Simple Italian Greens and Grains
Having food sensitivities has made cooking so simple. It’s still delicious and I love it! I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to my old ways once I’m able to add more foods.
This is a super healthy dish that gives me the taste of Italian. I’ve listed the “Base Ingredients” that I can tolerate and then have listed additions if you are able to tolerate those foods.
Base Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 bunch rainbow chard, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 – 2 cups cooked long grain brown rice or millet
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 – 2 tsp. dried
1 cup (or more) tomato sauce or canned chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Chopped fresh spinach
Sauté onion in sauce pan over medium high heat for 3 minutes until it starts to brown. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add 1/2 cup water and chard. Cover then lower heat and cook until chard is tender, only about 3 – 5 minutes. Stir in desired amount of grain. Add 1 cup or desired amount of tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes. Stir in vinegar. Salt to taste. Serve mixed with a small amount of chopped raw spinach.
If it’s summer time and you have tomatoes galore, instead of tomato sauce or canned tomatoes, add 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes. (Don’t add 1/2 cup water) Cook 5 minutes then add chard. Add a little water if needed to keep from sticking. Cook until greens are tender then add grain.
Additions if tolerated:
4 sliced mushrooms added with greens
Fresh or dried oregano
Millet Premavera
I’ve been making this recipe since my early days of plant-based eating. It’s so good that it’s remained a favorite through the years. It has the flavors of an Italian pasta dish without the pasta.
Recipes is from Whole Food American Favorites
1 cup millet, uncooked
1 onion, chopped
1 – 2 cups chopped mushrooms, cremini or white button
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 cups small cauliflower florets
3 cups small broccoli florets
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen peas
1 T dried basil
1/4 t black pepper
1/3 cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped (or raw pumpkin seeds)
2 T lemon juice
Sea salt
Boil 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Add millet, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes until tender. In a large pan over medium- high heat, sauté onion and mushrooms in 1/4 cup water for 2 minutes. Add garlic and remaining raw vegetables, and cook until vegetables are tender. Add more water if needed to keep from sticking. Add tomatoes, peas, basil, and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes. Mix in cooked millet, pine nuts, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
Eggplant Roll-Ups
Even meat-eaters will devour these comforting Eggplant Roll-Ups. Using thinly sliced eggplant instead of noodles is a great way to get this nutrient-dense vegetable into your diet.
2 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp Italian style seasoning
3 Tbsp Sesame Parmesan seasoning
2 Tbsp nutrition yeast flakes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
14 oz firm tofu pressed and crumbled
10 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped olives
1 large jar of oil free pasta sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a second baking sheet or aluminum foil. Bake about 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 5 – 10 minutes to brown and become flexible enough to easily roll.*
While eggplant is cooking, sauté bell pepper, onion, garlic and mushrooms until tender. Add seasonings, tofu and spinach. Mix well and cover until spinach is wilted. Add 1/2 cup pasta sauce and salt to taste. Mix well. Lightly cover bottom of pan with pasta sauce. Place 1/4 cup of the vegetable filling on each eggplant slice, roll and place in a baking dish. Top with pasta sauce and olives. Bake 20 minutes.
*Baked eggplant slices are delicious with hummus spread on them and rolled up. See my Whole Food Hummus recipe found here.
Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
10 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 eggplant
1/2 cup dry millet cooked in 1 cup water
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T tamari soy sauce
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pound mushrooms sliced
1 pound of fresh spinach chopped
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 T nutritional yeast
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 jar fat free vegan marinara/pasta sauce
Sliced olives for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice eggplant and lay on cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. In a small sauce pan boil 1 cup of water, add the millet, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, tamari, onion, and garlic to a large stock pot. Cook on medium-high for 2–3 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until soft. Add spinach and cook until wilted.
Drain the broth from the spinach mixture into a measuring cup. Add water to make 1 cup if needed. Pour liquid into a blender and add the cooked millet, sunflower seeds, seasonings and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Add this cream sauce to the spinach and mushrooms and mix well.
Ladle 1/3 of the marinara on the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish. Layer noodles to cover bottom. Spread 1/2 the spinach mixture over noodles. Top with 1 layer of eggplant, 1/3 sauce, rest of spinach, layer of noodles, and remaining sauce. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top and add sliced olives. Bake for 20 minutes.
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