Lentil Stew

Today we cooked another one of my favorites! This lentil stew recipe is from the Clean-Eating cookbook, a great place to find healthy, very tasty food. The sweet potatoes add so much to this dish, giving it a slightly sweet flavor. 

 

 Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

1 cup Puy lentils
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, passed through garlic press 

1 Tbsp avocado or extra virgin olive oil 

2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced
4 bay leaves
½ cup wheat berries or wild rice

1 Tbsp brown rice miso

½ tsp dried thyme
1-1 ½ cups low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock

Sea salt and pepper

Directions:

Prepare lentils according to package instructions. Lentils should be chewy, not soft. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic together for about 2 minutes in oil. Add remaining vegetables and bay leaves and continue to cook 5 minutes more. Add wild rice or wheat berries and continue to cook 35 minutes. If stew is too thick, dilute with water or stock. Mix one tablespoon of water with the miso and add to stew. Add cooked lentils. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and thyme. Remove from heat and serve.

 

Nutritional value per serving: 6 servings. Calories:240; Calories from Fat:28; Protein:11g; Carbs:42g; Dietary Fiber:13g; Sugars:4g; Fat:3g; Sodium:164mg.

 

Note: I used regular green lentils because I couldn't find the puy the first time around. I threw in a few parsnips as well, since we still have some left over.  I also used wild rice instead of wheat berries, fresh bay leaves, and vegetable stock. 

Oatmeal in the Morning

There's nothing more comforting for breakfast than a nice big, hot bowl of steel-cut oats drizzled with maple syrup and topped with raisins!

 

I love oatmeal, and eat it every morning for breakfast. Steel-cut oats take about 35 minutes to make, so I usually make them ahead of time if I have to work in the morning. I usually pour some unsweetened coconut milk in with the oats and microwave them for 2 minutes, and they're good to go! There is a wonderful recipe from Tosca Reno's Eat-Clean Diet cookbook that I absolutely love! And the recipe usually lasts for about 4 breakfasts.  

Quinoa with Oats

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, soaked for 2 hours

1 cup steel-cut oats

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 cups water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup organic raisins

Directions:

In a medium saucepan with a lid, place soaked quinoa, steel-cut oats, sea salt and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cinnamon, vanilla and raisins and let sit for several minutes. Serve hot. 

Nutritional value per serving: Calories: 187; Calories from fat: 24; Protein: 6g; Carbs: 37g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugars: 8g; Fat: 3g; Sodium: 6mg

Note: If you need to sweeten the oatmeal, I suggest using maple syrup or honey. Those are always better than using processed sugar. Also, apples and bananas, or any other kind of fruit can be used instead of raisins in regular steel-cut oats. Whatever you feel like =)

Hearty Greens Soup with Bowtie Pasta and Tomatoes

Today we're making one of my favorite soups, courtesy of the Whole Foods website. There are a few things we changed this time, from the original recipe. We used reduced sodium vegetable broth instead of the water, because it was a little too bland the first time around. And on top of carrots, we added some parsnips we had left over from the Irish stew. A little extra veggies never hurt anyone! =) Also, we couldn't find escarole, so we just left it out and put in a little extra spinach. We have yet to actually cook it with the parmesan rind in the soup, but do add a sprinkle of parmesan when it's ready to eat along with some crushed red pepper that gives it the perfect amount of spice.

 

Onions, parsnips, carrots, fresh bay leaves, tomatoes, and spinach. 

 

The beautiful red Swiss chard we got at Whole Foods. 

Hearty Greens Soup with Bowtie Pasta and Tomatoes  

Serves 6 to 8

Use all manner of kale, chard or other hearty greens in this filling cold weather soup. Look for Parmigiano Reggiano rinds, ideal for flavoring soups and stews, in the specialty cheese department.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
4 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
8 cups water
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 3/4 pound), roughly chopped
1/2 bunch escarole (about 1/2 pound), stemmed and roughly chopped
1/2 pound dried bowtie (farfalle) pasta
1 (3-inch) Parmigiano Reggiano rind, plus grated Parmigiano Reggiano for garnish
1/4 pound baby spinach

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid is released and absorbed, about 5 minutes more. Add carrots and water and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Stir in Swiss chard, escarole, pasta and Parmigiano Reggiano rind, reduce heat, cover and simmer until broth is flavorful and greens and pasta are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper.

Remove and discard bay leaf and rind from soup then ladle into bowls, garnish with grated cheese and serve.

Nutrition Per serving (about 17oz/476g-wt.): 200 calories (45 from fat), 5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 350mg sodium, 34g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 7g protein

 

 

Hearty Irish Lager Stew

Last week we tried a new recipe out of this month's Vegetarian Times magazine. It was delicious!!!! It was definitely more time consuming than other recipes, so a good one for a day off. The stew had a great flavor and had a different kind of taste than most things we cook, maybe from the lager. I had never cooked with parsnips before and was pleasantly surprised. They taste very similar to carrots, but a little less sweet. Tasty!

