I Love You, Whole Foods

I made a really delicious dinner tonight, all thanks to the amazing ingredients I got at Whole Foods. I started with this pretty purple kale. Love me some kale!

The rest was all just a combo of the different amazing ingredients that looked good to me. I made roasted striped bass with meyer lemons and spring onions and red lentils with purple kale and dried cranberries. Meyer lemons are a cross between and a lemon and a mandarin orange, so they're sweeter and can be eaten when roasted.  Not only was this meal delicious, it was full of vitamins and nutrients. Good stuff!

Striped Bass with Meyer Lemons and Spring Onions

serves 2

1 lb striped bass fillet

1 meyer lemon, thinly sliced

1 spring onion, white bulb thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine

1 Tbl EVOO

1 Tbl chopped tarragon

1 tsp dijon mustard

salt & pepper

• Preheat oven 400º
• Coat a baking dish with a little EVOO
• In a small bowl, whisk together white wine, EVOO, tarragon, dijon mustard, and a little salt & pepper
• lay fish in baking dish, and put over white wine mixture
• lay lemon slices over fish fillet, then sprinkle onion slices over lemons
• Roast in oven covered for 15 minutes
• Remove cover and roast another 10 - 20 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet
• Serve fish with lemon slices still over them (you can eat them!) and pour remaining pan sauce over fish.

Red Lentils with Kale

1 cup red lentils

1/2 sweet onion, diced

1/2 Tbl EVOO

2.5 cups water

1 large bunch purple kale

1/2 cup dried cranberries

salt & pepper

• Heat EVOO in large saucepan over medium-low heat
• Add onion and saute until soft and translucent
• Add lentils, water, and salt & pepper to taste and bring to a boil
• Reduce to a simmer and stir in kale
• Simmer covered 20 minutes
• Uncover and stir in cranberries
• Simmer on low 10 - 15 more minutes until lentils are soft and water has cooked off

I have to admit, my lentils got a little overcooked - I like them with a little more of a bite.  But they were still delicious and comforting all mushy like this.  Lentils are very high in protein and fiber, and kale has tons of Vitamin A - double the recommended daily value in 1 cup cooked.  These lentils could be a meal on their own.

Now I'm about to enjoy another Whole Foods treat... a vegan chocolate chunk cookie, sweetened with fruit juice. With a glass of skim milk.  Serious comfort food!