The post SPICY LENTIL CURRY AND GARLIC NAAN appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
]]>Cold weather forever calls for soothing comfort foods, which is why this Spicy Lentil Curry and Garlic Naan should be your new weeknight favourite. This flavourful and luxurious bowl of lentils is also gluten and dairy free.
I hope you are all having an amazing New Year so far. The holidays have been wrapped up for a few weeks and now we are back to our regular routine with work, taking down the holiday decorations and of course, lots and lots of snow. However, if part of your regular routine involves clean eating, then this recipe is right up your alley. My Spicy Lentil Curry provides you with protein, fibre, iron and total deliciousness.
This dish is actually a staple in my household. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it also makes substantial portions, can be eaten with pretty much any savoury side dish, and also stores for slightly over a week. So, if you’re a fan of curries, you should definitely give this dish a try! It’s creamy, spicy with a hint of heat, garlicky and smooth.
The naan bread is also gluten free (contains dairy) and can be made in advance. Since I had posted the naan bread, previously, you can find the link to the recipe in the ingredients. I hope you enjoy this delicious curry dish as much as I do, which frankly is almost on a regular basis. Happy eating!
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1 ½ cups red lentils
- 1 (14oz) can full fat coconut milk (unsweetened)
- 3 cups baby spinach
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Sesame Garlic Naan for side
- Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute shallots, ginger and garlic until brown, about 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt and jalapeno and stir until spices are toasted, about 1 minute.
- Add in water, lentils and coconut milk, then stir until the fat in the coconut milk is absorbed. Cover the skillet and cook for about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When ready, turn the heat off, then stir in the spinach into the hot curry until withered. Serve topped with cilantro and a side of gluten free naan.
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]]>The post BUFFALO SRIRACHA CAULIFLOWER TACOS appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
]]>Let’s celebrate tacos with these Buffalo Sriracha Cauliflower Tacos. Seriously, they are a vegetarians dream! And boy are they spicy.
I’m pretty sure you guys thought these were spicy chicken nuggets at first glace. Well fooled ya! At least I’d like to think so. It feels so good to know that you can still enjoy tacos without meat or fish!
One of the things I enjoy about cooking with cauliflower is how diverse it is in recipes. Not only does cauliflower have versatile flavor, but it’s also quite nutritious and low in calories! One serving of cauliflower alone provides almost all your essential vitamins and minerals and also contains anti-inflammatory nutrients. Cauliflower also has a low fat and carbohydrate content, so you really cannot go wrong with it! Plus, it fills you up.
This was a super fun recipe to put together. I never imagined that putting cauliflower in tortilla wraps would be so delicious. The best part about this recipe is that the cauliflower bits still maintain a chewy-tender texture that mocks chicken, beef or fish. For the ultimate taco experience, I lightly toasted the tortilla wraps to give it a bit of a crunch. You don’t have to toast it as a soft shell would work just fine, but I find that a toasted tortilla wrap adds a nice crunch and also a slightly smoky flavor.
In other news, did anyone checking out the solar eclipse this afternoon? I sure did and it was amazing! Especially since this was the first total eclipse in over a century! I waited in line for over two hours and sat in the hot sun with my friend for about another hour just to get a view of it…totally worth it! We only got about a 75% view of the solar eclipse in Toronto, but that was good enough for me!
- 1 cauliflower head, cut into large florets
- 2 cups almond flour (or panko bread crumbs)
- 2 organic cage free eggs
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup grape seed oil
- ⅓ cup Sriracha sauce
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 small multigrain tortilla wraps, toasted
- Kale leaves
- 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise, or spread of choice
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil paper. Lightly grease the foil paper with cooking spray.
- Place almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and sea salt in one bowl. Place eggs in another bowl and whisk. Dip each cauliflower floret in the almond flour, then the egg mixture, and back in the almond flour and place them on the lined baking sheet.
- Place the cauliflower florets in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower starts to brown. When ready, remove from oven and set your oven settings to broil.
- Make your buffalo sriracha sauce. Heat oil, sriracha and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until cooked, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and dip cauliflower florets into the sauce until evenly coated. Transfer coated cauliflower florets back to the baking sheet and return to the oven. Broil for 5 minutes.
- Assemble spread of choice, kale leaves and cauliflower florets on toasted tortilla shells. Serve.
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]]>The post SWEET POTATO CHICKPEA SKILLET NACHOS appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
]]>If I ever have you over as a guest for game night and I don’t serve up these Sweet Potato Chickpea Skillet Nachos, then guess what? I’m really nach-yoo friend. See what I did there?
I can’t believe it’s already August! This summer literally feels like a blink rather than an actual season. I’m already back in jeans and cardigans and that freaks me out a little. But nonetheless, I have enjoyed the little bursts of sunshine we’ve had so far. Hopefully it stretches out a little while longer!
