Tag

vegetarian

Lunch Recipes Main Dishes Quick and Easy Vegetarian

Black Lentil Bowl with a Poached Egg

written by Ali

I’m at that stage of winter when a black lentil bowl with a poached egg sounds like a perfectly light lunch for the week. I’m also at the point at which I’m itching to do some spring cleaning, including making an effort to use up what’s been lurking at the back of the pantry. It helps motivate me that we might be moving and I really don’t want to drag a half-eaten bag of black lentils with me. As it is, I still have jars of home canned jam and pickles that we moved last year that will need to be packaged and moved again (because I’m not letting those pickles go to waste).

Black lentils just lend themselves to a simple meal. The black lentil bowl with a poached egg takes just seven ingredients (counting salt and olive oil). This recipe took so little time to make – I prepped my mirepoix first, cooked that and the lentils and then poached the eggs. I’ve been obsessing a bit about mirepoix here of late. The combination of onion, celery, and carrot adds such a deep flavor to dishes and it’s so, so simple. With this dish, I understood the full complexity of the flavor – initially, I thought that the black lentil bowl with a poached egg would need a dressing of some sort, but when I tasted the lentils, that idea went out the window.

A note on the poached eggs: back in December, I tried my hand at poaching an egg in the traditional way in a saucepan. It came out a flimsy mess. Recently, I ran across a video of a chef poaching eggs in the oven, so that’s what I did. The eggs came out beautifully! The best part was I didn’t have to swirl the water, baby the eggs, watch the temperature, etc. Eggs went into muffin cups with a tablespoon of water each, hung out in the oven for 9 minutes, and came out perfectly poached.

The full technique is included in the recipe below. The best part is that poached eggs can be prepped in advance, so I poached my eggs on Sunday and will have an egg a day each day at lunch with my lentils. I love super easy lunch prep!

Yum

Black Lentil Bowl with a Poached Egg

Ingredients

1 onion
2 celery stalks
2 carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup black beluga lentils
2 cups water
4 eggs

Instructions

Chop the onion, celery, and carrots finely. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onion, celery, and carrot mix until the vegetables start to soften (about 10 minutes). Add the salt and the dried lentils. Stir a few times and then add the water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft.
To oven poach the eggs: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In each muffin cup, add one tablespoon water. Break each egg directly into the muffin cup. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Bake for 9 minutes or until the white is set and the yolk is still runny. Use a slotted spoon to remove each poached egg and drain on a paper towel. Eggs can be prepared up to five days in advance.
Recipe makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://fixmealittlelunch.com/black-lentil-bowl-with-a-poached-egg/

This post is linked to My Legume Love Affair #103, hosted by The Big Sweet Tooth (conceptualized by Susan and hosted by Lisa at Lisa’s Kitchen). I’ll be hosting in April – can’t wait!

It’s also linked up to #CookBlogShare, which is hosted this week by Sneaky Veg. Check out all the great posts!

And you can find it linked up on Tinned Tomatoes Meat Free Monday.

This recipe is getting around!

January 23, 2017 6 comments

Farmer's Market Lunch Recipes Quick and Easy Salad Vegetarian

Blood Orange, Walnut, and Bitter Greens Salad

written by Ali

The first week back to work after a long break feels like the perfect time for a blood orange, walnut, and bitter greens salad. I think about food a lot (no surprise from a food blogger). I thought about food a lot before I started blogging. One of the things that I’m always curious about is the first time a human being thought to eat something. This always comes to mind for me, for example, when I eat an artichoke or some other food that seems otherwise inedible until it is transformed into something we eat. I also think a lot about food trends and how some foods aren’t regularly eaten anymore.

One of those foods features prominently in my blood orange, walnut, and bitter greens salad. The bitter greens category includes arugula, chard, and endive, but also includes dandelion greens. When I was growing up, dandelions were a weed. My grandparents, my mother, neighbors all spent a lot of gardening time trying to eradicate dandelions from the lawn and the garden. I did the same with my first house, digging them up and tossing them into the trash. At some point along the way, however, I learned that dandelions are edible. I would occasionally cultivate a few plants in my garden, harvesting the greens and sautéing them to toss over pasta. As it turns out, all the parts of a dandelion are edible, but that’s a story for another blog post.

Knowing that dandelions are edible and were, in fact, first brought to the US as a food and that dandelions evolved 30 million years ago (Wikipedia), makes me sad to think that we have relegated them to the status of a noxious weed in our gardens. Dandelion greens can be eaten raw in salads. The taste is a bit bitter, but also has a hint of taste that reminds me of the smell of a dandelion flower in the sun. The greens evoke some pretty serious nostalgia for me of lying in the grass as a kid in the summer. That memory makes this a perfect salad for a frigidly cold January day here in the PNW. It raises my hope level that spring really is right around the corner.

