Pasta with Tomato & Olive Sauce 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1-15oz can of whole tomatoes
• 10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 dashes of umeboshi vinegar
• salt to taste
• 4 servings cooked pasta
• 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast (optional)

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Today I am doing a Living Healthy on A Budget workshop and in preparation for the workshop I decided to make a quick, cheap and easy meal of chickpea-quinoa salad, tofu and squash with tahini sauce. What I loved about this meal was how easy it came together and how little work it was for me. It is also packed with nutrition and uber tasty.

Chickpea Quinoa Salad 

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
• Servings: 4 (as en entree); 6-8 (as a side)
• Cost per serving:~ $1.75 (Entree); ~$0.85-1.16 (side)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup  organic quinoa, rinsed +2 cups water
• 1/4 cup organic scallions, sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 bunch organic fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cups cooked or canned organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Let stand 5 minutes.
2. While the quinoa cools combine remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Add quinoa and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Delicata Squash

Ingredients

• 1 bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 chili, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1-2 tbsp tamari
• Spring roll wrappers
• Cooking spray
• Hoisin, for serving

Directions

In a wok or a large pan on med-high heat the sesame and canola oil until hot; stir in the mustard greens, cauliflower, garlic, chili, cilantro stems and scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to brown.  Season with tamari to taste and continue to cook until the cauliflower begins to soften. Remove from the pan and set aside until room temperature. Then it is time to roll your spring rolls. Place your wraps on a clean surface so that the points are up and down and left and right (should appear as a diamond, not a square). Place the filling onto the rolls. Take the bottom point of your wrap and fold it over top of the filling. Fold the sides in towards the middle and roll the filling towards the top point of the wrapper. To prevent the spring roll from unwrapping when cooking you need to seal the seams. Have a small bowl of water next to your wrapping station;  dip your finger into the mixture and use this as glue to seal the top point of your wrap.  Once you have finished wrapping your spring rolls (you can make any size you want) it is time to cook them.  If you would like you can deep fry until golden brown or you can use the pan fry option.  In a large skillet  over med-high heat (cast iron is recommended) spray the bottom of the skillet with cooking spray and place the spring rolls in the pan seam side down.  Fry for 2-3 minutes per side until they being to get golden brown. Serve with your favorite sauce such as hoisin or sweet chili sauce.

Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying.

(Source)

Lack of sexual energy is often due to overtaxed adrenal glands and kidneys. Beans are known for strengthening these organs (ever noticed the shape of a bean?) and can help restore vital energy as well as sexual energy.

Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight prior to cooking, increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking.

Recipe of the Month: Easy Beans and Greens

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)
• 1 bunch collard greens (or kale, spinach—your choice)
• your favorite toppings, such as salsa, avocado or guacamole

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat drained beans. Add your favorite seasonings, if desired.
2. Fill a separate medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
3. Wash and chop greens (you can use the stems, too) and add to boiling water.
4. Cook for 2-3 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Drain off water.
5. On a plate, arrange a portion of the greens, top with a portion of the beans and finish with toppings of your choice.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Check out my posts on Beans, Beans The Magical Fruit… for more information on tips on how to prepare beans.

Here are some of my favorite bean recipes:

• Baked Artichoke and Spinach Dip
• White Bean Mash
• Thanksgiving Tart
• Chocolate Chipotle Corn and Black Bean Soup
• Polenta Pizza with White Bean Sauce
• Bean Burgers
• Low-Fat Black Bean and Corn Tamales
• Black Eyed Pea Burgers
• Creamy Fava Bean Pasta

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Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.

-Rumi

(Check out my Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheeze)

Think for a moment of a food from your past, one that makes you feel great after you eat it for no specific reason. Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating comfort foods (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious.

Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother’s cooking or our country of ancestry. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food’s biochemical make-up.

Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. This month when we celebrate lovers and relationships, it’s important to notice that we each have a relationship with food—and that this relationship is often far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we’ve even tasted it.

What would your life be like if you treated food and your body as you would treat your beloved – with gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

(source)

While quinoa is widely considered a grain, it’s actually the seed of a plant called Chenopodium or Goosefoot, related to chard and spinach. Quinoa is a gluten-free grain and has a similar effect as other whole grains in helping to stabilize blood sugar.

It has a waxy protective coating called saponin which can leave a bitter taste. For best results, rinse quinoa before you cook it or even soak it for a few hours or overnight. When cooked, it has a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture. Try it in soups, salads, as a breakfast porridge or as its own side dish.

For quinoa, and whole grains in general, the majority of digestion occurs in the mouth through chewing and exposure to saliva. For optimal nutrition and assimilation, it is vital to chew your grains well and with awareness. A great meditation is to find a calm place, without distractions, to sit down for your meal. Make it a habit to chew each bite 20 times or more. See how this simple practice can help your digestion and overall focus for the rest of your day.

Recipe of the Month: Quinoa Pilaf

• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/4 cups water or stock
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in fine mesh strainer until water runs clear.
2. Boil the water and add quinoa and salt, cover and reduce heat.
3. After 15 minutes add cranberries and walnuts to top; do not stir.
4. Cook 5 minutes more, until all the liquid is absorbed.
5. Remove from heat, add parsley and fluff with fork, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes and serve.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Here are a few of my quinoa recipes for you to try as well:

• Quinoa and Black Bean Enchiladas
• Quinoa Chili
• Quinoa Stuffed Squash
• Raw Pizza Crackers (w/sprouted quinoa)

So between the IIN completion, website launch, working on new ways to expand my business, I have also been working on recipes for the Cookbook Club and on a number of new projects which I will discuss when things become more concrete.  Needless to say this is a busy month and I hope that come April things will quiet down a bit more and I can get back in the kitchen working on new recipes, new and interesting blog posts and discuss the new projects.

