Lentil, Tomato & Arugula Salad

This salad makes a great summer lunch paired with crusty French bread. I made the dish with Ellie Krieger's Herbed Lentils in mind, but made a few substitutions based on what we had in the house.

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

1 cup green lentils
2 cups of water
2 tbps olive oil
1 diced shallot
1 tsp dried basil
3 cups of arugula
6 small vine tomatoes, chopped (or cherry tomatoes, halved)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
 
Directions:

Place the lentils in a pot with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still retain their shape. Drain any excess water from the lentils and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the shallots and  dried basil and cook until they are softened, around 2 minutes. Add the arugula and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lentils, and parsley to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Arugula

This salad, based on a recipe from one of Curtis Stone's cookbooks,  is very easy once you get through with the vegetable prep work.

Ingredients:

2 cups arugula
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of  low sodium vegetable broth
1 English cucumber, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, diced

Directions:

Add quinoa and vegetable broth to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until quinoa is cooked and the liquid has disappeared. Allow quinoa to cool.

Mix chopped vegetables, chickpeas, quinoa, and arugula together. Top with a pre-made dressing, or a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

This salad would also be good topped with some savory baked tofu for dinner.

South Beach Diet's Broccoli Stir Fry with Tofu & Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe, from the South Beach Diet cookbook by Arthur Agaston, is very easy to make - just make sure to prep all of the ingredients before you start. I would recommend doubling the sauce for anyone who wants a bit extra to go with their rice.

 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large bunch broccoli, cut into small florets

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup cherry or yellow pear tomatoes, halved

8 ounces firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4″ cubes

Directions:

In a cup, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and tofu and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to collapse.

Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the mixture boils and thickens.

Serve over white or brown rice.
  

Aloo Gobi

I was in the mood for Indian the other day and whipped up this dish. While the ingredient list is a bit longer than I usually like to see, a good portion of it consists of spices that I always have on hand.

From the Forks Over Knives cookbook.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno pepper, chooped

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 russet poatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 medium tomatoes, diced

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly minced cilantro for garnish

1 cup of green peas

 

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and fry until translucent, adding water if needed. Add garlic, jalapeno, and ginger. Cook additional 3 minutes.  

 

Add  remaining spices, cauliflower, potatoes, and tomatoes.  Cook covered until potatoes are tender, around 15 minutes. Add peas and cook for 5 more minutes.

 

Remove bay leaves and garnish with cilantro.

 

 

 

Mini Polenta Pizzas

I adapted this recipe from one I found in the Forks Over Knives Cookbook. I made it super simple by picking up some pre-made polenta and pizza sauce from Trader Joes. While the end product tastes nothing like a "pizza", these were still yummy & fun.


Ingredients:
Pre-made polenta, refrigerated and sliced into 1 inch thick rounds (or make your own with cornmeal & water)
2 tomatoes, sliced
Store bought pizza sauce
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
Red pepper flakes, to taste.
Basil, shredded

Preheat oven to 425. Place polenta slices on a non- stick baking sheet. I used a silpat mat for easy clean-up. Layer with pizza sauce, tomato slices, and nutritional yeast. Bake for 15 minutes. Top with basil and enjoy warm!

 

 

Pasta alla Formiana

I found this recipe in Giada's book, Weeknights with Giada, and made a minor tweak to make it vegan. The recipe is super easy....the end result was good but bland. Next time I will be adding add red pepper flakes and basil.

Ingredients:

Olive oil spray

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 pound (8 ounces) pennette

1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1/4 cup dried oregano

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 to 5 very ripe, extra-large tomatoes cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

Directions:

  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with olive oil and set aside.

In a food processor, blend together the crushed tomatoes, garlic, and vegetable broth. Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Add the uncooked pasta, 1/3 cup olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with tomato slices. Pour the pasta mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Arrange the remaining tomato slices in an overlapping layer on top of the pasta mixture, making sure the mixture is completely covered. Drizzle with olive oil and place dish on a baking sheet. Cook until the tomatoes are slightly crispy and the pasta is cooked, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables & Basil

This bright and colorful pasta loaded with fresh vegetables makes for a quick, satisfying dinner. Leftovers became a pasta salad for lunches during the work week.

(makes around 4 large servings)

Ingredients:
1 small eggplant
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 tsp salt
8 oz whole wheat pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp pepperinco (or hot pepper) oil (or more, depending on spice preference)
1 handful of basil, roughly chopped.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425'.

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Peel and chop all vegetables into small, 1 inch cubes. Toss vegetables with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tsp of salt. Roast for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat remaining two tablespoons of olive oil with the hot pepper oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic cloves and simmer in the oil until cloves have turned brown. Remove garlic cloves. Prepare pasta according to directions.

Add pasta to the oil mixture as well as the roasted vegetables. Toss to incorporate thoroughly and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the chopped basil and serve.

Panzanella salad

Panzanella salads are one of my top 5 favorite spring/summer foods. I have been feeling a bit cheated by the tantalizing taste of spring we had the other week. 70-80 degree sunshine followed by 40 degree rain is a bit depressing. So to cheer myself up, I whipped up this summer special a little early. Serve with a glass of rose to really get in the springtime spirit!


Ingredients:

1 box cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 loaf of stale country bread (a baguette would also work here), torn into bite size pieces
1 green pepper, cut into small 1/2 inch pieces
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp salt
2 teaspoons herbs de province
1/3 cup of good olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

Directions:

Add vegetables and bread to a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, herbs de Provence, vinegar, and salt. Toss vegetables with dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld before eating.


*Note: While most recipes call for garlic and basil in panzanella salads, I like to skip the garlic and add a bit of herbs de Provence to make the dish a bit more simple and pure. Using really good ingredients and olive oil is important though, since those flavors really take the spotlight!