New Years "Good Luck" Goulash

New Years "Good Luck" Goulash
Serves 3-4

{sorry no pic - ate it all up before I could take one!}

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black eyed peas
10 oz. collard greens, stems removed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 onions, chopped
1-2 large sweet potatoes, skinned and chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup veggie broth
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Optional:  1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
Optional:  brown rice for serving

Directions:

1.  Rinse and drain black eyed peas well.  Add to large cast iron pot/Dutch oven with 6 cups water, garlic cloves, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer partially covered about 45 minutes, or until tender but not mushy or falling apart.

2.  15 minutes before the black eyed peas are done, stir in the sweet potatoes. 

3.  Drain and rinse the black eyed peas and sweet potatoes in cold water and set aside.  Remove the bay leaf.

4.  Rinse and dry pot.  Heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion, saute about 5-6 minutes until soft but not mushy. 

5.  Layer collard greens on top of onion.  Add black eyed peas and sweet potatoes on top, but don't stir.  Pour orange juice, veggie broth, and vinegar (and Tabasco, if using) over mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika, and with salt and pepper to taste.

6.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cook for 5-10 minutes as-is, then stir gently.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes, until collard greens are cooked but not wilted and veggies are not mushy.

7.  Serve hot, over rice and with additional Tabasco, if desired. 

8.  Enjoy good luck (& good health!) the whole year through!  :)

Green Magic

***Green Magic*** 
(Indian-inspired chutney)

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch cilantro (leaves & stems)

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/8 cup honey 

4-6 cloves garlic

1-2 jalapeños 

1/8 cup lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1/2 inch square size chunk raw ginger, peeled
1 Tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Directions:

Combine cilantro, mint, honey, garlic, jalapeño, lime, cumin, ginger, coconut oil, and salt in a small food processor, and puree until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of water, if necessary.  Taste and adjust salt as desired.

Use on EVERYTHING!

Easy Mexican Salad Three Ways at Once - Whole30, Vegan, Vegetarian!

Easy Mexican Salad Three Ways at Once - Whole30, Vegan, Vegetarian!
(*Picture to come!)

This one is easy to throw together and satisfy three different audiences - Whole30 adherents, vegan/no dairy peeps, and vegetarians/'fickletarians' (as I affectionately call my little picky eaters).

Ingredients (makes 4 total servings - assumes 1 Whole30, 1 vegan, 2 vegetarian):

Base salad-

1 bag of your favorite greens from TJ's (I like green leaf lettuce mixed with shredded carrot and radicchio)

1 zucchini, diced

1/3 white onion, sliced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Garlic powder to taste

Paprika to taste

4 large mushrooms, sliced

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 red bell pepper, diced

Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, diced

Juice of half a lime

Additional options based on eating style-

3 oz. Whole30-compliant meat of choice (cooked chicken or steak/brisket works well), reheated and chopped

1/2 can cooked black beans

1/2 can cooked corn kernels

Handful shredded TJ's Mexican cheese blend

2 handfuls broken tortilla chips (I save the small bits at the bottom of the bag for this purpose!)

Handful raw pepitas

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 habanero, finely diced

Non-Whole30 dressing-

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. coriander powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

1.  In a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil and zucchini.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and paprika, mixing well and stirring regularly.  Continue for a couple of minutes and add onion and lime juice.  Continue stirring and cooking for several minutes until soft, then remove from heat to cool down.  (You can then cook the bell pepper the same way if you want to keep it separate from the other veggies because your fickletarians don't want it touching their other veggies; if they're cooler than mine, then you can cook the bell pepper along with the zucchini and onion.)

2.  Combine greens, mushrooms, tomatoes, radishes, cilantro, and avocado.  Mix well.  Once cool, add zucchini/onion mixture and mix well.  Be careful to overmix at any point because avocado will get smushy and thereby render itself inedible for fickletarians.

3.  For Whole 30 option, remove serving from main bowl and put in separate bowl.  Top with meat and half of pepitas (and some habanero, if desired).  (Add 1/2 cooked bell pepper here if you're being held hostage by fickletarians.)  Drizzle with Whole30 compliant dressing, such as olive oil and lemon juice.  

4.  Add corn and beans to main bowl and mix.  Mix dressing ingredients separately and stir into salad.  

5.  For vegan option, remove serving from main bowl and put in separate bowl.  Add rice, remaining pepitas, and habanero if desired.  (Add bell pepper here if you've given over your life to fickletarians.)

6.  For vegetarian/fickletarian option, set tortilla chips on a large plate and sprinkle with cheese.  Microwave for approximately 15 seconds.  Mix 'nachos' into salad and serve. Watch fickletarians pick through the salad with their grimy little fingers, scooping out the chips and cheese until you beg, plead, and cajole them into eating the rest of it.  As they do, watch their faces as they realize with horror that this is a salad that they actually LIKE!  ;)

THE PERFECT DIP (PEA HUMMUS)

THE PERFECT DIP (PEA HUMMUS)

It's healthy, it's easy, it's absolutely DELICIOUS!

It may not look like much, but it packs a flavor punch!

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed)
4 tablespoons walnuts
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. tahini
4-8 mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt (or less if using salty crackers like Ritz)
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.  You may need to add a bit more olive oil or lemon juice to get the right consistency.

2.  Serve with your favorite crackers or veggies.

Notes:

*Perfect appetizer or potluck item.

*Great way to get kids to eat veggies (if they like garlic).

*Packed with nutrients and protein.

BREAKFAST AVOCADO TOAST

BREAKFAST AVOCADO TOAST

Ingredients:

1 piece of toast (recommend Ezekiel/sprouted/whole grain/whole protein)
1/4 avocado
Few drops of lemon juice
Smoked paprika
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Spread avocado on toast, sprinkle with lemon, pepper, and paprika.

Notes:

*Add a sliced hard boiled egg for additional protein.

BREAKFAST PIZZA

BREAKFAST PIZZA

Ingredients:

1 piece toast (recommend Ezekiel or other whole grain/sprouted/whole protein bread)
1 tomato, sliced
2-3 Tbsp. non-fat ricotta cheese
Few fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1.  Spread with ricotta.

2.  Sprinkle with pepper and olive oil.

3.  Layer on one sliced tomato and a few torn basil leaves. Voila!

SPICY VEGAN MEXICAN SCRAMBLE

SPICY VEGAN MEXICAN SCRAMBLE

Ingredients:

1 yellow squash, diced
1/4 white onion, diced
Few Tbsp. olive oil
Garlic powder, to taste
1 tsp. coriander
2 Tbsp. dried cilantro
Sprinkle chili powder
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 tomatoes, diced
Spinach (1/2 bag, or two handfuls)
Tortilla chips
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1.  Sautee squash and onion in olive oil for 3-5 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, cilantro, coriander, and chili powder.

3.  Douse with lime juice and add stir in corn, beans and tomato and cook for a few more minutes.

4.  Add spinach, turn off heat, stir until spinach is wilted.

5.  Serve over brown rice, topped with crumbled tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro and jalapeno.

Notes:

*Leave out jalapeno if you're feeding kidlets, and consider sprinkling with shredded cheese or vegan cheese.