It's coffee that I seriously, achingly miss.
Today I was volunteering in Ella's first grade class room and the ed tech sitting next to me had a fresh coffee- some sort of English toffee deliciousness. I feared I might wrestle her to the floor for it.
All in all though I am doing well, eating well and proud to be taking such impeccable care of my body which does kind of a lot for me on a daily basis.
Here's some of what I've been eating and some recipes too!
CFC lunch: tangy basmati rice and Emilie's carrot miso soup.
(I humbly apologize I do not know the source of most of these recipes. They have been collected through the cfc network Emilie has created and some I've collected over time.)
Tangy Basmati Rice
1 cup basmati rice (I use brown)
1 3/4 cups water
1 Tbsp oil or ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
3 Tbsp grated coconut
1/4 cup chopped almonds or raw cashews
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
In a small pan, heat up oil and add mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander seeds and nuts. When
seeds begin to pop, add coconut and stir well to toast and blend spices. Set aside until rice is
ready, at which point stir into rice with lemon juice and chopped cilantro.
Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame:
(given to me by Emilie and absolutely delicious)
Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 regular or 6 small garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger, or more to taste (it could easily be doubled)
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup white miso paste, or more to taste
To finish
Drizzle of toasted sesame oil
2 scallions, very thinly sliced
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic sauté until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth and ginger. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Puree soup in batches in blender, or all at once with an immersion blender. In a small bowl, whisk together the miso an a half-cup of the soup. Stir the mixture back into the pot of soup. Taste the soup and season with salt, pepper or additional miso to taste.
Ladle into bowls and garnish each with a drizzle of sesame oil and small mound of scallions.
I also made a giant batch of this quinoa edamame salad.
Quinoa Edamame Salad
Recipe adapted from Thermador Kitchens by Our Best Bites
1 c. black quinoa (if you can find it–try the bins at Whole Foods. But really, any type of quinoa will work)
2 c. water
1/2 c. rice wine vinegar
6 TBSP olive oil
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, juiced
1 T. honey
3/4 tsp. salt (plus more to taste, if desired)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. frozen, shelled edamame (green soybeans)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
½ c. chopped peanuts (optional)
Cook quinoa (click here to find out how!) While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together the vinegar, oil, lime juice, honey, salt, cilantro, and garlic. Allow it to stand while you prepare the rest of the salad.
For the edamame, you have a few options. You can steam it in a steamer or the microwave until the desired doneness is reached, you can rinse the beans under some hot water for about a minute or two, or you can briefly rinse the beans and then toss them with the hot quinoa when it is done cooking–it just depends on how done you prefer your edamame. Whichever option you choose, you’ll toss the beans with the green onions and the cooked quinoa. Toss with the dressing and then season to taste. Garnish with fresh peanuts and enjoy! Makes a lot–like 18-20 small servings.
I've really been loving the freedom to eat nuts. Another version of morning oatmeal: oats and amaranth cooked with a banana, coconut and a spoonful of peanut butter. YUM.
For some reason I thought it would be a good reason to try to make a bunch of food before getting the kids off to school this morning. I crave variety and when you are limiting your food families, it's cfc suicide to get bored with what you are eating. Plus when you make big batches of nutritionally packed, super clean foods, you want to share it with your friends who just had two babies at the same time or the ones who drop food at your house randomly so you can be spared the chore of making dinner.
The makings for mango quinoa salad:
(if this cfc week had a theme it would have to be quinoa)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
• OR: 1/2 cup dried mango slices, soaked overnight, then cut in 1/2 inch dice
• 1/4 cup blanched slivered or sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
Dressing Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Wash quinoa and boil in water for 10 minutes
2. Cover and let quinoa sit until it absorbs all the water
3. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool to room temperature
4. Peel the mango and cut into cubes
5. Peel and slice the cucumber thinly
6. Add cucumber to mango along with the almonds and pumpkin seeds
7. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and fry with turmeric for 30 seconds, then let it cool
8. Add the lime juice
9. Mix in olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper with a whisk or a fork
10. Add the cooled quinoa to the mango mixture, pour the dressing over the salad, and toss
11. Serve immediately, or cover and chill
And lastly, I made a lentil nut loaf:
Lentil Nut Loaf (or patties):
2 c. cooked lentils
1/2 c. chopped nuts or seeds
1 onion quartered
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. water
1/2 tsp. coriander
Blend oats until fine. Empty into mixing bowl with nuts. Blend smooth the rest of the ingredients then mix with oats and nuts. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes then place in a greased loaf pan. Bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees. (For patties bake for 30 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 10.)
Lunch yesterday was all compliments of Emilie: black bean burger with avocado and tomato and a bowl of pureed squash with maple syrup.
Perhaps the best part of my week so far was being granted a kitchen secret that might revolutionize my culinary life. All mason jars are universal fits to blender bottoms. You can make salad dressing right in the jar you want to store it in. Or smoothies for the road. Or ice coffee....but I digress.
Anyone else want to report in on how it is going this week?
No comments:
Post a Comment