My Foodie Call

Category: Salads, Soups, and Sides

• 

  Chick Pea Sliders Salad

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 24th
  

  It’s-a-slim-pickings-salad-kind-of-night.

  I have been on a slight grocery boycott lately because I am trying to “use what we have”. I put that in quotes because my kids hear me say it so much that I am sure I sound like a robot by now.

  But seriously, our country wastes so much food that I do not want to add to the problem by continuing to buy foods when we have more than enough. If our cupboards look understocked, so be it.

  Although that said, probably by tomorrow I’ll be sick of the kids complaining there is no food and I’ll go buy out the snack aisles of Target.

  Sigh.

  For now as a result of my grocery shopping hiatus, our cupboards were looking EMPTY.

  Time for dinner.

  After sneaking a peek in the cupboard, I found two workable ingredients.

  A can of chick peas (yes, garbanzo beans, same thing) and some brown rice.

  Add a little seasoning.

  Veggie burgers, done.

  

  Pile in your ingredients.

  

  Process.

  

  Mini burgers. AKA “sliders”.

  

  Cook ’em up.

  Except we are out of rolls….

  

  Chick pea slider salad?

  Sometimes the meals take on a non-traditional presentation. Yes, this is why the above veggie burger is on a bed of spinach instead of in between 2 buns and slathered with ketchup and mustard.

  Here is the basic veggie burger recipe that really can be extremely versatile. These became “sliders” because I wanted to make them small and have more than 4 large patties.

  Chickpea sliders

  makes 7

  Ingredients

  • 1 can drained chickpeas
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste

  Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in the food processor. Pulse until it forms a chunky paste .
  2. Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop paste into your palms. Shape into patties and place on a large plate.
  3. Put in fridge for 10-20 minutes to help “set”.
  4. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliders and cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes per side.

  Because these wound up being “non-traditional” in that I knew we were not putting traditional condiments on them, I decided to make a nice sauce for it.

  Miso-Ginger Sauce

  (modified from Eat Spin Run Repeat)

  • 1 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp white miso
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1-2 tbsp honey
  • 2-3 tablespoons each water and Extra virgin olive oil

  

  Whisk it up.

  

  Now off to the grocery store….
  Posted in Meatless mealtime, Salads, Soups, and Sides | Tagged beans, spinach
• 

  Creamy tofu and balsamic dressing

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 20th

  Do you make your own dressing yet?

  It can be kind of annoying to take the extra step of making your own, but really this takes two seconds.

  

  High protein dressing? Sweet.

  Not sure if you have tofu in your fridge, but it’s pretty much a guarantee that you have the rest of these ingredients.

  

  The biggest effort is cubing up the old tofu. Not hard.

  Here it is:

  Creamy tofu dressing

  1 1/2 cups tofu, cut into cubes

  2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

  2 Tbs. honey mustard

  1-2 cloves garlic (depending on your family’s preference)

  2 Tbs honey

  salt and pepper to taste

  1/2- 3/4 cup vegetable broth (to thin)

  Blend well in your blender.

  

  The tofu makes it super creamy.

  

  We had this on crisp, chilled romaine, but you can have it pretty much on any salad. Your call.

   
  Posted in Salads, Soups, and Sides | Tagged salad dressing
• 

  Southern Greens with Vegan Sausage

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 12th

  I am from the North East.

  But have also lived in Southern California.

  People definitely eat different.

  Climate, soils, weather. Availability. Economic factors. Traditions….

  So many things dictate why certain regions eat the way they eat.

  A very Southern tradition is to use meat products such as ham hocks to flavor their collards.

  Had to veganize that tradition for this household.

  This recipe is lightly modified from Cooking from Trader Joe’s.

  Southern Greens with Vegan Sausage

  • 1 16-oz bag Southern Greens Blend (I bought this at Trader Joe’s but your could easily substitute collards or kale and chop your own)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion, diced coarsely
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 10 oz vegetarian sausage cut into thin coin slices
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

  Instructions

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. (make sure it is large enough to fit all of your greens!)
  2. Cook onion in skillet until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
  3. Add sausage and cook for 1-2 minutes
  4. Add garlic, greens, and broth, stirring to combine all ingredients.
  5. Turn down heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about fifteen minutes, until greens are nice and soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

   

  

  Doesn’t look vegan does it?

  Posted in Salads, Soups, and Sides | Tagged collards, vegan
• 

  Vegan “Parmesan” An easy Almond topping

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 6th

  I discovered this a few years ago and have made it several times since. Not only is it super tasty, but it is something that can be stored in the fridge for several weeks and used in several ways.

  The whole idea behind this recipe is that it is considered to be a good substitute for parmesan cheese. Although I do not think it tastes like parmesan cheese, it is still really good and does the job!

  

  Yes, that’s nutritional yeast. AGAIN. Told you I use it a lot.

  Vegan “Parmesan”

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

  1. Put all ingredients in your food processor bowl.
  2. Process until the almonds are broken down into a powder.

  Try this:

  Often times I will buy a good whole grain baguette, toast it, spread a layer of coconut oil on it and then shake the “parmesan” on top. Coconut oil on warmed bread spreads nicely and the almond topping is a fantastic medley of flavors.

  

  No crusty bread today, regular toast will have to do.

  

  Still good though, regular toast and all.

  I store my leftovers in a mason jar in the fridge. You can sprinkle leftovers on pretty much any meal, but I love to use it on marinara-based dinners. Spaghetti, lasagna, and of course my crusty bread!

  Posted in Random stuff, Salads, Soups, and Sides
• 

  Kale Salad

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 3rd

  Kale is tough.

  Tough, fibrous tough and tough in that you need recipe inspiration to know what to do with it.

  Kale chips. Many start their kale journey with kale chips. Good approach, but eventually you need to venture out.

  Smoothies? Okay if you have a high-speed blender, otherwise the leaves just do not get broken down enough and you are left with chunks. Not good. Nobody wants a blueberry-infused-kale-chunk smoothie. Bleck. The family will divorce you.

  Kale salad? Do you eat raw kale in a salad? Chances are if you do, you have discovered that it takes a good hour to chew down one bite.

  Unless….

  You massage your kale.

  

  Unmassaged kale.

  

  This is “massaged” kale. Yes, use your clean hands and rub the dressing into those fibers.

  If you have been eating raw kale, kudos to you, but boy have you been suffering.

  Here is  a great recipe for kale rookies that comes with an awesome, sweet dressing to satisfy even the kids in your family.

  

  This dressing is naturally sweetened with dates, raisins and OJ.

  

  Layer the dressing on your salad. Use about half and save the dressing for a later use. It’s that good!

  

  Massaged. Notice how it loses some volume. That’s a good thing.

  

  Add your remaining ingredients and stir.

  

  The longer the dressing sits, the better.

  Lightly modified from Raw Food Diet Inspiration here

  Kale Dressing:

  • 1 Cup of Orange Juice
  • 5-6 Dates
  • 1/2 raisins
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 strip of celery
  • juice of one large lemon
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tea of cayenne pepper
  • pinch of sea salt

  Pile into your Vitamix or high-speed blender!

  The actual salad:

  • 1-10 oz package organic kale
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced (go organic if possible)
  • 1 red pepper sliced thinly
  • 1 green onion, sliced thinly (only 1 if kids are eating. For adults?? Go with 2 or 3.)
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

  1. Add your kale to a large bowl. Drizzle dressing generously over the greens.
  2. Massage those greens! Let this sit as long as possible.
  3. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix well.

  

  Love those colors!

  Posted in Salads, Soups, and Sides | Tagged kale, salad

• You missed a call?

  • Make friends with…Bean Pasta.
  • Whole Wheat Flax ‘N Apple Muffins
  • Small changes…Eat what’s in season.
  • Whole Wheat Broccoli Mac N Cheese
  • What I pack my kid.

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