This recipe is one of those recipes I really want you to make. Vegan white bean and almond meatballs, served in a wonderful and creamy pumpkin curry sauce. It’s both delicious and nutritious main dish, that you just can’t stop eating. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free and generally contains real, natural ingredients, no substitutes for anything. The preparation is simple, but contains several steps, so let’s get started.

What binds the meatballs together is flaxseed. In addition to all the health benefits of flaxseed (fiber, omega 3 and the list goes on), it functions in this recipe just like eggs. Make sure you buy it from trusted stores since flaxseed is sensitive to heat and humidity. Before using flaxseed, it’s necessary to grind it. The easiest way is by using a coffee/spice grinder. You can buy ground flaxseeds if it’s more convenient. In any case, store it in the freezer, that’s what I do. Add a little water to the ground seeds – 2.5-3 tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon of flaxseed. Mix and let it sit for 10 minutes. During this time the mixture will become slightly gelatinous.

How to make vegan white bean and almonds meatballs?

Start with cooking the potatoes. Peel and cook a medium size potato (about 9 oz/ 250 gr) until soft. You can either cook it in boiling water, in the oven or in the microwave. Strain excess water if any and let it cool. Then, mash the potatoes with a fork to obtain mashed potatoes with a relatively coarse texture.

For preparing the vegan white bean meatballs use a food processor. Place in the food processor cooked white beans, ground almonds, onion, cilantro, ground coriander seeds, salt and black pepper. Add also the flaxseed mixture. Process until a uniform mixture is obtained. If necessary, stop and scrape the mixture from the sides when needed.

Transfer the vegan meatballs mixture to a large bowl. Add the mashed potatoes (the potatoes shouldn’t go in the food processor), and mix well.

Use your very clean hands, preferably a bit wet either by water or olive oil, and form about 20 meatballs, each approximately 4-cm/ 1-inch diameter. Place the vegan meatballs on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until slightly goldened. Allow the meatballs to cool completely before moving them.

While the meatballs are in the oven start preparing the sauce.

Preparing the curry sauce –

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep sauté pan. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes while stirring. Then add chopped celery, cubed pumpkin, sliced carrot and season with finely grated ginger, chopped garlic, curry powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook while stirring for another 5 minutes. Finally add 2 cups of liquid – I added 1.5 cup of water and half a cup of coconut milk. You can use either more or less coconut milk depending on how creamier you want the curry to be, as long as you maintain a proportion of about 2 cups of liquids in total. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to a boil and cook on a medium heat for 20-25 minutes, until the pumpkin softens completely.

After cooking the curry sauce I like to mash it a bit, possibly with a potato masher. That will get you a thick and creamy sauce without adding additional cream or flour.

Add the vegan white bean meatballs to the sauce just a few minutes before serving. If you prepare it in advance – keep the meatballs and the sauce separate. When needed, heat the curry sauce and then add the vegan meatballs to it. Let the meatballs cook in the sauce for about 5 minutes on low heat, lid on. Don’t play or move the meatballs around too much, they are indeed firm, but over-mixing it could damage it. Garnish with chopped cilantro on top, and if you want, also chopped chili. Serve with quinoa or rice.

Looking for more meat free recipes?

• Quinoa salad with sweet potatoes and carrots
• Vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie
• Farro salad with cauliflower, fennel and tahini dressing
• Vegan quinoa and beet patties

Print Recipe

Vegan White Bean and Almonds Meatballs

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

serves: 20 meatballs

Ingredients:

For the meatballs –

• 1 cup cooked white beans
• 1 cup ground almonds (100 gr/ 3.5 oz)
• 1 medium size potato (250 gr/ 9 oz), cooked
• 1 medium size onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of water, see notes
• 1 cup cilantro, leaves and chopped soft stems only
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• bit of olive oil for forming the meatballs

For the curry sauce –

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 500 gr/ 1.1 pounds pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 large carrot, sliced into rings
• 2 celery branches, chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger root
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½1 cup water
• ½ cup coconut milk, see notes
• handful of chopped cilantro for serving

Instructions:

• Peel the potato, cut into cubes and cook until soft. You can either cook it in boiling water, in the oven or in the microwave. After that, drain any excess water, if any, and allow to cool slightly. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the potato coarsely. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare an oven tray lined with baking paper or silicone roasting mat.
• Place the ground flaxseed in a small bowl. Add 2.5-3 tablespoons of water and mix. Set the mixture aside for 10 minutes before using.
• In a food processor, place cooked white beans, ground almonds, onion, coarsely chopped coriander and the spices – ground coriander seeds, salt and pepper. Add in the flaxseed mixture and process until a smooth texture is obtained. If necessary, occasionally stop the food processor and scrape the mixture from the sides.
• Transfer the bean mixture to a mixing bow. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.
• Use your very clean hands, preferably greased with some olive oil, and form from the mixture about 20 meatballs, each 4-cm/1-inch diameter. Place the vegan meatballs on the sheet pan and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the meatballs are slightly golden. Allow the meatballs to cool completely before removing them from the pan, otherwise they could fall apart.
• While the meatballs are in the oven – prepare the curry sauce. In a deep sauté pan heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan, except for the liquids – pumpkin cubes, carrot rings, chopped celery, finely grated ginger, chopped garlic cloves, curry powder, nutmeg powder, salt and black pepper. Sautee for another 5 minutes while stirring.
• Add the liquids – water and coconut milk, mix and cover the pan with a lid. Bring to a boil and then cook with the lid closed on a medium heat until the pumpkin softens, about 20-25 minutes.
• After the curry sauce is cooked completely, mash it coarsy using a potato masher or a fork, to obtain a thicker texture. Notice there is no need to reach a smooth texture.
• Add the vegan meatballs to the sauce just before serving time. If cooking ahead – keep the sauce and the meatballs separately and combine it when wanted. Add the meatballs to the hot curry, cover and cook on a low heat for 5-7 minutes. Avoid mixing and moving the meatballs too much in the pan.
• Serve with lots of chopped cilantro on top. You can add chopped chili pepper if you like. Serve with rice or quinoa. Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can use either cooked white beans out of can/jar or frozen (I use frozen(. When using frozen bean, please allow 10-15 for defrosting outside the freezer before using it.
• You can either buy whole flaxseed or ground flaxseed. If you’re using whole flaxseed – be sure to ground it before use, either by using a coffee grinder or blender. 
• It’s possible to replace the pumpkin with sweet potato or use only carrots
• If desired a creamier sauce you can adjust the amount of coconut milk and add some more, as long as you maintain a total amount of 2 cups of liquid.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Vegan White Bean and Almonds Meatballs הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

Sometimes all you need is a good sandwich, and this one is a goooood sandwich. What makes this sandwich so good is the smoky tofu! Thin slices of tofu with barbecue style seasoning. Call it vegan ham, call it vegan pastrami, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that it’s delicious.

How to make vegan smoky tofu ham?

For making the tofu “ham” use firm tofu. The first step is slicing the tofu.

Slice the tofu into thin slices – about 2-3 mm/ 1/8-inch. Since the tofu is sliced so thin, there’s no need to dry it before marinating.

Making the marinade

The marinade has barbecue style flavors (not accurate BBQ, more inspired by). The main flavor in this marinade is smoked paprika. I looove smoked paprika, and I really recommend keeping one in your pantry. If you don’t use smoked paprika often – you can store it in your freezer. In addition to the smoked paprika, the marinade also has in it soy sauce, silan (date syrup), tomato paste, wine vinegar and black pepper. If you don’t have silan on hand – sub it with maple syrup or molasses. Mix all the ingredients together to a smooth paste.

After preparing the marinade it’s time to marinade the tofu. Use a shallow container and place one layer of the tofu slices. Next, brush the tofu slices with the barbecue style marinade. Place another layer of tofu slices on top, and again spread the marinade on top using a brush. Repeat for all the tofu. If there is any marinade left at the end – pour it on top. Finally, cover the container, either with a lid or plastic wrap, and let it marinade in the fridge for an hour.

Baking the vegan smoky tofu ham –

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Place the vegan tofu “ham” on a tray, lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. The “ham” slices should be placed next to each other and not on top of each other. Using a brush, spread some of the marinade left in the dish. Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove it from the oven and carefully flip the tofu slices to the other side. Spread all that is left of the marinade on the tofu slices and bake for another 10 minutes.

Next it’s just a matter of assembling the sandwich. Use any of your favorite bread (for a gluten-free version – use GF bread) or wrap it in lettuce leaves (delicious!). Apply a spread you like – pesto, vegan mayo, tahini etc. And of course – don’t forget to add vegetables.

Keep the vegan tofu “ham” in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to a week.

Looking for more delicious vegan recipes?

