Tropical Cabbage Salad with Grapefruit, Orange, Cardamom and Vanilla

We enjoyed the cabbage salad I made last weekend, so I wanted to make another version this weekend. Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family so it has the same cancer fighting properties as broccoli.

The citrus and cardamom are a favorite combination of mine. My husband thinks I will put cardamom on anything. I don’t think I am that bad, but I do love the aroma of cardamom. The vanilla also added a nice floral aroma to the salad. If you don’t have fresh lime juice and want something other than the lime and vanilla salad I made last weekend, this is a nice substitute.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Grapefruit, Orange, Cardamom and Vanilla
Serves 4

Ingredients:

¼ a large head of cabbage, finely shredded
1 grapefruit, sectioned and cut into bite size pieces
1 orange, sectioned and cut into bite size pieces
14 ounce can of pineapple, cut into bite size pieces
½ teaspoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¾ teaspoon of cardamom, ground
1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
approximately 1/8 teaspoon (1 gram scoop) of powdered stevia - optional
1 tablespoon of unsweetened, reduced fat grated coconut (Let's Do Organic Brand)

Directions:

Combine everything except the coconut, and toss to thoroughly combine. Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least a few hours so the flavors can marry. The stevia is not required, but did add a very subtle sweetness to the background.

To serve, sprinkle each serving with a quarter of the grated coconut on top.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 96.93
Calories From Fat (11%) - 10.48

Total Fat - 3.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.39g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 8.67mg
Potassium - 140.1mg
Total Carbohydrates - 21.75g
Fiber - 2.67g
Sugar - 16.47g
Protein - 0.87g

Comments:

If you aren’t as concerned about keeping the fat down, as we are. I would suggest adding a few sliced or slivered almonds to this salad. The almonds would add a nice crunchy texture.

We had this salad last night with the cold rice salad for dinner. The two dishes together were very filling. We ate dinner rather early (6 pm), and neither of us was hungry before bed.

Brown Rice, Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Caper Salad

Saturday night we had a black bean and garlic sauce vegetable stir fry and I made extra rice so that could use it on Sunday. I decided the rice would make a nice cold rice salad, which was the main component of dinner on Sunday. Much to my surprise I was able to keep the fat percentage down to 11% and yet make a flavorful rice salad. I will be using the 6 to 1 ratio for acid to fat going forward since it worked so well here.

This rice salad gets most of its flavor from the sherry vinegar, which I adore. You could also use red wine vinegar if you prefer. If fat is not a big concern you could add a few diced black oil cured olives, or toasted pine nuts to this salad. Both would be delicious, and would have been included if fat were not an issue for us.

Both my husband and I enjoyed this salad. It would make a great picnic dish since it doesn’t contain mayo or animal products.

Brown Rice, Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Caper Salad
Serves 4 as a main dish

Ingredients:

4 cups of brown basmati rice, cooked and cold
3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
½ tablespoon of canola oil
14 ounce can of brined artichokes, drained and cut into bite size pieces
12 sun dried tomatoes, finely diced
2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon of capers
6 cups of baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients (except the spinach) and toss well to evenly distribute. Refrigerate the rice for a minimum of a couple of hours to allow the flavors to marry. Check for salt and pepper before serving.

To serve, line a bowl with the baby spinach and top with the cold rice salad.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 304.22
Calories From Fat (11%) - 33.55

Total Fat 3.92g
Saturated Fat - 0.53g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 569.04mg
Potassium - 836.18mg
Total Carbohydrates - 60.37g
Fiber - 7.14g
Sugar - 4.82g
Protein - 9g

Comments:

Normally I would have used double the amount of oil in this salad. However, I learned with this salad that it isn’t necessary. I wouldn’t eliminate the oil completely, since fat is required for the body to process fat soluble vitamins. We served this salad over baby spinach for the nutrition. Dark leafy greens are packed with nutrition and we are trying to eat as many of them as we can each week.

This recipe makes 4 large servings. We ate this as our main dish and it was almost too big. With the reduction in overall fat I have been intentionally increasing our serving sizes to keep the calories up.

Seitan Lunchmeat, BBQ Sauce, Spinach, Tomato and Broccoli Sprouts on a Whole Wheat Wrap

Today was spent running to multiple grocery stores to pick up provisions for the homestead. We went to Whole Foods, the health food store and Wegman’s. The combination of things we bought was unusual to say the least. You will be seeing these appear on the blog in the coming weeks.

By the time we got back from the multiple grocery stores we were starving. The tiny 1-ounce bar of 70% organic dark chocolate we split from store number two didn’t really stop the hunger.

Since we had the seitan lunchmeat in the refrigerator I knew we were going to have a sandwich. Sandwiches are the fastest meal to put together when you are starving, like today. I included extra seitan on this sandwich (probably because I was hungry) because two servings didn’t look like enough. We had BBQ sauce because my husband is not fond of mustard, and mayonnaise has a little too much fat if we are going to come close to the 12% target. The spinach, tomato and broccoli sprouts were added for nutrition.

