Quinoa Wild Rice Blend with Avocados, Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

My family and I recently began the elimination diet. We are eliminated several foods including, citrus, all gluten, corn, dairy, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, just to name a few. Why you ask? That’s a great question! Health reasons of course! We are trying to determine if some of the issues our kids are dealing with are food related. It’s been a very interesting learning process and I’m excited to share some new recipes with you.


Here’s a recipe from day one! It’s quick, simple and tasty. All things that equal a successful meal in my book!


What You’ll Need:

1 cup Quinoa Wild Rice Blend (you can use quinoa alone if you prefer)
2-3 large Sweet Potatoes; cut in small cubes
2 cans Black Beans
3-4 tablespoons Coconut Oil (2 tablespoons melted for sweet potatoes)
2 large Avocados
Salt and Pepper to taste


What You’ll Do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook quinoa blend according to package directions.

While the quinoa blend is cooking prepare your sweet potatoes. Toss cubes of sweet potato cubes in melted coconut oil, salt and pepper and place on a large baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, then flip and continue baking. Continue this until the sweet potatoes are the desired texture. When done remove from oven and set aside.

In the meantime cook black beans in their liquid.

Cut avocados into medium size cubes.

When quinoa blend is done stir in a tablespoon of coconut oil.  Then drain black beans and add to quinoa blend along with sweet potatoes and avocados. Toss well, add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!


* This dish may be served hot or cold.  It's great either way.

Caprese Pasta

As a working mother with three active kids there are often times when we need to just throw something together for dinner.  This is a quick and simple meal for those nights when you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.  And the best part is you can put some aside for lunch the next day. 

While the pasta is cooking, you can prep the remaining ingredients, throw together a nice salad and there you have, it dinner is ready in no time.   This recipe is also great for picnics and potlucks.

What You’ll Need:

1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved

4 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup fresh mozzarella balls, halved

1 pound penne pasta, cooked

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine first five ingredients.  Add pasta and mozzarella, toss well.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.  Enjoy!

Curried Lentil Soup with Chapati

Jaime made this dish for us during our visit to Bulgaria.  We enjoyed it so much then and still do now.

What you’ll need:

2 Tbs Earth Balance

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp garam masala

¼ tsp cumin

2 pounds tomatoes, seeded and chopped or 2 - 14 oz canned chopped tomatoes, drained

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

2 tsp lemon juice

1 vegetable bouillon

1 ¼ cup coconut milk

Salt and pepper

What you do:

Melt butter in a large pot and sauté garlic and onions for 2-3 minutes.  Add spices and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Stir in tomatoes, lentils, lemon juice, bouillon, and coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes, until tender. Blend with hand held blender or in food processor.  Season to taste and serve over rice with Chapati (recipe to follow).

Chapati is an is an unleavened flat bread, which goes perfect with this dish.

What You’ll Need:

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

¾ cup water

What you’ll do:

Mix the ingredients together to form dough.

Need for about 5 minutes

Form into 8 small balls

Roll flat and fry in butter.

Greek Orzo Salad

This salad is easy to make and delicious.

 

What You’ll Need:

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup olive oil

Salad:

6 cups vegetable broth

1 pound orzo

2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved

1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

What You’ll Do:

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add pine nuts; toss. Serve at room temperature.

Cinnamon Coconut Milk Yogurt Fruit Dip

I use to make this recipe with cow’s milk yogurt, but haven’t made it in a long time.  Until, that is, our most recent summer visit to Connecticut.  My sister needed something to bring for ‘snack day’ at work.  I gave her a few options, and wouldn’t you know… she loved the sound of everything.  So I chose my old favorite and it was settled.  I was in the kitchen for the rest of the evening preparing snack for tomorrow’s ‘snack day’. Oh don’t feel bad - we all know the kitchen is my favorite room to be in!

The Results? When she came home from work the next evening, she was so excited to tell me how much people loved the snacks.  Especially the fruit dip she brought! I was beaming as she told me how they ate every last bit.  They even resorted to dunking the brownies in the dip when the fruit was all gone! Not a bad idea actually.   

Anyhow, I was so thrilled about my sister’s reviews, that I decided to make it again for an upcoming family BBQ.  Only this time, I ‘veganized’ it by using the coconut yogurt.   The results? Well, when I went to pick up my plates at the end of the day – there was nothing left.  That’s a great sign! 

 

Now I really don’t believe we need to add sweeteners to fruit - it’s already so sweet and delicious by itself!  But sometimes, I like to change things up a bit and make them even more special.  Well, this is the dip that does it!  Enjoy. 

What you need:

1 cup of coconut milk yogurt

2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Lots of fresh fruit

Mix ingredients well and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Serve with lots of fresh fruit.
 
*If you can’t find coconut milk yogurt you can substitute with soy yogurt.

**If you are interested in making a simple homemade raw vegan coconut yogurt, here is a link from a newly discovered favourite blog that’ll tell you how.

 
http://www.choosingraw.com/greek-yogurt-raw-vegan-style/

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Ever been to a potluck and noticed that many of the guests have brought identical items? Watermelon, pretzels, chips, oh and look, more watermelon, pretzels and chips. Hey, it's not that we don't like those snacks, we do. Especially the watermelon. We're just saying -that sometimes, potluck food can get a bit...redundant. Well not anymore J & J peeps. Here’s something you can bring that definitely won't be a duplicate on your next potluck table. It’s exactly what a summer salad should be: simple and delicious. So, if you’re a fellow tomato lover, and you're tired of bringing the 'same old' potluck dish, then we’re sure you’ll love this recipe.

Choose a variety of different colored heirlooms and you'll makes this dish even more vibrant and flavorful. Throw in some homemade croutons, and you’ve got yourself some perfect little sponges that will soak up all that extra yummy juice (‘cause you can’t really slurp it up at a potluck like you would at home – remember your etiquette people, come on!)

What you'll need:

Fresh Italian bread

½ cup + 2 tbs olive oil

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped in various sizes (be sure to include a variety of colors to make this dish more attractive)

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

2 Tbs white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 bunch fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Croutons

Pre-heat oven to 400 C. Slice the bread into 8 large slices and them into large squares for your croutons. Toss in a bowl with ½ cup of olive oil, making sure to coat the bread evenly. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Once done set aside till ready to serve the salad.

Salad

Whisk mustard, lemon juice and white wine vinegar together. Slowly whisk in 2 Tbs of olive oil. Add the tomatoes and basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Just before you are ready to serve add croutons and toss the salad again to be sure the croutons are thoroughly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately so the croutons don’t get too soggy. Remember - only slurp at home!

Sushi? Oh Yeah!

Simple, elegant, and delicious, Sushi definitely makes the 'top 10 favourites' list for both of our families!

But, before we get to the recipe and preparation, allow us to clarify something that you may be asking....

"Isn't this a vegetarian/vegan recipe site, and doesn't sushi mean raw fish?"

Great question, and here is our answer:

"While there are many types of Sushi that include raw fish and seafood (Sashimi), there is also a wide variety of vegetarian/vegan friendly Sushi."

We usually prepare the following types:

Onigirizushi - rice with other ingredients rolled into a ball.
Nigirizushi - hand formed Sushi.
Makizushi - rolled Sushi, which is the type you see in the photos.
Inarizushi - rice stuffed into fried tofu pockets.

Regardless of the type you make, all you have to do is choose your favourite veggies and make a variety of rolls. We used a combination of Avocado, Carrot, Baked or Fried Tofu, and Cucumber in the photos shown. The possibilities are endless. Once you get the hang of making Sushi, it will be a quick and satisfying meal!

Ingredients for Sticky Rice:

3 cups Sushi Rice

4 cups Water1/3 cup Rice Vinegar

3 Tbsp Honey (or sweetener of choice)

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Nori - seaweed sheets either toasted or dried
Soy Wraps - the light green sushi in picture above

Filling Ingredients:

Carrots, shredded or sliced

Avocados, thinly sliced
Baked or Fried Tofu, sliced

Cucumbers, remove seeds and slice thin

Preparation:

Cook rice in rice cooker with water.
While rice is cooking, mix rice vinegar, honey, and salt in small saucepan on low heat 'till combined. Set aside.
When rice is done, transfer to wooden, stainless steel, or glass bowl.
While still hot, pour rice vinegar mixture over rice and fold with wooden spatula, being careful not to smash the rice.
If you can use a fan while folding the rice, it will makes rice shiny and sticky. If you can't, just fan it manually, i.e, with a mock paper fan.
When cool to touch, wet hands, (not dripping, but just wet) form rice into tennis sized balls (- a bit) and lay out on top of Nori sheets....conveyor belt style.
Wet your hands again, getting any rice off, and spread the rice balls out gently with your finger tips pushing the rice out in all directions until nori is covered just right. Use the photo below as a gauge for just how much rice to use (I used a little too much in this roll).
Place your fillings a little lower then in the middle (closer to you), then roll 'em up using two non - rice covered hands.
If you need help with the rolling part, you can use a bamboo mat, sold at most Asian markets.
Once your sushi's are rolled up nice and tight, slice them into even circles with a clean, sharp, and slightly damp knife.
You may need to clean your knife in between slices, as rice will stick to the knife and will make it difficult to cut the Sushi neatly.

P.S. Sushi makes the perfect lunch for your kiddos to take to school! Ours love it and request it(more like demand it) weekly. Several of their friends always try to make a 'trade' with them for a piece of their Sushi or Inari, I don't think they are too successful though!




Here is our method to making it an easy and quick lunch to prepare in the morning when your time is - let's say.... limited.

When you make it for dinner, make sure you set aside a good amount of Sushi Rice in a container after rice has cooled sufficiently. We like to leave it out (in the container) overnight because we dislike like the consistency of the rice after it has been refrigerated. We did some research on this, and have learned that the rice will not spoil in that short amount of time due to the added vinegar. We also save time by storing any left over carrot slices in water in the refrigerator, so they're all ready to go in the morning.

We use the rice and chopped veggies to prepare a roll or two for each kiddo -including our husbands :) and we make sure to fill up a pouch of Inari with rice, or else we'll here about it later.

Don't forget the Soy Sauce (we use Bragg's liquid Amino's). Put some in an air tight container and their lunch is set.

Sushi Tips

If the rice doesn't stick to Nori, or roll does not stick together when rolled, you most likely did not use enough vinegar in your rice. The rice should be very sticky, annoyingly so. Keep a small bowl of water close by when preparing your sushi. You'll need to wet your hands frequently during the process, as it prevents the rice from sticking to your hands.

If your roll is too thick, or does not hold together well, you probably used too much rice, or packed it down too tightly. The rice should be spread on the nori and should not cover the nori completely. You should be able to see nori between the rice....use just a bit less then the amount shown in the picture above.