For now, dandelion greens feature prominently in this blood orange, walnut, and bitter greens salad. I found my dandelion greens at Whole Foods. Many natural grocers carry these greens in the winter. You can also substitute other bitter greens for this salad – finely chopped chard would be lovely, as would arugula. I also threw in a few strips of preserved lemon to brighten the salad and to add a bit of salt to cut the bitterness.

I prepared my salads for the week ahead of time. Instead of drizzling the dressing over the whole salad, I put a couple of tablespoons at the bottom of each jar and then added the salad on top. All I have to do is pour the salad out into a bowl once I’m at work.

Yum

Blood Orange, Walnut, and Bitter Greens Salad

Ingredients

3 peeled and segmented blood oranges
1 bunch bitter greens (dandelion greens, kale, or arugula or some combination of some or all)
1/3 cup walnuts
10 thin slices of preserved lemon

Blood Orange Dressing

Juice of one blood orange
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch salt
pinch ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss gently. Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small jar and close tightly. Shake to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and enjoy!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://fixmealittlelunch.com/blood-orange-walnut-and-bitter-greens-salad/

This post is linked up to No Croutons Required. Check out the hosts’ pages at Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa’s Kitchen.

And is also linked to Kahakai Kitchen: Souper Sunday. Check out all the great soups, sandwiches and salads!

January 4, 2017 22 comments

Farmer's Market Freezer Meals Lunch Recipes Vegetarian

Kale Spinach Saag Paneer

written by Ali

I had a lovely and very foodie indulgent vacation, so it’s definitely time to go back to healthy little lunches, including Kale Spinach Saag Paneer. Saag Paneer is one of my favorite dishes. I love using a blend of both spinach and kale. I found a beautiful bunch of Redbor kale, which is a spectacular shade of purple and threw that in with a large handful of spinach. The result is a spicy, fragrant mixture of greens. I’m also feeling ahead of the game on the 2017 food trend for purple vegetables, since I cooked this on New Year’s Day.

Kale Spinach Saag Paneer is a fairly quick dish to put together. The kale and spinach can be cooked while the rice is cooking.

Making Paneer

You can definitely substitute store bought paneer for the home made paneer in this recipe. Fresh paneer takes just two ingredients, but is best made the day before and refrigerated overnight, so takes a little bit of planning. That said, how impressive is it to be able to tell your workmates that you made your own cheese?

I love how the paneer takes on the waffled texture of the cheesecloth. I also am a big fan of the transformation of milk into whey and curds when an acid is added. In this case, I use white vinegar to make my paneer. I’ve tried lemon juice, but haven’t had the same success. I also don’t salt it when I’m making this recipe, as the kale and spinach saag paneer is well salted from the kale and spinach. I do, however, take the extra time to lightly brown the paneer.

The lightly browned paneer goes right into the kale and spinach. This recipe freezes really well, so it’s a great candidate for lunch. Kale spinach saag paneer is also a light meal and pairs well with a salad or some naan bread.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do! Hope everyone is having a great start to 2017!

Yum

Kale Spinach Saag Paneer

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
2 cups spinach
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup half and half
Paneer cheese, chopped into squares
2 cups cooked rice

For the Paneer

1/2 gallon milk - whole milk works best, but you can also make this with 1% or 2%
3 tablespoons white vinegar

Instructions

If you are making paneer, start with this first. Bring the milk to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir constantly so that the milk doesn't burn. When the milk reaches a full boil, take it off the heat and pour in the vinegar. Let the milk sit for 10 minutes so that the whey and curds have time to separate.
When the curds and whey have separated, strain out the curds into a cheesecloth lined strainer. You can keep the whey and use it in place of water for other recipes. Let the curds drain for at least an hour, pressing them by putting a bowl over them with a heavy can in the bowl. Refrigerate the paneer overnight.

Making the Kale Spinach Saag Paneer

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a non-stick saute pan or a cast iron skillet. Add the onions, and cook until they are soft and fragrant. Add in the kale and cook for 7 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 7 - 10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are wilted. Add the spices from the turmeric to the salt and stir well. Add the half and half and simmer for 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in another non-stick skillet. Add the paneer and cook for a few minute on each side until it is browned.
Serve the kale spinach saag paneer over the rice, with the paneer evenly divided between each serving.
Serves 3 - 4
Enjoy!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://fixmealittlelunch.com/kale-spinach-saag-paneer/

This post has been linked to Tinned Tomatoes: Meat Free Mondays. Check out each week’s list of great recipes!

