Meals and Dipping Sauces with Jessica

 My awesome friend- Jessica Henshaw said shes's eating more aligned to vegan or Ayruveda- when not eating with much meat- its helpful to feel  more satiated by having many different flavors/textures on your plate which helps your  taste buds experience alot and fills all your senses. 

6 tasting senses- sweet, salty, sour,bitter, astringent, pungent

I went and stayed with Jessica in St george for a weekend. We had a such a wonderful time- eating, talking, hiking, talking and eating more delicious food she made.

When I arrived she made a veggie, chicken, quinoa dish-
1*Roast veggies in oven 400 degrees with oil and salt and pepper-
squash
zucchini
onion
chickpeas
broccoli or brussel sprouts/cauliflower/carrots (definitely could saute mushrooms)

2*Cook and season Chicken seperately.

3* Cook rice or quinoa

4* Serve with a dipping sauce- choose from options below

5* I liked sprinkling green pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries on top

She cooks enough to have for delcious and yummy lunches during the week

Breakfast and Dessert

1* scrambled eggs, with sausage, a side of sauteed kale and side of quartered roasted brussel sprouts or any other cruciferous veggie

2* dessert-oat chocolate ice cream, I added almond butter, banana, choco chips, cranberries!!! SO DELICIOUS!!!

Dipping Sauces-

1- Pesto without Cheese (Vegan)

Clean Eating Kitchen
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
1–2 tablespoons of water (optional, for thinning out the sauce to the desired texture)

In the base of a blender or food processor, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic clove, pine nuts, salt, and fresh basil leaves.
Process on high for 30-45 seconds or until the ingredients have blended together. The pesto should have a smooth and creamy consistency. Feel free to add up to several tablespoons of water if you want the sauce to be thinner.
Serve immediately, or store in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

2- Adobo Sauce                         

 Must Love Home Makes 2 cups

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• 1/2 cup chili powder

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• 1 cup boiling water

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• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices

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• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

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• 2 tbsp brown sugar

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• 2 tsp garlic powder

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• 1 tsp ground cumin

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• 1 tsp dried oregano

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• 1/2 tsp salt

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• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

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• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

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• pinch ground cloves

Add chili powder to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Bring water to a boil and pour over the chili powder. Stir and replace cover. Let steep while you gather the other ingredients.To the chili powder mixture, add tomatoes with juices, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cinnamon, black and cloves. Blend or pulse until smooth and the consistency of ketchup. Add water by the teaspoon and pulse if mixture is too thick.Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.. Carefully add adobo mixture. Bring to a low boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes until thickened. Allow to cool then transfer to an airtight container. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

3- Best Cilantro Lime DressingUrban Farmie

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
Instructions

Use a food processor or, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the chopped cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and minced garlic until well combined. Don't overblend if using a food processor or blender.
Season the dressing with salt and black pepper and adjust to taste.

4- Basil and Parsley

Sprouting Zen

a handful of fresh parsley including stems (28g)
5 to 6 fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves (11g)
2 tablespoons tahini (37g)
the juice of half a lemon (2 tablespoons = 25g)
1/2 cup of coconut milk from a can = 100g (I use Trader Joe’s brand which is guar-gum free)
1/4 teaspoon of himalayan salt
Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth and creamy.
Serve on top of your favorite summer bowls or entrees.

chicken & cabbage

Healthy and Super quick dinner-

Ingredients-

1- Shredded Salad- this mixture stayed in a ziplock bag for a week and didnt deteriorate at all.

-Shredded Cabbage, Shredded carrots, Shredded broccoli, cauliflower and snap peas

2- Chopped onion

3- Chicken-  smoked paprika, garlic. salt and pepper

4- Quinoa

5-Aioli

To cook-

Saute onions, cabbage, carrots, broccoli with olive oil, garlic. salt and pepper

Cook chicken, dice. retuen cabbage mixture to pan, add quinoa and chicken.

