“Bulgar” Kamut, Grilled Tofu with Spinach

“Quinoa” “Kamut” “Spelt” “Millet”….a few months ago, these words were as foreign to me as “testona” or “pappato” which are two new Italian words I learned this week.

Now, these grains are like my new best friends.  Whenever I see them listed on a food package, I get soo excited because honestly it’s not very easy to find alkaline foods in Switzerland where people live off of cheeses and chocolates.

I was recently in Torino, Italy, for a weekend and amazingly, the restaurant we went to had kamut on their menu.  It was actually the first time I’ve ever tried kamut and I was pleasantly surprised.

I had a nice conversation with the chef who shared with me some tips of making kamut.   

So what is Kamut?  Kamut is a high protein grain (30% more protein than wheat) containing a high mineral concentration (especially in selenium, zinc, and magnesium) and provides the body with more energy in the form of complex carbohydrates.  

 

 

In this recipe, I used Kamut Bulgur which is a quick-cooking form of the whole grain as it has been parboiled, dried and grounded into smaller sizes.  The advantage of this kind of bulgur is that not only does it cook much faster, I actually prefer the taste of its softer texture (similar to brown rice).  Feel free use it in replacement for any rice or cous cous recipe.

Kamut Bulgur, Grilled Tofu with Garlic Spinach
Preparation - 30 minutes
serves 2

• ½ cup of Kamut Bulgur 
•  1½ cups of vegetable broth 
•  1 block of firm tofu 
• 1 bag of pre-washed spinach (prewashed…sure, why not? It saves time!) 
•  1 garlic 
•   Olive oil 
•   Himalayan salt and pepper to taste 
•   soy cheese if you want

1. Cook ½ cup of Kamut Bulgur in the rice cooker with 1½ cups of vegetable broth.  This was enough for two people but feel free to add more kamut.  Just remember the ratio should be 1:3 (kamut:water).  Once the kamut bulgar was cooked, I added some soy cheese to spice it up a bit.  Of course, you can cook kamut in a pot over the stove but I highly recommend using a rice cooker.  It really makes cooking any type of grain a no brainer and makes life that much easier.   
2. Cut the tofu in 1 inch thick slices and grill them on a griddle pan.  Season freely with salt or your favorite seasoning.  I always use Himalayan salt which is alkaline and is considered one of the purest form of salt we can use. 
3.  Chop up the garlic.  Fry them in a pan with some olive oil til golden brown 
4.  Add your spinach to pan and stir it up.  Add a pinch of salt.  Don’t walk away! Spinach takes literally a few minutes to cook.  

Buon appetito!!!

Sweet Alkaline breakfast - a Cappucino and Chocolate Croissant.....just kidding!

Living in the Italian region of Switzerland makes life a bit difficult when it comes to finding sweet alkaline breakfasts since a typical breakfast here is a cup of cappuccino accompanied with a chocolate croissant.   As much as I can handle green veggies for breakfast, sometimes I miss having a sweet breakfast.

I always read that quinoa makes a great oatmeal but since I already take too long choosing what to wear for work each morning, cooking quinoa in the morning is out of the question.  Last week, I discovered Quinoa FLAKES.  I couldn't believe that I've been eating alkaline for 5 months and I never knew this!  I was sooo excited!  You see, I am all about finding shortcuts and cheats when it comes to cooking healthy food.  I find it a pity that most people turn away from healthy diets because they have this idea that it's too time consuming to make. Not true!

Here’s what quinoa flakes look like:

Here’s a super delish sweet alkaline breakfast that’s perfect for starting your day right and the great thing is it can be made in MINUTES!

 

Quinoa Oatmeal
cooking time: 4 minutes
Serves 2

• 1 cup of quinoa flakes
• 3 cups of almond milk or water if you prefer
• agave nectar to sweeten
• optional: add alkaline toppings to spice things up a bit!
  
  

1)   Mix the quinoa flakes and the almond milk in a pan and bring to a boil (add less almond milk if you prefer thicker oatmeal)

2)   Once the liquid boils, take it off the stove and stir til all liquid is absorbed (or just leave it there while you finish your morning routine)

3)  Add agave nectar to sweeten to your taste

When I cook normal quinoa in my rice cooker, it takes about 20 minutes but with these rolled quinoa flakes, it literally takes minutes for it to soak up all the almond milk.  Because it’s the same texture of oatmeal flakes, it really does taste like oatmeal!  

Remember you can always pimp up your oatmeal with your favorite alkaline toppings like dates, almonds and cinnamon!l! 

you see, alkaline eating can be super easy and fun!

Who says that soups can't be sexy?

I was never a big soup person.  Soups were meant for sick days, light lunches, and old people who can’t chew.   But after living in city where the ladies bust out their fur coats as early as late October and temperatures of below 0 Celsius are nothing special to report about.   I’ve somehow grown to enjoy a steamy cup of soup on a snowy day.

When I did my 30 day alkaline cleanse, it was in July, right after my Unleash the Power Within event with Tony Robbins in Rome. It was the perfect season to start the cleanse, especially one that promotes raw eating.   I filled my stomach with endless Gazpacho soups and rocket salads and felt completely content.  

Now that it’s winter, I just can’t get myself to make a raw soup…my tummy needs something warm and hearty.  A lot of people get the wrong idea that alkaline is a raw diet.  As long as you are eating the correct alkaline foods, your body will maintain that correct PH balance.  Of course, the more raw foods you eat the better but, hey, I ain’t perfect and I don’t try to be.

A lot of lentil recipes will take much longer but my version is super duper quick and easy cus I got my beloved pressure cooker.  When I was shopping for my pressure cooker, I read a bunch of horror stories of pressure cooker exploding, etc.  PLEASE do yourself a favor and get yourself a pressure cooker.  With the latest technology and your common sense, pressure cookers really should be the last thing you are scared of.   It’s saves you so much time and the tenderness of the food makes your guests believe that you've labored over the pot for hours!

Winter Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash

Cooking time: 25 minutes

• 2 tbs of olive oil  
• 400 g of green lentils (any type would do, I just prefer the green ones cus I like the color)
• 1 butternut squash, peel and cut into bite sized squares
• 1 clove of garlic 
• 1 large onion , chopped into small cubes
• 2 cups of veggie broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop up onion, garlic, and butternut squash
2. Heat up olive oil in the pressure cooker
3. Sautee onion and garlic for a few seconds (most recipes for pressure cooker says to sautee the onions til brown and soft but by the time the lentils are cooked, the onions would have melted away into the broth so it really doesn’t make a difference)
4. Add green lentils and butternut squash.  (lentils need no pre-soaking)
5. Add 2 cups of veggie broth and cover with enough water to cover at least twice the height of the lentils.
6. Seal the cooker and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, cook in a pot until lentils are soft, about an hour.  (10 mins vs 1 hour, do the math…..buy the pressure cooker)
7. Remove from heat and let cool naturally
8. Once the pressure has been completely released, open the cooker and season with salt and pepper as you please.  Add more water/broth if you would like the soup to be more soupy.

This hearty delicious soup is so filling it can be a one plate meal for dinner or lunch.  

400g of lentils will make you enough soup to feed an army (of 6 ppl) so if you got left overs, just save them in the freezer for another cold day.

This recipe is so versatile.  You can add carrots and potatoes instead of butternut squash, or spice it up with some herbs......yeah, go ahead, you got my permission to get creative and make a sexy soup!