Red Lentil Cauliflower Masala

This recipe is a hearty indian dish that is simple to make, saves very well, and packs a ton of vegan protein from the lentils and nutrients from the veggies. You can mix and match what kind of veggies to include depending on what you have on or what you like best. We were running out of food so I made this recipe was born out of necessity, using the lentils and tomato paste in the cupboard, the lonely cauliflower in the fridge, and the frozen spinach brought it all together. Always have frozen spinach on hand. :) 

Inspired by the Red Lentil & Spinach Masala recipe here.


Ingredients:
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled & minced
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. paprika or red pepper

1 head organic cauliflower, chopped.
1 8 oz. can organic tomato paste
~32 oz. organic vegetable broth, less if you want a thicker consistency
1 15 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
2 cups red lentils (uncooked)
1 medium package frozen spinach
cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

• In a large pot heat the oil on medium heat and add the chopped red onion.
• Saute for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
• Stir in the spices and cook about 2 minutes until very fragrant.
• Add the chopped cauliflower, tomato paste and vegetable broth and cook to boiling over medium high heat, about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is about "al dente", getting softer but not all the way cooked yet.
• Stir in the coconut milk and red lentils.
• Once boiling again reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the lentils and cauliflower are soft, about 23-25 minutes.
• Stir in the spinach, adjust seasonings to taste, and garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy!
This recipe makes really good leftovers! We enjoyed them later in the week with green beans sautéed in a bit of coconut oil & Trader Joe's Every Day Seasoning. 

Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta with Veggies

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegetarian, can be vegan

This recipe is adapted from the recipes over at "It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken" for Quick Easy Cauliflower Cream Sauce here, and over at "Leelalicious" for Healthier Cauliflower Alfredo sauce here. 

Ingredients: 

Cauliflower Sauce: 
1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tbs. [grass-fed, pure] butter or coconut oil for vegan version
3 cloves minced garlic
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (or more broth)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. black pepper

Gluten-Free Pasta (I used Quinoa pasta)
2 cups frozen broccoli, thawed
1 package chopped mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
(any veggies you'd like)

Instructions: 

1. Saute the chopped onion in butter (or coconut oil) and 2 cloves of garlic in a large pot until caramelized, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the chopped cauliflower, broth, non-dairy milk, and additional garlic. Boil for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork tender. 
3. While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the pasta according to package directions. 
4. Blend the cauliflower and broth mixture with an immersion blender (or in a blender) until smooth, and blend in the nutritional yeast and salt/pepper to taste. 
5. Add the pasta and prepared/chopped veggies to the sauce once it's blended and ready. Enjoy!

Thai Pumpkin Curry

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan-optional

At my favorite Thai restaurant the dish I get every time is, Pumpkin Chicken Curry! It is is creamy with a luscious coconut milk curry sauce, lightly sweet with buttery chunks of freshly cooked pumpkin, and pretty much divine! Kabocha squash, which looks like a small pumpkin, went on sale at the commissary, so I decided to buy and try and recreate the Pumpkin Curry recipe myself. The following recipe is the happy result from this experiment. 

Adapted from the recipe here. 
Makes 5-8 servings

Ingredients: 

• 1 small pumpkin (kabocha, sugar pie) - approximately 1lb
• 1 small red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (full fat)
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1lb boneless and skinless chicken, cubed in to 1"piece (organic, hormone-free, etc.)
• 1 package frozen spinach
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1/4 cup fresh Thai basil (julienned, thinly cut)
• Salt
• Cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 
  

*use as many organic ingredients as possible

**can substitute chickpeas for the chicken to make vegan

Directions

Prepare the Pumpkin: 

- Bring a large pot of water to a boil

- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the pumpkin into quarters and scoop out the seeds. (leave the skin on, it's really hard to cut into chunks while still raw.)

- Boil the pumpkin quarters for at 10-15 minutes, or until fork tender. 

- Drain the water and let the pumpkin cool until you can handle it. 

- Cut the pumpkin into bite-size cubes and cut off the rind of the pumpkin from each piece. 

Prepare the Curry: 

- Blend the red curry paste, garlic and onions together (I used a Nutribullet). 

- Heat the coconut oil in a large pan, and saute the mixture over medium heat until the paste smells aromatic. 

- Stir in the can of coconut milk and teaspoon of coconut sugar. Once the oil begins to separate from the mixture, or the sauce begins to simmer, add in the chicken pieces (or chickpeas) and do not disturb the chicken for about 7 minutes. Carefully handle the chicken without stirring much and allow to fully cook in the coconut milk. 

(To better monitor the chicken's doneness, you can cook it only half the can of coconut milk and add the other half with the veggies. I just added the milk all at once though.)

- When the chicken is fully cooked, add the pumpkin and thawed spinach. Simmer until all the pumpkin is fork tender and parts cohesive. 

- Add the lime juice and season with salt to taste. 

- Take off the heat, add the julienned Thai basil, and adjust to taste. 

Serve over brown rice, greens, with Pad Thai, or on it's own. Enjoy!

• 
  

Asian Red Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients: 

• red cabbage, diced half of 1 head
• 1 cup zucchini, diced 
• 1 cup celery, diced 
• 3/4 cup carrots, diced 
• 1 bunch scallions, diced
• any other veggies you want!

Dressing: 

• 3 tbs. apple cider vinegar (Bragg's brand)
• 4-5 tbs. coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos)
• 1 tbs. minced garlic
• 1 tbs. chia seeds
• 1 tbs. olive oil or macadamia oil (optional)
• sprinkle of garlic powder
• sprinkle of paprika
• sprinkle of pepper
• sprinkle of dried minced onion flakes (optional)
• any other seasonings/herbs you prefer

Steps: 

1. Chop up the veggies and place in a bowl.

2. Stir together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and season to fast.

3. Pour the dressing over the veggies and stir together. 
4. Refrigerate and enjoy! :)

Super easy, and PACKED with loads of nutrition!! 

Thai Green Curry

Easy, Paleo, Gluten-Free, One Pan Wonder

Makes 2 large servings

While in Thailand, my husband had the opportunity to attend a Thai Cooking class. We LOVE Thai food, especially curries and pad thai, so he jumped at the chance to learn how to make it from scratch. In the class they learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Pad Kra Pow (sliced chili and Thai Basil) and Som Tam (papaya salad) from scratch. The teacher provided the recipes and instructions for everything, and when he finally returned from deployment we set out to make the recipes ourselves! We ended up not being able to find some of the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce and curry paste, so we had to just buy the packaged sauces. The recipe turned out really well, and this is definitely a satisfying comfort food. The brown rice provides a better source of protein, and while the sauce does have sugar making it not the healthiest thing in the world, this version is healthier and cheaper then what we would buy at a restaurant. 
This recipe is straight from Thailand, and we didn't have to spend $9+ per serving! :) 

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 tbs. coconut oil 
• 2 tbs. Green Curry paste (we used Thai Kitchen brand)
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 lb chopped chicken, beef, seafood (optional, to make vegan you can use chickpeas as the protein source, or serve over quinoa)
• 2 tsp. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1.5 cups chopped vegetables: Thai eggplant, Pea eggplant
• 1/2 cup Thai Basil (find at farmer's market, looks more pointed and purplish than regular basil)
• 1 tbs. Fish Sauce

Steps: 
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the curry paste. Stir until you smell the curry (20 seconds). 

- Add 1/4 can of the coconut milk to the pan and dissolve the paste. Let it boil for 1 minute. 
Add another 1/4 can and wait until it's boiling. Repeat until the measured coconut milk is emptied. 

- Add the meat and wait until it's cooked. Do not stir until chicken is 80% cooked. Wait until everything is boiled evenly, and add water if the coconut milk is too thick. 

- Add vegetables (Thai eggplant and Thai basil), and stir occasionally until they are cooked. The Thai eggplant should have the consistency of a cooked potato once it is ready. 

