Access Hollywood Live: Go Green With Meatless Monday Recipes!

To kick off NBCUniversal’s Green Week, author Laurie David and chef Kirstin Uhrenholdt stop by with some great recipes from their book, “The Family Dinner,” about how you can not only eat healthy — but save the environment too!

Monina’s Wheat Berry Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups wheat berries (wild rice or farro also are good)
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/3 cup canola or toasted walnut oil
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup frozen edamame beans, defrosted (no need to cook)
1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
Optional additions: feta, chopped dried apricots, chopped scallions, parsley, dill arugula, spinach, pine nuts, or whatever else your desires

TO MAKE 6 SERVINGS:
In a large pot, combine the wheat berries with 6 cups
of water. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for about 60 to 80 minutes, bearing in mind that they are quite unpredictable, so start tasting them after 45 minutes. When they are tender but still chewy, drain and let cool.

Toss the wheat berries with the cranberries, oil, and zest and juice of the oranges and lemon. Season gener- ously with salt and pepper.

Let the salad hang out for at least 2 hours so the ingredients get to know each other. Just before serving, toss with the edamame and nuts.

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Lentil Stew with Potatoes and Warm Indian Spices

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon good quality garam masala
1 cup diced carrots
1 large potato, peeled and cut into small cubes 2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or light coconut milk)
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
Salt and pepper to taste
Yogurt, for garnish

TO MAKE 4–6 SERVINGS
In your soup pot, heat the olive oil and fry the onions until wilted and golden, then add the garlic, ginger, and spices and stir for a moment until they are fragrant. Be very careful not to burn the spices, as this will make them bitter.

Take half of this mixture and set it aside for later. Add the carrots, potato, lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk, and stock. Let the stew simmer, without a lid, for about 30 to 40 minutes until the potatoes and lentils are tender.

Fold in the remaining onion-and-spice mixture. Add the peas to the stew last to keep their brilliant color. Simmer for another few minutes until the stew is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt, warm naan bread or pita, and perhaps some brown rice, plain or cooked with a 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth cardamom pod.

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Oven Grains, Greens and Cheese, Please

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 cloves, garlic, chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper
2 bunches kale, chopped
2 bunches Swiss chard, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
Squeeze of lemon
6 cups cooked, mild-tasting grains, like quinoa, barley or wheatberries
6 cups Fragrant Tomato Sauce (p. 98 of our book or a basic marinara sauce like here or your favorite store-bought tomato sauce, plus extra to serve on the side
2 cups mixed cheeses, like a soft goat cheese, fresh mozzarella and Fontina

To Make 6 Servings (plus leftovers):
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and drizzle in enough oil to cover the bottom. Saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms until they are soft and golden. Season with salt and pepper and dump them into a bowl.

In a large pot or pan with a lid, steam the greens until tender, 4 to 5 minutes (you might have to do this in a couple of batches). Put the cooked greens in a clean dishtowel or salad spinner and wring out all the excess water. Toss the greens with the Parmesan cheese and egg. Season with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Now treat all the ingredients just like a lasagna. Put a layer of grains in your baking dish, top with tomato sauce, a layer of greens, the mushroom mixture, and a layer of the mixed cheeses. . . .and so on until you finish with a layer of tomato sauce and cheese.

Top the dish with foil or a lid, stick it into the oven, and bake until bubbling, about 35 minutes. Then take off the lid and return the dish to the oven for 10 minutes.

To learn more, go to www.TheFamilyDinnerBook.com and www.MeatlessMonday.com.