Spring Greens and Beet Salad with Creamy Maple Dijon Dressing

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Another week has come and gone.  Seriously?  How is it that time is going so quickly lately?  Last weekend my SIL had her baby girl (She's an absolute doll!  Red hair like mama.), and my husband's coworker had her little boy as well.  An old family friend's wife also had twins this last week.  This has truly been the week of the baby, and it made me stop in my tracks and look at little Ben who is not so little anymore.

At 8.5 months, Ben's personality is growing bigger every day.  He started crawling a few weeks ago and is on the move constantly.  Baby gates and serious baby proofing need to happen very soon in our house.  All of the new babies in the world really made me stop this week and savor those baby snuggles and admire Ben's tiny hands squishing his food, and wrapping around my finger when he nurses.  These moments will be gone before I know it.

We have a busy busy month coming up.  I have mostly been a SAHM, but have been kept on by my company as a temporary on-call employee when they get busy and need extra help.  I got a call from my boss last week to see if I would be up for going across the state to the Spokane office to help them with some organizing before the office has tenant improvements.  A company sponsored trip to go home and see family (and work a little I suppose)?  Heck yes!  I'm picking up a rental car tomorrow, and then Sunday Ben and I leave to go to Spokane for the week.  I'm lucky to have a mama willing and happy to watch Ben while I work for the week, and I'm excited to see some of my old coworkers.

After being in Spokane next week, we'll head back home and then spend the 4th of July holiday with Kevin's family on vacation in Ocean Shores, which is 2 hours away.  After we get back from that we'll turn around and leave the next day to go back to Spokane.  Ben will be staying with my parents over that next weekend while I go to Lake Chelan with my girlfriends for a friend's bachelorette celebration.  This will be the first time I'm away from Ben for longer than a half a day.  I'm sure I'll have a wonderful time relaxing and celebrating with my girls, but I know I'll miss him so much.

After the Lake Chelan weekend I'll go back to Spokane and spend the week there helping my hometown church with Vacation Bible School.  The next weekend Kevin will fly into Spokane and we will go to my friend's wedding and then Ben will be baptized on Sunday before we head back home.  It's a lot of travel, and I'm hoping Ben does well with the drives.  We've driven to Spokane once before a few months ago, and he did great as long as we had frequent stops to eat and get some wiggles out.

Anyways, you came here for the beet salad right?

Beets don't tend to be a very regular vegetable in our house, but when I get a craving for beets, I just have to have them!  Beets are high in phytonutrients and anti-oxidants, and have anti-inflammitory properties.  Beets are also high in folate, manganese, potassium, and copper.  I always think when we get plant-based cravings, it is our bodies needing an extra bit of something that that food is high in.  So, I picked up some beets, steamed them in my InstantPot, and enjoyed them in this salad all week.

Spring Greens and Beet Salad
with Creamy Maple Dijon Dressing
Time: 10 minutes 
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients:
        1 beet - peeled, steamed, and thinly sliced
        4-6 cups mixed spring greens
        3-6 radishes, thinly sliced
        1/2 - 1 cup cooked brown lentils (you can sub in any bean you'd like)
        small handful of pecans (optional)
        Dressing:
            1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
            1 Tbsp almond butter (tahini, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter would work well too)
            1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
            1-2 Tbsp water to thin

Instructions:
1.)  Prep all ingredients.  See my notes below on how to steam the beets and cook the lentils quickly in the InstantPot.
2.)  In a small bowl mix together the dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Add in the lentils and stir to coat.
3.)  In a large bowl layer the spring greens, beets, and radishes.  Then top with the lentil dressing mixture.  Sprinkle some chopped pecans on top if desired.  Enjoy immediately.

Amy's Notes:
I would suggest steaming several beets and cooking a couple cups of lentils ahead of time to have in salads all week.  If you do this, store the ingredients separately and prep just before eating the salad.

To steam beets - Remove the tops and bottom root with a knife, wash thoroughly.  Place a steamer basket in the InstantPot with the whole beets and 1-2 cups of water.  Set to cook on high for 15 minutes.  Do a quick release or a natural pressure release when the timer is done.  Allow to cool, peel, slice, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

To cook the lentils - Rinse and pick through 2 cups of dry brown lentils.  Place then in the InstantPot with 3 1/2-4 cups of water.  Set to cook on high for 10 minutes, and allow for a natural pressure release.  Drain any excess liquid and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

You can really tweak this recipe to be just how you like it.  Change your type of greens, use golden beets instead of red, use chickpeas instead of lentils, use honey mustard instead of Dijon.  The point is, make a salad and enjoy it!  I sometimes get lax about having a salad every day, but if I change it up from week to week with yummy recipes like this, I really look forward to my greens at lunch.

Health and Happiness,

Amy

Simple Greens and Quinoa Salad

I've been going for simple lately.  After having some tummy issues a few weeks ago (more on that in another post), I've been sensitive to more exotic foods.  To get my system back in normal digesting order, I've been sticking to simple recipes.

Since my actual volume of food I've been able to eat has decreased, I have been having a bit more calorie dense foods, such as nuts, dried fruit, and avocados.  For those of you who are following Dr. Fuhrman's more aggressive weight loss plan, try subbing 1/2 of the avocado in this recipe for the same volume of defrosted and mashed green peas.  You'll still get that avocado flavor, but with less calories.

The recipe below has been my go-to salad for the last week or so.  It has 5 ingredients!  5!  It doesn't get more simple than that.  Plus, I can prep and mix all of this with a cutting board, paring knife, fork, and large bowl.  I'm all for less to clean!

Simple Greens and Quinoa Salad
Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 main dish servings, or 4-5 side salad servings
Print this recipe!

Beet, Mushroom, and Onion Salad

It took me quite a while to warm up to beets, even after I became a Nutritarian.  The first beets I remember trying were in a can.  Several weeks into being a new Nutritarian, I was looking for ways to bring some interesting flavors to my daily salads.  I threw the can of crinkle cut beets into my cart and popped them open to try once I got home.

Terrible.  They tasted almost metallic (probably from the can now that I think about it).  I forced a few more slices down before I determined beets just weren't going to be part of my salad thing.  At least not at the time, anyway.

A few years later I saw some golden beets at a farmers' market and decided to give it a try again, this time with the fresh stuff.  I ended up liking those beets both roasted and steamed.  After that, I gave red beets a try again and decided my first experience was not telling enough of this roots' wonderful culinary (and health) virtues.

I've heard some people say that beets can "taste like dirt", and it is true that they have a more earthy taste, but then again so do a lot of different wines, some cheeses, as well as very common kitchen items like mushrooms and lentils.  Earthy is a fun flavor to play with, especially by adding ingredients with acidic, nutty, and sweet notes.

Beet, Mushroom, and Onion Salad
Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
        1 1/2 - 2 lbs mixed gold and red beets (about two bunches), tops and roots removed, peeled and cut in half or quarters
        1-2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
        1/2 red onion, sliced
        1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
        1 Tbsp soy sauce
        1 Tbsp syrup sweetener (such as date syrup, honey, maple syrup, etc.)
        1 Tbsp sesame seeds

To serve: fresh dark greens, nuts

Instructions:
1.)  Cut the tops and root tips off of the beets.  Wash and peel.  Cut in half or quarters if the beets are large.  Place in a steamer basket and steam on the stove top for about 15 minutes, until the beets are fork tender.  Remove from heat and dunk the steamer basket into an ice bath to stop the cooking and cool the beets down.
*** If you have a pressure cooker, you can steam your beets that much faster.  Check your pressure cooker manual charts for the correct directions and time needed.***

2.)  Slice the cooked beets into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.  In a large bowl combine the sliced beets, mushrooms, red onion, and sesame seeds.
3.)  In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and sweetener.  Pour the liquid over the beet mixture and stir to combine well.  Let marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 4 days.
4.)  Serve chilled or at room temperature on top of fresh spinach or kale (bonus points if you use the beet top greens!).  Sprinkle with chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts for an extra treat.

Amy's Notes:
For those who haven't tried beets before, or if it has been a while, red beets have quite a bit of pigment in them and their juices that can stain counter tops, cutting boards, sinks, hands, and ahem... personal waste removal.  Just take some precautions by wearing gloves and using an old cutting board, and cleaning up splashes on counters and sinks with a damp cloth as they happen.  Also don't be alarmed when your poo comes out red-ish.  You are not dying, nor are you in need of medical assistance.  Keep calm and know that you got lots of fiber, vitamins, and nutrients!

Health and Happiness,

Amy

Superfood Salad

Do you ever have those times when you take a look in your fridge and pantry, and magic just happens?  This was one of those times.  It had been a while since I had had quinoa, and I love the idea of having it cold in a salad.  I find that quinoa sometimes becomes a bit too mushy for me when I try eating it warm.

Hope you enjoy this salad packed with nutrients as much as I did. :)

Superfood Salad
Time: 10 minutes prep + grain/lentil cooking time
Servings: 3-6

Ingredients:
        1/2 cup dried french green lentils, rinsed
        1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed very well
        1 1/2 cup water

        1/2 bunch kale, stem removed and chopped
        1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
        1 head broccoli, stem removed and roughly chopped
        1/4 cup dried cranberries
        1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

        1/3 cup plain hummus
        1/4 cup water, more to thin
        2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
        1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
        black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1.)  Cook the quinoa and green lentils on the stove top or in a pressure cooker.
      
Stovetop: In a medium saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups of water and the dried lentils.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, add in the quinoa, return to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 more minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered for 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and cool in the fridge in an uncovered dish until cool.
 
Pressure cooker: In a pressure cooker, combine 1 1/2 cups water, the dried lentils, and quinoa.  Lock the lid and set the vent to the closed position.  Set the pressure cooker to cook on high for 10 minutes.  After the timer goes off, do a quick release of the pressure.  Fluff with a fork and set to cool in the fridge in an uncovered dish.

2.)  Once the lentils and quinoa has cooled to room temperature at least, prep the remaining salad ingredients and combine with the lentils and quinoa in a large bowl.

3.)  In a small bowl, stir together the hummus, water, lemon juice, and black pepper to taste.  Thin with water as needed.

4.)  Pour the dressing mixture over the salad and stir well to combine.  Sprinkle with ground flaxseed for a little nutty taste.  Serve immediately or store in the fridge in a closed container.  Enjoy!

Amy's Notes:
Mmmm!  I can't tell you how much I love this salad!  The textures blend perfectly, and the small amount of dried cranberries (or craisins as I usually call them) gives you that little bit of sweetness.

If you are on the strict 6-week plan, here are a few changes to keep you on track better...  Instead of craisins, add in halved grapes or one chopped up apple.  Halve the walnuts and sprinkle them on top, or omit them altogether.  Make sure to use an oil-free and low-salt hummus.  If you are being cautious of your grain intake, double the lentils and omit the quinoa.  Double the amount of chopped kale to make it more salad-y.

Another nice addition to this salad could be some chopped red onion.  I had a meeting to go to the day that I made this, so I saved others my bad breath this time.

Hope you enjoy!  I think this one is going into my favorites list.  It might find its way to our family Thanksgiving table this year as well.  :)

Health and Happiness,

Amy

Patriotic Grain Salad

It seems like the summer is just flying by!  I can't believe the 4th of July is on Friday already.  Although I'm not planning on going to any BBQs or Pot-Lucks this holiday, I thought I would make a salad to enjoy over the weekend regardless.  This salad is grain-based and very filling.  It is great to have on its own or on top of a pile of dark greens yum!

Patriotic Grain Salad
Time: 20 minutes + grain cooking/cooling time
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
    Salad:
        6 cups cooked whole grains*
        3 cups red cabbage, shredded
        1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
        1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
    Dressing:
        1 package firm silken tofu, drained but not pressed (approx 12-14 oz)
        1/2 English cucumber, roughly chopped, unpeeled
        1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
        2 cloves garlic
        1 tsp dried or 2 tsp fresh dill
        black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1.)  Cook the whole grain following the box instructions.  Allow to cook and cool while you prepare the other ingredients and dressing.  Make sure to drain any excess liquid from the cooked grains.
2.)  Prepare the remaining salad ingredients and mix in a large bowl.

3.)  In a high speed blender, blend the tofu, lemon juice, and garlic until smooth and creamy.  It should be just thinner than a greek yogurt.  Add in the cucumber, mint, and dill and pulse until the cucumber is finely chopped and the spices are well mixed.

4.)  Stir the cooked and cooled grain into the salad bowl.  Top with small amounts of the dressing and stir.  Keep adding until you have the desired amount of dressing on your salad.
5.)  Serve chilled with fresh dill sprinkled on top (optional).

