Big Mac Salad

 This was pretty darn good. I made it as a jarred salad. I am trying to eat more beef these days because I am low on iron and protein, but this could probably be made with fork-mashed chick peas instead or maybe tofu crumbles for vegetarians but it wouldn’t be as good. 

Adapted From :  https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/big-mac-salad-cheeseburger-salad-low-carb-gluten-free/

In each jar add: 

- 2T. Big Mac sauce (I used this recipe for 3 jars but might try another one with ketchup next time:

DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 2 tbsp dill pickles, diced
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar 

- 2/3 cup ground beef cooked with salt, pepper and chili flakes

- 1/4 c. Shredded cheddar cheese (I use extra sharp or extra old) 

- 1 T. Minced white onion (maybe try more onion next time I couldn't really taste it)

- 1/3 cup minced or small dice dill pickle 

- 1/2 c. Diced tomato 

- fill with chopped lettuce (I used romaine) 

- add sesame seeds (I didn’t do this but should make it more Big Mac-y) 

Okonomiyaki -- Japanese savory vegetable pancake

This is a better recipe than the other one 

 
Okonomiyaki

From Budget Bytes

 
Ingredients

PANCAKES

• 2 extra large eggs
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3/4 to 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 4-5 cups shredded green cabbage 
• 1 carrot 
• 3 green onions
• 2 Tbsp oil for frying  
• Jalapeno, thinly sliced or shredded (if desired but we adults like this)
  

POSSIBLE TOPPINGS:

 

Okonomiyaki Sauce 

2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp kecap manis or sweet soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce for this)
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp rice vinegar

Sirracha mayo

Plain Mayo

Fried egg
dried seaweed strips
scallions and coriander/cilantro (all optional)

sliced green onions

sesame seeds

1. To make the okonomiyaki sauce, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Instructions for Okonomiyaki

• Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Thinly slice or shred half of the cabbage, or until you have 4-5 cups shredded cabbage. Peel the carrot and shred it using a large-holed cheese grater. Slice the green onions.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, soy sauce, and sesame oil until smooth. Begin whisking in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it forms a thick, smooth batter (about 3/4 to1 cup total flour).
• Add the cabbage, carrots, and green onion to the batter and stir until the vegetables are mixed and everything is evenly coated in batter.
• Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 3/4 cup of the vegetable and batter mixture. Press it down into the hot skillet to form a circle, about 6 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place a cover on the skillet to hold in the steam, which will help the cabbage soften as it cooks. Cook the pancake until golden brown on the bottom (3-5 minutes), then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. Pile the cooked pancakes on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm until ready to eat. Add more oil to the skillet as needed as you cook the pancakes.
• To prepare sriracha mayo, mix together 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp sriracha in a small bowl. Drizzle the sriracha mayo over the pancakes just before serving, followed with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onion.

 
5. Transfer the pancake to a plate, and add your toppings – drizzle over your okonomiyaki along with some mayonnaise and a scatter of dried seaweed. Top with a scatter of scallions and coriander.

egg salad

I tried two egg salad recipes, one had sweet relish, Kiran liked that one but he was the only one. This one we all liked.


EGG SALAD

makes 4 sandwiches

-- 4 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped (boil approx. 10 minutes)
-- 2 T. minced onion
-- 2 T. minced celery
-- 1 heaping T. capers
-- 1/4 c. mayo

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Put on bread. Add lettuce if it doesn't make you cry. 

Quesadilla Packs

Sometimes I make Kiran a quesadilla in the morning to put in his lunch, to speed things up I started making these "quesadilla packs" and keeping them in the freezer so all I have to add is tortilla and cheese in the morning.

Each one has:

-- 1.5 T. corn (I use frozen)
-- 1.5 T. black beans from a can, drained
-- 2 T. red bell pepper, diced smallish

Chinese Chickpea Mason Jar Salad

This is a vegetarian version of the beloved Chinese Chicken Salad I used to eat in Los Angeles all the time. I've tried a few different versions but this is the best. I put it in a jar this time, it came out great, so I will write what I did so I don't forget.

Ingredients -- makes 3 4-cup jars of salad each

From: Pickles and Honey

for the roasted chickpeas:

• two 15 oz. cans cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained well (about 3 cups) (I made this with 1 can and it was fine)
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce (or to taste)

for the dressing:

• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• fine grain sea salt to taste

for the salad:

• 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 cup snow peas, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• one 10.5 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
• ½ cup almonds, toasted and chopped

for topping:

• black sesame seeds
• crispy noodles (use rice noodles if gluten-free)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, toss together all of the chickpea ingredients until evenly coated. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet and spread them into an even layer. Don't worry about the extra liquid; it will thicken to form a sticky glaze. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring once half-way through. (These are very good, if in a rush you could just use chickpeas drained straight from the can.) 
2. While the chickpeas bake, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl or glass jar. 
3. Rip 3 squares of plastic wrap. In the center of each square, put 1/3 of the almonds, a small handful of crispy noodles, and some black sesame seeds. Wrap up into 3 airtight packets.  (you need to do this because these ingredients will get soggy if you put them in the jars with the vegetables)
4. In 3 4-cup ziplock containers,  layer:
1. dressing
2. mandarin oranges 
3. chick peas (cooled!)
4. green onions
5. carrots
6. snow peas 
7. lettuce
8. put 1 of your plastic wrapped packets in the top of each salad. 
9. close tightly, and refrigerate until needed

To serve, dump salad into mixing bowl, unwrap packet and pour ingredients on top, mix together, and be the envy of all your workmates!! 

Avocado Garbanzo Salad

I'm willing to bet this dish one of the most delicious healthy things you can prepare in 5 minutes or less. It's sort of like a deconstructed guacamole salad. Tonight we ate it with bread on the side, although tortilla chips would be good too. Good as a meal or as a hearty side dish.

Avocado Garbanzo Salad

-- 1/2 ripe avocado, cubed
-- 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (from a can is fine)
-- 1 small tomato, cubed, or 1 large handful of grape tomatoes, halved
-- 1 or 2 T. of red onion, chopped small
-- 1/4 lemon
-- salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Squeeze lemon on top. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Roasted Tofu & Peanut Noodle Salad -- jarred

I really like the other peanut noodle salad we make, but I wanted to try something different this week so I adapted this recipe into our mason jar salads. It is a good salad, I like the veggie mix better than the other asian noodle peanut salad I make, but even after extra salt, a big pinch of added sugar, and spicy sauce, I found the sauce somewhat bland. Maybe I could try adding some cilantro or mint in there next time.

Makes: 6 large mason jars or 4-cup ziploc round containers full of salad.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 14- to 16-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 7 1/2 ounces soba noodles
• 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 
• 8 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage 
• 2 med or 1 large carrot, julienned small
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 cups thinly sliced trimmed snow peas 

Preparation

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Put a large pot of water on to boil for soba noodles.
2. Combine lime juice, soy sauce and oil in a large bowl. Stir in tofu; marinate, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tofu to the prepared baking sheet; reserve the marinade. Roast the tofu, stirring once halfway through, until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain.
5. Whisk peanut butter, 3 tablespoons water, garlic and ginger into the reserved marinade. 
6. Layer the Jars in the following order:
1. Sauce on the bottom
2. soba noodles
3. tofu
4. carrots
5. red and yellow bell pepper
6. snow peas
7. cabbage to fill up the jar.
7. When the time comes to eat, mix up the salad and enjoy!

Mason Jar Vegetarian Nicoise Salad

I am pleased to report that Salad Sundays are still alive and well in this house! This week I wanted to try one of our favorites -- veggie Nicoise salad -- in the large round Ziploc containers I have come to know and love at lunchtime.

This one is fairly time consuming, this recipe is a combo of what I did and what I want to try next time to speed things up.

 Nicoise Salad Recipe

adapted from Simply Recipes

• Yield:6 large Mason Jar salads, or large round ziploc container salads

 

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 10 small new red potatoes (each about 2 inches in diameter, about 1 1/2 pounds total), each potato scrubbed and quartered
• 12 ounces green beans, stem ends trimmed and each bean halved crosswise6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered 
•  2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and/or several anchovies (optional)
• 1 cup niçoise olives, pitted
• 1 ½ cups grape tomatoes, cut into halves
• 1 ½ cups baby cucumbers, chopped
• 1 small red onion, sliced very thin (about 1/2 cup)
• ½ lb baby arugula, washed

Method

1. Boil large pot of water. Add in eggs, potatoes and green beans, bring back to boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain everything. (I am not sure if this timing will work, but I want to try it for next time -- eggs might need a little more, green beans a little less.)

