Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Yesterday was a day filled with delicate snowfall, reading, and, of course, cooking.  Yesterday's  menu looked something like this:

Spiced Millet with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Falafel with Kalamata Olive Hummus served with Cream of Brocolli Soup

Red Lentil Curry with Brussels Sprouts and Sugar Snap Peas

Yesterday was the first day where I had my camera ready to take photographs of all the three meals, so I thought I'd celebrate with a post describing a day in the life of my tastebuds.

I can't think of many better ways to start a day than with breakfast.  Yesterday's breakfast was a warming combination of nutty millet, cooked with the sweet flavors of local apples and sweet potatoes, dusted with cinnamon.

I love millet for breakfast because it's so filling.  It also lends itself well to  more savory dsishes, such as milletotto - a version of risotto where the arborio rice is replaced with the irresistable millet seed.  No matter when you eat it, it's good for you all around.  Millet is high in protein, B vitamins, iron, and essential minerals.  It's also considered a hypoallergenic "grain" -- easy to digest and usually doesn't bother those who suffer from allergies. 

Spiced Millet with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

• 1 cup millet see if you can find this in the bulk aisle of your market -- it's super inexpensive!
• 4 cups water boiling from a tea kettle, if possible
• 1 sweet potato, chopped
• 2 apples, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil you can use butter, too, but please, use the real stuff!
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the oil or butter over medium heat.  Add the millet, and let things toast up for a  bit, stirring every once in a while with a wooden spoon.  Just when the millet starts to become a warm golden color, add your water and salt. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  After 15 minutes, add the sweet potatoes, apples, and cinnamon.  Let heat marry the flavors together for another 20 minutes, or until the millet and sweet potatoes are both soft and all of the water is absorbed.  Top with butter, almond butter, or nuts if you like.  Serves 2.

 This meal held me over happily until lunch.  According to ayurveda, lunch should be your biggest meal of the day because that's when your digestive fire is at its peak heat.  Andrew and I definitely had a large lunch, and it was so satisfying.  I love having a couple of courses at a meal, sharing with Andrew and immersing myself in the variety of flavors.  Our lunch yesterday was falafel paired with kalamata olive hummus and a wonderfuly textured "cream" of brocolli soup.

The only difference in the falafels here in the linked recipe above is that I added a nice handful of cilantro into the mix of ingredients in the blender.  It added a nice freshness to the falafel.  I love topping my soup with almonds - it's my solution to the oyster cracker!  The kalamata olive hummus was so rich and creamy -- the olives made it taste almost luxurious.  It paired well with the falafal, and later Andrew enjoyed how the dip accented some toasted rye bread with dinner.  Olives are a super way to get some monounsaturated fat for our cells and the antioxidant vitamin E, which isn't only a great source to heal brittle nails, dry skin and damaged hair, but also a way to stop those silly free radicals from starting up cancer. 

Kalamata Olive Hummus

•  1 cup garbanzo beans, cooked
• 1/2 plus 1 tablespoon pitted kalamata olives, rinsed I added in a bit more for good measure
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• a pinch of cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

Ensure that the olives are pitted by slicing them in half.  I found 2 pits in this process, so better safe than sorry!  Put ingredients into blender, adding a bit of water to make things move along smoothly.  If I weren't cleansing, I would have used a nice bit of red wine instead of water for this purpose, but it still came out pretty darn good.  Add more seasoning if you desire.  This makes a about 1 1/2 cups of hummus.  I think it'd be a great compliment in a sandwhich.

Between lunch and dinner, I read through the lovely Veganomicon, a great resource for vegan recipes.  The recipe for Cauliflower Red Lentil Curry struck me.  Earlier in the weekend Andrew had made his famous Chana Masala, and after eating it I day dreamed about replacing the garbanzo beans (the "chana") with red lentils.  While a curry is definitely different than a masala, I had to try.  I replaced the Cauliflower with what I had on hand:  brussels sprouts and sugar snap peas.  I am a big fan of brussels sprouts.  If you're not on account of horrid childhood memories, give them another try.  They're great roasted and hold up really well in super spicy dishes like this curry.  Also, you mom was right about their health benefits:  brussels sprouts are super for detoxifiying your body.  They're also high in fiber, a wonderful source of vitamin K,C, and even have some omega fatty acids hanging out in there.

You can make this curry with any vegetables you like, though.  I won't tell your mom.

Red Lentil Curry with Brussels Sprouts and Sugar Snap Peas

adapted from Veganomicon 

• 3 tablespoons oliv oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 cups red lentils
• 4 cups water
• 2 pounds vegetables of your choice
• 1 hanful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat,  Add the onion and saute until translucent.  Add the grated ginger and saute for an additional minute.  Add the spices and stir things up really well for another minute.  Add in the water and lentils.  Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until lentils are done.  Add in your other vegetables, mixing things up really well.  Let simmer for about 25 minutes, or until all the water is evaporated.  Test for desired spice factor, add more if necessary.  Serves 4.

What does a typical day's menu look like for you?  I love to hear about what others are eating -- probably why I'm obsessed with reading food blogs!