Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Mango

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Served in fresh butter lettuce, tofu and mushrooms are cooked in a simple, fresh peanut sauce and topped off with mango. Enjoy as an appetizer or with brown rice for a full, healthy meal!

wrap First of all, let’s wish Mama Dani California Cooks a very happy birthday tomorrow! I wish I could say this meal was made in honor of her, but I’ve never seen her make tofu or eat lettuce wraps so…

I am such a creature of habit sometimes. I could probably have the same things for breakfast (eggs, or egg white oatmeal with PB), lunch (tuna salad) and dinner (salmon and veggies or tofu lettuce wraps) every day throughout the week and be happy. But I also love to try new foods and I LOVE to go out to eat and I obviously love to try new recipes! At the end of the day, I just end up eating a lot. There you have it.

let2 I discovered these tofu lettuce wraps at my favorite restaurant when I’m on the road in Spokane and I’ve been dying to recreate them at home - you know, because I don’t eat them enough during the week. You’ve seen them on my Instagram (see below) and my blog before. I probably could eat those lettuce wraps every day when I’m on the road! (I probably have, one week). So I put together a new take on these lettuce wraps, and I love them. The wraps at the restaurant are flavored with a lemongrass-ginger sauce and have crushed hazelnuts and peppers. These wraps have a more savory sauce with peanut butter, but with a little julienned mango for sweetness. I served them to two non-vegetarians and they loved them!

Mizuna’s lettuce wraps…

Loving this beautiful bouquet of tofu lettuce wraps for #dinner tonight! #vegan

A photo posted by Dani Nemzer (@danicaliforniacooks) on

And my take on the lettuce wraps!

wraps4 This recipe is super easy - it’s really just a new take on the stir-fry. Instead of placing your stir-fry over rice, place it in butter lettuce cups! Then you eat them like a taco [read stuff your face and get all good n’ messy]. The most difficult part of this recipe is getting the texture down. Tofu is not the easiest of things to work with. You have to drain it of its moisture, and let me reassure you, there is a LOT of moisture in tofu. I go through several handfuls of paper towels for even just using one block of tofu. But once that is done and your tofu is cubed, it’s an easy sautee and then an even easier plating. The presentation is beautiful - I love all of the colors. It looks impressive without being a complicated cooking effort. Always a win in my book.

wraps2 I have to say thank you to Mizuna for providing the presentation ideas of these lettuce wraps, and of course the original inspiration! Sylvia of Feasting at Home was the original founder of Mizuna, and she has fantastic vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes on her blog that are homemade, restaurant quality.

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Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Mango
 
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Serves: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 block extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
  • 5 shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 1 head of butter lettuce, leaves separated
  • ½ mango, julienned
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter, room temp or warmed
  • 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 3 tbsp peanuts, roughly crushed
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Additional olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Remove your tofu from the casing, and layer between paper towels. Place something heavy on top of it to drain. You will have to replace the paper towels several times - tofu has a lot of moisture!
  2. While draining, roughly chop your mushrooms
  3. Once drained, cube the tofu into 1 cm x 1 cm cubes
  4. Place the tofu and the mushrooms in a pan with a little olive oil, and begin to cook on medium heat. Turn tofu cubes frequently, until golden brown
  5. In the meantime, whisk the peanut butter, ginger, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper thoroughly. It helps if the pb has been warmed or is at least at room temp
  6. Pour sauce over tofu and mushroom mixture, and turn on low heat. Allow for sauce to thicken and soak up into the tofu and mushrooms
  7. Place your butter lettuce leaves on a plate or platter. It's ok if they are of different sizes - you will just have some smaller/some larger portions!
  8. Carefully spoon a 2-3 tbsp of the tofu mixture into each butter lettuce cup
  9. Lay 2-3 pieces of the mango, and then sprinkle on the crushed peanuts
  10. Shake red pepper flakes to taste
  11. Serve and enjoy!
If you like this, you’ll love: Tuna Salad Swiss Chard Wrap

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Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Finally! A healthier gluten free cookie not filled with a bunch of random flours. Satisfy your sweet tooth with these chewy delights - sweetened with only maple syrup and studded with chocolate chips!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | danicaliforniacooks.com Seriously - these are so easy, delicious(!!), and the texture is SPOT ON. If you’ve been looking for a simple, healthier cookie that tastes awesome - whether you are gluten/dairy free or not - look no further. The ingredient list is short, as is the overall prep time. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about this recipe. It’s so tough to find gluten and dairy free desserts that aren’t filled with a ton of weird flours and gums (xantham, guar) to give them a normal texture. Or the “dessert” can hardly claim the title of dessert it’s so [insert dry/tasteless/crumbly/flavorless adjective].

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | danicaliforniacooks.com Definitely one of the hardest things to modify to a gluten and dairy free lifestyle is DESSERT! There are very few mainstream dessert items that don’t include one of those two ingredients, and I have to say, I find sorbet very unsatisfying. I’ve been doing fine when it comes to dessert because I adore chocolate. Nate, however, loves his ice cream, but he likes to be healthy too. So I made it my mission to play around with a few different recipes to see if I could make something that fit the bill - a healthier sweet treat that was also gluten and dairy free, and tasted good. Enter, my new go to recipe for PB oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | danicaliforniacooks.com One of the things I love about this recipe is that these cookies are the perfect amount of sweet, with great spicy tones from the cinnamon and maple syrup. I based this recipe off of Sally’s Baking Addiction, but I swapped in maple syrup for sugar and upped the amount of oats. I love a good oat-y texture when it comes to my oatmeal cookies, and the maple syrup needed some extra dry ingredients to soak it all up. The peanut butter allows for no extra oil to be required for this recipe.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | danicaliforniacooks.com I’ve made multiple versions of this recipe on Sunday, and we have a healthier treat to have around the house all week - and I promise, even folks who don’t keep gluten/dairy free will enjoy. They probably wouldn’t even know it if you didn’t tell them! It’s like when you sneak vegetables into a kid’s meal and they eat it unknowingly. Sneaky sneaky. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | danicaliforniacooks.com

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Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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Satisfy your sweet tooth with these healthier chewy and crispy gluten free cookies - sweetened with maple syrup and studded with chocolate chips! Originally recipe based off of Sally's Baking Addiction!
Author:
Serves: 15 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup peanut butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand for dairy free)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • Dash of cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together
  2. Form into a ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes
  3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
  4. On a greased baking pan or parchment paper, form 1-inch balls from the dough
  5. Slightly press down to flatten
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are starting to turn brown
  7. They will still be slightly soft when you remove from the oven
  8. Let cool and enjoy!

If you like this, you’ll love: Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with Dried Cherries (one of my earlier recipes on the blog!)

PaleoChocolateChipCookies

8 Ideas for Work Events (that aren’t happy hours!)

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I’m a huge fan of team outings and workplace events that don’t take place in the office. It is so much easier, pleasant, and productive when you’re working with people that you know on a personal level! I’ve found that the workplace is a great way to meet friends (…and boyfriends. Hi, Nate! Cat’s out of the bag!).

It probably comes as no surprise to many of you readers that I am often the organizer of these out-of-office activities (hence most of them involve food), so I’ve consolidated to share with you!

1. Themed potlucks

These are a great, casual way to spend time together after work. You can either host at a colleague’s house or meet in a park, and everyone has to bring something to contribute. My best advice is to make it themed, so everyone has to have a story why they brought what they did. One of my favorite of these potluck dinners was when we did “themes from your childhood” and tell the background story on the dish!

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I brought a smoked salmon appetizer to a recent team potluck!

2. Group exercise classes

You may think that you’d never want to run into a colleague after the gym, but doing a team workout class usually brings lots of laughs, and everyone is in great spirits after lots of endorphins! I’ve done team Crossfit classes, team yoga, and team runs. We’ve even had yoga instructors come into the office and do a class in one of the conference rooms!

Showing off our muscles after trying out Crossfit together!

Colleagues at a skiing weekend!

3. Organized “drinking” activities

These are like major notch above the average happy hour. They provide some structure around having a couple of drinks, so everyone isn’t just hovering around a table depending on someone who can keep a conversation going. A couple of great options:

  • Sipping and Painting classes (we went to one recently called Pinot’s Palette) where you paint pictures following a teacher, all while sipping on beverages. The paintings actually turn out remarkably well!
  • Wine or beer tastings
  • Cooking or pastry classes
  • Karaoke (for those with more adventurous colleagues…)
    Wine3

    Learning how to wine taste..

corporate karaoke gone very wrong on my part..

