30 Nights of Salad - Day 11

Beans again! You know the song right? heh heh - I can't help but make a little joke, but in all seriousness beans are full of fiber, folate and B vitamins! This is why I make the effort to include beans in as many dishes as I possibly can. Tonight we used beans as our main source of protein and added a salsa type of flare to it by using corn and tomatoes too! I wonder how a little cilantro would have went with this? Ah well, next time. Here's what I did - easy peesy:

Beans (I used dry pinto beans, soaked and cooked them. See here)
1 can of corn, "cooked" in a little butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder
1 Roma Tomato, diced
1 Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
Green leaf lettuce, chopped
***I added some wonton crisps to mine and did not use salad dressing - the corn was moist and had a little "sauce" from the cooking so that was just fine.

This was one of our best salads yet and it took so little preparation. I think that this is the secret behind our success so far - it's so easy to do and requires so little effort that we want to do it. I think that we prefer to do it now too! Always feel free to add your own twist or take something out/add something in. Enjoy!

30 Nights of Salad - Day 8

Tonight's salad had no meat but was not lacking in protein. Thanks to beans (the same beans I used earlier here) and boiled eggs we had plenty of protein! This salad was savory and filling. I grated the boiled egg so that it would be more palatable to my husband who is not a huge fan of boiled egg - and this way the taste was there, but not so obvious. The Heart of Palm is so delicious and tender it adds such great flavor. And since I've opened these jars, you'll see Heart of Palm and Roasted Red Peppers popping up in more salads and maybe lunch too! Here's the recipe - Enjoy!:


Protein Rich Salad
-Mixed Greens
-Tomatoes, chopped
-Roasted Red Peppers, sliced
-Heart of Palm, chopped
-Beans (handful)
-1 boiled egg, grated
-Parmesan cheese, grated

***Mix it up and you're good to go! I used 2 tablespoons of French dressing with this salad and it paired nicely.

A Powerhouse Lunch!

I put together a yummy and flavorful lunch that was packed with vitamins and nutrients! Brown rice with Pinto beans, Teriyaki tofu and Broccoli. It was really easy and very delicious and the only thing my daughter didn't like was......the beans! Did you think it was the tofu? No she loves tofu! And if you don't - you could. Below are my instructions for each part of the dish. Adding flavor to every layer helps the finished product to be incredibly dense and delicious. Start here:

Brown rice
1.5 cups brown rice
4 cups water
teaspoon of olive oil
1 packet of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
***cook for approx 1 hour on very low heat

Pinto Beans
1.5 cups Dry pinto beans
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 cups of water
***Rinse beans thoroughly. Soak beans overnight. Place them in the fridge or leave out on the counter. They should almost double in size. Add the beans and their water to a pot with another 3 or so cups of water. A Scallion and some salt. Also fresh thyme cooks well with any kind of bean - add a sprig to the pot.

Tofu
1 pack of firm tofu
1 tablespoon olive oil
3oz water
3oz Teriyaki sauce
Onions if you like
***Drain the tofu, and wrap in a paper towel to soak up excess water. Cut the Tofu block into thirds, then slice into small squares. Add the oil to a pan and let it get warm then add the tofu pieces and fry until crisp and brown on each side (onions too if you like). Add the teriyaki sauce & water to the pan and continue to cook on medium heat until the sauce reduces and leaves a thick glaze on the tofu - stirring constantly.

Broccoli - the easiest bit. Cook or steam until barely tender. Add a little salt if you like.

Add them all together and enjoy your hard work. Remember - beans are good for your heart. There's even a song. :)
Enjoy!