- When the vegetables are cooked, stir in the brown sugar and fish sauce. Serve garnished with red chili and Thai basil leave. 
Enjoy!

Green Curry & Pad Thai!

Pad Thai with Brown Rice Noodles

Easy, Gluten-Free, One Pan Wonder, Thai Comfort Food

Makes 4 large servings

While in Thailand, my husband had the opportunity to attend a Thai Cooking class. We LOVE Thai food, especially curries and pad thai, so he jumped at the chance to learn how to make it ourselves. In the class they learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Pad Kra Pow (sliced chili and Thai Basil) and Som Tam (papaya salad) from scratch. The teacher provided the recipes and instructions for everything, and when he finally returned from deployment we set out to make the recipes ourselves! We ended up not being able to find some of the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce and curry paste (like tamarind, kaffir limes, etc.), so we had to just buy the packaged sauces. The recipe turned out really well, and this is definitely a satisfying comfort food. The brown rice provides a better source of protein, and while the sauce does have sugar making it not the healthiest thing in the world, this version is healthier and cheaper then what you would buy at a restaurant. 
This recipe is straight from Thailand, and we didn't have to spend $9+ per serving! :) 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 tbs. coconut oil
• 1 diced red onion, or 1/2 cup diced shallots
• 2 tbs. Pickled Mixed Vegetables (found at asian market)
• Chicken, beef or seafood approx. 1/2 lb
• 4 eggs
• Pad Thai Sauce (we used Thai Kitchen brand) 8 oz
• Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles, 200 g package (soak for 5 min. or according to package instructions)
• 1 cup diced garlic chives (they look like flat chives, found at farmer's markets, can also use scallions)
• 1 or 2 grated carrots
• 1 grated zucchini
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• (any more veggies you would like ... broccoli, bamboo shoots, etc.)
• 2 tsp. paprika (for color)

Steps: 

- Heat up the coconut oil on medium heat, and when the oil is hot, add the diced onions and pickled mixed vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute or until they begin to brown. 

- Add the meat and cook it well. (If using shrimp, cook it quickly and set aside before adding the eggs.) You can also add the carrots and zucchini (or any other preferred veggies) at this time. 

- When the meat is ready, add the eggs in the middle of the pan. Scramble slightly and do the "pancake" movement to spread the egg around your pan. 

- After 1 minute or until 80% of the eggs are cooked, add the noodles and Pad Thai Sauce. Using tongs incorporate everything together, and add the paprika for color. 

- The Pad Thai should barely start to become dry in the pan, then add the garlic chives and bean sprouts and cook for another 20-30 sec. Turn off the heat and serve on a plate with lime wedges, extra bean sprouts and some crushed peanuts. 
Enjoy!

Traditional Pad Thai Sauce:  4 servings  (if you can find the ingredients...)

• 4 tbs. Brown Sugar
• 4 tbs. White Sugar
• 2 tbs. Tamarind (pre-packaged sauce from the Tamarind tree nut)
• 6 tbs. Fish Sauce
• 4 tbs. White Vinegar

Vegan Beet Brownies

Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free

When traveling I like to bring my own healthy foods so I don't have to pay for or depend on what's available at the airport. I experimented with making bars that have vegetables, protein, fiber, and that taste good, and these were the result! Beets are packed with nutrients, the chickpeas and quinoa flour provide a great protein source, cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, and I even added a zucchini for good measure. These will be a good breakfast, snack, dessert, or mini travel meal. 

Health Benefits of Beets:

• Beets are packed with vitamins and minerals including potassium, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus, iron; vitamins A, B & C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine; and folic acid.
• Beets help detoxify the body by boosting liver function, purifying the blood, and can prevent various forms of cancer.
• Beets help mental health and can also lower blood pressure.
• Beets are full of fiber, contain only 60 calories per cup, and have potent anti-inflammatory effects.

