Lentil Sweet Potato Salad

Yummy salad. Made lentils in the rice cooker.

They came out ok, a bit dry so maybe will use more water next time.

Roasted sweet potato and sautéed kale. Some balsamic, maple syrup, and thyme for seasoning.

And finally some goat cheese on top!

Yum! Had some on a spinach salad for dinner last night. :)

http://www.thehealthymaven.com/2013/12/lentil-sweet-potato-salad.html

4 part tofu cabbage noodle stir fry

So this meal may have required quite a bit of oil in the cooking, but olive oil is entirely healthy in moderation.

I made a stirfry in 2 pans and 4 stages.

1. Marinated the tofu a few hours. First time marinating and it really does make a difference. Gives the tofu so much more flavor. Marinated in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice and rice vinegar. Very flavorful. Then pan fried it a bit.

2. Cabbage. Sautéed an entire cabbage! It's hard to tell in the photo but all the other stuff is really sitting on a base of cabbage. Some soy sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar in there too. Yum.

3. Sautéed frozen vegetables in leftover marinade and stir fry sauce.

4. Stir fry noodles!!!

I think this dish is nicely balanced with mostly veggies but carbs and protein too. And it is quite delicious. Good thing I'll be eating it for days!

Spontaneous Pesto and Zucchini Pasta

So I had extra cilantro from my last recipe and didn't know what to do with it. So naturally I thought of pesto! Last time I made pesto at school was disastrous because the blender was quite inadequate. However, this time I had a magic bullet to use and it had enough power. So I arbitrarily mixed cilantro, kale, cheddar cheese, garlic and almonds plus a bit of vegetables broth instead of oil to help it mix. And it turned out delicious!

Or at least intriguing.
The moral is that all you really need for pesto is something green and leafy, a cheese, a nut, a liquid, and garlic. Customizable deliciousness.

Then of course I needed something to eat it with. Pasta naturally came to mind. But pasta takes time and I didn't want all the carbs. However I did have an extra zucchini, also nearing the end of its prime. So I made something I've been wanting to make for a long time. Zucchini pasta! I thought I needed a spiralizer for it but just using an peeler was really quite alright. I peeled noodles and then sautéed them all with some olive oil and a bit of lime juice. 

Then I put my pesto on top and added a few Gardein beefless tips and Voila!

:) pretty darn gourmet!

One pan Mexican quinoa

One pan. Quick and easy! A nice healthy quinoa dish with beans for protein, avocado for healthy fat, and tomato and bell pepper for veggies. Great on it's own or on top of a salad :)

I put it on a kale salad today with other raw veggies and it was delish!

http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

quinoa, black beans,  fire-roasted diced tomatoes, corn kernels, chili powder, cumin, avocado, lime, and cilantro. Oh and I added a yellow bell pepper!

Update: This was a big hit at a gathering with some friends back home Everyone loved the flavors! Great dish to bring to a potluck.