Healthy Vegan Chai Shortbread

Here's a recipe of a traditional shortbread spiced with Chai spices to warm up for the Holiday Season.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Servings: 24

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup(s) of Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
1 cup(s) of Organic Sugar Wholesome Sweetners
2 1/2 cup(s) of Unbleached White Flour (Arthur's Brand)
3/4 tsp. of Salt
3 tsp. of Chai Masala (Everest Tea Masala available at any Indian Stores)

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
2. Butter a 13X9 inch baking pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.
4. Sift in the dry ingredients (except the Chai Masala).
5. Mix in the Chai Masala until blended.
6. Press evenly into the pan about ¼-inch thick.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
8. Let it cool thoroughly before cutting into squares.

Fiore's Deli - The Best Fresh Mozzarella

Made fresh daily, this creamy-rich mozzarella cheese melts in your mouth and has the perfect bite to it. They have been in the business since 1913, close to a 100 years in business. I only feel privileged that I have had the opportunity to taste this delicious mozzarella made from their family recipe.

They use their fresh mozzarella for sandwiches with the deli meats and yummy antipasti that is prepared in house.

I use their mozzarella cheese for making pizza napoletana at home and it melts and mixes in with the tomato sauce perfectly!

Say no more......you need to visit Hoboken to try their cheese. More details at http://www.fioresdeli.com/

Natural Greek Yogurts

Olympus Greek Yogurt

Now here is a yogurt actually manufactured in Greece and imported here. You have got to try it and you will agree how delicious this yogurt is. I especially love the flavored yogurt since they have pieces of fresh fruit in them and strawberry and peach are my favorites. Their low-fat and non-fat yogurts taste equally great! The best part is that this yogurt keeps you full because it has about 12-15 g of protein. Very satisfying! Read more on their website or just simply try it.


http://www.olympusdairyusa.com/en/products/yogurt

Chobani Yogurt

Personally I am not very fond of non-fat yogurts because they taste very tart but Chobani has done a great job with their flavored non-fat yogurts. They have a layer of fruit preserve at the bottom of the fruit flavored yogurts that makes it taste like a dessert. This could actually be a very healthy dessert option. Their all-natural yogurts with yummy fruit preserves at the bottom makes this yogurt my favorite snack. Chobani very recently started low fat yogurts which is my first preference, especially the Mango flavored yogurt. It is like the most delicious snack I ever tasted.

My only personal critique, based purely on my personal preference, is that Chobani does not keep me as full because it is low in protein content as compared to Olympus. Nevertheless, they both are delicious natural Greek yogurts that I certainly am hooked on!

Pret A Manger

Pret A Manger (pronounced as Pretta mahnjay, comes from the French language meaning 'ready to eat') is a British sandwich retail chain that prepares food from natural and fresh ingredients. This chain of cafes is mostly in Manhattan with a few locations in DC and Chicago.

It is my favorite place to eat lunch, purely for the reason that they prepare their food, fresh and with natural ingredients and it tastes like real food. Their food is not necessarily all organic and I don't feel that food has to be organic to be healthy; natural and fresh foods are also very healthy.

Pret prepares the most delicious sandwiches and salads, some of my favorites are:

• Pret's Egg Salad and Arugula Sandwich
• Chicken and Mozzarella Baguette
• Chicken and Avocado Salad
• I totally love their Ham and Cheese Toasties (Grilled Sandwich)

Their menu changes by the season and I so look forward to their butternut squash soup in the fall, it is so yum!

If you need more information and nutritional information you can visit their website http://www.pret.com/us

Food Culture in India

I am often surprised by people's reactions in the U.S. to my healthy eating. It makes me think that it must be the food culture. I was raised eating healthy fresh meals, prepared at home with healthy fats and that is just how I like my food. I know words like Organic, Natural, Fresh and Seasonal sound fancy and expensive but that is just how I know to eat because that is just how I was raised. I thought I'd share some facts on the food culture in India, which is where I was born and raised. I moved to the U.S. in Sept 2001.

