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Spicy Corn on the Cob and Black Bean Salad
This is a super quick lunch (or dinner) that I whipped up for a surprise drop-in. I almost never use recipes, so all amounts are approximations and to taste. That said, we were full and had plenty left over for later in the day.
You can use canned beans–which will make it even faster–or pressure cook dry ones (takes 20 minutes) while you prep everything else. Enjoy! -Veronica
What you need for the corn:
2-4 ears of corn (without doubt it will be sweet corn-that is pretty much all we can get)
About a quarter cup of olive oil, butter, or margarine
herbs and spices: cayenne pepper, oregano, dill, pinch thyme, pinch rosemary
What you need for the salad:
2-3 cups cooked black beans
large red onion sliced into rounds
one avocado sliced
two big handfuls of sprouts (I used home grown young mung bean and lentil sprouts)
1/2 cup dry toasted pumpkin seeds
juice of 1 lime
What to do:
Set your beans to cook (if not using canned) and prep pot for your corn.Corn only takes about 5 minutes in a pot of boiling water, so you can drop in pretty close to serving time.
Meanwhile: Throw your herbs into your oil and mash until thoroughly blended. I like this super spicy to balance the sweetness of the corn (which I don’t really like), but use your own judgement. Set to cool in the fridge or pop in the freezer for a few minutes.
Chop your onion and avocado. Place in a serving bowl with the sprouts. Add the lime juice and mix gently. Place in fridge to cool until ready to serve.
Toast your seeds on medium heat in a dry pan. They will pop.
When ready to serve, gently spoon black beans into the onion mixture. Serve and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. The corn can be pulled right out of the pot onto the plate and the oil mixture spooned on as desired.I love lime, so I spritzed the whole thing again with a bit of juice and also added a dash of kelp (for iodine–I don’t like salt). Again, personal preference.
If you have any tortillas around, makes a nice soft taco.
Enjoy!
You can use a pre-made pizza crust, or make your own:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 package active dry yeast/instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil work well too
1 tablespoon sweetener (to feed the yeast)
Combine flour, yeast and salt. Blend in water, oil and sweetener. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed. Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place to rise. When doubled in size it is ready to work.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Punch down dough. If making a large pie, you can roll out the whole thing. Otherwise, cut into quarters for generous individual pies. We used parchment paper on a cookie sheet to bake the pizzas–makes the crust nice and crispy and makes clean up super easy.
For the pizza pictured above, we used prepared pesto, but making your own is super easy (see below). Add enough sauce to cover the crust, but not so much that it is soggy. The pictured pizza has layers of black pepper encrusted goat cheese, mixed chopped olives (nicoise, kalamatas), cubed pineapple, wilted spinach, and ground spicy red peppers. It sounds a little crazy. It tastes amazing.
Bake in oven 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. ENJOY!
Easy Pesto
Place four fistfuls of basil leaves, 1/4 cup olive oil, handful of pignoli nuts or walnuts, and a clove of garlic into a blender or food processor. Puree into a thick paste. You may need to add a little bit of water (or olive oil if you prefer) as you puree.
I’ve also made a more rustic pesto using a blend of basil leaves and arugula, chopping finely with a knife and smashing a garlic clove into the greens. I drizzle oil into the mixture and use a muddler to crush everything together. It smells phenomenal. Salt and pepper to taste.
Some people like to add parmesan cheese. I find it overwhelms the subtleties of the herb and nuts, but by all means add the cheese and omit the salt.
Have fun!
Arugula Pasta Salad
This is so easy and delicious. Full of protein, long-lasting carbohydrates for fuel, and some zesty olives for flavor. This quick meal will keep you going.
What you need:
Large bunch arugula, washed and coarsely chopped
Cup dry brown rice penne (or any short pasta)
Cup dry French lentils
Handful of mixed olives, chopped, or about three tablespoons olive tapanade
Oregano, basil, and crushed red chili pepper flakes to taste
Splash of olive oil
Splash of lemon juice
What To Do:
Set the lentils to boil. They take about 15 minutes to cook. Set pasta to boil about 5 minutes after you set the lentils. 
Place arugula in a large bowl with olive oil and lemon juice. Drain lentils and pour them over the arugula.
Drain pasta and rinse with cool water to remove excess starch. Add drained pasta, olives or tapanade, and seasonings to the bowl.
Using a fork, gently begin to fold in the pasta.
Serve and enjoy!
Two large handful mung bean “cellophane” noodles
Large zucchini
3 baby bok choy
Large handful Mung bean sprouts
½ C peanut butter
1 T hot pepper sesame oil (or to taste)
2 T tamari (or to taste)
Black sesame seeds
Cellophane noodles “cook” up in 10 minutes. Just soak them in hot water while you do the rest.
Mix peanut butter, oil, and tamari. Add water until mixture is consistency of a creamy dressing. Put aside.
Chop zucchini and kale. Dry saute zucchini until just tender. Add chopped bok choy. Cook until bok choy brightens in color.
Drain noodles and place in a large bowl. Toss with dressing, sprinkle of sesame seeds, and add vegetables, including raw mung bean sprouts.
Serve right away.
Jasmine rice, pumpkin seeds, and kale
1 cup brown jasmine rice
1 6-inch piece of lemongrass
Bunch kale
Pumpkin seeds, dry toasted
Large handful mung bean sprouts
For the sauce:
½ cup tahini
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 T tamari
Black sesame seeds
1 tsp sweet chili paste
Cook the rice with the lemongrass. Make sauce by combining tahini, rice vinegar, tamari, and sweet chili paste. Keep the mixture thick. Dry toast pumpkin seeds in a pan on low heat. Seeds will pop. When rice is nearly ready, steam kale.
Serve rice as a base with a mound of kale, sprouts, and pumpkin seeds. Dollop dressing on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
I’ve been on a chickpea kick. What’s not to love? They are versatile and nutritious, with healthy fats, protein, and carbohydrates for energy. The pumpkin seeds add a nice crunch.
This meal was a complete surprise. I arrived home exhausted and hungry, and not really in the mood to cook (BUT HUNGRY). I used what was laying around the house for this 5 minute, one pan meal. Enjoy!
1 can chickpeas
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 baby zucchinis
2 handfuls spinach leaves
1 handful dry toasted pumpkin seeds
olive oil
Lightly coat a pan with olive oil (to your taste–I like a good amount of olive oil, but you can lightly spray too) and saute sliced baby zucchinis for about a minute. Add drained can of chickpeas and broth. Stir gently for about a minute and add spinach. When spinach leaves are slightly wilted, turn off burner and let sit for another minute. Add pumpkin seeds when serving. You can also add cayenne for a spicy kick. Add salt to taste (note that canned beans are often salted already).
Delicious!
A one skillet dish of healthy and filling legumes, vegetables, and seeds
This is the final update from our guy testing the Sketchers ShapeUps.
I’ve had the Sketchers ShapeUps for a while now, and the verdict is in — these shoes are a tremendous asset to anyone looking to get in better shape. Do they work miracles? No, of course not. They won’t turn a walk around the block into a five mile run, but they will make it easier to take that initiative!
Anyone over 25 understands how minor physical problems collect over time to limit your athletic abilities. For me, my lower body had quietly grown into a horror show of misalignments. My knees and ankles pop so loudly in the morning they can be heard from two rooms away. Walking long distances began to be more of a chore than a treat, and my drive to work out was similarly diminished. I was astonished at how quickly the ShapeUps began alleviating this discomfort by forcing me to walk through a more physiologically sound range of motion. This in turn strengthened all the muscles that kept the connective tissue and joints in their proper positions.
Another benefit to wearing ShapeUps is the tone and strength they develop in your hips and lower abs. I find that working out these specific muscles increases my overall energy levels, which in turn makes it easier to stay fit. Taken together these benefits more than justify the price tag.
It’s amazing what a giant difference such a small alteration in design can make. Sort of makes me wonder what else in our environment could be drastically improved through minor changes, and what other untapped benefits are sitting right under our nose.
Is anyone else having similar results?
What is abundance?
Some days we are so busy and so concerned with tasks that we lose track of where we are, what we have, and of our gratitude. Join Veronica to refocus on your everyday gifts, and explore how these gifts manifest in your life. Learn simple exercises that will help you recognize your everyday abundance and examine how working from abundance helps you move towards your goals.
Thursday May 27th at 7:00 pm.
Email info@sparkyourwellness.com for more details and for the call in number.
Tomorrow at midnight is the deadline for the Spark! + Choosing Raw 10-day Group Detox Early Bird Special — make sure you register before then to get $10 off.
Join three health professionals and a great group of peers to kick off the summer through a sensible, structured program that provides support and fits within your budget. Create real change in your body by rebooting your metabolism, reducing inflammation, and increasing your energy.
Interested but not ready to commit? Register for our FREE 1-hour introduction to the detox program on April 28th from 9-10pm EST.
If you haven’t signed up already, it’s not too late to join Hadley Steward for a FREE teleclass that will help you learn to ditch the diet and reclaim your natural appetite.
Tomorrow, Wednesday April 21 at 8:00 PM.
As a holistic health coach and emotional eating expert, Hadley will help anyone sick of waging war with their bodies discover a way of eating and living life that makes them feel good about themselves and their bodies.
Hadley will share her top 5 tips to breaking free from the pattern so you can listen to your body, eat intuitively, and enjoy the foods you love.
Email us to register and be provided with the dial-in code.
