I’ve said it a million times but with my hectic workweek, I need quick bulk lunches that I can grab from during the week. I spend a good chunk of my Sunday prepping food for the upcoming week, as I can easily set aside a few hours here rather than making dinner/lunches nightly.

This creamy, crunchy brown rice salad fits the bill for keeping me full till dinner. I imagine I will make this a few different ways as we head into summer, swapping out whatever produce I receive that week in the CSA.

That being said… have you signed up for a CSA yet? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way to get involved with your local growing region, support small farms, and receive delicious, often organic, produce weekly. I am very lucky that Sacramento is located in one of the largest growing regions in the country and I have access to (almost) daily farmers markets. If you don’t have the same availability, a CSA is like bringing the farmers market to you! Each week you get a grab bag of produce, depending on what is ripe. I love getting creative with whatever we receive, and trying new items that I might not have purchased at the store. To find one near you, check out http://www.localharvest.org

Goddess Rice Bowl

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked French lentils
1 bunch dinosaur kale
1/2 onion, minced
1 yellow or red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup Goddess dressing (bottled or recipe below)
3/4 cup  shredded carrot
1 tsp. olive oil

Goddess Dressing, modified from about.com:
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup oil

Combine the lentils and brown rice into large bowl.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes until onion has slightly browned. Add the chopped kale and cook for 5 minutes until slightly tender. Add to the rice mixture.

Add the shredded carrot, pepper and goddess dressing to the bowl. Toss well and eat!

I like eating this over a bed of baby spinach.

Enjoy fellow Goddesses!

These next few posts are going to be about one of my favorite super foods, Kale. These green gem has been getting more popular lately, and I can’t get enough. In season now, Kale is a great source of flavanoids (powerful form of antioxidants), vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber.

There are several types of Kale, but the below two are the most common. Dinosaur/Tuscan/Lacinatokale is the flatter leaf on the left. Curly kale, the easiest to find I think, is on the right. I like the curly type in raw salads.

This recipe is going to highlight raw kale as a salad. My friend Anya showed me this dish and I have been making it ever since. Nutty, light and simple, this salad is awesome.

Almond Kale Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale

3/4 cup raw almond butter
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 2″ piece ginger
1 orange
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except kale. Blend until smooth.

Tear the kale with your hands into bite size pieces. Add the dressing to the kale and massage until dressing is covered over all the kale.

Looking for more Kale recipes?
Kale Chips
Kale Ceasar Salad

I don’t know about you, but I love “fish” tacos. Crispy, breaded and fried tofu with creamy slaw is one of my favorite summer meals. As we have been having summer-like weather here in California, I started the season a bit earlier this year. This salad is a take on traditional tacos, without the tortilla. Creamy, avocado slaw topped with warm baked ‘fish sticks’ is a lightened up version of the famous taco.

Ingredients:
1 lb. firm tofu, drained
1  large package coleslaw mix (or 5 cups shredded cabbage)
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 tbsp. cilantro, minced
3/4 cup soy or almond milk

In a shallow bowl/plate combine:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tbsp. very finely chopped nori sheets or flakes (I finely minced toasted nori sheets)
pinch salt/pepper

Dressing:
1 large avocado
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup almond/soy milk
1 tsp. cumin
1 jalapeno
juice from 1 lime
salt/pepper

Whisk/Blend dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the tofu into sticks. Pour the milk into a small bowl. Dip the tofu sticks into the milk and then into the cornmeal mixture. Place the breaded tofu sticks onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes on one side and flip, bake an additional 15 minutes.

Place the coleslaw mixture/cabbage into a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Allow to sit for 15 minutes while the tofu is baking to wilt and soften. To finish, add the tomatoes, cilantro , and cucumber. Gently toss and top with tofu sticks.

Enjoy!

A few times a month I teach a course on healthy cooking and current nutrition topics. I love showing people unique but do-able ingredients, like this quinoa. This seed has become more popular lately but unless you know what it taste like, I understand that it might still be foreign.

My cooking section focuses on the deliciousness and ease of plant-based cooking. I don’t ever expect anyone to switch over to a vegetarian diet but eating meatless a few times a week still produces great benefits, especially for heart and colon health. It doesn’t stop there, a recent report came out showing that eating meatless 1 day a week has more of an environmental impact that eating locally grown foods!

I made this salad at an event last month and it was a big hit. If you’ve been following my recipes, you know what a fan of these dishes I am. I usually make a grain salad a week and eat it for lunch over the next few days. It’s a perfect mix of complex carbohydrates, protein and a little fat to keep me satisfied and focused in the afternoon.

Black Bean and Mango Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 red pepper, diced
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno, minced
1 cup quinoa

Lime Dressing:
2-3 large limes, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup juice)
3 tbsp. good quality olive oil
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt/pepper

Cook the quinoa:
Rinse the quinoa before cooking. This is important to remove any “bitter” taste once the quinoa is cooked.
Place quinoa in a pot and add 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil then cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let the quinoa sit for about 5-7 minutes. Fluff with a fork like you would rice. Don’t use a spoon as the quinoa will clump and become mushy.

Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the quinoa salad and toss.