Lastly, I would like to put it out there that if you have blog post requests please let me know because it really helps to drive me to write more, and to write better posts.  I have had a few health and wellness requests lately and will be working on these requests posts- so let me know what you want to read about.

For now I will leave you with a recipe from my last E-book for you to try out:

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Back in 2007 I made a 5 course meal that even included RC Cola with heart shaped ice cubes. I re-created the entire meal on Friday night with the exception of the dessert which I was lacking on time to make. Take a look at then and now:

One of the dishes I made on our first Valentine’s Day was roasted red pepper soup; a recipe that I had found on VegCooking.com and now looking back at the recipe I am appalled at how much vegan margarine was in the recipe- gross. For mine this year all I did was saute a diced onion and two diced carrots in 2 teaspoons of olive oil until soft and then added two cups of vegetable broth and brought a simmer for 15 minutes.  I then purred it with 1 cup chopped roasted red pepper and added a splash of unsweetened almond milk.  Not only is the recipe better and healthier but it looks better too.

Next is the sun-dried tomato pesto pasta- a dish that I made back in 2007 using oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning.  This year I made a twist on things; I soaked 5 sun-dried tomatoes and 1 dried chipotle pepper in hot water until soft and added it too a mini chopper with 1/4 cup of walnuts, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1Tbsp olive oil, 1Tbsp nutritional yeast and about 2-3Tbsp of the soaking water.  I tossed the pesto with Jovial Fusilli whole grain pasta. Now this was a huge improvement over my first attempt at sun-dried tomato pesto and the Hubz loved the auce which I will be recreating with a more detailed recipe for the blog.

So this is the dish that I think made some of the biggest improvements, it went from mushroom stuffed crescent rolls to mushroom pate puffs.  I sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic and a little sweet soy, white pepper and salt and then processed until smooth.  I spread half the mixture out onto a rolled out piece of puffed pastry and then rolled it up, cut and baked. Easy as that but fancier, tastier and better for you.

For the last dish I made stuffed portobello mushrooms that I marinated in balsamic vinaigrette and stuffed with a mixture of sauteed Gimme Lean Sausage, Italian breadcrumbs (whole foods brand is vegan) and the second half of the mushroom puree. Then I baked at 400F for about 20 minutes. They came out wonderfully.

My Valentine’s Do Over was a fun way to bring us back to our first Valentine’s Day and have a giggle over my blog post from back then and how far my cooking and blogging has come.

Spicy Asian Pear BBQ Sauce

Yields 1-1.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium asian or bosc pear, peeled & seeded, diced small
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 1″ ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup +1 tbsp lite soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp agave
• 2 cloves minced garlic

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat and stir in the pear, jalapeno, sesame seeds and ginger; saute for 5-7 minutes until lightly caramelized.
2. Stir in the 1/4 sup of soy sauce, rice vinegar and agave; bring to a boil, reduce and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, add the remaining soy sauce and the garlic and pulse until smooth.

Slather tofu, seitan or tempeh with this sauce and bake in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned.

Almond Butter Sauce

Yields 1-1.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced small
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1″ ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
• 2 tbsp lite soy sauce
• 3/4 cup coconut creamer or coconut milk
• 3 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 2 tsp lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat and stir in the onion saute for 5-7 minutes until softened.  Stir in the garlic, ginger and chili flakes and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Whisk in the soy sauce and cook for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in the coconut creamer, almond butter and sriracha; whisk until smooth.
4. Whisk in the lime juice. Remove from heat.

Serve this sauce hot or cold over tofu, seitan, tempeh, toss it with noodles or use a dipping sauce for veggies.

I tossed mine with whole wheat spaghetti, shredded kale, green onions and julienned carrots.

Soy-Sesame Broccoli

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp lite soy sauce
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 cups broccoli florets

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Toss the veggies with the soy sauce, sesame seeds and sesame oil.
2. Pour the broccoli onto a sheet pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until florets begin to brown.

Serves 2- pre heat oven to 425F. Peel and cut 2 small rutabaga into fries and place in a bowl. Toss the rutabaga with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of flax meal, 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes until tender and browned.

More cleaning and a little napping happened and then it was time to make dinner for Allie from Healthy Balance, Healthy Life. Allie wanted to make hummus using her new food processor so that set the tone for the entire meal.  I decided to go with a Mediterranean themed meal which included lemon-garlic-oregano marinated tofu, tomato, onion and pepper skewers, olives, pita, tahini-parsley dressing and carrot sticks and radishes with Allie’s roasted red pepper hummus.

tofu and tomato skewers

onion and pepper skewers

The marinade/baste for the veggies and tofu included:

• 1 cup vegetarian chicken broth (could sub vegetable broth)
• 2 Tablespoon chopped parlsey
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil

Whisk these all together and pour over skewered veggies and tofu and allow to marinate for 2-4 hours.  Remove from the marinade and place on parchment lined baking sheets; pre-heat oven to 425F. Place the remaining marinade in a small sauce pan and place over high heat; bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer until the sauce has reduced by half. Remove from the heat and brush the veggies and tofu. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and baste with more of the reduced marinade; return to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove from the oven once again and baste the veggies and tofu with the remaining marinade.  Turn the oven on to broil and broil on high until the veggies and tofu are lightly browned.

carrot sticks and radishes

yummy mixed olives

tahini-parsley sauce and whole wheat pita

Allie's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Serves 4- in a small sauce pan heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, add 1/2 a minced sweet onion and saute over medium-high for 5-6 minutes until the onions soften. Stir in the garlic and 1 (15oz) can of rinsed and drained chickpeas; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 (12oz) package of defrosted frozen spinach, 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste; cook until heated through.