I love broccoli sprouts and put them on most of our sandwiches. After reading that broccoli sprouts contain 100 times the level of sulforaphane of adult broccoli, eating the sprouts made total sense to me. If you aren’t a fan of broccoli, the sprouts have a much milder flavor that doesn’t remind me of broccoli. I think the taste is closer to other sprouts (clover or alfalfa) than it is to broccoli. The sprouts, like the broccoli, are reported to help the body fight cancer and that is why I buy them.

This sandwich is filling and contains a huge amount of protein. Something tells me we won’t be hungry for hours. In retrospect 2 servings of the seitan lunchmeat would have probably been plenty. Oh well, that is what happens when you let yourself get too hungry before a meal. At least the calorie count wasn't out of control.

Seitan Lunchmeat, BBQ Sauce, Spinach, Tomato and Broccoli Sprouts on a Whole Wheat Wrap
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 whole wheat roll ups
2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce, sweetened with Agave
3 servings of pressure cooked seitan lunchmeat, shaved thin
3 cups of baby spinach, cleaned and dried
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
½ cup of broccoli sprouts

Directions:

Smear one tablespoon of BBQ sauce on each roll up. Top with remaining ingredients and roll up the sandwich. Serve whole or sliced.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 408.98
Calories From Fat (17%) - 67.83

Total Fat - 8.48g
Saturated Fat - 3.14g
Cholesterol - 18mg
Sodium - 661.61mg
Potassium - 883.68mg
Total Carbohydrates - 49.56g
Fiber - 15g
Sugar - 14.16g
Protein - 46.73g

Comments:

My husband and I both liked this sandwich. He thought it could use a little more BBQ. I purposefully kept the BBQ to a minimum due to the sugar content and the fact that sugar feeds cancer. You will be seeing more recipes with stevia in the coming months.

If you wanted to add a little more flavor to this sandwich you could include a little hot crushed peppers (wet hots), or Dijon mustard. I would have added some shredded carrot if I had it preshredded in the refrigerator. I was too hungry to wait that long for a sandwich.

Curried Seitan Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are one of my favorite things to eat in the summer time. I like that they are cold and portable. I use many dinner leftovers in lettuce wraps for lunch.

Indian food is another one of my favorite things. Turmeric is one of the primary ingredients in curry powder. Turmeric is known to be anti-inflammatory and protects cells from damage by free radicals. It is also theorized to destroy cancer. Needless to say anything that help fight cancer is okay in my book.

This lettuce wrap is packed with flavor and nutrition. If you like Indian food give it a try. I normally serve this with a green salad or grain salad on the side.

Curried Seitan Lettuce Wraps
Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of reduced fat almond mayonnaise
¼ - ½ teaspoon of curry powder (add until it tastes right to you)
1/3 of a seitan roast, sliced into long thin strips
¼ red bell pepper, thinly sliced (raw or lightly cooked)
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of pineapple, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons of sliced almonds
3 lettuce leaves, rinsed and spun dry

Directions:

Cook the red onion for a few minutes until it is tender crisp. If you want to cook the red bell pepper, add it to the pan with the onions. I prefer to cool my vegetables completely before adding them to the lettuce wrap. However you can use them hot or warm if you wish.

Thoroughly mix mayonnaise and curry powder. Toss the cold veggies, seitan, pineapple and almonds with the mayonnaise and thoroughly combine.

Place a mound of the filling on each lettuce leave. Wrap the leaf around the filling and enjoy.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 341.7
Calories From Fat (40%) - 136.58

Total Fat - 15.93g
Saturated Fat - 1.37g
Cholesterol - 0.41mg
Sodium - 668.35mg
Potassium - 469.32mg
Total Carbohydrates - 26.47g
Fiber - 5.26g
Sugar - 8.67g
Protein - 26.45g

Comments:

I love curry powder and use any opportunity to add it to my food. These lettuce wraps are full of flavor from the curry and vegetables. The pineapple also adds a nice refreshing sweet taste to the wraps. The sliced almonds add a nice crunchy touch. The seitan add a “meaty” chewy to the wraps.

Mexican Inspired Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat Berries are one of the healthiest grains available. I like to include whole grains where I can in our diet since they are a good source of B vitamins. In the summer my body seems to crave cold food and raw vegetables. I am always looking for new ways to combine whole grains and raw vegetables.

If you are unfamiliar with wheat berries they are a chewy grain whose texture is not like the other common grains we see in America. I like the somewhat “meat-like” chew of the cooked berries. This salad can be served alone, over a green salad, in a lettuce cup, or sprinkled on a whole wheat wrap that was spread with hummus.

Mexican Inspired Wheat Berry Salad
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups of pressure cooked wheat berries
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 tablespoons of lime juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
½ teaspoon of ancho chili powder
1 tomato, diced
4 stalks of celery, finely minced
4 inches of seedless cucumber, finely minced
1 carrot, grated
¼ cup of cilantro, finely minced

Direction:

Combine all the ingredients and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 140.78
Calories From Fat (19%) - 27.08

Total Fat - 3.1g
Saturated Fat - 0.29g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 18.7mg
Potassium - 255.31mg
Total Carbohydrates - 25.13g
Fiber - 4.87g
Sugar - 1.71g
Protein - 5.47g

Comments:

This salad has a mild flavor. The garlic flavor is subtle, and the vegetables do not overpower. If you like a lot of flavor in your salad I would recommend you add a little finely minced red onion and a little more ancho chili powder. You could also add a little cayenne if you want some “heat” in your cold salad.

