Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

For vegetarians, 1 serving equals 1 red, 1 purple, 1/2 green, 1 blue, and 1 tsp

For non-vegetarians, 1 serving equals 1 yellow, 1 purple, 1/2 green, 1 blue, 1 tsp

 INGREDIENTS

1 yellow (or red if vegetarian) container of cooked quinoa

1 cup parsley, finely chopped (remove long stems)

1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped

1 purple container grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 green container of yellow or white onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced1 tsp olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiceddash of sea salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

1 blue container crumbled feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix all of the ingredients except for the quinoa and feta cheese in a large bowl.

2. When the quinoa is finished cooking, combine it with the other ingredients in the bowl.  Allow it to cool.

3. When the salad has cooled, mix in the feta cheese and serve!

Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai

1.5 Greens 1Red 1Orange

INGREDIENTS

            4 egg whites

           ½ Red container cubed tofu (or about 1/3 cup)

            1 Orange container dry roasted peanuts, chopped (or about ¼ cup)

            1 garlic clove, minced

            ½ cup green onions, chopped

            1 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro

            1 medium zucchini, spiral cut with a spiralizer

            1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

            1 tbsp tamarind concentrate

            2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp white vinegar

            1 tsp honey

1 tbsp chili powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

           

INSTRUCTIONS

1   Scramble the egg whites and set aside.

2   Place lime juice, tamarind concentrate, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, chili powder and cayenne

3   Place a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray and add in the tofu and garlic. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tofu begins to brown. Add in the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4   Add in the zucchini noodles and cilantro and stir to combine thoroughly.

5   Cook for about 2 minutes or until noodles soften and then add in the scrambled eggs.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes, tossing to fully combine.

6   Turn off the heat and mix in the peanuts and green onions.

Tofu Saag

Makes 2 servings.  Each serving is 1.5 Greens, 1 Red, 1 TSP

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp coriander cumin powder

2 tsp garam masala

½ tsp salt

½ tsp curry powder

½ small can tomato paste

1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

½ green container onion, chopped

2 green containers fresh spinach

1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

2 red containers cubed tofu, pan fried in 1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Melt the extra virgin coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

2.  Stir in the garlic, onions, coriander cumin powder, ginger, garam masala, salt, curry powder and tomato paste.  Add water to keep it at a sauce-like consistency and summer for 15 minutes.

3.  Stir in the spinach and simmer covered for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

4.  Place mixture into a blender and pulse puree 5-10 times.  You want to keep it a chunky consistency, not completely smooth.

5.  Transfer back to saucepan and add Greek yogurt and cooked tofu.  Eat by itself or serve over brown rice!

Note: I counted the onions and tomato paste together as one green, and I did not count the Greek yogurt as a red because it would only be ½ of a tablespoon in each serving.

Zucchini Lasagna

1 Green, 1 Red, 1 Blue, 0.5 Purple

INGREDIENTS
1 small zucchini, sliced into long slices about 1 cm in thickness
1 Red container of part-skim ricotta cheese
1 Blue container of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 Purple container of marinara sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1.  Boil some water in a pot and add the zucchini slices to the boiling water.  Cook until zucchini is tender.  Then take the zucchini slices out of the water and place on paper towels to dry.

2.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and place one layer of the cooked zucchini on the bottom.  Then spread a layer of the ricotta cheese on top of the zucchini and place another layer of the zucchini slices.  Continue to layer until all the zucchini and ricotta have been used.

3.  Pour the marinara sauce on top of the layers and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top

4.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Chana Masala (Chick Peas Curry)

For vegetarians: 1 Red, 0.5 Purple, 0.5 Green, 1 tsp
For non-vegetarians: 1 Yellow, 0.5 Purple, 0.5 Green, 1 tsp

INGREDIENTS
1 red container chick peas, washed and drained
1/2 green container onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tsp hardar (turmeric powder)
2 tsp chole masala
1 tsp coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oil in a pan and add onion and garlic.  Cook until onions are translucent.

2. Stir in the tomato paste and about 1/2 cup of water and mix until it has a sauce-like consistency.  Add water as needed to keep it at that consistency.

3.  Add in the coriander/cumin powder, turmeric powder and chole masala.

4.  Add the chick peas and mix everything together.  Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Serve with whole wheat naan or pita or over brown rice (1 Yellow).

Ways I like to eat this:

I put it on a plate with some plain greek yogurt on the side and a side of raw onions and tomatoes.  I take a little bit of each component in a spoon and eat it up!  This way, I don't have any carbs in this meal, and I can save my Yellows for something else!

Baingan Bhartha (Eggplant Curry)

2 Green, 0.5 Red, 1 tsp

INGREDIENTS
1 green container cubed eggplant
1/2 green container onions, chopped
1/2 green container tomatoes, chopped
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 red container plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place cubed eggplant on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.

2. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Mix in onion and garlic.  Cook and stir until onion is translucent.

3. Mix in cumin, ginger, curry powder, garam masala and tomato into the saucepan and cook about 1 minute.  Stir in yogurt.  Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt.  Cover and cook 10 minutes over medium heat.  Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Way I like to eat this: scooped onto some whole wheat pita!