Sprouted french petite lentils stew

Sprouted french petite lentil stew with brown rice and kale

Sprouted french petite lentils stew
I have to admit, the sprouting lentils is not exactly doing less, but really, lentils do all the job themselves. I just put them in the water and wash them once a day with cold tap water for couple of days. The lentils become a small discs with little tails. It is super food. Omit this part and cook the lentils without sprouting, if it is not fun for you. You might soak them for half an hour, but even this is not must.

Sprouted - can you see those little tails?

Ingredients

1 cup french petite lentils (or black beluga lentils), sprouted or soaked for at least 30 minutes
1 cup tomato sauce of your choice
sea salt (to taste)
cumin
turmeric
red chilli flakes
black pepper
kale chopped to your {child} liking (optional)

Method

Add lentils and 3 cups of water into pot and bring to boiling. Add tomato sauce, salt and spices. Boil until soft. It will be about 20 minutes if sprouted. Not sprouted might take about 10 minutes longer.



Serve alone or over rice/grains of your choice.

Cream cheese hemp seed sandwich

"I'm late!
 I'm late! 
 For a very important date!
 No time to say hello, goodbye!
 I'm late!
 I'm late!
 I'm late!"                    
                            White Rabbit's song, from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll

Sometimes this is how I feel. Many parents, working and not working may relate. But do I really have to be pressed with time in order to prepare easy lunch? Making something quick will allow me to spend time on other things that really matter - reading, taking a walk or playing one more chess game.

Sprouted whole grain bread with cream cheese and hemp seeds, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers

Really, there is no recipe.
My 6 years old daughter asked to make it for her dinner today.
It was entirely her idea.

Cream cheese sandwich with hemp seeds and vegetables can be excellent speedy lunch.

Take good sandwich bread. I have used sprouted whole grain bread from Trader Joe's.
Spread cream cheese you like - I prefer whole milk to reduced fat.
Wash and cut some vegetables.
Sprinkle hulled hemp seeds on top for added taste and nutrition. Hemp plant has many uses and using hemp seeds for food surprised me first time I have heard about it. And hemp seeds considered to be super food. They are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin E and minerals. Hemp seeds have pleasant nutty taste that can enhance many dishes, especially fresh salads. 

To pack lunch for yourself or your child, fold the sandwich over, cut it to fit into lunch box, add fresh vegetables and it is ready.

Surprise. With beets salad.

My son has surprised me. He came back from school and asked for beets salad for snack. He said "It was SOOOOO good. I ate everything in my lunchbox. Give me more."
I had kept my jaw from dropping down and served it to him. Like it was a bowl of strawberries.

"Here you go, dear."

What is this magical salad?

It is a short version of Russian "vinеgret" (винегрет), usually made from beets, carrots, potatoes, green peas, pickled cabbage and cucumbers, simply seasoned with sunflower oil and salt. This salad is often eaten during the Great Fast, important fasting season for Eastern Christianity, when almost only vegan food is allowed for 40 days.

Satisfying and filling, beet salad keeps well in refrigerator for few days, making it easy alternative for lunch box. Healthy and delicious.

Beet salad with pickles (винегрет)

Ingredients

Beets, 5-6 medium size, cooked and diced
pickled cabbage and/or cucumbers, about 1 cup
green peas, 1 cup, cooked (I used organic frozen peas, cooked according to package instructions)
scallions, 1/3 cup, cut small (may substitute with red or regular diced onions)
sunflower oil, unrefined, 1 tablespoon (may substitute with olive oil)
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Method
Mix everything and serve.

Packed for lunch with pan fried wild salmon, steamed broccoli and yellow pepper

Variations
- this beets salad delicious served with tahini (sesame seeds) sauce.
- for traditional version, add 2 diced boiled potatoes and 1 carrot. Cook them in their skins.

Questions? Comments?

Easy Indian style spinach with rice. In 20 minutes.

When I first tried Indian spinach and cheese dish (Palak Paneer) I was just amazed with the flavors. They were bright, bold and delicious. I immediately decided to learn how to make this spinach dish at home. It took me years of experimenting before I was able to make this dish super quick. It is not a traditional recipe, but tasty, quick and nutrient dense.

Looking to make healthy spinach meal at no time? See the shortcuts below.

Indian style spinach - before blending

There are few shortcuts to make the preparation super quick.

1.  Frozen spinach. While fresh spinach is the best in flavor and nutrition, I usually prefer frozen for cooked dishes. Frozen spinach saves a lot of time -  no washing, no cooking in batches to reduce volume. It is very convenient to have frozen spinach in freezer, as opposite to fresh, that should be used within few days. I buy organic and make sure there is always some in freezer.

