Quick and easy plant-strong dinner
As an OB/GYN, my life can be very hectic. This can leave me with little time for meal preparation. My diet is gluten-free, mostly low carb and predominantly plant based. I also have a multitude of food sensitivities which makes meal creation an exercise in creativity. On Friday nights, my husband and I typically have a nice dinner together to make the start of the weekly sabbath more special. I typically have Friday's off which gives me more time to prepare. Since a good portion of my time last week was taken up with writing and preparation for last Sunday's talk, I found myself scrambling on Friday afternoon. I hadn't grocery shopped and I didn't have any of my usual staples in the house. This meant a quick trip to Trader Joe's. I find this store to be a good source for a wide variety of organic and clean produce both fresh and frozen. On this occasion, my purchases included the following frozen items:
Brussels sprouts
Organic broccoli
Mushroom Medley
Organic Superfood Pilaf
I also purchased fresh produce, including, Organic Tuscan Kale and an asparagus sauté mix.
Once home I preheated my oven to 400 degrees, got out my two cast iron skillets and put about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in each. In my larger skillet, I placed the whole bag of organic Tuscan kale. To this, I added the asparagus sauté mix, which consisted of pre-cut asparagus and pre-sliced mushrooms and red onions. I seasoned with Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste and sautéed the vegetables until the kale was wilted, but still a beautiful dark green.
While finishing the kale dish, I placed the frozen Brussels sprouts in a large bowl. I added a generous amount of Ras el hanout spice, Real sea salt, and black pepper. I don't think I added any oil or fat. This went on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and into the preheated oven.
My next creation involved combining the Mushroom Medley (pre-seasoned with olive oil, garlic and parsley) with the Superfood Pilaf. The pilaf contained tricolor quinoa, sweet potatoes, carrots and kale. Sweet potato is one of my food sensitivities but occasionally I walk on the wild side in the safety of my home. I had also been told by my naturopath that I could experiment with incorporating some of my previously off-limit foods and test my response. To this mixture, I again added Himalayan pink salt, pepper and some of a garlic salt mix also from Trader Joe's. I sautéed both items until they were defrosted, well mixed and heated to a good temperature. I thought the dish could benefit from some additional smokiness so I added a little smoked paprika as well. I enjoy experimenting with spices depending on what flavor I feel like adding to my vegetables.
All dishes were placed in ceramic serving ware and set on the dining room table with some flowers for a quick and easy Shabbat meal. I come from a culture where we tend not to measure spices and seasonings. Experiment and get a sense of what works for you and in what quantities. Adding herbs and spices is a tasty way to add interest to your meals as well as boost the health quotient.