Friday Five 5/15/14

Every Friday, I'm sharing a roundup of my favorite links from the week. Want to see all my favorites? Follow me on twitter at @RHartleyRD where I'll be sharing more throughout the week.

Recipes

Baked Falafel with Sumac Tahini Sauce & Kale (My Name is Yeh) --> I love fried falafel, but it makes a hot mess in the kitchen. Baked is so much easier and almost as delicious. 
Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse (Adventures in Cooking)  --> Is there anything avocado can't do? 
The Great Big Vegan Salad (Delicious Knowledge) --> With herbed lentils, roasted zucchini, marinated mushrooms, tempeh bacon and avocado, this is everything a vegan salad should be. And a little bit more.
Mughlai Paratha (Food Pleasure Health) --> I consider myself a bit of an Indian food connoisseur (err, as much as a German, Latvian & Scottish mutt can be), but I never heard of these before. Pan fried White Pizza Quinoa Casserole (Edible Perspective) --> A quinoa casserole stuffed with all my dream pizza toppings - mozzarella, ricotta, sun-dried tomato, kale, spinach, basil, artichokes and olives. Yep, all of that.

Nutrition

The Placebo Effect in Diet (Marks Daily Apple) --> Okay, so this isn't from last week but I did stumble across it last week. It's fascinating stuff. Apparently, the placebo effect translates to our food choices and attitude about them. Another reason to practice mindful eating and savor splurges with a nonjudgemental attitude.
Are All Calories The Same? (The New York Times) --> No.
Ancient Egyptians Ate a Plant Based Diet (Huffington Post) --> Ancient Egyptians were renowned for their health and longevity. Looks like there were vegetarians.
Kids Cereal Pack 40 Percent More Sugar (Environmental Working Group) --> Pro tip # 47: Don't buy anything marketed to kids.
Diets Rich in Antioxidant Resveratrol Fail to Reduce Deaths, Heart Disease or Cancer (Science Daily) --> If you're one who loves your red wine and dark chocolate, don't be too discouraged. This study is just reminder of why whole foods, rather than isolated nutrients, are the key to health.

Travel

Dog Lovers Guide to Travel  (National Geographic) --> I would love to travel more with our dogs. Unfortunately, ours are a bit too big for it to be convenient/possible. But great tips for those who don't have 200+ lbs of puppy!
Echoes of History at a Tuscan Estate (The New York Times) --> What a cool place! Like an Italian Downton Abbey.
20 Splendid Street Vendors to Check Out in London (Buzzfeed) --> My first real street food/food truck experience was in London on a post graduation trip. I love that it's now become a thing!
Harry Potter Fans Rejoice: Daigon Alley has arrived! (Yahoo) --> I don't care how dorky this makes me but I really want to go.
Five Endangered, Must See Destinations (Bloomberg) --> I better get a move on these!

Random

5 Things They Cut From My Season Of Biggest Loser (Cracked) --> This is horrifying. I will admit to getting sucked into the drama of this show for a few seasons, but I eventually became disgusted with the unhealthy messages it propagates, not to mention the excessive focus on exercise over eating healthy.
A Guide for Young People: What To Do With Your Life (Zen Habits) --> A must read for anyone in high school, college or simply starting a new chapter in life.
Measures calories
This Tiny Device Fits On Your Keychain And Measures The Calories In Your Dinner (Fast Coexist)--> As you know, I'm not a big fan of calorie counting, but this is just plain cool!
A Taste of Different School Lunches Around the World (The Atlantic Cities) --> With school lunches making headlines again, this article is timely. Speaking of which, I try not to be too political on this site, but there's a lot of pressure in congress right now to loosen school nutrition standards. Educate yourself on the issue, and if you agree in keeping the National School Lunch Standards where they are at, sign this petition.
Bee Deaths Prompt Calls For U.S. To Ban Some Pesticides (Bloomberg) --> I don't like bees. I'm that girl that screams and flails around like a crazy person if I hear buzzing anywhere near me. But bees are really important for agricultural production. Like, 15 billion dollars of important. And they're dying and a shockingly high rate.

What were your favorites this week? Leave a link in the comments below!