For dessert we enjoyed Lulu’s raw chocolate which is easily by far the most amazing raw chocolate I have ever had.  I find a  a lot of raw chocolates do not have enough of a chocolate flavor and are sometimes chalky tasting but this chocolate was amazing and not only is the best raw chocolate I have ever had but one of the best chocolates.  I will blog about these more once I try the other flavors I have.

After our late night chatting and enjoying Proseco with Allie we dragged ourselves out of bed this morning and headed to my parents house for the day.  We enjoyed the day with my parents, grandma and Aunt Carol; we ate, played cards and laughed. When we got home we were hungry and ready to enjoy a nice high-raw dinner.  This week we are going to eat high raw in hopes of detoxing our body a bit after enjoying lots of pasta, bread and drinks this weekend.

Dinner tonight consisted of a spicy carrot-avocado soup and raw tuna salad sandwiches which was served on multigrain Manna sprouted bread.

Spicy Carrot-Avocado Soup (raw)

Serves 2-3

• 1 & 2/3 cup carrot juice
• 1 avocado
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 jalapeno
• 1 small garlic clove
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

The Raw Tuna Salad recipe came from Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials

You can get the Aioli Mayonaise recipe for the mock tuna sandwich here.

Dessert was more amazing raw chocolate

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Don’t forget to check out the details for my Fiery Vegan Valentine Contest

Health Counseling

I have been working hard at completing my modules as well as taking time to market myself.  I have contacted a number of businesses about doing nutrition and wellness workshops which I hope will start up in February/March.  I also have been working, rather the Hubz has been working on getting my website for my health counseling business (Health and Wellness with Lindsay) up and running

My health counseling brochure:

Vegan Cookbook Club

I am proud to say that the Vegan Cookbook Club is up and running and we have an number of participants for our first book Veganomicon. The start date for Book #1 is Jaunary 16th so if you are interested in participating please contact me.

Ebook #2

I have been working hard at creating recipes for my second ebook and with the help from my really amazing and dedicated testers it should be released the first week of February; one month ahead of schedule.  There will be 25-30 recipes in this e-book featuring brunch, lunch & dinner recipes for the whole family.

Cook.Vegan.Lover. Survey

I have been spending time (when I have it) to go over the results of the Cook.Vegan.Lover. Survey in preparation to write a blog post discussing the results and the improvements that you will see on Cook.Vegan.Lover.  You will not be seeing any huge changes but rather I will be attempting to improve what is already here.  I really appreciate the open and honest feedback from all of you because it helps me to be a better blogger.

Roasted Artichoke Salad: Preheat oven to 400F. Toss 1 package of frozen artichoke hearts that have been defrosted with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Roast for 25 minutes. Whisk together the dressing for the salad: 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tsp dijon mustard, and 1 tsp agave. Toss dressing with warm artichoke hearts and 1 tablespoon of capers; serve room temperature.

Trio of olives: garlic stuffed, oil cured, & Greek Mix

Veggies with Ranch Dip

Crackers with Wayfare Hickory Cheddar Spread

Gardein Chik'n Fingers with Smoked Paprika Dip: For the Dip- 1/4 cup sour supreme, 1/4 cup vegenaise, 1 heaping tsp of hot smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp onion powder, salt and pepper to taste- whisk together!

Bourbon Spiked Soy Nog

Chocolate Bock Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Spice Glaze

After eating and drinking came photos:

I am still looking for a few testers so if you are interested please email me.

That being said I learned my lesson and this chili turned out really delicious.

Slow Cooker Smoky Pumpkin Chili

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder or you can use 2 chipotles in adobo diced**
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 (15oz) can of low sodium vegetable broth, reserve 2 tablespoons
• 1  (15oz) can no-salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 (15oz) can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 (150z) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon umeboshi plum vinegar (optional)*
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder (make sure it’s unsweetened)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add in the onions, carrots and celery; saute for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, spices and 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth into the onion mixture, cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the pumpkin, vegetable broth, tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, lite soy, umeboshi plum vinegar, cocoa powder and onion mixture to the slow cooker.  Stir to combine and then cover and turn the slow cooker onto low for 6 to 8 hours.
4. After 5-6 hours stir in the corn and taste for salt and pepper.

*You could use red wine vinegar.

**Chipotle is essential to make this chili smoky

Please take a minute to fill out the following survey so that I can use your feedback to make improvements to my blog: http://bit.ly/fkO4u2

Here is a sneak peak of one of my recipes! For more recipes you can purchase my e-book here for only $5.95!

4-6 small servings or 2 "hungry man" servings

Quinoa Stuffed Squash

• 4 small squash, Carnival or Acorn would work well
• 1T olive oil, divided
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package
• 1.5 cups water
• 1T olive oil
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, small dice
• 1 Small onion, small dice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1t Italian Seasoning
• 1t Salt
• 1/2t pepper
• 1/2t garlic powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth +2T AP flour, whisked together

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the tops off the squash about 1 inch down. Scoop the seeds out of the squash and drizzle each with 1/4T of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Reserve the tops to the side. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.

