Chickpea and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup chickpeas
1-1/2 cup black beans
1-1/2 cup corn
1 large cucumber, chopped
1-1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
5 small vidalia onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss together.

Simple Avocado Garden Salad

Ingredients:

romaine lettuce, cut into large pieces
two roma tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1 avocado, sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil

Whisk cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil together. Set aside.

Arrange bed of lettuce on a plate. Top with the tomatoes, onion, and avocado. Drizzle dressing on top.

Gazpacho

Ingredients:

3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cucumber, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 small red or yellow bell pepper cut into pieces
2 small celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red or white onion
dried french bread or breadcrumb
a sprig of parsley
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
juice of half a lemon
tomato juice
a pinch of cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Garnish with croutons, cucumber, and tomato. Drizzle with more olive oil.

Mediterranean Tossed Pasta

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchinis, julienne
10 marinated red peppers, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
salt, to taste
1 cup artichoke heart quarters, cut in half and blotted
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 cups whole wheat penne
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Cook pasta, drain, and set aside.

In a skillet, heat oil and add onion, garlic, red peppers, and zucchini. Then stir in the tomatoes.

When Vegetables are cooked, add seasonings, artichoke hearts, and sun dried tomatoes.

Bring to a simmer and add the balsamic vinegar and pasta. Cook until the liquid is reduced.

Garnish with feta cheese.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

5 cups rice, prepared
1 cup pineapple, julienne
1 package imitation chicken, cut into pieces
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup green peas
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 stalks lemongrass, white parts only, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
hot pepper sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
white pepper, to taste

In a small frying pan, dry roast the coconut until golden brown. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a skillet and cook lemongrass, adding garlic after a few minutes. Stir in pineapple, bell pepper, peas, hot pepper sauce, and imitation chicken. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add rice, soy sauce, and white pepper. Stir until well combined and continue to cook until liquid is gone. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle coconut flakes on top and fold in. Reserve extra coconut for garnish.

Thai Basil Eggplant

Ingredients:

2 large chinese or japanese eggplants, cut into 3/4 inch wedges
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, julienne
1/2 green bell pepper, julienne
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienne
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
handful of thai basil
coconut oil
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
hot pepper sauce, to taste
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Cook eggplant in a bit of oil. Add very little water, cover and cook until crisp tender.

Meanwhile, saute the onions until golden, adding the garlic halfway through. Add onion to eggplant.

Saute the peppers until crisp tender and add to the eggplant.

Shallow fry the tofu and add to the eggplant.

Combine the hoisin sauce, hot pepper sauce, water, and cornstarch in a bowl and fold everything together. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves.

Black Bean Amaranth Burgers

Ingredients:

1/4 cup amaranth

salt

thyme

smoked paprika

1-1/2 cup black beans

1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional)

cumin

chipotle powder

onion flakes

1 egg (optional)

1/4 cup panko

2 tablespoons coconut oil

Cook amaranth in some water with salt, thyme, and smoked paprika. Set aside.

In a bowl toss black beans, peppers, salt, smoked paprika, garlic, cilantro, cumin, chipotle, and onion. Mash together until most of the black beans are pureed. Stir in egg, half the panko, and the oil. Add remaining panko as needed.

Form mixture into patties and bake on parchment paper for 25 minutes at 350.

Serve on burger buns with lettuce, tomato, cilantro, and/or guacamole.