Healthy Green Moms » Recipes

Toasted Coconut Curry Dahl

Monica — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:02:33 +0000

One of our favorite winter warmer recipes, this coconut Dahl is packed with flavor. I like to make this for lunch along with fresh bread for dipping. If there is any left, this recipe is even better on the second day and it saves me having to think about lunch. My husband likes to fry up some homemade sausage supplied by our local grass fed beef farmer. I’ll admit, it’s a perfect fit.

Make sure you have a good stock on hand. Vegetable or chicken stock is best. A veggie stock is quick to make and I recently added my recipe to the comments section in the preceding link.

*If you would rather work from a condensed version of this recipe, please scroll to the bottom.

I hope you enjoy!

1. Place 3/4 cup dry yellow split peas and 3/4 cup dry green split peas in a pot with 10 cups of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to boil and skim off all foam that arises.

2. Cook until peas are half cooked and then add 1 medium carrot, chopped.

3. In a small pan, heat 2 tbsp coconut oil. Add 2 tsp mustard seed and wait until seeds start to pop. Turn heat off.

4. Add 1 tbsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp crushed chillies (omit if little ones don’t like spice), 1 tsp turmeric and 1 medium potato, chopped.

5. Coat potato well with spices and let sit for 5 minutes.

6. Roast 1 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut in oven until just browning.

7. Add potato with spices and roasted coconut to soup pot. Simmer on low until split peas are soft.

8. Add to soup pot: 1 tsp Tamari, 1 small red or yellow pepper, 3/4 cup of frozen organic green peas, sea salt to taste.

Serve over brown Basmati rice or alone. Dahl will thicken once it cools down.

Coconut Curry Dahl

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dry yellow peas
3/4 cup dry green peas
10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp crushed chillies
1 tsp turmeric
1 med potato, chopped
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp Tamari
1 small red or yellow pepper, chopped
3/4 cup frozen non-GMO green peas
sea salt to taste

1. Place 3/4 cup dry yellow split peas and 3/4 cup dry green split peas in a pot with 10 cups of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to boil and skim off all foam that arises. Cook until peas are half cooked and then add 1 medium carrot, chopped.

2. In a small pan, heat 2 tbsp coconut oil. Add 2 tsp mustard seed and wait until seeds start to pop. Turn heat off. Add 1 tbsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp crushed chillies (omit if little ones don’t like spice), 1 tsp turmeric and 1 medium potato, chopped. Coat potato well with spices and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Roast 1 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut in oven until just browning. Add potato with spices and roasted coconut to soup pot. Simmer on low until split peas are soft.
4. Add 1 tsp Tamari, 1 small red or yellow pepper, 3/4 cup of frozen organic green peas, S&P to taste.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve over brown Basmati rice or alone. Dahl will thicken once it cools down.

adapted from original recipe at Fresh restaurant.

Hey, come visit the me and leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you. If you enjoyed this article, thank you for giving it a boost on social media. Â© All rights reserved. This post is from HealthyGreenMoms and cannot be republished without express written permission.

Toasted Coconut Curry Dahl

Wise Cooks Use Homemade Stocks

Monica — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:00:18 +0000

One of the first changes we have made since reading Nourishing Traditions is making a homemade stock each week. Now I understand why my Grandma always made the best soups, forget that, the best everything! The secret was in her stocks made from chicken, beef and fish. Stocks not only help create dishes that are talked about, there is much health wisdom in this centuries old practice.

Why is chicken soup superior to all the things we have, even more relaxing than Tylenol? It is because chicken soup has a natural ingredient which repairs and calms the mucous lining in the small intestine. This inner lining is the beginning or ending of the nervous system. It is easily pulled away from the intestine through too many laxatives, too many food additives…and parasites. Chicken soup…heals the nerves, improves digestion, reduces allergies, relaxes and gives strength. Hanna Kroeger – Ageless Remedies From Mother’s Kitchen.

I think homemade stocks are a lost art in many modern families. Although I observed a simmering pot of stock many times while growing up, the wisdom of why they are so beneficial unfortunately did not get passed down. And perhaps even if it did, I overlooked stocks simply because whole grains and legumes (as opposed to a meat dominant diet) have made the majority of our meals up until this point.

I mentioned that I was vegetarian for almost 10 years so another roadblock in making stocks is simply due to my lack of knowledge and experience in handling meat. I am now relearning how to cook with meat and making some big changes in the type of meat we eat – but I’ll save that for another article.

The basic stock recipe I am using is from Nourishing Traditions which advises to use vinegar to the broth to help pull the nutrients form the bones. Read Broth is Beautiful for additional information about the health benefits of stocks as well as the clincher for me - the benefits of gelatin . One interesting tidbit is the ancient use of stocks to help prevent infectious disease. I admit to feeling reassured by having homemade stock on hand should we get rundown with a virus.

