Lentil Salad with Tuna/Salmon

I made this lentil salad for two reasons.  First, I wanted to cook with lentils because I never have!  Second, I am working again and need to cook dinners that I can eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.  I really enjoyed the lentil salad and it was very light and easy!  From my produce basket I used bell pepper, cucumber, and basil.  I used a can of tuna fish in this recipe, but you could also do it with salmon.  I did not put too much dressing on the salad because I wanted to keep it light.  It would have been good with a little bit more lemon juice and olive oil.  My fun little experiment with lentils turned out pretty well.  I will definitely try to cook with them again!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz of lentils
• 1 can tuna fish (mine was 5 oz)
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1/4 cup bell pepper
• 1/4 cup cucumber
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 basil leaves

1. Cook the lentils to the directions on the package.
2. Put lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl and whisk till mixed
3. Put the lentils in the bowl.
4. Add the fish.
5. Add the onion, bell pepper, cucumber and stir.
6. Add the dressing and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve on a plate topped with basil leaves.
8. Add any extra olive oil, lemon juice, salt, or pepper if needed.

Black Bean Soup with Cilantro Tortilla Chips

Tonight I made black bean soup using the poblano peppers from my produce basket.  This soup was yummy!  The recipe also made enough for me to take some for my lunch tomorrow at work.  There is a little spicy kick, but not too bad.  Also, I love cilantro!  If you do not like it as much as me, you can cut back on the amount in this recipe.  I put in a 1/2 cup!  When I have soup, I always like to have a little something to dip into the bowl.  Tonight I made tortilla chips out of an Ezekiel brand tortilla.  They turned out to be the perfect addition to the black bean soup.  Finally, I used fire roasted tomatoes from Muir Glen.  I love all of the tomato products from this company and I always use them in my cooking. 

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can black beans
• 1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 cup carrot peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup onion diced
• 1/4 cup poblano pepper diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4-1/2 cup cilantro (to taste)
• 2 cups veggie broth (could use chicken broth here too)
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup cilantro, plus a little extra to sprinkle on tortillas
• 1 whole wheat tortilla

1. Heat a T of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, poblano pepper, carrot, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until soft about 10 min.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute until you can smell the garlic.
4. Add the black beans and stir.
5. Add the can of tomatoes and veggie broth.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil.  Then lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 min. After the soup has simmered, add the cilantro and turn off the heat.

7. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 400 F.
8. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a little cooking spray.
9. Cut the tortilla into wedges and place on the baking sheet.
10. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and cilantro.
11. Bake in the oven until the tortillas are crispy (this took me about 5 - 7 min.)

Tuna with Pesto over Mixed Greens

Tuna with pesto is so quick to make and there is absolutely no cooking involved.  I got home late from the gym last night and didn't want to spend much time cooking, so I made some pesto with all the basil I got in my produce basket.  I added the pesto to a can of tuna and put it on a salad for my dinner.  I put a little olive oil and red wine vinegar on the mixed greens, and that was it.  So easy and yummy!  You could also eat this with lunch as a salad or even make it into a sandwich. 

Ingredients for Pesto:

• 1/2 cup basil
• 1/8 cup pine nuts
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Salad:

• mixed greens
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil

1. Put all of the ingredients in a food processor.
2. Blend until well mixed.
3. Add more salt, pepper, and/or olive oil to taste.
4. Drain a can of tuna (mine was 5 oz).
5. Add the pesto to the tuna.
6. Place to tuna pesto mixture on mixed greens.
7. Drizzle the mixed greens with a little olive oil and red wine vinegar.

My Produce Basket

I picked up my produce basket this afternoon from Fall Line Farms.  More eggplant! 

In my basket this week...

• eggplant
• summer squash
• zucchini
• basil
• cucumber
• poblano peppers
• canary melon

Squash, Butter Bean, & Arugula Pasta with Lemon

One of my most favorite things to eat for dinner is pasta!  I find it so comforting. This pasta dish was no exception.  I ate it out of a big bowl on my cozy couch while I watched House Hunters.  The lemon juice added at the end really made the pasta lip-smacking!  Recently, I have been experimenting with different types of pastas to give myself some variety.  This pasta dish I prepared with brown rice pasta.  There is a little more bite to the rice pasta, but it was still tasty and a great gluten free option.  One helpful tip, when cooking with rice pasta it is good to rinse the pasta after cooking because it can get sticky.  The patty pan squash and butter beans were from my produce basket.  I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes to this because I like a little kick.  If you do not like spicy, regular pepper will be just fine.  Finally, you could make two servings out of this recipe if you pair it with a salad or chicken, but I ate it all!  This dinner put a big smile on my face.  I hope you enjoy it too!   

Ingredients:

• 1 patty pan squash
• 2 small garlic cloves
• 1 cup pasta
• 1/4 cup butter beans
• 1 1/2 cups arugula
• olive oil
• salt
• red pepper flakes
• 1 T fresh lemon juice 

1. Fill a big pot with water and bring to a boil.
2. Slice the squash and mince the garlic.
3. When the water is boiling, add a T of salt then pasta.  Cook the pasta to the directions on the box.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the squash, garlic, salt, and pinch of red pepper flakes.  Cook for 3 min.
6. Add the butter beans and cook for 3 more min.
7. Add the arugula and cook for one more min until wilted.
8. Add the pasta to the vegetables.
9. Taste the dish and add more salt or olive oil if needed (mine needed a little of both)
10. Squeeze the lemon juice on the pasta and vegetables.
11.  Remove to a serving plate and top with parmesan cheese if desired.

Eggplant Stacks with Tomato, Basil, and Feta

These eggplant stacks are like little eggplant sandwiches! Very yummy and so flavorful.  I still had eggplant in my produce basket, so I baked these because I wanted something quick and easy.  I ate two stacks with a salad for dinner.  Very light but filling too!  You could also serve these alongside chicken.  Delicious!

Ingredients (makes 2 stacks):

• 4 slices of eggplant
• 2 slices of tomato
• 4 basil leaves
• 2 T feta
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat grill pan over medium heat
2. Slice eggplant and tomato into 1/4 inch slices.
3. Toss the eggplant in olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Grill the eggplant and tomato until there are grill marks.
5. Turn on the broiler.
6. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a little cooking spray (easy clean up!)
7. Assemble the stacks: eggplant slice, tomato slice, basil leaves, eggplant slice, and feta cheese.
8. Broil in the oven until the cheese is slightly browned on the edges.
9. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil.

Veggie Stir Fry

Last night was stir fry night!  Stir fry is my go to dinner.  I love it because it is super easy and healthy.  The ingredients from my basket were the patty pan squash, green bell pepper, and butter beans.  I added a red bell pepper for color and scallions for a fun little topping!  You will probably find out quickly that I like to eat vegetarian meals, but if you prefer to have a little meat on your plate too, both chicken and shrimp would be perfect with this dish.  You will also notice that I will make recipes for 1 serving.  I live and alone, therefore, cook for one!  All of the recipes on this blog can easily be made into more servings.  Finally, I like to use low sodium soy on my stir fry.  Too much salt makes me puffy!
Ingredients:

• 1 green onion
• 1/4 green bell pepper
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 1/2 patty pan squash
• 2 T butter beans
• 1 glove minced garlic
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/8 cup soy
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 T olive oil
• 3/4 cup cooked brown rice

1. Chop up the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, scallion, and garlic.
2. In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
4. Cook the garlic, peppers, and squash for 3 min.
5. Put the bean in and cook for 2-3 more min.
6. Pour the soy mixture over the veggies.
7. Put rice on a plate and top with the stir fry.
8. Top stir fry with green onion.