Chopped Thai Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing

Ingredients

For the dressing: 
1-14.5 oz. can coconut milk
1/4 c. natural peanut butter
2 tsp. Sriracha sauce
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. salt
agave or honey, to taste

For the salad: 
3 c. kale, chopped
2 c. napa cabbage, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 mango, chopped
1 c. carrots, shredded or diced
1/2 c. roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/2 c. cilantro, finely chopped

Directions
Place all dressing ingredients into a blender (or similar) and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken dressing. Allow to cool.

Assemble salad components and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.

Serves 2 as entree or 4 as side.

Golabki (Polish Stuffed Cabbage)

Ingredients

1 head cabbage

For the stuffing: 

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 bag Quorn Grounds*

1/4 c. pecans

1/3 c. sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 c. raisins

1 1/2 c. green or brown lentils, cooked

*You could substitute more lentils or a grain like bulgur, quinoa, farro, etc.

For the sauce: 

1-28 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1-14.5 oz. tomato sauce

pinch of baking soda

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. dried parsley (or 1 tbsp. fresh)

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 c. red wine

Directions

Using a knife on an angle, cut out the core of the cabbage. Place in a large pot of water and cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until leaves begin to pull away. 

Meanwhile, saute the onions until softened, and then add Quorn Grounds. Saute until heated through and a little browned. Combine the onion mixture, lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, raisins, and pecans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed. Set aside. 

By now, the cabbage leaves should be coming away from the cabbage. Using a set of tongs, gently pull each leaf away from the cabbage. You may need to pull a few away, and then boil some more, and then pull a few more away. Set leaves on paper towels to cool and dry. 

Fill each cabbage leaf with about a 1/3 cup of lentil mixture (more for larger leaves). Scoop the lentil mixture into the leaf near the stem. Fold the base over the mixture, fold the sides over the mixture and continue rolling. Place each stuffed roll into a greased casserole dish, seam side down. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook down for about 20 minutes. Pour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls and then bake in an oven for 20 to 30 minutes (or until hot inside). 

Serves 4 to 6. 

Lentil Bolognese

You can definitely use your favorite sauce recipe here, and just add lentils and water for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking.

Ingredients
1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. carrot, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. basil stir-in paste (http://www.gourmetgarden.com/en-us/product/524/basil-stir-paste) OR when available, a handful of fresh basil, chopped and loosely packed
1 tsp. oregano
1 can tomato paste
2-14.5 oz. cans plain tomato sauce
1-28 oz. can or jar of diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. baking soda (reduces acidity!)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 c. red wine
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. red lentils, rinsed

Directions
Heat the olive oil. Saute onions, carrots, and celery until softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Add paste, sauce, then diced tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes, then add baking soda, basil, oregano, and brown sugar. Feel free to simmer for quite a while at this point. About 20 to 30 minutes before the end of cook time, add wine, water, and lentils. Simmer on very low heat to avoid burning the lentils to the bottom of the pot. Serve over a pasta that will hold the chunkiness well, like a fettucine or ditalini. Serves 6 to 8 (easily).

Pumpkin Pie Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Ingredients
6 c. water
1 c. half & half or milk
1 1/2 c. steel cut oats
1 c. pumpkin purée
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions
Stir all the ingredients together in the slow cooker, cook on LOW overnight, about 8 hours. When it is done, it will still look liquidy. Give it a good stir and it will all come together. Serve immediately. Save any leftovers in the fridge or freezer. It reheats well.

Sesame Noodles

This easy sesame noodles recipe can be made in just 15 minutes, and can be served either warm or cold. It's also great with some extra veggies or proteins mixed in!

Ingredients
1 lb. linguine or spaghetti or flat Asian noodle
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger)
2 tbsp. rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. vegetable or canola oil
1/2 tsp. sriracha or hot chili oil
1/2 c. thinly-sliced green onions
extra thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, coarsely-ground black pepper, for garnish

Directions
Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions, in a large pot of generously salted water.

Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and sriracha (or hot chili oil). Whisk until combined. When the pasta is ready, drain it. Then immediately toss with the dressing and 1/2 cup green onions until the pasta is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately, topped with extra garnishes if desired.

Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

For the vegetable mixture:

1tbsp. oil

1 small onion, diced

100 g. asparagus, cut into ½ cm. slices

50 g. sugar snap peas, cut into ½ cm. slices

4 cloves garlic, minced

100 g. mushrooms, cut into 1cm dice

125 g. cherry tomatoes, quartered

125 g. sweetcorn kernels

For the sauce:

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. plain flour

300 ml milk

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Salt

Black pepper

50 g. cheddar cheese, grated

To construct the lasagna:

150 g. no-boil lasagna sheets

100 g. mozzarella, grated

1 large tomato, sliced

Fresh parsley, chopped, to serve

Instructions

Begin by preparing your vegetables. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the diced onion, asparagus, and sugar snap peas. Cook over a fairly low heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, and then add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for a further 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have cooked down and the mixture is fairly dry. Remove from the heat, and add the tomatoes and sweetcorn. Set aside.

