Red Lentil and Millet Bites

Today I wanted to make some small bean and grain balls, or bites as I am calling them, to add to the salads we seem to eat constantly. Since many of you ask about making my veggie burgers gluten free I decided to make this version without vital wheat gluten. Here is what I did:

Red Lentil and Millet Bites
Makes 56 bites

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils, dry
1 cup millet, dry
6 cups water
1 carrot, finely grated
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons nigella seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine the red lentils, millet and water and simmer until the water is almost completely absorbed. Then turn off the pan and cover the pan with a lid. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes so the remaining water will be absorbed.

Move the millet and red lentils to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Thoroughly combine the ingredients. Taste the mixture to see if you need any additional seasonings.

Line a half sheet pan (11 ½ by 17) with silpat or parchment paper. Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon disher to portion out the balls and place them on the pan. You should get approximately 56 balls. There will be enough to substantially cover the pan with little room left over.

Once the bites have cooled place the pan in the refrigerator so the mixture can “set”. I refrigerated mine unit they were completely cold.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the convection fan on if you have one. Bake the balls until they are firm on the exterior but still a little soft on the interior. This took 30 minutes in my oven.

Allow the balls to cool before removing from the pan. They will be a little soft on the bottom if you used a silpat. Using parchment instead of silpat should allow the bottom to become crisper from more direct contact with the metal pan.

To freeze the leftovers, after they are cold slide the silpat lined pan into the freezer uncovered. When the balls are hard place them into a sealed freezer safe container.

Nutritional Information per bite (or 1/56th of the recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 31.68
Calories From Fat (18%) - 5.81

Total Fat - 0.69g
Saturated Fat - 0.08g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 2.39mg
Potassium - 41.57mg
Total Carbohydrates - 5.11g
Fiber - 0.88g
Sugar - 0.1g
Protein - 1.47g

Comments:

These are mild in flavor so they will work with any type of salad dressing. The interior texture is soft, like a bean burger. The exact interior texture will depend on how long you cook them and the heat of your oven. Mine had a slightly crunchy exterior and a somewhat soft interior. I found them to be a little addictive straight from the oven. I think they will make a great addition to salad. I plan to reheat them in the microwave to make dinner or lunch prep quicker.

For those of you that aren’t avoiding gluten I think a ¼ cup or so of vital wheat gluten would improve the texture of the bites by making them a little more firm. However I will be using this version again when I want the softer texture. Alternately you could add a little dry oatmeal to the mixture to help the texture dry a little. That should also make them firmer.

I like that these are lower in fat than most falafel. I included sunflower seeds for the anticancer effects of the phytosterols they contain. Nigella seeds have been shown to reduce the release of inflammatory mediators in pancreatic cancer cells. Turmeric also has been shown to cause cancer to commit suicide (apoptosis). Like usual I try to cook with items and methods that are health promoting. ;-)

One of my favorite things about these is how low in calories they are. That means the four I just consumed straight out the oven aren’t going to end up directly on my hips.

Unrelated note:

The dumbbells just arrived. Yay! I am so not right about some things, LOL. It is a little late to try them out today but you know what I will be doing tomorrow morning. ;-)

The weather today was much better than it has been. We were only in the mid 90s which felt like a cold front had come through compared to what we have been experiencing. It was nice to be able to spend a little time outside this morning without immediately wilting in the heat.

Today has been a rather lazy one at my place. I was in the mood to lounge about read and drink iced green tea. It was a pleasant day just not particularly productive. Tomorrow will need to be more productive to make up for my slacking today. ;-)

Talk to you all again soon.  I hope everyone has great evening.

Green Beans in an African Peanut Sauce Over Quinoa

Today has been one of those cool grey days that seem to be typical of this spring. We got going early this morning with our morning trip to the farmers’ market. It was hard not to over buy but I tried to hold myself in check this morning and bought less than normal. Today we came home with: 2 bunches kale, 2 bundles asparagus, 1 pound shitakes, 1 bunch radishes, 1 quart green beans, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 3 cucumbers, and 2 bok choy. To go with that I bought a few plants for my garden, 2 savory, 2 lemon grass and 1 arnica plant. I love the organic farmers at our market. They have the best stuff. We also found out of CSA will grow trays of wheat grass for us to juice at a great price provided we put in an order and give them two weeks. Score! We were very happy to hear this.

After we go home we had our usual oatmeal, with frozen wild blueberries. My husband had to go downtown to work today since he took Monday off for my birthday. It would have been nice to have him home but sometimes things just don’t go the way we want them to. Instead I spent the day at home trying to catch up on the things that got behind while I was finishing up the last Cornell course.

I ended up kicking back and chatting on the phone. Sometimes you just don’t want to do a darn thing. That describes a good part of my afternoon and it was quite relaxing.

For dinner tonight I wasn’t in the mood for anything complicated or time consuming so I made something else up, but what is not new. Since many of you ask where my ideas come from they are always a variation of something I have eaten or cooked in the past. Tonight’s dinner was inspired by the African Peanut Soup I made here. Those flavors worked together so well I wanted to do something else with the base ingredients. Here is what I did:

Green Beans in an African Peanut Sauce Over Quinoa
Serves 3

Ingredients:

½ cups cup quinoa
3 cups water
½ large yellow onions, peeled and sliced (approximately 1 ½ cups)
6 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and finely chopped (allow to stand 10 minutes so the allicin can develop)
½ tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
¼ cup water to sauté aromatics
14 ounces diced peeled tomatoes
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 pinch cinnamon
¼ teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and ground
2 tablespoons reduced fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used reduced fat but used full fat in the nutrition)
3 cups green beans, tipped

Directions:

Combine the quinoa and water and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.

While the quinoa cooks make the sauce. Water sauté the onions, garlic and ginger until the onions are tender (about 3 minutes on high). Add the tomatoes and spices and good for a few minutes to reduce the tomato liquid. Now add the peanut butter and coconut milk and incorporate into the sauces. Add the green beans and cover the pan and cook for a few minutes. You want the beans to be tender crisp.

