Food For Life

We are always on the lookout for quick, easy and delicious lunch ideas that can take us through our busy work week without much added headache and cooking time. While perusing a few favorite websites and blogs this weekend, we found some great ideas! The green drink is always an easy go to, throw your ingredients in the blender, and you're done in no time. An alternative to that is preparing meals that will last throughout the week. Spend Sunday evening creating in the kitchen, and have great meals to take with you every day, that can be enjoyed hot or cold!

Kale, Spinach and Pear Smoothie

Courtesy of Joy the Baker

What you will need:

1 heaping cup of spinach

1 heaping cup of chopped kale leaves, removed from stalk

1/2 of a pear

1 frozen banana 

1 1/2 cups of cold almond milk

1 tbs of honey

In a blender, combine kale, spinach and almond milk until no kale pieces are visible. Add in Banana, honey and pear and blend until smooth. 

 Roasted Eggplant with Smoked Almonds and Goat Cheese

Courtesy of Thekitchn.com

What you will need:

2 large eggplants

Salt

1/3 of a cup of olive oil

2 tbs of sider vinegar

1 tbs of honey

1 tsp of smoked paprika

1/2 tbs of cumin

4 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

Juice of one lemon

1 tbs of soy sauce

1 cup of flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/2 cup of smoked almonds, roughly chopped

2 oz of goat cheese, crumbled and divided

1/4 cup of finely chopped scallions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and set aside. 

Whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and cumin. Add in eggplant and toss. Stir in garlic. Spread the eggplant on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until very tender and slightly browned. 

Whisk together the lemon juice and soy sauce. Return the eggplant to the bowl and toss with lemon juice mixture. Stir in parsley leaves, smoked almonds, and most of the goat cheese, reserving a little. 

Spread the finished salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle the reserved goat cheese crumbles and scallions on top.

Edamame and Cauliflower Pasta Salad with Feta

Courtesy of Thekitchn.com

What you will need:

1 pound of orecchiette pasta

16 oz of shelled, frozen edamame

1 medium head of cauliflower

1/3 of a cup of olive oil

1 tbs of soy sauce

1 tbs of maple syrup

2 lemons juiced

1 cup of mint sprigs, loosely packed

2 bunches of green onions, green parts only

8 oz of feta cheese, drained of excess liquid

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a 4-quart pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta for 11 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and place pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add the frozen edamame and toss to combine. Set aside.

Refill the pot and add salt to the water. While water is boiling, chop the cauliflower into bite-sized florets, discarding the leaves and stems. Add cauliflower and cook until just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and let cool. 

Whisk the olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup and lemon juice together and pour over pasta and toss. Tear mint leaves from stems and roughly chop the leaves. Chop the green onion and feta and toss all together with the cauliflower and pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be served warm or cold. 

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Food For Life

Happy Meatless Monday everyone! Remember, even if you aren't vegetarian or vegan, incorporating one meatless day a week into your diet will not only help you physically, but it's also great for the earth! Read more about meatless monday and share the love with your friends and family. In the meantime, here are two recipe ideas for an easy and delicious meatless dinner that you can try out tonight!

Italian Potato Salad

What you will need:
2.5 lbs of small potatoes (you can use red, yellow, or purple) well scrubbed and halved
5 stalks of celery, chopped
4 tbs of pickled capers, drained
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
15 pitted olives
fresh basil, chopped

For the Marinade
4 Tbsp of olive oil
1 large lemon
sea salt and pepper to taste

Start by boiling the unpeeled potatoes in lightly salted water for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Let them cool.

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl, set aside while making the salad.

Toss tomatoes, celery stalks, capers, onion, olives and basil in a medium bowl. Add the potatoes and the marinade and toss gently again. Serve on plates and top with fresh basil and ground black pepper.


Vegetable Lasagna

What you will need:

Tomato sauce (recipe below)

1 package of whole wheat lasagna noodles

lemon ricotta (recipe below) 

Grilled vegetables (recipe below)

1 package of mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Start with a thin layer of tomato sauce, cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, a layer of lemon ricotta, a layer of grilled vegetables, a layer of kale and another layer of tomato sauce. Repeat 2 to 3 times, and top the last layer with the rest of the vegetables, the tomato sauce, the lemon ricotta and the grated mozarella cheese. Bake it in the oven for 30-45 minutes. 

