Broccomole

This recipe is a creative way to sneak extra veggies, color, and flavor into your favorite guacamole. Enjoy on polenta squares, black bean soup or your favorite Mexican recipe. Recipe by Andrea Lopriore, BSN student at Bastyr University.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup broccoli pieces (no stems), finely chopped

1 med tomato, diced

¼ cup orange bell pepper, chopped

¼ cup red onion, minced

1        clove garlic, minced

1        tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

½  jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds optional depending on desired level of spice)

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp salt

2 ripe avocados, peeled and de-pitted

¼ cup plain yogurt (optional- for creaminess)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients into a food processor, except the avocado. Pulse until vegetables are mixed well. Add the avocado and continue to blend until you reach your desired consistency.

Keeps in the fridge for two days (surface exposed to air will turn brown unless drizzled with lemon or lime juice).

Barbeque Tempeh Sandwich

This delicious and EASY recipe requires few ingredients and provides a hefty punch of flavor.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 people a half pita sandwich

Ingredients:

8 oz package of tempeh

1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce

2 whole wheat pita breads

1 cup finely shredded green cabbage

¼ onion, minced fine

3 Tblsp lemon juice

3 Tbslp olive oil

1 Tblsp miso paste (optional)

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Fresh ground pepper

Instructions:

Slice the tempeh in thin strips, and lay in a pie plate or shallow pan. Pour the barbeque sauce over, and coat the tempeh evenly. Let marinate for 30 minutes to two hours in the fridge.

Meanwhile, mix the minced garlic, lemon juice, miso, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Add the cabbage, minced onion, cilantro (optional) and fresh ground pepper, and toss to coat the cabbage with the dressing.  Set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Wrap the pita’s in foil to warm in the oven.

Remove the tempeh from the sauce (leaving plenty on the strips), and place on a parchment –lined baking sheet. Bake in a 375 oven for 20-30 minutes, until the tempeh is heated through and the excess barbeque sauce is starting to carmelize and dry out.  In the last ten minutes of baking, add the foil covered pita’s to warm up. Pull everything out when the tempeh is done. 

To serve:  Cut the pita breads in half, and lay three to four strips of cooked BBQ tempeh in each half. Fill the rest up with the cabbage slaw. YUM!

Mediterranean Pepita Pate

Pepitas (aka shelled pumpkin seeds) are an excellent source of zinc and protein; here they are pureed with flavors of the Mediterranean (fennel, garlic, olives, lemon) to create a savory paste to flavor everyday foods.

Prep time: 5 hours, + 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Yield: 2 cups pate

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), soaked in 4 cups of water for 5 hours

2 cloves garlic, germ removed

4 Tblsp. olive oil

1 Tblsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 tsp fennel seed

½ tsp salt

Pepper to taste

4 Tblsp fresh water, (or more)

10 green olives, pitted, roughly chopped

2 tsp olive brine

1” piece of pared lemon zest (no white pith) or 2 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions:

1.       Drain the pepitas, and place in a high power blender or a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend together until a thick paste. Occasionally stop the machine to scrape down the sides with a spatula. When a thick uniform paste (about 3-5 minutes), scrape out into a bowl. Add more water for a thinner consistency.

2.       Serve the pate stuffed in hollowed out mini-tomatoes, celery sticks, or baked in cremini mushrooms as hors d'ourves. Also makes a great spread for sandwiches, whole grain crackers, or spread on top of a slow baked fish.

3.       Keeps 1 week refrigerated.

Traditional Middle Eastern Hummus

An excellent dip for veggies or a spread for a sandwich, this hummus recipe will be sure to satisfy your need for a garlicky, savory bean spread. You will need a blender or food processor to prepare this dish (or you can use a mortar and pestle instead).

Prep Time: 20 min
Serves: up to 6 adults

Ingredients:

2 large garlic cloves

4 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

½ -¾ cup water

1 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander (savory) and/or cayenne (hot and spicy)

 3 Tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)

2 -15 oz cans of cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well (Eden is a great brand)

Directions:

1.      To prepare the fresh garlic: smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a large chef’s knife, and then easily peel the paper off. Then remove and discard the long “germ” in the middle of each clove (it can be white or green, small or large), to prevent garlic burps after the meal. 

      Place the fresh garlic cloves (no paper or “germ”) into a blender or food processor with the olive oil, lemon juice, ½ cup water, salt, cumin, coriander and/or cayenne, and tahini. Blend up until the garlic is mixed in without any remaining chunks.

2.      Once the base is emulsified into a thick sauce, add the garbanzo beans, and puree until smooth (use a spatula to scrape down the sides with the machine off to avoid any beans chunks). Taste for salt, lemon juice, or tahini; add more water if you want a thinner consistency. 

      Serve in a shallow bowl with olive oil drizzled on top and a dash of paprika in the center, with carrot, cucumber, or celery sticks, or wedges of whole wheat pita bread.  Lasts up to one week stored in your refrigerator, and would be great stirred into olive oil and vinegar for a tasty salad dressing.

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hummus-iii/ on 1/6/2012

Hot and Sour Swiss Chard

A little preperation gives you big flavors to dress up your greens… try making a big batch to reheat throughout the week. This dish goes great with steamed brown rice and sautéed shrimp and mushrooms.

Serves: 4
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tblsp honey
1 Tblsp tomato paste
¼ tsp red chili flakes
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium shallot, peeled and finely diced
1 large bunch Swiss chard, washed, stems and leaves separated, and sliced into 1” pieces
Sea salt/pepper to taste
1 Tblsp sesame seeds to garnish, optional

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, tomato paste, and chili flakes; set aside.

2. In a large heated skillet, sauté the olive oil and shallot for 1 minute, until translucent. Add the chard stems, and sauté for one more minute. Then add the chard leaves, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté for another two minutes. Remove contents from the pan to a plate or bowl, and set aside.

3. Next, return the skillet to medium heat, and pour the sauce mixture into the pan. While stirring, allow the sauce to reduce for about one minute, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Return the cooked chard and shallot to the pan, toss to coat, and either serve from the pan or from a serving dish. Sprinkle sesame seeds and serve hot.

Recipe adapted from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/Recipes/Recipe/Hot-Sour-Swiss-Chard.aspx, January, 2011.