Quick and Simple Lunch

Quick and Simple are two words that have been describing my meals lately.  I like meals that let me work on homework while I'm in the prep process.  This meal was so simple and perfect for a blustery wintery day.  A baked sweet potato, a green salad with a creamy lemon dressing, and mashed chickpeas over quinoa.

First, an hour before I was ready to eat I set the oven to 400 and rubbed my sweet taters with olive oil and wrapped them tight with aluminum foil.  I measured out my quinoa and water in a 1:2 ratio and put in my rice cooker.  I stepped away and studied for about 30 minutes.  Then I grabbed a can of chickpeas and drained and rinsed them and let them hang out on the stove with 1 cup of water, 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of cayenne, and 1 tsp agave nectar (or sugar) covered on medium high stirring every few minutes.  I tore up my lettuce and cut up some veggies for a green salad.  In my blender I prepped the creamy lemon dressing-
half of a lemon- skin and all- 1/2 cup of cashews, sea salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, 1/4 cup of water, and 3 drops of stevia.
After the salad was prepped the quinoa and sweet potatoes were done- the only thing left was to roughly mash the chickpeas and plate the food!

I sprinkled the sweet potato with garam masala- but cinnamon would work just as well.

Black Bean Quinoa Roasted Veggie Bowl

One of my unofficial New Year's Resolutions was to update my blog three times a week.  I would have loved to keep that up, but with going to school full time and working full time, sometimes I'm worried I'm not going to be able to shower three times a week!  So, as my life has simplified- my meals have as well.  I'm now okay with one dish meals, compared to my preferred 4-6 dish meals that used to happen several times weekly in my kitchen.

Tonight's meal was simple and prepared while I was busy working on other stuff.  It required some chopping and minimal stirring.  Thanks to my rice cooker the quinoa didn't even have to be stirred.  The butternut squash only had to be tossed once during its cooking time (feel free to sub any veggies that can be roasted).  And the beans on the stove simmered on low while everything was happening- and only needed attention every 5-7 minutes.  When the quinoa was done I mixed it in with the beans.  This is easy and can be done while doing anatomy homework.

Black Bean Quinoa Roasted Veggie Bowl

1 cup quinoa cooked in rice cooker (will yield 2+ cups of quinoa)

2 cans of black beans rinsed and drained cooked on low with:

1 cup water

splash of evoo

salt

2 jalapenos

cumin

coriander

on cookie sheet in a 425 oven:

1 butternut squash peeled and chopped

1 onion sliced

coated with evoo, cumin, coriander, salt, and cayenne baked for 40 minutes

top with avocado and lime juice/zest

Bring Your Lunch!

In high school I would sometimes forget to pack my lunch.  I was just vegetarian at the time, so I usually had a slice of cheese on a hamburger bun with lettuce, mustard, and pretzels all smashed together complete with a side of fries.  Grossss!  (But at the time it wasn't too awful of a punishment for forgetting to bring my lunch.)  Working in a burger restaurant/bar currently I feel like I have to come up with silly combinations (like the cheese/mustard/pretzel sammie) when I forget to bring my lunch.  I'm sure the high school me would drool at the possible combinations available to me now, but the current me is sick of the non-organic and not-so-fresh/healthy combos I create when I don't bring food with me to work.  I've also just started massage school (YAY!) so I have looong days ahead of me of starting class at 9am and working til 1am.  

Tuesday was my first day of a school/work double.  I started the morning with my three glasses of spring water, then had a coconut water/cacao/chia seed/strawberry smoothie that I blended up to drink during the first part of class.  (Tip- 16oz bottles (maybe from kombucha) work well to transport smoothies!)  The night before I had made my temperature neutral foods for the day: coconut curry soup, quinoa kale crunch, and hummus and veggies.  I also threw in some Gone gluten free crackers, So Delicious coconut milk yogurt, a larabar, and an apple.  

I have access to a fridge at work, but I didn't know if I would at school, so I needed foods that could be enjoyed at any temperature.  Also, I'm trying to avoid the microwave, (and I didn't know if one would be available), so I knew a raw soup was in the works.  Raw soups can be very satisfying.  I pumped this one full of warming herbs, so even though it was room temperature I was nice and toasty eating it.  This recipe is super flexible- have fun experiment with the spice amounts/thickness/ and serving temperature.  

Raw Coconut Curry Soup

4 ribs celery

2-4 cloves garlic

two handfuls of chopped/baby carrots

lemongrass

red pepper flakes/cayenne/jalapeno

ginger

tumeric

coriander/cilantro

basil/holy basil

juice from 1 lemon/lime

1-2 thai coconuts, add meat first then slowly add water, determining desired thickness.

Option: raw cashews blended in

Blend in any order in a good blender/food processor.  I am in love with my Vitamix.  I had a lot of coarse dried spices/seeds so I first blended those into a powder/paste before adding the veggies/coconut.  I really suggest checking out lemongrass and holy basil if you haven't yet.  Lemongrass is such a crisp, citrus-y taste.  Holy basil is also called tulsi and traditionally it is used in teas, as well as a spice for food.  

To pair with my super warming soup, I wanted a protein packed accompaniment that provided a lot of crunch.  Quinoa is the beefiest of all grains with 18 amino acids and a high protein content.  Quinoa is crunchier than pasta or rice, but the real crunch in the recipe comes from walnuts and red onions.  Any kale, as long as its shredded and de-stemmed is perfect with the quinoa.  And again, this is a temperature neutral dish.  It's great cold, room temperature or warmed.  

Quinoa Kale Crunch

2 cups of cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked)

1 bunch of kale shredded, de stemmed

1 red onion chopped

1 cup of raw walnuts chopped and soaked.

juice from 1 lemon

2 tbs olive oil

sea salt

black pepper

After shredding and de stemming the kale, cover with the juice of one lemon, 1 tsp of salt and massage for about a minute, softening the kale.  Add the quinoa (cooled to room temperature), and the rest of the ingredients.  Pack in containers for lunch! 

Hummus and veggies may be my favorite snack, and keeping with the theme of this post- its temperature neutral (some places serve hummus warm, cool, or room temperature).  I have a recipe here for roasted red pepper and jalapeno hummus.  This hummus was made with black sesame seeds and black beans with roasted garlic and jalapenos.  I've already mentioned before that I cheat and use organic canned beans from the major chain grocery, but 4 cups of cooked beans, or two cans is a good base, unless you're making hummus for an army or a baby shower.  Making your hummus at home is easy.  You can invest in pre-mixed tahini, but I find that a big jar of sesame seeds from the asian section is more economical.  Grind about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of those in the food processor, then add 4 cups of beans, making sure at least 2 cups (one can) of those are chickpeas.  Lemon juice, cumin, garlic (raw or roasted), salt, and cayenne are stars in the hummus walk of fame.  Roasted peppers or onions, fresh cilantro or parsley, or subbing half the chickpeas for cashews, kidneys, or black beans are great additions.  This is your hummus- get creative and start tasting and making :)