On the Run: fitness made simple

Green Roots Pizza! 

Highlights: Vegan, veggie-filled, whole-wheat, delicate flavors, mix of fresh and baked goodness

Kai and I finally made a vegan pizza together! We’ve been wanting to make one for a couple months now and got to it once his oven was fixed and I had a free-ish weekend. We just thought of vegetables that sounded delicious and a base that  could work to hold the ingredients together. This is what we used: 

Ingredients

• Whole wheat pizza dough 
• 2-3 beets 
• 1-2 parsnips 
• 1-2 avocados
• 3 vine-ripened tomatoes (pretty small ones) 
• yellow onion
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• arugula
• salt & pepper 

Directions

1. Wash all vegetables. Cut the stems off of beets and parsnips. Slice half a yellow onion. 
2. Place parsnips in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup of water. Microwave for 5 minutes.
3. Place beets in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup of water. Microwave for 15 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile…stretch the pizza dough to cover a large baking pan.
5. Rub olive oil over the pizza dough. 
6. Sautee onions in olive oil and balsamic vinegar for 5-6 minutes.
7. Peel the skin off of parsnips and beets. Slice parsnips, beets, and tomatoes into thin pieces. 
8. Layer parsnips, beets, tomatoes, onions onto the pizza. Make sure to layer ingredients on top of each other. 
9. Season with salt and pepper. 
10. Bake pizza at your oven’s highest temperature (400+ F) for 20 minutes. 
11. Add arugula and avocados on top! 

Overall, I loved this pizza. It had such a good array of vegetables with flavors that did not overwhelm the subtle tastes of the beets, parsnips, avocado, and arugula. The onions added savory flavor. Also, the parsnips and olive oil made a good base to hold the ingredients to the dough. It kept the dough soft in the middle as well. This pizza is easy and fun to do with someone else! I was stretching the pizza dough (first time ever!) and Kai was working on the vegetables. Although he did question whether I make the process more efficient or if I should help out more…Anyhow! We’re think of ways to add plant-based protein to our pizza. Any ideas? Would garbanzo beans go well? We made a little date out of cooking dinner. We went to Whole Foods and I tried not to get too distracted by all the new food trends (like Kombucha and chia drinks!). Then, we worked on making the pizza. While waiting, he watched Star Trek while I was sketching his profile on my iPad. We ate together and I was just so satisfied with the healthy meal we made! Just wished we had more protein…

Try making a vegan pizza this weekend and tell me how it goes! 

Best,

Geraldine 

P.S. Vegan pizza sold at hipster bakeries like Arizmendi Bakery near my school, is so actually really unhealthy. They use refined white flour on the dough, bake the pizza until all the vegetables are wilted, and use a TON of oil. The slice literally drips of olive oil which is how they get it to taste good. You also won’t find a rich and colorful array of vegetables by eating out! 

Kale and Avocado Salad from Saveur.com 

-vegan, filling, simple, and amazing

Last Friday, my friends hosted a pot-luck birthday dinner. Even though I love cooking, pot-lucks make me nervous! I tend to eat simple, clean foods, which those with a gentle palate would appreciate. I thought about just bringing drinks, veggie plate with hummus, or something else healthy and store bought. But my classmate and K convinced me to bring something homemade! I’m always scared no one’s going to eat what I bring, or no one’s going to like it… 

Friday was pretty busy for me with class, meeting an out-of-town friend, catching up with lectures, grocery shopping, and finding earrings to wear for formal the next day. SO, I needed something simple with few ingredients. 

K came over after work and he helped me make this! I highly recommend this recipe copied from http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Kale-and-Avocado-Salad

Ingredients

1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped into a paste
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
2 tbsp. raw hemp seeds (optional)
1 bunch kale (about 3⁄4 lb.), stemmed and finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together juices, soy sauce, and garlic in a bowl. Slowly whisk in oil; set dressing aside.

2. Cut 2 avocados into 1⁄2” cubes and thinly slice the remaining avocado. Put cubed avocados, half of the hemp seeds, and kale into a serving bowl. Toss kale mixture with dressing and season generously with salt and pepper. Divide salad between plates and garnish with sliced avocado and remaining hemp seeds. 

