
I cannot stop eating the Wheat Berry and Bean Salad…it is so good!
However, I must admit that today’s recipe also stole my heart.
My goal for this week is to cook + blog 5 healthy lunch and dinner recipes. You won’t be seeing any desserts on the blog this week I’m afraid. I am all sugared out at the moment! The closest thing I may get to dessert this week is a vegan banana bread if I can ever get the recipe perfect (I’m on trial #3 right now!).
One main factor in healthy eating is planning ahead and making healthy food readily accessible. This week, I plan on stocking my fridge and freezer full of healthy leftovers that can be enjoyed in a snap. Working in a bakery and writing a food blog means that I am often too tired at the end of the day to cook a big dinner. If I can have delicious leftovers waiting in the fridge, I am much more likely to stay on the right track and eat meals that are balanced.
And if all else fails, I have lots of cookies in the freezer.
Today’s recipe prep was improved with some new kitchen tools!

I have needed some good knives for a while now and Eric got me a couple for Christmas. My heart went all a flutter for these Wusthof knives. I got a 20cm Chef’s knife and a 9cm paring knife.
They rock my world!!

I also feel much safer chopping with these knives as compared to my old dull knives that would slide all over the place.
Up next for Back on Track Week is a slightly spicy and energizing rainbow rice and bean salad, full of so many wonderful ingredients you will be bouncing off the walls in no time!
This recipe is so irresistible, I just had to eat it for breakfast this morning. It gave me so much energy too!

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Spicy Rainbow Rice and Bean Salad
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum Cookbook.
Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
- 1 tbsp oil of your choice (I used EVOO)
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 green onion, chopped (optional)
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp Tamari (organic soy sauce)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp Earth Balance, to stir in
Directions: Cook the basmati rice on the stove top according to the package directions. I cooked the rice the night before to save some time when I made the recipe.
Chop all vegetables and get all of your ingredients ready before beginning this recipe.
In a large skillet, add the tablespoon of oil over low-medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté on low-medium heat until golden. Add spices, garlic, and optional green onion and sauté on low for a few minutes until the spices begin to bubble slightly. Be careful not to burn.
Add in the Tamari sauce and the drained and rinsed black beans and stir well. Heat for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
Add the frozen peas, grated carrots, and frozen corn and stir well. Heat on low for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the cooked and drained rice and a teaspoon of Earth Balance (or butter).
Makes 6 cups.
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I got a few new vegan cookbooks for Christmas, one of which is this Vegan Yum Yum that I am very excited about. I’m hoping to do a post in the future talking about my cookbook collection once I test some of them out a bit more.

I cooked the brown rice last night to save some time this morning!

Gather up your spices!

Note to self: Do not attempt to carry a board across the kitchen with mustard seeds. Half of them will end up on the floor.

It wasn’t pretty.
If you are not a fan of spicy foods, you may want to omit the red pepper flakes and then slowly add the rest of the seasonings to adjust to taste.
In a large skillet, sauté the onion until golden and then add the spices.

I also added a clove of minced garlic and 1 chopped green onion for more flavour.

Gather your black beans, Tamari (organic soy sauce), 2 medium carrots, and frozen peas and corn.

I doubled the vegetables in the original recipe because…why not?

Grate carrots.

After the spices start to bubble a bit, add your black beans and Tamari to the mixture and stir well.

I tasted this bean mixture and it was so salty, I thought there was no way I was going to like this dish. But lo and behold, after I added the frozen veggies and rice it tasted just right. The frozen veggies also release a bit of water into the mixture to help thin out the Tamari sauce.
Heat for about 5 minutes and then add in your carrots, peas, and corn.

Stir well.

Once this mixture is cooked through, stir in your cooked rice.

That’s right.

…and serve. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

It makes about 6 cups so you will have lots of delicious leftovers for lunches and quick dinners!

This Rainbow salad is spicy, but not too spicy, and it is salty thanks to the Tamari, but it wasn’t too salty. Everything seemed to balance out in the end and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I also loved the texture that the vegetables brought to this dish. You could experiment with adding all kinds of vegetables too! Mushrooms or broccoli would be really fun.

