Wheat Berries and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

We love to try new, tasty, & healthy recipes in our home.  This weekend one of my clients brought me a bag of goodies.  In that bag was a package of Wheat berries.  I heard of them but never used them before. Every week we roast some veggies with onions and garlic on the oven and keep on hand as a side dish or over salad etc.  So this weekend, we roasted some Brussels sprouts.  This recipe calls for vegetable stock.  We make a fresh batch of veggie stock at our home each week too.  It's easy, freezes well and has no preservatives and a lot less sodium than store bought.   Here is a cool recipe we found that I modified

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemony Wheat Berries over Kale 

First lets start with the Wheat Berries here is what you will need:

3 cups of vegetable stock (see recipe below)

1 cup of Red Wheat Berries 

Bring the veggie stock and wheat berries to a boil and then turn down heat to low. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes. When they are finished drain the excess water and put the cooked wheat berries aside.

While the Wheat Berries are doing their thing start to prepare the Brussels Sprouts here is what you will need:

1 container of Brussels sprouts

3 cloves of garlic chopped roughly

1 small red onion or shallot

1 TBSP Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 425.  Clean and cut the brussel sprouts into quarters.  Chop the garlic roughly in bigger chunks and do the same with the onion or shallot.  Mix all the ingredients in a  large bowl until everything is coated. Place in a baking tray with sides and cook for about 25 minutes or until brown.

So while the Wheat Berries and the Brussels are cooking get out your Kale.  I made a replica of the Kale I love at a local raw vegan restaurant Seed to Sprout.  Here's the secret recipe to the no fail, everyone will ask...how did you prepare that raw Kale bc it is DELISH!

Here is what you will need:

1 head of fresh Kale (cleaned and chopped) I cut out the hard stem in the middle you do what you want

I TBSP of Olive Oil

1/4 tsp of Salt 

1/4 tsp Nutritional Yeast

Put it all in a big bowl and mix well.  Mixing well with your hands is best.  We like to call it massaging the Kale at our house.  Talk to it...tell it how much you love it.  You get the idea.

The Dressing:

The zest of one lemon

1-2 TBSP of fresh lemon juice

Olive oil ( I didn't measure maybe 1/8 of a cup)

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together.  Take this delish dressing and combine the cooked wheat berries, and roasted Brussels and serve over the scrumptious bed of kale you made.  

Homemade Vegetable Broth:

1 stalk of celery 

1 Large Carrot

2 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

6-7Cups of water

1TBSP of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Chop all the ingredients and saute in the bottom of a heavy bottom pot until translucent. Add the water bring to a boil and then cover and let simmer for an hour.  If you like fresh herbs go ahead add them.  When time is up, strain the vegetables out so you just have a clear broth. 

 

This recipe serves about 4 people.

Vegan Pancakes

So many people are skeptical when I say I made vegan pancakes.  I assure you if you make these pancakes you will never go back to traditional pancakes if you are a non vegan. 
They literally take a few minutes to whip up and I always make them with my 2 1/2 year old son (that's how easy they are to make!)

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour (whichever you prefer, we do half whole wheat and half white)
1 Tbsp of organic cane sugar (FYI white sugar is not vegan if you don't know why ask me...too gross)
2 Tbsp of baking soda (sounds like a lot but this is what makes the magic happen)
Dash of salt
2 Tbsp of oil
1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk (you can use whatever vegan milk you prefer but this is our favorite)
*If you like fruit pancakes go ahead and slice up some banana or add some blueberries.  The options are all yours.

1.  Heat up the pan and get it ready.  You can either you an organic non-stick spray or a vegan spread.
2.  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl (I like to sift them together but you don't have to).  I also you a 4 cup measuring cup to mix everything in so I can just pour the batter out of it, it's so much easier.
3.  Now add the wet ingredients and mix but don't overmix.  The batter should be smooth.  I like to let it sit for a minute now.
4.  Begin to pour or spoon out the mixture onto your med/high heat pan. 
5.  Once you begin to see bubbles around the edge of pancakes then flip.
6.  Finish all the batter and if you have left overs (which you won't b/c they are so yummy) you can save them to reheat for tomorrow. 
7.  Pour some pure Maple Syrup over them and dig in!!!

Want some more vegan recipes?  Not sure of vegan replacements?  Add a comment below and I will answer or email me at mariajakubik@yahoo.com