Kamut and Broccoli Salad in Tangy Miso Dressing

I'm loving the miso!  It keeps forever in a sealed container in the fridge which is where mine has been for a long time. Yikes.  It's fermented anyway so how bad could it get?  It is one of those ingredients I don't think to throw it a dish without a recipe. It's like tamarind paste. I ALWAYS use a recipe with tamarind and I'm thinking I'll try winging it with miso before tamarind.  This again is a newish salad dressing for me as I tend to go with oil/vinegar mustardy combinations. I love the big flavours in this recipe that I also got from that grain book "The Whole Grains Cookbook" by Robin Asbell.  Fyi- I'm seeing a lot of "farro" recipes floating around. In Canada we call it spelt, in Italy they call it farro. It's another hearty grain like wheat berries and kamut.


You will need:

1 c uncooked kamut or another grain (cook according to directions)
2 T red miso
1 T grapeseed oil (or whatever you have)
1 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T grated ginger
1 clove garlic minced or crushed
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 T honey or agave
2 c broccoli florets and stem, blanched
1/2 c julienned carrots
2 scallions, minced
1/2 c toasted cashews

In a bowl whisk the miso, oil and vinegar till smooth.  Whisk in the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, and honey.  Pour the dressing over the cooled grain and toss to coat.  Pour dressing in salad to taste.

Sprinkle with cashews.
Eat as a main dish with a bed of wild greens underneath or pair with a veggie burger, seared tofu or a hot bowl of soup.

Early Spring Salad

From: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/12/28/back-on-track-wheat-berry-and-bean-salad/

If you're not familiar with wheat berries they are firm and hearty, one of the meatier grains. High in fibre they are a great addition to a bean salad making it something more substantial.  I really like the texture and often use it as a base for salads, adding veggies and dressing.  Substitutions for wheat berries could be kamut (kamoot), quinoa, spelt, rice, cous cous, etc.)  Wheat berries, spelt, kamut, etc. are really easy to freeze. If it a bit of a process making them make extra and freeze for another meal.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry wheat berries, cooked and drained
• 2 cups/500 ml cooked navy beans (or black beans, chick peas, etc.)
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, diced with large stems removed
• 4 green onions, diced
• Kosher salt + pepper, to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to taste 
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp hot mustard (or regular)
• 1 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions: In a medium bowl, soak the wheat berries overnight in cold water. If you have a rice cooker cook on brown rice setting (there is no need to soak).  The next day, drain the wheat berries and place in a medium sized pot, covered in 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. They should be firm but not hard. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl, mix all salad ingredients.

In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.

 Now season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.

Yield: 7.5-8 cups.

Beet, Carrot & Jicama Patty on Greens

Wow I think all of these photos are blurry. Yikes. I just thank my lucky stars that I'm able to find the time to post at all. I cook way more than I post and I have a ton of backed up recipes that need to be posted so I just do what I can and blurry pictures will just have to do.

I started making a beet, carrot, jicama salad and I shredded way too much so I searched online for something to make with the tons of leftovers I had. I googled beet burgers and I found something I really liked. The toasted sesame and sunflower seeds provide a good bang factor. The best part is these are baked, the worst part at first glance is the 1/4 cup of oil. Not sure why its needed so I put in a bit less. The next time I make it I will add less.  I thought a cup or two of mashed chickpeas or another kind of bean would be a nice addition. You can't really go wrong with putting what you like in it. I was worried that they mixture wouldn't stick together when I first put it on the parchment paper but they crisped up just great. I did add an extra tablespoon of flour because I thought it looked a little too wet.  This was really good and we even froze the leftovers and they were just as tasty.  For the dressing, we had some leftover from Perfect Potato and Tomato Salad by Marika.

FYI- Jicama is a crunchy root vegetable. Brown on the outside and white on the inside.  It is a cross between a pear and a potato or a very crunchy water chestnut. Learn about it's health benefits here. 

