Recipe: Vegetarian Mediterranean Grain Salad

Reminiscent of tabbouleh, this hearty salad combines bulgur wheat with grape tomatoes, parsley, and tangy goat cheese. Excellent at room temperature, this one-serving recipe is a great choice for a take-along lunch. Enjoy this satisfying vegetarian main: a generous bulgur salad with crumbled goat cheese and juicy tomatoes.

Ingredients

1/3 cup medium-grind bulgur

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 small shallot, minced

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 ounce fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. In a heatproof bowl, mix bulgur with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup boiling water. Cover, and let stand until tender but slightly chewy, about 30 minutes.
2. Drain bulgur in a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove liquid; return to bowl. Add tomatoes, parsley, shallot, vinegar, and oil. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Top with cheese.

Cooking notes:
Bulgur is pre-cooked wheat that's been dried and cracked. It has a nutty taste and is sold alongside rice in many supermarkets.

Recipe: Vegetarian Whole-Wheat Greek Pizza

The Haloumi cheese on this pizza, made from a blend of sheep's and goat's milk, remains satisfyingly chewy even when heated. Cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and pine nuts evoke the flavours of the Mediterranean. There's no need to buy a special pizza pan; an upside-down baking sheet works just as well. If you like, you can add a little cornmeal to the baking sheet before cooking.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking sheet

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Whole-wheat flour, for work surface

1 pound whole-wheat pizza dough, thawed if frozen

1 cup (4 ounces) grated haloumi cheese

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 cups baby arugula

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Turn a large baking sheet upside down; rub with oil. Place tomatoes, garlic, and 1 tablespoon oil in a food processor; season with salt and pepper. Pulse 3 to 4 times until ingredients are incorporated but chunky.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin and your hands to roll and stretch dough until large enough to cover the surface of the baking sheet. (If dough becomes too elastic, let it rest a few minutes.) Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
3. Spread tomato sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with cheese and pine nuts; season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake until crust is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss arugula with vinegar and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle arugula and olives over pizza.

Recipe: Vegetarian Traditional Gazpacho

The quintessential ingredients are all here: tomatoes, leftover bread, garlic, and a hint of sherry vinegar. Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, and green bell pepper are pureed with day-old bread to make this classic version of the cold Spanish soup. Refrigerate the gazpacho for several hours -- or up to a day -- before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Ingredients

2 cups cubed crustless day-old bread

2 garlic cloves

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, preferably beefsteak, seeded

1 four-inch piece English cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 one-inch-thick slice green bell pepper

2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 cup cold water, plus more for soaking

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup torn rustic bread

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Make the gazpacho: Cover bread with cold water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cover garlic with water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes; drain.
2. Transfer garlic to a blender. Squeeze excess liquid from bread, and transfer bread to blender. Add 2 teaspoons salt, the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and vinegars. Puree until smooth. With machine running, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream, blending until emulsified. Blend in cold water. Season it with salt and pepper. Refrigerate gazpacho until chilled, at least 3 hours (or up to 1 day).
3. Make the croutons: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add bread, and fry, tossing constantly, until pale gold and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bread to a paper-towel-lined plate. Season it with salt and pepper.
4. Divide chilled gazpacho among 6 bowls. Drizzle with oil, and top with croutons just before serving.

Recipe: White Cashew Milk

Cashew milk is creamy and refreshing, nutritious and easy to make. You shouldn't need to strain the mixture after blending if you have a decent blender. That means less hassle and less waste!

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews

4 cups water (divided)

1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey or agave nectar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dash sea salt

Pinch cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

1. Soak the cashews in water at least 4 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. 

2. Drain the cashews and rinse until the water runs clear. 

3. Add the cashews and two cups water to a blender. Start on a low setting and increase the speed until the cashews are totally pulverized. This could take 2 minutes in a high-powered blender or longer in a regular blender.

4. Blend in 2 cups more water, your sweetener of choice, vanilla extract, sea salt and cinnamon (optional). If your blender can't totally break down the cashews, strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. 

5. Store the milk in a covered container in the refrigerator. It should keep for 3 to 4 days.

Notes

Yields about 5 cups cashew milk.
The ratio of water to cashews (4 to 1) in this recipe yields milk that is somewhere between 2% and whole milk in terms of creaminess. Use less water for even creamier results.

Fruit and Veggies More Matters

Fruits and vegetables provide the crucial fibers, vitamins, and minerals that we need in our daily diet. They promote healthy skin, support immune function, and they taste delicious! The inconvenient truth is that very few of us are actually eating enough servings of each every day. Our plate portions are so out of, well, proportion that it almost seems normal to barely have any veggies with dinner. Some think that the slice of tomato and lettuce in the sandwich justifies the piles of turkey and bacon, along with the side of fries and soda. This month, I encourage you to shift your frame of mind, and look at your plate a little differently.

The burger, fries, and soda combo is an American staple. However, if you really take a look at what you're getting from this meal, you'll quickly find that this is not how people should be eating regularly. With the bun and copious amounts of french fries, the meal is already 50% starch. Break down the rest of the burger and you have a patty (maybe two) that is covered in cheese and, depending on where you are, chances are it is highly processed beef. This accounts for maybe 35% of your plate. We'll be generous and say that you enjoy all toppings, so veggies include tomato, lettuce, onion, and pickle. Each slice added up will only account for the last bit of your plate, about 10%. The other 5% is that large coke that you're most likely going to refill after the meal.

Now let’s take a look at what a healthy portioned plate looks like...

50% veggies (or more), 25% starch, and 25% protein. Pretty straightforward, right? When you think about it, it makes sense! Why would you fill your body up with empty carbohydrates that are later stored as sugar, which then turns to fat? It would be much better to get some quality, clean protein, and supplement that with the fiber-vitamin-mineral-rich fruits and veggies. All of which contribute to digestion, muscle growth, immune support... You get the idea. More matters!

The first thing you'll notice by making this change in your diet is how you feel after you eat. No one has ever said "I feel great!" after eating a big greasy meal at a fast food restaurant. As you continue to eat healthier, your body will reap the benefits and you will begin to have more energy. Additionally, fruits and veggies provide numerous amounts of preventative health benefits, too many to discuss in just one blog article. Who would have thought that eating right could make you feel good? CRAZY concept right? The best thing about fruit and vegetables, is that you can eat as MUCH as you want! So go crazy, be creative, and most of all eat your (fruits) and veggies!