Lemon-Dill Grain Salad with Peas & Carrots

Summertime is the perfect season to enjoy fresh and nourishing grain salads, like this lemon-dill grain salad with peas & carrots. I personally love the fragrant and delicious flavor of fresh dill, which gives this recipe its superstar flavor profile. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of farro (uncooked)
• 1 1/4 cups of shredded carrots
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
• 3 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 3 Tbsp of fresh dill, chopped
• 3 Tbsp of chives, chopped
• 1/4 tsp of minced garlic
• large dash of salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Boil 2.5 cups of water on the stove top. Add the farro to the water and turn it to low heat. Put the lid on and simmer until fully cooked (about 20 minutes). Set aside to cool.
2. Next, place the frozen peas in a microwaveable container with water covering the peas. Microwave for about 1-2 minutes until the peas are defrosted. Drain the water from the peas. Set aside to cool.
3. Make the dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, dill, chives, garlic, and salt & pepper in a small container.
4. In a large bowl, combine the farro, carrots, peas, and dressing. Stir until everything is evenly incorporated. Store in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Serve cold.

Benefits of this recipe:

-Peas are an excellent source of plant-based protein, high in fiber, and they support healthy blood sugar control.

-Carrots are very high in Vitamin A, which protects eye health and vision. They are high in antioxidants, can help lower cholesterol, help protect against cancer, improve immunity, boosts skin health, and helps improve brain function.

-Farro is an excellent source of plant-based protein, high in fiber, and it contains a wide range of antioxidants.

The information on the benefits of the ingredients was researched from http://www.healthline.com

 

 

Sweet & Creamy Carrot Pudding

Carrot Pudding?! I know… it sounds crazy to use a vegetable as the main ingredient of a dessert. But it really isn’t. Think of pumpkin pie. This is the same concept. In fact, my creamy carrot pudding tastes very similar to pumpkin pie. This is delicious. Give it a try! Enjoy.

Preparation + Cook Time: 60 minutes

This recipe makes about 2 C of pudding.

Ingredients:

• 7 Organic Medium-Sized Carrots*
• 1/2 C Maple Syrup
• 1 T Melted Coconut Oil
• 1/4 C Almond Milk
• 3/4 t Allspice
• 1/2 t Cinnamon
• 1/4 t Nutmeg
• 1 t Organic Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

1. Rinse, peel, and chop the carrots into small pieces.
2. Place the carrots into a pot of water. Cover and turn onto a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn down to a simmer. Cook the carrots until they are soft.
3. Drain the water from the pot. Place the carrots into a bowl and put them in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes until they are completely cooled.
4. Put the carrots in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the blender and combine until everything is evenly mixed in.
5. Store the pudding in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, spoon the pudding into bowls. I would recommend topping the pudding with non-dairy cream and some pecans or pumpkin seeds.

*If you use regular non-organic carrots, they are usually much larger so you will only need about 5 carrots instead of 7.

Benefits of this recipe:

-Carrots are very high in Vitamin A, which protects eye health and vision. They are high in antioxidants, can help lower cholesterol, help protect against cancer, improve immunity, boosts skin health, and helps improve brain function.

The information on the benefits of the ingredients was researched from http://www.draxe.com