• Vegan white bean and almonds meatballs
• Green lentil and mushroom soup
• Vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie
• Green curry with charred tofu, green vegetables and coconut cream

Print Recipe

Vegan Smoky Tofu Ham

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

marinating time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

serves: 12 slices

Ingredients:

• 300 gr/ 10 oz firm tofu

For the marinade –

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp date syrup (silan), you can sub it with maple syrup or molasses
• 1 tbsp wine vinegar
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

To assemble the sandwich – your favorite bread, spread and vegetables

Instructions:

• Slice firm tofu into thin slices, about 2-3 mm/ 1/8-inch thick.
• Prepare the marinade – in a small bowl place all the ingredients: soy sauce, tomato paste, date syrup, wine vinegar, smoked paprika and ground black pepper. Mix well to obtain a smooth paste.
• Prepare a shalow container and place in it a single layer of tofu slices. Using a brush, spread the tofu slices with some of the marinade. Arrange another layer of tofu slices on top, and again brush it with the marinade. Repeat for all the tofu slices. If there is any marinade left – pour it into the dish on top of the tofu slices. Cover the dish, using a lid or plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator for an hour (possibly up to 12 hours).
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper or silicone mat.
• Arrange the marinated tofu slices on the baking tray in a single layer (not on top of the other). Using a brush, generously spread some of the marinade on the tofu slices, keeping aside the remaining marinade. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. After, carefully remove the tray from the oven and flip the tofu slices to the other side. Brush the tofu slices again with all the remaining marinade and return to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes. Let it cool.
• Use the vegan smoky tofu "ham" and put together a sandwich according to your preferences. Use your favorite bread or make lettuce wraps, along with a good spead and of course vegetables.

  I used a rustic baguette, mint-cilantro pesto, roasted peppers and lettuce. delicious!
• Keep in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Vegan Smoky Tofu Ham הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

It’s no secret I have a special place in my heart for lentils… and can you blame me? This delicious legume is full of protein and easy to digest. Also, you can find lentils everywhere, it’s cheap, and comes in a variety of colors. Gotta love it. Lentil patties are also a great thing. Easy to make, can be freezed without a problem, and so many flavor options. This recipe is for vegan black lentil patties. Aside of the lentils, the patties have in it mushrooms, sautéed with onions, walnuts and other good things. No eggs needed, no breadcrumbs needed, a great recipe for any day of the week.

The first step is soaking the black lentils. Soaking lentils (or lengumes in general) help digesting it and promots the secretion of good enzymes. The soaking in this recipe should be long, at least 8 hours and possibly more. Soak the lentils in plenty of fresh water, preferably changing the water at least once during this time. Notice that although I definitely recommend soaking the lentils that long, there is a shortcut. You can soak the lentils for half an hour in boiling water. But – the texture of the patties will be a bit softer. At the end of the soaking time, wash the lentils well and drain excess water.

How to make vegan black lentils patties?

The black lentil patties has in it also mushrooms, that are sautéed toghether with onions. Finely mince the mushrooms and an onion. The small size will help to keep the patties stable. Sautée the onions on a pan with some olive oil for about 5 minutes. When the onions soften and become a bit transparent, add the chopped mushrooms. Season with thyme leaves, crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue sauteing for another 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Ath the end, the mushrooms and onions will be soft and golden. keep aside.

In a food processor palce the black lentis (after soaking). Add walnuts, parsley, date syrup (silan)and season with salt and black pepper. Don’t add the mushroom mixture to the food processor, unless you want a very smooth texture (for exapmle if you intend to serve it to kids). Grind all the ingredients well until you get a sticky paste.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the sautéed mushrooms and onions and mix well. Of course, if you added the mushroom to the food processor you can skip that part.

Form out of the mixture flattened patties, about 5 cm/2-inch diameter. I prefer baking the vegan black lentil and mushroom patties, but you can also fry it. If baking- place it on a pan, lined with baking paper or a silicone mat and greased with a bit of olive oil. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. If youchoose to fry the patties – prefer to do it in olive oil (yes!), on a medium heat until golden.

Serve with tahini or any other dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Looking for more delicious recipes?

• Vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie
• Farro salad with cauliflower, fennel and tahini dressing
• Vegan smoky tofu ham
• Sautéed green beans with mushrooms

Print Recipe

Vegan Black Lentil Patties with Mushrooms

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

added soaking time for the lentils8 hours hrs

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

serves: 20 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black lentils
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup parsley
• 3 tbsp date syrup (silan), sub it with maple or agave syrup
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsb ground black pepper
• olive oil for oiling the baking tray

for the sautéed mushrooms and onions –

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 200 gr/ 0.5 pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3-4 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
• pinch of salt, pinch of ground black pepper

Instructions:

• Start with rinsing the lentils well. Then, soak the black lentils in plenty of fresh water for at least 8 hours. If possible, it will be best to change the water once ot twice during that time. After that rinse the lentils and drain excess water.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper or silicone mat and oiled with a little olive oil.
• Saute the mushrooms – heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a skillet. Add the finely chopped onions and saute, while stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly transparent and soft. Add finely chopped mushrooms, crushed garlic and thyme leaves. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Saute on a medium heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep aside.
• In a food processor, place the black lentils (after soaking, washing and draining), walnuts, parsley, date syrup (silan), 1 tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of ground black pepper. If you want the patties to be in a smooth texture (e.g for kids) add also the mushrooms mixture to the food processor, otherwise leave the mushroom mixture aside. Grind it until a sticky paste is formed. If necessary – stop occasionally the food processor to scrape the sides.

  If you didn't add the mushroom mixture to the food processor – tranfer the lentil mixture to a mixing bowl, add the sauteed mushrooms and mix well.
• Form out of the mixture flattened patties, about 5 cm/2-inch diameter. Place it on the lined baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes, till the patties are golden and firm. Serve with tahini or any other dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Although I recommand to soak the lentils for the full 8 hours, there is a shortcut for it – soak the lentils in boiling water for about half an hour. Keep in mind that this way the patties will change its texture and will be more dense, though still delicious!
• Make sure to finely mince the onion and the mushrooms – it’s important for the stability of the patties.
• The patties can be freezed easily. Prefer defrosting it in room temperature.
• If desired, it’s possible to fry the patties. Prefer to do it in olive oil, on a medium to low heat.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Vegan Black Lentil Patties with Mushrooms הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

Dreamy and VEGAN shepherd’s pie with green lentils and chestnuts as the base. I replaced the traditional potato puree with sweet potato puree and it’s soooo good. Delicious, comforting and sweet – a real celebration. This recipe has a few steps in it, but trust me – it’s so worthy.

How to make Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

This vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie has 2 layers in it – the lentils layer as the base, and the sweet potato layer on top.

The sweet potato layer:

The first step will be cooking the sweet potatoes. There are lots of ways to cook sweet potatoes. One of my favorite methods is to roast it on a bed of coarse salt. That way, there’s no added liquid to the sweet potatoes, and all the sweet and wonderful flavors are highlighted and concentrated. The method is very simple – after thoroughly washing the sweet potatoes, brush it with some olive oil and poke it with a fork or a knife a few times. Prepare a suitable baking pan, and sprinkle cover it with coarse salt. It should be about 1/4-inch (or 0.5 cm) thick. Place the sweet potatoes on the coarse salt bed. Bake on high heat for about an hour, until very soft.

After the sweet potatoes are cooked, cool and then pill off its skin. The sweet potatoes’ skin should come off pretty easily. Place the cooked and pilled sweet potatoes in a bowl and mash them. Since they are so soft, you can easily mash them using a fork. You can also use a potato masher. To the sweet potato puree add olive oil, finely chopped parsley and season according to the recipe.

The lentils’ base:

While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, you can start making the lentils’ layer that is the base of the shepherds pie. Regarding the lentils – I always soak green (and also black) lentils for at least two hours. Soaking lentils is not mandatory, so it’s absolutely your choice whether to soak it or not. Start by briefly sautéing diced onions and celery. Add raw and finely grated sweet potato, and then the rest of the ingredients as listed in the recipe, like chestnuts, oregano, rosemary and crushed tomatoes. As for the chestnuts, I use ready to use peeled and roasted chestnuts.

Cook the lentil mixture over medium-low heat for about half an hour, with the lid closed . During cooking, the lentils will absorb all the liquids and soften. At the end of cooking, leave the lid on for a few more minutes, before moving on to the next step.

Assembling the dish :

Prepare your 8X12-inch (20X30 cm), or similar size, oven safe baking dish and grease it lightly with olive oil. Place the lentils’ layer at the bottom and smooth it. After that, layer the sweet potato puree over. You can use a fork to smooth down the puree and gently score the top a bit.

Bake the vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie in the oven for one hour. If you desire to get a golden crush on top (and trust me – you do!), carefully take out the shepherd’s pie from the oven after 50 minutes, drizzle some olive oil on top, and return the dish to the oven for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Enjoy!

Looking for more recipes with sweet potatoes?

