"Crunch-n-Munch Lunch"

Cucumber, apple, sweet yellow pepper, avocado, green onions, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, sultanas, fresh lemon ginger root, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, cooked millet...a list of mouth-watering ingredients that combine easily to make a delicious mid-winter salad. It is wholesome and hearty enough for a satisfying lunch. Added to a more elaborate meal, it's sure to please the eye and the palate while revving up the body's energy in a sustained and solid way. My meal-time guest called it a "crunch-n-munch lunch". He thoroughly enjoyed every bite!

You'll need: 1 English cucumber; 1 crisp apple; 1 avocado; 1 small yellow pepper; 2 tablespoons chopped ginger root; 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds; 2 tablespoons sultanas; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 2 teaspoons maple syrup; 1 cup cooked millet; 2 green onions; 1/4 cup hemp hearts; salt to taste. For Garnish: 2 teaspoons hemp hearts; lemon slices; green stalk of green onion, thinly sliced lengthwise.

 

Method: Soak 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds in water for 2 hours. Rinse and set. Soak sultanas in water with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon until plump. Drain and pat dry.

 In a large serving bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons of maple syrup together until creamy. Add pumpkin seeds, chopped ginger root, sultanas, and cooked millet. Mix gently to coat grain with dressing. Set aside to blend flavours.

Peel and chop cucumber into bite-size pieces. Wash and dice apple with peel on. Pit, peel and cut avocado, and spritz with lemon juice. Slice white and green parts of green onion into thin rounds.

Add chopped fruit and vegetables to millet mixture along with 1/4 cup hemp hearts. Toss well. Sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt, if desired.

Garnish the "Crunch-n-Munch Lunch" salad with an additional sprinkling of nutritious hemp hearts. Add a few thin lemon slices with long slivers of green onion leaves along side them. Enjoy!

Fat-Free "Chunky Soup in A Cup"

Ladle a tasty cup of soup out of the stock pot. Warm hands and heart, and satisfy hunger after a cold winter walk. Vegetables, herbs and red lentils are simmered to perfection in an onion, garlic, dill-Dijon mustard stock, flavoured with brown rice vinegar and maple syrup."Really good!" said a guest, enjoying a cup of this intriguing, nutritious soup after a snowy walk in the park. Without oil, it's a healthy addition to any diet.

You'll need: 2 teaspoons dill seed; 1/4 cup water; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 1 onion; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon chopped ginger root; 2 carrots; 1 parsnip; 1 sweet red pepper; 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes; 1 cup red lentils; 5 cups water; 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast; 1 small bunch fresh chives; 1 small bunch fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Method: In a large soup pot, lightly dry roast dill seed over low heat until fragrant.

Add 1/4 cup of water and stir in 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard. Bring liquid to a light boil. 

Chop onion, garlic and ginger root into bite-size chunks.

Add to dill-Dijon broth. Cook at a very gentle heat until onions are softened and liquid is reduced to a thick creamy consistency.

Chop carrots and parsnip into bite-size chunks. Slice sweet red pepper into thin pieces. Add to stock pot, along with 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.Stir well.

Add 5 cups of water, 1 cup of red lentils, and chopped chives. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils and carrots are cooked. Option: For a creamier texture, process about /13/ of liquid with an immersion (stick) blender, or using a variable-speed blender, lightly blend 1/3 of the soup and return to stock pot, stirring well.

Just before serving, stir in 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley. Scoop into a cup, add a spoon and enjoy! 

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Cuban Cauliflower!

 This hummus and pepper topped cauliflower shines in a bed of freshly-grated carrot salad. The steamed cauliflower is iced like a cake. The nutritious protein-rich chick pea, sunflower seed and hemp heart topping is full of oven roasted sweet peppers, green onions, garlic, and the aromatic spices of Cuban cuisine. Served with a tangy fresh carrot salad, this interesting twist on a favorite winter vegetable is sure to please. My lunch guest said it was, "awesome!" I thought so, too. 

You'll Need: 

For the cauliflower: 1 cauliflower; 1 cup assorted sweet red, orange and yellow peppers, chopped; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 2 cloves garlic; 3 green onions; 1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds; 1 cup hummus; 1/4 cup hemp hearts; 2 teaspoons cumin powder;  1 teaspoon Cuban oregano; 1 teaspoon coriander powder; 1/2 teaspoon allspice; 1/4 cayenne pepper.

For the carrot salad: 2 large carrots, grated; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives; 1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/4 teaspoon Cuban oregano; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.

Method: Soak sunflower seeds for 2 hours; drain and set aside to air dry. 
Remove leaves and stalk from cauliflower. Steam until tender-crisp. Keep warm. 
Wash and chop peppers into bite-size pieces. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sea salt. Place in a shallow baking dish, a grill until skin begins to bubble. Remove from oven.

Slice green onions in thin pieces, and finely dice garlic. Add to pepper mixture in baking dish.

Add sunflower seeds, reserving 1 teaspoon for garnish, and return dish to oven. Grill under broiler, stirring once, until seeds begin to lightly brown.

Stir spices and water into hummus, blending well. Add the roasted pepper mixture, reserving 2 teaspoons for garnish. Stir in hemp hearts, reserving 1 teaspoon hemp hearts for garnish.

Place cauliflower in the center of a serving platter. Using a spatula, ice cauliflower with hummus-pepper mixture. Mix chopped chives, reserved sunflower seeds and hemp hearts together with a pinch of salt for garnish.

Grate carrots and toss with brown rice vinegar, cumin, Cuban oregano and sea salt. Place a small amount of carrot salad on top of cauliflower, and circle the rest around the cauliflower. Place reserved pepper mixture on top the carrot salad on the cauliflower. Sprinkle seed and hemp heart garnish on top of roasted pepper garnish, and over the carrot salad ring.

To Serve: Cut the cauliflower into thick slices, and serve alongside a generous portion of carrot salad. Enjoy with toasted bread or lightly dressed greens. The Cuban Cauliflower can also be cut into wedges, and served as nutritious and intriguing side-dish.

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