Noshtopia

My Kind of Bar Food: Seared Ahi Tuna and Calamari Salad

Finding healthy bar foods can be a challenge, but they do exist. Here's one of my favorite dishes at the Blue Martini lounge here in Phoenix. I was amazed that my iPhone could take this good a picture under the dim club lights.

This Blue Martini signature dish is a seared Ahi tuna with chopped calamari under the ginger there on top. The tuna and calamari are sitting on a bed of seaweed salad accompanied by Mandarin Seasame Sauce and Wasabi. The comination of flavors is really lively and with the seafood you get protein and Omega-3s. What a fun way to win with food!

Friend Annie and I enjoyed this yummy salad with a couple beers. I'm telling you it was a delicious experience coupled with some fascinating people watching....yeah the BM is that kind of place, and I go there for the food and cocktails {wink.}

Yogurt Bling: Pina Colada Yogurt Topped With Wildcrafted Goldenberries and Pistachios

Doesn't that look yummy?! I really enjoy the bulk foods section at Whole Foods because you can always find something interesting in there to bling up your yogurt with like these Wildcrafted Goldenberries which are also known as “Incan Berries” or “Cape Gooseberries.”

Power food wise, Goldenberries contain high amounts of carotene and bioflavonoids - Vitamin P - nutrients which are known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. The Goldenberries are on the tart side like almost sour gummy bear tart.

I also threw into my So Delicious coconut milk based Pina Colada yogurt some pistachios to help balance out the tart and to add some protein. Pistachios are also cholesterol-free and high in the good-for-you monounsaturated fats, so we have all kinds of win here!

Healthy Lunch Idea: Eggplant, Sweet Red Pepper, Arugula & Caramelized Onion Sandwich on Herb Focaccia

For this week's Meatless Monday healthy lunch idea, how about trying a custom veggie sandwich with:

• Grilled eggplant
• Sweet red peppers
• Tomato
• Caramelized onions
• Arugula
• Cucumber spread
• Sun-dried tomato aioli
• Herb Foccacia

Pair this sandwich with a tomato or a carrot ginger soup.

 

Healthy Lunch Idea: Bison Chili With Kale Tuscan Salad

I have never had bison meat before and so when I heard about the Bison Chili at True Food, I had to try it just out of curiosity and you know what, it was fantastic!

In fact, had anyone not told me it was bison I would have thought it was beef. I ate the whole bowl!

So, bison meat it turns out packs some healthier benefits than beef. Here's some of those benefits:

• Lower in fat- For 3oz cut, bison has 2.4g of fat and lean beef has 10g of fat.
• Lower in calories - because the meat is lower in fat.
• Packs 3.42mg iron per 3.5oz cut (higher than beef, pork, chicken, and salmon)
• High in Vitamin B12, B6 and Omega-3s
• Can be easier to digest than beef

The Tuscan Kale salad is also simple and light and kale is one of my top power foods. I cannot say enough about kale. In fact, if you've been reading me for awhile, you may have noticed that I talk about kale almost every week.

Here is the recipe for Dr. Andrew Weil's Tuscan Kale salad. I usually eat the salad without the cheese to cut down calories and fat. I highly recommend it! So yum.

 

Tried Something New: Nekisse Ethiopian Coffee

The new Press Coffee shop opened in Scottsdale Quarters, and I went to go check it out and do some work. I saw a sign at the counter that read, "Try the Nekisse!"

Always being the curious one, the Nekisse sounded like a pastry, but I asked and the lovely @Adreeonna informed me that it was an Ethiopian coffee, and Press Coffee (as of right now) is the only coffee place in the whole state of Arizona where you can get a cup of that brew. I'm now intrigued and I want to try it!

What makes the coffee special is that it has an incredible fruity flavor which Steve Holt of Ninety Plus Coffee described as:

"You detect flavors of apricot, pineapple, bergamot, kiwi and lime. The deeper tones are levels of chocolate, and the finish is super clean."

Earlier this year, Cafe Grumpy in NY made headlines for selling a cup of their Nekisse for $12. At Press Coffee, the medium size cup is $4.00 which is still on the high end for a black up of coffee, but I really enjoyed it.

What I found highly enjoyable about this coffee is that I could drink it black with nothing in it...and I almost never drink coffee black. Here is @Alexmmason making my cup of Nekisse and he let me smell the beans after he ground them, and wow! I've never smelled a fruity aroma in coffee before. It was cool!

 The fruit taste in the Nekisse is pronounced enough that it breaks that bitterness that black coffee tends to have which sugar and milk will calm down. I ended up putting a little sugar and soy milk in my coffee because I was starting to crave sweet and I didn't want to get tempted to buy a pastry.

 What I also found fascinating is that they brewed the Nekisse in this uber-designy single-cup coffee maker called the Trifecta made by Bunn. There are all kind of controls on this maker so the barista can decide what he/she wants to do. There is this factor in coffee making called turbulence which is created with air pulses and after this point beyond my novice knowledge of coffee.

Alex schooled me on the 3 T's of coffee making: temperature, turbulence and time) I took a quick 15 second video clip so you can see how the coffee kind of whips around in the clear container. It's pretty cool actually! It kinda of reminded me if Dyson would design a coffee maker.

Do try out the Nekisse coffee from Ehtiopia and let me know what you think.

Snack Idea: Avocado and Asparagus Handroll

I have never had asparagus in a sushi roll before, so when I saw this avocado and asparagus roll at the sushi counter at my local Whole Foods, I had to try it. I thought the roll also looked stylish, something about how the avocado is fanned out and the asparagus tips jet out from the cone-shaped roll.

