Vegetables

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Body Nourishing Wraps

I was little when I heard my first poem, but it wasn’t until the third grade that I really remember learning about poetry. I was in a third/forth split class and our teacher made us memorize and present a poem to the class each week. Sometimes we could choose partners, which made memorizing and standing in front of a classroom a little easier. I would take my time going through my Shel Silverstein books to find the perfect one and practice during recess. I took note on how the words played together and seemed to dance on the page. The white space all around was inviting, nothing like the rectangular black and white columns I was use to in other books.

Fast forward to last Thursday when I went to an all poetry show and my mind was exploding! In a matter of several hours my heart was filled with laughter, sadness, and a profound outlook; sometimes all at once. The headliner was Anis Mojgani, who has won multiple National/International Poetry Slam Championships, been an HBO Def poet, and a TEDx speaker. Alongside him was Mike McGee, Jeremy Radin and Karen Finneyfrock. The night was amazing, to say the least. If you have never heard of these people, look them up now! No seriously, their work is online and you can view videos of them performing. I was filled with emotion and energy. The way they can shape their thoughts into words and speak them back to you is incredible and something I really just had to share.

If you think you’re not into poetry or spoken word, I challenge you to reconsider your outlook. The words they speak have so much truth, meaning and creativity; it’s the kind of thing I hope will someday sell out large arena’s vs. the mainstream pop music, who’s lyrics lack any sort of substance these days. Besides it’s National Poetry Month, so get into it. I’d also love to know if you have any favorite poets?

That night was quite nourishing for my mind, but these wraps were nourishing for my body. I made them for a friend who just had a baby and needed a dose of veggies and protein for the sleepless nights ahead, but ended up doubling the recipe for myself as well. They’re are adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. I really can’t say enough about my love for the recipes in this book. I’ve made a few changes, including the name of the recipe here, but they really do feel like a whole body nourishing meal that suits the spring time transition nicely.

Body Nourishing Wraps / makes 4 wraps
Adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook
The collards were from my garden, so they were on the smallish side, but I’d suggest using the biggest ones you can find. And make a double batch of the carrot spread for sure, it’s delicious.

miso-carrot spread
1 cup roughly chopped carrots
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon white miso
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

8 large collard green leaves
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon tahini
fresh squeezed lemon juice as needed
about 1/3 of a cucumber, peeled and julienned
about 1 cup daikon radish, peeled and julienned
1 avocado

Place the carrots, ginger, garlic clove, miso, honey, and vinegar in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth, 1-2 minutes. With the motor running, drizzle in the sesame oil and salt and process until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Cut the stalk from the end of the collards and use a knife to shave down the rest of the stalk, making it level with the rest of the leaf. Bring a pot of water to a gently boil, turn off, and dip each leaf in the water for just a few seconds to lightly cook them and make them more pliable to roll, they’ll turn a darker, more vibrant shade of green.

In a bowl combine the quinoa and tahini, adding a bit of lemon juice to taste and stir to combine.

Set out a work space with all your wrap ingredients and arrange two of the collard leaves so they overlap each other with the tops facing opposite each other. Spread a generous amount of the miso-carrot spread down the middle, then layer a quarter each of the quinoa, cucumber, daikon radish, and avocado onto the leaves. Fold over each end, tuck one side under, and roll like a burrito. Serve or wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for several days.

Gluten-Free, Grains, Proteins, Sides, Spring, Vegan, Vegetables

Smoky Beans with Rice & Collards

There are many things that get me fired up and my husband often jokes about how passionate I can sometimes be. My voice becomes two (or three) octaves higher, hands flailing about and sometimes it may look like I’m arguing, but really I just get a little carried away.

When it comes to issues on food, there are so many that I can sit here a tell you I disagree with, but the number one on that list is the fact that there are children who go hungry on a daily basis. This is absolutely not acceptable.

Today, along with many other bloggers, I’m donating this post to raise awareness about a documentary film called A Place at the Table. The film follows three families struggling with food insecurities, and sheds light on the very real problem of hunger in America. But I’m also asking you to send letters to Congress to protect SNAP funding and make anti-hunger legislation a priority.

