Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

Hello again! 

It's been two weeks since I've been here and I'm so happy to be back. Today I've brought with me a salad that I think you'll love as much as I do. As a food blogger, I tend to skip around a lot but I've made this a few times over the last few weeks which means it must be pretty darn good. It's one of those salads I find myself craving. I'm totally in love with sweet potatoes at the moment (and forever more) and they are great in salads. The crispy shallots take it to another level. Truth is crispy shallots equal awesomeness! And the simple lemon tahini dressing adds a creaminess making this a salad dream come true. At least for me anyway, I love creamy dressings! There's nothing wimpy about this salad either. It's a perfect warm salad to keep you cozy and happy. I've also got plans for another sweet potato salad coming your way soon...it'll have a Thai peanut dressing. Oh yes, and its soooo good! But in the meantime, I urge you to pick up everything you need for this salad and get on it, pronto!

Follow my kitchen on Instagram. It's where I share most of my daily meals and inspiration with a sprinkle of randomness thrown in. I'd love to have you join me! 

Ingredients

Simple Lemon Tahini Dressing

Roast: Place sweet potato and chickpeas on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with a silpat, parchment paper or lighlty greased. Drizzle with oil, toss to coat. Sprinkle a few dashes of salt, garlic and chili powder of choice over top. Place in oven and roast for about 25 - 30 min, stirring once half way through, potatoes will be ready when they are fork tender. Ovens vary so your cooking time may be more or less.

Crispy shallots: Heat remaining oil in a small/medium pan over medium heat, add shallots and cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Lower heat to medium low and cook the shallots until nicely browned, about another 5 - 10 minutes. Once browned to your liking, remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel lined plate (if you leave them in the pan to cool, they may cook a bit more (possibly overcook) since the pan will still be hot). Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper if you like.

Dressing: Place the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, mix well and add a more water as needed to thin. Set aside. 

To serve, add leafy greens to serving dish/plate, top with 1/2 of the roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas along with 1/2 of the crispy shallots. Add a sprinkle of pepitas over top and drizzle with 1/2 of the dressing. Add a squeeze of the remaining lemon half over to if you like!

Serves 2. 

Summer in California is setting in, the temperatures are rising and salads are always welcome. I've been on an olive loving kick lately, as well as a chickpea kick (I'll tell you why soon), so this salad hit the spot with some salty olives, fresh sweet grape tomatoes & red bell peppers, refreshing cucumbers, red onion and fresh cooked chickpeas. All dressed up with a light vinaigrette and nice dollop of hummus. This salad didn't start with a dollop of hummus, but half way through eating I added a scoop and decided it needed to be included in the recipe (and photo), although I list it as optional. It adds such nice creaminess and rounds it out the salad well. If you find raw kale too hard to eat, even after letting it relax in lemon juice, a dollop of hummus will definitely do a world of good for you. It adds a nice creaminess to the overall salad while masking some of kale's bitterness. Similar to the Every Day Nourish Bowl, we now have another option of whole hearted goodness to choose from when a craving for salads occur! It's simple, accessible, not too expensive and good for you. Cheers to all of those things! :)

I have some fun news to share! I'm going to be immersed in all things chickpeas the next few months. I figured this post is a great place to introduce a project I've been working so hard on called, CHICKPEA: THE CHICKPEA HANDBOOK/COOKBOOK. It's all you need to know about chickpeas, with chapters containing information on nutrition, history, types, sprouting, growing (gardening), storing & selecting, flour, cooking and a few other relevant chapters. Plus, it will include upwards of 100+ recipes (not sure where to stop since there's so many good ones I want to add), including pictures of each one. It will include all of the favorite chickpea recipes from the blog and a ton of new ones. I'm excited out of my mind for this project! I was asked a few months ago what was the one ingredient that was important in my kitchen and my answer was chickpeas. They are so versatile and I use them often, especially for my hummus which is so much more than just a dip. After toying around with a couple cookbook ideas, doing a chickpea cookbook seemed so right. I want to celebrate the chickpea in all its glory and showcase its versatility, all the way from breakfast to desserts. It's a perfect fit for me and I know it will be a useful addition to any kitchen library! It's meant to be used often and will have my signature simplicity with a few recipes to kick it up a notch. I'm shooting for the end of the year but am really in no hurry as I want this book to be amazing. I ♥ chickpeas and think we should all eat more of them!

Enjoy the salad, and of course, this will be in the book! :)

Ingredients 

Enjoy!

So quick and easy...enjoy!