Top the quinoa with African sauced green beans and finish with fresh chopped cilantro.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 483.89
Calories From Fat (21%) - 102.47

Total Fat - 11.74g
Saturated Fat-  2.32g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 30.98mg
Potassium - 1252.56mg
Total Carbohydrates - 79.81g
Fiber - 13.67g
Sugar - 9.49g
Protein - 19.21g

Comments:

This dish has a much more complex flavor than you would expect for a dinner you can make in less than 20 minutes. The sauce has a rich taste from the peanut butter and coconut milk. We really enjoyed this and will make it again when we need a quick meal. If you don’t green beans this sauce would also be good with julienned kale or collards. Millet would have been a more traditional grain to serve with an African sauce but I used quinoa for the protein.

Unrelated note:

I have an interesting experiment going in the dehydrator. I decided to try to make falafel kale chips. Since I have given up using oil I didn’t want to spray the kale with oil before drying it. Hopefully my variation will pan out. We will see, they smell great.

That is going to be it for me today. I hope you had a great weekend. I am meeting my girlfriend Deirdre tomorrow downtown for lunch. But I will be back tomorrow afternoon. Talk to later.

Southwest Quinoa and Black Beans

Since Dan was home today I needed to whip something together for lunch. If I had been home alone I would have made a salad or quick soup in the Vitamix. Somehow that doesn’t seem to me to be an adequate meal for my hubby. When I want something quick that has a nice amount of protein I frequently turn to quinoa. This is what we had for lunch today with a little leftover for Dan’s lunch tomorrow:

Southwest Quinoa and Black Beans
Serves 3

Ingredients:

1 red onion, peeled and finely minced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
¼ cup water to sauté aromatics
1 chipotle in adobo, finely minced (2 if you like heat)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon paprika
(chili powder, to taste, see note in comments section)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup black beans, cooked without salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced (or lime if you have one)
8 cups raw baby spinach, julienned
6 olives, pitted and slivered
3 tablespoons macadamia and pumpkin seed cheese
3 sun dried Roma tomato halves, julienned (not the ones in oil)

Directions:

Water sauté the onions and garlic until tender. Add to the pan the ingredient through beans and cook until the quinoa is tender (about 15 minutes). If you don’t want the quinoa to take on color from the beans you can add them after the quinoa is cooked. Taste for seasoning. You may want to add a little more heat (wet hots) or spice to taste.

To serve, top the raw spinach with quinoa (or stir it into the quinoa if you prefer it to wilt more). Top the quinoa with lemon zest, lemon juice, olives, nut cheese and tomatoes. This dish is good hot or cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 405.58
Calories From Fat (22%) - 88.54

Total Fat - 10.31g
Saturated Fat - 1.5g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 224.98mg
Potassium - 1276.57mg
Total Carbohydrates - 64.91g
Fiber - 13.96g
Sugar - 3.22g
Protein - 18.02g

Comments:

This turned out a little milder than I had anticipated. Next time I will use two chipotles and maybe a teaspoon of chili powder. But overall the flavor was good and the nutritional stats were nice for a one dish meal in less than 20 minutes. Fresh cilantro, corn and jalapeno would also be good in here if you have them on hand.

Each serving of this dish contains approximately 8,550IU of vitamin A, 50mg of vitamin C, 180mg of calcium, 7.9mg of iron, 360mcg of folate, 395mcg of vitamin K, 440mg of phosphorus, 250mg of magnesium, and 7mcg of selenium. Not too bad for under 20 minutes of work. I also like the fiber and protein content of this meal.

Unrelated Note:

My day is not going at all as I had originally planned. Having my hubby home until 2pm disrupted my schedule. ;-) Fortunately Dan’s head started feeling better and he has gone downtown to his office. We will see if I can get back on schedule. I am not hopeful. But tomorrow is another day.

For now I need to run so that I can get a few things accomplished before dinner. I hope you are all having a fabulous Wednesday. We are halfway to the weekend! Talk to you all again soon.

Spanish Flavored Barley Risotto with Mushroom

Dan and I tend to plan dinner together on the weekends. What this really means is that I am tired of planning what to have for dinner and am looking for suggestions. Plus Dan knows that what I make on Sunday will turn up in his lunch for a few days so he has a vested interest. In the morning after we have breakfast we start discussing the options for dinner. It usually starts with the fresh produce we have on hand and then we move on from there. We always make a big green salad, this is a given. Today’s salad was a simple one of baby spinach dressed with lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano, brined artichokes and red bell peppers. The salad was nothing too difficult so it escaped the camera.

Risotto is something that everyone loves so we opted for a healthy version made with barley. We had criminis in the refrigerator that I wanted to use so that is where this began. I decided to take it in a Spanish direction on a whim, but this turned out quite tasty. Even my parents asked for leftovers. So I would say this is omni approved and I added no oil to this dish. Here is what I did.

Spanish Flavored Barley Risotto with Mushroom
Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, peeled and finely minced
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
¼ cup water to sauté aromatics (onion and garlic)
1 pound barley (dry)
Water necessary to soften barley (approx 8 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon thyme, dried
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 ounces diced tomatoes
2 cups Crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely minced

Directions:

Water sauté the onion and garlic until soft and the water has been evaporated. Add the barley and cook it, stirring very often, until the barley begins to toast lightly (you will smell this before you see it, takes a minute or two at most). Begin by adding enough water to cover the barley by a ¼ inch. Stir it for a minute and reduce the heat and cook for five minutes during which time much of the water will be absorbed. Add more water to cover the barley by a ¼ inch, stir and cook for five minutes. Continue this for about 25 minutes. Then add the salt, thyme smoked paprika, tomatoes and mushrooms and check the barley for tenderness. You will probably need to cook the barley a total of 45 minutes but it doesn’t hurt to check it early. When the barley is almost finish reduce the heat to as low as it will go and cover the pan. It will absorb most of the liquid. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley just before serving. Taste for seasoning before serving so you can add salt and pepper as necessary.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 225.28
Calories From Fat (3%) - 7.21

Total Fat - 0.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.18g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 252.93mg
Potassium - 414.5mg
Total Carbohydrates - 49.69g
Fiber - 10.17g
Sugar - 2.98g
Protein - 6.89g

Comments:

I have always been a huge fan of risotto. In the past I made my risotto from carnaroli rice. Arborio was always too soft for my taste. I guess you could say I was particular about my risotto. Changing over to barley was a big deal at our house (for me). I felt as though I was betraying some sacred Italian trust. But just as I gave up olive oil I have also given up white rice, even when it is carnaroli. This texture of barley made in the risotto style is similar to that made from rice. It isn’t the same, but it is close enough for us. If you like smoked paprika and lemon you will enjoy this dish. Those are the first two things I can taste in this dish. It is very filling and makes a nice entrée course that doesn’t require fat for flavor.

