Buddha Bowl

I don't have a picture of this, but trust me, this was good! And I'm really only posting this to remind myself, that I made something that we really, really want to eat again.

In a bowl, layer

Kale Salad

then

Quinoa, Avocado Salad with Dried Fruit and Toasted Almonds

then

fresh slices of avocado

and maybe

a dollop of hummus

Romaine Salad with Bright Mediterranean Vinaigrette

This was a great dinner in itself. I never considered putting herbs into a salad (duh), but they add such a brightness and variation of flavor to a salad.

Ingredients

• 2 pitas

Dressing

• 1.5 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c EVOO
• 1 t brown rice vinegar
• 1/4 t ground cumin
• 1/4 sea salt

Salad

• 6-8 romaine hearts, roughly chopped
• 1 english cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3-4 oz organic feta cheese
• 1 c olives, pitted, halved lengthwise
• 1/4 fresh mint
• 1/4 c fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bake the pitas 8-10 minutes until golden. Cool. Break into small pieces.

Whisking all dressing ingredients and set aside.

Toss the romaine with the dressing. Top with rest of salad. Sprinkle mint, parsley, and broken pita chips on top.

Toss salad at the table and serve on individual plates.

Avocado Kale Slaw

My new favorite kale salad!

Salad

• 6 c chopped kale (stems removed and discarded)
• 1 c shredded carrots
• 1/2 c finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 c toasted sunflower seeds

Dressing

• 1/2 medium avocado, pitted
• 1/2 c unsweetened almond or hemp milk (or 1/3 c canned coconut milk and 1/2 c water)
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 2 T honey
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 T EVOO
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1/2 t granulated garlic powder
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine kale, carrots, onion, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. 

Blend dressing until creamy and smooth.

Toss dressing with salad and season with salt and pepper before serving. 

Keeps for days!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My girlfriend brought us the most delicious soup the other night, along with a great kale salad with this amazing dressing. Is it just because I didn't cook it that it tasted so good? Probably. But also, the soup recipe was courtesy the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. Of course it's going to be good.

Ingredients

• 1.5 t cumin
• 1.25 t chili powder
• .5 t garlic powder
• .5 t salt, plus more to taste
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 c diced onion
• 1/4 c diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 c diced red bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 - 10oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel
• 4 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 c hot water
• 3 T tomato paste
• 2 - 15oz cans black beans, drained
• 3 T cornmeal
• 5 small corn tortillas

Garnishes:

• diced avocado
• diced red onion
• sour cream
• chopped fresh cilantro
• monterey jack cheese, pico de gallo

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Start by mixing together the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the chilli powder, the garlic powder and salt. Drizzle the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Set the rest of the spice mixture aside. Bake until the chicken is cooked all the way through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Cut the chicken into cubes and set aside.

Next, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Throw in the onions, green and red bell peppers and garlic. Throw in a tablespoon of the spice mixture used to season the chicken. Add a little extra chilli powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) for heat. Stir to cook the vegetables until they begin to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the cubed chicken and diced tomatoes, juice and all. Add the chicken broth, hot water and tomato paste. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the drained black beans. Next, mix together the cornmeal with 1/2 cup water. Add the mixture to the pot, and then simmer the soup for 10 to 15 minutes. Give it a taste and add salt or seasonings as needed; be sure to not under salt it!

Cut the tortillas into uniform 2- to 3-inch strips. Stir most of them into the soup just before serving. This is what makes tortilla soup tortilla soup! Turn off the heat and get ready to serve it up. Ladle the soup into a bowl, then add avocado, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and extra tortilla strips to the top. The more toppings on tortilla soup, the merrier.

Homemade Almond Milk

When I buy almond milk from the grocery store, I get so frustrated because of all the added ingredients (that I don't even understand what they are). Natural flavors, preservatives - seriously what are these things and why do I need to ingest them? Especially, when - with a little bit of forethought I can just make my own. Easily. And it's so good. Soak about a cup of almonds in 3 cups of water overnight. The next day (when the almonds are all plump and nice), drain the water. Then combine in the Vitamix. It's that simple. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 c almonds soaked in water overnight and then drained
• 3 cups of water

      Optional:

• pinch of salt
• dash of cinnamon
• 1-3 dates 

Blend together well. Add a pinch of salt, a bit of cinnamon, and a couple dates (if you'd like) to sweeten it up. Strain through cheesecloth (or a mesh veggie bag works too).

Bam. Homemade almond milk. It keeps for about a week.

You're welcome.

Cumin Lime Black Bean Quinoa Salad

On another healthy kick, I actually made something that we liked. It tasted so fresh and good and a great snack alternative for the week. Combining with hummus with it is good too.

For the salad:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (or 3 cups cooked)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (or 1.5 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
• 1.5 cups cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 small/medium carrots, julienned (about 1.5 cups) OR 1 large chopped and roasted sweet potato
• 4 green onions, chopped
• fine grain sea salt & black pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1. To prepare the quinoa: Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Add into pot along with 1.5 cups water or veggie broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium, and then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for 15-17 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat and steam with the lid on for 5 additional minutes. Fluff with fork and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, toss the quinoa, drained and rinsed black beans, cilantro, carrots (or roasted sweet potato), and green onions.
3. Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl or jar. Pour onto salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I prefer to enjoy this salad chilled, so I usually throw it into the fridge for at least an hour. This is a great make-ahead salad too – prep it the night before and let it sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

from: www.ohsheglows.com

Shredded Kale Salad

For me, this was a solid vegan kale salad recipe. It may have been a bit tart for Jared, but he ate all of it plus a serving. I'll make it again.

Ingredients:
FOR THE SALAD & DRESSING:

• 2 medium bunches destemmed Lacinato/dinosaur kale, finely chopped (8 cups chopped)

• 2 large garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (just eyeball it)

• 1-2 handfuls dried sweetened cranberries, for garnish

FOR THE PECAN PARMESAN:

• 1 cup pecan halves, toasted

• 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 2 pinches fine grain sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden.

1. Remove the stems from the kale and discard (you can save for smoothies if you are hard core!). Finely chop the kale leaves (the smaller, the better!).

1. Wash the kale and spin dry. Place dried kale into a large bowl.

1. For the dressing: In a mini food processor, process the garlic until minced. Now add the lemon, oil, salt, and pepper and process until combined. Adjust to taste, if desired. Pour the dressing onto the kale and mix it into the kale with your hands or toss with spoons. Keep mixing for about 1 minute to ensure everything is coated perfectly.

1. For the pecan parm: Rinse out the mini processor and pat dry. Add the pecans into the processor and process until the pecans are the size of peas or a bit larger. Now add in the nutritional yeast, oil, and salt and process again until it's a coarse crumb. Be sure not to over-process - we still want a nice crunchy texture here, not powder.

1. Sprinkle the pecan Parmesan all over the salad. Toss on a handful or two of dried cranberries. Wrap and place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to soften. I tried letting this salad sit overnight in the fridge and I greatly preferred the flavour of the salad served the day of, so I don't recommend making this salad the day before and letting it sit in the fridge overnight.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/