• Vegan Adzuki Bean, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
• Lentils and Kale Stuffed Baked Sweet Potato
• Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Spiced Chickpeas and Yogurt Dressing

Print Recipe

Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

serves: 1 8X12-inch (20X30 cm), or similar size, baking dish

Ingredients:

for the sweet potatoes puree –

• 3 medium size sweet potatoes – about 2.2 pounds/ 1 kg, well washed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for baking the sweet potatoes –

• 1 pound/ ½ kg coarse salt
• olive oil for brushing the sweet potatoes

for the lentil layer –

• 1 cup green lentils, washed well and drained. although not mandatory – I prefer soaking the lentils for at least 2 hours
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs of celery (1 cup), chopped
• 1 small sweet potato (1 cup), pilled and grated finely
• 3½-oz / 100 gr peeled and roasted chestnuts, coarsely chopped
• 14-oz / 400 gr crushed tomatoes ot tomato puree
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 springs of fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dry oregano
• 1 sprig rosemary (1 tablespoon), chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup water

Instructions:

• starting with baking the potatoes – preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Prepare a baking pan lined with baking paper or silicone mat and sprinkle a thick layer of coarse salt on it, which will serve as a base for the sweet potatoes. Brush the sweet potatoes with some olive oil and prick them all over using a fork. Place them on the coarse salt bed, and bake for about an hour, until the sweet potatoes are very soft. Allow to cool.
• While the sweet potatoes are baking, start preparing the lentils' layer. In a wide, deep pan, heat olive oil. Add chopped onions and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add finely grated sweet potatoes and chopped garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients – coarsely chopped chestnuts, crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree), oregano, rosemary, sweet paprika, salt, black pepper and one cup of water. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. After boiling, lower to medium-low heat and cook for 25-30 minutes, until all the liquid evaporates and the lentils are soft. Leave covered for a few more minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, lightly grease a 8X12-inch (20X30 cm, or similar size) baking dish with a little olive oil.
• Prepare the sweet potato puree – remove the peel from the sweet potatoes, it should peels off quite easily. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a bowl and mash the sweet potatoes with a fork or a potato masher. Add to the mixture 2 tablespoons of olive oil, finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Assembling the dish: place the lentil stew on the bottom of the baking pan and flatten it using a fork or a spoon. Place the sweet potato puree on top of the lentils' layer and flatten it evenly. If desired, you can move a fork over the top layer and create a nice shape. Bake uncovered for an hour. If you want a nice brown crust of the top layer, carefully take the dish out of the oven after 50 minutes of baking, drizzle over some olive oil and return to the oven for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

Today’s recipe is all about wild rice. The first thing you need to know about wild rice is that it’s not really rice. It looks a bit like rice, and that is where it got the name wild rice, but it doesn’t belong to the same family. It is considered a healthy grain, and the bonus is that it’s also super tasty.

Wild rice looks a bit like twigs, but after cooking it opens and swells slightly and the its white inside is revealed. You should always make sure to buy it from stores you trust since it’s critical that it would be kept in cool and dry environment.

Its cooking is very simple – heat a little olive oil in a saucepan, add the wild rice and saute for about a minute while stirring. Add water in a ratio of 1: 3 (for every cup of wild rice 3 cups of water), cover and bring to a boil. Lower to low heat and cook for about 50 minutes plus or minus.

In the following recipe I paired the wild rice to the purple cabbage. Both wild rice and cooked cabbage have deep and earthy flavors and they truly compliment each other, not to mention the purple cabbage gives the dish the most amazing color. Because the cabbage itself contains liquids, the recipe calls for less water then the usually needed for cooking wild rice.

If you like this dish you will love:

• Stuffed Cabbage with Freekeh, Dried Fruits and Pine Nuts
• Antipasto Brown Rice Salad

Print Recipe

Wild rice with red cabbage

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wild rice, well washed and drained
• 1/4 red cabbage
• 2 medium onions or one very large one
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar or balsamic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2½ cups of water
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Instructions:

• Cut out the core of the cabbage. Then thinly slice the cabbage into thin ribbons or strips. Peel the onions, slice in half and then thinly slice the onions into strips as well.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add the finely sliced ​​onion and sauté until transparent for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the sliced ​​cabbage, coarsely chopped walnuts, chopped garlic, salt and pepper and continue to cook while stirring for another 5 minutes, until the cabbage is slightly reduced in volume.
• Add the washed wild rice, vinegar and water. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. Lower to low heat (but not the minimum heat – just low heat) and cook for 50-60 minutes. While cooking, stir the dish occasionally – if at some point the liquids run out, then you can add water up to a maximum of an additional half a cup of water. The stew is ready when the wild rice kernels are burst open and the water evaporate completely. Leave the pot covered for an additional 5 minutes after the end of cooking.
• Sprinkle on the chopped parsley and serve. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Wild Rice with Red Cabbage הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

There is this thing about food, and I hope you nod your head (or at least you will soon) agreeing with me. I mean, food is a necessity, there’s no doubt about it. We must eat, even several times a day. It’s our fuel, like oxygen and sleep. But food is much more than that, food is also joy, or sadness, longing for someone or something, comfort. There is food that can place us in seconds in a different time, different place, food that can remind us of people we had in our lives or even remind us of ourselves at a different point in life.

Like potluck meatballs (and let’s agree meatballs don’t really have to include meat it it…). Because although in definition meatballs are food, it’s much more than that. When I see meatballs, it automatically throws me back to my parents’ house, and in my mind I see this beautiful pot with “red meatballs” (that’s how we used to call it), standing on the stove, packed with flavors and love. And me as a little girl looking at this, imagining the plate my mom would serve me soon. Today, as a parent myself, I also know how satisfied my mom must have been, seeing me eating the meatballs she made with so much love.

And as for the meatballs… a ball full of ingredients. A golden opportunity to put all the food groups into one ball, including ones that would not be accepted otherwise. A good meatball has in it proteins, carbs and vegetables (you must have vegetable in a good meatball!), and everything is squeezed into this delicious ball cooked in sauce, which is of course an integral part of the dish itself. How many vegetables my mom fed me through those patties… so many vegetables I feed my kids through the patties I make for them this days…

I’m sure everyone has his or her private memories of this kind, which is exactly what I mean. Because there is this thing about food, most of the times it’s simply something to nourish the body with, but ones in a while it also nourishes the soul.

Today on the blog – vegan meatballs! that are similar to the meatballs I ate as a child only in sight. Those are not my mother’s meatballs, those are my meatballs, full of plant ingredients that reflect who I am today, and still have in it from the child I used to be. The base of the patties is the adzuki bean, which is a delicious and digestible bean, bursting with things that do well for the body and with a shorter cooking time than the usual white beans, making it more useful in everyday life. The patties are completely vegan, and remain solid and wonderful thanks to prior baking them in the oven and short cooking in the sauce.

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4.89 from 9 votes

Vegan Adzuki Bean Meatballs

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Soaking the beans8 hours hrs

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

serves: 24 patties

Ingredients:

for the vegan meatballs-

• 1 cup adzuki bean (before soaking it), soaked for at least 8 hours, well rinsed and drained, alternatively- use 2 cups of cooked adzuki beans
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/2 cup basil
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup natural oats
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

for the sauce-

• 14 oz / 400 gr crushed tomatoes
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup basil + some to serve, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

• Cooking the adzuki beans – place the adzuki beans in a pot with plenty of water (like cooking pasta). It is very important to remember not to add salt, which will delay the cooking of the bean and leave it stiff. Bring to a boil and cook for 40 minutes. Drain.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare a large oven tray lined with baking paper or silicone roasting mat.
• In a food processor, place all the meatballs ingredients – cooked adzuki beans, onion, carrot, basil, pecans, oats, dried oregano, salt and pepper, and grind well until the mixture is uniform.
• Using clean hands, make the meatball – about 2-inch/ 5 cm diameter. Place them on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
• In a wide sauté pan heat olive oil, add finely chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Add chopped garlic cloves and cook for another minute. Add crushed tomatoes, water, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. If you want the patties to have lots of sauce, you can add another 7 oz/ 200 grams of crushed tomatoes and half a cup of water.
• Carefully add the baked patties to the cooked sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes, and no longer than that. make sure you don't add the patties to a boiling sauce (it should simmer gently). Sprinkle with basil leaves on serving.

הפוסט Vegan Adzuki Bean Meatballs הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

When it comes to stuffed dishes, I really don’t know what I love the most- eating it or preparing it… There is something relaxing, almost therapeutic in their preparation, like all of a sudden a kind of calmness takes over me and I am all aimed at the end result of a fancy stuffed dish pot.

Stuffed food. What a glorious phrase. Always so beautiful, inviting, as if it holds a promise of delicious, warm, family food. When preparing stuffed food, you should come with a muse. Yes, yes, a muse. After all, you’re about to spend the next hour preparing the dish, and that’s before you even start cooking, so a muse will help. I look at it as a quality time with myself 🙂

So there’s a muse, and time too, and now that winter is at full force, spending hours in the kitchen seems like a legitimate activity. And this time I wanted to fill cabbage. I was thinking about this stuffed cabbage long before I actually made it. I thought about what to fill it with, what size of stuffed cabbage I wanted to make, the nuts and dried fruits I would use. I swear I already knew exactly what it would look like and how it would taste like long before I bought cabbage.

And let me tell you – the actual “event” didn’t disappoint. Bowls and pots were scattered all over my kitchen, music in the background, my hair is pulled up in a messy pony tale and I’m floating between the cabbage leaves and the freekeh mixture, imagining Eyal Shani (an israeli chef known for his poetic descriptions of food) doing commentary in the background. And when I saw my pot getting fuller one stuffed cabbage after another, I thought to myself again how beautiful stuffed food looks, and I remembered how my grandmother would fill the smallest zucchinis, I have no idea how she managed to find such small zucchinis at all, and what she would think about me stuffing cabbage leaves, and even without meat

So… as I implied before, you should approach the preparation of the stuffed cabbage with lots of patience and, of course love. The first step will be to boil the cabbage in water, so that the leaves will soften and ready to be rolled. As for size – I like to make them full and plump, but you can make them as you prefer.

