Sweet Love and Ginger

Vegan

Confetti Bean Salad

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So meal prep; do you do it?

I’ve never been that good at doing too much of it beyond meal planning and grocery shopping. I have friends who actually spend a few hours each week preparing their meals in individual containers, including snacks so they don’t even have to think about it. Personally I don’t think that is a system that works for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fabulous idea if that’s what works for you.

Confetti Bean Salad

Even though I don’t do a full on meal prep each week I like to make sure that we have some stuff ready to toss onto a salad for lunches or snack really for convenience sake, and because every now and then we end up without leftovers for lunch.

Whether you call it confetti salad, cowboy caviar or just bean salad this little dish is a great addition to your meal prep plans. I love it because it’s easy to toss together, made with unprocessed food and so good! It’s also one of the most versatile recipes in my arsenal lending itself to so many applications. I try to make this every couple of weeks just to have around the house. It’s so convenient to pull this salad out for a snack, a lunch or an addition to a meal. Knowing that it’s totally healthy is just an added bonus.

To date we have used this mixture in stuffed peppers, as a dip with chips, over French fries with cheese, to top a salad, in enchiladas or wraps or just on its own. It’s pretty easy to see how this one dish can quickly become a meal prep staple.

Confetti Bean Salad

Confetti Bean Salad
Serves: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (11 ounce) can sweet corn, drained
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 jalapenos, ribs, seeds removed and chopped fine
  • Pinch salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Juice of half a lime
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss until well combined. Serve immediately.

 

Easy Curried Lentils

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Easy Curried Lentils

Indian cuisine and I are not really friends. Aside from a few select recipes (that really resemble the worst of Americanized regional food) I cannot for the life of me make an Indian style dish that actually tastes good.

When Royal contacted me about their Basmati Rice I knew I had to give it another shot. I’m really excited to announce that I was finally about to concoct a pretty delicious Indian style dish. I think keeping it fairly simple was the key here, just basic ingredients and a focus on flavor.

I’m really proud to say that this dish will probably make it into our routine fairly regularly. Since it’s delicious, easy and totally different from my usual meals.

Easy Curried Lentils

Easy Curried Lentils
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup lentils, rinsed and cleaned
  • ½ a large onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons curry paste
  • ½ tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • a few good shakes of cayenne pepper
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 cup broth or water
  • ¼ cup coconut milk or cream
  • cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Cook the lentils according to directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large sauce pan melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until it becomes translucent.
  3. Add the curry paste, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, honey, garlic, ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes while stirring. The paste should be well blended and begin to brown. Stir in the broth until well blended.
  5. Stir in the lentils and milk or cream and simmer for another 15 minutes, allowing the flavor to deepen.
  6. Garnish and serve.

 

Royal® Basmati Rice

This post was sponsored by Royal® Basmati Rice.

French Lentil and Arugula Salad

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This is a review of Food 52 Vegan. 

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this review through the Blogging for Books Program.

French Lentil and Arugula Salad

As we try to eat more vegetable based meals I find that I’m running out of steam. I’ve kind of been stuck in the same rotation of meals, which quite clearly has not helped our waste lines. That’s why both Chuck and I are trying a diet challenge for the month of January. These little challenges give me a chance to flex my creative muscles in the kitchen and cook a different style of food. I have found that in my attempt to make sure I’m still getting enough protein on a restricted diet, while also maintaining my part time vegetarian diet and not getting completely bored, vegan cooking seems to be the way to go.

Food 52 Vegan

I recently picked up Food52 Vegan Cookbook and immediately fell in love. Not only are the pictures amazing, and the recipes superb, but there is a lot of really amazing step by step instruction, and additional info to help the average person understand the foundations of vegan cooking and diets.

This salad has been one of my favorites of the book, and a great go to for week night meals and lunches. I have made it exactly as prescribed, but also added a few ingredients here and there to spice it up. Thing like roasted red peppers, leftover black beans, hummus, and peanut dressing all work wonderfully with this salad base.

French Lentil and Arugula Salad
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 ½ cups cooked lentils
  • 2 cups firmly packed baby arugula leaves
  • 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
  • 1 cup chopped endive
  • 1 cup sliced cucumber
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, shallot, salt, lemon juice, vinegar and mustard until evenly blended. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the lentils, arugula radishes, endive, cucumber, and dill. Drizzle evenly with the prepared dressing, then toss until the ingredients are evenly coated. Stir in the walnuts and season with black pepper to taste.
  3. Serve immediately.