2. Meanwhile, in a hand blender container, blend together the lemon juice, oil, mustard, and salt and pepper until emulsified. Add in the thyme, basil, oregano, and blend in spurts until herbs are minced. Mince shallots by hand and mix in with a spoon.

3. Layer the ingredients in the salad as follows: 

-- white beans

-- potatoes
-- dressing poured on top of these two items (approx. 4 T. dressing per container)

-- green beans

-- olives
-- capers

-- red onion
-- tomatoes

-- cucumbers

-- eggs

-- top up each jar with arugula

4. Close tightly, salad will keep in the refrigerator 5 days easily. When ready to eat, open and dump into a large bowl, mix everything up.

Soba Noodle Mason Jar Salads

Many people have these asian noodle salads with peanut dressing, this is the best though.

Yield: 6 large round ziplock containers
Prep Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

• 8 ounces soba noodles
  
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cup shelled edamame (soy beans), cooked
• 3 large carrots, peeled and shredded
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup crunchy rice noodles
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
• 8 ounces spring mix lettuce blend

For the Peanut Dressing:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
• 1 lime, juice and zest of
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sambal chili paste, or more to taste (I usually use like 1 tbsp but I like things VERY spicy)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
  

  Directions:

  1. In large pot of boiling water, cook edamame according to package directions. When done, scoop out with a slotted spoon into a bowl, and use the same water to cook soba noodles according to package instructions. Rinse noodles under cold water and drain.
  2. Meanwhile, make Peanut Dressing: Using a small blender or hand blender, blend together all dressing ingredients except cilantro. Add in cilantro and blend until it's chopped in there but not completely disintegrated.
  3. Divide Peanut Dressing equally among 6 quart size mason jars or large round ziploc containers (this recipe made 4 T. dressing per jar, which may be too much -- will see when I eat them). 
  4. Divide soba noodles over dressing. Layer remaining ingredients, ending with spring mix. Top with lids and refrigerate up to 5 days. To serve, pour onto plate or bowl, stir and enjoy.

Mason Jar Vegetarian Taco Salad

Yep, I'm still on my jarred salad kick. I tried making this one for the first time last night, and it's really really good:

Mason Jar Vegetarian Taco Salad

MAKES 6 big JARS (I use the 4-cup large round ziplock containers):

1 ½ cups black beans (1 reg can)

2 cups corn (1 big can)

2 cups diced tomatoes (I like to use halved grape tomatoes)
2 cups red bell pepper, julienned (2 whole)

1/2 of 1 lb. container of spring mix
2 cups corn tortillas (optional)

Walnut meat:

1 1/2 cups walnut halves
1 1/2 tsp (5 mL) cumin
3/4 tsp (4 mL) chili powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

Creamy Avocado Dressing:

2 T yogurt

2 ounce goat cheese (crumbled)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1 1/2 whole lime (juiced)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 whole avocado

3 T water 

Directions:

1. To make dressing: Combine greek yogurt, goat cheese, cilantro, lime juice, salt, avocado, and water in a food processor. Puree until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
2. To make walnut meat: add walnut halves to food processor and pulse to break up into large chunks. Add cumin, chili powder, olive oil, and soy sauce to food processor and pulse until walnuts pieces are small but still chunky and mixture resembles ground beef. Do not overprocess
3. Assemble each mason jar in the following order:

• First (bottom) layer: 2 heaping Tablespoons avocado dressing
• Second layer: corn
• Third layer: black beans
• Fourth layer: Tomatoes
• Fifth layer: red bell peppers
• Sixth layer: 1 scoop walnut "meat" (approx. 2 Tbs)
• Seventh (top) layer: fill to the top with spring mix.  
• WRAP up a small handful of corn tortilla chips in plastic wrap and store that on top of the container. When you mix up the salad, crush up the chips and add them in. 

