Creamy Kale Salad

I have been eating a lot of kale lately either cooked, raw in salads, juices, or smoothies, cultured with other veggies, or occasionally as kale chips. It’s a nutritional powerhouse. Just one cup of raw kale has only 33 calories and far exceeds the recommended daily value for vitamins A, C, and K. And it doesn’t stop there. The basic nutrition data can be found here.

The creamy kale salad below is made with a dressing I whipped up on a whim. Actually the idea came to me in yoga class. I know I’m supposed to be focusing on class, but I get so many ideas when I’m lying on the mat : ) The mango and milk (coconut) reminded me of a lassi so I added cardamom, but it can easily be left out.

The dressing is mild and a little tangy from the mango and lemon juice. If it’s made thick enough, it could even be used for a dipping sauce for fruit or vegetables.

Creamy Kale Salad

1 avocado, sliced, pitted and flesh removed

1 mango, peeled and chopped

¼ cup coconut milk

1 T lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

½ t cardamom (optional)

small bunch kale, washed, dried and stems removed

1 small red pepper, coarsely chopped

½ medium red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

Combine the first six ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until it reaches a smooth consistency.

Tear the kale into large pieces, then chop it finely in the food processor. Transfer to a large bowl.

Process the peppers and onions into fine pieces as well, then add them to the kale.

Add the avocado/mango dressing to the salad and mix well.

Serve on a bed of salad greens, wrapped in lettuce leaves, as a side salad, as a condiment in a veggie wrap, or on top of a crusty bread.

Vegan American Chop Suey

I had no idea what to call this dish until I saw it prepared. American Chop Suey immediately came to mind. The “meat” in this dish is shiitake mushrooms combined with onions and herbs. This is a pungent, clean-tasting sauce that works well with the lighter, less-starchy quinoa (actually quinoa-corn) pasta.

I actually added at least double the parsley than I call for below, but it may be too much for you. Experiment to see how much you can handle. If not concerned about keeping this vegan, a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese would go nice here too.

Vegan American Chop Suey

2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms (about 15-20), rinsed then soaked in 2 – 3 cups of boiling water

grapeseed or olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

vegetable broth concentrate to taste (I like to use Better than Bouillon)

¼ c fresh parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

sea salt and pepper

chopped thyme to garnish

1 box of quinoa pasta, cooked

Allow the mushrooms to soak in boiling water until fully rehydrated. Drain and save the water. Slice the mushrooms.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or fry pan until medium hot, then add the onion and sautee until soft.

Add the mushrooms and sautee an additional 3-5 minutes, then add ¼ cup of leftover mushroom water to the pan and allow it to reduce for a few minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add the parsley and garlic. Process until finely chopped.

Transfer the mushroom mixture back to the pan. Add ~1/2 teaspoon of broth concentrate (or to taste) to the remaining mushroom water then add it to the pan and mix well.

Season with salt and pepper. Add the hot, cooked pasta to the pan and mix well. Garnish with chopped thyme.

Comfort in Cauliflower and Millet

Since I got the original recipe for this dish from a client of mine who found it in the newspaper, I’ve made it three times. She had never tried millet, so I made it and brought it to our next meeting. It’s currently one of my favorite recipes. One, because I adore roasted cauliflower (which is one thing I changed with this recipe), and another, because I’ve never really cared for mashed (white) potatoes but like the idea of them as comfort food. This beautiful concoction, though, has the look and feel of mashed potatoes, but tastes even better, is much higher in protein, and provides all the benefits of a cruciferous vegetable, including fiber.

As mentioned, the original recipe called for boiling the cauliflower, however, I decided to roast it instead. I also substitute almond or nut milk for the soymilk and use it to replace the water, but any milk would work. I also recommend adding the caraway seeds. It adds a nice taste to the mild flavors of the millet and cauliflower.

Mashed Cauliflower and Millet

½ c uncooked millet, soaked for several hours and rinsed

1 c water

1 head cauliflower

1T grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

½ to ¾ cup almond or other milk

Freshly ground pepper and nutmeg

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring the water and millet to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until cooked, ~10-15 min. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cut cauliflower into florets, coat lightly with the grapeseed oil and sprinkle with caraway seeds and a little salt. Transfer to a baking dish and roast in oven until tender, ~30 min. Transfer to a food processor.

3. Add the cooked millet and milk to the cauliflower. Blend until they reach the desired consistence, then add pepper and nutmeg to taste. Add nutritional yeast flakes if desired.

Chocolate Oat Pancakes

It’s not that often that I take the time to make pancakes for breakfast, but when I’m craving them, I give in. If they’re made from scratch using healthier alternatives to white flours and sugars, they can actually be both delicious and nutrient dense.

I think it must have been a full moon when I was craving the pancakes below, which is why I made them chocolate : ) You can even add chopped walnuts, pecans, or berries to the batter to add more fiber and enhance the flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Rather than the microwaveable options that provide little or no nourishment, try serving these to your kids with real maple syrup that will also pack in the minerals. They’ll think they’re getting a treat for breakfast!!

Chocolate Oat Pancakes

1 cup whole grain spelt flour (optional: replace 2 – 3 T of the flour with oat bran or ground flax seed)

1 cup oat flour

2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ c plus 1 T sugar, such as sucanat or turbinado

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1.5 cups almond or other milk

4 T melted butter or grapeseed oil

2 eggs, beaten

2 t vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Combine the wet ingredients then gently fold into the flour mixture until well incorporated. Allow the batter to sit a few minutes.