Growing up this is how I remember food being served in my home:

• Every meal including breakfast was prepared fresh.
• For convenience reasons, packaged sliced bread was made a part of your meals. However, if the bread was not prepared fresh, it was considered very unhealthy and bad for your diet.
• Meals were not refrigerated for more than a day maximum; a meal in the refrigerator for more than one day was considered stale.
• Restaurant eating was considered a bad habit. We would go to a restaurant only for a special occasion, only because home prepared meals were given a lot of emphasis.
• Guests were invited over to your home for dinner and meals were prepared fresh.
• We had tea pretty much any time of the day. Tea leaves were boiled in water, milk and sugar was added. Some people liked ginger and spices in the tea. Any tea was called Chai, not necessarily the one with spices in it.
• Tea and biscuits (cookies) was an afternoon 3pm affair; it was considered a light snack!
• The meals were large and balanced with vegetables, rice, beans, yogurt (for digestive reasons), freshly prepared bread called roti and steamed rice. We preferred having large less frequent meals than small frequent meals.

Brown Rice Pasta

If you have gluten allergies or if you are simply looking for a wholesome pasta meal, then you must try the Tinkyada Rice Pasta. It is wheat free and gluten free, it's like pasta just got better! You are going to stay full longer and it tastes nothing different than the regular pasta.

More so, they have all kinds of pasta. They make spaghetti, spirals, penne and even grand shells :)

For a complete list of products see the link below:
http://www.tinkyada.com/ProList.htm

Pour some ready yummy natural pasta sauce like Monte Bene or Whole Foods Generic 365 and you are good to go; your yummy healthy pasta is ready.

Fennel

Fennel seeds, used traditionally in India as an after mint and for digestive purposes, soothe the stomach and aid in digestion. They have a sweet taste and a very distinctive aroma that immediately calms you down.

I also like fennel bulbs to cook with, and often use chunks of fennel in a mixed vegetable medley of broccoli, yam, squash and fennel.

Enjoy fennel seeds as a mouth freshener or simply to curb cravings for sweets. You can find different forms of fennel seeds like roasted fennel seeds, raw fennel seeds and also sugar coated fennel seeds. These are popularly available in Indian grocery stores. You can find Indian grocery stores on Lexington and 28th Street or Jackson Heights in NYC.

I also enjoy a great tasting Fennel Tea made by a brand called Alvita Tea.

Eataly

Eataly is an Italian Market Place that carries all natural foods, just the way they are eaten in Italy. They use produce from local farmers for the foods that are prepared in-house. They have over 10 eateries and a newly opened beer garden called Birreria.

The Restaurants

1. Manzo
Formal dining place serves mostly beef dishes

2. Birreria
Roof top restaurant and brewery

3. La Piazza
In the heart of Eataly, with marble countered bars and standing tables, this place serves cured meets and cheeses paired along with a great wine list.

4. Il Pesce
Traditional Italian seafood, also with a raw bar

5. Le Verdure
All vegetables only, this place can prepare delicious vegetarian dishes

6. La Pizza and Pasta
The name says it all, pizza and pasta only

Eataly Dolci (Sweet)

1. Gelataria
Cannot miss the yummy gelato, my favorite flavor is pistachio and cioccolato

2. Pastecceria
Must stop for the authentic pastries. Love their limoncello baba and chocolate hazelnut muffin, yummy!

3. Caffe Lavazza and Cafe Vergano
The former prepares cafe of different kinds like Latte, Macchiato etc and the latter serves espresso shots.

4. Venchi Cioccolato
The most delicious chocolates.

In addition there is also the Il Panini and Rosticceria that carry paninis to go and the rotisserie chicken and other meats.

Don't forget to visit the bakery and try their focaccia and fresh hand made breads. Their freshly baked focaccia, taste divine. I have tried the mozarella with tomato, the four cheese, the margherita with no cheese and they all simply taste delicious.

They also have a produce market (vegetables and fruits) and a wine store called Italy Vino.

They also opened a school for cooking under the guidance of Chef Lidia Bastianich with unique cooking classes. The school also offers Eataly tours for just 35 dollars per person. Check out their calendar here.

At Eataly, I have tasted their delicious wines from different regions of Italy, I have bought fresh pasta and brought it home and simply added olive oil and lemon and savored its taste, I have enjoyed the gelatos, to the soft juicy flavorful limoncello baba, to the freshly grilled chicken rotisserie, to the flavorful vegetables at Il Verdure. There is not one thing I would ask you to try at this place, the list is overwhelming and so is the place bursting with flavors and choices. Always busy and never a dull moment at Eataly!

The market opened only last year in spring and I remember passing by, looking at the board waiting for it to open. I am so glad I have a place to go to when I need to getaway to Italy!

Visit Eataly at 200 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010 (Entrances on 5th Avenue and 23rd Street) and at the web at http://eatalyny.com/

Spring Berry Yogurt Parfait

I started my day preparing a very easy wholesome morning breakfast, a Berry Yogurt Parfait.

Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 medium strawberry sliced
3-4 grapes
6 oz container of plain Greek Yogurt of your choice. I used Olympus 2 % Plain Greek Yogurt.
1/4 cup granola of your choice. I used Whole Foods freshly prepared blueberry almond granola.
6 walnut halves

Note - You could substitute the fruits to blackberries, raspberries, more of strawberries and less of blueberries, any kind of berries you like. They are in season and you can't help but enjoy them.

You need a tall glass for the parfait. Layer the fruits at the bottom, top them with yogurt, gently layer the yogurt with granola and top it with the walnut halves. Your delicious parfait is ready. Go ahead dig in!

O & CO

 While on my vacation to Paris, I walked into O & CO and was so taken over by the selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, right then I wanted to commit to eating salads. When I started to put things in my basket to carry it back home, I heard a woman ask "Do you have branches in Canada?" I thought, duh! I have been to this store in New York. We quickly looked through their list of stores around the world and found at least three locations in Manhattan.

You can visit the store and sample the olive oils and vinegar. I absolutely relished the Olive Oil with Lemon, Olive Oil with Pepper and Olive Oil with Mint. I also loved the Mango Fruity Vinegar and although their Fig Vinegar is a bit strong, it tasted yum. Needless to say, I am having salads everyday. Simple salads with mixed greens, lettuce, peppers and cherry tomatoes are so enjoyable and easy to prepare.

The olive oils and vinegars are on the higher end of the price range but they should be, because they are imported from some of the best producers in the Europe. How lucky we are sitting here in America, we get to taste the pure flavors of European foods.

http://www.oliviersandco.com/

Melba Sauce

Ingredients

5 large Strawberries
1 tablespoon Agave syrup
4 oz of red wine with very less tannins (I used Shiraz)

Directions: Blend the above ingredients in a blender to make a smooth puree out of it. Your melba sauce is ready.

You can use this sauce to make a delicious sundae, vanilla ice cream goes best.

1. Start with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass, could be a wine glass and pour some melba sauce over it (about one to two tablespoons).
2. Layer another scoop of vanilla ice cream and pour some more melba sauce over it.
3. Enjoy your vanilla melba sundae and feel free to add nuts as toppings if you like.

Vegan Maple Syrup Cookies

Ingredients
Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Earth Balance - 4 tablespoons
Organic Maple Syrup - 1/4 cup
Almond Breeze Vanilla Almond Milk - 1/8 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tspn.

1. Mix baking powder and all-purpose flour properly.
2. Use solidified Earth Balance and mix it into the flour with your hands to make a crumb like mixture.
3. Mix Earth Balance thoroughly so that all the flour is mixed in.
4. Add maple syrup and continue to use your hands to mix in thoroughly to make a smooth dough.
5. Add Almond Breeze and continue to mix and finally knead into a ball of dough.
6. The dough will stick to your hands; use a spatula to scrape the dough off your hands.
7. Wash your hands and now divide it into equal portions making small rounds or any shape that you desire.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
8. Let it sit in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until it turns brown.
9. Remove from oven and enjoy fresh baked cookies.
* Yields approximately 16 small cookies.

For my Valentine's Day celebration I made a variation of this cookie. I made two heart shaped cookies. On one cookie, I spread 365 Whole Foods brand Strawberry Fruit Spread and topped the other cookie on it to make a sandwich cookie. Needless to stay it tasted full of love :)

Mediterranean Style Quinoa

Ingredients

White Quinoa - 1/2 cup dry
Red Quinoa - 1/4 cup dry
Olive Oil - 1/2 tablespoon
Golden Raisin - 3 tablespoons
12 Almonds chopped
Salt to taste
Water - 2.5 cups

Add all the ingredients in a rice cooker and cook. When done, unplug the rice cooker for the Quinoa to sit and absorb flavors.

Enjoy scoops of Quinoa with grilled salmon and a salad or a vegetable curry.

What I am loving right now

 Justin's Maple Almond Butter

Creamy all natural almond butter with maple syrup - it tastes divine!

For more list of yummy almond butter flavors, go to the link below:

http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/products.php