ALIA PEERA
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Mushroom, Kale & Farro Stir-Fry with Dill

5/22/2016

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Mushrooms are one of my favorite veggies! Its super easy to cook, goes with almost any dish and  its packed Vitamin D. Mushrooms are also great for the immune system so I typically load my winter/fall wishes with mushrooms any chance I get to gear up for cold and flu season, but I could basically eat mushrooms year round because I am such a fan.  

I came up with this dish last year when I got some fresh dill from my friend's garden so I went crazy with the dill in this dish, but its so tasty!
 

Mushroom & Farro Stir Fry with Chard, Peppers and Dill

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 of farro
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms
  • 1/2 peppers (any color) 
  • 1/2 green beans
  • 1 1/2 cups Kale (or Chard)
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 Clove garlic 
  • 1/2 cup of dill (You could use less but I like it very dilly :) 
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
  1. Bring medium pot to a boil at pinch of salt to the water. 
  2. Add farro, boil 10-15 minutes.
  3. Simmer for last 4 minutes on low heat. 
  4. TIP: to make the farro light and fluffy I put a paper towel underneath the lid for the last minutes. This is great for all grains and rice! This paper towel absorbs the extra moisture evenly. 
  5. Set aside to cool.
  6. In a medium to large pan, sauté onions, garlic and peppers. 
  7. Add mushrooms, sauté for 2 minutes. 
  8. Toss in farro and mix in  3/4 of the dill, mix till  fully incorporated. 
  9. Reduce  to low heat, add chard. I add greens at the end so that the greens arent over cooked.  
  10. Cool for 5-10 minutes, add extra dill on top before serving

Enjoy! 

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Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Basil Soup

3/6/2016

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This is one of my favorite recipes. It's easy to make, packed with nutrients and a great local calorie comfort food option. Tomatoes are high in vitamins A, C, K and also a great source of beta-carotene, which is great for your skin. The red peppers are also high in C's and add a great mild-spicy kick.   What's not to love!?

This recipe is vegan, no cream or cheese needed but it's still pretty creamy.  Let's be clear--I am BIG cheese fan, but I've cut back a lot on my cheese in take that few years, which has helped me stay in balance. I try to avoid eating cheese when I can. I find that when I order tomato soup at a restaurant, it's typically packed with heavy cream and cheese.  Before I got a good blender I thought the only way to make a creamy soup was to add lots of cream to it. Thanks my blendec blender, making soups and sauces is quick, easy and much healthier. #teamblendec

Since the soup comes out creamy every time, I am less likely to add cheese. But if you want something creamier, adding greek yogurt is a healthier alternative when you want a heavier soup.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
  • 6 large tomatoes cut into fourths
  • 1 onion, cut into ½ inch slices
  • 3 bell peppers, seeded, cut into fourths
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh crushed garlic
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil 
  • Optional non-vegan toppings:  cheese or greek yogurt
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Directions:
  1.  Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange all vegetables on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil all over; add salt and pepper and paprika.  Roast for 25-30minutes.
  2. For Vitamix or Blendtec: Add all ingredients to blender.  Add fresh garlic, just a pinch!! The blender incorporates all of the ingredients so well, that it can get incredibly garlicky very quick, beware! I learned the hard way! Add fresh basil, set to "soup" setting and blend. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  3. For standard blender: Add all ingredients to blender, blend until smooth puree. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour into pot and heat to serve.
  4. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese (optional), a turn of the pepper mill and serve with crusty bread.
  5. Additional Tip: Sometimes I want to super little bit chunkier I'll add some fresh garlic and onions to it a pot over light oil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, add a can of diced stewed tomatoes and add the soup mix directly from the blender. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

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Healthy StirFry: Bok Choy with Mushrooms and Peppers

5/14/2015

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups baby bok choy, or six stocks
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons fresh minced ginger
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic 
  • 2 teaspoons of powdered ginger
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 3-5 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 1 cup of shiitake  or baby bella mushrooms
  • 2 red bell peppers, sliced very thinly 
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

Directions:

  1. Wash all vegetables rinse and drain and set aside.
  2. Cut all the vegetables. Make sure you  chop the bottom of the the bok choy  to separate it into pieces from the stocks. This helps ensure they are easily sautéed with the rest of vegetables. Chop onions very thinly in long slices. Chopped red bell pepper and really thin slices like a little strings. This makes the dish look  really pretty. 
  3. In a large skillet, saute the onions with the bell peppers. Onions to sweat a bit, then  add fresh garlic and fresh ginger add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add  the bok choy and mushrooms and soy sauce, Saute for 5-7 minutes. be mindful of how long you saute the mushrooms and boy choy, they only need to cook for a few minutes. Plus I like to keep my veggies with a little crunch. 
  5. You can also add a little of flour or cornstarch if you want to thicken the sauce. 
  6. Serve with brown rice or own its own.  
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Quick Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Corn, and Black Beans

3/15/2015

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This is my favorite Go-To Salad when I am super busy and don't have a lot of time to cook. 

Super quick, fresh, and packed with protein, this quinoa salad makes for the perfect lunch when I am constantly on the go and rushing from meeting to meeting.  The quinoa and beans give me a lot of sustenance and energy throughout the day.  

Enjoy... in just 20 minutes! 

Ingredients:
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange/tangerine zest
  • 1/4 cup of fresh orange/tangerine juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 2 cups raw corn kernels, cut from 2-3 ears of corn
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Preparation:
  1. Mix together orange zest, orange juice  and  lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.

  2. Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

  3. Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes.

  4. Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel or paper towel,  then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.

  5. Prep the vegetables: Cut the cherry tomatoes into thirds. Remove corn kernels off the cob. Drain the black beans and rinse thoroughly. Toss ingredients all together in the bowl  with the dressing.

  6. Add quinoa to  bowl and toss until dressing is absorbed, and veggies are incorporated. Stir in chopped cilantro and scallions. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Kale and Mushrooms Over Creamy Polenta

3/5/2015

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This is the quickest comfort food dish that I  aboslutely love to make. There is something about the creamy polenta that just makes me feel at so cozy, and you can never go wrong when you add cheese to something! :-)

Ingredients:
Serving Size: 3-4 people
Prep/Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

  • 1 1/4 pounds kale, stemmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 ounces mushrooms (such as crimini, oyster, and stemmed shiitake), sliced
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 2 cups polenta
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 onion, chopped 
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • ** If you want to make this dish even quicker,  you can use Trader Joe's ready-made polenta and then just cook it down with the coconut oil

Directions:
  1. Bring water, polenta, salt, and pepper to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet saute garlic & onions. Add zucchini, mushrooms,  basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Saute until veggies are tender, about 6 minutes.

  3. Just as you turn off the stove, stir in kale. I like to add the kale at the end so its not too wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  4. Whisk coconut oil and Parmesan cheese  into polenta and divide among plates. Top with kale mixture.

  5. If you want the polenta creamier, option to add milk and butter.

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    About Me

    Who am I and do why write this blog? Each time I ask myself that question, I find that I have so much more to learn and discover. "Who am I" is an ongoing process, and just when we think we've figured it out, life has its way of throwing us a ton of curve balls-but that's why its called a journey. 
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  • Home
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    • Alia's Healthy Recipes
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