 Hearty Irish Lager Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz. button or shiitake mushrooms, halved

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 medium leek, white part only, diced (1 cup)

3 small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups)

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (2 cups)

2 small parsnips, peeled and sliced (1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 tsp. tomato paste

1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in a bundle, plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, divided

1/2 cup lager beer

1 1/2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 Tbsp. white miso

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Heat 1/2 Tbsp. oil in large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp. oil to pot. Add leek, and cook 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Add lager, tapioca, and mushrooms. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often. Remove thyme sprigs, stir in cabbage and miso, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until cabbage softens. Stir in chopped thyme and parsley, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. 

Per 1-cup serving: 118 cal; 4g prot; 2g total fat (<1g sat fat); 23g carb; 0 mg chol; 204mg sod; 5g fiber; 5 g sugar.

Note:  When it says 2 cloves garlic, we always put more. Garlic is one of our favorite things to cook with, and the more the merrier! Also, we don't peel carrots anymore. Same for the parsnips. You can't tell a difference in the dishes we make, and the closer to the ground the better!

Better than chicken soup!

Today I came home to a nice warm pot of "Better than chicken soup"!! It is one of my favorites, and I honestly believe it's a miracle soup. Since it is so packed full of vitamins and nutrients, it is the perfect soup to make during cold season when you need an extra immune boost. It has a different kind of flavor that not everyone may like, as the ginger and cayenne are very predominant flavors. But if you decide to try it, especially when you aren't feeling well, you'll be amazed at how much it helps!! =)

 

Better Than Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, divided
1 tsp ground turmeric
8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 ½ cups julienned fresh kale
1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
6 thin slices astragalus root (optional)
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 tsp miso paste

In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons broth, stirring occasionally, until tender and most of the broth has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add a splash of broth if needed to keep onion from sticking, then stir in turmeric and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in remaining broth, kale, squash, ginger, cayenne and astragalus. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then add lemon juice and miso (adding miso when still very hot will diminish it’s probiotic benefits). Cover and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6. Per serving (about 11oz/300g-wt.): 90 calories (5 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 19g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 2g protein

Compounds in GARLIC, particularly allicin, help optimize the body’s immune system and have been shown to decrease the number of people who got a cold and its duration.

Several medicinal mushrooms, including SHIITAKE, REISHI, MAITAKE and CORDYCEPS, contain polysaccharide compounds that stimulate the body’s immune system.

Some common kitchen spices - TURMERIC, CAYENNE, allspice - support a healthy immune system. Spicy foods such as cayenne or horseradish may help clear sinuses.

Dark leafy green kale holds immune-boosting carotenoids - BETA-CAROTENE. LUTEIN- and, as a cruciferous vegetable, has powerful phytochemicals.

The abundant VITAMIN A in butternut squash is an essential component for the production and activity of certain white blood cells. It is responsible for the body’s first lines of defense, the respiratory tract and mucus membranes.
Zingy GINGER root has been lauded for its medicinal properties since ancient times in Asia, India and elsewhere- and now for immune-system support.

VITAMIN C (found here in lemon juice) is integral for white blood cell production and healthy inflammation response. Studies show that taken preventatively, it can decrease severity and duration of the common cold.

Like other fermented foods (yogurt, kefir), miso (soybean paste) contains PROBIOTICS, which aide your body in maintaining healthy levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut and intestines- very important for immune system function. 

Note: We skipped the astragalus root since I couldn't find it, and after researching it a little, found it wasn't the best to eat if you have diabetes. The cayenne ads a great flavor, and the spice helps open up your sinuses if you're not feeling well. We also have been using the pre-cut butternut squash, and couldn't find it this time, so cut up our own, and it's SO much better!! It is wonderful to enjoy this soup with a nice big piece of whole wheat bread! =)

Vegan Pizza

I saw an article in a magazine about making pizza without the cheese and loading it with as many veggies as possible, so we decided to give it a go. I thought about adding pesto too, which sounded delicious, until we got to the store and realized that there's parmesan cheese in pesto. I should have known that! And after driving 13 hours home from vermont the day before, I just didn't feel like making our own pesto. So, we grabbed some fresh oregano and basil and chopped a heaping pile of that up with some garlic instead.

I've had an obsession with mushrooms lately, so I figured that maybe it's my body telling me that I need a certain nutrient, and I looooove portabello mushrooms, so we decided to go mushroom heavy!! End result, it was delicious. I really didn't miss the cheese as much as I thought I would. A little crushed red pepper added just the needed touch of spice!

Deciding to start a blog

Well, I've been tossing around the idea for a few months about starting a blog of our new found interest in cooking and eating healthy.  About 3 weeks ago, I picked up the book The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone, and decided that I wanted to try eating vegan to see how it made me feel. So for the past 3 weeks, I haven't touched anything with animal products in it (ok, except for maybe an apple cider donut on our vermont trip this past weekend), and I can honestly say I feel a little bit better. I feel a sense of being lighter, not weight wise, even though I have lost 5 lbs, but not so weighed down. And I've been told I even look healthier. So, we'll see how it goes. We've made some amazing dishes since I've started eating vegan. I'll post some pictures shortly =)