4.Cruises

While this option is a bit more expensive than the others, everyone is always in good spirits when they are on a boat! I’ve organized these on the small and large scale, and most cities are built on some form of water and have plenty of evening cruise options. The views and activity itself gives everyone something to talk about!

Acting out on a swamp tour cruise in New Orleans

5. Tourist activities

Would it surprise you if you and your teammates haven’t done many of the “touristy” activities in your own city? I’m ashamed to say that I never went to the Air and Space Museum while I lived in DC, among most other museums. Everyone enjoys being a tourist in their own city, but they often need an excuse to do so. It’s a great way to rally the troops and try out that restaurant that everyone’s been wanting to go to or finally check out an exhibit/park/activity.

6. Volunteering

Getting together with your colleagues to volunteer is a great way to bond through an activity that everyone can feel good about. Some ideas for a one-evening/day commitment include helping out at a homeless shelter, putting together food/toy bags around the holidays, beautification/clean up events, or even running a charity race.

Me and colleagues (and friends!) at a 5K to raise money for leukemia

7. Sporting events

Everyone can get excited about cheering on the local team! I’ve had team events at hockey, football, soccer, and baseball games. Lots of ticket sellers for these teams will do discounts in bulk for large groups. For those who may not want to fork over the cash for a sport outing, you can have everyone meet for drinks before and then split off.

Teammates at a Saints game in New Orleans!

8. Live music

I’m not talking about going to an electronic dance festival with your boss, but there are plenty of low-key live music outings that make for great team events. Especially in the summertime with outdoor music! Everyone can picnic and listen to some jazz, or eat some BBQ and sway to some bluegrass. You’d be surprised with how many options there are in your city - you just have to search for them!

Skillet Coconut Curry Shrimp Bake

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Wild rice is simmered with vegetables, spices, and coconut milk before adding in shrimp and tossing it all in the oven together. Put this to your repetoire of exotic one pot wonders!

Shrimp Baked in Green Curry Coconut Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com I envisioned this recipe before I went to bed one night and leaped out of bed to write it down before I forgot it. I am the ultimate (read: scary) list person. I keep lists EVERYWHERE. On my computer, on my phone, in my notebook, on random post-it notes around my room, in my work notebook, in my Google drive, sent to me in e-mails…yikes, just listing those out doesn’t just read scary it IS scary. My dad and I have had long conversations about how we have several “priorities” of lists as well. The list goes on and on.

Shrimp Baked in Green Curry Coconut Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com Anyways, this recipe was certainly something worth writing down on a list somewhere, and I’m glad I did in my sleepy state. While it’s a bit time-intensive, this recipe only requires one-pot and in the end, you have a warming, healthy, and flavorful dish with plenty of leftovers. The flavors are exotic but nothing overwhelming, and is a great Sunday night meal with a salad on the side.

Shrimp Baked in Green Curry Coconut Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com The first step is to cook the wild rice. This requires a risotto-level style of cooking, which is why the recipe is a tad time consuming. Cook your onions, garlic, and ginger and then add the uncooked wild rice. Simmer in the coconut milk and green curry paste until the rice has soaked it up. You’ll then add a cup of warm water at a time, and let it come to a boil and then turn the heat off, to allow the rice to absorb. Every time the water gets absorbed, add in another cup until the rice is cooked. And do plenty of stirring. This takes about 30 minutes, I’d say. Turn on some music, put on a cute apron, and enjoy being in your kitchen! Shrimp Baked in Green Curry Coconut Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com Once the rice is almost fully cooked, stir in the peas and pepper. Take your shrimp and snuggle (yes, snuggle) it into the rice. Pop it into your oven at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the shrimp is fully cooked through. And then dinner is served! The risotto style way of cooking the rice provides a creamy texture, and the whole dish is exotic and flavorful. We enjoyed the leftovers for many nights.

Shrimp Baked in Green Curry Coconut Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com

Skillet Coconut Curry Shrimp Bake
 
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Wild rice is simmered with vegetables, spices, and coconut milk before adding in shrimp and tossing it all in the oven together. Put this to your repetoire of exotic one pot wonders!
Author:
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup wild rice, uncooked
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1-inch knob ginger, grated
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp green curry paste
  • ½ cup peas
  • ½ red pepper, diced
  • 1½ dozen shrimp
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Warm water on the side
  • Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
  1. In a large cast iron skillet, cook the onions, garlic and ginger in a little olive olive
  2. While that is cooking, in a plastic bag, mix your uncooked shrimp with 2 tbsp of olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and place in the fridge to marinate
  3. Once translucent, add the wild rice, coconut milk, and green curry paste. Stir well to distribute the curry
  4. Turn the stove on high to allow the coconut milk to boil, and once boiling is met, turn on low to simmer
  5. Stir frequently until all of the coconut milk has been absorbed
  6. Once absorbed, add in a cup of warm water and repeat the boiling/simmer process above until all water is absorbed again. Repeat until rice is almost fully cooked through. This will probably take a half hour
  7. Once rice is almost cooked, stir in the peas and pepper
  8. Turn your oven on to 375 degrees F
  9. Take your shrimp and nestle it into the rice dish
  10. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 20 mins. The shrimp should be pink and cooked through
  11. Stir in lemon juice and serve!

If you like this, you’ll love: Healthier Red Beans and Rice

Healthier Red Beans and Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars

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Make your own portable protein bars using six ingredients - coming in at 195 calories, 12g of protein, and only 3g of sugar each, and no food processor required!

In the first couple of months that I traveled weekly for work after I graduated college, my nutrition was all out of whack. I remember there were some days that I woke up early to work out but not enough time for breakfast so I scarfed down a protein bar on the way to the client site, and then didn’t have time to pick up a real food dinner on my flight home so there was another overly processed protein bar for dinner - sometimes two. Gosh, that grosses me out just to write about it! Nowadays, I am MUCH more prepared and have learned how to eat healthy on the road. I recapped a travel day’s daily eats yesterday to prove it.

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com My early morning Monday flights used to leave me in a conundrum for what I would do for breakfast. Sometimes I would hold off until I landed on my layover to grab some eggs in the airport, just to grow crazy hungry and drinking terrible plane coffee on an empty stomach. It would affect my energy all day. Nowadays, I am so much more prepared and I always arrive on my first flight Monday morning with a healthy, homemade, portable breakfast. Developing breakfast foods that don’t need to be heated or cooked (so no scrambled eggs) and is compliant with TSA liquid standards (no yogurt or smoothies) have been a fun task for this food blogger!

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com So, finally introducing these awesome protein bars. Made with only six ingredients - oats, quinoa, protein powder, peanut butter, eggs, and almond milk - they travel beautifully, have a great chewy texture, and couldn’t be a better combo of healthy fats, whole grains, and protein to get your day started off right. And I can attest to their staying power - I ate one of these on Monday with a banana and some blueberries, and it held me over until I was able to grab lunch at 2pm!

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com I find that a lot of homemade protein bars or energy bars either fall apart in your bag when not kept in the fridge, or are held together with a bunch of brown rice syrup or honey. There’s none of any of that going on here. While Nate thought they weren’t sweet enough, and as I raced out the door to catch my Uber, he yelled after me that he was going to nuke one of these and then “cover it in maple syrup”. But I thought they were just sweet enough! You certainly don’t want something too sweet to trigger a sweet tooth craving too early in the day, especially if yours is extra sensitive like me.

Chewy Multigrain Chocolate Protein Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com These protein bars require no food processor, and just one bowl and a baking dish. You probably have all of these ingredients on-hand already - I know I did. No rushing to the grocery store because you forgot the green onion - not for these babies! I’m looking forward to sharing more of my homemade, travel eats with you on the blog over the next couple of months. Whether you’re on a road trip or an international flight, these protein bars are a fantastic option to have around!

