Greek Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Today is grocery shopping day, which meant trying to cobble together a lunch for Wayne with the barebones ingredients left in the refrigerator.    Because I had cooked chickpeas in there due to our recent obsession with roasting/baking them, I decided to try a recipe I came across recently.  Although I didn't have many of the ingredients listed, see *note below,  I did manage to make something that looked good, at least.  After I made it and brought his lunch to his truck, he remembered he had to take a customer to lunch, so we saved it for the next day...then I stole it for my own lunch. 

So glad I did - it was great! 

Greek Chickpea Salad

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

1 cup garbanzo beans
1/4 cup +/- minced onion
1/4 cup +/- minced red bell pepper
1/2 tomato, diced

Black pepper
Garlic powder
Cayenne, just a touch

1/2 avocado
Lemon Tahini Dressing (recipe below)

Combine the beans, chopped vegetables, and seasonings into a salad bowl.   Add avocado slices and top with fresh greens.   In the photo, the chickpea mixture is on the bottom, the lettuce on the top. 



We kept the salad like that so that the greens stayed crisp, or you could keep them separate until it's time to eat.  Then toss together...



and top with dressing. 



* Dr Fuhrman's version adds brazil nuts, cucumber, apple, potato, cilantro and balsamic vinegar. 


Lemon Tahini Dressing

Serves about 4

Ingredients:

Juice of one lemon
1-2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp water 

Whisk ingredients together and store in the fridge until needed. 

The Salad versus The Boy

In my continuing attempt to convert him to salads, I decided to try this wedge of lettuce.  It's the iceburg lettuce that I use for my breakfast salads, and I noticed how sweet and cool it tastes.  So, I surrounded it with some of his favorite vegetables and served it to him when he was hungry.

Of course, the first words out of his mouth were "I don't want that lettuce."  But, I told him it was sweet lettuce, to just try it.  He did and he liked it.

This was the largest dinner plate we own, so it's quite a bit of veggies.



This is what he returned to the kitchen...




I had to at least TRY with the bell pepper, but I knew it was a goner from the start.  After he ate his veggies, he got his treat - pizza on a whole wheat pita.  I used half pasta sauce and half my hidden veggie pasta sauce.  pasta sauce here

Miscellanea

Just a bunch of random things today....

Salad dressing on-the-go in a disposable pack...




I don't know what these are - found them on my camera.  My guess is they are Disney's Toontown inspired.








Made a loaf of my Banana Bread for the weekend trip.  Left it on the counter to cool.  Came back to this.  I don't know how such a little boy can eat so much.





Homeschool.  Early morning.  




My latest smoothie.. Mixed berries, kale, spinach.




My breakfast to go...

Spicy Black Bean dip

This one's easy, quick, and good for dipping raw vegetables or crackers into.

Spicy Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large bell pepper, chopped
2 cups black beans
1/2 cup salsa, drained

Water saute the onions, garlic, bell pepper until onions are translucent.  

Add all ingredients including cooked vegetables to the food processor and process smooth.    Add seasonings to taste - garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne powder, black pepper. 

 

Vegan Pho

We are addicted to Pho and have been for years, many years before our switch in eating style.  As is true with many recipes, this one is a work in process that may never have an end.   Nonetheless, here is our latest attempt, pictures to follow later.

Vegan Pho

Broth:

1-2 large onions, chopped

2 inch piece ginger root, minced and peeled
½ - 1 lb mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic bulbs, minced
5 large carrots, shredded
1 cup white cabbage, shredded  

Water saute the above until it starts to get soft (onions translucent) and mushrooms release their water, then add 6 cups water or vegetable broth.    Add seasonings (below) in a seasoning ball/strainer or just pop them in and be prepared to fish them all out. 

 

Seasonings:

Star anise – 1 or 2
Cinnamon stick – 1
Cloves – 1-2 Tbsp
Corriander seeds – 1 tsp
 
Cook broth and seasonings in the crockpot on high 4 hours or on the stove, simmering for 45 minutes.   Add vegetables, additional mushrooms, or tofu cubes as desired. 

Possible vegetables:

Sliced into ribbons – collards, bokchoy, cabbage, broccoli slaw greens, other greens

Continue to cook until the vegetables are finished, then remove the strainer ball. 

Serve over spiralized zucchini or other noodles;  rice noodles are traditional but not really nutritarian.  

