Hello friends, I hope you all are doing well. I never thought I’d be working on a cookbook in the middle of a pandemic, but here we are, and we are all in this together.
This recipe is two salads in one – a quinoa and lentil tabouli, and a kale, beet and citrus salad. They taste great as separate dishes, but even better in the same bowl. It is a warm, plant based boost to your digestion and immune system, which we could all use right now.
With the coronavirus greatly affecting life as we know it, it is so important to keep your immune system balanced and strong at this time so you can stay healthy. Some tips for keeping your immune system strong include:
- Stick to healthy, nutrient rich foods, especially warm and cooked foods, lots of veggies and leafy greens.
- Add lots of alliums aka garlic, green onion, regular onions, chives, leeks and shallots for their antibacterial properties.
- Drink plenty of water (room temperature, warm or hot is best) and other liquids like bone broth and soups to keep your digestion running optimally and your mouth and throat moist.
- Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, or cayenne to your meals for an anti inflammatory and antiviral boost.
- Minimize sugar, dairy, alcohol, processed foods, and cold raw salads and smoothies.
Now that many of us are spending a lot of time at home, I hope you can take this opportunity to start to cook more meals at home. I have many happy memories of cooking at home with my family and college roommates, cooking simple and fancy meals for one or two, and now sharing my love of food and cooking with everyone. Patients, friends and family have shared that with the restrictions on dining out, they’ve been cooking at home more than they have in years, and it’s been fun to go back to their family’s recipes, making old favorites or trying something new. This time can be an opportunity to tap into nourishing yourself, learning a new skill, sharing a meal, and still connecting and being together in spirit.
Ingredients
For quinoa tabouli:
1 cup quinoa
1 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth or water
1 cup chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 green onions, chopped
¼ cup mint, chopped (about 10-15 leaves)
1 cup cooked lentils (see note below for dried lentils)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon (for zest and juice)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
For kale salad:
1 bunch of kale
2 blood oranges, peeled and chopped
1 cup roasted beets, chopped (see note below for fresh beets)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons hemp hearts
Directions
Heat quinoa and broth or water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring pan up to a boil, then lower heat to simmer quinoa for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.
While the quinoa is cooking, place parsley, garlic, green onion, mint and lentils in a large bowl.
When the quinoa is done cooking, add hot quinoa to the bowl and mix all ingredients to combine. Zest and juice the lemon over the bowl, drizzle olive oil, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cayenne (if using) and serve warm.
For the kale, tear or chop the kale leaves into smaller pieces. Heat a wok or large saucepan on medium high heat and add oil to the pan. Add kale and stir fry for about 5 minutes; if it seems like the kale is getting too fried, you can turn the heat down, and add a splash of water to the pan to lightly steam the kale until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place chopped orange and beets in a large bowl. When kale is done, add kale to the bowl and stir to combine. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle on hemp hearts, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
Substitutions / Alterations
- I developed this recipe before the crazy lines at the grocery stores, so of course, please substitute as you can, or save this recipe for when things get back to normal.
- I used pre cooked beets and lentils from Trader Joe’s, which saves some cooking time. If you’re using fresh beets, roast chopped beets in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until soft. If you’re using dried lentils, place 1 cup lentils and 4 cups water in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 25-30 minutes.
- If you don’t want to use lentils, garbanzo beans or kidney beans would taste good too.
- Grapefruit or tangerines can be substituted for blood oranges.
- Add any leftover veggies, herbs or spices to the salad. Now is a great time to use the whole plant and not toss the scraps.
References
Pitchford, Paul. (2002). Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, 3rd Edition. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Wang, Y., Sheir, W., & Ono, M. (2010). Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes from the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.