Happy to be here..

The Voyagers

The Voyagers from Penny Lane on Vimeo.

Veganism Debunked -

For all the nay-sayers this graphic, originally posted by Ethical Ocean, sums up the vegan lifestyle quite well...

Grapes: no recipe required

Grapes are in season. They are healthy, beautiful and delicious...

This list is provided by the Responsive Health blog:

Prevent heart disease. A study from the Journal of Nutrition showed that eating fresh grapes could prevent the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesions. This means less coronary heart disease from plaque build up on the walls of your arteries. The polyphenol called “resveratrol” in the grape skin breaks down bad cholesterol. It can also be found in grape juice, grape jelly, and wine.

Fight illness. Grapes are high in another polyphenol called “tannin.” Canadian scientists discovered that tannin eliminated disease-forming viruses in test tubes; tannins move into the intestinal tract and protect from viruses and tumors alike.

Fight  cancer. Grapes have a high level of caffeic acid. Caffeic acid helps fight cancer. Read more about this in Johanna Brandt’s book, The Grape Cure.

Prevent brain damage from strokes. Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia show that grapes prevent brain damage in the event of a stroke.

Boost brain activity. Grapes have a significant amount of potassium and increase brain activity.

Boost metabolism. Grapes have a light laxative effect that boosts metabolism. A handful of grapes can do wonders for dieting.

Increase calorie burning. As grapes clean out your cholesterol and intestines and strengthen your heart, they increase your blood flow and help with calorie burning. They compliment workouts very well.

Enhance endurance. Grapes flush the system out and make it more active for longer; don’t worry about exhausting yourself as quickly with your workout when you have grapes on your side!

Helps stave off tuberculosis. Patients in the first stage of tuberculosis are told to include a higher amount of grapes in their diet.

Grapes are mostly water. Grapes are anywhere from 65-85% water, which means low calories and high hydration.

Living Large

Living Large Obesity in America, a visual diagram from NPR. The series explores the way obesity has changed the way we ALL live in this country - 

living-large-obesity-in-america

Lemon scented roasted cauliflower and chickpeas with quinoa - and Serge... of course

Sultry singer with sleepy eyes, Serge Gainsbourg. The musician. The song goes well with the dish - de'lish!

Lemon scented roasted cauliflower and chickpeas with quinoa:

This is a favorite in my house. I love lemon, it gives so much flavor to this simple dish. Use organic ingredients, if possible.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Line a baking sheet with aluminum (it's just easier to clean up)

Half a head of cauliflower chopped

1 can of chickpeas rinsed well

5 whole cloves of garlic peeled

Toss these 3 ingredients with olive oil, Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Half a lemon squeezed on top then quartered and added to the pan. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing a couple times until the cauliflower and chickpeas are brown in spots. Remove from the oven and snip 5 sprigs of chives over the veggies and squeeze the other half of the lemon over the pan to taste.

The quinoa recipe is adapted from a recipe by Ellie Krieger for Food Network Magazine ('cuz it's so good)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup raisins (I prefer golden raisins for this)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the quinoa in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water (or use vegetable broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the olive oil and garlic and raisins to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. 

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, raisins and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

To serve:

A couple spoons of quinoa topped with the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. Enjoy!

Carving the mountains of Madrid

Found this short on http://tomboystyle.blogspot.com/ and just had to share it...