Vegetable handrolls make for a good snack because they are low in fat, sugar, and you're getting some fiber. With the nori seaweed you get an array of minerals, protein, amino acids, and Omega-3. The avocado provides some of that healthy fat which helps maintain good cholesterol.

This vegetable roll was really tasty. In fact, I'm kinda craving another one as we speak.

Enjoy!

Sharing One of My Twitter Secrets: The Success Formula of The Hydration Nudge Tweet

On Twitter on my @skinnyjeans account, one of the things I have become famous for is my daily hydration nudge where I remind 51,000 people to drink just one glass of water.

Believe it or not, there is actually a formula to how I write that tweet, and I'm gonna share that secret today. I believe that formula is one reason why the hydration nudge has become a successful tweet for my healthiness brand, and for helping me in my personal life purpose work to help people live healthier lives.

In fact, on days where I sometimes forget to do a hydration nudge (because I don't believe in automating my tweets), people will actually tweet, DM or email me asking where the hydration nudge is. Now, that I call influence because it's getting people to take action.

Ok, here's the hydration nudge tweet formula:

There are 4 parts to the formula:

Part 1: Reminder --> Hydration nudge

Part 2: Call to action --> Go drink a glass of water

Part 3: The benefit of taking that call to action --> Water is one of Mother Nature's best power drinks. Drink up! #healthiness....we all want more healthiness right?

Part 4: Simple, easy action with uplifting tone. I focus on only one glass of water not eight which is the most. commonly recommended amount because drinking one glass of water is simple and easy to do so there is really no excuse not to do it. I'm a big believer in tiny actions are better than doing zero, and people are more inclined to do something if it is easy and low effort.

I keep the tone inspiring because I want people to associate doing a positive thing for their body with positive feelings.

And there you have it, the magic of the hydration nudge tweet! Now go get yourself a glass of water and drink up :-D

5 Noshy Things You Can Eat With Pears

Image: "something sweet" by milena mihaylova via Flickr

Pears are one of my favorite fruits because it's sweet and crunchy. Of all the pear varieties, my favorite is Bosc because I like the texture and it tastes lower on the sweet side to me.

From tasty food bloggers around the noshosphere, including mouth-watering photos, here are 5 noshy things you can eat with pears in it.

• Brunchy: Pear cardamon pancakes - gluten-free and dairy-free [Simply Gluten-Free]

• Morning tortilla: Pear, brie, and honey quesadilla with fresh rosemary [Two Peas and Their Pod]

• Fascinating: Pear souffle with pear wafers...the wafers in this recipe are really cool looking...and it's just pear and sugar. I can imagine all kinds of desserts you can garnish with using these wafers. [Dessert First]

• Pears in a blanket: Pears and Arugula wrapped in Prosciutto [Week of Menus]

• Salad on pizza: Swiss chard, pear, red onion and walnut pizza [Tastebud Tickle]

What's one of your favorite pear dishes?

 

Reindeer For Dinner and Cool Foodie Apps Plus Other Meaty Links Around the Noshosphere

• Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese is testing out sales of their regular, light, fat-free and flavoured varieties in France. Um, isn't that kind of like trying to sell Two Buck Chuck in France? [Just Food]

• Cafe Boa here in Phoenix is serving reindeer for dinner this holiday season. Okay, it's actually Caribou meat aka North American reindeer. I'm torn. It sounds intriguing and yet sacrilegious to eat Rudolph while singing Christmas carols. I wonder if Rudolph tastes more like Foghorn Leghorn or Bullwinkle?...okay I'll stop now. [Phoenix New Times]

• Here are 19 mobile apps for foodies to drool over. Foodspotting is cool and I think I'll be trying out Happy Cow which lists vegetarian and vegan stores and restaurants. [NPR]

• Okay these cookie cutters are seriously zen cool. Gingerbread men in yoga positions. [The Kitchn]

• Good question: Granola bars: A healthy snack or dressed- up junk food? I say they can be both. It all depends on how they're made. [The Globe and Mail]

• 10 Foods that pack a nutritious punch. With #10, (my 2 cents) it's good as long as it is GMO-Free [Wausau Daily Herald]

Healthy Lunch Idea: Vegetable Pad Thai

On Mondays and Thursdays, I offer lunch ideas to help inspire healthier choices for lunch or to just open people up to new things. On Mondays, the theme is Meatless Mondays for those who want to try more vegetables or want to try skipping meat one day a week. On Thursdays, it's anything goes!

For a Meatless Monday lunch idea, try Vegetable Pad Thai. This particular dish I got from Pei Wei here in Phoenix. But everywhere else, you can order this vegetable Pad Thai in any Thai restaurant. My Pad Thai had brocoli, snap peas, scallions, carrots, and tofu. If you want to cut out some calories and soy product, nix the tofu.

One benefit of Pad Thai over say Chow Mein is that Pad Thai is traditionally made with rice noodles and Chow Mein is made with egg/wheat noodles. Rice noodles are lower in fat and cholesterol, and are animal-free.

Many traditional Vegetable Pad Thai recipes are not necessarily gluten-free or vegetarian because soy sauce contains gluten and fish sauce can be used in the dish. However, ask the restaurant if they can use gluten-free soy sauce, and ask to see if they can make their pad Thai sauce without fish sauce. As well, trying a meat-free day of cow, chicken, or turkey is worth giving your digestive system a break.

To cut more fat and calories, and animal products from Pad Thai, I ask them to keep the egg out. The peanuts add protein and is good source of monounsaturated fats which are beneficial for the heart. However, if you want to slim down more fat and calories off your Pad Thai, nix the peanut topping as well.

Many Pad Thai dishes also come in portions large enough to serve 2-3, so half your dish, and take the rest to-go for dinner or for lunch the next day.

Enjoy!