Sprouted lentil and kale salad

I just made an amazingly awesome salad that I just have to share.  I modified it from Rawmazing (to account for the fact that I do not have a fancy high speed blender) and I think I could eat this every day!  Good thing the recipe made a vat of dressing that will last me a while....

(Please refer to the pictures on Rawmazing as they are far better than mine!)

Curried sprouted lentil and kale salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lentils, sprouted (see below for note* on sprouting)

1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
2 cups of water
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Bragg's liquid aminos
1 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
coarse sea salt to taste

2 huge kale leaves (~3 cups chopped)
1 teaspoon olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
coarse sea salt to taste

1 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 green onion, chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped raw cashews

1.  Be sure to begin preparing your lentils to sprout at least 2-3 days before (see note below).

2.  Throw all of the sauce ingredients in the blender (coconut through sea salt), but only use 1 cup of water at first then slowly add the rest to get the desired consistency (should be kinda thick but liquid-y enough to toss in a leafy salad).  It will depend on your blender how much water you need to use (mine is a cheap-o, so I often have to add more liquid than normal or else the blade gets stuck). *Note: mine was really garlicky with just the one clove.  Next time I'll use 1/2 clove, but if you like garlic then go for the whole...or more!  At least you'll be safe from vampires....*

3.  Wash and de-stem the kale and slice into thin strips.  Place in a bowl and massage with lemon juice, splash of olive oil, and coarse salt (yeah, get those hands messy!).

4.  Add the tomato, green onion, and lentils and toss.  Add 3-4 spoonfuls of the dressing and toss well to coat.  Sprinkle with chopped raw cashews, salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Stuff your face.  Repeat.

*Note on sprouting lentils:  You can search online for how to sprout lentils.  Basically you just rinse dried lentils (or any type of bean, really) then place them in a bowl or jar covered with water.  At least 2-3x as much water as beans.  Cover lightly with a towel or cheesecloth and set aside in a cool dark place overnight (NOT in your refrigerator, like I did at first).  On the next day, rinse the lentils and change the water 3 times.  By the third day, you should see tiny tails sprouting from the lentils.  They are hard to see, but they are there.

I placed mine in the refrigerator for the first two days and could not figure out why they weren't sprouting.  Well, duh, it was too cold for them.  So keep them out on the counter or in a cabinet while sprouting.  (I just put them out on the counter for a full 3rd day and then they finally gave in and sprouted).

See?  See the tails?  If you look really closely in the bottom right quadrant you can see a few.  I swear.

I can think of so many other uses for these, and what a great way to add nutritional value to any salad or dish.  The texture is slightly crunchy and very earthy--they do not taste like cooked lentils at all, but rather traditional bean sprouts that you have had before.  So do not be afraid.  They are delightful!

Homemade Peppermint Bark

WARNING AGAIN!  This is a continuation of my previous post...nothing vegan or healthy about this recipe, but it is darn delicious.  It is okay to indulge every once in a while.

Oh, and FYI--I am not eating these all by myself!  This treat and the peanut butter cups are my contributions to two potluck parties I am going to today. So while I may be a little fatty, I am not a huge eat-the-whole-pan-while-home-alone fatty.  At least not today, anyway....

Homemade Peppermint Bark (inspired by Joy of Baking, but really all the recipes I found online are basically the same)

Ingredients (makes about 25 pieces, at ~100 calories/each):

1/2 lb. dark chocolate (or milk)
1/2 lb. white chocolate (the good stuff; make sure it has cocoa butter, not vegetable fats)
1 T. vegetable oil (divided)
3-4 candy canes, crushed

Chop the chocolate.  Don't use chocolate chips.

Place 2/3 of the dark chocolate pieces and 1/2 T. of the vegetable oil in a double boiler, or in a pretend double boiler fashioned out of a heat-proof bowl placed on top of a pot.

Bring the water to a slow simmer and stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and add the remaining 1/3 of the pieces and stir until smooth and creamy.  This will help "temper" the chocolate so that you get that nice shiny and hard crunch in your chocolate bark.

Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil.  Or do like I did and use the foil to separate a smaller portion of the 9x13 inch pan dish if that is all you have. Ha!

Pour the melted dark chocolate into the dish and spread it evenly using a spatula.

Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the chocolate set and harden.  It should look like this when it is ready (I guess I "tempered" it correctly because there are no streaks and it does have that hard crunch!):

The next step is to repeat the melting procedure with the white chocolate.  Chop, melt 2/3 of it with 1/2 T. vegetable oil, remove from heat and add remaining 1/3 chocolate, stir.