While the squash is baking- in a large skillet heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.  Toss in the onions and peppers in the oil for 3-5 minutes until soft.  Stir in the garlic and black eyed peas for a minute. Add in the spices, salt, pepper and vegetable broth mixture.  Heat until the sauce has thickened, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked quinoa.

Remove the squash from the oven and stuff until just slightly overfilled.  Place the tops back on and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes until the squash is soft, test with a tip of a knife.

The Worlds Most Unhealthy-yet free- dinner ever! Vegan Burger with potato chips and diet cola....I cringe as I type this but oh well...it was good after a night at brew fest

Now it is Sunday and I have been busy attempting to unpack as well as having to run to the office to get some emergency items done. We got quite a bit done today however there is still more to do boo! I can’t wait to be totally moved in.  I am happy to say however we have gotten back into our active mornings and finally eating at home.

This morning I knew we had a lot to do so I decided to make a yummy and filling breakfast

Polenta topped with Tex-Mex TVP

Ingredients: (makes 4 portions)

• Polenta
  • 1 cup corn grits polenta
  • 1/4 cup Nutritional yeast
  • 1t salt
  • 3 cups of water

• Tex-Mex TVP
  • 1.5 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup TVP
  • 1/2 large onion, minced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup salsa- I used my Salba Mild Salsa sample
  • 1t cumin
  • 1T nutritional yeast
  • 1t paprkia
  • 1/2t garlic salt
  • 1t chili powder
  • 1/2T oil

Directions:

• Polenta
  • Bring the water to a boil and stir in the corn grits polenta, nutritional yeast, and salt.  Turn down to low and continue to stir until the polenta has thickened.
• Tex-Mex TVP
  • Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and stir in the TVP; turn down and simmer for 5- 7 minutes. Saute the onions and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add in the cumin, paprika, chili powder and salt and stir to evenly coat the onions and garlic.  Pour in the TVP; it should be soft and expanded some- there should be a little left over vegetable broth.  Stir the TVP and onion mixture together and add the salsa and nooch.
• Assemble
  • Take 1/4 of the polenta and put it on a plate, top with 1/4 of the TVP mixture and then 1/4 of an avocado.  ENJOY! Other suggestions: add your favorite hot sauce, fresh diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos or cilantro to add even more flavor to this dish.

After breakfast I tried out my new sneakers and walked a few miles to the Short Stop to redeem my free iced coffee ticket. Then it was off to work for an emergency that had to get taken care of.

After running to work we headed to Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick up some organizational items, the natural food store for a few items and then home to make some lunch- a recipe from Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Essentials- Pad Thai!  Since the only kelp noodles I had were still frozen I made the recipe with zucchini noodles, cabbage and carrot noodles on a bed of baby spinach.

Ani Phyo's newest raw book is really amazing! The book has such a clear layout of recipes which is great for easily navigating it and finding recipes that interest me. I absolutely love the photos that are in the book; they are a huge improvement over Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. The recipes are also even better than her first book! We loved the pad thai, BLT Club and Chinese Chickenless Salads- I can't wait to try more recipes! One thing that I loved about these recipes is that they were easy to follow and they all turned out amazing! There is also a great balance of recipes that require special appliances (i.e. dehydrators, high powered blenders, spiralizers) and recipes that are easy for anyone who doesn't have these special items and doesn't want to go out and purchase them. I would really recommend that if you have any interest in raw foods to pick this book up because you won't be dissappointed.

After recharging with this lovely raw meal it was time to get down to work and unpack our place.  We gave ourselves 20 minutes to relax, check e-mails and twitter then it was time to get unpacking.  We did pretty well over 2.5 hours of unpacking the place but unfortunately there is still more to do- we need more furniture so we don’t really have places to put things…like books.

I attempted to  write this post earlier but my blog has been down all afternoon so, what would have been a separate dinner post is going to be wrapped up into this post. Dinner was simple (see below) since it is a million degrees in our apartment and I’m exhausted.  Enjoy!

Tomato & Cuke Salad, Trio of Dips (leftover TVP from breakfast, Spicy Peanut Hummus and Salba Mild Salsa) with Salba Blue Corn Chips and Carrot Sticks, Lastly, Olives & Caper Berries

The Salad That Will Make Your Friends Say "WOW"

This simple salad will impress your guests:

Ingredients:

• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 large cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 2T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

First place the balsamic and shallots in a small sauce pan on high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium low  and reduce by half.  Set aside and let cool slightly while you prepare the remaining items.  Create a bed with the spinach for the tomato and cucumber to lay on; alternate the tomato and 2 slices of cucumber until all is used.  Down the center top the cucumbers and tomatoes with the balsamic shallots and then drizzle the remaining sauce over.  Drizzle the olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Three Bean Burgers

• 2 cups of black eyed peas, kidney beans, and chickpeas
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2-3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2t chili powder
• 1/2t cumin
• 1/4t garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1T hot sauce (I used VT Pepperworks Chocolate Chipotle)

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mash the beans up and add in the spices, chickpea flour, panko breadcrumbs and hot sauce. Form the patties into 1/4 cup patties and bake for 10 minutes on each side.

Carrot Fries

• 5 large carrots, sliced into thin strips
• 1t Montreal Chicken Spice

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Toss the carrots with Montreal Chicken spice and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Sauteed Kale

• 1 head of Red Russian Kale, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2t salt
• 1/2t garlic powder
• 1T nutritional yeast
• pepper to taste

Heat a sautee pan over medium-high heat and add in the vegetable broth and kale.  Sautee until the kale begins to wilt and stir in the salt, garlic powder, nutritional yeast and pepper.

