Spelt Salad with Fava Beans

Spelt is a nutty-tasting grain that's similar in taste and texture to wheat berries. Look for it in health-food stores and the natural-foods aisle of large supermarkets. Once the fava beans are shelled, their tough outer skins need to be peeled; blanching and then rinsing the beans in cool water makes the skins easier to remove.

Yield 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked spelt or wheat berries
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups shelled unpeeled fava beans (about 2 pounds whole pods)
• 1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup dried currants
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Place spelt in a large saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above spelt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until spelt is tender. Drain.

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add fava beans; cook 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Remove and discard tough outer skins from beans.

Combine spelt, fava beans, tomatoes, celery, and currants in a large bowl. Combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (through garlic), stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over spelt mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 190 (22% from fat)

Fat: 4.6g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.5g)

Protein: 6.2g

Carbohydrate: 35.4g

Fiber: 2.9g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 2.8mg

Sodium: 252mg

Calcium: 40mg

Cynthia Nicholson, Cooking Light, JUNE 2005

Spiced Marinated Tomatoes

Serve with a grilled burger or chicken. You can prepare this recipe up to two days in advance. The longer the tomatoes marinate, the more flavor they acquire. Remove the seeds from the pepper if you prefer mild heat.

Yield 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 4 cups halved red, yellow, or orange cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 4)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir until blended. Pour vinegar mixture over tomato mixture, tossing to coat. Chill 1 hour.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

2g (sat 0.3g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.3g)

Protein: 1g

Carbohydrate: 10.1g

Fiber: 1.2g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 0.8mg

Sodium: 159mg

Calcium: 17mg

Joanne Weir, Cooking Light, JUNE 2006

Lentils with Roasted Beets and Carrots

Serves 8
Vegan

6 large beets
2 bags peeled baby carrots
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

to cook lentils
2 1/2 cups black lentils, washed and picked over
6 cups water
2 tsp ground coriander
1 bay leaf
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp salt (add when they are almost done as to not toughen legumes)

to prepare lentils
1 whole Moroccan preserved lemon, finely minced (can be purchased at Whole Foods)
juice and finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup finely julienned fresh mint (fold & chop)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic or more to taste, peeled and minced
3 whole scallions, sliced into paper thin rounds
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
salt and pepper to taste

to assemble
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
minced chives, scallions, basil or cilantro for garnishing the vegetables

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Wash the beets while still wet place them in one layer on a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place another piece of foil on top. Fold and crimp the edges to make a secure air tight packet. Place the packet on a baking sheet and bake for 2 hours.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the foil. When cool, slip the skins off the beets and cut into large dice. The beets can be prepared be prepared and refrigerated for up to 48 hours before making the soup.

To cook the carrots preheat oven to 450F. Toss the carrots with the 3 Tbs of olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Spread in one layer on a baking sheet and bake in top of the preheated oven until soft and golden, and darkly caramelized in spots, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool and set aside or refrigerate if not using within 4 hours.

To cook the lentils, place them in a medium saucepan along with the water, onion, ground coriander and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until done, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. The lentils should be tender but still firm enough to hold their shape in the salad, al dente. Stir in the salt and remove the onion pieces and the bay leaf. Drain in a large strainer. While still quite warm, toss the lentils in a large bowl with the preserved lemon juice and zest, mint, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, scallions and shallot. Season to tast with salt and pepper and set aside to allow the flavors to marry.

To serve, mound the lentils in the center of a large platter, toss the carrots with 1 Tbs olive oil and make a ring around the lentils. Toss the beets with 2 Tbs of olive oil and 1 Tbs of Balsamic vinegar and encircle the carrots. Sprinkle chopped herbs over everything and serve.

Beet, Fennel, Orange, Endive and Arugula Salad with Citrus Vinagrette

Serves 8
Vegan

1 large bulb fresh fennel, quartered vertically and sliced very thin
1 large Belgian endive, quartered and thinly sliced vertically
4 whole scallions, trimmed and sliced into rings
2 bunches arugula, washed, trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
2 large navel oranges, peel cut off and oranges sliced into 1/4 inch wedges
3 medium cooked beets, peeled

In a large bowl, toss together the fennel, endive, scallions and arugula with enough dressing to flavor and moisten.
Toss in the orange segments and then add the beets. Mix only to combine to prevent the beets from coloring the other salad ingredients.
Adjust seasoning.

Citrus Vinagrette
2 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbs sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar or Balsamic may be substituted)
3 Tbs frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 shallot, peeled and finely minced
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl or shake in a jar. Allow to rest for at least an hour to allow flavors to marry. Adjust seasonings and re-whisk before using.

Quinoa with Pistachios, Parsley and Mint

Serves 4
Vegan

1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp salt, pluse more to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs finely chopped mint

Toast pistachios in small skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown. Transfer to cutting board and cool slightly, then chop and set aside.

Toast quinoa in heavy saucepan over medium heat 3 minutes, or until light brown and beginning to pop. Stir in salt and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Transfer to serving bowl, and let cool.

Add parsley, oil, lemon juice, mint, and toasted pistachios to cooled quinoa. Let stand 20 minutes for flavors to develop. Adjust seasonings, adding a little more lemon juice, if necessary. Serve on bed of leaf lettuce, if desired.

"The Best of Cooking Light 7" - special edition

Avocado Pico de Gallo "Cocktail"

Serves 6 (about 4 cups)
Vegan

2 medium-sized tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus 6 small sprigs for garnish
3 green onions, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 medium sized avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 15-oz. can hearts of palm, drained, thinly sliced
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Combine tomatoes, chopped cilantro, green onions, garlic and jalapeno in medium bowl. Add avocado, hearts of palm, lime juice and salt; gently toss to mix.

Spoon pico de gallo mixture into 6 martini glasses, and garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

"The Best of Cooking Light 7" - special edition

Gazpacho

1 1/2 quarts

Peel & dice: 3 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, 1 med. onion, 1/4 bell pepper (or 1 tsp dried flakes).
2 cans Snap & Tom
3 T tarragon vinegar
1/3 cup veg. or olive oil
salt & pepper
tobasco to taste
1 T chopped chives
3 T chopped parsley
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp paprika
pinc of basil & tarragon
Serve cold.