Healthy Habits
with Allison Easter
It’s August. It’s hot. I’m in the city and my thoughts naturally seem to turn to food I can quickly prepare without turning on my oven. Two of my new favorites are hummus and a green salad dressing inspired by a recent trip to Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Both recipes use a food processor, but you can improvise, use a blender, or chop and mash away if you don’t have one. Since the hummus is rich, I’ve been eating it with raw vegetables: snow peas, bell peppers, and cucumber, as well as the traditional carrots and celery... all cut for dipping.
The green dressing is great on salads (like the beet and carrot salad pictured above), but it also works well on grilled protein (fish, tofu, chicken).
I hope you like them. Let me know what fresh and healthy dishes you’re eating this summer!
-Allison
Hummus
One 16 oz can organic garbanzo beans
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/8 – ¼ cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons tahini, or sunflower paste
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Fresh cilantro (1/2 bunch, or 1 cup)
finely chopped, unless you have a food processor
Salt to taste
Boil a small amount of water. Turn it off and place the peeled garlic cloves in the hot water, covered, for 5-10 minutes to soften them. This is the most important step as raw garlic is too strong for the hummus. Cooking the garlic this way makes the taste milder, and your breath sweeter.
Wash and dry the cilantro.
Add the beans, garlic, lemon juice and zest and mix the ingredients in a food processor (or with a mortar and pestle) until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and the olive oil bit by bit until you get your desired consistency.
Kripalu Green Dressing
4-5 scallions, washed and dried
Juice and zest of ½ lime
Fresh water cress, 1/2 bunch
¼ cup water
1/4-1/2 cup Olive oil
Salt to taste
Blend the ingredients in a food processor, using only enough water to help pull the scallions and watercress down from the sides of the food processor. Add the oil and salt last.
Salad with Beet and Carrot Matchsticks
Lettuce (or sprouts)
1/2 carrot
1/2 beet
Cottage cheese, or grated cheddar (optional)
Kripalu Green dressing
The salad is super simple, mostly fresh greens (any of the many lettuces available, or arugula) and julienned carrots and beets. I’ve been learning to use those large, round attachments that come with the food processor. One of them (pictured above) makes beautiful matchsticks. Use it for the carrots and beets. They’ll end up firmer and less pulpy than if grated. New textures for your tongue!
Summer brings an abundance of fresh, colorful, healthy vegetables to market. No need to cook or heat up your kitchen, just assemble the best ingredients you can find and try these simple recipes.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Summer Snacks, Salad and Sides
