For reasons of health, budget and pallet expansion I’ve been making more meatless meals lately.  Meatless Monday is a great site to learn about this movement and get ideas.  http://www.meatlessmonday.com/  If you’re trying to eat better and eliminate toxins in your diet organic, whole food is the way to go.  It can be expensive, though.  Especially if you eat meat.  The price of organic meat and dairy often discourages people from buying organic food at all.  If you commit to 1-2 meatless meals, even meatless days a week you can save tons of money!  Not to mention it encourages you to get creative with your vegetable sources of protein and side dishes. Organic canned beans are $1.50 – $2 a can.  But if you buy the dry beans and soak them yourself it costs pennies/cup.

Tonight’s menu consisted of: Chick-pea Nuggets with Home-made Mayo and Lemon Mint Quinoa Salad.  The family inhaled their dinner before I even sat down.  Which explains the photos of empty plates – and Hubby’s 2nd helpings.

What had them so excited?

Chick-Pea Nuggets

• 1 can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans rinsed and drained, or ~2 cups.
• 1/2 onion
• 1/4 c chopped parsley or cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 egg
• 1t cumin
• 1t sea salt and dash of pepper
• 1 t fresh lemon juice
• 1t baking powder
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c oat flour (grind dry oats to flour texture) or use bread crumbs

1. Mash beans with a pastry cutter or fork in medium sized bowl.
2. Blend onions, herbs and garlic in a food processor.  Stir into mashed beans.
3. Mix egg, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon juice, baking powder and oil with the bean mixture.
4. Stir in oat flour until the dough is no longer sticky and you can form into patties.
5. Cook in cast iron skillet in enough avocado oil to just coat the bottom,  About 2 min per side.

Homemade Mayo (THANK YOU DANY!!!)  

To be honest, I’ve NEVER been a mayo fan.  Maybe it was the idea that it was just white spreadable oil or a sandwich condiment and I’ve never been much of a sandwich gal.  Then my dear friend Dany introduced me to the amazing world of homemade mayo!!!  What  simple, cheap yet delicious solution to the Miracle Whip and Canola Oil filled junk they sell in the store.

• 1 egg at room temperature
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 t dry mustard
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1 c avocado oil

1. I use my Vitamix for this, but any high powered blender should work.  Blend egg and lemon juice.
2. Add mustard and salt and slowly stream in the oil as the blender is running – gradually increasing the speed.
3. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.  Should last a week, if it isn’t eaten before then.

Lemon Mint Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a versatile grain that is actually a complete protein. I’ve used it for breakfasts in place of oats, in snack bars and protein balls, muffins/cookies, burgers – and obviously salads.  It’s really cheap, comes in a few different varieties.  For this salad I used the traditional yellow quinoa which resembles couscous.  The recipe called for green onions which we were out of and chopped almonds, which, frankly, I forgot.  Both I’ll try to remember next time!

• 1 c quinoa (rinse, drain and cook per package directions – usually 2 cups of liquid, I use bone broth)
• 3 green onions (D’Oh – I ran out)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c chopped fresh mint
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c chopped almonds (D’Oh  forgot those too!)

Cook the quinoa and stir in remaining ingredients.  Serve warm or chilled.

Try a meatless meal for your and your family this week!