Tomato Sauce

What you will need:

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 fresh chili, medium to strong, finely chopped

25-30 pitted kalamata olives

2 tbsp of capers, drained

4 large tomatoes, cut into quarters

half a pot of fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, and chili. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add olives, capers, and fresh tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes before adding in the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 10 mintes, lower the heat and let simmer for half an hour or more, under a lid. 

Grilled Vegetables

What you will need:

2 tbsp of olive oil

Salt

2 zucchini, sliced

1 eggplant, sliced

10oz of mushrooms

10oz of fresh kale or spinach 

1 clove of garlic

Dash the zucchini and eggplant with olive oil and salt and grill in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Stir fry the mushrooms and kale in a pan for 5 minutes with olive oil, salt and garlic. 

Lemon Ricotta 

What you will need:

12oz of ricotta cheese

1 organic medium sized lemon (zest and juice)

1/2 pot of fresh basil, chopped

a pinch of sea salt

a pinch of lemon pepper

Place ricotta cheese in a bowl, grate the lemon zest ans squeeze the lemon, add zest and juice to the bowl. Add basil, sae salt and lemon pepper and mix together. 

*recipes courtesy of Greenkitchenstories.com

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Food For Life

The new year is swiftly approaching us, and in honor of resolutions, Meatless Monday, and making healthy changes in life, we are bringing Food for Life to the beginning of the week. Healthy living ideas, recipes and all the things you need to get your week started off on the right track!

One Food, Five Ways: Arugula
It's no major secret that arugula has become much more popular over the last couple of years. It's a spicy, delicious green that is extremely full of vital nutrients and vitamins. Today courtesy of vegetarian times, we are bringing you five delicious arugula meal ideas!

Cantaloupe-Arugula Salad:

What you will need-
3 cups of cantaloupe balls
1 cup tightly packed arugula
1tbs. of olive oil
1 1/12 tsp. of cracked black pepper
2 oz. of your favorite cheese, shaved

Toss together cantaloupe, arugula, oil and pepper in a large bowl. Season with salt, and top with a bold cheese, like gorgonzola.

Arugula-Ricotta Omelet:

What you will need-
1 egg and two egg whites
1 small shallot, chopped
1 oil packed sun-dried tomato, finely chopped, plus 1/2 tsp of oil from jar
1 cup of arugula
1 tbs of ricotta cheese

Whisk egg and egg whites with 1 tbs of water in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, set aside. Place shallot, sun-dried tomato and reserved oil in a small nonstick skillet and and saute over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add arugula and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Pour in egg mixture stirring to distribute arugula and tomato mix evenly. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes, or until omelet begins to set. Add ricotta cheese, and let the omelet cook for about a minute more, then fold in half, and enjoy.

Goat Cheese-Arugula Bruschetta:

What you will need for goat cheese spread-
8oz. of fresh soft goat cheese
2 tbs. of milk (we prefer almond or rice)
4 cups of arugula, coarsely chopped
2 tbs. of chopped chives
1 tsp. of grated lemon zest

What you will need for arugula sauce-
4 cups of arugula
3 cloves of peeled garlic
1 tbs. of grated lemon zest
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tbs. of lemon juice

What you will need for the bruschetta-
1 french or sourdough baguette, cut into 32 slices
16 cherry tomatoes
1 cup of arugula for garnish

Spread-
Mash goat cheese with milk in a bowl. Stir in arugula, chives, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Sauce-
Blend arugula, garlic and lemon zest in food processor until finely chopped. Add olive oil an lemon juice and blend until smooth. season with salt and pepper.

To assemble bruschetta-
Spread each baguette slice with 1 1/12 tbs. of goat cheese spread. Top with 1/2 tsp. of arugula sauce. Garnish each with a cherry tomato half and arugula leaves.

Ultimate Summer Arugula Salad:

What you will need-
10 cups of arugula
4 ears of fresh corn
4 medium tomatoes, quartered and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 hass avocados, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tbs. of lemon juice
2 tbs. of olive oil

Place arugula in a large salad bowl. Add tomatoes, avocados, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

Crispy Lemon Pepper Arugula:

What you will need-
4 oz. of arugula leaves
2 tbs. of olive oil
2 tsp of lemon pepper seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss together arugula, olive oil, and lemon pepper in a large bowl until arugula is well coated with oil. Spread in a single layer on two large baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with tongs, or until leaves are crispy and dark green. Season with salt.



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