Work calls me now and I’m going to squeeze in a Booty Camp Fitness DVD later on today. I’ve been trying to prepare my muscles for my first Body Pump class (in a few years!) tomorrow. My muscles are going to be in shock, no doubt. I’m excited to be pumping iron again. I will be talking about my 2011 health goals soon!
Will you be trying out any new fitness activities for the New Year?
I make a very similar salad to that often. It’s so great to use any veggies and grains you have and then throw in some beans and you have a complete delicious and healthy meal!
And what a huge difference good knives make, don’t they!? My boyfriend is a chef and before we moved in together, I had crappy knives and didn’t know any better. Now we have all nice sharp knives and it makes chopping things a breeze!
I almost took off a finger or two in the past 2 years with our knives…I know some ppl are scared of sharp knives but they are actually quite safe when used properly! You dont have to press hard :)
I will definitely be trying out some new workouts this year! I really want to get into strength training, as well as find some new forms of cardio exercise.
I have a warm-weather vacation coming up in March so I’ve been looking back through your ‘Whittle My Middle’ series for inspiration! I can’t wait to hear about your 2011 goals :)
Isn’t it amazing how beautiful and colorful fresh produce is? It beats artificial coloring everyday!
yes, veggies make my heart sing.
The recipe looks awesome!
SO jealous of your Wusthofs ;)
that looks so colourful and healthy, i like it!
I want to try a bodypump class and spin class if i join a new gym in 2011, I need to make 2011 my best year yet all around!
My main fitness goal is to get back into yoga! I love it and keep falling out of the habit. That salad looks amazing, btw! So colorful.
The recipe looks soooo good. I quite covet your Wusthofs!!! Good knives make SUCH a difference!!!! Have a great day. Good luck with the banana bread recipe tweak!!
Vegan Yum Yum is the BEST! There is not a bad recipe in that book.
glad to hear!
You speak the truth – and the Rainbow Rice and Bean recipe is my go to one… Ange, it is sooo much better w/ the Worcestershire sauce though! :)
Your posts this week have been really inspiring for getting back on track, and I love that they are BEFORE New Years. That is really helpful. I’m always inspired here!
After a decadant Christmas in Las Vegas and lots of amazing vegan food we came home and decided to go head first into developing a running routine to mix in with our yoga this year to drop some weight off in 2011. Last night we got new shoes, the nike+ tracker chips, and even some running socks. Made a stop at Lulu in vegas – we are ready to go!
I always mix up rice and beans and vegetables, but I constantly screw up the spices. Can’t wait to give this one a try!
I’ve been prepairing for BodyPump too! I’ve done it before, but am somehow scared of the aching muscles I always have afterwards (as in: can’t get up, can’t get down, can’t smile…). It goes away after a couple of lessons, but still. Scared.
And are you planning on doing a challange again? I’d love to participate this time (am fairly new to your blog)
Im not planning on a challenge at this point, but maybe in the future!
Ooh, I recently bought Vegan Yum Yum, and I love it! The pictures are so vibrant and pretty!
This looks vibrant and pretty as well!
im loving it too…very unique recipes in there eh?
I love that the past two salads you’ve posted are so savable. I completely agree: eating healthy is all about having those clean options at your fingertips! On a completely different note: how do you defrost your frozen cookies? I’ve tried the microwave but they’re just never as good as the original… I’m looking to squeeze more yoga into my fitness regime this year. It’s all about the OM :)
I like to eat some cookies right from the freezer..Im weird like that. Other times I defrost them on the countertop, but that’s only if I am planning in advance
Ahhh, my heart goes a flutter when I see those knives as well. I received those exact two for my wedding 4 years ago. I love them so much. I always make sure I hand wash them, and they go back in their box after I’m finished. I even talk to them sometimes! Ooooh and that lovely…”shhhiiiing” sound they make when you pull them out to use them. Wow, I’m beginning to sound a wee bit creepy. Enjoy!
hahaha I know what you mean
Those are some gorgeous knives! I was about to run and show my boyfriend how pretty they are and then I realized that he wouldn’t care. Only foodies (or hunters) care about things like amazing knives :)
Your salad recipes all look so amazing! Thank you for sharing them!
That looks delicious! Cumin is one of my favorite spices.
I’m trying hot yoga for the first time next week. I’m crossing my fingers that the others in the class won’t point and laugh! :)
let me know how you like it…ive been thinking of trying it myself
I definitely need to invest in some quality knives. I remember I made a salad at a friend’s house once and I was amazed at how easily I was able to chop everything. And yet I still havne’t gone out and gotten any better knives! Shame on me. ;)
it’s one of those things I probably would never have bought if it wasn’t a gift!
Gorgeous salads the last few days Angela!! I like your “Back on Track” week, I definitely need if after all of the heavy eating from the last few weeks. Those knives look nice too, one thing they always told us in culinary classes was that it’s easier to cut yourself with a dull knife then a sharp one, because with the dull knife you have to saw it, which leaves more room for slippage and accidents. Looking forward to see lots of finely chopped veggies in the next few days!! ;-)
those blend of spices sound so aromatic! Whenever there’s mustard in a vegan recipe you can be sure it will taste hearty and amazing.