Jewel’s Lentil Cilantro Salad

(currently I have no picture of the finished product!)

• 1 16-ounce bag of lentils
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or more to taste)
• 2 carrots, sliced thin
• 3-4 scallions, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 14-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or more to taste)
• S&P to taste

Soak lentils in water for 2-3 hours.  Drain and put in pot with water to cover.  Bring to boil 10-20 minutes, until softened, but firm.

Drain and rinse with cool water.   Add other ingredients and toss.  Refrigerate to blend flavors.

Notes:  This is a very forgiving recipe.  If I am out of scallions I will use onions.  If I don’t have carrots I don’t add them.  I also prefer the red wine vinegar in this recipe, although balsamic or apple cider will work as well.

The mainstays are the lentils, cilantro, onions, tomatoes, and seasonings.  Add seasonings until you reach the desired flavor; you may want to add more or less oil and/or vinegar.

It is also delicious served warm.

   

Still Craving Fresh….and Fresh!

Tuesday night we had a court of honor at our scout meeting, with a pot luck dinner.  Each patrol is assigned a “category” of food to bring. 

Last court of honor our patrol was assigned dessert so that is what I brought.  But at dinner that night, nobody had brought salad or veggie side dishes and I ended up with almost nothing to eat!

This time I was taking no chances!

I was assigned a main dish and I was making sure it would be something I could happily eat if there was nothing else available!

So lentil  salad it was.  Now I totally expected (based on past experience when I bring healthy stuff) to have most of it left over.  But I didn’t care! 

I LOVE my lentil salad!

I planned ahead for this one, ordering an available add-on from my organic produce buying club that included a bunch of scallions and two bunches of cilantro.

Warning #1:  I was such a lousy photographer for this day!  I was too busy trying to get everything together and rushing around to get work done, food done, kids picked up, and to the ceremony on time!

Warning #2:  This is one of my “throw everything together” recipes with no measurements…it probably comes out differently each time I make it!

First I soaked a bag of lentils in water for most of the day, and then boiled them for about 15 minutes to soften them up.  I rinsed them off in cold water.Then I grabbed three (which later turned into four) scallions, a gorgeous tomato, a couple of carrots, and a handful of cilantro.  The scallion, even though fresh, was rooting already! (of course no picture of that!)  Gotta love those organics!I had FabTeen chop everything up and add it to the lentils.  Then we used red wine vinegar, some olive oil, and S&P to taste.  We placed it in the fridge for a few hours for the flavors to meld, although this lentil salad is delicious served warm as well.

Honestly it could have used a little more vinegar…but I hadn’t done a taste test towards the end and I was rushing.  I also meant to add a can of kidney beans…but that slipped by me too!

Needless to say the salad was a big hit!  Several people even asked me for the recipe!  It was soooo good! 

I absolutely love this salad and have been making a variation of it since FabTeen was born, but it has been a while since I have made it.   I think it is my new vegetarian (and vegan) Go-To potluck recipe dish though, as it is perfect for a side dish..but robust enough for a meal.

Of course that is where the pictures ended…no completed salad…no buffet picture, not even a picture of my plate!  Although at least I did manage to remember to take the more important photo of FabStepson receiving his merit badges!  (He is the not so hairy one)

Another major salad craving I have been having is for Sweet Annie’s massaged kale salad. 

Last week we had curly kale in the box and I was soooo craving it!  Sometime during the week I went to make it, and when I was washing it, I found some extra protein in my kale! After four days in the fridge they were still wiggling away!  YUCK!

I picked through, soaked in vinegar, and rinsed the kale to death after that…but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat it raw.  I was satisfied that they were gone though..so we had it sauteed for dinner that night.  But that still didn’t satisfy my kale craving.

So this week I also ordered the $5 leafy add on from the buying club, which included a big bunch of kale and an extra head of lettuce.  With all of my salad cravings lately we have had to buy extra lettuce anyway, so I may as well get it from the buying club!

Finally this week I was able to make my kale salad.  This kale salad is a veritable powerhouse of superfoods!  I feel so healthy when I have it for lunch!

The superfoods include kale, raisins, garlic, walnuts, and honey.  The only nonsuperfood in the mix is the olive oil!

I add everything into the bowl, and then massage all the ingredients together for about ten minutes to wilt the kale and make it soft.  It is a messy job!  But Oh So worth it!         We have been storing up ripened bananas in the freezer…I like to use them for the Green Monsters, but FabTeen has been wanting to make banana soft serve for a while, so he finally remembered to do it when we had time. It has been a long time since we have had this!   I had forgotten how thick, smooth, and creamy this is…so much like ice cream only totally guilt-free!  Definitely something we need to make more often.  It disappeared way too quick!

Finally, dinner was a total throw something together to use up my organic veggies sort of event.  I needed to use up some yellow squash….a bunch of fresh spinach…onions (we have several bags of those!), garlic, and a beet!