I chose to fill the cabbage with freekeh (durum wheat which is roasted or smoked), along with lots of other goodies like pine nuts, prunes and dried cranberries, sauteed onions, lots of parsley and silan (date syrup), which adds another layer of sweetness to the dish. A real treat.

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Stuffed Cabbage with Freekeh, Dried Fruits and Pine Nuts

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size cabbage

for the freekeh filling-

• 1½ cups freekeh, washed and drained
• 2 medium size onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup wall nuts
• 1/2 cup natural dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup prunes, pitted and chopped
• 1½ cups parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons natural silan (date syrup)
• 1 teaspoon baharat (see notes)
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• boiling water for the softening of the cabbage and for soaking the freekeh

for the sauce-

• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons natural silan (date syrup)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• Saute the onions- heat a pan or a skillet over medium-low heat with one tablespoon of olive oil. add the onions, a pinch of slat and a pinch of black pepper and saute it while stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes till nice and golden. set aside to chill.
• Preparing the cabbage for stuffing – using a sharp knife, carefully remove the cabbage core by creating a kind of cone around it with the knife. Prepare a large pot, big enough to hold the cabbage, place the cabbage in it and carefully pour over boiling water till the water cover half of the cabbage. cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes on one side, then turn and cook 10 more minutes on the other side. Drain carefully. There are other methods for softening the cabbage – please see notes.
• Once the cabbage has softened, the cabbage leaves can be easily separated by hand- simply peel them and place it aside on a clean plate. Continue separating the cabbage leaves until you reach the leaves that are too small to fill. Keep what is left of the cabbage – we will use it as a bedding for the bottom of the pot.
• Place the freekeh in a medium bowl. Fill the bowl with boiling water, till the water will pass the freekeh by about 2 cm/ ¾-inch. Soak the freekeh in the boiling water for 10 minutes then strain.
• In a large mixing bowl place the strained freekeh, saute onions, pine nuts, dried cranberries, pitted and chopped prunes, chopped parsley, date syrup (silan), bahert, salt and pepper. Stir well.
• Prepare a wide pot or a saute pan that has a lid. Grease the bottom of the pot with a tablespoon of olive oil. Chop the leftover cabbage coarsely and use it to cover the bottom of the pot. If not enough, chop some onions so that the bottom of the pot is covered completely.
• Fill the cabbage – take one cabbage leaf. Each leaf has a central stem that is too thick to roll, so using a knife either remove the central stem completely or polish the stem enough so that the leaf can be rolled (I polish it). Place the cabbage leaf on a clean surface and put about 2 generous tablespoon of the filling in the center of the leaf. Next, fold both sides of the cabbage leaf to the center and then roll it from the bottom up. Place the cabbage leaf in the pot / saute pan, with the seam facing down. Repeat for all cabbage leaves. If there is any filling left at the end, I like to place it in the gaps between all the stuffed cabbages.
• Make the sauce – mix water, silan (date syrup) and salt and pour carefully on the stuffed cabbage leaves. The liquid should cover the cabbage leaves up to about 3/4 of their height.
• Cover the pot / saute pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Lower to medium-low heat and cook for about an hour. Enjoy:)

Notes:

• There are other methods for softening the cabbage leaves – my mother, for example, puts the cabbage in the freezer over night, and then the leaves are softened and easily separated. You can also soften the cabbage in the microwave – put it in a closed dish suitable for microwave and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Baharat is a spice blend that has in it cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, salt and pepper (it may contain other ingredients too). If you don’t have baharat you can use allspice or a mix of cinnamon and nutmeg.

הפוסט Stuffed Cabbage with Freekeh, Dried Fruits and Pine Nuts הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

I came to India for the first time almost 20 years ago. It took me less than two hours to decide that it was a huge mistake and to book a plane ticket (!) for the next day to Nepal. Something about the hustle and bustle of Delhi couldn’t connect with me at the beginning, It was almost frightening. After a month in Nepal, I came back to India, and this time I fell in love, and stayed. I stayed a little over six months to be exact. I returned to India twice more since then.

India is like nothing I’ve known before It is colorful and monotonous, noisy and quiet, green and yellow, India is so huge, so different, and for me, it allowed me to be who I wanted to be. There was no other place (or time) where I was so free and self-centered, and probably never will be.

I wish I could tell about all the amazing flavors of the Indian cuisine and how I would watch Indian men and women cook all kinds of things at dahbas along the way, but the truth is that I don’t have much of such stories. Maybe because the experience I was in was different, but too many times I just found myself eating some omelette sandwich, and at that time, for me, the Indian cuisine was limited to only a few dishes.

It was only when I came back home that I fell in love with Indian food in particular and asian food in general. It started out from missing that time and place, but of course it continued because of the excellent cuisine. Obviously there are million types of asian cuisines, even only in India, but for me there is a thread that connects between all of them, spices and herbs that appear again and again and characterize these dishes in taste, smell and appearance. And above all, as always, this wonderful thing called food is much more than just a collection of flavors, it can, in a second, awake and ignite experiences, remind us of places and smells, and almost take us to a completely different time and location than we are at.

This particular curry is more Thai curry than Indian one, just saying. I built this curry from scratch, and although there are so many store-bought curry pastes, and even pretty good ones, it’s fun to sometimes make your own curry and to be able to control exactly the flavors in it, not to mention it’s really super easy 🙂

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Green Curry with Charred Tofu, Green Vegetables and Coconut Cream

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

serves: 4

Ingredients:

for the curry paste-

• 1 red onion
• 1 cup fresh coriander (about a half of a nice bunch)
• 2 green or red chili peppers (please see notes)
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 5 cm / 2 inch piece of ginger
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (please use GF if needed)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

the rest of the ingredients-

• 300 gr / 11 oz firm tofu
• 400 ml / 14 oz coconut cream
• 300 gr / 11 oz broccoli florets, cut into medium size florets
• 150 gr / 6 oz green bean, cut into bite size
• 150 gr / 6 oz peas (about 1 cup), I used frozen peas
• 1/2 bunch coriander, chopped
• 2 stems green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup basil

Instructions:

• Tofu – slice the tofu into medium cubes and place them on a clean towel or a few paper towels. place another clean towel (or a few papers towels) on top of the cubed tofu and press it down gently in order to squeeze the liquids out of the tofu. This is probably the most important thing in the preparation of a good charred tofu. Heat a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes (if you don't have one- add to the pan one tablespoon of vegetable oil), when the pan is really hot gently place the tofu cubes in it. Let the tofu char well for 2-3 minutes on each side, keep aside.
• – Before starting to prepare the paste, gently crush the cumin and coriander seeds to release their flavors using a mortar and pestle. If you don't have one (buy!) you can use a spice grinder or even a rolling pin. Cut the lemongrass, remove all the tough and woody outer leaves and chop roughly.
• Preparing the curry paste – In a food processor, place all the curry paste ingredients – red onion, coriander, chili pepper, crushed cumin and coriander seeds, ginger, chopped lemongrass, garlic, soy sauce and brown sugar. Feel free to roughly chop the ingredients before placing them in the food processor (see notes). Turn on the processor and grind all the ingredients for a few minutes until you get a uniform curry paste. Make sure to stop the food processor from time to time so you could scrape the sides of the food processor. That's it, you made a curry paste 🙂
• In a deep and wide sauté pan, or a large pan, place the curry paste and heat it for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Add coconut cream, mix well and bring to a boil. Continue to cook for another 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add to the pan the broccoli florets and charred tofu, stir and cook for 5-7 minutes on a medium heat. Add the peas and green beans and cook for another 4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Before serving, sprinkle generously with coriander leaves, basil leaves and chopped green onions. Serve alongside rice. Bon appetit!

Notes:

• As mentioned, most of the sauce is observed in the vegetables. If you want extra sauce, you can add 1 cup of water or another cup of coconut cream to the pan when adding the coconut cream.
• Chili Pepper – you can use either green or red. The dish is spicy to a medium degree, feel free to add or reduce one chili if you’d like. If you don’t like spicy food you can add the chili without the seeds in it and if you really don’t like spicy food then don’t put any chili in it. 
• Food processor – preparing the curry paste in a food processor makes it really easy. Each food processor has a different strength and there’s no one who knows your food processor better than you so chop and slice the ingredients before placing them in the food processor as needed. You can use a pole blender, but then the ingredients need to be chopped really well, including crushing the garlic and grating the ginger.
• You can use frozen beans.
• Don’t try to taste the curry paste before you add it to the coconut cream. I mean, you can try, but the paste is of course concentrated on its flavors. It will balance in the dish.

הפוסט Green Curry with Charred Tofu, Green Vegetables and Coconut Cream הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

I received two bags of beets this week. The first one had young and small white beets, the second had inside orange beets that were plump and fresh. All the beets had long stems and abundant leaves, all of them covered with soil, and to me that was very moving. Something about seeing soil on your vegetables automatically makes me believe in their taste and instantly there are like a million things I want to do with them.

I don’t know where you buy your vegetables, but for me it’s something that keeps me busy. For example, I can’t bring myself to buy cheap (and often not that red) tomatoes at the supermarket, just can’t. So I always at the look for good vegetables, and of course that I always find them. I also try to buy vegetables in their season, especially those vegetables that are on the markets for only a short period of time, and I find that it brings me a feeling of festivity to my kitchen and adds tons of interest to the whole cooking process.

