Spring Fever Cooking
with Christine Waltermyer
Christine Waltermyer is a local Wellness Chef, private chef to celebrities, published cookbook author and founder of the Natural Kitchen Cooking School, which offers an online Plant-Based Cooking Program. She also loves shopping at Basil Bandwagon! Visit naturalkitchenschool.com to get your FREE copy of her cookbook, “7 Days of Deliciousness.”
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Arugula Beet Salad with Fennel
Spring Quinoa with Chickpeas
Spring Roasted Vegetables
Gluten Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Arugula Beet Salad with Fennel
If you love salads this one is a winner! The combination of sweet beets with crunchy fennel and refreshing radicchio, combined with a lovely olive oil vinaigrette make it the perfect spring salad.
Ingredients
Salad:
3 Red Beets, boiled and peeled
1 Pink Lady Apple, cored and diced
1 Endive, core removed and sliced
1 Fennel Bulb, core removed and sliced
1 Head Radicchio, cored and sliced
1 Pack Baby Arugula (I love Olivia Organic pre-washed)
Dressing:
Juice of 1 Orange
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
Optional: 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
Method
1. Peel beets and dice. Place all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.
2. Separately, combine all salad dressing ingredients and whisk together.
3. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
Spring Quinoa with Chickpeas
This is a light and lovely side dish to serve at your favorite gatherings!
Ingredients
5 Cups Cooked Quinoa (I love Ancient Harvest Traditional Quinoa)
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Leek, sliced thinly (just the white bottom part)
8 Ounces Shiitake Mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
1 Bunch Dandelion Greens, chopped (just the leafy part)
Water
13 Ounces Cooked Chickpeas (Jovial brand is great)
1 Generous Handful of Fresh Parsley, destemmed and chopped
2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Optional: Black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes
Method
1. Place the quinoa in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes with a pinch of sea salt. If it starts to stick to the pan, add a small splash of water.
3. Add the shiitake mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the dandelion greens and another pinch of sea salt and small amount of water if needed.
4. Cover and cook until the greens are tender but still bright green, or about 4 minutes. Remove the cover and take the pan off the heat.
5. To the cooked quinoa, add the chickpeas and parsley. Add the sautéed vegetables. Add remaining olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt. Serve warm.
Spring Roasted Vegetables
What a nice combination of vegetables, just in time for Spring celebrations!
Ingredients
1/2 Medium Size Celery Root
8 Carrots
8 Ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 Cup Brussels Spouts, sliced in half
10 Ounces Trimmed Green Beans
1-2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Minced Fresh Rosemary
Juice of 1 Lemon (1 teaspoon added before roasting, reserve the other teaspoon to add later)
Balsamic Glaze
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Thinly slice the carrots diagonally. Arrange on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Cut into quarters and add to the baking sheet, along with the trimmed green beans and brussels sprouts. Peel and cut the celery root into cubes
3. Roast prepared vegetables in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Add the remaining lemon juice to the roasted vegetables and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Serve hot or leftovers go great on a salad.
Gluten Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry:
2 Cups Gluten Free Flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Mix)
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
Wet:
1/3 Cup Plant-Based Milk (i.e. coconut milk)
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Avocado Oil
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Applesauce
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Flax Eggs (Mix 2 tablespoons flax meal + 6 tablespoons water; let sit for 10 minutes)
Add:
1 Cup Coarsely Shredded Carrots
1/4 Cup Currants
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8-oz. Container Vegan Cream Cheese
1 Container Simple Mills Organic Vanilla Frosting
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, spices, brown sugar, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Separately, combine the plant-based milk, maple syrup, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, vanilla extract and flax eggs. Whisk to blend.
3. Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir or whisk together to form a smooth batter. Add the carrots and currants. Mix well but do not overmix.
4. Line a muffin pan with unbleached muffin liners. Using and ice cream scoop, evenly distribute the cupcake batter among the 12 cups.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting.
6. Place all frosting ingredients together in a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting the cupcakes. Decorate top with optional nuts (walnuts or pecans).
Thank you to Christine Waltermyer and the Natural Kitchen Cooking School for working with us to help promote healthy, nutritious meals that are affordable, full of nutrients, and simple to make at home!
