Garden Harvest Pasta Primavera

We are lucky enough to have an over-abundance of kale!  (Seriously, anyone in the area who wants some, please stop by).  We also started harvesting zucchini and I had carrots left in the fridge.  There was half of a box of pasta and lots of lentils in the pantry.  Low on pasta sauce so I thought immediately of pasta primavera with a butter/olive oil/garlic sauce.
Wash and cut all vegetables using what you have in your garden or fridge.  I chopped up the kale, some zucchini, a yellow squash from a neighbors garden, and a few of our carrots.  I am not one to worry about cutting in a consistent size, because I don't mind if things cook differently.  I am a terrible French chef...

 Boil the pasta water and add lentils first, let them go for a few minutes before adding the pasta.  Then let the pasta cook for a couple minutes before adding all the vegetables.  I left some of the kale leaves out to add at end since they really don't need much time.
Since I think boiling onion and garlic eliminates their flavor, I chopped them up with the herbs and added at the end.  I chose fresh basil and dill but you can use any fresh or dried herb you like.
I also added a dab of butter and splash of extra virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper.  Delicious, fresh, and healthy!  Serve with a lemon slice for added flavor and nutrition (the vitamin C in the lemon will help you absorb more iron in the lentils).

Connie and Kale!

It was a perfect day:  Connie was here!  We ran at the park, we picked some kale from the garden, we made stir fry and cocktails...pretty sure doesn't get much better!

We definitely had fresh kale, but I was pretty low on other produce.  Pulled out some old carrots that were still good, onion and garlic of course.  And that was all we needed.

I chopped the carrots and kale.  Connie cut the onions into bigger pieces and I really liked it that way.  Seemed to enhance it's flavor and sweetness.  She also used rice vinegar along with soy sauce and the taste was out of this world!  I mean, we love stir fry's over here any way it falls on our plate, but this was especially tasty...

Stir fry usually means higher heat for a shorter time.  Turn off the heat at any point and call it ready when the vegetables are the way you like them.  Use olive oil, coconut oil, canola it doesn't matter.  If you wanted extra protein add some tempeh, tofu, or meat.  We just put ours over brown rice.  Delicious.

I will call it, "Mujadara Lasagna!"

Mujadara Lasagna

In my fridgerator I had a massive amount of lentils and rice.  I way over-estimated how much I would need for hosting 2 meals for friends.  I also had a nearly full jar of marinara sauce and a whole package of white corn tortillas barely touched.  We (I) was getting pretty sick of just rice and lentils for dinner so I decided to make a mexican style lasagna using the tortillas as noodles.  I have seen this done a couple times before.

I chopped some onion and garlic.  Sprinkled half on bottom of dish with some sauce.  The next layer were oiled tortillas overlapping to cover entire dish.  Lentils and rice was next, then sauce, grated cheese, more tortillas, onion/garlic, rice/lentils, more sauce and topped with cheese.  You can obviously layer however you desire-- Have fun and be creative!

I seasoned with oregano (for the Italian part of it) and cumin (for the mujadara part!) and baked in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes covered then 15 minutes uncovered. 

Would be perfectly completed with a fresh green salad!

Tempeh, Turmeric, and Trader's!

Pasta with tempeh "meat" sauce

I had carrot, onion, garlic as far as fresh vegetables go.  Chopped carrot finely and sauteed with chopped onion, garlic and cut or shredded tempeh in olive oil.  Once getting golden add pasta sauce and spices: I  used turmeric, oregano, paprika, and smoked pepper.   A splash of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan would be delicious.  Let this simmer until pasta done then add to drained whole wheat pasta. 

Tempeh is one of the healthiest versions of soy because it is fermented.  This breaks down the sometimes hard to digest proteins and other benefical compounds into a more human-friendly form.   Fermentation also creates 'new' healthy ingredients.



A 2 pot meal.



