Mung Dal w Spinach & Peas

Tonight I was craving the comfort of home (got some bad news this morning) and so decided to make a simple dal to serve over rice. I looked at the variety of whole, split, and split-skinned lentils I had and decided on using Mung Dal. This recipe is an enhanced version of what my mom still makes all the time. She tends to make the traditional/authentic unadulterated versions - her dal is just a dal, without any spinach in it!!     

Palak Mutter Mung Dal

Prep Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients (6 servings):

1. 1 cup Split-Skinned Mung Dal
2. 2 cups Baby Spinach
3. 2 cups frozen Peas
4. 6 Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Plain dried, Whole foods 365 brand)
5. 1 (4oz) can of Tomato Sauce
6. 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
7. 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
8. 1 tsp Deggi Chili Powder
9. 1 tbsp Goya Recaito Cilantro Cooking Base
10. 1 tbsp Tamicon
11. Salt to taste

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients together (except for the Tamicon) with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer until dal is tender and begins to break apart. The preparation should be really soupy, so if it begins to thicken too much add cup or so of water. When the dal is tender, do a quick taste test for salt and add more, if needed. then add the tamicon, stir well and serve over brown rice. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 168 (Fat Calories 8)
Total Fat 0.9; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates 29.6g; Dietary Fiber 7.6g; Sugars 5.0g; Protein 11.3g

Chinese Fried Rice

I seem to be on a rice kick these days. After making the Fiesta Toss-Up last night, I was still craving some rice this evening. Since Dr. McDougall, and others, promote consumption of healthy starches such as Brown Rice, I have no guilt whatsoever :) and consume rice several times a week. What I do try to do is add loads, and I literally mean loads, of veggies to my rice dishes so as to balance out the starches with fiber and nutrition. Today, I decided to make a plant-based version of Chinese Fried Rice. 

Chinese Egg (Tofu)-Fried Rice 

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients (6 BIG servings):

1. 1.5 cups Brown Basmati Rice (dry)
2. 1 recipe Happy Herbivore Basic Tofu Scramble
3. 2 pks (12 oz) Birds Eye - Steamfresh Mixed Vegetables - Corn, Peas, Carrots, Green Beans
4. 2 pks (12 oz) Birds Eye - Steamfresh Blends - Asparagus, Gold & White Corn, Baby Carrots
5. 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
6. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
7. 4 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
8. Salt to Taste

Directions:

In a deep pan, bring 6-7 cups of water to boil and add brown rice. Simmer until tender and then drain and set aside. Prepare HH Tofu Scramble and set aside. I used black salt in my recipe to get the extra egg-like flavor. In a large skillet, thaw out veggies and allow any excess water to dry out. Then add the rice wine vinegar, ginger-garlic paste and soy sauce. Give everything a good toss and cook for a few minutes to allow the ginger-garlic paste to cook for a few minutes. Taste test the veggies at this stage. They should be saltier than you like them typically, because you will be adding a large amount of steamed rice. When the veggies start releasing the lovely aroma of Chinese food (its a mix of ginger and rice wine vinegar), add the steamed rice, give another good toss, and then add the HH Tofu Scramble and mix everything together. Turn off the stove, cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. Serve warm, with freshly cracked black pepper for a garnish. 

Chinese Egg (Tofu)-Fried Rice

My Assessment: This was a great dish. Even my 17-year old step-son, who refuses to eat "my plants" enjoyed a big bowl-full. Tony loved it too (despite the fact that he abhors tofu ... he thinks I used Ener-G Egg Replacer in this recipe). 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 448 (Fat Calories 69)
Total Fat 7.7; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates 72.1g; Dietary Fiber 9.0g; Sugars 12.2g; Protein 18.7g

Flax Seed Chocolate Oats

We haven't been grocery shopping in a few days. Last night, I realized I had no almond milk for my morning smoothie and since I'm addicted to my Red, White & Blue Smoothie, I couldn't imagine changing it up by making it in water. Frankly, the thought of making a smoothie without some kind of nut-milk to add smoothness was somewhat revolting. I polled the New Herbies page on Facebook on what to make for breakfast and the recurring response was Oats, in water. While that seemed somewhat revolting at first, I slowly warmed up to the idea and finally around 11pm last night I went back into the kitchen and soaked some Old Fashioned Oats in water to make overnight oats.  

Flax Seed Chocolate Oats

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients (1 serving):

1. 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
2. 1 cup water
3. 1 tbsp Ground Flax Seed Meal
4. 1 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa
5. 1 Banana, sliced 
6. 4-6 Strawberries, sliced
7. 1 tbsp Maple Syrup (optional). 

Directions:

.. just out of the microwave!

Soak oats in water overnight. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl, add ground flax seeds, cocoa and half of the sliced banana and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove from the microwave, allow to cool for a couple of minutes, mix well and top off with the rest of the sliced banana and strawberries. The banana cooked into the oats provided ample sugar for me, but if you like it sweeter, drizzle a tablespoon of pure maple syrup on top! Enjoy!! 

My Assessment: Compared to my usual breakfast of a spinach smoothie with Chia seeds, this breakfast was loaded with nutrition and substance too. I loved the chocolate mixed in with the flax seed meal. It also kept me full for quite a while more than the smoothie does. I've been meaning to move away from drinking my calories for a while and this seems like a great substitute, although I might decide back-off some on the flax seed meal because of its fat content. Its all good fats, but it does add to my caloric intake which I'm trying to limit these days. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 365 (Fat Calories 97)
Total Fat 10.8g; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates 63.6g; Dietary Fiber 11.6g; Sugars 18.8g; Protein 10.0g