This obsession I have with vegetables, or any other ingredient that comes into my kitchen, isn’t just because. It comes from a true belief that when I have love and pride in the food I put on my plate, then not only this food will taste better, it will be more nutritious. Not just from the nutritional values point of view, but in what it does to my soul. And this is without mentioning that when the ingredients are good, so of course dealing with it is much simpler – there is no need for that many spices or any other additions to elevate the taste of the dish, the starting point is already excellent, you just need to allow that vegetable (or any other main ingredient) shine.

One last confession before the recipe – my “plate pride” is severely compromised by my kids’ plates… While I make sure to eat salads of all colors, they prefer the israeli couscous, white bread and all kinds of other beige foods … I personally know lots of kids who eat vegetables, sadly not mine… But I’m not discouraged. I have my methods to make sure they’ll get those vitamins like carefully and meticulously adding zucchini and carrots to a tomato sauce (and of course grinding everything so they won’t notice it), preparing them delicious shakes and smoothies filled with fresh fruit, and in general pretty much willing to try any relevant trick. Once every other day I complain to my mom about their vegetable eating habits, and she smiles while reminding me that I, too, as a child, was a very poor vegetable consumer and look at me today – getting excited about beets covered in soil…

For the beets, that came with soil on them, I had to pair the lentils that for me are like soil. Along with the lentils are fresh roquette leaves, walnuts and feta cheese, seasoned with pomegranate concentrate and balsamic vinegar. The resulting salad is delicious, satisfying, with sweetness and sourness highlighted by both the beets and the pomegranate concentrate. Enjoy

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Lentils and Roasted Beets Salas

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course: Salad, Side Dish

serves: 4

Ingredients:

for the roasted beets:

• 3 medium size beets (I used orange beets but you could use any kind of beets)
• 1 cup coarse salt
• some olive oil for oiling the beets

other salad ingredients:

• 1/2 cup black lentils, washed and drained (I always soak black lentils for at least a couple of hours)
• 2 cups beet greens, coarsely chopped. please divide into stems and leaves
• 3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup roquette (you can use more if you'd like)

for the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate
• 1 tablespoon balsamic cream vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste (at least 1/2 teaspoon each)

Instructions:

• Roasting beets – Preheat the oven to  400°F/200°C . Rinse the beets well, chop the leaves if any and keep aside. Line a small trey or other dish suitable for the oven in baking paper and pour on it the coarse salt, which will be the bedding for beets. Grease the beets with a little olive oil, place them on the coarse salt and bake in the oven for one and a half to two hours, depending on the size of the beets. At the end of the roasting the beets will be squishy and soft.
• In a small pot, place the black lentils and the beet greens, along with a large amount of water (like pasta). Bring to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the soaking time of the lentils. 5 minutes before cooking is finished, add the beet leaves, stir, and continue cooking. Strain the mixture and cool.
• Make the dressing- In a small jar with a lid (or any other utensil) place all the ingredients for the dressing and shake / mix until the dressing is smooth and even.
• Assembling the salad – In a large bowl put the mixture of lentils and beets, walnuts, roquette and feta cheese. Keep some of the walnuts and feta aside, for decoration at the end. Peel the beets, they should be peeled easily, and cut them into large pieces – squares or eighths, and add to the other ingredients. Sprinkle most of the dressing over, keep slightly aside, and gently stir until fully covered.
• Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Top it with the walnuts and feta cheese that we kept on the side and sprinkled over the rest of the sauce.

Notes:

 

 

• Instead of beet greens you can use kale, without the stems, or spinach.
• The salad can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, and is also fun to eat cold. If preparing in advance, or preparing a large amount, you should of course add the roquette just before serving.

הפוסט Lentils and Roasted Beets Salad הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

Lior and I have a thing in which once every few months we don’t carb for a couple of weeks. Not carbing is the expression we use that means we don’t eat carbs. No bread, no pasta, no potatoes – you get the point. The first time we didn’t carb was a few years ago and we get back to it whenever we feel we need it (summer is just around the corner!). Kind of a restart to the body.

At first we didn’t really understand what we were supposed to eat. What does it mean without rice, without pasta? So with what? After all, carbs, besides being fulfilling and comforting and wonderful, carbs are also the basis we grew up on. Every meal I ate when I was a child consisted of a portion of protein (let say schnitzel), a portion of some sort of carbs (let say mashed potatoes) and vegetables, or a meal in which the carb was the basis, such as pasta in some sauce. But how do you make a meal without carbs?

So this “not carbing” thing brings out wonderful things from the kitchen. Suddenly all meals consist of lots of vegetables, certain legumes, eggs and nuts. Lior and I are fussing around the kitchen, both of us cooking, really make the effort to put together a wonderful meal, a meal that will miss nothing. There is no easy solution such as a sandwich, if you want to eat you have to spend time in the kitchen.

That’s why I’m so excited about this dish. Cauliflower rice, which is actually cauliflower that you pulse in a food processor, or grate in the wide side of a grater. It doesn’t really taste like rice, but it’s super super tasty dish, sooooo easy and quick to make, and tick all the boxes that carbs represents, both in the feeling you get from eating it and the functionality it holds – you can match the cauliflower rice almost to any sauce or topping and get a classic and satisfying meal.

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Cauliflower Rice with Mushrooms

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 1 pound of mushrooms (I used button mushrooms), sliced to wide strips
• 1 medium red onion, finely cut
• 1 cup celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (use GF is needed)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Divide the cauliflower into large florets using your hands or a suitable knife, and place the cauliflower florets in a food processor. Run the food processor in short pulses several times until the cauliflower is finely chopped so it resembles rice. Note that if you process the cauliflower for a longer time then you can easily get rice couscous. Alternatively, you can grate the cauliflower on the wide side of a grater.
• In a wide skillet, that has a lid, heat olive oil and saute while stirring, for about 2 minutes, the chopped red onions, celery, pinch of salt and black pepper. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes,then add crushed garlic and chopped walnuts, stir.
• Add the cauliflower rice and stir well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, making sure to mix while cooking, so that the cauliflower will be scorched on all sides.
• Add 1/4 cups of water and soy sauce to the skillet, stir and lower to medium-low heat, cover the pan with a lid and let the cauliflower cook for between 10-15 minutes, depending on the desired softness of the cauliflower. After the cauliflower rice is cooked, add the finely chopped parsley and serve.
• Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

הפוסט Cauliflower Rice with Mushrooms הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

Hearing my favorite song on the radio. A sunny day in the middle of winter. Meeting a friend I haven’t seen for a long time. Children asking for seconds at dinner. Puppies. To find a 20 bill in a garment I hadn’t worn in a while. Visiting a bookstore. A rolling laughter of children. When someone tells me that they tried my recipe and loved it. seeing 11:11:11 on a digital watch. Finding parking exactly in front of the entrance.

A red sock in a white batch of laundry. Finding a piece of parsley in the front tooth half an hour after the meal (…). Catching all the red traffic lights. Realizing you stood in the wrong line. Finding a rotten strawberry in the package you just bought. Salting food with the wide opening in the salt shaker. 50% off the expensive shoes you bought two days before.

Moments that can change our mood. Once up and once down. A collection of random moments, moments that could have gone one way or another, so why does it affect us at all? How is it that most of the time those moments dictate our mood?

Health. Love. Family. Friends. Security. Running water. Food in the fridge. The really important things. Our aspirations, our true and fundamental aspirations. We all have part of them, many of us are lucky enough and even have most of them. But it seems as if all these important things are pushed to the bottom of the list in our everyday life and don’t get the recognition it deserves, almost taken for granted, just because some jerk cut us off on the road.

I have this cool habit I picked-up for myself. Before we moved to Tel Aviv and started running in Hayarkon Park along with a bunch of runners who looked like they were taken from an Adidas ad, I ran on the beach in Kiryat Haim in the very early morning hours. And if there’s anything in Kiryat Hayim at the beach in the early hours of the mornings, it’s old people. One day while I was running, I passed a very old man who was walking using a walker, and when he saw me he just stopped and watched me run by. I don’t know how to explain it, but suddenly I felt guilty, and I realized that I should be so grateful. Grateful to my legs, to my body. Grateful for having the ability to move, run, jump. As simple as that. The day will come when my body will no longer move as I want it to, so I must not, I simply can’t let the fact that today my body serves me the way it does to pass by me as if it were nothing. As if it was not the most amazing thing in the world. Since then, I finish every run with gratitude for my body, even in the less successful runs.

And maybe that’s the answer. Gratitude. To try, even if sometimes forcefully, every day to acknowledge and say thank you for all the important things we have. At least once small time.

Sweet potato stuffed with lentils and Kale. A dish that answer both the criterion of a comforting dish and the criterion of a dish that is good for the body. The sweet potato is baked in an oven on a bed of coarse salt, which in my opinion is the best way to bake sweet potatoes at home. The filling of the lentils and the kale is cooked with a pomegranate concentrate, which adds a special sweetness, and if there are leftovers, then you can use it as a very tasty side dish.

Lentils and Kale Stuffed Baked Sweet Potato
makes 4 sweet potatoes

Ingredients:
for the sweet potatoes-
4 sweet potatoes, well washed and scrubbed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound/ ½ kg kosher salt

for the lentils and kale stuffing-
1/2 cup black lentils, washed and soaked ( I used Beluga)
1/2 cup celery stalks, finely chopped
1 cup Kale, without stems, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Raw tahini for serving (optional)

preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Spread the kosher salt over a baking pan lined with baking paper. Rub each potato with a thin layer of olive oil and poke each sweet potato with a fork or a knife 5-6 times. Place the sweet potatoes on the kosher coarse salt and bake for 40-50 minutes in the oven, depending on the size of the potato, until the sweet potatoes are soft to touch.
2. In a medium pot, heat olive oil and add celery and kale. Sauté while stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add lentils, walnuts, water, pomegranate concentrate, balsamic vinegar and black pepper, stir and bring to a boil. Note that salt is not added at this stage. After boiling, lower to medium-low heat, cover and cook until all water evaporates and the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.
3. Add to the cooked lentils and kale salt to taste and green onion, stir.
4. Transfer the sweet potatoes, without the kosher salt, to a serving dish. Cut each sweet potato along the length and with a fork, lightly scrap the top layer. Season with a little salt and pepper. Fill each sweet potato with 2-3 tablespoons of the lentil and kale mixture. Top each potato with raw tahini and serve.

Notes:
• Baking the sweet potatoes over s spread of kosher salt is, in my opinion, the best way to bake sweet potatoes. The salt absorbs all the humidity from the potatoes and at the end you get the most yummy and caramelized sweet potatoes you ever tasted. Of course, none of this salt gets inside the sweet potatoes.
• As a rule, there is no need to soak lentils before cooking. Personally, I always soak lentils before cooking (except for red lentils), even if for a short time.
• When cooking legumes, salt is not added during cooking but only at the end. The salt inhibits the softening of legumes.
• As I said, if left of the lentils and kale filling can serve as a delicious side dish in itself. The filling can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a sealed container. The sweet potatoes can also be eaten without filling, dripping over raw tahini and silan (date syrup) or maple. yummy.

הפוסט Lentils and Kale Stuffed Baked Sweet Potato הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

I’m a city mouse and a country mouse. Dreaming of a farm in the north and a shack by the sea but also on a penthouse in the city, need the quiet and drawn to the noise. I find inspiration from the people in the streets just as I find it from open and desolate views. I can not decide what I am more, I don’t even want to.

I want my children to grow up and also scared from it at the same time. I work hard to raise them to be strong and independent (or at least to teach them how to hang their own towels in the right place after bath …), but I’m also afraid of that day and of the sense of emptiness in me I know will follow. It’s not contradictory, it’s both, and that’s fine with me.

I love being outside, get to know streets and cities and countries I didn’t know before. I love to breathe and taste different places, but I also love being home, my house is my safest place and I always wait to return to it . It exists in me side by side, two parts of my character, which is one, and it works for me just fine.

We have everything in us, so many sides. There is no point in trying to define ourselves, deciding in advance what we like or dislike. Reality shows us differently all the time. Who said it’s impossible to be both?

Three different recipes for the most wonderful vegetable patties using chickpeas flour, which eliminates the need to use eggs, and still get delicious, light textured, and not at all crumbly patties. So why three recipes? Simply because they are so easy and fast to make so why not? They are also vegan, gluten free, you can either fry or bake them, you can eat them on a plate with some dip on the side or in a pita bread, and of course you can freeze them easily.

Print Recipe

Peas and Cauliflower Patties with Curry

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

serves: 15 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cauliflower head, grated coarsely or sliced to a similar size
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch coriander, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon grounded coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1½ cup chickpeas flour
• 1 cup water
• Salt, pepper by taste (at least 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

• In a large sauté pan heat olive oil. Add the chopped onion, chopped cauliflower, crushed garlic and spices – curry, turmeric, coriander powder, salt and pepper. Cook while stirring occasionally about 5-7 minutes until the cauliflower slightly softens.
• At the same time, cook the peas: in a small pot, put the peas with boiling water to cover. Bring to a second boil and continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Drain.
• In a large mixing bowl, place the chickpea flour and a glass of water, and whisk well until smooth. Add the cooked cauliflower and onions, cooked peas, chopped coriander, salt and pepper, and mix well. The mixture is a bit liquidish and that’s fine.
• In a skillet, heat oil for frying, about ¼-inch/ half a cm high. with your clean hands, form a 2-inch patty and carefully place it in the skillet. Repeat with the rest of the mixture until the frying pan is full. The patties will puff up so make sure not to overcrowd the pan and leave some space between the patties. Fry for 3 minutes on one side, turn carefully and fry the other side for another 2 minutes Transfer to plate with absorbent paper.
• Serve hot or cold, preferably with side dressing (try it with yogurt and mint)

Notes:

• Oil for frying – you can use any oil according to your preference. I use canola oil. The patties are quite tolerant of the amount of oil, but I think it is best to make half-deep frying for optimal results. You can also reduce the amount of oil if you insist, but then make sure to use a good non-stick skillet.
• I love eating those patties with a dip on the side, for example- yogurt and mint, tahini, tomato salsa, garlic dill, any kind of pesto and so on.
• When baking the patties, I add grounded flax seeds, which help the patties to come out firmer from the oven. Flax seeds are neutral in flavor and super healthy. It is best to store flax seeds in the freezer

Print Recipe

Baked Broccoli and leek Patties

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

serves: 15 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 cup leek, well washed and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 bunch of parsley
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 1 cup chickpeas flour
• 3/4 cup water
• Salt, pepper by taste (at least 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• Oil spray

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare a baking pan lined with baking paper. Spray the baking paper with oil spray to prevent the patties from sticking.
  
• In a food processor, place the broccoli, leeks, parsley and ground flax seeds and pulse it into a crumbly mixture.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, put the chickpea flour and water and whisk well until smooth. Add the broccoli and leeks mixture, salt and pepper, and stir well. Form the patties, either using your wet and clean hands or any other preferred method, about 2-inch/ 5 cm diameter. Place the patties on the oiled baking paper and spray them with a little oil spray.
  
• Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool.
  

Print Recipe

Swiss Chard and Herbs Patties

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

serves: 15 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of chard leaves, well washed and cut into thin strips
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch coriander, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup chickpeas flour
• 1 cup water
• Salt, pepper by taste (at least 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

• Getting the swiss chard ready: Wash well the swiss chard and cut into thin strips. Then, place the chard in a pot and cover it with boiling water. Bring it to a second boil and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Drain well and squeeze out excess liquids.
• In a large mixing bowl, put chickpea flour and a glass of water, and whisk well until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients- sautéed chard, chopped parsley, chopped coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, and stir well.
  
• . In a skillet, heat oil for frying, about ¼-inch/ half a cm high, over medium heat. Carefully pour a tablespoon of patties’ mixture into the frying pan and gently flatten the patty using a spoon. Continue with the rest of the mixture till the pan is full. Fry the patties for 2 minutes on each side and transfer to a plate with absorbent paper.
  

Notes:

• Oil for frying – you can use any oil according to your preference. I use canola oil. The patties are quite tolerant of the amount of oil, but I think it is best to make half-deep frying for optimal results. You can also reduce the amount of oil if you insist, but then make sure to use a good non-stick skillet.
• I love eating those patties with a dip on the side, for example- yogurt and mint, tahini, tomato salsa, garlic dill, any kind of pesto and so on.

הפוסט Vegan Patties with Chickpea Flour הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

Do you know what tickle massage is? Those nice and gentle finger strokes? So hi, I’m Daniella and I looove tickle massages, preferably hands and back tickle massage. There is even a known story in my family about the time I was a baby and that in family gathering all my aunts would give me this hand tickle massage at turns till I fell asleep. Why am I telling this? One day, when Tamar was still a toddler, Lior came running to me: “You have to see it,” he said, “you wouldn’t believe.” I hurried after him to Tamar’s room quietly, and there she lay, asleep, and in her sleep she raised her right hand, and in her left hand … gave herself a hand tickle massage! while sleeping! exactly like me…

So many times in life we see in our children character traits and behaviors that are just like ours. Far beyond a similar appearance, or expressions they hear from us and follow, things that belong to us, suddenly reflected in our children. Ido has the musical sense that his father has. Lior remembers things in great detail just like his mother. I show love through food like my mother.

And maybe that’s the meaning of eternal life.

But our children are not us, nor should they be. And although it’s very cool to see ourselves in them, it’s even more cool to see them developing their own personalities, building their own special ways in the world. After all, that’s all we basically want, isn’t it? For them to spread their wings and fly away. Wherever they want …

Swiss chard salad is a regular salad at Shabbat dinners for as long as I can remember. It is one of the most humble and favorite salads I know. My mother, who is without a doubt the best cook in the world, always makes sure to show it to me before we sit to eat. “Look,” she says, “I made it for you.” As part of my attempts to make the same salad at home, and because of my need for protein, came the addition of tofu, and it remained there because of the taste and the upscale to its texture. I pack all this goodness in tortillas, and there you have it- a full meal that taste like home.

Swiss Chard and Tofu Wraps
makes 10 wraps

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard (about 10 leaves)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, thin slices
6 oz/ 150 gr firm tofu, cut into ½-inch /1 cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon harissa (spicy chili paste)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
Juice from half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

10 whole wheat tortillas
pesto or other kind of paste for the base of the tortillas (I use coriander pesto from here)
1/2 cup coriander (about 2 stalks per tortilla, leaves only)

Instructions:
1. Getting the swiss chard ready for cooking: wash thoroughly the leaves and stems, remove from the chard’s stems the hard fibers with a small, sharp knife. After cleaning, finely chop the leaves and stalks and place them in a cooking pot with boiled water, bring it to a second boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain well from excess water.
2. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and saute the chopped onions for about 5 minutes until they begin to turn golden. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add the chopped swiss chard, harissa, cumin, chili flakes, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix well, lower to medium-low heat and cook for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Add the tofu cubes, stir and cook for another 3 minutes until all the liquids evaporate and the stems of the chard are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Take a tortilla (you can heat it on a skillet before assembling) and spread a tablespoon of coriander pesto, stack over 2-3 tablespoons of the swiss chard and tofu salad and add about 6-8 cilantro leaves. Roll the tortilla into the roll, you can start folding about a third of the tortilla in and then roll the sides to form a pocket.
4. Store the salad (without the tortillas) in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.

Notes:
• Instead of tortilla, you can eat the swiss chard and tofu salad with the addition of rice.
• I don’t recommend to store assembled tortillas in the refrigerator – the tortillas will go soggy. If needed, keep the salad apart and assemble before serving.
• Instead of coriander pesto, you can use any other pesto, dried tomato spread, peppers paste or other spreads you like.
• To make the classic Moroccan chard salad, simply don’t add tofu, and continue cooking until all the liquid evaporates from the salad. In this case, the salad can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

הפוסט Swiss Chard and Tofu Wraps הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

When I feel like having a salad that feels like home
a salad like from the old times
I take half of a regular onion,
greenhouse regular tomato
and a peeled cucumber.
I slice the vegetables with a regular knife
and season it with canola oil, a good squeeze of lemon and salt.

True, salad is tastier with olive oil. And cherry tomatoes. Or perhaps some vinegar. And on ordinary days my salads look completely different. But there’s something about this kind of salad, the old days salad, that throws me back to those times and brings up so many feelings, so it really doesn’t matter which salad tastes better, because at that moment, the salad that came from the old times – it tastes better.

Food is amazing in that perspective.

There are many examples and even studies that show that. One of my favorite examples is a 2004 study that compares people’s preference between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The experiment had two stages – in the first stage they did a blind taste test between the two brands, where they found that half preferred the taste of Pepsi and half the taste of Coca-Cola. In the second stage, people knew what brand they were drinking, and in this test Coca-Cola won indisputably. The study also showed that this preference didn’t just came out of previous assumptions to those brands, it showed that when people tasted Coca-Cola different parts in their brain, parts that don’t relate directly to taste, were stimulated (for example, parts that associate with memories) and the end result was that people actually enjoyed more to drink Coca-Cola, for them it tasted better.

The pleasure from food, in a charming way, is not just about the taste of it, but about many other things. What a magic. Tamar bragged one time, to quite a few people if I might add, that “my mom makes the best store bought corn schnitzel in the world.” I honestly didn’t know how to react.. all the cooking and baking I do in the kitchen and she takes pride on the store-bought corn schnitzel I make for her… but thinking about it, aside from my toaster oven skills (…), I would like to believe that my corn schnitzel is more delicious than any other corn schnitzel that she ate just because I, her mother, made it for her, with all the meanings that goes with mama’s food.

My mom never made me store-bought corn schnitzels, I don’t know if store-bought corn schnitzels even existed when I was a child and it doesn’t matter. My mom never made us any store-bought food. She always cooked. The feelings that come up in me when I see bunch of cooking pots gathered on the stove are far beyond what’s in those pots. Because for me, cooking pots are like a huge hug, one that tries to bring into it both love and understanding, and fills me with energies that stay with me for a long time, long after the actual hug is over.

This post is a special treat. Onions stuffed with freekeh (freekeh is wheat that was harvested green and then was smoked or roasted) and kale, along with pistachios, silan (date syrup) and mint. A special and beautiful cooking pot, excellent for special occasions, but not only. The sweetness of the caramelized onions, along with the silan, against the earthy taste of the freekeh, creates a celebration of deep flavors in the palate. The making of this dish is a bit of a process, from the brewing of the onions, peeling their layers, and of course stuffing one by one with the freekeh mixture, but I swear all this hard work pays off.

Stuffed Onions with Freekeh and Kale
serves 8 generously

Ingredients:
3 large regular (yellow) onions
3 large red onions
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1½ cups freekeh, washed well and drained
1 bunch of kale, without the stems
1/2 cup natural pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons silan (date syrup)
1 teaspoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
plus- some finely chopped pistachio and mint for garnish

Instructions:
1. Prepare the onions for stuffing- peel 3 regular onions and 3 red onions, and with a knife make a deep from to to root along the onions to their center, be careful not to slice the onions in half. Place the onions in a suitable pot and fill boiling water to cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the onions are soft and you can see the onion layers begin to separate. Drain the water and let the onions cool off. While brewing the onions, you can start to prepare the mixture for the stuffing.
2. Prepare the stuffing- in a medium skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil and add in a medium onion, finely chopped, cook until the onions are transparent. Chop about 6 kale leaves, without the stems (about a cup) and add to the skillet. Season with salt, black pepper, sumac and cumin and stir. Add the chopped pistachios and the freekeh, and continue frying while mixing for another minute. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool. After cooling, add 1 cup of chopped mint, 2 tablespoons of silan and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and mix well.
3. Separating the onion layers – After the onions have cooled, slowly and carefully peel and separate the onion layers, starting from the outer layers in, so that the onion layers are ready to be filled. Stop separating when reaching the center of the onions and the onion skins will look too small for filling. Don’t throw the remaining onions, we will use them later.
4. Take a large and deep sauté pan, which can also be placed in the oven, and spread in it the remaining onions and the rest of the kale leaves. Fill each leaf of onion with a tablespoonful of the mixture, roll the onion peel around the filling firm but not too tightly, and place in the padded pan seam-side down. In that way, fill the rest of the onions and place them relatively densely. Mix separately 2 cups of water with a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of silan, and pour the liquids on the stuffed onions. The liquids should cover the onions.
5. On medium heat, bring the liquid to a boil. After boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to minimum. Cook for an hour. Before the hour is over, preheat the oven to  400°F/200°C. After an hour, remove the lid from the pan and place the pan in the oven for another 10 minutes.
6. Before serving, sprinkle with pistachios and finely chopped mint. Serve with love (and pride!)

הפוסט Stuffed Onions with Freekeh and Kale הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

(Some thoughts about sunset, reddish and orange tones and what’s in between)

The reddish and orange light that covers the skies is a sign of the day that is over. So much comfort there is in this shade of light. Both joy and sadness, and all because of the tones of light. Isn’t beautiful sunset is something no one can be indifferent to? To the golden light that floods the sky. The Golden Hour. It’s the light that always brings a bit of excitement. Every day eventually ends, even the best day, even the worst day.

Why is Sunset so romantic? Why is it so quiet, on the verge of fragile? What’s in it? How many photos of sunset we’ve tried to take in our life time? And aren’t these pictures (almost) always disappointing? not close to how sunset really looks and feels.

Remember when we were kids, we used to think that the sun leaves at sunset. Well, the night is coming, now the sun will leave and the moon will come to replace it. I remember my children discovering the moon in daylight for the first time and simply in awe of the fact that the sun and the moon live side by side, in the same piece of sky, they didn’t understand how the moon is up there in the sky at day time! I must admit that to this day it’s a bit vague to me that the sun actually revolves around us and “takes a trip” around the world at night, vague and charming. The things the sun sees, so many people and places.

You have to admit it’s a bit weird that this great sun, the source of life, had never seen the night. I mean, of course the sun didn’t see the night (…) but we have this feeling that the sun is always there and it’s all so powerful, but the sun doesn’t know what night is. It feels like it tries to peek, but will never be able to know what night is, what it is to stare at the stars, what a tremendous and amazing thing the moon can be, the moon that the sun knows only as something so pale.

It must be nice for the moon, the night. This is the moon chance to star, seize ownership of the sky, show off a little. I wonder if it bugs the moon that the sun can’t see how beautiful it is, how it also can make hearts skip a beat.

The reddish and orange light that covers the sky is a sign that the sun’s shift is over and now comes the moon’s turn. The sky will be under its control, at least till the next time the sky will get the same reddish hue.

These wonderful quinoa patties are tasty, vegan, baked and also has beet in it. What else can you ask for? They will be excellent with salad on the side, or even just in a pita bread.

Quinoa and Beet Patties
12 patties

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa (before cooking)
1 medium size raw beet, finely grated and well drained (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped parsley, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
5 thyme springs, leaves picked (about 1 tablespoon)
4 tablespoons raw tahini
1 tablespoon balsamic cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
oil spray

Instructions:
1. Cook the quinoa- rinse and drain well the quinoa. There are two main methods to cook quinoa- the first is like rice and the second is like pasta. I cook it like rice- in a small pot put 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toast the rinsed quinoa for about 1 minute. Add water in a 2:1 ratio  (in favor of the water), meaning- one cup of water, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to minimum and cook the quinoa till all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
2. Prepare the beets- wash and scrub well the beet under warm water and then grate it finely on a hand grater. Squeeze the grated beet well. It’s important to squeeze and drain the grated beets so that the patties won’t fall apart.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. In a large mixing ball place the cooked quinoa, grated and drained beets, green onions, parsley, walnuts and thyme. Add balsamic cream, tahini, salt (at least 1 teaspoon in my opinion but up to taste) and black pepper, and mix well. The texture should be sticky and not crumbly, if crumbly- add more tahini to the mixture.
4. Form 2-inch/5 cm patties from the mixture and put the patties on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, spray the patties with oil spray and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, till the patties are golden and pretty.
5. The patties are kept well in the refrigerator, up to 4 days.

