Roasted Garlic Hummus

November 10, 2014October 22, 2014Leave a comment

Here is my go-to recipe for snack day at my kids’ school. It’s simple enough that you can make it even when a baby is crying for a bottle, and up to two other kids are driving you nuts – and you need to get them all in a car 20 minutes from now. GO!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil for frying
1 can chick peas (19 oz), liquid reserved
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
½ tsp salt
olive oil to garnish

Put the garlic cloves and coconut oil in a pan over low heat and cook until fragrant but not burned. About 5 minutes

Place garlic, chick peas, lemon juice, tahini, and salt in a high speed blender with about 1/4 cup of the chick pea liquid to get the blender moving. Blend until smooth, using the temper as much as needed to push the blending mixture around.

Add as much or as little liquid as you would like to get the thickness you desire. Pour into a serving dish and garnish with a good quality olive oil.

Traditional Greek Salad

October 28, 2014October 22, 2014Leave a comment

I LOVE Greek salad. What I don’t love is ordering it in a restaurant and being incredibly disappointed pretty much every time. Greek salad doesn’t have lettuce in it. It’s full of chunky vegetables and kalamata olives! They should be the star of the show, and not just a garnish atop iceberg lettuce! Rant over. Here’s how to make a simple Greek salad that surely won’t disappoint!

Greek Salad

4 tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 cucumber, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
5 oz goat’s milk feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
¼ cup sliced red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Serve immediately.

If serving a large number of people, you can cut up all of the vegetables ahead of time. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, black pepper, and garlic in a separate bowl and set aside. Mix in the dressing just before serving.

Pine Nut and Pea Sprouted Brown Rice

September 24, 2014December 23, 2014Leave a comment

I’ve looked everywhere for sprouted brown rice since I tried it this summer and I finally came across it this week at the Bulk Barn! I couldn’t wait to make something like this and it is exactly what I was envisioning. Not only did we love it, but the kids actually sat down and ate like civilized human beings for once. Score!

We ate this along with salmon and salad for dinner. If I were making as a stand alone lunch dish I would add a few large handfuls of spinach to the last step and let the heat of the rice wilt it, which is exactly what’s on the lunch menu tomorrow!

Photo 2014-09-14, 2 08 56 PM

Pine Nut and Pea Sprouted Brown Rice

2 cups sprouted brown rice
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp coconut aminos
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Cook the sprouted brown rice as per the package directions.

While the rice is cooking, place the pine nuts in a large pot over low to moderate heat and lightly toast them, tossing frequently. Be sure to keep an eye on them because they can go from lightly browned to black pretty quickly! Alternatively, you can leave them untoasted.

Empty the pine nuts into a bowl and set aside.

Using the same large pot, cook the onion in the coconut oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and peas and cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat, toss in the pine nuts and set aside.

Once the rice has finished cooking, add it to the onion mixture along with the coconut aminos, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. Mix well and serve!