A few months back I made a salad with arugula, beets, oranges, avocados and hazelnuts. The combination of beets and hazelnuts was so delicious that I decided to create a quinoa salad using some of the same flavors. The result is a salad that’s as delicious as it is pretty.

And let’s not forget, this is a dish you can feel great about eating, because:

  • Beets contain powerful phytonutrients called belatains.
  • Hazelnuts serve up protein, vitamin E and “good fats”.
  • Quinoa provides a complete protein, and is a good source of magnesium.

Now, if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you might be wondering if I’m a little obsessed with beet salads. And nuts. And quinoa. The answer is yes…yes….and yes.  You got a problem with that?

Quinoa and Beet Salad with Hazelnuts and Mint

1 cup quinoa
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup diced roasted beets
1/3 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts (or substitute pistachios or almonds)
¼ cup sliced scallions
¼ cup minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt

Place the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes, until you see the rings separate from the kernels of quinoa and it’s tender-crunchy.  Set aside and cool.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Eat.

Serves 4

 

I was trying to come up with a one-pot Indian meal to make to go along with my usual Sunday night TV extravaganza (Mad Men! The Killing! The Good Wife! Girls!). Something like comfort food, Indian-style. I found my starting point with Fat Free Vegan’s Cauliflower Dal with Panch Poran.

Panch phoran is a blend of five spices including cumin and fennel seeds. You can find it at any Indian store or on Amazon – or make your own.

I wanted to pump up the recipe with even more protein and vegetables – chickpeas, spinach, potatoes and peas did the trick. You can leave out one or two of the extra vegetables if you’d like, but I think the chickpeas are essential. If it seems strange to include both lentils and chickpeas, don’t fret – the lentils dissolve and become part of the sauce. This stew is delicious served with brown rice and topped with a dollop of yogurt (or soy yogurt if you’re vegan.)

Because I was looking for comfort food, I kept this curry on the mild side. Of course, it would also be great spiced up with more cayenne pepper. But maybe that’s for a Saturday night instead of Sunday :)

Red Lentil and Vegetable Curry

1 1/2 cups masoor dal or red lentils
4 cups water (or use half vegetable broth)
1 tablespoon organic canola oil or high-oleic safflower oil
1 rounded tablespoon panch phoran
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
16 ounces chopped tomatoes (recommend BPA-free Pomi brand)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 medium red potato, diced
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt (or a bit more, to taste)
1½ cups cooked chickpeas (if using canned, I recommend BPA-free Eden brand)
5-ounce container baby spinach
1 cup frozen peas

Rinse the lentils and place them in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are very tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the panch phoran and cook for a two minutes or until a seed pops. Add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, until onions are softened. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper, and cook for about a minute.

Add the tomatoes, cauliflower, potato (if using), water and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the lentils, chickpeas, spinach and peas. Gently stir in the spinach until it wilts. Simmer 5 minutes. Adjust salt to taste.

Serves 6

The first time I made muffins with nut butter and bananas, they were a bust.  I thought that since they contained bananas, a little bit of maple syrup would be enough to sweeten them. And I figured a few tablespoons of peanut butter would add a lot of flavor. Wrong on both counts. The result was a mediocre muffin that didn’t taste like much of anything.

I quickly realized that this is one time when I couldn’t skimp so much on the fat and sugar. So for round two I used more nut butter and sweetener, and switched to almond butter and brown sugar. I also added cinnamon to further boost the flavor. Bingo! These are terrific – the almond butter adds a lovely richness, and they’re nice and crunchy on the edges. (Note that the muffins are at their best soon after baking – as they sit, the crunchiness goes away. Still good, though.)

So if you’re in the mood for a slightly indulgent breakfast treat, these banana almond butter muffins will make you very happy.  And if you want to be absolved of any guilt, here you go: they’re 100% vegan and whole grain.

Banana Almond Butter Muffins

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oat flour (or grind rolled oats in a food processor)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping cup mashed super-ripe banana
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk, curdled by adding 1 teaspoon white vinegar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup smooth, unsalted organic almond butter
¼ cup high-oleic safflower oil
1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax seed vigorously mixed with ¼ cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In one bowl, mix the flour, ground oats, baking powder, soda, salt and spices. In another bowl, thoroughly combine the banana, almond milk, sugar, almond butter, oil, flax and vanilla. Stir the wet and dry mixtures together, combining only until mixed.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking oil spray (I like Spectrum’s canola spray with flour). Fill the cups nearly to the top, then top with sliced almonds. Bake for about 20 minutes, until they are golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before eating.

Serves 12