When we move out of our  apartment and into a house one of the first things I am going to do is plant a lemon tree. I love lemons! I always have a big bowl of them sitting on my counter; they really brighten up my kitchen and remind me to add them to almost every dish.

When my lemons start to look like they’ve seen better days, I slice them up and put them in water. I really love lemon basil water, spa like and perfect for the summer!

This dish shows off my love affair with lemon and is a great spring/summer dish. The tofu ricotta is very cooling; tossed with hot pasta, kale, and lemon juice it’s clean and delicious. Not to mention pretty easy. Cook the pasta and kale while you make the ricotta and you’ll have dinner in 30 minutes flat.

Lemon Linguini with Kale

Ingredients:

1/2 pound whole wheat or brown rice linguine
1 bunch kale (I used Red Russian Kale)
1 T lemon olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon

Tofu Ricotta:
1 onion, chopped into chunks for food processor
2 cloves garlic
1 package (14 oz.) tofu, extra firm. Rinse, drain, and pressed.
2 tbsp. lemon juice plus zest of lemon
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. miso paste
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 handful basil
1/2 cup parsley
1/8 cup sun dried tomatoes

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Make ricotta: In a food processor, chop the onion and garlic together with the lemon juice, zest, miso, salt and pinch pepper. You want this to be finely mixed together without any chunks of garlic or onion. Add the tofu and sun dried tomatoes, pulse a few times to combine. Add the basil, parsley, and pulse a few more times to incorporate the herbs in.

Add linguini to the pot and cook 5-6 minutes. Add the cleaned, chopped kale to the pasta water and cook until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes more. Drain the water from the pot, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.

Add the lemon olive oil, ricotta, zest, to the cooked kale and linguini. Toss to combine and season with salt/pepper if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of pasta water, starting with a few tablespoons at a time.

Super simple and so delicious!

Don’t forget to enter my Gluten Free Prize Pack giveaway, you have till Sunday at midnight!

I know what you might be thinking… we went from processed free foods to a recipe contest sponsored by Frito-Lay? Huh?

Before you label me a sell-out, consider this. This Recipe Redux challenge is a gluten-free recipe challenge that must feature a naturally gluten-free Frito-Lay product. As far as snacks go, Fritos, Regular Lays and Tostitos Corn Chips pass the simple ingredient test: either corn or potatoes, oil, & salt (now we just need to have them Non-GMO). Pretty good, considering all the other “healthy” snacks I’ve seen that have a ton of ingredients.

I feel for the gluten-free crowd. Sure, I’m not gluten-free myself, clearly evidenced by my love of all things pasta. But, I do understand how it feels to be on a special diet. I get dining out with friends and having a hard time deciphering what is vegetarian on the menu, not to mention pestering the waiter with a thousand questions. So, when I heard about the opportunity to create a gluten-free recipe, I was excited to flex my creative chef muscle.

And it did take a little bit of thought as I wanted my recipe to be easy, healthy, and gluten free. Of course it’s also vegetarian which makes this dish pretty perfect for whoever you decide to make it for.

To make this contest even more fun, Frito-Lay has put together this GF package for you. In it you will find:

(1) one chip and dip bowl

(1) one bag each of Lay’s Classic potato chips and Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips

(1) one copy of Nicole Hunn’s book, Gluten-Free on a Shoestring

To Enter to win, Follow Delicious Knowledge on Facebook &  Twitter and leave a comment stating your favorite gluten-free snack food. The winner will be selected at random on Monday!

Now… let’s eat!

Remember Frito Pies? Well, I fondly remember the Frito pie from my Girl Scout camping days; open a bag of Fritos and pour canned chili inside. Top with cheddar cheese and you have yourself dinner. Well, kinda dinner. Hopefully the Girl Scouts are serving healthier meals these days.

This is my take on a vegetable-filled frito pie. Layers of chunky chili-vegetables and beans topped with corn bread and crushed Fritos. I used 1 package tempeh crumbles in this but feel free to substitute gluten-free meatless crumbles or omit all together. I like using my own spices to create a mix but if your short on time, use a gluten-free chili spice mix.

Vegetable Frito Pie

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained reserving 1/4 cup juice
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 zucchini, diced
1 package gluten-free soy meatless beef crumbles OR 1 package tempeh, steamed and crumbed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheeze (optional)
1 1/2 cup cornbread mix
1/3 cup unsweetened soy/almond milk
1/4 cup silken tofu
1 cup crushed Lightly Salted Fritos.

Spices:
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more or less depending on what kind of kick you want)

Saute the onion in a large skillet until translucent. Add a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Add the  zucchini, carrot, meatless crumbles, and spices. Cook for 5 minutes until the carrots and zucchini have softened.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the tomatoes, reserved tomato juice and beans to the skillet. Cook another 5-8 minutes until combined and heated through. If it’s too dry, add a tiny bit of water. You don’t want it to be soupy or else it will create a soggy casserole.

Pour the vegetable mixture in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Layer with cheddar cheese if using.

Using a food processor or hand mix, combine the silken tofu and unsweetened milk. Add the cornbread mixture and stir to combine. It’s OK if it’s a bit lumpy.

