Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

We have had another busy month, to put it mildly. Ben's parents were able to visit for 2 weeks in February and we had such a lovely time with them and were going non-stop. We took many walks to the playground in the beautiful spring-like weather that we have been blessed with. We indulged a bit and went out to eat a few times while they were here, including a triple-date night with Ben and I, Ben's parents, and Andy and Kerry, to 2941. But most nights we were at home and I am very happy to say that we did a pretty good job of sticking to our plant-based diet. I have been continuing to find hidden treasures of recipes in the "veganomicon" cookbook and one of our absolute favorites is this quinoa salad.

Quinoa is such a beautiful grain with loads of protein. This salad is very versatile and we have made it a handful of times in the past month. It is great to enjoy on some greens for an afternoon lunch, as Ben and I did today. The joy of making something so many times is you really can work with the recipe to figure out your favorite way to eat it. Today we stumbled upon our favorite one :)

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

adapted from "Veganomicon." serves about 4 for a main lunch.

1 mango, peeled and cut into small dice

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup chopped scallions (green onions)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or another mild tasting oil, such as plain olive oil)

juice from 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Combine mango, red bell pepper, scallions and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, oil, lime juice, and salt, and mix well. Add the quinoa and stir to incorporate, then fold in the black beans. Serve immediately, or chill before serving. Can be made the day before if desired, and is super good served over some salad greens. Enjoy!

Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry

Right after Christmas I made a bit of an impulse purchase (two purchases, to be exact) on Amazon. I ordered "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" and "Veganomicon," both by the same authors. I made two of the cupcake recipes right off for Adelaide's birthday (Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and Apple Cider Cupcakes) and they were both delicious! I saved some of the pumpkin ones in the freezer and pop one out every once in a while to have with a morning tea.

This cookbook, Veganomicon, has pretty much changed my life. I finally have a very large arsenal to help me plan our nightly meals. In the past 5 weeks that I have had this book, I have made no less than 15 of the recipes, and a couple I have already made again because they were THAT good. Some of my favorites have been: sauteed spinach and tomatoes (sooo good!), lemony roasted potatoes, roasted portobellos, easy stir-fried leafy greens, Israeli couscous with pistachios and apricots, and a pineapple-cashew-quinoa stir-fry.

Feb 2012. Charlie (14 months) and Adelaide (3 years) enjoying their Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry for dinner. (And yes, some peanut butter toast!)

One of the first recipes that we made though was the Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry. It is a very tasty and easy curry, and mild if kept as the recipe is written, so maybe good for those who are new to curries. We love curries, and I try to keep them on the mild side so as not to worry about the kids. You could definitely add some extra curry powder to this recipe though and keep it on the safe side. The type of pepper used I think will also be a factor as to the heat. Both of the kids enjoy this one, but Charlie especially, as he devoured three bowls of it last night!

Feb 2012. Charlie, very proud of his mad spoon skills that he acquired this week when mum and dad finally handed the spoon over to the kid.

Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry
from the cookbook "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
serves 4-6, takes about an hour to make

3 tablespoons oil (grapeseed, peanut, olive)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large chile pepper (jalepeno or serrano), minced
2 large shallots, chopped
1 (1/2 in) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons (or more!) curry powder
1/2 teaspoon each: tumeric, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground corriander
1.5 cups red lentils, sorted and rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth or water
1.5-2 pounds cauliflower (about one medium-size head), trimmed and sliced into small florets
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1.5 teaspoons salt

Prepare all ingredients. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute' the onion and shallots until tender and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the grated ginger and chile, and saute' for 1 minute. Add the spices and briskly stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the parsnip and stir-fry for another minute.
Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, then stir in the lentils. Cover the pot, raise the heat to high, boil for 1 minute. Give the mixture a stir, then cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Allow the lentils to simmer for 10-12 minutes, until they are light yellow and mushy.
Add the cauliflower, stirring to coat with the lentils. Partially cover pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but not completely falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Allow the curry to sit, covered, for about 15 minutes before serving to the allow the flavors to meld.
Serve over basmati rice with a side of steamed greens and some naan or roti.

Feb 2012. "Who, us? Do we look like we make a big mess every night?"

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

(photo from 20minutesupperclub.com)

When we went to Australia last year my sister-in-law, Natalie, gave my brother and I two gorgeous Donna Hay cookbooks, modern classics books 1 & 2. I have made a handful of recipes from these books over the past year and the recipes have all been amazing. I sometimes have a little difficulty figuring out how to convert the recipes from "Australian" to "American" - it's easy enough to convert the measurements but the ingredients listed are what you would find in an Australian supermarket, not necessarily an American one. Nevertheless, I persevere and in the end my family (or others) are blessed with some amazing main dishes and desserts.

The latest recipe that caught my eye was for "Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni." I'm sure I would have made this recipe sooner if it weren't for my family's current eating habits but I kept it in the back of my mind, on reserve for when an opportunity would present itself. Last night I was able to bring a meal to one of the families from church who have a new baby and I thought this would be a good time to try out a new recipe. Doesn't everyone try out new recipes when cooking for other people? I did have enough leftover that I made a small pan for myself and the kids.