Can Add Spicy Aoili or any type of dressing (italian, ranch)

Add Avocado

----------------Spicy Aoili------------------

• 5 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced (or garlic powder)

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste (or lime)
• Sprinkle of salt and pepper
• ½ cup good quality mayonnaise 
• Splash of Siracha

Blueberry & Avocado with grapefruit dressing

A Bountiful Kitchen

• 1 large head of lettuce, preferably Romaine or leaf lettuce, washed,dried and chopped
• OR one 8-12 oz bag of Spring mix or Spinach (about 15 cups total greens)
• 1 pint of blueberries, washed
• 1-2 avocados, cut into chunks or sliced
• 1 cup dried apricots, sliced
• 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Blue cheese, crumbled, I used regular white cheese (mozzarella) and sliced it up in small cubes
• 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds or almonds (salted or unsalted)
• could add cooked quinoa
• 
  

FOR DRESSING- (2 quantities to choose from)
less    More

2/3    ¾ cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1/4    ½ cup white or golden balsamic vinegar
1       2 cups light olive oil or canola oil*
1/2    1 teaspoon salt
1/2    1 teaspoon pepper
1/8    ¼ cup green onion, white part only
1/8    ¼ cup honey or sugar, more or less to taste
optional- 2 cups leftover chicken breast meat, cooked and cut into chunks

I made the less version of the dressing

1. Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with remaining ingredients, reserving some of each of the ingredients for topping the salad for presentation.
2. Make the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together in blender until green onions are smooth.
3. Drizzle dressing on top of salad or dress the salads individually.
4. Refrigerate any leftovers.

This salad may be made ahead and all of the individual ingredients stored in Ziplock bags until ready to serve. Do not cut the avocados until ready to serve. 
-For serving, reserve some of the ingredients and place on top of the salad after tossing the rest of the ingredients together in bowl. Drizzle dressing on top. 
-If you are doubling the salad, one recipe of the dressing will cover a double or triple batch of salad.
-If you need to cut the avocados early, toss them with some lemon juice and a bit of the dressing and seal with plastic wrap pressed next to the avocado in a bowl or ziplock bag without smashing the avocado. Pressing all of the air out and tossing with something acidic will prevent the avocado from browning! Make sure to refrigerate.
- I used a mixture of Butter lettuce and Spring Mix in the salad photographed, which I love, but don='t recommend if you're going to let the salad sit in the fridge for a while. Butter lettuce is wonderful, but very tender and doesn't hold up well if it has to sit for very long, refrigerated or unrefrigerated! Romaine or other bagged lettuces which have been spun very dry that are pre packaged work well if you have to let the salad sit for a while on a buffet table.

Quinoa Veggie Burger

Eating Well

INGREDIENTS

Double      Original

• 2c                1 cup water
• 1c                1/2 cup red/white quinoa
• 2T                1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2c                1 cup diced onion
• 4c                2 cups finely chopped cremini or white button mushrooms
• 2t                1 teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1and 1/2t      3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram (didn't have, used basil instead)
• 1/2t              1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3                  1 large egg
• 1c                2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 1c               1/2 cup whole pecans, toasted and finely chopped (had only pumpkin seeds) (see Tip)
• 2/3c            1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 2T               1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• salt and pepper
• 8 small whole-wheat burger buns, toasted if desired

PREPARATION

1. Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
3. Chop mushrooms in food processor. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms (i cooked till slightly brown 10min) then add garlic, marjoram and oregano; cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
4. Beat egg in a medium bowl. Add the quinoa, mushroom mixture, cheese, pecans, oats and soy sauce; stir to combine. Scoop scant 1/2-cup portions of the mixture onto the baking sheet and shape into 8 patties, about 3 inches wide, leaving about 1 inch of space between each patty. (The mixture will be crumbly; patting it into burgers on the baking sheet makes it easier to work with. The burgers hold together very well once baked.)
5. Bake the burgers until crispy, 28 to 30 minutes. Serve on buns with your favorite garnishes.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap and freeze cooked burgers for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a skillet with a little oil.

