Flavor of the Week: Watermelon and Fitness

If ever there was a fruit that says picnics, barbecues, and summertime fun all in one word, then that would be our Flavor of the Week…watermelon!

Even kitties need some refreshment! Image source: http://aboutalex.blogspot.com

There’s nothing like chewing into a big, fat slice of this summertime treat, both hands holding a two-inch thick piece with juices running down your arms as you challenge your sister to see who can spit seeds the farthest across the driveway.

image source: http://nomadicjoe.blogspot.com

There’s nothing like a refreshing slice on a hot summer day, but if you care to enjoy this vitamin-rich fruit, try it in a smoothie for a light and refreshing breakfast or snack (if you like pineapple smoothies, here is last week’s post with a pretty pineapple lassi photo.)

Watermelon lassi with protein powder boost

Watermelon Lassi – Combine 6oz. Greek-style nonfat yogurt and 2 cups watermelon chunks in a blender. Boost: add 1/3 scoop vanilla protein powder. Makes 20 ounces of deliciousness with approximately 210 calories and zero fat.

For something more substantial, just add granola and a handful of blueberries:

Watermelon-Berry Breakfast Bowl – In a cereal bowl, add 6 oz nonfat yogurt, 1/2 cup chopped watermelon and 1/4 cup fresh blueberries. Garnish with a tablespoon more of yogurt and top with a sprinkle of granola and chopped mint.

In the following weeks you will see more posts of healthier meals and fewer baked goodies. I know, it makes me a little sad to not enjoy the comforts of homemade cakes and cookies for the time being, but I am trying out a new exercise and meal plan to get stronger, have more energy and cut out extra fat in my diet as much as possible. It will be a nice change, and a challenge for me physically as I try out new exercises, but that’s what makes it more fun!

Here’s an excerpt from the Ayurvedic cookbook, Eat, Taste, Heal. In the chapter “Food as Medicine,” where they talk about the  Essential Ingredients for Health. It’s motivating and inspiring, and reminds us of our uniqueness:

“Exercise Your Body and Mind. Physical activity keeps the inner motors of the body running with ease. Through exercising in accordance wit your underlying make-up, you have the ability to keep your body young and vibrant…in order to keep your mind clear and bright, also remember to exercise (your) inner talents and passions…if you regularly exercise your body and mind, you will help exorcise all imbalances and illness.”

Have a great week, everyone!

 

What I Ate Wednesday #10, Featuring Fish with Orange-Shoyu Sauce

 

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! I hope you all are enjoying your Independence Day, especially you, Jenn, at Peas and Crayons! Thanks again for hosting another fun-filled episode of WIAW. Our theme this month is Fun, Food and Fitness, and I have a nice way to start it off, as well as a delicious dinner recipe to go with this week’s Flavor of the Week, orange!

Last week I was having fun with new food experiments (like raw chocolate chip cookies) but by the time Friday came along I was ready to take a break from the kitchen and take in some new scenery. After a quick breakfast of coffee and orange date cake we headed up to Ithaca and visited Buttermilk Falls State Park. I was looking forward to this trip for a while and even though there wasn’t much water coming down the falls, it was still beautiful:

Beautiful day at Buttermilk Falls State Park.

The trail takes you right by the creek so you can cool off your hot tootsies!

The trails were nice and shady, but going up numerous stairs in the beginning proved to be a good workout (especially with a bunch of noisy teenagers behind you!) After enjoying the numerous waterfalls, pools, and overall scenic splendor of the park, we headed back to town and popped in to The Mate Factor Cafe & Juice Bar in Ithaca. Unfortunately, they had THE worst espresso in the world. It smelled okay and looked okay, but it tasted like they put half a lemon in it.

THE lousiest espresso in the world.

My tofu-avocado wrap wasn’t bad, though they did go heavy on the Kalamata olives, which made it kinda salty:

Tofu avocado wrap, no onions.

Couldn’t finish it, folded it up like a  little purse and took it home.

We got home early so spent a couple hours doing yard work until around 8:30pm (these long days are awesome!) Dinner was leftover lunch for me and  leftover dinner (below) for my husband:

Saturday night special: spelt crust pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and fresh basil

In keeping with this week’s Flavor of the Week theme, I wanted to share this recipe for Fish with Orange-Shoyu* ** Sauce I made for dinner  on Monday. I came across a Teriyaki Orange Fish Filet recipe that sounded pretty good, so I just modified a few things, including the name (I hope it’s okay that I did this.)  The fish is simmered in a light sauce of orange and ginger, perfect for the walleye we were lucky enough to get from my sister (her husband’s a great fisherman!) It’s a quick and easy meal, and of course, healthy!

