Artichoke and Kale Salad

I went to my friend M's yoga class last night, which was a great follow-up after a fitness retreat last weekend.  It was basically a girl's dream weekend...two workouts a day followed by lunch, a power walk to an herbal apothecary for a talk on aromatherapy and tinctures while soaking our feet in a salt bath, a meeting with a life coach and a nutrition talk, dinner and wine and a night at a fancy hotel...followed by two more workouts the next day and brunch and bellinis.  This was all thanks to Traci, the owner of Fly Fitness (http://wearesuperfly.com/).

I felt so rejuvenated and wanted to maintain the feeling, so after a great yoga class last night, I went to Whole Foods on a mission for colorful salad ingredients.  I was set on kale ribbons and artichoke hearts.  I wanted a easily shave-able cheese, so I asked the cheese guy the best option.  He gave me a lot of good choices...so I went with the Sarvecchio Sartori, because he said it was made in Wisconsin.  I've mentioned that I by no means am a sports fan, but felt a certain loyalty to the Packers since I am from Ohio and my two best friends S and A are from Milwaukee.

I piled and cut the kale just like on the beet greens post.  Stacking them makes it so much easier and quicker to slice.  I also cut the whole artichoke hearts in half.  The cheese was a nice dry cheese that ribboned easily on the mandoline.  Any hard cheese would do though, such as parmesan reggiano.   And as always, you can use whatever ingredients suit your fancy.  A grilled chicken breast, dried cherries, or apple slices would also be nice.  I whipped up an easy vinaigrette to go with it, which I mentioned the ingredients below.  Use what you like for dressing.  Enjoy! 

Artichoke and Kale Salad

One good sized dinner salad or two small starter salads

1/2 can whole artichoke hearts, halved

6 kale leaves, cut into thin ribbons

1/3 can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Sarvecchio Sartori cheese, sliced very thin in mandoline (or any hard cheese that easily shaves)

White vinegar

Dijon mustard

Splash of maple syrup

Salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Cut the artichoke hearts in half and set aside.  Wash and dry the kale and pile each leaf on top of one another.  Slice into very thin ribbons.  Drain the beans and mandoline the cheese.  Prepare the dressing in a small food processor or by whisking...adding the oil last. 

Toss the kale ribbons and beans in the dressing.  Make a nice mound of greens on the plate.  Arrange the artichoke hearts and cheese.  Have with a nice glass of wine and thick slice of bread.  Yay!

Spicy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

A few nights ago, my friends H and J had me over for a midweek dinner.  H planned on making an Indian eggplant and rice dish, so I was racking my brain for a week, trying to figure out what else to bring besides wine...thank goodness for airport inspiration.

The airport is one of the few places I treat myself to buying a magazine.  So last Saturday I slipped into the Hudson News store before getting on the plane.  It was a difficult decision, but I settled on Whole Living.  I had actually never heard of this publication before.   Not that that is saying much though...I am generally more of a book girl.  But magazines are nice noncommittal reading tools for plane rides.  You can read a page, rest your head back for a little snooze before the drink cart comes, and then start back up on the next article.

I came across this recipe in a section highlighting a New Year's cleanse/detox program.  Roasted garbanzos are such a great protein boost after a workout or mid-morning treat.  Spicing them up is even better.  There are so many options, but this combination is a good variety of spicy and savory with a gingery zest.  Add more or less cayenne depending on your heat preference.

I added a higher temperature and 10 more minutes to the original recipe, after two attempts at the recipe.  The other night, I didn't have enough time to cool the beans, so they softened on the drive over to H and J's.  But I did the recipe again tonight, and they turned out much crispier from letting them sit out to cool on the baking sheet.  So if you have the time, let yours do the same. 

Spicy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Adapted from Whole Living magazine

Makes about 1 cup

1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix all the spices and salt together in a small ramekin.  Set aside.  Toss the garbanzo beans with the olive oil.  Add spices and salt and mix well.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.  Pour the beans onto the baking sheet.  Put in oven and roast for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Take out of oven and allow to fully cool on the baking sheet.  Enjoy for a snack or mix into a stirfry.

Stretching Out

I spent this past weekend with my mom on sunny Coronado Island.  The warmth of the sun and the comfort of being with my mom was just the R&R that I needed.  In the midst of cold and rainy winter, I welcomed the sun with open arms.  We went to the beach at least once a day, and in the picture below, we had just caught the sunset.  The air was perfumed with bursts of warm ocean breezes that left your lips with a light hint of salt. 

We spent our long weekend doing all types of restorative activities including yoga on the beach, long walks, shopping in the cute local boutiques, drinking wine and tea, and eating very well.  We discovered so many great little spots.  We like to order two different things and share them so we can try all the flavors.  Our favorite restaurant was a beachy cafe called Stretch's.  They had all kinds of interesting sandwiches and wraps.  The ones featured above are what we shared on our last full day.  The sandwich had a lentil burger, sprouts, guacamole, tomatoes, onions, jack cheese and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.  The seeds added a nice saltiness to the sandwich...and holy guacamole was it good.  The wrap was one of the most interesting wraps I have ever had.  It is called the Mission Wrap.  It has goat cheese, spinach, sauteed mushrooms and onions, sprouts and dried figs.  A little bit of sweet with the savory mushrooms and onions and the creaminess of the goat cheese, were an absolute perfect flavor package.

