Balsamic Eggplant Salad

For this salad I roasted bite size pieces of eggplant, sliced mushrooms, and baby carrots. I tossed those vegetables with 4 cups of salad greens and homemade balsamic dressing. To finish it off I sprinkled it with hemp seeds.   It was so easy and fast. 

1. Cut 1 eggplant into bite sized pieces, slice up 8 mushrooms, and put 2 c baby carrots into a large bowl.  Toss with 2 tsp olive oil then spread onto a baking sheet.

2. Sprinkle all vegetables with Garlic Powder

3. Roast @ 400 for 20-30 min.  I waited until my eggplant started to brown a bit.

4. When finished let cool for 10 min

Balsamic Dressing
3/4 c Balsamic Vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
1 T agave or 2 T sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 pepper
3/4 c olive oil

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT olive oil in a blender. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the blender while it is still mixing.

Recipes with Pictures = Stress for me

OK here is the deal!  If you have read my blog you know that I am no food photographer.  I love to take pictures, but getting them onto the computer and blog stresses me out. I know for some it is not complicated to take a picture with their phone then send it to their computer, but my mind is not made for computers! If i didn't have to do that process I would be posting more recipes. So, I've decided that you may not get pictures with every new recipe. I know that most people like to see what they are making before they take on a new recipe because I am one of those people.   I will eventually get to where it isn't as intimidating and time consuming (Am I really saying that out loud?) in the mean time I will just post what I eat without pictures.  I'm hoping that if you have already tried these recipes you know I only put really yummy recipes on the blog. 

Sorry for the Break

I was such a slacker in the month of March

Here are my excuses:

I just moved to California and went to visit Utah for a couple of weeks

When I came back to California my computer wasn't working

Then our Internet went missing because of a payment mishap

And did I mention I just moved? I wasn't really feeling up to cooking healthy.... There I said it! There are times in ones life when unhealthy food is comforting and you have to survive, right? So to my mom and sisters who read my blog forgive me for not posting. But I am back and ready to eat healthy once again!!

Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet Potato Salad

4 large sweet potatoes/yams, peeled and diced
2 T olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c crasins
1/4 c walnuts (or sugared walnuts - what I perfer)
1 cup quinoa
2 c water

Directions:
1. Peel and dice sweet potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake in oven @ 400 for 20-30 min, depending how small you diced your potatoes. I dice mine pretty small to make them bake faster. Broil for the last 5 min to brown them up a bit. Watch them so they don't burn.

2. While the sweet potatoes are roasting combine olive oil, vinegar, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside

3. Make your quinoa by following package directions, when done add to cinnamon sauce.

4. When sweet potatoes are done let them cool about 10 min. Add them to your quiona along with crasins and walnuts.

Serve with a side of Roasted Vegetables

Roasted Vegetables with quinoa and Creamy Avocado Sauce

One night I was staring blankly into my fridge wondering what to make for dinner... Does that sound familiar to you?

Nothing looked good and I didn't really have the right ingredients for any meal my family wanted. I stared at the food that I had and decided to experiment.

I just started throwing what I had into the blender and tasted along the way. I was a bit surprised at how yummy the sauce turned out and so was the food critic when I told him what was in the sauce. I'm always surprised at what foods taste good together, so when you are bored with what is in your fridge just throw it all in a blender and see what happens.

Sorry about the pictures! After I downloaded them I accidentally deleted them so this is what you get. FYI... I am not a photographer if you haven't noticed. I know I am terrible at food pictures, but I can reassure you the only meals that make it on this blog are approved by my food critics.

Roasted Vegetables

2 c baby carrots

2 zucchini, cut in half then sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

2 c green beans

Toss with olive oil then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic pwd. Place on baking sheet and bake @ 400 for 20 - 30 min turning frequently. I like to broil the vegetables for five more minutes to make them a bit crispy.

Avocado Sauce

1/2 c raw cashews

1 T fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 avocado

1 c spinach

1 clove of garlic

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/8 tsp white pepper (gives it a little kick)

1/4 tsp basil

Combine all in your blender and blend until smooth.

