Mango Quinoa Pudding

      It may not be the most highly regarded dessert joint, but I came to really enjoy Pudding on the Rice when we lived n Portland. Novelty perhaps but there was something very satisfying about the colorful and wonderfully sticky globs of rice that your average cup of topped frozen yogurt couldn't compete with. I have to believe this has something to do with rice pudding's certain affinity to comfort food, but a dessert comfort food. 
      As with most comfort food, rice pudding does not rate highly on the nutritional scale. But what if that white rice was switched out with a very healthy grain instead and milk was exchanged for say almond or coconut milk? In keeping with our dietary restrictions this month Hollin prepared a sugar free, gluten free, vegan dessert that really hit the spot for me - my rice pudding spot. Mango is always a great pair with coconut milk but I have to wonder what other fruits might be equally delicious to try in this recipe. 

Mjadra

     Mjadra, Mujadarra,  مجدرة‎, and other variants in spelling are some of the several words used to describe variations of rice and lentil dishes found in Near to Middle East cuisine. I would like to draw your attention to the Lebanese rendition, Mjadra. I first had Mjadra at Nicholas Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. I've had it since at other mediocre Lebanese / Mediterranean restaurants since but none has risen to the perfection of Nicholas'. After some research and experimentation I think I can safely say that my version comes close to what I remember Nicholas' version tasting like. Give it a try! This dish exemplifies what this blog is about: cheap and healthy eating. Lentils, Rice, Onions, Simple but a perfect way to get your lentil/brown rice protein in. Here we go: 

Ingredients

1/2 c. uncooked lentils
2 c. water
3 lg. white onions, julienned
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8th teaspoon dried garlic (or use some minced fresh garlic, I don't see why not)
Salt to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced

2 cups cooked brown rice (or basmati for more of an authentic feel), (from about 1 cup dry)

1. Wash/rinse rice and cook (I like to throw in some salt and some oil (a tsp of each) for this dish). 

2. Place onions in a large frying pan with enough olive oil to fully coat the bottom of the pan. The goal here is to caramelize the onions. This can be achieved by slowly cooking them away on a medium low heat. This typically works well for me but I have seen more elaborate ways to caramelize onions these techniques will usually ask for you to add sugar, something that isn't necessary as the onions will release their own sugar. For this recipe you do not need to really add any salt in here as most caramelized recipes will call for. You'll know your onions are ready when they are brown and rather slimy.  

3. While the onions and rice are doing their thing, bring water and lentils to a boil, continue to boil for about 20 minutes or until the lentils have fully absorbed the water.

4. If everything is timed out right, you should be able to season the cooked lentils with cumin, coriander, garlic, salt and lemon juice right before throwing in the caramelized onions. If not just let things sit covered off the heat. 

5. Mix all ingredients well before topping the rice. Serve. Enjoy. 

Chickpea Salad Stuffed Bell Pepper

      After an adventurous three month vacation in California tasting culinary delights from Bouchon to Tartine, the wife and I have arrived back home to Montreal fattened and hungry still. We may have had too good of a time eating in California (not to mention the feast that was the Northwest) this summer. So the wife started speaking of a cleanse, something a friend told us he did for twenty-one days. When hearing the suggestion of a cleanse my initial thoughts were "Oh great, here comes the honeyed lemonade." But fortunately it is not one of those types of cleanses. It's actually outlines foods that are not that different than what we normally consume--well, that's not exactly true. . .

Here's what's excluded:

Dairy / Animal products of any kind (honey, gelatin, etc. )
Meat
Alcohol
Caffeine
Sugar
Gluten

I would also argue that most of these things should be excluded at all times, so why not go along with the wife and try this cleanse. The weak spot for me is gluten, I love bread and cannot be fully convinced of the damage a whole wheat loaf might inflict. Yet like undergoing any such diet it is important not to think about the can't haves and more about what the regiment will force you to explore. With this type of thinking I do not simply bump wheat off the list but instead add something like quinoa, a grain I typically do not get enough of.

I want to share a dish that Hollin found and adapted a bit from the ever delicious Smitten Kitchen. I loved this stuff. Light, refreshing and somewhat creamy, and reminiscent of potato salad.  And it is not only because it's vegan and gluten free that it is something to get excited about, it's tremendously flavorful.

The Ingredients:


1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons pitted, halved and very thinly sliced black olives
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil
zest and juice from half a lemon
couple good pinches of salt
a few grinds of black pepper
3-4 tablespoons of Olive Oil
2-3 red bell peppers, halved (for serving).


