Tag Archives: beans

Harvest Lentil Salad

harvestlentilsalad

Recently, I was invited to do a cooking demo and cook for a local Food Bank to celebrate the harvest + World Food Day. It brought back so many memories of when I was the coordinator of Tucson Food Day just a few short years ago.

This event was a beautiful celebration! First, I cooked all day with lovely friends and volunteers, my children were nearby most of the day content + happy (yes, I was stunned, too), and then I did a cooking demo that was light-hearted + well received. But, my favorite part happened a few weeks earlier when I walked into the Food Bank and they showed me all of the foods available to their clients that they were eager for me to cook with and share.

Barely wilting cabbage, banged up winter squash, onions and carrots– the recipe ideas were pouring out of me onto my handy clipboard. But, then they opened a large bag with teeny-tiny black seeds and asked me “What in the world are these?”

“Beautiful beluga lentils” I seriously had to exclaim!

These lentils are unique and they get their name because they look just like beluga caviar. What a treasure to find in the Food Bank! I took some home to test out a new recipe using the other produce and goods available to the Food Bank clients.

The result was this simple salad. Consider this a base recipe. A recipe that would happily enjoy a bit of sparkling up with bits of dried fruit such as minced apricots or cranberries or even the jewels of pomegranates. The crunch of various nuts or seeds, such as toasted almonds, crumbled pecans or last week’s Candied Chipotle Pepitas would settle in nicely with these lentils. Roasted veggies, roots, or shreds of leaves could be folded in as well. A crumble of feta or shavings of parmesan would also do well in this dish. It calls for water, but cooking the beans in broth adds yet another layer of flavor.

This can be a simple weeknight meal or a side dish to an elaborate holiday dish. Let me know how you glam up these simple belugas.

Harvest Lentil Salad
Beluga Lentils can be found in specialty shops, gourmet groceries, co-ops or health food stores. Another lentil such as French, Green, or Brown lentils can work instead. The only lentil I would avoid are the thinner lentils, such as the red, which are better for soups than salads. 

1 onion, finely chopped
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1 cup beluga lentils, or french or green
3 cups water, or unsalted broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 apple, cored and finely chopped
1/4 cup sage, washed and finely chopped, or thyme or parsley

Place the onions, lentils, and chopped carrots (or squash/sweet potatoes) in a pot covered with the water and a lid. Bring up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 40-50 minutes until tender to the bite. Once the lentils are nearly done, add half of the salt. If there is extra water, increase the heat to boil it off quickly or strain off the liquid using a wire mesh strainer.

In a large separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar and honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking rapidly. Add the remaining salt. Fold the cooked lentils into the dressing and then add the apples and fresh herbs. Serve warm or cool and serve chilled.

What a Mama really wants + Strawberry Almond Lentils

Strawberry Lentil Salad

When you dive into the world of being a mom there is a lot of on the job training. I attempt to keep a routine, but if your children are anything like mine they spend most of their time throwing wild cards your way. Fortunately, their distractions are often cute, sweet + lovable, it is all about balance right? Keeping a schedule is a splendid idea that has helped me in many ways, but I have noticed it must have the flexibility to be completely scratched or overhauled at a moment’s notice.

At home, I have created a few strategies to allow me a bit more peace and sanity. The first is that my husband and I have a completely nerdy weekly meeting. This has lead to some big changes for us. First, we have started to climb our way out of debt as we spend time every week talking about where our money is coming and going. We still have a winding road ahead of us, but for the first time in our relationship we feel in the driver seat of our finances, not the other way around.

With this mini-success, we found ourselves eager to tackle other elements of our life. Simply knowing what is going on with our shared calendar has led to less surprises throughout our week. That all being said, what excites me the most is that we actually talk about our meal plan for the week, too.

Since starting the meal planning service, I usually create new meals + recipes on a regular basis. Because of this, I have often let the creativity of the ingredients and my whimsy lead me on a daily basis. This is my happy place. However, with two children taking turns craving my attention, this has lead to more frustration than not… for all of us. Basically, I have historically been the cliche: the cobbler who’s children have no shoes. I haven’t always meal planned for my family. Yup, kind of embarrassing considering my line of work.

By making my spouse an accountability partner things have changed around here. Our meals are more lovely and coherent. Our children get fired up about dinner (although, let’s be real- not exactly every time, they are wild cards, people!). But, the biggest thing is that I feel more sane and calm. When dinner finally arrives I can actually sit, dine and enjoy my favorite people and munch on some really good food. And one final secret- I don’t always follow the meal plans exactly, (which makes my untamable creative side very happy) but just having a starting point has made our dining experience more realistic, predictable, and enjoyable.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I have been thinking, isn’t that what most of us mamas want? A little calm? A little more sanity? A bit more relaxing- hey, I love you and all of your wild cards- time with our family?

Considering my own motherly cravings, I have started to uncover ways to make Lilly’s Table embrace the mama lifestyle. I have always been excited about what I create on Lilly’s Table, but I have recently been working very hard to create a program that I hope every mom will love up as you enjoy meal plans that work with your schedule that are built around the seasons, veggies and everything you and your family love. I will be sharing a bit more this month, but put June 1st on your calendar for a whole lot of meal planning fun.

Me and my sweet girl who turns five on Mother's Day!

As I get my ducks in a row, I would greatly appreciate hearing from YOU! Whether you support a mom or are a mother yourself, what do YOU need in order to get a beautiful, seasonal meal on the table every night?

Finally, I am giving the first 20 mamas who sign up for service between now and Mother’s Day the first two months for free. Become a member today and you will be the first to hear about the exciting new changes on Lilly’s Table! Simply use this promo code: wmwfmd.

Of course, I do not want to leave you without a recipe to try. I originally made this recipe for my daughter’s first birthday. She is turning five on Mother’s Day and I am thrilled to be sharing this ‘day I became a mama’ with her. I made the Strawberry Almond Lentils again just the other day and was actually surprised by how few steps and ingredients there were. This toss of lentils is perfect for the sad slightly shrinking strawberries that I find myself pulling out of the back of the fridge wondering how such little sweethearts could have been shoved to the back like that. Who would dare do such a thing? (Please note, I am most likely to be blamed, I get a bit wild when the kitchen muse arrives.)

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Strawberry Lentil Salad

1 cup dry lentils, french, green or beluga
1 cup almonds, raw + whole
1 1/2 cups strawberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey, optional or your favorite sweetener
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 stalks celery, (or chard stalks, or carrots or sweet peppers)
4 green onions, finely minced

Rinse and pick through the lentils. Bring the lentils up to a boil with at least three times the amount of water. Depending on the size of the lentil (tiny red are faster than the larger brown, green or french variety) boil for 15-45 minutes. When the lentil is tender to the bite it is done. Try not to over cook since this is essentially a salad and you don’t want it to be mushy.

Whisk together the vinegar, honey, salt & pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Add the lentils to the dressing as soon as possible to marinate slightly.

Roughly chop the whole almonds into bits and pieces. Spread on a baking sheet and toast at 375 for about 5-10 minutes. Watch them carefully and stir periodically. They can go from raw to burnt very quickly.

Next, wash the strawberries and chop into small pieces. Mince the celery or any other veggies such as carrots or chard stalks.

Gently toss the lentils with the minced almonds, strawberries, celery and green onions.

Serve warm or cooled as a salad.

Jamaican Black Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

After about 10 years of avoiding meat, I found myself craving it, wanting it, needing it. There were major lifestyle changes happening at the same time as I was starting my first Personal Chef business and developing a new, almost daily dedication to the hot & steamy Bikram Yoga. Not long after, I met my future husband who was a semi-but-mostly-vegetarian just to add to the irony of my new fond love of meat. After we traveled to Argentina and indulged in a whole lot of grass-fed beef and pastured pork & chicken we came back fully dedicated to the omnivore life, but neither of us were quite happy with the environmental impact of our meat consumption in this country. Over the years we have reduced the amount of meat we eat, just as many more people throughout the world are becoming more conscious and mindful of their meat consumption whether or not they are full-time vegans or vegetarians.

If you have considered these possibilities, let me be the first to welcome you to the delightful Flexitarian lifestyle. Oh yes, we all need a fancy dietary name, right?

Meatless Mondays
Take the pledge and declare your vegetarianism for just one easy day per week.

Mark Bittman’’s Strategy
The author of Food Matters follows a philosophy of being vegan every day until 6pm. After that, anything goes for him. This is perfect for anyone who eats out frequently or prefers to cook roasts and more hearty meals for dinner.

By my hands alone
There is an interesting movement that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook subscribes to. They only eat the meat they kill themselves. Honestly, I am not quite ready for such action myself, but I do follow the philosophy of only eating meat that has been produced locally, from a source I trust. The cost of these beautiful pasture raised meats means that many of my meals are actually vegetarian. I just cannot afford to eat that much grass-fed beef or pasture raised pork & chicken.

Our way…
As I stated above, my husband and I eat a relatively vegetarian diet and occasionally, as a few extra dollars are available, we indulge in grass-fed beef, pastured pork or chicken. We raise our own chickens for their eggs and get plenty of meatless protein otherwise, but we love the treat of eating locally raised meat.

If we buy a chicken, we buy it whole (as it is cheapest per pound) and we are sure to make the bones into a hearty broth after it is roasted, poached, or cooked however we like. Ideally, during my pregnant/nursing/raising toddler lifestyle I would prefer to have a chicken, beef or pork at least once per week, but that is not always possible and that is okay, too. We eat a ton of beans, whole-grains, nuts and seeds, our own chicken eggs, yogurt and cheese. We also treat ourselves to restaurants with local meat options, too. Otherwise, we choose to eat vegetarian when we are out.

What are your meatless strategies? Are you ready to get on board with reducing your meat consumption? Please comment below and share the strategies that work best for you!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

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For dedicated meat eaters a common concern about reducing meat consumption is the lack of protein. In truth, when eating a well balanced diet with plenty of vegetables you will receive an adequate amount of protein. But, for those of us who are used to adding chopped chicken to salads for an extra boost or consider a sandwich pointless without the meat, you will most likely need some tips for resupplying your non-meat proteins.

Nuts & Seeds
Grab a handful for a quick snack and protein boost. Sprinkle on salads or cooked vegetables. During the low-fat craze, nuts got a bad reputation, but in truth they are little nutrition power houses containing not only protein, but fiber, folate, Vitamins E & B-2, essential fatty acids and more. Soaking nuts is a method that is becoming more popular as a way to sprout them and increase their nutritional content. While we all have our favorite nuts or seeds, keep your diet interesting and diverse by mixing up your options.

Nut & Seed Butters
Spread nut or seed butters on crackers, bread or veggie sticks such as celery and carrots for a snack. Mix into soups for more flavor, texture and protein. Whisk into sauces for stir fries, such as Thai Peanut Sauces. Try new flavors such as almond, cashew or my latest favorite, sunflower butter. Subscribers to Lilly’s Table can try the Thai Almond Broccoli, too.

Beans
Canned beans are easy to mix into spreads, dips, soups and main dishes. If you are interested in soaking and cooking your own from scratch, here is a nice bean guide to help you along. Cooking your own is a great way to save a few bucks, control the sodium content and leftovers freeze beautifully for a quick meal on another day.

Grains
Often you will see beans & rice paired together in various international cuisine. The combination of beans and brown rice actually provides a complete protein. Pile the vegetables high and you have a delightful vegetarian dish that can evolve with the season’’s produce. If you want just a single fast cooking grain, quinoa offers the highest amount of protein, it is easy to prepare quickly and tastes great tossed in salads or topped with vegetables.

Tofu & Tempeh
Soy has had its fair share of controversy over the years, but it still remains a good protein option. Seek out non-gmo Tofu and Tempeh. Your favorite marinades work well to flavor them. Edamame or non-processed soy beans are also an excellent choice.

Dairy & Eggs
Find the best quality, sustainable options for your egg and dairy sources. We raise our own chickens and are a bit obsessed with the golden-orange yolks they produce. If you can find grass-fed dairy, wonderful, but if not we prefer organic dairy in our homes for the taste and the overall environmental benefits. Of course, this is only for the ovo-lacto vegetarians. As you can see vegans still have plenty of good protein options.

Avoid Soy Products
As a vegetarian for almost 10 years, I indulged in the occasional Tofu Dog, but for the most part I limited the soy products in my diet because they were a bit pricy and they just seemed wrong in some way. Keep in mind soy products are a processed food with often long lists of crazy ingredients. Stick to GMO-free tofu or tempeh and liven them up with your favorite flavors.

What are your favorite vegetarian proteins? Can you help us expand this list or share why you prefer one over the other?

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Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly