Colorful Bell Peppers with Almond-Herb Pilaf

What are they like? 

- Refreshing 

- Full of flavor (lemon, olive oil, herbs & almonds) 

- Bursting with color 

Recipe

Serves 2-4, 15 min prep, 40 min cooking

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Pilaf
1/2 cup long grain rice
scant 1 cup water
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp slivered almonds

Peppers
2 bell peppers, any color
1/2 cup water
juice from one lemon, plus more for serving    
2 tbsp olive oil 

Topping
1 cup plain yogurt OR  plain tahini* (or both!) 
1 clove raw garlic crushed, optional 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. To prepare the pilaf, heat a 2 quart pan over medium heat until warmed. Add 2 tbsp oil, onion, and carrot and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then add the rest of the pilaf ingredients, bring to a boil, and then immediately lower to a simmer for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. The rice will be al dente and it will finish cooking in the oven.

3. While the rice cooks, slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the stem. Choose a baking dish that is large enough to hold the peppers (an 8x8 pyrex works great). Add 3/4 cup water, 2 tbsp olive oil, and the juice of 1 lemon to the dish. Spoon the pilaf into the peppers, cover tightly with foil, and bake for about 40 minutes or until the peppers are fork tender.

4. Mix together the ingredients for the topping.

5. Before serving the peppers, drizzle with garlic yogurt or tahini and serve. Be sure to pour some of the sauce over the peppers. Drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice.

*You can use 1/4 cup plain tahini for a subtle flavor, which is excellent, or mix together tahini and lemon (if it curdles and or becomes thick, stir in a teaspoon or two of water to smooth the texture). The garlic is optional. 

*Garlic yogurt is a common topping in Turkish cooking.

Silky Smooth Coconut-Almond Milk

What is it like? 

- Creamy

- Full-bodied 

- Perfectly flavored

Recipe

1/2 can coconut milk (full fat)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp raw almond butter (or raw soaked almonds) OR your favorite nut butter
1/2 tsp soy lecithin powder*

For sweetened milk:
1 tsp raw honey, plus 2 drop liquid stevia, optional
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Warm water in the microwave. Then add all of the ingredients to the blender and blend. Enjoy! 

Notes: 
Warming the water in the microwave ensures that the coconut fat in the coconut milk will melt and disperse properly, making a smooth beverage. 

Easy Chocolate (or Carob) Pudding, 5 ingredients

What is it like? 

- Chocolaty

- Rich

- Silky Smooth

Recipe

This recipe can be doubled.

4 oz silk tofu
1/2 cup coconut cream
10 dreid medjool dates (mine were small, if yours are big you can use fewer)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp carob powder, or more to taste OR cocoa powder
1 tsp lecithin, optional

Directions:

1. Blend the ingredients for about 2 minutes, until smooth (it can take a couple minutes for the dates to completely break down).

2. Pour the pudding into three small bowls, cover, and place in the fridge.

3. I like to garnish the pudding with plain whipped coconut cream. Coconut flakes and a few carob or chocolate chips are also a great addition.

TIP
This dessert is best the next day. The medjool dates, even after being blended, need time to soak up the liquid before becoming a completely silky pudding.

Scrumptious Pumpkin Crepes

What are the flavors? 

- Pumpkin

- Melted chocolate

- Toasted Pecans

Recipe

Find the crepe batter recipe here. It can be made 1-2 days ahead.

4 servings, 10 minutes prep and cooking

1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp honey OR agave for vegan
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans 

Chocolate sauce
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips or preferred chocolate, melted
1 tbsp dairy free milk OR regular milk 

Directions: 
Over low heat, stir the first three ingredients until warmed and incorporated. Then remove from burner. 
Heat the chocolate with the milk for 30 second intervals in the microwave until melted. Be sure to stir between each interval. If the chocolate feels hot the touch, allow it to rest at room temperature for a few minutes to finish melting. 
Then, fill the warm crepes with 1/4 pumpkin filling and drizzle with chocolate sauce and garnish with pecans. 

Smokey Wild Rice Pilaf

What is it like? 

- Smokey 

- Intense, balanced flavor

- Hardy 

Recipe

1 cup wild rice
1/2 cup smoked bacon tips* OR vegan bacon
2 chicken thighs OR butternut squash for vegan
2 stalks celery, diced
1 green or red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup white wine, optional
2 cups water
1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1 tbsp dried or fresh parsly
1/4 cup slivered almonds or 2 tbsp pine nuts, optional

Directions:

1. Rinse rice and place in a pan with 2 cup water over high heat. Once it boils, turn it down to low to simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon. If you bacon is regular high fat variety, reduce the heat a little and allow to brown. Then remove and pour out the fat and cook the chicken over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side.
3. Meanwhile, slice the celery and pepper. Once the meat is browned (but not cooked through), set aside. Then, sauté the vegetables over medium heat for about 7 minutes. While the vegetables cook, measure the wine and slice the bacon into small pieces and the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4. Turn the heat up for about 30 seconds and then add the wine (it will boil rapidly so be careful not to get burned by the steam).
5. Drain the wild rice.
6. Add the water, drained rice, and the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat up to high. Once it boils, turn it down to a simmer and let it cook for about 20 minutes, or until it is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with a sprinkling of fresh marjoram leaves (or oregano) and steamed chard or other steamed vegetable. Chard is best when cooked to the point when the leaves’ veins are still crisp.

*You can substitute your favorite regular bacon, especially one that is strongly flavored, like Black Forest variety. If you do not have this kind of bacon, try adding smoked sea salt or smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.