April 28th, 2016
Mung beans have been my legume of choice as of late. I love them for their versatility, good nutrition record (protein of course, manganese, potassium, magnesium, zinc, etc.), brief cooking time, and a very fair price tag. They work well for falafel, with very similar properties to chickpeas, albeit lighter in every way. Soaking the mung beans overnight and baking the falafel instead of frying makes them easy on the stomach – I say this because even though I love to get traditional fried falafel when out, it always makes me feel unwell.
These mung bean falafels are made with my favorite spice mix that goes well with their bright, lemony flavor.
When I go to the farmer’s market, I often have the eyes bigger than the stomach problem, especially with greens. Last week, there was lots of beautiful rainbow chard at the stand, and I carried away more bunches than we could ever eat. Pickling was the next best choice and I was pleasantly surprised by the result. The marinade I came up with is very mild and simple, and the pickling only takes a day.
It seems that in our little health food community, bowl format has become the default lunch format, and we are right there with everyone, happy to enjoy a veggie loaded and colorful lunch bowl, any time of day really.
As usual in spring, I can’t get enough of quickly sautéed, crispy and tender asparagus, which complements any grains or legumes. A base of quinoa, which can be substituted with any grain, tangy tahini sauce, crunchy nuts, herbs, and pickles complete this meal. All these components are, of course, suggestions, and dishes like these are highly customizable. I do very much recommend trying all the parts – the falafel, the pickles and tahini sauce – if not together, then independently, added to sandwiches, salads, and the like – you won’t regret it.
Mung Bean Falafel Bowl with Pickled Rainbow Chard
serves 4-6
for the mung bean falafel bowl
1 cup rainbow quinoa or other grain of choice – cooked
sea salt – to taste
1/2 tablespoon neutral coconut oil
about 20 asparagus – tough ends removed
freshly ground black pepper – to taste
mung bean falafel – recipe below
pickled rainbow chard – recipe below
large hadful baby spiach/other salad greens
handful cilantro leaves/pea shoots/other microgreens
tahini sauce – recipe below
sesame seeds – for garnish (optional)
chopped pistachios/other nuts – for garnish (optional)
to assemble the falafel bowls
Distribute quinoa between bowls. Warm coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add asparagus to the pan, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until soft and bright green. Divide asparagus between bowls on top of quinoa. Arrange falafels on top, followed by chard pickles, if using. Add spinach or other salad greens, herbs/microgreens. Drizzle with tahini sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and nuts.
Mung Bean Falafel
makes about 18 falafels
1 cup mung beans – soaked overnight
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons sesame tahini
2 tablespoons melted neutral coconut oil or olive oil
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds – freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
sea salt – to taste
freshly ground black pepper – to taste
1. Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C).
2. Drain and rinse mung beans and cook them in plenty of salted water for about 7 minutes, or until soft but not mushy. Drain over a colander and set aside.
3. Coarsely grind pumpkin seeds in a food processor. Add mung beans and the rest of ingredients. Pulse to combine.
4. Shape about 18 small falafels and arrange them on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on each side. Keep covered and warm, if using right away. Otherwise, keep refrigerated in an airtight container and reheat in the 350° F (180° C) oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Pickled Rainbow Chard
1 large bunch rainbow chard – leaves and stems separated
4 garlic cloves – sliced
pinch red pepper flakes
roughly chopped dill and cilantro – to taste (optional)
Thinly slice chard stems and leaves into bite sized pieces. Place into a large water-proof bowl, and pour purified water over them to just cover. Drain water, reserving it, and measure it, as you will need to prepare the marinade according to these proportions:
5 cups water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
to pickle
Combine measured water with other marinade ingredients in a medium saucepan. If you have more or less water than the recipe calls for, adjust the amount of vinegar, salt and spices accordingly – it doesn’t have to be exact. Bring the marinade to a boil over medium high heat, lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, add garlic, red pepper flakes and herbs to the chard, mixing to distribute evenly. Pour hot marinade over the chard and place a plate over it to keep all the chard emerged in the marinade. You can use a heavy object to weigh the plate down, such as a jar filled with water. Pickles will be ready the next day. Keep refrigerated. Best within 1 week.