I sprinkled some fried onions on it and it was even better. Those can be found at Indian stores or other places. Don't buy them in a can- too expensive and not the same.

You will need:

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups peeled grated beets (1-2 medium beets)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
1/2 cup minced onion (about 1 medium onion)
*2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Butter or oil for greasing the baking sheet.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately remove from heat and transfer the toasted seeds to a dish to cool.

3. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately transfer them to the dish with the sesame seeds.

4. Combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the toasted sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, cheddar cheese, oil, flour, parsley, soy sauce or tamari, and garlic. Add cayenne and mix until thoroughly combined.

5. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet.

6. Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Unless they are very large and thick, it should not be necessary to flip them.

Makes 12 patties.
Serve in a burger bun or on a bed of organic leafy greens.

*To replace one egg:

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons water (or other liquid)

Stir together until thick and gelatinous.

From: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/beet-and-carrot-veggie-burgers.html#ixzz1nSItB3g2

Grilled Eggplant with Cumin Vinaigrette and Feta

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/09/grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-garlic.html


Adapted from http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/09/grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-garlic.html

I had a crazy salad cook off on Friday night and this is one of the three salads I made. 

It was soooooo good. I love eggplant and having it grilled with that cumin garlic vinaigrette and cilantro just made me gush. I dreamed of eating it again as soon as possible and thought it would be good stuffed in a sandwich .  I ended up grilling a few red peppers too with the eggplant. I peeled off the burnt parts and sliced it adding it this symphony of goodness.

You will need:

1 large eggplant, cut in uniform slices 3/4 inch thick
olive oil, for brushing on eggplant
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (or mint or both)
1/4 cup crumbled feta

For vinaigrette:
1/2 tsp. garlic puree or finely minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T shallots or red onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
3 T extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk in olive oil.

Brush eggplant with olive oil on both sides. For criss-cross grill marks, grill 4-5 minutes on first side, then rotate and cook 3-4 minutes more. Turn and cook about 7-8 minutes more on second side. I cooked my eggplant pieces just under 15 minutes total cooking time. Actual cooking time will depend on how hot your grill is and the temperature and thickness of the eggplant. Watch it carefully the last five minutes of cooking time and rotate pieces so they are evenly browned.

To serve, arrange grilled eggplant slices on serving platter, drizzle vinaigrette over, then top with crumbled feta and herbs.

Seasoned Popcorn

I'm trying to come up with a more creative title for this post because it does not do this popcorn justice. I want to make another batch right now. Making a big batch is a good thing in this case because it tastes just as good the next day.  I've always just made popcorn in a big pot with enough oil to just cover the bottom and then some.  The kernals are not fully submerged in oil. Just about halfway.  I crank the heat up to high and wait a few minutes until it seems hot enough and I add a test kernal or two, and then I throw in enough kernals to cover the bottom in a single layer and then a bit more so it's tight in there. Grab your lid immediately and watch the popping party begin.  It is kind of fun if you have a clear lid as I do.  Scroll down to read a short article from whole foods on the benefits of eating popped corn that you make at home rather than microwave popcorn.

If you are not comfortable with my method go to this site for a more guided explanation with exact measurements as well as other awesome popcorn topping ideas.

http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/10/13/how-to-pop-popcorn-on-the-stove/

This guy in a chef jacket really has no clue- you can tell from what his popcorn looks like at the end. 

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-do-popcorn

You will need:

about 1/2 c to 1 c grapeseed oil or coconut oil, etc.

about 1 c-1 1/2 c of organic popcorn

healthy sprinkle of spike, parmesan, garlic powder 

touch of salt but not necessary

Once you hear the popping sound slow down take off the stove and stir the popcorn around. Add half of your ingredients starting with the butter (so all the rest of it will stick to the popcorn). Then stir the popcorn well and add the other half. 

Is popcorn a healthy snack?

Popcorn can be a healthy snack depending upon how it's prepared.
Some people have written me asking if making popcorn with extra virgin olive oil is a good technique. Unfortunately, I don't think it's good to prepare popcorn with oil, even healthy oils, since I strongly believe in avoiding the heating of vegetable oils, including olive oil. Heating olive oil can cause it to oxidize and damages its delicate polyphenol antioxidants.
A more nourishing way to prepare this same snack would be to air-pop the popcorn in an air popper and then to add extra virgin olive oil and, if you want, a little sea salt after the popcorn was popped. How many calories you end up with depends on how much olive oil you use. One cup of air popped popcorn, for example, contains only 30 calories or so. Olive oil contains about 250 calories per ounce (2 tablespoons). Still, even with two tablespoons' worth of olive oil, most people would have little trouble fitting this type of healthy snack into their Healthiest Way of Eating.
As for microwave popcorn, I have my concerns. I don't think that microwaving of popcorn presents a risk-free alternative. That's because there has been some evidence that the Teflon-like coating of some bags used for microwave popcorn can get broken down with heat into unwanted substances, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The chemical, which appears to be potentially carcinogenic in lab animals, is partially released onto the popcorn when the bag is heated up and can then be absorbed, once again in partial amounts, into the blood stream. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently studying the effects of this chemical in more detail. Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is studying potential problems associated with the artificial butter flavoring used in microwave popcorn.
When purchasing the popcorn itself, I'd encourage you to consider organic popping corn. It's often not much higher in price than non-organic popping corn, and the potential health benefits here are important. Organic popping corn will not have the pesticide residues or other toxic residues commonly found on conventionally grown corn, and it will not have been genetically engineered (as genetic engineering is not allowed in production of certified organic foods).
Source http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=76

Creamy Pasta with Swiss Chard and Blue Cheese

This is low-fat meal is simple and quick and something you can throw together in 15 minutes, particularly if your pasta is already cooked as mine was from last nights Carbonara ( I LOVE bacon).  The measurements are not strict in order to have success.

You will need:

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

2T grapeseed oil (or ghee, or oil alternative)

1 bunch of swiss chard or spinach washed, drained and chopped

1/2 cup of blue cheese or any strong cheese such as asiago or parmesan

1/2-1 cup of sour cream (you can add some cream, milk or alternative too if you want but not necessary)

sea salt and cracked pepper

parmesan cheese for garnish

Wash and drain your greens. Chop into pieces.

Saute onion and garlic in 2 T of grapeseed oil.  Cook till onions soften slightly.

Add swiss chard and continue to saute until they soften.  

Add hot or cold pasta to the mix and stir around flipping hot ingredients on top of pasta. Warm about 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream (and milk if using 1/4 c) then add blue cheese chunks and stir another few minutes.

Plate immediately and garnish with parmesan and salt and pepper.

Tahini Protein Power Bowl

Angela over at Oh She Glows (http://ohsheglows.com/)  is an amazing inspiration to me and I often cruise her site to get new ideas for meals to make. I often tend to us a recipe as a base and then throw in whatever ingredients I have on hand. My fridge is usually stocked with a number of things and I don't like going out often to get one or two things that are missing so I just substitute if I can and turn it into something like the recipe. Of course there are some ingredients, such as the tahini in this recipe, that you would not want to substitute.  Please note if you haven't already that I am not aiming to take glorious photos like Angela or most other bloggers for that matter. I take the photos as I go very quickly and I am happy if I have the time to post at all. Maybe some day I will have the time to take better photos :)

The spring mix from Whole Foods on Cambie, in Vancouver is totally worth it. It stays fresh for a while unlike the spring mix from Costco which goes bad in a matter of days.

