Dairy-Free Kale and Broccoli Caesar Salad with Turmeric Quinoa Patties

This recipe is a combination of different foods I like: kale salads, dairy-free creamy dressings, and crispy quinoa patties. It's easy to use these foods, change the flavorings, and create a whole new meal! This meal is vegan because I like to eat lots of plants foods. But your meal can be a little different from this one if you'd like. Add in a hard boiled egg or avocado, as I sometimes do.

Making quinoa patties without eggs does require some alterations from the typical recipes. Flaxseed "eggs" (ground flaxseed + water) works well as a binder, but they can still fall apart. That is why I bake the quinoa patties before searing. Baking first helps them hold together and makes them easier to flip in the pan!

The dressing is similar to the cashew Caesar in one of my new favorite vegetarian cookbooks, The First Mess. I changed it up a little because I like lots and lots of lemon! And adding ground cashews gives it the texture you get from adding grated parmesan to Caesar dressing. Don't skip the nutritional yeast. If you haven't used it before then you are in for a pleasant surprise. It's quite delicious with a savory, nutty, umami flavor. It is perfect in most dairy-free/cheese-free sauce and dishes. You can find it at Whole Foods, Wegman's, Mom's, Trader Joes, and probably some other stores too.

This recipe has three components: quinoa patties, salad, and dressing. The recipe looks long, but its all easy to do! The steps are written so that you can efficiently make this meal in 30 minutes or less. Hope you enjoy!

Kale and Broccoli Caesar Salad with Turmeric Quinoa Patties

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan

Recipe by Emily Frizell, R.D

(Serves 4)

Quinoa Patties

¾         cup                  dry quinoa

1          cup                  water or broth

4          TBSP.              ground flaxseed

6          TBSP.              hot water

½        tsp.                  dried thyme

½        tsp.                  salt

1/8     tsp.                  mustard powder

½        tsp.                  turmeric powder

¼         tsp.                  ginger powder

3 ½     TBSP.              arrowroot starch (sub cornstarch or GF flour if needed)

Salad

8          ---                    kale leaves, thinly sliced

1          TBSP.              lemon juice

2          cups                broccoli florets

½        cup                  sliced almonds (or other chopped nut)

Dressing

3          TBSP.              cashew butter

2          TBSP.              avocado oil

½        tsp.                  lemon zest

3          TBSP.              fresh lemon juice

1          TBSP.              water

3          ---                    garlic cloves, pushed through garlic press

2          tsp.                  Dijon mustard

1          tsp.                  capers + ½ tsp. liquid

1          TBSP.              nutritional yeast

¼         tsp.                  salt

¼         tsp.                  ground pepper

¼         cup                  roughly ground cashews (pulse in food processor or blender)

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and lightly oil. Set aside.

Combine quinoa and water (or broth) in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and let cool.

While quinoa is cooking, combine ground flaxseed and hot water in a medium bowl and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes. In a large bowl, toss kale with lemon juice and set aside.

Add cooked quinoa and remaining patty ingredients to the flaxseed mixture. Stir until combined. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. While patties are in the freezer, finely chop broccoli and add to kale bowl.

Lightly oil your hands to prevent quinoa from sticking. Form quinoa into 8 patties (about 2 ½ - 3 inches diameter). Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. While patties are cooking, combine all ingredients for the dressing. Pour desired amount over kale and toss.

Heat a little oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. When hot, carefully place cooked patties in the skillet and sear until golden brown, about 2 – 3 minutes each side. Serve warm over kale broccoli Caesar salad.

Cranberry Walnut Turkey Wrap

This is a very good sweet and savory lunch dish.  The cranberry sauce is sweet and tart, the turkey, celery, and mayo mixture add the savory touch.  This is pretty low calorie and high-fiber too.  It's very simple and easy to make.  I used my Cranberry Sauce from a previous recipe, which is also easy to make.

Cranberry Walnut Turkey Wrap

What you'll need:
- 2 oz low-sodium seasoned deli turkey
- 2 tbsp Cranberry Sauce
- 1 tbsp low-fat mayo
- 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp chopped celery
- 2 tbsp chopped red onion
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup spinach
- 2 tbsp crushed walnuts
- 1 whole wheat wrap

Mix all ingredients together and combine in a wrap.

