Avocado Mango Black Bean Salad

Above is a picture of a salad that Esther and I enjoyed for lunch a few weeks ago.

It had never crossed my mind to put mango in a salad, but we went over to a friends house a few weeks ago, and they had put mango in a salad with avocado as well.

We both loved it, and decided we needed to make that salad again at home with those two ingredients!

To add some protein, I added black beans, and for extra flavor, I topped it off with a Cumin/Lemon Olive Oil dressing. Yum!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Here is a salad were the base is not lettuce! It was a nice change of pace at lunch for Hannah and I last week. We both love tahini so that's why we dolloped a little on top, if you prefer to leave it out I would recommend a good olive oil and garlic dressing for a little more moisture! It was a really quick lunch to put together once the quinoa was cooked, we left it warm but you could make it ahead of time and use it cold. Also one last side note, the tomatoes and kale were freshly picked from our garden!!!!Our Mom has a amazing green thumb:-) It's such a blessing to have fresh produce right in our back yard.

^{Genesis 1:11-12}

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Serves:1

1/4c. dry quinoa, cooked

3 leaves of fresh kale, de-ribbed chopped and steamed till al dente

1/4 c. cooked garbanzo beans

4 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

5 kalamata olives, sliced in half

1 1/2 tsp. tahini paste ( Made from Sesame seeds)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place cooked quinoa in a pile on plate, top with kale and garbanzo beans. Scatter tomatoes nicely over the top. Drop tahini in a nice looking 'drop' on top!

Autumn Vegetable Stew

Here is the recipe for the stew I promised!

Autumn Vegetable Stew with Cheddar-Garlic Crumble Crust

For the Cheddar Topping:

2 c. flour( we used whole wheat)

1 tsp. salt

1 T. plus 1 tsp. baking powder

6 T. butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

1-1/3 c. heavy cream( we used milk)

1 ½ tsp. finely chopped garlic

Pinch of coarse ground pepper

½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

For the Vegetable stew

About 3 T. olive oil

About 3 T. butter

1 red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch rounds

1 medium celery root, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces(we used russet potatoes)

1 acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces( we used butternut squash)

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces( we used sweet potatoes)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 c. dry white wine

3 T. tomato paste (we skipped this)

3 c. chicken, vegetable broth or water

1 T. fresh chopped marjoram( we used dried)

Salt and pepper to taste

To make topping, mix flour, salt and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cream, garlic, and pepper. Add the cheddar cheese and mix lightly with a wooden spoon until mixture just holds together. Let rest.

To make the stew. Heat the oven to 400. In a large saucepan, heat about ½ the oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery root, cook stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned about 7 min. Transfer the cooked veggies to a large 13x9 inch pan` . Add the rest of the butter and oil to the skillet. Add the squash and parsnip and sauté until they are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes, and then add all to the 13x9 pan. Increase the heat and add to high and add the wine, paste and broth to sauté pan. Bring to boil. Scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom, lower heat and simmer about 3 min. Add this liquid to the baking pan with the veggies, sprinkle with marjoram and season with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake the veggies just until tender about 30mins. Remove foil. Using a large spoon, dot the surface of the veggies with Ping-Pong ball sized dollops of cheddar topping. The top of the casserole should look like the surface of the moon; bumps and craters are ideal. Return the casserole to the oven, uncovered until topping is cooked and browned about 25 min.

Italian "Pasta" Lunch

Quick and easy Italian "pasta" salad

1/2 zucchini peeled with a veggie peeler ( makeing what lookes like pasta strips)
5 chopped olives
1/2 tomato
1T. balsamic dressing

Top zucchini pasta with remaining ingredients, and eat!

Serves 1

A nice quick lunch for a spring cleaning day!

After posting so many not so healthy recipes in a row we have decided to give you all a break and post some good healthful ones:) We had this for lunch and thought it was worthy of a blog post. If you don't like raw fish in your sushi give this combo a try, I really liked the radishes Hannah shredded and put in it as well as the idea of putting the red pepper dip on the kelp noodles! Hannah and I like to make hand held sushi because its way easier then the real stuff and quick to make when you don't have much time, like we had today:) We have been are on spring cleaning frenzy, I think it's all the warm weather we are having. In the next couple days we will try to post some more recipes, and this time they will be healthier then the last couple we've done:)

Hand Held Sushi

Serves:2

2 sheets of nori, soy or seaweed

1/2 cup shredded radishes

1/2 cup shredded carrots

2 small green onions,sliced

1-2 lettuce leaves, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons tahini (ground up sesame seeds)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Kelp noodle salad

Serves:2

1 cup raw kelp noodles

2-4 Tablespoons of raw red pepper dip

tahini

raw seasame seeds

In a small bowl mix radishes,carrots,green onions,tahini and soy sauce. Mix till blended. Drop onto nori and sprinkle lettuce on top. Wrap up. For the Kelp noodle salad put noodles on plate and top with red pepper dip, tahini and seasame seeds. Serve the sushi and salad together. You might also want a little soy sauce for the salad as well as the sushi!

Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized eggplants
  
• 1 lemon, juiced
  
• 3 Tbsp. tahini
  
• 1 tsp. salt (add more to taste)
  
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
  
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  
• parsley for garnish
  

*Serve with pita bread, sliced baguette, veggies for dipping

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2) Using a fork, prick the eggplants (like 5 or 6 pricks all around). Place eggplants on baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Take out of oven, let rest for 10 minutes. Cut in half and scoop out eggplant flesh with a spoon.

3) In a food processor, or mixing bowl, add eggplant, lemon, tahini, salt, pepper, olive oil and crushed garlic. Mix until well blended. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread or veggies.

Hummus

We both just love hummus! Some times I like to make very different flavored hummus but this time I felt like some traditional stuff:)

Place 1 can 15 1/2 0z. of chickpeas in a food processor with the juice of 1 lemons, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 T. tahini, and salt. Process. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. (I first drizzled some good olive oil over the top before sprinkling with the parsley.) Serve with toasted pita. Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.

Muhammara Dip

Our friend found this great looking recipe from Elizabeth Ann Designs and thought that we would enjoy trying it! We finally got around to making it for dinner to accompany our Kofta Kebobs. It was delicious topped on our salad. You can also use it as a spread for bread as in the pictures above. Or as a dip for veggies.

Muhammara Dip

1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained 1 cup walnuts 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses or fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional) 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Pita chips, warm pita bread, or veggies for serving

1. Blend all ingredients except pita chips in processor until coarse puree forms. Season with salt.

2. Transfer to bowl; serve with chips, pita, or veggies.

Tzatziki

Last week I got into the Greek food mood and decided to make a whole Greek meal! By the time I had made everything the sun had gone down, and the only picture I could snap was of the tzatziki:) Along with the tzatziki I served Kofta Kebabs and a Couscous dish that contained roasted veggies and a cilantro and parsley pesto. The kebabs are served with flat bread.

Tzatziki
Yields:1 1/4 cups

2 cups plain whole milk yogurt or 1 cup greek yogurt
1 medium cucumber, shredded
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled( I did not have this so I just left it out)


If using whole milk yogurt, line a small sieve with a coffee filter. Put the yogurt in ti , set it over a bowl, and refrigerate 12 hours. Discard the expressed liquid and put yogurt in bowl. Grate cucumber on the large holes of a box grater into another bowl. Sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons of salt and rub into the cucumber with your hands. Set aside for 20 minutes, then squeeze the cucumber to express as much liquid as possible. Smash the garlic, sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, and with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a course paste. Stir the cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and mint into yogurt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Cilantro Cumin Dip

Well ya'll, we are updating! We had a couple of things get canceled this week so we had a bit of free time today, enjoy the post!
Cilantro Cumin Dip


1/2c. seeds I used sesame
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1T. apple cider vinegar
1T. cumin
1/8c. chopped onion
sea salt
1/2c. water

Blend all the above ingredients in you blender till smooth..........enjoy with veggies, chips, or add a little more water or olive oil and use as a salad dressing!

Red Pepper Veggie Dip

We made up this great dip a few weeks ago for a party we had at our house.........with the leftover dip, we used it for a salad dressing.....so good!

2 red bell peppers

1/2c. walnuts

1T. lemon juice

1 clove garlic

3T. tahini

1t. salt

2t. garlic powder

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender till smooth; serve with veggies or pita bread!

Caramelized Onion Hummus

You all have to try this recipe, this recipe is the best hummus I've ever had! So creamy and delicious, with a hint of sweetness from the onions!

Caramelized Onion Hummus:

1 Large - Sweet Onion Diced
1 Tbs. - Chopped Garlic
1 Tbs. - Oil
1 Tbs. - Butter
1 - 15.5oz. Can - Chickpeas ( drained )
¼ C. - Lemon Juice
1 Tbs. - Soy Sauce
¼ C. - Tahini ( sesame paste )
1 Tbs. - Sesame Oil
1 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Season
1/2 Tbs. - Honey
¼ C. - EVOO
1 Tsp. - Ground Cumin
Salt & Pepper

Saute onion and garlic in oil and butter until soft and golden in color, this takes about 15 minutes. Place drained peas into the food processor along with all other ingredients except the EVOO. Put the lid on the machine and turn it on low to break up the beans. Then turn onto high and slowly drizzle in the EVOO. Let the machine run until you have a nice smooth consistency. Serve with pita bread, veggies or chips.

Tahini Garlic Hummus

Recipe to come later when Hannah writes is down:)

1 (15oz. Can) Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans drained/reserve liquid

1/2c. sesame seeds

1 clove of garlic

3T. lemon juice

1t. salt

Place liquid, sesame seeds and garlic in blender, blend on high, till mixed. Add the beans, lemon juice and salt, blend on high speed till smooth.

Store in fridge.

Italian Spinach Soup

This soup we made was a request for my birthday dinner. We served it with Italian bread and a salad with sun dried tomatoes, avocado, fresh mozzarella and our home made garlic dressing! For my dessert I had a pumpkin cheese cake, recipe coming soon, and for my special breakfast Maple Walnut Muffins.

