Lentil Cakes!

I've been meaning to do a whole write up with our measurements and modifications but until there here is the original recipe for my new favorite dinner!

Martha's Lentil Cakes.

Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Walnuts {Easily Vegan and Anti-Candida}

1 Roasted Spaghetti Squash gutted
Bunch of Kale
Organic 8 oz Chickpeas
LOTS of Garlic
1 Onion
Splash of Evoo
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chili pepper flakes
Coriander
Walnuts as many as you like
optional; top with Pecorino Romano or Feta

* Thank to my friend Alex for sharing this awesome recipe!

Lentil Leftover Coconut Soup {VEGAN}

I recently made Lentil tacos and ended up with a bit too many lentils left over, so after googling a few lentil coconut soup recipes I came up with this one...

A few blurry ingredients.

What You'll Need:

1 ball jar of cooked Lentils {buy them in the bulk section at the grocery store and cook at home}
1 {bpa free if possible} can of ORGANIC coconut milk
1 cup {and more if desired} of organic vegetable stock
1 organic red onion, chopped
3 organic carrots, chopped
1/2 bunch of organic celery, chopped
2 cloves organic garlic chopped
2 cups {and more if desired} water
pinch of coriander
pinch of paprika
pinch of Himalayan salt
pinch of curry seasoning
dash of red pepper flakes

and anything else you've got left over in the fridge, throw it in {I'm talking about veggies not take out}!

Combine into large crock pot and simmer for a few hours.

Serve with french bread, pita or tortillas for dipping.

Red, White and Green

This meal was one of my favorites last week, inspired by 2 bloggers and the farmer's market selection!

Megan posted her zucchini pizzas as she called them over on her blog a few weeks ago and Danielle shared these caprese skewers at her son's birthday!  I had never had brussel sprouts before {can you believe it?!} and thought now was as good as any to try them.  I LOVED them!!  They're like little mini cabbages!  Here's how I  made everything and what you'll need...

20-24 ORGANIC cherry tomatoes
ORGANIC or homegrown basil about 20 leaves {I only had 8}

ORGANIC balsamic vinegar

ORGANIC cloves of garlic
6-10 ORGANIC brussel sprouts
1 {homegrown} ORGANIC zucchini - our's grow really big!
1 cup of pasta sauce (you can save a little from when you make your pasta sauce or from your spaghetti night)
ORGANIC mozzarella cheese in mini ball form.
ORGANIC mozzarella cheese in shredded or block {then you shred} form
ORGANIC extra virgin olive oil


Caprese Skewers:
with 8 reusable skewers stab cherry tomato, cheese, basil leaf and repeat 4 times on each skewer, drizzle with balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Brussel Sprouts:
saute garlic in oil, over medium head, after golden add a 1/2 cup water and brussel spouts allow to cook for 10-15 minutes (until softened) then serve.

Zucchini Pizza:
preheat oven to 375* F, slice zucchini place on oiled baking sheet, top with dollop of pasta/tomato sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. bake for about 20 minutes check cheese, remove when melted before burned.

Enjoy!

Fairy Squash Soup and Stuffing with Sandwiches.

What you'll need for the soup:

Fairy Squash {or butternut squash or any pumpkin variation}

1-2 potatoes cut into fourths

2 quarts vegetable stock

1-2 onions chopped into fourths

Almond milk to taste {for texture}

coriander

salt

pepper

rosemary

and any other seasoning you may enjoy.

What you'll need for the Stuffing:

Bag of organic VEGETARIAN or VEGAN suffing

Butter or vegan substitute

Olive Oil

1 and 1/2 cups Vegetable stock

What you'll need for the Sandwich:

Tomato

Spinach or Lettuce Leaves

Whole wheat bread

Bell Pepper 

Zucchini or Yellow Squash

Balsamic Vinegar 

Peel the skin off the Fairy Squash, remove seeds and chop.

We used bagged stuffing because it was quicker...

follow directions, add celery and onions cook with vegetable stock and vegan margarine or butter. 

bake onion, squash and potato at 350* for about 30 minutes.

bake stuffing at 350* for 10 minutes

Blend or puree squash, potato and onion together until smooth, several batches may be necessary.