Basic needs start with food and creates a trickle-down effect in the development of a child. Statistics show how much better a child does in school when he or she has a meal and when a child does better in school it provides them with an education, self confidence and reassurance because they have one less thing on their mind. And this is a cycle. Something only maybe a handful of those children will grow up and not have to deal with, but the reality is they will most likely find themselves in the same situation with their own families. And to think, a meal they didn’t have was a big contributing factor; nope, this is totally not right.

I can also tell you how wrong it is that we are subsidizing all the wrong products, things like corn and soy, that have absolutely no place in packaged foods you see on the shelves of grocery stores. I’m not usually a pusher of what I believe. I very strongly want my blog and voice to be of one of inspiration to eat whole foods because they’re delicious; to lead by example, but not everyone has this choice. People live in what are now coined “food deserts” where things like chips, soda, and other processed food cost less than fruit and vegetables, even the non-organic ones in some cases. This just blows my mind! How can we become healthier, educated, full potential beings, while feeding everyone crap!?

Can you tell my voice is becoming higher (hands flailing) as you read? Because it is. But really people, I’m sure you know how hard it can be to concentrate on work, while your stomach is growling. Now imagine doing that daily, but knowing that meal may not be there. So today, April 8th, get involved and click here to spend 30 seconds of your time to tell congress that you do care, and support anti-hunger legislation.

If you would like to read up on these issues further you can go to the Share Our Strength website. If you would like to view the film you can click here to find it in a city near you or watch it on demand through iTunes and Amazon.

When I was thinking about a recipe to include in this post, I kept coming back to rice and beans; two staples I’m never without. Both are cheap (especially when you buy dried in bulk), but they’re also nutritious and a little goes a long way when added to any meal. The collard greens and leek came from my garden, but any dark leafy green that’s in season or on sale in your area should work just as well.

Smoky Beans with Rice & Collards / serves 4
Adapted from The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook

2 tablespoons oil or ghee
1 large leek, rinsed well and sliced into thin half circles
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or 1 whole chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1 bay leaf
3 cups water or half water half stock
1 cup white beans, soaked and drained
1 bunch collard greens,stems removed and cut into thin strips
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
juice of 1 lemon

Heat a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil or ghee and leek. Stir, let cook for a few minutes and then stir in the garlic and chipotle chili powder or whole chili.

Add the bay leaf, water or stock, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, cooking for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender.

Once the beans have cooked stir in the collards, rice, and salt and continue to cook just until the collards have softened. Just before serving, remove the bay leaf and stir in the lemon juice.

Gluten-Free, Grains, Proteins, Soups + Stews, Vegan, Vegetables

Collards & Quinoa with Sorrel Sauce

Never heard of sorrel? Neither had I, until last May when we moved into our house. Our new neighbors were enthusiastic about our garden plans as much as their own. They quickly introduced us to a friend of theirs who lived just around the corner and who happens to work at this wonderful place. One afternoon Scott found himself going over to this friend of a friends house to help him pick up something.

An hour or so later Scott comes home arms full of what looked like some spent grassy weeds and a few cuttings of mint. Scott had the biggest smile on his face because he knew how excited I’d be about these new plants, but then he couldn’t remember the name of the said plant and we played a quick round of me asking “what did it start with?” or “what did it sound like?”. Somehow we finally came up with sorrel. I had nowhere to put it at that moment so I threw the whole plant into a large bucket filled with dirt and called it good.

The plant looked totally dead and I may have neglected it a little, but it still managed to grow last year and the next thing I knew the whole plant was going to seed before I had a chance to use it. Luckily it’s a perennial and a hearty one around here at that; the light green, sour lemony leaves came back this month so I could finally give them a try. They look a bit like spinach, but a little lighter and yellower in color. They’re great tossed into salads or soups to add a fresh brightness.

I pureed the sorrel leaves with yogurt for a tasty cooling sauce to top off the slightly spicy collard and quinoa mixture. It’s not totally necessary and if you can’t find sorrel leaves you could possibly use fresh lemon juice instead. However, I made extra to so I could spread it on top of sandwiches and tuck it inside some scrambled eggs.

