(Tiny) Piccolo Potatoes, Sundried Tomatoes, Sautéed Mushrooms, Chives and Poached Egg Stack

So simple yet very satisfying.

Ingredients:

mini potatoes
olive oil
chives
sundried tomatoes
mushrooms
salt & pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
eggs, for poaching in water


Directions:

1. Boil your baby potatoes until done, set aside.  Sauté your sliced mushrooms in a little oil, set aside. While your egg is poaching, arrange your potatoes on a plate (season to taste) , stack your sundried tomatoes on next. then add your sautéed mushrooms and chives.  When your egg is ready, carefully stack it on top, season again to taste.  Top with more chives and some red pepper flakes.  Voila!  healthy breakfast stack!

Yellow Lentil Soup with lots of Cilantro

I made this soup with Toor Dal (Yellow lentils), You could easily make it with brown lentils and save a bit of the cooking time.


Ingredients:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
1 heaping cup of yellow lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 small onion, halved
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped cilantro
(optional- plain yogurt for non vegetarians)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot on medium heat.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the cumin and cayenne pepper.  Stir together briefly and then add lentils, onion, bay leaf, and 1 1/2 quarts of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the lentils are tender and the broth aromatic.  (if using brown lentils your cooking time may be as low as 40 minutes).

2. Salt and pepper to taste.  Discard the onion and the bay leaf. 

3.  Puree half of the soup in small batches in a blender.  (be sure to cover the top of the blender with a towel and press firmly on the lid to make sure hot liquid doesn't spill on you).  Return to soup pot, stir and heat through.

4. Stir in cilantro just before serving.  (if you eat dairy, add a dollop of plain yogurt to the top of each bowl)  Will serve 4.

Piña Colada Quinoa

For breakfast or a nice sweet snack, serve hot or cold

1 cup quinoa
1 14 oz can light coconut milk
1 14 oz can crushed pineapple
1 Tbsp sucanat
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
salt to taste


Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa and coconut milk to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and leave standing for 6 more minutes.

2. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice.  Stir 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice into the cooked quinoa.  Add the sucanat and vanilla and mix well. Add a bit of salt to taste.
Stir the crushed pineapple into the mix and serve.  Keeps for 2 days in a sealed container in the fridge.



Like a tropical holiday in a bowl :)

Catalan Chickpea Stew

a warm and hearty vegetarian meal for lunch or dinner.  Benefits from being made a day or two in advance and refrigerated until it's time to reheat and serve.  Add some sliced sausage if you wish to add meat. 

Ingredients:

1 pound chickpeas, soaked overnight in 2 quarts water
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Drain the chickpeas and combine with enough water to cover by 2 inches in a large dutch oven.  Add the bay leaf and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat and skim off foam.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Drain through a sieve over a bowl, reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Discard bay leaf. Set chickpeas aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and add the chopped onion.  Stir and cook until onions begin to soften (3 minutes).  Add the bell pepper and continue to cook, stirring often for 5-10 minutes (until the bell pepper is tender).  Add garlic and stir for a minute or two.  Stir in the tomatoes (with the juice), thyme, salt and pepper.  Continue to cook on medium for about 10 minutes (or until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly).  Add the chickpeas, red pepper flakes, and reserved chickpea liquid.  Return to simmer, stir, reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for about 1 hour or until the beans are very tender.  Season to taste.

Warm Red Cabbage Salad with Cranberries & Almonds

This is really nice.  Super easy and fast too! 


Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion cut into thin half moons
3-4 cloves of garlic sliced very thin
1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced very thin
salt and pepper to taste
a small sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped  (just a little bit or it will overwhelm the dish)
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
1/3 cup of roasted almonds (if you opt for salted you will want to use less salt in the dish)
1 1/2 Tbsp good balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium/ to medium high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft. 

2. Add the sliced cabbage, salt and pepper taste, stir and toss for a couple of minutes until the cabbage is warmed through and only beginning to wilt slightly.  Don't overcook.  Cabbage is yucky overcooked.

3. Add the rosemary, almonds, cranberries and balsamic vinegar, stir to combine, remove from heat and transfer to a large serving dish.  If you eat cheese you can add some crumbled feta cheese on top. 

Zucchini "Pasta" & quick Tomato Sauce

If you like spaghetti squash, your gonna love zucchini done this way. It's silky and satisfying. Even better, it takes mere minutes to prepare! If you make up a batch of tomato sauce in advance, you can freeze it for convenience. 

Zucchini "Pasta"

(4 servings)
Ingredients:

2 pounds of green zucchini (or yellow)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce (see recipe below)

Directions:
1. Peel the zucchini with a peeler to remove the skin and then continue using your peeler to cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons.  Peel off several ribbons from one side, turn the zucchini a 1/4 turn and peel more ribbons.  Continue turning and peeling until you reach the seeds in the center and then discard the core.  This only takes a minute or two with a good vegetable peeler.

2. Heat 1/2 of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over med/high heat.  Cook the zucchini in 2 batches.  When the oil is hot, add 1/2 of your zucchini slices, some salt and cook, tossing and stirring.  The zucchini will not take long to reach al dente.  Just 2 or three minutes (until the zucchini is softened and just beginning to turn translucent) and the zucchini will be ready. Transfer to a serving dish and repeat with second batch.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with tomato sauce.



Quick Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
(Tomato Sauce)

6 large tomatoes, processed in a blender quickly
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 shallots, chopped fine
1/2 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1/2 handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp. red wine
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat a med sized pot (or sauté pan) over med/high heat and heat oil. Add garlic, shallots and chili flakes, cook for 2 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, cook for 4 minutes and add basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute, add red wine and cook for another 5 minutes to reduce a bit.