SERVES 4 – 6

IT’S SO YUMMY. At first I didn’t think the orange juice and soy sauce combination would taste that great. But K said that it would balance out the bitter taste of the kale…which it totally did! It was fun “cooking” (making a salad) to Daft Punk with him. I would call it a bonding moment. Anyways…Next time I make it, I’ll use clementines, oranges, or mangoes instead of Orange Juice! 

BTW, we got to the pot-luck dinner late and most people had moved on to dessert and drinks…so hardly anyone ate my salad =/. But the birthday girl had it next morning and she said was good! I was happy to take home the entire second platter =). 

Please try this recipe out! I’m going to make it again soon and photograph it all pretty. We made it at night so the lighting is bad to take pictures, and then the next morning the avocado browned and didn’t look that beautiful.

Hope you like this recipe! Now I’m going to the gym! 

Peace.

-Geri 

Soba Noodle Salad: Quick, One-pan Meal for Busy Weeks

When I’m studying for a test or aiming to meet a deadline, the last thing I want to worry about is what to eat. I’ve heard sad stories from my classmates, one of which subsisted on string cheese and M&Ms during the days before one of our first exams. Some rely on fast, but expensive meals during finals or midterms week. As for me, I need something that’s easy to clean up, packed with nutrients, and fast to make! That’s what makes this Soba Noodles recipe great for anytime you need to save time! It’s entirely plant-based, vegan, high in protein, and rich in vitamins.

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 1 pack of Soba Noodles (I like Hakubaku’s Organic Buckwheat Soba Noodles)
• 2 cups Carrots (shredded)
• 2 cups Red Cabbage
• 1 sliced red Bell Pepper
• 1 cup shelled Edamame beans
• 4 spring onions (sliced)
• 4 tablespoons crushed, roasted peanuts for garnish (optional) 
• Parsley for garnish

Dressing: Soy Chili Sauce

• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh, grated ginger
• Juice of 1 lime

(adapted from http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/soy-chili-sauce)

Directions:

1. Submerse dry soba noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes. Then, rinse with cold water and drain well.
2. Toss chilled soba noodles with carrots, red cabbage, bell pepper, edamame beans, and onions.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili powder, sugar, and ginger.
4. Top with lime juice, parsley, and peanuts.

 What’s great about this basic recipe is that it’s extremely modifiable. If you don’t like cold noodles, or the vegetables taste too raw, you can easily sautee the mixture in sesame oil. Also, the dressing can be whatever you’re craving! I’ve tried topping the dish with curry sauce, soba sauce, and sesame-ginger salad dressing so far. Not only are you getting a major dose of protein from buckwheat and edamame beans, but you’re getting a serious serving of vegetables as well. This meal will keep you energized and satisfied for lunch or dinner so you can stay strong and focused.

Send me your thoughts!

Geraldine  

First homecooked meal of 2013: ramen! Veggie broth (salt, soba, soy sauce, pepper), seaweed nori, marinated tofu, green onions, and spinach #vegan #food #eatclean

It is sooo cold in San Francisco (and probably everywhere else but Hawaii) right now, and nothing feels better than a hot bowl of noodles for dinner <3. 

Ingredients:

• Organic Hakubaku Ramen Noodles
• Diced Green Onions
• Spinach
• Marinated Tofu (or BBQ pork to be traditional) 
• Vegetable Broth (chicken broth for omnivores) 
• Soy Sauce
• Soba Sauce
• Salt & Pepper
• Nori 

Directions for 1 serving (~400 calories): Bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tblsp soba sauce. Add salt to taste. Let the broth simmer while you prepare the ramen noodles in rapidly boiling water (about 4 minutes). Chop onions and gather spinach. Heat tofu/protein. Drain noodles into a bowl. Pour the broth over the noodles. Add your toppings and season with pepper.

Simple, yet satisfying.  