Unrelated note:

The day has gotten away from me and I still need to exercise. So I need to get that done soon so it doesn’t keep me up tonight. Tomorrow is another busy day with appointments most of the afternoon. After that I am going to run a couple of errands. The posts tomorrow may be sparse, or late.

I hope you all had a great weekend and I will chat with you again soon.

Japonica Rice and Veggie Salad

This is another one of those quick, easy and healthy recipes that I have been making a lot lately. When the weather turns nice all I want to do is enjoy the fresh air. There is something about spring that just makes me happy. This is a simple rice salad made special by the beautiful mahogany colored rice. Here is what I did.

Japonica Rice and Veggie Salad
Serves 5

Ingredients:

1 cup black japonica rice
2 cups water
1 pinch kosher salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon oregano
½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
½ cup marinated mushrooms, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup brined artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup cucumber, finely diced
5 servings vegan slicing cheese, cut into bite size chunks
10 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper, as necessary

Directions:

Cook the rice, water and salt according to the package directions. Add the lemon juice, zest and oregano to the rice as it is cooling so that it will absorb the flavors. Once the rice has cooled to room temperature add the remaining ingredients, except the spinach. Stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary. Serve the rice salad on a bed of spinach.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 363.21
Calories From Fat (15%) - 52.94

Total Fat - 6.33g
Saturated Fat - 1g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 349.73mg
Potassium - 1071.08mg
Total Carbohydrates - 71.26g
Fiber - 10.41g
Sugar - 4.24g
Protein - 11.7g

Comments:

I made variations of this all summer long. When the weather is beginning to warm I start to crave cold food. This salad has a lot of flavor from the marinated veggies. You can add any veggies you like, these are just the ones I had on hand but they all work. If you are going to add oil to the salad I suggest that you add it at the end when you are serving. This dish has so much flavor the oil is unnecessary, in my opinion.

Unrelated note:

My hubby has decided that we need to go out to dinner tonight to relax. I guess this is his way of saying I need to relax, although he is being more diplomatic about than I would be. So there won’t be a recipe from dinner tonight. I will try to remember to take my camera and get some shots of our meal this evening in case it inspires some recipes at your house.

I need to run and get a few things accomplished before our date. I hope all of you are having a good day too.

Fall Wheat Berry and Fruit Salad

There is something about knowing that I am suppose to keep my grain servings to 1 cup a day that has had me thinking about nothing but carby goodness. Since wheat berries are the healthiest carb I can think of I decided to start a batch of wheat berries having no idea how I was going to use them. Then I remembered the apple and celery salad I made this weekend and wanted to make something similar, yet different. This salad turned into something that was healthy that I also really enjoyed. Here is what I made.

Fall Wheat Berry and Fruit Salad
Makes 7 – 1 cup servings

Ingredients:

1 cup hard winter wheat berries
4 cups water
1 pinch sea salt (approximately 1/8 teaspoon)
1 cinnamon stick
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons apple cider
3 apple, diced (amounts to approximately 3 cups)
1 cup celery, finely minced
¼ cup currants
½ tablespoons celery seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped walnuts for garnish, optional

Directions:

Combine the wheat berries, water, salt and cinnamon stick in a heavy pot (I used an enameled 2 quart Le Creuset) and bring the water to a boil. When the water is boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for an hour before you taste them for texture. The berries will take between one and two hours to achieve a nice chewy texture. I prefer mine chewier so I cook them about an hour and a half. I have friends that cook them as long as two hours. I encourage you to taste them after an hour. You may need to add more water at the one-hour mark. I try to make certain the wheat berries are covered by at least one inch of water while they are cooking. If you want the wheat berries finished faster you can use a pressure cooker. Those instructions are given here.

When the wheat berries are the texture you desire drain them thoroughly in a wire sieve. Place the wheat berries a large mixing bowl and add the apple cider vinegar and the apple cider. The warm wheat berries will absorb the dressing better than cool or cold wheat berries.

Once the wheat berries have cooled add the apples, raisin, currants, and celery seed and toss to combine. Taste the salad for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired. As the salad sits in the refrigerator the flavors will begin to blend. It was definitely better after 3 hours under refrigeration.

When you are ready to serve, walnuts can be added if you wish.

Nutritional Information (without optional walnuts):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 151.14
Calories From Fat (5%) - 7.1

Total Fat - 0.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.13g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 61.79mg
Potassium - 271.28mg
Total Carbohydrates - 34g
Fiber - 6.51g
Sugar - 10.07g
Protein - 4.87g

Comments:

This salad is more savory than sweet, but definitely has background sweetness from the apples, currants and apple cider. Celery is the predominant flavor in the dish. This salad would also be good with a mayonnaise based dressing if you like your grain salads creamy.

Each serving of this salad contains a little less than a ½ cup of cooked wheat berries (specifically 3/7th of a cup for those following eat to live) and has approximately 19.5 mcg of selenium.

Unrelated note:

I am off now to start work on dinner. My recipe for dinner we be posted either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Curried Cauliflower, Mushroom, Carrot and Beans over Yellow Rice

(pictured: Curried vegetables over yellow rice that you can't see)


(pictured: yellow rice)

Please don’t let the long list of ingredients keep you from trying this recipe. The vegetables and sauce come together in the time it takes to cook the brown rice. This is a quick one-dish meal. It contains lots of veggies and whole grains and is low in fat. Not to mention high in fiber and protein. This is one of those meals that will keep you full for hours.

