Wintery Warm Collards W/Bacon & Onions

I've been really meaning to try out a recipe with Collards- I always seem to let them go bad before I get to using them, and for that, Mother Nature, I am sorry! I'll tell ya what though, Mother Nature has created a wonderful, nutritious food within the Collard Green- full of cancer protecting factors, cholesterol-lowering abilities, and my personal favorite charactristic-they have many anti-inflammatory properties!

I combined a few recipes I found online to create my own version of a classic Southern side dish. My hubby had never had Collards before and was quite skeptical when he saw the tough, raw leaves- so he was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this warm, wintery dish- and I was too!!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 Bunch of Collard Greens (you can also use Kale), de-stemmed & chopped into 2" pieces
• 4-5 slices of bacon, chopped into 1" chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup of water
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of cayenne pepper
• pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (optional, I really encourage!)

Set your Dutch Oven or a deep pan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in your 1" pieces of bacon and cook until almost crispy, then drain on a piece of paper towel and set aside.

Next, toss the onions & garlic into the bacon fat which was leftover in the pan, and cook gently for 5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of water, the nutmeg, cayenne, regular pepper and vinegar, stir to incorporate everything together, and then begin to fold in the raw collards. Cover the pan and simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the collards are tender and edible.

Finish by removing the lid for the last 5 minutes or so, and let as much of the liquid evaporate as possible. Toss the bacon back in just before serving to warm through, then serve!

You Could Also Try...

• You shouldn't need to add salt to this recipe, the bacon has enough salt already.
• Use Kale instead of Collard Greens!
• Use as a Holiday side dish!

Protein-Packed & Fresh Veggie Tabbouleh

So a few months back I started my venture on eating more "anti-inflammatory" foods, in order to help my body become the best it can be in all facets of life. (Check out this post to review where this all came from...) Well, long story short, it turns out I needed another knee scope last week to see what the heck was going on with this knee of mine that wasn't healing from a scope-gone-bad from December last year. So to continue my "anti-inflammatory" journey and prepare my body for the outpatient procedure and long recovery ahead, I sought out some high protein and high fiber recipes to give my body a good fighting chance!

Why do you need protein, and why do you need more of it when you're going under the knife and/or about to need your body to really work well for ya? Well, think of of it like this; Your muscles are like a factory you are building- and the bricks to assemble the building are found within protein-rich foods. So you have to have enough of the bricks to properly assemble your building, right!? And when you're body is already feeling slightly defeated, it deserves for YOU to be on top of things and give it as many bricks as you can!

Well, I'm NICHe in the KITCHe of course, and I'm not just going to cart in plates full of meat to eat- no way! There ARE ways to combine really great, tasty, low fat proteins with other recipes I love, and reep the benefits!

One recipe I came across combined the basics of the popular Middle Eastern parsley salad, and the protein benefits of the popularly growing, grain-like, quinoa. And I must say- I'm hooked! All the veggies provide tons of fiber and vitamins, and the quinoa is awesome for protein & antioxidants! This is a very well-rounded salad and it really is perfect to go as a side to a piece of grilled fish, BBQ chicken, shish kabob, shrimp stir fry, summery gazpacho soup...well, you get the point...

(You'll want to eat this all up within 2 days or so, otherwise the veggies will start to get a little mushy)

P.S. This is totally Gluten-Free too, so safe for all you GF'ers out there!

Ingredients & Recipe: (adapted from Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Health)
Printable Recipe

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup quinoa (I like this Ancient Harvest brand)
• kosher salt
• juice from 1/2 of a lime
• drizzle of olive oil
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 English cucumber, diced finely (skins are okay to eat)
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced very finely or grated
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
• about 3 Tbls. fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
• 1 tsp. dried paprika

Begin by preparing the quinoa; stir the quinoa and water in a small pot, add in a pinch of salt and bring up a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed all the water and is fluffy & tender. Set aside to completely cool.

Meanwhile, do all your chopping of the veggies and combine them all in a large bowl. Stir in the lime juice and olive oil, and add the paprika.

When the quinoa is cool, gently stir it into the veggie mix. Chill the salad for at least 2 hours to let all the flavors merry together.