*shoyu = soy sauce. Won’t sound as good if I called it ‘Orange Soy Sauce Sauce’!

**After moving to NY from HI, there are certain words I have to start using in conversation, like ‘soy sauce’ instead of shoyu, ‘flip flops’ instead of slippers, and ‘creek’ (or ‘crick’) instead of gulch. My husband also referred to the continental US as ‘the mainland’ at work the other day, and people were like, “What are you talking about?”

This light, delicate orange sauce is infused with fresh ginger.

Fish with Orange-Shoyu Sauce (modified from Teriyaki Orange Fish Filets at grouprecipes.com)
serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb fish filets, such as walleye, but use any fish you like
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
1″ piece ginger, sliced thinly or grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons agave syrup or 2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
4 stalks green onion, chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
zest of 1 orange
4 cups broccoli florets
2 cups sugar snap peas or snow peas

Directions:

Season fish with salt, set aside.

Mix orange juice through agave syrup. Stir in sliced onions and green onion. Add half of orange zest.

In a large frying pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add fish, cook for 1 minute. Spoon half of the orange mixture over fish, letting it simmer before adding more sauce to pan. Cook fish for 2 minutes, turn over and pour remaining orange mixture over fish, adding half of orange zest. Simmer high and cook for a minute then add broccoli and peas. Turn heat down to medium-low, cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

Serve with brown rice and garnish with remaining orange zest and green onion. Enjoy!

These large walleye filets are enough for 4 people…looks like we’ll be having leftovers. :)

Have the rice cooked ahead of time for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

Low-fat and packed with protein and vitamins, this dish is perfect for a post-workout meal.

What are some of your favorite hiking spots? What’s your favorite post-hike meal? Don’t forget to leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

 

Flavor of the Week: Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana?

Don’t these oranges look delicious? (Image source: http://www.growcitrus.com)

Yes, it’s the old knock-knock joke that could go on and on until you decide to say ‘orange’! One of my favorites to tell, but not to listen to. ;)

It’s been a couple years since I bought oranges, much less ate them. When I started following the Blood Type Diet, there were some fruits that I was supposed to avoid: mango, cantaloupe, papaya, tomatoes, and oranges, for example. I did well on that diet, and some foods I could easily do without…like oranges.

But it wasn’t until last week when I made a batch of  raw Orange Cranberry Oatmeal scones* that I felt like I had to incorporate this fruit into my diet once again. It wasn’t the flavor of these scones that did it (which were awesome, btw) but the fragrant, vibrant, juicyness of the fruit when you slice it, and especially when you zest it. The navel oranges I got were the size of grapefruits, and were incredibly sweet and juicy. Each of these oranges would yield 8 ounces of fresh-squeezed juice, plus some nice bits of pulp that I like to chew on.

Long after eating the scones, the fresh orange taste was still stuck in my head and I needed more of an orange fix. I decided to modify my wheat-free carrot-apple-ginger cake into an orange date cake. This being the first orange cake I made, I think it was a success! After ten minutes in the oven, the kitchen already smelled phenomenal. The taste and aroma from the crazy amount of orange zest made this an incredibly fragrant cake (if our neighbors lived any closer, their noses would be pressing up against my windows!) It’s a moist cake, heavier than a regular wheat flour cake, and I felt that the coconut oil had a more neutral taste than vegetable oil. I used only 1 cup of sugar compared to 2 cups normally called for in a cake recipe, but you won’t miss it. The dates, orange juice and apples give it more than enough sweetness.

*from Judita Wignall’s Going Raw cookbook

This not-too sweet orange date cake is great for breakfast, at home or on the go.

Orange Date Cake
It’s important that you use fresh orange zest and fresh orange juice! 

7 medjool dates, pitted, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
6 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice, with pulp
zest from 2 extra-large navel oranges (about 1/4 cup)
2 cups spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup peeled, cored, finely chopped apple
1/4 cup orange zest (from 2 jumbo navel oranges)
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
additional zest for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Soak the dates in orange juice for 15-2o minutes (you can also soak it overnight in the fridge)

In a large mixing bowl (I use my standing mixer bowl,) combine spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & brown sugar. Stir in shredded carrots and orange zest, breaking apart clumps with your fingers.