6-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
 
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Make your own portable protein bars using six ingredients - coming in at 195 calories. 12g of protein, and 3g sugar each - no food processor required! Gluten free too.
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked
  • ½ cup quinoa, cooked
  • ½ cup chocolate protein powder
  • ⅓ cup peanut butter, room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Dash of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
  3. In a greased baking dish, pour in the batter evenly
  4. Bake for 20 minutes
  5. Let cool, and cut into bars
  6. Wrap individually in plastic wrap for easy grab-and-go!
  7. Store in the fridge
Notes
I used a 6-cup baking dish, but double the recipe if using a 9x13!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 195 Fat: 10g Sugar: 3g Protein: 12g

If you like this, you’ll love: Coconut Almond Energy Bars

Coconut Almond Energy Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

WIAW - Business Travel Day Edition

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As most of you know by now, every Monday I hop on a plane and take either one or two flights to get to my client site. I thought it would be fun to share my day of eats, half spent in the airport. After a weekend of all sorts of fun eats (that I showed you yesterday!), it was nice to come back to lots of clean, familiar foods that I know make me feel good for the week ahead. This week, we are located in Spokane! Glad to be linking up again for today’s WIAW.

BREAKFAST

Since my flight is early in the morning, I like to bring my own breakfast on board. This week, it was a homemade protein bar that I was sampling as part of a recipe. Sneak peek - it has oats, quinoa, and protein powder to get your day started off right! I also had a banana and a handful of blueberries. I thought the protein bars rocked and they held me over from early in the morning until 2pm when I finally had lunch! Can’t wait to share the recipe with you all.

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SNACK

I picked up an iced almond milk latte which I downed in about thirty seconds on my layover in the Seattle airport. How cool that Caffe Vita in Sea-Tac offers almond milk?! Also, please note my fuzzy airplane socks. No shame.

ga LUNCH

Teammates were ever so kind to pick up lunch from my well-known favorite spot, Mizuna. This is not an unfamiliar sight to those who follow my Instagram - I eat these salads (either with seared Ahi or tofu) a minimum of twice a week, often more. I’ve recently started adding avocado to the mix, and it’s a great addition. This salad has spinach, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, pickled ginger, avocado, seared ahi, and a great miso dressing. It’s perfection, and the original creation by Feasting at Home, the genius behind the original Mizuna! salad

DINNER

I went to a TOUGH Pure Barre class today, and then dropped off my luggage at the hotel before going on a jog to pick up my dinner to-go. The jog down the river in downtown Spokane is quite pretty this time of year! It took me all of six minutes to to Anthony’s, and then I walked home with my precious dinner and chatted with my grandfather. This was eaten in my hotel room as I opened up my laptop to do work and watch The Voice. Dinner was grilled Alaskan King Salmon, which is essentially the filet mignon of salmon. It has unbelievable flavor! And some sauteed snap peas on the side.

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Dessert was melted chocolate. Yes, you read correctly. My single-serving mini bar of Dark Mint Chocoperfection melted in my suitcase so I squeezed it out go-gurt style. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! I also had some some fresh lemon in hot water - that’s been tasting really good to me recently.

It’s definitely been a learning experience figuring out how to eat healthy and in proper portions when I’m on the road and don’t cook for myself, but I’ve documented some of those tips in the blog post here for you! And if you enjoyed today’s post, check out the previous Day in the Life of a Business Trip - where I document my hourly activities and eats more in depth!

Bay 2 Breakers 2015 and Weekend Eats

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Happy Tuesday, friends! I feel like I covered all the bases last weekend from invigorating yoga classes to absolute craziness with the citywide Bay to Breakers event. But first..some eats.

I made my Banana Walnut Oat Pancakes for us on Friday morning…in heart-shaped form. I was feeling romantic ;). This shot was oddly popular on my Instagram!

We had a fun work event towards the end of the day with a fabulous spread! I particularly liked this vegetable-and-dip set up - so creative (and sustainable). And there were two huuuuge trays of chocolate covered strawberries. People were bringing platefuls home.

Dani California CooksDani California Cooks Date night at Blackwood was delicious, and the company even better, of course. Highly recommend the red curry!

Dani California Cooks Saturday morning was breakfast tacos, since we were out of bread. I used farm fresh eggs and these heirloom corn tortillas from Rancho Gordo in the Ferry Building that were SO good. At first I was uninspired by this breakfast but one bite into those special tortillas I was sold. It really is a whole different kind of corn tortilla. I need to go back and stock up!

Dani California Cooks Solo lunch after a day of shopping and manicuring at The Plant - I got an acai bowl because I had been craving one for a while. Love the plating! This wasn’t my favorite of acai bowls, but I’m looking forward to going back to the cafe and trying the rest of their very tasty-looking and healthy options.

Dani California Cooks

We had a very hearty breakfast pre-Bay 2 Breakers on Sunday morning - a homemade toast “bar” with toppings of choice - sliced banana, blueberries, hemp seeds, peanut butter, apple butter, Earth Balance. I tried Trader Joe’s brand of multigrain gluten free bread and was pleasantly surprised. We also had some coconut yogurt and gluten free granola on the side. And sampled some of my new gluten free cornbread muffins. And mimosas and coffee. Wow - that sounds like a LOT of food.

Well, we had to fuel up for the chaos that was to come. Sunday was the annual Bay to Breakers race. We had heard that it was a city-wide event and that people dressed up for it and it was a really fun time, but honestly, we. were. so. unprepared. The race starts at the east side of the city and cuts right through the middle to the other side - a little over 7 miles.

There are several thousand people who run the race, but the majority of people dress up (or don’t wear clothes at all) and just follow the race route in parade form and walk it. All the houses along the route open up for giant house parties, and there are DJs and live music and CRAZY costumes and drinking and lots of families and dogs and it’s just a REALLY cool tradition.

beb4 b2b b2b2 b2b3 The costume memo was kind of lost on us, but we went with “warmth”. I have no idea how people were walking around nude!! It was chilly!

beb2

We walked 2-3 miles of the route, and met up with one of our roommates who completed the race! The streets were filled with revelers and it was just good fun. It reminded me a lot of Mardi Gras - steeped in tradition and craziness, but pretty well maintained to be honest. Next year I want to run the actual race and see the whole course! But now you understand why I needed to detox yesterday with the Triple Green Quinoa…

 

Triple Green Quinoa

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All sorts of green things - peas, herbs, spinach - are sauteed with quinoa to make for one flavorful and fresh side dish!

Triple Green Quinoa | danicaliforniacooks.com I may have grown up with smoked salmon and sun-dried tomatoes, but two things I didn’t grow up with? Quinoa and peas. I think I was the one who introduced my parents to quinoa in college when I made them this recipe from 101 cookbooks, and it came as a HUGE shock to my mom that I LOVE peas. I confessed my appreciation for this notoriously disliked vegetable when I made her this recipe. Sometimes I’m all about texture when it comes to foods, and peas have such a fun texture - if done right, they kind of pop in your mouth. I always joke that I love baby food textures too - I’m a huge fan of pureed anything.

Triple Green Quinoa | danicaliforniacooks.com I had a tough time naming this recipe! At first, I was thinking of calling it “super greens quinoa” but I feel like only juice and smoothies these days can be nicknamed “super green”. Then I started counting the number of green things in this recipe - peas, spinach, parsley, cilantro, lime juice - and I realized awful (and overkill) “quintuple greens quiona” sounded unappetizing, so I went with Triple Green Quinoa and lumped all of the herbs and lime juice as one big green. What I’m trying to get at here is that this light and healthy recipe is chock full of all sorts of green items, all of which just add to the wonderful flavors and textures of the dish without tasting too “green”! This dish is very simple, and can be easily made ahead.

Triple Green Quinoa | danicaliforniacooks.com Onions are sauteed down in a little olive oil, and then cooked quinoa is stirred in alongside peas, chopped spinach, lots of fresh herbs and plenty of lime juice and a little chili powder for spice. That’s all there is to it. I probably wouldn’t eat this alone for dinner, but you certainly could given its nutritional profile - you’ve got complete protein from the quinoa and peas, and then your leafy greens quota for the day thanks to the spinach, and the olive oil for healthy fat. Triple Green Quinoa | danicaliforniacooks.com It’s a fantastic side dish to any simple proteins - poached salmon, roasted chicken, etc. I used it as the base for some jazzed up burrito bowls using salsa chicken made in a crockpot. You could also stir in some freshly cooked shrimp or tofu for a more complete meal, and simply heat that up for leftovers the next day. I think I’ll bring this to plenty of dinner parties this summer when I want to impress the guests but not break the bank or spend too much time in the kitchen. It’s a great alternative just to simple quinoa or brown rice, and you likely have all of these ingredients in your pantry or your freezer already. Clearly I am very excited about this recipe because I’m thinking up all of the ways that this recipe works for me and the people I feed!

