Avacados are yummmm

Note: I will post details later but if I don't go to sleep now, I feel like my my body will kill me. It's just one of those weeks...

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/quinoa-and-corn-salad-with-pumpkin-seeds?backto=true

Recipe

Ingredients

 Serves 4

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and drained (about 4 Cups cooked)
• 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
• 1 medium red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Sea salt
• 1 medium head red-leaf lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried, small inner leaves reserved for future use
• 2 ripe medium tomatoes, cored and cut in thin wedges
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut in wedges
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Bring 2 3/4 cups water to boil in a small saucepan and stir in the quinoa and some salt. Return to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat, place corn kernels on top of quinoa, cover pan, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir corn into quinoa, remove from pan, and spread out on baking sheet to cool for about 20 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, oil, and salt to taste; set aside.
3. Place cooled quinoa and corn, red pepper, cucumber, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro in large bowl. Add 1/2 cup dressing (or more to taste) and salt to taste; mix until combined.
4. Place large lettuce leaves side by side in a circle around a large serving platter so the curly tops extend just beyond the platter rim. Mound quinoa salad in center.
5. Arrange tomato, avocado, and lime around quinoa on top of leaves. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds over salad. Serve immediately or hold briefly at room temperature. Per serving: 643 calories; 17 g protein; 34 g fat; 76 g carb; 13 g fiber.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Quinoa and Corn Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Yoga for runners? Runners for yoga?

Per my doctor's instructions, I have been attempting to motivate myself to make it to the gym. And I have (for the most part) been successful! Of course, all I manage to do while I am there is a meek run/walk combination on the treadmill while alternately watching some mix of crappy television/music videos on the gym TVs and reading my biology material which is, in one word, riveting.

Even this minimal amount of running has taken a bit of a toll on my legs. While I feel much better and my energy level has increased, running is a bit harsh on your legs. As a former cross country runner, I suffer from some fairly mild shin splints in both legs, which makes running slightly uncomfortable. Couple that with some old woman hips and here I am, hobbling around post-run like an arthritic seamstress.

So, as I with everything else in my life, I turned to Martha for some overdo tips and tricks to battle the post-run pain. And I found something I thought would be useful: Yoga Fixes for Running.

Tonight's run was a perfect opportunity. After struggling through thirty minutes on the treadmill, I tried some of Martha's poses, dancer's pose (above) and warrior II (to the right), in particular.

Dancer's pose, which I manage to master after almost falling on my face a few times, was a great stretch for my hips and quads, two of my weakest areas. It was a fantastic post-run stretch.

Warrior II, on the other hand is supposed to prevent stress on your knees. As a runner, this is something that cannot be undervalued. While my knees aren't hurting now, I know they will be a few years when I'm old and gnarled.

I'll definitely try to keep up with these two stretches post-run, in the hopes that they will ease some of my tightness and pain. This, plus my new gym routine, promises to make me happier and healthier.

Ahhhhh-gave

In my quest to at least limit, if not totally eliminate sugar and carbs from my diet, I finally found agave. For a while there, I dabbled with Splenda. Here and there I experimented with Equal. For a two day period when my office only stocked Sweet'n'Low, I went there. These liaisons were short, fleeting, and unsatisfactory.

And then, today, I found agave syrup, the perfect sugar substitute. Let me just say... it. is. fabulous! Agave nectar is commercially harvested from a variety of agave plants in Mexico. The particular agave syrup I found is from the blue agave plant, if anyone cares about specifics. It tastes like heaven. Except better.

For my first baking attempt with agave, I tried Martha's Oatmeal Cookies. I knew that I wouldn't get it perfectly right the first time, particularly because agave is a liquid sweetener, and is therefore not a perfect baking substitute for sugar. In addition, I was planning to bake vegan, which adds a whole additional element of difficulty. Both of these elements combine to produce flat, cake-y cookies that don't stay together as well as regular cookies.

I started with two cups of agave, subsituting for both the brown and granulated sugar. Because agave has such a unique, sweet flavor, I figured this would be appropriate. Instead of butter, I mixed in two sticks of vegetable margarine with the agave. In place of the eggs, I stirred in a cup of Sprite Zero.

For the dry ingredients, I mixed together three cups of rolled oats, one cups and two tablespoons whole wheat flower (instead of white flower), baking soda, baking soda + creme of tartar (to replace the baking powder) and 1/2 cup flax meal (to replace the wheat germ). I skipped the toffee bits/raisins all together because I am really not supposed to have either of these.

While, as expected, the resulting cookies were a bit flat and crumbly, they were absolutely delicious. I really love the agave alternative. It definitely doesn't taste as fake as Splenda; plus, while more expensive, it's all natural and not full of chemicals with unknown biological actions.



Recipe (from Martha Stewart, http://www.marthastewart.com/282206/oatmeal-cookies?&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/oatmeal-cookie-recipes#slide_4):

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 12 ounces good-quality chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups golden raisins, or 10 ounces toffee pieces

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Starting with the mixer on low speed and increasing until it is on medium, beat until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract, then scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and mix to combine.
   
2. Combine the rolled oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and wheat germ in a large bowl, and stir to combine. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, then mix on low speed just to combine, 10 to 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from mixer stand, and stir in your choice of chocolate chunks, golden raisins, or toffee pieces.
   