1. Simply mix all ingredients mashing up the chickpeas slightly with a fork or potato masher, just enough to form a texture similar to that of potato salad.

2. Dish into the bell pepper boats. Enjoy.

Spring Chili

      As I had mentioned in a previous post, I have been trying to find a good chili recipe. My search subsided after I found the chili recipe that I had posted previously even though I was not completely satisfied by it. Perhaps it was because the weather started to change as spring approached (it's still approaching here in Montreal) but I forgot about my quest for a good veggie chili recipe. But as with the best recipes, they usually just fall into your lap, through experimentation or from something as simple as talking to your mom on the phone. Recently I was on the phone with my mom and she told me about some chili recipe that she had heard about and tried. It sounded amazing so I soon found myself at the store gathering some simple ingredients including an orange. Yes, an orange for chili. This, my friends, is a sweeter chili than we are usually accustomed to. It's perfect for the spring time when you are still looking for something to warm you up during a cool evening.


      As you can see, I chose to serve the chili on french fries. I hesitated to show this one on a blog that prides itself for healthy eating choices, but the wife and I often eat chili this way especially when we are a little burnt out on having rice (typically we eat brown rice 5 or so times a week). Perhaps the desire to eat it on french fries also has something to do with nostalgia I have for the cafeteria that we ate at together in college. They would often have a "fry bar." This would consists of fries, beans, tomatoes/salsa, sour cream etc. Basically your average taco condiments but served on a nest of fries. It may sound a little repulsive, but I have to admit I looked forward to "fry bar" day at the cafeteria. This exceeds the bland bean blend at the cafeteria and even my beloved Trader Joe's canned chili on fries. The sweet potatoes and the orange zest in this dish affords this chili a very flavorful (and healthy) melange despite the simplicity of the recipe. 

The Ingredients:

2  T. vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
1  T. chili powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 Cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 (15 1/2 oz.) can black beans, drained & rinsed
2 t.orange zest
salt & pepper

1. Heat the oil in a 4-6 qt.dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the chili powder and cumin, then add the broth and sweet potatoes and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, the cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and beans and to simmer, uncovered, until the mixture is heated through and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes more.

5. Stir in the orange zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve the chili atop brown rice or french fries. Optionally top with green onions, cilantro and/or sour cream.

Vegan Brown Rice Waffles

I was a little hesitant about whipping these waffles up. I've never made batter from brown rice but the method seemed interesting so I became curious to see if the waffles would actually turn out. Not only did they turn out, they are quite tasty. 

This recipe requires that you start the batter the night before by soaking the brown rice. You'll be happy about this when you are rushing to make breakfast before work. As a note, you can easily make this recipe gluten-free by substituting conventional vanilla extract with a gluten-free extract such as McCormick's Vanilla Extract. Better yet, use vanilla bakery emulsion instead of extract altogether to ensure a gluten-free recipe. (recipe after the jump)

Red Bean Tofu Vegan Chili

A couple years ago I developed a habit of eating Trader Joe's vegetarian Chili. It was a simple but delicious meal. I would just cook up some brown rice and overturn the can upon the heap. At that time I wasn't even that crazy about spicy food. However, it was an inexpensive meal and the beans and brown rice formed that holy grail of vegetarian protein. Ever since I began eating chili, I felt like this would be something I could easily make from scratch but I never got around to it. That is until I moved to Montreal and situated myself miles and miles away from Trader Joe's. So the search began for a great vegetarian recipe. Fortunately I didn't have to search too far. Smitten Kitchen, a blog that I periodically peruse, featured a ground beef recipe that looked great. Hollin and I thought we would give it a try. We ended up with a chili that was unbearably spicy- it was really something we couldn't eat. Now, I'll admit that neither of us are really that keen on spicy food, but I'm not sure how anyone could eat it. The upside to the adventure was that we thought this recipe nailed the flavor that we were accustomed to and striving to recreate. So we tried it once again. This time we completely cut out the chili flakes and significantly reduced the amount of chili powder. 


I also want to stress that this recipe is quite easy and doesn't take too long to make. The best part is that it yields so much chili. You can easily freeze it so you always have some on hand. Also, what is fantastic about making your own chili is the fact that you control what goes in it. You'll most likely use far less salt than canned chili. Lastly, you'll save quite a bit of money if you are used to buying cans of it. Even the inexpensive Trader Joe's Chili is more expensive than this recipe. 