I like to include Indian food in our meal rotation as often as I can because so many health benefits have been linked to turmeric. The one I care most about is its ability to potentially kill cancer. Additionally I have read that turmeric is more bioavailable when it is sautéed in a little oil with a generous quantity of black pepper. So, that is how I use turmeric to maximize the health benefits.

Tonight’s dinner was flavorful as well as filling. Everyone enjoyed it, even the omnivores. Here is what I made tonight.

Curried Cauliflower, Mushroom, Carrot and Beans over Yellow Rice
Makes 4 large servings

Rice Ingredients:

1 teaspoon oil (canola or olive)
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon coriander seed
1 ½ cups brown basmati rice
3 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
2 black cardamom pods
2 bay leaves

Curried Vegetable Ingredients:

½ tablespoon oil (canola or olive)
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
14 ounces diced tomato
2 cups almond milk
4 cups cauliflower, broken into small bite size florets
6 cups mushrooms, cut into bite size pieces
6 large carrots, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup cooked beans, garbanzo (would be best, I used mini favas)
1 pinch of kosher salt
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, more if you like heat
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in water
3 green onions, finely chopped
½ cup bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
cashews for garnish – optional

Directions:

Sauté the turmeric, black pepper, and coriander for a few minutes. Then add the rice, water, cinnamon, cardamom pods and bay leaves and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling reduce it to a simmer and cook until the water is absorbed (about 40 minutes).

Allow the rice to remain in the pot uncovered for 10 minutes after you turn off the heat.

Remove the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and cardamom pods and then fluff it with a fork before serving.

While the rice is cooking make the curried vegetables. Heat the oil and cook the spices (turmeric through garlic) for a couple of minutes until they smell aromatic.

Now add the ingredients listed above tomato through salt and cook until the vegetables are as tender as you like. I cooked mine about 15 minutes. If the vegetables are done before the rice turn off the heat cover the pot and return when the rice is resting off the heat.

To finish the dish, thicken the sauce with the cornstarch slurry. Add the remaining ingredient just before serving. Stir them into the vegetable mixture. Save a little cilantro for the top. If you choose to add the optional cashews place them on top.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 578.58
Calories From Fat (13%) - 73.27

Total Fat - 8.46g
Saturated Fat - 1.09g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 263.17mg
Potassium - 1890.52mg
Total Carbohydrates - 107.63g
Fiber - 21.06g
Sugar - 13.91g
Protein - 21.81g

Comments:

This is not a traditional Indian dish; it is something I threw together from what I had on hand. Traditionally I have seen this dish include potatoes and not be served over rice. I was more in a brown rice mood tonight so I went with that form of starch instead.

I intentionally made this meal a little on the bland side since my elderly parents were coming for dinner tonight. If there were made just for Dan and I there would have been a fresh jalapeno or Serrano in this dish.

Each serving of this dish contains more than 21,600IU of vitamin A, 200mg of calcium, 240mcg of folate, 50mcg of folate, 600mg of phosphorus, 220mg of magnesium and 50mcg of selenium. A fairly healthy dish I would say.

Unrelated note:

I need to get moving, literally. I have gotten back on the exercise bandwagon and need to do a little more exercise before I call it a night. There is a bosu ball calling my name that I need to get back to, as it were.

I hope you are all having a good evening and are doing something fun, unlike me.

Quick Vegetable Brown Rice

Normally I make an extra serving of dinner and pack that for my husband to take to work for lunch. We ate all the vegetable wraps last night for dinner so I needed to whip together a little something for lunch. At 10 pm last night I was not feeling very creative and made something similar to dinner, but just different enough that it wasn't the same. Here is what I made.

Quick Vegetable Brown Rice
Makes 3 small servings (or 1 large husband serving and 1 small wife serving)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup long grain brown rice
1 1/3 cups water
1 pinch salt
½ red onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup crimini mushrooms, finely diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon liquid aminos
2 tablespoons mirin
1 cup mung bean sprouts
4 tablespoons cilantro

Directions:

Cook the rice, water and salt according to the package directions and allow to cool.

Combine the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, liquid aminos and mirin in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are mostly soft. Combine the cooked rice with the vegetables. If you are serving right away add the bean sprouts and cilantro now. If you are packing this for lunch, as I was, add the bean sprouts and cilantro once the rice has cooled so the cilantro and sprouts don't immediately wilt.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 194.68
Calories From Fat (6%) - 11.61

Total Fat - 1.49g
Saturated Fat - 0.28g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 431.57mg
Potassium - 445.8mg
Total Carbohydrates - 44g
Fiber - 3.66g
Sugar - 4.24g
Protein - 5.74g

Comments:

I make variations of this dish that change depending on the vegetables that I have on hand. It is a quick dish (especially if you have leftover rice, which I do often). I used the mirin in the dish to add flavor without additional sodium. The vegetables are lightly cooked to maintain more of their nutrition. Cilantro is added for fresh flavor. Bean sprouts add a little crunch. If you like nuts this dish would be good with a few peanuts as a garnish.

This dish is not a nutritional powerhouse compared to my vegetable intense recipes. However, it does contain 1700IU of vitamin A, 68mg of vitamin C, 57mcg of folate, 200mg of phosphorus, and 16mcg of selenium. This is another example of how reducing the total amount of vegetables and increasing the grains reduced the overall nutrition of the dish. Comparing these numbers to the vegetable wraps from yesterday shows me how eating more vegetables and fruit, and fewer grains, could contribute to a reduction in breast cancer.

In addition to this vegetable brown rice we are also having hummus with raw vegetables and an apple with walnut butter today for lunch. Hummus adds protein while the vegetables and apple add additional antioxidants. Walnut butter provides healthy fat. A mug of green tea with ginger and vitamin C and we have a filling and healthy lunch.

Lemon Cashew Rice

Tonight I decided to make Indian food and wanted to make lemon cashew rice as my starch course. This dish is traditionally higher in fat. My version is healthier but doesn’t compromise the flavor. This version is a blend of a 5 recipes from Indian cookbooks I own.

Turmeric is one of those spices that have been shown to prevent Alzheimer’s as well as being anticarcinogenic. In “Anticancer” I read that turmeric is more readily absorbed when it is sautéed in a little oil and with a good quantity of black pepper.

Lemon Cashew Rice
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups brown basmati rice
4 cups water
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
15 curry leaves
½ cup cashews
2 teaspoons turmeric
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions:

Cook rice and water until tender (45 minutes on top of the stove or 18 minutes in a pressure cooker). Allow rice to stand for 10 minutes covered before opening the lid. During this time make the spice paste.

Sauté the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and cashews in the canola oil until the cashews begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Then add the turmeric and black pepper to taste and cook another minute or two then turn off the heat. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and stir to combine.

Combine the spice paste with the rice and mix, trying not to mash the rice grains.

Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 333.06
Calories From Fat (25%) - 84.22

Total Fat - 9.93g
Saturated Fat - 1.65g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 18.38mg
Potassium - 457.29mg
Total Carbohydrates - 54.64g
Fiber - 2.96g
Sugar - 1.47g
Protein - 7.89g

Comments:

Both the men at dinner tonight thought this was the best dish on the table. This rice is packed with flavor. It has a burst of lemon flavor and the cashews add a nice change in texture to the dish. I reduced the fat considerably from the traditional versions of this rice that I saw but 25% calories from fat was the lowest I could get without completely changing the dish. If you are looking for an acidic rice dish this one is quite good. This rice could stand on its own in terms of flavor.

If you don’t have access to fresh curry leaves I would substitute fresh coriander. I am certain that it is not traditional but the flavors work together. If you want to obtain curry leaves check your local Indian grocery store. The leaves are very inexpensive at the Indian store where I found them.

Brown Rice Vegetable Sushi - Act II

Tonight I made sushi for my husband and I and my elderly parents. This was a bit of risky move since my 80-year-old parents have never sushi to my knowledge. Surprisingly they seemed to enjoy it. They really enjoyed the pickled ginger tonight, which was most surprising.

I am not going to post the complete recipe and instructions again since I posted that here yesterday. I am going to post recipes for the additional fillings and a different dipping sauce.

This time I used arugula in some of the rolls and intentionally let it come out the ends to make a pretty presentation without having to cut off the very end of the sushi and throw it away. I also included avocado slices in some of the sushi tonight. I made a shitake mushroom roll that was very good and baked some tofu to include in other rolls. I did come up with a sauce that is lower in sodium, but definitely not traditional. The sauce was pretty good you may want to give it a try.

Mirin Glazed Shitake Mushrooms
Enough for 1 whole sushi roll

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
2 – 3 tablespoons mirin
½ tablespoon liquid aminos
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a skillet and cook until the mushrooms and soft and the liquid has formed a glaze.

Use this in the middle of the sushi roll with bell pepper strips and fresh greens.

These mushrooms would be great on their own or on top of a bowl of rice. The taste is sweet and salty and surprisingly addictive. Once I tried them I wished that I had made more.

Nutritional Information (entire recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 34.57
Calories From Fat (2%) - 0.57
Total Fat - 0.15g
Saturated Fat - 0.02g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium 483.38mg
Potassium - 369.12mg
Total Carbohydrates - 18.4g
Fiber - 1.95g
Sugar - 1.48g
Protein - 1.55g


Baked and Marinated Tofu
Enough for 6 whole sushi rolls

Ingredients:

14 ounce package firm tofu
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon liquid aminos
black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the wine vinegar, garlic, and liquid ingredients and set aside.

Slice the tofu into long sticks and place it in the wet ingredients in a baking pan. Turn the tofu to coat all the side and top with freshly ground black.

Bake the tofu uncovered until the liquid is absorbed and the tofu is beginning to get firm (about 45 minutes).

Cool the tofu so you can pick it up and place it the sushi rolls.

Nutritional Ingredients (entire recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 369.85
Calories From Fat (46%) - 171.73

Total Fat - 23.15g
Saturated Fat - 2.15g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 994.47mg
Potassium - 750.23mg
Total Carbohydrates - 21.57g
Fiber - 1.65g
Sugar - 2.01g
Protein - 39.44g


Sesame Dipping Sauce
Makes enough for 8 whole sushi rolls

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sesame tahini
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon liquid aminos
1 tablespoon agave

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and whisk until smooth.

Serve in shallow individual containers for dipping.

Nutritional Information (entire recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 233.46
Calories From Fat (49%)- 114.92

Total Fat - 18.93g
Saturated Fat - 2.66g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 989.49mg
Potassium - 579.4mg
Total Carbohydrates - 36.55g
Fiber - 4.18g
Sugar - 0.54g
Protein - 5.45g

Comments:

After two nights of sushi in a row I am officially off the sushi kick for a few days. I love sushi as much as the next guy but I need a break now.

We liked the mirin glazed mushroom sushi the best. In fact we both think the mushrooms would make a great side dish. The rolls with baked tofu and avocado were also good. Both my husband and I liked the sharp bite from the arugula in the sushi. Arugula is something that I will continue to put in sushi.

I am a little shocked that my parents liked the sushi. There were a few questioning glances before they tried it but the apprehension didn’t last long. My father commented that the sushi was much milder in flavor than he expected. Next time there will be wasabi paste to accompany the pickled ginger!

Brown Rice Vegetable Sushi with Cucumber, Bell Pepper and Radish

Rose and I were chatting about the health benefits of seaweed the other day and then Debra made vegetable sushi. This was followed by one of the guys my husband works with wanting sushi restaurant recommendations. This all seemed like a message from above to make brown rice sushi to me.

Sushi is one of those things that both my husband and I love. We are lucky enough to have restaurants here that serve many varieties of vegetarian sushi. However those restaurants don’t sell brown rice sushi. This is why I started making my own sushi at home. It was a little fiddly the first few times I made sushi but it became easy after 3 or 4 rolls.

