Millet and Chickpea Salad

 

Need lunch?  This salad stores great for a few days in a sealed container.  You can eat it as a salad or use it to stuff in whole grain pitta bread.

1 cup cooked millet
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup organic lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 can organic garbanzo beans, drained
any and all vegetables you have on hand (I added chopped carrots and cucumbers, steamed broccoli and sauteed zucchini and cabbage)

To cook the millet place one cup of water into a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Add 1/2 cup millet to the boiling water.  Turn the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes.  In small bowl beat together oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Pour over cooked millet and mix with a fork.  Toss in remaining ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate.   This is great eaten as a salad or stuffed in whole grain pitta bread.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

This is the best gluten-free sandwich bread recipe I have come across. It has a great flavor and texture. This recipe calls for both potato starch and tapioca starch. I am not a big fan of potato starch or tapioca starch. They are refined and removed from there "whole food". However, in small amounts these two starches help make a gluten-free bread turn out most like "real bread". I keep a small jar of both starches in our pantry and we use them sparingly. If you are on a gluten-free diet you would thoroughly enjoy this sandwich bread and it is simple to make too!

If you don't have to eat gluten-free (our family does not have to eat gluten-free) then why make gluten-free bread? It is always good to switch up the whole grains you include in your diet. This bread is high in protein (2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites) and healthy fats (flax seeds and safflower oil). It is always nice to balance out complex carbohydrates with fat and protein when baking bread.


1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons organic raw cane sugar
1 1/4 cup organic brown rice flour
1/2 cup organic ground flax seeds
1/2 cup organic potato starch
1/4 cup organic tapioca starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons organic apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons organic safflower oil
2 organic eggs
2 organic egg whites

Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in mixing bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients into the mixer. Mix dough for 8 minutes at lowest speed. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Spoon into prepared bread pan. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove bread from oven and let it sit 5 minutes. Remove from bread pan and allow the bread to cool on cooling rack. Or slice the loaf while it is still warm and eat it with Earth Balance (or butter) melted on top! Enjoy!

Honey Wheat Sandwich Buns

1 1/4 cup milk, warmed
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup whole spelt flour (or more whole wheat)
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Add the yeast to the warm milk and stir to dissolve. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flours and salt. Mix on low speed to combine. Add the yeast-milk mixture, egg and honey. Knead on low speed for 8-10 minutes. You may need to add a few more tablespoons of flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and you have the desired consistency (smooth and tacky, but not sticky). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Once the dough has risen, transfer the ball to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate the dough. Divide the dough into 9-10 equal sized pieces. Form each piece of dough into a flattened round, 3.5 to 4 inches in diameter. Transfer the shaped rounds to a baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you want you can combine 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon honey and lightly brush the tops of the rolls. Bake for 14-15 minutes. I like to brush the rolls with a little more butter when they come out of the oven and then cover them with a clean tea towel until they have cooled. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

You can eat this salad on a sandwich or use it as a dip for celery, carrots and cucumbers! A Perfect meal for the hot days of summer.

2 breast of organic chicken, cooked and diced or processed in a food processor
1/3 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup apple, finely chopped
1/4 cup roasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 slices cheddar cheese, cut up into tiny cubes (optional)
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Enjoy!

Options:
-Add diced avocado pieces!
-Use to fill celery sticks!

Garbanzo Bean Sandwich Spread

This garbanzo bean spread can be addicting as an open face sandwich on hearty toasted bread. I added avocado, bacon and tomatoes too!

15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 whole celery stalks
2 tablespoons relish (or a dill pickle)
1/2 teaspoon onion flakes
2 teaspoon nutritional yeast (You can find this in the "natural food" section of a grocery store (often it is with the bulk items and you can buy just as much or as little as you would like) also any health food store will carry it (again check the bulk section before buying a big bag))
1 tablespoon tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons real mayonnaise (or a vegan one)
1/2 teaspoon kelp (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, mash chickpeas with a fork until coarse and no whole beans are left. Alternatively, pulse beans in a food processor a few times, careful not to puree, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Shred celery with cheese grater or pulse a few times in a food processor. Transfer to the mixing bowl. One small dill pickle may be shredded or minced and used in place of the relish. Transfer to the mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Salad Sandwich

Compliments of: Hopkin's Healthy Home Cooking (they call this recipe "It's Not Tuna")

1 cooked cauliflower, finely diced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
dash salt
dash basil leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian or Mexican seasoning

Steam cauliflower until very tender and cool thoroughly. Dice finely (I use a potato smasher). Mix all ingredients. Serve open-faced on whole wheat toast (or wheat-free or gluten-free bread). Top with alfalfa sprouts and a large slice of tomato. (I occasionally add a thin slice of cheese on the toast) Very tasty. Enjoy!

Chicken and Veggie Wrap

marinated organic chicken
tomatoes, sliced
avocado, sliced
cucumber, sliced
cheese, grated
sauteed zucchini
any other vegetables you like
dressing of your choice
whole wheat or spelt tortilla or just as a salad

Stack everything into the tortilla and Enjoy!