Red Juice

The contending name for this juice was Red Power. Yet before the juice settles, the color is actually more a swirl of pinks and creamy orange. That’s because it’s full of vibrant, nutrient-rich fruits and root vegetables. I find baby carrots to be really convenient for juicing, since if I’m already going to the trouble of making juice (and then cleaning the juicer), I like to minimize my prep-work.

1 lb baby carrots (as is) OR regular carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into chunks
2 average sized beets, peeled and cut into chunks
chunk of ginger, peeled
1 sort of tart apple, cored and cut into chunks
1 orange, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

Feed carrots, beets, ginger, apple, and orange into your juicer, adjusting the strength setting as necessary (e.g. hard carrots need a strong setting whereas soft orange needs a lower setting).

Yield: about 20 oz

Chickpeas, Spinach, & Tomatoes

While the nights are still cool, I give you another warm and homey beans and spinach bowl recipe, one of my favorite easy, pantry-friendly meals. It’s a family dish– one which I learned from my mom, who got the recipe from my sister Norah. Norah likes it with couscous, my mom with pasta, and I love it best over quinoa with a dollop of hummus on top. All three ways are delicious.

olive oil
½ smallish onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 oz spinach, thawed if using frozen
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (and their juices)
1 cup cooked/14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
juice from ½-1 lemon, or to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
hummus, lemon wedges, hot sauce for serving (optional)

Cook the onion in a bit of olive oil in a large wok/pan/skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely, until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and let cook for another couple minutes, letting reduce just slightly.
Stir in the spinach and then the chickpeas. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and cook for just another couple minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for a few minutes for best flavor.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Anytime Black Bean Bowls

This is my go-to recipe for black beans and rice: easy to throw together, lightly fragrant but not too spicy, tasty in its own right but straight up delicious when topped with salsa and avocado. Steamed spinach further ups both the nutritional content and the coziness, making this one very nourishing meal.
*For best time management, start the rice first. When it’s about halfway done, start chopping and prepping the other ingredients.
*Or skip the rice and use the beans as a filling for tacos. Phil and I really dig these sprouted corn tortillas.

¾ cup brown rice (dry measure) (I like basmati)
olive oil
½ small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp dried Mexican oregano, crumbled with your fingers (optional)
1/8 tsp ground chipotle
salt
1 cup cooked/1 14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
splash of red wine vinegar
steamed spinach
diced avocado or guacamole
salsa
lime wedges (optional)

Cook rice according to preference.
Cook onion in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown.
Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add cumin, oregano, and chipotle, and stir to evenly coat onions and garlic.
Stir in black beans and some salt, lower heat, and cook for a minute or two. Turn off heat, splash with a little vinegar, and let sit a few minutes before mixing with rice.
For each bowl, scoop in some beans and rice, spinach, and toppings of choice.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Sweet Potato Fries with Cilantro Lime Cashew Dip

Brooklyn is cold. Really, really cold. And so this winter finds me using the oven probably more than I ever have in the six years in which I have lived in this apartment. I find myself in the rhythm of turning it on, roasting potatoes and things, baking muffins (these) and cookies. Indeed, what once seemed a laborious task–removing all the pans from their storage inside the oven, taking the time to wait for both the preheat and the actual cooking time– is now closer to habit. And the bonus of course is, at least for a bit, a warmer kitchen.
*After cutting the sweet potatoes, blot them well with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This helps prevent them from getting too soft.

Sweet Potato Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into fries around ½- ¾” thick
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp garlic powder
scant 1/8 tsp cayenne
1½ tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 475F. Line a large, heavy bottomed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix salt, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne.
Place sweet potato fries on sheet. Drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle on spices. Toss to coat evenly, then spread out in a single layer.
Bake in oven for about 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Then raise the oven temperature to broil, and let cook for about 5 more minutes, keeping a close watch, to let fries crisp up a bit more.

Cilantro Lime Cashew Dip:
½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
½ garlic clove
salt and black pepper, to taste
¼ cup cilantro (leaves only)

Place everything except the cilantro in a food processor, and blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the machine as necessary. Taste for seasonings, then pulse in cilantro, until just combined.

Clementine Salad with Beets & Avocado

My first post for 2015 is a salad recipe, which is only fitting since I’m starting the year off like a total cliche… I spent January 1st feeling hungover and horrible and useless– and annoyed with myself for wasting one of my few remaining vacation days. On January 2nd I dusted off my juicer and threw in carrots, clementines, beets, an apple, and good chunk of ginger. Over the weekend I organized and purged, dusted, vacuumed, did laundry. We took out the Christmas tree. And I made this salad.
*I’m a big fan of clementines because they’re the perfect snacking size and are way easier to deal with than other oranges, but you can certainly use any kind of orange here.

For each salad serving:
1½ cups butterhead lettuce, torn
About 2 tbsp or so clementine vinaigrette (recipe follows)
¼ cup chopped roasted beets
1/3 avocado, peeled and sliced
½ clementine, peeled, trimmed of excess pith, and roughly chopped
1-2 tbsp hemp seeds

Toss lettuce with a bit of clementine vinaigrette. Add the beets, avocado, chopped clementine, and drizzle on a bit more dressing. Top with hemp seeds.

Clementine Vinaigrette:
4 Tb freshly squeezed clementine juice
2 Tb grapeseed oil
1 Tb apple cider vinegar
salt and black pepper, to taste

Whisk all ingredients together, or shake in a tightly closed jar.
Yield: ½ cup