 

Garnish with :

Lime wedges

Bean sprouts
Green onions
Serrano chiles
Ciliantro
Basil
Sriracha sauce, optional  

Note:  many sauces are high sodium, high sugar, and non-vegan.   It is possible to replicate the taste of these sauces in many ways depending on your personal sodium intake needs.   

 

 

"Not Beef" & Broccoli

My old chinese food favorite was Beef & Broccoli; this is our version of a Not-Beef & Broccoli that has the same flavors without the meat.   (Will update with pictures as soon as I can.)

Serves about 6 as a main dish


Ingredients:

1 pound mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 pound broccoli florets, raw or frozen
1 cup carrot sticks or chops
1 cup sno peas, asparagus, or other vegetable
Vegetable broth
Brown rice or quinoa, cooked

Water saute the mushrooms, onion, garlic, and bell pepper in 1/4 cup of water, adding more water as needed.  Cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms start releasing their water.   Add 1 cup of no salt added vegetable broth.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli and other vegetables until brightly colored, well before they get soft.  Add to the saute pan and toss with the sauce, recipe below.  

Serve over cooked brown rice, quinoa, or a bed of chopped broccoli slaw, cooked greens, raw greens....the possibilities are endless. 


Sauce:

1/2 cup onions, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced

Saute these in a small pot with 1/4 cup of water or a half teaspoon of olive oil until onions are translucent.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix 3/4 cup red wine with 1 TBSP cornstarch until dissolved. 

When onions are cooked, add the wine sauce to the pot as well as 1 TBSP oyster sauce or hoison sauce and 2 TBSP lower sodium soy sauce or Braggs or a soy sauce replacement (vinegar, onion powder, molasses).   Cook about 5 minutes on medium/low until it thickens and flavors merge.  

Healthy Stuffed Potatoes

I've wanted to try making these for months now and finally had an occasion to do so (and finally had potatoes in the house).  They turned out so good that I didn't like the ones that had the sauce on them because it was strong enough to mask the incredible flavors of the food.

They were a hit among our guests as well, most of whom were not vegan or nutritarian.

 

Ingredients:

Potatoes, 12 whole spuds**
Broccoli, about a pound of florets
Sno peas or asparagus, 1 cup or more
Shredded carrots or matchstick carrots, 1/2 cup
Mushrooms, 1/2 pound
Onions, 1 cup diced
Garlic, 5 cloves
Seasonings, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, onion powder, red pepper, etc.

Optional - sauces, see recipe links and notes, below.

* measurements are approximate depending on the size of the potatoes, but leftover "stuffing" is not a bad thing!  Our guests were dipping into the leftover stuffing and eating it with a fork. 

** any kind of potatoes will work for this including sweet potatoes, but we used russets with our first try.


Directions:

Wash potatoes, make a couple of shallow slices in each with a knife or pierce with a fork.

Bake at 350 for about an hour, depending on your oven it may be more or less time, until the potatoes are fully cooked.

Let potatoes cool, then slice each potato in half lengthwise. Next, scoop out most of the flesh from each half, leaving a thin layer inside the potato to keep the skins intact and upright, about 1/4".   You can discard the flesh or save it for another dish (sweet potatoes can be added to many soups, stews, chili, etc. for a great nutrition boost and delicious flavor boost). 

The above steps can be done the night before if you are making them for company, or just make them far enough ahead of dinner time to allow them to cook and cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, chop onions, garlic, mushrooms and sauté in a pan until onions are translucent (water sauté or use a teaspoon of olive oil).

Steam the raw vegetables, broccoli, sno peas, asparagus, carrots (or microwave if using frozen) until they are just beginning to soften and are still bright green/orange.

Combine all of the cooked vegetables in the sauté pan, season well with your choice of seasonings. 

With a slotted spoon, scoop out the vegetable/mushroom mix and add to the potato skins.   At this point, I added a bit more seasonings, more garlic and black pepper, then put them in the oven on broil for about 2-3 minutes.

The potato skins were slightly crispy even without using any oil on them.  

 

 

Sauces:

There are two recipes for sauces for these potatoes that we made, but neither ended up being necessary due to how delicious these were without any sauce at all.  

One sauce, recipe to follow shortly, was our Asian themed sauce, reminiscent of the Beef and Broccoli sauce at our favorite Chinese food restaurant.  

