Reduce LDL cholesterol particles

Leafy Greens – leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale are loaded with fiber and lutein, a carotenoid which has been found to reduce LDL cholesterol particles and help prevent heart disease with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers. Try these recipes of Veggie breakfast burritos.

Veggie Breakfast Burrito
(makes 2 burritos)

Veggie breakfast burritos, ready to eat is in the list of Foods that lower cholesterol in 2012.

Simple Mediterranean appetizer

Try out this simple Mediterranean appetizer on a weeknight It’s really easy, and there are no specific proportions or servings. Just serve up as many as you like (enough for just you or a full party of people). I munched on a few of these toasts with a big bowl of veggie soup last night. It was filling, spicy, and warm.

Baked Mediterranean Toasts

The Mediterranean diet is a diet rich in olive oil, beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc. It’s great for for your skin, it’s recommended by many doctors for the disease-fighting benefits, and it’s very satisfying to eat.

Holiday Gifts Ideas 2011

Laurel On Health Food recently posted their Laurel’s 2011 Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas for everyone who is procrastinating.

I hope you enjoyed the list! Happy holidays to all.

Best foods to lower cholesterol

Here are the list of some best foods to lower cholesterol.  14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol

Food With Healthy Fat

Eating 12 almonds will give 84 calories, It is high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and calcium also the highest in protein and vitamins, including vitamin E, The antioxidant in almonds compared to other nuts. but also avoid salted almonds to avoid high blood pressure. helps boost your immune system.

Almond also are on top of food that will help you loss weight. It can be substitute for regular milk. Also that almonds has less calories, it do not contain saturated fat, good for loosing weight. and it contain healthy fat that help activate ghrelin. Almonds are a perfect healthy snacks, such as smoothies, milkshakes. 

Grapefruit For Weight Loss

It help to reduce insulin levels which is helpful for weight loss, lycopene loaded that may reduce your risk of developing cancer. All these health benefits from grapefruit and best to reach darker colored grapefruits. Eating 1 medium grapefruit  give you 80 calories. Healthy snacks isn't it!

Also according to University of Chicago that eating grapefruit may help get much out on your  prescriptions that there are enzyme in our liver and intestines called CYP3A help breaks down drugs you ingest. these enzyme may cause less of the medicine to survive our digestive process. Also found out that these compound in grapefruit that allow more medicine to get into our bloodstream (reference: Women’s Health, May 2008, p. 24). Citrus

Try these easy fruit salad for breakfast, Citrus Avocado Salad organic and healthy recipe from Laurel On Health Food.

 

1 pink grapefruit
2 oranges
1 avocado
1 handful fresh mint leaves

Chop up the grapefruit, oranges, and avocado into bite-sized pieces. Toss together and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve chilled. Tip: If you can’t eat grapefruit because of medications (or personal preference), you could substitute extra oranges, tangerines, or mango.

Heart-Healthy Snacks

Try these snacks, certified nutritionist, health risks of sugar before your stomach starts to growl and scratch! Put your brain to eat healthy foods every day. Fulfill the promise unfilled.

"The avocado is a heart healthy alternative, rich in folate, vitamin E, C and B6, potassium and soluble fiber," according to the American Dietetic Association. "It has heart-healthy unsaturated fats, and nutrients, reducing cholesterol, promoting the vision and possibly protect against cancer.

This smoothie recipe from Laurel On Health Food is great for the skin. 

Avocado Pineapple Smoothie
(Makes 2-3 Servings)

1 ripe avocado
1 cup fresh pineapple
1½ cups coconut water, unsweetened
½ cup 100% orange juice
6 ice cubes
1 tbsp. agave nectar (optional)

Scoop out the avocado flesh to the blender. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.