Hummus with Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic and Paprika

(pictured: roasted red pepper, garlic and paprika hummus on a Wasa Crisp)

I have been making hummus without added fat for a few years now. Hummus made without additional fat is now what I expect. Sometimes when I buy hummus (yes it does happen occasionally), it tastes too fatty to me.

Adding a lot of flavor is critical if you are making hummus without olive oil or tahini. This hummus gets it flavor from the spices, roasted red peppers and garlic. If you typically add olive oil or tahini to your hummus start reducing the fat by half until you eliminate the fat. It is no different than changing from full fat to skim milk. As you get accustomed to the reduced fat or non fat version it becomes your “new normal”.

We use this hummus as the “glue” to hold grilled or raw vegetables onto wrap sandwiches. It is also good with pita chips or crackers. We also like to dip raw veggies into hummus.

Hummus with Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic and Paprika
Makes 4 cups – serving given in one tablespoon measures

Ingredients:

6 cups of cooked chickpeas
3 roasted red peppers
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of cumin seed
1 teaspoon of coriander seed
1 teaspoon of paprika (sweet)
1 teaspoon of kosher salt

Directions:

Toss everything in the food processor and puree until completely smooth. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until needed.

Nutritional Information:

Calories - 28.39
Calories From Fat (8%) - 2.35

Total Fat - 0.28g
Saturated Fat - 0.03g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 96.83mg
Potassium - 48.24mg
Total Carbohydrates - 5.45g
Fiber - 1.11g
Sugar - 0.01g
Protein - 1.17g

Comments:

We eat a lot of hummus in our house. Hummus is one of our go to sources of protein. This hummus comes together quickly by using pressure cooked beans. If you are looking for a flavorful hummus that doesn’t rely on fat for flavor this is a good choice. You can also substitute smoked paprika for the regular sweet paprika for an interesting variation. I normally use smoked paprika but today I felt like I wanted something a little different.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Lime and Vanilla Dressing

When the weather is warm I don’t like making mayonnaise based salad dressings. Today I felt like making a slaw, but it turned into this salad. In my opinion what separates this salad from a slaw is the absence of the acidic hit you typically get from the vinegar in most slaw dressing.

I wanted to use cabbage today because it is a cruciferous vegetable and they are known for their cancer fighting abilities. Citrus fruit is high in flavonoids and is also reported to fight cancer.

This salad is light and refreshing. It is also somewhat sweet from the fresh pineapple. The vanilla gives the salad a floral note that I particularly enjoyed. We thought this salad was much better than the sum of its parts.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Lime and Vanilla Dressing
Servings 6

Ingredients:

½ head of green cabbage, finely shredded
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
¾’s of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and finely julienned
1 red apple, cored and julienned
1 carrot, grated
1 pink grapefruit, supremed and cut into bite size pieces
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

Toss cabbage with kosher salt and refrigerate for 3 hours. After three hours place the cabbage in a wire mesh strainer and rise thoroughly to remove the salt. Spin the cabbage dry in a salad spinner. Place the cabbage in a large bowl big enough to allow you to toss the ingredients. Add remaining fruit and vegetables to the cabbage. Whisk together the lime juice, canola oil and vanilla. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to thoroughly combine. Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 122.47
Calories From Fat (19%) - 23.28

Total Fat - 2.65g
Saturated Fat - 0.21g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 12.51mg
Potassium - 282.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 26.55g
Fiber - 3.98g
Sugar - 17.7g
Protein - 1.36g

Comments:

This is a very interesting salad in a good way. I hesitated to call this slaw because the dominant acid that is standard in slaw is missing. The salad is crunchy and slightly sweet. The floral note from the vanilla is more obvious than I intended, but is quite nice. The combination of lime and vanilla is much better than I anticipated. Everyone enjoyed this salad today, even my very picky omnivore parents who kept all the leftovers.

Fusion Salad

This salad is crazy and mixed up, but it is great. The sherry vinegar is Spanish, the edamame Asian, and the dukkah Middle Eastern. I don’t think anyone else would put these together, and I am not certain why I did. I am very happy that I combined these ingredients, because I really like this salad. I first added dukkah to a salad earlier this week and loved it. Today I didn’t have cooked bulgur, but I did have edamame ….. and this salad was born.

I like that the edamame adds a little soy protein to the salad. Soy is reported to help minimize the occurrence of estrogen dependent cancers like prostate and breast.

Fusion Salad
Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon of sherry vinegar
8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
¼ of a seedless cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
¼ cup of shelled cooked edamame
2 cups of mesclun greens
½ teaspoon of dukkah

Directions:

Whisk together olive oil and vinegar until combined. Toss tomatoes, cucumber, edamame and greens in the dressing and plate when they are all evenly coated with the dressing. Top the salad with a sprinkle of dukkah and enjoy.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 185.09
Calories From Fat (54%) - 100.24

Total Fat - 11.66g
Saturated Fat - 1.5g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 26.9mg
Potassium - 781.97mg
Total Carbohydrates - 15.51g
Fiber - 6.07g
Sugar - 1.93g
Protein - 7.71g

Comments:

This is a great salad. It isn’t something that you will have anywhere else, but it is fantastic nonetheless. I like the combination of flavors and textures. I also really like what the dukkah does to a salad.

Gazpacho with Olive Oil

It was late before we had dinner last night so I didn’t want to make something heavy. I wanted gazpacho, but we were out of avocados. I love my gazpacho with avocados but since we were out of them I made a more traditional version of this cold soup.

This version of gazpacho is lower in fat and calories than my avocado version. I still prefer my avocado version, but this is a good substitute. The soup is packed with flavor (I used the higher amount of hot crushed peppers) and nutrition. I like soups that are a complete meal. Cold soups are a particular favorite of mine because the only thing you need to clean is the blender.

The lycopene in the tomatoes, combined with the olive oil, is thought to protect men from prostate cancer. The fresh garlic helps to reduce your cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer. Red bell peppers are packed with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. I added the carrots to this version of gazpacho to add a good source of beta-carotene to the soup. I wasn’t able to taste the carrots in the final soup. I will be continuing to add carrots to my gazpacho from now on.

If you need a quick dinner and want something cold this is a good option.

Gazpacho with Olive Oil
Makes 2 entrée sized servings

Ingredients:

28 ounces of diced tomatoes
3 carrots, cut into chunks
¼ of a red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 –2 tablespoons of hot crushed peppers (wet hots)
½ - 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
½ seedless cucumber, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine everything except the cucumber and bell pepper in the blender and process until it is completely smooth. Begin with the smaller amount of hot crushed peppers and salt and taste once the mixture is smooth. Add more if necessary.

Store the soup in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Chill bowls to serve the soup. Pour the soup into the chilled bowls and top with diced cucumber and bell pepper. I always add a little grind of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to the top of the soup before serving.

You can top the soup with fresh minced cilantro and/or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you like.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 283.88
Calories From Fat (46%) - 131.98

Total Fat - 14.98g
Saturated Fat - 2.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 579.47mg
Potassium - 1615.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.84g
Fiber - 10.69g
Sugar - 20.56g
Protein - 6.23g

Comments:

This makes a large amount of soup that is enough to be an entire meal. If you want a little more protein in the meal, you can include a little cooked and cooled edamame or a bean dip with raw vegetables to dip.

My husband and I both think this makes a nice dinner when the weather is warm. We do prefer our avocado version for its creaminess, but this one makes a great substitute and has fewer calories and fat grams.

If you are concerned about the fat in this version of gazpacho I would suggest you don't order it when you are out. Most traditional recipes for gazpacho use 3 or 4 times the amount of olive oil compared to my version. So that you have a comparison, each tablespoon of olive oil adds 14 grams of fat and 120 calories, which is most of the fat in this recipe.

Broccoli Bisque

This soup is a follow up on the blended soup I made yesterday. After reading part of “Eating for Health” yesterday I plan to experiment with many more blended soups this year.

My cooking tends to be low in fat. This broccoli soup, like the asparagus soup yesterday, is higher in fat than most of my recipes. There is a richness from the nuts that makes this soup very satisfying and higher in fat. Additionally, the fat in the nuts makes it easier for the body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. You can cut down on the total fat in the soup by reducing the raw cashews in the soup, but it will affect the texture and mouth feel of the final product.

By pureeing the broccoli while still frozen the nutrition present in the vegetable is not destroyed by heat. Many books and articles have indicated that lightly cooked or raw broccoli is more nutritious than cooked broccoli. Since I am very focused on minimizing disease (particularly cancer), I plan to eat my soup cold but it is also good hot. Also, I included two cloves of raw garlic for the cancer protection in the batch of soup I made. You may want to start with one clove of garlic and taste the soup to see if you want to add the second clove.

Broccoli Bisque
Makes 2 large entrée size portions (approximately 4 cups each)

Ingredients:

½ cup raw cashews
3 cups of water
1 - 2 cloves garlic, peeled (depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
6 cups of frozen broccoli florets

Directions:

Put everything except the broccoli in the blender and puree until the mixture is completely smooth. Add the broccoli one cup at a time and puree until smooth. Continue until the broccoli has been thoroughly incorporated. The soup should be completely smooth when you are finished. I made this soup in a Vitamix blender. If you are using a lower power blender you may need to defrost the broccoli before adding it to the blender. This soup can be served hot or cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 258.52
Calories From Fat (38%) - 98.6

Total Fat - 11.8g
Saturated Fat - 2.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1066.52mg
Potassium - 1169.54mg
Total Carbohydrates - 30.79g
Fiber - 14.99g
Sugar - 7.75g
Protein - 17.71g

Comments:

When the weather is hot pureed soups are quick to make and eat. Gazpacho has always been a favorite at our house. This year I am going to be experimenting with additional pureed soups that can be served hot or cold. I like that this soup has as its base a healthy cruciferous vegetable that is reported to help the body fight cancer.

Cold Asparagus Bisque

I started reading the most recent book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman today “Eat for Health”. The item that struck me as being the most profound thus far is the concept of how proper chewing is necessary to get all the nutrition from food. The doctor goes on to explain that few people chew their food sufficiently.

