healthy | | Nutrition News

Mediterranean 5-grain Salad with Sunchokes, Beets & Mozzarella

by Frances | Mar 1, 2016 | Diet, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

Our friends at Green Kitchen Storie created this salad in collaboration with Swedish/Italian family company Zeta. They are launching a new range of organic whole grain mixes . Since grains can be a little colourless, they asked Green Kitchen Stories for a delicious recipe that looked stunning (no pressure, right). Luise and Elsa share a deep love for Italy and Italian flavours and they truly indulged in that while creating this salad.

The grains add a nourishing base for this salad and they are tossed in pesto for extra flavor. They add sunchokes that are roasted until buttery soft and mix with thinly sliced raw, crunchy chioggia beets (aka candy cane or polka beets) and radishes. Of course they threw in some mozzarella and pine nuts (influenced by Italy!), and added red grapes for sweetness. All in all, it’s a real beauty of a salad, it is very nourishing and tastes just as good as it looks.

The idea of mixing chioggia beets with radishes for a colourful kick is shamelessly inspired by some of the salads in Erin Irelands instagram feed (worth checking out btw!).

Mediterranean 5-grain Salad with Sunchokes, Beets & Mozzarella
Serves 4–6

1 bag (250 g / 1 1/2 cup) Zeta organic 5-grain mix (Farro, Barley, Kamut, Brown Rice and Oat Groats), or grains of choice
500 g / 1 lb sunchoke/jerusalem artichoke
2 chunks mozzarella di bufalo
4 polka beets (chioggia) or yellow beets, peeled
1 bunch radishes, rinsed
200 g / 7 oz red grapes, halved
1 handful pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 handfuls rucola/arugula
1 bunch fresh basil

Pesto dressing
5 tbsp green pesto
2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Rinse and brush the sunchokes (don’t bother peeling them) and cut them in 5-10 mm (1/4-inch) slices. Place the slices in a bowl, drizzle over olive oil and toss them until everything is covered in oil. Spread out the slices on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until soft with crispy edges.

Meanwhile, cook the grains in a large sauce pan filled with salted water, following the cooking time on the package. Drain any excess water and scoop the grains back into the sauce pan.

Stir together the pesto dressing and pour over the grains in the sauce pan. Make sure they are all covered and then pour the grains out onto a wide plate or salad bowl.

Layer with sunchoke slices and torn mozzarella chunks. Use a mandolin (or sharp knife) to shave the polka beets and radishes very thinly and spread on top of the salad together with pine nuts, grapes, rucola/arugula and basil.

SECRET SOCIETY – The workouts no one knows you’re doing : Secret Workouts |

by Frances | Apr 14, 2014 | Fitness, Health, The Is It Healthy? Game

In an ideal world, you’d hit the gym four times a week and ride your bike to work the other three days. But since you’re a human being living on planet Earth, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon.

Luckily, we’ve found a few sneaky exercises you can do in secret as you go about your day. Watch this video to see the moves in action, or read on below.

The park-bench press Blast your tris (yes, we just said that) with this do-anywhere arms routine. Stand with your back facing a park bench, then squat and place your palms on the edge of the seat. Bend your elbows to dip yourself down as many times as you can without getting weird looks. (This can also be done on an office chair while you’re on speakerphone.)

The step-it-up Once you’ve finished your presses, use that same bench as an aerobics step. A few up-and-downs and we guarantee your heart will be pounding.

The coffee-line calf raise Got a three-minute wait for your iced vanilla latte? Hold on to the counter and slowly lift and lower your heels for a quick calf and glute workout.

The broken elevator We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Take the damn stairs!

Fabulous Foodie Friday – April 11.2014

by Frances | Apr 14, 2014 | Cooking, Food, Health

Chew On This

Easy homemade granola bars

Erin McDowell

Granola bars–fast, convenient, purse-sized. Just do yourself a favor and don’t read the nutrition info. Lucky for us gals on the go, a healthy version is achingly easy to make at home. Toast up some oats, add a drizzle of honey, a spoonful of almond butter and a handful of your favorite mix-ins, and you’ve got your own granola bars in less than 30 minutes. And they’re good for you too, but that won’t stop us from drizzling a little chocolate on top next time…

Cherry-Almond Granola Bars

A PureWow Original Recipe

Makes 12 bars

Start to Finish: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter3 cups quick oats1½ cups almonds, coarsely chopped1 cup dried cherries

3 tablespoons brown sugar

⅓ cup honey

1½ cups almond butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both sides.2. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the oats and toast until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.3. In a large bowl, combine the oats with the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine. (This can be done by hand, but it’s especially quick in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.)4. Press the oat mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Pop the pan into the refrigerator or freezer to let the mixture set for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into 12 evenly sized bars and serve. The bars will keep in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic for up to five days.

Weekend Recipe Deliciousness! Carrot Ginger Soup

by Frances | Mar 21, 2014 | Cooking, Food, Health, Recipes

Carrot Ginger Soup

1 large onion; diced
10-12 large carrots; about 6 cups, large dice
4 cloves garlic; chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 bell peppers; diced
2 ½ tsp. ground cumin
2 ½ tsp. coriander
2 ½ tsp. dried thyme
2 ½ tsp. black pepper
3 medium starchy potatoes ; diced
2 Tbsp. Tamari sauce
2 quarts homemade vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. coconut milk
Vegetable Oil; as needed
Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper; to taste

In a large soup pot, heat a small amount of vegetable oil over medium heat. Sweat the onions and carrots until almost tender, before adding the garlic, ginger, and bell peppers. Once the vegetables are softened, add the spices and cook until well toasted and very aromatic. Add potatoes, tamari, and cover with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the flavors are well developed. Add the coconut milk and puree to the consistency of your liking with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy of: Healthy Living Market and Cafe