3. Line the baking pans with parchment paper. Use a large (2 1/2 ounce) or small (1 1/4 ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of dough. Place the balls of dough about 4 inches apart on baking pans. Bake until golden and just set, about 18 minutes for large cookies and 14 minutes for small cookies. Remove from oven; let cool on pan 4 to 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
   

Comfort pasta

Today seemed like the longest day of my life. Maybe it's because it's Monday or because when I left my apartment this morning, March 28th, aka almost April, it felt like 17 degrees. My Lilacism-colored nails are seriously a joke at this point - so much for getting a spring color.

Needless to say, after staring at a calendar for 8 hours and then dissecting a week-old formalin covered fetal pig's urinary system I was ready for something comforting. For me, that has always been pasta. I haven't made pasta in months, a testament to my attempt at keeping to my pre-diabetic diet. But today, it was time.

I chose Martha's Perfect Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, the perfect, filling guilty pleasure for such a rough day. And it was easy.

I decided to add some eggplant to mix it up a little (emphasis on little), so I started by sauteing that with plenty of garlic and olive oil. After the eggplant was soft, I added in half a can of whole tomatoes and an overripe beefsteak tomato. I let the sauce simmer and the tomatoes soften.

I heated up water on the stove and started some pasta - I decided on penne instead of spaghetti. Once the pasta was ready, I strained it an combined with the sauce. Naturally, I added tons of Parmesan as well, the perfect condiment for the perfect comfort food.

I have to say that this day ended better than it started, with Sex and the City, a glass of Malbec and forkfulls of penne with tomato sauce. Fantastic.

Recipe (from http://www.marthastewart.com/317794/perfect-spaghetti-with-tomato-sauce):

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 pounds baby pear tomatoes (or cherry or vine-ripened tomatoes), or one 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
• 8 ounces thin, best-quality spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, cut into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil or parsley leaves, loosely packed and torn
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, optional

Directions

1. In a tall stockpot, bring 3 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil.
   
2. If using pear tomatoes, wash and stem. If using vine-ripened tomatoes, score bottoms with a small X; blanch 5 seconds in boiling water. Plunge tomatoes into an ice-water bath, then remove the skins. Using a chef's knife, cut flesh from cores, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips; place in a sieve set over a bowl. Press the cores of tomatoes through sieve; discard seeds. If using canned tomatoes, strain, and pass through a food mill.
   
3. Drop spaghetti into boiling water; stir. Cook until al dente, about 11 minutes, according to package instructions.
   
4. Place a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat; add oil. Add garlic to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add red-pepper flakes and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until garlic is medium golden, about 1 minute.
   
5. Increase heat to high. Tilting pan at an angle, add tomatoes. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, pear tomatoes begin to burst, or canned tomatoes begin to thicken, 5 to 6 minutes. If using pear tomatoes, mash a few with a spoon. If pear tomatoes start to get too dry, add a little water from the stockpot.
   
6. Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 1 cup liquid in case sauce gets too dry. Add pasta to sauce in saute pan; cook until sauce begins to cling to pasta, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in basil; cook 30 seconds more. Divide among bowls, and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.
   

Tofu fries?

I miss french fries, I miss french fries... I really really miss french fries. Today, I attempted to make a substitute that I could actually eat without guilt.

Martha's Baked Tofu Sticks looked too good to pass up. And, since I will eat almost anything when it is dipped in mayonnaise and ketchup, I decided to give it a try.

It was definitely a simple recipe. I drained the firm lite tofu in the fridge by wrapping it in a kitchen towel and placing cans on top of it. I let it sit there for an hour as the water seeped out.

Then, I cut the tofu into fry-like strips. I marinated them in olive oil, topped with salt and thyme, and placed in the oven on 375 for around 20 minutes.

The baked tofu was not bad... but just not fry-like enough for my liking. Although edible, I definitely need to find a better alternative to the unhealthy fry. It just wasn't very flavorful.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained... next time hopefully I'll have better results.

Recipe (from http://www.marthastewart.com/261841/baked-tofu-sticks):

Ingredients

• 1/2 package (7 ounces) firm tofu
• Olive oil, or vegetable oil, for baking sheet
• Salt (optional)
• Tomato sauce, for dipping 

 Directions

1. Cut tofu into 3-by-1/2-inch sticks. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a double layer of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Top tofu with another double layer of paper towels or kitchen towel. Place another baking sheet or a baking dish on top, and press down firmly. Weigh down with heavy cans; let stand until tofu has released excess liquid, at least 20 minutes or up to1 hour. Pressed tofu sticks can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.
   
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush a baking sheet with oil; set aside. Pat tofu dry. Lightly season tofu, if desired. Arrange tofu sticks in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1/2 inch apart. Bake tofu, turning halfway through, until both sides are crisp and light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes per side. Let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with tomato sauce.
   

Lovely lavender

I absolutely love the smell of lavender. I find it totally relaxes me and reminds me of spring and the warm weather I sometimes feel will never be here.

I bought some dried lavender online, and have been toying with what to do with it ever since. You can use dried lavender in candles (something I am definitely going to try) and in soaps (ditto).

Instead, today I decided to try my hand at some sewing, something I haven't done thus far. I found a really cute idea, Martha's Repurposed Linen Sachet Craft. Of course, I didn't have any old linen lying around, but I did pick up some cute cotton fabric that I thought would look great in a drawer.