Quinoa

1 c quinoa, well rinsed

2 c vegetable broth

In a sauce pan bring broth to a boil, add quinoa to pot and bring to a low simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 - 25 min. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 additional min with lid on.

Combine 1 c (or more) of sauce with quinoa and serve with your roasted vegetables.

Coconut Curry over Lentils and Butternut Squash

Curry can be a scary meal for some who have never tried it because of the strong flavor. I added some coconut milk to make it taste more mild and the butternut squash and currants/golden raisins add the perfect amount of sweetness to the overall meal. Try it and I bet you will love it!

Coconut Curry
5 C cubed butternut squash
1 T olive oil
1/4 c diced onion
1 T curry
1 inch cube fresh ginger grated, or 1/4-1/2 tsp pwd ginger
2 c vegetable broth
1 c lentils (I like red)
1 1/2 c coconut milk (light or regular)
1/4 c golden raisins or currants
3 T chopped raw cashews
1 c fresh spinach

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over cubed butternut squash and toss in a large bowl to evenly coat squash. Spread squash onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put into preheated oven and bake 20-35 min turning after 15 min to prevent burning. Your squash may take longer depending on how big your cubes are, just make sure they are tender enough to pierce with a fork.

While squash is baking make sauce

1. Heat olive oil in skillet then add onion and cook for 5- 7 min. Add ginger and curry and cook until curry is blended well.

2. Add 2 c vegetable broth and bring to a boil

3. Add your lentils then reduce heat to a simmer for 15 min.

4. Add coconut milk, cashews, dried fruit, and simmer for another 10 min.

5. Remove from heat and stir in spinach until the spinach softens up.

6. Place 1 cup of squash into separate bowls, pour lentil mixture over squash, add some shredded coconut, more cashews and microgreens(totally optional), and then enjoy!

Serves ~ 4 adults

Thanks to my friend Melanie for helping with this meal!

Roasted Red Pepper lentils with Sun Dried tomatoes

I don't eat meat so a great source of protein that often pops up in my meals is wonderful lentils. I love lentils and I love that the food critic likes them enough to not notice that there is no meat in our meals. I also love roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes so I made up this little meal in hopes to satisfy my craving of both. It ended up being great and the green beans were a great compliment so I highly recommend you pair the two together.

Roasted Red Pepper lentils with Sun dried tomatoes
2 red peppers, roasted
1 cup grated carrots
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T red wine
1 T pure maple syrup
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried basil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 c cooked lentils
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, sliced (not the ones in oil)
steamed green beans

Directions:

Roast your peppers and while they are roasting cook your lentils. Just follow the directions on the lentil package. When lentils are done, set aside.

How to Roast Peppers
1. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil.
2. Cut both peppers into 4 parts
3. lay them down on the tin foil cut side down
4. Broil on High for 10-20 min. You want them to be black because it is easier to peel the skins off.
5. After you broil them, take them out of the oven and cover them with another piece of tinfoil for about 5 min. This makes them sweat and easier to peel.


Sauce directions:
1. Grate carrots and mince garlic
2. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in pan, add carrots then cook for 3 min. Add minced garlic to carrots and cook for 1 min stirring throughout.
3. Add red wine and cook for 2-3 min. You want all the alcohol in the wine to evaporate.
4. Place your roasted red peppers into a blender along with maple syrup, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and basil.
5. Blend together until well mixed.
6. Add half of the carrot mixture to the blender and pulse a few times.
7. Return all of the contents in the blender back to your pan.
8. Add your lentils and sun dried tomatoes to the roasted red pepper mixture.

9. Simmer 5 min

10. Pour over some steamed grean beans

Lentils are magicians in the nutritional world – they pack in staggering amounts of nutrition into relatively few calories, including 198%DV molybdenum, 89% folates, 62% dietary fiber, 50% manganese, 35% Iron, 35% protein, cooper, B vitamins, and potassium, to boot. Whoa! All this is in a one-cup serving of lentils, or 230 calories. This stuff is the meat in the vegetarian diet.