Mediterranean Lentil Salad with Fresh Figs

Check out this recipe and more on the new site!

This recipe came to me out of sheer chance.  Funny how sometimes I brainstorm to try to create a "perfect" recipe and it turns out just "ok." Other times the perfect recipe just presents itself to me and is better than anything I could have planned.  This is one of those perfect serendipitous recipes.

Sam and I were hungry at my parents house with a bag of groceries I had intended to take home.  Between what we found in the grocery bag and ingredients from my parents sparse kitchen, I made what turned out to be the best salad I had ever had.

Lentils are a favorite of mine.  And if you are a vegetarian, I highly recommend you make yourself familiar with these bad boys.  Lentils are a great source of B-Vitamins and protein which many vegetarians are not getting enough of.  But on top of that, they are loaded with fiber.  Fiber is what keeps you full and what keeps your digestive system running smoothly.  If you are new to lentils try them in soups.  They add great texture to vegetable soups and lentil soups, such as Dal, are delicious and very affordable and easy to make.

Make sure you try this recipe while figs are still in season.  Once they are out of season, you could make this without them or use dried figs or raisins, but nothing can replace the light and sweet flavor of fresh figs.

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Makes two large salads

Ingredients:


2/3 cup cooked lentils, we used brown but any variety works
1 large cooked beet, cubed
1/2 avocado, cubed
5-6 fresh figs
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/3 cup artichoke hearts
1/3 cup feta or goat cheese
1  handful fresh greens, we used a mix but arugula or spinach would be especially nice
1 tbsp olive oil
balsamic vinegar to taste (about 2 tbsp)
black pepper
celtic sea salt

Combine all ingredients and serve.

Maple Vanilla Baked Pears

Check out this recipe and more on the new site!

It's time to face it: summer is ending.  Every year my heart breaks as I realize that the days are getting shorter, farmers' market season is dwindling (oh how I miss NYC where the markets are year round), and the cold weather is creeping in.  But this year I'm not gonna let it get me down.  This year I'm fully embracing autumn.  I'm getting excited about all things fall: cool weather, leaves, changing...I've even picked a few apples already.

I also made this delicious dessert using one of my favorite fall foods.  This simple way of preparing pears is so easy you won't believe it.  I would highly recommend using this recipe when entertaining because it requires so little preparation and is really hard to mess up.  Plus, it is incredibly delicious.

I should admit here, in the past I have not been the biggest fan of pears.  They just never really appealed to me that much.  I found the texture a bit mealy and just rarely chose them over other fruit. But I've come around.  They have a refreshing sweetness you just can't find in an apple.  And that mealiness?  It's some serious fiber providing more satiety and helping to balance blood sugar.  And think twice before you peel your pears.  The skin is packed with antioxidants, flavonoids, and phytonutrients that support a healthy immune system and fight inflammation.


Ingredients:

Serves 2

2 pears (any variety will work)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean scraped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice and core pears and place face up in a baking sheet. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Pour this mixture over the pears and bake for 20 minutes.  Flip pears and spoon the juices in the pan on top of them. Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.  Serve with coconut milk, mascarpone, or ice cream as a dessert or over yogurt or porridge for breakfast.

Summer Corn Salad

Check out this recipe and more on the new site!

Whoa.  Summer is coming to a close and I haven't even shared one of my favorite summer dishes.  One reason I haven't posted this is that I've been distracted by weather.  I'll have plenty of time to work on the site when it's cold outside and I'm trapped indoors.  Right? But another reason is this nagging idea of perfection.  Sometimes I fall into a spiral of thinking that I should wait until I have higher quality photos, create more complex recipes, or find some other excuse not to post a recipe.  And what happens when I think like that is nothing.  I stop creating and I stop sharing.  It's time to overcome that idea of perfection and share with you all a recipe that is not elegant and complex, but simple and beautiful.  And the pictures may be low quality iPhone shots, but the important thing is to keep creating, keep sharing, and stop being so hard on myself.  I feel better already.

This recipe is incredibly simple to make, yet crazy delicious.  Whenever I make this, people ask for the recipe or beg me to make it again.  And while it's still summer, I am trying to take advantage of eating these delicious seasonal foods while I can.

The star of this recipe is fresh raw corn.  I have always loved the taste of raw corn.  It is sweet and juicy and not nearly as starchy as cooked corn.  I especially love putting it on vegetarian tacos. Such great texture and flavor!

But there is one major concern when it comes to corn: GMO's.  Almost all corn sold in the United States is genetically modified.  And currently there is no requirement that GMO products be labelled.  But there is hope for those of us who would rather trust Mother Nature than corporately funded scientists to grow our food.  Organic standards do not allow GMO's and some stores label their corn as non-GMO.  Consider your power as a consumer: every purchase you make is a vote in favor of or against GMO's.  Which way are you voting?

I found some beautiful red corn and mixed colors of cherry tomatoes that made for a beautiful rainbow of a dish.  But the yellow corn and red tomatoes taste just as good, so don't sweat it if you can't find red corn.  Just make sure you get non-GMO corn and get cooking before the summer vegetable season is over!

Ingredients:

2 ears of corn (non-GMO-we've talked about this)
1 avocado, diced
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup raw walnut pieces
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 tsp each)

1. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and place in a bowl with avocado, tomatoes, and walnuts.

2. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper and stir.