Curried Quinoa with Spinach and Goji Berries - Gluten-free and Vegan

Curried quinoa with spinach and goji berries were a great side dish for lunch yesterday.  I cooked up some fluffy quinoa and flavoured it with grated fresh ginger (I grated a slice of frozen ginger and it turned out great), turmeric powder, coconut oil, curry powder, cumin, coriander and no-salt seasoning (e.g. Mrs. Dash).  The dish needed a bit of colour, so I added some thawed frozen chopped spinach and soaked goji berries. I was inspired by a simple red lentil dahl recipe from the book Digestive Wellness.  Instead of lentils, I used quinoa.  

I threw this together at lunchtime.  I like my flavours mild, but if you like spicier or more stronger flavours, please feel free to double or triple the amounts of spices and seasonings.  I am watching my sodium, so I used no-salt seasoning (e.g. Mrs. Dash) instead of salt.   

If the quinoa mixture is too dry, you can add a little extra water or liquid from the soaked goji berries.  I think a little vegetable broth, orange or apple juice would be nice too.  

Curried Quinoa with Spinach and Goji Berries - Gluten-free and Vegan
2 servings

1/2 cup rinsed quinoa + 1 cup water (or 2 cups cooked quinoa)

2 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (I grated frozen ginger)

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp curry powder

1/8 tsp no-salt seasoning (or salt and pepper to taste)

1/4 cup thawed frozen chopped spinach, drained
2 Tbsp soaked goji berries*
optional:  1-2 Tbsp water or liquid from soaked goji berries, if quinoa mixture is too dry

*More ideas for add-ins:

- raisins, chopped apples, chopped mango, diced bell pepper, green onions, fresh spinach, parsley, cilantro, etc.  

Cook quinoa according to the package (In a medium pot, bring 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa + 1 cup water to  a boil and simmer for 15 min, turn off heat and let stand for 5 min).  

When the quinoa is cooked, mix in the rest of the ingredients.  Enjoy!

- Adapted from Digestive Wellness Book:  Melody's Dahl

What I ate for lunch:  3 oz chicken breast topped with tomato/spinach/coconut milk sauce, curried quinoa, a large green salad and sauteed sugar snap peas.  

Enjoy!

Italian Style Turkey Meatballs with Flaxseed - Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free

I am very happy with how my Italian style turkey meatballs turned out.  Hubby loved them so much, I made these two nights in a row!  Ground lean turkey meat is normally very dry, due to its low fat content.  Unlike conventional meatball recipes, I used a magic combination of ground flaxseed and water instead of breadcrumbs and egg to bind the meat together for a moist, soft meatball.  I also add ground flaxseed to my hamburger patties too. 

I quickly pan-fried the meatballs for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned and cooked.  I used a 1" ice cream/cookie dough scooper and dropped each meatball onto the hot frying pan without getting my hands dirty.  Note:  the uncooked turkey mixture is very soft but cooks up beautifully.      

I topped them with a tomato spinach sauce with coconut milk.  Hubby LOVED these and he normally prefers the classic all-beef Italian style meatball.  

Italian Style Turkey Meatballs with Flaxseed - Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Egg-free

1lb lean ground turkey

3 Tbsp ground flaxseed

3 Tbsp water

1 clove garlic, grated or chopped finely

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp dried parsley

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tsp salt or no-salt seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl, and combine with your hand or mixer. (I used my KitchenAid mixer.)   Form into desired sized meatballs.  Turkey mixture is very soft.  

Preheat pan on medium-high heat with about 2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil.  Pan-fry each side for 2-3 minutes until browned and cooked.  Serve with your favourite sauce.  

- Adapted from Hamburger Patties with Flaxseed

Dinner tonight:  Italian style turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash smothered in a hearty tomato-spinach-coconut milk sauce.  Served with a huge green salad and sauteed kale with garlic and ginger.  The kiddies enjoyed their turkey meatballs with cheese tortellini and sauteed kale.  

Enjoy!

Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins

Another Snack Day approaches for Nessa tomorrow and I decided to make Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins from Weelicious.  It is such a great resource for healthy snacks and meals for toddlers, babies and the whole family.   

To make life easier, I used my Cuisinart food processor to grate the carrots and apple.  Earlier today, I used it to make some roasted garlic and sundried tomato hummus.  

 

This recipe makes 30 mini-muffins but I made 24 mini muffins (as per my mini muffin pan) and 6 regular sized muffins. After filling my mini muffin pan, I used the remaining batter to fill 6 regular sized muffins in 4 oz custard ramekins lined with paper muffin liners.  

Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins

makes 24 mini muffins + 6 regular sized muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
•  (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1/3 cup wheat germ + 2 Tbsp flaxseed)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup milk (I used 1/3 cup sour cream)
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 carrots, peeled & grated, about 1 cup
• 1 apple, peeled and grated, about 1/2 cup (gala, fuji, pink lady or red delicious are good choices)  (I forgot to peel my apple.  I ended up with 1 cup grated apple with great results)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine.  
2. Mix in the grated carrots, apple and coconut.   Place 1 tbsp of batter into greased mini muffin tins.  Bake mini muffins for 10-15 minute.  Regular sized muffins for 15-18 min for until toothpick comes clean.  Serve.

- Adapted from Weelicious:  Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins

My youngest couldn't wait to get her hands on one!  It was a hit!!  Hubby and the kids approved of this recipe (even when I used a blend whole wheat flour/wheat germ/ground flaxseed instead of all purpose flour).  The kiddies ate 2 mini muffins each and wanted more.  I had to hide the rest to bring for Snack Day tomorrow! 

Enjoy!

Green Juice or Smoothie: Kale, Spinach, Celery, Cucumber and Apple

I have been reading so many health benefits regarding juicing and smoothies.  Why drink my calories when I can enjoy eating food and I have a good diet?   Then I read more about how juicing and smoothies can help supplement a well rounded diet and it is considered a beauty ritual for better skin.  

I used my 10-year old KitchenAid blender.  I do not own a juicer nor do I have a fancy $500 high speed blender.  When I found this tutorial on how to make juice with a blender and then strain it, I had to try it!   

Since I have a regular blender, I diced all my fruits and veggies.  I snipped the kale and spinach with kitchen scissors as small as I could. I wasn't sure if my blender was powerful enough to pulverize and liquify the kale and spinach.  A high speed blender would not require the extra step of chopping the fruits and veggies this small.  

I wanted to pack as much "green", nutrient dense fruits and veggies as possible.  Most recipes call for a handful of this and that, which mean that they are forgiving recipes.  As this is my first juice/smoothie recipe, I decided to write down exact measurements so I can repeat the same drink if my results were fabulous.  I am so glad I am writing it down now!

I made this as a juice.  I blended everything to a smoothie and passed the contents through a jelly bag and squeezed the pulp dry (I had about 2 Tbsp of dry pulp).  If you do have a regular blender, put the coconut water first, then the leafy greens and diced fruit/vegetables afterwards.  The leafy greens get blended better.  After the first sip, I was amazed how delicious, fresh and sweet a combination of kale, spinach, celery, cucumber and apple turned out.  Almost too sweet. 

Green Juice or Smoothie:  Kale Spinach, Celery, Cucumber and Apple
Make 1 serving, about 3/4 cup juice

1/4 cup (2 oz) coconut water, unflavoured/unsweetened
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped kale
1/2 cup diced apple
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup crushed ice (optional) 

Blend until smooth.  For a smoothie, pour into a glass.  For juice, strain in a jelly or nut milk bag.  Discard or re-use the leftover pulp in baking or cooking. 

- Adapted from GetFitEatRight: Green Smoothie: Kale, Spinach, Celery, Cucumber, Apple

 I had to serve this in a martini glass.  The juice was so delicious and pretty.  Each sip was savoured.   

Enjoy!