I cut small (3x3 inch-ish) squares out of the fabric. Then, I placed the good side of the fabric together, with the off side facing out. I hand-sewed (since I don't have a sewing machine) along each edge all the way around, leaving a small gap on the last side. I turned the sachet right side out through this gap.

Then came the tricky part. Naturally, I didn't have any funnels, which would have made the whole process easier. Instead, I took paper and rolled it into a funnel shape. I scooped lavender into the fake funnel and through that into the sachet. This process was messy and tedious, but it paid off. I filled in the second half of the sachet with torn up tissue paper balls to make a fluffy pouch. This worked well.

All in all, I can't wait to put these in my drawers and know it will make all my clothes smell fabulous and fresh. Plus, as always, they will make adorable gifts.

Instructions (from http://www.marthastewart.com/article/repurposed-linen-sachet)

Tools and Materials

• Old or stained linens (Martha used an old French linen hand towel.)
• Scissors
• Rotary cutter and ruler (optional)
• Pins
• Sewing machine threaded with coordinating thread
• Bone folder
• Loose dried lavender
• Hand-sewing needle

Repurposed Linen Sachet How-To

1. Cut two 5-by-8-inch pieces from the linen.
2. Match edges with right sides together and pin. Sew along edges with a 1/4-inch seam allowance, leaving a 4-inch opening along one side.
3. Clip corners of seam allowance, being careful not to cut into seam.
4. Turn pouch right-side out. Poke the corners to a sharp point with a bone folder. Fill with lavender.
5. Hand-stitch opening closed.
ResourcesDried lavender is available at health-food stores, floral shops, and bath shops.
For a different aroma, try one of these scent blends:

• Cedar tips, cedar shavings, and lavender
• Orange tea and dried roses
• Earl Grey tea and dried cornflowers
• Grapefruit peel, vanilla beans, and peach tea
• Lemon verbena, chamomile, and lemon peel
• Fresh eucalyptus leaves and lime peel

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Repurposed Linen Sachet Craft - Martha Stewart Crafts

Paillette flower, ring style

I really loved the paillette flower I made as a part of the sequined headband a few days ago. Tonight, I decided to transform the paillette in a different way and make a few rings using this same technique.

I used the same technique before, creating the top of the flower and gluing it to the base. I then took this paillette and, using a hot glue gun, attached it to a ring base I had lying around.

The whole thing took under 30 minutes. And I made two! One for me and one for a lucky friend somewhere out there who is going to get this as a present.

I think the rings look funky and  are totally fun for night or day. Of course, I am absolutely obsessed with rings in general and will probably be wearing mine constantly.

Plus, I figured out how to use my camera... and it only took me five years of owning it. Don't these pictures look about 1,000x better?! I think they have a cool, artsy feel that complements the awesome paillette flower ring.

Tofu gone wrong

So I attempted to cook tofu for the first time. And let me just say, it wasn't the tofu-virginity-losing-experience I had hoped and wished for. This is sad because I had such high hopes! But I promise to press on and not let this experience ruin tofu cooking forever.

Anyway - to the recipe. I thought that Martha's Sauteed Tofu with Bitter Greens looked beyond fabulous. And, as I had a pound of firm lite tofu in my fridge rearing to go, I was excited to give it a try.

It definitely wasn't as easy as I thought it would be and was a bit time consuming. First, I had to drain the water out of the tofu. I placed the tofu under a kitchen towel with cans on top of it and left the tofu in the fridge for over 30 minutes.

While this drained, I whipped together the sauce in a matter of minutes. I combined soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, lemon juice (substituted for lime juice) and grated ginger. I skipped the hot ingredients because I wasn't too in the mood for something spicy.

Next, I had to soak the tofu in the sauce for another 30 minutes, allow it to absorb the flavoring. I threw the tofu and sauce into a saucepan and browned the tofu on both sides. After things heated up, I added in collard greens. I removed the collard greens once they had wilted substantially.

The food smelled absolutely delicious, particularly because of the sesame oil, which has a fantastic aroma. However, it just... did not taste good. I know that they call collards "bitter greens," but they tasted especially bitter. I normally like a good collard green every now and again, but the sauce just didn't do these any justice. The tofu, while more edible, was a little too sour - I assume because I substituted lemon for lime. It just didn't have the complex, flavorful taste I had expected.

I haven't given up yet, though! Tofu - bring it on. I will conquer you the next time.

P.S. I am officially obsessed with kale chips. I made them again this week and have been snacking on them constantly.

Recipe (from http://www.marthastewart.com/260951/sauteed-tofu-with-bitter-greens)

Ingredients

• One 1-pound block extra-firm tofu
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chili paste or Tabasco (optional)
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 pounds bitter greens, such as collard, mustard, baby bok choy, or dandelion, washed, trimmed, and torn into pieces
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Cut tofu in half lengthwise, then cut each piece across into 6 slices. Place tofu on a paper-towel-lined plate. Cover with more paper towels; place another plate on top. Weight with a few soup cans. Chill 30 minutes so towels absorb excess water.
   
2. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce; sesame oil; chili paste or Tabasco, if using; lime juice; ginger; and garlic. Set aside. Transfer tofu to medium bowl; toss with half the marinade; let sit for 30 minutes.
   
3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, arrange tofu in a single layer in pan. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter; repeat with remaining tofu. Gradually add greens to skillet with remaining marinade. Cook, tossing occasionally, until greens are wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to platter with tofu. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and red pepper; serve.

