Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

I made this recipe with friends several weeks ago.  It takes some time to chop the vegetables, but otherwise is a simple recipe to make.  A great summer dish to serve your family and eat the leftovers for lunch!

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-snapped pasta

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3/4 pound good feta (optional)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

*Note - I use less olive oil than the recipe calls for - only what I need to coat the vegetables.  Also, I sprinkle the feta lightly over the dish.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan.  Roast for 20 minutes, until browned, turing once with spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender.  Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.  Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables.  Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pine nuts, feta, and basil.  Check the seasonings and serve at room temperature.

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties, foodnetwork.com.

enjoy -
leanne

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

I know, it's another quinoa salad.  I hope you are not bored with quinoa yet.  It is such a nutritious complete protein, that I find myself using it often.  With our busy lives and the need for quick, healthy lunches for my husband and I, I have taken to fixing a large batch of a cold bean, quinoa, or orzo salad on the weekends, that we are able to use all week.  This is a new favorite.  Sorry...no picture.  

Black Eyed Pea Salad with Spicy Sriracha Vinaigrette

2.5 T. white wine vinegar

2 T. olive oil
1 T. sriracha sauce
1 T. melted honey (mixes better than honey straight from container)
2 cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 carrots, grated
1 diced red or green bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, honey, and sriracha.  Add peas, carrots, bell pepper, and parsley and toss to combine.  Season with salt to taste.  Chill several hours before serving.

dawn

Adapted from Whole Foods recipe

Orzo Salad with Feta, Olives and Peppers

16 oz. whole wheat orzo

1/4 c. olive oil

6 oz. crumbled basil & tomato flavored feta cheese

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

3 T capers, drained

3 T fresh lemon juice

1 T white vinegar

1 T minced garlic

1.5 t. oregano

1 t. dijon mustard

1 t. cumin

3 T. pine nuts, toasted

Cook orzo in water as directed.  Whole wheat orzo is hard to find, at least in my experience.  I have only been able to find it at Whole Foods.  Drain, rinse with cold water.  Drain well.  Transfer to large bowl.  Toss with a very small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking.  Add feta, peppers, olives, green onions and capers.  

Combine lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, dijon mustard and cumin in a small bowl.  Gradually whisk in 1/4 c. olive oil.  Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.  

Add dressing mixture to orzo salad and toss.  Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours.  Garnish before serving with toasted pine nuts.  Yumm!

This is adapted from an epicurious recipe. 

Happy 2014 - May it be full of fresh food and fitness!

dawn 

Chickpea Avocado Salad

I could eat bean salads every day.  They are one of my favorite lunches!  This one is just perfect.  I love the creaminess of the avocado.  If you are a real avocado lover, you'll want to use two like I did.  If you want the chickpeas to be the primary focus, one avocado is enough.  

2 15oz. cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 small red onion, peeled & diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

4 T. pure lime juice (~juice of 3 limes)

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

1-2 small avocados, halved, pitted, peeled & coarsely chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, except avocado, in a bowl.  Stir, cover, and refrigerate to chill.  Add avocado just before serving.  Toss gently to combine.  Eat as is, serve over salad greens, or stuff in a pita or wrap with some fresh baby spinach.

Enjoy!
Dawn

(adapted from Forks Over Knives, The Cookbook)

Wasabi Pasta Salad & More

While we were at the beach last weekend for the Quintiles Half Marathon, I got called out.  LeAnne casually (or not so casually) mentioned to our friend Ashley, that I have some ungodly amount of recipes (um, she said 75ish...oops) stored as drafts on our blog.  They had a fun time picking on me over that.  So, to redeem myself for hoarding all this time, here are a few to get your weekend going.

Farmer's Market Quinoa Skillet

I found a fun, new Quinoa recipe.  You can use whatever fresh veggies you like, which allows you to have different variations of this recipe.  I can already think of a few combinations I'd like to try.

