Kale with Hijiki

Another recipe from www.whfoods.com!  This easy-to-prepare recipe offers an exciting twist to kale with the flavor and amazing health benefits of the hijiki. It is a complement to just about any Asian-flavored meal.

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Serves ~ 4

Ingredients:

1 lb kale

1 tablespoon dried hijiki (or arame if you prefer a milder flavor)

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 medium cloves garlic, pressed

½ tablespoom minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and white pepper to taste

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Rinse and soak hijiki (or arame) in the cup of warm water while preparing the rest of ingredients.
2. Fill bottom of steamer with 2 inches of water.
3. While steam is building up, slice kale leaves into 1/2-inch slices, and cut again crosswise. Cut stems into 1/4-inch slices and let both leaves and stems sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health benefits.
4. Chop or press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out its health benefits.
5. Place chopped kale in steamer and steam for no more than 5 minutes.
6. While kale is steaming, whisk together soy sauce, pressed garlic, minced ginger, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
7. After squeezing excess water from the hijiki, add hijiki add to the dressing.
8. In a bowl, toss kale with the dressing and then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

© 2001-2011 The George Mateljan Foundation

Carrot Coconut Soup

This is another recipe taken from the George Mateljan Foundation at www.whfoods.com. The ginger and curry powder add great flavor to this easy-to-prepare soup.

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: ~ 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon + 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, sliced

4 medium cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 cups sliced carrots, about 1/4-inch thick

1 cup sweet potato, cut into about 1/2-inch cubes

5 ounces canned coconut milk

salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop onion and let it sit for at least five minutes to bring out its health benefits.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the broth in a medium soup pot. Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for another minute.
4. Add curry powder and mix well with onions.
5. Add broth, carrots, and sweet potato; simmer on medium high heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Add coconut milk.
7. Blend in batches, making sure blender is not more than half full. When it's hot, and the blender is too full, it can erupt and burn you.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Return to soup pot and reheat. 

 
© 2001-2011 The George Mateljan Foundation

Carrot Cashew Paté

Many of the recipes I post on this blog come from The World’s Healthiest Foods website at www.whfoods.org.  This website is not only an excellent resource for delicious recipes using some of  “the world’s healthiest foods,” but also provides very well-researched, easy to understand answers to all those complex nutrition questions out there.  Definitely check it out! 

Meanwhile, enjoy this paté in wraps with shredded vegetables, put a scoop on salads, or serve as a dip with your favorite crudités.

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Makes ~ 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 cup raw cashews

2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped

5 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp tamari (soy sauce)

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

sea salt to taste

2 tsp chopped parsley or cilantro

Directions:

Blend all ingredients except the cilantro or parsley in a blender until a smooth paste forms, scraping down the sides periodically.

Add the cilantro or parsley and pulse to mix it in.

© 2001-2011 The George Mateljan Foundation

Spicy Lentil Carrot Veggie Burgers

These spicy, aromatic burgers are delicious naked (without a bun), but feel free to dress them up however you like.  They’re quite good wrapped in a big piece of cabbage or a mustard green leaf, too! 

Yield: Makes 6 burgers

Time: 10 minutes for preparation, 40 minutes of cooking time

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked red lentils
3 carrots, grated
1 onion, diced
¼ cup whole grain flour, as needed
pinch sea salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 -2 teaspoon olive oil for frying

Directions:

1. Rinse the lentils and then add enough water to a sauce pan to cover lentils by about 2 inches.  Do NOT add salt.  Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Drain lentils and place in bowl.

2. Add carrots and onion. Mash them a bit, but not too much. Add just enough flour so that they will stick together. You may need to add a bit of water.

3. Season the mix with the spices (coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper); stir through well. With your hands, form the lentil mix into burger shapes.

4. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a pan that has been heated over medium heat and lay the burgers in. Leave them for about 8-10 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook another 5 to 7 minutes.

Tip: Put the burgers in an oven on low heat to keep them warm while you cook the second batch.

Recipe taken from VegWeb at http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=35008.0.  

Veggie Chickpea Curry

Do you have a crock pot or slow cooker?  Are you more of a morning person that hates dealing with dinner when you get home?  Then try this: set aside a half an hour in the morning to prepare this recipe before you leave for work.  Then, when you get home, the aromatic, Indian spices in this dish will be there to greet you, and dinner will be ready in about 2 minutes!  This creamy curry is delicious served over brown rice, quinoa or couscous.  If you don't feel like waiting for a grain to cook, Trader Joe's sells pre-cooked brown rice that you can pop in the microwave for a couple minutes.   

Yield: Makes ~ 6 servings (of about 1 and 1/3 cups each)

Ingredients:

     1 tablespoon olive oil

     1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

     1 cup carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick

     1 tablespoon curry powder

     1 teaspoon brown sugar (can substitute a few drops of Stevia)

     1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated

     2 cloves garlic, minced

     2 serrano chiles, minced (seeded if you don't like it hot!)

     3 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cooked

     1 1/2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces

     1 cup green bell pepper, diced

     1 cup green beans, cut to 1 inch

     1/2 teaspoon salt

     1/4 teaspoon black pepper

     1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

     1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)

     1 (14 oz.) can vegetable broth

     3 cups fresh baby spinach

     1 cup light coconut milk

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and carrot; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.  Add curry powder, sugar (or Stevia), ginger, garlic, and chile; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker.  Stir in chickpeas and the next 8 ingredients (through the broth).  Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or until vegetables are tender.  Just before serving, add the spinach and coconut milk; stir until the spinach wilts.

Adapted by Katy McCauley from My Recipes at www.myrecipes.com/recipe/vegetable-chickpea-curry-10000000701091/, author Melanie Clarke, 2011. 

Earth Day: Mushroom, Bean & Barley Soup

Mmmmmmmmm.......the perfect soup to make on a lazy Sunday.  Nourishes not only the body, but the soul as well, clearing the mind with its delicious aroma, attracting passerbys for company, and reminding us of the abundance all around us.  Tender, hearty, delicious... 

Prep/Cook time: About 1 hour and 15 minutes
Yield: Makes ~ 6-8 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients: 

     1 tablespoon olive oil

     1 sweet onion, diced

     2 carrots, grated coarsely

     2 cups oyster mushrooms, sliced into bite sized pieces

     8 cups vegetable broth

     1 cup hulled barley, uncooked

     1 cup white Cannellini beans (pre-soaked if dry)

     ¼ teaspoon salt

     ½ teaspoon pepper

     2 teaspoons dried thyme

     2 teaspoons dried or

     1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

     2 teaspoons dried oregano

     2 teaspoons dried basil

     2 large bay leaves

     1½ cups kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite-size pieces

Directions: 

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots and mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth, barley, beans, and all of the spices to the soup pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to a medium-low simmer. 

Allow to simmer, uncovered, for one hour, stirring occasionally, until barley is soft and somewhat fluffy.  In the last five minutes of cooking, add the kale.    

Tip:

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.  Reheat on stove top over low heat until warm, adding extra vegetable broth for desired consistency. 

Copyright 2011, K. McCauley, Original recipe

 

Tangy Tempeh with Cherry Tomatoes

 

Yield: Makes 3-4 servings

This is a quick, easy recipe to make but does require a bit of planning ahead.  Throw the marinade together in the morning if you want to make this dish for dinner (or the night before—the longer it marinades, the tastier it will be!)  Once you’re ready to eat, it will take only about 5 minutes and you’ll be amazed at the flavors the tempeh takes on (and a little overjoyed when the cherry tomatoes burst in your mouth…)

Ingredients:

4-5 cloves            garlic, minced

2” piece               ginger, peeled and grated

1/3 cup                balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup                white wine

1 tablespoon        coconut liquid aminos (or Braggs liquid aminos)

1 tablespoon        mirin

1 tablespoon        lemon juice

1 tablespoon        jam (any kind, but fig jam works really well here)

1 package            tempeh, thawed and cut into thin, 2” strips

15-20                   cherry tomatoes, whole

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a shallow dish, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.  When ready to cook, place the marinade (with all ingredients) in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Cook about 5 minutes or so until all the liquid burns off. Make sure to watch the pan towards the end so that it doesn’t burn.

Serve by itself, over a whole grain, or wrap the tempeh and tomatoes in a tortilla with a tiny bit of melted cheese and some sliced jalapeno peppers! 

Copyright 2011, K. McCauley, Original Recipe

Italian Herb, Tomato and Tempeh Stew

Cook/Prep Time: ~30 minutes

Yield: Makes ~ 4 servings

 

Ingredients:

1 medium         onion, chopped

3 cloves            garlic, minced

1 package         tempeh, cut into 1/2" cubes and sliced horizontally

1 24 oz. can      diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons      dried thyme (or 2 tablespoons fresh)

2 teaspoons      dried rosemary (or 2 tablespoons fresh)

2 teaspoons      dried oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh)

2 teaspoons      dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh)

2 teaspoons      ground cumin

4 large              cremini mushrooms, sliced (or 6 medium)

Directions:

Place all ingredients except mushrooms in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms and simmer an additional 15 minutes.  Serve alone or over brown rice or quinoa.  

Copyright 2011, K. McCauley, Original recipe