In folk wisdom, rich chicken broth-the famous Jewish penicillin-is a valued remedy for the flu. The 12th-century physician Moses Maimonides prescribed chicken broth as a treatment for colds and asthma. Modern research has confirmed that broth helps prevent and mitigate infectious diseases. The wise food provider, who uses gelatin-rich broth on a daily or frequent basis, provides continuous protection from many health problems. Nourishing Traditions

Each Sunday we now roast a whole locally raised free range chicken. After feasting, I gently simmer the stock pot overnight. In the morning, after the stock has cooled I measure out 2 and 4 cup increments into shallow containers for freezing. Later, I unmold and label, storing the disks in zippered bags stacked vertically in the freezer. I also freeze extra baby cubes to blend with Evan’s homemade baby puree – one of a few important changes to his diet. Thankfully, I am not alone in my concerns that introducing the nasty refined baby cereal as a first food is not a healthy way to get started. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it’s a sick plot to get our children addicted to refined foods from the get go!

From Nourishing Traditions:

Chicken Stock

1 whole free-range chicken or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings*
gizzards from one chicken (optional)
2-4 chicken feet (optional)
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley

*Note: Farm-raised, free-range chickens give the best results. Many battery-raised chickens will not produce stock that gels.

If you are using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and the gizzards from the cavity. Cut chicken parts into several pieces. (If you are using a whole chicken, remove the neck and wings and cut them into several pieces.) Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.

Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer.

Image credit: Muffet

Healthy Lentil Rice Salad with Cranberries

Monica — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:00:12 +0000

We love to make salads all year long, but as the weather turns colder we prefer a heartier salad that has some staying power. Pulses (such as lentils and beans) are best eaten together with whole grains because the combination makes a complete protein that your body can digest and absorb easily.

If you are not eating lentils yet what the heck are you waiting for?! There is no better time to introduce lentils and beans than with small children. I often gave Liv black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils with raw cheese (a complete protein) as a snack instead of refined starches such as fish crackers. Now she loves them!

That being said, I remember the first time I cooked with lentils. My husbands brother, in his early twenties, came to visit. As a regular consumer of junk food, I decided it was my mission to get him healthy while he visited. His welcome dinner was a lentil Shepard’s pie with miso gravy. Unfortunately, it was bland, dry and chewy. The poor kid was so polite trying to eat it up, but he was clearly being tortured. This particular recipe was not a good introduction to healthy eating. I promise you’ll love this salad…it’s not dry or bland.

Eat for lunch or as a healthy dinner companion. I usually pull some of the lentil salad out for Liv before I add the parsley and red onion.

*Update 01/10 – Remember to soak your lentils at least 12 hours (overnight) in a-2 tablespoons of yogurt, buttermilk, whey or Kefir before cooking and skimming. This helps to “predigest” the outer layer so that you can receive the full benefits of the nutrients available ans also to help prevent digestive disorders commonly accociated with certain grains. Read more about soaking lentils and other grains.

Healthy Lentil Rice Salad With Cranberries

1 Tbs lemon zest – a grater or micro-plane zester works best for this.
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of cayenne
1 can of lentils (540ml) drained and rinsed or 2 cups cooked
2 cups long grain brown rice – cooked
1 cup parsley – loosely packed & chopped
3/4 cup red onion – diced
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbs fresh mint – finely chopped

In a large bowl whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, cinnamon and cayenne.
Add lentils, toss and then add rice and toss gently.
Add parsley, onion, currants, cranberries and mint. Toss gently and serve.
Serves 4-6. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Originally published in Alive Magazine

Healthy Baking: Whole Foods Cookie Primer

admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:12:19 +0000

Have you ever tried to make your grandma’s favorite cookie recipe substituting whole grain flours and less refined sweeteners? As well intentioned as this is, the results can be disappointing – sometimes the cookies make great door stops, other times they fall apart trying to scrape them from the cookie sheet. Every quarter in cooking classes at Bastyr University we make cookies using a variety of whole grain flours and unrefined sweeteners. I’ve seen some pretty bizarre results and have learned while how to troubleshoot the process. Here are some tips that might help next time you attempt a wholesome cookie conversion.

Flour Power

The type of flour you use as well as the amount is very important to outcome. For baked goods choose whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole wheat flour is great for bread making because of its gluten content which helps develop a structure for the bread. This protein in the flour can make baked goods tough. Spelt and kamut are also gluten-rich making them a bit better for bread making, not as great for cookies. If you want to decrease the amount of wheat you’re eating, try barley flour for baked goods.

When replacing 1 cup white flour use 7/8 cup whole grain flour. This is because the fiber in the whole grain flour tends to absorb more liquid. To make the wet to dry ratio work, less whole grain flour is needed.