The second sauce was the "cheese" sauce from the Vegan Mac & Cheese recipe here.



Pasta e Fagioli, The SOUP

An old family favorite, made over.   I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get to ETL-izing this recipe, but the wait has only made it taste better. 

I'm not sure Olive Garden would recognize it now. 


Ingredients:

1 extra large onion, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
5 large carrots, shredded
1 bulb of garlic, or less, to taste
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cups minced greens like kale, collards, spinach

1 pound dried beans, cooked, or equivalent in canned, no salt added if possible
      We use pintos, navy, cannellini beans but any will work
2 oz whole wheat or other pasta, small shaped, cooked
14 oz +/-  canned or cooked tomatoes
2 tablespoons condensed tomato paste

Seasonings - pepper, splash white or rice vinegar, garlic powder, dash cayenne or red pepper, etc. 


Directions:

I start by boiling my beans in the morning, letting them sit an hour, then popping them into the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours without ANY seasonings.  

( Mom's best friend, pictured below, cooks while she sleeps, shops, works, works out, and so on.)  



Later, saute vegetables in 1 tsp olive oil or 1/4 cup water for about 10 minutes.














Then, add 1 cup water and continue to cook until onions are translucent, carrots start to get soft. Add water if needed; this will start to make its own thick broth. 













After beans are cooked, add cooked vegetables with their broth to the beans in the soup pot or crockpot. 



 




Add seasonings, tomatoes, paste, sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes.    Before serving, add precooked pasta. 

 

With the pasta added -

 

Mac 'n' Cheez

While shopping for groceries last week, I saw a box of whole wheat macaroni and was inspired to finally try my hand at a Mac & Cheese recipe, nutritarian style.   I wanted beans in it for thickness and a bit of protein, and lots of vegetables for nutrition and for flavor, and carrots in it for color and sweetness.    Next time, I may try a bit of carrot juice, but I hated to haul out the juicer just for this little bit. 

It turned out great and passed the 8 year old and 18 year old taste tests.   They ate what I gave them and came back for seconds...I'm glad I tasted it before giving it to them or there'd be none left to try. 




Ingredients:

1/2 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
4 large mushrooms
2 large carrots, shredded

1/2 + cup cooked navy beans
About 1 cup uncooked dry macaroni, cooked to package directions

1 heaping tablespoon cashew butter
1/4-1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
seasonings - pepper, garlic, onion powder, dash of salt (optional)


Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Saute the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and shredded carrots until the onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften.  Remove from heat, let cool, and then process in a blender or food processor until smooth.   Add cashew butter, almond milk, yeast, and seasonings and blend/process further. 

At this point, I mashed the navy beans with a fork, but you could add them to the food processor or even leave them whole.   When the macaroni is cooked, add the sauce on top with the mashed beans and stir.   Season further if needed, to taste. 

I didn't call it Mac & Cheese to the little guy until he said he liked it and did put a small pinch of skim mozzarella cheese on top to tempt him for the first dish.   By the second dish, he didn't need the cheese, just wanted seconds.  
 

Waffles

A recipe posted by a member on the Fuhrman board, originally by Dr. McDougall, and modified a bit by me. 





Ingredients:

2 cups oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup raisins
2 cups water
1/2 cup almond milk
1 shredded large apple
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, 1/2 tsp

Mix all together in a large bowl.  If possible, let the raisins soak at least an hour or even overnight, or blend them with the liquids so that they release their sweetness. 

Cook in waffle maker or as pancakes.

Toppings:

Frozen blueberries or strawberries or other fruit, defrosted
1/2 tsp chia seeds, mixed into the chopped fruit
splash vanilla
1/2 tsp honey

Mix all and let sit in refrigerator for a couple of hours. 

Salad, for breakfast

Weird, I know, but it's something I've been meaning to try and wouldn't have believed how good it was until I tried it.  


Salad base of greens - spinach, romaine, spring mix

Fresh fruit, chopped, any.  We've used apples, bananas, oranges, and frozen/defrosted berries.  Fresh berries work, as well, but it's not the right season for them yet.

Chopped walnuts, optional if you use a nut based dressing.  

Optional, dressing.  We've made Blueberry and Strawberry and both are delicious. 



This salad was our first attempt, with greens, fresh fruit, and walnuts.  I did notice the lack of dressing so decided to attempt a fruity one for our next try.

A super easy, sweet, delicious dressing.   Combine juice of one lemon, splash of almond milk or POM juice, a half cup of blueberries or other berries, and a bit of cashew or other nut butter.  

It's purple.   And good.  But definitely purple. 

We recently tried the same recipe but using strawberries instead of blueberries.  It made a very sweet, yummy dressing.    DS tried an orange segment dipped into it and asked for a glass of the dressing only (ha). 

Recycling glass jars for storage. 

Beautiful colors and flavors and lots of nutritious goodness - for breakfast.  

I try to look sad when I tell people I'm on a diet.  

Apple Pie Oatmeal

After learning about the extrusion process performed on cereal grains, we made our own granola for our son to eat cold as he is not a fan of cooked oatmeal.    Those that know him will know that "not a fan" means none will cross his lips.  

Thankfully, those days are gone as he's now eating hot oatmeal for breakfast nearly every morning, and this little puppy is what induced him to do so.   Between the name and the taste, you can't go wrong. 


Apple Pie Oatmeal:

1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal (we use old fashioned or quick cooking, not instant)
1 cup water

1 large apple, shredded (if not organic, peel first)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp honey
2 tablespoons, heaping, of raisins
1 heaping tablespoon of crushed walnuts (finely crushed, in our case)
Optional - add a splash of plant or nut milk

Cook the oatmeal per package directions.   Add the other ingredients, stir in, and serve.   We do our oats in the microwave, it takes 2-3 minutes to cook and the other ingredients are assembled, chopped and cleaned up by the time the oats are ready.  

A few views of various attempts.  The second photo was an attempt at chunks of walnuts, whose rejection resulted in photo #3 where the walnuts were crushed into powder.  

A Healthy Sandwich for the Little Ones and Not So Little Ones

I'm as surprised as anyone that he will now eat these sandwiches, and the one below is our latest update.   The key, I think, is making it attractive and tasty.


Ingredients:

• Whole grain or your other favorite bread or wrap
• Lettuce - we started with iceburg for its mild flavor, then moved on to romaine or fresh spinach
• Cabbage - either the sweet, white kind or the red/purple one, both went over well
• Tomatoes - fresh, sliced
• Spread - we started with mustard but have now combined avocado, which he hates, with mustard and seasonings.  He never noticed the avocado, didn't mind when I told him, so I've gradually increased the avocado to mustard ratio. 

This is a shot of our first attempt; it has a little skim mozzarella cheese, finely shredded version because it looks like more than it is and goes further, as a bit of an enticement to try the sandwich.   None of our later attempts included it and he never noticed it missing.  Sneaky mom, 1 point. 

 

A funny note about the picture.   I only made a half sandwich because I didn't want to waste the bread if he didn't like it.   He brought back the plate and asked for the other half, then asked me to write down the ingredients for it, post them on the fridge, so that he could make it whenever he wanted.  A roaring success. 

Smoothies, again

Another variation on our smoothies, in a pleasing greenish black color (ha). 


Ingredients:

Almond milk or nut butter+water
Bananas
Greens - spinach, kale, collards, spring mix, romaine or other lettuces/greens
chia or flax seeds
Blueberries, blackberries, other mixed, frozen berries
1 each, oranges and lemons, squeezed juice

Add all to the blender and blend smooth.  We find it easiest to add the liquids and greens first, blend them smooth, and then add the fruit, seeds, etc.

The lemon juice helps mask the green, grassy flavors of the stronger greens (arugula, radiccio, kale) and the orange juice does the same plus adds a bit more sweetness. 

Kid Friendly Pasta with Hidden Goodness

My son knows I put vegetables and mushrooms into his food and is okay with it as long as there are no chunks and no overwhelming flavors.  

This dish turned out a pasta sauce that was a little unsettling to him when he first saw it as the pasta sauce was no longer bright red but a brownish red, but once he dug into it, he cleaned his bowl and pronounced it "good".   High praise for anything brown or green. 


Ingredients:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Bell Pepper
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes, fresh
• Tomatoes, sauce or paste
• Cooked, whole grain pasta or your favorite other pasta

Chop onions, garlic, pepper, mushrooms and fresh tomato

Saute with 1 tsp olive oil or water saute

Just as onions turn translucent, add chopped kale and spinach or other greens

Let finish softening, add a bit of water and let simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavors to release, meld together. 