Asthmatics Took Ginger

Some recent discoveries: • Ginger has anti-cancer properties. For example,

Researchers at the University of Michigan, said recently that it deems to be of ovarian cancer cells at bay - in a test tube. (This is far from saying that ginger can prevent cancer, though.) • can prevent bacterial growth. For example, in a laboratory study, reduced the bacterium H. pylor4 responsible for most stomach ulcers and stomach cancer perhaps. • In one study, asthmatics who took ginger reported fewer symptoms, but found no evidence of changes in lung function. • Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and can therefore be a useful remedy for arthritis. • Ginger does not seem to relieve nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, motion sickness and chemotherapy.

What to do if you want to try ginger for nausea and vomiting, you can buy ginger capsules. But keep in mind the ginger can cause major digestive problems and nausea. instead of treating them.You can try the candied ginger or ginger tea. Most bottled ginger ginger also contain little or none.

Natural Snack From Skout

This post was originally published as Skout Trailbars Giveaway by Laurel on Health Food.

This week I tried out some awesome all natural snack bars from Skout Natural. The bars come in five yummy flavors: Cherry + Vanilla, Chocolate + Peanut Butter, Apple + Cinnamon, Blueberry +Almond, and Chocolate + Coconut. They contain all organic ingredients and are free of dairy and added sugar. Oh, they’re also kosher and vegan. Suhweet.

My favorite flavor is apple cinnamon, but they were all pretty good. Second favorite: cherry vanilla. I was expecting for the chocolate peanut butter to be the best, but it didn’t have enough quite enough peanut butter taste to it, and I am a peanut butter lover! To me, the best thing about Skout’s bars is the simple, all natural ingredients. They’re a great thing to eat if you need some energy after a workout, or anytime on the go. I’m planning to bring a few with me on an upcoming camping trip.

Announcing a giveaway! To submit your entry to win 5 free Skout Trailbars (all 5 flavors), leave a comment on this blog post telling me why you’d love to try them out. I’ll choose one winner to receive a box of the 5 bars. All entries must be complete by Friday July 29th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. If you’re chosen as the winner, I’ll contact you by email to ask for your full name and address to send you the bars. Open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!

Please Vote For My Recipe!

This post was originally published as Vote For My Recipe! by Laurel on Health Food.

Happy Thursday friends! I wanted to let you know that Cascade Ice Water is holding a contest where 3 bloggers created healthy cocktails using their low calorie sparkling flavored waters. I am one of the bloggers with a recipe in the running. So, would you please vote for me? I submitted my recipe for a yummy Tropical Rum Cocktail.
Visit the Cascade Ice Facebook page and click the link for Cocktail Contest on the tabs running along the left-hand side of the page. When you enter the contest on Facebook, you’ll be entered to win a Cascade Ice prize pack.
The other two cocktails entered in the contest look delicious, so it’s anyone’s game. Cheers!

Summer Salads Recipe

This post was originally published as Healthy Summer Salad – TCOP by Laurel on Health Food.

Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion (TCO) salad is a staple in my family. We always make big batches in the summertime when the tomatoes are ripe and everyone’s craving salads. I love the simple ingredients in the recipe. It’s a perfect healthy dish to bring to a summer BBQ or pool party.
Back in 2007 I posted the recipe with avocado: TCOA Salad. This year I added some sweet raw bell peppers and a garnish of fresh basil. I hope you enjoy this one. The colors in the salad are beautiful, huh?

Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, Pepper (TCOP) Salad

 

4 vine-ripened tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 large hothouse cucumber
2 sweet bell peppers (orange or yellow)
Fresh basil (for garnish)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Sea salt & pepper

Cut the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and bell peppers into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of olive oil and red wine vinegar on top. Add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and mix well. Cover, refrigerate, and stir before you eat. Serve chilled with fresh basil on top.

Tip: This salad gets better as time goes on. It’s wonderful right after you make it, but it tastes best after it’s had a few hours to sit in the refrigerator.

 

Trinidad Street Food

This post was originally published as Doubles (Trinidad Street Food) by Laurel on Health Food.

Ever since we got back from Trinidad, I’ve been dying to make some of the foods we ate on our trip. Last night I made curried chickpeas and fried bread (doubles). They came out great! When we were in Trinidad we ate doubles on the street several times and I loved them. They are loaded with flavor thanks to gobs of curry powder, garlic, onions, and hot sauce. I used a half teaspoon of some super-spicy homemade hot sauce we brought back with us from our trip.

Frying the bread was a new thing for me. I typically don’t fry my foods because it’s obviously not the healthiest cooking method. But this was fun for a special treat. Plus, the curried chickpeas filling is super healthy, vegetarian, and full of disease-fighting curry spices.

I used a Doubles recipe from the cookbook I bought on vacation: The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & The Caribbean. If you want to make these doubles too, I found an almost identical recipe on the Fabulous Foods website.

It feels good to experiment with new recipes, and I know my boyfriend loves that I’m learning how to make homemade Caribbean food. Can’t wait to try more recipes from the cookbook! For more on Trinidadian food including pictures from my recent vacation.

Food To-Go In 2 Minutes

This post was originally published as Rickshaw Dumpling Bar by Laurel on Health Food.
Before I left for my 4th of July vacation in Florida, I stopped by the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar on 23rd street. I had heard about the Rickshaw food trucks, but just realized they have two stores in NYC.
The Flatiron store was very clean and I also got great service. I ordered my food to-go and it was ready in 2 minutes. There were lots of things I wanted to try, but I narrowed it down to the Vegetarian Edamame dumplings and one Herby Spring Roll as an appetizer. The spring roll was made with glass noodles, carrot, cucumber, jicama, cilantro, mint, basil, and a peanut dip. It was super fresh and served chilled. I love that they used three different green herbs in there.
The Vegetarian Edamame roll was made with mashed up edamame beans with lemon and wrapped in a whole wheat dumpling wrapper and served with a lemon sansho dip. They were pretty good and tasted healthy, but I thought they were a little plain. Next time I’ll try the mustard green dumplings with tofu, mustard seeds, and soy sesame dip instead. What I did love was the fresh Soy-Sesame Salad I got on the side of the dumplings. It was made with spicy-tofu that tasted like they were dipped in chicken wing sauce. Plus, there were a ton of crispy bean sprouts, scallions, and garlic. The flavor-packed salad made up for the mild-tasting dumplings.
Overall, I had a good experience at Rickshaw. I’ll definitely be back. They also have a Peanut Sate Salad I want to try that’s made with young coconut and thai basil.

Rickshaw Bar - Flatiron Location

Inside look at Vegetarian Edamame dumplings

Herby Spring Rolls

Vegetarian Edamame Dumplings and Soy-Sesame Salad

Food Truck Event NYC

This post was originally published as Taste of Parks NYC by Laurel on Health Food.

Yesterday there was a food truck event in Central Park, and I was all over it! New York City’s Taste of Parks event showcased over a dozen gourmet food trucks in a gathering at The Arsenal in Central Park over on the east side. Several of the best food trucks were there including Desi Food Truck (my fav), Fatty Snack, and Coolhaus.

Here’s a roundup of the food I sampled (or saw someone else eat):