Tahini Sauce
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1/4 cup purified water
juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove – chopped
sea salt – to taste
tiny pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Combine all the ingredients in an upright blender and blend until smooth. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Tags: asparagus, chard, falafel, lunch, lunch bowl, mains, mung beans, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, tahini, tahini sauce, vegan, vegetarian
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April 15th, 2016
I’m a savories-for-breakfast type of person, although you wouldn’t be able to tell when looking at the breakfast section in our recipe index. I’m working on correcting that and including more non-sweets in the mix. I enjoy an occasional smoothie bowl or porridge with dried fruit, especially when making them for Paloma, but having a breakfast that’s not too sugary always sets me up for the day in the best way possible.
During the Flordia growing season, when I go to the farmer’s market every weekend, I like to have a salad for breakfast. I can make it filling or light, depending on my needs that day, but I just cannot resist those super fresh greens any time of the day. When it’s a bit chillier outside, I love a savory porridge with any seasonal add ins, which is where these creamy steel cut oats come in.
Steel cut oats have a longer cooking time than their rolled counterparts, but, in my opinion, their superior flavor and texture makes it all worth it. They have a potential to be very creamy, but not too mushy, and to maintain a nice bite, which I’m crazy about.
Consider making this breakfast this weekend. It takes a little more time and attention than a quick weekday breakfast, and it’s loaded with all the green and crunchy things that spring provides to us this time of year – sugar snaps, snow peas, asparagus, greens and broccoli. There are mushrooms and pine nuts too, for ultimate indulgence.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can customize it according to what you have, to your mood, or time of year. Add fruit instead of veggies, sprinkle with favorite crunchy toppings, include spices, and so on. Enjoy the weekend!
Creamy Steel Cut Oats with Spring Vegetables
serves 4 -6
2 tablespoon neutral coconut oil or ghee – divided
1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups hot water
sea salt – to taste
1 cup homemade almond milk or canned coconut milk
¼ cup pine nuts
1/2-1 lb shiitake – stems removed, caps sliced
about 1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
large handful sugar snaps/snow peas – strings removed if present
about 5 asparagus sprigs – tough ends removed, sliced diagonally
about 1 cup green peas – fresh or frozen
about 2 cups baby spinach/arugula/dandelion/watercress
1 tablespoon tamari
1. Warm 1 tablespoon coconut oil/ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add steel cut oats and toast until golden and fragrant.
2. Add 3 cups of hot water and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a slow simmer and let cook, covered, for 25 minutes. Stir periodically to prevent oats from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add almond/coconut milk and simmer, partially covered, for another 15 minutes. Keep stirring periodically to prevent any sticking. Use this time to prep vegetables.
3.When the porridge is about 10 minutes from being done, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saute pan over medium low heat. Add a pinch of salt and pine nuts and toast them for about 2 minutes, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Increase heat to medium. Add shiitake, broccoli, sugar snaps, asparagus and a pinch of salt and saute for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are bright green. Add peas and spinach, stir until spinach just wilted. Stir vegetables and tamari into the porridge, once it’s cooked. Remove from heat and let stand for a couple of minutes.
5. Distribute between bowls to serve, garnish with toasted pine nuts.
Tags: asparagus, breakfast, broccoli, greens, oats, peas, porridge, shiitake, steel cut oats, sugar snaps
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June 14th, 2015
By the time this post goes up, Paloma and I will be in Russia spending some much anticipated time with grandma. I will try to keep Instagram updated with some snaps from our travels.
I leave you with this salad, made with plenty of nutritious grains, herbs, and two stars of the spring/summer farmer’s market – asparagus and strawberries. It’s a variation on one my all time favorite salads, from our book (Fava Bean, Quinoa, and Mint Salad on pg. 89) – simple, rich in textures, filling and very fresh. Mint is essential to the flavor here, so try not to skip it.
Enjoy the beginning of summer!
Multigrain Summer Salad with Strawberries and Asparagus
for the salad
1 bunch asparagus
2 cups strawberries – sliced
handful fresh mint leaves – chopped
handful basil leaves – chopped (optional)
2 cups cooked grains (I used a combination of sorghum, red rice and spelt, but any grains like quinoa, faro, frekkeh, any type of rice, or even buckwheat would work fine here)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
for the dressing
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt
1. Cut tough ends off the asparagus. Cook it your preferred way – blanch, steam or grill. I like to blanch asparagus in salted water for 3 minutes, then shock it in an ice bath, so it stays bright green and crispy. Slice into bite sized pieces.
2. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until well combined and set aside.
2. Place cooked grains into a large mixing bowl. Add asparagus, strawberries and herbs. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired. This salad tastes best when eaten within a day.
Tags: asparagus, basil, grain, mint, red rice, rice, salad, sorghum, spelt, strawberry
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