Good morning =] can’t have mimosas today (have to studyyy); so just got the fruit at my mosaic viewing party! #food #eatclean

Fruits I got today! Persimmons are so good, but so expensive right now…can’t wait to go home for Thanksgiving and pick from my neighbors’ tree (we have legitimate permission now! )

Tip: pick pomegrantes that are cracked because that means they absorbed a lot of water while on the tree! Learned this at the farmers’ market today =)

#food #fruit #eatclean #healthy

Fall Breakfast on-the-go:

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup butternut squash
• 1 banana
• sliced almonds
• PB2 + cinnamon +almond milk dressing

Taken with Instagram

Please appreciate this post. I battled my computer for 2 hours this morning when I need to be reinforcing anatomy/physiology/cell biology/ biochemistry to get this thing up (our first med school test is next week!) It has taken all the patience I’ve gained from practicing Buddhism through my life to not flip out. I haven’t been posting as often because of med school and because my computer’s choking on something and just loves to torture me. wahhhhh help. -___- 

That being said…Check out what I had for dinner yesterday! 

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich 

Ingredients: 1 eggplant, fresh diced tomatoes or salsa, salad greens, salt, pepper, cooking oil, hummus spread, sliced bread (optional if you’re hardcore). Makes 6 mini sandwiches to share (I didn’t eat all of them…) 

Directions

1. Slice your eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds. 
2. Pour oil into a paper towel, and wipe eggplant rounds with the towel. If you have cooking spray or oil-spray, you can use that. This way you are only using a teensy bit of oil necessary for grilling.
3. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Heat grilling pan on medium heat. 
5. Grill eggplants 3-4 minutes on each side until brown. 
6. Spread each eggplant round with hummus; top with lettuce and tomatoes!
7. Sandwich between favorite bread. 

So I ate the first one without bread…it was a little daunting, because I don’t particularly LOVE eggplant (like I do butternut squash and tomatoes!). But, I added toasted pumpernickel bread to make a real sandwich and it was delicious, savory, and filling. I could eat eggplant all day if it was sandwiched between rye, sourdough, or any whole grain bread! 

But what’s so good about eggplant anyways? Why go through all the trouble to eat it if I don’t like it that much? First off, I always want to try new whole foods, especially vegetables. And, eggplant has so much to offer (with little calories)! 1 cup of cooked eggplant is only about 30 calories! The skin of eggplants contains nasunin, an antioxidant that protects our cells from damage. Studies have shown that nasunin protects the cell membrane of brain cells. Each serving offers 3g of soluble fiber and significant amounts of manganese, calcium, and potassium. Overall, it’s super filling and a great vegetarian substitute for a deli meat or a patty! Also, grilling is a super fast and fresh way to prepare your veggies! My grilling pan looks like this. 

So what are you all doing this weekend? 

I have lots of materials to cement in my brain, doing a 20-mile run (hopefully it’ll go well enough), seeing my parents, cleaning my room, and going to cook teff for breakfast and eggplant curry for dinner. 

Talk to you soon!

Geri 

Quinoa with roasted vegetables on top of mixed greens with mango salsa dressing for #lunch #food. Not going to lie…the quinoa mix was prepared from Andronico’s…but I will definitely make my own next time! #vegetarian #eatclean #plantbased #vegan (Taken with Instagram)

Lunch time in between classes! Packed a 3.25 salad to the brim with mixed greens, chickpeas, edamame beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and brown rice! Hope everyone is doing well! #food #medschool #salad #vegetarian #eatclean (Taken with Instagram)

This weeks #groceryhaul from #wholefoods! #organic raspberries, chayote squash, raw dehydrated kale, oranges, PB (which I’m already 1/2 done with…stupid stir variety spilled everywhere). #food #vegetarian #eatclean (Taken with Instagram)

Kabocha squash soup, my favorite #food!!! The hardest part is cutting the squash (my mom used a hammer and knife lol). Then, just boil in water, add green onions, and season with salt, pepper, sugar! Simmer until the squash is soft. #vegan #vegetarian #eatclean #healthy (Taken with Instagram)

More detailed directions: 

• Cut 1lb of squash into cubes (easier said than done) 
• Boil 5 cups of water 
• Add squash to water
• Add chopped green onions 
• Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste (I will ask my mom for specifics!) 
• Top with parsley

I could eat this all day, everyday =) !