Amy's Notes:
*The grain pictured in this recipe is millet, but quinoa would look very similar.  Some other grain options include barley, wheat berries, brown rice, bulgur, farrow, or wild rice.

Ok, so I was originally going for a red, white, and blue theme in this salad for patriotism, but sometimes you just have to use your imagination.  The red is the radishes, the white is the dressing and grain, and the blue is the red onion and cabbage... close enough right?

The salad dressing, if you didn't notice, is very much like a Greek tzatziki sauce.  If you have any left over (I used all of mine on the salad), serve it as a yummy yogurt-like chip or veggie dip.

Gah!  This one is blurry!  Seriously, I need a better camera than my iPad!

Crisp Cucumber Celery Salad

I swear, I come up with the best recipes when I'm in a rush!  I packed another salad-winner this morning for work and it hit the spot so well that I thought I should share it with you!

Crisp Cucumber Celery Salad
Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1-2

Ingredients:
        Salad:
                3 celery stalks
                1/2 cucumber
                1/2 cup cooked beans/legumes (I used french lentils)
                1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (fresh mint would also go well in this salad)
                Mixed Greens
        Dressing:
                1 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
                1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
                1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
                1+ Tbsp water (more to thin)
                1/4 tsp dried dill

Instructions:

1. Wash all produce very well.  Trim the edges of the celery and cut on the bias (aka in a pretty diagonal).  Cut the cucumber in half, then in quarters length-wise, then slice.
2. In a small bowl or container, add all of the dressing ingredients and stir thoroughly to mix.  Add more water to thin to the desired consistency.  
3.  Place the cucumber, celery, and beans/legumes in a medium sized container.  Pour the mixed dressing over the mixture and toss to coat well.  
4. Serve the cucumber and celery mixture by itself or on top of mixed salad greens.

Amy's Notes:

As I said above, I used french lentils in this salad, but feel free to use any bean or legume you have on hand.  You can, of course, add more beans/legumes if you desire.

Lately, I have been loving super simple, single-serve dressings like this one.  I like that it is quick to throw together and doesn't require the use of a blender.  If you like this one, make sure to check out my even more simple One-Two Dressing.

Flavorful Tahini and Grain Salad

I hope everyone's hump day is going well.  Last night after prepping my breakfast, lunch and dinner for today, I went to yoga at my gym.  It was the perfect way to relax and get quite a sweat going... I just may be becoming a yogi!  Don't worry, this is first and foremost a recipe blog, but I thought I would share with you my experiences practicing yoga.

Over last fall I found that I was beginning to have some tightness and pain in my right hip.  It would have a light pop when I made certain movements and be sorest when I first got up in the morning and when I found myself sitting or standing for longer periods of time.  Since Kevin and I have started going to the gym more in the last month, the hip pain has become more noticeable.  So, I have been desperate to find some relief that didn't involve pain medicine.

I met a friend of a friend this weekend who went to school to be a sports physical therapist, and he suggested that I do a pigeon stretch (in yoga) at least three times a day for 35 seconds each, as well as do more lunges to build up the muscles surrounding my hip and buttocks.

Then, yesterday in yoga I also asked my instructor what she would suggest I do.  She felt my hip bones and noticed that my right hip is 1 inch shorter than the other and that it would take building my core muscles and stretching to fix the popping problem and pain.  She too suggested the pigeon pose and to consciously throughout the day try to lift my core to create space in that hip bone.  Hopefully a combination of both the sports trainer and yoga instructor's advice will get me back into shape.  On top of that, losing a bit of weight to not have so much strain on all of my joints is sure to help.

Last night I prepped a salad for lunch today that is one of my new favorite recipes I have made in a long time!  It is delicious, gets me to eat my greens, and can be versatile to whatever grain and bean ingredients I have prepped on hand.

Flavorful Tahini and Grain Salad
Servings: 4-6
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of cooked grain (I used brown rice, but would love to try it with bulgar, barley, farro, quinoa, cous cous, etc.)
• 1-1/2 cups cooked beans or legumes (I used 1 can of chickpeas, but I would love to try it with brown lentils or even green peas.)
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• Tahini Dressing
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 2 Tbsp sweetener (I used brown rice syrup, but you could also use date paste or agave syrup.)
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• water to thin to consistency
• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until well combined, adding water as needed to achieve a thinner creamy dressing.
2. Place all of the other salad ingredients into a large bowl and stir until well mixed.
3. Pour all of the dressing on top of the rice mixture, and mix until all of the salad is well coated.  Add pepper to taste.
4. Serve chilled by itself or on top of your choice of green.