Melt 1 teaspoon butter (or use grapeseed oil) in a skillet over medium heat. For each pancake, pour 1/3 cup of batter into skillet. Flip when the batter is set around the edges and the center is bubbling. Cook until the bottom is brown and the center is cooked. Serve with butter, maple syrup, fruit or yogurt.

Millet is My New Rice - Fried Millet

The other day, I was in the mood for fried rice but didn’t have the type of rice I wanted to use, so I “settled” for millet. Wow, I’m so glad I did. The flavors and texture were equally as good with millet and the nutritional value may even be better with this ancient grain.

Millet was actually the principle grain in China before rice became popular and is still relied on in Africa, Asia, and Russia. It’s gluten-free, high in protein, fiber, iron, magnesium and potassium and is a source of silica, which is important for maintaining bone health.

I find the creamy texture also great for making breakfast porridge and it makes a hardy addition to soups. The recipe below is colorful and oh so tasty!

Fried Millet

3 cups of cooked millet (cooked in vegetable broth)

grapeseed oil for sautéing and frying

2 c green cabbage, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

2 eggs, scrambled

2 – 3 T tamari or soy sauce

black pepper to taste

¼ c parsley, chopped

sesame oil for drizzling

1. Heat 1 – 2 T oil in dutch oven and add the cabbage and onion. Stir well and sauté until tender.

2. Add the carrot and continue to cook for a few minutes.

3. Move the vegetables to the side of the pan and add 2 – 3 T more of oil. Add the millet and mix to coat it lightly in oil.

4. Mix the vegetables and millet together and “fry” the mixture, allowing the millet to brown slightly.

5. Fold in the egg and parsley, then turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve hot/warm.

Shredded Beet and Jicama Salad

Beets – I love them. I love them roasted, juiced, and in salads, especially shredded. The other day felt balmy compared to the winter we’ve had and I’m already craving crunchy, refreshing salads. Not so surprising since I lived on warm bowls of something for the last few months.

So over the weekend, out of nowhere, I decided to combine shredded beets and jicama, a wonderfully, mild, slightly sweet, and crunchy root vegetable. The texture almost reminds me of a crisp pear. The combination was begging for something citrusy, so I added the last of my champagne-citrus vinegar, some freshly-squeezed orange juice, and sea salt. That was it (almost).

The result was so delicious that I already know what I’ll be eating a lot of this Spring and Summer. Not to mention that I’ll be getting a good arm workout from shredding the vegetables : ) Kidding aside, you can shred them in the food processor if you’d like, but in the time it takes to take it out, set it up, shred, empty, and wash, you could have done it by hand.

I still love my food processor, though. In fact, I used it to make dinner tonight which was a gluten-free pizza with a mustard greens and kale sauce that I love.

But here’s the recipe for the salad:

Shredded Beet and Jicama Salad

1 medium beet, shredded

1 medium jicama, shredded

1 T citrus vinegar

2-3 T freshly-squeezed orange juice

1 T olive or grapeseed oil

sea salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients, chill for 30 minutes or more, then serve. That’s it. Simple and delicious! I had to stop myself from eating the entire bowl.

It went well with a millet cauliflower “potato” dish and sautéed beet greens. I’ll be posting the potato recipe soon!

A Tempting Soy Dish

Soy is one of those foods that has confused me over the last several years. While I was a graduate student, I was drinking soy milk everyday, eating tofu as a protein source and would even use it to make chocolate mousse. I was also eating other forms of soy as well. It was regarded as a miracle food with a high quality plant protein and whose phytoestrogens were thought to be beneficial.

Then, I read that unfermented soy, such as that found in soy milk, textured soy protein, soy burgers, etc., was difficult to digest and high in toxins that prevented the absorption of minerals. In addition, if it wasn’t organic, it was likely genetically modified and heavily sprayed with herbicides/pesticides. As heartbroken as I was, I stopped eating all forms of soy. Gradually, I added back in fermented soy in the form of miso and tempeh and the occasional meal with tofu, which I was still unclear about.

Today, there seem to be two camps of people that either love soy or avoid it like the plague and I generally sided with the latter group, at least with regard to unfermented soy. Then last week, I read a post from Mark Hyman about his thoughts on soy that you can read here. In a nutshell, he believes that both the good characteristics and the bad qualities of soy have been blown out of proportion and most studies concluding that soy is dangerous were poorly designed and didn’t reflect normal consumption habits.

He also made a good point that I’ll paraphrase here: If you had the choice to eat a stir fry with tofu or a meal from a fast food restaurant, choose the stir fry for sure! It made so much sense to me. And his bottom line was to eat whole soy foods, such as edamame, versus processed soy that’s turned into burgers, cheeses, and ice cream, which in the end, are like any other processed food that contain unhealthy fats (and likely sugars and chemicals that don’t belong in our bodies).

So with that, I’ve posted a simple recipe below for tempeh, which can be found in most markets with the tofu. It’s a fermented soy product that I’ve combined with sautéed cabbage. It’s quick and delicious and a good source of protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, vitamin K, and folate from the cabbage (as well as lots of disease-fighting phytonutrients), and healthy fat.

Tempeh with Cabbage

1 T grapeseed oil

1 package of tempeh, sliced cross-wise

2 c each red and green cabbage, thinly chopped

1 – 2 T tamari or soy sauce

1 t sesame seeds

sesame oil

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the cabbages and sauté for several minutes until tender. Push the cabbage to the sides of the pan and add the tempeh. Saute until lightly browned on all sides and heated through. Add the tamari or soy sauce and pepper if desired, then mix the cabbage and tempeh together. Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve warm.