g dietary fiber
2 g protein
13 g carbohydrates
34% daily requirement (DV) of folate
22% DV of manganese
13% DV of potassium
11% DV of vitamin C

Don't Forget the Greens
Beet greens are very delicious and can be used like Swiss chard or spinach. They are particularly rich in carotenoids, like beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin, critical for eye health.

Kale Also Aids Detoxification
Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale help our body detox at the cellular level supporting both Phase I and Phase II detoxification. Phase II detoxification also requires sulfur and kale is extremely rich in sulfur compounds. 

Together, beets and kale can play a powerful role in protecting our bodies from environmental toxins.

Beets and kale are a detoxifying combination!

Inspired by Chef Esteban's Kitchen
Chef Esteban, from the Vineyards Inn in Kenwood, California, makes a kale salad that inspired me to make this dish. His version is vegetarian, with cooked egg white chopped so fine over the dish that I thought it was grated cheese. In my vegan version of the dish, I omit the egg but add the pressed garlic and a touch of creamy mayo and vinegar to achieve the flavor of his recipe. I'll also present a vegetarian version too which includes the hardboiled, pasture-raised egg.

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Raw Beet and Kale Salad
Mostly Raw, Gluten Free, Vegan or Vegetarian Options

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or hemp oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 pound raw kale, stems removed and thinly sliced (4 cups) 
Beet greens from 2 medium beets, stems removed and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 clove pressed garlic, or more 
1 tablespoon Vegenaise or mayonnaise
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 hard-boiled pasture-raised egg  (optional)
2 medium beets, peeled and grated (2 cups)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, oil, and salt until well combined.

Add the kale and beet greens and mix well until they are completely coated with the dressing. (I like to massage the lemon and oil into the greens with my hands.) Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes. This will tenderize the greens.

Marinate the kale and beet greens in lemon, oil and salt.

In a cup or small bowl, mix the garlic, mayonnaise, and vinegar. If you are making the vegetarian version, mash the cooked egg yolk into the dressing. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water, or more as needed. Set aside.

Add the grated beets to the marinated greens. Add the creamy dressing and black pepper and toss well. 

If making the vegetarian version, top with finely chopped egg white and serve.

Inspired by Chef Esteban's Kale Salad at the Vineyards Inn.

Per serving (vegan version using olive oil and without egg): 74 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 95 mg omega-3 and 237 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 444 mg sodium.

Per serving (vegetarian version using olive oil and including egg): 87 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 101 mg omega-3 and 336 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 35 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 454 mg sodium.

My New eBook, Health Begins In The Kitchen: Delicious And Easy Vegan Recipes And Seasonal Food Plan - Now Available On iTunes and Amazon!

160 vegan recipes (most are gluten free)
145 beautiful photographs
Start the New Year Right!

Change your diet, change your life!

If you have been following my blog over the years, you know that I believe strongly that your health is greatly influenced by your diet and lifestyle. This is great news because you can control these things whereas you can't control your genes.

If you have been enjoying my recipes and nutritional articles, you'll love this book. I have perfected some blog favorites along with many recipes you've never seen before. So if you want to take control of your health and your life, download my eBook today!

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You can buy the Kindle version on Amazon and download Free Kindle Reading Apps to read it on Smartphones (Android, Windows Phone or BlackBerry), your Computer (Mac, Windows 8, and Windows 7, XP & Vista) or on your Tablets (iPad, Android Tablet and Windows 8). 

HERE'S A PREVIEW!

Many people have shelves full of “healthy” cookbooks created by chefs with little or no nutritional expertise or home-cooking experience. The recipes are either too fussy or impractical and leave out a key ingredient—taste! 

Party Wraps with Ginger-Tahini Sauce
Raw Vegan and Gluten Free

Health Begins in the Kitchen combines the know-how of a foodie and avid cook with a PhD in nutrition to create a practical and seasonal approach to good eating. Healthy has never been so easy or so delicious!

Make the Ultimate Vegetarian Lasagna
Vegan and Gluten Free

In this cookbook, I will show you how to have a guilt-free, joyful and healthy relationship with food. Health Begins in the Kitchen demonstrates the possibility of avoiding disease and achieving remarkable health by the simple process of eating delicious food. 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with
Vegan Chocolate Chips and Raspberries

Selecting a Diet that Works for You
There are significant health benefits when you eat less meat and dairy while increasing your consumption of plant-rich meals. My book will show you how to easily incorporated more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds into your family's diet. 

Switching to a completely a plant-based diet requires some knowledge. I discuss the important benefits and shortcomings of different types of vegetarian diets (from raw vegan to semi-vegetarian), dispelling dietary myths along the way.

Besides the wide variety of healthy recipe ideas (from learning how to build the ultimate vegetarian lasagna to preparing guilt-free desserts), lots of tips are given on how to remake your own family favorites. For example: how to cook with less oil and sugar, how to replace eggs in cakes and other baked items, how to make fettuccine Alfredo or mac and “cheese” without dairy, and more. 

This delicious fettuccine Alfredo is dairy free!

Most people believe that their health and longevity depend on their genes and feel powerless to change their “destiny.” But actually, the diseases they will suffer from or the health they will enjoy depends more on the family recipes, rather than the genes that have been passed down to them from past generations. 

Health Begins in the Kitchen provides 160 delicious, vegan recipes (most are gluten free), 145 beautiful photographs, and an abundance of critical nutritional information that will inspire you to get into your kitchen and take control of your health. 