I'd love to see your masterpieces!
#thesimpleveganista

I've always been a self-taught learner, a do-it yourself kind of girl. From household fixings to health fixings, and now to minor website fixings, I've done my fair share of learning how to take care of things myself. You may have noticed the mini-facelift on the site. I've been tweaking it around here & there after much reading and fumbling around on the computer. lol I'm finally done, for now anyway! After the few minor setbacks (I had a slight learning curve), I'm so happy to be finished bringing new things and life to my little blogspot with only spending my time (for what's it's worth, if I had to start this blog over again I would use WordPress, just saying). For starters, there is a new page up top containing MY PANTRY & KITCHEN ESSENTIALS. I hope to elaborate on this page in the future. I've also added an INSPIRATION & RESOURCE page which is still in progress. Here and there you'll find a few other new bells and whistles that were done completing my mini makeover. I hope it's easy to navigate and more pleasing to the eye. This is my personal space on the web and I like to have it as fresh and clean as possible. Now enough about that and without further ado, I hope to inspire you with this everyday nourish bowl!

 

Enjoy and be grateful!

I'd love to see your masterpieces!
#thesimpleveganista

Enjoy!

I love, Love, LOVE creamy chickpea salads! They are so addicting that I can literally sit and eat the whole bowl within a day. If you're familiar with my blog you already know about the Mashed Chickpea Salad and Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad. Now we are delightfully adding this curried chickpea salad to the collection. I honestly can't say that I love one more than the other. They each have a different flavor and are equally delicious in my book. But if you're a curry lover, you will be smitten over this salad! Inspired by a recent trip to Trader Joe's and saw their Curry Chicken Salad and knew it was time to make a vegan version. The ingredients are inspired by their ingredient list and it did not disappoint. I love the combination of curry with the sweetness of the raisins, along with the crunch from the carrots and cashews. It's a perfect blend of flavor and textures. The ingredients are simple so you can pull this together easily. It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week making it easy to pull together to-go lunches or simply to have on hand for snacking. I can almost guarantee this will not be in your fridge for that long...it will be gone almost as soon as you make it! This salad can be served alone, with sliced red bell peppers as scoopers, on a bed of leafy greens or made into a sandwich. I encourage you to gather your ingredients and give this salad a try. I think you will find it to be as good as the others. In fact, it may just become your new favorite!

In a medium mixing bowl, add chickpeas and roughly mash about 1/2 of the beans with the back of a sturdy fork or potato masher. Add in the carrots, scallions, raisins, cashews and hummus, mix well to combine. Taste for flavor adding mineral salt and cracked pepper to taste.

Serve as is, with sliced red bell peppers as scoopers, on a bed of leafy greens, with crackers or made into a sandwich with bread of choice.

Serves 4-6.

Notes:

I love the sweetness that the dried fruit gives and could use up to 3/4 cup so each bite has a little sweetness to it. Feel free to add extra raisins, currants or dates.

If your hummus is on the thick side, thin it out with water until desired thinness. Using a small bowl add a couple rounded tablespoons of hummus with 1 tablespoon of water. Adding more of each as you go until you have a thinner hummus. Do the same if using tahini. Feel free to use more for a super creamy salad. If your measuring by tablespoons...8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup and about 11 tablespoons = 2/3 cups (technically 10 T + 2t).

You can try tweaking this recipe by adding a tablespoon or so of apple cider or white wine vinegar to the wet mixture. It will give it a slight tang. You may also like to try adding a tablespoon of pure maple syrup or other liquid sweetener of choice to add a little sweetness all around. Adjust curry, adding more or less, to suit your taste.

Try replacing the carrots with diced red bell peppers for color variation.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 2 cups brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
• 1 onion, sliced (use your favorite onion or what you have on hand)
• 1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained  and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper or lemon-pepper, to taste
• 2 -3 cups cooked quinoa or grain of choice (about 1/2 cup per person)

Sauce

• 2 cans (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 - 1 cup vegetable broth (start low and add as needed)
• juice of 1 good size lemon
• generous pinch of red pepper flakes
• mineral salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, thyme, parsley, chives, sage, tarragon 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line roasting pan/baking dish with silpat, parchment paper or grease lightly with neutral oil. Add vegetables to roasting pan and toss to coat with olive oil. Arrange vegetables in a single layer (as much as possible), sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast vegetables until tender and lightly browned, about 45 minutes, mixing once halfway through.

Start your grain of choice while vegetables are cooking. Quinoa will take about 30 minutes.

Prepare your sauce by placing all the ingredients into your food processor/blender, except for the herbs, and process until smooth. Add extra broth as needed to thin. Add in herbs and pulse once or twice. Place sauce in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, uncovered, until warm, stirring occasionally.

Serve vegetables over grain of choice with a nice helping of sauce over top. Serve warm.

Serves 4 generously.

Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to a week. Leftovers are just as delicious!

This recipe was inspired by a recent post on BuzzFeed for 27 Awesome Easy Lunches To Bring To Work. I'm thrilled to have been included in the roundup with the Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich! There is also a few other great vegan options as well so be sure to take a look. In it I saw a Pan Bagnat from Food 52 and had to recreate it for us plant powered lovers. I love Food 52, and have always been inspired by the simplicity and beauty of their photography. And of course the recipes are great too! I have a few in my collection that were inspired from there like this Mushroom Bourguignon and these Gluten Free Banana Flap Jacks. It's a great community if you haven't heard of it yet! In fact, they have a vegan column called The New Veganism with Gena Hamshaw of Choosing Raw as the recipe creator. Be sure to take a look and be inspired by both the recipes and photography!

