Noor’s Pumpkin Kale Dill Quinoa

After garnish

I’ve talked about quinoa numerous times, and always recommend it to clients who are looking for tasty ways to incorporate whole grains into their diet. Quinoa is a wonderful high protein grain and it tastes great with almost anything.

This recipe is so easy to put together once the initial step of baking the pumpkin and cubing it is over. I made this after my little sister came home from a field trip at the apple orchid.  Pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A, and is a nutrient dense food. It carries anti-cancerous properties, potassium, and yes, Vitamin C too. Don’t hesitate; get pumpkin on your plate.

I usually like this dish with parsley, but I was making the pesto full zucchini noodles that day and had a bunch of fresh dill on hand. It gave it an interesting flavorful kick.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic quinoa*

1 tablespoon organic Virgin Coconut Oil

1 cup fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced

3 cups organic frozen kale (or spinach)

1 small fresh pumpkin (pre baked and cubed)

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Unrefined Real Salt

1 teaspoon ground rosemary

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ cup fresh dill, washed, dried, and chopped

1/8 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Lemon slices, fresh dill, fresh red peppers

 

Directions:

1. Sautee the coconut oil, mushrooms, and kale in a deep pot for about 5 minutes.
2. Add about 5 cups water and the quinoa. Add all the spices and stir with a spoon to mix everything in evenly.
3. Cover and allow it to cook for about 18 minutes; until the quinoa is tender.
4. Fold in the fresh dill and mix slightly.
5. Pour into a serving platter.
6. Garnish with lemon slices, extra virgin olive oil, and red peppers.

Make sure to cut the pumpkin in big cubes so they don’t become mush.

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Vibrant Spinach Hummus

Noor’s Vibrant Green Hummus.

Say that again? That’s right, spinach hummus. For those who already tried my kale hummus recipe, this is just slightly different in taste. 

In my group coaching class a few weeks ago, I made this as the food demo. Usually “green” looking food isn’t everyone-friendly, but every single client gave this recipe a thumbs up.

Since one person could not have garlic, I replaced that with raw white onions from my original recipe. The onion gives a boost of health benefits, and natural antibiotic properties.

The chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil, Himalayan Pink Salt, and spinach put together make a health boosting dip!

Ingredients:    

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)

1/3 cup water

1 ½ cups raw organic spinach

1-2 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt 

½ teaspoon organic dried ground rosemary

½ teaspoon organic dried ground cumin

 1 teaspoon dried dill

1 medium onion (or 2-3 garlic cloves)

2 cans chickpeas (rinse, soak overnight, and wash again)

1/3 cup tahini paste (ground sesame paste)

          Extra Virgin Olive Oil & fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

 

Directions:

1. Wash and soak the chickpeas over night. Rinse again.
2. Place onion, oil, lemon, spices, spinach, and water in the food processor. Pulse until liquefied.
3. Add chickpeas and tahini sauce. Blend until very smooth.
4. Place in a serving dish. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and freshly chopped cilantro.

Made a tri-hummus brunch. This is my old version with garlic, not onions. Same great taste, same great benefit. 🙂

My version with spinach, mint leaves, and kale mixed.

Noor’s Lemon-Dill Pesto Drenched Noodles

Noor’s Lemon-Dill Pesto Drenched Noodles

Gluten-Free. Dairy-Free. Soy-Free. 

Garnished w/ raw pine nuts.

Pasta is a traditional food for many, but with modern allergies, it’s not friendly for everyone. I’ve come upon Jovial Foods long ago, and until now, it’s one of the top brands of pasta in my opinion. I recommend my clients choose this pasta over others not only because it’s organic, or allergy friendly, but because of the numerous benefits that come with Einkorn wheat.

Their Wheat Pastas are 100% Einkorn, which is the traditional wheat not hybridized like modern wheat. It contains lots of protein, dietary fiber, B Vitamins, minerals, and must say, is wonderful for those with gluten sensitivity.