• For the best flavor, toast nuts before adding to recipes. Spread whole nuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. For chopped nuts, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Quinoa

The Kitchn

What You Need

Ingredients1 cup uncooked quinoa (any variety — white or golden, red, or black) 
Olive oil, optional 
2 cups water or broth
1/2 teaspoon salt

ToolsFine-mesh strainer
2-quart saucepan with lid
Spoon

Instructions

1. Rinse the quinoa: Measure 1 cup of quinoa and place into a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse thoroughly with cool water for about 2 minutes. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing. Drain.
2. Toast quinoa in saucepan (optional): Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute to let the water evaporate and toast the quinoa.
3. Add liquid and bring to a boil: Stir in 2 cups of water or broth and the salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
4. Lower heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes: Remove the pot from heat and let stand for 5 more minutes, covered. Don't peek!
6. Fluff and eat! Remove the lid — You should see tiny spirals (the germ) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds. Fluff the quinoa gently with a fork, and serve. If any liquid remains in the bottom of the pan or if the quinoa is still a bit crunchy, return the pot to low heat and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed.

Tacos

I love to have leftovers of this stuff so I make alot!

1-2 sliced peppers (red, yellow, orange, or green)
sliced mushrooms
1 sliced onion
1 sliced zucchini
1 sliced summer squash
Refried beans
spinach
(any leftover meat if wanted)
oregano
cumin
chili powder
garlic
salt and pepper
quinoa would be nice to add in the shell

After it is cooked put on top-
chopped tomatoes
avocado
cheese
sour cream or plain yogurt
love cilantro if I have it


Turn the oven on Broil
Line baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
In a bowl mix the veggies all together and add the seasonings. You can prepare this a few days before and leave it in the fridge and let the veggies marinade in the spices.
Broil and watch closely so they don't char.  Stir every 10min, cook for about 30min.  I like to broil them b/c they still have a slight crunch and aren't limpy and slimy.

You can use corn or flour tortilla shells or the hard/crispy shells.  Sometimes I like to lightly sautee the soft tortilla shells by themselves and then fill with the ingredients and serve.

Traditional or Vegan Hawaiian Haystacks

TWO versions- VEGAN with Cashews and Traditional broth

Hawaiian Haystacks

Cooked Brown Rice could use quinoa if you want
Your choice of toppings like:

Peas
Tomatoes
Green/Red Peppers
Green Onions
Pineapple
Celery
Pimentos
Avocados
Slivered Almonds
Olives
Chow Mein Noodles
Shredded Coconut
shredded cheddar cheese
mandarin oranges 

(1) Vegan Cheezy/cashew  Sauce from Vegan

1 ½ C. Cashews, raw, unsalted
½ -1 c. water
1-2T lemon juice
1-2 t. salt
2-3T Nutritional Yeast
1 t. minced garlic

Add all to food processor and blend until smooth.

(2) Or Traditional chicken sauce-

Double     Original Recipe

4T            2 T butter/oil

1              1/2 chopped onion (I did add some chopped green tops of celery too)

1/4c         2-3T stir in flour

2c            1c of broth and/or milk

1              1/4-1/2t  garlic powder or 3 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

I had leftover cooked chicken

In the morning, I like to cut the veggie toppings and prepare the sauce. Then 40 min before dinner I cook the rice

For the Sauce- Brown the onion with the butter, add in flour and mix till all incorporated. whisk in the broth and/or milk, garlic. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Add the salt and pepper. If you are using leftover cooked chicken, add it now. Continue simmering, stirring the sauce frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes.

Pour mixture into crockpot to keep warm till you serve it.

I make extra of this sauce so I can freeze some for a easier preparation  for a future dinner in a month.