Easy Chickpea and Asparagus Pasta

I was inspired by the recipe link below and made some adjustments to that recipe. I used asparagus because it was seasonal but you could substitute almost any vegetable for this recipe. This recipe makes about 3-4 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2010/04/vegetarian-meals-slideshow#slide=8

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas
1 bunch of asparagus
1 tbsp of fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
1 jar of your favorite marinara or tomato sauce, I used newman's own organic
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
2/3 cup of green olives, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz of whole wheat spaghetti, or 4 cups cooked
Salt and pepper to taste

Prep:
1. Dice 1/2 large onion into small pieces
2. Mince the two garlic cloves
3. Wash asparagus, cut off the tough bottoms of all stems. Then chop the asparagus into one inch pieces.
4. Slice 2/3 cup of green olives or buy them sliced in a can.
5. Drain and rinse chickpeas

Instructions:
1. Begin heating olive oil at medium high heat in a deep saute pan.
2. Add minced garlic and diced onion and saute at medium heat for 3-5 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
3. Add thyme, oregano, and asparagus to onions and garlic and saute for another 3-5 minutes until onion is translucent and asparagus has softened slightly.
4. Add chickpeas, olives, and marinara sauce to the asparagus and onions.
5. Add fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt.
6. Add fresh basil leaves after sauce comes to a simmer and stir.
7. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.

8. While the sauce is simmering, begin boiling 10 cups of salted water for the pasta.
9. Once water is boiling add whole wheat pasta to the pot of water. Cook until al dente (7-10 minutes of cooking time)
10. When the pasta is al dente, drain and set aside.

11. Pour sauce over pasta and serve.

Easy veggie coconut curry

This recipe is a Jessay original! This is a versatile recipe, you could add other combinations of veggies into if you like. Summer squash, eggplant, or peas would be a good substitute for mushrooms.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of light, plain coconut milk (I prefer Trader Joe's canned brand)

1 tsp of olive oil

1 cup of sliced baby bella mushrooms

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 small onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp of minced ginger

1 tbsp of chopped jalapeno or more if you like spicy food

2 tsp of curry powder

1/8 tsp of all spice

1/8 tsp of cloves

1 tsp of cumin

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

1. Add 1 tsp of olive oil or coconut to a saute pan 

2. Add chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeno to oil 

3. Saute onions, garlic, and jalapeno for about 3 minutes

4. Add sliced mushrooms and ginger to pan, continue to saute veggies for a few minutes

5. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for 5-7 additional minutes

6. Add curry powder, all spice, cloves, salt, pepper, and cumin to the pan and stir. 

7. Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk to ingredients and let mixture come to simmer.

8. Let mixture cook for about 10 more minutes until curry has thickened.

9. Serve over brown rice and add cilantro for garnish

Vegan cabbage casserole

I was inspired by the recipe posted below. I had tried this before with ground chicken and loved it. I thought Id give it a try with soy chorizo instead of ground chicken. It turned out even better! This is a great dish for leftovers and a healthy comfort meal.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/kalyns-stuffed-cabbage-casserole.html

Ingredients:
1 head of green cabbage, chopped into thin strips or squares.
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic glove, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes
15 oz of tomato sauce
12 oz of soy chorizo (organic and non gmo soy is healthier for you and easy to find at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.)
2 cups of brown rice, i suggest frozen or making the rice the night before for convenience
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp of olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of cheese (optional)


Instructions:
1. After preparing the vegetables, add 1 tsp of olive oil to a large pot.
2. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat and add in paprika and thyme.
3. Remove chorizo from packaging and casing and add into the onions and garlic.
4. Saute for about five minutes on medium-high heat.
5. Add can of tomatoes with juice into the chorizo and onions.
6. Add tomato sauce
7. Stir together and add in other spices, salt, and pepper
8. Add in 1/4 cup of water and let simmer for about 15 minutes until sauce thickens.
9. While sauce is cooking, add cabbage to a steamer pot to steam for about 15 minutes or steam in a sauce pan with about a half cup of water in the bottom and the pan covered on medium-high heat.
10. After 15-20 minutes, stir in 2 cups of cooked brown rice into the tomato and chorizo sauce.
11. Place half of the steamed cabbage on a 13 x 9 baking pan. Then ladel half of the rice, tomato, chorizo sauce on top of it like a lasagna. Repeat this with the other half of the cabbage and other half of sauce.
12. Cover with foil and place in the oven at 350 F for 40 minutes.
13. If you would like to add cheese, uncover the pan at 40 minutes and sprinkle cheese on top and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. If no cheese is added, keep pan uncovered and continue to cook for another 10-20 minutes to brown the top.

Crispy spicy kale chips

Made these a few times and I'm learning this is the only way I like curly kale. I enjoy dinosaur kale in soups but curly kale is too bitter for me, unless it is in chip form!

This recipe is tweaked a bit from this food network recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:
1 head of curly kale
1.5 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of red chili flakes
1 tsp chipotle spice
Sea salt to taste

Directions:
1. Wash and pat dry kale. Tear the leaves from the stem and discard the stems.
2. Chop kale leaves so they are in 1 to 1.5 inch pieces.
3. Toss the kale in 1.5 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of red chili flakes, 1 tsp of chipotle spice, and sprinkling of sea salt.
4. Place kale evenly on a cooking sheet. I often cover mine with foil to help with clean up.
5. Put in the oven at 270 F for 15-20 minutes.
6. Shake the pan half way through cooking or use a spatula to mix the leaves up to brown all sides.

Quinoa and Lentil Salad

Found this recipe on food network and did not expect it to be this good. I made a few small tweaks but mostly followed the recipe this time.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/lentil-quinoa-salad-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:
1 cup of red quinoa (dry)
2/3 cup of brown lentils (dry)
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
1/4 cup of chopped green onion
1.5 Tbsp of country dijon mustard (really grainy kind)
3 Tbsp of raspberry red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp of lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Fill a sauce pan with 2 cups of water and add 1 cup of quinoa.
2. Bring quinoa to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Check the quinoa at 15 minutes. It should be fluffy, moist, and have almost all of the water absorbed. If it is too watery, continue to cover and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. While the quinoa is cooking, add about 2 cups of water and add 2/3 cup of lentils into a saucepan and bring to a boil and then keep at a low, steady boil for about 20 minutes.
5. Drain the lentils in a strainer.
6. Let both quinoa and lentils cool for about 20 minutes.
7. In a large serving bowl, add 1.5 tbsp of country dijon mustard, 3 tbsp raspberry red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Whisk together so that the ingredients are mixed well.
8. Add in 1 tbsp of lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the mixture lightly again.
9. Add lentils, chopped cilanto, chopped green onions and quinoa into the bowl with the dressing and lightly mix.

I served with grilled veggies!