On Monday I got home from work to find my Easy Lunch Boxes sample had arrived and I couldn’t wait to try them out.  My husband and I bring lunch everyday to work because it’s healthier, cheaper and easier than going out for lunch, besides the fact that we don’t really have time to go out for lunch during the work week.  I have to say one of the hardest things at our house however is finding containers to pack our food into. The Hubz We are notorious for leaving our tupperware at work or in the car so it is nice to finally have some new ones.

I went right to work putting together my lunches for the week and because they stack so great I could just stick them in the fridge and grab them when I head out the door.  This makes like so much easier because I don’t have to get up in the morning and make lunch or do it the night before they are all ready to go.  I also received a cute purple lunch box that fits the containers perfectly- I think this is my first real lunch box since elementary school. If you check back later today I think there might be a giveaway post for your own chance to win these eco friendly lunch boxes.

For my lunches this week we have some fruit, salad and the most delicious GF vegan raw sprouted crackers from Livin’ Spoonfuls I have ever tasted.  I tried the coconut curry yesterday and they were amazing I am sure I will post more about these later.

Dinner last night was delicious and filled with healthier versions of two of my favorite things- chili and quesadillas. I know I have blogged about these before but Maria and Ricardo’s Low Carb Tortillas are my favorite tortillas for a few reasons  they are low in calories, fat and carbs and are made with ingredients that are all natural.

In my quesadillas I put some scallions and a serving of cheddar Daiya cheese- I couldn’t hold myself back from buying it the other day when I saw that it was on sale for $2 off.  We tried the mozza a few weeks ago and I decided that a sale was a good excuse reason to try the cheddar;  I think I am a bigger fan of the cheddar so far.

To go with our quesadillas I made up some chili with kidney and black beans that I had soaked the night before and I added a bunch of great veggies to it including mustard greens.

Beans and Greens Chili

Ingredients:

• 1/2T olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1.5 cups cooked kidney beans
• 1.5 cups cooked black beans
• 1T tomato paste
• 2 t cumin
• 1 t paprika
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1T nutritional yeast
• 2t chili powder
• dash of cayenne
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t onion powder
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t black pepper
• 3 cups mustard greens, chopped
• 1/4 cup scallions, sliced
• 1T chipotle hot sauce or 1t chipotle chili powder (optional)

Directions:

In a medium pot heat the oil over medium-high and add in the onion and carrots; saute for 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.  Add in the vegetable broth, tomato paste and beans and bring to a boil; turn down to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes.  While the beans simmer mix the cumin, paprika, oregano, nutritional yeast, chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper with 2T of water to make a paste. Stir the spice paste into the beans and then top with the mustard greens and cover; let the greens wilt. Stir in the greens and scallions.  At this point you can eat as is or if you want you can add in the chipotle hot sauce or chipotle chili powder- I think that with the beans and greens this smoky flavor and heat is a great addition to the chili but it is yummy without it as well.

When I became vegan I was clueless as to what nutritional yeast was and what to do with it.  Now I am a nutritional yeast addict and my husband and I constantly joke that I should go into therapy because of it.

So what exactly is nutritional yeast?

• Nutritional Yeast is an inactive yeast that has a nutty cheesy flavor and is frequently used to make vegan cheeze sauces.
• Nutritional Yeast is low in sodium and fat and is a great source of Vitamin B-12 which can otherwise only be found in animal products.

Where can you find nutritional yeast?

• Check out your local natural food store or co-op in the bulk section.  You can find it in large flakes and small; also try to find Red Star- it is my favorite brand.
• If you can’t find it in store you can go online and there are a number of vegan sites that sell it as well as online bulk shops.

How do I use it?

• It is great as a topping for popcorn or sprinkled on edamame.
• Mix a little in with your Earth Balance and garlic to make a great garlic bread spread.
• Sprinkle into a stir fry, in/on pasta dishes or in soups/stews.
• Make a great mock parmesan by pulsing 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup sesame seeds and 1 teaspoon salt in your food processor and sprinkle on soups, salads and over pasta.
• Then of course there are cheeze sauces such as the one I made tonight:

• 1/2T olive oil
• 3 large cloves of garlic minced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1T arrowroot (or cornstarch or potato starch)
• 1/2t Italian Seasoning
• 1/2t chili flakes
• 1/2T garlic powder
• 1/2T salt
• 1/2T black pepper
• 1 heaping tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)

Place garlic and oil in a cold pan and heat on low for 5 minutes; this will infuse the oil.  Add in the tomatoes and turn the heat up to medium and saute for 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften. Stir in the spices and arrowroot until everything is mixed together.  Stir in the almond milk and the nutritional yeast; bring to a boil to thicken and then turn off.  If the sauce gets too thick add a little more almond milk.  Serve this over pasta or your favorite veggies.  I served mine over vegan ravioli and steamed broccoli.

Q: What is your favorite way to use nutritional yeast?

This afternoon we did some grocery shopping and hubby requested that I make some banana soft serve with strawberries for an afternoon snack.  He sure had a great idea because this was yummy!

Ingredients:

• 3 small frozen bananas
• 8 strawberries
• 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1T raw almond butter

Blend this all together and enjoy.  You can make this completely raw if you substitute raw almond milk.