Shinyyyyy

I have been in desperate need of some new accessories for spring; if you can call the current wintry mix feels like 23 degree weather "spring", that is. I figured that something shiny might make me feel slightly better, at least.

I have been wanting to make Martha's Paillette Flower Headband for months now. I am an avid headband wearer, especially when I am way too lazy straighten my bands or when it is so wet outside my hair immediately fizzes us.

I bought a set of super cheap headbands at my local CVS for under five dollars (and even got bonus hairbands to go with them!). I had stringed sequins on hand from a previous craft, the Bold Bauble Necklace I made in honor of Mardi Gras earlier this month. Using a hot glue gun, I carefully glued the sequins onto the headband and let it sit.

Then, I made the paillette flower. My fantastic mother had picked up small paillettes from the garment district a few weeks ago, in a nice goldish color. For beads, I used some excess crimps I had lying around. I strung five paillettes, alternating with beads, onto a beading wire. I looped the opposite end of the wire back through the paillettes and beads, creating the center of the flower. I then glued together five more paillettes to create the base of the flower and glued the floral center onto the top.

I glued the flower onto the headband, and tada! I was done. I think it looks pretty cute. Next time, I'll try it with some larger paillettes to make more of a statement, but for now, I like what I have.

Instructions
 
Use paillette flowers for rings, headband accents, and shoe decorations.
Tools and Materials

• Silver embroidery thread
• Needle
• 10 paillettes
• 4 beads
• Magna-Tac glue

Paillette Flowers How-To

1. Make the flower center: Use needle and thread to string 5 paillettes and the beads, beginning with a paillette and alternating. Tightly gather thread to form paillettes and beads into an open book shape. Knot thread, and trim excess.
2. Make the flower base: Arrange remaining 5 paillettes in an overlapping circle, like petals; secure with glue and let dry.
3. Glue the flower center to the flower base; let dry.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: How to Make Paillette Flowers - Martha Stewart Crafts

Pizza, pizza!

Yet another thing I miss and I have been trying to replace: pizza. Nothing compares to the fantastic Dominos pizza topped with pineapple my roommate and I used to get around once a week. I have gone without for way to long, and I didn't know how much longer I could make it. I was about to break.

So tonight, I made pizza. Healthier pizza, yes, but pizza all the same.

I found Martha's Pita Pizza recipe and was immediately hungry. And it was all homemade, which means I could successfully make that very thing I had been craving in a matter of minutes... in my own kitchen.

For the sauce, I started by sauteing yellow onion and garlic for a few minutes in olive oil. I then added roughly chopped whole canned tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano (I skipped the bay leaf and basil because I forgot to get them... oops!). I let this simmer for around 30 minutes until the sauce was nice and thick.

I spread the sauce over two whole wheat pitas, right out of the freezer. I sprinkled plenty of mozzarella and red bell pepper on top and popped it in the oven at 350 degrees.

After 20 minutes, I had delicious, healthy pizza that I could eat right here in my bed. And that I did... totally worth the tomato stains that are now all over my comforter.

Recipe

Ingredients

 Makes 48 wedges

• FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
• 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• One half 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• FOR THE PIZZA
• 4 whole-wheat pita breads (each 7 1/2 inches)
• 1 yelllow bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
• 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
• FOR THE GARNISH
• Fresh basil, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion and garlic are browned, about 4 minutes. Add the dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaf, chopped tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thick, about 35 minutes.
2. Assemble the pizzas: Arrange pita breads on two baking sheets. Spread about 6 tablespoons tomato sauce on each. Scatter strips of yellow bell pepper on top, and then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Transfer the baking sheets to the oven, and bake the pizzas until the peppers begin to wilt and the mozzarella has melted, about 20 minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven, and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with basil, and cut each pita pizza into 12 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Pita Pizza

Sunflower seeds on a cloudy day

Happy first day of spring! If only it hadn't snowed this morning...

In honor of the big day, I decided to give my immune system a boost. Having been sick off and on all winter, I figured I should probably start off the spring with holistic way to boost immunity and stave away any oncoming colds that are no doubt coming my way.

Martha recommends sunflower seeds to do just that. According to her Whole Living material, a mere two table spoons of sunflower seeds provide more than a third of one day's requirement of vitamin E. Vitamin E is key to boosting immunity by producing T-cells, which, for you novices out there, is a type of white blood cell that helps fight infection.

To get my "dose" of sunflower seeds, I decided to pull together a simple quinoa salad, my go-to quick dinner. I cooked the quinoa on the stove until it was soft, and added in some garlic, red onion and scallions. I sauteed these ingredients on the stove with a dash of olive oil. After a few minutes, I topped it all off with some sunflower and pumpkin seeds (which also provide a boost of magnesium and copper, cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids).

The salad was crunchy and tasty, plus filling enough to make a nice light dinner at the end of an unbelievably long day.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Winter Recipes

Tuna, steak-style

I have had a tuna steak in my freezer for months, and it's taken me that long to decide what to do with it. For some reason, I always put tuna at the top of the fish pedestal, and I really didn't want to "waste" it with a boring old recipe.

Today, I decided that the time had come and, come Hell or high water, I was going to cook up the tuna steak and eat it.

I decided to go the simple route; after all, for me the tuna is delicious in and of itself. Martha had an incredible-looking recipe for Grilled Tuna Steaks with Japanese-Style Marinade, which seemed like a great introduction to cooking tuna. 

And it was super simple! I mixed together the rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, ginger and sugar that the Japanese sauce called for. As I don't have a grill, I sauteed the tuna on the stove - which took all of five minutes.

The tuna was delicious, if a bit over-cooked, and the sauce complemented the fish very well. Nothing like a quick and dirty tuna recipe that is filling, healthy and tasty to boot.

Recipe

Ingredients

 Serves 4

• 4 tuna steaks, 3/4 inch thick and about 6 ounces each
• Japanese Marinade
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat grill to high; oil grates. Place 4 tuna steaks (each 3/4 inch thick and about 6 ounces) in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag. Add Japanese Marinade; turn to coat. Cover; marinate 15 to 30 minutes in refrigerator, turning fish occasionally.
2. Just before grilling, remove from refrigerator; remove tuna from marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Grill fish until charred on the outside but still pink inside, 2 to 5 minutes per side.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Grilled Tuna Steaks with Japanese Marinade - Martha Stewart Recipes

Hamen! Mordecai!

IT'S PURIM.

Which means it's time for every Jews favorite dessert (minus macaroons I guess), HAMANTASCHEN.

I made some, Martha style. They don't look nearly as nice, but they taste almost as good, I'm sure! Flavors: apricot, strawberry, and nutella! More details to follow - for now, enjoy these pictures. I'm running to dinner.

Edit: I substituted two cups white flower and two cups whole wheat flour for the four cups flour, three cups of sprite zero for the eggs, Splenda for sugar and margarine for butter.

They may look like crap, but they don't taste all that bad if I do say so myself!


Ingredients

Makes about 60 cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract, and 2 eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add to butter mixture until just combined. Divide dough into thirds. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one-third of the dough from the refrigerator at a time. On a liberally floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. With a 3-inch fluted round cutter, cut out as many circles as possible, and place on a prepared baking pan. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile make the poppy-seed filling: Grind poppy seeds in a food processor. Place seeds in a medium saucepan. Add milk and honey. Cook over a medium-low heat until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add raisins and lemon zest. Remove from heat. Cool completely before using.
5. Remove chilled circles from refrigerator. Place each filling into a medium pastry bag fitted with a coupler. Pipe 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each circle. Whisk together remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush edges with egg wash. Fold in sides to form a triangle. Pinch dough to enclose the filling.
6. Bake the cookies in the center rack of the oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes; then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Hamantaschen - Martha Stewart Recipes

Waxing poetic

It was about time that I try my hand at candle making again. The last time, I made some incredible tea cup candles, with roaring success. They are sitting right next to me as I write this, and still look just as awesome.

For my next candle making project, I decided to try my hand at making molded candles. As promised, this project added an increased level of difficulty for a multitude of reasons. Now that I am a few weeks in, I am stepping up my game!

First, I had to select my molds. I happened to have some clean yogurt cups which I thought would make excellent molds. Plus, they were the only thing on hand that remotely resembled the shape of a candle.

I heated up the wax on the stove using the double melting system. I headed up water to boiling and placed the heating container into the water to float on top. The wax melted relatively fast, and I added in lavender scent and purple wax coloring. I let this heat up to around 200 degrees, until I got impatient when it hit around 110.

I set up the molds while the wax was heating. I cut the wicks to the proper size and attached them to metal posts that sit at the bottom of the candle. I placed a wooden spoon on top of the mold and taped the top of the wicks onto the spoon to prevent it from slipping down into the mold. This was a ghetto substitute for the wooden stick that Martha used, but then again, most of my methods are a tad bit ghetto.

Finally, I poured the wax into the molds up to near to the top. I placed them into a rudimentary ice bath (aka a bowl of water with a few ice cubes in it). There I let them sit until they cooled.


When, inevitably, dips formed in the middle, I filled them in with some extra wax to make the candles look extra professional and fancy. It actually did the trick and was worth the annoyingness of having to heat up more wax that had hardened in the pot. I am going to cut the wicks because they're super long and then I'll be ready to go.

All in all, this was an incredible craft. They candles look cool and smell like lavender, which always relaxes me. I love making candles because for a relatively easy process and low price, they look really professional and make excellent gifts and decorative items for my apartment.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Molded Candles - Martha Stewart Crafts

Singing the pain away

I bit the bullet and got an upper endoscopy today. After days and days of heartburn-like symptoms, the good ole doc recommended that I get scoped just to make sure everything is okay in my esophogus.

As my awesome luck will have it, I have two ulcers somewhere way deep down my throat. Which, of course, would explain everything. Thankfully, all I need to do is wait for these to heal and I'll be good as new again. Less thankfully, I am in a ridiculous amount of pain right now - I assume a combination of post-endoscopy and post-biopsy soreness and general ulcer-related misery.

In times of turmoil, like right able now, Martha told me to turn to song. Maybe it's the remnants of the sedation talking, but I really think this is her BEST IDEA EVER.

Martha and her fantastic experts expound the benefits of singing on my new favorite section of her website, Whole Living.

For one, singing allows more oxygen to enter into your body, increasing circulation and alertness. Singing, according to Martha and a Swedish study, also releases feel-good hormones, oxytocin in particular. Oxytocin is pretty much exactly what I need right now: it stimulates feelings of bonding, love and empathy.

