Marinated Mixed Olives

Marinated Mixed Olives
makes 1 quart

For these Marinated Mixed Olives, I used a mixture of pitted castelvetrano (bright green), kalamata (large purple) and nicoise (small purple), but use any olives that you like (I’m a big fan of meaty-tasting gaetas as well).  I think olives with pits tend to taste better than pitted, but depending on the familiarity of the party guests with one another, you might want to go pit-less.  It can be hard to pick up a dude while spitting an olive pit out of your mouth.  Or so I’ve heard.

1 quart of olives (I used a mixture of castelvetrano, kalamata and nicoise)
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red chili flake, or more to taste
zest from 1 lemon (use a microplane or fine grater)
2 tablespoons minced rosemary
2 tablespoons minced thyme
4 garlic cloves

1. Drain the olives from their brine and put the olives in a large bowl.

2. Add the olive oil, chili flake, lemon zest, rosemary and thyme to the bowl. Using the side of your knife blade, smash each garlic clove and peel of the skin and discard. Add the peeled garlic cloves to the bowl and stir everything to combine. Refrigerate and return to room temperature before serving.

Note: These can be served immediately or days later but taste best after one day of marinating.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Makes 12

I’ll say it: these dark chocolate peanut butter cups are WAY better than Reeses.  Sorry purists.  Rich and flavorful dark chocolate contains antioxidants called flavonoids and can lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol.  Raw honey helps provide body and a little sweetness to the filling.  Raw honey (with traces of bee pollen and propolis) is an antibacterial and antifungal and is believed to help with allergies and immunity.  Seek out a natural peanut butter brand that only contains peanuts and salt for the best taste and texture.

2 3.5-ounce bars of dark chocolate (60-70%)
1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons raw honey
flaked Maldon sea salt

1. Line a mini muffin tray with 12 paper liners.

2. Chop up chocolate bars and melt in the microwave or a double boiler. In a separate bowl, whisk peanut butter and honey together with a fork. Pop the peanut butter bowl in the fridge to chill.

3. Fill each paper liner with 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate and tilt the pan to completely cover the bottom and slightly up the sides of each paper liner. Pop into the freezer to harden.

4. Take a heaping 1/2 teaspoon scoop of the peanut butter mixture and roll into a ball. Place on top of the chocolate and press gently to flatten into a thick disk.  You want to leave a very thin circle of chocolate around the peanut butter so that the chocolate will completely encase the filling. Repeat for all muffin cups.

5. Take 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate (or more) and cover each cup completely. Give the pan a little shimmy to flatten the surface of the chocolate.  Top each with a pinch of sea salt and chill in the fridge. Serve once hardened. Make a bunch of friends fast.

Sunflower Sprout Smoothie

Sunflower Sprout Smoothie
Serves 1

Sunflower Sprouts are easy to grow at home and are bursting with nutrients! High in protein and easy to digest, all sprouts can add a little something extra to your diet.  Because nutrients like Vitamin C, folate, and beta carotene all start to decrease once a plant has been harvested, older greens in the grocery store might not carry as much nutrition as you think. Sprouts and microgreens have a shorter shelf life, so they are usually locally grown and pack a higher nutritional punch.  Here I combined the slightly bitter and very green taste of sunflower sprouts with a banana to sweeten it up and a tart green apple to play on the fresh vegetal taste.

1 banana
1 green apple, cored and rough chopped
1 handful sunflower sprouts (½ cup)
1 cup baby spinach
1 tablespoon hemp seeds (optional)
1/2 lemon, juiced

1. Combine ingredients in a high-powered blender with cold water and blend until smooth. Can store in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.

Clean Green Smoothie Jars

Clean Green Smoothie Jars
Serves 4

This recipe is really more of a technique that can be used for any green smoothie.  Chop all of your ingredients one night and portion out smoothie ingredients for the next few days.  Lemon juice provides an essential bright, tart flavor in green smoothies and it also helps keep fresh fruit like apples and bananas from oxidizing (aka turning brown and ugly).  You can mix up what you put in each jar for a little variety too.