Add to pot and simmer with vegetable stock and seasonings.

Sautee zucchini or yellow summer squash for sandwiches.

Toast bread, top with lettuce, tomato, zucchini or yellow squash, bell peppers and balsamic.

The Meal.

Kale Lemon Quinoa

My friend Katie whipped up something like this {or exactly like this} on a play date with our babes, I attempted to recreate it and I have to say, it's good.

Here's what you'll need:

Kale

Yellow Squash

2 lemons

Measuring Cup

2 cups uncooked Quinoa

Feta Cheese Crumbles {if not vegan}

not pictured:

salt and pepper {to taste}

oil for cooking

Start quinoa right away, cook to directions on box {or 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa}

First, cut the squash long ways, in half and again a few times.

Now, long ways again, this time vertically...

Finally, cube the squash.

Add to preheated skillet with oil.

Shred, tear, chop the kale and add it to the skillet.

add any extra seasonings you might like now.

Cut open lemons to squeeze on top.

Notice the seeds?!  we only eat fruits and veggies with seeds in my house.  

No seeds? Not food.

Plate quinoa, top with skillet mixture and salt and pepper to taste.

Squeeze lemon on top.

Vegan Finished Version above.

If Vegetarian, do above steps, then add Feta Crumbles.

So, good. Either way.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza

As many of you may know our garden is in full swing, this summer I've grown so much butternut squash I don't know what to do with it all!  Luckily, I found this recipe in my Vegetarian cookbook and as usual we modified it to be a bit more healthier.  Here's our version:

Pre-Cheese.

What you'll need:
Crust:
1/2 tsp dried yeast (we were making our crust without yeast since we didn't like how long it took, but I'm glad we used it, the crust is so much better than the baking soda versions)
pinch of raw organic sugar or sucanat
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ORGANIC butter
2 tbsp ORGANIC olive oil

Topping:
2 Shallots finely chopped
1 (home grown) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed.
16 sage leaves (careful breastfeeding mamas, sage can dry up your milk, we used about half just to be safe)
14 oz can of ORGANIC BPA FREE tomato sauce or the equivalent fresh.
1 cup shredded ORGANIC RAW mozzarella cheese
4 oz. or 1/2 cup ORGANIC goat's cheese
fresh salt and pepper to taste

Pre-Oven.

Directions:
Take 1 1/4 cups hot water in a glass measuring cup, add sugar and yeast until frothy on top (about 15 minutes).
Mix flour and salt into a large bowl, make a well in the center.
Pour in yeast water mix and olive oil.
Mix until smooth dough, knead, put back in the bowl cover, set in warm place (on top of an oven or in the Arizona heat), allow to rise for at least 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400*F oil large baking sheet (or 4 smaller ones for individual pizzas).
Put butter and oil in a roasting tin and heat in the oven for a few minutes.
Add the chopped shallots, cubed squash and half of the sage leaves.
Toss with butter mix to coat.
Roast for 15-20 minutes.
Raise oven to 425*F and roll out the dough.
Transfer to baking sheet and pour on tomato sauce, leaving a 1/2inch border all around, spoon sauce around evenly.
Add the squash sage mix.
Top with goat cheese and mozzerella cheese, scatter remaining sage leaves around the top add salt and pepper.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese has melted and crusts are golden.


***Advice*** make the crust the night before, then you won't feel like you're waiting 3 hours to eat.  I have no patience, but in this case I had to wait, and it was worth it.  Butternut squash is a lot of work, peeling with a potato peeler helps make it go quicker.  dry left over sage for teas and compost the squash seeds.

Happy Pizza Making.

Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini (VEGAN)

I found a recipe about a year ago for 8 ball zucchini but I couldn't find the little guys anywhere, until last weekend at the Farmer's Market!

The original recipe was much different, but I used it as a loose guide...

