BBQ Chickpea Quinoa Salad

This recipe is adapted from a BBQ Quinoa Salad recipe given to me by my friend Nicole S. No left overs made it in the fridge. It was a "Are you gonna eat that? Cause if not, I'm gonna eat it." kind of meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. cooked quinoa (about 1/2 c. dry)
• 1/2 c. grilled corn (or frozen and cooked)
• 1/2 c. black beans
• 1 can BBQ roasted chickpeas
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 4 Tb BBQ sauce
• 2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and pour into a bowl. Add 1 Tb. olive oil and 2 1/2 to 3 Tb BBQ sauce. Mix well. Pour chickpeas on a pan (you can line it with foil for easier clean-up) and roast for 15 min. Stir, then cook 10 min. more.
2. While the chickpeas roast, cook the quinoa. Put the 1/2 c. dry quinoa and 1 c. water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer about 15 min. until quinoa has absorbed all the water.
3. Toss the quinoa, corn, beans, chickpeas, avocado, scallions, and BBQ sauce together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Quinoa Sloppy Joes

I found this recipe and adapted it from Real Mom Kitchen's cookbook. Super yummy. My sister even liked them and she is often hesitant about my kitchen experiments.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. cooked quinoa (about 1 c. uncooked plus 2 c. water)
• 1/2 c. to 3/4 c. onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c. red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup
• 3 Tb brown sugar
• 2 Tb BBQ sauce (or more if you want)
• Biscuits, homemade or from the can...whatever you want to make, or you could use buns

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa by putting quinoa and water into a sauce pan. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce heat. Cook for 15-20 min. till quinoa is fluffy and water is absorbed.
2. Saute onion and red pepper 5-10 min in a tiny bit of olive oil.
3. Add the cooked quinoa, tomato soup, brown sugar, BBQ sauce. Stir to combine. Heat thoroughly, 5-10  minutes.
4. Serve on top of halved biscuits. You can eat them open faced or closed.

Tofu Ricotta Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I adapted parts of a White Pizza Grilled Cheese recipe over at Kitchen Treaty. This is a great grilled cheese compromise for those of us who must avoid cheese or all dairy.

Ingredients:

Tofu ricotta:

• 1 pkg firm tofu (16 oz)
• 1/4 c. rice milk...or any kind of milk really (regular, soy, etc)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. dried basil (or you can use 2 Tb. fresh, minced basil)
• 1 tsp. salt

 The sandwich filling:

• 1 cup of the tofu ricotta above
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tb fresh)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Your favorite bread--I recommend Ciabatta bread sliced thin, but it also tastes great on whole wheat sandwich bread too 
• margarine or butter replacement (for spreading on the outsides of your bread before grilling)

Directions:

1. Make the tofu ricotta by placing all the ingredients in a blender. Blend till creamy.
2. Take 1 cup of the tofu ricotta and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Warm a skillet over medium heat. Take your bread slices and butter the outsides. Then add a thick layer of the tofu mixture to the inside of the bread. Close the sandwich and place on a skillet. Flip until both sides are a nice crispy brown.

Note about this recipe:

1. Let it cool for a good 5 minutes. The tofu retains it's heat very well!

Craisin Coconut Oatmeal

Yummiest oatmeal combination I've tried yet. I was inspired by a delicious cookie recipe I had tried out last month, which I will post soon. This is definitely healthier than the cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. oats
• 1/2 c. water
• 1-2 Tb. craisins 
• 1-2 Tb. shredded coconut
• Honey, for drizzling 

Directions:

1. Put oats, water, craisins, and coconut in a microwavable bowl. Mix together.
2. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
3. Drizzle with honey. Enjoy!

Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

 (Photo from Redhead Recipes.)

This recipe was recommended by Katy L. She found it at Redhead Recipes. She paired it with White Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, which I will post as soon as I get permission from the blogger.

Ingredients and Directions: 

Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

• 1 bag prewashed spinach
• 1-2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup spiced caramelized nuts (recipe below)

Place all ingredients in a bowl. (Now that's a difficult recipe!) And top with apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Spiced Caramelized Nuts

• 1/2 cup pecans (or favorite nut)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 small pinch of cayenne (don't get scared!)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg thouroughly. Place in skillet over medium heat. When sugar starts to melt stir in nuts. Stir occasionally. Once all sugar has melted and nuts are coated, place nuts on parchment paper to cool. Eat plain, in a salad, or on top of ice cream.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dijion mustard
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a curet and shake.