They also have a line of gluten-free products, one of the few companies to make pasta gluten-free without adding unnecessary preservatives and fillers. 

You can purchase Jovial Pasta Products here or find a local health shop that carries it.

 

I absolutely love pesto, and I make my pesto dressing without the nuts and cheese for a twist. I add other greens and herbs for a tasty spike in taste and health. This pesto is full of super-foods, anti-inflammatory benefits, Vitamin K, A, C, and traces of beneficial minerals from the unrefined pink salt.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 box Jovial Organic Egg Noodles

1/3 cup raw pine nuts

Noor’s Super-Food Pesto:

1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt or Unrefined Real Salt

½ teaspoon organic cumin

½ teaspoon ground onion

½ teaspoon organic ground turmeric

¼ cup fresh dill

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup organic baby kale

½ cup organic fresh parsley

¼ cup organic fresh cilantro

Juice of 2 fresh lemons

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

Noor’s pesto in the making.

 

Directions:

1. Cook the noodles as directed on the package. Don’t overcook them for they will become mushy.
2. Place the noodles in a serving platter and drizzle with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This helps them not stick together as they cool off; learned this from my mother.
3. In a personal blender add all the pesto ingredients. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour the pesto over the noodles. Toss to mix it lightly. Garnish with raw pine nuts.
5. I enjoy serving this with wild-salmon. 🙂 

I served it with wild- salmon and veggies.

 

 

Noor’s RAINBOW Mango Salad

Noor’s Rainbow Mango Salad

 Warning: this salad is extremely high in benefits.

They say “eat the rainbow,” and we (Holistic Health Coaches) say “eat THE rainbow,” but mean an incredibly different rainbow. 🙂 

 

Noor’s Rainbow Mango Salad

 

So, here I introduce my rainbow salad. It’s full of health benefits A to Z.

Mangos are not only a tasty fruit, they have remarkable benefits. Among them are Vitamin C, Vitamin A, folate and B Vitamins. Mangos are great for healthy skin, bone health, has cancer preventative benefits, beta-carotene, and dietary fiber- which aids in digestion and heart health. What more can you want from something that tastes so sweet and luscious?

Mangos are on the clean 15 list, meaning they are low in pesticides. This means you don’t need to worry about buying organic mangos. Just make sure you let them ripen so they can be wholly sweet.

I can go on and on about the benefits of the organic bell peppers, the organic parsley, tomato, organic greens, blueberries (in the homemade dressing I made) cucumbers, avocadoes and mushrooms.

This is like an anti-cancer, high healthy fat, high fiber, Vitamin A, K, C, B and flavonoids super salad. It’s high in photochemical and good for you antioxidants.  The raw walnuts I toss on top not only add flavor and a crunch. They give the salad a boost of omega-3 fatty acids which we all need to get from food.

 

Now you tell me, would you rather eat my rainbow, or the popularly advertised candy “the rainbow”?

Ingredients:

4 cups organic greens

2 cucumbers

1 organic yellow bell pepper

1 organic orange bell pepper

1 medium tomato

1 bunch organic parsley

2 organic avocadoes, ripen

8 small white button mushrooms

Raw walnuts for topping

My homemade clean-eat blueberry dressing

 

Directions:

1. Place the organic greens in a serving bowl.
2. Wash and cut the bell peppers into small cubes. Place color coded atop the greens.
3. Wash and peel the cucumbers. Cut slices and place next to the peppers, atop the greens.
4. Wash and chop the tomato and place it in the middle of the plate, atop the greens.
5. Chop the parsley and place it atop the tomatoes.
6. Pit and cut the avocadoes into cubes and place atop the greens, near the peppers.
7. Wash and sliced the mushroom and place atop the greens. You get the picture now. 🙂 
8. Serve with my homemade, clean-eat blueberry dressing. (Recipe to come later!)
9. Top with raw walnuts for optimum benefits and a mouth-watering crunch.  
   