You can add any combination of ingredients to the interior of your sushi that you like. Sometimes I add avocado, sometimes wasabi it all determines on my mood. When you are new to making sushi, or a little rusty, they are easier to roll if there isn’t too much veg on the inside.

Brown Rice Vegetable Sushi with Cucumber, Bell Pepper and Radish
Makes dinner for 2

Rice Ingredients:

2 cups short grain brown rice
2 ¼ cups water
1 pinch salt
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ tablespoon mirin
½ tablespoon agave
1 teaspoon salt

Sushi Roll Ingredients:

4 sheets nori
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 radishes thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Sauce Ingredients:

1 tablespoon liquid aminos
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
1 tablespoons mirin

Directions:

Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Drain the rice and add it to your pressure cooker. Soak the rice in the water, with the pinch of salt for one hour. After one hour cover the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Release the pressure from the cooker and move the rice to a large bowl.

Combine the vinegar, mirin, agave and salt and whisk to combine. Put the vinegar on the rice and gently toss the rice in the vinegar being careful not to mash the grains. Fan the rice until it is a little warmer than room temperature.

Prepare the vegetables for the rolls.

Cover your sushi mat with plastic cling film. This isn't necessary but it makes certain the mat stays clean. Get a bowl of water for your hands ready.

Place the nori on the sushi mat and add ¼ of the vinegared rice to the nori and spread it evenly on the nori except for the top inch of the nori. This clean edge is necessary to seal the nori. You may find it easier to handle the rice if your hands are wet.

Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of the sesame seeds on the rice. Place ¼ of the raw veggies in the middle of the rice. Begin rolling the sushi from the edge closest to you. Use the mat to hold the sushi and continue to roll and press firmly. When you get to the end of the roll use the water to wet the nori and continue to roll and press firmly. Enclose the sushi roll in the plastic cling film that you had on the sushi mat. Make the other three sushi rolls the same way.

To prepare the sauce combine the ingredients and whisk. Pour into two separate containers for dipping.

To serve use a very sharp knife to cut the sushi into 6 to 8 pieces from each roll. It helps the sushi to not if the knife is cleaned and dipped in water after each cut.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 453.92
Calories From Fat (13%) - 58.28

Total Fat - 7.13g
Saturated Fat - 0.6g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1668.92mg
Potassium - 505.36mg
Total Carbohydrates - 98.49g
Fiber - 11.01g
Sugar - 5.87g
Protein - 10.27g

Comments:

We both enjoyed our veggie sushi tonight. It was mild in flavor but still quite yummy. My only complaint is the amount of sodium most of which came from the dipping sauce. I don’t know that it is possible to make an Asian dipping sauce without soy (or liquid aminos in this case). However if I can think of a way to reduce the sodium next time I will.

Peppers, Onions and Tomato in Amarone Sauce Over Amaranth

Amaranth is something that we don’t eat often at our house but I should make it more often. The texture or amaranth is very different from most whole grains. When cooked the amaranth is similar to a combination of polenta and chia seeds in terms of texture. If you like polenta you should give amaranth a try. Amaranth is a complete protein like quinoa.

Both my husband and I love red Italian wine. We used to drink a bottle of Italian wine once or twice a week. Brunello was our favorite wine. Discovering that wine was linked to an increase in all forms of cancer was not something either my husband or I wanted to know. But it was too late once we knew, “it was out there”. (Fans of "When Harry Met Sally" will understand the reference). Since we have given up drinking our red wine I have begun to cook with it. My theory (which could be all wet) is that cooking the wine evaporates most of the alcohol leaving only the flavor behind.

Tonight’s dinner was a quick meal. I made the sauce while the amaranth cooked. The entire meal was on the table in a little under 30 minutes. This makes a great weeknight meal.

Peppers, Onions and Tomato in Amarone Sauce Over Amaranth
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2/3 cups amaranth
2 cups water
½ red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
½ cup Amarone (dry red wine)
½ tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
1 yellow tomato, cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
1 tablespoon pine nuts

Directions:

Combine the amaranth and water in a saucepan with a lid. Turn the heat to high until the water boils, and then reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes.

Combine the onion, garlic, peppers and Amarone and cook until the onions are soft. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook until the sauce thickens. Add the tomato a minute or two before serving to heat the tomato thoroughly. Taste the sauce with seasoning and adjust the salt and pepper before serving.

To serve, place the amaranth on the bottom of the dish, top with the vegetable and red wine sauce and finish with the basil and pine nuts. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 423.22
Calories From Fat (16%) - 66.47

Total Fat - 7.9g
Saturated Fat - 1.37g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 34.24mg
Potassium - 896.89mg
Total Carbohydrates - 67.01g
Fiber - 12.65g
Sugar - 9.3g
Protein - 13.19g

Comments:

This dish is what I call Italian comfort food. The dish gets most of its flavor from the red wine so it is critical that you like the taste of the wine you choose. As the wine reduces the flavor gets more intense so pick a wine you love. Fresh basil adds a nice flavor and aroma to the dish. Pine nuts add a nice earthy quality to the dish.

It is important to tell you that this dish is extremely filling. I had planned to serve a second dish with this meal and both my husband and I were too full for the second course.

This meal is high in nutrition. Each serving contains approximately 4970 IU’s of vitamin A, 195 mg’s of vitamin C, 239 mg’s of calcium, 125 mcg’s of folate, and 414 mg’s of phosphorus to name a few.

Spinach Pancakes with Salsa Fresca and Tofu Sour Cream

This past week I have been reading “The Professional Chef” like a novel and have made a list of 85 recipes I wanted to make vegan and healthy. The recipe for spinach pancakes stood out to me as something that would make a quick weeknight meal.

If you make sweet pancakes or any other type of fritter this is very similar. I added the salsa fresca because I thought a few more vegetables would be good. Tofu sour cream is great on anything and I like the counterpoint of the cold smooth texture on the hot pancakes.

It took well under 30 minutes to have this on the table. If you aren’t having soup or a salad with these pancakes then make this into two servings, otherwise it will not be enough to fill you up.