Make a well in the center of your flour mix. Add eggs and coconut oil, beating well then slowly incorporating flour. Stir in date and orange juice.

Use the following baking times, or bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean

bundt pan: 33-35 minutes
9″ cake pan: 33-35 minutes
paper-lined muffin tins: 18 minutes
mini bundt cake pan (cake pictured below): 25 minutes

Fresh oranges make all the difference.

 

Recipe Redux Contest: Smokey Potato-Avocado Salad

This month The Recipe Redux is hosting a challenge to create a healthier version of one of the all-time favorite barbecue side dishes, potato salad! According to the United States Potato Board, a medium potato has only 110 calories, contains more potassium than a banana, and half your daily value of vitamin C. Seems like good ol’ potato salad is already on the right track to being healthy, so I helped it along by giving it an even bigger helping of vitamins and minerals (such as potassium, vitamin E, folate and vitamin B) from one my favorite nutrient-dense foods, avocado.

This potato salad is a good accompaniment to anything from the grill and, because it has no dairy, won’t spoil as quickly like regular potato salad, so you can bring it on a picnic and not worry about keeping it ice-cold. It has chunks of creamy avocado instead of mayonnaise, a sprinkle of fresh tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and is infused with a hint of smoky spices. The firm texture of earthy red potatoes brings all this creamy goodness together. If you love barbecues, you’ll love the smokey flavors of this potato salad!

Smokey Potato-Avocado Salad

Smokey Potato-Avocado Salad

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1″ chunks
1 ripe, firm avocado, pitted and cut into large cubes same size as potato
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ripe tomato, seeds removed and diced, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish
fresh cilantro or coriander sprigs

Directions:

Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, making sure they are covered with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and bring to a low boil on medium/medium-high and cook 7 minutes more or until just tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and cool for 15 – 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. Set aside.

Cut avocado in half, remove pit and cut into 1″ pieces. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon lime juice. Sprinkle half of seasoning mixture and toss gently with a fork. Add potatoes and mix gently (the mixture will get creamier, but keep some chunks of avocado.) Sprinkle in half of remaining seasonings, adding more to taste. Fold in diced tomato. Top with remaining chopped tomato and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Added note, 6/28: avocados tend to brown, so be sure to serve this within 4-5 hours of preparation. One trick you can do is garnish with fresh diced avocado right before serving, so even if the salad is a few hours old, it will look nice and fresh! (Thank you, Emily, for asking me about this! )

 By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the United States Potato Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

A quick and easy dairy-free, gluten-free potato salad

 

Outdoor Projects and Miso Quinoa Salad

Has anyone been having a crazy hot & sunny week like we’re having in Upstate NY? I’m glad for the sunshine, but doing yard work is more difficult with the heat, as well as the bugs that keep attacking me. My sister also gets a ton of bug bites and calls them “noseeums,” because you really can’t see what the heck is biting you!

Checked the thermometers around 4 o’clock in the afternoon: one on the south side of the house says 95, the one facing west says 105, and another is 120! I felt more sorry for the cats, especially Wolfie, who’s more equipped for cooler weather (see below pic.) I waited until the sun was behind some trees to do some weeding and redo the stones by “the gateway”:

Wolfie, guarding his catnip plants.

Last month we got an unfinished wooden picnic table that started looking pretty yucky after a few days in the rain. It needed some color, even a neutral color would be an improvement. I had the hardest time deciding on a paint color at the store when Fate stepped in (or was her name Karen?) and put a few gallons of “reject” paint on the clearance shelf. A $36 can of exterior paint marked down to $8? Works for me! I painted the picnic table gray, then dry-brushed and damp-sponged it with white. I think it turned out pretty great!

A little neutral color goes a long way

– This also turned out to be a good background for my photos. Here you can see the white over gray brush/spongework:

Peony in silver vase

Peonies in silver vases

I was planning to make some curry for dinner (following the “Flavor of the Week” theme) but it was so incredibly hot, I needed something cool and refreshing. There was some leftover quinoa, veggies, and chicken that needed to be cooked so I made a miso-based sauce with a healthy squirt of fresh lemon juice for this pretty tasty quinoa chicken salad:

A light, refreshing salad that’s also filling: quinoa, tomatoes, water chestnuts, chicken, green onion and a dressing made with miso paste, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and lemon juice.

We also had some kale massaged with salt, lemon juice and sesame oil. Delicious!

What are some of your favorite summertime salads?