   Veggie Party

    

   

   Noor’s Mango Rainbow Salad

    

10. 

    With my clean-eat blueberry dressing and RAW Walnuts.

Noor’s Raw Milk Potassium Smoothie

Noor’s Raw Milk Potassium Smoothie

Full of Probiotics, Potassium, and Phytonutrients 

Smooth, creamy, and healthy.

Did you ever try raw milk? Well if not, let me explain. Raw milk is unheated, unpasteurized, unprocessed milk. It contains live probiotics, and since it’s not pasteurized the enzymes that help you digest lactose are not killed- it’s easy to digest even for those that are lactose intolerant! I don’t drink conventional milk, so it was a definite treat to drink this raw milk, especially knowing the numerous benefits it has. 

So while I was in Turkey this past summer visiting my sister, I put together this raw milk potassium smoothie. The raw milk provides live enzymes and plenty of probiotics. Tossing in the banana doesn’t only provide potassium, but also fiber to aid in digestion. Bananas are high in Vitamin B6, manganese, and surprising to some, has Vitamin C. I must mention I try to always use bananas that a ripen, with brown spots on it .Believe it or not but it will have more benefits for you. Plenty of digestive, cardiovascular, and athletic performance benefits come from bananas too. Need to say more? I didn’t think so.

The flaxseeds provide healthy fats, Vitamin B1, and omega-3 fatty acids, which we need from food sources. Flaxseeds are wonderful anti-inflammatory super-seeds.

The honey is more than just a natural sweetener; it has numerous benefits including antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits, along with the wonderful phytonutrients. We only buy unheated and unpasteurized raw honey. Check these raw honey options out. 

So, what’s not good about this smoothie? It tastes amazing, makes a perfect dessert, and has mind-blowing benefits.

Ingredients:

¾ cup raw milk

1 small banana, ripen (with the wonderful brown spots)

1 tablespoon flaxseeds

1 tablespoon honey, unpasteurized

 

Extremely Easy Directions:

Place milk, banana, flaxseeds and honey in a single serve blender. Blend until smooth.

Raw milk, ripe banana, Turkish local honey, and flax.

Place in single serve blender.

Drink immediately for maximum benefits.

Drink immediately to receive maximum benefits.

 

Noor’s Pure Zucchini Noodles w/ Super-Food Pesto Sauce

After a long break away, I’m back. I was in an intense program getting certified as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

A few people asked how I made the noodles on my website’s homepage (www.holisticnoortrition.com). It’s extremely delicious, and worth every bite. You don’t have to garnish it and fancy it up- just eat the noodles.

Garnish with lemons, fresh dill, parsley, and red peppers.

No, this is not squash spaghetti, although that is good too. These noodles are made of zucchini, yes, I know it’s a surprise to some. I used a Spiralizer tool, which is real cheap, easy to use, and has amazing results.  

The recipe happens to be gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, soy free, chemicals and preservative free. I toss in a bunch of super foods into my ninja single, and get an amazing, creamy pesto sauce (without cheese).  

This pesto is full of super-foods, anti-inflammatory benefits, Vitamin K, A, C, and traces of beneficial minerals from the unrefined salt.

The only salt I use in my kitchen is Himalayan Pink Salt or unrefined real salt. Why? Well, not only are they pure forms of salt, but that pink hue is the indication of the minerals and iron content! So when I include salt in food, I’m not talking about sodium you’d find on the back of your chips package, or the white shiny salt you buy for less than a dollar, which happen to be stripped of all the nutrients and minerals. Did you know that unrefined salt, pink or grayish in color, contain over 60 traces of essential mineral? Well, now you know. While the Himalayan Pink Salt has over 80 trace minerals, and is the purest form of salt, the unrefined celtic salt (like RealSalt) is just as great and gives your meals the same taste, but with added benefits.  

Extra Virgin Olive Oil tops it off with good for your fats, anti-cancer benefits, and key polyphenols for optimum health. Just make sure your Extra Virgin Olive Oil is actually cold pressed, for this stage is very essential in preserving all the wonderful benefits.

You can even make the zucchini noodles without my pesto sauce. Try a tomato base sauce or simply drizzle it with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, lemon, and seasoning.

Ingredients:
Noodles:

8-10 small zucchinis

1/3 cup water

Spiralizer

Noor’s Super-Food Pesto:

1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt or Unrefined Real Salt

½ teaspoon organic cumin

½ teaspoon ground onion

½ teaspoon organic ground turmeric

¼ cup fresh dill

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup organic baby kale

½ cup organic fresh parsley

Juice of 2 fresh lemons

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

Directions:

• Wash and dry your zucchini. Cut off the ends. Use the Spiralizer to make your noodles, and follow the instructions.

All spiralized and ready

• Cook the zucchini noodles a stainless steel pot with 1/3 cup water on medium-low heat, covered so the steam can help them cook well.

• In your ninja single blender, or any single blender, place all the pesto ingredients and pulse until smooth.

Pesto

• Place cooked noodles in a serving dish. Pour the pesto over it and toss lightly.
• Garnish with lemon, fresh dill, and mint.

Pre-Pesto Pour down.

 

Garnish with lemons, fresh dill, parsley, and red peppers.

A Super Delicious Super Food: Quinoa

For my health advice column in the newspaper this week, the question was referring to Quinoa as a gluten free food. Along with the request from a friend for my quinoa recipe, I thought I’d put up the recipe (I know I put this before but I altered it a bit, and added the advice). So I’ll share the advice response here too, followed by the recipe, which is dedicated to a special friend.  😉 

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free (don’t top with Organic Greek Yogurt/ Organic sour cream), and vegetarian, yet high in protein.

I have to say, although this is yummy, this is not my favorite recipe for quinoa. My favorite is cooked without tomato paste or corn, and topped with a bunch of avocados.  I’ll have that step by step recipe soon .:)

My response to the question in my weekly health advice column:

Today almost everyone is struggling with a food allergy or intolerance. While one person is lactose intolerant, another is allergic to nuts, and a third is struggling with celiac disease. Knowing what to eat and what to avoid could really help one cure their body.

Quinoa is growing in popularity, and when you take a deep look at its health benefits you’ll know exactly why. For those unfamiliar with this seed, quinoa is a grain like crop. Quinoa sure is gluten free, so those with celiac disease or wheat intolerance should feel comfortable enjoying this grain.

Quinoa contains many essential protein amino acids, and is high in many essential vitamins and minerals including manganese, iron, and calcium. For those with arthritis, do add quinoa in your diet for it helps lower inflammation in the body. Plus, while quinoa is high in protein and fiber, it’s very low in fat and is quite filling. So what’s not to like about this super-seed?

Quinoa is prepared very similar to rice. Usually one cup of the grain takes two cups of water for it to be tender.

I love using quinoa in desserts as well as main dishes. I even occasionally replace burghul (cracked wheat) in my homemade taboulli salad with quinoa. You can replace your usual bowl of oatmeal with cooked quinoa topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, raw walnuts, raisins, and Organic Raw honey.

As a main dish I cook Quinoa and allow it to cool. I add a variety of vegetables, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Flaxseed Oil, and of course top it with lots of fresh ripe avocadoes. Or as a variation I do a “Mexican quinoa” salad with black beans, tomato paste, and delicious spices. It’s easy to play around with this seed, and I assure you once you add it to your diet you wouldn’t be able to go on without it. 

Quinoa on the left. Barley spinach (recipe to come later) on the right.

 

Noory’s Gone Mexican Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup Organic Quinoa rinsed

2 cans black beans, rinsed and soaked

1 bag frozen Organic, non-GMO corn

1 bag Organic Chopped Spinach

1 can Organic tomato paste

1 can Organic diced tomatoes (spicy if desired!)