Dinner was the exciting event of the night.  We have been trying to cut back on eating out so hubz and I decided to do themed date nights in.  Tonight we did a Greek feast in memory of our trip to Ft. Lauderdale last September where we had the best Greek food. For our feast I picked up some marinated mushrooms, artichokes, and olives.  I then made some lightened up Greek which included skordalia, hummus, oregano & lemon roasted potatoes and some tomato, tofu, onion salad with Drew’s lemon herb dressing.

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1T lemon juice
• 1/3 cup chickpea liquid
• 1-28oz can of chickpeas
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic

Blend in a food processor until smooth and top with paprika and chopped olives.

Skordalia

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato, boiled
• 3 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2T olive oil
• 1T white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Toss in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Lemon and Oregano Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 large Yukon Gold Potato Sliced
• 1/2 the juice of a lemon and 1/2 a lemon sliced
• 1t oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1T olive oil
• 3 cloves of minced garlic

Preheat oven to 425F. Place potatoes in one layer in a roasting pan and sprinkle with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and oregano.  Place the lemon slices on top and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Now I am stuffed and am enjoying a nice pom-vodka spritzer and watching New York, I Love You. Q: What are you doing this evening?

After our relaxing lunch and movie it as time to get down to business and by business I mean shopping.  Grocery shopping that is! We picked up some great finds at Costco (greens, broccoli, mushrooms and Organicville no sugar added BBQ sauce). Then we were off to pick up a few more veggies and such for lunches.  We picked up this yummy treat to share, a little one serving container of Ciao Bella Sicilian Blood Orange Sorbeto:

For dinner I made a yummy dinner of baked BBQ tofu, roasted broccoli, green salad and garlic-saffron quinoa:

Baked BBQ Tofu

• 80z of pressed tofu cut into 4 thin slices
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce of your choice (I used Organicville no sugar added)
• 1T soy sauce
• 3T water
• 1t sirracha

Preheat oven to 425F. Mix the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, water and sirracha together and pour into a small baking dish. Place the tofu in the sauce and flip over a few times to coat.  Bake for 40 minutes, flipping half way.

Roasted Broccoli

• 4 cups of broccoli
• 1T olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Aluminum Foil

Preheat oven to 425F.  Toss the broccoli with the olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place the broccoli in aluminum foil and create a closed packet. Place in the oven and bake 15-20 minutes.

Garlic-Saffron Quiona

• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2T olive oil
• 10 strands of saffron
• 2 cups of water
• 1 vegan chik’n bouillon cube
• 1 cup quinoa
• salt and pepper
• 1/2T nutritional yeast

In a small pot heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes.  Add the water, bouillon and saffron to the onion and garlic and bring to a boil.  Stir in the quinoa and return to a boil.  Cover and turn the heat down to medium, and cook 12-15 minutes until the water has been absorbed.  Take off the heat and fluff with a fork.  Add the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste.  Let sit covered for 15 minutes before serving.

For dessert we were cravings something sweet and banana like:

Chocolate Banana Soft Serve

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas broken into pieces
• 1 T nutbutter (today I used Sunbutter)
• 1/3-1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk

Directions

Place everything in a food processor (a blender really won’t work not even a Blendtec or Vita-Mix) and processes until fluffy smooth and softserve like.

Friday night hubby and I enjoyed some veggie dogs in our favorite New England (top split) hot dog buns.  Since the buns out numbered the dogs I decided to find another use for them.  Then I got to thinking what other things do you usually find in a hot dog roll? LOBSTER Salad! The sea vegetable flakes give the chickpeas a fish taste and the minced sundried tomatoes against the white vegenaise mimics the colors of a lobster roll.

Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 carrots, minced
• 2 celery stalks, minced
• 2T onion, minced
• 1/2T Triple Blend Flakes (or kelp flakes)
• 10 sundried tomatoes, minced
• 1/4 Cup vegenaise or your other favorite vegan mayo
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together mashing the chickpeas a bit with the back of your spoon.  Stuff this mixture into a New England Style hot dog bun because it just wouldn’t be the same in any other roll.

• 2 cups of cooked and cooled wild rice
• 1 block of lite silken tofu (I used Nasoya)
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1T soy sauce
• 2T nutritional yeast
• 1t garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 to 1&1/2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/2T hot sauce
• 1-15oz can of black-eyed peas, drained, rinsed and smashed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Blend the silken tofu, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and hot sauce until smooth.
3. In a large bowl mix together the wild rice, tofu mixture, onion, and black-eyed peas.
4. Starting with 1 cup of breadcrumbs and mix to combine then if needed add breadcrumbs 1T at a time until the mixture forms balls.
5. Create patties using about 1/4 cup of mixture per patty and place on a lined baking sheet and press down.
6. Place in the oven and make for 20 minutes, flipping after 10.

