Chipotle Black Bean and Yam Stew

Cucumber mixture
1 lb long English cucumber, diced
1/4 cup green or purple onion, finely chopped
2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)

Chickpea curry
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, pureed
2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas*
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients for cucumber mixture, cover and place in the fridge to cool.
2. Combined all of the dried spices for the chickpea curry in a small bowl
3. Heat oil on medium heat and add onion, sauteing for about 8 minutes.
4. Stir in ginger and saute for about 1 minute
5. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, and spice mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, until oil glistens on top
6. Add cooked chickpeas and water, stir and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes
8. Serve topped with cucumber mixture and enjoy!

*How to cook dried chickpeas
For this recipe, I use about 1 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas. The night before you plan to make this curry, place the dried chickpeas in a large pot, fill with water and add about 1/4 tsp of baking soda. The baking soda helps reduce cooking time. If you are able to, rinse the chickpeas in the morning and refresh the water–this helps get rid of the gas producing sugars in the beans. Once you are ready to cook the beans, rinse the beans well and place back into the pot with fresh water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about about 1 hour or until the beans are just tender. Skim off any white foam that rises to the top while the beans are cooking, as this also helps get rid of any gas producing sugars. Do not add salt while the beans are cooking, as this can make them tough.

Joti, the chef behind all of these creations doesn’t really use recipes, so I’ve been doing my best to recreate the food she cooks. This is my attempt at her amazing Eggplant Bharta. Oh, and of course, I’ve tried to make it as healthy as possible.

This dish takes about 50 minutes to make and serves 3-4 people. I serve this dish with brown basmati rice.

4 baby eggplant or 2 large (about 1.75 lbs)
1/4 cup of coconut oil (or just olive oil)
6 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp of ginger, finely chopped
3-4 medium tomatoes, pureed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
5 whole cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste if your curry hot)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (as garnish)
1/2 cup water

1. Wash eggplant and poke liberally with a fork. Wrap the eggplant in foil and roast on the BBQ or bake in the oven on high heat until soft (about 20 minutes). Once finished, set aside and let cool.
2. Heat oil on medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden brown (but not burnt).
3. Add ginger and stir for about 1 minute
4. Stir in tomatoes.
5. Add spices and saute until oil glistens on top.
6. Puree the cooked eggplant (with skins on) then gently fold into tomato mixture. Stir in a 1/2 cup water (or more if curry is too thick).
7. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until eggplant is heated through.
8. Serve on a bed of rice garnished with cilantro and enjoy!

Every restaurant we went to in San Antonio served fresh corn chips and salsa before the meal. I’ve never consumed so much ‘chips and salsa’ in my life.

So when I arrived home from the trip, I was craving salsa and none of the store bought ones would do. Here’s my attempt to remake the salsa I enjoyed in San Antonio. The recipe is super fast and amazing with corn chips (not clean eating!) or tucked inside burritos (recipe coming soon).

2-3 large tomatoes
1 small purple onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Splash of fresh lime juice

Toss all ingredients into a food processor and blend to desired consistency. I use the ‘pulse’ button on my food processor to blend, just until tomatoes and onion are diced. Be careful not to get carried away with your food processor or the salsa will basically liquify. If you prefer, just chop/dice all ingredients by hand.

A friend in grad school originally gave me this recipe after she brought the salad to a potluck and I ate about 3 bowls of it. The recipe has morphed a great deal over the years, but I still have it printed in my recipe book from the original email my friend Natalie sent.

I think this salad beats the pants of any fancy salad you can buy at Whole Foods, and is really easy to make, especially if you prepare the barley in advance. It’s a great summer salad, that I usually pair with BBQ tofu or salmon. It’s also great on it’s own for lunch.

If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can always substitute in parsley. If you love olives, try adding about 12 olives, pitted and sliced. Sometimes, I also add an extra bell pepper. If you’re vegan, just omit the feta cheese, adding a touch of extra salt/tamari for taste. Notably, this is one of those salads that tastes particularly great the next day.

1 cup barley
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli crowns, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing
6 tbsp olive oil
3/4 to 1 tsp salt or tamari (to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 feta cheese, crumbled

Bring the barley and 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and cover for about 35 minutes, covered, until the water is absorbed and the barley is tender. Let cool.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the broccoli. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the broccoli is just tender–be careful not to burn the garlic. Set aside and let cool.

Combine the cooked and cooled barley in a medium-sized bowl with red peppers, green onions, and cilantro. Add the cooled broccoli and garlic mixture.

Whisk together dressing, and pour over salad mixture. Add feta cheese.  Chill in fridge for about 1 hour before serving.

There’s something about this recipe that is just out of control delicious. It’s adapted from The Kind Diet Cookbook, by Alicia Silverstone.  It took a while for me to warm up to the recipes, mainly because many called for items I don’t normally have around (shiro? mirin?), but once I got the pantry staples down, I discovered some recipe gems. This is one of them.

1/4 cup cooking oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
7 cups vegetable broth
1 cup brown lentils (thoroughly rinsed)
Cilantro (optional, for garnish)

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot.
2. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often.
3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and ginger, and cook for 3 minutes
4. Stir in turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, a pinch of salt and cook for about a minute
5. Add the sweet potato, broth and lentils.
6. Stir well and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and the lentils are tender, but not mushy
7.  Serve with a few sprigs of cilantro and enjoy!

Preheat oven the 350°

3 cups whole grain spelt flour
1/2 cup protein powder (whey or soy work well)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2-2 cups soy milk
2 bananas mashed
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 cup blueberries

In a large bowl, stir together flour, protein powder, baking powder and sucanat. Add oil, soy milk, bananas, and flax seed. Stir until just mixed. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into muffin tins.  Bake for 35-40 minutes (test by inserting a knife into the centre of a muffin–if it comes out clean, they’re done!).

They are probably the easiest cookie recipe I have. I think what makes them different from other ginger cookie recipes I’ve tried is how soft and chewy they are. The key is to only leave them in the oven for 10 minutes–11 minutes tops!

¾ cup butter (or oil)
1 cup brown sugar
¼ molasses
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp fresh ginger (finely shredded or chopped)

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup white sugar (to roll the dough in)

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then slowly mix flour mixture into wet ingredients. Roll dough into 1” balls (about 1 rounded Tbsp of cookie dough), then roll in white sugar and place on cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Do not over bake! Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or steamed milk.

1 cup puy lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
4-5 cloves garlic
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup wild rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp brown rice miso
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder

1. Prepare lentils according to package directions. The dried variety I buy usually cook for about 35 minutes in 2 1/4 cups of water. Make sure not to overcook the lentils–they should be chewy, but not soft.
2. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic together for about 2 minutes in oil. Add remaining vegetables and bay leaves and continue to cook 5 more minutes.
3. Add wild rice and vegetable stock and continue to cook for 35 minutes.
4.  Mix miso with about a tablespoon of hot water and add to the stew along with thyme, cumin and chili powder. Add cooked lentils. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve.

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 brick of soft tofu at room temperature, drained
1/2 cup warmed milk (skim, soy, rice, almond or otherwise!)
1 tsp best-quality vanilla

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double-boiler or in the microwave. Once melted, mix with a spoon until smooth.
2. In a food processor, combine tofu, melted chocolate, warmed mild and vanilla. Process until smooth.
3. Pour tofu mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium size serving bowl.
4. Chill for about 2 hours and serve.