Leek, Spinach & the Kitchen Sink Soup w/Tofu (Vegetarian)

Well, you'd probably think with the weather getting nicer (yesss!) that I'd stray away from soup but there is just something so soothing and simple to me about a bowl of soup. I love that you can make a big pot of it on a Sunday and rely on it all through the week- maybe for lunch with a half sandwich, or for a super fast dinner with a green-leafy salad! Soup just knocks my socks off-winter, spring, summer or fall! This soup is full of so many healthy veggies that I've been learning about to help me reduce the inflammation in my body-(if you have no idea what I'm talking about, refer to this post.)
For example, the spinach in the soup is an awesome antioxidant (which help to repair our cells in our body), and is really high in vitamin K (which helps our blood do what it needs to do & protects our bones)
Leeks are great for us because of the way they help our cholesterol levels, and the vitamin C levels inside a tomato is through the roof!! I've just touched on only a few benefits of the ingredients in this "Kitchen Sink" soup- give it a shot!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 5-6 cups of vegetable stock or broth (use the kind with No MSG, 98% fat-free, low sodium)
• 6-7 white mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 large leek, or 2 small leeks, rinsed well then sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped (optional)
• 1-2 green onions, chopped (optional)
• 2-3 cups of fresh baby spinach
• 8-10 oz. extra firm tofu, pressed, then cubed
• Kosher salt, Pepper
• 2 Tbls. fresh parsley, chopped
• Olive oil
• Cooking spray

Begin by heating a drizzle of olive oil on the bottom of a Dutch Oven or a large pot, over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, leeks & garlic, and saute for 5 minutes just until they begin to get a little tender. Stir in the stock/broth and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a small skillet up to medium heat. Spray it lightly with cooking spray and give it a very light drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper directly into the pan, then place the pressed/cubed tofu into the skillet to brown for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Once the tofu is seared, finish up by performing the "kitchen sink" technique; toss in the cooked tofu, the tomatoes, zucchini, green onion, baby spinach (as is, no need to chop, it will wilt down), parsley, and a little salt and pepper to taste. Give it a stir, let everything heat through for about 5-8 minutes then give it a taste (do you need more salt? more pepper? more parsley? add whatever you need). Now it is time to enjoy!

You Could Also Try...

• Add in 2 Tbls. of "Tom Yum" paste from the Asian Food Market or aisle, right at the end during the "kitchen sink" portion, to give the soup an Asian-flair.
• Instead of tofu, sear pieces of Tilapia in a skillet (just like we did with the tofu), and add it to the soup for a delicious Omega-3 Kick!

Grilled Thyme-Pesto Swordfish Steaks

Well, I'm learning a lot, my fellow foodies! In my quest to reduce the inflammation in my body, I've learned that eating more fish (which I love) helps to increase our levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (which are the healthy fats we need)! Omega-3's generate molecules in our bodies to basically reduce inflammation, so they can be thought of as little inflammatory-fighters! So the more foods we intake that have healthy Omega-3's, the better!

I've learned that many common herbs have anti-inflammatory impact on our bodies, including but not limited to, thyme! Actually, the oil that makes thyme leaves smell so good, contains very similar properties to the ingredients in Motrin & Aleve and other meds that reduce pain and swelling! Check out this article to learn about a few other great uses for thyme!

(If you make the pesto and marinate your fish early in the day, it will only take you about 15 minutes or so to get dinner on the table after work...not bad for a healthful and DELIC dinner!)

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 2 Swordfish steaks

Pesto

• a large bunch of fresh Thyme (about 20 sprigs, which is about 1/2 of the little plastic containers you can buy at the grocery store), get the leaves off of the stems by holding one end and scraping them off with your fingers or a knife (carefully)
• 2 tsp. chopped walnuts (contain tons of omega-3's)
• 1 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbls. olive oil or canola oil
• S & P to taste

Use a small "mini-chop" food-processor to process the thyme & walnuts until ground up quite small. Now add in the cheese (optional), juice, oil, S & P, blend until smooth consistency, yet still has texture.

Get your hands dirty by rubbing the pesto all over your fish (top & bottom), and place them in a shallow dish, cover with a piece of plastic wrap, refrigerate for 2-4 hours to marinate!

When you're ready to cook, take the fish out of the fridge a good 20 minutes ahead of time to get the chill off (anything you cook will cook much more evenly if you allow it to get to room temp before slapping it on the stove or the grill). Heat your grill pan over medium heat, spray it very lightly with cooking spray, and begin to grill your fish, about 4-5 minutes per side, or until it is opaque and flaky. Be sure to monitor your grills heat- to keep inflammatory properties down in your food, you do not want to over cook or burn while grilling food- see more here.

You Could Also Try...

• Try this with Halibut, Tilapia, Cod, Bluefish, Mackerel or any other white fish, but just adjust your cooking time to the thickness of your fish. All of these fish have healthy amounts of Omega-3's!

Spanish Keen-Who? Quinoa!