Himalayan Pink Salt or Real Salt, mustard, black pepper, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and cajun

Water for cooking (approximately 4-5 cups)

Organic Sour Cream or Organic Grass-Fed Greek Yogurt (optional)

Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

 

Directions:

1. In a large skillet (with lid) place corn, spinach, and washed black beans with 2 cups water. Simmer on medium heat.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, spices as desired, and rinsed Quinoa. Mix well. Add enough water (2 inches above) Cover and allow to cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally if necessary. Once Quinoa is tenderly cooked it will be transparent in color.
3. Fluff with a fork and serve warm. My suggested serving, a dollop of certified Organic sour cream/Greek Yogurt and the fresh chopped cilantro!
4. Enjoy!

P.S: This tastes delicious alone or as a dip with clean ingredient tortilla chips! (Pick Organic when possible ;))

To Drink or Not to Drink?

I was driving home from my personal training session (gaining weight :)) at the gym after realizing I forgot my protein shake at home and was heading to University afterwards. I recalled a friend mentioning drinking a protein smoothie at Starbucks, and kept debating in my head whether to grab one or not. I passed by Starbucks and decided I’d give it a shot. They had two flavors, strawberry and orange mango. I’m a fan of anything that has to do with mango, and decided I’d give it a shot. I grabbed my usual dry roasted almonds for an extra protein punch. She handed over my drink as she finished writing my name on it. “What’s inside the cup is not so personalized“, I thought.

I took a sip of the drink and found it to be very, very sweet. Is this really a protein drink? Yikes. I knew they didn’t stick in real fresh mangoes, except the half banana she peeled and tossed in at the end. It tasted like sugary melted ice cream to me. I ended up sticking with the almonds and thought I’ll rather lack my protein shake than drink this stuff.

Starbucks “protein” smoothie

I was very thankful later that day after doing research and learning that this protein smoothie was nothing but a chemical based powder they use, with milk, half a banana and deception.

So I usually have regular protein powder with organic grass-fed milk or unsweetened almond milk. At times I spice things up and make a specialty.

Here I had organic frozen raspberries, RAW protein powder, a dash of chia seeds, flax seeds, and yes, raw walnuts for omega-3 , fiber, and protein boost. Of course, I had to add frozen organic mango chunks. I love mangoes!

Mangos ❤

Here I had frozen organic berries, flaxseeds, and milk along with the RAW protein powder.

Organic frozen berries & RAW protein

What’s up with my RAW Meal protein powder you may ask? Well, let’s begin with saying not everyone will like the taste. One friend told me it smells like cattle food grass and wouldn’t bother tasting it. More for me. Well, check out the label and you’ll see exactly why.

=) My friend calls this “cattle food” because of it’s grassy color, smell, etc. Yeah, it’s organic!

Now you know why she calls it cattle food? RAW sprouts…

My Specialty Protein Drinks 

3/4-1 cup Organic/grass-fed milk or unsweetened almond milk (or coconut)*

1 cup frozen organic berries

1/4 cup frozen organic mango chunks

2 scoops RAW MEAL (Or any protein powder if you can’t handle RAW)

1 tablespoon freshly ground organic whole flaxseeds

1 teaspoon raw chia seeds

1 teaspooon organic hemp seeds

Optional: top with chunks of raw walnuts/seeds/ or chunks of fruit (organic mango, organic raspberries, etc)

Place all your ingredients in the hand blender cup (or a blender if you don’t have a hand blender and cup) and blend until smooth and well mixed. Enjoy! I like mine thick and try putting less milk* so it’s not too watery. It tastes better than ice cream!!

Raw meal w/ organic berries blend, mango chunks, and raw walnuts…My specialty.

Yeah I was using super mass to gain weight. I bought the RAW as an alternative though.

A Twist on Mujaddarah: Lentils Gone Right

A Vegetarian Nutritionally Dense Meal

Side view.

