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.

Perfect Potato and Tomato Salad by Marika

So this is my friend Marika's photo of her amazing potato salad found at http://ediblediaries.blogspot.com/2009/06/recipe-potato-salad-la-nicoise.html. Her photo is much better than mine which is in a crowd with two other salads I made one evening below, all posted somewhere here.  The dressing is very versatile and I will often double the recipe and save it for a quinoa or kamut salad.



You will need:


2 pounds of baby nugget potatoes
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3/4 to 1 cup mixed olives
4 poached eggs (optional)
2 shallots, minced
2 tablespoons chopped chives





Save this dressing as a perfect go to for quinoa, rice, lentil, kamut salads. Keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks and the recipe is easy to double. If you don't have a food processor drizzle the oil slowly into the rest of the ingredients to blend the oil well with the vinegar.


Dressing:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard, grainy or smooth
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
5 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Servings: 4

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook 10-15 minutes or until done.
Remove and drain in a colander. Put in a large salad bowl with tomatoes.
Add all dressing ingredients into a food processor. Blend well.
Pour dressing over warm potatoes and tomatoes. Plate and top with olives, chives and shallots.

Optional: Place poached egg on top so yolk acts like a gooey warm sauce on top of potatoes.

Asian Basa Baby also known as Catfish

Hmm what to cook? Basa in the freezer- 2 large fillets from Vietnam for $6. Are basa oceanwise? Gulp. Nope.  Found this site that is helpful in identifying fish that are sustainable and good for you and the planet at http://www.oceanwise.ca/seafood/catfish/basa-tra. 

For now though let's pretend it's catfish which is the suggested alternative to basa. Last night I needed something quick and found some kind of soy sauce based creation in a bottle in the fridge and some leftover brown rice, red rice, lentil combination from protein goddess salad as well as a huge box of salad, feta and tomatoes. Viola, dinner is done!

You will need:

2 or more pieces of sustainable fish (if you can)

*Soy sauce mix or make your own (soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic, green onions)

Spring mix

Feta

Cherry tomatoes

**Leftover dressing

Leftover or fresh rice, quinoa, mash potato, etc.

Place rinsed fish in the pan on med heat.

Add about 1/2 cup of sauce- see that fish has enough to cook in at least on the bottom.

Cook on low and simmer on one side for a few minutes, flip cook for a few minutes. No rush.

Spread sauce around.

DO NOT overcook fish. Tender, flakey, juicy. Dried out fish is the worst.

Serve fish with hot rice, salad. Ta da!

*Soy sauce is a great marinade for any kind of fish but only marinade for an hour or so. If you marinade it too long it can get very salty.

**I always have dressing in my fridge.  I usually double the batches and have it on hand whenever I need it. The only dressing we buy is blue cheese which my husband is addicted to. It's how he eats his carrots.

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.

Eggplant and Zucchini Oat Bran Parmesan

Yikes no finished product photo but I can assure you it was excellent! I am a huge proponent of using whatever you have in your fridge and I had only 1 eggplant and some zucchini and to keep it wheat free I used oat bran instead of bread crumbs and it was surprisingly good. I thought it might almost taste too healthy but for us it tasted just great and we got lots of fibre :) smart eh?

Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

You'll need:

1 eggplant cut into discs

1 zucchini sliced lengthwise 

bowl of oat bran (found in baking sections- We used Roger's brand)

2 eggs (with a dash of milk or soy or water)

sprinkle of herbs, salt and pepper if you like

1 package of spinach defrosted and all the water squeezed out

sliced mushrooms or whatever veg you want to add- cooked

1-2 bottles of spagetti sauce ( I used Classico)

Bag of shredded cheese

Place the veggies in scrambled herby eggs, then dredge in oat bran and place on foil on a tray. You can load up the tray and flip veggies after about 15 minutes for another 10 or so. Keep an eye on it and turn when the veggies start to feel soft with a fork.  Remove from oven.

Use a deep dish pan and start to layer your sauce, veggies and cheese and finish off with a layer of cheese.  Put sauce and a bit of water on the bottom of the pan and in a single layer place eggplant and zucchini, then sauce, repeat with all ingredients.  Add as much cheese as you like, there are no rules.

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 Wild Salmon w/ Heather's Quinoa & Fresh Tomato Salads

Cookbooks101 is a fantastic site where I first found this quinoa salad recipe http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/heathers-quinoa-recipe.html.

I marinaded the salmon in a tasty mustard vinaigrette and served it with cherry tomatoes, basil, feta, olive oil and fresh cracked pepper and rock salt.

The salmon had the skin on the bottom which is perfect when grilling on the BBQ- just remove the skin before serving, or not, and make sure the salmon is NOT overcooked. Tender and still pink in the middle is perfect.

Salmon marinade
2 cloves garlic
2t dijon (or another mustard)
2t whole grain mustard
3/4 t fresh/dried rosemary
3/4 t fresh/dried thyme
1 T wine or white wine vinegar

Heather's Quinoa Salad

    From 101 Cookbooks
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/heathers-quinoa-recipe.html

Heather's Quinoa Recipe

If you don't have the time or inclination to roast cherry tomatoes, substitute some chopped, moist, sun-dried tomatoes. Also, a delicious alternative to the tofu in this recipe might be paneer cheese which can stand up to the heat without losing its form. Vegans can leave out the Parmesan in the pesto and make it more of a basil-nut drizzle - still tasty, and a good fit for this recipe.

a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced
3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit
1/3 cup pesto
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes** (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes)

In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Serves 4 - 6.

*Rinse about 2 cups quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and 4 cups water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

** To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt - pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 mintutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.