Green Lentils with Kale and Steamed Quinoa

We are finding gorgeous tomatoes in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this month. You could use them in this stew-like dish, but I like to savor the rarity and freshness of the heirlooms in salads, sandwiches and raw—and use canned tomatoes here. I choose quinoa as the bed underneath the vegetables—feel free to substitute rice or any other cooked grain.

Precook the kale in another saucepan and add it at the last minute to the lentils.

1 ¼  cups red or tri-color quinoa

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup green lentils, sorted and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

Real Salt

1 bunch Lacinato kale, stems removed and discarded

Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the quinoa well to wash away the saponin coating. (Saponin is a natural pesticide quinoa produces so birds won’t eat it. It doesn’t harm humans; it just makes the quinoa bitter if not rinsed well.)

Bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Just as with rice, do not stir—tilt the pan to see if there is any water left. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium flame. Add the onions and cook, stirring often until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the paprika, cumin and red pepper; cook and stir for several minutes.

Add the lentils, the tomatoes and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat; cook and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed. The lentils should be tender to the bite.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale leaves and simmer them until the greens are tender to your tongue, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the water and let the kale cool on a cutting board.  Chop—about 1 inch apart with your knife, in both directions to cut the leaves. Stir the kale into the lentils. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over the steamed quinoa.

Makes about 4 servings.

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Sprouted Bean Trio Salad with Grilled Zucchini and Leeks

Sprouted Bean Trio Salad

I made this salad for a neighborhood potluck dinner—using some more of the 3 pound bag of truRoots Sprouted Bean Trio that I bought months ago at Costco. It says on the bag to boil in water for 5 minutes. Don’t believe everything you read—it takes 15 minutes and then needs to stand, covered for another 10. After that you can drain the beans and finish this protein-rich salad.

1 cup sprouted beans

3 to 4 small zucchini

1 leek, white part only

1 carrot, grated

¼ cup chopped summer savory leaves

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon Real Salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Bring 3 cups water and the sprouted beans to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Refrigerate.

While the sprouted beans are cooking and standing, heat up the grill and slice the zucchini. Toss the zucchini with some extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Cook on the grill until much of the zucchini has golden brown marks. Dump onto a cutting board and chop into 1-inch pieces. Add to the sprouted beans.

Cut the leek in half and spray the cut sides with cooking spray. Lay the leek halves face down on the grill and cook until a light char appears. Chop the charred leeks and sauté them in a bit of olive oil until soft. Add to the beans along with the grated carrot and the summer savory.

Make a dressing with the ¼ cup of olive oil,  red wine vinegar, cumin, salt and cayenne. Pour over the sprouted beans and vegetables and stir very well. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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How to sell beets to a beet hater

• Start with golden beets, they are sweeter and the earthy flavor inherent in beets is less than in the red ones.
• Roast the beets, in the oven or on the grill—the result is concentrated sweetness–much more yummy than if the beets were boiled.
• Catch the beet-hater off guard by tossing roasted golden beets into a grain salad with spicy vinaigrette.
• When you acquire beets topped with greens as gorgeous as the ones in today’s Ranui Gardens’ CSA box—wilt the greens and incorporate them into the salad.
• Add roasted chopped walnuts and a bit of feta cheese, for crunch and saltiness.
  

  Golden Beets and their Greens

Barley Salad with Golden Beets and their Greens

4 medium beets with their green tops

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

½ teaspoon plus another ½ teaspoon Real Salt

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 cup chopped red onion

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

Up to 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 or 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Heat a grill or oven to medium-high or 350° F. Cut the tops off the beets and set them aside. Gently scrub any dirt from the beets and wrap them up in foil. Roast the beets on the grill until they are-fork-tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Let them cool until you can handle them and remove the peel with your fingers. Dice the beets into ½-inch cubes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring 3 to 4 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the barley and ½ teaspoon of the salt and return to a simmer. Cook until the barley is tender to your tooth, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Wash the beet greens. Strip away and discard the stems.  Cut the greens into ribbons, about ¼-inch thick.

Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds along with the onion and and cook until the onion turns translucent. the mustard seeds will pop. Add the beet greens and cook, stirring every so often, until the greens have wilted, about 5 minutes.

Mix the beets, barley and wilted greens in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, the remaining salt and the cayenne. (Use less cayenne if you want the salad less spicy.) Pour over the beets, barley and greens, and stir until everything is coated with the dressing. Refrigerate until the beets and barley are cold.

To serve, toss in the feta and walnuts. Taste and adjust the salt and cayenne if you determine the salad needs more seasoning.

Makes about 6 cups.

Golden Beet and Barley Salad

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Shaved Chioggia Beets, Arugula, Peaches and Sweet and Salty Pecans

I used to think that chioggia was Italian for candy-stripe; now I believe that is not true—although chioggia beets have candy-cane appearance when sliced. This salad, with the sweeter than regular beet chioggias, raw and very thinly sliced, shows off their red and white circles. You really do need a special tool, a culinary mandoline, to shave beets very thinly—unless you are very talented with a very sharp knife.

