Tag: vitamin B6

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Dairy-Free Banana Bread Muffins

If you liked my Banana Bran Muffins and Blueberry Banana Muffins, you’ll definitely dig my healthy Banana Bread Muffins. Like both of those recipes, this one is made dairy-free by using banana, vegan butter, rice milk and apple sauce. They are soft, moist and a much healthier alternative to most bakery muffins which can pack a serious caloric punch at an average of 450 calories a pop. My version come in at under half that number.

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Above being waistline-friendly, these muffins feature folate-full garbanzo bean flour, potassium-packed bananas and nature’s own multivitamin, raw honey. Raw honey contains Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and C, as well as minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, and phosphate.

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 cup cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or Earth Balance “butter”
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 8 oz unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup rice milk (or almond/coconut)
  • 1 tbs vanilla extract
  • Optional: 1/2 cup of any of the following–dark chocolate bits, walnuts, dates

How to Make Them:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F; spray 12-muffin pan with oil or line with fun paper liners
  2. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flours, baking soda and powder, spices and salt)
  3. In a separate, large bowl (or KitchenAid mixer if you have one), vigorously whisk together sugar, honey and vegan butter until smooth. Add eggs and whisk again on high until mixture stiffens. Add in your mashed banana, apple sauce,  rice milk, and vanilla extract.
  4. Slowly fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
  5. Once combined, gently mix in optional treats (dark chocolate bits, walnuts, dates)
  6. Evenly distribute batter across muffin pan; bake for 45 min (or until a toothpick comes out clean)
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Beet & Black Rice Risotto

Another one of my twisted classics, this beet and black rice risotto will deliver the same satisfying, creamy comfort of a traditional risotto with some major health upgrades. Believe me, my genetics (and last name) make me a ‘rizzotto’ expert.

Let me drop some knowledge on you. Beets are packed with vitamins A, B (1, 2 and 6) and C–take that common cold! They also contain phytonutrients, naturally occurring chemical compounds with demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification properties. Stemming from this burgundy root vegetable (pun intended) are its greens, which boast a higher concentration of iron than spinach.  They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus and sodium. Not to be neglected are the mighty nutritional characteristics of black rice (which actually turns purple when cooked). By eating 10 spoonfuls of cooked black rice, you are ingesting as many anthocyanins (a potent antioxidant) as one spoonful of the well-known superfood, blueberries.

Now that you know how good the two main ingredients are for you, let me tell you how to make it! Bonus: this can be made vegan simply by omitting the optional goat’s milk gouda.

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup black rice (I use Forbidden Rice)
  • 1 quart vegetable stock
  • 1 bunch beet greens, stemmed and washed
  • 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2/3 cup arborio rice
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 3 large beets (~1 lb) roasted, skinned and diced (Note: advance prep time needed!)
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 tbs finely chopped Italian basil
  • OPTIONAL:1/2 cup goat’s milk Gouda cheese, grated

How to make it:*

  1. Before tackling steps 3-8, wrap your beets in foil and roast in an oven pre-heated to 350°F for 45 min-1 hour. When you can stick a fork in and pull it out with ease, they’re done. Immediately remove them from the foil and dunk them in cold water.  Use a spoon to pull the skin away, dice them up and set aside.
  2. Additionally, you’ll need to pre-cook the black rice. To do so combine with 2 cups water in a saucepan, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10-15 min.
  3. Now, onto the main attraction. Bring vegetable stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Season with salt & pepper and reduce heat to low.
  4. Take your washed beet greens (you could also use swiss chard), stack them up and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch strips. Set aside.
  5. In a large saucepan–I use my Le Creuset 5 qt. dutch oven–heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften (~3 min) and add the arborio rice and garlic. Cook until the grains of rice begin to crackle (~3 min).
  6. Here comes the labor of love part. Add in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the wine has almost evaporated, stir in a ladle of the simmering stock (enough to just cover the rice). Cook, stirring continuously, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladle of the stock and continue adding and stirring like this when the rice is almost dry for 10-15 min.
  7. Add in the greens, the diced beets and black rice and continue adding more stock, stirring often, for another 10 minutes. If all goes as it’s supposed to you’ll know because the arborio rice will be chewy but not hard in the middle–not soft like steamed rice. If it is still hard in the middle, continue adding stock and stirring for another 5 minutes or so. Add salt to taste.
  8. When the rice is properly cooked, add a generous amount of pepper, stir in another 1/2 cup of stock, the goat Gouda (again, optional) and the basil. Remove from heat. If the risotto isn’t creamy, add a little more stock, stir for another 5 min and serve.

*Disclaimer: this, like all risottos, is a labor of love. Definitely allocate at least an hour to make this from start to finish–and that doesn’t include the prep step of roasting the beets.

Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman’s “Black Rice and Arborio Risotto With Beets and Beet Greens” featured in NYT on Sept. 4, 2012.

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Lebanese Cabbage Wraps

Lebanese Cabbage Wraps

I’m a huge fan of Lebanese dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) with lamb, so when I was trying to think of a new recipe to put my healthy spin on these were a no-brainer. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with eating the delicious lamb version of these babies. That said, on those nights when I get back late from a double session at my studio–e.g. tonight my ass got handed to me in a power yoga class, immediately followed by my first pilates class in over a year–I like to have something healthy ready to go in my fridge so I don’t just punish a jar of peanut butter or eat a whole bag of TJ’s Dark Chocolate Honey Mints.

My version of dolmas are made with cabbage leaves instead of grape leaves and ground turkey meat instead of lamb. Cabbage is rich in vitamins K, C and B6, as well as folate. It also contains large amounts of glutamine, an amino acid that has anti-inflammatory properties—key for athletes and those with joint issues. 90% lean ground turkey delivers 30g of protein at only 150 calories for a 3.5oz serving. The best part? Infused with yummy turmeric, ginger and all spice, they taste really freaking good. Scout’s honor!

Here’s what you need:

  • 1/2 cup bulgur
  • 1 large head Savoy cabbage
  • 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups finely chopped white onion
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 12 oz ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tbs grated lemon zest (divided)
  • 2 tbs lemon juice

Here’s how you do it:

  1. Prepare the bulgur according to package instructions and set aside in a large bowl.
  2. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  3. Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Trim the bottom of your cabbage and separate the leaves. Place the 12 largest leaves in the boiling water, cover and reduce to medium heat. Cook the leaves until they soften (about 8 minutes) then remove from water and set aside to cool. Keep the remaining cabbage leaves uncooked.
  4. While the cabbage is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add your onion and shallot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add your garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add your salt, pepper, turmeric, ginger, all spice and cinnamon and cook for another 2-3 minutes to combine and infuse the flavors.
  5. Transfer the onion mixture to your bowl of bulgur and let stand until cool enough to handle. Add the lightly beaten egg, parsley, 1 tbs lemon zest and ground turkey. Give the mixture a good knead until it all comes together, well blended.
  6. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with some of the uncooked cabbage leaves. Take the cooked cabbage leaves and place about a 1/3 cup of the filing at the root end of each leaf. Fold in the sides and roll it up like a burrito. Lay the rolls seam side down in the pan.
  7. Combine the lemon juice, remaining lemon zest, chicken broth and white wine. Pour the mixture over your cabbage rolls. Cover the pan tightly with tin foil.
  8. Bake the rolls for 40 minutes, or until the thicker veins of the cabbage leaves are very tender.
  9. Plate and enjoy!

I usually eat two or three in a sitting. They are so full of fiber and protein that I always feel stuffed after eating a few. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that they keep well. I’d say they’re good in the fridge for up to a week.
Hope you like them!