Dinner is, without a doubt, the best meal of the day. You get to come home, after whatever crazy confronted you, and relax with a nice, warm meal. Once more, cooking it can often help you shed the tension from the day and begin the detox process. What helps even more, adding a little hemp to your menu. This versatile food item works in many dinner recipes.

Go ahead, add some hemp

It’s not always the easiest to find in the grocery store, but hemp is here to stay as a food additive for dinner recipes. You might as well try it out. Not only is hemp legal throughout the country, but its lack of THC means you can eat it without it making you feel ‘funny.’ To be legal in the U.S., hemp can only contain up to 0.3 percent THC. So you’re safe. Time to enjoy.

The other argument for hemp is its health benefits. You’d be surprised to know that hemp is:

• High in Omega fatty acids.

• A great source of gamma linolenic acid, a natural anti-inflammatory.

• Full of 21 different amino acids, protein’s building blocks.

• High in fiber, Vitamin E and other antioxidants.

Ring the bell, it’s time for dinner

Dinner recipes don’t have to be the same old thing every week. Jazz up your routine with these hemp-infused recipes and discover something tasty and new.

Hemp and Beet Burgers

There’s nothing like a filling burger at dinner. This one is delicious, and also perfect for vegetarians as well. Add your favorite side, and you’ve got a complete meal ready to go.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup shelled hemp seeds

• 2/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds

• 2 beets, grated

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp dried parsley

• Pinch of black pepper

• 1 Tbs ground coriander

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 1 Tbs coconut cream

• 3 Tbs hemp seeds (additional and separate from total above)

• 3 Tbs sunflower seeds (additional and separate from total above)

• 4 Tbs oatmeal

After grinding the first batch of hemp and sunflower seeds in a food processor to a coarse meal, add in the grated beets, salt, cumin, parsley, pepper, coriander, and onion powder. Blend it all together so it combines, but doesn’t become a puree. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl and add in the coconut, oatmeal and remaining hemp and sunflower seeds. Combine everything gently with a spoon, shape into patties, and put them into the fridge for a bit to firm up. The patties will be really moist, and that’s okay.

When ready to cook, turn your oven to the broil setting and cook the patties for about 10 minutes on each side until they’re nicely browned. Gently flip them so they stay together.

Cauliflower Hemp Alfredo

A creamy pasta is always a winner when it comes to dinner recipes. It’s home cooking at its best, and a great way to get a little hemp into your meal. This recipe is also simple and fast for a perfect weeknight dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs olive oil

• 3-4 cloves minced garlic

• 5 cups chopped cauliflower florets

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

• 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 2 Tbs nutritional yeast

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp tamari (optional)

In a large pot, sauté the garlic in the olive oil until fragrant, for about a minute or two. Add the cauliflower and stir to coat. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to low boil and cover for about 10 minutes. Cauliflower should be soft enough to mash with a spoon. Remove from heat.

While the cauliflower is cooking, add the hemp seeds, lemon juice, salt, pepper, yeast, garlic powder, and tamari into a blender. This is also a good time to put your pasta on to cook.

Once the cauliflower mixture is ready, add that in too and blend everything on high until it’s smooth and creamy. Give it a taste and add more spices as needed.

Transfer the mixture back to the pot to simmer over low heat while your pasta finishes cooking. Once al dente, toss the pasta and two tablespoons of pasta water into the sauce and mix. Top the dish with fresh parsley and grated parmesan and you’re good to go.

Sweet Potato Bowl

For those on a health kick, looking for a dinner that’s good for them without having to sacrifice flavor, this bowl of treats is perfect.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

• 2 cups vegetable broth

• One sweet potato, peeled and cubed

• 1 Tbs and 1Tsp coconut oil

• 1 cup shredded Brussels sprouts

• One cup shredded kale

• 1 Tbs shelled hemp hearts

• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

• Non-stick cooking spray

For the hummus in the bowl:

• 2 zucchinis, peeled and chopped

• 3/4 cup tahini

• 2 Tbs nutritional yeast

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

• Sea salt

To roast the sweet potato, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss with the tablespoon of coconut oil after you melt it and some salt. Lay out the potato on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, tossing the potato every 10 minutes.

While that’s cooking, combine your kale and Brussels with the raining, melted coconut oil and place on a separate foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, and put them into the oven for the last 10 minutes the potatoes are cooking, Flip halfway through.

To prepare the quinoa, rinse it in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Toast on the stove, over high heat, in a medium saucepan with a thin layer of non-stick cooking spray. Once quinoa looks dry, add in the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until almost all liquid is gone.

To prepare the humus, combine all humus ingredients into a food processor or blender and mix until totally smooth.

Once all components are ready, you can build your bowl. Fill it halfway with the quinoa first. Then add some potatoes and the kale and Brussels. Put a dollop of humus in the center and top it with the hemp seeds. Add more salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Vegetarian Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those filling, comfort-food dinners perfect for a cold night. This recipe makes it more accessible to all types of eaters. Pair with a nice green salad, or some crusty bread, and you’ve got the makings of a warming, soothing dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice

• 3 cups water

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 white onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup hemp seed oil

• 1 Tbs black pepper

• 2 tsp sea salt

• 1 1/2 cups shelled hemp seeds

• 2 Tbs dried basil

• 1/2 cup organic ketchup

• Fresh parsley sprigs, optional for garnish

• Ketchup

First, prepare the rice and set it aside. Then, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 4×8 loaf pan. In a blender, combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic, egg, hemp oil, pepper, and salt. Blend on high until mostly smooth. Combine the blender mixture with the rice and add in the hemp seeds and basil. Pour into the loaf pan and cover with ketchup. Bake for about an hour and garnish with the parsley when done, if desired.

Thai Coconut and Hemp Curry

Instead of ordering take-out when you start craving some Asian food, make your own with this delicious recipe. Curry is like Thai comfort food, and you can make this version quickly for a fancy, but easy, dinner any night of the week.

Ingredients:

• 1 cilli, sliced (select based on heat level, but good options include Serrano or a Thai chili pepper)

• 1/2 cup grated cauliflower florets

• 1/4 cup grated sweet potato

• 1 cup finely-chopped kale

• 1 grated carrot

• 1Tbs currants, soaked

For the sauce:

• 1/3 cup desiccated coconut

• 1/4 cup hemp milk

• 1 tsp lemongrass paste

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• One chili (same kind as above) finely chopped

• 1 bunch coriander, use to taste

Drain the currants and add them to a medium bowl with the cauliflower, sweet potato, carrot, kale, and chili pepper. Add all the sauce ingredients together into a blender and combine until smooth. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toast. Top with fresh coriander.

That’s it. Very simple. You can also serve this over rice if you’d like to add another dimension, or top with hemp seeds as an additional garnish.

Hemp + Dinner = Tasty Goodness

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to incorporate hemp into standard dinner recipes, without impacting taste or the ease of preparation. Also, enjoying hemp in your dinner is just one way to experience the potential benefits of this amazing plant. 
A large variety of products are out there you don’t have to cook up as well. At Arbor Vita8, we stock our online store with hemp-derived products that range from tinctures to balms to capsules. All made with our eye on quality and care, each product is safe and competitively priced. When you’re ready to explore more dinner recipes with hemp, come visit us online.