Yam and Chickpea Mason Jar* salad

In my continuing bid to eat healther I have hopped onto the new "salad in a jar" trend which is actually pretty fun. One or two nights a week I will fill up 4 ziplock containers (more practical than mason jars) with salads and then eat them whenever I need a quick healthy meal. They usually last 3-4 days. This one is a great one I made today, I cobbled the recipe together from a bunch of different online sources so here is the recipe all in one place:

 Yam and Chickpea Mason Jar Salad

Ingredients:

Roasted yams:
-- 9 sweet potatoes, or yams (the orange kind) peeled and cubed -- maybe like 2 pounds worth? can also use squash for this recipe.
-- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
-- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
-- dash ground nutmeg
-- salt and pepper
-- oil

For the Tahini Sauce:
Yield: 2/3 cup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
a few grinds black pepper
3 T tahini (a fermented sesame seed paste, can find it in the middle eastern section of stores)


For the salad:
-- Spring mix (or other lettuce)
-- 2 cans garbanzo beans
-- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
-- 1/4 large red onion, chopped small
-- 1 large carrot peeled and julienned
-- 1 red bell pepper, julienned


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On two large baking sheets, coat yams with spices, salt, pepper, and oil and spread in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft throughout, turning every 10-15 minutes or so.

2. Make the tahini sauce by mixing the ingredients together with an immersion blender or other blender.

3. In 4 medium round (4-cup or quart size) ziploc containers or mason jars, layer the ingredients as follows: Tahini sauce, garbanzo beans, carrots, red bell peppers, onions, yams, cilantro, and fill the rest of the container with the spring mix.

4. Can keep in the fridge for 5 days (or more). When the time comes to eat, mix well in a large bowl and enjoy!!

Mason Jar Chinese Tofu Salad

When I lived in California I used to love eating something called Chinese Chicken Salad, my favorite was the one at California Chicken Cafe (I sometimes called it "California Chicken Kitchen"). Here in Vancouver this delicious salad (which doesn't have anything to do with real Chinese food, I believe) is nowhere to be found.

Today I wanted to try making some mason jar salads so I decided to make a vegetarian version of the one I missed so much, and adapt it to mason jar salad trend as well so I could keep some for upcoming meals.

This is what I did:

Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

-- makes enough for 2 Quart-size (4-cup) mason jars (or medium tall round ziplock containers, as I ended up using)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup chow mein noodles (the crunchy kind)
• 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/2 package smoked tofu (I use plain Soyganic), julienned
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted lightly
• 1/2 large carrot, peeled and julienned (about 1/2 cup?)
• 1/2 large red pepper, seeded and julienned (about 1/2 cup?)
• 1 cup mandarin orange segments

dressing

• 1½ tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil
• 6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (I used plain rice vinegar and found I had to add at least another Tablespoon of sugar)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (add more to taste if you prefer a strong sesame taste)
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well until sugar dissolves. 
2. Pour half the dressing in each mason jar (or medium tall round ziplock container)
3. Add half of each of the following ingredients into each mason jar, in this order: mandarin oranges, green onions, tofu, red peppers, carrots, then pack the rest of the container with the romaine lettuce. The idea is to keep the lettuce dry.
4. Close each mason jar tightly.
5. Now you want to make a "crunchy packet" because if you put crunchy things in the jar they will get soggy -- so rip 2 large pieces of plastic wrap, put half the chow mein noodles and almonds into the center, and twist each one up tightly.
6. Keep the containers in the fridge,with the crunchy packet on top so you don't forget about it.
7. Done! When you're ready to eat, dump the salad and crunchy toppings in a large salad bowl and mix it up and enjoy. 

Super Simple Bean Burgers

Another lunchtime special around our house these days. These burgers can be on the table in roughly 15 minutes if you are fast at preparation, which I am!! From this link.

Super Simple Bean Burgers

-- Makes 6 thin burgers (serves 3 adults)

• 1 can (15.5 ounces each) black, white, or pinto beans or black-eyed peas
• 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• hamburger buns or bread for the buns
• 
  

   

  Directions

  1. Drain beans very well, reserving the liquid, and mash the beans in a medium bowl. 

  2. Add the breadcrumbs, eggs, pepper, and garlic powder. 

  3. If necessary, add a little of the bean liquid until the mixture holds together but is not wet. 

  4. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape into 4-inch patties.

  5. Heat a generous amount of olive or canola oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat.
  6. Add the patties and cook, turning only once, until a crisp brown crust forms on both sides, about 6 minutes total.
  7. While the burgers are cooking, toast the buns or bread and top to your liking. (I am partial to the classic ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and maybe a little onion)
  8. If you want cheese on your burger, add it on your burger just before it is finished cooking. Cover the skillet, turn the heat to low, and let the burgers continue to cook until the cheese melts.
  9. Finish putting together your burger and enjoy!
  
  This is a tasty and easy meal that Kiran quite liked!! 

Easy tofu fried rice

Here is the recipe I use for tofu fried rice for Kiran (I double it if I am eating too). All measures approx.

-- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
-- 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
-- 1/2 cup chopped other vegetable (brocolli, zucchinni, etc)
-- optional -- 1/4 cup tomatoes
-- 1 cup rice, already cooked
-- 1/4 cup tofu, cubed
-- soy sauce
-- olive oil
-- sesame oil

1. In a frying pan over medium heat, fry up the tofu until brownish on the outside. Remove from pan.
2. In the same pan, fry up the vegetables in a little olive oil until soft.
3. Add in the rice and tofu and a little soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil for flavor. Mix and taste for seasonings. Not too salty for baby please!


I also use basically this same recipe for simple egg fried rice, only I fry the vegetables first, add the egg with the rice and it makes everything stick together as it cooks. 

Sai's fried noodles with veggies and tofu

My sister in law Sai is from Thailand, and she and Mahesh's brother Yogesh are here visiting us for a while. Yesterday she said "why don't we make a simple lunch of what we have on hand." I said, "okay." And this is what we made.

Sai's fried noodles with veggies and tofu
serves 3, somewhat scantily

Ingredients

-- 1/2 lb rice noodles, boiled until done to your liking
-- 1/2 package firm or pressed tofu, cubed
-- 1 carrot, juilenned
-- 1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
-- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
-- handful thai basil leaves
-- handful green onion, thinly sliced on the bias
-- 1 T. soy sauce
-- 2 T. vegetarian oyster sauce (or real oyster sauce, if you are not vegetarian)
-- 1 wedge lemon
-- 2 teaspoon sugar
-- oil
-- red pepper flakes, 1/4 to 1/2 t. 

Method

1. If you want extra-fried tofu, start frying the tofu first in a layer of oil until browned to your liking on all sides. (If not, you start with the onion and just fry the tofu a little second.)

2. Once onion is yellow, add in other vegetables, starting with the hardest first, we used carrot and asparagus first.

3. When the vegetables are nearly cooked, add in the cooked noodles and all the seasoning elements in, mix well, and taste. Adjust the seasonings if necessary to your taste.

4. When you think the taste is good add in basil and green onion, and serve.

Mock Tuna Salad

I sometimes find it difficult to find vegetarian stuff to take for work lunches that a) fills me up all afternoon b) tastes good and c) is easy to pack and eat. That's why I was happy to find this recipe. It tastes surprisingly similar to tuna salad. You can add all sorts of different things in there. Here is the version I made yesterday:

Mock Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about one cans worth)
• 2 whole celery stalks
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 Tablespoons minced onion
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mayo
• 2 Tablespoons minced black olives (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon minced dill pickle or capers (optional)
• 1 squirt lemon juice (optional) 
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• ½ tsp kelp or other seaweed (optional, I leave this out because Mahesh doesn't like it but it can make it taste more tuna-like)

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, mash chickpeas with a fork or flat bottom of cup until coarse and no whole beans are left. Alternatively, pulse beans in a food processor a few times -- careful not to puree, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Mince celery, onion, and other vegetables if using, or pulse a few times in a food processor. Transfer to the mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Add more mayo and/or kelp as necessary or desired and salt and black pepper to taste.

Chef's notes: There are a lot of optional ingredients because this recipe is so variable! Just put what you like in it.

souped-up mac and cheese

Okay this one is more of a method than a recipe, really. I try to eat healthy at home, but I have a weakness for many types of processed foods. One of those is macaroni and cheese from the box. I don't know what it is about it, I love homemade mac and cheese as well, but there's something about those little, slippery, weirdly-colored macaronis from the box that I really enjoy.

BUT they are not very healthy, all carby and processed with questionable chemical ingredients. SO in order to justify eating box mac and cheese once in a while I do one magic thing that makes everything okay: add vegetables! I have added every kind of vegetable and then some to mac and cheese! Also, I try not to think about what's in that cheese packet. Sometimes I even buy the organic kind and tell myself at least I'm eating organic chemical cheese powder.

BUT anyway, here is how I typically soup up the box:

WHEN SUPER RUSHED: I just dump like 1 cup of frozen peas and/or corn in with the macaroni when it's cooking. Proceed as normal with the rest of the mac and cheese.

WHEN I HAVE MORE TIME: In a separate frying pan, while the pasta is boiling, I might saute some onions, fennell, zucchinni, bell pepper -- whatever vegetable I have on hand and think might taste good in there. After the veggies are cooked, I dump them in with the mac and cheese and mix it around.