Mini Baked Potatoes and Eggs

I got a great deal on organic potatoes at Kroger the other day (potatoes are one of the 'dirty dozen,' make sure you always buy organic!).  The only other fresh vegetable I had were a few radishes and 1 head of romaine.  What for protein?  We picked up some fresh eggs from a family down the street on our way home from the park.

Cody always makes great fried potatoes and eggs for breakfast.  I decided to bake my potatoes because they were small and I figured it wouldn't take too long.

Scrub potatoes then pierce with a fork a few times, cover in olive oil, and place directly on rack in a 400-420 degree oven.  These little ones took just under an hour to be done.  Test with a fork until tender.

I made a salad, then fried the eggs once the potatoes were out.  Add a pat of butter to the center of each potato and top with a fried egg.  Couldn't be easier and of course, a very healthy meal :) 

Grains with Fresh Garlic and Ginger

For lunch I made some rice with quinoa and frozen vegetables.  I used the leftovers for dinner along with 'Masala Burgers' from Trader Joe's.

Cook brown rice until about 15-20 minutes remaining and add quinoa.  When grains are basically done, add frozen vegetables.  I used slivered green beans and lima beans for added protein since these vegetarian burgers don't actually have much protein in them.  Season as desired.  I have been into turmeric lately because it is so healthful and I somehow ended up with a lot of it!  I also used epazote, salt, pepper, butter, and dill. 

Cook 'burgers' according to directions. 

Before serving, mince some fresh garlic and grated ginger.  Encourage everyone to top their rice with as much as desired.  Adds a lot of flavor, freshness, and major health-packed  'superfood' bonus points to the meal! 

Welcome Spring! Eat your weeds!!

Dandelion greens salad with 'creamy' ginger dressing

Stop the war-fare on dandelions and pick up your trowel!  Consider a (chemical-free) yard of dandelions a free lunch instead of a pest.  Dandelions are so healthful they are used as medicine with herbalists.  Rich in vitamins A, C, B, folic acid, iron, calcium, and zinc to name a few, these greens are packed with nutrition!  They also promote digestive and liver health and are perfect for a spring-time body cleanse.  So before you reach for your Roundup, look at this and other recipes:

After I harvested 2 armfuls of dandelions I soaked them in a tub of hose water for the initial rinse.  Then I brought them inside to cut the root and separate the leaves from flowers.  I soaked the leaves again in a sink of cold water to wash off the rest of the dirt.

With any tough/bitter green it is advisable to blanch.  This eases the bitterness (however, bitter is a vital and missing component to our western diet!) and makes it easier to chew and digest.  Dump the greens in a small amount of boiling water for a minute or two then drain in colander.  I then rough chopped them and put back in the pot with a little extra virgin olive oil.

At this point, you can go in many directions: Sautee with onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Sautee with ginger, garlic, honey, and tarmari.  Toss with a yummy thai peanut sauce.  Or, what I did was toss with other greens I had in the fridge (organic spinach from Morgan and baby romaines) with this delicious dressing recipe from 'Feeding the Whole Family' by Cynthia Lair:

1/2 pound tofu
1 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (only if using blender, food processor will chop for you)
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs lime juice
2 tsp tamari or shoyu
1/4 cup water (less or more as needed)

Blend in blender or food processor until smooth and use on greens, salads, pasta or as a dip!

We ate our dandelion green salad with leftover lentils and rice from Taco night!  But this salad is a great side dish for any meal/meat especially fish.

Saturday night TACOS with great friends

It was so nice to sit on the patio in the sun with some beautiful company, and I am so glad they stayed for dinner!  Rice and lentil tacos seemed perfect-- easy to prepare and easy for people to grab themselves.  Think of the rice and lentils as the 'meat' and then add whatever fixin's your family likes. 

I seasoned my rice/lentil mix like mujadara; with a lot of cumin and garlic powder.  You could add a taco season packet (as long as there is no msg or other nasties!), use fresh herbs, or add curry for a totally different flavor.
Making lentils with rice is as easy as adding lentils to your rice!  I used green/brown (or standard 'regular' lentils), but you can use any type.  Use equal parts rice and lentils and make as you would rice:  2 parts water to 1 grain, add seasonings, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover until water soaked up and done.

While that is cooking, chop all your taco toppings.  I love avocado, salsa, lime, cheese, onion, and then any other fresh vegetable that needs eaten in your fridge!

[Remember when shopping for tortillas to buy corn, or find trans-fat free wheat tortillas.  Which means no 'hydrogenated oil' in the ingredient list.]

Chili with g-ma!

Chili and cornbread.

Didn't have any fresh vegetables.  It was cold today.  When I saw the cornmeal in the cabinet it inspired me to make cornbread.  And I remembered I had one more can of Amy's chili in the pantry.  There was going to be 3 (yey--Grandma visited!) so I knew I needed to bulk up the can with some goodies to make it spread.  Easy peasy, I have lots of quinoa, leftover lentils and carrots, and plenty of frozen vegetables.
Since the cornbread will take the longest, started on that first. Use any easy cornbread recipe.  As usual I was out of eggs so I just improvised (threw in some ground flax seed, used honey instead of sugar, and a little extra milk) and got it in the oven. {if you want to make actual egg substitute using flax, here: http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2011/10/how-to-make-a-flax-egg-for-vegan-baking-the-right-way/  I was too lazy!  Figured maybe it would do something miraculous in the oven or something ! haha}
Quinoa is next.  Get it going in the pot you will use for chili. 2 to 1 water to quinoa, I used half cup quinoa.  Ater it was nearly done add the soup and any frozen vegetables, I chose corn.  Then added the leftover lentils.
Plenty of butter for bread, big spoons, and some beans picked out for Henry.  A good meal with good company :)


I think we did some spaghetti and homemade  garlic bread, and frozen pizza 'beefed' up with some extra veggies middle week.


Simple, elegant, delicious: Roasted beets and Brussels sprouts with quinoa/millet and fried egg

Scrub and chop beets into cubes.  Wash sprouts and trim bottom and outer leaves.  Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Throw on cookie sheet and in oven at 400-420 degrees.  It will take between 25 and 40 minutes depending on how large vegetables are.

Make some quinoa (like rice, 2 parts water to 1 grain, bring to boil, turn to low and cover until done, about 10-15 minutes).  I had leftover millet 'mush' from Henry's breakfast that we mixed in with quinoa at end. 

Fry up a couple eggs over-easy and serve on top of grains.  Delicious and so healthy!

Indian food and health mash.

Indian food, thanks Trader Joe's:

A fun and EASY meal that I also believe is healthy and super thrifty.  Trader Joe's sells these amazing foil packages of Indian food for $2!  I can usually use one box for a meal for both of us, but we were feeling zealous tonight and cracked open two :)

I made a large pot of brown rice (2 parts water to 1 part rice, bring to a boil, reduce to low and cover until done).  I didn't even heat the Indian food but let the hot rice do the work.  Couldn't be easier.  Welcome to add whatever you like to this meal or leave as is.  I think it could be fun with kids, let them choose their own 'box 'o Indian food' and share with everyone...  Enjoy!

As you can see, this was a 'serve yourself' kind of meal!



Rice, lentil, vegetable mash:

Had leftover rice from Indian food.  Carrots and celery were my only fresh vegetables.  I thought of making up the rice with vegetables as I would with buttered noodles.  So that is where my seasoning inspiration came. 
For protein I used lentils and quinoa.  First saute up carrots, celery, and onion in oil.  Then add lentils and 2 parts water, bring to a boil with salt and pepper, garlic powder, and anything else you like, cover and turn to low.  After 10 minutes or so, when you think there is about 10 minutes left, add the quinoa and its 2 parts of water.  When its almost done and water almost soaked up add any frozen vegetables you wanted to use, I added peas. 
When done add butter and any seasonings you like.  When I make buttered and veggie noodles I like to use dill, garlic powder, and/or Mrs. Dash.   Surprisingly tasty and extremely healthy!