Keep Calm & Carry On

By now you've probably seen this iconic image and words of inspiration either in it's original form or as a parody; check out the history behind it!

Not allowing stress to get to you is key to a healthy life.

Carry on!
The Hoff

Hoff's Lasagna

Hoff's Lasagna
Yields: About 8 large servings
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free
 

Ingredients:

• 1 box Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (no boil)
• 1 jar Spaghetti Sauce (Prego Light)
• 1 - 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 pound Mushrooms (chopped)
• 1 Onion (diced)
• 1 Zucchini (shredded)
• Fresh Spinach (or frozen)
• 2 blocks of Firm Tofu
• 1 can Black Beans (rinsed & drained)
• 1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic
• 4 tbsp Italian Herbs
• Wheat Germ (optional)

Directions:

1. Caramelize Onions, then add Mushrooms, cook until softened, add Garlic last to avoid burning
2. Blend Tofu, Black Beans, Nutritional Yeast & Italian Herbs until creamy
3. In a 9x13 baking dish, create the following layers
4. First Layer: coat bottom of dish with Spaghetti Sauce, 1 layer of Noodles, Tofu blend & Zucchini
5. Second Layer: 1 layer of Noodles, Onion mixture & Spinach
6. Third Layer: 1 layer of Noodles, Spaghetti Sauce, another layer of Noodles, top with can of Tomato Sauce & sprinkle with Wheat Germ
7. In a 350 degree oven, cover & bake for 1 hour

My2Cents: I like to use Prego Light Smart Spaghetti Sauce because there is no oil in it - saves you unnecessary fat and calories.  If you are using No-boil noodles, be generous with the sauce as they will absorb the excess liquid.  Optional: top with chopped black olives or chopped pine nuts (added with 5 minutes to go, so they brown and don't burn)!

Hoff's Guac

This recipe is super quick, because it's a dump recipe, in other words, no measuring!


Hoff's Guac
Yields: About 1 cup
dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free


Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• Cilantro (dried or fresh)
• Juice of 1 Lime
• Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Prepare the avocado by sliced around the pit, extracting the pit with the blade of your knife and squeezing it out of the skin and into a small bowl (or use a spoon if you must)
2. Add juice of 1 Lime
3. Add Cilantro & Sea Salt to taste
4. Mash with potato masher (or bottom of drinking glass)
5. Serve immediately

My2Cents: I have no idea what's in real guacamole or even what it tastes like, because outside of my recipe, I've never had it.  Frankly, I was a little afraid of the avocado and always banished it from any restaurant dish before it even got to me.  Now, I love it!  It's rich, creaminess adds depth to a dish and goes perfectly with Hoff's Black Bean Tacos, Hoff's Quesadillas & Hoff's Taco Salad!

Incredible Disappearing Veggie!

I have been conducting a non-scientific, non-funded, non-biased experiment over the past year and I am happy to release my findings to all of you, right here, right now.

Ready?

I have found that when I shred Zucchini or it's yellow cousin and add it to a dish...it vanishes!  I don't mean it is inhaled or evaporates, it just seems to morph into it's surroundings like camouflage.

What does this mean for you?

It means that you can add another vegetable to your meal and no one will even realize it's there to scoff or object!  You will even forget it's there, I have!  And since this lo cal veg, is rich in fiber (peel), folate, potassium, Vitamin A & C, that's an added bonus!

So, try this technique with spaghetti, lasagna, soup, stew, chili...basically anything with a sauce or liquid base, which are the environments that shredded Zuc tends to fade away into...spooky!

Hoff Hit: Don't Stress, Your Hair Will Pay

A high period of stress can cause your hair to fall out!

It's not as bad as it sounds.

But, an isolated period of high pressure can cause you to shed 40% of your hair, compared to the 10% normally experienced.  This won't happen right away.  First those strands will stop growing, then go dormant and finally fall out three months later.

Ouch!

No worries, get your stress under control (meditation, yoga, music...) and your hair growth will return to normal within a few months.

Cutting Boards: Glass vs. Wood

My perfectly uniform cucumber chunks!

I am a germaphobe and I am not ashamed to admit that, in fact I proclaim it to all those around!

So it was never surprising to me that I had an extreme aversion to salmonella and other  bacteria leading to food borne illnesses. See, once upon a time, The Healthy Hoff did eat meat, well chicken, turkey, etc. to be exact.  And I took extreme precautions when bringing said items into my home - always double bagging at the store, never packing with other food at the check-out, dedicating a shelf in the refrigerator and always, always using a glass cutting board for preparation!

Aside from an aversion to wood (an issue for another time), I felt that wood cutting boards were a bacteria trap!  Just by nature, cutting results in cut marks in the wood, which inevitably turns your cutting board into a salmonella breeding ground!  So, I only used glass - no crevasses for meat juices to seep into and easy to clean.  In fact, I have five of them in various sizes.

One problem, I suffered from "dull knife syndrome" or so I thought...  I would cut my produce exactly as the Food TV people did and I never had the same results!  My food would slide around, eluding my knife, flying off the cutting board.  "Knife must be dull," I always thought.  Yet sharpening never solved the problem.

Then not too long ago, I asked a professional chef, Chef Robin of Cooking with C.A.R.E. what type of cutting board she preferred.  Her reply, "wood," because it provided the best knife control.  Knife control!  Never heard of that before, now I was intrigued.  So I hit the Walmart for a cheap wooden cutting board (because I still wasn't sold on the concept), which I found for around $13 bucks.

Guess what.  I never did suffer from "dull knife syndrome."  I had "faulty knife control" due to a poor cutting surface.  Now thanks to the right cutting board, I am emulating my Food TV idols!   I am cutting onions and potatoes and peppers with ease!  My cuts are precise and my food is uniform.  I can't tell you how fantastic it is to cook when you have the proper tools.  I now look forward to all my choppy chopping!

Why was I so easy to persuade into a wooden cutting board, now?  Well, now I'm vegan, no meat in this house and no more meat juices - less chance of salmonella poisoning!  I still thoroughly wash all veggies, even the tripled washed kinds, because you can never be too careful.

Choppy Choppy!
The Hoff

Semi-Homemade Tortilla Chips

Semi-Homemade Tortilla Chips
Yields: As many as you want to make
oil-free, soy-free


Ingredients:

• Oil-free Corn Tortillas
• 1 Lime
• Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Spread out Tortillas & drizzle with Lime Juice
2. Season Tortillas with Sea Salt
3. Pile Tortillas into a stack
4. Using a large knife or pizza cutter, cut Tortillas into 4 pieces to form triangles
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes
6. Using a spatula, move chips around, flipping if necessary
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 3 - 10 minutes, checking frequently to prevent burning

My2Cents: Experiment with your chip shapes, try long strips for salads, like Hoff's Taco Salad!  Experiment with seasonings, salt is the natural go to buy try cinnamon sugar for something sweet!  Don't like lime?  Use water instead.  Watch these guys, they can turn on your quickly, check often to prevent burning.  I bake on a cast iron sheet, which may accelerate my cooking time, if you're using a traditional baking sheet, you may need to flip your chips after 10 minutes and then continue cooking for another 10 minutes.