Nachos are a fun and delicious snack to serve during game night or any or any other occasion for that matter, because nachos are just awesome with all its cheesy goodness. For example, if you’re into UFC or boxing like I am, you’ll be doing two things in a couple of weeks; eating these sweet potato chickpea skillet nachos, and watching the Mayweather v. McGregor fight, which I will be doing!
Technically, sweet potato nachos aren’t exactly like the traditional nachos with tortilla chips. However, I figured I’d show you guys a healthier approach to nachos with this recipe, since this is indeed a healthy food blog 
plus with the addition of the chickpeas, It adds a boost of protein, which kinda makes it a complete meal rather than a snack. It’s also in a skillet, so we might as well call this dinner 
The best part about these sweet potato skillet nachos is that they are vegetarian…. even with the cheese! vegetarian cheese is basically any cheese that is made without rennet, which is an enzyme found in the stomach of ruminant mammals like cows, goats and sheep. Eat up nacho lovers!
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 can chickpeas, unsalted
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- ¾ cup mushrooms
- 1 cup rennet free mozzarella cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a mandolin knife or a regular knife, slice the sweet potato into thin slices. This will ensure that the sweet potato forms a crisp. Toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and place them on the lined baking sheets. Transfer the sweet potatoes to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, flipping once.
- While the sweet potatoes are baking, place a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sautee onions. Mushrooms chickpeas and a dash of salt and pepper for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- When ready, remove sweet potato from the oven and set your oven settings to broil. Lightly grease 2 mini cast iron skillet pans and layer with sweet potatoes, sautéed onions, mushrooms and grated mozzarella cheese. transfer the mini skillets to the oven and bake for 3 minutes, until the cheese sets.
- When ready, top with toppings of choice and serve.
The post SWEET POTATO CHICKPEA SKILLET NACHOS appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
]]>The post QUINOA CORN FETA BURGERS appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
]]>Now that patio season is finally here, it’s time to kick it off with a patio favorite! If you haven’t had burgers on a patio, you haven’t lived, so let’s make that happen with these healthy Quinoa Corn Feta Burgers!
I just realized I’ve been absent from blogging for about a month! Sometimes you never really realize how quickly time flies when life gets so busy. Boy it’s been a rocky month, but I’m happy it’s finally June! Hopefully we get a good summer because we have had a rather cloudy and rainy spring. At least the flowers are happy!
A couple Fridays ago, I woke up super early, made my coffee, ate my avocado toast and turned on my computer. The first notification I received which made my whole morning was my pineapple shrimp burger recipe feature in the Huffington Post. So naturally, I was inspired to make another burger recipe that is more vegetarian friendly and also patio worthy.
My main aim for this recipe was to incorporate as much macro nutrients as I could, while maintaining that juicy texture and flavor you get from regular burgers. The quinoa provides the protein, the sprouted grain buns provide the complex carbs and whole grains which is good for you, and the corn provides antioxidants which are released when cooked. Amazing right? The feta cheese on the other hand gives these quinoa corn feta burgers a moist like texture to somewhat replicate a traditional beef or chicken burger.
I’ve made meatless burger patties a few times in the past and the one problem I always came across was how dry they turned out. Sure they were delicious when consumed by themselves, or with a slight drizzle of sriracha sauce, but when I put then in between buns, I felt my tongue screaming for moisture! So ladies and gentlemen, if you’ve had the same problem as I have, feta cheese is the answer! Come on summer, we’re ready for you! Oh and in other news, here’s a casual photo of me and Chef Michael Smith. No biggie, I totally wasn’t star struck by one of my favorite cooking idols of all time……
- 2.5 cups cooked quinoa
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese + 1 tablespoon of brine (from the cheese)
- 1 cup cooked corn
- 2.5 cups cooked spinach
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Olive oil for frying
- 4 sprouted grain buns
- 2 teaspoons homemade spicy mayo
- Spring salad mix for layering
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, feta cheese, corn, spinach, eggs, cayenne pepper, sea salt, onion powder and garlic powder until incorporated. You may find your batter a bit loose which is fine.
- Place a skillet over medium high heat and grease with olive oil. Using an ice cream scoop or a ⅓ cup scoop, add the quinoa batter into the skillet and flatten. Fry both sides until golden brown edges form, about 1 minute per side. Repeat the process until your batter is finished.
- When ready, layer your burger buns with mayo, spring salad of choice, quinoa patties or any toppings of choice. Enjoy when ready.
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]]>The post ROASTED MUSHROOM RAMEN BOWL appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
]]>You don’t have to be a broke college student to enjoy a ramen bowl! Plus, this Roasted Mushroom Ramen bowl is a fancy and affordable meal to get you through those college night blues.
