Sweet Beet & Chestnut Salad

Refreshing is the word that comes to mind, when I think of salads.  Creating the perfect mixture requires a delicate balance of flavor.  It's important that they exude a light and clean taste. Yet, they must also somehow retain that bit of hardiness necessary to last you until your next meal.

In today's delightful salad the sweet red and yellow beets balanced the flavors of the hearty tart goat chevre and nutty chestnuts to perfection. I loved the textures of the creamy chevre, crumbly nuts, and smooth beets.  Even the lettuce tickled a bit as it passed. Needless to say, I went back for seconds. I hope you can enjoy this satisfying dish soon as well. It's quite a treat. 

{Sweet Beet & Chestnut Salad}

2 -3 cups of Organic Lettuce of Choice

1/2 log of Honey Goat Chevre, crumbled by hand

1/2-3/4 cup of Chestnuts, cooked and chopped

2 Organic Yellow and Red Beets, cooked peeled and sliced

4-5 Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped

Drizzle of Real French Vinaigrette Dressing

Gently combine ingredients and drizzle with my new favorite dressing, Brianna's Real French Vinaigrette, or any of your choosing.  Enjoy!

{What's For Dinner?}

My dinner tonight was simple and tasty, a repeat by request. It's possible to find most all of the ingredients at Trader Joe's, which means it's cost efficient as well! Grab these yummy ingredients and whip yourself up one easy peasy meal!

{Black Bean & Brown Rice Carnitas Bowl}

1 Tbsp Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil (Yes, all those attributes are very important!)
1- 1/2 cup Chopped Yellow Onion
4 cups Organic Cooked Brown Rice
1 can Cooked Black Beans
1 carton of TJ's Latin Black Bean Soup
1 cup Organic Sweet Corn
12 oz TJ's Cooked and Shredded Carnitas Meat

1 Tomato (For quality taste go for the vine-ripened), Diced
1/2 of an Avocado, Diced
Shredded Diaya Cheese (optional)

In a large saute pan heat the Coconut Oil and Onion on medium heat.  Cook until the Onions are soft and yellow or until they are slightly browned.  Add the Brown Rice and Black Bean Soup to the Onions and stir well.  Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce to your lowest heat setting.  Allow it to simmer, stirring it often to keep it from thickening in one area.  Prepare your Carnitas.  I like to use kitchen scissors to create bite size pieces (less messy), but I have used my hands to tear off pieces too.  10 minutes before you are ready to eat, pour in the Corn and stir in the Carnitas pieces.  Scoop into a bowl or onto a warmed Corn Tortilla (taco-style) and add the Avocado and Tomato to top it off! Enjoy and I hope you go for seconds!

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Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

{The Everyday - Freshly Cooked & Seasoned Beans}

Whole and pure food is made from scratch.... but who has time for this? I've always felt easy and quick nutritious food is the best route to eating well.  Many health food stores offer canned, pre-cooked and pre-chopped food that makes creating meals a breeze! I still believe this is a sensible way to approach cooking.  Yet, over the last few years, I learned that some of these items are truly best when done by hand.  Since most of us lack the time to cook or bake every meal from scratch, I'm beginning to think it's best to zero in on the foods that matter the most to you or your body.  Let's take the time to perfect the important foods and start together from square one.

One of my personal favorites are beans, with the first place award going to black beans.  A fabulous source of protein and fiber, beans come in all sizes, shapes and flavors.  When I'm rushing I use canned beans, but when I have some extra time I like to start with the bare bean and make it just as I please.

The best place for beans are the bulk sections of your health food store.  I prefer to blend my beans, choosing whichever ones catch my eye.  Bag a cup or two of each kind, then, once home, pour them all into a big mason jar and enjoy the texture and color.  They're so pretty you could even display them on your counter if you wish.

When you're ready, rinse your beans well and then soak them overnight. Simply place the beans in a bowl with enough water to easily cover them.  Feel free to cover the bowl if you fear buggies jumping in.  The next morning pour out the water and ready your beans for the cooking pot!

Many cook books have calculated the perfect cooking time for each bean.  You should look these up if you are cooking just one type of bean, but since I like to blend my beans and cook them all in the same pot I simply cook them until they are soft.  This can be anywhere from 1 to 1.5 hours.

Grab a big pot and pour in 1 cup of filtered water for each 1 cup of beans.  Cook on low to medium heat until soft.  Pour the liquid into a container for later (I use this as soup broth).  I prefer to season the beans with Sea Salt, Paprika and Garlic Powder for a bit of flavor, but you can leave them plain.  Experiment and play with seasonings to find what pleases your taste buds.  Remember, this is your customized bean mix.  Have fun with it!

What are some of your favorite foods you could make from scratch? Share with us!

Enjoy!

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Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

{What's For Dinner?}

Cooking dinner for my husband is a blast, but at times I've found myself running out of ideas.  It's hard to be creative after a long day! I'm sure you all hardly ever lose sight of the creative...