Remember that even a tablespoon or two of flour can make a huge difference in cookie outcome. More flour will give cookies a cakier texture. If too little flour is added the cookie won’t have enough structure to hold together. Too much flour and you have hockey pucks. Measure carefully and error on the side of less flour rather than more. Whole grain cookie dough that yields a light outcome will tend to have a slightly stickier texture than white flour dough. If in doubt, bake one cookie and check the outcome before proceeding with the rest of the dough.

Wheat, kamut, spelt and barley all contain gluten. For the family-member that is gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive, a substitution needs to be made. I find the formulas with bean flours to give baked goods a funny beany taste and prefer this simpler one. Replace 1 cup gluten flour with ¾ cup brown rice flour, 3 tablespoons potato starch, 1 tablespoon tapioca flour, ½ teaspoon xanthum gum. This will make an okay cookie, though without the gluten it is difficult to get the familiar structure folks are used to.

Fabulous Fats

You can make cookies with oils but oil often doesn’t incorporate well into the flour and sugar. Also, most oils that one would choose to put in a cookie are refined, meaning the color, flavor, aroma and nutrients of the oil are gone due to high heat steam deodorizing, filtering and bleaching.

Many bakers feel that butter works best for texture and flavor. It creams beautifully with sugars and the naturally occurring lecithin helps disperse the fat nicely throughout the batter. Choose one of the many brands of organic butter on the market. Dairy products from cows who are allowed to move and graze on grass can be higher in those important Omega 3 fatty acids.

If dairy products are on the not-allowed food list for your cookie lover, try coconut oil, a saturated fat high in lauric acid that has been used in the tropics for centuries. Spectrum Organics makes a nice unrefined coconut oil that works well though it will impart some of its coconut flavor into your cookie.

A third alternative is lard. It is difficult but not impossible to find lard from well-kept pigs at your natural foods meat counter or from a local farmer. Often the lard will need to be rendered – melted and any membranes removed. This is a strong tasting fat but there is no doubt that pastries made with lard have the flakiest texture.

Margarines, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and fats concocted from soy are highly refined and in the case of hydrogenation downright dangerous for your health. Skip those and go for the simple, stable fats that have been used by various cultures for generations.

Show Me the Sugar

I like to taste the sweetener in my cookies. Refined white sugar has no depth of flavor; it’s just a powerfully sweet empty calorie. There are a number of sweeteners that are less refined and that add distinctive flavor to your cookie – honey and maple syrup are two of my favorites. When replacing a granulated sweetener with a liquid sweetener, add 3-5 tablespoons of flour for each 3/4 cup of liquid concentrated sweetener.

Another option is to use one of the less refined cane sugars on the market. Both Rapadura (made by Rapunzel) and Sucanat (made by Wholesome Foods) still contain the molasses from the cane syrup giving them a rich flavor. I recommend giving these sugars a short pulse in the blender or coffee grinder as they tend to be coarse.

Natural cane sugars, as well as honey and maple syrup can give cookies a softer texture. If you desire a crisper cookie, try using part rice syrup or barley malt; both cool to a hard texture.

Taking the time to really cream the fat and the sweetener can’t be overstressed. Cream it until you can’t tell one from the other.

Chill Out

How the fat melts makes a big difference. Butter melts at 82-96 degrees F., while coconut oil melts at 76 degrees F. Cookie dough made with either of these fats benefit from chilling. Putting cold dough in the oven gives the cookie time to build its structure before the fat begins to melt and spread the cookie. Chill dough for 30-60 minutes.

Ready to give it a try?

Chocolate Covered Coconut Macaroons – no wheat or flour used!

To learn more from Cynthia Lair, visit her at Cookus Interruptus.com or read her helpful book Feeding The Whole Family: Recipes For Babies, Young Children and Their Parents.

In A Pinch: Nori Wrapped Salmon & The Cookbook Giveaway Winner!

Monica — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:16:10 +0000

Welcome back to the second edition of “In A Pinch” Thursdays where we hope to inspire some healthy creativity in the kitchen. Over time, I hope to include some videos of my family favorites featuring yours truly as well as some other videos I have in the works, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this video on a creative way to prepare Salmon. (if possible: Wild Alaska Salmon) Please share your comments and suggestions – I’d love to hear from you!

Nori Wrapped Salmon: Grab this delicious recipe now!

Video courtesy of Cookus Interruptus – Cooking Despite Life’s Interruptions.

Thank you for all of your great comments and entries for the “Feeding the Whole Family” Cookbook Giveaway! Random.org was used to select a random winner.

The winner of a new copy of Feeding the Whole Family is…commenter #29: Sito “In addition to health benefits, it’s cheaper. Five lbs of apples are cheaper than 5 lbs of chocolate. Fresh carrots are cheaper than potato chips. And, with both healthy choices, you feel fuller.”

I have contacted you by email. Please reply within 5 days with your mailing address or a new random winner will be selected.