Kale and Spelt Berry Salad

If you did not spend your Friday evening making kimchi and rocking out to Cher... then you really missed out on a good time.  If you did not spend your Saturday morning spilling a green smoothie on yourself while doing the Minion Mambo and rocking out to the Despicable Me soundtrack... then you really missed out this weekend.  And if you did not spend your Sunday evening making a kale salad and writing an embarrassing post about yourself ... then what did you do this weekend? 

For me, Sunday evenings are lazy evenings.  I am just starting to come down from my weekend-high and am about to crash right into reality.  This reality usually hits about 5 pm when I realize that a) dinner time is quickly approaching and I have nothing that's easy to prepare b) I haven't made Monday's lunch and c) I don't feel like making dinner for tonight or lunch for tomorrow.  These things are usually enough to make me a tad cranky, at least for the moment.  Luckily kale usually steps in to save the day.

I consider Sunday dinners to be successful only if they fulfill a few key requirements.  They must be satisfying, easy, quick, and tasty as lunch leftovers.  I'm happy to say that this one always fits the bill.

I love the chewy texture of the spelt berries with the kale and bell pepper in this salad.  The fresh basil adds a lot of flavor and is a wonderful reminder that summer is on its way.  This dish is perfect to serve as a light dinner, but it also makes a great side salad for a picnic or potluck.  It could also be topped with some french lentils to make it an even heartier entree.

Kale and Spelt Berry Salad
Serves 2 - 4

1/2 cup spelt berries
1.5 cups water
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and shredded
juice from 1 lemon
1 bell pepper, chopped
small handful fresh basil leaves (about 12), chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Add spelt berries and water to a medium pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.  If there is excess water, drain the berries and set aside to cool. 


Add kale to a large bowl with lemon juice.  Then "massage" kale by hand for several minutes (this will help to soften the kale and make it less tough in the salad).  Add the bell pepper, basil leaves, and cooked spelt berries.  


Mix the olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, and maple syrup together.  Drizzle over salad, toss, and serve.  

Perfect Protein Salad

If it wasn't for the PCC Deli, sometimes I wouldn't eat.  And if it wasn't for the PCC Deli, sometimes I wouldn't eat so much.... Yesterday's lunch and dinner came from their deli case and I am always grateful to know that I can walk into any one of their stores and find something vegan, delicious, and healthy in a snap.  

If it's possible to request food now for the afterlife I'd like to place my order.  In fact, it would be great if it could look just the PCC Deli, but be more of a buffet situation if possible.  Please let there be vegan pesto pizza, Emerald City Salad, and Spicy Tofu and Spelt Berries. Oh, and some fresh marinated beets please?  Glad we settled that. 

This delicious little salad originally came from the PCC Deli and is loaded with hearty chickpeas, chewy spelt berries, and fresh veggies.  They use a vegan mayo in their dressing, but I opted for using cashews instead.  Blending soaked cashews creates a creamy, rich dressing and since I only blended them for a few seconds, there's still a bit of texture.  I also added in some fresh basil since I happen to have a ton of it growing at the moment, but you could also leave it out and add in some extra parsley if desired. 

Perfect Protein Salad

Adapted from PCC Natural Markets

Serves 6 - 8

1 cup spelt berries, raw

3 cups water

2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced (I didn't peel mine)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

3 green onions, diced

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade

Dressing:

3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Boil spelt berries in water until tender, about 45 minutes.  Drain and cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cooked spelt, garbanzo beans, diced cucumber, bell pepper, celery, carrots, red onion, green onion, parsley and basil.  

For the dressing: drain the cashews and add to a food processor with the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, dill, salt, and garlic.  Process until creamy, but with a bit of texture (the consistency should be similar to ricotta cheese). 

Mix the dressing with the salad and let sit in the refrigerator until serving. 

Zucchini & Ginger Spelt Muffins

Usually about this time of year I try to eat more raw foods like zucchini pasta with carrot-cashew creme sauce, fresh vegetable juices, and caramel and fudge brownies (my favorite!).  But, this weird foggy, drizzly Seattle weather is confusing my senses.  Could this really be July? Or is it somehow already late September?  All I know is that instead of wanting raw foods and light summer lunches I've been craving sweet potatoes, curries, and greens. 

So then, what to do with all these zucchini if I'm not making raw pasta?  Make muffins, of course!

I tend to shy away from baked goods because they're usually loaded with fat and sugar, but these are definitely some of the heathiest and heartiest muffins I've seen.  I love the taste of the spelt flour and it goes together perfectly with the flavors of ginger and zucchini.  I even cut the amount of agave in half for my last batch and they were still super yummy!  These go perfect with a cup of peppermint tea at breakfast or with soup for lunch.  

Zucchini & Ginger Spelt Muffins

From Babycakes by Erin McKenna

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups spelt flour

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup agave syrup

3/4 cup rice milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups zucchini, shredded

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line muffin tin with liners.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the ginger, oil, agave, rice milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.  Fold in the zucchini.  Fill the cups evenly with 1/3 cup of batter and bake on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes.  

