Bean & Black Quinoa Salad

Thank you to my friend L for introducing this to me!  I was a little hesitant at first with the black quinoa, but I like to try new things, so I gave it a shot. This is so yummy! I modified her recipe a little, this is how I made it:

1 cup of dried lentils
1 cup of dried black beans
1 cup of dried garbanzo beans

Put all dried beans in a crockpot. Fill with water & cook on high for about 3 hours. You can also do this the night before.


1/2 of chopped red onion
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper

Dressing:
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/3 cup of grapeseed oil
salt & pepper to taste
Wisk together & pour over cooked beans & veggies. Set in fridge so that flavors absorb together.

Meanwhile cook 1 cup of black quinoa with 1 1/2 cups of water uncovered until all liquid absorbs. Serve bean salad on top of cooked quinoa with tortilla chips-so healthy & so yummy!

Power Foods Recipe- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

On a family night out to B & N I found this amazing cookbook with whole food recipes. I was not able to get it that day, but just about every single recipe in this cookbook I wanted to try, so I saved & came back to get it later.
I have really been passionate about finding healthy whole food recipes. If it is gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or raw I am very interested in trying it. Although, it does need to still taste good ;)

My hubby & I do our grocery shopping bi-weekly, so I used this cookbook to meal plan for 2 weeks & I feel healthier already!

This is one of the things I made with this cookbook:

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

This was my first time roasting my own peppers. It is super easy & you don't have to worry about preservatives or any other added ingredients. I adjusted this recipe a little.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

3 red bell peppers

2 cups of garbanzo beans (I used the dried ones & then cooked them with water in my crockpot for 3 hours)

whole wheat pita, toasted

1 garlic clove

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1 cup of vegetable broth

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

2 tsp grapeseed oil, plus more for drizzling

salt & pepper to taste

Wash peppers & place them in a rimmed pan & drizzle oil over top. Place in a 400 degree oven & roast until blackened all over. Turning when needed. Take out of the oven &

transfer peppers to a bowl with a lid & let sit & steam for 15 min. Using paper towel, rub off skins, & then remove stems, seeds & ribs.

Place peppers in food processor. Add beans, garlic, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, paprika, cumin. Blend. Stir in salt & pepper.

Serve with toasted whole wheat pita or carrot sticks.

"Faux Crab Cakes" with Tuna & Quinoa & Pear salad

Tuna & Quinoa "Faux Crab" Cakes

Here is what my mixture looked like when I was done mixing everything in.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup prechopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 1 1/3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided (we used a brand called Ian's)
• 2 cans of tuna in water, drained 
• 1 cup of red quinoa, steamed in rice cooker 
• 1 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 6 ingredients. Add 1/3 cup panko and tuna; toss gently. Add whole cup of cooked quinoa to the mixture & stir. Divide tuna mixture into 8 equal portions; shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining panko in a shallow dish. Gently dredge patties in panko.
2. 2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons coconut oil to pan. Add 4 tuna cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and tuna cakes.

Serve warm with homemade seafood sauce and a salad.

This was a yummy dinner, cheap & healthy!

Homemade 1000 Island Dressing:

1 cup of Greek yogurt

1 cup of organic ketchup

1/4 cup sweet pickles diced

1 teaspoon of agave nectar

a dash of red cayenne pepper

Pear Salad recipe:

Arugula & spinach (or any greens)

1-2 pears, sliced
1 cup crumbled goat cheese

1 cup of toasted walnuts
salt & pepper to taste

Leave a comment and let me know if you tried these recipes and how they turned out.

What's For Dinner? - Shredded Chicken Salad & Whole Wheat Quesadillas

Shredded Chicken Salad & Whole Wheat Quesadillas

I found this recipe through Pinterest & modified it a little. This is the blog that it was originally from & where I got the picture from too. It was gone before I had the chance to take out my camera, that is how yummy it was! Ours looked a lot more green since we added arugula, but this gives you an idea of what it looked like.

2 chicken breasts, boiled & shredded

2 limes, freshly squeezed

1/2 tbsp. cumin

salt to taste

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 onion, diced

1 can black beans, drained

1 bag of arugula lettuce

1 chopped avocado

Toss in a bowl & serve cold with whole wheat quesadillas and homemade salsa! :)  

We made homemade salsa/pico de gallo to go with this. Again, this is so delicious that it was gone before I could snap a picture, so I pulled this off of the internet. But it looks a lot like ours. :)

Here is our recipe for our Homemade Salsa:

4-6 fresh tomatoes depending on how red you like it :) (quartered to fit into the food processor)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (I like cilantro but if you don't, you can add less or omit)

1/4 red onion (quartered to fit into the food processor)

4-6 cloves of garlic (I really like garlic so you can modify this to your liking)

1 green jalapeno pepper with the seeds removed

1/2 lime freshly squeezed

salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor & pulse until desired consistency. Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Buen Provecho!

What's For Dinner- Wednesday- Super Energy Kale Soup with Kale "Chips"!

We had this for dinner last night and the whole family really enjoyed it! That is a very hard thing to accomplish!

Super Energy Kale Soup

 

This quick and easy version of potato kale soup has extra vegetables for more flavor and nutrition and takes little time to prepare.

Prep and Cook Time: Prep and cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 medium carrot, diced into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 cups kale, rinsed, stems removed and chopped very fine
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried sage
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop garlic and onions and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health benefits.
2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium soup pot.
3. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently.
4. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
5. Add broth, carrots, and celery and bring to a boil on high heat.
6. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 more minutes.
7. Add kale and rest of ingredients and cook another 5 minutes. If you want to simmer for a longer time for extra flavor and richness, you may need to add a little more broth. 

 I also roasted another bunch of kale in the oven & made kale "chips" to eat with it or sprinkle on top of the soup. 

Directions for Kale chips:
Wash kale thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Peel the dark green part of the kale away from the middle stalk and toss the stalk. In a mixing bowl add 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil, 3 cloves of fresh chopped garlic, and 3 dashes of sea salt. Whisk together. Then toss the kale in the mixture until evenly coated. Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet at about 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until kale is crispy.
(My whole family loves eating kale chips and the upside is that they are so healthy for you!)

Serves 4

* I also added zucchini, & brown rice to this soup to use up some ingredients I had in the house and it made it more filling. You can add any vegetables to this that you have on hand. 

Adapted from George Mateljan*

What's for Dinner?- Wednesday- Gluten-Free Asparagus Soup & Banana Chocolate Pie- Vegan!

I am a little late posting this today, so I am also adding a vegan dessert as a *BONUS! :) And yes, it does taste good. I wouldn't give you a recipe unless I had tried it myself and it was good. :)

 Gluten-Free! Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• 3 pounds fresh asparagus, rinsed
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, garnish

Directions

Trim the attractive top tips from the asparagus, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in length. Cut the woody stem ends from each spear and reserve. Cut the remaining tender stalks into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the tough woody stems, lower the heat and simmer to infuse with asparagus flavor, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard, reserving the stock.

Add the decorative tips to the stock and blanch until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove with a strainer and refresh in an ice water bath. Drain on paper towels and reserve for the garnish. Reserve the stock.

In a medium stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When foamy, add the shallots and leeks and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped asparagus stalks, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the reserved broth and simmer until the asparagus are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. With a hand-immersion blender or in batches in a food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. If serving right away, return to medium heat and add the cream and reserved asparagus tips. Cook, stirring, until the soup is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, if serving the soup later, do not add the cream and let cool at room temperature (or in an ice water bath). Cover and refrigerate. Before serving, add the cream and asparagus tips, and warm the soup gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally. To serve, place the soup in a soup tureen and sprinkle with cheese. Ladle into demi-tasse cups or small coffee or tea cups, and serve. 

 

Vegan Chocolate Banana Coconut Pie

To make crust:
1 cup flaked unsweetened organic coconut
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips, I used vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9-inch round pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.
Place all of the dry ingredients into a food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add in the vegan butter and coconut oil and pulse several times in short bursts until the crumbs are moist and begin to fall away from the sides of the bowl.  If the dough it to wet, add slightly more almonds, about a tablespoon at a time.  Stir in chocolate chips.
Dump the crumbs into the pie pan and spread them evenly. Using your fingers gently press the crumbs across the bottom and up the sides- about 2/3 of the way up.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes until set or until crust is golden.
Remove the pan and set aside and allow crust to cool completely.
To make filling:
5 small ripe bananas (about 1 lb.), peeled and broken into small pieces
1/4 cup unsweetened organic cocoa powder
1/4 cup agave nectar or coconut sugar
1 cup coconut milk (about 1/2 of can), I used light coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup almond slices, toasted
3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
Combine bananas, cocoa, sugar, coconut milk and vanilla in the jar of a blender.  Blend until very smooth, like thin cake batter, stopping to scrape down sides of jar and stir mixture to ensure all bananas are pureed.  Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour mixture into cooled pie crust.  Evenly sprinkle the top of pie with almonds, coconut, and chocolate.  Cover very tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.

To serve, remove plastic wrap and set at room temperature for about 30 minutes (longer if pie was frozen for more than 4 hours), until pie is just soft enough to cut with a knife.  Slice and serve.

Bon Appetit!