Asian Noodle Salad

Ingredients

• 1 package linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed and cooled
• 1/2 head sliced napa cabbage
• 1/2 head slicked purple cabbage
• 1/2 bag baby spinach
• 1 whole red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 whole yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 whole orange bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 bag bean sprouts
• chopped cilantro, to taste
• 3 whole scallions, sliced
• 3 whole cucumbers, peeled and sliced
• 1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted

For the dressing

• 1 whole lime, juiced
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (up to 3) sesame oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 whole hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
• chopped cilantro, to taste

Preparation

1. Mix salad ingredients together. 
2. Whisk dressing ingredients and pour over salad.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Carrot Fries

Ingredients:

- 3 large carrots

- 1 Tablespoon olive oil

- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

- 1 teaspoon thyme

- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

- ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop carrots into sticks.  Place carrots in a bag with seasoning and olive oil and coat. Place on baking tray and bake 30-40 minutes until crispy. 

 

Banana Ice Cream with Sweet and Salty Roasted Almonds

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, frozen
• ¼ cup roasted almonds, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp maple syrup, divided (** or honey)
• ½ tsp coarse sea salt
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
• (** optional add-ins: coconut, peanut butter, 1 scoop protein powder .. flavor of your choice)

Instructions

1. Place bananas in the freezer for at least 3 hours. When you're ready to make the ice cream .. cut them into smaller pieces for easier blending
2. In the meantime roast the almonds. In a small saucepan heat the oil over medium low for a minute or two. Add the chopped almonds & roast them for couple of minutes until they're starting to turn brown & are fragrant.
3. In a bowl, combine the roasted almonds with 2 tsp syrup and salt.
4. In a food processor, pulse frozen banana slices, almond milk, vanilla and remaining 2 tbsp syrup, scraping down the sides as necessary, until mixture is the texture of soft-serve ice cream.
5. Spoon into bowls .. sprinkle with almond mixture

Grilled Vegetable Panini

1/4 cup olive oil
2 small Japanese eggplants or 1 medium to large regular eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 baguettes
1/2 cup basil pesto
8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
8 large basil leaves

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini, and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the eggplant, zucchini and onions until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Cool completely.

Cut each baguette into 6 pieces. Working with one baguette piece at a time, slice in half and spread both sides with pesto. Working with the bottom slice, stack 2 slices of eggplant, 2 slices of zucchini, 1 slice onion, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice mozzarella, and 1 slice of roasted red pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top half of baguette on top and grill.

Nicole's Delicious Stir-Fry

Marinade
3 T soy sauce
3 T orange juice
1 minced garlic clove
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 T syrup
2 T peanut oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee garlic in marinade. Add onions if you want. Pan fry a variety of fresh vegetables in the marinade. Pour over rice.

Possible vegetables include: edamame, broccoli, snow peas, peppers, zucchini, fresh ginger, and carrots.

Spring Barley Risotto

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup pearl barley
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced, washed well and drained
1/2 cup dry white wine (or water)
2 cups water
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups homemade or low-sodium vegetable broth
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), tough ends trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 2-inch lengths
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup packed thinly sliced fresh mint leaves, plus whole small leaves for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add barley and leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil; add 1/2 teaspoon salt and season with pepper to taste. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.

2. Add broth and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender and liquid is creamy, about 10 minutes. Add asparagus; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and cook just until heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan and mint; season with pepper. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Serves 4

Per serving: 426 calories; 3g saturated fat; 9mg cholesterol; 62 carbs; 15.7g protein, 465 mg sodium; 15.5g fiber

Roasted Squash Toss

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons red chili flakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (2 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 (1 1/2 pound) acorn squash, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup almond slivers
1/2 orange, zested and juiced (1/3 cup juice and 1 tablespoon zest)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together garlic, olive oil, sugar, cumin, chili flakes and cinnamon. Add squash cubes and toss well to evenly coat. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place on two sheet pans and bake until nicely caramelized and soft when poked with a fork, stirring squash halfway through baking, about 25 to 30 minutes. While baking, place almonds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat and toast, stirring often, until lightly golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer squash and almonds to a serving bowl, toss with orange juice and zest, and serve.

Squash and Roasted-Garlic Risotto

Ingredients:
1 kabocha or butternut squash (about 2.5 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 whole garlic heads
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 14.5 oz cans vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other short grain rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Place halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With a chef's knife, slice off top 1/4 inch of garlic heads; place on a 4 x 4 inch sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with oil and secure foil edges around heads; place on baking sheet with squash. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool. Scoop squash out of shell, transfer to bowl, add garlic; mash together with fork. Set aside.
3. Bring broth and water to a simmer in a large saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, until hot. Melt butter in pan. Add onion; saute 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
Reduce heat to medium. Add rice; saute 1 minute. Stir in wine and 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook until liquid is nearly absorbed; stirring constantly. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion is absorbed before adding the next (about 30 minutes or until all broth has been absorbed and rice is tender). Stir in squash mixture, cheese, sage, pepper and salt.