Mine never got 100% smooth--there were a few small lumps that just would not melt so I went with it.  It did not make a difference in the final product so no worries if yours does it, too.  Anyway, once it is melted pour it over the dark chocolate layer (immediately after removing it from the fridge) and spread evenly with the spatula.

Then sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and push the pieces into the chocolate slightly so they stick.  (Crush the candy canes either in a food processor or put them in a ziploc bag and bang/pound/roll/beat with a jar, hammer, or rolling pin.  Just know, this will make a mess but that is all in the fun, right?)

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or longer.  When hardened, pick up the foil and peel foil off the bottom.  Break or cut the bark into various pieces.  EAT.

(Note: during cutting, the layers separated on a few of the pieces.  After doing some research, it seems like it might be a good idea to let the bark sit out for a few minutes before cutting so that it is not rock hard.  It may or may not help with the separating.)

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

WARNING!  The following are NOT vegan.  The following are NOT healthy. In the least.  But hey...it's the holidays, and I always said I'm doing this diet 90/10, so here is my indulgent 10%.  :)

(Note:  I think these could be veganized and next time I will try my hand at making my own vegan chocolate.  But for this first time, I went with good quality store bought bulk chocolate.  I cannot do it all, ya know.)

I have no idea why I got this urge but all I wanted to do yesterday was make chocolate.  Which is odd for me to begin with, because chocolate is not my go-to comfort treat.  But for whatever the reason, I am glad I did it because these two treats turned out to be amazing.  Yes, I made two.  I could not decide which one I wanted to make, so I made both.  Feast your eyes on these:

Homemade peanut butter cups 

Homemade peppermint bark

(see next post for recipe)

Say it with me, y'all.  YUM.

If you are like me, you probably get scared at the thought of making chocolate things when you hear words like "candy thermometer" and "tempering".  Have no fear, though.  It is easier than it looks (and no thermometer required).

Peanut butter cups (modified from Katherine Martinelli)

Ingredients (makes 25 cups, ~95 calories each):

1/2 lb. milk chocolate (or dark)

1/2 T. vegetable oil

1/2 c. natural smooth peanut butter

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 t. vanilla extract

First step is to chop up the chocolate block.  Various websites around will tell you it is okay to use chocolate chips, but others say you should not because there is an extra additive in them so they keep their shape.  I say go with bulk chocolate.

Then melt 2/3 of the chocolate and the 1/2 T. vegetable oil over a double boiler.  Or, if you do not have one, like most people, just put a heat-proof bowl on top of a pot, like this.  The pot should have about an inch or two of water, and bring it to a slow simmer.

(The vegetable oil will help "temper" the chocolate and give it that nice shiny, hard texture without the hassle of actually tempering chocolate, which you cannot do unless you have a candy thermometer and an OCD personality).

Stir the chocolate constantly until it completely melts and is a smooth and shiny texture.  Remove from heat and add the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate.  Stir until it melts into the chocolate.  This is also a pseudo-tempering method.  The two temperatures work to balance each other out which is necessary for that ideal chocolate texture.

Then place the bowl back on the double boiler but at the lowest temperature. This is just to keep the chocolate melted while you make your cups.

To make the peanut butter filling, combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Be sure to mix it well, especially if your sugar is kinda clumpy like mine was (yes, this will hurt your hand by the end of it).

Spoon a small amount into the mini cups.  It should be enough to coat the bottom of the cup, so go ahead and tilt the cup or spread the chocolate with the spoon to make sure the bottom is covered.

Then place a dollop of the peanut butter mixture in the center of each cup, being careful to not let it touch the sides.  Feel free to get messy here and use your fingers to shape the peanut butter into mini balls.

Once they are all filled, spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup to cover the peanut butter.  Be sure the chocolate covers all of the peanut butter.

Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let chocolate set.

Take a big bite and enjoy!

And who says you cannot have it for breakfast, too?  What goes better with chocolate and peanut butter than fresh sliced banana?  Add a frothy cafe au lait made with almond milk and voila.  Breakfast is served.

Black bean and sweet potato tacos

Do not ask me why, but all last week I was craving tacos.  I wanted them any way I could get them, but I never got them!  So enough was enough.  I buckled down and made them myself on Sunday evening and they were everything I hoped they would be...and more.

Maybe black beans and sweet potatoes are a common pair in your mind. In mine, not so much.  In fact, before making Harpreet's Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers a month or two ago, I had never prepared them together in a single meal.  So, that is why I was so impressed with myself for making these up on a whim.  With homemade pico de gallo, to boot!

Ingredients:

Ezekiel Sprouted corn tortillas

1 sweet potato, baked or roasted

black beans 

avocado, diced

red bell pepper, sliced into strips

purple cabbage, sliced into thin strips

green onion, chopped

seasonings of your choice (cumin, chili powder, etc.)

romaine lettuce leaves

hot sauce of your choice 

This is seriously the easiest recipe I have posted.  If you can even call it a recipe.  If you can assemble a taco, you can make this.  Here are the veggie toppings:

Quick trick:  do you ever have trouble dicing avocado, especially when it is ultra ripe and really soft?  Here is a little trick I use.

1.  Score the half of the avocado in a checkerboard pattern, cutting all the way through the flesh but not through the skin.

2. Slide a spoon in between the flesh and the skin and scoop it all out.

3.  Voila.  Perfectly cubed avocado.  (note: no judgement will be passed if you ever just scoop the avocado straight into your mouth.  Especially if you accidentally sprinkle a little salt on top of it.  I may or may not have done that once or twice before...)

And here is how to make the pico de gallo:

*3 roma tomatoes, diced

*1/4 cup diced yellow onion

*1 clove minced garlic

*1/2 jalapeno, diced

*cilantro, chopped (lots of it, if you love it like I do)

*juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

*coarse sea salt to taste

Dice the tomatoes and onion and put in a bowl.  Mince the garlic (with a mincer if you have one.  Best kitchen gadget gift ever, thanks mom!).  Wash and chop the cilantro, and add to the bowl along with the garlic and lemon/lime juice.  Dice or mince the jalapeno, adding more or less depending on your taste.  I did not de-seed mine, but you can if you want yours on the very mild side (mine was not too spicy, really, anyway).  Season with a pinch of sea salt and serve.  Will keep fresh in a covered container for several days in the fridge.

So like I said.  If you can assemble tacos, you have got this covered.  Neat trick #2:  if you line the tortillas with a leaf of lettuce, it will keep any juices from soaking through the tortilla and therefore prevent the whole thing from falling apart and making a huge mess.  Plus it adds that extra crunch and nutrition!

I warmed the tortillas over a medium flame on my gas stove for about 30 seconds, flipping it every 5 seconds or so.  You will know when they are ready, the corn will become very aromatic and the tortilla will soften.  Be careful not to burn them.  You can also just warm in the bottom of a dry pan.

I layered the lettuce first, then sweet potato (I just baked it so I sliced 1/4 inch thick slices and layered them on top of the lettuce leaves.  I think these would also be amazing if you cubed the sweet potato and then roasted it.)

Next up were the black beans seasoned with cumin, and all the fixin's:  red bell pepper strips, red cabbage strips, green onions, avocado, and pico de gallo.  And, voila!  Or, how would I say voila in Espanol??

Pumpkin and lentil stew

I am having trouble naming this dish.  Is it a curry?  Kinda.  Is it a soup or stew? Kinda both.  Is it delicious, so delicious that I dare to say it is one of the top five soup/stew creations I have ever made?  Kinda absolutely.

I think the major contributing factor is that I roasted the vegetables first.  I give credit to a co-worker friend who tipped me off to this idea.  Thanks, C!

So, I had some leftover pumpkin that really needed to be cooked.  I looked online and everywhere says that you have to cook any cut pumpkin within 2-3 days or it will spoil, and you cannot freeze it without cooking it first.  Well, interweb, I defied you and went a whole week and a half before cooking my pumpkin and it was a-okay.  No spoilage, nothing.  So there.  It can be done.

First step is to roast the veggies.  I chose to do the pumpkin, onion, carrot, and cauliflower.  Toss it with a smidgen of olive oil or vegetable broth to coat and make sure it will not stick to the pan (too much, anyway).  I sprinkled some fresh dried basil and gave it a final toss, then into the oven at 400 degrees it went for about 40 minutes.

I also roasted a head of garlic.  Just peel off the outer papery layers, chop off the top, and wrap in foil.  I usually drizzle some vegetable broth or water over the head so it will have some moisture locked in the foil pouch.  Stick that in the oven at 400 for 40 minutes, too.  When it is ready, it will be soft with a nice golden color:

When ready to make the soup (veggies can be roasted a day ahead of time), chop up some additional veggies of your choice.

I just had some celery with tops and red bell pepper (I wish I had roasted the bell pepper, too!).  Other ingredients include brown lentils,  2 cubes of no salt added vegetable bouillon or vegetable broth, 1 bay leaf, cumin, and Moroccan Seasoning  (McCormick Ras El Hanout is great for a quick mix!)  (or individual spices: cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, paprika, and turmeric), and Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  

Bring water to a boil.  You should have enough water to cover the lentils and veggies when added--I had roughly 8 cups to start (I think.  Use 4 cups water 4 cups vegetable broth, if going that route).

Throw in the lentils (1 cup), spices, vegetable bouillon, bay leaf, celery, and Bragg's and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until lentils are soft.  Then add the roasted veggies, red pepper and garlic paste (squeeze out all the soft garlicky goodness from about 6 cloves and lightly mix to make a paste).  Let simmer for another 20 minutes or so.  Keep covered if you want a soupy consistency, uncovered if you want a thicker stew-like consistency.

Per usual, I was impatient and ready to eat so mine is pretty soupy but I really liked it that way.  The broth flavor of this dish was amazing and I really think it is because of the roasted veggies and garlic.  They just have a much deeper flavor than if all the veggies were thrown into the soup raw.  This could be served over any type of whole grain to make it even more stew-like, if you want.  I hope yours is as good as mine because I seriously could not stop eating it!  And at 300 calories per serving (according to My Fitness Pal, if this recipe were to serve 4), it is not only plant-strong but completely guilt-free.

Pumpkin Curry

So, unlike everyone else this weekend, I did not have Thanksgiving leftovers to eat since I left them all in Sedona before heading back to NOLA.  Well, what little bit was left of them, anyway.  I am not sure leftovers would have traveled very well :)

So last night I decided to cook up the creole pumpkin I got at the farmer's market a few weeks back.  I looked online for some pumpkin curry recipes and I could not settle on a single one that I liked.  So I combined some elements of a few and came up with my own recipe.  It was delicious!

(Modified from Pumpkin Chickpea Curry and Williams Sonoma Pumpkin Curry)

Ingredients (serves at least 6):

1/2 small pumpkin (I used a creole pumpkin), peeled, seeded, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 cup uncooked brown rice, pearl barley, or other whole grain
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
3 stalks celery, diced
1-2 carrots, diced
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
5 tablespoons Moroccan spice mix (or a mix of cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, cardamom, pepper, paprika, turmeric)
1 tablespoon garam masala (just more of a mix of cumin, coriander, pepper, cardamom and cinnamon)
dash of cayenne
1 can of lite coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Bragg's liquid aminos
1/2 block firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small/medium florets
1 cup frozen or fresh green peas
fresh basil

1st step:  seed, peel, and chop the pumpkin.

This recipe only used 1/2 of the pumpkin...look how much there was!

 

Save the goop and seeds for later:

Then boil the chopped pumpkin bites in water for 7-10 minutes until it is slightly tender when poked with a fork.  Drain well and set aside.

(Do not forget to cook the rice, barley, or other grain while preparing the rest of the curry!)

Next, saute the next 5 ingredients (celery, carrot, shallot, garlic, and ginger) in a small bit of veggie broth.  After about 7-8 minutes, add the spices (Moroccan spice mix, garam masala, and cayenne) and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes.  Stir occasionally, and add a splash of veg broth here and there to keep mixture a sort of paste consistency without sticking to the bottom of the pot.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut milk, lime juice, brown sugar and Bragg's.

When the veggie and spice mix is aromatic and the veggies are beginning to soften, add the coconut milk mixture and stir.  Then add the tofu, half of the pumpkin bites, and the rest of the veg broth and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 or so minutes.

Then add the rest of the pumpkin and cook, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.  (I split the pumpkin so that some of it would be well-cooked and therefore break up in the curry to make a creamy base, while the second half of the pieces would maintain their texture). Add the cauliflower and simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered.  Add the peas for the last 5 minutes.

Cook for longer, uncovered, if you want a thicker curry.  I got inpatient, plus I like the soupy broth consistency, so I stopped cooking mine when it was still liquid-y.

Scoop your rice, barley, or other grain into the bottom of a bowl and ladle curry over it.  Top with sliced ribbons of fresh basil and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.  Enjoy!

Some additional variations could include topping with cilantro, adding chickpeas and other vegetables like broccoli, water chestnuts, tomatoes, etc.  What else can you think of?

And do not throw away the inside goop and seeds!  Separate the seeds from the goop and rinse the seeds well.  Save the goop for later (I froze mine to make a veggie broth later).  Spread the seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking dish.  Spray with cooking spray or toss in a small amount of oil.  Sprinkle with salt and other spices (I used the Moroccan spice mix here) and bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Enjoy!