I made several alterations from the original recipe, so please, do not take my recipe for a Donna Hay recipe (I'm sure mine is not as good as hers). To see her recipe, reference page 144 of Donna Hay's "Modern Classics Book 1."

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
16oz tomato pasta sauce, divided
1 box lasagna, cooked according to package directions
1.5 cups finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
10oz baby spinach
1.5 lb fresh ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. When the lasagna noodles have cooled, cut them in half. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 5 seconds then drain, squeezing the leaves to release any liquid; chop. Combine the spinach, 1 cup parmesan, ricotta, parsley, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste. To assemble, pour 2/3 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan, spreading evenly. Place your lasagna noodles on a plate. Put a small handful of the filling in the center of a noodle. Roll up then place the noodle seam-side down in the pan. When you have filled all of the noodles pour the rest of the sauce on top of the cannelloni. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup parmesan on top and bake for about 25 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Corn Casserole

This is another recipe courtesy of my Aunt Susan. Two years ago we were living in New Jersey and had the pleasure of spending Thanksgiving with Aunt Susan, Robin, Raven and family. It was my first year not to have Thanksgiving at home but spending it with our family made me feel at home (a Skype call to Oklahoma helped, too). The corn casserole at that meal was absolutely scrumptious and last year it was a must that I made it and served it when we had Thanksgiving at our house in Virginia. I got to make the casserole again this year for our big celebration last week at Andy and Kerry's (which I will blog about after I have the pictures) and I received a few requests for this recipe.

Thanksgiving 2009 at Aunt Susan's in New Jersey. Ben, Rachel and Adelaide (10 months) Hockey

For our group of about 20 I doubled this recipe but make sure to give it plenty of time to bake in the oven - about 1.5 hours in a 9x13 dish. We usually assemble it the day before, leave it in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature before baking on Turkey day. This year we baked it the night before and then warmed it up at Andy and Kerry's on their outdoor grill.

Corn Casserole (recipe adapted from Aunt Susan)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2-14 oz. cans of corn, drained
1-14 oz. can of creamed corn
8oz fat free greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 box corn muffin mix (8oz. package if Jiffy or grocery store brand; 15oz. package if Trader Joe's brand)
1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 for an hour, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Black and White Bean Soup

My Aunt Susan made this soup for Ben and I when we lived in New Jersey and I have made it several times since. It is hard for me to find soups that Ben cares for but this is one that he likes maybe as much as I do. Adelaide must take after Ben because she generally doesn't care for soup either but this one she ate last night without a fuss. Charlie, of course, devoured it, as the texture is great for his 6 (!) teeth.

The soup has such a nice thick texture, is super healthy and vegan as well. The recipe originally came from Weight Watchers but I made several changes to it last night, some changes that my aunt suggested. The white beans I added because I only had 2 cans of black beans and the original recipe calls for 3. I really loved the addition of the white beans. If you wanted it a bit spicy you could substitute Rotel for the canned tomatoes and green chiles.

Black and White Bean Soup
adapted from Spicy Black Bean Soup at WeightWatchers.com

cooking spray or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, with leaves, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
30 oz. canned black beans
15 oz. canned white kidney beans, drained
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
16 oz. vegetable broth
15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
4 oz. can diced green chiles (I used the fire-roasted kind from Trader Joe's)
15 oz. can yellow corn, drained (or fresh or frozen corn, about 8 oz)

Coat bottom of stockpot with cooking spray or 2 tsp olive oil. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Place one can of black beans, undrained, in blender with a bit of the broth and the onion mixture. Blend until smooth, then return mixture to stockpot.

Put the second can of black beans, drained, with the rest of the veggie broth into the blender and puree. Add to stockpot. Pour the can of white beans, tomatoes, green chiles, and corn directly into the stockpot. Bring to a boil then turn heat down and let it simmer for about 25 minutes.

Brown Lentil and Spinach Curry

I have had a few people ask me about this recipe that we have made several times in the past month. It is really delicious for anyone, but has become one of our favorite vegan recipes. I originally got this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and made it as posted, with red lentils and canned tomatoes. It was good this way but then my sister-in-law, Kerry, tried making it with brown lentils and cherry tomatoes and that became our favorite way to eat it! The fresh cherry tomatoes really give a sweet pop in your mouth and the brown lentils give it some texture.

The kids really love this recipe, too... well, as much as Adelaide loves anything that isn't fruit, which means she will eat it with a little help. I have been going mild with the curry powder. If you like more spice in your curry, up the amount on the curry powder. One tablespoon keeps it mild enough for me not to worry about the kids, but Ben usually adds some hot sauce when he gets his second serving.

Brown Lentil and Spinach Curry
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon grated ginger root (or can use ground ginger)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (16 oz) package frozen spinach, cooked and drained
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Saute' onion and garlic about 5 minutes or until onions are transparent. Add curry powder, tumeric, ginger and cumin and cook for a couple of minutes. Add spinach, lentils, tomatoes and salt and heat through. Tomatoes should start to soften a bit. Serve with brown basmati rice.