Health Benefits of Chickpeas:

• Plant protein source containing 15 grams of protein per cup
• Rich in soluble and insoluble fiber
• Rich in vitamins and minerals: A one-cup serving of chickpeas provides 50% of daily potassium needs, 2% vitamin A, 21% calcium, 13% vitamin C, 69% iron, 2% sodium, 55% vitamin B-6 and 57% magnesium. They also contain vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, choline and selenium.
• Low glycemic index of 28, providing slow burning energy and not spiking blood sugar.
• Much more! Reference the sources below for the full articles

Raspberries & Blueberries sprinkled on top

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup quinoa flour (or gf flour of choice)
• 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¾ cup erythritol or sweetener of choice
• 1 tablespoon (or less) stevia powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon mineral salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 steamed beets
• 1 raw zucchini
• 1 can organic chickpeas
• 3 tbs. chia seeds mixed with 6 tbs. water
• ¾ cup non-dairy milk (I used flax milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  Berries (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.
2. While the beats are steaming, measure out and stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Blend together the wet ingredients in a food processor until totally smooth.
4. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
5. Smooth out into 2 9x13 inch pans. Top with berries, chocolate chips or any other toppings.
6. Bake at 355 for 30-40 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting.

All packed and ready for traveling!

Recipe revised from: http://www.theroastedroot.net/fudgy-paleo-beetroot-brownies/

Sources:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-beet-benefits-aphrodisiac-brain-booster-more.html/2

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx

http://www.fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife/2012/05/10/6-health-benefits-of-eating-beets/

http://www.naturalfoodbenefits.com/display.asp?CAT=2&ID=86

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280244.php

Comforting Stuffed Peppers (with kale! vegan, gluten free, etc.)

Gluten-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free, Oil-Free

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup dry, uncooked brown rice
• 2 1/4 cups water (to cook the brown rice in)
• 2 red onions, diced
• 1 cup radishes, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup red cabbage, diced/shredded
• 1 bag or large bunch kale, torn into small pieces
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced
• any other veggies you want! I used half a zucchini left in the fridge so I chopped that up and threw it in.
• 1 15 oz. can aduki beans (or other beans, aduki and very nourishing though!)
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 6 (or 4) large green or red peppers 
• 1 18 oz. jar Traditional Marinara Sauce (from Trader Joe's, make sure you get a brand without ANY added sugar, corn syrup, or weird additives)

Seasonings

• sea salt, to taste, 
• Trader Joe's everyday seasoning, to taste (I used abt. 2 tbs. total)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. coconut aminos (similar to soy sauce but way better)
• 1 tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. oregano 
• dash of paprika
• dash of pepper
• spritz of fresh lemon juice

1. Cook the brown rice according to the bag directions. The directions for mine was boil 1 cup of the rice in 2.5 cups of water, then lower the temp. and simmer covered for about 35 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Season with sea salt or anything else according to taste. 

2. While the rice is cooking chop up all the veggies and start sautéing the onions, radishes and garlic. Add in the kale, red cabbage, mushrooms (basically any veggies you want) and sauté until tender. 

3. Cut off the tops of the peppers and dice the pepper pieces. Add to the veggie mixture, along with the canned diced tomatoes, beans, and the seasonings (listed above). Cook on low until the brown rice is done and the veggies are tender. 

4. Arrange the pepper halves in a baking dish, then fill the bottom with the veggies, add a layer of brown rice, then more veggies and top off with the marinara sauce. Some people stir the rice into the veggies and you can definitely do that, I just like the layered effect better. For the extra veggie mixture / rice, spoon it into the dish around the stuffed peppers, and top the rest of the dish with the marinara sauce. 

5. Bake at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. You can bake them more or less, and it really depends on how cooked / soft you want the peppers to be. 

