Category Archives: Lunch Ideas

Mung Bean Sprout and Barley Salad

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s 098

I used parsley for garnish.

I had some freshly sprouted mung beans in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so I decided to make a salad out of it for dinner.  I have made something similar to this in the past but I have used quinoa, corn, spinach, and a different kind of dressing.  But, this version is a bit more simpler.  It is crunchy, filling, tangy, and creamy deliciousness!  You have your beans, your grains, your veggies, nuts, etc.  This is definitely super healthy!

I love sprouting!

Serves 2

Ingredients for the salad:

Tangy and Creamy Dressing:

  • 1/6 cup of almonds
  • 1/4 cup of water (note: you can add more to adjust thickness of dressing)
  • 1 tablespoon of flax seeds
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • juice of one lemon
  • herbamare

Directions:

  1. Blend all the ingredients for dressing in your blender until it is smooth adding herbamare little by little until it is salty enough for you.
  2. Cook barley by following directions on the box/bag it came in.
  3. Drain the barley and set aside.
  4. Put all of your ingredients (barley, mung bean sprouts, tomatoes, carrots, and dressing) in a salad bowl.
  5. Toss and serve (either warm or cold).
  6. Enjoy!

Rainy-Day 13 Bean and Quinoa Soup

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The rain poured quite heavily in our little town today.  It was also a bit chilly which was a perfect opportunity to have “rainy day” soup.  This soup is hearty and super healthy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

(seves 4-6)

  • 3 cups of cooked quinoa
  • 3 and a half quarts of water *note: add more water toward the end if you like it more “soupy”
  • 1 can of organic coconut milk
  • 1/3 lb of Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix, 13 Bean Soup Mix *I soaked the beans overnight with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice *
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 7 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 2 inches of ginger (peeled)
  • Herbamare Original (500g=1.1LB) Brand: Vogel *note: you can buy pre-made herbamare from this link or the health food store, or you can save some money by googling “herbamare recipes” and making it yourself.   You will find many different recipes out there.  I made mine myself, but I didn’t measure (sorry…next time I will :) ), I just go by taste and it usually tastes similar to other herbamare recipes.

Directions:

  1. Cook your quinoa and set aside.
  2. Wash your soaked beans.
  3. In a large pot, boil 3 and a half quarts of water with your soaked beans, chopped onions, and minced garlic.
  4. Let it boil for about 1 hour or until the beans are cooked (stir occasionally).
  5. Blend coconut milk with your red bell pepper and ginger in a blender until smooth.  And, you will have a red gingery, coconutty, bell pepper soup.
  6. After the beans have cooked, add your coconut-bellpepper-ginger blend.
  7. Boil this together for another 20 minutes.
  8. Then add your cooked quinoa and herbamare (add herbamare a little bit at a time until you are satisfied with the taste).
  9. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.
  10. Pour in your favorite soup bowl and enjoy!

Vegan “fish” Tacos

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Delicious vegan “fish” tacos by me.

omg….yum….at NATIVE FOODS CAFE!
http://www.nativefoods.com/

A few months ago I had the pleasure of dining at a wonderful vegan restaurant called, Native Foods Cafe in Los Angeles.  I enjoyed their mouth-watering grub such as the Rockin’ Moroccan Bowl, Bistro Steak Sandwich,  Chimi Chop Salad, vegan nachos, and their Baja Blackened Tacos.

Today, I was craving their food…like crazy.  But, I am thousands of miles away from this place and I needed to make something similar to satisfy my hunger.  I looked in my fridge and thankfully, I had a lot of the ingredients required to make a my own vegan “fish” taco.

It was delicious, fresh, healthy, and most importantly approved by my 4-year old child.

*Note: It took me 20 minutes to make lunch!…so quick and easy!

So here is what you will need for the tacos:

  • 2 packages of tempeh (today, I used 3 grain tempeh)
  • 1 medium-sized onion (chopped)
  • 1/2 fresh cabbage (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (grated)
  • 3 lemons or 4 limes
  • 5 sheets of nori (sea weed)
  • 6 bulbs of garlic
  • 1 hand full of cilantro
  • 6 tablespoons of liquid aminos
  • 1/2 cup of veganaise (vegan mayo)
  • 1.5 tablespoons of maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • sprouted corn tortillas
  • tomatoes (chopped)
  • guacamole

Directions:

  1. Juice the lemons.
  2. Pour 1/2 of the juice into your blender and set the remaining 1/2 aside.
  3. Add garlic, liquid aminos, nori sheets (torn into strips), ginger, and cilantro into your blender with the lemon juice to make your marinade.
  4. Blend into a thick sauce.
  5. Slice your tempeh into strips.
  6. In a large bowl, pour the remaining half of your lemon juice with the veganaise, maple syrup, and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Stir and then add 1/2 of the chopped onion (set the other half aside) with the chopped cabbage.  Mix well and set aside.s 012
  7. Heat the skillet/pan in medium to high heat with coconut oil then add the remaining half of the chopped onion.
  8. After a minute, add the tempeh and your seaweed marinade.s 009
  9. Cook this for about 5 to 10 minutes or until most of the moisture has evaporated.
  10. Prepare/heat your tortillas.
  11. Build your tacos.s 014
  12. Enjoy!

s 025YUM!   Mercury-free “fish” tacos!

Pumpkin, Wheat Berry, and Lentil Curry Soup

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I used a little bit of chopped parsley for garnish.

I just love pumpkin but I don’t really like buying them in a can, so I was really excited to see organic pie pumpkin at the local health food store.

I ended up purchasing more pumpkins that I needed for a pumpkin pie, so I decided to make soup perfect for the fall weather that is warming, comforting, filling, and delicious.  I just love the combination of pumpkin chunks with wheat berries.  My family and I really enjoyed this soup!

Ingredients:

  • 1 organic pie pumpkin (peeled and cut into cubes)
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 8 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1.5 inches of ginger (finely minced)
  • 2 medium-sized potatoes (cut into cubes)
  • 1.5 cups of wheat berry (soaked over night)
  • 1 cup of red lentils
  • 9 cups of water
  • 2 oz. of red curry paste or 3 t0 4 tablespoons of curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon of garam masala
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons of Mrs. Dash’s Salt-free Seasoning
  • Liquid aminos for added taste (note if you don’t have this, you may add a little bit of sea salt)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions:

  1. Boil wheat berries for 20 minutes, drain, and set aside.
  2. While your wheat berries are boiling, prepare your veggies.
  3. Heat oil in a large soup pot.
  4. Add onions, garlic, ginger, curry, and garam masala.
  5. After the onions are a little transparent, add pumpkin, potatoes, wheat berries, red lentils, coconut milk, water and Mrs. Dash’s seasoning into the pot.
  6. Simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.
  7. Add salt or liquid aminos a little bit at a time.
  8. Serve with delicious freshly baked bread.  Note: the bread in the above picture may look a bit different from the one from my recent post because I used whole wheat flour mixed with bread flour.
  9. Enjoy!

Aunt Ivy’s Everything Coconutty Salad

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My little sister Ivy introduced this salad to me in 2008 and I have loved it ever since.  Not only it wonderfully colorful, it is also packed with an explosion of flavors and a variety of textures.  It is so delicious that my 4-year-old child had 3 bowls full of it the other night!  She said, “I love Aunt Ivy’s salad!”

I am glad my sister made this for me years ago because I would have never thought of mixing coconut, onion, and raisins together.  But it totally works!

 

Coconut Vinaigrette dressing:

  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup of raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut nectar or agave (I usually just use a little less than 2, but adjust to your liking)
  • Juice of 1/2 of lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped red onion
  • a few dashes of mesquite powder (optional)
  • salt to taste

Directions:

Place everything in the blender and blend.  Add salt little by little and adjust to your liking.

For the Salad:

  • Mixed greens
  • Red onions (sliced)
  • Apples (chopped)
  • Shredded coconut
  • Cooked quinoa
  • Choice of nuts (I used raw pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds)
  • Raisins

Baby Bella Sandwich with Spinach Pesto Spread

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Ever since I made the “Creamy Kale Spread by Laws and Wellness”, I have been hooked veggie sandwiches.  I just loved the idea of nut-based spreads!

Today, I wanted to create a sandwich using my pesto recipe which also contains a little bit of nuts (pine), and to make it a bit thicker, I added cashews.  I also wanted to use the baby bella mushrooms and veggies sitting in my fridge and the basil in my garden.  And, this is the outcome:  baby bella sandwich with spinach pesto spread.

This sandwich is very flavorful, light, “meaty” (from the mushrooms), and really healthy.  I just loved the combination of garlic, basil, pine nuts, and mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Pesto Spread:

  • 3 cups of fresh basil
  • 2 cups of spinach
  • 2/3 cup of raw cashews (soaked for a few hours)
  • 1/3 cup of pine nuts
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions for the spread:

  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor.
  2. Blend for a minute or two.

Other ingredients:

  • Red onions (sliced)
  • Tomatoes (sliced)

Baby Bella Mushrooms and Garlic:

  • 16 oz.  of baby bella mushrooms
  • 6 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • salt or pepper or use Mrs. Dash’s No Salt Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions for the mushroom:

  1. Heat olive oil, add garlic, and cook for a little less than a minute.  
  2. Add mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes. 
  3. Toast your bread and build your sandwich.

It was delicious with pickled jalapenos from my backyard.

Aloo Gobi with Tempeh and Quinoa

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Today, I was craving some kind of Indian dish.  So, I looked through my pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what I can throw together.  Then, I remembered a dish that I had a few months ago at an Indian restaurant called “aloo gobi”.  It is a dish made of cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, and spices.   Fortunately, I had some cauliflower and potatoes sitting in my fridge, cayenne peppers in my backyard, and a pantry full of spices.

So, I looked at different recipe sites to see exactly what kind of spices was needed for this dish and apparently there are different ways of cooking it.  So, I kinda just threw in different spices, measured how much I put in, and just taste-tested it to see what I thought tasted good.  I also added some delicious tempeh for texture and extra protein.  (Note: quinoa already has a ton of protein.)

The end result; a very flavorful and healthy meal for my family, aloo gobi served over quinoa.

*My husband and I love hot peppers, so we topped off our aloo gobi with freshly diced cayenne and jalapeno peppers.*

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of cauliflower (cut into florets)
  • 1 large potato (sliced into cubes)
  • 1 12 oz. can of organic diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 1 block of tempeh (sliced into small cubes)
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh ginger (minced)
  • 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 3 teaspoons of garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
  • 1 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
  • 1.5 teaspoons of turmeric
  • sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 cayenne pepper (finely diced) or you can use 1 teaspoon of chili flakes or chili powder (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil, then add chopped onions and cumin.
  2. Cook until the onions are transparent, and then add garlic and ginger.
  3. Cook for a minute, then add water, hot pepper/chili flakes, turmeric, cilantro, diced tomatoes, tempeh, cauliflower and potatoes.
  4. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes (until potatoes are cooked), then add a little bit of salt based on your taste preference.
  5. Enjoy with rice, quinoa, flat bread, etc.

Creamy Kale Spread by Laws on Wellness

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This is my favorite veggie sandwich right now.  It is a delicious creamy kale spread with other fresh veggies.  I discovered it here on LAWS ON WELLNESS.  (http://lawsonwellness.com)

It is delicious!  It is healthy!  It is awesome!  I suggest you folks try it! :)

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

(In the sandwiches I made, I omitted the vegan butter, toasted it lightly, and added some sunflower sprouts…which is why mine looks a little different).

Asparagus, Tangy Avocado, and Tomato Sandwich

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Everyone in my family loves asparagus which makes me very happy.   Not only is it delicious, it is highly nutritious!

Health Benefits of Asparagus:

So, eat your asparagus!

I usually use asparagus in vegan sushi, stir-fry, or just serve it as a side dish.  But, today I wanted it to be the centerpiece of our meal so I made this sandwich.  In addition to the awesome asparagus, I incorporated some healthy avocados in the mix.  Avocados are considered super fruits.  They help support cardiovascular health, they are anti-inflammatory, and they even help fight off cancer.  To learn more, click here.  So, this sandwich is extremely healthy and filling.  It is refreshing, light, tangy, and crunchy.  Today, I enjoyed it with some grape tomatoes, sweet potato fries, and some jalapenos that I had pickled myself.  It was delicious!

Here is what you will need….

Ingredients:

  • asparagus
  • tomato (sliced)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette
  • celtic salt and pepper
  • whole wheat bread or sprouted grain bread

Tangy Avocado Spread:

  • 2 avocados
  • 3 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
  • 2 tsp liquid aminos (if you don’t have this, use a dash of sea salt)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast

Directions:

  1. Prepare asparagus: remove the bottom fourth of the asparagus.
  2. Heat oil on a skillet then add your asparagus and balsamic vinaigrette.
  3. Cook asparagus for 5-10 minutes in medium to high heat.  Note: I like asparagus crunchy, so I only cook them for 5 minutes.
  4. Add salt and pepper to asparagus.
  5. Place the avocados, minced garlic, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, and lime juice in a food processor and blend.  You can also just place it in a bowl and smash the avocados and mix.
  6. Toast your bread, then build your sandwich: put avocado spread on bread, add sliced tomatoes, and asparagus.  I used my old George Forman grill as a panini maker instead of a toaster.
  7. Enjoy!

Spicy Chickpea Jalapeno Burgers

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It is that time of the year when we get an abundance of jalapenos in our garden.  I have been putting them in everything lately; in our soups, sandwiches, burritos, dips, etc.  Today, I made delicious chickpea burgers with you guessed it, jalapenos!

This recipe is pretty similar to the recipe I posted last December (Southwest-inspired lentil and jalapeno burger),  It is super easy to make.  I think I made about 35 burger patties to store in the freezer and it only took me a little over an hour.

My family loved them!  I just didn’t put jalapenos on my daughter’s burgers to make it more kid-friendly.

I just love sunflower sprouts! They are great in sandwiches, burgers, burritos, salads, etc.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6 people…about 4 to 6 burger patties):

  • 4 cups of COOKED chickpeas/garbanzo beans
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup quinoa flour
  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1/3 cup of water
  • 1 vegan bouillon cube (note: if you don’t want to use a bouillon, you can use Mrs. Dash’s salt-free seasoning and just add liquid aminos for taste)
  • 2 tablespoons of worstershire sauce
  • 5 tablespoons of liquid aminos
  • 1 tablespoon of cumin
  • 1 tablespoon of spicy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon of oregano
  • 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 to 2 fresh jalapenos (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash’s spicy seasoning (optional)
  • salt and pepper
  • grape seed oil

Note: for added protein and other nutrients, you can add 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to your burgers (optional).

Today’s sauce:  mix equal parts of vegenaise (vegan mayo) and hot sauce.  (If you prefer just ketchup and mustard, that is just as delicious!)

Directions:

  1. Place the onions and garbanzo beans/chickpeas in a large bowl and mash them up.
  2. Add liquid aminos, bouillon cube, worstershire sauce, cumin, and mustard to your water (mix well).
  3. Add your mixture to your smashed chickpeas.
  4. Add flour and oats.
  5. Mix it up.
  6. Heat up your greased (with grape seed oil) griddle/skillet/pan (low to medium heat).
  7. Form burger patties.
  8. Cook 5 minutes on each side.
  9. Serve on a whole wheat bun.
  10. Enjoy!

(Reheat: bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes)

Dress it up with tomatoes, onions, sauce, and sunflower sprouts.  Serve it up with pickles, pepperoccini peppers, or kimchi!