Collards & Quinoa with Sorrel Sauce / serves 4

1 bunch collard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into half circles
pinch red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup dry)
1/3 cup Asiago cheese
salt and pepper
1/3 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
sorrel sauce to serve, recipe below

De-stem the collards and thinly slice the leaves into 1/4-inch wide strips. Then finely chop up the stems, this is optional, but I try to avoid wasting perfectly edible food when I can.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the leeks, garlic, collard stems (if using), red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt, and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the finely sliced leaves and cook down until they turn dark green and soften up.

Place the cooked quinoa in a large serving bowl and toss with the collard mixture. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving top with the toasted almonds and serve with the sorrel sauce on the side.

Sorrel Sauce
Adapted from Plenty
3 cups sorrel leaves, washed
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt to taste

Place everything into a food processor or blender with a pinch of salt and blitz into a light green sauce. Taste then add more salt if desired. Keeps, covered, in the fridge for a couple days.

Gluten-Free, Proteins, Salads, Sides, Spring, Vegetables

Spicy Tempeh with Wilted Chard & Yogurt

Can I tell you something? It may be obvious that I have not been posting with the usual frequency I used to, but I promise, this is still a favorite place for me to come and share recipes, stories and thoughts. But life has been busy. Like, busy busy. And when I do find a moment where I’m not focused on finishing up a wholesale order or designing someone’s logo, I kind of want to just be outside with my husband, curl up and read a book (finally got around to finishing this one), a magazine, or plant something in my garden. And you know what, I’ve become ok with that.

There was a time when I thought you dear readers would stop being interested and move on if I wasn’t posting at least once a week, never mind those who carve out 2, 3, or more posts in one week! Whew, that would exhaust me this moment in time, but I do admire those who do it. I want to thank you for continuing to read, make my recipes, to ask me questions and give such positive feedback. You are becoming my main reason for showing up and I’m enjoying the conversations we have.

Our business has been slowly growing (5 years this May!) and I’m constantly blindsided how running a business can be such a deeper insight into my own personal strengths. How I can choose what it is I do everyday, but have the little voice in the back of my head tell me that “the choice may be mine, but not to give it too much slack”. December and January came and went so fast and for a person who loves to cook and eat good food, dinner did not make it to the table many of those nights. If it did, it most likely wasn’t even thought about until 8:30pm rolled around and it became such a rushed event of tossing whatever was in the fridge into a bowl and calling it a meal. Oh, they were quite the creative months ; )

I’ve been realizing that through those months I was barely ever picking up a cookbook. I was literally fueling and sustaining my hunger first, rather than inviting new and fun ways to prepare and enjoy a meal. It definitely gave me new ideas when cooking in this way, but when I received a copy of Martha Stewart Living’s new cookbook, Meatless, I was wishing it had been there on those nights when I didn’t want to create something fancy. I would have loved someone/something to just tell me what to make and lets be done with it, knowing the outcome would be different than the last repeated nights dinners and still taste good. Maybe some of you have those kind of weeknights as well. It’s a beautiful, full–color book, with over 200 recipes and if you are trying to limit your meat intake or just looking for more healthy weeknight dinner ideas, I’d suggest you start with this book. It has some very basic recipes, but there are also many creative salads, soups, pizzas and one pot dinner ideas that I can’t wait to try.

I started with this spiced tempeh, wilted chard and yogurt dish. It’s relatively quick once you’ve gotten everything chopped up and ready to throw into the pan. I replaced the tofu with the tempeh, for the simple reason that I had it on hand and I kind of prefer it to tofu. However if it’s new to you, it is a weird one, that’s for sure! Basically it’s soy beans that have been soaked, de-hulled and left to soak and ferment, forming a little cake. Sometimes it can get this bloom of black on it’s edges, but it’s totally safe to eat. The taste is quite different from tofu, but it’s much firmer in texture, easier to digest and has a higher protein, fiber, and vitamin content then tofu. It’s probably an acquired taste, but for what it’s worth, my husband who doesn’t like it as much as I do, said he really enjoyed it served in this dish.

Spiced Tempeh with Wilted Chard & Yogurt / serves 4
Adapted from Meatless

I made several substitutions to the recipe, replacing the tofu, spinach, and low-fat yogurt for tempeh, rainbow chard and whole milk yogurt.

2 tablespoons sunflower
2 8oz. packages tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes
coarse salt
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 bunches rainbow chard, stemmed and chopped
2/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 cups cooked brown rice

In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add tempeh (or tofu) and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate and season with salt.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and spices and cook, stirring, until spices are toasted, about 1 minute. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until just wilted, 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Season with salt and stir in golden tempeh. Serve with rice on the side.