Spinach Pancakes with Salsa Fresca and Tofu Sour Cream
Serves 4

Pancake Ingredients:

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
¼ cup white corn meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons egg replacer
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup almond milk
10 ounce box of frozen spinach defrosted and squeezed dry
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil, for cooking

Salsa Ingredients:

1 yellow tomato, finely diced
1 red tomato, finely diced
1 cucumber, finely diced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

8 tablespoons tofu sour cream, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees to hold the pancakes.

For the pancakes combine the flour, corn meal, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl combine the egg replacer and warm water and whisk until frothy. Add the almond milk and whisk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and whisk to combine. The consistency of the batter should be like traditional pancakes. Depending on the humidity level you may need to add a little additional water or almond milk to correct the consistency of the batter. When the batter consistency is right add the spinach and nutmeg to the batter and stir to evenly distribute the spinach in the batter.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet with a little canola oil and cook the pancakes in batches over medium high heat until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through. The pancakes should be firm to the touch in the center. If you aren’t certain whether they are cooked through or not place them in a 300-degree oven for 15 minutes and they will surely be cooked through.

Hold the pancakes in a 200-degree oven while you finish dinner. They can stay here for at least an hour and probably longer.

To make the salsa dice all the vegetables into small dice (approximately ¼ inch) and add the vinegar. Toss to coat and allow the salsa to stand for at least 10 minutes. You will drain the salsa before serving so it doesn’t make the pancakes soggy.

To serve plate the pancakes with tofu sour cream on top and drained salsa in the middle.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 379.43
Calories From Fat (22%) - 81.6

Total Fat - 9.43g
Saturated Fat - 1.01g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1064.25mg
Potassium - 4497.63mg
Total Carbohydrates - 60.05g
Fiber - 21.5g
Sugar - 5.31g
Protein - 28.15g

Comments:

Both my husband and I liked dinner tonight. I made the soup earlier so that the flavors could blend before we ate. The spinach pancakes came together quickly after we had our soup.

The trick to these pancakes is getting the consistency of the batter right. I keep my whole-wheat flour in the freezer, which causes it to be drier. To compensate I always need to add additional liquid to recipes. I gradually add water by the tablespoon or two until the consistency is correct. Don’t be afraid to do this, as I once was. If the batter is too thick your pancakes will be too heavy.

Oatmeal with Goji, Mixed Berries, Banana and Walnuts

Sorry about the lack of recipes yesterday. There were a lot of appointments and errands yesterday that kept me away from the kitchen and computer. Yesterday ended on a very positive note with dinner from Ian.

As always I came home with ideas for things I can make at home. We had a nice potato gnocchi with tomato and fennel sauce last night (hold the pecorino). There was an also a little plate of crispy garlic and chili green beans that was vegan without any modification. We love mixed mushrooms particularly when morels are included. The mixed mushroom fricassee with fresh herbs was quite lovely. We got full before we could order the fresh asparagus with pineapple salsa and pomegranate molasses. You can expect to see my variation of all of these recipes in the coming weeks.

This morning it was in the low 50’s so oatmeal seemed like the appropriate breakfast. I had dried goji berries soaking in the refrigerator so I tossed those into the oatmeal to see if we would like them this way. We are always looking for another way to work the goji berries into our diet. Any food with an ORAC value over 25,000 is something I want to make certain we get regularly.

The statistics were given for the oatmeal as three servings since my husband had two bowls and I had one bowl. The frozen berries did a nice job of cooling down the hot oatmeal before I added the banana.

Oatmeal with Goji, Mixed Berries, Banana and Walnuts
Serves 3

Ingredients:

¼ cup of dried goji berries, soaked overnight in ½ cup of water
1 ½ cups oatmeal, dry
3 cups water
1 pinch salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ginger, powdered
1 ½ cups of frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries and Marion berries)
2 tablespoons golden flaxseeds, freshly ground
¼ cup English walnuts
1 banana, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Combine goji berries (and their soaking liquid), oatmeal, water, salt, cinnamon and ginger and stir to mix. Microwave on high until cooked (a few minutes at most). Add the frozen berries and ground flaxseed and stir to combine. Move the oatmeal to individual bowls and top with banana and walnuts.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 287.55
Calories From Fat (29%) - 84.65

Total Fat - 10.01g
Saturated Fat - 1.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 105.9mg
Potassium - 333.05mg
Total Carbohydrates - 49.25g
Fiber - 9.92g
Sugar - 17.55g
Protein - 7.81g

Comments:

Oatmeal was very welcome on this cool morning. We slept last night with the windows open because I love the fresh air so it was a little cool in the house this morning when we got up.

I really liked the berry and banana combination. Walnuts and flaxseeds were added for omega 3 fatty acids. Cinnamon and ginger added flavor and antioxidants. This oatmeal didn’t need the almond milk for flavor although that would have made it rich. I would have included it but since I was out most of the day I didn’t get a chance to make almond milk, so we were out.

Today is another busy day with cooking class and more errands. I hope to have time to post another recipe before I need to leave here. If not there will be an extra recipe tomorrow. I hope you all have good day.

North African Barley Risotto with Merguez Flavored Seitan Sausages

The weather today was cool here. I don’t think we got above 73 degrees. When the weather is cool I like to make warm hearty meals. Risotto has been a family favorite for a long time, but now I make it with barley since it is more nutritious. Barley risotto does take twice as long as rice, but I think the extra fiber and antioxidants are worth the time.

This dish needs the crispy peppers and almonds added at the end for textural contrast. The flavor is reasonably subtle, but complex. Be careful not to add too much saffron, as it can get bitter like turmeric. Next time I may double the raisins and almonds in this recipe. I had expected this to make 6 servings, but in was so filling that we all ate less than I expected.

