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.

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.

Quinoa Mango Parsley Salad

I will have to try this on the weekend. I LOVE mango and quinoa and the parsley flavor will bring out the flavors nicely.  Mmmmm. Will let you know if it stood up to my expectations.

It was alright.  It needed more lemon, some avocado and chopped cilantro- then it would have been delicious!

From http://strawberrypepper.com/2010/07/03/quinoa-mango-salad/
Quinoa Mango Parsley Salad

July 3, 2010 by Eva

I see a lot of quinoa-tropical-fruit-cilantro recipes floating around, and I love to eat all of them. But this week when I wanted a light quinoa meal, I didn’t have any cilantro. Instead all I had was this beautiful bunch of parsley. Cilantro and parsley are very different flavors, but I didn’t see why I couldn’t make a delicious quinoa salad with parsley. And now, post deliciousness, I am able to provide you with another great recipe for summer eating that is healthy, simple, tasty, and colorful! I love the juxtaposition of sweet mango with tangy (some might think spicy) chili powder, and the parsley just brings a bright freshness to the dish.

For those of you who have never had quinoa, it is the most amazing grain (errpsuedocereal, same difference)! It is a complete protein source, having a full set of the essential amino acids, and very high in protein for a grain. It also is a good source of fiber and many other essential vitamins and minerals. I used red quinoa instead of the more common white quinoa, mainly for the color, though red quinoa is also a bit chewier.

The mango is really the highlight of this dish, with its beautiful vibrant yellow-orange color and flavorful sweetness. If you have questions on how to cut a mango, I will refer you to this post on VeganYumYum. Though that is not my favorite way to slice a mango for dicing, it will work well, and it certainly is my favorite method for eating them fresh!

Quinoa Mango Salad
2-4 servings as a side

1/2 cup red quinoa
3/4 cup water
1 mango diced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon, about 2 tbsp
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa: bring to quinoa and water to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed, or per package instructions. Note: the ratios for white quinoa are different (1:2 quinoa:water)
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked quinoa, diced mango, parsley, lemon juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
3. Eat warm or chilled!

Note: This dish is even better the next day!