Cooking For Elliot: Spring Cleaning

Soup and Veggie Stylin'

Sorry about the missed post last week! We were in Seattle getting our mini vacation-on which means we were also getting our big time eat-on. And not in a good way. The flight home was a tragi-comic tale, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing but that I was an idiot for eating a whole lot of pizza, french fries, and (god help me) ice cream. Quite possibly the longest six hours of my life. And then we rolled off the plane just in time for Easter Dinner which, while not the candy basket blowout of yore (thanks to my mother, aka Master Easter Basketeer), was still chock full of delightfully deadly treats; made all the more delightful as I came off of my Dramamine high with some serious munchies. Let's just say I didn't refrain from tucking into a sizable bowl of holiday M&Ms and the mercifully once-a-year delicacy: Cadbury Mini Eggs. By the end of the night I was a bloated, tomato head. You should be grateful no one chose to document this. Honestly, look up food sensitivities in the dictionary and you'd find a photo of me with a puffy nose, one red ear, and some burgeoning acne?/hives?

So THIS week, we tried to get back into the "helfy" (tip o the hat to that whole royal wedding thang) swing of things. A little exercise and a whole lot more veggies. Exactly seven days later and I'm feeling a little less like something out of a Wes Craven flick. Actually, follow this menu and it's almost incredible how good you can feel. Most everything is adapted from The Clean Diet (www.cleanprogram.com) - a diet largely based on raw foods. Breakfast is my creation and Dessert is courtesy of the awesome Green Lemondade site (www.greenlemonade.com). Also, this menu is remarkably kid friendly, so everyone's jeans can fit just a little better. Diaper or not. 

MENU

May 1, 2011

BREAKFAST

Homemade Chocolate Granola with Yogurt and Banana

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan)

LUNCH

Carrot Ginger Soup and Grilled Asparagus

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan)

DINNER

Apple Fennel Salad and Green Lentil Hummus

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, dairy free, egg free, vegan)

DESSERT

Cherry Chocolate Sorbet

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, dairy free, egg free, vegan)

Homemade Chocolate Granola with Yogurt, Banana and Berries

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan)

To make the granola:

3 cups gluten-free organic rolled oats

1/4 cup organic raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce

2-3 tblsps organic unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup organic agave nectar

2 tsp cinnamon

Toppings:

Sliced organic berries and banana

Plain or vanilla yogurt (coconut works perfectly but soy is also fine)

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine oats and sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add oats/seeds to wet ingredients and mix with your hands until evenly combined. Spread over a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure that it doesn't burn. It's finished when it's toasted.

Serve in a bowl topped with berries and yogurt.

Carrot Ginger Soup* and Grilled Asparagus

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan)

*Adapted from www.cleanprogram.com

2 bags organic carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large organic onion, chopped

Approx. 3 inch long piece of organic ginger, peeled and chopped

8 cups filtered water

Sea salt to taste

2 bunches fresh organic asparagus with woody ends trimmed off

Cold pressed organic olive oil for brushing

To make the soup:

Add all ingredients to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender. Approx. 15 minutes. For a chunkier soup (and easier clean up), use a potato masher to mash ingredients. For a smoother soup, allow to cool. Then blend in a blender a little bit at a time. Or use a hand mixer. Can be served cold or hot.

To make the asparagus:

Pre-heat broiler at high and move rack to top position. Wash and dry asparagus and lay on cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Broil for 2 minutes. Turn cookie sheet so the front is facing the back. Broil for another 2 minutes.

Serve in mason jars (as above) or ladle soup into a bowl with asparagus as a side dish. 

Apple Fennel Salad and Green Lentil Hummus*

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan)

*Adapted from www.cleanprogram.com

Green Lentil Hummus....and a delicious white wine for the grown-ups

For Green Lentil Hummus:

3 cups organic, low sodium veggie stock

1 cup organic green lentils, dried

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup organic tahini

Juice of 1-2 lemons

1/2 tsp cumin (optional)

Sea salt to taste

Serve with: Veggies, Mary's Gone Crackers Gluten-Free Crackers, Apple Slices, Pitted Olives

In a medium saucepan or stockpot, combine stock and lentils. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid is gone. Allow to cool a bit.

Transfer to a food processor and blend with garlic, tahini, and lemon juice until smooth. Add sea salt and cumin (if using). 

Apple and Fennel Salad...and, oh look, more wine

For Apple Fennel Salad:

2 organic fennel bulbs, washed and trimmed

2 organic apples, washed

Cold pressed organic olive oil

Juice of 1-2 organic lemons

Sea salt and pepper to taste

This is simplest to prepare with a food processor using the thick slicing blade. If you don't have a food processor, slice fennel and apple into thin slices. Add fennel weed. Pour lemon juice over all and combine (this will also keep the apples from browning). Drizzle olive oil over all. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 

For Green Lentil Hummus:

3 cups organic, low sodium veggie stock

1 cup organic green lentils, dried

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup organic tahini

Juice of 1-2 lemons

1/2 tsp cumin (optional)

Sea salt to taste

Serve with: Veggies, Mary's Gone Crackers Gluten-Free Crackers, Apple Slices, Pitted Olives

Cherry Chocolate Sorbet*

(wheat/gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan)

*Adapted from www.greenlemonade.com

3/4 cup frozen organic black cherries

1 tblsp chopped organic dark chocolate

1/2 tsp maple syrup or agave

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Easy!