Recipe: Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato & Quinoa

I will eat pretty much anything that contains raisins. I just love how they plump up when you cook them. Combine them with spices and coconut butter and I am completely smitten! The best part is that this dish is really good for you. It's full of fiber & anti-inflammatory spices, plus it's vegetarian and gluten free!

Ingredients:

2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cumin, ground or whole

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

pinch of cayenne

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 tomato, diced

½ cup raisins

½ cup quinoa

½ cup lentils, rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

1 container plain yogurt

1. Start by heating the coconut oil on medium heat. Add the spices and bay leaf and cook till hot and fragrant. Stir them pretty consistently & careful not to burn them. Pour into small bowl and set aside.

2. Add remaining coconut oil to hot pan and saute onions, sweet potato, and tomato for about 5 minutes.

3. Add spice mix, raisins & lentils and stir to coat. Add vegetable broth. Make sure the broth covers everything by about 1/2 inch. If it doesn't, add some water.

4. Bring to a boil, stir then reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes

5. Add quinoa and cook for another 20 minutes, or until both lentils & grain are soft. 

6. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt (this can be omitted to make the dish vegan!) 

Serve and enjoy!

♠

Recipe: Spinach-Pear Smoothie

How much fiber are you getting everyday? FYI, women need 25 grams and men need a whopping 38 grams! I know my husband and I haven't been getting enough, so I've been trying to sneak in a little extra into every meal. I bought a fiber supplement and have been making more beans, which are ridiculously high in fiber. I get bored of beans, though, and tired of cooking, so we have smoothies a couple nights a week. They're a great way to get your veggies and fruit and they're fun to make!

This smoothie has some awesome superfoods in it and contains almost 9 grams of fiber. Drink up!

 

Ingredients:

½ cup milk or juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup spinach leaves
2 tsp fiber powder

1 small pear, chopped

¼ cup blueberries

¼ cup pineapple pieces

1 tsp chia seeds

½ scoop protein powder (optional)

Directions:
1. In a blender, combine the milk/juice, lemon juice and spinach leaves. Blend till smooth.
2. Add fiber powder and blend
3. Add fruit, one portion at a time.
4. Throw in the remaining ingredients and blend it all up. Pour over ice and enjoy!

♠

6 Ingredients or Less: Spicy Sardine Pasta

This is a great recipes if you're in a rush, but still need a good meal. It's also perfect if you're just feeling lazy (i.e. me, most of the time). My favorite part of this recipe is the fact that it includes two super foods (kale & fish) with minimal effort involved.

If you don't like spicy food, just switch out spicy sardines for ones packed in water.

Ingredients:

2 packages fresh pasta noodles

1 jar marinara sauce

1 tin sardines in Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 bunch kale

Parmesan, to taste

Directions:

1. Follow the directions on the package for cooking the pasta.

2. While your water is heating, trim off the tough ends on the kale stems and discard. Cut the kale into slices and set aside.

3. In a separate sauce pan, heat the marinara sauce over medium. Add the sardines. Try not to add too much of the hot sauce unless you like your food very spicy.

4. Toss the kale in with the noodles right before taking them off the stove to drain. This will cook the leafy greens just enough. Drain both the noodles and kale in a colander.

5. Lastly, you can serve the sauce over top of the pasta, or toss the noodles in the sauce (I prefer this method).

6. Serve topped with a little Parmesan and black pepper.

♠