Amy's Notes:

As I said earlier, this rice salad can be very versatile depending on the type of grain or bean/lentil that you use.  Next time I would like to make it with farrow and lentils.  Mmmm!  This time I made it with brown rice and chickpeas because that is what I had on hand.  I served mine over a bed of well chopped green leaf lettuce.

Last night I returned to my Mom a container of Tupperware I had borrowed, and in it I gave her the rest of this salad that I did not use for my side salad for dinner and lunch today.... all I can think now is, "Why didn't I keep it?!"  Enjoy it this time, Mom <3, because next time I make this, I'm not sure if I will be so willing to share ;).

Dr. Fuhrman's Warm Lentil Salad

Hello dear blogging community!  I am sorry about my absence this last month.  After moving and getting settled into my new job, I started to feel soooo worn down and tired.  I continued to have jaw pains and headaches from my TMJ, but on top of that I was out of breath often and felt tired way too often.  After doing some research I have found that I was a bit anemic and have started taking supplements.  I have also found that much of my general tiredness is a side effect of my birth control pill.  I have decided to use a different method and I hope that I am back to feeling normal again soon.

Now on to the food talk.  Over the last couple of months, mostly since I have been married, I have been merely a part-time Nutritarian..... Generally for lunch and breakfast I ate full Nutritarian meals, then in the evening I messed up by eating some sort of processed food because it was easier, or I was point-blank craving it. :(. This is sad to admit, because I always hope to be an inspiration for my readers, but I started this blog as a way to be accountable to not only myself, but my audience.

I have been noticing more and more over the last few months that I have found more and more foods acceptable to eat or drink.  I even had Kraft Mac n Cheese or Top Ramen some nights for dinner.  I convinced myself that those processed foods were "still vegetarian, and not that bad for me."  I started craving these horrible foods and would shun my bowl of fresh fruits.  I have decided that to get rid of these cravings, I need a redo of Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Six Week Plan, and today is day one. Please follow me through the weeks as I try to daily post what I eat (yes, I am being that accountable), when I exercise, and how I feel.

Food log:

• Breakfast: banana, green pear, red pear
• Lunch: quinoa and kale salad with ginger dressing, 3 mandarin oranges
• Dinner: Dr. Fuhrman's Warm Lentil Salad (see recipe below), 2 small and thin whole wheat rolls
• Dessert: apple and pineapple slices

Exercise: Little.  Being active at work.

How I feel: I'm feeling very very optimistic today.  In Eastern Washington we have been experiencing an early Spring heat wave (literally look at the country temperature map, we are red!).  This warm, sunny weather had me waking up a bit earlier than usual, and I was able to take my time getting ready for work.  While I was getting ready for work and during my commute, I drank about a liter of water.  Another one of my goals during the Six-Week Plan is to add more water throughout my day.  Now, at the end of the day, I feel happy with everything I ate and drank and look forward to one more day of progress.  One. Day. At. A. Time!

I dug this warm lentil salad recipe out from my email archives of Dr. Fuhrman's recipes that I have from his website membership. I figured I can't go wrong or fall off the wagon the first day with a Dr. F recipe for dinner!  I have included Dr. Fuhrman's recipe as it is written as well as my slight differences in red.  This is definitely the recipe to try as we move from cold winter weather to warm "eat-yo-salad" summer weather. Hope you enjoy!

Dr. Fuhrman's Warm Lentil Salad

Ingredients:

For the Lentils: 

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup wild rice
• 1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
• 4 tsp Dr. Fuhrman's VegiZest (I used 4 tsp of Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning in Tomato, Basil, And Garlic)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 4 cups water

For the Salad:

• 10 oz mixed salad (I used arugula)
• 3 green onions, chopped 
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced (I used shaved carrot slices and omitted the other veggies that I didn't have on hand)
• 1 medium cucumber, sliced

For the Dressing:

• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp Dr. Fuhrman's Blood Orange Vinegar (I used pomegranate red wine vinegar)
• 6 oz soft tofu

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine all lentil ingredients and stir well.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low until the rice and lentils are tender, approximately 50 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, prep the salad ingredients in a large bowl. 
3. In a high-speed blender, blend the tomatoes, vinegar, and tofu until smooth. 
4. Toss the salad with the dressing. 
5. To serve, place a generous portion of salad on each plate and scoop the warm lentils on top. 
6. Top with nutritional yeast if desired. 

Amy's notes:

I found this to be the perfect dinner-time salad. It had loads of greens, but still had the aspect of a hot meal. I would definitely make this again, but probably with half of the lentil recipe (it made a lot!).  I'll be using some of the lentil rice leftovers tomorrow to make mini lentil burgers for the whole wheat buns I made tonight. Tomorrow, I'm making dinner for my dad since my mom is on a girl's trip up the California coast with my sister-in-law. Thankfully, my dad is Nutritarian as well, and is happy to have someone cook while my mom is gone. (Miss you mom, if you read this!)

What do you do when you fall off the Nutri-wagon? What keeps you encouraged to keep going?

Pomegranate, Lentil, and Wheat Berry Salad

I hope everyone is having a great week!  I have been spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen lately.  A few days ago I attempted making my first nutritarian apple pie, a recipe I made up.  I made a few initial mistakes, such as trying to bake the crust before baking the entire pie, making the crust too tough, and I also put raisins on the sprinkled top, which turned out burnt and shriveled up.  Needless to say, I need to give this one another try before featuring it on the blog.

This morning I made a salad that took. for. EVER!  But it was so worth it!  It is probably one of my favorite salads I've made in a long time.  I'd suggest making only a half batch of the salad and the dressing, as it ended up making quite a lot.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Salad:
• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped into small bite-sized pieces, about 3-4 cups
• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 1 cup uncooked wheat berries
• 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped celery, 2-3 stalks halved and sliced 
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• Pistachio Dressing:

• 1-2 cups filtered water
• 1 cup pistachios
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (dates, raisins, craisins, figs)
• 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried basil

Directions:

1. Cook the lentils on the stovetop until tender, but not mushy.
1. Rinse the lentils in a strainer and place into a pot with 2 cups of water.
2. On a stovetop bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes until desired softness, adding water as needed to cover the lentils throughout cooking.
4. Strain in a strainer and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down for the salad.
5. Allow all of the water to drain out.
2. Cook the wheat berries on the stovetop until they are tender and pop in your mouth when you bite into them.
1. Rinse the wheat berries in a strainer and place into a pot with 3 cups of water.
2. On a stovetop, over high heat bring the water to a heavy simmer.
3. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour, or up to 1.5 hours until the wheat berries are tender and pop in your mouth.
4. Strain in a strainer and rinse under cold water to cool it down for the salad.
5. Allow all of the water to drain out.
3. Prepare a small pot of boiling water and boil the kale for 2 minutes.  Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.  Allow all of the water to drain out.
4. In a large bowl combine the cooked lentils, wheat berries, and kale with the pomegranate seeds, celery, and green onion.
5. In a high powered blender, blend all of the dressing ingredients together starting with 1 cup of water and adding in 1/4 cup increments until you reach the desired consistency.
6. In the large salad bowl, drizzle on 1/4 cup of the dressing at a time and mix thoroughly until the salad is well coated.
7. Grind black pepper and mix in to taste.  Enjoy cold by itself or on top of some greens.

Amy's Notes:

• Like I said above, this recipe does take some time because of the cooking times of the lentils, wheat berries, and kale.  I did all of them at once and while there was down time I prepared the dressing and did some dishes.
• This recipe makes quite a bit, so I would suggest cutting it in half unless you are taking it for a party (which would be a great idea!).
• For me, about 1/2 cup of the dressing was left after I poured it onto the salad. 

Unique Cole Slaw

I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the Super Bowl whether the outcome for you was favorable or not.  We had only five people total at our place, but we had a great time none-the-less.  Kevin and our friend Ian took off to go pick up the wings that Kevin had ordered earlier that week from one of his favorite restaurants in town.  Unfortunately, due to the volume of orders for Super Bowl, they were running 30 minutes behind in their pick up orders... our order was supposed to be picked up at 3, but the game was to start at 3:30... oops.  I was strictly instructed to pause and record the game at kick off until they were able to get back.  By the time we actually started the game, we were around 40 minutes behind.