Triple Green Quinoa | danicaliforniacooks.com

Triple Green Quinoa
 
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All sorts of green things - peas, herbs, spinach - are sauteed with quinoa to make for one flavorful and fresh side dish!
Author:
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cup chopped spinach (frozen or fresh)
  • 1 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
  • 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Over medium heat, sautee the onions in the olive oil
  2. Once translucent, add the quinoa
  3. Mix in the spinach and peas, and allow all to cook for 5-7 minutes over low to medium heat
  4. Stir in the herbs
  5. Take off the heat, and stir in the lime juice and chili powder
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

If you like this, you’ll love: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds

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Blueberry Oatmeal Yogurt Bake

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You’ll relish this make-ahead breakfast all week - it’s packed full of oats, flax, blueberries, coconut yogurt and there is no added sugar. Make it fancy with a “struesel” of unsweetened coconut and sliced almonds!

Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com I’m very excited because when this post goes live, I will be having breakfast with the lovely Sylvia from Feasting at Home! She’s also the founder of Mizuna - my absolute FAVORITE restaurant in Spokane. I mean, how many times have I instagrammed that tofo or ahi salad or the lettuce cups?! Mizuna has an extensive vegetarian menu, and while I’m no vegetarian, I really appreciate vegetable-focused meals. There’s a whole movement these days - not just on the blog of hippie scene - towards eating a more plant-based diet. New trendy and fancy dinner places are popping up all over California centered just around vegetables! It’s an exciting time, folks. Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com

I think breakfast is one of the easier meals of the day to make meatless (bacon and smoked salmon aside). I think most people would be surprised to realize that they may be eating like a vegan to start the day! This Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake is a great example of a dairy-free and meatless way to incorporate whole grains, healthy fats, and fresh fruit into your breakfast. And the best thing about it (besides that it tastes great and looks pretty)? It holds up wonderfully throughout the week - just toss in the microwave at the office or eat like a granola bar on your way out the door! Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com

I prepped this entire thing and baked in on Saturday evening, and then when Sunday morning (and hangovers) rolled around this guy got popped in the oven and breakfast was served. Well, I served it to Nate while I snagged a couple of bites before heading out to brunch (recapped here!) It’s going to be a tough ride in San Francisco - do I go out to a super trendy and fabulous brunch, or do I enjoy a DCC creation at home? Oh, the anxiety… Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com I know I’ve said this before, but it was really when I became plugged into the blogging scene when I realized that you could make seemingly decadent breakfasts super nutritious. Not that I’m complaining about my breakfasts growing up - my mama always gave me PB on whole wheat toast or granola with yogurt! But breakfast can be WHIMSICAL and creative and really healthy and still taste like a treat. So much of how we experience what we eat is visual - start your day off right with a slice of this beautiful and delicious oatmeal bake. It’s good for the body and the mind!

Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com

Blueberry Oatmeal Yogurt Bake
 
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This oatmeal bake packed full of delicious healthy-ness, including oats, flax, blueberries, coconut yogurt and no added sugar. It's topped with a "struesel" of unsweetened coconut and sliced almonds!
Author:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • 4 oz (1 pre-packaged serving) vanilla coconut yogurt - I used SoDelicious Cultured Coconut Milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp whole flax seed
  • Dash of vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 tbsp sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  2. Mix the oats, yogurt, egg, flax seeds, baking powder, vanilla extract, and almond milk
  3. Pour the mixture in a oiled baking dish - I used a 6-cup Pyrex baking dish
  4. Gently distribute the blueberries throughout
  5. Mix the shredded coconut and sliced almonds, and sprinkle on top. Press down so they stick to the "batter"
  6. Bake in the oven for appx 30 minutes
  7. Eat one serving immediately, but keep the rest to heat up throughout the week for an easy, on-the-go breakfast!
Notes
I used a smaller baking dish, but if you only have a bigger baking dish - 11 inch, for example - simply double the recipe! The ratios don't need to be exact for this to still taste good :)

Plain or soy yogurt can be swapped for the coconut yogurt. I am unsure how greek yogurt would change consistency, however

If you like this, you’ll love: Single-Serving Baked Chia Banana Oatmeal

Single-Serving Baked Chia Banana Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com

WIAW - New SF Resident Edition

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I was all set to do a WIAW-style post for today but then I realized my “lately” as a whole as a lot more interesting than the omelet that I was having for breakfast. Since officially becoming a San Francisco resident as of a week ago, I’ve so enjoyed exploring new (super trendy) places, cooking in my new kitchen for Nate, and lots of different workouts. So here is a roundup of everything I’ve been eating lately in my new city!

BREAKFASTS

While I definitely am a creature of habit, I changed it up for breakfast almost every day last week!

Delicious oatmeal creations - this one had oats, chia, almond milk, walnuts, banana, and a scoop of almond butter from Paradox Farms

Monster egg breakfasts with mini avocados and turkey bacon

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Mini banana french toast with PB and fruit!

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Testing out some local, seeded gluten-free breads

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Breakfast brought to the office included overnight oats with lots of chia seeds, bloobs, walnuts, and banana

BRUNCHES

Went to two awesome brunches with girlfriends this past weekend, and sampled some of San Francisco’s trendiest and best. This omelet from Foreign Cinema blew my mind. It was one of those omelets which I would definitely not be able to recreate at home. Finely chopped herbs and morels were cooked into the eggs, with an edible flower salad on the side.

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Brunch at Jane was much more casual and also delicious. I had the “breakfast salad” which had arugula and frisee with a soft boiled egg, bacon, and a shallot vinaigrette. I had to sample something off of their overpriced toast menu, so I went with the quinoa bread with jam. I enjoyed it with no irony - seriously - this city just gets me. My brunch date and I are starting a book club! Any suggestions for the first read?

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LUNCH

Been enjoying all forms of salads and leftovers for lunch recently.

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This monster salad with shrimp, chicken, pecans, dried cherries, and pepitas

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Homemade healing soup with lots of veggies and roasted chicken, plus ginger and miso and cayenne and garlic!

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Big salads in the office, plus an overly fermenty kombucha on the side

DINNER

I had a blast cooking all sorts of dinners last week. I only get so many weeks a year that I don’t travel and can enjoy all my meals at home!

Roasted salmon with my Sesame Vegetable Soba Noodles!

You can find the recipe for those delicious noodles here!

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Crockpot chicken burrito bowls with super greens quinoa - recipe to come!

Dinner out at the famed Burma Superstar was “super” interesting and delicious. We called ahead and only had to wait like 5 minutes, but there was a line out the door. While similar to other southeast asian foods, Burmese cuisine has flavors that I’ve never experienced before - like the tea leaf salad, which was a bunch of vegetables and seeds mixed in a tea dressing. And some of the noodles cooked in a sweet coconutty curry.

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I don’t remember what this was - some sort of tasty meat and vegetable stir-fry at Burma Superstar!

We even experimented with Blue Apron as a gift from my aunt (thank you Mary!!) but with our dietary restrictions we had to do several workarounds. While the Blue Apron people told me that many of their meals didn’t include gluten, both dinners that were sent to us included both wheat and dairy. We did try some tasty dishes and learned a few new things, so overall it was really fun. This one was shrimp tacos with pineapple slaw - we bought corn tortillas to swap the flour ones they provided, and used our own dressing. Loved the pineapple avocado salsa!

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WORKOUTS

It’s been fun to explore the neighborhoods around us with runs - I’ve find myself stumbling upon the corner of the Haight-Ashbury or a line out the door for some famous patisserie. It’s a great way to get to know the city. I also tried SoulCycle for the first time, and I thought it was a good class but honestly nothing I haven’t seen before. I kinda expected to have an epiphany given all of the hype, but I love the other spin studios I’ve gone to equally. I just love spinning. I should really get back into teaching…

But all I’ve really wanted to do recently is yoga. Maybe because it’s so cold in San Francisco, building heat through some vinyasas sounds more than appealing! I’ve been attending hot vinyasa classes both in SF and in Spokane. As I write this, I’m all sweaty from one earlier today!

MISC

And another fun thing of our “lately” was seeing Kairos in concert performing with Tomten. A friend from childhood just destined to do music from an early age, I was thrilled when one of her bands was coming through San Francisco and we could go see her perform!

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So there you have it! That’s my lately!