Mujadara Stuffed Collard Wraps

Ever have one of those days where you eat nothing but bread, cheese, beer and more bread?

A bagel for breakfast, followed by SEVERAL beers for an afternoon snack (It was my day off... I was camping... no judgements people) followed by a half a loaf of ciabatta bread with more cheese than a person should eat in one sitting.

It happens.

I always feel like crap the next day and bitch about how I'm never eating wheat again and then I inevitably find myself noshing on a sandwich a couple days later.

On those off days when I'm not binging on wheat I'm usually stuffing my face with lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

It's all about balance....

Sometimes It's hard to get all of those greens down, which makes these collard wraps perfect.  Take a raw collard wrap, stuff it with your favorite goodies and roll it up like a burrito. 

Collards are high in vitamins A, B, C, and K and contain high amounts of beta carotine. They are rich in iron and calcium and high in fiber. They help support our body's detoxification system and contain anti-inflamatory nutrients. 

In other words.. alot healther than a hunk of bread.


Mujadara Stuffed Collard Wraps (makes 4-6 rolls)


1 bunch collard greens, in this case the bigger the leaf, the better
1 batch of mujadara 
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 batch miso lemon tahini sauce




Wash and dry your collards. Lay one leaf on a flat surface (shiny side down) and cut out the inner rib, leaving as much of the leaf intact as possible. Spread a tablespoon of miso lemon tahini sauce in the center of the collard, followed by 1/2 c. mujadara, some cucumber and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts. Fold in the sides and roll up like a burrito. Cut in half and serve with additional miso lemon tahini sauce for dipping.

Coconut Curried Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

Two weeks ago it was in the mid 80's... and now it ain't. 

I want to eat salad, and peaches and drink sangria and mojitos on the front stoop gawking at the crazies on my block.

I want to sit in the park for hours, sipping on a mason jar filled with iced tea.. eating cherries, reading and soaking up the sun.

I want to go swimming in a lake and dig my feet into a sandy beach.

But....

Instead, I sit inside, curled up under a blanket eating soup and toasted buttered baguette.

Where the hell is summer??

Luckily, this soup is awesome and will make you feel good until you can comfortably dance in the streets in your bikini.

Boom, Boom, Pow....


Coconut Curried Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup (serves 2-4)

1 1/2 T. coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c . carrot, peeled and chopped
2 c. sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2" piece ginger, peeled and chopped
6 c. vegetable broth
1 c. red lentils
2/3 c. coconut milk
1/2 T. curry powder
1/8 t. cayenne
3/4 t. sea salt
black pepper, to taste
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Heat the coconut oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes, until softened. Add the sweet potato and carrot, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder and cayenne and cook for another minute or two. Add the lentils and vegetable broth. Cover and simmer until the carrots and sweet potatoes are tender and the lentils soften, about 20-25 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until creamy. Stir in the coconut milk, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve hot.

Mujadara

Lentils.
Bulgar.
Onions.

That's it.

Mujadara has become my go to dish when I'm:

a. Broke.
b. Feeling the need to detoxify.
c. Due for a serious grocery shopping trip.

I've been living off of wine, cheese, and more wine for the past week.

Don't judge.

It's time for some healthy stuff. My body needs it.

If your New Years Eve was anything like mine... you need it too.

Mujadara (serves two as a main, four as a side)

1/2. c. cracked bulgar wheat
3/4 c. french lentils
2 medium onions, sliced into half moons
1/4 c. chopped flat leaf parsley
extra virgin olive oil
1 t. cumin, plus more to taste
sea salt
black pepper

In a small saucepan bring 1 c. water to a boil. Add bulgar, cover, turn off heat and let it sit for 30 minutes. All of the water should be absorbed and your bulgar should be nice and fluffy. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.Meanwhile, cook your lentils. Place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until they are soft, but still have a little bite to them. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
While the lentils are cooking heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes or so.
Combine the bulgar, lentils and onions in a medium sized bowl. Add 2 T. olive oil, cumin, a generous pinch of salt, black pepper and the parsley. Stir to combine. Add more cumin, salt, pepper and/or olive oil, to taste.

I served it with a simple arugula salad, a little cheese and Ines Rosales olive oil tortas. They taste like crispy crack laced with olive oil. So good.

French Lentil Soup with Kabocha Squash and Fennel

Normally I'm a butternut girl.

Butternut soup. Coconut butternut curry. Butternut risotto. Butternut pizza.

I love me some versatility.

Fortunately, there are so many varieties of squash available this time of year.. buttercup, delicata, carnival and hubbard.. just to name a few.

This time around I snatched up a kabocha squash and scoured the internet for a recipe.