Shaved Chioggia Beets, Arugula, Peaches and Sweet and Salty Pecans

For each person at the table, prepare a decent handful of arugula, preferable with the stem removed, a half of a local peach, one or two small chioggia beets and about a tablespoon of the pecans.

Sweet and Salty Pecans

For the pecans: Pour about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a small skillet. Stir in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup of chopped pecans. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pecans are toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.

For the beets: Using a culinary French or Japanese mandoline, shave the beets crosswise as thin as possible.

Cut the peaches into slices about 1/3-inch thick.

In bowl, whisk 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil together. Add a pinch or two of salt.

Just before serving, gently toss the arugula with a small amount of the dressing. In a bowl, do the same with the beets and peach slices. Arrange the arugula on plates, followed by the beets and peaches. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper and garnish with the candied pecans.

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Quinoa and Parsley Tabbouleh

Quinoa Tabbouleh

High protein quinoa substitutes for traditional bulgur wheat in this Middle Eastern parsley and grain salad. Quinoa is considered a complete protein because it contains all 8 essential amino acids. It’s also higher in unsaturated fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains. You can use red or tri-color quinoa, I used regular quinoa this time.

Rinsed quinoa

Remember to rinse the quinoa well as this will get rid of the saponin it contains.  Saponin is a natural pesticide quinoa produces so birds won’t eat it. It doesn’t harm humans; it just makes the quinoa bitter if not rinsed well.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed with hot water

2 cups water

1 bunch fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped arugula leaves

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges, or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

½ cup grated carrots

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Real Salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Just as with rice, do not stir—tilt the pan to see if there is any water left. Set aside.

well-chopped parsley

Meanwhile, trim and discard the parsley stems. Chop, chop, chop the leaves until they are very fine, no piece larger than the head of a pin. you should end up with a heaping 1/2 cup of chopped parsley.

Transfer the quinoa to a bowl, fluffing with a fork. Stir in the chopped parsley, arugula, carrots and tomatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and cayenne. Pour over the quinoa and toss well. Season to taste with more salt and lemon juice, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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Touchon Carrot Salad with Smoked Paprika

Smoked Paprika and Murray River Flake Salt

Spanish pimenton, it’s the spice of the year in my radar. I ordered this smoked ground pimiento peppers from World Spice Merchants in Seattle a few years ago and had not used it much–now I am seduced. Not like the paprika your Mom sprinkled on deviled eggs, but mysterious, subtly smoked paprika magically turns eggs and sautéed greens from simple to simply enchanting. For my birthday party, we made roasted garbanzos as one of the appetizers—and it was such a huge batch I just about used up the rediscovered jar of fire-red smooth powder. That would not be good. Isn’t it true that once something good is brought to your attention you notice it more and more? It feels like half of the recipes I see these days call for smoked paprika. And recently cruising the big box aisles at Costco, I spotted—you guessed it—smoked paprika in a mondo container. There is no comparison in a taste test—I have become addicted to the much deeper flavor of high-quality smoked paprika.

I had to make a special trip to Seattle. OK, just a wee side trip to the Pike Place store of World Spice Merchants while I was there visiting my sisters, aunt, niece and nephew.

VW family

World Spice Merchants ships all over the world and they sell spices from all over the world. I stepped up to the counter and placed my order. The clerk apologized, “I am sorry we are out of smoked paprika. We have the picanté smoked paprika in stock.” Why not, I’d made a special trip and was not going to leave empty handed.

Macrina lemon and lavender loaf

Another great Seattle destination is Macrina Bakery.

This week we have sweet touchon carrots in our Ranui Gardens CSA box. Dulce or picanté, smoked paprika in the dressing is a nice twist.

After you scrub or peel the carrots, make strips with the peeler. It’s a different flourish instead of familiar grated or diced carrot. Aim for 3/8 to ½-inch wide strips, working your way around as you peel.

Touchon Carrot Salad with Smoked Paprika

3 cups carrot strips

2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or fresh –squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Real Salt, to taste

Smoked paprika, to taste

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil and honey, adding a scant ¼ teaspoon of salt. Start with a pinch of the paprika and mix that in.

Mix the vinaigrette and the carrots in a bowl, cover and chill for at least an hour. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding more salt and paprika to your liking.

Serves 3 to 6.

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Green Garlic, Basil and Edamame Salad

Bright green, freshly frozen and shucked, edamame is soybeans, right out of the bean pod. Perhaps you have enjoyed edamame in the shell as finger food, sprinkled with high quality finishing salt, at a sushi restaurant or at Deer Valley’s Royal Street Café. Edamame adds color (and protein) to any salad, and works well in any dish where you might normally use cold beans or green peas. Since we have sweet basil in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week, it’s in this salad. Chiffonade/slice the basil leaves and add them at the last minute. Or feel free to skip the basil and substitute a different herb, such as chopped flat leaf parsley. This week’s green garlic is looking more mature than two weeks ago and more like the garlic we will see in a couple of weeks with its papery skin skin separating each clove. Now it is still very moist and maybe at the most flavorful of its cycle.