• Desi Food Truck – I tried the vegetarian-friendly Aloo Masala (potatoes & peas) kati roll and a sample of the Dal & Rice (yellow & red lentils over basmati rice). Desi’s Indian food is authentic, super fresh, and very spicy. Just like I like it.
• Ladle of Love – I sampled a chilled gazpacho and their truffled chickpeas. Wow, the chickpeas were a fun, salty snack. Plus, they were vegan and dairy free. I’d definitely like to try more from this truck another day.
• NY Dosas – This South Indian food truck was making vegan crepes. This was the smallest cart there but people were loving it. I talked to a group of guys and girls who said the crepes were “amazing.” They are regularly located at Washington Square Park at West 4th and Sullivan. I’ll definitely be there for lunch someday soon.
• Food Freak – These guys were serving samples of their gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and “watermelon freak juice” which was so fresh and perfect for summer (recipe here). I tried a bite of the Garden Grillz sandwich with shaved carrot & zucchini salad tossed in red wine vinaigrette. I don’t eat a lot of cheese, so a sample size bite was perfect. They toasted the bread perfectly.
• Pullcart – Fatty Snack’s pull cart was giving out samples of their pulled pork sandwiches, but they sold out early (no surprise there). I’d like to visit them another time because I noticed they sell fresh coconut water.
• Rouge Tomate – Their chilled white gazpacho with almonds, grapes, and cucumber was refreshing and classy. What a surprise to have something like this come out of a food truck.
• Kelvin Natural Slush - The slushie cart had samples of their almond palmer slush made with citrus, tea, and mixed berries. I really liked it and it wasn’t overly sweet, so that’s a plus. I bet the Kelvin trucks do very well in the summertime.
• Coolhaus – The ice cream sandwiches coming out of this truck looked so good, but I just drooled over what other people were ordering. I was definitely too full for dessert. Some of the creative flavors included dirty mint chip, tahitian vanilla bean, matcha green tea, and brown butter & candied bacon ice creams. Whoa.

One more thing! While I was there I spoke with a reporter from DNAinfo (Manhattan local news). Today I found her article with my picture and a quote. Check it out here.

Brooklyn Big Sandwich

This post was originally published as Brooklyn Bowl by Laurel on Health Food.

I went bowling with a bunch of friends last weekend at Brooklyn Bowl. My boyfriend and I showed up starving, so we went straight for the menu and ordered some food. I was pleasantly surprised at the menu selection, including lots of veggie options for me. I chose the “Veggie Buster” sandwich and found out that the name really holds up.

It was a HUGE sandwich with fresh mozzarella cheese and every roasted vegetable I could think of including arugula, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, artichoke, onion, red pepper, and more. I only ate a little bit of the cheese, but gobbled up all the veggies. I don’t know if the picture does it justice, but it was so huge that I only ate half of the sandwich and the nice fresh greens salad served on the side. I took the rest home for leftovers. Everyone who walked by was like, “Daaaaang that is a big sandwich….looks good.”

What a nice surprise from a bowling alley! Brooklyn Bowl really is a huge step up from the rest. Our server took good care of us all night and even brought our bowling shoes over for us so we didn’t have to stand in line, haha.

Trinidadian local food

This post was originally published as Trinidadian Food by Laurel on Health Food.

Last week I went on vacation with my boyfriend to Trinidad. We visited family members, ate lots of delicious local food, sipped many drinks, and relaxed with no phones or computers. Ahh, the life! I absolutely loved the food I had while I was in Trinidad and took a bunch of pictures. We spent our time on the northern end of the island, but I look forward to going back someday so I can see the southern side and also visit Tobago. I heard the beaches were stunning there. Oh, and I definitely want to visit during the famous Carnival that happens in February/March. Sounds like soooo much fun. Did you know that Trinidad is home of the original Carnival?

As I expected, there was a ton of curry spices and hot sauce in the foods. You know I loved that! I tried to order vegetable-heavy dishes when I could, but I also tried some fish and meat so I could get a taste of what the locals had to offer. There were tons of street vendors, and I loved how we could always pull over to the side of the road for a quick snack or a fresh coconut water. It was certainly an indulgent trip, but I loved that all the fresh food was grown or caught locally. I can’t wait to try to make some of these dishes at home.

Here’s a summary of my favorite foods I tried on the trip. Hope you enjoy it!

• Roti - This yummy flat bread originates from India and it’s typically eaten with meats and vegetables. I had it several times wrapped with curried potatoes and pumpkin inside, but also ate Paratha Roti which is roti crumbed into pieces. Trinidadians call it “Buss-Up-Shut” because it resembles a torn or busted-up shirt. You can dip the Buss-Up-Shut in your curry sauce or make mini wraps with the meat and/or veggies. Learn more about roti here.
• Doubles – This well-known street food is made with fried flat bread that’s filled with curried chickpeas (channa), spicy chutney, and hot pepper. Omigoodness these were so good. We had them for breakfast, lunch, and anytime we needed a snack.
• Coconut water – There were tons of places to pull over and get fresh coconut water. The guys take a big machete and quick chop off the top and stick a straw in. So refreshing. They even give you a little scoop so you can break the coconut open when you’re done and eat the soft coconut meat inside.
• Bake & shark – Bake is a fluffy fried bread. It was served at the beach with fried shark meat and a spread of fresh toppings and sauces. I had mine with cucumber, tomato, lettuce, mustard, slaw, and a little hot sauce. It was a HUGE sandwich!
• King fish – My boyfriend’s Dad’s cousin made us some super fresh king fish that he bought when we went to Maracas Beach. He lightly seasoned it with herbs and curry spices, pan fried it, and we ate it with fresh lime juice, mustard, and pieces of soft white bread from the bakery.
• Breakfast bake – A family friend made us bake for breakfast one morning topped with sautéed spinach, garlic, onions, and peppers. This was one of my favorite things I had on the trip. Just a little something our friend whipped up with leftovers in her refrigerator.
• Mango, avocado, and tamarind coconut trees – I think everyone we visited had at least one of these fresh fruit trees in their backyard. Man, I would kill for an avocado tree!
• Carib & Stag (local beers) - Everyone was drinking the cold local beers Carib and Stag. Carib is sort of like Corona and Stag tastes a bit like Heineken.

Check out my pictures below and see more pictures from my trip at this link!

Roti filled with pumpkin, curried potatoes, and mango

Doubles with chickpeas and onions

Mmm...fresh coconut water

The view on our drive to Maracas Beach

Laurel looking out over Maracas Bay

Bake and shark sandwich with slaw, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and mustard

Buss-up-shut with bok choy, curry potatoes, and pumpkin

Road-side roti stand (only open late at night)

Breakfast bake with spinach, garlic, and peppers

Pan-fried king fish with mustard and fresh bread

Tequila, carbonated grapefruit juice, and a splash of Angostura bitters

Backyard mango tree

Lentil Stew | Laurel On Health Food

This post was originally published as Curry-Spiced Lentil Stew by Laurel on Health Food. 

I’ve been meaning to post these pictures of a lentil stew I made a few weeks ago. It was a quick crock-pot meal that I threw together before dance class. I let all the ingredients simmer in there for about 5 or 6 hours and was happy to have a hot stew waiting for me when I got home. Yes, here in NY it was and is still cold at night, so I eat soups and stews even at this time of year. This stew is great with a piece of toasted whole grain bread or a scoop of quinoa and a side of green veggies.

Curry-Spiced Lentil Stew

For the stew:
2 cups dried green or red lentils
1 large can diced tomatoes (28 oz.)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 large yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. curry powder
1 bay leaf

For garnish:
Fresh cilantro
Plain coconut milk yogurt

Chop up the yellow onion (diced) and garlic cloves (minced) and put them in a sauté pan with the coconut oil. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove pan from the heat and scoop all the garlic and onions into a crock pot. Add the vegetable stock, coconut milk, lentils, tomatoes with their juice, curry powder, bay leaf, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well. Turn the crock pot up to high heat and cook for at least 4 hours until the lentils are tender. Check the crock pot periodically to make sure you have enough liquid. If it looks too thick towards the end, pour in some extra vegetable stock or water and stir. Serve warm with a scoop of coconut milk yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro on top.

 

Good sandwich

This post was originally published as Veggie Burger at 5 Napkin Burger by Laurel on Health Food.