Low- Fat Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich

Chicken caesar salad can be really high in calories and really high in saturated fat.  Caesar dressing is  high in calories and saturated fat, and so is the parmesan cheese that  is added to the dressing and sprinkled on top, plus theres the butter that the croutons are cooked in.

This chicken salad sandwich is made with part caesar dressing and part plain greek yogurt.  The Greek yogurt takes on the flavor or the caesar dressing.  This way you still get all the flavor, without all the calories.  A toasted whole wheat bagel has less fat than croutons and has more fiber.

Low Fat Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich

What you'll need: 
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine
-  3 tbsp plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp Caesar dressing
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 chicken breast
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 whole wheat bagel

What to do:
1.  Bring ~3 cups water to a simmer and add chicken.  Insert thermometer into chicken.  Cook until it reaches 160*F.  Remove, let sit ~ 10 minutes.  Then cut up into 4 pieces to let cool.  When chicken is cooled, pull apart chicken.

2.  Combine yogurt, dressing, parmesan, onion, lettuce, pepper, and chicken in a bowl.

3.  Toast bagel.  Make one sandwich with each half of a bagel and the chicken mixture.

5 Ways with Rotisserie Chicken

Buying a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store can make meal preparation really easy.  You buy a whole cooked chicken, then take apart the pieces you want.  It is important to remember that some parts of the chicken are healthier than others.  The skin is going to be the least healthy part.  The skin itself contains a lot of saturated fat.  It is also where the butter and salt get laid on before the chicken is cooked.  So I always peel off the skin.  The dark meat is higher in fat than the white meat.  So when you are deciding which meat to use for which recipe, use the higher fat meat with a lower fat recipes.  

So here are some ideas on how to use the chicken meat:

Use  thigh meat for a Chicken Taco Salad

Make a salad of greens, strips of red and green bell peppers, onion.  Top with salsa, a small sprinkle of Mexican cheese, a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt, and plash of hot sauce.  Throw on the pulled chicken meat and you've got a super fast dinner.  If you don't like uncooked peppers and onions, saute them for about 5 minutes in a little canola oil and sprinkle with pepper and paprika.

Use breast meat for a Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich

In a bowl, mix together 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine, 3 tbsp plain non-fat Greek yogurt, 3 tbsp Caesar dressing, 1 tbsp grated parmesan, pulled meat of one chicken breast, 1/4 tsp pepper.  Stir so that the dressing coats everything.  Toast a bun or roll, or use pita bread.  Recipe makes 2 sandwiches

Use thigh meat for a Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad

Make a salad of romaine and spinach.  Top with chopped green bell pepper, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, a few walnuts, and chicken meat.  Make a dressing of 1 part Dijon mustard, 2 parts olive oil, 2 parts balsamic vinegar, plus a pinch of salt and pepper.

Use breast meat for a Greek Chicken Salad Sandwich

In a food processor, chop 1 smal cucumber and 2 peeled garlic cloves.  Then in a bowl, mix together shredded chicken, the chopped cucumber, 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp crumbled feta, 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp dried dill.  Toast a bun or roll, or use pita bread.  Recipe makes 2 sandwiches.

Use breast or tenderloin meat for a quick BBQ Chicken Pizza

Use a small spoonful of BBQ sauce to mix with the shredded chicken meat.  Spread a small amount of BBQ sauce over the inside of each half of a sandwich thin ( such as Arnold Breads), then top with thinly sliced red onion, a few thin slices of green bell pepper, and the chicken.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp of shredded mozzarella cheese on each sandwich half.  Set a toaster oven to 'Broil' on low, or a 'Pizza' setting and cook for 8 - 10 minutes.

Spicy Ham and Zucchini Quesadilla

Quesadillas can be really high in calories and saturated fat from all the cheese.  You can add in veggies to up the fiber, but it still had a lot cheese.  You can take out a large portion of the cheese, but it makes it hard to stick everything together.  So I tried using hummus to help food stick without using a lot of cheese.

I also used small and thinly cut veggies and meat.  This helps use less cheese and still keep all the food in the quesadilla.