Singing has been shown to boost immunity, increasing production of immunoglobulin A. Immunoglobulin A does some pretty important things, like boosting necessary inflammation during inflection. Finally, singing also improves lung function, which is something all of us could use a little of.

All in all, I think we would all be a bit healthier and happier if we took to song every now and then. I am not saying I am going to karaoke right now, as I am currently in the fetal position, but have to admit, I may or may not be humming along to every Glee song ever as I lie here.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: 4 Reasons to Sing for Your Health Singing

Dip dye

I decided to try my hand at dyeing fabric for the first time today. And I wanted to start small. Wooden beads are one thing; somehow fabric seems endless more intimidating.

Martha had a project that I thought would be a great introduction to fabric dyeing: a Dip-Dyed T-Shirt. Not only did it seem simple, but I actually think the resulting shirt looks pretty cool for a dye technique that costs around two dollars.

I picked up a shirt from Urban Outfitters on sale for under five dollars, a total steal. I already had the dye on hand from my previous projects; I decided on a dark teal-blue color, just in time for spring.

The actual dying process was fairly simple. This time, I decided to complete the whole process in the bathtub, making for a much easier clean-up process.


I boiled water on the stove, as the instructions stated. I dumped in plenty of the Teal Rit Dye, making a nice dark teal color. I added in a dash of Royal Blue for good measure to deepen the color a bit. Then, came the dipping. I folded the t-shirt in half and lowered a few inches of it into the dye mixture. I held it there for around two minutes, until the reached a few shades darker than the color I wanted. After I was done, I rinsed the shirt out until the water ran clear. I hung the shirt up in the bathroom to dry.

The process was simple and fun and the resulting shirt is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. I like that it looks uneven and crafty - it looks more homemade and personalized that way. I can't wait to wear this once it actually warms up enough for t-shirt wearing.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Dip-Dyed T-Shirt - Martha Stewart Crafts

It burns!

For the past week or so I have had the WORST heartburn of my life. No matter what I attempt to eat at any point throughout the day, swallowing feels like trying to force a large ball down a too-small tube that is on fire. It. Hurts.

I have tried my Zantac prescription, chewing sugarless gum, eating, not eating, water... but nothing has really made a dent in this. Desperate, I decided to turn to Martha to see what she had to say....

On her website, I found an interesting article entitled, "3 Ways to Treat Acid Reflux," which I thought might be of help. At this point, I'll pretty much read and try anything on the subject, so I welcomed the article with open eyes.

According to Martha's medical experts, there are three treatment categories for acid reflux, which Martha describes as a state where "semidigested food and acid rise up into the esophagus (the tube that connects the stomach and mouth), triggering regurgitation, all while you're having heartburn." The options are:

1. Medical intervention: If heartburn or indigestion comes on suddenly, it is really important to seek medical help to rule out more serious conditions. Heartburn can be a sign of more serious problems, such as a hiatal hernia. Thankfully, this is pretty standard for me and I already have a proton pump inhibitor, Zantac, prescribed. The problem is that this isn't really working to well, so on to option 2.

2. Diet: Certain foods, especially those that are spicy, fatty or acidic are particularly bad for those prone to heartburn. Foods to avoid include chocolate, tomatoes, fried things, alcohol and caffeine... also known as everything that is delicious in the entire world. Martha's nutritionist recommends some other foods that might help: aloe vera (which I am totally going to go get tomorrow), cooked vegetables (which I ate for dinner tonight), ginger (taking supplements as we speak), and chewing gum (which I have been doing all day). All these options have seemed to help a bit, providing me some much needed relief.

3. Lifestyle: Finally, things like stress and sleeping incline have been known to trigger or  worsen heartburn symptoms. Martha's expert recommends some simple things that I am going to try: raising the heat of the head of my bed so I sleep at an incline and reducing stress by taking some time for myself (a good excuse for the 3 hour nap from which I just woke up). I think both things will be helpful for preventing future heartburn "outbreaks."

I may not be 100% cured at this point, but I am hopeful that by employing some of these tips, I will start to feel better soon. After all, Martha has never let me down before!

Dressing up

As a frequent pre-diabetic necessitated salad eater, I am constantly on the lookout for new salad dressings that will make what has become ordinary just a little bit extraordinary.

I found a great option that not only tasted fabulous, but was a great way to use up some of those chives I have been trying to get rid of. Martha's Chive Vinaigrette was just what the doctor ordered.


And it was super simple. I just mixed in some chopped chives, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar water and Splenda, which I substituted for the honey the recipe called for. Once I mixed these together, I combined in some olive oil, gradually mixing so that the dressing combined correctly.


I decided to serve the dressing with my favorite salad staple: quinoa. I love quinoa because it makes a normal salad much more filling, enough for a large lunch that will tide me over for my long days from work to school. I added in carrots, grape tomatoes and cucumber to top it off.

The result was just the salad revamp I was craving. Easy enough to pack for work the next day, but different enough to keep me just a little bit on my toes.

Recipe (from marthastewart.com):

Ingredients

 Makes 1/2 cup

• 1/4 cup minced chives
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the oil.
2. Slowly add the oil, whisking vigorously, until the vinaigrette is emulsified. The vinaigrette will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Chive Vinaigrette

Homemade hummus

On my endless quest to find healthy snacks, I knew it would soon be time to learn to make my own hummus. While it is relatively simple to find hummus in the local grocery store, I am never completely satisfied with the taste. That, the the mounting cost of buying premade items inspired my desire to embrace a DYI attitude when it comes to hummus.