 

Mujaddarah is a popular Middle Eastern dish made of brown lentils and rice. Some variations serve it with tomato sauce while others prefer plain yogurt. In the past I used to make Mujaddarah with brown lentils and rice topped with browned onions, aside organic plain yogurt and a diced salad. Today I took the recipe on a twist.

My father purchased Certified Organic Basmati Brown Rice and I wanted to give it a try with this dish. I know that it takes longer to cook so I soaked it for 1 hour in water. Instead of just onions on top I threw in red, orange, yellow and green bell peppers as well as fresh chopped parsley. I have to say my entire family was pleased with this dish.

Lentils are very beneficial, high in both protein and fiber and known for heart benefits. Throwing in brown rice adds fiber and whole grains too. Aside I made a salad with avocados (my favorite!), fresh parsley, lettuce, tomatoes, and bell peppers. I topped it with some hot sauce and had a delicious yet nutritious meal!  

 If you’re a person who gets bloated or GI issues from eating lentils and beans, I highly recommend that instead of running away from them, try soaking them or buying pre-sproated lentils. 

Ingredients:
2 cups brown lentils, soaked and washed

2 cups Certified Organic Brown Basmati Rice, soaked

Himalayan Pink Salt, Ground Cumin, other spices of your choice for taste

5 medium onions sliced intro long strips

1 red, yellow, green, and orange bell pepper sliced into strips, organic 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

 

Directions:

1. Soak the brown rice and lentils in separate bowls for 1 hour.
2. In a pot put about 6 cups water and add brown lentils. Boil on high heat for 15 minutes. Add the brown rice and spices and allow to boil for about 10 more minutes (until tender).
3. When the water goes down cover and lower the heat for 5-7 minutes
   

   Brown lentils & Organic Brown Rice cooking until tender

4. Put the oil, onions and peppers  in a skillet and stir fry on high heat until the onions brown well

Skillet w/ oil, bell peppers, onions, and chopped parsley.

       5. Place the Mujaddarah in a serving platter. Top with onion mixture.

 

Mujadarah gone right. Top it w/ the onion & pepper mix.

 

             6. Serve with salad, grass-fed yogurt, and hot sauce if desired.

I served it with avocado, parsley, pepper, lettuce, tomato salad.

Noor’s Crust-less Clean Pumpkin Treat

I just love pumpkin, in everything. I make pumpkin cookies, cakes, breads, pies, and well this sort of treat that falls between a fudgy brownie and a pie, without a crust. Pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A, beta-carotene, and fiber. It’s very easy and best of all requires no flour, refined sugar, evaporated milk, or even a crust!  

Ingredients:
16 oz 100% Organic Pure Pumpkin or this Organic Pumpkin Puree I like to use too

2 Organic/pasture-raised eggs

1 medium banana

½ cup raw walnuts, ground* and some chunks

½ cup raw almonds ground or almond meal*

1 tablespoon ground organic cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder (I only buy aluminum free)

1 teaspoon baking soda

*Use a food processor or a small coffee grinder to grind the nuts. If you dislike the feeling of chunky walnuts in your usual brownies or desserts, grind them completely as you would with the almonds. 

Directions:

STEP 1 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a spring form or 9inch pan.Ground raw walnuts and almonds using your food processor or grinder.

Raw walnuts and almonds

Place in the grinder, and make almonds fine as powder. Feel free to completely grind your walnuts as well (I kept big walnut chunks for a crunch).

Just like that…

STEP 2

Mix all the (dry) last five ingredients (ground nuts and spices) in a large mixing bowl.

Mix ground walnuts, ground almonds, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.

STEP 3
Stir in pumpkin and eggs.

1 ingredient: 100% Organic Pumpkin Puree 😉

Add pumpkin and 2 eggs.

STEP 4
Mash the banana in a separate bowl, add and mix.

Mash the banana with a fork.

STEP 5
Place in the baking pan for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool and serve. 

I used a spring-form pan, you can use any kind.

Baked…

This is what I like about spring-form pans.

Slice and eat.

Enjoy with a cup of tea! 🙂