What you'll need:

6 8 ball zucchini

2 garlic cloves

2 ORGANIC bell pepper

1 ORGANIC tomato

1 onion

5-10 basil leaves

5-10 oregano leaves

5-10 rosemary leaves

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I've been spelling it wrong not quEnoa, opps)

1 cup uncooked white rice

salt and pepper to taste 

Sauté the bell peppers first since they take the longest, then add onion and tomato

Start boiling 4 cups water for the rice and quinoa mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Remove the tops, save for garnish

Scoop out the insides and add it to the veggie sauté mixture.

Prep. 8 balls while the veggies are sautéing.

Mix rice and quinoa into boiling water and allow to cook, stirring only occasionally.

Keep covered and turn to medium heat.

Make sure rice and quinoa mixture is not sticking to the bottom of the pan :)

Mix the veggies into the rice/quinoa.

Add the herbs now and salt and pepper.

Stuff the 8 balls full and bake for 12 minutes covered at 350 degrees F

You will have Rice/Veggie mixture left over, save it to serve on the side.

Remove from oven and remove tin foil, bake for another 15 minutes at 400 degrees F

Done.

Sorry if the directions are confusing, since they're following each individual photo, but I like cooking by pictures as opposed to words, good luck!

If you don't have something for the ingredients just add something else, make it up and link me to it if it turns out well.  

Happy Zucchini Stuffing!

Hosin Edamame Noodles

What you need:
Small head of cabbage or nappa cabbage
Avocado or Olive oil
Onion (white or red)
1 Lime, zested and juiced
Bunch of green onion
1 Cup of ORGANIC soy beans (edamame)
2 Cloves garlic
Bunch of basil leaves
5 mint leaves
Soba noodles
1/4 cup Hosin sauce
Pepper
Salt
Cayenne pepper
Red chili pepper
Cumin

What you'll do with it:
chop cabbage, start sauteing over medium heat with generous amount of oil.
chop onion. chop green onion. add onions to the cabbage.
chop garlic. add garlic and juice and zest of one lime.
add soy beans to heating cabbage.
while cabbage mixture is cooking.
once cabbage mixture has cooked down, start heating a pot of water for the soba noodles.  follow noodle box's directions for cooking time.
when noodles are done mix together hosin sauce, noodles, cabbage mixture, bunch of basil leaves, 5 mint leaves, season with pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, red chili pepper and cumin

Enjoy.

Kale Salad

What you'll need:

2 bunches of organic kale (from farmer's market for freshness)

handful of bread crumbs (optional)

1 clove garlic

pinch of salt

1/2 cup thinly shredded pecorino cheese for garnish

6 table spoons organic extra virgin olive oil

2 fresh squeezed lemons

dash of chili flakes (more or less to taste)

black pepper to taste

What you'll do with it:

Slice kale.

Mush garlic to a paste using mortar and pestel

Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and pepper flakes.  If no vegans add cheese otherwise set aside for any cheese eaters.

Toss kale with dressing and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add breadcrumbs as garnish.

Enjoy.

This recipe is from a friend who found it on google, sorry I don't have the original source.

Fettucini with Leeks and Arugula

Who doesn't want a fancy dinner (above) to share with someone they love?

This is such a pretty meal and its sooo yummy!

Here's what you'll need:

box of fettuccine

2 leeks 

drizzle of avovado oil

4 cloves

pink Himalayan salt and black pepper

1 cup frozen organic corn kernels or 1 to 2 ears of corn

3/4 cups organic heavy cream

1/2 cup white dry wine

2 cups farm fresh organic baby arugula

1/4 cup grated organic pecorino cheese

Here's what you'll do with it:

Cook the pasta according to the fettuccine box, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add leeks, garlic, pinch of salt and pinch of pepper (or more to taste).  Cook, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes then add the corn and wine.  Simmer until corn is tender or for about 3 more minutes, then stir in the cream.  Add the pasta, season with a bit more salt and pepper if desired and combine with the pasta.  Once well mixed, add arugula and top with pecorino cheese.

This wine is the ONLY white wine I drink.  I haven't found a red I like as much as it either so really it's the only wine I drink.  But it's organic with no sulfites added.  It's perfect with this meal! I buy it from Sprouts but I'm sure you can get at any healthy type store.

Original recipe from Real Simple