Legumes 102: Mujadara (cheapest. meal. ever.)

I'm back with a continuation of my legume lecture. And this one has pictures! I also learned how to chiffonade.  It's a cutting technique that fancy foodies use to uniformly cut any flat leaf such as mint, as shown below. Fortunately, my husband was around as I was preparing this dish and he told me exactly how to do it. He must pay better attention to the chefs on the Food Network than I do.

Mujadara is a complete protein meal. What do I mean by a complete protein meal? Well I'm glad you asked. Proteins are made up of amino acids and there are lots of different amino acid combinations. Animal protein, such as chicken, contains all essential amino acids therefore is considered complete. Legumes on the other hand have several essential amino acids but not all of them thus considered incomplete. Fortunately, grains have the missing link and can be combined with legumes to form a perfect protein source. You do not have to eat them at the same meal but you do need both food sources if you plan to ditch the animals.

If you are looking for ways to save at the grocery store, then look no further than including some vegetarian meals into your week. Since we've cut the amount of animal protein that we consume, we've saved at least $100/month. This is only possible if you have motivation to cook up some tasty veg meals. Lucky for you I plan to share all of the best ones!

Mujadara is a fancy name for an easy meal. It's basically lentils and brown rice with some onions and spices. Here is a version of the recipe that I found on www.wheatfreemeatfree.com.

Mujadara, serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, 1 diced, 1 sliced thinly
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
3 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, cut into a chiffonade

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat and add diced onions and garlic. Saute until onion is soft and then add spices and continue to saute for 30 seconds.

Add vegetable broth, lentils and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover for 30 minutes or until the liquid had been incorporated. Meanwhile, add the remaining oil into another pan and saute the sliced onion on medium heat until dark brown (about 30 minutes). You may need to leave it alone to get it browned.

Serve lentil/rice mixture with carmelized onions and mint on top. Enjoy!

Legumes 101

I know most of you reading this are so sick of me talking about beans. "My nutritionist loves beans. In fact it's all she talks about...she's obsessed with them!" Not true...well, kind of true. Why do I insist that everyone consume these gas producing legumes? Well, my friend, I'll tell you (unless of course you follow more of a Paleo diet...but that's another lecture for another day). Let's call this little lecture legumes 101. Here are some legume fun facts. Well, they're fun for me anyway. You might already be bored. But stick with me, there's a recipe at the end!

• Legumes are a plant food that include beans, peas, and lentils
• They are nutrient dense and contain iron, magnesium, potassium, and folate, among others
• They are fiber rich!!! How do you get 1/3 of your daily fiber needs? Eat 1/2 a cup of legumes daily.
• They are low-glycemic
• They are a wonderful protein substitute for those on vegetarian or vegan diets
• They taste good...if you know how to cook them correctly

Ok, so now on to the subject of digestability. Have a difficult time digesting my favorite plant food? Slowly increase your intake and over time you can eat your 1/2 cup daily serving. You see, legumes contain sugars that our bodies have a hard time digesting but our GI tracts can easily adapt if you slowly introduce.

And now for a recipe. Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are my favorite legume! Most people have little trouble digesting them and they are neutral in flavor which makes them perfect for many recipes. I have tried to introduce the concept of roasted chickpeas to most of you but just in case I forgot you (I'm sorry!) here is a simple recipe for all of your crunchy, salty, (fiber filled) needs.

Roasted Chickpeas:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse a can of chickpeas and pat dry with a paper towel. Pour the contents of the can on a cookie sheet lined with foil (for easy clean up!). Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the beans and any spices you desire. My favorite right now is smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper. There are lots of spices you could use so just experiment. Place in preheated over for 20 minutes and take out and move the beans around. Then keep checking them every 7-10 minutes until they are golden brown. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for legumes 102. I know you can't wait.

The magical “flour”

In my opinion, almond flour is magical. It’s low-glycemic, buttery in taste and smell, and very versatile. You can use it to make baked goods or savory dishes and it can be used in place of white or wheat flour in most recipes. It can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So why has this magical flour not caught on in the general public? Seriously, I’m asking. Now granted, it is a bit more expensive than all purpose flour but the health benefits greatly outweigh any negatives.

For those of you looking for great tasting almond flour recipes, please visit my favorite food blog out there: www.elanaspantry.com. Her cookbook is also quite amazing and is getting regular use underneath my Crate & Barrel cookbook holder.

Here is a great chocolate chip cookie recipe using almond flour. In fact, it’s from Elana’s website. You are probably now wondering why a nutritionist would post her first blog entry with a cookie recipe knowing full well that her patients are going to read it.  I will answer this question with something everyone has heard a million times before: everything in moderation. Do not eat cookies every day. But you can eat them a lot more often if they are made with low-glycemic flour and low-glycemic sweetener. Just trust me on this. They rock!

Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ cups almond flour

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup grapeseed oil

1 tablesppon vanilla extract

½ cup agave nectar

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Press ½ inch balls onto the parchment paper and bake for 7-10 minutes. Enjoy!

From www.elanaspantry.com