C&C in the Kitchen

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of my lunch on instagram (sorry for any C&C followers who I have declined...I like to keep my instagram a bit more private). But, make sure to follow Katie on Instagram as Cardicouture!

And since I received so many "recipe requests",  I figured this was the perfect platform to share! Here is what my lunch looked like. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo!

The salad is composed of four parts. Let me break them down for you from the top down. 

1) The cilantro dressing from Trader Joe's that Katie recently blogged about (here). This is also a staple in our house!

2) Lentil cakes using the Trader Joe's pre-cooked Lentils, which Katie also shared in her recent post. Apparently as twins we share the same tastes, go figure! 

2) Lentil Cakes- to prepare the lentil cakes I put the following ingredients into my Vitamix: 

- 1/2 the package of TJ's lentils

- 1/2 sliced red onion

- 1 red pepper

- 1/2 cup cilantro

- 1/2 cup parsley

- 1 tsp of curry powder and cumin

- about 2 tbs olive oil. 

After blending, I transfer to a bowl, add the remaining lentils, 1 beaten egg, and bread crumbs until the consistency is enough for the mixture to be made into "cakes". To cook, I fry in a pan with a little bit of oil (coconut or olive oil). These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for a few days. I also serve these for dinner with greens and the cilantro dressing in Trader Joe's Middle Eastern flat bread. The leftovers are usually what find their way onto my salads! 

3) Quinoa Salad- This can also be eaten on its own. I usually add chicken and avocado when eating it as a salad. 

- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (cooked and cooled)

- 1 red, yellow and orange pepper diced

- 1 can black beans

- 1-2 ears of corn

- 1/2 cup cilantro

- garlic salt and salt and pepper to taste

- 1 tbs olive oil

4) The "base" Salad- Sweet kale salad straight out of the bag from Costco! 

This salad can be purchased in the produce refrigerator and includes broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, chicory, dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds and poppyseed dressing. I buy this salad regularly and add chicken, avocado, tomatoes and whatever other veggies I have. It's a great base salad and can be used with any type of dressing and toppings. Although, what comes in the bag is pretty tasty!