The pan bagnat (meaning 'bathed bread') is a classic specialty sandwich served in and around the region of Nice, France. It's a sandwich version of the salade niçoise which is a combination of tuna, anchovies and/or sliced hard boiled egg mixed with raw vegetables like red bell pepper, green beans, radishes, olives and onion. You will also find there to be olive oil and possibly vinegar, salt and pepper. Here we'll be using a few of these traditional ingredients but veganizing this classic using white beans as our protein. And I can guarantee you this is just as delicious if not better than the traditional version! Not only does the salad make for a great sandwich filler but it would be just as good on a bed of leafy greens as well. This recipe may give you leftovers, and that's a good thing because it only gets better in the next day. One day make a sandwich for work, home or a picnic and the next top it on some leafy greens or just eat as is. It's pretty amazing on its own!

I love the saltiness from the olives here, you can add a tablespoon of capers if you like. The fresh bell pepper and blanched green beans add a nice crunch and sweetness while the onion and artichokes add another layer of flavor. Tie the vegetables together with the white beans, dressing made of olive oil, lemon and mustard, add a good sprinkling of mineral salt & plenty of cracked pepper and this salad will be another favorite to come back to time and time again!

Wrap your sandwich tightly in saran wrap, fold ends under and press with a few heavy books or pots. This is an important part or your sandwich will be very messy and fall all over. Trust me, I know this from first hand experience. Plus, this helps the bread soak up the moisture of the salad dressing making for 'bathing the bread'. So be sure to press your sandwich, even if just for an hour, it will make all the difference...although overnight is even better. This makes a perfect grab and go sandwich for lunches and picnics, once pressed it's ready to go!

Cut bread in half lengthwise. Remove some of the insides of each half making a trough for the filling (this will help keep the filling inside the sandwich when eating). Brush both halves with extra virgin olive oil.

In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together until dijon has emulsified. Set aside to let the flavors develop.
In a medium/large mixing bowl, add beans and roughly mash leaving about 2/3 whole beans. Add in dressing to the beans and mix well. Add in the bell pepper, green beans, artichokes, red onion, olives, parsley, optional pepperoncini and salt & pepper. Mix to combine.

Layer your bottom half of bread with a good serving of the mixed salad. Add tomatoes across the top, then top with basil leaves and salt & pepper. Top with other slice of bread. (You can also vice versa this layer order starting with the basil and tomato on the bottom and salad on top.)

Wrap sandwich tightly in saran wrap and press with a few heavy books/pots for at least an hour to overnight. If overnight, be sure to press in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve, slice in half or make as many slices as you like. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Store any leftover salad mixture covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Notes:

The cannellini beans have more protein and fiber than chickpeas so if that is a priority use them. Otherwise use your preferred white bean.

Try adding a splash of red or white wine vinegar to the dressing if you like.

As with all my recipes, add/subtract ingredients to your liking. Try adding a tablespoon or so of capers. I've had someone sub in asparagus for the green beans. Add sliced radishes along the top.

I edited this recipe on 11/10/13 at 12:15pm so it wouldn't make so much leftovers. The old recipe called for 2 cans white beans, 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 cup French green beans, 1 cup kalamata olives and 4 tablespoons olive oil. The old recipe was delicious, it just made a bit too much but of course feel free to use the old version instead so you'll have plenty of leftovers!

And we'll start by adding this super awesome Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich to the collection. If you didn't already know, chickpeas make for great sandwich fillers too!

You may already be familiar with my 'Chickpea of the Sea' Salad and my other classic Mashed Chickpea Salad. This one is just as delicious but with a sweet flair that I just know you'll fall in love with! I assure you that this will hit the spot and satisfy your craving for a chunky, sweet, peppery, crunchy style sandwich. Full of texture and flavor this has become my new favorite. It's a hearty salad that will comfort you and leave you feeling completely satisfied. This can be served as a traditional or open faced sandwich. Or simply serve on a bed of lettuce and skip the bread. You may even find that you love the salad all by itself without any accompaniment! I can easily eat this straight from the bowl all day long. :)

Slice your celery, feel free to add in some celery leaves if you can. For the scallions, when slicing use both the green and white parts. Roughly chop your walnuts. When buying cranberries, use organic whenever possible (I like the ones from Trader Joe's, they're so brightly colored too!). You can also use fresh chopped cranberries!

Roughly mash your chickpeas. I decided to double this batch using 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 1 1/2 so you'll have plenty of leftovers. And you'll be glad you have them! Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. About as simple as it gets, which is why I love chickpea salads!

There you have it...serve on your favorite bread. I have it paired here with a fruit, nut and seed loaf.

Dressing

To serve

Enjoy!