Moved! New blog address.

I've moved the blog to a new spot! Easier name, broader topic. More of my life is balancing teaching with living a healthy life - thus the new blog name, Teach Run Eat!

Find / follow it here:  teachruneat.blogspot.com

Sprouted lentils to add to everything

Lately I have been sprouting my own lentils, a trick I learned from one of my favorite blogs. It's a really easy way to add a little protein, crunch, and flavor to a salad or sandwich. It only takes about five minutes to set up, and has the added bonus of looking pretty in a mason jar on your counter! Here's how to do it:

Find a large jar (a quart Mason jar will work) and fill it with 1/3 cup lentils and 2 cups water. Make sure to use a large enough jar because the lentils will expand like crazy. Instead of the round lid, cover it with a piece of cheesecloth or fabric, so the lentils can breathe a little.

Let soak for 24 hours. Strain off the water, lay the jar on its side (so the lentils can spread out), and wait another 12 hours. At this point the lentils will start to sprout and you can eat them! They'll continue to grow, though, so if you want to wait to eat them, be sure to rinse them off every 12 hours or so. Pretty soon they'll fill up the whole jar!

You can basically add sprouted lentils to any dish where you'd like some extra crunch, like wraps, salads, sandwiches, or stir fries. Here are some recipes that I want to try!

"Growing your own food is like printing your own money"

Although spring has been elusive here in Wisconsin (it's mid-April and 37 degrees out with snow in the forecast), there are some signs of hope - the farmers market has finally opened! I spontaneously bought some seedlings from a farmer to plant outside in my little earth box (earth boxes by the way are awesome transportable garden beds good for people who live in apartments or have limited space). Here they are!

two types of lettuce, plus two Swiss chard

I've been meaning to get back into planting my own food for a year now, but all I've had the time and energy to do was sprout my own lentils. But now that spring is here, I can't wait to plant stuff. I was partially motivated by this TED Talk, by Ron Finley, who helps plant gardens in South Central LA. He says that where he lives (and I would argue lots of places in the U.S.), "drive thrus are killing more people than drive bys," so planting gardens is his effort towards combating obesity and food insecurity. So inspirational. My favorite quote is, of course, "Growing your own food is like printing your own money."

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Continuing on my avocado kick, I finally decided to try one of the many avocado-infused recipes I've pinned on Pinterest. This one adapted from Flourishing Foodie turned out to be delicious. I added garbanzo beans for a little protein, and used one of those hand blenders to mash up the avocados and garlic. The sauce is deliciously creamy but also good for you...Enjoy!

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

• 6 large tomatoes, sliced into quarters
• 4 T olive oil
• 16 oz pasta, any type [I used spirals]
• 3 ripe avocados
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 t salt
• 2 T lemon juice
• black pepper to taste
• 1 can garbanzo beans

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place sliced tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 50 minutes. Cook the pasta until al dente, strain, and pour into a large bowl.

Use a hand blender or food processor to combine the avocados, garlic cloves, salt, and lemon juice. Stir the sauce into the pasta, then add the tomatoes, beans, and pepper to taste. That's it!

Recipe of the Week: Tortellini with Lemon & Brussels Sprouts

This recipe was fast and easy and gave me leftovers for several days. I suppose you could make your own tortellini, but it's so much easier to just buy it premade! This recipe is adapted from Everyday Food magazine, a little tiny magazine that costs only $10 to subscribe to. I recommend it.

Tortellini with Lemon & Brussels Sprouts

• 1 pound brussels sprouts, with ends cut off, quartered
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound cheese tortellini [I bought the packaged kind from Trader Joes, but you could also buy frozen]
• zest and juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix brussels sprouts in large bowl with 3 teaspoons olive oil and salt. Spread on a cookie sheet or pan and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes, until they're slightly browned and crispy on the outside. 

While those are roasting, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil on stovetop and saute onion until translucent, about 8 minutes. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Toss tortellini with onion and brussels sprouts, then add lemon zest and juice. Top with Parmesan cheese!

Recipe of the Week: Wheat Berries with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Toasted Walnuts & Butternut Squash

It's been a long time since I posted! I got a new teaching job, which has taken up all of my time, but I keep coming across delicious recipes that I want to share. So I decided I had to at least start up with the Recipes of the Week again. This one comes from a new cookbook I got for my birthday (thanks Erin!).   I love new cookbooks, and this one has an entire chapter on my favorite type of meal: Grains + Veggies for One-Dish Dinners. That's basically all I eat lately. So this recipe is a good one. I modified it a bit from the cookbook, including adding butternut squash and doubling the amount of cranberries. 

Wheat Berries with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Toasted Walnuts & Butternut Squash 

• 3/4 cup wheat berries (winter or hard red) 
• salt
• 1 lb brussels sprouts, quartered lengthwise
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into one-inch cubes
• olive oil
• 2 T orange juice
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 t finely grated lemon zest [I used lemon juice and it was just fine]
• 2 T cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts [just chop them up and put them in the oven on broil for 2-3 minutes]
• 3 T chopped fresh parsley

In a large sauce pot, combine the wheat berries, a pinch of salt, and enough water to cover the berries with an extra two inches over the top of them. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer (or low boil) and cook, partially covered, until the wheat berries are tender. For me it took 60 minutes. It could take as short as 50 or as long as 90 minutes. Just taste them from time to time, until they are nicely chewy.

Preheat the oven to 475. Toss the brussels sprouts and butternut squash with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread them out on a 13x9 pan or baking dish. Roast in the over until brown and tender, for 18 minutes.

Combine the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and lemon zest or juice in a small pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Then take the pan off the burner and mix in the butter, two chunks at a time. Whisk the mixture until the butter melts, then add the next chunks. 

Combine all you've done in a bowl, add the cranberries and walnuts, and parsley on top! I also added more salt. So good, and filling too!