As it turns out, making hummus is actually a no-brainer. I chose one of the many recipes for hummus on Martha's website, deciding to start with the basics: plain old Hummus Dip. In my brand new food processor, which has become a daily lifesaver, I combined a can of chickpeas, tahini, a clove of garlic, cumin, nutmeg and some water. For some extra flavor, I decided to add in some chives. This was particularly convenient because I have been looking for something to use them in.

After blending, I seasoned with a dash of salt. I served with whole wheat pita and baby carrots, a huge hit with the roommates and some friends that happened to be over.

The fact that I woke up this morning and all the hummus was gone speaks for its deliciousness. Someone in my apartment was late night eating last night....


Recipe (from Martha Stewart, http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/hummus-dip):

Ingredients

 Makes 1 3/4 cups

• 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
• Pinch of ground cumin
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste)
• 1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

1. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy, adding more water as needed to reach the desired consistency. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Hummus Dip - Martha Stewart Recipes

Brussels? No, brussel sprouts!

Brussel sprouts are definitely on the long list of foods that I don't really like but will tolerate because of the numerous health benefits they possess.

Brussel sprouts are absolutely fabulous for you. They are extremely low in fat and calories (less than 1 gram fat and around 30 calories per half cup serving). They are also surprisingly high in protein and are loaded with fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Folic Acid, Iron and Potassium... all good things.

Needless to say, we should all be eating tons of brussel sprouts.

I found a delicious-looking recipe loaded with brussel sprouts on Martha's website: Roasted Brussel Sprouts. I cut up four large shallots, two pears and a bag of brussel sprouts. I placed the ingredients on a baking pan, and tossed with a bit of olive oil and salt and put in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or so, until the mixture was nice and browned. Once the mixture was cooked, I tossed in some lemon juice.

For brussel sprouts, this meal was not half bad... in fact it was actually really delicious! Recipe success!

Recipe (from Martha Stewart, marthastewart.com):

Ingredients

 Serves 8

• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 red Bartlett pears, cored and cut into wedges
• 6 shallots, quartered
• 10 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On two large rimmed baking sheets, toss Brussels sprouts, pears, shallots, thyme, and oil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Roast until Brussels sprouts are tender and browned, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Toss with lemon juice and serve warm.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ew, Kale (Chips)!

Cooking for one is challenging. Even though I bring all the leftovers throughout the week for lunch, I am usually left with excessive, perishable ingredients that go bad faster than I can eat them. Stores just don't sell things that are small enough for me to use them in time.

Thankfully, today I found a recipe that I could use to take one ingredient I had in excess, kale. On the Whole Living section of Martha's website, I found Chrispy Kale Chips.

This turned out to be an incredible way to use old veggies, and one that I will definitely be doing will all my extra lettuce and the like. All I did was peel the leaves off the kale, removing the spine. I put the leaves on a baking pan, mixing in a bit of olive oil and some salt.

I baked on low heat (250 degrees) for 20 minutes and it worked out fabulously. Kale chips in no time! A super healthy, delicious, crunchy snack made out of wilting kale that would have gone bad in a few days.

Beets and lentils and ginger, oh my!

As those who have read my previous blog post know, I am kind of obsessed with beets. Today, I decided to expand this love into something new: golden beets. Golden beets, I have found are a bit more subtle and not as sweet, and as a bonus, they don't dye everything in their way a bright red.

I found the perfect recipe on Martha's recipe, Lentils with Ginger, Golden Beets and Herbs. It seemed like a great mixture of textures and flavors, so I gave it a whirl.

I started by baking the beets in water and salt, and made a packet around beets with aluminum foil. In the meantime, I cooked up the lentils on the stove with slices of ginger. After the lentils had softened, I drained the mix and removed the ginger slices. I made up the dressing, combining red onions, honey, red wine vinegar and grated ginger. After the mix sat for 15 minutes, I added in the coriander, mint and cilantro.

After around an hour, the beets were nice and soft and I removed them from the oven. After they cooled down a bit I mixed them with olive oil and I combined them with the lentils and the dressing.

The resulting meal was absolutely delicious and had very complex mix of flavors. Can't wait to eat this for lunch tomorrow!

Recipe (from Martha Stewart, marthastewart.com):

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 pound (about 6 medium) trimmed golden or red beets
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) dried lentils, such as French green or black beluga
• 6 thin slices fresh ginger plus 1 teaspoon finely grated
• 1/4 medium red onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds, toasted and ground, or 1 teaspoon ground
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, plus leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place beets, water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a baking dish. Cover with parchment, then foil, and bake until beets are tender when pierced with the tip of a small knife, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel and quarter beets, and place in a small bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon oil.
2. Combine lentils and sliced ginger in a medium saucepan, and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; discard ginger. Transfer to a large bowl, and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Combine remaining teaspoon salt and the grated ginger, onion, vinegar, and honey, and let stand for 15 minutes. Whisk in remaining tablespoon oil and the coriander. Pour over lentils, and toss to coat. Season with pepper. Stir in chopped mint and cilantro. Arrange beet wedges on top of lentils. Garnish with herbs, and serve immediately.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Lentils with Ginger, Golden Beets, and Herbs

Change for a dollar

As a new New Yorker, I am desperately in need of storage of any and every kind. From big to small, everything absolutely needs to have its place as space is at a premium. This fact is not made easier by my inherent messiness.

