MediterAsian Raw Fruit & Nut Salad

Ingredients:

Red and Green Grapes
Dates*
Apricots*
Lychees
Walnuts
Hempseeds
Hemp Oil (Cold pressed, unrefined--dark to clear light green in color, with a pleasant nutty flavor)

*I always buy organic dried fruit, otherwise they add sulphur dioxide and extra sugar/preservatives. Ingredients should just say=fruit.

Chop the grapes into quarters. Chop walnuts, apricots and dates into bite-size pieces. Buy lychees fresh (if you can find them) and peel & pit them, or buy out of a can and drain excess syrup. Toss in a bowl and sprinkle with hemp seeds and dress with oil.

I had this salad at Galaxy Global Eatery on 15th & Irving (NYC) and it was SO GOOD. The hemp oil and seeds were a nice surprise. I don't think I've ever had hemp before, but I am going to experiment more with it on veggie/quinoa salads.

Enjoy!

SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES

Put them on sandwiches, turn them into soup and more. Make these in advance, even days ahead, but be sure to serve them at room temperature.

SERVES: 8
TIME: 3 hours, almost completely unattended

* a dozen vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in half horizontally
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 275ºF.

In a small roasting pan, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil. Roast the tomatoes, seed-side up, for three hours.

GRILLED ZUCCHINI WITH MINT AND RED CHILI

This requires a little patience because it’s best to let the flavor of the zucchini develop slowly on a not-too-hot grill, rather than just char them quickly. They get a wonderful, almost fried flavor.

SERVES: 8
TIME: 15 minutes

* 5 medium-sized zucchini (each about 1/2 pound)
* 1/2 cup olive oil, divided in half
* 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* a dozen large mint leaves, finely sliced
* as much very thinly sliced red chili as you can handle


Preheat your grill to medium.

Cut each zucchini in half crosswise and then cut each half into 1/8" planks. In a very large bowl, toss the zucchini with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Lay the zucchini on the grill and cook for about four minutes per side, keeping the heat moderate so you’re sweating them and not really giving them a ton of color. Turn the heat up to high and grill for about a minute more on each side to mark them. Depending on the size of your grill, this may need to be done in batches.

Remove the zucchini to a large platter. Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil with the vinegar, mint and chili (I just use the bowl I originally tossed the zucchini in). Drizzle this over the zucchini, being sure to evenly distribute the chili, and serve.

LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO SALAD

This delectable recipe comes straight from the kitchen of the one and only.....Gwenyth Paltrow! Love you Goop!

Ingredients:
* 2 sweet potatoes (each about 2/3 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
* 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
* 1 1/2 tablespoons real Vermont maple syrup
* 2 pinches red chili flakes
* 1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4" dice
* 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2" dice
* 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* leaves from 2 sprigs thyme
* 2 cups green lentils, rinsed and drained
* a healthy drizzle of your finest, best quality olive oil
* 2 tablespoons torn parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, the maple syrup and one pinch of chili. Roast, stirring, until caramelized and a paring knife slips easily through a piece, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the additional two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the remaining pinch of chili, onion, carrot, garlic, oregano, pepper and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are a bit softened and just beginning to brown. Add the lentils and four cups of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, turn down to low, cover, and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Let the lentils cool to room temperature. Fold the lentils together with the sweet potatoes. Drizzle with your good olive oil, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Lemon Wine Sauce Over Cous Cous or Quinoa

Ingredients:
Olive oil
crushed red pepper
lemons
parsley
white wine
garlic cloves
chopped tomatoes (or sun-dried)
optional add-ins: basil, broccoli, peas, cauliflower, green/red pepper, zucchini

quinoa, cous cous or pasta

1. In one or two tablespoons of olive oil, saute a couple of cloves of minced garlic, a handful of chopped parsley, and a few shakes of red pepper.

2. Saute until the parsley changes to a deep green color. You can add other optional veggies here (I recommend broccoli, cauliflower, green/red pepers)--saute for a few minutes longer.

3. Add about 1/2 cup of white wine (this is optional)

4. Squeeze in the juice of a couple of lemons, you can also use lime for a wonderful variation. Simmer until it cooks down to about half of the juice.

5. Just before serving, toss in the chopped tomatoes. They should be just warmed, but not cooked or mushy. Add basil (or if desired.

6. Serve over cooked cous cous or quinoa (cook time approx 2-3 minutes over boiling water). Also nice served over homemade/wheat pasta. (Keep in mind pasta is not a whole food and harder to digest than a natural grain like cous cous or quinoa).

Enjoy!

Indonesian Peanut Soup

To scratch the spicy coconut/peanut soup itch!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 small hot chile, seeded and minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup of CHUNKY natural peanut butter--no salt added
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
4-5 cups of water
2 cups cooked rice, preferablu basmati or jasmine
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over meduim heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chile and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. One at a time, stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice and water, blending well after each addition. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors are well blended.

2) Reduice the heat to low, add the rice, and season with pepper. SImmer for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped peanuts.

**You can also add other vegetables to this! Potatoes, straw mushrooms, string beans...get creative!***

Another idea...make a double recipe of this on a Sunday afternoon and keep in the fridge for a quick snack throughout the week!