What I started out making turned into something totally different.  I was tired and feeling like I was coming down with something, and just didn’t feel like doing anything!  FabHubs said he would take over…but he was going so ssssllllloooowwww and at the rate he was meditatively chopping the veggies, I was worried we wouldn’t be eating before  10 p.m. and I wanted to get to bed!

So I took over some of it…and then  he took over again with a little more hurry in his step!

I sliced up the  squash and added the onions and garlic that FabHubs had minced into the big bowl and tossed with some EVOO, balsamic, and S&P.  I am not a big fan of yellow squash but this made them very yummy!  I also peeled a head of garlic with some giant cloves on it…and tossed the cloves  whole into the mix so they would roast as well.  I LOVE roasted garlic cloves!

I sliced some more onions and rough cut some garlic, and had FabHubs sautee them in some coconut oil.  Then I had him add the spinach that  I had washed and separated.  Finally, I gave him a can of garbanzo beans to add to the mix. Kind of impromptu and totally thrown together…but the end result was so good and  filling too!  When I don’t have a clear source of meat-like protein for FabHubs, you never know if it will pass muster.  Usually I can make beans fit the bill in some way…so I try to add them often to our meals.

In this case it worked!  It was flavorful, healthy, and satisfying!

Plus…the lentils from Tuesday, spinach, and chickpeas were filled with much-needed iron for me…to see if I would pass the test.  I will you about that tomorrow!

A Day Of DELICIOUSNESS

Back to my eats!  Yesterday was seriously delicious! 

Breakfast was in a hurry and very simple (and delicious in its own way)……

Yes…I ran off to school fueled by simply an unpictured espresso to watch my daughter perform in several skits and monologues!

So filling….in a parental sort of way!

By the time I got home I was STARVING though!  and craving salad in a BIG way.  Lately I find I have been constantly craving huge, fresh, crunchy salads!

While I didn’t end up with huge I ended up with delicious.  

FabTeen had made some organic Annies organic Mac & Cheese so I had some of that as well.  

Kids complained it didn’t taste like Kraft Dinner…but that is a good thing!  It is a little blander, but doesn’t have all of those ORANGE chemicals, does it!

On the side I added a perfect avocado.  I forced myself to give FabTeen half of this creamy green perfection!

Over the top of the salad and  Mac and Cheese I sprinkled heavily some nutritional yeast.  I started eating it because I had to…but I am finding I  love the stuff!

Finally…I once again begrudgingly shared this perfect, juicy, sweet, and stunning peach (the last one from the box on Monday!) with FabTeen.  The things you do for your kids!

Dinner started out almost a disaster, but turned out far beyond my expectations!

I wanted to use up some things I had on hand from the box….and  thought I would make some couscous with veggies with a sort of Moroccan type flare.  I LOVE Moroccan/Indian/Middle Eastern seasonings. 

I pulled out a box of couscous and these veggies….

Carrots, half a cauliflower, tomato, onion, garlic, ginger, and broccolini.

I was going to cook the couscous and add in the veggies.

Couscous  turned out to be moth infested!!  YIKES!  What now!!!

I debated brown rice…but was worried the veggies would turn out mushy.  So then I switched to white rice…then finally quinoa.  Despite all the indecision, somehow I ended up pulling together something that turned out FANTASTIC!

While not the original plan,  I decided to cook the quinoa separately than the veggies, and add it to the cooked veggies. 

While the quinoa cooked I went to work on the veggies.  I  rough cut several  cloves of garlic and diced up a bunch (quarter cup maybe?) of fresh ginger (yum) and a whole onion.  

One of my major philosophies is that you can never have too much garlic or too much ginger!

Although first I pulled  out the olive oil…last minute decision led to using coconut oil instead to saute these in the cast iron skillet.  Another last minute  decision  was to toss in a handful of sliced almonds so they would be toasted too.   (originally I was going to add them at the end!)

You can’t imagine  the gorgeous aroma that came out of this pan..coconut, ginger, onion, garlic…aaaaahhhhh…DIVINE!

Once these caramelized a little I began adding the other ingredients. 

First the carrots as they take the longest to cook.

Then the cauliflower, chopped into nice little bite-sized pieces.

Then a  handful or three of raisins.

Then a drained  can of chickpeas (trying to make this appealing to FabHubs…he hates cauliflower and quinoa but somehow beans in some form seem to pacify him!)            I generously poured turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin on top and  stirred to make sure everything was coated. 

By now the pan was so full, so I decided not to add the broccolini or the tomato.

I also decided to serve the quinoa on the side rather than mix it in.

OMG this turned out UNBELIEVABLE!

Even my quinoa, stir-fry, cauliflower-despising husband begrudgingly acknowledged, said, “this is actually pretty good.”

HA!  I will win him over yet!

Creative In The Kitchen

I like seitan as a meat substitute and have tried several times to make it following a simmering recipe.  I have ended up with a sort of weird, moist, doughy concoction.  Not so good. 

I have found a few other recipes to try for baked seitan which look really good…but haven’t made the time to try them out. 

So today when I stumbled on this recipe for seitan in the breadmaker, easy peasy, no kneading necessary (by ME anyway) I had to give it a try!