Just in case, I thought I would share the dinner ideas I can up with to help you avoid another left-overs night.  Keep a look out on my Facebook page for the {What's for Dinner?} statuses.  I'll be posting my meal creations as often as I try something new and yummy.  I won't always be able to share the recipe, but hopefully you can get an idea from my descriptions! I want the posts to get your juices flowing and spark your own meal ideas!

My dinner last night turned out delicious and, might I add, rather pretty.  Inspired by a lovely restaurant's version of coconut rice and good ole' Trader Joe's,  I compiled some yummy ingredients to create this delicious and very nutritious meal.  It incorporates the complete protein of Brown Rice and Black Beans, fresh Tuna protein and fibrous, vitamin-rich, raw Spinach. Take a peak!

{Creamy Coconut Brown Rice & Fresh Ahi Tuna Filet}

3-4 Cups Brown Rice

2 Cups Unsweetened Coconut Milk

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Paprika to Taste

Sea Salt to Taste

Fresh Ahi Tuna Filets ( I used Trader Joe's pre-marinated)

Cooked Black Beans

Sea Salt to Taste

Fresh Spinach (with stems removed)

Fresh Organic Tomato Diced

**I added steamed, salted and spiced Broccoli on the side as well.  Have fun and pick a fresh veggie for your side dish!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large sauté pan on medium low add the Brown Rice, Coconut Milk, Coconut and Spices.  Stir every so often, allowing the rice to soak up all the milk, until thick.  Add more spices if needed as it thickens.  Place the Tuna filets in a baking pan or dish and bake in your oven for 12 minutes.  You want the filet moist, so do not over cook! Heat your Black Beans, dice your Tomatoes and ready your Spinach.  Scoop Coconut Rice onto your serving plate, layer the warm Black Beans followed by the Spinach.  Once the fish is ready, pull from the oven and immediately place on top of the Spinach.  Sprinkle your tower with the tomatoes to finish. Ta Da!  You have a gourmet dinner! 

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Gluten-Free Wednesdays

{Sweet Herb Bread & Deux Potato Soup}

S&SLifePhotos

Happy 2012 to you all! It's a fresh new year for us and I am excited to see what's in store.  More opportunities to create, capture and write seem to be in the near future for me, so I have a feeling this may be an extra enjoyable year!

I am beginning this year as a happy newly wed learning to cook for two.  It's a bit different to cook for a husband that can eat just about anything....I'm quite the opposite!

This past weekend we hosted our first little party in our new apartment and it was a ball.  The people were lovely, the atmosphere was cozy and the food was tasty.  All in all, a wonderful evening! I served two savory soups, two freshly baked breads and hot dinner rolls.  One of the soups was a particular hit, the Deux Potato soup.  The bread I paired with it was also a favorite, so I decided to share!

Both original recipes are from a wonderful cookbook called Welcoming Kitchen: Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes by Kim Lutz.  Her recipes are simple, easy and flavorful.  I altered each of them to suit my tastes, but follow the link to get a hold of her book and the originals if you are interested.  

{Sweet Herb Bread}

3 Cups of Bob's Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 1/2 tsp Gluten-Free Baking Powder 

1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 Cup Raw Organic Cane Sugar

1 Bottle (12oz) Gluten-Free Beer

1 tbsp Italian Herbs Seasoning (Oregano, Thyme, Paprika, Garlic, Marjoram, Basil, Rosemary, etc)

Olive Oil

Sprinkle of Rosemary

In a large bowl whisk the first 5 ingredients together.  Pour and mix in the GF Beer. Stir your Italian Herb Seasoning into the batter and then pour it into an oiled bread pan.  Drizzle Olive Oil lightly over the top, spreading it evenly with a small spatula.  Sprinkle with Rosemary to your desired amount.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes (depending on the consistency of your oven!).  Remove once the loaf has risen and is slightly golden.  If you are uncertain, test it by inserting a toothpick or butter knife into the loaf.  If it comes out clean your loaf is ready. Allow it to cool for 30-45 minutes, then serve!

{Deux Potato Soup}

4 Medium Sweet Potatoes or Yams

8 Gold Yukon Potatoes

3 Vegan and GF Bouillon Cubes

To taste:

Freshly Ground Pepper

Sea Salt

Paprika

Cinnamon

To thin or add creaminess:

Vanilla Almond Milk

Peel Sweet Potatoes and/or Yams.  Chop all Potatoes into chunks.  Dump into a large stockpot.  Fill pot with water until Potatoes are covered and add Bullion Cubes.  Bring the water to a boil, cover pot and then reduce heat to a simmer for around 20-30 minutes.  Continue until Potatoes are soft. Place 3/4th of batch into a food processor and blend until a thick soup. Pour back into pot with other 1/4th of chunky Potatoes.  Stir until thoroughly mixed, then add the Spices and Almond Milk to your preferred taste.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Serve soon after with a slice of Sweet Herb Bread! 

S&SLifePhotos

{Shared} 

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
Gluten-Free Wednesdays