Kale and Chickpea Stir Fry

1 bunch kale
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cans chickpeas
2 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. butter
salt

Chop kale into 2 inch strips. Sautee in olive oil w/ garlic, add a pinch of salt. When kale becomes slightly crunchy, remove.
Caramelize onion by cooking w/ butter over medium heat until translucent. Add chickpeas to pan and stir occasionally until chickpeas are warm. Mix in kale and season w/ salt.

If you have freshly grated parmesan on hand, it makes a great garnish. Salad can be served warm or cold.

This stir fry is a delicious way to serve kale!

Spinach Lentil Salad

2 c. green or brown lentils, soaked for a few hours
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tb. capers
3 c. raw spinach
1 Tb. chopped scallion or red onion
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
cilantro garnish (optional)
asiago or parmesan cheese to crumble on top

Cook lentils in water (about 1" above lentils in pot), add a few dashes salt and the garlic. Cook lentils approx 25 mins until tender. Drain. While lentils are cooking, wash spinach and cook in microwave with a dash of salt until wilted (about 2 mins). After lentils have finished cooking, combine them with the tomatoes, capers, spinach, scallion in a large mixing bowl. Add a few glugs of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. When serving, grate or crumble cheese over the top. I used asiago, but parmesan would be delicious too.

I try to incorporate lots of lentils and beans into my diet since I don't eat meat. This salad was quick to prepare (as long as you soak the lentils ahead of time) and tasty. It serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower Curry

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
olive oil (a few glugs)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp. hot chili powder
1/4 tsp. curry powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower florets in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour a few glugs of olive oil (a few tablespoons) over the cauliflower and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle cumin seeds, sea salt, chili powder, and curry powder over cauliflower and toss again to coat cauliflower with spices. Roast at 400 degrees for approximately 40 mins, stirring once to prevent burning. The vegetables will start to stick to the bottom of the pan at some point (unless you use a whole bottle of olive oil!). Although it might not look very pretty, it will taste amazing!

I bought a jar of bell pepper and herb sea salt, and I've been using it on all of my roasted veggies in place of coarse sea salt. If you can find it, herb sea salt adds a lot of flavor. You can also add potato (cubed) and onion (cut into strips). I love any roasted vegetables, but cauliflower is definitely my favorite. I could eat this every day and never get tired of it. I am looking forward to roasting spring vegetables and posting a recipe, but it's still to cold in Wisconsin. The asparagus hasn't even made an appearance yet! Maybe next month...

Joni's Tomato Vegetable Casserole

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 yam, peeled, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2" pieces
5 Tb. olive oil
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4" pieces
salt and pepper
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4" thick slices
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tb. dried Italian-style bread crumbs
Fresh basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss potato, yam, bell pepper, carrots and 2 Tb. olive oil into 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss until coated. Spread vegetables evenly in the pan.

Arrange onion slices evenly over the vegetables. Arrange zucchini over the onion and drizzle with 2 Tb. oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then arrange tomato slices on top.

In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the vegetable mix in the baking dish. Drizzle with another Tb. of olive oil.

Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil springs.


My aunt Joni shared this recipe with me. I haven't tried the recipe yet, but I love roasted vegetables, so this should be a big hit!

Simple Bi Bim Bap

2c. cooked sushi rice
1 carrot, shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
10 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1c. bean sprouts
1/2 c. cooked spinach (optional)
2 Tb. chopped chives or green onions
2 eggs, fried or soft boiled (optional)
2 Tb. soy sauce
Hot Chili Sauce (optional)
2 Tb. sesame oil
pinch salt

Serves 2

Heat 1 Tb. sesame oil over medium heat, sautee zucchini and shiitake mushrooms (separately) for 3-5 mins until well cooked, adding a pinch of salt to each during cooking. While sauteeing, bring 1c. water to boil and add in bean sprouts with a pinch of salt. Boil for 2-3 mins and drain. Cook the eggs either over-easy or fried, depending on your preference.

Spoon 1 c. warm sushi rice into a serving bowl, arrange carrot, zucchini, mushroom, bean sprouts, and spinach over the top of the rice. Place fried egg over the top of everything, sprinkle with chives to garnish. Serve warm. Using chopsticks, mix all ingredients and add soy sauce and chili sauce to taste.

This Korean dish is an easy, healthy dinner for two. It is traditionally served in a hot stone pot which crisps and browns the rice a bit. Delicious! I don't have a hot stone pot, so I used a soup bowl and it turned out great anyway. The first time I made Bi Bim Bap, we loved it so much that we ate it three nights in a row!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1 large tomato, chopped

1/3 c. bread crumbs

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

2 T. parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg, beaten

sprinkle oregano and basil

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

Serves 3-4
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, and balsamic vinegar, add dash salt and pepper.  Coat bottom of roasting pan (I used glass 9x13 pan) with olive oil, place mushrooms in pan gill side up.  Spoon tomato mixture into mushrooms.  Bake for 20-25 mins or until mixture turns golden brown on top of mushrooms. 

These portobellos are very rich in flavor.  I served them as a main dish with fried eggplant on the side, and I could barely finish one mushroom.  Portobellos are a good source of B vitamins for vegetarians!

Rating: 4 stars

The filling flavors were perfect; however, I found that when the mushroom tops were golden brown, the mushrooms were still a bit undercooked.  I would suggest baking the mushrooms a little longer (25-30 mins) with foil covering the pan.

Lentil Soup

1 red onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 potato diced
1 large carrot thinly sliced
1 c. spinach (optional)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 or 1.5 cups lentils (I used green)
chili powder to taste
cumin powder to taste
1/2 tsp. salt to taste
vegetable broth 1-2 cups
water- 2 cups
olive oil
fresh ground pepper

Sautee onion, bell pepper in olive oil, add potato and carrot. Add chili
and cumin powder, and salt (I like an herb and sea salt mix). Stir in lentils, veg
broth, tomato paste, water and spinach. Make sure liquids generously cover all of the lentils (you may need to add more water as soup boils down). Simmer on low-med heat for approx 45 mins or until lentils are tender. Salt and pepper can be added at the end according to taste.

I created with recipe with vegetables and spices we had in the fridge. Spinach is optional, but a great source of iron and my family loved the flavor. Perfect soup for a cold winter night.

Rating: 5 stars

Amma's Tomato Rice

1 c. cooked basmati rice
2-3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 T. channa dal
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. masala powder
pinch mustard seeds
pinch turmeric
pinch asafoetida
salt to taste
mustard seed
channa dal
onion- sautee

In a skillet, heat sesame oil over med-high heat. Add mustard seeds and cook until spluttering (popping), then add channa dal and roast until red. Add diced onion and cook for 1 min then add tomato. Reduce heat a bit and simmer until tomato begins to turn into a thick paste. Mix in turmeric powder, asafoetida, masala powder, and salt. Turn heat off. Combine with cooked rice. 1 or 2 tsp sesame oil can be added for flavor.

Similar to lemon rice, this light main dish pairs well with papad or potato chips. Another favorite from amma's kitchen!

Rating: not rated yet