Quick Comfort Food: Grits and Greens (Plant Based!)

December 16, 2018 by Jennifer Silverberg Leave a Comment

So …some (most? :-)) days, I look forward to comfort food for dinner … but don’t have the time it takes for most slow-cooked meals, and don’t want the junk that comes pre-packaged. This super-fast grits/greens recipe takes no time at all, but tastes like love, feels like something grandma used to slave over, and takes <15 minutes from idea to table!

Oh, and it’s ALL plant based – so you’re going to feel great afterwards! Feel free to play around with the recipe – use what you have on hand! No greens? Sub broccoli (or brussels sprouts or …)! Have a batch of peppers about to go bad? Add them! And so on!

Enjoy.

Quick-cook Comfort Food: Grits and Greens (Plant Based!)

Serves: 2-3

Grits:

3 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup white corn grits or medium grind organic cornmeal
1 tablespoon vegan “butter” or olive oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Black pepper, to taste
About ¼ cup of any non-dairy milk or cheese – as you have on hand, or you like

Bring water and salt to a boil – dump in grits and stir. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes, or until the grits are thick and creamy (cooking time will depend on the type of grits you use – course grains may take a little longer). When ready, turn off the head and stir in vegan “butter” or olive oil, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk/cheese (if using), plus a grind of black pepper to taste.

Greens:

Splash olive oil
1 small- medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups vegetable broth (I REALLY like this one)
1 teaspoon smoked salt (I used Maldon but if you don’t have smoked, use regular)
~½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb cleaned organic greens – I love a mix of collards and kale, but either/any would do. See screen shot for reference – this is a LOT of greens
Hot sauce of your choice – I LOVE this one, it’s kind of magic: https://wildbrine.com/product/smoky-jalapeno/

Even faster: bought these already trimmed and cleaned from the farmer’s market!

Add a splash of olive oil to a large deep skillet or pot, and set to medium heat. Add onions and saute until almost tender, then add in garlic. Cook til onion and garlic are fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add vegetable broth, smoked salt and red pepper flakes. Now is a good time to taste the mix for balance. If it needs salt, this is a good time to add. Bring to a simmer, then add in the greens. It will seem like WAY too much, but toss the greens around a bit into the liquid and they’ll quickly start to reduce. Cook for about 5-10 minutes for tender young greens, or up to 20 minutes for more mature greens (just keep tasting little bits until it’s as tender as you like). Add a squeeze of hot sauce, or more salt, pepper, red pepper flakes if you like. If you can find Wildbrine Probiotic Sriracha, I would HIGHLY recommend it – kinda rocked my world when I made this today! But, any Sriracha would be delicious!

Optional:

This meal is delicious as-is, but if you would like some meat or something “meaty” on top, this can be topped with sausage or veggie sausage links (as shown in the pic). Just brown and slice before serving.

Plating:

In a low, wide, bowl, fill half the plate with grits, then the other half with greens. Spoon the pan liquids from the greens pan over everything, and serve and enjoy!

Good with:

Great by itself, but a vinegar-heavy side salad would be nice, too!

Quinoa Chickpea Bowl – Healthy, Tasty Lunch Idea!

February 14, 2018 by Jennifer Silverberg Leave a Comment

This is a simple make-once, take-all-week healthy lunch choice. Experiment with veggies that are fresh and seasonal!

Hint – make the very fine dice super-easy by using one of my favorite tools, the Vidalia Chop Wizard (and no, I don’t make any money off of it, unfortunately … I just think salads taste so much better when the pieces are evenly diced and you can get a range of different veggies in every bite)!

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa << Click to cart my favorite brand, available at Walmart

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp thyme

1 can of chickpeas, drained

1 carrot, very finely diced

1 large red pepper, very finely diced

1 zucchini, very finely diced

1 medium onion, very finely diced

1 lemon

1/4 cup fresh thinly sliced basil

1 tbsp olive oil

Optional:
Shredded lettuce
Sliced Avocado
Freshly ground pepper

Place the quinoa, water, salt, and 2 garlic cloves into a large saucepan or frying pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is soft and the germ has separated.

While the quinoa is still hot, add the spices and all vegetables, and cover and heat for about 5 minutes. The veggies will get slightly warm, but will stay crisp.

Remove all and squeeze lemon and sprinkle with olive oil. Toss in basil and stir.

Serve immediately, or save and serve this healthy lunch cold over lettuce.

Savory Sweet Butternut Squash Soup

February 4, 2018 by Jennifer Silverberg Leave a Comment

When it’s cold and wet outside (like today), I want comfort food with a kick … and this Butternut Squash soup, with its sweet and spicy flavor profile is really perfect. A light salad with a tarragon vinegar and oil dressing makes a perfect companion, clearing your palate and letting you rediscover the creamy warmth again and again.

And fair warning – it’s a “little” addictive … so it’s good that it’s super-simple to make.

Butternut Squash Soup - Eat Yourself Well

All the best flavors – sweet and spicy – in a creamy, delicious, healthy soup!

The Amazing Savory Sweet Butternut Squash Soup

-1 tbsp. coconut oil (Click here to cart my favorite!)
-2 shallots
-2 cloves garlic
-1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (5-6 c.)
-1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-salt and pepper
-1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
-2 c. vegetable broth
-2 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tsp. sriracha (or dry chili spice)

Click above to add these ingredients to your Walmart cart, or click here to choose other stores!

Choose your Favorite Retailer to Cart the Ingredients

1. Heat the oil over medium heat; once warm add the shallots and garlic (finely chopped) and sauté until light brown.
2. Add the squash and spices, stirring frequently over the next four minutes.
3. Cover and simmer over low heat (until squash is tender).
4. Blend with immersion blender, add more spices as needed over the next few minutes of simmering (just for a few minutes after blending it all together), then serve with desired garnishes. Pictured here with parsley and pepitas (crunchy texture is awesome to offset the creaminess!). Also very tasty with a bit of candied nuts.

Warming Lentil Soup

October 29, 2017 by Jennifer Silverberg 1 Comment

I love lentil soup almost any time, but I think it’s the tastiest in October/November as we watch the leaves turn! The following variation is a favorite, and serves as a great base to add almost any other veggies you have on hand – celery, carrots, caulflower, etc. are perfect. You can also serve this over rice to make a complete protein, and to stretch it a bit – if you’re doing that, you can also add more tomatoes to extend the sauce.

Warm Spicy Lentil Soup
Serves 4 (or two really hungry people!)

2 C dry green lentils
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups of water
few tbs olive oil
Hunk of stale bread (equivalent to 2-3 slices)
1 tsp of sweet paprika paste (comes in a tube), or 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp mitmita blend for spice/heat (this is available at ethic groceries or online – or you can make your own mix of ground chili peppers, cardamom seed, cloves, and salt – can also make it more “warming” by adding a bit of cinnamon, cumin, and ginger)
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
parsley garnish (optional)

Peel onion and cut it in half. Dice one half and set aside for later. Cut the other half into rough chunks and put in the pot with 3 smashed garlic cloves, rinsed lentils, and the 6 cups of liquid (mixed broth and water). Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 30-40 min (until lentils are tender).

When lentils are almost ready, crisp up the bread in a separate pan in the olive oil. Remove the bread from the pan (push any crumbs to the side) and sauté the diced onions for a few minutes. Add paprika/spice and cook for 30 sec., then add tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Chop the bread into small bits. Add the bread and the tomato mixture to the soup, stir and cook for a few minutes, taste and add salt/pepper as needed, garnish with parsley and serve! Add more water if the lentils have absorbed most of it.

Note: I actually like to keep my bread in bigger chunks because I like getting chunks of bread in soup, but it is more common to finely chop or ground the bread.

Cashew Cream Sweet Potato Mash

February 26, 2015 by Jennifer Silverberg 3 Comments

File this under “necessity is the mother of invention!” We don’t get much snow where I am, but we got a dusting yesterday. So, the roads closed right about the time I got to the bottom of my veggie crisper – oh, no!!

Lunch today meant getting a little creative with the giant (SERIOUSLY giant) sweet potato I had on the counter, and some cashews from the fridge. And it turned out AMAZING. Give this a try, even if it’s not the last food you have left in the house!

Ingredients

Potatoes
– 2 large sweet potatoes (or one freakishly large one – I think I had a 2-pounder!), sliced into 1-2″ chunks
– 1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil if you don’t have coconut)
– 1/2 cup water
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp cumin
– sprinkle of salt

Cashew Cream
– 1 cup fresh, unsalted cashews
– water
– 1 tbsp maple syrup
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 1/4 cup Dried coconut flakes, unsweetened (can be omitted)

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with the spices, stir, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add the water, stir, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.

In the meantime, in a high-speed blender (like Vitamix), add the cashews, maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut flakes, add water to come to just the top of the cashews, and blend until super-smooth and creamy, with no trace of the nuts.

When the potatoes are ready, put them in a bowl, and mash them with the cashew cream to taste. Top with a little more, just for fun.

NOTE: You will have leftover cashew cream, which is AWESOME. Use it as an amazing fruit topping, in smoothies, over any baked goods (bread, whatever), eat it straight from your bowl as a treat, or just make more sweet potatoes tomorrow!

Health-Preserving Quick Veggie Noodle Soup

February 24, 2015 by Jennifer Silverberg 4 Comments

There’s not much cooking here, but a fair amount of chopping. It helps if you have a grocer with a good salad bar nearby … but even if not, it’s about 5 minutes of chopping, and I promise it’s well worth it!

2 quarts water
1 cup Broccoli florets, in small pieces
1-2 cups Sugar snap or Snow peas
2 Carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 Shiitake mushrooms, cut into matchsticks or finely diced
2 Chinese napa cabbage and/or bok choy, finely shredded
handful Bean sprouts, well rinsed

2 tbsp Sesame oil
2 Garlic cloves, pressed or cut to small dice
1 Small piece ginger, cut to small dice
1/2 Onion, finely diced
2 Scallions, sliced lengthwise, very thinly

2 1/2 cups vegetable or miso broth (or 2 1/2 cup Water + 1 tsp stock granules)
2 cups Udon, soba or rice noodles – cooked ahead/separately, or with the soup, per the below

Optional add-ins
Tamari or soy sauce
Asian Hot pepper sauce
Lime (wedges)
Cilantro

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS!

Put water on to boil, and prep the broccoli, peas, and carrots. Toss into the water and cook for 5 minutes. While the veggies are cooking, prep the mushrooms and cabbage. With a strainer, remove the vegetables (leaving water boiling) and rinse in cold water, and set aside. Add the mushrooms, cabbage, and bean sprouts to the boiling water, cook for one minute, then rinse in cold water, and add them to the rest of the veggies.

In a large pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat, and add the garlic, ginger, onion, and scallions and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from heat, and carefully (so it doesn’t splatter) add the broth and 1/2 to all of the cooking water from the veggies. If you want the soup brothy, add more; if not, add less.

Add the noodles to the soup (using rice noodles will keep the broth nice and thin, as they’re less starchy), and cook until the noodles are ready. Add the veggies back in, top with sauces as desired, and serve.

Developed and posted by: Jennifer Silverberg, Eat Yourself Well

Easy Roast Veggie Polenta

February 18, 2015 by Jennifer Silverberg Leave a Comment

I like this dish super-simple, to let the natural flavors of the polenta and winter vegetables shine. If you want to fancy it up a bit, feel free to add a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end, or add just about any fresh spices you have on hand to the veggies, midway through cooking.

Serves 2

Polenta
1 cup organic (non-GMO) polenta
5 cups water or homemade vegetable broth
1 tbsp coconut oil
2″ x 2″ square of fresh parmesan cheese (optional – omit for vegan version)
1 tsp sea salt

Vegetables
About 8 fresh small turnips (about the size of a large radish), trimmed and quartered
About 16 small carrots (the kind sold in a bunch) – Washed, and if they are any bigger than your finger, slice them lengthwise
10 – 15 brussels sprouts
2 tbsp olive oil
Kosher/sea salt to taste
Microgreens/sprouts as garnish, to add texture, flavor, and nutrition!

Note: I give these instructions in two steps because I have only one oven, and can’t cook the polenta and veggies at the same time. If you have two ovens, feel free to do both steps below at once!

First, start the polenta. Then, while it’s cooking, prep the veggies, and later add them to the oven.

Preheat oven to 375. This is the easy way to cook polenta – very little stirring! Measure the polenta, salt, coconut oil and water/broth into an oven-ready saucepan and stir. Place the saucepan in the preheated oven, and stir about every 10-15 minutes until the polenta is done (about 40 minutes). After the polenta has been removed from the oven, stir in the parmesan cheese, and keep the polenta warm over very low heat.

Meanwhile, prep the vegetables, then toss them in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put on a bake sheet in a single layer (really important – if they are overcrowded or overlap at all, they will steam and be mushy, rather than deliciously brown and crispy!). When the polenta is ready, pop the veggies in the oven and turn up the heat to 400 (425 if your oven runs a little cool). Roast, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are browned like in the picture above.

Plate the dish by placing the roast veggies over the polenta, adding the greens next to or over both. Add fresh ground pepper over all and serve.

Weekday Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

February 9, 2015 by Jennifer Silverberg Leave a Comment

This is one of my very favorite recipes, because it’s endlessly variable. Add coriander with the cumin. Top with that leftover salsa. Slip in some spinach … and on and on. But I digress … here is the basic recipe!

Makes Two Meals

1 cup raw quinoa – any type
1 large or 2 medium (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 tbsp cumin
splash of olive oil (doesn’t have to be extra virgin – you’re cooking with it)
—————-
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
About 2 cups (or more) of arugula
1 green onion, sliced
—————-
1/4 cup tablespoons balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Optional: Avocado, pepitas, lime juice, walnuts, diced bell peppers, or anything else you have on hand!

Preheat oven to 425.

Slice the sweet potato into small squares (no need to peel first). Toss in just a small bit of olive oil, the cumin, and salt, put in single layer on cookie sheet (or similar) and put in oven for about 25 minutes or until brown. Stir once or twice so that they brown evenly.

In the meantime, rinse quinoa, place in saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

While they are cooking, put the raisins/cranberries, arugula and green onion into a bowl, and sprinkle with the vinegar, mustard, and salt, then toss to coat (yes, you can just toss it all in there and stir it around). Let sit for a few minutes, then add pepper and olive oil and stir it around again. Add any optional items you would like.

When it’s all ready, plate the salad, spoon some quinoa over it, and toss on the crispy, delicious, hot sweet potato.

And have fun with this … have some fresh herbs on hand? Toss ’em in. Like garlic in your dressing? Toss it in. Don’t have raisins but have apples? Go with that. Enjoy!

Bold Winter Greens Salad

December 6, 2014 by Jennifer Silverberg Leave a Comment

Bold Winter Greens Salad

This bold winter salad pairs well with hearty but simple winter soups like white bean, or veggie chilis. I usually find myself going back for second and third helpings – and it actually holds well in the fridge as well – so I make a LOT of this salad at a time.

Dressing:
1/3 C tablespoons olive oil
1/4 C tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raw honey (or regular if raw is not available)
1 tablespoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns

Vegetables/Fruits:
4 – 6 collard leaves, trimmed and finely chopped
1 bunch kale, with stems removed, then rolled (like a cigar) and thinly sliced into ribbons
1 head romaine lettuce, diced
1/4 small head red cabbage, diced
Optional: other winter greens, like escarole, chicory, or endive, sliced
1 apple, cored and thinly sliced – no need to peel
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 avocado – peeled, pitted, and diced
1 large carrot, sliced horizontally using vegetable peeler
Optional: walnuts, crushed

Directions

Mix all dressing ingredients in a mason jar or similar, shake well, and sit aside to let flavors blend. Salt can be reduced a bit if needed, but not eliminated entirely, or the ingredients will not mix properly.

Chop all vegetables per ingredient instructions. This salad is MUCH better if the thicker greens, like collard and kale, are properly prepared by being thinly sliced!

Place all veggies in a large bowl, and toss with about half of the dressing. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, and then serve with remaining dressing added to taste. Top with walnuts, if desired.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie, Baked in the Shell

October 13, 2014 by Jennifer Silverberg 2 Comments

Ok, now THIS was a fun one to figure out! I wanted a fully REAL food pumpkin pie – nothing processed. And I wanted to bake it in the shell. And I wanted it to be fairly easy. Here you go: simple, healthy, and beautiful!

If you’re thinking of making this for Thanksgiving, you may want to make it once or twice ahead of time, too. Not because it’s tricky or anything, just because it’s delicious :-).

Ingredients
2 medium “Sugar Pumpkins” – these are NOT jack o’lantern pumpkins, they’re quite different. Look for ones marked “sugar pumpkins” or “baking pumpkins.”
1/2 cup maple syrup
3-4 tbsp “pumpkin pie spice” (or mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice)
1 tsp salt
1.5 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon vanilla
I also like to add some freshly ground nutmeg and a little fresh ginger if I have it on hand
Pepitas for garnish
Optional: 1/4 cup marscapone cheese – makes the pie super-creamy, but omit for vegan version
Optional: 2 eggs – they’re not needed, but some people prefer the texture of eggy pumpkin pie

How to make

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut the tops off of both pumpkins, and cut one in to halves, leaving the other whole. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and other tissues and put aside (you can roast the seeds later if you like).

Mix the maple syrup, spices, and salt, and pour into the “bowls” of the halves and the whole pumpkin, and spread around the inside surface. Place these on a large baking sheet and lay a piece of aluminum foil over all. Place into the oven – they are going to cook about 30 – 50 minutes (totally depends on the pumpkins, they can vary considerably), until softened but the shell of the large pumpkin is still solid (not collapsed).

Remove the pumpkins to cool. Put the cashews, a little water and vanilla in a high speed blender (like Vitamix) or food processor. Note: If you do not have a high speed blender, simmer the cashews in water for about 15 minutes, then discard the water before processing) Process until smooth, adding a little water as needed to make smooth. If you are using marscapone cheese and/or eggs, add them now.

When the pumpkin pieces are cool enough, pick them up and pour the remaining maple syrup/spices from them directly into the cashew mix and continue blending on low. Then, scrape the soft pumpkin pulp from the pumpkin halves, all the way to the skin (discarding skin), and add to the blender (still on low). Last, scrape about half of the pumpkin pulp from the whole pumpkin, leaving enough to preserve the structure, and also add this to the blender. Process until smooth. Note: you may overflow your blender, and have to blend in stages.

Taste the pumpkin mixture (assuming you haven’t added eggs) and adjust seasonings – I usually wind up adding some more spices at this point.

Pumpkin ready to go back into the oven. Note that the filling will expand a bit, so expect it to overflow if you fill to the edge.

When the filling is ready, slowly pour it back into the whole pumpkin, and put the “pie” back in the oven to bake for another 40 – 50 minutes or so, until the top is browned and the filling seems to be set. Remove, and let cool to room temperature, or place in the refrigerator to serve later (most people prefer pumpkin pie to be chilled).

I like to serve this topped with a little more cashew cream or marscapone, blended with a bit of maple syrup, plus a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds. Slice from top to bottom and put slices flat onto plates, then top with the cashew cream or marscapone. Beautiful and delicious – Enjoy!!!