In this book Dr. Fuhrman introduced the concept of “blended salads” which is exactly what it sounds like, raw vegetables pureed in the blender. The idea behind blended salads is that the blender does the work for you so that all the nutrition is available to the body. This concept led me to think of what I had in the house that would be good in the blender and this soup is what I made for dinner tonight.

I like that this soup is rich and creamy, but the richness doesn’t come from an unhealthy fat. Raw cashews are something I use frequently when I am trying to achieve a “dairy like” richness. The raw garlic was included for flavor, but also for its cancer fighting potential.

Cold Asparagus Bisque
Makes 2 main dish servings of about 3 cups each

Ingredients:

2 pounds of raw asparagus, cut into large chunks
½ cup of raw cashews
2 cups of filtered water
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, raw (depending on how much you like garlic)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place everything in the blender and puree until uniformly smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, pour into chilled bowls and top with kosher salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 227.56
Calories From Fat (40%) - 91.25

Total Fat - 10.99g
Saturated Fat - 2.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 160.72mg
Potassium - 1092.47mg
Total Carbohydrates - 26.02g
Fiber - 10.48g
Sugar - 9.96g
Protein - 14.54g

Comments:

This soup is creamy and yet light. The raw asparagus flavor is a little “grassy” but I in what I would call a good way. I found the soup to be refreshing and perfect for a warm summer night.

Middle Eastern Inspired Wheat Berry Salad

This salad is easy to put together and improves as it sits in the refrigerator. It makes a great cold lunch or picnic item. The great thing about using wheat berries is that they are minimally processed and therefore retain more of their nutrition.

The wheat berries and sunflower seeds retain their chewy texture, which is a nice counterpoint texturally to the softer vegetables. The sumac helps to enhance the lemon flavor and adds an additional sour note to the salad that is unusual.

If you are unfamiliar with sumac it is a common Middle Eastern spice that grows wild in both the Middle East and Italy and comes from the dark purple berries that are dried and ground. The taste of sumac is fruity and sour. Sumac can be purchased online or is found at well stocked Middle Eastern markets. If you can’t find it, add more lemon juice and zest to the recipe for a similar flavor.

This salad is very healthy with the inclusion of the garlic, onion and tomatoes, which are all reported to help protect you from cancer. A serving of this salad contains more than 15 grams of fiber, which is half of what you need for the entire day, and more than the 12 grams of fiber the average American consumes in a day.

I serve this salad as an entrée when the weather is warm and I want something refreshing for dinner. Since the entire dish has less than 400 calories and 15 grams of protein. I think it makes a great light, yet substantial dinner packed with a lot of nutrition.

Middle Eastern Inspired Wheat Berry Salad
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of wheat berries, which will be cooked and cooled
4 cups of water to cook wheat berries
zest and juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1 tablespoon of sumac powder
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 pound of snow peas, sliced into ¼ to ½ inch lengths
½ red onion, finely diced
½ cup of raw sunflower seeds
1 hass avocado, sliced
8 cups of lettuce
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook wheat berries in at least four cups of water until tender. The wheat berries will take at least an hour to cook. Be certain to check them periodically to make certain the water has not evaporated. When the wheat is tender to the tooth, but still a little firm, pour the wheat berries into a colander and drain. Rinse them in cold water if you are in a hurry.

Combine the lemon zest and juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and sumac. Move cooled wheat berries to a dish with a lid. Pour the dressing over the wheat berries and toss to coat evenly. Add the tomatoes, snow peas and red onion and refrigerate covered, until ready to serve.

Before serving the salad taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. To serve place two cups of lettuce on each chilled plate. Top with one quarter of the wheat berry salad and fan a quarter of the avocado on top of each serving.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 396.17
Calories From Fat (34%) - 135.61

Total Fat - 16g
Saturated Fat - 1.99g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 29.5mg
Potassium - 1031.35mg
Total Carbohydrates - 54.79g
Fiber - 15.34g
Sugar - 7.3g
Protein - 15.28g

Comments:

This is a good salad when you want something cold that is still substantial. The salad would make a nice lunch or light dinner. This salad would also be good with cucumber or fresh parsley. If you have any almond feta on hand that would make nice addition to the salad.

If you haven’t tried making wheat berry salads before this may have you making many variations. We enjoy the chewy texture of the wheat berries in all types of cold salads. You can use the wheat berries in place of brown rice or pasta in any cold salad.

Be careful when eating as sumac will stain your clothing. If you rinse the sumac out immediately with cold water the stain won't set.