Recipe

Serves 6
2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 carrots, chopped in a small dice
1-2 pounds of crumbled firm tofu (extra firm and medium would work too). It works best to run the      tofu through a food processor to achieve a ground beef consistency.
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon crumbled dry oregano
*Dried red pepper flakes to taste, if you feel it necessary, I chose not to.
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomato sauce or tomato puree
1 1/4 cups of vegetable broth
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups or 1 19-ounce can red beans, rinsed and drained
2 green bell peppers, chopped

This recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

Directions:

1. Begin by heating up the olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Use a pot that is 5 quarts or larger if you plan on making the full recipe.

2. Sauté chopped onions until they begin to become translucent (5-10 mins). Meanwhile mince garlic and chop carrots.

3. Add garlic and carrots and cook for about 1 min.

4. Increase heat to medium and add the tofu, chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano.  Cook for another minute. 

5. Add the tomato sauce, broth and vinegar and simmer the chili, covered, for 20 minutes.

6. Add the red beans, bell peppers, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the bell peppers are tender.


Serve over brown rice and with a dollop of vegan sour cream (tofutti).

Southwestern Quinoa

I often find myself stuck in a rut with quinoa. Most of the dishes I have prepared with it are too similar to my standard and most simplest quinoa dish.  And while this southwestern variation still does not break out of the my typical usage of bell peppers and onions, the difference lies in the base of this dish: black beans and some spice. Lately I have been interested in trying to incorporate all food groups in one dish, and I think this one about does it.


Remember, the beans and quinoa are the base for just about anything you have lying around in your fridge and pantry. Here's my mix:

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Vegtable Broth or Plain Water
1 Cup of Quinoa

1 large tomatoe, quartered
1 Carrot
1/2 Red Onion
1-2 Red or Yellow Bell Peppers (an assortment of colors is nice)
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1/2 a lime.
1 Can of Black Beans, liquid drained
1 Cup or so of finely chopped spinach. (I used frozen chopped spinach)
Garlic (as little or as much as you would like)
1 Sprinkle of Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Tablespoon of Cayenne Powder
1/2 cup (or so) of Olive Oil
1 Cup of Water
1 Dash of Salt

To Make Quinoa:

In a medium pot, bring broth to boil. Add quinoa, return to boil - then reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until liquid is fully absorbed.

Meanwhile Prepare the Veggies

First get 1 cup of water heated in a medium saucepan add: Bay Leaf, Cayenne, Red Pepper Flakes, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers and Carrots until they are tender.

Put pan on medium to high heat.

By this time the water should be soon evaporated - remove bay leaf at this time and then add olive oil. Once olive oil heats up, add onions garlic, spinach, and salt. Sauté vegetables until onions become tender.

Stir in Black Beans. Add lime juice. Let beans heat and mingle with other flavors.

Serve vegetables upon a bed of quinoa. 

You may also consider adding cheese on top (cheddar or mozzarella) or stir in yogurt if dish is too spicy.


Also optional and recommended is a few squeezes of mustard, preferably a whole grain mustard.

Ruby Rice

  
     Today I was watching Chef at Home with Michael Smith, he's a Canadian Chef that encourages experimentation without a recipe in the kitchen. The quick editing and constantly moving camera can be at times dizzying to watch but the principles of simple cooking are presented well. As a vegetarian, lentils are an important food; something that I always bring up when people ask about protein in a vegetarian diet. One way to enhance the healthfulness of a legume is to add in a complex carbohydrate such as brown rice into the mix. Of course this is simply a base for a variety of flavors- the rice and lentils by themselves aren't particularly outstanding. Eating for the Rest of Us is dedicated to providing simple recipes, recipes that have flavor but attempt to provide flavor by nutritious ingredients. However, often my first inclination when approaching ingredients like rice and lentils, is to add a lot of other ingredients to enhance flavor. But this often will compromise the benefits native to these ingredients. The simplicity of Michael's recipe is key. By using dried cranberries, Michael significantly frills up the dish to completion.


1/2 cup of brown (or any type of) lentils
1/2 cup of brown rice
About 1 cup of dried cranberries
2 cups of water
A sprinkle or two of Salt & Pepper
1 Bay Leaf

(rince/drain rice and lentils)

1. Combine all ingredients in small to medium size pot. Bring to boil then turn down the heat to medium low and let simmer for about 30 mins with the pot covered or until lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed.

