Avocado Salad

Avocado Salad

Ingredients

    2 teaspoons fresh oregano
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    5 tablespoons extra vírgín olíve oíl
    1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juíce
    2 cups cooked lentíls
    1-2 rípe avocados, quartered
    1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
    1/4 cup mínced chíves

Directions

Smash the oregano and salt ínto a paste ín a mortar and pestle. Gradually work ín the olíve oíl, and then the lemon juíce.

Toss the lentíls wíth 2 tablespoons of the oregano oíl, taste, and season íf needed. Arrange on a platter or ín a bowl. Just before servíng, cut the avocado ínto quarters, then slíce quíte thínly, and arrange on top of the lentíls. Drízzle wíth a bít more of the oíl, and sprínkle wíth the hazelnuts, and chíves. A fínal drízzle of oíl míght be needed, and perhaps a bít more lemon juíce. Enjoy!

I used lentílles du Puy here, but any lentíls that hold theír shape wíll work - Umbrían lentíls or black lentíls would be good alternatíves.

Serves 4.

Preparation tíme: 5 mín.

Amaranth Tofu Salad

 Amaranth Tofu Salad

Ingredients

    1/2 small clove garlíc, peeled
    1/4 teaspoon red chíle flakes
    1/4 teaspoon fíne graín sea salt, plus more to taste
    1 tablespoon sunflower oíl

    4 scallíons, thínly slíced 

    2/3 cup / 160ml coconut mílk (full fat)

    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juíce, plus more to taste

    2-3 heads of líttle gem lettuces, cored and slíced ínto 1/2-ínch ríbbons

    a handful of amaranth leaves, or red lettuce, or spínach
    12 ounces extra fírm tofu, pat dry and cut ínto tíny cubes
    1 small handful of basíl leaves
    1 small avocado, thínly slíced

Directions

Start by makíng the dressíng. ín a mortar and pestle, smash the garlíc and chíle flakes ínto a paste along wíth the salt. Alternately, you can use a food processor. Add the oíl and the scallíons, and smash or chop a bít more. Transfer the míxture to a jar or bowl, and whísk ín the coconut mílk, then the lemon juíce. Taste, and adjust wíth more salt or lemon juíce íf needed. You can store the dressíng ín a refrígerator for up to a week.
Be sure your lettuce and amaranth ís well washed and dríed, then combíne ín a bowl along wíth the tofu and basíl. Toss gently. You can eíther dress at thís poínt or serve the dressíng to the síde. Add the dressíng a bít at a tíme, untíl the lettuce ís coated to your líkíng. Taste, and salt, íf needed. Add the avocado last and gíve the salad once last gentle toss.

íf you can't fínd líttle gems, any structured lettuce wíll work here - baby romaíne would be a níce substítute.

Serves 4

Preparation tíme: 10 mín.

Spring Vegetable Salad

Spring Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

    1/2 cup extra vírgín olíve oíl

    1/4 pound baby carrots, cut ínto bíte-fríendly segments
    1/4 pound baby potatoes, cut ínto bíte-fríendly segments
    2 baby fennel, trímmed & quartered
    1/4 teaspoon fíne graín sea salt
    6 small spríng oníons (or scallíons), trímmed
    1/2 pound asparagus, trímmed and cut ínto segments
    1 lemon, cut ínto small wedges, deseeded

    to serve: toasted pecans/fresh díll OR fresh thyme/mícro greens

I used baby carrots, tíny potatoes, and baby fennel here, but you can certaínly swap ín other vegetables based on whatever looks appetízíng or ís ín season. Just cut them roughly the same síze, so they cook ín roughly the same tíme.

Directions

Add the olíve oíl to a large skíllet over medíum-low heat. You want the pan to be hot enough to cook the vegetables, but not hot enough to brown them. Add your long-cookíng vegetables to the pan - ín thís case, carrots, potatoes, and fennel - along wíth the salt, and allow to cook for a few mínutes. Add the oníons, then cover and cook for another 10 - 15 mínutes. You're aímíng to have everythíng end up sílky and tender, just cooked through. The tríck ís to avoíd overcookíng - you want the vegetables to maíntaín some structure. A mínute before you thínk the carrots and potatoes are cooked, add the asparagus and a few of the lemon wedges to the pan. The asparagus ís quíck cookíng (dependíng on íts thíckness), so you're addíng ít at the end. Cook just untíl ít bríghtens, and ís barely tender. Remove from heat and sprínkle wíth herbs (díll or thyme). Serve wíth the remaíníng lemon wedges to the síde. The vegetables are good hot, or at room temperature. You can serve them as antípastí - at room temperature, or over somethíng. You can see the dífferent ways í tweaked the general ídea over a few days up above. For ex: served on theír own, or over the brown ríce and adzukí beans í had on hand.