This "Parmesan" Topping is downright addictive!
Vegan and Gluten Free

This book introduces the Seasonally Raw Food Plan (with sample menus), emphasizing the importance of including raw, plant-rich foods in the diet. Unlike raw food diets that promote a high consumption of uncooked food all year round, I encourage a balance of cooked and raw foods that changes with each season. 

Tuscan Bean Soup
Vegan and Gluten Free

Cleansing the body of accumulated toxins is also important for one’s health and well-being, and many people find it helpful to do this periodically. An unsupervised water or juice fast can be dangerous and very difficult to complete; a safer and easier way to cleanse the body is by simply eating a diet of raw food for a period of time. Health Begins in the Kitchen offers instructions and sample menus for a gentle Raw Food Cleanse that will never leave you hungry. 

This pomegranate salad has only 3 ingredients!
Raw Vegan and Gluten Free

This book is not just for vegans or vegetarians. It’s for anyone struggling to obtain the number of daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables needed for good health.  

Drawing from the book’s recipes, a variety of sample menus are provided from a casual burger night to Thanksgiving dinner. I also share tips for easy and enjoyable entertaining.  

I hope this book will become your favorite addition or a wonderful first introduction to a plant-rich recipe collection!

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 IT’S NOT JUST A COOKBOOK!

Health Begins in the Kitchen also provides:

• ways to improve your diet with healthy and delicious, plant-rich, vegan recipes that will delight any palate whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, or an occasional meat-eater.

Enjoy a meat-free meal like Ratatouille on Creamy Polenta!
Vegan and Gluten Free 

• a Seasonally Raw Food Plan that optimally balances raw and cooked foods in your diet.

Veggie Sushi
Dip in Ginger Tahini Sauce
Raw Vegan and Gluten Free

• ways to make healthy jam and jelly using agave, honey, concentrated fruit juice, stevia, small amounts of sugar or no sugar at all.

Learn how to make healthy jam and jelly

• ideas and menus for easy entertaining.

Grilled Portobellos - Perfect for Burger Night!
Vegan and Gluten Free

• instructions on how to gently detoxify your system with a Raw Food Cleanse 

Raw Food Cleanse menus using recipes from the book.

• simple ingredient substitutions so you can make your own favorite recipes healthier without compromising taste

Learn to bake with less sugar and oil and without dairy.

• and tons of truthful nutritional information and answers to important questions you may have on how to get adequate protein, vitamins, minerals and omega-3, whether you should avoid gluten, or buy everything organic and much more. 

Readers

Buy it on iTunes if you have an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.

Or buy the Kindle version on Amazon and just download Free Kindle Reading Apps to read it on Smartphones (Android, Windows Phone or BlackBerry), your Computer (Mac, Windows 8, and Windows 7, XP & Vista) or on your Tablets (iPad, Android Tablet and Windows 8). 

Only $9.99

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Press Release: 

Vegan eBook Helps You Eat Your Way to Remarkable Health: Introducing Health Begins in the Kitchen
New eBook Helps People Overcome and Prevent Disease Through Life-Changing Recipes.

Vegan Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Crushed Red Chili Flakes - A Perfect Thanksgiving Side DIsh

A different approach to roasting Brussels sprouts

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Last Week at Sarah's Forestville Kitchen

Last weekend Doug and I had a lovely dinner at Sarah's Forestville Kitchen. Forestville is about 6 miles down the road from Sebastopol so when a Living Social deal came out for this restaurant, we grabbed it. 

One of the things we ordered was a Sauteed Brussels Sprouts appetizer. They were spicy and crispy and even my husband loved them and he's not a fan of this particular vegetable. The only problem was that they were a bit oily. But to brown them in a skillet, it's going to take more oil. I wanted to try and duplicate this wonderful flavor but with a little less oil so I decided to roast them instead.

Roast - Don't Incinerate!

There's a popular roasted Brussels sprout recipe floating around the internet that just simply mixes the Brussels sprouts with a bunch of oil and roasts them until they are cooked. The problem is, Brussels sprouts are hard little balls and it takes a high temperature and a good bit of time to cook them. In fact, by the time the Brussels sprouts were cooked, they looked like little incinerated balls. Many people commented how much they enjoyed the "caramelization" but to me, it looked and tasted burnt. 

Less Cooking, Less Oil

By pre-steaming the Brussels sprouts, I was able to roast them for a shorter amount of time and with less oil. In fact, I steamed them until they were cooked exactly to my liking (fork tender but not falling apart). Then I mixed them in oil and seasonings, spread them out on a cookie sheet and roasted them until they were brown. Once brown, I removed them from the oven, squeezed some fresh lemon juice over them and served them.

Cut Brussels sprouts in half and steam until cooked

Heat oil and mix in crushed red pepper flakes.

After oil cools a bit, mix in Brussels sprouts and season

Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast in oven until brown.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes

Vegan, Gluten Free

[makes 6 servings]

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon dried, granulated garlic 

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Squeeze of a fresh lemon

Clean Brussels sprouts by cutting about a quarter inch off the bottom, removing any damaged outer leaves and wash. 

Cut each Brussels sprout in half and place in a steamer. Cook until fork tender.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Stir crushed red pepper flakes into the heated oil and immediately remove pan from heat. Let cool a bit.

Stir in cooked Brussels sprouts and sprinkle with garlic and salt. Mix well.

Spread out on cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan. Roast in oven until brown - about 30 minutes, turning over half way through.

When done, remove from oven and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the Brussels sprouts. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 87.8 calories, 5.1 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 145 mg omega-3 and 488 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 3.6 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 4.4 g dietary fiber and 125 mg sodium.