  

I have an INCREDIBLE rice cooker and if you cook a lot of grains I would highly encourage you to look into the Japanese rice cookers with the fuzzy logic technology. Sounds strange but it has to do with having an intuitive nature to it that cooks whatever you throw into it with perfection. I throw in red rice, lentils, brown rice all together sometimes as I did with this recipe (on the brown rice setting) or I add quinoa and it ALWAYS cooks it to perfection. Measure, add water to the line, press button- cue starting song. Stays warm for over 12 hours! I have a Zojurushi and it is the most used appliance in my kitchen, hands down.

  

I wish I'd had the red pepper but I used swiss chard, snap peas and cherry tomatoes instead.

   Ta da!!!

Reposted from: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/12/lightened-up-protein-power-goddess-bowl/

Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess Bowl

Angela adapted this recipe from Protein Power Goddess Bowl, which was adapted from The Coup Cookbook.

Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked green lentils (yield 2 & 3/4 cups cooked)
• 1 cup uncooked speltberries (yield 2 cups cooked) OR grain of choice, like brown rice
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil, for sautéing
• 1/2 red onion (~1 & 1/3 cups), chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 3 cups spinach or kale, roughly chopped (I used Lacinato kale)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 batch of Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing (recipe below)
• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
• Lemon Wedges & lemon zest, to garnish

Directions:

1. Cook lentils and speltberries (or grain of choice) according to package directions. I did this the night before to save time. Drain and set aside.

2. Prepare the Lightened Up tahini-Lemon dressing in food processor (see below for recipe).

3. In a large skillet over low-medium heat, add your olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic for a few minutes, being careful not to burn. Now add in the chopped red pepper and tomato and sauté for another 7-8 minutes.

4. Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and sauté for another few minutes, just until tender. Stir in the full batch of tahini-Lemon dressing, the cooked & drained grains and lentils, and simmer on low for another few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the minced parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with lemon wedges and zest. Makes 6 cups.

Once you cook your desired grains and make the dressing, you simply sauté some vegetables of your choice until tender.

Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Adapted from Tahini-Lemon Dressing.

Yield: Just under 1 cup of dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup Nutritional yeast or a bit more, to taste
• 2-4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• 1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 3 tbsp water, or as needed

Directions:

1. In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth. Makes just under 1 cup.

I only had a half a lemon so I squeezed in a few tablespoons of lemon juice concentrate and water because I thought the lemon amount was too much any way for me and because I didn't have the lemons :). I happened to have the nutritional yeast and I think it gives it a nice nutty flavor. If you don't have it you could through in some chickpeas maybe to round out the flavour.  You can find the yeast in the bulk section. Good to give added nutritional value to meals.

Angela's lovely photos.

Yesterday, I added Lacinato Kale instead of spinach and I loved it! It’s less bitter than regular kale.

 

Mix in your grains and dressing.

 

When it’s all cooked, remove from heat and stir in the minced Parsley for another kick of fresh flavour.

Taste test… Uncontrollably!

Serve with a lemon wedge and zest and you have yourself a protein and fibre packed dinner! It’s creamy & comforting, with a tangy kick that is just irresistible.

This will definitely be my go-to version of this salad from now on. We didn’t miss the 6 tablespoons of oil at all.

Rustic White bean and Swiss Chard Medley

I looked in my food closet today to get some inspiration and googled a few recipes with white bean and swiss chard to get some ideas and then went ahead to create my own.  I found a few things in my fridge and used up some things I needed to get rid of. Feel free to change up any ingredients and use more or less of what you want. This is a simple dish with the natural flavors coming out and just a little tomato paste to bring it all together.

1 T coconut oil (or whatever oil you want)

2 cloves minced garlic

2 small leeks sliced-(can use onions)

1 red pepper chopped

1/2 soy chorizo from Trader Joes (or real meat chorizo/ textured vegetable protein w/ cajun seasoning)

1 bunch of organic rainbow swiss chard

2 cans of white beans (Also called cannellini)

2 T tomato paste -give or take (or tomato sauce)

1 bunch of organic rainbow swiss chard

15 cherry tomatoes I just happened to have

1/2 c water

salt and pepper to taste

Sauteed the leeks and garlic till soft on medium.

