-
Sprouted Lentil Tacos with Arugula and Feta {Gluten-free}
Sometimes, my love for food makes me feel like a real dork. A bonafide, way too excited, food-nerd weirdo! I geek out over spice blends, flavor combinations, discovering a new way to enjoy a food I have eaten a million times. I have been known to dance around my kitchen after just one bite of some random dish I created on the fly. I am pretty certain I could have a problem. (Maybe you should send help.)
This recipe may have just taken my food-nerdiness to a whole new level. I have been sooo insanely excited to share this recipe with you guys that I woke up this morning so excited to hit “publish”.
These tacos came out of a random idea I came up with on a bike ride. No seriously, Mark and I were on a long 15-mile bike ride a week or two ago, and on the way home we were riding into the wind and I was exhausted. I found myself quite agitated and struggling. My legs were tired from having worked out in the morning and I was starving. So instead of just breathing and taking in the sights, I did what most logical, food-obsessed people would do – I started dreaming up what I would make for dinner.
-
Cauliflower Lentil Veggie Burger with Spicy Turmeric Aioli {Gluten-free + Dairy-free}
There is nothing quite like a good comforting and satisfying veggie burger. I stopped eating store-bought veggie burgers a long time ago, after I realized what is in most of them – weird fillers, preservatives and other strange things that I am not even sure are food. I started rethinking buying them and I can’t tell you the last time I did. Making my own veggie burgers is something I really enjoy, I can create something unique and flavorful usually with whatever I have on hand.
I created these veggie burgers with some of the beautiful cauliflower we had in our CSA box. I was starting to get sick of roasted cauliflower and was looking for a new and creative ways to use up some of the many heads of cauliflower we had on hand. I started thinking about the amazing quality that cauliflower takes on when you steam it and puree it, like mashed potatoes. It’s so thick and I knew it would bind together and work well in a veggie burger.
I won’t lie and tell you this veggie burger is as good as “the real thing” or that it’s “meaty”. For me, veggie burgers aren’t meant to replace a beef burger, there really is no comparison to a good grass-fed beef burger, but – in my mind, a veggie burger is it’s own thing. A yummy comforting meal on it’s own.
-
Spinach, Lentil and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Soup {Gluten-free, Vegan}
This post is part of my ongoing restricted diets series with the Free People Blog BLDG 25.
Since it seems this winter is hanging on until the bitter end for a lot of folks this year, I decided it was the perfect opportunity for one last comforting winter meal, like this simple to make spinach, lentil and sweet potato slow cooker soup
OK, sure, I am in California and our idea of winter weather is the low 60s and some rain, but even with our (not so) cooler than usual winter weather — I want hot, comforting foods, that literally feel like a warm hug with every spoonful.
-
Lentil Mahkani with Potatoes and Spinach (Dal Aloo Palak Makhani) – Gluten-free and Vegan
Oh my gosh do I love Indian food. The unique flavors and spices are unlike any other cuisine and they instantly make me so happy. Although Indian food may be intimidating to some, I find that once you experiment and learn some of the foundational spices used, you can really very easily make many of your favorite dishes at home.
This particular classic Indian dish is one of my favorites when I order at restaurants and although it is traditionally a butter based tomato sauce with heavy cream, most places will substitute the coconut milk for the cream and leave out the butter, if you are dairy-free or vegan. The name Makhani isn’t exactly accurate without the butter, since Makhan literally means butter and we are leaving it out here, but for the sake of being an alternative to the traditional recipe, I kept the name the same. I personally think it is just as good this way, if not better.
