red onions – SET the TABLE with LOVE

Harissa Roasted Chickpea salad with acorn squash, mint and pumpkin seeds

Published on January 24, 2017 by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

This recipe is so delicious and full of exotic flavors, well at least I think so. LOL.

This salad will fill you up and give you tons of plant based vegan protein. You do not have to be a vegan to enjoy this salad. It’s important to incorporate more plant based foods in our diets, because it will help you look and feel better and it will give you tons of energy. I maybe help drop a few unwanted pounds. Who doesn’t want more energy and a few pounds out the way? Me, me, me!!

I got something for you, in this simple to make salad. I hope you enjoy the flavors and how you feel later. Harissa maybe a new ingredient you are trying, so let me break it down for you.

Roasted Harissa Chickpea Salad with acorn squash, mint, pumpkin seeds and micro greens

Harissa is a North African hot chili pepper paste, the main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti pepper, serrano peppers and other hot chili peppers and spices and herbs such as garlic paste, coriander seed, saffron, rose or caraway as well as some vegetable or olive oil for preservation.

This Harissa I used in this recipe is a powder form that I got form my local William Sonoma.

For Chickpeas

1 can organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, and season to taste with salt, harissa seasoning or cayenne pepper. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until browned and crunchy. Set aside to cool.

For the Lentils

1 cup dry lentils

3 cups of vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

Cook on a stovetop, using 3 cups of vegetable broth to 1 cup of dry lentils. Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Vegetables

1 small acorn squash, chopped in to 1 inch slices

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 small red bell pepper, cut in slices, save a couple of slices to chop up to top the salad

1/4 cup poblano peppers, chopped

1 cup red cabbages, sliced thinly

1/4 cup red onions, diced

6-8 mint leaves, small to medium

1 cup micro greens, or baby arugula

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions:

After the legumes are cooked and cooled, turn the stove on medium high heat, place a large saucepan on the stove. Add your oil allow to heat up, then add the acorn squash, red bell peppers and poblano peppers to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the squash is golden brown, but not mushy. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To assemble:

In a salad bowl add the roasted chickpeas and lentils, gently toast together. Add the cooked vegetables and the raw cabbages, mint, red onions and the chopped raw red bell pepper. Top with micro greens and pumpkins. Squeeze some lemon juice and drizzle olive oil over top the salad with a pinch of sea salt and gently toss, incorporating all the ingredients.

Enjoy. This makes a large salad for 4-6 or a great meal for lunch and dinner for 2.

Eating in Color: Today : Red Cabbage Salad with a Plum Ginger Dressing

Published on August 7, 2015 by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

I enjoy creating different recipes. This week I have been playing with eating the primary colors. Yes, weird, but it make cooking and creating so much more adventures. It is not as easy as you think. I was going through the produce section of the grocery store yesterday trying to look for red vegetables to make a salad, that taste good. I came up with the Red Cabbage Salad that is sweet, crunchy, peppery from the red radish and it also has a little kick from the ginger. It is very different, almost reminds me of a coleslaw. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I made a big bowl and ate it all. LOL.

Red Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:

3/4 pound red cabbage, cored and finely shredded

2 med. organic red apples, chopped

2 med. red plums, chopped

1/2 cup red bell peppers, chopped

1/2 cup red dried cranberries, diced, small

3/4 cup radishes, sliced

sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add the shredded cabbage to a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Add dressing just before serving or you can allow this dressing to marinate through the veggies to make an awesome coleslaw.

Plum Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

2 large plums, pitted and chopped

2 tbsp. orange juice

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. organic honey

1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce

1 tsp. soy sauce, gluten free

1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

salt to taste, optional

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process. Drizzle over salad and serve.

Southern Girls ~ Gluten Free Stuffed Cornbread with Spicy Mexican Beans

Published on July 17, 2015February 5, 2018 by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

Today I spent time with my friend Melissa. We both are true southern girls, so we love ourselves some cornbread. I made two versions of this recipe. One vegetarian and one vegan. They both were very delicious. We talked about our childhood, birth order, being girls, southern 🙂 and how much we both love dessert. You know of course I had to have dessert, so I made this Vegan Nice Dream using my Go Raw Apple Cinnamon Sprouted Granola. Now remember to scroll down, that recipe with be at the end of this blog post.

Okay, back to the cornbread. The cornbread is sweet and the beans are spicy, an awesome combination. I topped the beans with cheese, and some cilantro and added fresh tomatoes all around the whole dish. I hope you will share this with your family and enjoy it as much as we girls did. Well till next time. Set the Table with Love.

Talk to you later, YA’LL. 🙂

CORN BREAD RECIPE Vegetarian

Wet Ingredients

2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature

( For VEGAN VERSION USE ONE FLAX SEED EGG (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds + 2 tablespoons water)

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 cup Organic Cane Sugar

1/3 cup Olive oil

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup Bob’s Mills Tapicoa Flour

1/2 cup Bob’s Mills Sorghum Flour

1/4 cup Bob’s Mills Brown Rice Flour

1 cup Bob’s Mills GF Cornmeal

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease cast-iron skillet. Set a side.

2. In a large bowl, beat the wet ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed until well blended.

3. In a separated bowl, whisk together dry ingredients until thoroughly blended. Gradually, with a blender on low speed, add in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until the mixture is thick like cake batter. Spread evenly in the cast-iron pan.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until top is firm and edges are lightly browned.

5. Remove from oven and set aside.

Spicy Mexican Beans

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup onions, diced

1/2 cup red bell peppers, diced

1 can organic dark kidney beans

1 can organic pinto beans

1 tbsp William Sonoma Apple smoked herb rub ( optional)

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp smoked chilis

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp vegetable broth

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, for garnish

4 campri tomatoes, cut in fours, for garnish

1 cup of grated white cheddar cheese for the vegetarian version as a topping, 1 cup of vegan cheddar cheese for the vegan version as a topping

Directions:

Add olive oil to a deep sauce pan on medium high heat. Add onions and red bell peppers, cook for about 3 minutes. Add beans and stir. Add spices and stir until beans are coated with the spices. Add 1 tbsp of the vegetable broth, turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 4-5 minutes more adding the rest of the vegetable broth. Cook on a low heat for another 7-8 minutes, until beans are a little tender but still have a firmness.

Remove the cornbread from the cask iron pans, by flipping them over into a plate. The bottom part should be face up. Scoop the middle of the cornbread out, about 1 1/2 – 2 inches down. Keeping the bottom in tack. You need to just scoop out enough to allow a space for the beans. Add the hot beans into the hollow of the cornbread. The beans need to be hot to melt the cheese, so if you need to warm them up some, do so. Once they are heated up, add the cheese on top, and the cilantro. Add the quartered tomatoes around the entire dish, if desired.

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