RECIPE ~ Light and Lovely Lunch

Back on track with a healthier diet, today I made a quick, easy, warm, fresh made lunch that I'm sure to repeat!

1 small squash (I used acorn)
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 Tbsp chopped olives (I used kalamata)
flax oil
fresh lemon juice
sea salt and black pepper to taste
garnishes: choose from hemp seeds, sesame seeds, fresh herbs

Wash the squash then cut into quarters. Scoop out the seeds then cut quarters in half again. Place in a steamer and steam until cooked, around 20-30 minutes.

Place half the squash on one plate and half on another (I peeled my squash after cooking). Distribute the tomato, cucumber and olives over each plate of squash, then drizzle with flax oil and lemon juice to taste. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and add any garnish you like.

So yummy and easy. Can also be a side dish to a rice pilaf, veggie kabobs, etc. I accompanied it with a ginger peppermint tea. Enjoy!

New Year Lentil Salad

Happy new (calendar) year! I hear it's good luck to serve lentils on new year's, probably to usher in a year of plenty. I like the story, so for New Year's Eve I made this easy and delicious brown lentil salad.

1 can (2 cups) cooked brown lentils, rinsed
1 ripe tomato, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced small
1/2 cup parsley, minced
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
juice of half a lemon
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ground cumin

First place the sliced onions in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt, about 1 Tbsp. Let sit for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the rinsed lentils, tomato, garlic and parsley. Stir together then stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and cumin.

Rub the onions together with your hand to squeeze out the pungent juices, then rinse well under hot water. Stir into the rest of the lentil salad.

Serve as a side dish, or with rice or other salads. We served ours with stuffed avocadoes on a bed of lettuce leaves! Enjoy and happy new year!

RECIPE ~ Mess o' Greens

Greens are a favourite in our home (well, not so much for the 2-year-old) and we regularly crave a mess o' sauteed greens! Here's my recipe.

1 large bunch rapini*
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
sea salt and fresh pepper
hemp seeds

Wash the rapini. Cut off the stem tips and discard. Then cut off the whole stem and keep separate from the leaves.

Heat a large cast iron pan and add the tips with a little water. Cover and let steam cook 5 minutes, til half softened. Then add all the leaves plus a splash of water, cover and let steam cook 5 minutes longer. When all the water has gone, sprinkle with garlic and drizzle the whole mess with olive oil, stirring well over medium-high heat. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Sauté until fully wilted and a little browned here and there. Sprinkle with hemp seeds.

Serves 2-4. Delicious on the side with rice dishes or pastas.

*If rapini is unavailable you can substitute with a bunch of kale. Wash thoroughly to get the grit out, and chop leaves and stems coarsely.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS are best off thoroughly cooking the greens and using ghee. PITTAS are fine but don't use too much salt, pepper and paprika. For KAPHAS, reduce oil and salt to a minimum.

RECIPE ~ Granola!

I will never again buy store-bought granola! I finally made my own after procrastinating for years, and am so happy that I got around to it at last. This granola is soft, tasty, fresh, healthy, and has only the ingredients I choose!

3 cups large flake organic oatmeal
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped prunes
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flax, coconut, almonds and cinnamon. In a measuring cup, stir together the oil, maple syrup, and salt. Blend this mixture into the oatmeal mixture and combine really well using two spoons.

Spread mixture out on a large baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir it up, incorporating the prunes and raisins or cranberries. Place back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer. Remove and let cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. Yum!

* FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
Granola is drying for VATAS so consume soaked in hot milk. Because maple syrup is cooling, this granola is great for PITTAS. For KAPHAS, replace almonds with sunflower or pumpkin seeds, and reduce oil to 2 Tbsp or omit altogether, and as with Vatas consume with warm/spiced milk or as a dry snack.

RECIPE ~ Brown Rice Pudding

I've always loved a cool and creamy rice pudding, but wanted to indulge in a healthier version like this one!

1/2 cup short grain brown rice
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 cinnamon stick
5 green cardamom pods
2 Tbsp raisins
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
2 Tbsp or more to taste of brown rice syrup
or other sweetener (sucanat, agave nectar, etc)
1 Tbsp ghee

Cook the rice in the water for 20 minutes or until the rice has begun to soften. Strain. In a large pot, bring to a boil the almond milk with the cardamom pods and cinnamon, over medium heat. Add the parboiled brown rice and the raisins and boil for 30-40 minutes until thick and soft. Remove cardamom pods and add powdered cardamom and syrup, and continue cooking 5-10 minutes longer. If it's too thick, add more milk; the consistency should be creamy but not gloopy (will thicken a bit more as it cools, as well). Stir in ghee and remove from heat. Serve with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.

CINNAMON SUGAR
Combine 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon with 3 to 4 tablespoons of organic cane sugar.

* FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
A great treat for VATAS and PITTAS though KAPHAS should minimize the use of sweeteners (omit cinnamon sugar, just sprinkle with cinnamon or cardamom powder) and could replace the brown rice with millet or quinoa.