4 bananas, chopped
4 green apples, cored and chopped
2 lemons, juiced
1 small English cucumber, chopped
1 bunch lacinato kale, chopped
4 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 5-ounce bag baby spinach

1. Set out 4 32-ounce size mason jars.  Toss chopped bananas and apples with lemon juice and divide equally among jars.  Fill jars with cucumber, kale, hemp seeds and spinach until full and seal with lid. Store in the fridge.

2. When you go to make a smoothie, empty contents of jar into the blender and add enough water to make it blend.  Pour the smoothie back into mason jar and off you go!

Mushroom Walnut Pate

Mushroom Walnut Pate
makes about 3 cups

This "pate"--or let's be real "spread"--is unbelievable rich and meaty.  Combined with green apples, arugula and a whole grain bread, it makes my favorite vegetarian sandwich.  There are a couple of steps here, but they are all actually easy and this comes together pretty quickly.  Back when I had my food blog Urban Chickpea, this recipe was one of my most circulated and reposted.  I've simplified the original version here--fewer ingredients, but the same knockout taste.  I like it best on whole grain crackers or bread or served simply as a dip to celery sticks.

1 cup French green lentils
3 cups water
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried Herbes de Provence
1 8-10 ounce package of cremini mushrooms (about 3 cups), thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry sherry (or 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar)
2 teaspoons of kosher sea salt

1. Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Add them to a large pot and cover with the water. The stock should be about 2 inches above the lentils; add water if it’s not at that level. Bring up to a boil and then simmer until the lentils are fully cooked, about 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. On a sheet tray, spread out the walnuts and toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

3. Heat up a large saute pan and add the oil. Saute the onion over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt until it is soft and golden brown. Then add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the sliced mushrooms with another pinch of salt and saute until they are brown and much of the liquid has evaporated. The whole mixture should be soft and look caramelized. This is key to the richness of the recipe, so don't hurry the cooking of the mushrooms and onions.  Then add the dry sherry, using it to scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.

4. In the food processor, pulse the walnuts until finely ground. Then add the cooked lentils (drained from their water), the mushroom mixture and the 2 teaspoons of salt. Puree until smooth. Taste the mixture and add salt until it tastes perfect. Then add two extra pinches of salt. It will taste too salty warm, but once it cools, it will taste perfect again. The palate perceives salt differently in hot and cold food.

5. Spoon mixture into a loaf pan, mold or tupperware and cover with plastic wrap. Then place a similarly-sized container on top and weigh it down to press the pate. (optional)  Chill in the refrigerator for several hours.  Invert on a plate to serve as an hors d’oeuvre or spread on bread for your sandwich.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Creamy Broccoli Soup
Serves 4

One of the weird packaged foods like I absolutely loved as a kid was Lipton Cup-a-Soup in the Broccoli Cheddar flavor.  Basically it’s a “food” powder that you rehydrate in hot water and that should only be served to monkeys in space.  Somehow we thought that feeding this to a sick person would make them healthy again.  So I decided to create a healthy, vegan version of broccoli cheddar soup with–gasp!–real food.  Onions and garlic give a solid flavor base, and cannellini beans create that creamy texture and pack the protein, while lightly cooked broccoli adds vitamins C, K, and A, folate, and a brilliant green color. The nutritional yeast adds an optional "cheesy" flavor and Vitamin B12.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups of water
2 heads of broccoli, broken into small florets (about 1 lb)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
juice of half lemon
salt, pepper, and chili flake to taste

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot and add onions.  Saute until they soften but don’t brown, about 5 – 7 minutes.

2. Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds.  Stir in the beans and add salt and water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Add broccoli florets and let sit until they turn bright green, about 30 – 60 seconds.  Remove a few florets and set aside for garnish.  Blend the soup in batches in a blender until very smooth, adding lemon juice, salt, pepper and chili flake to taste.

3. Serve immediately, garnished with broccoli florets and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Note: The lemon juice will turn the broccoli an olive green as it sits.  If you aren’t serving the soup until later, add the lemon juice and re-season right before serving if you want to keep it bright green.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries

Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4

3-4 sweet potatoes (2lbs)
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
generous sprinkle of salt

1. Preheat oven to 425. Slice sweet potatoes into large wedges (8-12 per potato). On two parchment-lined sheet trays, toss sweet potatoes with oil, chipotle powder, cinnamon and salt. 

2. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, tossing lightly half-way through.  You want them to be tender and browned on the outside.