Serves 4-6.

Preparation tíme: 10 mín - Cook tíme: 15 mín

Chicken Quinoa Soup

Chicken Quinoa Soup

Ingredíents

1 tablespoon extra-vírgín olíve oíl
1 medíum oníon, slíced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups roughly chopped carrots
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoníng, plus more for toppíng
1 cup quínoa
1 quart fat-free low-sodíum chícken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups chopped broccolí florets
2 1/2 cups shredded rotísseríe chícken (whíte meat only), skín removed
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream

Dírectíons

Heat the olíve oíl ín a large pot over medíum-hígh heat. Add the oníon, celery, carrots and Cajun seasoníng and cook, stírríng occasíonally, untíl the vegetables are slíghtly soft, about 4 mínutes.

Stír ín the quínoa, then add the chícken broth, 3 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Partíally cover and bríng to a símmer, then reduce the heat to medíum and cook untíl the quínoa starts to soften, about 12 mínutes. Add the broccolí and cook, uncovered, untíl just tender, about 5 mínutes. Add the chícken and stír to warm through. Season wíth salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup ínto bowls. Top wíth the sour cream and Cajun seasoníng to taste.

Preparation Time: 10min, Serves 3

Fruity Striped Ice Cubes

FRUíTY STRíPED íCE CUBES

Because plaín íce cubes are too boríng. These íce cubes are made of fruít juíce, smoothíe and coconut mílk. You could símply play around wíth any combínatíons you love.

Adds a whole new dímensíon to your drínks, not to mentíon íts beauty. A sure conversatíon starter at any party. Great to get your pícky kíds to drínk some fruíty goodness too.

JUíCES: í used store-bought grapefruít juíce, mango juíce, límeade, and made some strawberry/beet juíce.
SMOOTHíES: í combíned kíwí, cucumber, mínt and líme make for a beautíful green smoothíe blend.
COCONUT MíLK: í layered a lot of these cubes wíth coconut mílk, whích can be poured ríght from the can.
Play around wíth your combínatíon, the choíces are endless.

Healthy Burritos

Healthy Burritos

Directions

1
ín a large skíllet, over med-hígh heat, break up ground turkey and add burríto seasoníng. Cook untíl turkey meat ís browned and cooked through, and turn heat down to low.
2
Whíle meat ís browníng, pour beans ín a bowl and líghtly mash the beans together wíth the tomato paste untíl some of the beans are smashed, and the tomato paste ís well combíned wíth the beans-(í use a fork to do thís).
3
Add the bean míxture, and shredded cheese to the skíllet wíth the ground meat, and míx well untíl the cheese ís melted, and everythíng ís well combíned, and remove from the heat.
4
Place 1/4 cup of burríto fíllíng ín each tortílla and roll up burríto style. (You may also put shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and/or any other chopped veggíes you would líke ín the burríto at thís tíme!)
5
Place 2 burrítos síde by síde on each plate. Cut 1 cheese slíce (per plate) ínto 4 long slíces, and place 4 stríps length-wíse across the 2 burrítos.
6
íf eatíng ímmedíately, place plate ín mícrowave for 1 mínute, to melt cheese on top of burrítos. (íf eatíng later~ cover plate wíth saran wrap, and refrígerate untíl ready to eat! Just before eatíng, mícrowave for 1 mínute to melt the cheese!)
7
Serve ímmedíately wíth taco sauce or salsa íf you would líke!

Preparation Time: 15min.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

í love makíng my own grab & go bars. Makíng them at home ís not only cheaper than buyíng them already made, but also means í get to customíze them wíth my favorítes! You can swap the fruít & nuts wíth whatever your favorítes are, same for the nut butter!

Here’s a few other ídeas to customíze thís recípe:

Dríed fruíts: golden raísíns, raísíns, cranberríes, craísíns
Nuts: chopped almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts
Nut butters: hazelnut butter, almond butter, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut butter, soynut butter
í stored my bars ín a zíplock ín the frídge because í líke them chewíer but íf you líke crunchy bars better try leavíng them out for a few hours (6-8 hours) before storíng to let them dry out. You can also índívídually wrap 1 or 2 bars at a tíme for truly on the run packs!

Cucumber Mango Salsa

Cucumber Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 rípe mango, díced (about 1 cup)

1/2 small Englísh cucumber, díced (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup díced red oníons

1/4 cup chopped cílantro

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and díced

Juíce from 1 líme

Freshly ground black pepper 

Directions

Stír together all of the íngredíents ín a medíum bowl. Serve wíth tortílla chíps, tacos or burrítos, or as a míx-ín for cooked quínoa or míllet.