Left over beets? A wonderful salad awaits.

The recipe below, with the baked beets and onions provided a cup of left overs so I created this salad.  If you did not make the baked beet/onion recipe and want to make this salad, first, bake the beets by wrapping them in foil and placing them in an oven for an hour at 350 degrees.  Let them cool about 30 minutes, then peel and slice.

To make this salad, I made a batch of quinoa - a wonderful grain, high in fiber, B vitamins, folate and magnesim.
Quinoa instructions:
Wash thoroughly in cold water, rinse, add a cup of quinoa to 1 1/4 cups of boiling water.  cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes, and fluff.

To make this sweet and savory salad:

To the quiona, I added
the sliced baked beets 
a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
the zest of a lemon
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 finely chopped scallions,
vinegar to mix -- I used a champagne pomegranate vinigar
and a sweet add in: I used dried cranberries - maybe diced apple would work, maybe mandarin orange?

Blend it up - it improves as it sits.  I brought some to work to share and it was so good, I am sorry to admit that I kept it for myself.  I'll make a larger batch next time.  ps.  If you like radishes, try adding that too -- I have yet to develop a taste for radishes so obviously, I left them out.

Eat healthy - savor the flavors that Mother Earth places before us, and never get bored.

Beets! Can't Beat 'Em!

Here is a delicious and healthy beet recipe which I used on Day 3 of my Cleanse.

I had 3 medium beets and 1 Vidalia (sweet) onion.  I wrapped the beets in foil (individually) and left the onion with its skin on, making a small X on the root side with a knife. I roasted them for an hour at 350 degrees and then let them sit for about a half hour to cool. 

Then I unfoiled the beets and peeled them, slicing them, and placed them in a bowl; peeled the onion and sliced it into 1/2 thin rings and tossed it into the same bowl.

Salt and pepper and then a generous splash of vinegar.  Red wine would be good.  I used a champagne and citrus blend and then another splash of white balsamic.

As they sit, for an hour or so, the flavors marry and your side dish is an earthy and yet fresh treat.

Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Incredible Edible Lentil Shepherd's Pie

This meal is for my dinner at the hospital on Day 2 of the Cleanse.  I made it today because I am working the day shift tomorrow on Mother's Day and wanted to eat something healthy.  The food at the hospital cafeteria could literally kill ya.

To make this incredible edible lentil shepherd's pie,  I used the following ingredients:

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 diced onion
2 cups organic fresh shitake mushrooms
1 heaping cup of diced zucchini
1 to 2 cloves of garlic (to taste) minced
Fresh Market sea salt and herb seasoning (thyme, rosemary and basil)

I sprayed a large stir fry skillet with olive oil and then added the teaspoon of evoo and as I was heating it, I added the onions and began to sautee them.  If they got a little dry, I added a splash of water.
Then, after about 5 minutes, I added the mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, and seasoning and sauteed until things started looking tender - I sprayed on another coat of olive oil.

Then:
Two carrots, diced
1 cup French lentils (the green ones)
3 cups vegetable broth

I tossed this into the skillet and brought it to a near boil, then covered it and simmered for about a half hour.

While this was simmering, I took:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets and placed it in a large sauce pan covering it with water and season salt.

I brought this to a boil, and cooked it until it was tender to the stab of a fork.  Then drained it and placed it in my Vita Mix (or food processor).

I took a few ounces of the broth from the veggies and as I processed the cauliflower, I drizzled this into the mixture and processed until it looked like mashed potatoes.

By now the veggies were done.  To tell, eat a lentil and if is to your liking, its done.  I added a mere splash, a whisper, a hint of vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional) and:

1 cup frozen peas

If I were plating it and serving it at this time, I would do as I did in the small bowl (photo above), ie, fill the bowl with the veggie mixture, and then drop a dollop of the mashed cauliflower on top.

I also make a larger serving that I can dig into for future lunches/dinners this week, again, veggies first, cauliflower on top.

I lighted sprinkled the cauliflower with a southwest seasoning just to kick it up a little.  If I weren't on this cleanse, I would probably top it with Panko whole wheat crumbs, spray with olive oil and heat until the top got golden brown.

As I was eating the first batch (from the small bowl), by stirring in the mashed cauliflower, it got deliciously creamy.  This would be a great winter comfort food dish.   It's a keeper. 

 

Vegalicious Lentil Tacos

Vegalicious Tacos!

Here is a recipe that is vegan, great for the 21 day cleanse and O SO DELICIOUS, not to mention, pretty easy to make.

You will need the following ingredients:

4 c water
1 c lentils
2 T diced onion
salt, seasoning of your choice
2 T tomato paste
1 T evoo (extra virin olive oil)

3/4 c cherry or grape tomatoes
2 T diced onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 diced fresh jalapeno
1 T lime juice
hint of fresh ginger (optional)

as much cilantro as you like
something to put the taco in - you could use a tortilla; I used leaves of Boston Lettuce; Romaine would work well too.

First I got the lentils cooking by bringing 4 cups of water to boil, then added the lentils and onion and salt (I am not a pepper lover, but you could add it now if you liked it) and I used a shake of cumin and some southwest seasoning that had cayenne and chipotle.

While the lentils were cooking, about 30 minutes, I made the salsa by adding the following to my Vita Mix, or a food processor would be great too:
the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime and cilantro.  (if you have it, toss in a hint of ginger to kick it up, if not, no worries) - give it a brief whirl and voila - an awesome fresh salsa!

After the lentils are cooked (al dente, not mush), drain.  Put 1/2 the mixture into your food process or Vita Mix and add the tomato paste, while processing, drizzle the oil into the mixture, and if you are a cilantro junkie like I am, toss a handful in at the last moment. 

Then blend this mixture with the drained other half of the lentils.  This is your taco filling.

To plate, I used Boston Lettuce, added the lentil mixture, topped with salsa, and then of course, for my taste, more cilantro and a hit of fresh lime.

It was heaven!

Let the 21 Day Cleanse Begin!