The owner was so nice...she sat down at the table next to us and answered our line of questions of all the ingredients.  She told us the dozens of components and steps to making the lentil burger and how it has evolved over the years.  We talked to the table of mom and daughter next to us about how they look forward to coming to Stretch's every time they visit.  It was such a welcoming and warm little place, that very quickly got added to my top ten favorite lunch places.

I am going to include all the components of the wrap below...although I am not sure if it can be recreated completely, without the ambiance.  Please try at home and let me know!!

Stretch's Cafe Fig and Goat Cheese Wrap

1 whole wheat tortilla

Goat cheese

Lots of spinach

Red onions and mushrooms

Oil

Sprouts

Dried mission figs

Saute the mushrooms and red onions in oil over medium heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until well done.  Set aside.  Spread a healthy amount of goat cheese on the tortilla.  Add many layers of spinach and a handful of sprouts.  Sprinkle with the sauteed veggies and top with figs.  With TLC, carefully roll into burrito shape.  Close your eyes, take a bite and visualize a warm salty beach.



Corn and Whole Wheat Couscous Chowder

I have needed a little extra boost this past week, so tonight I cooked a hearty soup to warm the soul.  I got this soup idea from a weekly email from Vegetarian Times awhile back.  I often collect recipes in my inbox from magazines and emails I send myself from recipe websites for inspiration. 

The original soup calls for quinoa instead of couscous.  But I got home from the grocery thinking I had quinoa, but alas...did not.  Luckily I have a cabinet full of other grains.  So tonight couscous it was.  The recipe also called for soymilk, cilantro and lime, which I omitted.  I wanted a lighter, broth-based soup rather than cream-based. 

The shallots also caught my eye.  I have a new appreciation for shallots ever since the sweet potato with carmelized shallot dish I made for the Fall Harvest House Dinner Party entry from October.  The recipe also called for a red pepper, which I had promptly forgotten at work.  So carrots made their way into the soup instead.  My head has not felt attached to the rest of my body lately, so I was glad I had other ingredients to ad-lib.  

I ate the soup alongside sauteed collard greens, from the half of a bunch leftover from the wraps from Tuesday night.  So I made a balsamic and soy sauce reduction to drizzle over the greens.  The recipe for that will appear another time.  But wow was it good...nice, light and colorful!

Corn and Whole Wheat Couscous Chowder
Adapted from Vegetarian Times
Makes 6-8 servings

3/4 cup whole wheat couscous, dry
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium red potato, diced into small cubes
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium shallots, minced
2 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1-2 cups water
2 Tbsp dried parsley
Red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste
Dash of ground cumin

Toast the couscous and cumin seeds in a saute pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until they become aromatic, stirring often.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil.  Add potatoes, carrots, shallots and corn.  Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Pour in vegetable broth.  Bring to a simmer and cover for 8-10 minutes.  Add couscous and cumin seeds.  Cover and allow couscous to cook 5 minutes.  This will soak up a lot of water, so add 1-2 cups of water to increase liquid level.  Add dried parsley, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and ground cumin.  Stir well and allow to cook for about 5 more minutes.  Adjust seasonings to your taste.  Sprinkle extra parsley on top of each portioned bowl.

Serve as a starter soup, alongside sauted greens or with a big chunk of crusty bread.

Collard Green Wraps

Ever since last night, I haven't been able to get the idea of collard greens as a sandwich wrap out of my head.  Thank you to B in D.C., I just learned of a great recipe site called http://www.honestfare.com/  There are loads of great photos and recipe ideas.

After a really good and hard yoga class tonight, I wanted to replenish with a hearty and healthy dinner.  So I went for the collard green wrap.  Assembling the wrap is quite simple...





Soak two greens per person in warm water and vinegar





Dry well and then carefully slice off the tough part of the stem

 



Layer two halfway on top of each other for a solid base



Layer your favorite sandwich ingredients



Roll up like a burrito

The following is what sounded good to me, but feel free to use whatever ingredients you have on hand or what sounds good to you.  So many options!

Collard Green Wraps

2 leaves per wrap

Large bowl of warm water

Apple cider vinegar ( a few splashes)

Dijon mustard

Deli turkey

Shredded carrots

Sliced red pepper

Green onions, chopped

Brie, cut into to chunks

Place collard greens into warm water with vinegar for 10 minutes to soften leaves.  While they soak, prep all the fillings.  Remove collard greens from water and dry well.  Carefully slice the tough part of the stem so you have a pliable green to work with.  Layer two greens on top each other, covering about half way, as pictured above.  Layer the toppings with mustard, turkey, carrtos, red pepper, green onions and brie.  Roll up like a burrito, by taking up two opposite sides, and then roll.  Slice down the middle.  Have a great meal!