It’s been a little chilly in Toronto this past week, especially this weekend! So naturally I had a craving for some comfort food since I was cooped up indoors on Sunday. Usually, my go to comfort foods are pho bowls, crab cakes, sweet potato anything, and of course, crispy and perfectly salted French fries. But yesterday I had a sudden craving for something I had never tried before. That my dear readers, was ramen noodles. I think part of the reason I was so curious to try ramen noodles was because of all the fancy ramen noodle bowls I came across on Pinterest. All the ramen bowl photos I saw took ramen to the next level and I knew I had to replicate one of my own.
Now although this recipe was fairly easy to make, the prep time was quite lengthy. I almost lost my craving because of how long it took to make it! But after the ramen was cooked and the photography was done, I sat down, leaned forward and inhaled this roasted mushroom ramen bowl until it was all over. I sang, and then cried. It was beautiful.
Although I used roasted mushrooms for this ramen recipe, you don’t have to if you find it time consuming! Another great alternative is topping the ramen bowl with sautéed mushrooms. I chose to roast the mushrooms mostly because I wanted to try something different. I also find that the flavor of the roasted mushrooms creates a unique contrast to the cooked broth used for the ramen bowl. look at me sounding like a top chef. Don’t we all like to sound classy every now and then? Hahaha!
I must admit that I worked up a craving for this yummy ramen bowl, and I’ll happily tell you why. On Saturday I had a brunch date with my blogger friend Taylor from The Girl On Bloor, and we basically feasted on yummy brunch food with a bottle of sparking Rose, simply because we believed we had earned it after the long work week we had!
Long story short, 3 glasses of wine and two martinis later, well, you know the rest. Let’s just say in addition to being delicious, ramen noodle bowls also make a great hangover potion. It’s fun to live! By the way, the burrata plate we had was life changing!
- 2 packs ramen noodles (or instant noodles)
- 1 pound cremeni mushrooms
- 3-4 cups sodium free veggie broth
- 1 tablespoon safflower oil (or grapeseed oil)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups water
- 3 large boiled eggs
- Scallions, jalapenos and cilantro for topping
- To roast the mushrooms, preheat your oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with foil paper. Toss mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and paper and roast for 20 minutes until brown. When ready, remove from oven and set aside. To keep the mushrooms warm, cover the top of the baking sheet with foil paper.
- To cook the broth, place a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and sauté until fragrant, making sure that it doesn’t burn. Add coconut aminos and veggie broth and stir. Let the broth simmer on the stove top for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat while leaving the skillet on the stove top to keep the broth warm.
- Add 3 cups of water to another skillet and bring to a boil. Immerse ramen noodles into the boil water and boil until cooked, about 3 minutes. Use the water for the ramen to boil the eggs for about 8 minutes.
- Divide cooked ramen into 3 serving bowls and top with 1 cup of cooked broth. Top with boiled eggs and garnish with mushrooms, jalapenos and cilantro.
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]]>The post CUCUMBER AND LEMON RASPBERRY NOODLE SALAD appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
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Oh yea! One of my old favourites from last summer, but can be consumed at any season A refreshing fun salad that will keep you hydrated during the day!
This recipe is fairy easy; make the noodles by slicing thin layers of a cucumber with a potato peeler. Top noodle with a lemon slice and raspberries, or whatever citrus toppings you like. Cheers to good health
The post CUCUMBER AND LEMON RASPBERRY NOODLE SALAD appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
]]>The post VEGETARIAN RED QUINOA AND BLACK BEAN MEATLESS LOAF appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
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I love quinoa! It is one of the easiest gluten free grains to make and digest. Whether you choose to get quinoa in the white or red grain, they are still both very nutritious and delicious, and also vegetarian and vegan friendly. Quinoa has a variety of benefits:
1. Quinoa is one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat. It is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids.
2. Quinoa contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains.
3. Quinoa contains Iron. Iron helps keep our red blood cells healthy and is the basis of hemoglobin formation.
4. Quinoa contains lysine. Lysine is mainly essential for tissue growth and repair.
5. Quinoa is rich in magnesium. Magnesium helps to relax blood vessels and thereby to alleviate migraines.
Basically, if you do not have this super grain incorporated in your diet, it’s about time you look into it! Except you live a Palaeolithic lifestyle.
Recipe:
1 cup organic red quinoa
1 cup organic canned black beans
1 organic cage free egg (or 1 tbsp flaxseed meal for vegans)
2 cups raw kale (withered in saucepan with 1 tsp olive oil until semi soft)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup diced red pepper
A handful of chopped parsley
1/4 tsp cumin, paprika, and oregano
A pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Boil quinoa over medium heat for exactly 10 minutes.
When cooked, add quinoa to other ingredients and place in a non stick greased muffin pan
Bake meatless loafs for 30-35 minutes
Serve with a side salad and drizzle of sriracha sauce on it. Yum!
The post VEGETARIAN RED QUINOA AND BLACK BEAN MEATLESS LOAF appeared first on My Digital Kitchen.
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