“Grains & Greens” Salad

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup uncooked grains* (Karen’s favorite combination: 1/3 cup rinsed quinoa, 1/3 cup millet, 1/3 cup raw buckwheat grouts)
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas/navy/cannellini beans or 1 (15-oz) can of beans (rinsed and drained) or frozen peas/edamame (thawed)
• 1 ½ cups chopped seasonal vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, snap peas, whatever you have on hand!)
• 1 ½ cups lightly cooked/blanched greens (collards/kale/spinach/etc.) 
• ½ – ¾ cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, and/or cilantro) or 1-2 TBSP dried herbs  
• ¼ cup lemon juice (approximately 2 to 3 lemons)
• 2-3 TBSP apple cider vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
• Splash of olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)
• ½ tsp salt
• Black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

• Cook grains: put the grains and the water in a medium saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.  Cook until the grains have absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer.  Remove from heat, cover, and let the grains rest for 5 minutes.
• In a large serving bowl, add the beans, chopped vegetables, greens, green onion, and herbs.  Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
• Once the grains are mostly cool, add them to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and adjust the other seasonings as needed. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
• This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4-5 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note: I enjoy using millet and buckwheat because they are both nutrient rich, tasty, and generally speaking are more sustainable (socially and environmentally) than quinoa.  

Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate

Herbs/Greens-On-Hand Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• Large handful of fresh herbs (parsley, basil, cilantro) or any kind of greens (spinach, kale, collards, mixed lettuce greens)
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2-3 TBSP lemon/lime juice and/or orange juice
• 1/4 yellow onion (or several green onions or 1 tsp onion powder)
• 1-2 garlic clove (or 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp garlic powder)
• ½ tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Optional:

• 2-4 tbsp olive oil or 1 small avocado pitted
• To add a touch of sweetness try: a bit of maple syrup, agave, more orange juice, and/or several TBSPs chopped dates

Directions:

Using an immersion blender/blender/mini food processor – add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Adapted from: Life Is But a Dish

Photo by Char Beck on Unsplash 

“Greens-On-Hand” Pesto

Ingredients:

• 4 cups greens-on-hand (arugula/collards/kale/spinach/mixed greens/etc.)
• 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 cup nuts or seeds (you pick: pecans/pine nuts/walnuts/sunflower seeds)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3-4 cloves (or more) of garlic
• 1/4-1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

• Using a food processor or small blender, add the greens, nuts, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and sea salt and blend/mix on high until a loose paste forms.

• Add the water a little at a time (trickling it in while the machine is on if possible) and scrape down sides as needed until the desired consistency is reached – a thick but pourable sauce. 

• Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, salt for overall flavor, nuts for nuttiness, garlic for bite / zing, or lemon juice for acidity.

• Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week. After that, pour into ice cube molds, freeze, and store up to 1 month or more.

Notes:

• I like to use toasted nuts as that adds to the overall flavor.

• I usually use raw greens, but lightly cooked or blanched greens also work.  And, yes, this recipe works really well with basil. 12

Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

3-Ingredient Raw Cacao Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnuts (115 g)
• 1 cup Medjool dates (200 g)
• 2 tbsp raw cacao

Directions:

1. Place the walnuts in a food processor or a powerful blender (food processors work better) and blend until they have a crumbly texture.
2. Add the dates and the cacao and blend again.
3. Make balls with your hands and they’re ready to serve.

You can store the bites in a sealed container at room temperature, or keep them in the fridge, especially in summer.

Recipe adapted from simpleveganblog.com

Roasted Veggie Grain Bowl

Ingredients:

Grain (makes extra):

• 1 cup raw quinoa, rinsed
• 1¾ cups water

Creamy Kale Pepita Pesto (makes extra):

• ½ cup pepitas (or shelled raw pistachios)
• 2 small garlic cloves
• 1 packed cup chopped kale
• 1 packed cup cilantro, more for garnish
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey

Roasted Vegetables

• 2 parsnips, chopped into ½ inch pieces
• florets from ½ cauliflower
• ½ bunch broccolini
• 1½ cups halved Brussels sprouts

Protein

• 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained & rinse, use ¼ cup per bowl, save the extra

Garnish

• sauerkraut 
• toasted pepitas

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Make the quinoa. 
   • Add the rinsed quinoa and water to a medium pot. 
   • Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes. 
   • Fluff with a fork. 
3. Make the sauce. 
   • Combine the pepitas, garlic, kale, cilantro lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, olive oil, water, and maple syrup or honey in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Roast the vegetables. 
   • Place the parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower on one large baking sheet. Place the broccolini on the second baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper, toss to coat, then spread evenly onto the sheets. 
   • Roast the parsnips/Brussels sprouts/cauliflower 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Roast the broccolini for 10 to 12 minute or until tender. 
   • When cool to the touch, chop up the broccolini stems.
5. Assemble bowls with a scoop of quinoa, the roasted vegetables, about ¼ cup chickpeas, and a scoop of sauerkraut and top with pepitas. 
6. Drizzle with the sauce. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

