Whole30 Vegetarian Day 6: Warm Beet Salad with Kale, Citrus and Pistachio (Vegan, Paleo).

 

 

Day 6! That's 1/5th of the way through the Whole30 program! That's math ya'll!

 

This morning brought another banana + coffee for breakfast. On days when my husband is at work I prefer a lighter breakfast. My husband, on the other hand, wakes up ravenously hungry, and we end up eating heavier fare on those days, so expect some more breakfast recipes as we go through the next few days.

 

Dinner tonight will be leftover soup from Day 1, and some steamed mixed vegetables. Nothing fancy there.

 

So today's recipe is lunch (although you could make it for dinner, or even breakfast if you wanted to).

 

The warm, earthiness of the beets is brightened by chunks of sweet orange, and salty, crunchy pistachios, then drizzled with fresh grapefruit juice and olive oil. It's a quick, tasty and satisfying meal, especially if you prepare your beets ahead of time, like I did. Make the beets the night before, then simply slice and heat in a skillet for a few minutes before topping your salad.  Or just eat the beets cold. It will be great either way.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups of chopped kale

1 orange, peeled and sliced

2 beets

1/4 cup of pistachios

juice of 1/2 fresh grapefruit

1 Tbsp. olive oil

pepper to taste

 

You can roast the beets if you like, but the quickest way is to steam or boil them. Wash beets and remove leaves and stem. Steam for about 30-45 minutes, or until soft but not mushy. Cool slightly and remove skins (they should slide right off). Slice your beets into thin disks.

 

Meanwhile, place your kale into a large salad bowl and top with orange slices, pistachios, beets, grapefruit, pepper  and olive oil. Due to the heartiness of kale, you can enjoy this right away or make ahead and it will keep for a day or so without becoming a soggy mess. Enjoy!

Roasted Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Mint and Goat Cheese

 

I spent the last week in Portland with my sister and her sweet new baby. I was so grateful to be able to help, and it doesn't hurt that I got my baby fix in!

 

But after traveling and being a houseguest, and all of the eating that goes with it, I came home craving veggies in a major way. So dinner tonight was packed full of veggie goodness, beginning with this salad.

 

I roasted the chickpeas with garlic and olive oil, then stirred in some mint, crumbled goat cheese and lemon. Seriously delicious hot or cold.

 

 

Alongside I served a green salad with tomatoes, oranges, cranberries and sunflower seeds in a balsamic vinegar and some simple steamed green beans. Delicious and just what I needed to get my body back on track.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups (or two drained cans) of chickpeas

2-3Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of chopped mint

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup of crumbled feta or goat cheese

 

In a baking dish combine the beans, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes at 375. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice, mint and cheese. Serve.

 

Finally, I leave you with a sweet picture of my new nephew Sabin, sleeping in my arms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Red Quinoa Salad with Feta and Cucumber.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a super-trendy, super-food. Almost as popular as kale. And rightfully so:

Did you know it's actually a seed , not a grain, and is more closely related to beets? Plus it's full of protein, calcium and fiber and is as easy to cook as any other grain.

As my kids head back to school today after their long winter vacation, I'm once again treated to the pleasure of tea with friends and lunches that consist of something other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's nice to have this time to myself for a small portion of each day, to find a moment to practice, to cook and to clean, or simply take a 10 minute savasana.



Ingredients:
(Serves 8)

1 cup red (or white) quinoa
2 cups water
1 English cucumber, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup of chopped kalamata olives
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup of crumbled feta

For the sauce:
scant 1/3 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of red vinegar
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, combine all of the ingredients and whisk together until well blended. Set aside.

Once your quinoa is cooled, combine the rest of the veggies and feta, stirring to combine. Toss with the sauce. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Cabbage and Cucumber Salad with Tahini Sauce

In the early morning hours, when I'm stealthily getting ready for class while the rest of my family is still sleeping, I enjoy the quietness of the house. In a large family, someone is always talking or needing attention, and these small moments of being alone are like a sanctuary for me.

I just started reading Planet Walker, a book about a man who didn't speak or ride in cars, in an effort to bring around awareness of environmental issues, for the better part of 2 decades. He stopped talking, he recalls later, because he needed to do more listening.

It's funny how much we, as a species, communicate verbally without being clear and without really listening to each other. This is what I'm thinking about today as I head out to teach my morning class.


On another note, this recipe is from last night's dinner. Crispy and fresh, with the sweetness of the cabbage and the tanginess of the tahini, perfect for summer. I have been using this tahini sauce a lot lately, and you're going to see it used in a few more recipes over the next week or so. So make a big batch and stick it in the fridge, it pairs well with sandwiches, salads and beans.

Ingredients:

1/2 of a head of green cabbage, chopped

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

dried dill, for garnish

Tahini Sauce:

equal parts tahini and water

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Combine the tahini, water, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl and whisk together. Adjust water as necessary.

Layer the cabbage and the cucumbers and top with cherry tomatoes. Drizzle the tahini sauce on top and sprinkle with dried dill.

Warm Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

What a delightful lunch or accompaniment to your dinner plans! The tangy chevre, once baked, oozes out all over the salad, creating a delicious topping to a baby green and herb salad.

Ingredients:
1 log chevre, chilled
1/2 cup coarse chopped walnuts
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs
olive oil
Mixed baby greens
a handful of fresh dill, chopped
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the walnuts and the crumbs into a bowl and mix well.

Combine the spring greens and dill in a large bowl, then transfer to individual salad bowls, one for each person. Drizzle with balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Divide the kalamatas between each salad.

Cut log into thick circles and dip in olive oil, ensuring that it covers all sides, then coat them, one at a time, with the walnut mix.

Cook the cheese on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes. When done, using a spatula, carefully transfer the cheese (it will be soft!) to top each salad. Serve immediately.

Rejuvenation Salad

What a simple and easy treat. Perfect for post-yoga rejuvenation (hence the name!)

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 an avocado, diced
1 tsp each toasted sesame oil and apple cider vinegar
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the veggies in a bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.

Vegan Detox Salad with Ginger Carrot Slaw

Holidays got you feeling a little sluggish? This salad is vegan and salt free (aside from what's in the miso) but doesn't lack for flavor! So give your digestion a little fiber and nutrient boost, guilt free. Remember, oil is not the enemy as long as it is a high quality oil like olive, coconut, avocado or sesame. Oils help lubricate your digestive system, cleanse the liver and keep the skin healthy.

Toss together a giant salad of your favorite mixin's. I used spinach, green beans and tomatoes, but use what you like!

The dressing is what makes it really special.

Slaw Dressing:

1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 inch section of cucumber, roughly chopped
2 inch peeled section of fresh ginger
1 tsp miso paste
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
about 2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water

Finely chop your vegetables in the food processor. Add in the miso and the rest of the liquid ingredients and process until finely-chunky-smooth.  Dollop your slaw ontop of your salad and top with grated carrot and more chopped green onions.

Pita Salad

I've been branching out of my usual salad repetoire (romaine does get boring after a while) and this one is a nice little side dish, really fresh and light. We had it with a simple minestrone soup.

I cheated by using pita chips, but you could just as easily toast your own.

Ingredients:

1 cup pita chips
1 diced English cucumber
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, chopped
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, diced (optional)

Combine in a bowl and toss with sauce (recipe follows). Let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

sauce:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix well in a small bowl .

Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

I LOVE spring rolls. They're like tasty little hand-held salads that you dip into peanut sauce.

But access to them are seriously lacking in my remote mountain locale. So when I finally learned to make them I was pleased to find out how easy, and cheap, they really are to make at home.

Start with a package of spring roll wrappers. These things, by any account, look like anything BUT food. But trust me, you've got it right. They look like this:

Soak one sheet in a plate full of water, submerged, until soft, about 1 minute or so. Then, being careful not to overlap the slippery, delicate rice paper, lay it on a clean, dry plate. Fill as you would a burrito, with your choice of toppings. I used spinach, carrot sticks, celery sticks, bell pepper slices, grated zucchin and micro-green sprouts.

Then fold in the ends and roll carefully. Continue this process until you have enough spring rolls to feed your hungry hoard. Serve with peanut dipping sauce, if you like.

Plank Pose Panzanella

Every Sunday I make a few loaves of bread for the week. We love it for the first few days but by the end of the week, I always seem to have half a loaf of homemade bread that's in need of using.

This week I'm chopping up my lovely herb loaf leftovers and making panzanella, which is an italian bread salad. It is vegetarian and if you opt out of the mozzarella, it is vegan.

Plank Pose Panzanella

4-6 cups cubed bread

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic

1/2 chopped red onion

4 tomatoes, wedged

1/2 cup kalamata (or any other) olives, halved

handful of fresh basil

1 cup chopped mozarella (optional)

dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Combine bread cubes with 1/3 cup olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Toss to coat and spread onto cookie sheet. Toast bread in preheated 400 degree oven until brown (about 8 minutes).

Let cool. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, add the bread and top with dressing, tossing to coat. It's best if you let it sit for about half an hour before serving.

Plank Pose

Plank Pose is also called the "top of a pushup." From hands and knees, place the palms of your hands on the mat, spreading the fingers wide. Step the legs back, one at a time, until you come into plank pose. Keep both legs straight, lifting the backs of the knees toward the ceiling. Tuck your tailbone in and engage your buttocks. Draw the navel in and look slightly forward. When ready to come out, drop the knees to the mat and return to a neutral position.

Curried Tofu Salad

Curried Tofu Salad

1 (12 oz) package of extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

1 large carrot, grated

1 chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped peanuts (or other nut)

1/4 cup chopped dates (or other dried fruit. Raisins work well too)

1 glove garlic, minced

1 green onion, chopped

Sauce:

1 tsp curry powder

1 Tbsp mayonnaise (or vegannaise)

1Tbsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1Tbsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tofu on lightly greased cookie sheet. Cook tofu, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Then remove and cool.

In the meantime, mix the sauce ingredients with a fork until smooth. Set aside.

Combine salad ingredients: carrot, tofu, green onion, fruit and nuts. Top with sauce and stir thoroughly. Chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.

You can use this as a sandwhich or wrap filling, or simply enjoy with crackers!

This recipe was added, by me, to allrecipes.com and you can find it there too!