Cold Lunch Options

(Pictured: A lionfish whose photo I took at the National Aquarium this week)

Cold Lunch Options

Yesterday my friend Alexandra asked me to suggest a few recipes that her mom could take to work for lunch that didn’t need to be reheated. Since I was pulling the list together I decided to post it on the blog in case anyone else was interested. Below is a list of recipes on the blog that would fit that requirement:

1. Cold Avocado Bisque
2. Bulgur and Vegetable Salad with baby spinach and sunflower seeds
3. Smashed Chickpea and Artichoke Salad as a salad or sandwich
4. Chickpea and Nut Salad also as a sandwich or salad
5. Orange, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with Kalamata Vinaigrette
6. Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
7. Tomato Onigiri are typically served cold in a lunch
8. Pinto Bean Dip is a great spread on a whole grain wrap with roasted vegetables and lettuce or spinach inside
9. Smoky Spanish Tortilla is also good cold
10. Cold Melon Soup with Harissa and Pinot Grigio
11. Green Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Lemon Vinaigrette
12. Cold Cucumber Soup with Raw Spinach and Lime
13. Collard Wraps with Hummus, Walnut and Carrot
14. Brown Rice Salad with Vegetables
15. Mushroom and Walnut Pate on Whole Wheat Pizzette
16. Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Garlic
17. Roasted Garlic Low Fat Hummus on Whole Grain Wrap or Pizzette with roasted vegetables
18. Potato Salad with Dill, Lemon and Dijon
19. Whole Wheat Pizzette with Marinated Artichokes and Almond Feta
20 Asparagus Bites with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Sherry Vinegar is also very good cold
21. Cardamom Kissed Muesli with a little almond milk or soy milk would make a filling lunch
22.Fat Free Hummus with Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Paprika is great on a wrap with roasted vegetables or used as a dip and eaten with vegetable crudités (carrot sticks, celery, bell pepper strips, cucumber sliced)
23. Gazpacho with Avocado
24. Millet and Raw Asparagus Salad - this is a favorite of my adorable husband
25. Strawberries stuffed with Almond Feta
26. Potato and Artichoke Salad with Parsley and Lemon
27. Bulgur Salad with Walnuts, Bell Pepper and Cucumber

I didn’t realize how may cold dishes I had included on the blog until I started writing this post. I will add a new category for cold meals to make these easier to find going forward.

Cold Avocado Bisque

This soup is my variation of something we made in cooking class a few weeks ago. Avocado is a very healthy fat that I like to incorporate into our diet when I can. The soup has a very distinct Mexican flavor from the lime, ancho chili powder and hot peppers.

It is best to serve small portions of this soup since it is calorie dense. I think this soup makes a nice appetizer.

Cold Avocado Bisque
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 hass avocado
juice of two limes
¾ cup of cold water
¼ teaspoon of ancho chili powder
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of hot crushed peppers (wet hots)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place everything in the food processor except the hot crushed peppers. Puree until completely smooth.

Serve in chilled bowls and top each serving with ¼ teaspoon of hot crushed peppers, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Be certain to tell everyone to stir the hot crushed peppers into the soup before eating. The peppers are a little hot if you get a spoonful of them.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 165.73
Calories From Fat (68%) - 113.38

Total Fat - 13.52g
Saturated Fat - 1.86g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 249.23mg
Potassium - 515.37mg
Total Carbohydrates - 14.75g
Fiber - 7.88g
Sugar - 1.43g
Protein - 2.21g

Comments:

This soup has a texture that reminds me of bisque. The soup has a spicy background while being cold and creamy on the tongue. This is definitely a soup for avocado lovers. If you are a fan of avocado give this soup a try.

If you like a little texture in your soup I would add finely diced red bell pepper or cucumber. Cilantro would make a lovely garnish that would be a nice flavor combination. This soup would also be good with a little tofu sour cream on top.

Bulgur and Vegetable Salad

I love a cold grain and vegetable salad. This one combines the benefits of whole grain with added nutrition from the raw vegetables. This salad is packed with vegetables and flavor. It has a little heat from the hot crushed peppers and flavor from the lemon juice and zest. The crunch of the cold vegetables add a nice textural counterpoint to the cooked grain.

Bulgur and Vegetable Salad
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups of bulgur, uncooked
4 cups of water
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
2 lemons, juice and zest
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of edamame, shelled
1 seedless cucumber, cut into quarters lengthwise and then sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 carrots, grated
2 tablespoons of hot crushed peppers
½ teaspoon of dulse granules
1 pound of raw asparagus, sliced fine
½ pound of sugar snap peas, sliced

Directions:

Cook bulgur in water with salt in a covered pan until water is absorbed (about 20 minutes on medium heat). Add lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil to warm bulgur. When salad has cooled, add the prepared vegetables and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 205.31
Calories From Fat (14%) - 29.71

Total Fat - 3.46g
Saturated Fat - 0.49g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 148.35mg
Potassium - 589.13mg
Total Carbohydrates - 38.44g
Fiber - 10.82g
Sugar - 5.49g
Protein - 9.15g

Comments:

This salad has a little heat from the hot crushed peppers, and plenty of flavor. It travels well, and makes a great lunch with some raw baby spinach, broccoli sprouts and sunflower seeds. I added the spinach and broccoli sprouts for the additional cancer fighting benefits.

Sicilian Inspired Chickpea Sandwich Filling with Artichokes

Question: How can I use chickpeas on a sandwich that doesn’t involve hummus?

Answer: Try a smashed chickpea sandwich filling.

I love hummus, but sometimes need a change. This sandwich filling also uses chickpeas but instead of pureeing them I smashed them lightly. The purpose for smashing the chickpeas is to keep the filling from rolling out of the sandwich easily. The lime juice (acid) was added for flavor, without resorting to salt. The filling needed a little oil for flavor. I use a lot of hot crushed peppers. I love the flavor and heat the peppers add without a lot of calories. The marinated artichokes were included for both flavor and texture. The slightly firm texture of the chickpeas was a nice contrast against the softness of the artichoke hearts.