Since we preferred the Ravens this year, (the 49ers are in the Seahawk's division, so technically a rival) the first half of the game went just the way we were hoping, then the blackout happened.  Unfortunately, the Ravens got a bit tripped up after that, but we were able to fast forward through the sports guy commentary and catch up to real time.  In the end, it turned out to be a very exciting and suspenseful game.  During which we all ate and drank to our hearts content.  I tried to get down as many things from the veggie tray as I could throughout the day, but unfortunately a few things made it into my mouth that shouldn't have.  But that is the past, and today I have a great slaw recipe for you!

Every now and then I watch the Food Network just to get some ideas for recipes I can recreate and nutritarian-ize.  One gal was making a pork butt roast (not very appetizing), but along with it she was also making a cole slaw (much more down my alley!).  The base of her cole slaw was actually broccoli stems that had been peeled and julienned.  There actually wasn't any cabbage in it at all.  This afternoon I decided to make a similar cole slaw to clean out some of the veggies in my fridge.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

•  3 broccoli stems, outer edge peeled off, and cut into matchsticks
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 large celery stalks, ends cut off and cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks, seeded core discarded
• 1/4 red onion, sliced very thinly
• Dressing:  ANK's Vegan Ranch Dressing
• I used a variation of my ranch dressing from the link above.  Instead of cashews I used chickpeas, and instead of dill weed I used celery seed.  This made my dressing a bit of a darker color than the original, but it is also lower in fat and gets you a small serving of beans.
• In a pinch, I would have mixed a couple of tablespoons of regular ranch dressing with some tablespoons of non-dairy milk.  This will give you a similar taste, but not be as bad as adding straight regular dressing, or making a dressing with mayo.
• Topped with one or more of the following:
• Croutons
• Tofu
• Sunflower seeds
• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Sprouts
• Beans

Directions:

1. Cut all of the vegetables into matchsticks.... this will take some time if you are a slower cutter like me.
2. Place all of the cut veggies into a large bowl.
3. Prepare the dressing.
4. Pour the dressing over the veggies and mix periodically.  Add the amount of dressing that you desire, but not too much.
5. Serve cold as a main salad for 2 or a side dish for 4-6.

What I ate Wednesday and Tex-Mex Slaw

Alright, this is my first time doing "What I ate Wednesday", so bare with me.  The pictures below are of what I basically had during the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  If you'd like the recipes to these dishes, stay tuned, they are coming very soon in future posts!

Breakfast: Green Smoothie... a big serving
Yep, I love me my green smoothies in the morning!  I've never been too big of breakfast person to begin with.  I really like oatmeal, but I find that it is a bit heavy to eat in the morning and just sits at the pit of my stomach for half the day.  Back in college I used to drink coffee just about every morning (kicked that habit thank god), so having a drink in the morning like a green smoothie is a great replacement and helps me to get my greens in!

Lunch: Tex-Mex Slaw (Recipe Below)
This slaw has been the perfect recipe to take for lunch lately.  Because the greens are cabbage, I can eat it cold straight out of the fridge, or I can add a bit of water and microwave it until the cabbage has wilted a little.  Depending on my mood I get to choose from cold lunch or hot lunch!  Oh, and the spiciness of it just hits the spot.

Dinner: Potato Leek Soup (recipe coming in a future post)
This soup has been my new recent favorite.  I am always a huge fan of creamed soup, and this one is no exception.  I got this recipe to try from my sister-in-law who was raving about it over our regular daily online chats, so I knew I had to give it a try.  She was not joking when she said it was "amazing". It makes me want fall to get here even sooner so I feel like it's soup-making weather more often.

Lately I have not been very good at eating salads.  This has been mostly because I like to save the darker greens I buy for green smoothies, but also because I don't currently have very many ingredients to make homemade healthy dressings yet.  So, I came up with this recipe that I could make ahead and use fairly basic ingredients with.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small green cabbage, chopped
• 2 c black beans (or 2 cans)
• 1/2 c black olives, sliced
• 1 c frozen corn, defrosted
• 1/2 pepper, chopped (any kind: bell, poblano, etc.)
• 2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 c fire roasted tomatoes (I used a Tex-Mex version)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• sprinkle of ground red pepper 

Directions:

1. Prepare all ingredients and combine all ingredients except for the cabbage, cumin, ground red pepper, diced tomatoes, and rice vinegar in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together the diced tomatoes, cumin, ground red pepper, and rice vinegar. 
3. Pour the dressing mixture over the slaw contents.
4. Once the dressing mixture has been thoroughly mixed in, begin to add the sliced cabbage until you have reached a good cabbage to "goodie" ratio.
5. Serve chilled with your favorite hot sauce as a salad or serve in tacos.
6. Another serving option is to water saute the slaw and serve hot over rice or in tacos.

Amy's notes:  

I think next time I make this slaw I would want to add some diced avocado and possibly some lime juice to the recipe, Mmmmm!

What salad dressings do you like to make out of ingredients you keep regularly in your kitchen?

Sweet and Savory Wheatberry Salad

Oh my goodness!  I can't believe it has been so long since my last post!  Instead of listing the excuses, I'm going to just get down to updates of my life!  Since I last posted we have gotten a bunch done on wedding stuff including making the display cake, and making and sending out the invites.

My mom has made our display/cut cake for the wedding day and froze it.  Its definitely not enough to feed all of our guests, so we are getting Costco cakes to serve.  I think she did a wonderful job and it looks so professional!  We calculated it out to cost about $20, whereas a cake this size professionally done would be maybe $200.  (Please note that this is NOT nutritiarian food!) Here are a few pictures:

The cake with the base frosting and ribbon encircling.

The cake with all of the detail: large shells on bottom,
swirling lines on the large tier, and pearl drops between the layers.

We have also gotten all of the invites sent out and have already been receiving RSVPs back from those awesome "on-the-ball" people.  Here is our invite that April, one of my bridesmaids who is wonderful at calligraphy made, in which the original was copied and reprinted.  Everyone I've talked to so far has mistaken it for handwritten.  For April's sake, she is very happy she didn't have to make over 80 handwritten invites! Obviously for the sake of privacy, I have blurred out the addresses.  In the reprint of it the red and blue were a bit darker.

Now on to the real FOOD!  I was so happy to get invited by Shelby from Everyday Vegan Girl to join in her blog party that she has recently created with Carrie from Carrie On Vegan and Gabby from Veggie Nook (all are great blogs and you should check them out!).  This is the first ever "Healthy Vegan Friday", I hope it is a success, and I think I will continue to do this every Friday!  Hope you enjoy!

Sweet and Savory Wheatberry Salad

Ingredients:

• Dressing:
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 lemon juiced (~3 Tbsp) 
• Salad:
• 1 cup uncooked wheatberries
• 1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
• 1 c celery, cut in half lengthwise and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup slice almonds
• 2 cups roasted brussels sprouts, quartered (recipe here)
• 4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients for the dressing and blend until smooth and creamy.  This will make more dressing than you may desire on the salad, so I suggest storing the rest and using later.
2. Cook the wheatberries on the stovetop:
• rinse the wheatberries in a strainer
• place them in a medium sized saucepan and cover with at least 2 inches of water
• bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer
• the wheatberries will be done between 1 and 1 1/2 hours
• test the wheatberries to be soft, yet chewy before you take them off the stove
• many other websites suggest soaking the wheatberries overnight, but I didn't find this necessary
• pour the wheatberries into a strainer and run cold water over them to cool
3. In a large (seriously, a large bowl), stir together the wheatberries, brussels sprouts, craisins, celery, red onion, and sliced almonds.
4. Add the chopped spinach and stir well to combine.
5. Finally, add the sweet almond dressing and stir, being cautious not to add too much.  Once the salad is well coated, pepper to taste and serve chilled. 

Amy's Notes:  The dressing recipe above definitely makes too much dressing than the salad will need, so make sure not to dump it all on top before stirring it in slowly.  The dressing is great on other salads as well.  I would suggest in order to save time to make the wheatberries and roasted brussels sprouts ahead of time.  Also, this recipe keeps really well in the fridge for up to 5 days.  I think it would be the perfect dish for a picnic or BBQ.... or lunches all week like I've been having it.

Do you have one day a week that you strictly eat vegan?  Are you an everyday vegan?  Are you toying with the idea of going vegan and why?