Spicy Ham and Zucchini Quesadilla

What you'll need:
- 1/2 a large zucchini
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 thin slices of deli low-sodium ham, chopped
- 10" whole wheat tortilla
- 2 tbsp spicy hummus (see previous post)
- 1 tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle pepper
- 1 oz shredded or finely diced cheese (monterey jack or cheddar)
Optional toppings:  salsa and plain Greek yogurt

What to do:
1.  Cut ends of zucchini off.  Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then lay flat and cut thin slices of half-moon shapes.  Saute zucchini and onion about 2 minutes; add in ham and saute 2 minutes.

2.  Spread hummus on one side of the tortilla.  On top of the hummus, spread half of the cheese on one half of the tortilla.  Top that with zucchini, ham, onion, and adobo sauce.  Spread the remaining cheese over the entire quesadilla.

3.  Heat a flat skillet (I used the same one I used for the zucchini and ham).  When the skillet is hot, lay the tortilla flat in it.  When the cheese is melted on the half without zucchini mixture, fold on top of zucchini mixture.  Cook until tortilla is golden brown.

Spicy Chipotle Hummus

Garbanzo beans conveniently come
in two sizes

I bought tahini (sesame seed paste) for another recipe (the sweet potato and bean veggie burger).  The tahini came in a huge container.  I know hummus uses tahini, so I figured this would be a good way to use some of it up.  I started with simple plain hummus.  I put some of that aside.  Then I added some chipotle pepper, agave nectar, more lemon juice, cumin, and paprika.  I still have a ton of tahini left, but I also have some delicious plain and spicy hummus.

Spicy Chipotle Hummus

What you'll need:
For plain hummus:
- 7.75oz can garbonzo beans
- 2 1/2 tbsp tahini
- 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil

For spicy hummus, add in:
- 2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce (or only one if you want it very mild)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp agave nectar
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp cumin

What to do:
Combine everything in a food processor and blend until silky smooth

Dip pita chips in the hummus or use it as a spread for a sandwich.  I spread the spicy hummus over the inside of a pita, then tossed in some greens, added a few slices of avocado, red onion, and cherry tomatoes.  I also used it in a quesadilla to add in spiciness and flavor. 

Southwest Salad Packable Lunch

Whenever I make salad for dinner, I always chop up a little extra of whatever veggies I am cutting and put it in my salad lunch box.  If there is extra meet, then I will throw that in a baggie and bring it to work with the salad.  This makes it super easy to make a healthy lunch for the office.

On this particular evening,  I did not have any meat to put on the salad.  But  I have eggs at all times; and I had also just bought an avocado. So I hardboiled an egg.  Below in the "What to do" is what I describe to be the perfect way to hard boil an egg.  It is important not to overcook the egg, otherwise you get that grey/green ring around the yolk.  It is also important not to add a cold egg to hot water, otherwise it is likely to crack open.

I also cut the avocado open in half lengthwise and took out the pit.  I stuck some slices of lime on top of one half to prevent browning.  Then I held them together with a rubber band.  This makes it easy to take to work and cut up some avocado without any hassle or brown spots.  I pack salsa and plain Greek yogurt in two individual small containers and put those in my salad lunch box.  It's super easy and really low in calories.   You could also add on some rinsed black beans for some added fiber and protein.

Packable Southwest Salad Lunch

What you'll need:
- 1.5 cups salad greens
- 3 tbsp chopped green peppers
- 2 tbsp sliced red onion
- 2 tbsp salsa
- 2 tbsp 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 1 hardboiled egg
- 1/2 an avocado, chopped
- 1/4 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 lime

What to do:
1. Take an egg out of the fridge 10 minutes prior to starting to allow it to come to room temperature.  Put a small pot of water on the the stove and set to medium high heat.  After the water is warm, about 2-3 minutes, add the egg gently.  Let it stay on a low boil for 10 minutes.  Remove egg and place in cold water.

2. Cut 2-3 thin slices from the lime and place on the avocado.  Wrap in rubber bands to keep together.  Keep the rest of the lime for the salad.