 Let cool and add to blender with tomato sauce and seasonings, to taste.  We use pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. 

Combine with pasta and store until eaten.   In the past, we've added a pinch of low fat or skim finely shredded mozzarella cheese to tempt him into eating this, but we are out of it now and he didn't seem to mind the loss.  

Cooking Ahead, Part 3

A busy week ahead means a couple of hours spent in the kitchen getting ready will pay off big time in keeping us eating healthy for the next few days. 

I once read that women used to knit, quilt, and do other crafting because most of their every day work is not permanent, and they wanted something they did to stay DONE.   Laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, all of it is never ending, never finished, never stays done.   With that happy thought.....

Today's food prep -

• A kid friendly pasta dish, full of hidden vegetables, mushrooms, greens
• Kid friendly overnight oats cereal
• Chopped greens and kale
• Confetti salad
• Two salad dressings - Caesar and Strawberry
• Cheezy Kale Soup
• A frozen smoothie trial attempt - first time
• Black bean chili
• Brown rice for the chili
• Roasted chickpeas for snacking

Prep:

Most important tip - start with a clean kitchen and an empty sink.   Fill one sink with hot soapy water and get a clean dish towel for drying.   Also, we will need a wash cloth for wiping counters and floor spills, a big "trash" bowl and a veggie scrap bowl. 

Chopped the vegetables for the pasta dish, the Kale soup, the Chili and then sauteed them.   Onions, mushrooms, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes.   

Food processor - carrots for the Kale soup and confetti salad, then cabbage, cauliflower for the confetti salad.

Roasted garlic for the dressing and chickpeas - took the garlic out after 15 minutes, left the chickpeas in for 40

Washed, dried, then chopped romaine lettuce for salad greens, store in fridge.   Then did the same with 7 bunches of kale - some for the soup, the rest chopped and put in the freezer for smoothies.

 

 Boiled the whole wheat noodles for the pasta dish. 



Assembly:

Put a half pound of lentils in the crockpot with water for the Kale soup, added cooked onions, mushrooms, garlic, peppers and chopped kale, shredded carrots.   I popped the carrots and kale in the dirty pan from the onion/mushroom mixture and cooked them with a bit of water first, to speed cooking time.   Set on high for 4 hours.

Put the cooked onions, mushrooms, garlic, peppers with raw spinach and kale and more tomatoes into the blender with a little water and tomato sauce, blend smooth for pasta sauce.   Add to cooked noodles and store in fridge.  Rinse blender.

In a soup pot, put Black bean chili ingredients - precooked black beans & pinto beans, tomatoes, peppers, and the cooked onion/mushroom/garlic/bell pepper mix.   Season as desired and let simmer for 20-30 minutes to merge flavors. 

In a glass bowl with a lid, add 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup almond milk, raisins, vanilla, 1/2 tsp honey, and 1/4 tsp cocoa powder - store in fridge until ready to eat (overnight or at least 8 hours).   Do as many of these as you want cereal meals. 

In storage container, add shredded carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and some of the raw onion, bell peppers, garlic for confetti salad.   Season, if desired, and store in fridge. 

Blend ingredients for Caesar dressing - nut butter, water, roasted garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, dijon mustard, pepper - and store in dressing container in fridge.  Rinse blender.

Blend ingredients for best ever sweet dressing, Strawberry :) , seen above in pink...  defrosted strawberries, cashew butter, water, and juice of 1 lemon.   Store in dressing container in fridge.  No need to rinse blender because....

We're making smoothies now.   Add all ingredients (banana, cashew/walnut butter, water, greens, berries, chia) and blend smooth.    Pour into glasses to serve and one went into the freezer for the frozen smoothie experiment.  I used a leftover glass container with no lid. 

Put brown rice in the rice steamer and let it go.  Really wish I had one that turned OFF when done rather than went to WARM.  

Store the now cooked and cooled chickpeas for snacking later, squeezing lime and seasonings over them first. 



Quick clean up, putting away partially used items, wiping counters, sweeping floors, taking out the trash and compost scraps.  

When the soup, chili, rice is finished cooking, let them cool a bit, store in the fridge, and wash out the pots.  Then, a nap or resting with a cup of something warm is definitely in order.