Skin-Clearing Spinach Soup

I woke up and there it was staring back at me in the mirror. A hideous reminder that just because I am in my 20's doesn't mean I am free of menacing breakouts. Nothing makes you feel like an insecure adolescent more than a red-headed monster smack dab in the middle of your forehead. Unfortunately, these incidents are more frequent than I would like and I have done a lot of research on what leads to healthy skin. When it comes to food anything with Vitamin A is your best friend. One cup of spinach has 56% of your daily intake and is only 7 calories. It also acts as a mild anti-inflammatory. This soup is a low-fat healthy way to cleanse your skin from the inside out.

6 ounces of spinach
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 potato, skinned and cubed
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cups of low fat milk
2 cups of vegetable broth
3 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of crushed black pepper
Optional: add one red pepper, chopped for an extra kick (and Vitamin C, which diminishes scarring).

In a pot saute garlic, onion, potato, and celery. Add spinach and cook until it is wilted. Remove from the pot and puree in a blender until it is smooth. Put the mix back in the pot and add milk and broth. Add salt. Cover and let simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes.

Sinless Choco-Banana Muffins

It's been raining all day and I am currently dressed head to toe in grey sweats while my roommate and I watch Golden Girls. We are supposed to go out tonight but are slowly rationalizing why it is okay to stay fastened to the couch instead. The prospect of a batch of sinless muffins strengthens our resolve to do nothing. It feels less gluttonous knowing that these are butter-free and sugar-free. Don't gag, they are still good. Instead of butter, I used apple sauce. Instead of sugar, I used xylitol. The result is a light, fluffy, melt onto your couch sinless treat. Just don't think of the mess you will have to clean up after. That is tomorrow's problem.

1 cup of xylitol
1 1/2 cup of organic applesauce
1 egg
3 mashed bananas
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of milk
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 of baking soda
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of whole wheat organic flour
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven at 350 F. In a bowl mix together sugar, applesauce, egg, banana, salt, milk, baking powder, baking soda, flour, and chocolate chips. Stir together until it becomes batter.
Spoon batter into a muffin tin, filling it to the top. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes. You will know it is done if you stick a fork in it and no batter comes out!

Five Spice Lentil Soup

Before you start cooking, close your eyes. Take a moment to enjoy the spices that you are about to use. The sharpness of the chilies. The boldness of the cumin. The zest of the curry. Take in the sourness of the lime. The onion may make your eyes water, but the scent of it sizzling in just a drop of butter makes those tears worth it. Remember that lentils are virtually tasteless so the only way to bring them alive is through spices.
The benefits of this soup are endless. Dairy free and vegetarian, it is also high in fibre and packed with vitamins.

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoon of chipotle chili powder
1 tablespoon of turmeric
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 tablespoon of salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup of lentils (any colour, I used yellow)
3 cups of water
1/2 a chopped onion
5 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tomato, diced
1 tablespoon of butter
3 tablespoons of cilantro

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Stir around for 5 minutes until onions start to go translucent. Add chili powder, turmeric, cumin, and curry powder. Let the onions and garlic absorb this for about 5 minutes. Add one cup of water and stir. Add lentils and let simmer. Once simmering, add two more cups of water, bay leaf and salt. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Check periodically to make sure it doesn't boil over. Add diced tomato and cook for another 5-10 minutes. For extra nutrients, add some chopped spinach. Once it is done, scoop some in a bowl, sprinkle some cilantro and enjoy!

PS: Lentils usually come out the best if you can soak them in water for a couple of hours in water before you cook them.

Yogurt Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

It was 35 degrees outside today and I decided I to walk home from work. Somewhere between the sweat dripping down my face, my feet screaming out in agony and the Shriners parade blocking off the most convenient route home I started to regret my decision. I felt like I journeyed through the Sahara by the time I got home. It wasn't until I met with the sweet relief of air conditioning that I noticed it was dinner time. When it is this hot, the only acceptable thing to eat is something light and refreshing. Enter: yogurt honey mustard salad dressing - so it doesn't exactly roll of your tongue, but it will leave your mouthwatering. The best part is that it is made with ingredients you probably have laying around and is perfect with a summer salad on these hot days. Bonus: since it has a yogurt base, not cream or oil, the dressing is actually good for you!

Ingredients
4 teaspoons of non-fat, plain, organic yogurt
3 teaspoons hot & spicy dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of honey

Throw the ingredients into a bowl and mix together! Chill before drizzling over your salad. This also makes for a great veggie dip or dressing on a sandwich.

Blueberry Limeade

I came upon this recipe while on a bike ride in the countryside with my mother. It is a weekend ritual we have during the summer when I come home. Don't get the wrong idea. We are not the hardcore riders you see out there with perfectly sculpted calves, head firmly fixed on the pavement and ultra-durable bike gloves. Though I confess I do wear the padded bike shorts. So necessary, trust me. Anyway...our ride takes us to a little park that we stop to take a break and, of course, compare our wicked bicycle-short tans. I found the recipe in a magazine that was sitting on picnic table at the park. It's a sinless way to cool down on these hot days. As you can tell from the pictures, I had my brother squeeze the limes. And look how happy he is about it.

Sinless factors:
* Blueberry: research shows that cooking blueberry does not hinder its nutritional value. Blueberries have the highest antioxidant properties of any fruit or vegetable
* Lime: packed with vitamin C which means with every sip, you are keeping that damn scurvy at bay.
* Xylitol: an all-natural sugar substitute. Ideal for diabetics because it is not metabolized using insulin (which means you won't get a sugar rush, then crash), it is also a low-cal option with only 9.6 calories per teaspoon.

Ingredients
* 2 1/4 cups of blueberries
* 1 1/2 cups of water
* 8-10 large limes
* 1 cup of xylitol

In a saucepan, mash the two cups of blueberries with a potato masher. Add the xylitol and water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then let simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer (you can use the solids in a smoothie or for making jam).

Let this mixture cool for an hour or two. When you are ready to drink, juice the limes and mix with two cups of the blueberry syrup. Pour the mixture into a pitcher of ice and serve!

Sun-dried Tomato & Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

Dancing in my kitchen to Sinatra. Enjoying a crisp glass of white wine. Chopping onions like a 50s housewife pro. All that is missing is a poodle skirt and a string of pearls. This is the kind of dinner you make for your boyfriend's family when you are trying to convince them that you are wifey material. This is gourmet sinless. I'll admit that this meal does require a lot more prep than our friend grilled cheese and guacamole, but the pay off is worth it. I know stuffed chicken sounds intimidating, but it is actually as simple as slicing a chicken breast in half. I found this recipe online and the blend of sun-dried tomato and artichoke with a white wine glaze is simply brilliant.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chardonnay
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a skillet over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of the oil. When the oil is hot add the onions and saute until translucent. Stir in the artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the salt, pepper and garlic. When the garlic begins to lightly brown, deglaze with 1/4 cup of the white wine. Sprinkle in the parsley.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool before stuffing the chicken breast.

Stuffing the Chicken
Take a piece of chicken breast and slice it through the middle, but do not cut all the way through. Put the tomato and artichoke stuffing in the centre of the breast. Fold over and fasten with toothpicks.

Once fastened, place the chicken in the same pan that you made the stuffing in. It is a bit tricky because the toothpicks make even cooking a challenge. I had to move it around the pan to make sure the whole thing was covered. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, you can just bake the chicken.

Brown the chicken on all sides and deglaze with remaining white wine.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and discard the toothpicks. Pair with a summer salad and enjoy!

Grilled Cheese with Guacamole

It has been three weeks, seven pounds, 120 hours of work, and one major thesis since I've last blogged. It feels like at least that long since I've had a decent meal. Now that life has kind of settled I think I deserve a little treat. Remember when I said that everyone was allowed to be a glutton? Well, today was the day. This is one of my go-to indulgence meals. Grilled cheese sandwich with guacamole. It's simple. It's easy. It's oh-so-yummy. It's just a small tweak on the grilled cheese with ketchup standard, but I think you'll agree it's a good tweak. And hey, avocado is considered one of the top super-foods so its at least half sinless.

Two slices of multigrain bread
Butter
Fresh cut slices of cheddar cheese
One ripe avocado
Half of a lime
Two teaspoons of chopped cilantro

Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place one slice of bread on a frying pan, butter side down. Place the cheese on top of the bread and cover with the other slice butter side up. Cook until both sides of toast start to brown and the cheese is melted.

I like to keep my guacamole simple: mash-up a ripe avocado in a bowl, squeeze half a lime, and sprinkle with cilantro.