2.  Serve

Cranberry Carrot Applesauce

The wife and myself have been settling into our new home in Montréal. It's been no small task. The kitchen was by large the most difficult to unpack and organize. Needless to say, it's been a while since I've had a hand in the kitchen. In the spirit of quick and easy foods, I thought I would share some applesauce that I made today. I fell well short of target in my efforts to mimic the housemade applesauce at Portland's Deli restaurant Kenny & Zuke's. Their applesauce is amazing hearty and delicious. Once when I was younger, I declared applesauce as my favorite food. Curiously today was the first time I had attempted to make it. Friends, this is the easiest thing I think there is to make. And it's cheap! By the way, the price of groceries in Montréal will challenge me further to find easy and inexpensive recipes of which I will continue to post. Even the most basic of ingredients such as flour are rather expensive here. So we'll see if I continue to bake as much as I hope.

Applesauce!

4 Apples (I hear it's best to use Granny Smith or another cooking type of apple)

1 cup (or so) of water

1 handful of baby carrots (Steamed)

2 handfuls of craisins.  (this is completely an option, but it was an afterthought of mine that proved to be pretty tasty. My sauce needed some tart)

2 tablespoons of sugar (evaporated cane suger was good)

2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

1. Cut up apples into chunks, discarding the core.

2. Place in Medium to Large Skillet. Pour water so the apple chunks are nearly covered. 

3. Cook on medium until apples are tender.

4. Add cinnamon. Feel free to add more or less. I like to get a good coverage of cinnamon. 

5. In a Blender, add carrots, craisins and some water.

6. When apples are tender, pour water/apples into the blender and pulse to desired consistency.

7. Refrigerize and eat.

African Peanut Stew

      I eat peanut butter nearly every day on toast, however, I have very rarely extended the use of peanut butter in main dishes especially stew. And after trying to find a good curry recipe, I'm very pleased to find this recipe for African Peanut Stew. This recipe is very alluring thanks to its nutritionally packed ingredients.

If you're like me and have been wanting to get more greens into your diet- this is a simple way.

Please note that this recipe yields a rather large quantity. You may cut recipe in half- or grab a large pot! It is reccommended to use a dutch oven, but our 2.5 Qt. Staub couldn't handle all of it. So go for something that is around 5 quarts.

Serves 6
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
2 tablespoon garlic, minced (or a tablespoon or two of crushed garlic works fine)
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced (optional if your market doesn't have it (like mine didn't))
1 tablespoon curry powder (I add an extra teaspoon of cumin as well)
1 (14-ounce) can low sodium diced tomatoes with juice
4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup crunchy natural peanut butter, organic preferred
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped (about 5 cups)
*hot red pepper flakes or freshly ground pepper to taste


1. Heat up olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. When oil is hot, toss in the onions and carrots and sauté until they are soft. This will most likely be at least 5 minutes. You may choose to cook the onions longer to achieve a caramelized state.

2. Add garlic and curry powder and cumin (if using). Sauté some more, about 1 minute.

3. Add full can of tomatoes (including juice) Let eveything cook a bit so the liquid is reduced. (2-3 min)

4. Add broth and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to simmer for about 8 mins.

5. Add garbanzo beans and peanut butter. Stir.

6. Add cilantro and Kale, cook until the kale is wilted. (about 2 mins).

Serve.


thank you, Katie's Healthy Bites at blog.healthyeats.com for this recipe. 

La quinoa avec les legumes

      This is such a simple dish. I typically make a variation of this at least once or twice a week. In this recipe I used quinoa. Quinoa is super rich in protein - making this an invaluable food for vegetarians. Variations can be made with other grains. My favorite is a 8-grain blend from Trader Joe's. For either variation I feel that it is important to prepare the grain in vegetable broth instead of water. Personally for me, quinoa prepared with water is a little bland.

The Recipe:

serves about 2

1 Cup Quinoa

1 Cup Vegetable Broth

2 Red Bell Pepper

1 Onion, White or Walla Walla Sweet Onion preferred.

Seasoning of any type, such as, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Minced Garlic, Oregano

Handful of Basil (optional)

Some Olive Oil for Sauté

Directions:

In a medium pot, bring broth to boil. Add quinoa, return to boil - then reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until liquid is fully absorbed. Meanwhile, chop onion and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil to medium high heat and then add in first the onion and when onion becomes slightly translucent add in bell pepper. Sauté until tender. Season and toss with basil (if using). Serve over a bed of quinoa.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free