French Lentil and Arugula Salad

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad

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This is a great recipe for bringing a little summer to winter time vegetables.

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad

Sometimes in winter things can get a little dull. Everyone is making soups, stews, and sauces with mainly creamy and savory components. Don’t get me wrong I love that stuff but sometimes I just want some freshness in my life even if it’s frozen tundra outside. Some freshness and some heat. Who says we can’t eat summery style food with our winter veggies? Not I.

What I’m getting at is that this recipe is the perfect way to squash the summery food craving. The sweet heat of Chipotle and Maple combine to bring a summer barbecue-esk flavor that lends itself well to the warm roasted veggies and fresh kale. Spiced squash seeds add just a touch of the necessary crunch to bring this whole dish together.

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggie Salad
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 red onion, peeled and quartered twice
  • 2 turnips, peeled and quartered twice
  • 2 beets, peeled and quartered twice
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peeled & cubed
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup squash seeds, cleaned & dried
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups chopped kale
Instructions
  1. Place the onion, turnip, beets, and squash on a large rimmed sheet tray. Sprinkle with chili powder and drizzle with roughly 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.
  2. Reduce the heat to 325 and spread the squash seeds in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle with remaining oil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until they begin to pop in the oven. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
  3. To assemble the salad place half the kale in each bowl, top with cooled veggies, seeds and drizzle with Maple Chipotle vinaigrette (Recipe Follows). Serve immediately.

Maple Chipotle Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Serve immediately.

Maple Chipotle Winter Roast Veggies

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza with Lemon

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This is a recipe for a vegan Honey Chili Veggie Pizza with Lemon that can easily be made vegan and makes for a great appetizer.

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

Before we dive into today’s recipe I want to take a moment to mention Food Blogger Pro, a website dedicated to helping food bloggers learn, grow, & monetize your blog. Membership enrollment will close on November 19th, and not be available again until spring 2016, with total membership being capped at 2,000 members! Don’t wait join now before you miss out.

Now on to this cheese-less sauce-less pizza.

This is an interesting one. I came up with it on a whim as I was trying to come up with new and interesting appetizer’s that are dairy free. Why dairy free you ask? Because one of our close friends has an allergy. I always make it a point to bring something that she can have, because that’s what good friends do, plus it gives me an excuse to flex my creative cooking muscles. As it turned out this pizza is actually vegan and makes a great appetizer!

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

This pizza came together quite easily and I was pleased with the results, as was the rest of the crowd. I actually got the idea from another Blue Apron Recipe. My favorite part of that recipe was the honey chili and I thought that the cheese kind of took away from that, because well cheese is delicious and tends to steal the show. So in remaking this recipe I decided to go cheese less and on that same note I went sauce less too, using sliced whole tomatoes instead. I think this made the whole thing a lot fresher.

All in all I think this is a great summer/early fall recipe, since it’s light and fresh and would go wonderfully with a nice chilled glass of sauvignon blanc. Now picture that on your back patio? Good scene right?

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza

For the pizza dough you can use a pre-made store bought version or make your own. I really like this recipe and use it for pretty much all my pizzas. To make it vegan swap out the honey for maple syrup or agave.

Honey Chili Veggie Pizza
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb plain pizza dough recipe
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus more)
  • 3-4 gloves of garlic, minced
  • 8 ounces baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 tomato sliced thin
  • ¼ red onion, sliced thing
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon cracked red pepperflakes
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
  2. Lay the pizza out on a rimmed baking pan or pizza stone.
  3. In a large skillet heat oil and garlic over medium high heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to brown and become fragrant. Remove from heat and use a brush to gently spread the garlic oil over the pizza dough until it is coated in a thin glossy layer.
  4. Add more oil to the pan if needed and return to heat. Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside. Once cooled slightly use a strainer to press down the spinach and remove as much of the liquid as possible.
  5. Arrange the sliced tomato and onions on the pizza dough. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Spread the spinach over the top of the pizza.
  6. Place the pizza in the oven and cook for 18 minutes, or until the outer crust begins to brown.
  7. While the pizza cooks combine the honey, cracked red pepper and chili powder.
  8. Once browned remove the pizza from the oven and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle with honey chili combination and sprits with as much lemon juice as desired.
  9. Cut into slices and serve Immediately.

What are some of your favorite pizza toppings?