1 ½ cups frozen shelled edamame

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 stalks green garlic, trimmed and minced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in chiffonade

¼ cup grated aged cheese, like Parmesan

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and the edamame. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, and then drain the edamame. Place in a bowl and stir in the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil and cheese. When everything is mixed, season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss again and serve over Ranui lettuce mix.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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Eat your Ks and Qs

Happy Independence Day 2012. Enjoy our freedom and celebrate with this salad featuring two nutritional powerhouse ingredients, kale and quinoa, k and q.

Kale and Quinoa Salad

I took advantage of this week’s Ranui Gardens CSA assortment to incorporate as many veggies as possible—but know that this grain salad is very flexible. Just start with about 2 cups of any cooked grain, chop your own mixture of crunchy and leafy vegetables and allium (like scapes or scallions or shallots) and dress with acidic vinaigrette. For extra crunch and protein, toss in toasted affordable sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, or splurge with pine nuts.

For today’s salad I steamed tri-color quinoa, but that is up to you. I also wilted the chopped kale, an idea from girlfriend Teri. We agree that it turns the kale more emerald in color and helps it absorb the dressing.

 Quinoa and Kale Salad

1 cup quinoa

1/2 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon Real Salt

1 ½ cups water

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup rice vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

Large pinch cayenne pepper

Garlic scapes, as desired

Green shallots, as desired

1 bunch curly kale, washed

1 cup chopped pea shoots

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Radishes, (or jicama or water chestnuts) cut in ½-inch dice

Rinse the quinoa well with hot water to remove the bitter saponin coating. Strain in a wire strainer.

In a saucepan, bring the water and ½ teaspoon of the salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed. (As for rice, do not stir, but check every so often by tilting the pan to the side to see if there is any water left to absorb.) When the quinoa is tender and the water is gone, let stand, covered, and allow to cool.

Make a dressing with the olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, remaining salt and cayenne. Set aside.

Toss the garlic scapes with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook them on a grill and chop them, or chop them and sauté in a pan until tender. Chop the green shallots and sauté with a bit of oil as well. Put these in a large bowl.

Strip and discard the stems from the kale—them chop into ¼-inch by 1-inch strips. If you wish, microwave for about 30 seconds. Add the kale to the bowl, along with the pea shoots, cilantro and radishes. If your refrigerator offers other interesting vegetables, add them as well.

Dump the cooled quinoa on top of the veggies and pour the vinaigrette on top. Toss everything well. Season to taste with more salt and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. If you are adding nuts or seeds, toss them into the salad just before sharing with your friends and family.

Makes 8 to 10 servings, of course depending on what you put in your salad.

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Maple Pecan Vinaigrette

Tonight we had a salad of arugula with thin slices of the fresh-out-of-the-ground carrots and skinny French breakfast radishes, so I made this sweet dressing to complement arugula’s bitter bite.  It was perfect.

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon Real Salt

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped pecans

1 tablespoon sugar

3 handfuls arugula leaves

2 or 3 French breakfast radishes

2 carrots

In a small bowl, whisk the garlic salt and vinegar until the salt mostly dissolves. Whisk in the maple syrup and the olive oil. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper.

Ina small skillet over medium high heat, stir the pecans and the sugar with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Tear arugula leaves and slice breakfast radishes and carrots. Toss together. Sprinkle with the candied pecans and drizzle with the maple vinaigrette.

Makes enough dressing for 3 salads.

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Warm Chickpeas and Mizuna

I bought a new cookbook this summer that sounded right up my kitchen—Super Natural Every Day. Author Heidi Swanson blogs at 101 Cookbooks. 101 Cookbooks has a fun premise for someone like me who has a hard time resisting another cookbook—Heidi decided to cook her way through her own collection of more than 100 cookbooks and chronicle the recipes. Her site has since evolved and continues to be an exploration of recipes in her life, focusing on natural, whole foods; I imagine her writing is now famous enough that she makes a living as a blogger. And a cookbook author, because the two help support each other. At any rate, I bought her new cookbook. Heidi is a fabulous writer and when I have time I indulge myself by catching up with her blog.

In Super Natural Every Day, there is a recipe for Chickpeas and Dandelion Greens. Here is my twist, with mizuna, another green (with a bitter edge of flavor) that we find in our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week.

2 cups cooked chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans), or 1 (15-ounce can) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Real Salt

½ pound (or so) mizuna leaves

1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar

¼ cup toasted pinenuts or walnut pieces

Put the oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and some salt in a large skillet. Heat over a low flame, stirring often, until the garlic begins to sizzle, but before it gets any brown color at all. Stir in the chickpeas. Add the mizuna to the skillet and stir as it wilts. Sprinkle on the sherry wine vinegar, stirring. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the nuts.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

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