Chickpea and Butternut Squash Salad

So last night I made some amazing food. Yep, it was delicious. And healthy. And delicious. My sweet friend, Rachel, came over for dinner, and she was willing to be a genia pig for my kitchen experiments. I based this off of a salad that I had while on vacation in Florida. The beverage that is in the pitcher was also a new recipe I tried, and it was super delicious, but I want to mess with it a little more before I post a recipe for it.

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Salad

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 can chickpeas, drained

red onion, to taste, thinly sliced

6-8 grape tomatoes

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Mixed Greens

Toss the butternut squash and the chickpeas with some olive oil and sea salt. Place on a foil covered baking sheet and bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until butternut squash is tender. While that is baking, heat some coconut oil in a small fry pan with a touch of honey and saute until onion is soft. If you prefer the stronger onion taste, you can forgo the sauteing and just put raw onion in. 

When the squash mixture is done, place the tomatoes in the oven while you prepare the salad. Toss the squash mixture with the onion and a little sea salt and cayenne pepper. On the plate put a bed of mixed greens and top with a generous amount of squash mixture. Top with warm tomatoes and drizzle with basil-cilantro dressing.

Basil-Cilantro Dressing

Olive Oil

1 lemon, juiced

1 bunch cilantro

1 handful fresh basil

Fill container about halfway with olive oil. Finely chop basil and add to olive oil. Cut off the top portion of the cilantro bunch and finely chop. Add to the olive oil. Add juice of 1 lemon. Shake and add more lemon juice to taste. Let this sit for at least 6 hours before you use it to let the flavors combine. Shake well before use.

Another Daniel Fast Meal

This was an incredibly filling meal and again made a large pan of food that feed my roommate and I for several days. This was two separate dishes. It is a black bean chili bake served with broiled polenta squares. I started by making the polenta because it needs to sit in the fridge to set up.

Broiled Polenta Squares

6 cups water

1/2 Tbsp garlic salt

2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 tsp dried basil

Bring water to boiling in a large saucepan. Add the garlic salt. Reduce heat to simmering and slowly pour the cornmeal and basil into the pan in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until the polenta is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan. With a paper towel rub the sides and bottom of a 9x13 pan with water to prevent sticking. Press the polenta into the pan until well packed. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for 2 hours or until completely cooled. 

When ready to serve, cut the polenta into squares and place on an oiled cookie sheet under a high broiler (a toaster oven will also work) until they are slightly browned and crispy on the outside. 

 Black Bean Chili Bake

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large can chunky tomato sauce

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 can corn kernels, drained

1/2 cup diced onion

1 Tbsp chili powder

sprinkle cayenne pepper

sprinkle garlic salt

sprinkle cinnamon

Put beans in a large bowl and mash until they are about half crushed. Add remaining ingredients and stir until will combined. Put in a 9x13 that has been lightly rubbed with olive oil. Bake in a 350*F oven for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through. I served this with avocado on top and some green bell pepper on the side.

Baked Oatmeal

I recently went on a Daniel Fast. For anyone who doesn't know what that is I will describe it briefly for you. Basically you eat fruits, veggies, whole grains (like brown rice and oats), and beans. So for someone who enjoys food as much as I do, this can be incredibly difficult. The plus side is that I feel awesome! I feel spiritually, mentally, and physically very clean and focused. I am however, looking forward to enjoying foods that I wasn't able to eat, but I thought I would share a few recipes that I tried while on the fast with you.

This baked oatmeal is divine. It is seriously so delicious, nutritious and makes a whole 9x13 pan (which my roommate and I ate in 2 days).

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup dried fruit*

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

*You can use apricots, raisins, dates, cherries. Whatever suits your fancy. Just make sure to get dried fruit that does not have sugar added to it. You might have to go to a health foods store to find it.

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a 9x13 that has been lightly greased with olive oil. Bake at 350*F for 40-50 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Serve warm with some peanut or almond butter on top. You could also serve this with some baked apple slices or fresh fruit like pineapple.

Stir Fry

I had a friend over for lunch the other day, and by the other day I mean it was probably 2 months ago now. My how time flies! When I asked if there was anything specific that she wanted to eat, she said that she had really enjoyed the curry I made, so maybe something like that. I decided to make stir fry, mostly because I hadn't made it in a rather long time, and it sounded good to me.

Stir fry is super easy to make and can be altered so easily to fit different dietary needs. It is also super healthy and delicious.

Start by setting your rice to cooking because that will take the longest. I made sushi rice with coconut milk.  Next cook a couple of chicken breasts that have been cut into chunks. I cooked these in a little coconut oil and seasoned with curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, cinnamon, and pepper. When the chicken is finished cooking set aside and keep warm.

Add to the wok cut up veggies of your choice. I think I used onion, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus. It is best to use fresh veggies. You can also use bell peppers, zucchini or yellow squash, green beans, peas, really any vegetables you like. Allow these to cook until they are a little soft, but not all the way cooked. This gives you a nice crunch. Add the chicken back in and cook just a little longer.

Serve with the rice and eat right away. You can also use some soy sauce if you want that flavor.

This is a really great meal to make because it is fast and easy, but can be easily modified to suit almost anyone's taste buds. It is also really easy to make this a vegetarian meal.