Chia Seed Pudding

This comforting food is low in sugar but packed with fiber, protein and healthy fats, providing a warm sense of satiety and satisfaction.  Cinnamon lends a warm spicy flavor and helps lower blood sugar, too!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

¼ cup chia seeds

1 cup vanilla or plain almond milk

½ banana, mashed

1 tablespoon nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)

cinnamon to taste

5 drops liquid vanilla Stevia or a teaspoon of maple or brown rice syrup (optional, if you like it sweet)

Directions:

Combine the chia seeds, almond milk, nut butter, cinnamon, and Stevia (if using) in a medium bowl.  Mash ½ of a banana and stir it into the mixture. 

Let sit for 15 minutes.  Give it a good stir and then let it sit for an additional 10 minutes.  The chia seeds will form a gel. 

Tip: Make this in advance and store in the refrigerator overnight for a firm, cold pudding-like consistency.

by Katy McCauley.

Grilled Tempeh Kababs

This classic dish has been updated with the highly nutritious and satisfying fermented soy product Tempeh. It goes great with steamed brown rice and tossed green salad with avocado, fresh orange segments and cucumber. A wonderful way to start the summer grill season!

Cook/Prep Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 package organic tempeh, cut into 1” cubes

½ cup italian salad dressing (or favorite marinade), divided

1 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned and destemmed

1 green bell pepper, deseeded

½ red onion, peeled

2 - 6” zucchini

Equipment: gas or electric grill, or stove top grill pan, bamboo or metal skewers

Instructions:

-          Heat your grill in a well ventilated area (outside).

-          Place the cubed tempeh with ¼ cup salad dressing in a bowl. Stir to combine, and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the fridge.

-          Meanwhile, cut the cleaned vegetables into 1” pieces (best to be bite sized- can fit into your mouth). Toss with the other ¼ cup of dressing, and let marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.

-          While everything is marinating, check your grill to see if it is over 400 degrees (or almost smoking hot if it is a stove top grill pan). Skewer the vegetables and tempeh and place on a plate.

-          Grill on 4-6 minutes/side, and remove to a clean serving plate. Finish all the skewers, and serve immediately.  Once cooked, keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Sesame Roasted Beets ‘n Greens

This flavorful way to roast beets and saute their greens will remind you of your favorite Asian dipping sauce: it contains ginger, garlic, sesame, scallions, soy sauce/liquid aminos, and sesame seeds. This recipe is based off of the Sesame Roasted Beets recipe on the excellent cooking website fortheloveoffoodblog.com. Long time cooks will tell you that roasting beets can convert the most adamant of beet haters! Be sure to serve with a vitamin C source such as cabbage orange slaw or lemon juice squeezed  over lentils or fish, in order to absorb the iron in the beets!

Cook time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 bunches of beets, leaves rinsed and roots scrubbed (peeling optional)
3 tbslp sesame oil, divided
1 leek, cleaned, ends removed and chopped
1 tblsp fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tblsp Bragg's liquid aminos, or soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
salt and pepper, if desired
sesame seeds for garnish

2 scallions, minced, for garnish

Instructions:

-          Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the greens and stems from the beets root, and set aside.

-          Chop the beets into roughly 1” cubes. Toss beets with one tablespoon of sesame oil and lay flat on sheet pan. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes, turning twice, until beets are tender (but not mushy). 

-          Chop the beet greens (stems are optional). Add one tablespoon of sesame oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for two minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the greens and liquid aminos and cook for 15 - 20 minutes over medium to low heat, until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

-          Drizzle beets with remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Garnish beets and greens with sesame seeds and scallions, and serve warm.

Adapted from Sonnet’s blog:  http://www.fortheloveoffoodblog.com

Easy Miso Greens Udon Soup

This tasty soup can be fortified with cubed tofu or tempeh for increased satisfaction. Serve with thin sliced cucumbers dressed in rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil, and a fruit plate for dessert.