Kabocha is the generic japanese word for squash, but refers most commonly to the squash of the buttercup type.  The exterior is bluish green and the flesh is deep yellow.  It has a rich, sweet flavor and is often dry and flaky when cooked.

I had been craving a lentil soup for awhile and was psyched to come across this recipe from Heidi at 101 cookbooks.  I picked up some fennel, leeks and ginger and got to work.

French lentil soup with kabocha squash and fennel (serves 4)


1 1/2  lb. kabocha squash
1/2 c. water
1 T olive oil
1 c. french lentils
5 coins ginger, 1/8" thick
1 whole star anise
6 c. water
1 t. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 c. olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 leek, sliced
1 fennel bulb, medium dice
2 c. collard greens, thinly sliced into ribbons.  (kale or chard would work well too)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the top third of the oven.
Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds.
Oil and salt the squash and roast cut side down (in a rimmed baking pan) with the 1/2 cup / 120 ml of water poured into the pan. Roast until tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. When cool enough, scoop out cooked squash and set aside.
In the meantime, in a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, ginger, star anise and water. Simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
In a large stockpot combine the olive oil, onion, leeks, fennel and additional salt. Cook covered over low heat until vegetables soften, about 7 - 10 minutes.
Remove the star anise and ginger coins from the lentil sauce pan, then add the lentils, lentil broth and squash to the vegetables in the stock pot. Stir well and cook for another 15 minutes or so, allowing the flavors to blend. Add collard greens during the last five minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning here with more salt if needed.



I topped these with some homemade garlicky croutons, per Heidi's suggestion. 

red lentil dal, besan ka cheela, ginger and mint raita

Finally. The heat broke. 
I could of very well eaten a bowl of popcorn for dinner like I have the past several nights.  My motivation level still isn't very high, so I needed to come up with a plan for some nourishment without having to go to the store.

I always have a jar of red lentils in the cupboard.  Why? Because they are delicious, quick cooking and are inexpensive if you score them at an indian market.  For those in the Albany area, go to http://www.parivarfoods.com/. You can get legumes, spices, and other goodies dirt cheap.  Plus they have a little cafe in the back that serves up delicious south indian chaat (snacky foods).

I whipped up a quick red lentil dahl. (It took less that a half hour from start to finish)

Do I have a recipe? No.  Like I said, motivation level was low... But, I will tell you why you should eat lentils.
1. Super high in protein. 1 c. gives you 40% of your protein with a only couple hundred calories.
2. High in iron.
3. Lots of fiber.
4. They are tasty.
5. They turn from red to yellow when they are cooked. Magical.

I love homemade naan.  But that can take hours. I had some besan flour (aka chickpea flour) on hand and decided to make some besan ka cheela (a savory pancake that is commonly eaten in Northern India).  Chickpea flour is very high in protein, gluten free and has a sweet nutty taste.
This was my first time making these, so I followed a recipe...

Chickpea Flour and Swiss Chard Crepes with Mint Ginger Raita (Besan Ka Chilla or Cheela)

recipe courtesy of veggie belly http://www.veggiebelly.com/

serves about 2

4 large leaves of swiss chard (1 1/2 cups when shredded)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin or carom (ajwain) seeds
1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo flour or gram flour or besan)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
1/8 teaspoon baking powder, optional
1 green or red chilli finely chopped
salt
Oil for cooking crepes
Remove and discard the stems from swiss chard leaves.  Stack the swiss chard leaves and roll them tightly. Chop the roll into fine shreds. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of shredded swiss chard.
Heat oil in a small non-stick pan, add cumin or carom seeds. When they start to sizzle, add shredded swiss card and 1/2 teaspoon water and toss on medium heat till the swiss chard has wilted to half its original volume. This will take about a minute. You should now have about 3/4 cups of wilted chard.
In a mixing bowl, add the wilted swiss chard, and all other remaining ingredients except oil. Whisk till everything is combined. The batter should be slightly thinner than pancake batter and should be easily pourable. If the batter is too thick, add more water.
Heat a non-stick pan. Pour a ladle of batter on the hot pan. Using the ladle or back of a spoon, spread the batter around to form a thin crepe. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon oil over the crepe. Cook on medium heat for about 1 minutes or till the bottom side is golden and sides start to crisp. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook the other side till golden. Serve hot.



I served them with the mint ginger raita she had her site as well..

Ginger Mint Raita
makes 1 cup

1 cup yogurt (I recommend Greek yogurt)
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons mint leaves loosely packed
Chaat masala to taste or salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend till smooth. Serve chilled

These crepes are highly adaptable.. You could throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand or keep 'em simple.  Instead of the raita, you could serve them with a nice chutney. Next time I might stuff it with potatoes and greens.. omelette style.

Highly versatile.  I like it.

Protein packed. Filling. Cheap. Delicious.