Individual Blueberry Blackberry Crisps

Individual Blueberry-Blackberry Crisps
Serves 4-6

The beautiful colors in blueberries and blackberries tell you that they are bursting with anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant.  Berries are bountiful in the summer, but this recipe can use frozen berries for a year-round treat.  While the berries are the star of this dessert, the whole-grain and nut topping adds crunch and richness while still being nutrient-packed and slow-digesting.  You’ll wonder why you’ve been adding flour and white sugar to desserts all these years.

for the filling:
12 ounces blueberries (1 pint fresh or 1 bag frozen)
12 ounces blackberries (1 pint fresh or 1 bag frozen)
1 tablespoon arrowroot (can substitute cornstarch)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
grated zest from 1 lemon

for the topping:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut oil

special equipment:
4-6 small ramekins or gratin dishes

1. Preheat oven to 350. Set ramekins or gratin dishes on a sheet tray. Depending on the size of your dishes, you may need more or fewer.

2. In a large bowl, combine berries, arrowroot, maple syrup and lemon zest.

3. In a different bowl, toss oats, almond meal, sliced almonds, maple syrup and coconut oil together.  Mix evenly with your fingers until you get a crumbly texture.

4. Spoon the berries into the ramekins, filling them all the way (cooking will reduce their volume). Top each ramekin with a couple spoonfuls of the crumble topping. Cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes. You want the crisps to be lightly browned and the filling to be bubbling beneath.

5. Cool for about 5 minutes until warm and thickened. Can serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or homemade coconut yogurt.

Kale Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Roasted Chickpeas

Serves 4

Raw kale salads make great go-to lunches because you can dress them and they will stay sturdy and delicious for 1-2 days.  If you love salty, crunchy snacks like me, you’ll love these crispy chickpeas.  You can play around with seasonings to make a different high protein, high fiber movie-watching snack.  Keep the chickpeas out of the refrigerator and store them in an airtight container to keep them crispy longer.  To maximize time, put the chickpeas in while you eat your dinner, then finish up the rest of the salad post-dinner and you’ve got lunch ready to go.

for chickpeas:
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlicsalt and pepper to taste

for salad:
2 bunches leafy kale, stemmed and chopped into bite size pieces
1 lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a parchment-lined sheet tray, combine chickpeas, grapeseed oil, granulated garlic, salt and pepper.  Roast until crunchy, about 45-60 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine the kale with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Massage with your hands for about 5 minutes, until kale looks moist and softer and it has reduced in volume.  Taste and see if you need to add more salt, lemon or olive oil.  If it’s too bitter, add a little maple syrup.

3. Toss in sun-dried tomatoes and sunflower seeds.  Pack the salad and chickpeas separately to keep the chickpeas crunchy.  Toss chickpeas on top right before serving.

Raw Chocolate Macaroons

Makes 20

If I could choose a dessert to be served at my funeral this would be it. They'd be easy and stress free for my grieving loved ones to put together and the combination of chocolate, coconut, and sea salt seem like the perfect way to honor my memory.  Rich and chocolately, these little guys are best served chilled.

2 1/2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup coconut butter, melted if necessary (not the same as coconut oil)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup cocoa or raw cacao powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until a sticky “dough” is formed.  Use a small ice cream scoop to create even macaroons or form tablespoon size macaroons by hand.  Top with a flake of sea salt.  Chill for at least 2 hours and serve cold.

Gingery Peapod Stirfry with Black Rice

Serves 2-3

Stirfries are a great way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. Ginger is a powerful antiinflammatory and can soothe the intestinal tract.  Black rice is an easy to digest grain packed with more anthocyanins (the antioxidant in purple foods like blueberries) than any other food. Sub brown rice or quinoa if you can’t find it.

3/4 cup black rice
drizzle of grapeseed oil
1 package shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 scallions, white and green parts sliced, separated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
1/2 cup toasted cashews
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tamari
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese cooking wine--sub rice vinegar + maple syrup if you can't find it)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1. In a medium pot, combine rice with 1 1/4 cups of water, cover and bring to a simmer until cooked, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat a drizzle of grapeseed oil. Saute mushrooms until they release moisture and start to brown. Then add scallion whites, garlic, and ginger.  Add trimmed peapods and cashews and sauté for 2 minutes, until peapods start to turn bright green.  Add tamari, mirin and sesame oil and stir to combine.

3. Serve rice alongside stirfry and garnish with scallion greens.

Banana Hemp Green Smoothie

Serves 1

This fast blended breakfast combines leafy greens with a natural protein source—two ingredients that quick breakfasts rarely have! Hemp seeds are one of nature’s few complete proteins—containing all 9 essential amino acids—and have a slightly grassy taste and a creamy texture. Start keeping them on hand to toss into smoothies like this one or on top of salads, tacos or soups.

1 banana
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 cups spinach or kale
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
juice from 1/2 lemon
water or almond milk to blend (start w/ 1/2 cup)

1. Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.  If you like cold smoothies, use a frozen banana or add ice.

Spinach Walnut Pasta Salad

Serves 4

In our hangover daze from ‘90’s nutritional messages, we sometimes forget that whole-wheat is actually a fantastic protein source. Most people feel full and satisfied after eating pasta, plus it’s inexpensive, easy to cook and very affordable. Feel free to sub an alternative grain pasta (like quinoa or corn), and remember in order to keep pasta healthy, we bulk up on the vegetables! 

This pasta salad is half green salad/half pasta salad is totally customizable and makes a great takealong to the office. Make the whole recipe, but just stack the spinach on top of the dressed pasta in your tupperware. Then stir it in right before eating.

1/2 lb whole-wheat fusili pasta
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half
1 zucchini, finely chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 clove of garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 5-ounce bag of baby spinach

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, zucchini, kalamatas and walnuts.  In a mason jar, mix up dressing by combining vinegar, garlic, Dijon, olive oil and salt and pepper and shaking.

3. Toss pasta with enough dressing (you’ll have some left over).  Roughly chop the baby spinach and toss that in too and stir.  If you are taking this along for lunch, just rest the spinach on top and toss right before you eat it.  Taste and season with salt, pepper and extra vinegar.

Mushroom Lentil Tacos with Pistachio Crema

Serves 3-4

Lentils are most frequently found in soups, but here I combine them with earthy mushrooms to get a savory taco filling with bite.  If you are just beginning to work with legumes, these French green lentils are a good place to start.  They are available in a can or you can cook them from the bulk section. The tacos are really all about this great pistachio crema though—slightly tangy from the lemon and creamy and pale green from the pistachios, it’s a great  way to get flavor into every bite of this very vegetal meal.

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 8-10 ounce package shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and chopped
1 8-10 ounce package cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce can brown or green lentils
1 teaspoon tamari
1 cup pistachios, soaked in water (for 10 minutes-3 hours)
2 scallions, green parts chopped
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
12 corn tortillas
1 5-ounce bag arugula
Store-bought kimchi

1. In a large skillet, heat oil.  Add chopped mushrooms and pinch of salt and let cook down until the moisture has evaporated and they turn golden.  Add the minced garlic, cumin and red pepper flake and stir.

2. Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender, combined drained pistachios, lemon juice, salt, chopped green scallions and enough fresh water to combine.  Blend until it’s smooth and thick like crema. Taste and season for salt and lemon juice.

3. Then add the lentils to the skillet with the mushrooms, stir and add tamari and cook until lentils are warmed up.

4. Assemble tacos: lay down three tortillas per person and add mushroom-lentil mix, a dollop of pistachio crema, a fistful of arugula and top with kimchi.  Devour.

Cookie Dough Energy Bites

Makes 14 cookies

1 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup hemp seeds (or more cashews)
1 cup medjool dates
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Buzz up cashews and hemp seeds in the food processor until you get a fine meal.  Add dates, salt and vanilla extract and process until you get a “dough” that sticks together.  Remove dough into bowl and mix in chocolate chips.

2. Take a tablespoon-sized amount and roll into a ball and press flat into a cookie shape. Repeat with the rest of the dough and chill for at least 2 hours.  Serve cold.

Indian Hot and Sour Cashews

Makes 2 Cups

Amchur (green mango powder) is a souring agent used frequently in Indian cookery.  Most sour spices can be harder to find since they aren’t as popular in American cuisine.  Check out Indian markets for amchur or find it online.  If you don’t have it on hand, a squeeze of fresh lime juice on the spiced cashews before serving will give that same sour kick.  Asafoetida is a pungent seasoning reminiscent of onions and garlic that’s used all over India, but garlic powder is an easy substitute.  And the pomegranate seed and cilantro garnish is entirely optional, but I love the festive, holiday look that it gives to this dish.