I know, I know, we all keep hearing more and more about this wacky grain called Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah). Well, as I've posted before in this Mexican Quinoa recipe, Quinoa is a wonderful option for those with a Gluten allergy or with Celiac disease, because it is totally Gluten-free, and it is perfect for vegetarians because it is ridiculously full protein! You cook it much like rice and can serve it hot or cold, and really, you can do pretty much anything with Quinoa- it's basically like a miracle food! Rowe & Davis tell us in, "Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Health", that not only is Quinoa full of protein but it is also full of iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, folate...basically all great things our body needs to stay balanced!

Where can you find this miracle food? I've purchased it at Kroger or Meijer- usually in the "healthy food" section, and I've used the red & the white varieties (they tasted the same to me).

This Spanish recipe was the perfect filler dish for a Spanish Tapas party we had this past weekend, and with just a few ingredients you're able to keep cost down, flavor up and tummy's full!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 cup quinoa, (check the brand you purchase to see if you need to rinse it before cooking)
• 3 (10 oz.) cans of Rotel chopped tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 2 garlic gloves, minced or pressed through garlic-press
• Olive oil
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbls. cumin
• good pinch of Kosher salt

Begin by heating a soup pot over medium heat, add in some olive oil and begin to saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until the onions begin to get tender.

Meanwhile, drain each can of chopped tomatoes, but drain all the juice into a large measuring cup. Add enough water into the measuring cup to equal 2 cups. Add the liquid into the onion & garlic mixture and bring everything up to a boil.

Once boiling, stir in the salt and quinoa. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and let the quinoa simmer, about 20-35 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. (The time varies so much depending on the brand of quinoa you purchase.)

Once the liquid is absorbed into the quinoa (it looks fluffy and soft), stir in the tomatoes, chili powder and cumin, allow everything to heat through, give it a taste (check to see if you need to add a bit more salt or not), and you are ready to serve!

You Could Also Try...

• This recipe can be cut in doubled for a crowd, and it also can be made the night before, stored in an air tight container and warmed up before serving.

I'm Inflamed, So I'm Flirting...

I've been sitting with my laptop on my lap for about 35 minutes trying to figure out where to even begin with this post. Where the heck do I start after saying, "I'm inflamed"?

Well, long story short- I've been in the "contemplative stage" for a few years now (a social work term describing when someone is sort of thinking of changing something, weighing the pros/cons, contemplating a change...) as it relates to certain diet I heard about when I first began getting some stomach problems. I saw a gastro-enterologist (a stomach doctor) who diagnosed me with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), and I definitely don't want to discredit anyone that truly feels they have this syndrome/disorder, but for me, my symptoms were just so indecisive & ambivalent, it really made me curious if there was more to the story. I've gone nearly two years now without even a whisper of the type of cramps or pains I used to get when I had "IBS", and I couldn't be more thankful- I mean, for a person that LOVES food, loves to eat and loves to cook, it was really hard at times to feel limited by my own inflamed stomach.

Now for the last 6 months I've been dealing with a very common overuse injury in my knee(s) that most women face at some point in their lives because of our hip-to-knee angles, called chondromalacia. I had a scope/surgery and have a great deal of scar tissue that is making my recovery anything but typical.

So you might be asking, "Nichole...why the heck are you getting into all this? This is a cooking blog! Quite frankly, I don't give a rats pa-tootie about your stomach or your knee!" I mean, we all have problems, no one gets away in life without something going on at some point, unfortunately. But, I tell you all this because in fact, it has been scientifically proven that foods and diets rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids reduce INFLAMMATION- inflammation that can be found within the intestinal tract, within the cardiovascular system, within joints and muscles (making it more difficult to heal at times), and inflammation has even been found to be connected to cancer, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's...the list goes on.

I've decided to flirt with the idea of an "Anti-Inflammatory" diet, or at least incorporating more "anti-inflammatory" foods into my life, in hopes that I will feel stronger, healthier and perhaps- just perhaps I will assist my body in the healing process for a better knee!

I've been researching and will continue to research the role our diet plays with inflammation, the right foods to choose, how to prepare foods correctly to reduce inflammation, and will be posting the recipes I learn about and giving you honest feedback about their taste, prep time and bodily impact. And as always, I'll be keeping the recipes simple and realistic!

I hope you find this somewhat exciting- I do! I think it's a great opportunity for us all to take care of ourselves, even better than we hopefully already do! Or if you have been contemplating a change for a while now, let this be your guide to making a few small edits to your weekly meals!

Check back soon for updates under the label appropriately named, "I'm Inflamed..."