honey lime butternut squash and quinoa salad

This is not your average butternut squash recipe!

My mom went to a farm in Connecticut last week and brought us back loads of butternut squash.  I wanted to try something a little different then the normal “fall” flavors so, I added cumin, lime and sesame seeds.

We don’t eat much dairy in our house so, I always try to sneak calcium rich ingredients into our meals.  Sesame seeds are such a great source of calcium, 88 mg in only 1 tablespoon!  They have such a mild flavor and can be added to almost anything…smoothies, raw dough balls, baked goods, salads, you  name it!  For a little calcium boost, I always sprinkle sesame seeds onto Noah’s meals (he has no idea!).

Honey Lime Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

2 cups butternut squash, cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 cup red cabbage, thinly chopped

3 scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

For the Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey (agave if vegan)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

dash cumin

salt and pepper to taste

-Toss butternut squash in a drizzle of olive oil, place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until tender.  Let cool.

-In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, butternut squash, red cabbage, scallions and sesame seeds.

-Meanwhile, whisk together dressing ingredients, pour over salad and mix until well combined.

-Enjoy!

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lemon cilantro hummus

I am up to my ears in cilantro!  It is growing so fast and we can’t eat it fast enough!  I wish I could say the same is true for the rest of our veggies but something has been munching on the beans, red leaf lettuce and kale 😦

I’ve been adding cilantro to salads, juices and soups but today I decided to throw it in hummus instead.  Hummus is so easy to make at home!  Not to mention it’s a lot cheaper!  Traditional hummus uses tahini, which is ground sesame seeds.  To most, sesame seeds are just “decoration” on bagels but they carry a lot of nutritional benefits.

Sesame seeds are believed to be one of the oldest foods dating back to prehistoric times.  Egyptians used sesame as medicine around 1500 B.C. and the oil was considered sacred.  Sesame seeds were first introduced to the United States in the 17th century.  They contain fiber, monounsaturated fats, minerals (iron and calcium) and a  lot of protein including the amino acids methionine and tryptophan.

However, the superstar of sesame seeds are lignans, an antioxidant that inhibits cholesterol to be manufactured in the liver as well as reducing the absorption of cholesterol from the diet.  This is good news for those who have high cholesterol!

Also, in Chinese medicine sesame seeds are believed to increase milk production in breastfeeding mothers.

Sesame seeds can be added to salads, granola, baked goods or in the form of tahini which is great in hummus and salad dressing.

Lemon Cilantro Hummus

1 can chickpeas

1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves

1/4 cup liquid from canned chickpeas

1/4 cup olive oil

juice from one lemon

3 heaping tablespoons tahini

1 large garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

-Reserve 1/4 cup of liquid from canned chickpeas.

-Drain and rinse chickpeas and place in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients.

-Blend until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides.

-Add salt and pepper to taste.

Somebody really like wearing it…I mean eating it!

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joy choy stir-fry

 

Until yesterday I didn’t know there was more than one kind of bok choy.  To my amazement there are at least 20 varieties!  Bok choy, is a member of the cabbage family and is a staple food in China.  It has crunchy stems and soft leaves similar to kale.  Like rhubarb, it is another great plant source of calcium.  One cup contains 15% of your daily allowance.

Yesterday at the Farmers’ Market I purchased two beautiful bunches of bok choy, I was told they were a variety called “joy choy.”  I never heard of it before but I thought I would give it a try!

Joy Choy Stir Fry

2 tablespoons coconut oil

½ red onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 bunches bok choy, cut into 1 inch pieces

1.5 tablespoons bragg’s amino acids, coconut amino acids or soy sauce

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds)

-Heat coconut oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat.

-Add onions and garlic and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

-Add bok choy, amino acids or soy sauce and red pepper flakes, stir-fry for an additional 5 minutes or until greens are wilted.

-Top with toasted pine nuts, sesame seeds and serve warm over brown rice or quinoa for a complete meal!

Don’t have coconut oil?  Substitute with olive oil.  I just like using coconut oil because it remains stable at high heat reducing oxidation.

Need a reason to add more vegetables into your diet???

Read this AWESOME article on new research that shows a compound in plants called apigenin could stop breast cancer cells from becoming resistant to cell death.  It’s difficult to pinpoint one compound to increase in the diet because nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants work symbiotically in the body.  That’s why it’s SO important to eat a plant based diet!

http://www.beginwithinnutrition.com