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other light oil)
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chili flake
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons amchur
large pinch asafoetida or garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fine grind sea salt
2 cups raw whole cashews
pomegranate seeds and chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 300.  Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and saute until they start to pop out of the pan. Add chili flake, turmeric, amchur, asafoetida/garlic powder and salt.

3. Turn off the heat and add the cashews to the pan, coating them thoroughly in the spiced oil.  Spread evenly on the sheet tray.  Bake at 300 for 12 – 15 minutes, stirring twice during cooking time. Cool and garnish with pomegranate seeds and cilantro.  Eat and enjoy.

Lemon Ginger Turmeric Infusion

Serves 1

Try drinking this infusion first thing in the morning about 30 minutes before breakfast. Ginger is thought to settle the stomach and improves digestion and turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory. If you can't find fresh turmeric, just use a pinch of the powdered spice. As always, consult you doctor when it comes to using food as medicine.

1 lemon
1-inch piece of ginger (unpeeled), sliced
1/2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, sliced
1 1/2 cups of water

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel two strips of zest off of the lemon and place the strips in a small pot.  Add the ginger and tumeric.  Cover with the 1 1/2 cups of water and put over heat.  Let simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half into a mug. Pour the ginger-and-lemon-infused hot water through a strainer into the mug.  Find a cozy corner and enjoy.

Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Soup

Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 lbs of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 2-3)
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of canned white beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned coconut milk
juice from 1 lime
salt to taste
cilantro or chives for garnish (optional)

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil and saute onion with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent. Add garlic and ginger and saute 1 minute more. Stir in chopped sweet potatoes, water, white beans and coconut milk.  Simmer until sweet potato is fully cooked, about 20 minutes.

2. In batches, blend up soup until it's smooth. You want it to be a thick, but not as thick as baby food. We're making soup here. If it seems to thick, just add more water. Add lime juice and salt generously to taste. Garnish bowls with cilantro leaves or chives.  This soup freezes beautifully.

Raw Brownie Bites with Hemp

Makes 25 mini brownies

These raw brownies are really just fruit and nut bars where dates and walnuts are pulverized in the food processor and cocoa powder is added to give them that chocolatey goodness.  These could also be shaped into little balls and then rolled in hemp seeds to look like truffles.  Either method is great to make with kids since eating the batter is strongly encouraged and hands are the preferred tool for mixing.  You can eat them immediately, but they greatly improve in flavor and texture after an hour or two chilling in the fridge.

1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hemp seeds, divided
1 1/2 cups pitted Medjool dates (about 15 dates)
1/2 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
pinch of sea salt

1. In the food processor, pulse walnuts and 1/4 cup hemp seeds until finely ground, but not smooth. Add dates, cocoa/cacao powder and sea salt and blend until the dates are pulverized and a crumbly mixture forms.

2. Remove from food processor and press into a ball. Press mixture evenly into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish, using the bottom of a measuring cup to make the top smooth. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds on top and lightly press down. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours to let the brownies firm up. Cut into small squares and store in the fridge.

Black Rice and Lentil Mujadara

Serves 2

Mujadara is a Middle Eastern staple of long white rice and brown lentils tossed in a skillet with mountains of caramelized onions. I usually have a couple of onions in my kitchen so when I have leftover grains and lentils or beans, this is my go-to dish.  Here I used leftover black rice and French green lentils but sub whatever you have on hand. The secret to this simple dish is to let the onions caramelize as long as possible and to season generously with salt. 

2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
3 onions, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 1/2 cup cooked French green lentils
1 cup cooked black rice
salt to taste
1 scallion, chopped

1. In a very large skillet, heat ghee or oil and saute onions until very caramelized and browned, 45-60 minutes. This recipe is so simple, it's worth the wait to let the onions really brown and develop their flavor.  If the skillet starts to dry out, just add a tablespoon of water. You may have to do this a couple of times.

2. When onions are irresistible, toss in cooked lentils and rice and stir until just warmed through.  Season generously with salt. Garnish with the scallion.