VEGETARIAN NIGHT
Several times a week, I try to shoot for complete vegetarian meals. There are a few reasons why I do this. One of the reasons is that it’s good for us. Another reason is that it is good for the planet. The impact to the environment to raise cattle is quite costly. I’d like to think I’m doing my fair share to minimize our personal contribution, i.e., our footprint.
We are a mostly protein and veggie duo. I say this because my two oldest kids LOVE their carbs. But, as you may know, there are multiple ways to get protein without consuming MEAT.
Tonights’ dinner was really tasty, and once again, mostly from the Farmers’ Market.
And, you get TWO recipes for the ONE blog post! ♥
This carrot salad is to die for. It is just amazing, and packed with flavor. I took a recipe from the app Food 52 and tweaked a little – as I always do.
Carrot, Red Pepper, Tomato, and Harissa Salad
INGREDIENTS:
10 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 TBS. Harissa
The juice of one lemon
5 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
3 TBS. chopped cilantro
½ red bell pepper, julienne
3 green onions, white parts only
1 large tomato, medium dice
DIRECTIONS:
In a pot of lightly salted water, add carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer just until the carrots become fork tender – but still crisp. Drain and then shock. Shock = put in an ice bath to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, add in the remaining ingredients and stir. Once the carrots are cooled, drain, and add to the mixture. Stir again. Allow it to marinate for a few hours to overnight. Serve chilled.
Quinoa Salad with Mushrooms and Kale
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup uncooked Quinoa
2 cups of water
Sea salt
2 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBS Lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
3 cups chopped Kale
1 cup sliced mushrooms – I used Shiitake
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, pinch of salt, and quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. There may be some water still in the pot, allow the quinoa to rest so that it absorbs the excess water.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, olive oil, and salt and pepper to combine.
Prep Kale. Roll Kale cigar fashion and slice thin. Then cross-chop it. Rinse and pat dry or spin to dry.
Slice shiitakes.
Once the quinoa has cooled, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the kale, mushrooms, quinoa, and dressing. Serve at room temperature.