Ingredients (makes 2 large portions or 4 sides):

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 8oz button mushrooms, cut in half (you can also try baby bella or portobello if you’d like)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into medium sized chunks
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (if you want to make this totally raw you can omit this ingredient)
• 1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
• 3T lemon juice
• 1t onion powder
• 1t garlic powder
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t black pepper

Directions:

1. Toss the veggies with the nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper; make sure everything is evenly coated.
2. Spread evenly onto mesh dehydrator sheets (I used 2 in my Nesco).
3. Dehydrate at 115F for 1-2 hours (this helps to reduce fermentation) then turn down to 105F for at least 10 hours but you could dehydrate these up to 24 hours if you want them really crispy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa, sprouted 24 hours, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup flax meal
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 10 sundried tomatoes, soaked for 1-2 hours
• 2T Nama Shoyu
• 1/4 Cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 1t italian seasoning
• 2T nutritional yeast (optional, not raw but adds great flavor)

Directions:

1. To a food processor add sunflower seeds through italian seasoning and blend until almost smooth.
2. In a medium bowl mix together the quinoa, flax meal, nutritional yeast (if using) and sunflower seed mixture and mix until everything is evenly mixed together.
3. Spread thinly onto teflex sheets, parchment paper or fruit roll sheets (I use fruit roll sheets for my Nesco dehydrator).  At this point you can score the mixture to have even crackers or you can just break into pieces once they are done.
4. Dehydrate at 115F for 2 hours then turn down to 105F for 10-15 hours (I like to do this in the evening and let them dehydrate over night.

Find the recipe here.

Serve with veggies, crackers or my favorite nori rolls.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup firm tofu, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 5 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1.5 cups frozen edamame
• 1T coconut oil
• 1T coconut peanut butter (can substitute half coconut butter/half peanut butter or just use peanut butter)- win your own Coconut PB below
• 1T red curry paste
• 2T soy sauce, tamari or shoyu
• 1/2T vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1T arrowroot powder mixed with 1/4 cup of water
• 1t garlic powder
• 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. In a wok over medium high heat melt the coconut oil and coconut peanut butter together.
2. Add in the red curry paste and stir fry together for about a minute.
3. Add in all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the peanuts and cook for 7-10minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4. Add in the peanuts at the end.  Serve with your favorite rice or noodles.

To make this recipe I used Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil and Coconut Peanut Butter.  The coconut peanut butter is rich and creamy tasting and works really well in this dish.  The peanut butter flavor is not overwhelming but is rather great combined with the coconut.  I found that this is not an easily spreadable butter but is great on warmed foods such as oatmeal, stir fries, noodles, and sweet potatoes.

“Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter is made from organic peanuts and organic coconut. Two ingredients: nothing else! No fillers, no binders, no sweeteners, and no preservatives. The peanuts are 100% organic Valencia peanuts grown organically by family farmers in New Mexico and Texas. Grown in the dry climate of the southwestern United States, these peanuts are certified organic and free from aflatoxins. The dried coconut is certified organic coconut meat from the Philippines from coconuts that are grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. This premium dried coconut contains no additives or preservatives, and is not sweetened. Unlike most dried coconut on the market, our dried coconut products are not treated with sulfites to keep them white. Together, these premium organic roasted peanuts and the premium organic dried coconut are ground together to make a delicious and nutritious spread!” soucre

Tropical Traditions Giveaway- Please Enter by 8am on February 26, 2010

To win your own jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter visit the Tropical Traditions website and take a look around- leave a comment on my blog telling me something you’ve learned or about a product that interest you.

Additional Chances to Enter

1. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions email Sales Newsletter here:http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/subscribe_for_special_sales.cfm(Leave me a comment saying you did)
2. Tweet about this giveaway – “I want to win @Troptraditions Coconut Oil from @cookveganlover http://wp.me/ppaTI-vQ
   (Leave me a comment saying you did)
3. Follow me @cookveganlover on twitter (Leave a comment saying you did)
4. Visit Tropical Traditions Free Coconut Recipe websitehttp://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/ and leave a comment telling me what your favorite recipe is.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Giveaway Winner is:

hihorosie // February 24, 2010 at 6:32 PM | Reply (edit)

Margaritas are generally filled with sugar and can be anywhere from 250-500 calories.  

This recipe is great and only around 150 calories a serving so you can enjoy your margarita without the calorie guilt.

Ingredients: (makes 4-5 margaritas) 

• 8oz silver tequila 
• splash of triple sec
• 1t agave nectar
• 3 limes, juice and zest
• 2 blood oranges, juice and zest
• 3-4 cups ice

Throw everything into the blender and blend to a slush.  

Silly napkins my mom got us to go with our margarita glasses

Coming from a family that has faced heart disease, cancer and diabetes I have found that this cookbook is a great resource for my own health and when I am cooking for family and friends. All of the recipes are plant based and whole foods, which means that all of the recipes are processed and refined food FREE! Now the best part is that these recipes are delicious and nutritious.

Click to View on Amazon

  I have been cooking up a storm from this book and my dream is to attempt all of the recipes.  So far I have tired:

•  Cream of Broccoli-Kale Soup
• Creamy Chickpea Soup with Lemon and Parsley- Husband and parents really liked this
• Squash Apple Soup
• The Cleansing Omega 3 Spread
• Walnut Miso Spread
• Favorite Tempeh Marinade- This was a favorite of mine and I will be making it again!
• Savory Marinade
• Creamy Thai Kale
• Garlic-Curry Sweet Potato “Fries”- these were absolutely amazing
• Favorite Portobello Mushrooms
• Ginger-Garlic Brown Rice
• Celtic Shepherds Pie with Miso Gravy- This was popular with the family and the miso gravy is so delicious
• Mom’s Favorite Veggie Burgers

Sounds like a lot right?  I haven’t even made a dent in this 486 page book and the yummy sounding recipes don’t seem to end.  Kristin Doyle gave me permission to give you a sneak peak from Therapeutic Chef with her recipe for Pressed Kale Salad:

 This granola is delicious and is great with your favorite non-dairy milk or soygurt. 