Fall, Gluten-Free, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables, Winter

Cauliflower & Lentil Salad with Crispy Lemon Zest & Carrots

I (again) have grand ideas about gardening this year. Seed catalogues, detailed spread sheets, and gardening books have been strewn about our dining table for the last two weeks. One evening, I looked up from my barricade, laughing and told Scott, “it feels like I’m in school again”. Although, lets be real, I probably never studied with this much enthusiasm when I was in school.

Growing at least some of our food is something I’ve been doing for the past 4–5 years now, but it’s still something I’m learning; possibly something I’ll forever be learning. When we moved last May, I realized that the idea of a Spring garden was out of the question. That still didn’t stop me from telling Scott we must put in four garden beds, 2 weeks after moving in, because I didn’t want to miss out on the Summer and Fall season. Our new neighbors watched as we built them out of some scrap wood we had and filled them, shovel full by shovel full of dirt. It was quite a lot of work, but it paid off when the lettuces, zucchini, cucumbers, greens and tomatoes shot their green leaves and vines up and set fruit.

Towards the end of Summer, we put in a low picket fence, ripped out our small front lawn and mulched the top with cardboard, leaves, and other composted materials. It’s ugly now, but the plan is to turn it into an edible and ornamental garden. The walkway will be lined with lavender, rosemary, and thyme, spreading into various other herbs, blueberry bushes, edible flowers, a rainbow of quinoa, and various other vegetables that need more room to spread than the garden beds in back will allow.

This brings me to cauliflower. I have no idea why, but this is the one vegetable I’m scared to grow on my own. It’s large milky white, green, or orange heads seems like something best left to the pros. I think it mostly stems from when I once grew broccoli and as soon as the green heads started forming they were infested with hundreds of aphids. I know this was something that maybe could have been prevented, but I’m not so sure I eat enough cauliflower to take the risk in my small garden space for it.

However, this salad may have changed my mind. Roasted cauliflower, like pretty much all roasted veggies, takes on a whole new vibe from raw or steamed, and roasting is pretty much my go–to when faced with the question of what’s for dinner tonight. But I don’t often take it further than a little salt and pepper, maybe an herb or two as well. The combination of fresh parsley leaves, lentils, capers and crispy lemon and carrots take it from routine to something I’d serve to friends. It now has me questioning if cauliflower has finally earned its right in a section of my garden. If you’ve had success in the NW with cauliflower, please let me know! Otherwise I’m still fine with picking it up, with new enthusiasm, at my local co-op or the markets once they start up again.

Cauliflower & Lentil Salad with Crispy Lemon Zest & Carrots / serves 4
This is basically vegan, but I was out of a neutral cooking oil and didn’t want to heat the olive oil over high heat without adding butter. If you are vegan, this is an easy change. I’ve also added an extra carrot to the list of ingredients, as the single one I used was not nearly enough.

1 cup cooked French lentils (or 1/2 cup dried)
1 large head cauliflower, cut into medium-small florets
olive oil
2 carrots
1 small lemon
knob of butter
large handful parsley, about 1/2 cup packed
3 tablespoons capers
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F. If you don’t already have some leftover French lentils, cook them now and let them cool slightly while the cauliflower roasts.

Toss the cauliflower florets in about a tablespoon olive oil and spread out on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cauliflower gets golden brown around the edges.

Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler (or a zester that makes long strips) to thinly shave the peel off the lemon and use a knife to slice them into small strips. Using the peeler again, thinly shave the carrots into long strips.

Heat the butter and another splash of olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the lemon peel and let fry until it begins to turn golden, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Use tongs to remove lemon peel and set aside. Bring the butter/oil back up to med-high heat and add in the carrot strips. These will take a little longer and, depending on pan size, you may need to do in 2 batches so they can lay evenly on the bottom. Remove and set aside with the lemon peel.

In a large serving bowl, toss the cauliflower, lentils, parsley, and capers with the oil remaining in the frying pan. Squeeze over juice from half the lemon and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the crispy lemon zest and carrots and serve warm or room temperature.

Gluten-Free, Proteins, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables

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