Sicilian Inspired Chickpea Sandwich Filling with Artichokes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried chickpeas, cooked and drained
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of hot crushed peppers
½ teaspoon of dulse granules (or substitute kosher salt to taste)
1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, drained thoroughly and roughly chopped

Directions:

Cook chickpeas and drain thoroughly. Add lime juice and olive oil to chickpeas while still hot so they absorb the flavors better. Using a potato masher, crush the beans roughly. Add the remaining ingredients to the chickpeas and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 128.17
Calories From Fat (28%) - 36.34

Total Fat - 4.16g
Saturated Fat - 0.54g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 227.53mg
Potassium - 287.92mg
Total Carbohydrates - 20.31g
Fiber - 5.39g
Sugar - 0.3g
Protein - 4.56g

Comments:

I served this chickpea salad on a sprouted whole grain wrap with broccoli sprouts and lamb’s quarters. The broccoli sprouts were included fro their cancer fighting potential. The lamb’s quarters was included for their high nutritional values. This filling would also make a nice topping for a green salad.

Chickpea and Nut Salad

Today’s salad is something that you can use as your would tuna or chicken salad. It has a nice texture from the soaked nuts, which also provided healthy fat and vitamin E. Specifically the sunflower seeds were used for their selenium, which is a known cancer fighter. The dulse granules were added for iodine since I don’t use table salt. I had also hoped the dulse would add a little “fishy” flavor that would mimic tuna, but that didn’t come through in the final product. Next time I may try a different type of sea vegetable granule to see if that makes a difference.

I wanted something that I could use in a sandwich or on a bed of greens that would be satisfying for lunch. I think this one is a nice change from my usual "chickpea only" salad.

Chickpea and Nut Salad
Makes 8 – ½ cup servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
¼ cup of almonds, soaked overnight
¼ cup of raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
Juice and zest of one lemon
2 teaspoon of dulse granules
6 tablespoons of reduced fat almond milk mayonnaise
½ of a red onion, finely diced
3 celery stalks, finely diced
2 tablespoons of no salt seasoning – Costco Brand
2 teaspoons of kosher salt

Directions:

Cook chickpeas until they are cooked through but a little firm. You don’t want them to turn to disintegrate like in hummus. My chickpeas were cooked in 15 minutes on medium heat.

Rinse the almonds and sunflower seeds and place in the food processor. Pulse to mostly break down the seeds, leaving a little texture to remain in the final product. Add the cooked chickpeas to the food processor and pulse a few times to break up the chickpeas lightly.

Mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Taste the salad for seasoning and refrigerate until needed.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 134.94
Calories From Fat (57%) - 76.59

Total Fat - 8.92g
Saturated Fat - 0.71g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 494.98mg
Potassium - 207.24mg
Total Carbohydrates - 11.48g
Fiber - 2.75g
Sugar - 1.11g
Protein - 3.81g

Comments:

Both my husband and liked this salad. Previously I made this salad with chickpeas only (no nuts), but I definitely think the nuts added a nice textural element that was missing. This salad would also be nice with a little finely diced sun dried tomato, or red bell pepper for color.

Orange, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

We eat a lot of salads in our house. I tend to rely on a few different salads most of the time, but like to a change things periodically.

This salad uses raw spinach, which is a nutritional powerhouse that is also a cancer fighter. The orange contains a nice sweetness and vitamin C (an antioxidant). The red onions are added for flavor, and for their flavonoids. Consuming onions has been linked to a reduction in a stomach and colon cancer.

The combination of orange, onion and olives is a classic Italian combination. I decided to make black olive vinaigrette to get the olive flavor without the texture. Not all the members of my family like olives, but they do like this salad dressing.

Orange, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette
Makes 4 starter salads

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette (below)
8 cups of baby spinach, stems removed
½ red onion, thinly sliced in half moons
1 navel orange, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Prepare Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette.

Remove stems from the 8 cups of baby spinach. Wash and spin the spinach dry. Toss the spinach with the olive vinaigrette. Slice the red onion as thinly as possible into half moon shapes and add to spinach. Toss the salad to evenly distribute the onions. Place dressed spinach and onions on four salad plates.

Remove peel and pith from one orange. Thinly slice the orange into 12 slices (3 per salad). Top each salad with 3 orange slices.

Serve cold, preferably on cold plates.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 81.41
Calories From Fat (56%)- 45.51

Total Fat - 5.17g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 137.62mg
Potassium - 396.68mg
Total Carbohydrates - 8.33g
Fiber - 2.33g
Sugar - 3.23g
Protein - 2.19g

Kalamata Olive and Sherry Vinaigrette
makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

6 black olives
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons of sherry vinegar

Directions:

Place ingredients in a small food processor and puree until you have a thick dressing. If you don’t want to use a food processor you can finely mince the black olives with your chef’s knife and whisk the olive oil and vinegar together and then add the minced olives. This dressing gets plenty of salt from the olives. You can add a little black pepper, but the dressing does not need to flavor boost.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 45.24
Calories From Fat (95%) - 42.93

Total Fat - 4.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.47g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 89.46mg
Potassium - 3.78mg
Total Carbohydrates - 0.58g
Fiber - 0g
Sugar - 0g
Protein - 0g

Comments:

This is a very flavorful salad that is also low in calories. The salad gets a lot of flavor from the black olives and red onion. This is a very fast salad that comes together with only a few ingredients. It is a nice salad to know if you need to add something to a menu that needs another small dish.

Shaved Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette and Almond Feta

I was looking for another way to use fresh asparagus and decided to try to shave it and see how that worked in a salad. The texture is nice, but this is a time consuming salad.

The sun-dried tomatoes are included for their lycopene and cancer fighting abilities. The pine nuts and almond feta were added to provide healthy fat and textural variation.

This a nice combination of flavors that I will be using again in the future.

Shaved Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette and Almond Feta
Makes 4 appetizer salad servings

Ingredients:

1 lemon, juiced and finely zested
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound of asparagus, tips removed and stems shaved with a vegetable peeler
2 tablespoons of almond feta
2 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
2 teaspoons of pine nuts, toasted
4 cups of mesclun greens

Directions:

Make the lemon vinaigrette by whisking together the lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to the vinaigrette to taste.

Trim about an inch of the woody ends from asparagus. Trim the last few inches of the asparagus with a vegetable peeler, if it is tough. Cut the tips of the asparagus and put them into the vinaigrette. Using the same peeler, turn the asparagus stems into asparagus fettuccini shapes.

Put the asparagus in the vinaigrette and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

When ready to serve remove the asparagus from the storage container. Toss the greens in the vinaigrette left in the bottom of the storage container. Place the greens on a salad plate and top with a mound of the shaved asparagus. Top the salad with the asparagus tips. Crumble the almond feta on top. Decorate with a few sun-dried tomato slivers and sprinkle the pine nuts on top.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 75.05
Calories From Fat (50%) - 37.44

Total Fat - 4.35g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 120.09mg
Potassium - 385.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 7.79g
Fiber - 3.71g
Sugar - 2.88g
Protein - 3.76g

Comments:

This salad has a great taste, but it is a little bit too time consuming to make if you are in a rush to get dinner on the table.

Shaving the asparagus with a potato peeler works even though it takes a while. I will be saving this technique for special occasions, or when I have a lot of time in the kitchen. To make the asparagus easier to shave buy only the largest asparagus you can find. They are much easier to handle. Also the technique works better if you start at the bottom of the asparagus and peel toward where the tip should be.

On the other hand the flavors were great together and would make a nice topping for a cracker, pasta or pizzette.

Tomato Onigiri - Italian Style

I stumbled across the notion of onigiri looking for different versions of rice cakes. I love risotto cakes, but don't like that they are made with white rice. I decided to make a brown rice version, but using the Japanese form of a molded rice cake.

I was surprised at how well these rice cakes held together given that they were brown rice and contained no food glue (this is how we refer to egg and cheese at our house). I liked the uniformity of using a biscuit cutter so that each rice cake was exactly the same. These rice cakes were more work than a traditional risotto cake, but they took less time overall. This is due to the fact that you use the rice while it is still hot for onigiri, rather than cooling it in the refrigerator for hours, or overnight when making risotto cakes.

When I make these again, I plan to add a few tablespoons of drained capers and remove some of the kosher salt. I was also thinking of putting a little pocket of mushrooms in the center these like I do when I make filled risotto balls.

Cooked tomatoes make regular appearances in my meals due to their reported ability to protect us against cancer. They are also high in vitamin C. It has also been reported than when tomatoes and broccoli are consumed together they have stronger anti cancer properties than when eaten alone. I try to include broccoli in meals where we have tomatoes, when I remember.

The nutritional information on these overstates the fat and calories a little. There was still olive oil in the pan when I was finished, but not enough to measure so that I could rework the numbers.

Tomato Onigiri - Italian Style
makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

6 cups of cooked short grain brown rice, still hot
8 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tablespoon of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste (assumed 1/2 T of kosher salt in nutritionals)
2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil to brown onigiri

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly while the rice is still hot. It helps to use gloves so you don't burn your hands.

Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil to cook the onigiri when the disks have been formed.

Use a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter and force as much rice into the cutter as you can and press firmly. You want the mixture to be as tight in the cutter as possible. Press the rice mixture out slowly and place it in the pan. Cook over medium heat for 2 –3 minutes, until brown and crispy on one side and then flip it over (gently) and cook on the other side until it is again brown and crispy.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 231.17
Calories From Fat (27%) - 62.71

Total Fat - 7.2g
Saturated Fat - 0.79g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 204.27mg
Potassium - 117.38mg
Total Carbohydrates - 42.58g
Fiber - 3.54g
Sugar - 1.54g
Protein - 3.53g

Comments:

I really liked the uniformity of these rice cakes. I love that they are made with brown rice, and not white rice. The flavor was nice, but next time I will add a tablespoon of two of minced capers and will put a ½ tablespoon of minced sautéed mushroom in the center of the rice patty before browning. Overall I was very pleased with this methodology and plan to make more non-traditional variations of onigiri.