Cauliflower Power Tacos

This was AMAZING. My picture, however, is not as amazing, but please please don't judge this recipe by the picture! I found the recipe over at Betty Crocker.

Ingredients:

Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 medium head cauliflower (2 lbs), separated into florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Crispy Chick Peas

• 1 can (15 oz) chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

Cilantro-Pepita Pesto

• 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• 1 very small clove garlic, cut in half
• 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño chiles
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

8 gluten-free white corn tortillas, heated as directed on package 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place cauliflower florets in large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until evenly coated. Arrange on large cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes; stir. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until cauliflower is tender and browned.
2. Meanwhile, mix crispy chick peas ingredients. Spread on 15x10x1-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes; stir. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until chick peas are slightly browned and crispy.
3. Meanwhile, in food processor, place all pesto ingredients except oil. Cover; process using quick on-and-off motions. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil through feed tube, stopping halfway through to stir mixture with spatula. Remove pesto to small bowl.
4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pesto on each tortilla; top with about 1/2 cup roasted cauliflower and 1 tablespoon crispy chick peas. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve with remaining chick peas.

Notes about this recipe:

1. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds.

2. I only did 1 Tb of the jalapeno chilies, and the only time I felt like it was too spicy for me was if I got a big chunk that my blending missed. If you are worried about spice nix the jalapenos and maybe try seranos or something more mild.

3. My hubby and I are not huge fans of corn tortillas so we used flour tortillas instead. Whole wheat tortillas are even better!
4. Also delicious with sliced avocados on it. 

Veggie Noodle Stir Fry

This recipe was adapted from Our Best Bite's Quick and Easy Noodle Stir Fry.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 7oz. whole wheat thin spaghetti
• 2 Tb. soy sauce
• 1 1/4 Tb. brown sugar
• 1 1/4 Tb. rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tb-1 Tb Sriracha chili sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1/2 Tb sesame oil
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 6 oz pkg snow peas, cut in half
• 1 yellow squash, julienned (a zucchini would work here too)

Directions: 

1. Bring water to a boil and cook the noodles. When the noodles are done, drain them and toss in 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil.
2. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, Sriracha chili sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.
3. While noodles cook, heat 1-2 Tb. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the onions, garlic, and ginger. Stir to coat the onions with the ginger. Stir fry 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the snow peas, stir to coat with ginger, and stir fry another 30 seconds or so.
5. Add the yellow squash and bell pepper, stir to coat with ginger, and stir fry for another minute. 
6. Add the noodles and mix well. Restir the sauce mixture and pour on the noodles and veggies. Stir to coat.
7. Serve immediately. Serves 2-4.

Notes about this recipe:

1. Stir fry recipes work best when ALL of your ingredients are chopped and ready, and the sauce is mixed and ready to go. You don't want your veggies getting soggy, which is why you only cook each ingredient for about 30 seconds before adding the next. Having everything ready allows this process to go smoothly and to have crisp tender veggies in your stir fry.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Honey Almonds

This is a family favorite at our house. Simple and delicious, even without the almonds.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 large handfuls of spinach
• 4 or 5 strawberries, sliced
• small to medium handful of almonds, chopped
• honey, between 1/2 Tb-2 Tb...depends on your amount of almonds and how sweet you want them
• poppy seed dressing, we prefer Briannas Home Style (as pictured above)

Directions:

1. Put spinach in a bowl. Add sliced strawberries.
2. Place chopped almonds in a pan and heat on medium low for about 5 minutes, stirring so they don't burn. Then turn the burner off and drizzle honey all over the nuts. Stir until completely coated. Let cool for 1-2 minutes then add to the salad. (If you let them cool too long they will get really stuck together and it will be hard to get them in bite size clumps.)
3. Enjoy! Makes about 4 servings.

Potato Pot Pie

While we were adjusting to life with a new born a friend brought us a chicken pot pie for dinner one night. I wondered as I ate it (it was yummy, by the way), how I could make a veggie version and still retain the yummy flavor of a pot pie. After a mediocre first attempt, I came up with this recipe. My hubby agrees--it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large potato, diced small (you can choose to leave the peel on or take it off)
• about 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1/2 c. frozen corn
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• about 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme 
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 c. rice milk (or milk, or other milk substitute)
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 2 Tb. fresh chopped parsely
• 2 pre-made pie crusts (or you could make your own)
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tb. water

Directions:

1. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and potato in the olive oil for 10-15 min. You want the potatoes to start getting tender.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an 8x8 baking dish by putting the first crust down on the bottom of the dish.
3. Once the veggie mix has cooked for about 15 min. add the peas, corn, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir into mixture and cook a few more minutes.
4. Add the flour and stir to coat.
5. Pour in the rice milk and veggie broth. Simmer until thick.
6. Add the parsley.
7. Pour/spoon the veggie mix into your prepared dish. Cover with the 2nd pie crust. Mix one egg white with 1 Tb. of water. Brush the egg wash onto your pie crust. Place baking dish onto a baking sheet (just to be safe if there are any drips as it cooks). Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly cover it with foil.

Naan Bread Pizza

 

(Left: Pesto version; Right: Pizza sauce version)

So this month has been pretty busy with the arrival of our 2nd baby, which is why there has only been one new post a week for over a month. My mom came to town to help us get adjusted and she made us this fabulous dinner.

Ingredients:

• Pesto or pizza sauce, whichever you prefer
• sliced mushrooms
• onions, diced
• tomatoes, sliced (cherry or small roma are my recommendations)
• black olives, sliced
• artichoke hearts, canned in water (not the marinated kind), sliced
• avocado, sliced
• any other veggie you like eating on pizza
• Pre-made naan bread (can be found at grocery stores such as H.E.B., or Harmon's)

Directions:

1. Saute the sliced mushrooms and onions in a tiny bit of olive oil.
2. Spread the pesto/pizza sauce on the naan bread.
3. Add the toppings, except the avocado.
4. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add sliced avocado.
6. Cut into pieces and serve!

Notes about this recipe:

1. There are no measurements because it's all about how much you like on your pizza. Add as much or as little as you want!
2. You could add cheese if you want. The pesto already has cheese in it, and the pizza sauce version makes for a great lactose-free recipe.
3. If you can't find pre-made naan bread you could always make your own. The pre-made makes for a super easy meal, though.

Sweet Tater Black Bean Burgers

(Picture from Edible Perspective.)

This recipe was suggested by Lydia W. She found it at Edible Perspective. (Take a peak over there if you like having picture steps to go along with your recipes.)

Ingredients:

• 15oz black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3c cubed sweet tater, cooked and skin on [~1.5lbs]
• 1/2c frozen or fresh corn
• 2/3c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2c cooked quinoa
• 6T rolled oats, partially ground
• 2T sunflower seeds
• 1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 1t cumin
• 1t oregano
• 1/4t coriander
• 1t chili powder
• 1/4t cayenne [optional]
• 1T olive oil 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375* once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.
2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
3. Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
4. In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.
5. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne [if using] and olive oil, until combined.
6. Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and ground oats, until just combined.
7. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
8. Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.
9. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through.
10. Remove from oven and serve! 

*If you want to refrigerate or freeze them, let fully cool on a cooling rack.  Place in a sealed container for the fridge, or wrap in saran, then foil, then in a bag for the freezer.  If reheating a frozen burger, let it thaw completely.  Re-heat in a greased pan, over medium heat for ~3-5min per side, until hot throughout.
*To make the ground oats – Pulse your blender on + off, until you have the consistency about half way to flour.
*Instead of ground oats, feel free to sub – millet flour, oat flour, quinoa flour, whole wheat flour, etc.
*To pan cook – Heat a pan to medium and lightly grease.  Cook on each side for 5-8min, flip + cook another 5-8min until golden brown.
*For the grill – Bake burgers for 15min on one side, flip burgers once and bake another 10min.  While baking, preheat your grill slightly above medium [~350-375*]  Grease the grates and cook burgers for ~3min per side.

Yields 8 burgers

Notes about this recipe:

1. Left out oil, sunflower seeds & corn.
2. Added some liquid smoke.

Tofu Spinach Lasagna

(Don't mind the cut down the middle of my piece of lasagna...I was really excited to start eating it and then decided I should probably snap a picture before I forgot.)

I made a post about this amazing lasagna way back in July 2011. Since then I have adapted it, which means now I can post it on the blog without copyright issues. I adapted it from a recipe found in The Vegan Table Cookbook by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Seriously, this lasagna is so good (as in, my hubby and toddler both devoured it). Lactose intolerant friendly, and might I mention, a whole lot cheaper to make than the other meat and cheese types. (Meat and 3 kinds of cheese add up v.s. buying a package of tofu.)

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles (about half of a 1 lb pkg), regular or no-boil...either is fine
• About 9-12 oz. of fresh spinach, chopped, blanched, and drained
• 1 pkg firm tofu (16 oz)
• 1 Tb. sugar
• 1/4 c. rice milk...or any kind of milk really (regular, soy, etc)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. dried basil (or you can use 2 Tb. fresh, minced basil)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1-24 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce, I prefer a tomato and basil type but any kind will work

Directions:

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package.
2. Meanwhile, blanch spinach.
3. Next put the tofu, sugar, rice milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt in a blender and blend until thick and smooth. This is going to be your "tofu ricotta," as the author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau calls it.
4. Put the "tofu ricotta" and the blanched spinach together in a large bowl and mix together.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (my oven heats up really fast...so to make it less hot for me in the kitchen I wait until I absolutely have to before turning it on. If it takes your oven a while, then turn it on as step 1 in the directions.)
6. Now it's lasagna assembly time. Use a 9 by 13 baking dish. Start with a little bit of the spaghetti sauce and cover the bottom of the pan. Then put 3 noodles down, covered with 1/2 the "tofu ricotta." Repeat the layers with about 1/2 of the remaining sauce, 3 more noodles, and the rest of the "tofu ricotta." Last put on 3 more noodles and use the rest of the sauce to cover the noodles up.
7. Bake for 40 minutes.

Baked Cauliflower Poppers

(Picture from Delighted Momma)

This recipe was sent in by Katie M. She says she is completely sold on the idea that any veggie would be improved with roasting. She also says she especially loves this dish because would make a great side dish but is also a super yummy finger food/snack. She found this recipe over at Delighted Momma.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Wash and clean the cauliflower. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the cauliflower up into small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower pieces and thoroughly coat each piece.
4. Place cauliflower pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour and turn 3 times during cooking until each piece has a nice brown coloring. The browner they are the better.
5. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Farfel

(Picture from Martha Stewart)

I found this recipe off of Martha Stewart. My husband and I thought it was yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups Cooked Dried Chickpeas, or 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
• For serving: pita bread, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, romaine lettuce leaves, and store-bought tahini sauce.

Directions:

1. Place half of chickpeas in food processor and pulse a few times until chopped, transfer to a large bowl.
2. Place remaining chickpeas in food processor with garlic, onion, herbs, spices, baking soda, salt, and lemon juice. Pulse to a thick, chunky paste, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with chopped chickpeas.
3. Add egg and sesame seeds to bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill batter in fridge 30 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil shimmers, drop heaping tablespoons of batter into skillet and gently press batter into 2-inch-round patties. Cook, turning once, until deep golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain.
5. Serve falafel with pita bread, sliced tomatoes and red onion, romaine leaves, and store-bought tahini dressing.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I had to add water to get the mixture into a paste, but that made it too liquidy so I ended up adding 2/3 cup of bread crumbs.
2. Instead of dropping the batter into the oil and gently pressing it, we found it easier to mold it into a flat patty by hand and then put it in the oil.
3. We also found that they cooked just as well if you only had a tiny bit of oil in the skillet, much less than 1/2 cup.
4. We didn't use tahini dressing.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I found this recipe at a blog called Kathie Cooks. They were scrumptious.

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 c. Flour
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1 T. Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 t. Baking Soda
• 1 t. Baking Powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 c. Pumpkin
• 1/2 c. Butter, softened
• 1 c. Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups.

Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.

Break eggs into another bowl. Add pumpkin and butter; whisk until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour over dry ingredients and fold in with a rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Scoop batter evening into 12-15 muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used whole wheat flour.
2. I made mini muffins, so the cook time was about 12-14 minutes instead and it yielded about 4 dozen.
3. The second time I made them I also replaced the butter with pureed garbanzo beans. I put the beans in a bowl and mashed them with my potato masher/bottom of a cup until they were basically pureed (you could do this with a food processor but I've only got my poor blender and it just doesn't do so hot). It's a one to one ratio, so 1/2 cup of butter can be replaced with 1/2 cup of beans.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

I know I should have posted this back on Halloween, but didn't get a chance to. This is what we have decided to make every year on Halloween. And we'll probably make them all through the winter as well. SO DELICIOUS! Sadly I don't have a picture to tempt you.

I found the recipe at Country Living. It was reposted with permission, which means I can't post it here. But seriously, go check it out. You won't be sorry, should you choose to make them.

Notes about the recipe:

1. We did half wheat/half white flour.
2. We didn't use fresh ground nutmeg, just the stuff in a little container.

Crispy Quinoa Cakes

I found this recipe at Vegetarian Times. Super super delish. My hubby gave it 2 big thumbs up. The website recommends serving them with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, although I didn't try it.
Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Tbs. tahini or nut butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. red or white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup finely grated sweet potato
• 1/2 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts, optional
• 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese, optional
• 2 Tbs. finely diced onion
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine egg, flour, tahini, and vinegar in bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, then mash together until mixture is firm enough to shape into cakes. Shape mixture into 1/4-cup patties with wet hands. Bake on prepared baking sheet 25 minutes, turning once, or until cakes are browned.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used margarine instead of tahini or nut butter.
2. I used water instead of red or white wine vinegar.
3. I only used 1 cup of quinoa because I felt like 1 1/2 was a lot and I wanted the other flavors to stand out.
4. I did not use the cheese or nuts, but I imagine adding both is probably delish.
5. I tried to flip one of them 1/2 way through the cook time, but it just crumbled so I didn't flip the others.
6. I greased my pan before putting the quinoa cakes on it.
7. I believe that the best part of these cakes was the sun dried tomatoes (but that could be because I LOVE sun dried tomatoes). I used some homemade ones with rosemary and other herbs.

I served this up with a veggie and fruit side, along with some wheat bread.

Tarka Dhal

This recipe is adapted from a cookbook called Best Ever Indian Cookbook. I actually took this picture the first time I made it, a few months ago. Tonight when I made it I changed some things but it still looked the same.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. red split lentils (also called masoor dhal)
1/4 c. yellow split lentils (also called mung dhal)
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp canned green chilis
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the Tarka:
1-2 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tomato, diced

Directions:

Bring the lentils, water, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and green chilies to a boil. Simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes until soft.

Mash the lentils with a fork (or you could use the end of a wooden rolling pin, or a glass jar; I actually just used the back side of my wooden mixing spoon) until it is a creamy constancy. Some of the lentils will still look whole. If the mixture seems too dry, then add water and mix.

For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, and tomato for 2-5 min. (until onion is translucent).

Pour the tarka over the lentils and garnish with cilantro.

I serve it up with brown rice, and some bread/veggie/fruit (any or all).

Notes about this recipe:

1. You could use all red or all yellow lentils.
2. You could use fresh green peppers (serrano) if you like.
3. You could add more crushed red pepper flakes if you want it to be hotter. I prefer mild, which is what the above recipe is.

Lentil & Veggie Tostadas

This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups water
• 3/4 cup dry red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 to 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 tostada shells
• 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables (such as broccoli, tomato, zucchini, and/or yellow summer squash)
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (3 ounces)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan stir together water, lentils, onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and cumin. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to mash the cooked lentils.

2. Spread the lentil mixture on tostada shells; top with the vegetables and cheese. Place on a large baking sheet. Broil tostadas 3 to 4 inches from the heat about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition facts

Calories269; Total Fat (g)9; Saturated Fat (g)3; Monounsaturated Fat (g)0; Polyunsaturated Fat (g)0; Cholesterol (mg)16; Sodium (mg)595; Carbohydrate (g)34; Total Sugar (g)3; Fiber (g)8; Protein (g)16; Vitamin A (DV%)0; Vitamin C (DV%)0; Calcium (DV%)22; Iron (DV%)13; Starch (d.e.)1; Milk (d.e.).5; Vegetables (d.e.)1; Lean Meat (d.e.).5; Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Notes about this recipe:

1. I was able to stretch it to make 6 tostadas.
2. I liked it better when I sauteed the veggies before putting them on the tostadas, and I thought the summer squashes tasted better than the broccoli.
3. Still delish even if you need to omit the cheese.
4. Watch them close under the broiler, they burn fast!