To test the muffins, insert a toothpick into the center.  The muffins are ready when the toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand 15 minutes then transfer and cool.  Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

Summer Black-Eyed Pea and Spelt Berry Salad

Can you believe that next week is July?  Hello, where did June go?

I can't believe that one year ago around this time I was graduating with my Master's degree, freaking out about what to do with the rest of my life, and doing weird things like dying my hair platinum blonde.  At home.  Using a box of 7-year old hair bleach.

Ladies (and lads), let me share a lesson with you that I hope you never have to experience first-hand:  if you are a natural brunette never, ever try to bleach your hair platinum blonde at home.  (Spoiler alert:  it doesn't turn a nice shade of platinum blonde; instead it's a nice mix of bright yellow and orange.)

Or, if you've already completed that step and learned by mistake, then quickly head to a salon and have them fix it.  Definitely don't try to dye it back to brown at home 'cause your stressed out and over-processed hair won't absorb the dye and instead of brown it will become grey.  And then you will spend the first few months after your 25th birthday with hair the color of Richard Gere's.  I'm not kidding.  It was not pretty.

So let's just say I'm really looking forward to summer with my natural brown hair this year.  And if I ever dye it again on my own?  You can be sure that the only thing touching this head is henna.

One of my favorite parts of summer is eating outside and I think a hearty go-to picnic salad is absolutely necessary this time of year.  For the bulk of this salad I chose spelt berries and black eyed peas because they both hold up well and don't get mushy when mixed with the dressing.  This is a very simple salad that can easily be adapted for some fun variations.  I used produce that was all available from my garden, but as the summer heats up some shredded zucchini or fresh corn would be great additions. 

Summer Black-Eyed Pea and Spelt Berry Salad
Serves 4

1 cup black-eyed peas
1 cup spelt berries
5 carrots, shredded
3 radishes, shredded
5 green onions, chopped
1 cup rainbow chard, shredded
1 cup arugula, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice from one lemon
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons mint, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons basil, finely chopped
Freshly-ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

The black-eyed peas do not need to be soaked before cooking.  Place them in a large saucepan, cover with about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until peas are soft and easily chewable.  (This can take 20 - 45 minutes depending on your peas.)  Drain and set aside.

While the peas are cooking, add the spelt berries to a separate saucepan and cover with about 4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.  Drain the berries and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and herbs and set aside.  Add the carrots, radishes, green onions, chard, and arugula to a large bowl. Add the black-eyed peas and spelt berries when ready (they don't have to cool before being mixed together).  Add in the dressing and mix well.  Add black pepper and sea salt to taste.  Refrigerate and serve cold.

Spicy Tofu and Spelt Berries

I guess it's about time we talk about it.  I mean, it's right around the corner and those red hearts everywhere are pretty hard to miss.  Valentine's Day, anyone?

There's the crowd that celebrates it all crazy-like.  Sending roses to their loved ones, themselves, and their dog.  Then there's the group that gets angry about this holiday.  You know, the ones who listen to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughtta Know" on repeat and burn photos.  Not that I would know, or anything.

In recent years though I've met more people that celebrate Valentine's Day in moderation.  Doing small, sweet gestures for others or themselves.  I like the simplicity in that.

Speaking of simplicity, I've been trying to incorporate different grains into my diet lately.  Spelt berries are one of my favorites and they seem to be popping up everywhere. They're a little hard to describe to someone who's never had them before.  The best I can say is they're similar to brown rice, but with a nuttier taste and and chewier texture. You can find them in the bulk section of most health food stores. 

This salad is inspired by the one that's served in the deli at PCC Natural Markets and it's curbed my hunger many times.  This recipe makes a batch for 6 which always leaves me with plenty of leftovers for lunch.  If all goes as planned, this might even end up as my Valentine's Day dinner.  Delicious, healthy, and super simple.  Just the way I like it. 

 Spicy Tofu and Spelt Berries
From PCC Natural Markets and adapted from the Veg-Feasting Cookbook

Serves 6.

1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 blocks of firm tofu, cut into cubes
1.5 cups spelt berries
1/4 head of purple cabbage, shredded
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 carrots, grated
3 green onions, chopped
3 Tbs fresh parsley
cayenne pepper to taste
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

I like to press the tofu beforehand to make it firmer and drain some of the watery liquid.  I usually place it on a plate and put another plate on top of it with some weight on it (a few cookbooks stacked up always seem to work nicely).  Let the tofu drain for about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the tamari, sesame oil, olive oil, rice vinegar, cayenne, ginger, and garlic to make a sauce.  Place the tofu cubes in a 9x13-inch casserole dish, pour half the sauce over the tofu, and bake for 20 minutes, then let cool.

Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the spelt berries, stir, cover, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.  Drain the berries, then place them in a large bowl and toss with the remaining sauce.  Add the cooled tofu, then add the cabbage, carrot, parsley, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste.