A healthy twist on broccoli salad

Margaret at www.kitchenfrau.com always has the most delicious wholesome recipes! This week I'm re-posting one of her lentil recipes that she has entered in a contest.

Take a look at the recipe - if it intrigues you and has you considering swapping out the greasy bacon for smokey paprika lentils, leave a comment or pin from her blog! Feedback is always appreciated :)

Broccoli Lentil Salad

http://www.kitchenfrau.com/broccoli-lentil-salad/

Doesn't it look absolutely delicious? It can even be adapted to be vegan too. Enjoy!

Lentil Health Benefits

1. Lentils are slow release carbohydrates, so they can help regulate blood sugar levels
   
2. Lentils are high in protein, but if you are vegan or vegetarian, keep in mind that lentils and legumes do not provide a complete protein source. Combining legumes with whole grains or nuts and seeds will provide you with a complete protein over the day.
   
3. The high fiber keeps you full longer, so lentils may be helpful in weight loss.
   
4. High in potassium and low in sodium: potassium plays a major role in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance. A balanced potassium distribution is crucial for the body to keep a steady heartbeat etc. Most Americans are deficient in potassium.
   
5. Low in fat. I am a fan of healthy, naturally occurring fats in avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oils, even coconut oils. But our diet needs to consist of many naturally low fat foods as well (please don't buy reduced fat processed products...) and lentils are a great choice!
   
6. A source of vitamin B6. All the B vitamins are essential for metabolism, but I find vitamin B6 especially important for regulating stress and adrenal fatigue.
   
7. A good source of iron. This is especially important who have a higher requirement of iron (due to monthly blood loss) and vegans or vegetarians (since non-animal iron sources are not as well absorbed). 

References:

Jenkins, D. J., Wolever, T. M., Taylor, R. H., Griffiths, C., Krzeminska, K., Lawrie, J. A., ... & Bloom, S. R. (1982). Slow release dietary carbohydrate improves second meal tolerance. The American journal of clinical nutrition,35(6), 1339-1346.

Wikipedia nutrition fact label for boiled lentils.

Valentine's day lunch

So I thought I would share the special lunch I made for Valentine's day yesterday. Chicken pot pie is one of Harry's favorite meals, and I've been meaning to try make it for years now. Valentine's day was the perfect opportunity!

I am great at making cakes. I am decent at making cookies.
But I have only made pies a handful of times. And I've never had chicken pot pie, let alone made it.
On top of that, I have a current egg and dairy allergy. So I had to adjust the recipes I used...
But I was determined to make Harry's favorite food.

I used this recipe for the chicken pot pie filling, and used this vegan flaky pie crust.
These were my adjustments (and they worked well):

Vegan Flaky pie crust (doubled):
recipe from VeganBaking.net
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 ½+ cups light spelt flour
1 ¼ teaspoon salt  1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shiitake mushroom powder (optional)
½ teaspoon onion powder (ground onion flakes)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
¾ cup (161 grams) or 1 ½ sticks cold Regular Vegan Butter or non-hydrogenated stick margarine, cut into ¼ inch cubes  161 grams Earth Balance vegan spread
6 Tablespoons (81 grams) or ¾ stick cold Vegan Shortening or store bought shortening, cut into ¼ inch cubes
½ cup cold water (I only used half of the liquid! Probably due to the flour change)
3 Tablespoons cold vodka

Refrigerated overnight.

I did have some trouble with this recipe - it was extremely sticky when making (which is why I used half of the liquid) and still relatively sticky when rolling out the next day. I might try with 3 cups of spelt flour next time right of the bat. 

Tip: roll out between wax paper sheets!!

Chicken pot pie filling:
recipe from TasteofHome.com
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1-3/4 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup butter, cubed 3/4 cup mixed coconut oil, Earth Balance vegan spread, and splash of olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped onion
1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup spelt flour
1-3/4 teaspoons salt 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk 1 can coconut milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (boiled the night before)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 packages (14.1 ounces each) refrigerated pie pastry doubled the vegan pie crust recipe

I also added a bit of oregano and paprika to taste.

I baked at 350F convection for about 35 minutes. (This differed from the recipe.)

The result:

Not the prettiest - but delicious!

The Valentine's chicken pot pie

The second chicken pot pie for my family.

The crust was beautifully flaky and the inside seasoned well. I'll definitely use these recipes again.

Healthy fats:

Personally - I like coconut oil. It has healthy medium length saturated fatty acids much like butter. Used in moderation, I think it's a healthy fat. So I'm happy with my substitution of butter with the oils in the chicken pot pie filling. 

Also, substituting the Earth Balance spread for the margarine stick in the crust recipe was a healthy choice as well. I couldn't find non-hydrogenated margarine (better than hydrogenated) so I bought the Earth Balance spread instead. These are much healthier fats than the processed margarine stick has. In fact, I might try using only the Earth Balance spread in the crust next time to get rid of the yucky hydrogenated fats in the vegetable shortening! Making the vegan butters and shortening as on the crust recipe website would also be a great option.

<3 Jessica

Sources:
http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/pies/flaky-pie-crust
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/favorite-chicken-potpie