Nourish

Bowls Of Goodness

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a protein-rich grain native to South America and it’s really a seed, cooked like a whole grain. It only takes 15 minutes to cook, unlike brown rice, barley or other whole grains, which take about an hour. So it’s a quick and easy favorite of mine. This is a delightful, super-fresh-tasting, easy-to-prepare dish that is quite wellbalanced, too, with whole grains, beans and vegetables included.

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 red pepper (and/or carrot), diced
black olives, diced
1 zucchini
1 cup cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans
1 cup peas
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup parsley
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup wheat-free soy sauce or ½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup olive oil

Toss ingredients together and enjoy with steamed greens and a soup if desired. Serves 6.

Homemade Croutons

½ to 1 loaf bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
(I often use Black Crow Bakery breads)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt
Optional – Dried herbs (I sometimes use “The Blend,” from The Maine Accent – a combination of parsley, basil, marjoram, chervil, garlic and spices)

Cover the bottom of a cast-iron skillet with olive or other oil. Heat on medium-high. Add cubes of bread and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Cook the bread until browned. When pan gets very hot, reduce heat to low. When the croutons are browned and toasted, add sea salt (and other herbs if desired). Serve a small portion of croutons with any soup.

Mighty-Good Minestrone

1 cup of cannellini beans (white Italian kidney beans)
1 cup kidney beans
1 cup lentils
1 onion
3 carrots, diced
1/2 pound green beans (in season)
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice pasta or other pasta
1/4 cup ume plum vinegar
1-inch piece of kombu*
1 bouillon cube (vegan suggested)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Optional – 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or The Maine Accent + 1 teaspoon of oregano

Optional – 1 can stewed or diced tomatoes. If you use tomatoes, omit vinegar. Soak the cannellini and kidney beans overnight. Prepare vegetables. Discard soaking water and refill pot to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring the beans to boil over high heat, turn to low, cover and cook for 90 minutes. Add more water and return to simmer. Add vegetables, bouillon, oil and tomatoes (if desired), and cook for 15 more minutes. Add pasta and cook for another 15 minutes. Add ume vinegar and parsley, then stir.

Serve this with brown rice and veggies. Serves 10-12 (or maybe a small army!).

*Kombu is a sea vegetable, available at most health food stores. If you use it, great! Kombu adds minerals and can help make beans easier to digest. But if you don’t