golden beet, heirloom carrot and quinoa salad


one of the things i promised myself i would tackle this year is cooking with diffrent kinds of grains (it’s easy for me to fall back on my staple brown rice and ignore all the other delicious and fun grains out there). so yesterday i made this tasty little salad! roasted veggies, quinoa, the perfect dressing: it doesn’t get more simple, healthy or delicious. next time we eat this i’ll serve it on arugala or mix in some watercress to get our greens in there too. yum, yum, yum.

the what:

1 cup quinoa (multi-variety shown)

4 small/medium yellow beets

1 bunch heirloom carrots

evoo

1/4 c white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons high grade amber maple syrup

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

sea salt

pepper

the how:

 

rinse and cook 1 cup of quinoa (instructions on how to cook quinoa here)

peel and chop beets, chop carrots and coat all with evoo. sprinkle with sea salt and roast for 20 minutes at three hundred and fifty degrees (when you can easily pierce the beets/carrots with a fork, they’re done. adjust time if necessary)

make dressing while the quinoa and veggies are cooking. in a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and maple syrup. add salt and pepper to taste. (this makes more than enough for this salad, reduce recipe if you’re not into leftovers…or make this recipe to use up the extra!)

when the veggies and quinoa are done mix in a large bowl and add salad dressing, sea salt and pepper to taste. i prefer this salad when it’s had some time to chill for a bit and I definitely like it best served on greens. 

how we afford to shop at whole foods

happy new year! i hope you all had a wonderful bit of rest and rejuvination, with lots of love, treats and coziness! are you making resolutions this year? i still need to sit down and come up with my 2012 action plan! yes, i am totally that nerd that just typed that.

someone recently left this question in my comment section: “how do you manage to eat all your veggies/fruits, etc. organic w/o breaking the bank? any tips would be greatly appreciated.” this was practically begging for me to climb up on a soapbox and talk about how/what we eat and how we afford it. and there’s no better time of year to commit to a new way of doing things, so here goes my friends!

- we don’t buy dairy or meat, and only occasionaly buy a little white fish. i whole heartedly believe this is better for our health,our waistlines, the environment and most definitely for our bank accounts. (please read the china study if you’re interested in learning more about the effects of these foods on our health, or eating animals to understand the environmental ramifications of meat/dairy/seafood consumption, or skinny bitch if you want motivation/information about your appearance and diet.

-we don’t buy a lot of pre-made foods including cereal, crackers, snacks, meals or anything for that matter! hello savings, nice to meet you! you’ll find when you shop primarily in the veggie section of the store, you’ll be saving more than enough to make up for buying organic instead of pesticide grown. *we do buy a few packaged things, lou does enjoy his grapenuts!

-we buy lots of  brown rice, beans, and other grains in bulk. you would be amazed at how cheap (and healthy/delicious) brown rice from the bulk section is! 

- we waste not: ruca and eleanor eat almost any vegetable that’s nearing the end and hasn’t been scarfed by me and lou. *if you feed your dog table scraps, please PLEASE do your research! there are many things they can’t have, including onions, pineapple, raisins, chocolate, etc. 

- the thing i want you to know, that i believe is more important that anything above, is that we are incredibly happy with the way we eat!  we love food and tasty things just as much as the next person and we make sure that we cook/eat things that make our mouths happy!

someday i’ll tell you about how i used to eat another way entirely, and how it landed me in the hospital. until then, eat your veggies and make sure they’re organic! 

choose your own adventure mashed potato pizza

i don’t shun carbs, i love them extra hard with their fill your belly up and make you feel warm and cozy-ness! do i recommend eating this pizza everyday? ABSOLUTELY! no, not unless you have a supermodel metabolism and no family history of heart disease. but as an occasional treat, this one takes the pie (hehe).

one of my favorite things about this pizza (besides the obvious: HELLO! marriage between pizza and mashed potatoes!) is that you can change up the toppings to make it more/less gourmet/junk foody/colorful. it’s basically like a choose your own adventure book. of pizza. with mashed potatoes. you see what i’m talking about? greatness!