Link Happy Monday

I feel like I have been getting lots of snippets of information lately.  So, here they are for you, in no particular order: 

I've been playing around with my new waffle-maker and have been thoroughly excited about this recipe for Brownie Waffles.  My kids especially love them.  And I love knowing what great ingredients are in the food they're eating.  Seriously, have you seen the long (many un-pronounceable) list of ingredients on frozen waffles?  Even the better-for-you options like Nature's Path, Kashi, are guilty of long ingredient lists. To clean this recipe up even more, you can substitute the 2 eggs with 2 "flax eggs" (whisk 2 T. ground flax and 6 T. cold water in small bowl, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes or until thickened a bit).  And substitute 2 T. unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil.  I use unsweetened almond milk instead of soy milk, but that's just a personal preference.

Sautéed Kale

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons low sodium vegetable broth

2 cloves garlic finely sliced

1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth or water

Salt & Pepper

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Directions

Heat 3 tbs. low sodium vegetable broth in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored. Raise heat to high, add the broth and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

Forks Over Knives Whole-Grain Corn Muffins

1 1/2 TB. ground flaxseed
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1 cup corn meal
1 cup oat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed


1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine flaxseed with almond milk and set aside to allow it to gel for 5 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir applesauce and maple syrup together and add in flaxseed/almond milk mixture. Then sift in corn meal, oat flour (you can make this by pulsing oats in your food processor), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well-combined, but avoid over-mixing. Add in the corn kernels.
4. Either using a silicone 12-cup muffin pan or a 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper, spoon out equal portions of batter into the cups.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Serve warm.

Butter Bean and Basil Salad

Really yummy salad that's a little different from many I've had recently.  Enjoy!

2 15oz. cans butter beans, drained & rinsed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. coarsely chopped basil

1 16oz. package frozen corn, thawed under running water

1 box grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (or 1 large tomato, chopped)

1/2 small red onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

2 T. lemon juice

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Happy eats-

Dawn

Red Beans over Quinoa with Kale

I've been taking a break from trying new recipes for the last week or two.  I hit a little rough patch where it seemed every new recipe I tried was yuck.  I got frustrated with my two youngest, who won't try much of anything they don't know (which is basically everything except fruit!).  Life in general hit a crazy spell around the same time.  So, I've been cooking favorites, simple veggie meals, freezer meals, or what I like to call 'not perfect, but real life healthier options' (like whole wheat pizza crust, pizza sauce with no sugar or funky ingredients, and lots of veggie toppings).  The break was good.  And much needed.  As I've really been going full steam ahead on the cooking/new recipe front for about 6 months.  As much as I love cooking and trying new things, my brain and body needed a rest.  I finally just started feeling the itch to get cooking and experimenting again.

As we were going through recipes together over the weekend, for a fun little project we're going to be working on, LeAnne mentioned this was a good one.  I'd noticed it in my Engine 2 Diet book before and I knew it had the potential to be really great or really blah.  I decided that for my return to the kitchen, what better way to start than with a recipe that came recommended.  So, I gave it a try, adjusted a few things to my liking, and yay, success!  I did not expect any of the kids to eat it, even with the components separate, but figured if any of them would give it a chance, it would be my oldest.  She killed it!  I thought for sure I would have leftovers for the next day, but she wiped me clean out.  She is my rockstar foodie, for sure.  And the encouragement I need when I'm frustrated with the tiny ones.  What a strong, well fueled body she went to bed with tonight!

Red Beans over Quinoa with Kale

serves 2

1 c. veggie broth

1 c. water

1 c. quinoa

1/4 c. Trader Joe's Fire Roasted onions & peppers (frozen section), defrosted & chopped (or you can use fresh green pepper and onion)

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t. dried thyme

1/2 T. cider vinegar

1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 bunch kale, rinsed & coarsely chopped

To cook quinoa:

Place 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup water, and 1 cup veggie broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes).  When done, the grain appears soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.  Remove from heat, and let the quinoa sit covered for 10 minutes.  Fluff gently with a fork.

To cook beans:

Saute the onions, peppers, garlic and bay leaf on medium heat in a saucepan with a splash of veggie broth or water, for 5 minutes until onions & peppers are translucent.  Add the thyme, vinegar, beans, and 1 cup of water, and cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until broth thickens.  The bean mixture should get thick and stew-like.  Yum!

To cook kale:

Place coarsely chopped kale with 1/2 c. of veggie broth (or water) in a large covered pot on medium heat.  Cook the greens for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender.  

The recipe calls for serving on a plate with each ingredient nestled side by side, which I did for presentation.  But, then I stirred them all together to eat.  Delicious.  Perfect flavors. 

Happy green eats-

dawn

Tangy Chickpea Salad

(adapted from The Joy of Clean Eating recipe)

1 can (15 oz) no salt added chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), drained & rinsed
3/4 c. shelled edamame (frozen works well, simply thaw beforehand)
1/4 c. red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 c. green pepper, finely chopped
1/3 c. carrot, finely chopped
1/3 c. organic dried cherries
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 t. sea salt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. italian seasoning
1/4 t. rosemary
black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, sea salt, garlic, cumin, italian seasoning, rosemary, and black pepper.  (I do not use rosemary when i make mine, and it is still yummy).  Stir the dressing well and set aside.  In a medium bowl mix together chickpeas, edamame, peppers, carrots and cherries.  Toss with dressing and stir evenly to coat.  Refrigerate salad for 1 hour before serving to let flavors meld.  I like to double this recipe, so I have enough to use for a few lunches through the week, and as a side or main dish at dinner. 

Fruity Coconut Quinoa Salad



LeAnne and I spent the evening at Whole Foods with some of our fellow P.O.W.E.R. girls, who are participating in the 28 day Engine 2 Challenge, based on The Engine 2 Diet (always feel the need to say NOT a diet, a healthy lifestyle change!) by Rip Esselstyn.  Phenomenal book we highly recommend, by the way, not just for its nutritional information, but for all of the delicious plant-strong recipes!  A review of that coming at a later time.  For dinner at Whole Foods, we had a yummy, cold Quinoa salad that inspired me to have some fun in the kitchen this morning. 

If you are unfamiliar with Quinoa, let me introduce you to this super food.  Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH), is most commonly considered a grain, and also happens to be a Complete Protein source.  (Side note:  Did you know you do not have to eat meat to receive all the protein your body needs!)  It cooks up like rice and has a slightly crunchy texture and nutty flavor. 

Fruity Coconut Quinoa Salad

1 c. quinoa

1.5 c. water

1/4 c. pure orange juice (NOT from concentrate, make sure oranges are the only ingredient)

1/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 c. golden raisins

1/2 c. organic unsweetened coconut

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1 large golden delicious apple, diced and mixed with a splash of lemon juice

"Dressing"

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. orange juice

2 T. honey

Put raisins in a small bowl and cover with very hot tap water.  Allow this to sit while the quinoa is cooking, to plump and soften the raisins.  Place quinoa, water, 1/4 cup orange juice, and coconut milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until all liquid is absorbed, for about 10 to 15 minutes.  When done, the quinoa will appear soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.  If there is any remaining liquid when the quinoa is done, pour quinoa into a mesh strainer to drain.  Pour quinoa into a large mixing bowl, drain raisins and add to quinoa.  Stir and place in fridge until quinoa is cooled off.  Remove from fridge and add coconut, walnuts, and diced apple.  Toss gently to combine.  Prepare "dressing" in a small bowl with fork or whisk.  Pour over quinoa, stir and serve.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Happy green eats-

Dawn

Lentil Salad

2 cups dry lentils (green or brown hold their shape best)
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed, diced
handful of fresh Basil, chopped
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 t. honey
1/2 t. dried ground mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt, ground pepper to taste

Boil lentils in a pot covered with water until tender, 20-30 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cool water.  Add vegetables and Basil to lentils.  Mix dressing in separate bowl, pour over lentil salad, and stir gently.  I like to chill for at least 30 minutes to let flavors blend.  Can be served as a side or is great as a main dish!