TGIF!!!

It is absolutely GORGEOUS outside today! I so wish I was headed to the beach instead of stuck in the office...blah. But, the good news is it is Friday! Tonight we'll do our grocery shopping, tomorrow I am making a picnic and we're taking the girls to the "Kids Day in Capitol Park"-there are lots of activities and I'm really excited! Then, tomorrow night our friends, Jason & Rebecca, are coming over for dinner. Sunday will be a day of relaxation. If the weather is nice, maybe we will head to the beach. The world is truly our oyster-ha ha!

Thought I'd share some recipes today. The first one is one I made earlier this week. My husband had soaked some lentils and gave me the scoop on how to cook them. This was my first lentil dish, and I was pretty impressed-it was really, really great! This one will be a regular in our home.

Indian Lentils

Soak approximately 2 Cups of lentils for at least 6-8 hours (we soaked them in the morning before we left for work). Drain lentils-place in dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil on stove top. Let boil until lentils are soft-add 1 can diced tomatoes at the end of cooking. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat 2 T olive oil. When oil is hot, add 1 T Mustard seeds to pan and let crackle. Add 1 T Cumin seeds and 1 red chili. Carefully add this mixture to the lentils & their "broth". Add 1 T Tamarind paste, 1 T Brown Sugar, 3 T Sambar Mix, and salt to taste. Once mixed and seasoned to taste, add 2 T chopped Cilantro. Serve over brown rice.

The next recipe I will share is Waldorf Wheatberry Salad. I had never had wheatberries before, so was anxious to try them. This salad was DELICIOUS! This will be a staple for us-we both loved it.

Waldorf Wheat Berry Salad (adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)

Ingredients:

1 C Hard Wheat Berries (available in the bulk section of natural food stores and many supermarkets)

3 C Water, plus more for soaking

1/3 C Safflower Oil

1/4 C Apple Juice

2 T Rice Vinegar

2 T Agave Nectar

3/4 tsp. Fine Sea Salt (I used Kosher)

1/2 tsp. Pepper

2 Celery Stalks, thinly sliced

2 Scallions, thinly sliced

1 Sweet-Tart Apple, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used Fuji)

1/2 Small Red Onion, diced

1/2 C Dried Cranberries

1/2 C Chopped Pecans

1/2 C Chopped Fresh Parsley

Directions:

In a 2 to 3 quart saucepan, combine the wheat berries and enough water to cover by 2 inches and soak, refrigerated, for 6 hours or overnight. (If you don't have time for the overnight, use 1/2 cup more water and cook for thirty minutes more, or until tender).Drain the wheat berries, return them to the pot, and add the 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 50-60 minutes until the berries are tender.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the safflower oil, apple juice, rice vinegar, agave, salt & pepper. Once the berries are cooked, drain any water left in the pan and transfer the berries to a large bowl. Toss with about half the dressing and set aside to cool to room temperature.Once the berries are cool, stir in the ingredients and remaining dressing, tossing gently. Serve cold.

YUM!

For the finale, I was intrigued by the next recipe. A brownie that was good for you?? I wanted to try it just so I could blog about the name-Bitchtastic Brownies. Yes, the name is a bit crass, but if you've read the book you will understand! I decided to try this "healthy brownies" recipe. It has very healthy ingredients and I was definitely lured in by the thought of "healthy brownies"-I mean, come on, who wouldn't be intrigued??! My intention was to do full vegan-style, but when I went to the natural food store they didn't have unsweetened vegan chocolate. Since I have enough baking chocolate in the house to put Willy Wonka to shame, I figured at least the other ingredients would be healthy. A little chocolate never hurt anyone, right? I like to think of it as a gradual road to veganism! I'll get there! So, I made the brownies and put my own twist by adding some natural peanut butter swirls to the batter. When I took the out of the oven, they seemed kind of "soft". I let them cook for a while (ok, not long enough). The wait was killing me! So, needless to say the pictures came out horribly. The first bite-I wasn't impressed. I think the look killed it for me. Then, I decided to try another bite with an open mind. WHOA...I'm glad I did. I don't know how it happened, but the second bite was much better than the first. Definitely not as good as a "REAL" brownie, but since these puppies are actually good for you, I'll take 'em! At least you won't feel guilty eating them!

Bitchtastic Brownies (Skinny Bitch in the Kitch-page 165)

Ingredients:

5 oz. Unsweetened Vegan Chocolate, chopped

1-1/4 C Sucanat (natural sweetener found in natural food stores)

3/4 C Silken Tofu

6 T Safflower Oil, plus more for the pan

1 T Pure Vanilla Extract

1/3 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

2 T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp. Refined Sea Salt (I used Kosher)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil an 8x8 pan; set aside.In the top of a double boiler or in a medium metal bowl set over a simmering pot of water, melt the chocolate, stirring just until smooth. Transfer the chocolate to a food processor (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer) and add the Sucanat, tofu, oil, and vanilla; process until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, pulsing until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. (This is when I swirled in a couple of tablespoons of natural peanut butter) Bake for 30 minutes (it was actually about 40 for me), until a toothpick comes out clean. Thoroughly cool on a cooling rack before cutting into 9 or 12 squares.