But I am trying to turn over a new leaf, I swear!

Thanks to Martha, I have been buffing up on strategies to keep things organized, even in a pint-sized Manhattan apartment.

For my latest organizational strategy, I decided to try to to combine my love of vintage with my desperate need to organize. I was inspired by Martha's idea for Storing Seeds. I really liked the look of the glass with the items stored inside, so I decided to adapt this in a different way.

I went to my favorite local thrift store, an outcrop of the chain of Housing Works Thrift stores throughout New York. The upside is that proceeds from Housing Works go to support those suffering from HIV, which is always a worthwhile cause. It was there that I found an awesome vintage glass with measuring marks that I thought would be perfect for my new organized life.

I re-purposed the bottle/glass into a great storage container for my leftover coins, which were previously spread throughout my room, wallet and various pockets. Organization = success, if I do say so myself. Hopefully this will be a trend that lasts more than a few weeks...

School time!

It's no secret that I'm both a giant nerd and, at times, an overgrown child. These attributes, coupled with the fact that I am again in school, means that it was time for a kid-friendly decorative idea.

As it has already been a LONG week and it's only Tuesday, I knew I really needed a simple craft for tonight. I found an adorable simple idea on Martha's website: Notebook Labels.

I have been dying to dress up my sad school supplies with something silly. Thankfully, Martha had some handy, printable graphics on her website that promised to make any dull notebook sparkle. I printed this out, and after a few minutes of handywork, had glued them places all over my lab manual and notebook.

Nothing like something nerdy and sweet to brighten my day after 12+ hours of hard work. A job, in my opinion, well done.

For graphics, go to: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/notebook-labels?backto=true.

Notebook Labels How-To
Print these designs onto full-page self-adhesive sticker sheets, available at office-supply stores. Cut out, following dotted lines for bookplate stickers and leaving a narrow border of white around the others.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Notebook Labels - Martha Stewart Kids

Sucka?! Moussaka!

I embarked on a journey this evening. A journey that culminated in moussaka.

Moussaka, from the Greek and Arabic meaning "chilled" (aaah, college flashback!), is a fabulously delicious dish combing multiple of my favorite things: cheese, tomatoes and eggplant. Can we collectively say... "Yum!" As it turns out, moussaka is not so easy to make. I started at circa 8pm and it is currently 11pm. and I am FINALLY eating.

I decided on Martha's healthy moussaka recipe as I am still attempting to (roughly) keep to my strict pre-diabetic diet. Instead of loads of cheese, the recipe uses just 1/4 cup of Parmesan and a cup of non-fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt, figuring it would go along well with the recipe), mixed with one full egg and one egg white.

The time consuming aspects were twofold. First, I had to combine onion, nutmeg, cinnamon, canned whole tomatoes and tomato paste (of course, I omitted the meat). This mixture needed to thicken on the stove for an hour. Meanwhile, I prepared the eggplant. I sliced the eggplant in thin slices and smoothed salt on both sides of each slice. Per Martha's instructions, I put each slice in a strainer for an hour, as the juice of the eggplant drained.

After an hour, I rinsed each eggplant slice under cold water. I broiled the eggplant slices for two minutes on each side, marinating with canola oil spray. I removed the sauce from the stove. Next, I layered the ingredients in a pan. Naturally, I don't have a casserole dish, so I used a rimmed pan and blocked off the moussaka with aluminum foil... a bit ghetto but effective. I did one layer of eggplant, then half the tomato sauce, then the rest of the eggplant, then the cheese mixture. I baked this casserole in the oven for around 30 minutes.

FINALLY, I was done. And I have to say it was more than worth it, even though it is super late and I should be in bed by now. There is nothing better than a healthy moussaka that actually tastes good. Fabulous. I'll be bringing the leftovers for lunch for tomorrow, for sure!

Edit: THere were actually a few moments while I was eating this that I said, aloud, "Goodness, this is good." To myself. Alone in my room. It's really that good.

Recipe (from Martha Stewart, marthastewart.com): 
 
Ingredients

Serves 6

• 2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for eggplant
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
• Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Drain yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve until thickened, 2 hours or overnight.
2. Place turkey in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a medium bowl. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to saucepan; cook until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Return turkey to saucepan with tomatoes, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low; simmer until sauce has thickened, about 1 hour. Remove from heat; stir in chopped parsley; set aside.
3. Preheat broiler. While sauce cooks, cut eggplants into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle with salt on both sides. Place in a colander over a bowl; let stand 1 hour to drain. Discard liquid; rinse each slice under cold running water to remove all salt and juice. Place slices on several layers of paper towels; press out water. Lay dry slices on a clean baking sheet; coat with olive-oil spray; broil until browned, about 2 minutes. Turn; coat with olive-oil spray; broil until browned, about 2 minutes more. Repeat until all eggplant slices have been broiled; set cooked eggplant aside.
4. Place drained yogurt in a small bowl. Add Parmesan and eggs. Whisk together briskly with a fork; set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Assemble moussaka: Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Cover with half the turkey sauce. Place another eggplant layer, then the remaining turkey sauce.Add a final eggplant layer; cover with reserved yogurt mixture. Bake until mixture is bubbling and top starts to brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a heat-proof surface; let sit until moussaka cools slightly and firms, about 10 minutes. Cut into squares; serve.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Moussaka