Leftovers & New Eats

Happy not-Monday-anymore, we’re getting closer to a long holiday weekend. And an even longer one for hubby and I since we’re taking a much-needed couple days off. I jumped out of bed at 5AM again this morning for an early workout before work and it went much better than yesterday, I felt more energetic and awake and think I could really get used to getting exercise first thing in the morning even on weekends. I did feel more energized at work, not at all tempted to doze off during a long department meeting. I should have made this exercise switch years ago! The next step is to actually be awake enough for early morning runs outside – baby steps.

I’m still in a bit of a  easy foods/leftovers rut, like leftover hemp seed marinara w/ zucchini noodles and a pineapple-watermelon-mint salad for a quick lunch.

Zucchini noodles will preserve in the fridge for up to 3 days when mixed with lemon juice and a little olive oil. Which is great for me, a large zucchini usually produces 3-4 servings of noodles spiralized.

For dinner Sunday, I got a little crazy with red lentils to create a vegan curry dish.

I cooked 1 cup of dried lentils in water, created a curry sauce in the Vita-Mix with carrots, fresh garlic, cayenne pepper and curry powder. Then I sauteed the cooked lentils with chopped broccoli, eggplant and yellow squash. Poured the curry sauce over the mixture and simmered for about 10 minutes. The end result was very tasty and filling while covering many servings of vegetables in one dish. I actually like lentils that have been cooked to nearly a mush, they create a smooth and creamy texture that’s very satisfying while the pureed carrots in the curry sauce are hardly detectable. Not saying that’s a good thing, but it may be for picky eating kids not thrilled about eating whole veggies.

I also had a great lunch with my mom this week that included an amazing vegan southwestern corn chili she picked up at Nugget Market.

It packed fresh corn, kidney beans, tomatoes, green onions and the perfect amount of chili seasoning kick with a nice cumin/peppery flavor that wasn’t too spicy. I must recreate a raw version of this.

Monday’s dinner was half curry lentil leftovers and a fresh salad coated in guacamole dressing I threw together in the Vita-Mix:

• 2 avocados
• juice of 1 line
• 1/4 jalapeno pepper
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup water, as needed
• half bunch of cilantro, chopped

Blend all ingredients in a blender, pour over and toss into salad. Will cover a 4-6 serving salad.

I love the thick texture of the dressing and how well it coats the salad and deviates from a traditional airy, tossed salad. Sure, it’s flavor fusion served with curry, but it worked.