Kim's Red Radish Tabbouleh from The Kind Life

I have a yoga retreat tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure I prepared a healthy lunch I could eat at some point in the afternoon.  I decided on this tabbouleh dish, which was featured in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.

The Kind Diet is a great resource if you're curious about a healthy vegan diet, as well as if you're interested in exploring some more macrobiotic type dishes (aka, what Silverstone describes as "superhero" foods).   The book includes tons of recipes, as well as information about the health benefits of a vegan diet and some information about ethical veganism.

The recipe I chose to make is from the "superhero" section of the book.   It calls for bulgur, radishes, green onions, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.  My minor changes were cooking the bulgur to the package directions, using cilantro in lieu of parsley (had a lot in the fridge to use up!) and adding black pepper.  I also made sure to mix in the lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning while the barley was hot so that the salad would absorb its flavors better.  We'll see how it tastes tomorrow!

I also made a big batch of kale chips to share with some of my fellow retreaters.  This time, I went easier on the olive oil and let the kale chips cook on paper towels.  It seemed to help make them less greasy this time.  I also used my salad spinner to get the kale nice and dry before coating and seasoning it.

Pesto Pasta, Garlic Bread and Colorful Salad

My sister-in-law and her sister joined my husband and I for dinner tonight, and I wanted to put together a healthy vegetarian meal that would be quick and easy to prepare on a weeknight.

For the main dish, I decided to do a pesto pasta with grape tomatoes and bocconcini (tiny little fresh mozzarella balls).  In case you are unfamiliar with pesto, it's a green sauce made with olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese.  If you have specific nut sensitivities, be aware that sometimes pesto is prepared with walnuts instead of pine nuts.  (I learned this the hard way, since walnuts are my most intense allergy.) 

Pesto was originally made with a mortar and pestle (which explains the name, which refers to, as Wikipedia says, "anything made by pounding").  However, I find that a food processor makes pesto incredibly easy.  This recipe gets the proportions pretty right, but taste as you go to add and subtract ingredients as you see fit.  It's also helpful to scrape down the bowl as you go so that the ingredients combine effectively.
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I haven't tried to make vegan pesto, mostly because all of the vegan parmesan substitutes I've come across have either soy or walnuts.  However, I did use Whole Foods' vegetarian parmesan, which is not made with rennet or derived from cows treated with rGBh.  But, if someone would like to give it a shot, let me know how it turns out.

For the pasta, I used Barilla Plus Angel Hair.  Plus pasta is made with golden semolina and flaxseed, spelt, oats, barley, and legumes.  It is also made with egg whites, so it's not suitable for vegans.  However, if you're a lacto-ovo vegetarian, this pasta has some positives.  One serving has 17 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, as well as 15% of the DV for iron, 28% of the DV for ALA Omega-3 and 40% of the DC for folate.

The one thing that drove me slightly batty about tonight's pasta is that when I stirred in the tomatoes and mozzarella, they immediately sank to the bottom of the bowl, which killed my presentation.  The pesto combined just fine, however.

The garlic bread I made was suitable for vegans.  During my lunch hour, I went to the Foggy Bottom Whole Foods and grabbed a whole wheat french bread.  When I got home, I made a garlic "butter" using soy-free earth balance, freshly minced garlic, parsley and red pepper flakes.  I spread the "butter" on the bread and let it toast in the oven at 350 for ten minutes.  It came out crusty and gooey, just like traditional garlic bread.

Whenever I do a big pasta dinner, I like to serve a green salad on the side.  I got a pre-washed bag of spring mix, which I topped with pre-shreeded carrots, julienned Asian pear and slivered almonds.  If you're not familiar with Asian pears, it's a round fruit native to China, Japan and Korea.  Since they have a high water content, they are typically eaten raw, rather than in baked goods.

I normally don't eat salad dressing, since it's often laden with soybean oil, but I decided to try my hand at making a vinaigrette tonight.  I used this Epicurious recipe, omitting the sugar and using Grey Poupon horseradish mustard (aka, what we have in the house).  It paired better than I expected with the salad, and we put the leftover dressing in a cruet so I can use it throughout the week.  I've learned to appreciate dry salad, but it's sure nice to have a dressing option when I want it.

Best Bets for Salads in Downtown DC

The salad is underappreciated as a lunchtime option, in my opinion.  It's often pooh-poohed as diet food when it has the potential to be a full, hearty meal.  Also, when it's face-meltingly hot and humid like was in Downtown DC, a salad is a lot easier to digest than a heavy sandwich or hot meal.

Like literally thousands of DC area folks, I work in a part of town known as Farragut.  There's no shortage of lunch options in Farragut, including multiple places to grab a vegetarian friendly salad at lunch.  And, since a number of these places are regional or national chains, perhaps they're an option in your neighborhood as well.

Chop't:  There are seven Chop't locations in the DC area, including two in Farragut (Connecticut between 16th & K, 19th between L & M) as well as locations in Dupont, Gallery Place/Chinatown, Metro Center, Union Station and Rosslyn.  If you haven't been to a Chop't, the concept is simple - you choose your lettuce, "choppings" (aka toppings) and dressing.  The staff will then chop your salad with a giant mezzaluna, put your salad in a bowl or a wrap, and send you on your way.

What I like most about Chop't is the selection - you can choose different kinds of lettuces, and there's a terrific variety of ingredients, including a variety of nuts, seed, beans and grains that make your salad veg friendly.  If you eat cheese, you can get harder to find cheeses like cotija.  Also, with late hours, you can also pick up a salad for dinner if you are so inclined.

Tip: The Chop't I frequent at 19th & L has lines out the door at lunchtime, and I'm sure other locations experience the same high traffic.  The good news is that you can order online and your salad will be ready for you in a decent interval of time.  I've done it a few times, and I was in and out the door before the people outside finally made it into the doorway.

Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen has seven locations in the DC area.  While there are none in Farragut, there are two locations in Dupont, one in Georgetown and one on The Hill, as well as locations in Bethesda and NoVA.  While there are less ingredients to choose from than Chop't, the quality of the toppings is outstanding, and there are unique items like spicy quinoa and hearts of palm.  It's also easy to tell from the menu which salads are vegan and which are vegetarian, and you can also use their nutrition calculator if you're tracking calories, nutrients, etc.  They're also open late if you want to grab items for dinner.

Tip: Sweetgreen often features seasonal specials featuring local produce, so stop by often to see what's new on the menu.

Mixt Greens: Mixt Greens has two DC locations, both convenient to Farragut, as well as a location in Bethesda.  Both salads and sandwiches are available, and there are a number of vegetarian and vegan options.  The downtown locations close at 4, but sometimes they have "summer hours" where they're open later.  You can also order online.

Tip: If you have food allergies, ask to see the nutrition guide.  The very helpful staff can help you find something appropriate for your dietary needs.

Some other decent options include:

Cosi - Lots of locations, but a limited vegetarian salad menu compared to other chains nearby.  Sandwiches also available, including two vegetarian options. 

The Brown Bag - Three DC locations (two in Farragut), as well as in Bethesda and NoVA.  Two vegetarian (one vegan) salads on the menu, along with make your own options.  You can also get sandwiches and pasta.  They do close early, so picking up a late dinner is not an option.

Pret a Manger - Three DC locations, two of which are convenient for Farragut.  Unlike all the places
above, everything is pre-made.  While the ingredients are very high quality, there are no substitutions or tweaks to menu items. The Farmers Market salad is vegan, and the website provides helpful tips on what sandwich, salad and wrap items are vegetarian.

Salad Photo Courtesy of Master Isolated Images.

Saturday Night Supper: Vegetable Cannelloni

My parents were in town this weekend for assorted wedding chozerai, so we decided to have my fiance's parents and grandmother over for a Saturday supper. 

My original plan was to make stuffed shells from a cookbook my mother had gotten for me, Women's Day Wednesday Night is Vegetarian.  But, when we made our shopping trip to Whole Foods, there were no stuffed shells available, so I decided to make veggie Cannelloni instead.

Cannelloni is a tube shaped pasta that is often stuffed and then baked with a sauce.  I used the Rustichella d'Abruzzo brand, which didn't need to be pre-boiled.  The filling was pretty much the same as what would have been in the stuffed shells - broccoli, carrots, onion, basil, ricotta and parmesan.  I made the sauce from scratch using two containers of mini red and yellow tomatoes, onions, garlic, dried oregano and thyme and fresh basil.  After stuffing the cannelloni (which I had to do with my fingers due to how narrow they were), we mixed the leftover filling with the sauce to thicken it, covered the pasta with sauce, topped it with mozzarella and put it in the oven to bake.

While the pasta was baking, I made the "cleaned-up" version of spinach & artichoke dip from this month's Clean Eating magazine.  This version of the dip had 84 calories per serving, compared to 350+ calories for traditional spinach & artichoke dip.  The secret is using pureed cauliflower and low-fat cream cheese (I did sub neufchatel) to sub for sour cream.  The resulting version was lighter and "greener."  We served it with toasted whole wheat pita seasoned with olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper.

For a side salad, I chopped up romaine lettuce and stirred in pomegranate arils, mandarin oranges and slivered almonds.  We added a great dressing, TessaMae's All Natural, which was a mix of lemon, garlic and olive oil.

We barely have any leftovers, so I am considering this one a success!