I spent most of Memorial Day working, cleaning, and packing for my vacation in Trinidad. Yay! After I was done with chores and my workout, I decided to squeeze in a little fun for the holiday. So I headed over to 5 Napkin Burger for an early dinner.
I ordered the veggie burger off the menu and really wasn’t expecting anything great. I mean I was ordering a veggie burger at a place that’s primarily known for meat. To my surprise, it was delicious and anything but ordinary. The veggie patty was clearly made by the restaurant (not a frozen Morning Star variety). After a little Google searching, I read that 5 Napkin makes it out of brown rice, barley, black beans, sesame seeds, carrots, jalapeños, and beets. The beets and carrots give it a bright red color and make it a little sweet. It’s topped with bread and butter pickles, lettuce, tomato, 5 napkin’s signature sauce, and is served on a big multi-grain roll. Yum!

My favorite part of the burger is the big stack of sweet pickles. They made the sandwich so juicy! I washed it down with a Corona and was properly stuffed. My thoughts? I would definitely order this again. In fact, I’ll probably go out of my way to stop at 5 Napkin Burger when I’m craving a good sandwich.

 

Summer Dessert!

This post was originally published as Healthy Summer Dessert by Laurel on Health Food.

Do you feel like you always avoid desserts because you’re afraid of gaining weight? If so, I know how ya feel. Many popular desserts are loaded with unhealthy ingredients and tons of calories. But, here’s the good news. Having something sweet every once in awhile can feel really good, especially when you can have something that’s delicious AND healthy.

I’m not talking about fat-free cakes and crazy no-carb stuff. That stuff is scary (and not really healthy)! I’m talking about using high-quality, real ingredients and eating desserts in small portions. Makes sense, right? Choose something you really love and take your time to savor each bite.

My favorite sweet treat right now is grilled peaches with coconut milk ice cream. I’ve tried rice milk and soy milk ice creams, and they usually leave something to be desired on taste and texture. But coconut milk ice cream is creamy, dreamy, and just right.

Grilled Peaches w/ Coconut Milk Ice Cream
(serves 2)

 

1 peach
1 cup coconut milk ice cream (approx.)
½ tsp. honey (approx.)

Cut a peach in half from top to bottom, and remove the pit. Place the peaches on the grill, cut side down. Cook for one minute, turn over, and cook for another minute on the other side. Remove peaches and set aside in two bowls. Drizzle a thin stream of honey on top of each peach half. Add a small scoop of coconut milk ice cream in each bowl. Serve immediately.

Tip 1: If you don’t have a grill, you can use a grill pan (such as the Calphalon non-stick grill pan) on your stovetop. I use a little bit of coconut oil to coat the pan before putting the peaches on. Tip 2: The brand of coconut milk ice cream I use is called Coconut Bliss, and you can find it at most health food stores. It’s organic and uses only a few simple ingredients, including the low-glycemic sweetener, agave nectar. Choose whatever flavor you like, but I recommend Vanilla Island to go perfect with this dish.

For more dessert ideas, please check out my post on Healthy Desserts for Kids. They are great for adults too.

Big Portobello Mushroom Burger

This post was originally published as Portobello Mushroom Burger by Laurel on Health Food.

I found some huge organic portobello mushrooms at Whole Foods over the weekend, and my first thought was BURGER! As you know, a portobello mushroom burger is probably the most common vegetarian dish on restaurant menus. Everyone loves burgers, and while mushroom burgers are a veggie dish, most omnivores enjoy them because they taste great and have a “meaty” texture. A big portobello mushroom is a wonderful healthy hamburger substitute because it’s low in calories and obviously doesn’t contain any fat or cholesterol.

I made a portobello mushroom burger for lunch today and used my stovetop grill pan with a small drizzle of olive oil to grill the mushroom for about 5 minutes on each side. For toppings, I had slices of roasted red bell pepper, fresh arugula, yellow mustard, and grapeseed oil vegenaise.  The bun was a fluffy vegan sesame kaiser roll from Bread Alone Bakery. It was so satisfying!

I’m definitely looking forward to eating another one for lunch tomorrow. Maybe I’ll try some leftover pesto on there.