North African Barley Risotto with Merguez Flavored Seitan Sausages
Serves 8

Ingredients:

½ tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and finely minced
2 cups of pearled barley
½ cup pinot grigio (or other dry white wine)
10 - 12 cups of boiling water, or light vegetable stock
1 teaspoon of kosher salt, added slowly according to the recipe
3 merguez flavored seitan sausages, sliced in half lengthwise and then into ¼ inch half moons
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 pinches saffron threads
¼ cup golden raisins
1 lemon, zested and juiced
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup fresh cilantro, finely minced (or you could use mint, or a combination of the two)
1 red bell pepper, finely minced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely minced

Directions:

Sauté the onion in the canola oil until soft, but not brown. Add the barley and cook for a few minutes to toast. Add the white wine and stir to deglaze the pan. When the water has evaporated add the water or vegetable stock 1 or 2 cups at a time and stir to begin developing the creaminess. Add the seitan sausages, cumin, coriander, saffron, raisins and lemon zest after the first addition of water. When the water is mostly absorbed add more water 1 or 2 cups at a time. Continue to stir after each addition of liquid. Taste the liquid in the risotto pan after each liquid addition and add a little salt if necessary. I find if salt is added a little bit at the time it seems to go through the risotto more completely. When 2/3’s of the water has been absorbed check the barley to see if the texture is soft enough. The entire cooking process will probably take 45 minutes. Barley risotto is much more time consuming than Arborio rice prepared in the risotto style.

Add the lemon juice when the risotto has reached the right consistency. I think cooking lemon can turn it bitter so I like to add it once the heat is turned off, when possible. You can also add the almonds, cilantro, and peppers at this time.

Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 324.41
Calories From Fat (15%) - 48.54

Total Fat - 5.66g
Saturated Fat - 0.55g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 306.04mg
Potassium - 378.55mg
Total Carbohydrates - 51.62g
Fiber - 10.14g
Sugar - 5.05g
Protein - 17.08g

Comments:

I was surprised how filling this dish turned out to be. The crispy raw bell peppers and crunchy almonds add a lot to this dish. If everyone at your house likes mint that would be great in this dish. We had a mint hater at dinner tonight so I had to use cilantro exclusively.

Bulgur, Broccoli and Tomatoes with Lemon and Pine Nuts

This is a common side dish at our house. When I need something to accompany a burger or a piece of tofu or seitan this is good dish to know.

I combine broccoli and tomatoes since their health benefits are more readily absorbed together than separately. Lemon was added for flavor and vitamin C. The pine nuts were added for texture and unprocessed fat. I drizzled a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil over the dish to give it the right mouth feel.

Bulgur, Broccoli and Tomatoes with Lemon and Pine Nuts
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup bulgur wheat
1 pinch kosher salt
1 clove garlic, grated
3 cups water
3 cups broccoli, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Combine bulgur, kosher salt, garlic, and water in a pot with a lid. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the to a simmer. Cook until the water level reaches the top of the bulgur (about 15 minutes). Remove the lid and add the broccoli, tomatoes and lemon zest. Cook, with the lid on, until the water is absorbed (about another 10 minutes) and then allow the bulgur to stand for 5 minutes to finish cooking.

When you are ready to serve fluff the broccoli with a fork and add the lemon juice. Top with toasted pine nuts and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil when you serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 207.2
Calories From Fat (25%) - 51.68

Total Fat - 6.05g
Saturated Fat - 0.66g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 31.22mg
Potassium - 607.95mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.64g
Fiber - 8.01g
Sugar - 3.39g
Protein - 7.5g

Comments:

This is a quick and healthy side dish when you need something to round out a meal. I prefer dishes like this that combine grains and vegetables compared to straight grains.

We had this tonight with a burger topped with balsamic glazed onions, and that tofu chocolate mousse my husband requested.

Healthy Summer Vegetable Sauté Over Brown Rice

This is the perfect dish to make when you have a lot of farm fresh produce. I love the farmers’ market but always seem to buy too much produce. By combining many of the veggies from the refrigerator I created an all American sauté that tasted like summer.

I try to buy shitake mushrooms often because they contain lentinan, which is thought to fight cancer as well as boost the immune system. Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family so it is another cancer fighter. Onions and garlic also contain ingredients that are thought to fight cancer. Pinot grigio was added for flavor, Italy has to sneak into every dish I make. I finished the dish with a little Earth Balance because it was so low in fat without it that I wasn’t certain we would be able to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in the dish.

Healthy Summer Vegetable Sauté Over Brown Rice
Serves 4

Rice Ingredients:

2 cups short grain brown rice
4 cups water
1 pinch of salt

Vegetable Sauté Ingredients:

½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup green beans, tipped
½ pound fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced
2 cups shelled lima beans
2 cups corn kernels
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup of pinot grigio
1 tablespoon earth balance (vegan margarine)
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh basil leaves, torn – optional but recommended
1 cup cherry or pear tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Combine rice, water and salt and bring to a boil in a pot with the lid on. When the water is boiling (about 5 minutes) reduce the heat to a simmer and set your timer for 40 minutes. When all the water is absorbed, which will probably happen at about 45 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the rice to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Combine all the remaining ingredients, except the salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat while the rice is standing. When the vegetables are as tender as you like check the dish for seasoning and adjust the salt and pepper.

To serve, top the rice with the vegetable sauté, tomato halves and tear a little fresh basil on top if using. Fresh thyme stripped from its stems would also be good in the dish. If you are going to use thyme add it to the last few minutes of cooking to help the flavor and aroma to permeate the dish.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 428.73
Calories From Fat (10%) - 43.53

Total Fat - 5.03g
Saturated Fat - 0.84g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 302.66mg
Potassium - 759.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 84.98g
Fiber - 13.97g
Sugar - 5.68g
Protein - 13.18g

Comments:

This dish tastes like summer to me. I love a good vegetable sauté and this one is no exception. If you weren’t watching your fat as closely as we are another tablespoon of Earth Balance would be good in this recipe. The basil adds a lot to the freshness of the dish so I highly encourage you to add it. Overall this was a nice, fresh dinner that both my husband and I enjoyed. The dish is very filling so despite the light taste it is a one dish meal.

Whenever I use fresh shitake mushrooms I save the stems in a bag in the freezer. Then when I make mushroom stock I include those in the broth. Shitake stems are too tough to be pleasant to eat, but they have great flavor. If you have room in your freezer, and you make stock, save them for use later.