On My Plate: Week of March 1st

Optional title for this post: "How to eat Mexican food every day for a week: The Dani Robinson story". Sounds like a Lifetime movie akin to a documentary about the morbidly obese, but I digress:

This is a new little feature that I'd like to get into, because I know I've taken some time off from food and recipe blogging on Street Cred until we move into our new flat. But as someone who is obsessed with cooking, I figured that some of my readers might be wondering what I actually eat. And it's usually pretty healthy, so if there's enough interest in any particular recipe or meal, I'd be more than happy to post it.

First up: Taco-lasagna. I know, this is not the prettiest meal you've ever seen. It's a total weeknight casserole type of thing. But we do "Taco Tuesday" in this house on a pretty regular basis, so this week I mixed it up with all of our favorite taco fixin's in a big lasagna-style presentation. The verdict? Less mess and cleanup, and leftovers were consumed for breakfast the next day (they didn't even make it until lunch, is the point I'm getting at here).

Basically, the taco meat (w/ added crushed tomatoes) was layered with sauteed onions and peppers, cheese, and tortillas replaced the pasta in this lasagna assembly. Then once it came out of the oven, the whole thing was topped with lettuce and tomatoes, and individuals could garnish their portion with salsa, sour cream, guac, etc.

Next up: Leftover pork chops turned burrito bowl. I thinly sliced the pork, added it to onions and peppers, and cooked it up with garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Then I threw it on top of some rice and topped it with homemade salsa, some guac, and greek yogurt (instead of sour cream). It was a great lunch in a pinch, and only took all of 10 minutes to make. On a larger scale, it could make a pretty filling dinner.

Souper: (that's a pun between "soup" and "supper", by the way)
I cooked up some black beans the other night, so I used what was left to whip up a quick black bean soup for lunch. About 1 cup of homemade chicken stock, some onions and peppers (are you sensing a theme yet?), garlic, frozen sweet corn, cumin, chili powder, kale and fresh cilantro (coriander) all cooked up in another 10-minute lunch. A great filling and healthy vegetarian option if you use vegetable stock i/o chicken, and it's perfect on a deceptively chilly day.

The week isn't even over yet! I wonder if I'll end up with a quesadilla tonight...

Diary of a Diet: Two Grand

This is not a sponsored post. I legitimately love this app and want to tell everyone I know about it. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you're probably pretty aware that I love to document everything I cook and eat. It's sort of an obsession, but I'm also too lazy to use two accounts, so I also post everything for my food blog Street Cred on there, too. So when I discovered the app TwoGrand, I was in heaven. 

It's an Instagram-meets-food-diary (same basic layout, and easy to jump right into), and it's the perfect place to connect with people who have similar diets or dietary needs (paleo, plant based, gluten free, vegetarian, or simply trying to eat healthy). The bonus is that it sort of doubles as a dieting app (if you're on a diet), just because it helps you keep track of everything you eat without that tedious calorie counting. So sign up, get inspired by other food and health lovers, and follow my handle @danidisowned. Wooo! Stay motivated, people. 

Street Cred

*Drumroll Please*

It's the big day. I didn't really think I was ready yet, but I guess now is as good a time as any. I'm launching my food blog, y'all!

I know I've always mentioned and posted about food, recipes, restaurants, and eating on here; if you haven't noticed, food is sort of an obsession of mine. Cooking is my absolute favorite hobby, and I really want to share that passion with everyone. So, please head on over to check out Street Cred! I know it's just a baby at the moment, but trust me, there will be LOTS of great eats coming your way.

And never fear, I'll still be here at Disowned, all day every day. Because I just can't sit still :)

<3 dani

Diary of a Diet

Diets! Aaaah! Run! Is this another one of those juice cleanses?!