2. Precooked onions. I make caramelized onions and refrigerate them for different uses. The upgrade any dish, from soup to fried egg.

3. Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Instead of blended fresh tomato, I use few spoons of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Depends what I have on hand.

4. Paneer cheese. I don't usually have paneer cheese on hand. I have found that this spinach recipe works well with no added cheese or with any other cheese. I tried feta cubes, grated Parmesan or mozzarella cubes. Some kinds of mozzarella melt really well in hot dish. My son enjoys the strings it creates when scooped.

5. Immersion blender. I can't recommend it enough. The reason I got it was Palak Paneer. Why? Immersion blender saves the following steps: cooling cooked spinach, transferring it to food processor and washing food processor. How long do all those steps take? 

Easy and quick Indian style spinach and cheese over rice (inspired by Palak Paneer)

Ingredients
spinach, frozen, 1 package (preferably organic)
onion, 1 carmelized or sauted
tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, 3 table spoons
garlic, 1 glove, finely minced (yo may use garlic press)
ginger, 1/8 inch slice, finely minced (you may use garlic press)
lemon juice, 1 tablespoon
cumin, groun 1/4 teaspoon
coriander, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons or ghee (clarified butter, preferable grass fed)
asafoetida, pinch (optional)
chili flakes - to taste
salt

For serving - rice (basmati, brown), cheese (feta, mozzarella, parmesan).
Note: to make creamy, add about 1/2 cup of whole milk yogurt or sour cream.

Method
Put rice to cook, so it will be ready to serve with spinach. In large pot, boil 3 cups of water. When boiling, add spinach, garlic and ginger and cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Add rest of the ingredients. Using immersion blender, blend with few pulses to make rustic puree. Cook for 2 more minutes on low heat to let the flavors blend.

Serve hot over rice with cheese of your choice.  
You might want to garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

It was gone before I was ready with the camera to take the picture. What left? 

Indian style spinach and rice - eaten

For school lunch - I mix spinach and rice, add cheese and pack in thermoses. 

What shortcuts do you use in your cooking?

Mac and cheese. With sweet potatoes and carrots.

Are you using mac and cheese boxes?
Boxed mac and cheese is a children favorite. It is comforting. The kids are happy to see it on their plates. I used to make mac and cheese from scratch, but after eating the box version in a friends house, my kids started to ask me to buy it.  After some time I gave in.  Lately I serve it to the kids couple times a month. It is convenient and saves time.

Mac and cheese with sweet potato and carrot

How to make it healthier? And yummier?

To boost mac and cheese with vegetables, you can add pureed vegetables. I like orange vegetables - sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash. My children know I add it and learned to love it.

For me, it is important to check the ingredient list. I like the organic version Trader Joe's sells. The list is short - organic pasta shells (organic durum wheat semolina, organic wheat), organic white cheddar cheese (organic cultured pasteurized milk, salt,enzymes), organic whey, salt, disodium phosphate.

Here is a version using sweet potatoes and carrots, any other combination can be used. Cauliflower is on my list to try.

Mac and cheese with sweet potatoes and carrots

Ingredients
Butternut squash, 1 small,  peeled and cut to 1 inch pieces
Sweet potatoes, 1 small, peeled and cut to 1 inch pieces
Mac and cheese, 1 box (I used organic Trader Joe's mac and cheese, gluten free version works the same way)
butter, 1 tablespoon or to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1 tablespoon or to taste

butternut squash

Sweet potatoes in carrots cooked

Note: When starting to introduce vegetable puree blends, you might want to increase the amounts gradually, starting from 1/4 cup and building it up. We use now about 2 cups. Leftover vegetables can be used in your other recipes.

Method 
Steam orange vegetables in a steamer basket or in large pot or skillet covered for 15 minutes until soft. Puree using blender or smash with fork the amount you will use for mac and cheese. Prepare pasta according to the instruction. Leave 1/4 cup of cooking pasta water. Mix into pasta together the cheese package, pasta water, butternut squash and sweet potato puree, butter and Parmesan cheese.
Cook on low heat for 3 minutes to blend the tastes.

You may consider to make double and enjoy it yourself!

Zucchini pancakes. With millet and barley.

Our weekend breakfast treat are pancakes. My family likes warm pancakes served with good chocolate spread or maple syrup. I like mine with sour cream, the way my grandmother used to serve.

I feel like I am repeating someone else here. So many times I came across of another "grandmother recipe" and another "weekend treat". So what is different?

The ingredients. Millet flour, barley flour and grated zucchini. I have to admit that this is one of very few ways my kids will eat zucchini. Or millet. Or barley.

millet barley zucchini pancakes

Millet is a small gluten free grain with nice yellow color. Barley is a low gluten grain with nutty flavor. Different grains provide different sets of nutrients. Using something other than traditional wheat flour is a good way to ensure variety in the menu.

Zucchini millet barley pancakes
adapted from Wild Yeast blog by Susan


Ingredients
sourdough starter, 2 table spoons
water, 250 gram (I use tap water)
millet flour, 125 gr
barley flour, 125 gr
zucchini, 1-2 grated on fine side of grater
maple syrup, 2 table spoons
olive oil, 2 table spoons
eggs, 2
sea salt, 1/2 teaspoons
baking soda, 1 teaspoon
cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)


Method

Start night before your morning pancake breakfast - mix together sourdough starter, flours and water in a glass container. Leave on counter in room temperature till morning, covered, but not completely closed.  The mixture will be full of bubbles in the morning. Add all rest of ingredients and whisk them together. Cook on a hot buttered skillet. I like to use clarified butter since it burns less.

Submitted to weekly yeast spotting on Wild Yeast blog.

Almost no cooking lunch. With avocado.

Would you like to add more vegetables to your menu? Green vegetables?

Buckwheat with green peas, avocado, broccoli, snow pea, red peppers, blue corn chips

Here is an idea for healthy lunch, made with minimum preparations. Half of avocado, organic blue corn chips, sliced peppers, steamed broccoli and snow peas. To prevent browning, dunk avocado cut side down into lemon water for a few seconds. To make lemon water, squeeze few drops of lemon juice into 1/4 cup of cold water.

I had cooked buckwheat, so I quickly reheated it with frozen green peas, added unrefined sunflower oil and packed in thermos. Any other cooked grains work well too - quinoa, brown rice, barley or couscous. Or pasta.

Questions? Comments?

Easy green beans. With soy sauce, garlic and curry.

How would you trim your green beans? With scissors! There is something meditative in taking one string at the time and cutting its tail. Green beans make fast and healthy Asian flavored side dish. 

Green beans, cooking; garlic and oil, getting ready with scissors

Curried green beans with soy and garlic


Ingredients

garlic, 2 gloves, minced
olive oil, 1/2 table spoon

chili flakes - 1/4 tables spoon or to taste (optional)

green beans, 1 pound, washed and trimmed

curry powder, 1/2 tea spoon or to taste
soy sauce, 1 tablespoon or to taste (tamari sauce can be substituted)
water, 1/4 cup or more
rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon or to taste (umeboshi or other vinegar can be substituted)
roasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste (optional)
no salt

Note: for gluten free, check labels

Method

Place garlic, oil and chili flakes on medium skillet and turn heat on low medium heat. Cook for about 30 seconds till fragrant. Add beans, curry powder, soy cause, water, vinegar and stir. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes covered. Steam will cook the beans.

It is your choice to make beans crisp or soft. My family likes them on a softer side. If you prefer them softer, add splash of water, cover and cook for few more minutes. When done to your liking, turn off the heat, add sesame oil and mix.

Note, that if the beans remain in hot skillet, they are subject to heat and get softer.

Cooked!

Those green beans are great addition to lunch box, either cold, by themselves or warm, mixed with rice in a thermos.

Mixing cheese casserole. With broccoli.

Making casseroles was in my list of things to do for a long time. It has always appealed to me. One dish meal, loaded with vegetables and easy. Yes, easy. I was thinking - just mix it all, bake and the meal is ready. Finally I made it. And it was easy. 

broccoli ricotta cheese casserole

There were ricotta cheese, sour cream, grated parmesan and broccoli in my fridge. I have mixed it and the result over performed any expectations. The result was record amount of broccoli my daughter ate. Ever. She gobbled the casserole with the broccoli and asked for more and more.


Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
ricotta, whole milk - 10 ounces or 300 gram 
sour cream - 5 ounces 150 gram
eggs, 2
semolina flour - 2 tablespoons (or other flour) 
broccoli, steamed - 1.5 pound or 700 gram
parmesan cheese - 3.5 ounces or 100 gram cheddar cheese - 2 ounces or 60 gram 
mozzarella cheese - 2 ounces or 60 gram
salt, 1/2 tea spoon or to taste
black pepper, to taste
thyme, dried - 1/2 tea spoon or to taste

Method

Mix everything besides broccoli. Add broccoli and mix.
Butter baking container. Spoon everything in. Grate some mozzarella over.
Bake for 1 hour at 390F uncovered until golden and set.
Serve with salad and fresh vegetables. Pack cold or warm for lunch.


I have made this recipe using steamed cauliflower. Delicious. Another record amount of cauliflower for my daughter.  Spinach is next. 


This is a great solution to help picky children to eat more vegetables. With cheese vegetables taste better. 

Preheat or pack cold for lunch.