Ensalada Catalana

INGREDIENTS

-3 cups romaine lettuce

-1 large carrot (peeled and chopped)

-1/2 ripe avocado (cubed)

-2 tbsp grated manchego cheese

-1 can white albacore tuna (in water)

-4 spears of canned white asparagus

-5 chopped cornichon

-1 cubed tomato

-Dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Toss up the lettuce, carrot, and tomato. Then, empty the can of tuna into a neat lump on top, squeezing the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Chop up the white asparagus, avocado, and cornichon and sprinkle on top so that the avocado and asparagus spears don't get mushy. Finally, sprinkle on the grated manchego cheese. This salad tastes incredible and makes a great lunch. The recipe was inspired by memories of the two summers I spent living in Barcelona. By the first bite, your taste buds will be instantly transported to a seafront cafe on the Mediterranean!

Macro Steam

INGREDIENTS

-1 10'' x 10'' piece of nori seaweed

-1/4 cup of short-grain brown rice

-half a cup of cubed firm tofu

-2 tsp fresh ginger in very thin, penny-sized slices

DIRECTIONS

First, I'd like to start off by admitting that I had never cooked rice before I made this delicious meal two nights ago. So, if you are like me and are intimidated by the idea of cooking rice, and there are no instructions available to you on the rice packet because they are either in French or label-less because they're from a healthfood-store dispenser, I assure you that it can be done--albeit (maybe) technically incorrectly...

I put about a quarter cup of dry brown rice in a medium-sized pot, filled the pot with a couple inches of water, and let it cook on high heat (almost as if it were stovetop oatmeal). It took a long time, and a lot of experimenting with stirring, not stirring, covering, uncovering, adding more water when too much of it evaporated and the rice still wasn't done...and about 20-something minutes later, it was ready. So, you can do that if you don't know how to cook rice, but if you do, you are one large step ahead of the game!

While cooking the rice, I stirred in about a half-teaspoon of fresh sliced ginger. That gave it a great flavor. Next, I cut the firm tofu into 1/2'' cubes and threw it into a steamer with the other teaspoon-and-a-half of fresh sliced ginger. I'm lucky because my roommate is Chinese, and she has a colossal, double-decker Asian-style steamer that I have the privilege of using daily (anyone who is trying to eat more healthily or lose weight more easily should purchase one of these at your nearest Chinatown or restaurant depot). Lightly sea-salt the tofu and let it steam for about 12 minutes.

-This is where it gets creative: Take out a very shallow bowl (more like a plate-bowl hybrid). Hold the square sheet of nori seaweed with your hands on opposing sides to that it is situated horizontally, 8-10'' above the uncovered, steaming pot of rice (while the rice is still cooking). Hold the seaweed here, allowing it to absorb the steam, until it becomes malleable enough to mold into the shape of the plate/bowl without cracking. Now center the seaweed on the plate/bowl and mold it to its shape, creating a 'seaweed basket'.

Finally, form a neat, round 'baseball-sized' (or slightly smaller) mound of the brown ginger rice and place it in the 'seaweed basket.' Place the steamed ginger tofu cubes around the rice mound in the seaweed basket. Garnish with a barely-there drizzle of light soy sauce and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Pair with a side of steamed baby bok choy, green tea, and/or hot sake.

The 'Go-To' Vegan Sandwich

INGREDIENTS

-1 or 2 slices toasted spelt bread (in case you want open-faced to reduce your bread-carb intake)

-Avocado

-Hummus

-Horseradish

-Dijon Mustard

-Sliced tomato

-Romaine Lettuce

-Vegan bacon substitute (I like the 'Morningstar Farms' brand).

DIRECTIONS

Toast 1 or 2 pieces of spelt bread, and toast 2 pieces of vegan bacon substitute until crispy. Then spread a thin layer of dijon mustard and a thin layer of purple or white horseradish on one slice of the bread.

Next, mash half of a ripe avocado with a fork onto the piece of bread. Spread a thin layer of hummus on top of the mashed avocado.

For the final steps, place a couple of quarter-inch-thick lightly sea-salted tomato slices on top of the hummus, break up the toasted vegan bacon into pieces that will fit comfortably within the sandwich borders, and top with a big green piece of romaine lettuce. Garnish with a little sea salt and crushed black pepper. Close with the other slice of toasted spelt bread, or leave it as-is. Now that is one sexy sandwich. Indulge, mes amis.

Petit-Gourmet Smoked Salmon & Avocado Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

-2 "deck of cards-sized" pieces of gluten free, multigrain, pumpernickel, spelt...or whatever kind of firm piece of sandwich bread you like. (Note: Bread that 'squishes' in your hand rather than crumbles is not good for you. It's like glue. A squeeze is a good test to see which breads are the healthiest)...

-Lactose-free or low fat emmental cheese

-Smoked salmon

-Dijon Mustard

-1/2 Avocado

DIRECTIONS

Spread a thin layer of dijon mustard on each slice of bread. Then, take the half avocado, and divide it in half again, placing each piece on a mustard-clad bread slice. With a fork, mash the avocado into the bread as to turn it into a hummus-like spread, but not so hard that you're massacring the piece of bread. Place one slice of emmental cheese on top of the avocado, and then a slice of smoked salmon on top of the cheese. (I like to cut the cheese and salmon slices to the size of the bread to create a neater, more beautiful sandwich). Garnish with salt and pepper and serve open-faced. Dejeunez!

Low-Carb Smoked Salmon Appetizer

INGREDIENTS

-1 slice smoked salmon

-1 slice low-fat emmental cheese

-dill

-5 cornichon

-black pepper

-lemon

DIRECTIONS

-Lay the slice of smoked salmon on top of the slice of emmental. Sprinkle dill and black pepper, garnish with parsley sprig and thin slice of lemon....or not, if you're in a rush! Serve on a pretty plate and use fine silverware. This always enhances the gastronomic experience. Bon appetit!

**This will be a hit at dinner parties.

SALAD (lose a)DRESS(size)ING

Most salad dressings are packed with sugar, fat, and calories. Try this instead:

Depending on the size of the salad:

-1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice (suggested 1/2 of a lemon)

-2 parts raw organic apple cider vinegar (suggested 2-3 tbsp)

-pinch of salt

-2 tsp olive oil