Italian spinach soup

ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. dry sherry (optional)
• 2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 9-oz. pkgs. fresh spinach or 1-1/4 lb. fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
• 2 cups watercress, tough stems removed
• 2 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved
• 2 small tomatoes, quartered, seeded and thinly sliced

directions

1. In 4-quart Dutch oven cook onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning in hot butter over medium heat 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.

2. If using sherry, remove Dutch oven from heat; slowly pour in sherry. Return to heat; cook and stir 1 minute. Add broth and potato. Bring to boiling. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from heat.

3. Set aside 2 cups of the spinach. Stir remaining spinach, half at a time, into soup just until wilted. Cook about 5 minutes.

4. Transfer soup, half at a time, to food processor or blender; cover and process or blend until smooth. Return to Dutch oven; heat through. Season with salt.

5. To serve, top with reserved spinach, watercress, Parmesan, and tomatoes. Makes 6 side-dish servings.

nutrition facts

• Calories 151,
• Total Fat (g) 7,
• Saturated Fat (g) 4,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 2,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 0,
• Cholesterol (mg) 18,
• Sodium (mg) 881,
• Carbohydrate (g) 16,
• Total Sugar (g) 3,
• Fiber (g) 4,
• Protein (g) 8,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 65,
• Calcium (DV%) 23,
• Iron (DV%) 16,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Sweet Potato Cherve Wanut Salad with Creamy Balsalmic Dressing

Yummy! This Salad was so scrumptious! On Tuesday of last week we had sweet potatoes for lunch, so on Wednesday we decided to use up the leftover baked sweet potatoes on a salad. Esther and I thought of some changes that we would make if we were to have more time to prepare it; Grill the baked Sweet Potatoe slices, ( they would need to be a little al dente to do this so they wouldn't fall apart) Toast the Walnuts, and use cranberry Cherve cheese, and maybe sprinkle with a few dries cranberries.

What do you normally do with sweet potatoes?


Here is the recipe: serves 1-2 depending on how hungry you are!

21/2c. of baby spinach
1 sweet potato cooked then cut into 1/4in. slices
1/4c. crumbled cherve cheese
2T. walnuts

Top spinach with remaining ingredients, and drizzle with dressing.

The dressing
2T. balsamic vinegar
2t. sour cream
2t. olive oil
pepper

Mix and store in refridgerator

Fig and Apple Salad

The combinations in this salad are so satisfying! You also might like to try this with some toasted pecans or walnuts, and exchange the cheese for smoked Gruyère or Gorgonzola crumbles.

For a different dressing I would like a Honeyed Balsamic, or Vinegar and Oil, with a bit of pepper and salt to taste........

Hannah

Fig and Apple Salad

Lettuce

Apples

Figs

Goat Cheese

Dressing: We used a Raspberry Wasabi Mustard Dressing

Minty Fruit Salad

8c. Chopped Fruit of your choice; I used strawberries, peaches, apples, grapes, and oranges.

1t. vanilla

1 1/2T. Agave

2T. chopped fresh mint leaves

2t. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix together all ingredients and serve!

Cranberry Fig Crckers

Crackers

Cranberry Goat Cheese

Dries Chopped Figs

Honey

Top crackers with cheese and figs, drizzle with honey.

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is one of our favorite lunch foods and is great for when we are on the go, especially on the days we take music lessons:) The other thing we like about Hummus is that you can change the flavors around, like the other day, Hannah made a roasted red pepper flavor(that's before the very bad thing she did:)! Plus chickpeas are chocked full of good things, they are readily available cooked and dried. Look for a even kaki color, and don't worry about wrinkly outside that's normal.


A couple other tips on chickpeas, try them in your salad with some minced garlic and marinated artichokes, also try subbing them in your meat loaf for some of the meat.
It is also shown that 10 -12 cloves of garlic a day help to keep down bad cholesterol, also it is shown that the some large amounts of garlic enhance the process by which our body's break up potentially dangerous blood clots. And for all those worried about there sodium in take, garlic is essentially sodium free!


Kitchen tips for garlic:
For easy peeling drop in boiling water for 5 seconds
Love garlic but don't like the breath it leaves you with? Chew on a sprig of fresh parsley
Or if you don't that the smell it leaves on your fingers rub them with a bit a toothpaste and rinse







1 can chickpeas 3 T. liquid reserved from chickpeas
1 Head Roasted Garlic
1T. oilve oil
3 T. Tahini
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. red pepper flakes(more or less to your liking)




Pour into blender and blend on high till creamy!

Refreshing Summer Salad

This salad is great for summer when all fruit is in season!

We just chopped some romaine lettuce and topped it with:

Coarselychopped Cashews
Coarsely chopped Macadamia nuts
Diced Oranges
Diced Apples
and Poppy Seed dressing( we made up the recipe but don't know the measurements)

The dressing contained, yogurt,honey, poppy seeds, sour cream, and a little milk I believe?:) That's what happens when you don't write things down..........

You could change this salad around by adding what ever fresh fruit you have on hand, or any other nuts you might like better. Enjoy!