Serves: 4

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1- 8 oz package dried udon noodles

1 tblsp salt

1 tetra pak carton of organic chicken or veggie broth

2 cloves garlic, peeled, de-germed, and minced

1” knob of ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tblsp fish sauce (optional)

1 tsp wakame or arame seaweed (optional)

8 oz firm tofu or tempeh, cubed into dice size (optional)

½-1  bunch dandelion greens, chopped into bite size pieces (or 3-4 bok choy if dandelion greens are not available)

3 tblsp. Miso paste of choice (try organic)

Soy sauce to taste

Instructions:

-          In a medium sauce pot, fill with water, add salt, and heat to boil. When boiling, add udon noodles, and cook according to directions (minus 3 minutes- you want the noodles slightly undercooked). Drain and set aside.

-          In a large soup pot, head the sesame oil over medium heat, and add the garlic and ginger. Saute until the garlic starts to brown; add the broth from the tetra pack. Add the semi-cooked noodles, and bring to a mild boil (3-4 minutes).

-          Add the leafy greens, and the optional ingredients  (seaweed, tofu, fish sauce). Let cook for another 2 minutes. Turn the heat off (or cook until the noodles are done to your liking).

-          Remove about ½ cup of broth in a pyrex measuring cup and let cool for a minute. Mix the miso paste into this reserved broth, whisking with a fork to eliminate any lumps. When fully emulsified, add back to the large pot of soup, and stir to incorporate. Do not reheat the soup or you will cook the precious probiotic bacteria found in the miso. Taste the soup for seasoning; add soy sauce if more salt is needed.

-          Enjoy served up quickly in four large bowls, with chopsticks if you are feeling adventurous!

-          Reheats well for a quick meal the next day.

Baked Parsnip/Potato Pancakes

This recipe comes from Rachel Edelman at about.coms kosher cooking page. There is a great video of how to make these pancakes at http://video.about.com/kosherfood/Potato-Pancakes.--6N.htm! They would are excellent for breakfast with applesauce and scrambled eggs (thanks to John Rajcich for the suggestion).

Serves: 4-6

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs potato, peeled

2 small parsnips, peeled

1 small onion

1 egg

½ c whole grain or gluten free flour

2 tblsp chopped parsley or 1 tblsp of a dried herb of choice (rosemary, thyme, sage)

½ tsp salt

Pepper

Equipment: a food processor can be used to grate the vegetables if desired. Otherwise, a hand grater and a baking sheet are needed.

Instructions:

-          Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

-          Grate the potato, and by fist full, squeeze out the liquid into a small bowl, setting the liquid aside.

-          Grate the parsnip and onion into a large bowl, add the grated potato.

-          To the bowl of potato water, pour off the top liquid, leaving the starch at the bottom. Beat the egg, salt, pepper, herb and flour into the starch. It will be very thick, much like a dough!

-          By hand, mix the dough into the shredded veggies, until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes. Pat into pancakes about 3-4” across, and place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet (6-8 pancakes/sheet).

-          Bake for 13 minutes. Remove the baking sheets, brush or spray the tops with oil, flip each pancake, and return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes, until done.

-          Try it with maple syrup !

East Indies Spiced Basmati Rice

This awesome PCC Kid’s Camp recipe is used in Bastyr University’s Whole Foods cooking class. It pairs great with a garbanzo bean curry, your favorite dahl recipe or tandori anything! What makes it so wonderful is that it is a delicious way to get antioxidant-rich spices in your regular diet. The spices in their whole form impart a much different flavor than ground spices; try both to see which method you prefer!

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves: 2 (2.5 cups cooked)

Ingredients:

1 tblsp ghee or coconut oil

1 tsp cumin seeds (or ¾ tsp ground cumin)

1 whole clove (or ¼ tsp ground clove spice)

 1 bay leaf

½ stick cinnamon (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)

1 cup brown basmati rice

2 cups water

¾ tsp salt

Instructions:

-          Measure all the spices into a small bowl.

-          In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat (it takes about 30 seconds). Add the spices, and stir for about 30 seconds or less.

-          Add the rice, stir to coat. Add the water and salt, cover the pan with a lid, and bring to a boil.

-          Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer (low), and let cook with the lid off for 50 minutes (until all the water has been absorbed). To see if the rice is done, taste a kernel to see if it has been cooked through. Let stand for 10 minutes with the lid on, and then fluff with a fork before serving.  Remove the large spices before serving, if desired.

-          Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Excellent in a stir fry or rice pudding!