Pour the cornbread mixture over the vegetables and spread out to create a thin layer. It will puff up once cooked.

Place in the oven and back for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and spread the 1 cup crushed Fritos on top. Bake for 3 more minutes. Remove from oven, let stand for a minute or two and serve!

This is definitely a crowd-pleaser!

Check out the other Recipe Redux creations below, don’t forget to comment to enter to win!

I received free samples from Frito-Lay of the products mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Frito-Lay and am eligible to win prizes associated with  the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

I am so excited for this month’s Recipe Redux theme-  Sea what you’ve been missing! Besides Sushi, seaweed tends to be a foreign food for many so hopefully this months theme will inspire you to try it. Most types of seaweed are high in beneficial minerals- iron, calcuim, magnesium, potassium, iodine, and zinc. They also contain a good amount of lignans, compounds that have been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol levels.

Two things to note: Seaweed is NOT a good source of B12. Seaweed contains B12 analogues which are compounds that mimic b12, not B12 itself. If you are vegan/vegetarian or have had low B12 levels in the past, don’t rely on seaweed as a B12 source. The analogues found in seaweed can actually prevent B12 from being properly absorbed.

Seaweed is also very high in Iodine, so if you have any thyroid issues you should first consult a Registered Dietitian before adding a lot of seaweed into your diet.

Sea vegetables that you will likely find in the grocery store are hijiki, arame, wakame, and kombu. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry seaweed, check with an Asian grocery store. I usually prefer the Asian store over the regular grocery store as they have a wider selection and usually better prices.

This dish features one of my favorite sea vegetables, and a good one to start out with, Hijiki. High in calcium, iron, and fiber, hijiki is a porous, black seaweed with a lot of texture. I love it in this quinoa salad but if you are timid with  trying it, try a small amount in your favorite stir-fry or brown rice and work from there.

Hijiki and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted

1 bell pepper, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup hijiki
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

Soak the Hijiki in cold water for 1 hour, drain.

Cook the hijiki: in a saucepan cover the hijiki with water to cover. Simmer over medium low heat for 15-20 minutes until hijiki is tender. Drain and rinse hijiki with cold water.

While the hijiki cooks, make the quinoa. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil, add Quinoa, cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook untouched for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand for 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Whisk together the ginger, sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and tamari. Add the toasted sesame seeds to the dressing mixture.

Combine the quinoa, hijiki, bell pepper and dressing. I prefer this salad cold, so you can eat now or stick in the refrigerator for 30 minutes-1 hour before serving. Sometimes I add lightly fried tofu cubes to the salad for a heartier dinner.

Check out more Under The Sea dishes from my fellow Recipe Reduxers. What seaweed have you tried before? For you newbies- what prevents you from trying seaweed?

As I near the end of my challenge, I want to share what I’ve learned, gained, and let go from.

1. Daily Yoga rocks. This challenge idea first popped into my head when the yoga studio I belong to started offering their “40 Day Challenge.” Somewhat similar to mine, it’s a daily yoga, meditation, nutrition practice that I wanted to copy. I wasn’t a huge fan of their “food rules” and so I came up with my own. Plus, their challenge conflicted with my kickball league and I wasn’t giving that up!

I have reaffirmed my yoga practice many times over. I have enjoyed this part of the challenge much more than the food part, a suprise even to me. While I don’t know if I will continue with daily yoga, I hope to keep going as much as I can. I also learned to take more rest, a 4 letter word to me in my usual practice. I hurt my wrist AND my knee at two different times during this challange and learned that “yoga practice” can be as simple as meditating in Savasana. Perfect for days when my mind needs the practice more than my body.

On the vainer side of things, I am loving my more toned body. I don’t think I lost any weight during this challenge (I don’t ever weigh myself) but I have noticed much more definition in my abdomen and arms. No complaints here…

2. Thank god for technology. When I first started this challenge, I thought I would have a whole slew of recipes afterwards to share with you. However, we ate much simpler than we normally do: roasted or steamed vegetables, rice, beans, or salad was dinner most nights and I really enjoyed the no-fuss cooking process.

3. I prefer store bought bread. Sure, my farmer wife days of getting up early and making bread were fun some of the time but not realistic in everyday life. I might do this more once I have a larger family, but a loaf of bread every few days for me and BL is way too much. I found myself eating more bread than I usually do, mostly because I knew it only had a few days of shelf life. Well, that and fresh bread topped with avocado or almond butter might be the greatest thing on earth. Delicious, but not practical. Ezekiel bread, you’re back on!

Here are my favorite recipes:

Whole Wheat Bread- basic recipe 

Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread 

Great with Italian Food, Paninis and my La Clouche Bread Baker, no-knead bread 

4. Be honest. As I mentioned yesterday, I didn’t follow this 100% to the T and I am OK with that. I enjoyed the nights I went out to dinner with friends, BL, and the various parties/vacations we took. You might not agree with that but I think that enjoying life means more than trying to prove a challenge to myself.

I have 5 days left and am looking forward to finishing them. Between this and my sugar-free challenge last year, I think I have found a new fun ritual. Not sure what next year will be, maybe gluten-free?