Add peppers stir for 1 minute.

Add chorizo or substitute or not.

Add chopped swiss chard and stir.

Add a 1/4 c of water to pan and put lid on to steam chard so it softens-1-2 mins.

Add white beans and stir.

I just happened to have some cherry tomatoes that were kinda old and getting shriveled so I halved them and threw them in.

 

I never seem to use up a whole can of tomato paste so i usually wrap up 1 T portions up in some parchement or wax paper and get it when I need it and defrost it right in the pan. You can also put it into an ice cube tray and pop them out and then freeze into nicer looking cubes.

Mmmmm. Stir up this delish dish and add some salt and pepper to taste.  I didn't need any salt but that was likely because the chorizo had enough in it.  Serve over brown rice. 

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

I love lasagna and I was inspired to get away from my regular ground beef lasagna when I came across kamut lasagna at Donald's Market at the New West Quay.  On it's own kamut pasta is not my favorite but it's healthy and it's not gluey wheat and it not the star of this dish so it went very well with the nutritious theme.  I choose vegetables I particularly love and grilled them on the BBQ.  In the past I've roasted a bunch of veggie in the oven (carrots, sweet potato, eggplant) and put them in the lasagna.  As it is lasagna can be time consuming so if you can grill or roast it's a bit faster. 

16 pieces of kamut or regular lasagna strips (number depends on how many layers and how big your pan is)

1 jar of spagetti/ tomato sauce

1 tub of ricotta mixed with 1/4 c. milk

1 pk of mozzarella cheese shredded

1 bulb of roasted garlic

1 lg. japanese eggplant (halved and sliced horizontally)-grilled

4 peppers (yellow and red)- blackened, peeled and sliced

2 zucchini (sliced horizontally)-grilled

20 brown button mushrooms skewered- grilled

1 pk frozen spinach

Spread a few tablespoons of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan with a few tablespoons of water so the lasagna does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Layer your lasagna in whatever way you wish. This is how mine was layered

Lasagna, Sauce, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Ricotta mix, Mozzarella

Lasagna, Sauce, Grilled peppers and roasted garlic, spinach, Ricotto mix, Mozzarella

Lasagna, Sauce, Eggplant, Ricotta mix, Mozzarella

Lasagna, Tomato Sauce (thinned with water/milk) to top the lasagna.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 mins. Cover with foil and removed during the last 15 mins.

Toss your vegetables to be grilled in a tablespoon of oil so they don't stick to the grill and remain moist.

Place hot peppers in a clear plastic bag to let them steam.  This softens the skin and makes it easier to peel off.  Wash the peppers if the charred remnants are difficult to remove.


Your lasagna may look like this.

Kamut lasagna can be bought at Donald's market for cheap $3 something.

Spinach and Rapini Curry w/ Paneer

Mmmmm this was a very nice curry.  Mild flavored and the paneer was a great addition to a curry that I had never tried before. I put in a block of paneer but could have easily put in more... sooo good!

1/3 c. vegetable oil

3 cloves  garlic minced

1 t. cumin seeds

1 1/2 t. paprika

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. tumeric

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1 can (680ml) strained tomatoes 

2 c. water

1pk. Paneer

3/4 c. cream

16 c. lightly packed spinach leaves chopped

1 bunch rapini chopped (leaves only)

Heat 2 T. of the oil.  Fry garlic, cumin till it pops and the garlic is golden ~ 2mins.

Stir in paprika, salt, tumeric, cayenne. Stir for 1 min.

Stir in the tomatoes and 2 c. water and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer, covered, for 30 mins.

Meanwhile fry paneer in cubes till golden.  Return sauce to boil, stir in cream.  Add spinach and rapini, reduce heat and simmer till wilted~ 5mins.  Stir in paneer~ 2mins.  Serve with basmati rice.