Recipe adapted from loveandlemons.com

Vegan Blueberry Cobbler

Small Group Reflection

Falafel

Ingredients:

1 lb 4oz (20oz) dried fava beans (about 3 1/2 cups) (not canned) 
7 cups cold water
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Heavy pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3 tbsp of water, plus more as needed
6-8 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil for frying

To serve:
Thinned tahini sauce
Sliced lettuce, tomatoes, etc. 

Directions:

Sort through and rinse the fava beans.  Place them into a large stock pot and cover with the water.  Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat so the water is at a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Drain and cool the beans completely.

Once the beans are completely cool, place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment.  Add the garlic, onion, cilantro, parsley, cumin, and coriander to the bowl, and pulse until the mix resembles a coarse sand in texture.  Stop mixing and scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula.

Add the salt and flour.  Use the first measurement of flour, only adding more if the mixture is too wet.

Add the water to the mixture and pulse, once again.  Your mixture should be a paste which resembles thick, chunky peanut butter.  If you ball it up and it holds together without crumbling, it’s good to go.  If you ball it up and it immediately falls apart, it’s too dry and needs a little more water.  Add a tablespoon of water and pulse again.  Then, do the ball test.  If it’s still too dry, add more water and pulse again.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high.  Scoop the falafel mix into your hand using a portion scoop, then flatten slightly.  Scoop as much of the mix as you can fit onto a plate or platter.  Separately, make sure you have a tray that’s been lined with paper towels to drain the cooked falafel on when they come out of the oil.

Fry four to five balls of falafel at a time for four to four and a half minutes, or until they are a deep brown color.  Turn the falafel balls once to cook on both sides.  Remove the balls from the oil using a slotted spoon.  Drain them on the paper-towel lined dish. Continue frying until all are cooked.

Once all your falafel has been fried, serve it immediately.  You can also keep in a storage container and reheat in the oven on a foil-lined sheet pan.  Heat for ten minutes at 350°F, or until warmed through.

Koshari

For the Crispy Onion Topping:
2 large onions, minced
Salt
1 cup cooking oil

Make the crispy onion topping – in a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat.  Cook the minced onion, stirring often, until they turn a nice caramelized brown. Add a generous amount of salt to help the onions crisp.  Onions must be crispy, but not burned (15-20 minutes).

For Tomato Sauce:

Cooking oil
1 small onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
½ -1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Make the tomato sauce – in a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil.  Add the grated onion, cook on medium-high until the onion turns a translucent gold (do not brown).  Now add the garlic, coriander, and red pepper flakes, if using, and saute briefly until fragrant (30-45 seconds more).

Stir in tomato sauce and pinch of salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens (15 minutes or so).

Stir in the distilled white vinegar, and turn the heat to low.  Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

For Koshari:

1 ½ cup brown lentils, picked over and well rinsed
1 ½ cup medium-grain rice, rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes, drained
½ tsp each salt and pepper
½ tsp coriander
2 cups elbow pasta
Cooking oil
Water
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Make the Koshari – Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot or saucepan over high heat.  Add 1 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of garlic powder.  Reduce the heat to low and cook until lentils are just tender (15-17 minutes).  Drain from water and season with a little salt. 

Cook the rice in the saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil, salt, pepper, and coriander.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.  Bring to a boil, then cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Cook the pasta al dente.  Drain.

Warm the canned chickpeas on the stove and add 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander, and garlic powder. Add salt to taste.

To serve, fluff the rice and lentils with a fork and transfer to a serving platter. Top with the elbow pasta and ½ of the tomato sauce, then the chickpeas, and finally ½ of the crispy onions for garnish.

Moussaka

Ingredients:  
4 medium potatoes, sliced into circles
2 medium eggplants, sliced into circles
24 oz. spaghetti sauce
4 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ a bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
½ cup warm water
Salt and black pepper
Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a wide cast-iron or frying pan over high heat and saute the eggplant until golden brown.

Grease a casserole dish and spread a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom.  Place sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish and cover with another layer of sauce. 

Add a layer of sauteed eggplant and top with the sliced onion, bell pepper, garlic, and tomatoes. 

Mix the cumin and coriander in the warm water and pour evenly over the layer of vegetables.  Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 min.  Bake longer for a softer potato layer.

Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve with warm pita.