 

the what:

store bought pizza crust  (i use 365 organic whole wheat crusts from whole foods, they crisp  up nicely and can withstand a heaping pile of mashed potatoes without getting soggy)

pizza sauce

7 small/medium red potatoes

3 garlic cloves

1 large yellow onion

evoo

1/2- 1 cup of soymilk (unsweetened)

3 tablespoons of earth balance (more to taste)

sea salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (optional)

the how:

 

this is so easy i kind of feel stupid writing out steps or calling it a recipe. more like an idea for food, from me to you. let’s be honest, i’m not a food blogger, i just eat things that are yummy. allrightthen, here’s what i do:

slice onion into half moon pieces, add to frying pan on low heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil (they will cook/carmelize for 30-45 minutes, so keep the heat low and an eye on them while you’re doing the rest! and add more oil if needed.)

wash, cube and boil red potatoes and 3 cloves of garlic

while potatoes are boiling, place pizza crust on pan and cover with a healthy amount of pizza sauce

once poatoes are soft, strain and put in a large mixing bowl

mash potatoes (and garlic!) with soymilk, earth balance, lots of sea salt, pepper (add more/less of anything to taste)

spread mashed potatoes onto pizza crust (i usually do this with my hands, starting with a big scoop in the middle and working outwards). you can make this layer as thick as you please, but i recommend keeping it as thin as possible, it can get heavy really quickly! 

rub olive oil on edges of exposed pizza crust

once onions have taken on a brown, carmelized tone you can scoop them out and spread them over the mashed potatoes.

bake the entire pie at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until crust is crispy to your liking

sprinkle with red pepper flakes and serve, to the delight of your friends and family. (or eat 3 pieces yourself, standing at the kitchen counter. whatever.)

kale, pomegranate & butternut squash salad

i’m generally too lazy to eat pomegranates, but this sweet little salad makes it so worth the work! and i saved the extra dijon dressing for more salads this week, or to use with roasted veggies. which makes me feel like i’m saving time, further justifying the extra pomegranate de-seeding time. also, i believe eating this many nutrients in one meal qualifies one for 2 chocolate chip cookie indulgences. OH SNAP! and while i don’t think i’ve mentioned it before, we buy organic everything. it makes a difference i tell you, especially when fruits and veggies are concerned. less pesticides = more flavor. scientific fact. i hope you like! 

the what:

 

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 medium pomegranate (1 cup of sweet seeds)

1 medium butternut squash (2 cups of cubed chunks)

evoo

1/4 c white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons high grade amber maple syrup

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

sea salt

pepper

the how:

 

peel and cut butternut squash into small chunks{ >1″}, remove seeds and stringy squash business

coat in olive oil, lightly salt and roast at 400 degrees until pieces are soft (roughly 30 minutes)

while squash is roasting, chop kale & harvest pomegranate seeds (tips on how here). mix both in large serving bowl.

now for the dressing! in a small bowl mix 2 tblspoons olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and maple syrup. add salt and pepper to taste. (this makes more than enough for this salad, reduce recipe if you’re not into leftovers)

when squash is ready toss it in with the kale and pomegranate. mix, add dressing and chill. the salad, not you. you get to work making something tasty to eat with this!

3 bean chili (vegan)

this chili is no joke, i tell you! lou was amazed, even saying “it tastes like there’s meat in it”! i don’t know if it tastes meaty, but the texture is definitely similar to a meat based chili and the flavors are so great. it’s the perfect cold weather dinner, and this recipe makes a batch large enough to share with neighbors and friends (they will love you for sharing)!

 

the what:

2 tablespoons evoo

1 1/2 onion, chopped (save 1/2 for garnish)

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

3 large jalapeno peppers, seeded/chopped (keep some seeds for heat if you like spicy chili!)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 28 ox can chopped tomatoes

2 15 ox cans navy beans, drained & rinsed

1 15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 15 oz can kidney beans, , drained & rinsed

1 cup bulgur

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

5 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

sea salt

 

the how:

-heat olive oil in large pot over medium high heat

-add carrots, onion, red bell pepper, and jalapenos and sauté until the carrots and onion are almost soft

-add tomatoes, 3 cups water, beans, bulgur, white wine vinegar, garlic and spices and bring to a boil. add salt to taste (i played around with the seasonings a bit, adding more to get a little richer flavor..so season lightly until it suits your tastes!)

-reduce heat to medium high and cook uncovered until the bulgur is soft and the chili is nice and thick (stir often!  i stayed close by during this, and still managed to burn a little on the bottom of the pot)

-serve in small bowls, this dish is heartier than it looks! 

-sprinkle chopped onion as garnish (or whatever you fancy on your chili)

-enjoy! and if you know of a good cornbread recipe to go with this, i’d love to hear!

*adapted from this recipe