Nope. In fact, I hate diets that have a sole purpose of losing weight. Mind you, I've had a variety of types of diets over the years; I was gluten-free for almost 5 years, and I've been a vegetarian for a short 6-month stint, as well. But - and this is a big 'but' (no pun intended) - I've never been on one of those diets with the main priority to be weight loss. My dieting has usually stemmed from a desire to be healthier, or has been in response to a medical need to change my diet (as was the case when I abandoned gluten). 

This trans-oceanic move has taken a lot out of me, and I've found lately that my energy levels aren't quite what they used to be. I've also been bingeing on a lot of rich, fatty foods and consuming my fair share of this hemisphere's wine production since we've arrived, so it's high time to get myself back to a health-conscious state. Not to mention, cheese goes straight to the hips, so here goes: 

This time around, instead of "giving up" anything, per se, I am going to be giving a Food Pairing diet a test drive for two weeks. After that time, I'll evaluate how I'm feeling, how I've been eating, and see if I'd like to continue it, or try a different route. Let's break down the basics of food pairing, and feel free to follow along on the chart pictured above:

Concept: The body digests different foods in different ways, and by eating certain foods in combination, you can actually hinder the digestion process. This results in more waste contained instead of eliminated, lack of energy, and higher fat absorption from foods. By pairing (or not pairing) certain types of foods together, it is possible to optimize the processing of these foods for maximum nutritional value.

Basics of Pairing: This diet has a sort of bottom line - three points that pretty much sum up the details, and make it easy to choose what to eat. 

1. Most vegetables are neutral. They pair with anything, the only exception being fruit (see rule #3).

2. Meat and proteins, and starches/grains cannot be paired together. Meat/protein can be paired with vegetables, and starches/grains can be paired with vegetables, but not together. The body can only digest one at a time properly. 

3. Fruit needs to be eaten alone. In order to process the natural sugars properly, your stomach should be pretty much empty, and you should avoid eating anything for 1/2 an hour after consuming fruit.

So that's it, really! There are finer points, and nice little charts (like the I've pictured here) help to visualize it a little more. My husband is completely appalled by the concept of avoiding meat & potatoes together, but it's not really an issue for me. I love vegetation. I prefer to eat vegetables, and I always have. The truth is, when I had a short vegetarian stint, it was because I lived alone, didn't buy meat really, and was perfectly content eating vegetables and seafood, and soy proteins like tofu, and didn't think twice about it. So far, it's been easy and I haven't really noticed a difference in the way I eat, other than passing up the potatoes at the table for another helping of string beans. So far, so good this week, and I'm looking forward to seeing progress!

This might give you an idea of what I'd have for lunch: soba noodles with shredded cabbage, spring onion and cilantro (coriander) in a sesame soy vinaigrette. Super yum!

If you've tried this diet, or another one that you've got any advice about, feel free to comment below!

Fruity

I'm currently in recovery mode from three weeks of decadent restaurant dining while my in-laws were visiting, so I decided to go with a salad tonight for dinner. Since so many delicious fruits are ripe and in season at the moment, I grabbed a few pears and peaches and topped off some Belgian endives with a honey & apple cider vinaigrette. Yummy and filling!

 I love grilling summer fruits. The natural sugars caramelize, and the sweetness is offset by a hint of smoke that adds just the right amount of savory flavor. 

Endive, Pear, and Grilled Peach Salad

- 6 leaves Belgian endives

- 1/2 Bartlett pear, sliced

- 1 ripe peach, thickly sliced

- 1 small persian cucumber, thinly sliced

- Several shavings of locatelli or parmesan cheese (bleu cheese crumbles would also work!)

- 3-5 very thin slices of cured salami (optional) 

For the dressing:

-1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp apple cider vinegar (I used Bragg's)

-1/2 tsp organic honey

-1/4 tsp brown mustard (to bind everything together)

Attempting Ayurveda

My recent  birthday has given me a bit of a new perspective. Sometimes I affectionately refer to it as a "quarter-life crisis"; turning 25 seems like a good mile marker to look back at the past years and learn to grow and adapt from them in the next 25. My health is one of the biggest aspects of my life that I want to continue to focus and learn more about, and I was wonderfully excited and honored (after months of waiting) to be chosen as the Brooklyn ambassador for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Foundation. I cannot wait to be a part of this organization and help to raise awareness and bring about change in my new home city, but more on that later.

The most interesting topic of health and wellness I'm exploring at the moment is the Ayurvedic diet. Basically, it is the principle of everything you ingest and do being a part of your overall well-being (which is a ridiculously simple and true concept in itself to understand and accept). Instead of a diet itself, it is a concept of balancing elements of your diet and lifestyle for the best health and physical wellness possible. If you'd like to learn more, one of my favorite starting points has been Joyful Belly - free assessments, recipes, and lots of easy-to-understand information about Ayurveda.

While scrolling through Instagram, I came across several mentions of a recipe called Kitchari, a super detoxifying and easily digestible dish of basmati rice, lentils or mungbeans, vegetables, and a wonderful variety of delicious spices and herbs that I already love to cook with. It was this recipe that initially lead me to learning more about an Ayurvedic diet, which is based on traditional Indian medicine (which is probably why the recipes taste so darn good - I'm a sucker for good Indian food).

Throughout various assessments of my Dosha, or body type, I've found that when I listen to the cravings and needs of my body, I've been drawn to the foods, herbs, and spices that would traditionally be used to treat whatever ailed me. It's making me more aware of my own body's signals and needs altogether, something that I think humans have lost over the years thanks to technology and modern comforts. 

Every day is a new adventure lately, and I know that it has been difficult to not be discouraged by concerns about money or the future (I still haven't found a full-time day job in the past 2 months). I just have to believe that I can be healthy and happy even in uncertain times, and stay positive, and learn and grow in the process. I figure that life's a gift, and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you...to make each day count.

Market Months

New York is chock full of amazing markets in the summer months. Local farmers, purveyors, artists and producers band together in different locations every day of the week to bring the concrete jungle a little bit of the gifts of the great outdoors. Immeasurable physical and social benefits in less than half of a city block, right at your fingertips.

This summer, I've challenged myself to avoid grocery stores. Other than purchasing non-grocery supplies, I haven't set foot in a "real" grocery store since the warm months began to give way to these bountiful outdoor markets. Seasonal, fresh, fruitful... what's not to love? My greatest feelings of accomplishment stem from making a really simple, delicious, amazing meal out of my semi-weekly finds. 

Fresh.

I've posted before about the Broadway French Market, where I stop by each Tuesday and Friday on my lunch break to pick up amazing local produce and eats. 

This Tuesday's haul brought Romanesco cauliflower, fresh onions, a beautiful bunch of radishes, and a stunning head of purple cabbage. 

Thanks to a few of my favorite spices and seasonings, they all came together into a wonderful meal. 

Knowing that I've made something delicious from fresh, local, organic produce makes me feel great before I even eat it. 

Find a farmers market! Go local! Go fresh!!

Kale Yourself

Kale is my life right now.
I'm not new to the bandwagon, but I am on an extra kale-y kick this month, it seems.
I've been making juice, kale chips, braised kale, kale salads, kale soup....

I love to eat whatever is in season. Usually, though, I end up eating it so much that I'm sick of it after a few weeks. Which, in the summer months, is fine, because there are so many abundant different types of fruits and veggies this time of year.

Fresh is best!

Home Cookin'

Found a great butcher shop in Williamsburg this weekend and went on a Polish eating spree.

The smell of freshly smoked meat, rings of kielbasa hanging from the ceiling, homemade stuffed cabbage... Felt like being back in my grandmother's kitchen. Only meatier. I may have eaten an entire ring of kielbasa in one sitting. Hey, don't judge, it was my birthday.

Used some leftover Canadian bacon today with roasted butternut squash, and Parmesan to make a great leftover hash. Finish it with a little fresh parsley for a great winter one-dish meal.

Back to a busy week! Time to start the holiday shopping! Can't believe it's December already.