3.  In a sealable container, place the salad greens, green pepper, and red onion,  Sprinkle with juice from the lime. Put the salsa and greek yogurt in two separate small containers.  Put a paper towel around the egg and place in a plastic bag; separately bag the tomato.  Refrigerate overnight or during the morning and enjoy an easy low-calorie lunch. Recipe makes one serving.  I do recommend having some fruit with it for a full balanced meal.  

Nutrition Information
299 calories, 19g carbs, 9g fiber, 14g protein, 21g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 348mg sodium

Pomegranate Hummus Pizza

This is more like an open-faced wrap than a pizza, but I'm going to call it a pizza.  The bottom is round dough, it has a sauce, and it has toppings, so I say it can be called a pizza.  This particular pizza is much healthier than the typical Italian pizza.  Typical pizza is made with white dough (not whole grain), and lots of cheese (which is high in saturated fat and sodium).  In once slice of a 14" Pizza Hut cheese slice there are 320 calories, 13.5g protein, 35g carbs, 3g fiber, 13.5g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 4.5g monounsaturated fat, 2g polyunsaturated fat, 835mg sodium.  But does anyone stop at just one slice?

This "pizza" is not meant to be a healthier version of cheese pizza.  It is meant to be a new type of pizza.  It is made with whole grains and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.  It is also made with fruits and vegetables to add fiber.  It is creamy from the hummus, sweet from the pomegranates, and has a bite from the red onions, and a bit peppery from the arugula.  This "pizza" is very filling so you won't need more than one!

Pomegranate Hummus Pizza

What you'll need:
- 1 whole wheat pita (~6" in diameter)
- 3 tbsp plain hummus
- 1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup baby arugula
- 1/4 cup shredded chicken
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- pinch of pepper
- 1/2 tbsp feta cheese

What to do:
1.  Spread hummus over the pita
2.  In a bowl, mix together the onion, pomegranate, arugula, chicken, lemon juice, pepper.  Add mixture on top of the hummus.
3.  Top with feta cheese.

Nutrition information
380 calories, 17g protein, 53g carbs, 9g fiber, 12g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 731mg sodium

Dates

Dates are a very popular fruit in Dubai and many other areas of the Middle East.  Dates are very sweet and have a high sugar content, but also contain many essential vitamins and minerals.  Plus they are a good source of antioxidants and phytonutrients.

When picking out dates at the grocery store, look for those that are fresh, unwrinkled, single-colored (caramel hue).   Older dates may be drier, have wrinkled skin, and may have some paler areas on the skin. These are still ok to eat, but will not be as juicy, and will have a chewier texture.  You may need to chop off the very dry, pale areas for better overall taste and texture.

To eat, be sure to remove the elongated oval-shaped pit on the inside.  The rest is edible.  Dates can be used in baked goods: cookies, muffins, breads; salads; covered in chocolate; added to fruit salad; and used in many savory dishes.

I decided to make a chicken and date salad.  This had a good combination of sweet and savory.  Many chicken salads get their sweetness from added sugars.  In this recipe,  I only used dates and yogurt to add sweetness.  Many recipes also often use full fat mayonnaise and/or sour cream to add creaminess.  However, plain fat-free Greek yogurt is a good, nutritious substitute.  See recipe below.

What you'll need:
- 1 chicken breast
- 6 dates, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
1.  Fill a medium sauce pan with water about 3 inches deep.  Heat water over high heat on the stove and let come to a boil.  Add the chicken breast and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover pot.  Cook about 8-10 minutes until done.  Check for doneness by cutting the chicken in half crosswise.  If there is any pink- it is NOT done and will need to cook for longer.  If the chicken is cooked, place on a plate or drying rack to cool.

2.  While the chicken is cooking and cooling, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

3.  When the chicken has cooled, pull the chicken apart with your hands and/or a fork. Pull apart to create small strings of chicken.  When done, add chicken to the yogurt mixture.  Serve cold.  You can wrap in a leaf of lettuce or top on some delicious bread.   Recipe makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
63 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 16g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 6g protein

Some variations:
- use fewer dates to make it less sweet
- add celery to add some crunch and some bitter flavor
- add slivered almonds for crunch and a bit of nutty flavor
- use less vinegar and lemon juice to decrease acidity and tartness