Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large or 3 small acorn or delicata squash
• maple syrup
• olive oil
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well 
• 1 3/4  cup water
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 2 tablespoons finely minced shallot, optional
• mineral salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• juice of 1 lemon

add complexity to the quinoa by adding one or more of the following to suit your taste:

• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley (if your a mint fan, try 1/4 cup fresh mint)
• 1 - 2 teaspoons fresh thyme 
• drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash and dry squash. Slice each squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds. The seeds should come out easily by scraping the inside of the squash with a spoon. Lightly brush the inside of each squash with a little oil and/or maple syrup. sprinkle with a bit of mineral salt. Place on baking sheet cut side up. Bake in oven for 35 - 40 minutes, or until squash is tender and pierces easily with a fork.

While squash is cooking add 1 3/4 cup water and 1 cup quinoa to a medium size pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid and let set 15 minutes. Add pistachios, cranberries, shallots, salt, juice of lemon, and any other optional ingredients. Toss to combine.

Scoop quinoa into squash halves, place back in the oven for 10 minutes to warm if needed, and serve.

Notes: 

For the quinoa I used a blend of 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup tri-color quinoa. Feel free to use all of one type or mix and match to your preference.

Seek out organic cranberries if possible. Unsweetened is best but can be hard to find. The ones I have here are from Trader Joe's which are organic but sweetened.

• 1 can (15oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• spring salad mix, or any salad mix you prefer
• handful grape or cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• micro greens, optional
• mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste

• 4 tablespoons tahini
• juice of one large lemon
• dash of mineral salt
• dash of garlic salt
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons water or lemon juice, as needed to thin

Salad Base

• spring mix or choice of leafy greens
• red onion, thinly sliced
• tomatoes, sliced 
• cucumber, thinly sliced

Falafals

• 1 can (15oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed OR 3/4 heaping cup garbanzo beans soaked for at least 18 hours and drained (they will double in size)
• 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (optional)
• 1 small shallot or 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• pinch or two cayenne pepper, chili powder or smoked paprika (depending on your mood)
• himalayan salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

Lemon-Tahini Dressing 

• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 1 garlic clove, pressed OR a dash or two garlic powder
• juice of 1 large lemon
• few dill fronds, cilantro or parsley, minced 
• himalayan salt to taste
• 1/3 cup water, + more to thin
• pinch of cayenne

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more water as needed 1 tablespoon at a time or add more lemon juice. Store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.


OR, for something different and refreshing...


Avocado-Cucumber Dressing 

• 1 avocado
• 1 cucumber, peeled
• a few springs cilantro and dill fronds
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• dash of onion powder
• salt to taste
• water as needed to thin

In food processor/blender, combine all the ingredients except for the water. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add water a tablespoon or two at a time until desired consistency. Best chilled in the refrigerator before serving. Leftovers will hold up a day or two in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It may last a little longer but it's gone by day two around my house.


Once patties are ready, make your salad, top with falafels and dressing.

Ingredients

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. (16 oz.) mushrooms, sliced or quartered, cremini or baby bella's
• 1 large bunch kale, stems removed (I used curly kale)
• handful spinach, optional (I added some in just because I had it on hand)
• 1/4 cup white wine 
• 1 cup heavy cashew cream (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, more as needed
• himalayan salt & cracked pepper to taste
• almond parmesan (a pantry staple)
• farro, barley, brown rice pasta, jasmine or basmati rice

Heavy Cashew Cream

• 3/4 cup cashews (soaked at least 3 hours or overnight)
• 1/2 cup water, slightly more as needed
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Start with your cream. Cashews should be soaked in water, covering them with 2 -3 times the amount of water as they will swell up. Rinse cashews well. Place cashews, water and lemon juice into blender/food processor and blend until smooth and creamy scrapping down the sides as needed. (The magic bullet is a perfect size blender for this job.) Add water two teaspoons at a time as needed to create desired thickness/thinness. Set aside.

Heat oil over medium high heat, add onion, garlic and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally until some of mushroom liquid cooks away and they start to brown, I found this to be about 12 minutes or so. Add the white wine and boil for a couple minutes. Then add cream and milk, let simmer for several more minutes. Turn off heat. (If you have time, leave this mixture to steep; the cream and milk will get wonderfully mushroomy.)

Wash and shred your kale. I liked mine to be in smaller pieces. To steam, place in a large pot or wok with cover, cook on low, stirring occasionally until it wilts, about 5 to 10 min. No need to add water as the washing done right before will give enough moisture.

Add kale and a couple tablespoons of almond parmesan to the mushroom-cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a shallow baking dish. Lightly sprinkle a few more tablespoons almond parmesan on top. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden.

Serve over a bed of farro, barley, brown rice pasta or pasta of choice, jasmine or basmati rice. Top with a tad more almond parmesan and salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy it with the rest of the wine or a nice glass of lemon water.

• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• tomatoes of choice, diced
• 1/2 large zucchini, diced
• 1 -2 green onions, thinly sliced

• 3 zucchini, spiralize or julienne
• 3 yellow squash, spiralize or julienne

• 4 roma tomatoes, 8 campari or 2 large tomatoes of choice
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked apprx 30 minutes to 1 hour
• 1 small shallot or 1/2 large
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, optional
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder or 1-2 fresh garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• pinch or two red pepper flakes
• himalayan salt to taste

• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced (baby bella's or cremini)
• 2 rounded tablespoons tahini
• 3/4 cup walnuts, soaked for 4 hours and left to dry 1 hour*
• 3 tablespoons quick oats or oat flour
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 small shallot
• 2 teaspoons tamari or nama shoyu
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, packed
• himalayan salt & cracked pepper to taste

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed into 3/4' inch pieces (approx. 4 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 small shallots or 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and halved
• 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth