In honor of St. Patrick’s Day this week, I wanted to make something GREEN. I did not want to go with the traditional pesto sauce or spinach and artichoke dip as those are things already on people’s go-to list. I wanted to find other simple recipes that were healthy, satisfying, and could please a crowd!

These dishes are YogaLean. They are easy to make, use very few ingredients, use natural products, and can be made in advance and in big quantities so healthy food is at your fingertips when you are hungry. Having healthy foods as go-to options will lead to making healthy food choices. Plan ahead. Play with your food. Have fun!

I started with a box of Quinoa Pasta from Ancient Harvest. I chose a plain quinoa pasta to highlight the GREENS in the dish in honor of St. Patrick’s Day!

Both side dishes are meant to serve two. If you wish to make them for more, just increase the quantity. Both can be meals on their own or side dishes to a seafood/meat/poultry dish or a simple sandwich.

Cook time: Set up to clean up was 45 minutes.

Enjoy cooking. Make a little extra so you have healthy food to eat as a snack. You can read more recipes on my blog!

Kohlrabi Pasta with Garlic, Onions, Chick Peas, and Lemon

Base Ingredients:

Kohlrabi leaves (2 cups)

Garlic (4 to 6 cloves)

Onion (RED adds more color to the dish, use 1/3 of the onion)

Vegetable broth (1 cup)

Lemon (1/4 cup juice…fresh squeezed is preferable, if possible)

Chick Peas (1 and 1/2 cups, dehydrated and reconstituted or from a can)

Quinoa Pasta (2 cups UNcooked)

Instructions:

1. Begin by cutting one or two kohlrabi leaves (depending on size) into very small pieces.
2. Rinse cut greens and set aside.
3. Chop 4-6 cloves of garlic (depending on size) and 1/2 an onion. Place in a pan with 1 TBSP olive oil. Stir so the vegetables are evenly coated with oil and start to become translucent. At this point, add the broth and Kohlrabi leaves and cover. Stir frequently to ensure the liquid does not cook out of the pan. Add a bit more if you need to soften the kohlrabi more (personal preference).
4. When the vegetables are cooking follow the instructions for the pasta on the box. I measured 2 cups of DRY pasta for this dish. The pasta will cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the water when still a bit el dente.
5. Add the pasta, vegetable mixture, and chickpeas to the container in which you wish to serve the dish for two.
6. Drizzle the juice of 1 lemon on the dish and toss just before serving.

Serving Suggestions:

Can be placed on a bed of lettuce to make it a MAIN DISH.

Can be served as a side dishes to a seafood/meat/poultry dish or a simple sandwich.

HINT: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Spinach and Feta Pasta with Sunflower Seeds

 

Base Ingredients:

Spinach leaves (1 cup)

Butter (1 TBSP)

Feta Cheese (Crumbled) 1/2 cup

Quinoa Pasta (2 cups UNcooked)

Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water

1/4 cup sunflower seeds to garnish/add crunch

Instructions:

1. As the pasta water is coming to a boil, rinse the spinach and cut into small pieces. Place in bottom of colander.
2. After the pasta water comes to a rolling boil, add 2 cups of quinoa pasta and stir once. Remove after 5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and put in serving container. Drain pasta in colander. The hot water and warm noodles will blanch the spinach in the colander.
3. Add the pasta/spinach mixture to the serving bowl or container in which to refrigerate the dish.
4. Sprinkle with feta and sunflower seeds.

Options:

Sautee the spinach in olive oil and garlic then add it to the pasta.

Include olives to add a naturally salty flavor.

Serving Suggestion:

Can be placed on a bed of lettuce to make it a MAIN DISH.

Can be served as a side dishes to a seafood/meat/poultry dish or a simple sandwich.