Greens and Beans with Mushrooms

This recipe mimics a great Italian dish called "Greens and Beans" which gets very heavy. Too heavy for me! Here I have lightened the load by using swiss chard greens, with spinach, mushrooms, and leeks- and last but not least- beans!
Ingredients:
2 large bunches of rinsed swiss chard, de-veined and loosely chopped
3-4 cups of baby spinach, washed
2-3 leeks, rinsed well and chopped (see here to learn how to chop leeks)
1 container baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 can of white northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 lemon juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesean cheese
Begin by rinsing the mushrooms you have and giving them a rough chop, set aside. Next rinse the chard and remove the veins. I wash the leaves as I remove them from the stalks and pat dry on a towel. Repeat with spinach, but there is no need to remove stems, unless you really want to! While the greens are drying, remove all the dark portion of the leeks, and slice them down the center, lengthwise. Rinse each half really well with water and slice into half-rings. Place all things green aside, while you begin to mince garlic and heat oil in the LARGEST skillet you have. Make sure you also have a lid for said skillet. Once oil is heated, on medium to high, add the leeks and sautee about 3-4 minutes before adding the garlic and chopped mushrooms. Continue to sautee until they begin to soften, another 3-4 minutes. Now you want to add the beans, 1/2 of the juiced lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes, I add a few pinches of red pepper flakes OR even some cumin, depending on how spicy you like things. Options are limitless with seasoning, but often I prefer the tang of lemon and parmesean cheese. Finally, add all of the green leaves to the pan. Just go ahead and pile them on there and turn down the heat to low and cover. You will need to leave the pan alone for at least 4-5 minutes before you remove and give it a good toss. If the leaves don't look completely wilted, re-cover and continue to cook. BUT if they are all wilted down, add the last of the lemon and toss to coat while in the pan. The beans, yeah, they might stick a little, and that's OK. Serve with rice, bread, or any type of meat, and top with shredded parm.

Curried Red Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Tofu

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato- cut into cubes
1 medium onion- large dice
1/2 block firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
3 cloves garlic, rough mince
3 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups red lentils
2-3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
Start by heating oil over medium heat in large, deep skillet. While oil is heating, put 3 1/2 cups of water into kettle or pan to boil. Begin to sautee onions, adding salt. Once onions have softened, add garlic, and tofu. Let tofu get a little brown and then add sweet potatoes and curry. Cook all ingredients together an additional minute, until fragrant. Now add 1 1/2 cups lentils, boiling water, and tomato paste. Cover and turn down to simmer for at least 20 minutes. At the end of twenty minutes, add 1/4 cup of coconut milk and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Serve with rice and/or warm pitas.

New post- New year!

Time flies when you're...busy living life. Hi, 2011, I'm Julie. It's nice to meet you! Some resolutions/goals I have made for myself and you include:

• Being more resourceful with my clothes- creating, re-mixing outfits out of what is in my closet, rather than buying something new, on an impulse, because I haven't done laundry. (I blame Target clearance racks for this bad habit!)
• Being more resourceful with my food- fridge AND pantry combined. I tend to over-buy in the produce department and then waste food. I am going to be more reserved when it comes to shopping and try to cook through most of my dry/canned goods, while adding the fresh produce in for extra zing! Also, not eating out for lunch at work more than once or twice a week. MAX!
• Not eating any kind of processed sugar (candy, cookies, treats, etc.) or processed snacks (doritos- you know you are guilty!) and continue to never, ever, under any circumstance, eat fast food. So far so good, but work is my main enemy here, but I have combatted crappy-snack time with my own drawer, in my own desk, that is stocked with luna bars, nuts, dried fruits and rice cakes!
• Thrifting furniture (yes, I am committing to find side tables and other interesting pieces online or at tag/yard sales) and household decor. This also includes a couple of DIY projects this year: curtains for bedroom, wall art for above our mantle, framing prints from a calendar for kitchen, a picture frame chalkboard, turning my old desk into a vanity, and much more!
• Keeping in better touch with friends and family. Let's face it together here folks, I am a solitary person by nature. I can tolerate handle a husband :) because, as a rule, I prefer one-on-one interactions to large groups of people. I hate.hate.hate. talking on the phone for any amount of time exceeding 15 minutes. I try to email everyone, as much as I can, but I tend to read an email/FB message and then make a mental note to reply, and then forget to. This year is going to be hard enough with all of the family issues surrounding me, I need to reach out more and more consistently to lean on those I know will support me.
• Add 2 days of cardio to my weekly workouts. Luckily, I am bound to three days a week of hot yoga due to the work-exchange program I participate in. This is great, because I hate breaking commitments to things like volunteer work, etc. AND I get to practice for free! However, I MUST add some cardio! My heart will thank me. So far, 10 days in to 2011, I have only added one day, and have even missed 2 days of yoga! I have actually been sick- with cold AND stomach flu simultaneously. BAH!
• Last but not least- I am committing to pay off my credit card debt by the end of the year, as well as,save enough money for hubster and I to take a trip to Costa Rica. This.Will.Happen.

All in all, a pretty reasonable list, no? I'm glad I posted this, because now I can come back and check on it as needed.

So, what's going on with me right now, this very second, you ask??

Well, I am off today and am going to continue my cleaning of the house- yesterday I tackled the bathroom GAH (it almost won!) and today I will continue dusting and sweeping and doing kitty boxes. I have returns to make to Ann Taylor LOFT and hopefully the coat I ordered from Macy's for my trip to NYC with cousin Camille will arrive!

Last night I made a wonderful vegan curried red lentil dish with sweet potatoes and tofu (see recipes). The sweet potatoes had been in my fridge for at least 2 weeks and I still have some to go through. I also need to cook my way through about 2-3 pounds of yukon potatoes. Soup, soup and homefries!

This weeks menu:

- Sweet potato fries with spicy salt

- Potato leek soup

- Homefries with scallions

-Leftovers!

See y'inz later! Tonight is Oregon v. Auburn and I never EVER thought I would be looking forward to a non-Steelers football game, but I am and I am proudly posting about it! GO DUCKS!