Notes:
• If you don’t have balsamic cream, you can use regular balsamic vinegar- just double the amount. Keep in mind we actually adding liquids to the mixture so balance it with an extra half a tablespoon of raw tahini.
• Taste the mixture before forming the patties to check seasoning.
•  Beet juice is so healthy for you, so when squeezing the beets you should save the juice and drink it :).

הפוסט Vegan Quinoa and Beet Patties הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

There is an episode in “Seinfeld” in which George Costanza comes to the conclusion that every choice he ever made in his life was wrong, and all these wrong choices brought him to his current dismal state. And since every choice he ever made in his life was wrong, he is going to do exactly the opposite of what his instinct tells him to do. And suddenly everything goes great for him, even amazing, suddenly everything he does is a success. The episode is called “The Opposite”. I believe there isn’t anyone who watched this episode and didn’t think: “What if I will also start doing the exact opposite of what I think I should do?”, with no real reason, just to try, to see where the opposite choices from what we used to do lead us. It’s funny how we doubt everything we have in a second ..

Do you ever think such thoughts? I’m not talking about doubting every decision you’ve ever made, that’s quite extreme … but yes, ask yourself what could have happened if in some cases you would behave in the opposite way to your normal behavior, where could it have taken you, what doors could it open? I mean, let say every day on your way to work you would be stuck in traffic for 10 minutes because of a garbage trunk on your route, wouldn’t you try to pass through a different street?

With most of the decisions I’ve made in my life I am quite complete, even with the less successful ones. If every action and decision I ever made brought me to where I am today, then I live in peace with it. I’m fine with where I am. I don’t need, like George, to behave exactly the opposite of what I’ve done so far. I think I have to improve on spontaneity, to get out of my box sometimes. Looking back, some of the craziest and most amazing experiences I had in life came after I made a decision that isn’t necessarily characterize who I am and what I usually do. Some “yes” I said in places I always say “no”.

And it’s not easy. It’s not simple to decide to do the opposite of what you are used to, what you always do. But maybe, if there is an area in life where I feel that my actions don’t bring me to where I want to be, then maybe that’s not a bad idea to change these actions, to see things differently. Perhaps these new decisions will lead us to some place different, closer to where we want to be.

I know, I know, falafel is made out of chickpeas. I also know falafel is fried. And still, you can make it a bit different, and it turns out tasty and fulfilling and fun.

Lentil Falafel
16 falafel balls

Ingredients:
2 cups green/brown lentils, washed and soaked for at least 12 hours
1/2 bunch parsley (about 2 cups loosely packed)
1/2 bunch coriander (about 2 cups loosely packed)
1 green chili pepper (with or without seeds depends on desired heat, can be left out if preferred)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon raw tahini
2 bread slices, soaked in water for 1 minutes and then squeezed (use gluten free bread for gluten free falafel)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cumin
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
oil spray

Instructions:
1. Soak the lentils in water for at least 12 hours. Change the soaking water at least once.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
3. In a food processor, place the drained lentils, parsley, coriander, chili pepper and garlic cloves and blend into a crumbly mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients (except from the oil spray) and blend till creamy and moist texture. If the mixture is dry, add 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice or water.
4. Use a cookie scoop or your clean wet hands to form a 1-inch falafel balls. Place the falafel balls on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, spray the balls with oil spray and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, with or without pitta bread, but with tahini for sure.

Notes:
• The falafel is best when coming out of the oven. When making extra falafel balls you can freeze it, preferably before baking.
• You can eat the lentil falafel inside a pitta bread with israeli salad and tahini, or any other preferred extras, or serve as a main course in a plate. You can also use the lentil falafel balls as the protein in a joyful buddha ball.

הפוסט Lentil Falafel הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

I wanted to dress up.

I didn’t have an actual reason to dress up, there wasn’t any special occasion, it was just another ordinary day and I was on my way to work, but I wanted to. I felt like looking at myself in the mirror and to see myself looking at me back a little more pretty and sparkling than usual. So I stood in front of my closet and gazed at it, like waiting for some dress or a blouse that hid there to jump at me, something that was exactly what I wanted to wear. A kind of non-existing garment, that has everything I wanted in (except from the part of being an actual garment in my closet…), and if not that imaginary garment, then I was looking at least for something I haven’t worn in such a long time that it will feel new. Because I also wanted to be renewed. To dress up festive and to be renewed. It’s a feeling I have lately, but for now I’ll settle for that in a piece of clothing.

So as things tend to get with imaginary clothes.. I didn’t find exactly what I wanted, but I did find something. Truth be said, it wasn’t the most festive garment there is, it was actually my worn and beat up jeans I wear at least 3 times a week…, but I managed to find a blouse I haven’t wore for a really long time because there was never really the right opportunity, and I decided today it is. Not because there was anything special in that day, it really was just like any other ordinary day, but precisely because of that and due to my festive unexplained feeling I had, I felt like the opportunity had come. And just to add to that dress up vibe I had, I put on a pair of socks I once bought and cost me a fortune during an optimistic spree in London, despite the fact (and maybe because of the fact) no one will see them but me.

I looked at the mirror, and though in any other day I could find many negative things to say on the one reflecting to me in the mirror, I chose to smile and be content, and with that feeling I left the house. And then something happened. This ordinary day that was about to happen got a pinch of sparkle. The way to work was as usual, but then the radio played a song I didn’t hear in a long time and really liked, and that made me feel good. At work, I was complimented at least 3 times on my blouse and I just said “thank you” and smiled and didn’t make any other comment, and when I was making myself my usual salad I eat for lunch, a colleague that was making her own lunch next to me offered me some green onions and basil leaves she had that up-scaled my normal salad. It was still an ordinary day. I still drove my kids to and from school, I still went to the office and spent hours in front of excel sheets, and yet, it felt a bit better than usually. Is it because of what I wore? Of course not. Is it because I decided to dress up festively? Absolutely.

What a fun salad. Supposedly a simple rice salad, but combined with so many fresh and tasty ingredients that decorate it and gives it the extra sparkle;). Roasted peppers and zucchinis, spiced chickpeas, kalamata olives, feta cheese, mint and parsley- bold flavors mixed together into a celebration in the mouth. You can use the highway on this recipe and buy some of the roasted ingredients, but if you roast everything yourself be sure to make an extra batch and save it in the fridge- those ingredients will happily decorate and upscale any salad or pasta dish you’ll make and even will be great just as a snack. And oh, it’s just a great salad to take to work!

Antipasto Brown Rice Salad
serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup of washed and drained brown rice
2 cups water (for the rice cooking)
2 red bell pepper (or store-bought roasted bell peppers)
2 zucchinis (or store-bought roasted zucchini)
1 cup cooked chickpeas (you can use canned, washed)
12 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 bunch of mint (1/2 cup), finely chopped
1 bunch parsley (1/2 cup), finely chopped
5 oz/ 150 gr feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon wine vinegar (red or white)
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt & ground black pepper to taste

for the roasted chickpeas-
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
a pinch of salt & ground black pepper

Instructions:
1. cook the rice- in a heated pot, fry the rice with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat for about one minute. Add 2 cups of water, salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. cover the pot with a lid and cook on a small heat for about 45 minutes, till all water evaporate. let the lid on for at least extra 5-10 minutes, and let the rice cool to room temperature.
2. Roast the sweet peppers (if you use store-bought skip this part)- preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. lay the peppers on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and roast for about 30 minutes, turn them a couple of times during cooking. Remove from the oven and let them sweat a bit more- either in a ball with plastic wrap on it or a sealed plastic bag, for about 20 minutes. Then, remove the stem and the seeds, and peel the skin (that should be easily done). Cut into wide straps.
3. Roast the zucchini (if you use store-bought skip this part)- preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch (1/2 cm) rounds, toss it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt and ground pepper. lay it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper in one layer and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, turn them halfway through, till the zucchini starts to brown. Leave to cool.
4. For the spices chickpeas- preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. toss the cooked chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper, lat on a baking pan lined with parchment paper in one layer and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool.
5. Combine the salad- in a large mixing ball put all the salad ingredients (rice, roasted peppers and zucchinis, spiced chickpeas, olives, green onions, chopped mint, chopped parsley and crumbled feta cheese), toss with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Be careful with the salt since the salad has the olives and feta cheese in it.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Notes:
• Add a couple of cucumbers to the salad for an extra crunch and freshness. Of course, once you put in the cucumbers you can’t store the salad.
• The salad can be easily veganize by replacing the feta cheese with tofu.
• You can absolutely roast peppers, zucchinis and chickpeas at once, just pay attention to the different roasting time.

הפוסט Antipasto Brown Rice Salad הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.