Yields: 6 servings of 1 cup.

Asparagus Risotto

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, whites and greens separated and thinly sliced
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup short-grain brown rice
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups water
1/2 lb asparagus, cut into pieces
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

In a large, deep skillet, saute the garlic and scallion whites for 1 minute in the oil. Stir in the rice to coat evenly with the oil. Stir in the wine and simmer until absorbed. Stir in 3 cups of boiling water and simmer, stirring occasionally, partially covered, until the water is absorbed, about 35 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup of boiling water. Simmer while stirring continuously for 5 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and more boiling water if the rice is dry. Cook until the asparagus is tender crisp, about 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and the Parmesan. Season with up to 1/2 tsp. salt and plenty of black pepper. Garnish with scallion greens. Serves 6.

Per serving (1 cup)
Calories: 260
Total fat: 10g
Sat. fat: 2.5g
Protein: 6g
Sodium: 280mg
Cholesterol: 5mg
Carbohydrates: 31g
Fiber: 3g

Forbidden Rice

1 cup Organic Forbidden Rice®


3 tablespoons butter


1 medium yellow onion, diced fine


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 lime, zested and pith removed


Cooking liquid to cover plus 1 inch (chicken stock or water)


Hot sauce (amount to be determined by individual taste)

Saute the onion in the butter till clear; add the garlic, Forbidden Rice, peeled lime cut into four pieces, cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for approximately 1 hour or till rice is soft but not mushy. Add more liquid if rice dries out during cooking. Fluff rice when done and add zest to taste. Rice will be creamy like a black risotto. This recipe works excellent with pork, swordfish or prawns.

Pasta with Julienne Vegetables

Ingredients:
1 box pasta
Any kind of veggies you want (I used zucchini, red and yellow peppers, fresh spinach, fresh tomatoes and carrots)
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried basil
Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Prepare pasta, drain, set aside.
Cut veggies Julienne (thin strips)
Steam zucchini, peppers, carrots, etc in small amount of water over high heat for 3 minutes, drain and set aside
Combine oil, butter or margarine, garlic, and basil in small saucepan. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes; do not allow garlic to brown.
Add fresh spinach to the garlic-basil sauce and let wilt.
Toss pasta with veggies, garlic-basil sauce, and fresh tomatoes.
Serve immediately.

Couscous w/ Apricots

We made this serving size and it is enormous - could easily serve 20 people. If you are planning on serving less than that you will have to divide the recipe!

Ingredients:

6 cups of water

9 Tablespoons of olive oil

4 teaspoons of salt

2 boxes of plain (original) couscous

1 box of pine nut flavored couscous

3 cups of dried apricots (sliced thin)

5 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:

• Combine couscous, apricots, cinnamon, allspice, and pine nut packet in a large bowl - set aside
• Combine water, oil, & salt in saucepan; bring to boil
• Add boiling liquid to couscous bowl and cover immediately with tinfoil
• Let stand for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed
• Uncover, fluff with fork
• Can be served room temperature

PS - If I were going to divide this into a smaller portion, I think I would use just the box of pine nut couscous and maybe not use the entire seasoning packet that comes with it.

PPS - If you don't want to buy the pine nut couscous or can't find it you can use 2.5 cups of toasted, chopped pistachios, 1.5 cups of onion, and 6 tablespoons of fresh, sliced basil and stir it into the couscous after everything is finished.

Tuscan Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup packaged peeled baby carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 T olive oil
• (2) 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
• (1) 32-oz. box low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 or 3 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• (1) 5-oz. package baby spinach
• freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

Directions

In a 4-quart pot cook and stir carrots and onion in 1 T olive oil over med-hi heat 3 minutes. Add beans, broth and seasoning. Bring to boiling; slightly mash beans. Reduce heat & simmer uncovered 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile in a large skillet heat remaining olive oil over med-hi heat. Add spinach and toss 1-2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from heat. Ladle soup & top with spinach and ground pepper.

Everyone's Favorite Vegetarian Chili

Cook in a 3 & 1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices (1 & 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Two 14 1/2-oz cans diced tomatoes
• One 10-oz package frozen whole kernel corn
• One 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup bottled salsa
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Dairy sour cream

Directions

• In a slow cooked combine zucchine, green sweet pepper, onion, celery, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Stir in undrained tomatoes, corn, drained beans and salsa.
• Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-5 hours. To serve, ladle the chili into bowls and top with cheese and sour cream.
• Optional: serve over corn bread or rice.
  

Yellow Curry w/ Mixed Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup 1-inch cubed potatoes, boiled
• 1/2 cup 1-inch carrots, boiled
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
• 1 cup small cauliflower florets
• 1 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger (remember to peel it, Billy!)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. crushed garlic
• 1/4 tsp. tumeric powder
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 3 Tbsp. chilli sauce
• Salt, to taste

Instructions:

• In a medium pot, combine the vegetable stock and the coconut milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the veggies. Return to a boil and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients (spices, etc.) and stir well. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Serve hot over steamed rice or with na'an!