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Jan
23

Spicy Carrot “Noodles” with Black Lentil and Mixed Greens

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When I saw these heirloom carrots, I knew I had to make them the star of a dish. So beautiful, they look like sunshine in a plate… and I sure need some sunshine now in this freezing New York winter 😉  I thought of making a Moroccan carrot salad with Harissa (which is a paste made of hot chillies), but I didn’t want a side dish. I was looking to make a salad that can pass as a meal by itself. It came out so good! Spicy carrot “noodles” and greens with the addition of black lentils- which made it a protein rich dish (for everyone asking “where do you get your protein?) even though there is protein in the carrots, the greens and in the pumpkin seeds. If you are concerned about protein or other nutrients you can check-out  CRON-O-METER. It’s a site that calculates food nutritional values according to what you enter. I don’t really worry about it as long as I make sure to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Variety  is the key word here 🙂 and yes, it may be a little extra “work” peeling the carrots but doesn’t such a beautiful vegetable deserve the extra VIP treatment?…

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Ingredients

8-10 Carrots washed and peeled

1 Can Cooked black lentils washed and drained

Juice of half a Lemon

1 ½ tsp. Harissa sauce

¼ tsp. Cumin

Salt and Black pepper

Olive oil

4-5 Cups Mixed greens (I used Baby Kale and Baby Arugula)

Handful of Dry roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Chopped Cilantro

Preparation

First make the dressing to marinade the lentils. Mix the Harissa sauce, lemon juice, oil and spices with the lentils first and set aside to let the lentils soak up the flavors.

Wash and start peeling the carrots keep on peeling them all the way to the end, until there’s nothing to peel. It’s best to use a “Y” shaped vegetable peeler to get wider “noodles”.

Blanch the carrots in boiling water for 1-3 minutes and drain -Or- sauté them very lightly in a little bit of oil, salt and pepper,  just a few minutes to soften them. Be carful not to over cook so they will not get soggy.

To serve: on a large plate, place the greens first, carrot “noodles”, lentils and pumpkin seeds.

Drizzle the rest of the juice/dressing with cilantro on top.

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Category: Blog, Easy & Simple, Gluten Free, Lunch, Recipies, Salads, Uncategorized
Sep
25

Kohlrabi and Roots Salad with Asian Touch

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I used to see kohlrabi only as a cooked vegetable in soups but since I learned about the benefits of raw food, I’ve been experimenting with the idea and discovering that almost everything is better raw. A great way to introduce raw hard vegetables is to cut them like noodles or slice them “paper thin”. To slice them super thin I used  a Japanese mandolin. Please be careful if you’re going to use one! It’s easy to forget that your fingers are at the end of it and cut yourself. It wouldn’t be such a vegan salad if there is blood in it ha?! 😉

Colorful and fresh, this salad could complement any asian style meal and it’s also fun to eat it by itself with chopsticks.

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Ingredients

1  Purple Kohlrabi

1 Green Kohlrabi

1 Golden Yellow Beet

3-4 Radishes

3 Celery stems

Asian Dressing

1 Tbsp Soy sauce

1 Tbsp Tahini

1/2 Lemon juice

1 tsp Ginger  minsed super fine

1/4 Cup filtered water

1 tsp Maple Syrup

Black sesame seeds (I had the mixture with herbs)

Preparation

Slice the vegetables with a mandolin.

Whisk all dressing ingredients and pour over the salad, sprinkle with sesame seeds and…Done!

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Category: Blog, Gluten Free, Lunch, Raw, Recipies, Salads, Uncategorized
Sep
5

Mango Jalapeño Summer Salad

 

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Hot like the summer, burning like fire, Jalapeño and red onion. Then comes Mango, the hunky fire fighter to the rescue armed with sweet cherry tomatoes and a cool cucumber to ease the heat. Joining them are the fresh breeze – cilantro or mint and freshly squeezed lime juice rain. No, this is not a scene from a movie. It’s what you will experience when you taste this beautiful and surprising salad!

Ingredients:

1 Mango

3-5 Medium Heirloom Tomatoes (or more if  you use cherry tomatoes)

1 Jalapeño Pepper

1 Persian Cucumber

1 small Purple Onion

Bunch of Fresh Cilantro or Mint leaves

Juice of 1 Lime

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Preparation

Chop the veggies and mango into cube shape. Chop the Jalapeño, onion and cilantro/mint, add the lime juice, Olive Oil and Salt. Mix well and serve.

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Category: Gluten Free, Lunch, Party, Recipies, Salads, Uncategorized
Aug
31

Mediterranean Style Quinoa

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Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’) is a grain-like seed and is nicknamed ‘The mother of all grains’. It has a nutty flavor and is considered a high quality plant-based protein that is rich in fiber. Visually, it looks like it could pass for the healthy cousin of couscous… I see it as a basic ingredient that I can shape into patties, mix into salads, Tabbouleh or Stir-Frys. A good way to introduce it, is to serve it with your favorite sauce like you might serve rice, pasta or any other grain we think of  as “side dish”. Quinoa is easy to cook and can be served hot or cold.

4-6 Servings

Ingredients

1 ¼ Cup Quinoa

½ Cup Pitted Kalamata Olives

½ Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes –OR– ½ Cup Dried Apricot (my favorite)

½ Cup Fresh Mint finely chopped

½ Cup Pine Nuts

Juice of Half a Lemon

2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil (If you use Sun-dried tomatoes in Oil, you might need less)

½ to 1 tsp Sea Salt (depending on your taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

(Optional: add 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced)

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Preparation

1. Cook the Quinoa in 3 cups of boiling water for 15-20 min and then drain.

2. Lightly toast the pine nuts on a hot non-stick pan for a minute or two. Flip and toss them around; be careful because they can burn easily. Set aside to cool.

3. Chop the olives, sun-dried tomatoes (or dried apricot if you choose) and mint leaves.

4. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and let it sit for a while so the quinoa soaks up the flavors.

Serve warm or cold. Yummm…

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Category: Easy & Simple, Gluten Free, Holidays, Lunch, Party, Recipies, Salads
Aug
31

Have You Ever Supremed an Orange?

How To Supreme Citrus

Supreming an orange (or any other citrus) is a way to cut into its inner sections. This looks so complicated but is actually pretty easy. You’ll end up with clean beautiful segments that can be added to salads or as a finger food for toddlers.

It’s important to use a sharp paring knife. I use my favorite ceramic knife.

How To Supreme Citrus

Start by slicing off the top and bottom of the orange so that it can comfortably stand on the cutting board.

Carefully cut off the peel around the fruit and try to remove all the white pith.

Slice into each side of the segment and remove it, staying as close as possible to the white membranes that divide up the orange.

I like to squeeze out the juice from the leftover “skeleton” of the orange into the salad dressing.

It’s a great addition to fruit salads and is an easy quick decoration to desserts.

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Category: Kid Friendly, Misc., Salads, Snacks, Tips and Techniques
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