Of course as usual I subbed out what I didn’t have.  No chickpea flour?  No problem…spelt flour instead.  Out of thyme (always it seems..oh..not -that kind of time!), in went italian seasoning instead.

Can’t read it? Marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, and basil.

This was dump and go! 

Ten or less fast minutes dumping everything into the breadmaker pan and then just set it to go. After the first mix… And as I type this, still waiting for the results!

So while we wait…on to dinner.

Remember last night when I wanted to make Shepherd’s pie but didn’t want to use the cream of mushroom soup?

Well I still wanted to make it tonight.  But with something other than the canned soup!  So I came up with my own recipe!

I have fresh carrots, peas, and potatoes…but I really want to get some of the stuff I have in the pantry and freezer gone for good already!  We don’t seem to use the freezer as much now that we are getting so much fresh produce to use every week.

From the freezer I found a half bag of mixed veggies…and another half bag of baby peas.  In they went!

I dumped them into a measuring cup just to get an idea of how much I had…but I wasn’t really measuring anything. Also a bag of Boca Crumbles.   Publix had a sale a while back and I stocked up…so I have lots of bags but rarely use them!I just got 2 pounds of Yukon Gold taters in my box on Monday….but I used this from the pantry, this has been sitting there for ages…..I just want to get rid of it already!As I start off most recipes…some onion and garlic sauteed in some EVOO.In went the Boca Crumbles…then when they were mostly defrosted I added the frozen veggies. 

Now came flavoring time!  In lieu of the can of soup (I need to get those out of the pantry too…but I will probably donate them to a food bank.  (Shhhh…don’t tell FabHubs!!!)

Fresh on my mind from the seitan, I poured in some Worcestershire sauce and some amount of water that looked good (I didn’t measure)…and then I remembered this tomato sauce left over in the fridge just begging to be used in something!  Perfect.    I made the mashed potatoes and “iced” the filling with it!

This came together so fast!  Browning the “meat” took the longest…and that was not long at all!

FabHubs came home from work and saw this…and said it sure looks like Shepherd’s pie but that would be an impossible dream in this house…and then proclaimed it a crime for me to call it Shepherd’s pie.  He redubbed it Farmer’s pie…and so it is.

I put it aside while I assembled the salad and the rest of dinner, and a little while before dinner was ready I baked it until it was heated through and browned on top.Alongside…a yummy salad… Sliced avocados that were almost past their prime!  (I cut the spots out before serving)I wasn’t feeling the oil and vinegar dressing tonight for the salad so I decided to whip up a version of a concoction my mom used to make.  I didn’t know the quantities of the ingredients…so I just made it up as I went along.

Fresh organic lime juice and minced garlic mixed with a little sea salt and EVOO.    So good and such a nice change!!!! And of course my pie Farmer’s Pie which was So Good!And we can’t forget the seitan!

Okay…it looked really weird when I pulled it out of the breadmaker…lumpy and bumpy!  And very dark.  I wasn’t expecting that! I cut a piece off to try it.  It was crusty on the outside, but inside was stretchy and a little doughy…perfect seitan texture!  Tasting it, it was a little salty for my taste (less tamari next time..and no added salt)…and surprisingly it had quite the kick!  I think I added ground red pepper instead of sweet paprika!  Oops!

But this will be perfect for recipes and was so easy!  And ready to go for a future “quick to put together” dinner.

Do you eat unprocessed?  What kinds of shortcut foods do you use to get dinner done in a hurry?

I Almost Sold Out!!!!

I didn’t feel like cooking and I almost caved.  I was going to make a Shepherd’s pie, subbing out Boca Crumbles for the beef.  Easy enough…but I was feeling lazy and didn’t feel like making a sauce and started to reach for the cream of mushroom soup.

Yes, you read that right the canned, processed cream of mushroom soup that has been sitting unused on my shelf for at least the last six months.

And I just couldn’t do it!  I felt guilty and unhealthy…and I went back and forth a while on it.

I finally ended up settling for another meal…still with processed something, but somehow totally different in my mind.  At least it was organic!

We ended up with sauteed kale, roasted sunchokes, and Gardein beefless tips.

Sunchokes look like ginger, but taste almost, but not exactly, like potatoes. 

After searching the internet for something interesting to do with the sunchokes, I found everything too complicated or exotic and decided to simply slice and roast the sunchokes along with some garlic and sliced leek.

Leeks have to be washed really well, especially between the layers.  I had already rinsed this leek when I peeled back the outer layer and found this!

Tossed in a little EVOO and some S&, then into the oven at 425.  I like the higher heat in order to caramelize the onions and garlic.  So good.

     On the side was curly kale, washed and destemmed…Then sauteed in the pan with garlic, onion, and a little EVOO as well.  I think garlic and onion enhances veggie!  After cooking I sprinkled (heavily) some parmesan cheese on top. And my quick processed portion of the dish?  These meat-free beefless tips from Gardein. I have been having some low B12 issues and was recommended nutritional yeast to help…so I loaded it on top of the kale as well.

So good.