A Simple Salad

Here is a simple spring/summer salad that is often lunch or supper all in itself. All of the green are from my window sill and the garden.
serves 1-2
10 minutes

The Salad

• A handful of lettuce, kale, spinach, chard, lovage and chives. Tear the leaves into smaller pieces and put into a bowl.
• Add half a red pepper, diced.
• Add 1 carrot, grated.
• Add a handful of chickpeas.
• Add a small handful of wakame seaweed.
• Add a small handful of pumpkin seeds.

The Dressing. Mix everything together and toss with the salad.

• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• Juice from one lime/lemon
• 2 tsp of light Miso paste
• 2 tsp of real French mustard
• a few dashes of Soy sauce
• 3 anchovies, chopped into small pieces
  

Quinoa stir fry with Pumpkin seed pesto

Quinoa is one of my staple foods along with rice and pasta. This dinner is just a simple stir fry with a pesto sauce so anything you like could go into it.
serves 2
30 minutes

The stir fry.

• 1 large onion, sliced
• half a cube of tofu, cubed
• 10 mushrooms, cut to your liking
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups of chopped mixed greens

1. Dry roast quinoa in a pot until they start to slightly brown.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let cook for 25 minutes.
3. Fry onion, tofu and mushrooms in a pan at medium high for 10 minutes.
4. Add garlic and various greens (spinach, swiss chard, kale) and cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and pumpkin seed pesto.
6. Top with some of your favorite cheese. I prefer Romano or Feta for this dish.

The pesto.

1. Dry roast 4 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds in a cast iron pan until they brown and begin to pop.
2. Grind coarsely in a food processor.
3. Add 1 cup of chopped cilantro, the juice from 1 lime, 1 chopped clove of garlic, a pich of salt and enough olive oil to get everything mixed together well. A little cayenne wouldn't hurt here either.
   

Another breakfast favorite

If S. isn't eating an omelette for breakfast he's probably eating a crepe. As long as you have eggs in the fridge you can whip one up in no time at all.
serves 2-3
7-10 minutes

• 2 free range eggs
• white or whole wheat flour
• pinch of salt
• soy milk
• 1 Tbsp each of pumpkin, flax, and almond seeds
• olive oil

1. Whisk eggs in a bowl for 1 minute.
2. Add 1/3 cup or so of soy milk.
3. Add salt.
4. Add 1/2 cup or so of flour, making sure the mixture does not get too thick. If it does, add more soy milk.
5. Grind the seeds in a grinder until fully ground and add to the egg mixture.
6. At medium high heat, in a non-stick pan slightly covered with olive oil, add just enough mixture to cover(the pan). As soon as the mixture has solidified, flip over and cook for a further minute or so. The crepe is now ready to eat.

This is very easy and quick to make. With the added seed mixture it is also very nutritious. S. had this one plain but he'll often add jam, honey, maple syrup, or yogurt. Use what ever you have in your fridge. This also makes a nice lunchtime snack for school since it taste just as good cold as it does hot.

Learning how to chew again

After 17 days of just liquids I have finally returned to chewing. I've started off with my basic seed mixture to start me back on solid food. I eat 3/4 of a cup of this throughout the day when I am tree planting and it really does give you a lot of energy for the amount you are eating. A quarter cup of this at lunch gives you about 200-250 calories and should be enough to fill you up for awhile. It doesn't get much healthier than this. I like to mix this up in small batches so that I eat it in one sitting. This way the smaller seeds don't get left behind at the bottom of a big container. Eating this with a spoon is a good way to get a bit of everything in each mouthful.

makes 1/4 a cup

• handful Almonds
• good handful Pumpkin seeds
• 1 Tbsp Sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp Sunflower seeds
• 1 Tbsp Flax seeds

1. Mix all the seeds together in a small container.
2. For a bit more flavor you can dry roast the mixture with a small amount of Tamari sauce until the smaller seeds start to pop.
3. Throw in any dried fruit if you want a bit of moisture in this mix.