WHEN I AM FEELING PARTICULARLY GOURMET: I will soup up the cheese sauce as well, I like to add in a small amount of mustard, some spicy sauce, sometimes herbs, salt and pepper, and when I add in a LOT of veggies I find it needs more cheese so I will put either cheddar or parmesan cheese in there and boil it a bit to melt it all down.

This one is what I made today, my first time adding kale and it was pretty good:

QUICK LUNCH SOUPED UP MAC AND CHEESE

-- 1 box mac and cheese (or "kraft dinner" as they call it in my adopted homeland)
-- 3 T. chopped onion
-- 2 cups washed and chopped kale
-- milk
-- olive oil
-- few drops spicy habanero sauce
-- 1 t. mustard
-- salt and pepper
-- 2 T. cheese, broken into small bits

1. Get a pot of water boiling. Once it is boiling, dump in the macaroni and the kale. Time it for about 8 minutes or whatever it says on your box.
2. In a separate frying pan, get some oil heating up. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add in milk, when the milk is boiling sprinkle in cheese powder from box, and whisk until incorporated and vaguely sauce-like. You can add butter here if you want but I never do.
3. Add in the cheese, mustard, and habanero sauce, to the sauce.
4. When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain the whole thing and dump pasta and kale into your cheese sauce.
5. Mix together, taste, add salt and pepper to taste (I found the kale really needed some extra salt here!)

VOILA you have created a masterpiece of a lunch in just 10 minutes!

Pizza Quesadillas

This was sort of a desperation recipe I came up with the other night when I wanted pizza but I wanted it to be healthy-ish. It turned out good, sort of like the ultimate thin crust pizza.

For each pizza (2 per person is good):

INGREDIENTS:

-- 1 whole-wheat tortilla (I usually buy the healthiest I can stand to eat, either whole wheat with flax, or lately I have been trying to eat those Ezekiel sprouted tortillas, they fall apart and have a stronger taste, but they are SO HEALTHY compared to regular tortillas)
-- tomato sauce or pizza sauce from a can (I used tomato sauce and sprinkled on oregano)
-- mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
-- 3 mushrooms, thinly sliced
-- 1/4 green pepper, thinly sliced
-- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced onion
-- olive oil, salt, pepper

METHOD:

-- Turn the broiler on the oven
-- Put a large frying pan on the stove, with the heat on medium, toast the tortilla on both sides until it is crisp.
-- Put the tortilla on a baking sheet, spread with sauce right to the edge -- any exposed tortilla tends to burn
-- Dot the tortilla with mozzarella, sprinkle on veggies
-- Salt and pepper the whole pizza, sprinkle on any other herbs you like, and for that final pizzeria touch finish with a small swirl of olive oil.
-- Put under the broiler, but watch it because it will burn easily. When the cheese is melted and just starting to brown, take out, cut into wedges, and EAT

fastest fried egg lunch salad

When there's no time, and fried eggs with toast don't seem "lunchy" enough, this is what I make. The salad is done as fast as you can fry an egg

FASTEST FRIED EGG LUNCH SALAD

ingredients

-- 3 cups baby spinach leaves, or other salad greens
-- 2 eggs
-- 1 piece bread
-- 2 t. mustard
-- 2 t. honey
-- salt
-- pepper
-- butter

method

1. Heat fry pan over medium-high heat, add in some butter. When hot, break 2 eggs into pan, salt and pepper eggs.

2. While eggs are frying, put bread in toaster to make toast. Fill a plate with washed baby lettuce leaves, or wash and dry some lettuce and cut it up and fill up your plate with that.

3. Check eggs to see if they are ready to flip. For this salad to work, you need to cook the whites but keep the yolks runny!

4. While the eggs finish, sprinkle the spinach leaves with mustard and honey straight from the squeeze bottles.

5. When the eggs are done to your liking, slide them out of the pan and onto your spinach leaves. Cut up the eggs and mix it all together so that the yolks mix with the mustard and honey to make a dressing.

6. Grab your toast and eat it up!

Another good and easy strawberry salad

OK so I had a good salad today, this is what it included:

-- lots of baby spinach
-- sliced strawberries
-- thinly sliced onions
-- goat cheese
-- balsamic vinaigrette

This was very good, next time I would add in nuts, and make the balsamic a bit sweeter by adding some jam to it or something.