Eggplant Parmesan Quinoa Casserole

Who doesn’t love eggplant Parmesan? Raise your hands.
Ok, let me check...apparently everybody does, not surprisingly.
Even kids who don’t eat veggies can’t resist their Parm, and never make a peep about the eggplant in the first place - pretty awesome.
Eggplant Parm is pure comfort food, or (let me rephrase that) it’s comfort food at its best.
And as you might have noticed, fall is fast approaching (yesterday morning was like in the 50s ‘round here, brr...) Which means we need warmth and comfort food, like a piping hot bowl of oatmeal for breakfast or something with pumpkin OR eggplant Parm.

Light Egg Salad

Originally, this post was supposed to be about a LCHF (low-carb-high-fat) bread I baked Saturday afternoon.
A bread packed with psyllium, flax seeds, shredded coconut and a bunch of other awesome+wholesome ingredients, 100% paleo and (supposedly) delicious.
I found the recipe on a cookbook I received a couple of weeks ago, and TBH my expectations were pretty high.
I meticulously followed the recipe verbatim. My first time trying my hands at a grain-free, gluten-free bread - there’s no room for improvisation.
I wish I could tell you what came out of the oven was worthy of a photo spread in Martha Stewart’s Living. Not so much. The taste was spot on, the texture OK, but it was deformed; NOT looking like a loaf of bread, not even a close relative.
You might say: “So what? It doesn't really matter as long as it tastes good.”
A fair point, but there was just no way I could take a decent picture of it.
I tried different angles, different lights, different composition, but I guess it would take a much more gifted photographer than me to save the day (or better yet, the loaf!)
Ultimately, I gave up.
Plan A failed, so I went with Plan B - Light Egg Salad.

Find 60 Minutes Each Day For Yourself

Photo credit: nike.com

There are 24 hours (or 1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds or 86,400,000 milliseconds) each day. In that time, we manage to carve out the time to work, to eat, to sleep, to watch TV, to stare at our smartphones, to go out, to bathe and to brush our teeth. When it comes to exercise however, we like to pull out the “no time” card.
Modern lives are busy; there’s no point denying that, and there are some legit reasons for not working out - we’re working very late or recovery from an injury - but often, we’re just talking ourselves out of it. Am I wrong?

Concord Grape Sorbet

If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember that last Saturday, at the Farmers’ Market, I got my hands on some amazing Concord grapes from the Finger Lakes District (NY).
But before we proceed any further, let’s make things straight and clear: If you don’t like Concord grapes I’m afraid we can’t be friends. Sorry, it’s not negotiable.
How can you not like Concord grapes? These things are a-mazing. They are tart, strong, and the taste is usually acquired; which is why kids love ‘em.
To me, the taste of Concord grapes is an absolute flavor explosion and a true marvel of nature.
→ Brief historical digression. Do you know that when Concord grapes were first introduced in Europe in the 1800s; Italians, mesmerized by their sweetness, started calling them uva fragola; which translates literally as strawberry grapes. Cool, right?
Btw, ever notice how everything sounds better in Italian? “Uva fragola” v “Concord grape”; I mean, come on!

Tomato Curry with Creamy Coconut Cauliflower "Rice"

Remember when we discussed that exercise not only makes you fitter, it also makes you smarter? (You don’t? Read here!)
Well, turns out it doesn’t apply to me.
Yesterday morning I worked my butt off running, swimming and stretching; 3 hours of grueling training.
I got home and planned to watch football all day long. Which is what I did. But wait, here comes the “me dumb” part.
At around 7:30 PM, after watching New Orleans taking on Atlanta and San Fran taking on Green Bay (more than 5 hours of football) it suddenly dawned on me: All this was happening on a Sunday! I know, breaking news.
Here’s the thing though; during a football game commercial breaks take place after every score, whenever a player is injured, after every punt or kickoff, and when a play is reviewed through instant replay. Did I mention instant replay? Every time that swings into action, you sit and wait for another two minutes or so.
At the end of every commercial break the TV’s scream at you “Welcome back to NFL Sunday football action!” or “It’s Sunday Night football on NBC!” or “....heeeere on FOX NFL Sunday!”
Yet in over 5 hours my mind didn’t registered that tiny piece of information: Sunday.

Orange Glazed Salmon

Confession time on TheIronYou. Brace yourself because this is going to be a hard one to believe.
I DON’T LIKE FISH. Boom! There, I said it.
To be more accurate, I’ve never liked fish (except canned tuna, which really doesn’t taste like fish).
When I was a kid I remember eating just bread at Champlin’s Seafood in Narragansett (RI) while everyone else was enjoying their fish/lobster dinner.
Those were long summers let me tell you. Every time we would go out for dinner, I dreaded ending up in one of those classic New England seafood eatery where they serve only seafood.
I remember staring at the menu trying to find something to eat, but resigned myself to order either bread or coleslaw. Not even French fries. Because fries, in seafood eateries, taste like seafood.
Period.

What Does It Mean To Be Healthy?

What does it mean to be healthy?
I know, big question. One that we should have asked ourselves a while ago. After all, this is a blog promoting healthy living; so one could have rightly assumed that we knew the answer all along, before even starting our daily ramblings.
In all honesty, I decided to discuss this topic today, because I recently found out that people are quite confused about the meaning of being healthy.

Sesame Chicken Kebabs (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

I hate long-haul flights.
Just to get this straight, I'm not scared of flying. I am not afraid that the aeroplane I'm on will fly into a mountain or crush into the sea because of pilot error, or explode without warning in flight, or that a psychopath will place a bomb under my seat, or prang into another airplane on the ground.
I don’t find flying frightening at all. Over the years I figured that once you get into the aeroplane, I’m pretty much at the mercy of the pilot and there’s not much point in worrying.
I hate long-haul flights because airplanes are very uncomfortable (unless you travel Business or First, duh!). I’m almost 6’3, and unless I get an emergency exit seat, there’s never enough legroom for me.
After a couple of hours my legs turn numb and my back start aching. So I get up to stretch my legs but guess what, when I do so, it's always turbulence time! Thus, I’m “gently” asked to return to my seat and stay put.
And then there’s the boredom factor. You see, I can’t sleep/nap on airplanes. I so envy those people who, even before take-off, are already sleeping like babies in their seat. I just can’t do it, not even if I pop a sleeping pill. I did it once and instead of sleeping, I got totally mental like if I was on drugs or something (yeah, never again in my life!)
My main goal on long-haul flights is usually to simply pass the time. I watch movies, read a book, play video games and I flip through the pages of all the newspapers and magazine I can lay my hands on.
And that’s how I found this recipe.

Chicken, Bok Choy and Basil Stir-Fry

This recipe was passed to me from my good friend Ratana.
Ratana is a whiz kid, die-hard fashionista, compassionate human being AND awesome cook.
She’s half Thai and half Chinese but 100% American (if you know what I mean...)
Her dinner parties are legendary. When you get an invitation from her, you know you’re up for a real treat.
In my opinion, when you pair passion for cooking with traditional family recipes, greatness comes out. And that’s Ratana's cooking, pure bliss.
There are many dishes Ratana makes that I love (well, probably all) but her chicken bok choy stir-fry has to be my fave. The only adjective that can properly describe it, is mouthwatering. That good.
When I do compliment her about it, she smirks at me and tells me: “If you knew how quick and easy it is to make...”
Because yeah...Ratana is one of those people who doesn’t shares her recipes. I think she sworn to her mum that she would never do it, or something like it. Bummer.

Savory Watercress Berry Salad

I wanted to make a case for watercress. I had one goal in mind, to try to convince you to eat more of this amazing cruciferous veggie. Why? Because watercress is very low calorie and has endless health benefits. Anti-aging, cancer fighting properties, benefits vision...it doesn’t get much healthier than this. You don’t trust me? Then read here you mis-believers!
But then I thought, what if I give you a delicious recipe for watercress instead?
You see, I interviewed a couple of my friends and not a single one was sure what the hell to do with watercress (besides garnishing plates in fancy restaurant). Well, except my friend Guy, but he’s British and over there they use watercress a lot (especially in sandwiches).

What I'm Reading: Cooked, A Natural History Of Transformation

I’ve read every one of Michael Pollan’s books and enjoyed all of them; he’s arguably one of my favorite authors.
His latest book “Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation” did not fail to impress me once again. His ability to take the mundane (in this case cooking) and make it interesting has - in my humble opinion - no match.

Oven-Baked Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

Let’s be completely real here; I wasn’t planning on posting this recipe. I made these Oven-baked Spiced Sweet Potato Fries just for photography styling purposes. I didn’t want the Homemade (Paleo) Ketchup to sit there alone on my kitchen table. So I figured baked sweet potato fries would be the perfect companion. Which was a winning decision tbh.
But since I posted the ketchup recipe, I’ve received tons of requests and comments about the fries. My favorite one was “Forget the catchup the fries look good where's the recipe dude? I'm hungry!”,
which I thought was hilarious.
But there were also other comments that totally made my day (in fact, you guys are pretty amazing: smart, good listeners, responsive and with a healthy amount of sense of humor. I feel privileged to have readers like you: Thanks!)
With all these requests coming at me, I felt cornered, with only one possible way out: posting the recipe.

Homemade (Paleo) Ketchup

Ok guys, I’ll be honest, I've been on a DIY condiments kick lately.
It started with (paleo) Sriracha a couple of weeks ago. I had wayyyy too much fun making it, it was wayyyy too delicious and I enjoyed wayyy too much success. Who knew?
So It was only a matter of time before I would try making another condiment. I picked ketchup, arguably the most popular sauce in the whole world (I mean, duh).

Herbed Hummus

I love hummus for a number of reasons: It’s healthy, low calorie, has a great nutritional value and it's yummy. And for some reason, it's always the right time for hummus.
I love to dunk veggies into a smear of hummus. And I also like it to use as spread in sandwiches. Have you ever tried hummus+oven roasted turkey+tomato+spinach sandwich? Hell yeah!
Grocery stores are packed with several different brands of hummus but, let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like making your own.
Over the years I’ve tried hundreds of different recipes. Even though the ingredients used to make this Middle-Eastern spread are always the same, different processes yield different results.
It starts from the chickpeas you choose and how you cook them. Then there's the tahini (i.e., sesame paste). Using cooking water or not? How much salt? Smooth or chunky? You get it, right? I can go on for hours and never reach a conclusion.
Anyway, the recipe you'll find here is a combination of the hundreds of recipes (and tips) I’ve collected over the years.
I'm quite convinced it's bullet proof, but I'm definitely open to criticism (as long as it's too harsh!)

Dieting? Better Have Someone Hide The Chocolate

Common wisdom tells us that willpower is key in losing weight. That there’s only one way to succeed, you need to set your mind to it and fully commit: clean food, calorie restriction, exercise and healthy lifestyle.
If you don’t have the mental strength to do it, you’re doomed to fail. End of the story.
However, the concept of willpower in diet has been the subject of much criticism. Researchers have long rejected the idea that there’s some innate force that will keep you from resisting bad habits1.
To attribute dieting success or failure just to willpower - researchers say - is a simplification that ignores details of the numerous mechanisms in play behind a successful weight loss program.
Believing that only willpower can do the magic trick entails a further risk. If you assume that it’s just a matter of mental strength, you can feel less in control of your eating habits and conclude that, if it’s not your DNA, there’s nothing you can do about it.
That’s not it though. The success of dieting is made by the sum of several behavioral changes. Willpower is one of them but it’s not the only one. There’s the interaction of brain chemicals, behavioral conditioning, hormones, heredity and the influence of habits. All these factors are part of the diet equation2.

Whole Wheat Rhubarb Strawberry Crumb Bars

Yesterday was totally my binge day. OMG, score!
I’ve decided to allow myself one binge day a month, mostly because I am so good all the time.
I don’t eat this, I don’t drink that and I train/exercise every single day. So I rightfully deserve a binge day once in a while. A much deserved reward.
For the record, my binge day is not really how normal folks would define a binge day. There’s no stuffing my mouth with processed food, fried food, sugary drinks or anything of the sort.
All my friends say that my binging day is the lamest thing ever. That I’m not even binging. I’m just pretending to binge while still eating healthy food.
I dissent.
To me binging is only about enjoying food I don’t usually eat. I would never binge on BigMac, Pringles, KFC, etc. I find no pleasure whatsoever in eating these foods; it would be pure torture.
Mindless, thoughtless eating doesn’t really work out for me. The act of just shoveling something in, without any thought, it’s just not me. Period.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa

I’ve never been to Jamaica. I had planned to go there two years ago, but I scrapped those plans because of work. It really sucked and I still seethe about it. My holidays were ruined and I was deprived of the opportunity to visit a place I’ve always been interested in. Argh...
To fill the void, I started hanging out - quite a lot - at Miss Lily’s; a Jamaican joint on West Houston. A great little luncheonette, where you can enjoy a taste of Caribbean cuisine.
I can confess without shame that I have tried almost every single item on the menu, and they all tastes great.
I have favorites, but the jerk chicken stands alone at the top of my list. It’s a great dish, full of depth and character.

Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Today was one of those day, you know, when you’re just not feeling it. As usual I went for my early morning run, but at mile 2 I was like: “Humph, it’s not happening!”
So I changed and went to the swimming pool for my typical 60 min swim training session. But by the 10th lap I felt as if my shoulders were made of concrete. I got out, dried off and changed. Now what?
I wasn’t ready to give up, so I decided to go to Bikram Yoga and get it over with.
Somehow I immediately felt that it was the right decision to make. In Bikram there’s no getting out of hot room once the class starts. You need to stay in for the full 90 minutes, no bailing out possible.
In the end, it proved to be the right choice. I sweat out all that I was holding onto (whatever that was); it was as if the toxins (and negativity) of my day fell to the ground under me. I felt reinvigorated and ready to kick-ass again. BOOM!

Baked Quinoa with Spiced Apples, Carrots and Red Onions

It’s been almost two months since I posted a recipe with quinoa. I know, C-R-A-Z-Y. How have I got away with it for so long? I honestly don’t know, I just did.
In my defence, quinoa is always on my mind. There hardly goes a week when I don’t have at least a meal involving quinoa.
Lately I’ve been cooking a lot this Spicy Mexican Quinoa Casserole, which has become one of the most popular recipes on this blog. It makes everybody happy and it reconciled some of my friends with quinoa. The few who thought that quinoa was yuk, have now joined the quinoa team. Massive.

Tomato Avocado Burgers (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

We’re talking bunless burgers over ‘ere. Wait...what? Bunless burgers? Yep, that's it, a burger sans bun.
I feel you’re already judging me. So stop right there and allow me to make an argument for bunless burger, or better yet, for THIS particular bunless burger. If I can't convince you, feel free to leave, but not before you've heard it all.