We recently went to Disney's Epcot in Orlando Florida. Right now they are doing their Flower and Garden Festival and their beautiful themed topiaries are not to be missed! While visiting Epcot's Morocco, we at at Restaurant Marrakesh. They have this TO DIE FOR lentil salad. In a park as huge as Epcot, with so many wonderful culinary choices, to say something was my favorite thing I ate all day really means something. This salad is super fresh, flavorful, and healthy! And it's also easy to make. So as you know from past experience with this blog, those things make it a real winner. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cup green lentils

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1 bell pepper, finely diced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons mayonaise

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: 

Place lentils in a pot of 4 cups of cold water. Turn on heat to high and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the lentils from cooking. Mix the lentils with all of the other ingredients. Make sure you have diced everything very finely, because you will want your onion and pepper pieces to be the same size or smaller than 1 lentil. Refrigerate until cold. Adjust seasoning as needed. 

This salad is one for the books. You will love how low in fat, full of flavor, and delicious this recipe is. You might just be able to pretend you are somewhere exotic like Morocco, or at least Orlando. :) 

I discovered a new dish that I cannot wait to make again. It's a creamy and satisfying polenta. It tastes buttery and rich, but is surprisingly low fat. And then you send this dish over the moon balsamic glazed mushrooms. It's seriously so so good. And the best part? It's super simple! The whole dish comes together in about 10 minutes. 

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons olive oil
16 oz mushrooms (I had white which was great, but baby bella or cremini would be wonderful)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
18 ounces instant polenta (we LOVE the organic trader joes brand) 
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf italian parsley
salt and pepper

Directions: 
De-stem and cut your mushrooms in half or quarters depending on the size of the mushroom. You want them to be small bite sized pieces. Remember they will shrink down during cooking. Heat your olive oil in a skillet, add your mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are golden brown and cooked through (about 10 minutes). Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt your butter and cut open your polenta. Spread the polenta evenly across the pan and warm until cooked through. Top with half of the cheese. Once your mushrooms are done, add them to the top of the polenta. Top with your parsley and the other half of your cheese. Season again with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

For a 10 minute, meat free, inexpensive and healthy meal, this is one that you will want to make over and over. In fact, I'm going to go make some more right now. 

Who doesn't love when a recipe calls for an inexpensive cut of meat? It's such a great way to keep the grocery bill in check while keeping your family satisfied. Pork loin is delicious, and you can actually get the precut pork steaks on sale frequently. This dish is tart, savory, and oh so satisfying. The other thing I love about this meal is it's use of coconut flour. Coconut flour can be used the same way traditional flour can, only its much healthier for you. It's an excellent source of dietary fiber. It's low in sodium, carbohydrates, and cholesterol. It's an excellent ingredient for anyone that has gone gluten free as well. 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces egg noodles 

4 precut pork loin steaks

1/4 cup coconut flour (found here) 

1 teaspoon Lavender Apple herbs de provence (found here)

2/3 cup white wine

1 large garlic clove, minced 

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons parlsey, chopped

Directions: 

Cook your noodles in salted boiling water for about 8 minutes. Pat your pork steaks dry with a paper towel, then give them a good sprinkle of salt and pepper and cover them with the flour and herbs de provence. Heat your oil in a large skillet. Brown the pork on each side (about 2-3 minutes) then move them to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet and your butter and wine and cook for 3 minutes or until slightly reduced. Then add your garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add your egg noodles to a large bowl, place your chops on top, then cover everything with the sauce and parsley. Salt and pepper as needed.  

These golden pork loin steaks, atop dripping noodles have such a wonderful flavor for a dish that comes together in just minutes. How else have you used coconut flour? We'd love to hear from you!