This dish is very comforting and filling, and even my meat and tasty-cake eating family liked it! I adapted this recipe from the one here, and just made it healthier by adding more veggies and took out the cheese and such. This recipe taste so warm, comforting and savory you won't ever miss the old version! :)

Lentil Crust Super Pizza

Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Low Fat 

This recipe was inspired by the Gluten-Free Lentil Rice Crust Pizza with Buffalo Mayo Sauce and the Cauliflower Pepita Chia Crust with Herbed White Beans, Peppers and Onions over at VeganRicha.com. She has an AWESOME vegan cooking website with a whole bunch of really creative gluten-free pizza ideas! I really love her recipes/website so look over there for inspiration too! I initially tried to make the Lentil Pizza, but since I didn't have yeast I tweaked it and used the chia and flax seeds and a few spices from the Cauliflower Pizza recipe. 

Health Benefits of Lentils: 

• Excellent Source of Protein! - 26% attributed to protein, making it a great plant source of protein
• Great source of Fiber - helping provide slow-burning energy, stabilizing blood sugar and assisting digestive health. While they are low in calories the high fiber content makes them very satiating
• Great source of Magnesium
• Great source of Iron 
• Great source of Folate (aka Folic Acid or Vitamin B9)- all very important minerals for the body!
• Lowers Cholesterol
• Cheap - (lol, but true!) a bag of dry lentils only costs about $1 even in the uber expensive state of Hawaii. ;)

Basically, lentils offer a powerhouse of nutrition, so if you haven't had them yet try them now!!

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 and 1/3 cup Lentils(dry uncooked, soaked overnight)

3 Tbsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp flaxmeal

1/2 cup water

3/4 tsp italian herb blend
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup water

Cashew Cheese: 
1 cup cashews (soaked overnight)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup filtered water
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar
(inspired by the recipe here)

Toppings: 
Organic Marinara Sauce*
Cashew Cheese 
Veggies
Basil
whatever you want! :)


Steps: 
- Soak the Lentils and Cashews in water and leave for 4 hrs or overnight. (There is nothing special about the 4 hr mark, but you want to be sure they are soaked through enough and will be ready for blending. 

Cashew Cheese: 
- Blend the Cashews and other ingredients together. Adjust spices according to taste, then set in the fridge until topping on the pizza.

Crust: 
- Stir the Chia Seeds, Flaxseed meal, and first 1/2 cup of water together and leave in the fridge for about 15 minutes. This mixture will form a gel-like consistency and will hopefully make the crust rise. 

- Blend the Lentils, spices, baking powder, and second 1/2 cup water together in a good blender. Then blend in the chia/flax mixture. 

- Once everything is blended and you've adjusted the spice to your liking, spoon out the Lentil Pizza Dough onto parchment paper (sprayed with coconut oil) at whatever size and thickness you'd like. The thicker they are the longer it will need to cook. 

- Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until slightly golden brown and cooked through. 

Pizza Time!
- Once the crust is cooked through, add on any toppings you would like!
You can go traditional with marinara, cheese, fresh tomatoes and basil, or go crazy with lots of fun veggies! I added zucchini, red pepper, and Kenny tried to make a Thai Peanut pizza (inspired by his favorite kind at the California Pizza Kitchen) using our Thai peanut sauce as the base then adding veggies on top. 
Tip: If using fresh basil or herbs you may want to add it last or after the other veggies cook. I added the basil with everything else, and the got really crisp and almost burnt after the 10 minutes ...

- Bake for about 10 more minutes, or until the veggies are cooked through to your liking. 
Once the toppings are cooked enough, take out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then Serve!


[I baked the dough on regular parchment paper, and I had a hard time getting the pizzas off the paper! Maybe it was just defective parchment paper, or maybe I should have greased it beforehand - either way it's probably safer to spray with coconut oil beforehand so they don't stick!]

 * (watch the sugar content on these store-bought sauces though - even tomato sauces or "healthy" looking brands can actually be packed with sugar, and whatever you do, stay away from high fructose corn syrup!!! Safer to just make if yourself, but I was short on time)


Resources: 
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-eating-lentils-4547.html
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5488/7-Health-Benefits-of-Lentils.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=52