January 2, 2017 20 comments

Farmer's Market Freezer Meals Holiday Recipes Lunch Recipes Main Dishes Vegetarian

Winter Squash Stuffed Shells with Greens Pesto

written by Ali

I am a huge fan of all things winter squash (as you’ve probably figured out), making this recipe, a winter squash stuffed shells with greens pesto, one of my absolute favorite December lunches. This has everything I most love about the fall and winter: the slightly sweet squash, salty cheese, pasta, and pesto made with kale, spinach and walnuts. Since there is a small chance that there might be a little bit of snow in this part of the PNW tomorrow, this comfort food just seems perfect.

I used a combination of red kuri (my favorite) and the rest of the pumpkin puree I’d frozen earlier in the fall. Fortunately, I still have one more pie pumpkin in the garage – I figure we still have a few more months of cold weather and might need to make some more pumpkin bread. I also used a bit of the sage that is still growing out in the herb bed.

The pesto consists of both kale and spinach – really, you could use just about any combination of greens. I also used walnuts, because it’s what I had on hand. Pesto can be made out of any combination of herb or green, nuts, garlic, and Parmesan or other hard cheese. I love to try out different combinations. I also have started hand chopping my pesto – I think it helps the herbs or greens retain their integrity and not get mushy like they might in a food processor. The taste is a lot closer to pesto I had in Rome many years ago, so I enjoy it for the nostalgic value, as well.

All together, the winter squash stuffed shells with greens pesto takes about forty minutes to make, and most of that time is hands off while it bakes. It’s well worth the time. It also makes a great freezer meal – making it very appealing for lunch. Since it’s vegetarian, it would also make a great main dish for the holiday festivities for vegetarian friends and family.

Yum

Winter Squash Stuffed Shells with Greens Pesto

Ingredients

For the shells:

2 cups pumpkin puree or similar winter squash puree
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 + 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 box of large pasta shells

For the pesto

1 cup tightly packed greens (spinach, kale, etc.)
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a pot of water in a medium saucepan to a boil. Add the shells and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
In the meantime, combine the squash puree, the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the parmesan cheese, the sage, and the pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
Drain the shells in a colander and rinse under cold water. When the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff each with about 2 tablespoons of the squash and cheese mixture. Place the shells in a single layer in a 9 X 13 baking pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese gets lightly browned on top.
While the shells are baking, prepare the pesto. Put the greens, the walnuts, the garlic, and the parmesan in the middle of a cutting board and gently chop until the ingredients are finely diced and combined. Put the pesto in a small bowl and add the olive oil, gently combining.
Serve the stuffed shells with the pesto and enjoy!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://fixmealittlelunch.com/winter-squash-stuffed-shells-greens-pesto/

This post has been linked to Tinned Tomatoes: Meatless Monday. Check out her great posts!

December 5, 2016 18 comments

Farmer's Market Lunch Recipes Salad Vegetarian

Kale Persimmon Salad with Black Garlic Dressing

written by Ali

After days of indulging in holiday foods for Thanksgiving, it’s time for me to get back to salads for lunch, like this Kale Persimmon Salad with Black Garlic Dressing. One of the many great things about living in this part of the PNW is that the climate is mild enough a winter garden is possible. This year, we have a small pot of winter lettuce, some spinach, a few cauliflower, and some lacinato kale growing. I have to say though, I much prefer lacinato kale’s alternative name: dinosaur kale. I can completely see this leafy green with its bumpy foliage being munched on by dinosaurs in prehistoric times.

Here’s what mine is looking like right now:

I’ll admit that the winter garden veggies don’t grow as fast as their summer counterparts, but there’s still something lovely about going out this close to December and harvesting greens for a salad, which is exactly what I did to make this kale persimmon salad with black garlic dressing.

I’m also still mildly obsessed with black garlic, so couldn’t resist seeing how it would pair with some balsamic vinegar in a dressing. The combination is absolutely yummy, especially with the sweet counterpart of the persimmon and the crunch of the chopped almonds.

Yum

Kale Persimmon Salad with Black Garlic Dressing

Ingredients

For the Salad

1 bunch lacinato kale
2 fuyu persimmons
1/4 cup chopped almonds

For the Dressing

1 large black garlic clove (or 3 small ones)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Smash the black garlic into a paste. Add the black garlic paste, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper into a jar and close with a lid. Shake until combined.
Tear or cut the kale into ribbons. Dress with two to three tablespoons of the dressing and work the dressing into the kale with your hands. This softens up the kale considerably. Chop the persimmon into a small dice and add to the kale/dressing mixture. Top with the almonds and enjoy!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://fixmealittlelunch.com/kale-persimmon-salad-with-black-garlic-dressing/

November 29, 2016 0 comment

Breakfast Farmer's Market Freezer Meals Lunch Recipes

Squash Blossom Quiche

written by Ali

I planted one summer squash plant this year for one purpose alone: to have access to squash blossoms for this squash blossom quiche. Squash blossoms seem like they have become a thing, like kale and bacon. I suspect I was first introduced to the fact you could eat squash blossoms through reading Martha Stewart’s magazine, but I think the first time I actually tried one was at a coastal restaurant that served them stuffed with shrimp and cheese and deep fried them. At the same time, we had a farmer at our local market that would come to market each weekend with trays and trays of both baby zucchini and squash blossoms, so I decided to experiment and see what I could make of them.

The simplest preparation for these that I cook is to throw several into a quesadilla. The blossoms add a mildly peppery taste. The most complex preparation that I cook with these is this quiche. I really like the combination of egg and blossom, and this is a recipe that freezes up nicely, so is great for lunch with a simple salad to accompany it. It also makes a great weekend brunch recipe.

Squash Blossom Quiche
Serves 4

4 small potatoes (or 1 large)
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup Swiss cheese (or other mild cheese)
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 or 5 squash blossoms, stamens removed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the potatoes to ¼ inch thickness. Layer them on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes or until both sides are slightly crispy.

Drop the temperature on the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, combine the eggs and milk and beat until combined. Add the Swiss cheese, salt and black pepper and stir until combined.

In a non-stick cake pan or pie pan, layer the potato rounds so that they overlap a bit and cover the bottom of the pan. Gently pour the egg, milk, and cheese mixture over the potatoes. The potatoes may float – they’ll settle into the bottom as the quiche cooks. Lay the squash blossoms on top. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until the egg is fully set (check for doneness by inserting a knife or toothpick into the middle of the quiche – if it comes out clean, the quiche is done).

August 4, 2016 0 comment

Farmer's Market Lunch Recipes Vegetarian

Veggie Spring Rolls

written by Ali

These veggie spring rolls are a great antidote to the lethargic days of late summer (even though summer can be very late in arriving in the PNW.) Now that the days are creeping into the high eighties and nineties and the dog and I both decide it’s time to lay in the grass and become solar charged, I have little interest in spending too much time in the kitchen. I’m also faced with the abundance of the season: the basil is on hyper-drive to produce, I have two bags of cucumbers in the fridge (read why here), and carrots and radishes are readily available in the farmer’s market. Spring rolls are a quick and easy solution.

Some tips: you’ll often read that spring rolls really need to be eaten the day they are made. I have had good experience, however, making up a few spring rolls the night before and taking them for my lunch. One trick I learned in most recent spring roll making venture is that you can separate each roll with a little bit of parchment paper so they don’t stick together. The rice wrapper does not adhere to the parchment paper, making it very easy to pull off each without tearing the wrapper.

The other tip is that while many spring roll recipes call for Thai Basil, if you don’t happen to have Thai Basil on hand, regular basil will do fine as a substitute. I made one batch with purple basil, which tasted great, but made for a slightly peculiar looking spring roll.

Feel free to experiment with what you put into your rolls. You could also add lettuce, jicama, asparagus, snap peas, and rice noodles. These can definitely be a catch all for whatever produce you have laying around.

Veggie Spring Rolls
Serves 2 – 3

1 or 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into matchstick sized pieces
1 cucumber, peeled, and sliced into matchstick sized pieces
3 radishes, sliced into matchstick sized pieces
1 package of baked tofu, sliced into pieces the size of the vegetables
1 bunch cilantro or basil
8 – 10 rice skin wrappers
Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil and Siracha for dipping sauce

Fill a pie pan or similar shallow dish with hot water (hot tap water is fine). Dip a rice skin wrapper in the water and let sit for thirty seconds or until the rice wrapper becomes pliable.

Place the wrapper on a plate and place several leaves of cilantro or basil in the middle. Place three or four of each of the vegetable sticks on top of the cilantro and basil. Place three or four of the baked tofu on top of the veggies. Take the bottom of the rice wrapper and fold up. Do the same with the top. Roll the remainder of the wrapper from one side to the other, making sure all the filling is tucked in.

Complete the above steps for the remaining rice wrappers, veggies, and tofu.

Serve with a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, siracha to dip.

August 2, 2016 0 comment

Newer Posts

Older Posts