Next, make the creamy sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the flour. Whisking constantly, cook over a very low heat for a minute or two, and then add the milk a little at a time, whisking until smooth each time before adding another dash. Add the nutmeg and plenty of seasoning, along with the grated cheddar. Whisk for one more minute until the cheese has melted into the sauce, and then remove from the heat.

Heat the oven to 375°F.

Now you can begin to construct the lasagna. Begin with about a tablespoon of sauce, spread out over the bottom of a baking dish (mine measured around 8 x 6 inches). Add a layer of lasagna sheets, breaking them into pieces so that they cover the bottom of the dish in a single layer.

From here on, it doesn't matter too much how you create your layers, but here's how I made mine: ⅓ of the vegetable mixture; ⅓ of the sauce; layer of lasagna; another ⅓ of the vegetables; another ⅓ of the sauce; another layer of lasagna; remaining vegetables; remaining sauce. Make sure any corners of lasagna are covered in at least a little bit of the sauce to stop them from burning.

Once you've used up all of your vegetables and sauce, top the dish with the grated mozzarella and slices of tomato. Bake for around 40 minutes, or until the cheese is crispy and golden brown and the lasagna is tender. If the cheese is browning too quickly, just cover the dish loosely with foil and return to the oven until the pasta is cooked.

Leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4 to 6.

Sesame-Almond & Avocado Spinach Salad

Ingredients

For the almonds:

½ c. raw almonds

2 tsp. sesame seeds

2 tsp. honey

2 tsp. soy sauce

For the dressing:

1 tsp. ginger, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. tamarind paste

½ tsp. crushed red pepper

For the salad:

4 c. baby spinach, packed

1 c. cooked quinoa

1 roasted red pepper, diced

¼ c. cilantro, minced

1 ripe avocado, cubed

Directions

Preheat oven to 325˚. In a bowl, toss together almonds, sesame seeds, honey, and soy sauce until almonds are well coated. Spread out into a single layer on a parchment covered sheet tray. Roast for 14 to 16 minutes until sesame seeds are starting to brown. Remove and set aside, letting cool completely.

In a blender, add ginger and pulse until broken into smaller pieces. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and blend until smooth. Alternatively, minced ginger and combine all ingredients in an airtight container and shake until combined. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking (for example, add more honey if the dressing is a bit tart for your taste.)

To assemble salad, combine spinach, quinoa, red peppers, cilantro, and roasted almonds in a bowl and chop together. Add avocado and drizzle dressing over the salad. Lightly toss salad and serve.

Serves 2 as an entree and 4 as a side.

Kung Pao Chickpeas

Ingredients
2-14.5 oz. cans chickpeas
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1-8 oz. can water chestnuts
1 bunch of scallions, sliced on a diagonal
1 c. dry roasted, unsalted peanuts
5 dehydrated red chilies,whole

For the marinade:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced and zested
1 tbsp. agave or sugar
2 tbsp. coconut oil (liquified)
2 tbsp. cornstarch

For the sauce: 
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. agave or sugar
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1/4 c. peanut oil
1 tsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger, minced

Directions
Combine all marinade ingredients and pour over chickpeas. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes. On high heat, with little peanut or coconut oil, stir fry chickpeas and whole red chilies in a large pan or wok. The chickpeas will start out with a lot of liquid and eventually cook down and begin to caramelize. Once caramelized and a little thicker, add red peppers, water chestnuts, and peanuts.

Meanwhile, stir fry carrots and celery on high heat. Once slightly softened (and a touch brown in spots), add to chickpea mixture. Continue to simmer on low for a few more minutes. You may want to add a touch more cornstarch (mixed with a little of the liquid) to thicken further. At the last minute, stir in 3/4 of your scallions.

Serve over rice and garnish with scallions and peanuts. Serves 4.

Natural Sunscreen

Ingredients
a favorite natural lotion
zinc oxide (http://tinyurl.com/l5lzxgp)

Directions
Mix 2 tablespoons of zinc oxide into 1 cup of your favorite lotion for a sunscreen with SPF 20. Use more zinc oxide for a higher SPF. This sunscreen is not waterproof and may need to be stirred if not used quickly.  

Emeril’s Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
¾ c. olive oil


Directions
Combine ingredients and blend to emulsify. Change the vinegar to oil ratio as desired to reduce fat and viscosity.