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup Blueberry Flax Meal (you can substitute regular flax meal)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup almond pieces
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons vegan margarine (coconut oil would be a great substitute for vegan margarine)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 & 1/2 cups raisins 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, flax meal, coconut, almond pieces and pumpkin seeds onto a baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Grease a baking sheet. 
4. While the oats mixture is toasting, combing the brown rice syrup, brown sugar, margarine, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
5. Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the brown rice syrup mixture, add the raisins, and stir to combine. 
6. Pour the mixture onto the greased baking sheet and make sure that the mixture is evenly distributed. Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

• 1/2T olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 celery spears chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 -15oz can of fava beans
• 4 mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (nooch)
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t onion powder
• pinch of chili flakes
• 1T lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups cooked whole wheat penne (or pasta of your choice- I’d recommend a small pasta)

1. In a large saute pan heat the olive oil over medium-high and add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and mushrooms.  Saute for 5-7minutes until vegetables are soft and have developed a little color. 
2. Add the lemon juice, nooch, garlic powder, onion powder and chili flakes; stir together then add the vegetable brothand beans. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the broth has reduced.  
3. Add in the penne and stir.  Let everything heat through and then serve!

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup NuNaturals Stevia Baking Blend (can use regular sugar)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup blueberry flaxmeal
• 1t vanilla
• 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1.25 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4t salt
• 1/4 cup crushed walnuts
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare an 8×8 baking dish. Mix the stevia, coconut oil, flaxmeal, vanilla and almond milk together and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the cacao powder, flour, salt and walnuts and stir until combined. Pour into the baking dish and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Bake for 18-23 minutes until a knife comes out clean. I prefer to serve these warm.

If you want to check out our yummy dining at A Single Pebble and Coffee Corner as well as what else we ate the past few days visit Eat. Live. Be Healthy.

Don’t forget you have until 1/31/10 at 8am to enter to win Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil.

• Get the Recipe Here. 

I served up this delicious guacamole and some savory Flackers from Doctor in The Kitchen that I received the other day.  These flax seed crackers are delicious, gluten free, raw and full of fiber and protein. There are three flavors: dill, rosemary and savory- I have tried the dill and savory so far and they are delicious! I think I will make some white bean dip to have the the rosemary flackers.

Click to View the Doctor in the Kitchen Website

Ingredients

2 avocados, diced

1/2 small red onion, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 T lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash.

Pantry Challenge Update: I know I wrote in my last pantry challenge update that I would probably not be participating any longer however I decided to give it another week.  I did however pick up some additional pantry items that I needed such as beans, nuts, and non-dairy milk this week.  I also picked up spinach, bananas, and oranges.  I spent $32 total for these items make a total of $60 for the last two weeks on groceries.  We get our share tomorrow and it should include: carrots, beets, cabbage, potatoes, onions, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, winter squash, garlic and apple cider- our share is every 2 weeks so this will last us for the rest 0f the month.

I have to say though I have created some great meals this week.  My husband commented on the fact that they were fun and different than we usually have and actually have tasted great. I’ll leave you with some of the items I made this week:

Southwest Grits - Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 5 minute grits
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 t each of  garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and paprika
• 1 t cumin
• 1/4 t chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 3 green onions thinly sliced

Directions:

• In a bowl mix together grits, nutritional yeast and spices.
• Bring water to a boil, while stirring slowly stream in the grits mixture.  
• Turn the heat down to low and let cook this should take about 5-7 minutes, make sure to stir frequently.
• Once the grits are almost done add in the corn and green onions.
• To serve place grits in a bowl and garnish with green onion, corn and your favorite hot sauce.

Creamy Butternut Squash Penne - Serves 1

For dinner last night I took the bus into Burlington to meet my hubby after work for a date night.  We went to American Flatbread which is delicious.  I love their menu because it is simple – all they have are 10 signature flatbreads, create your own flatbread and a salad; however their beer menu is extensive – I’d say close to 100 different varieties as well as house made ones. 

Hubby had the Wolaver's Coffee Porter and I had Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde

We shared 2 small flatbreads- This one is Revolution Flatbread- housemade tomato sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms and herbs

Our 2nd flatbread was the Roasted Tomato Salsa- house made salsa (wood fired tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro), corn and black beans

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This is a great dish that I make a few times a year usually for parties or nights that we are feeling like something yummy and comforting.  I recently made this dish for our family holiday gathering and it went over great with everyone.  I sometimes like to bake this up until it gets browned and bubbly but it is great hot, warm or room temperature.  Use the leftovers (if you have any) to make yummy grilled sandwiches or quesadillas.

Serve this with veggie sticks, crackers and/or crusty bread

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 1 can of artichokes, drained
• 1 T lemon juice
• Two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 12 ounces vegan cream cheese, at room temperature, I prefer toffutti
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• Dash of hot sauce
• Salt and Pepper

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the artichokes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the lemon and cook until for a minute.
4. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
5. Add the tofu cream cheese, nutritional yeast and season with hot sauce, salt and pepper.
6. Cook, stirring, until the dip is creamy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

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• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance Margarine
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds small parsnips, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 cup vegan “chicken” broth
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1.      In a large, deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the Earth Balance in the oil. Add the parsnips and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer over low heat until the parsnips are tender, about 8 minutes.

2.      Stir spinach into to parsnips.

3.      In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Whisk in the soy milk and nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a boil, whisking until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir the sauce into the spinach and parsnips and bring to a simmer. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

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1 ½ lb red potatoes peeled and grated
¼ cup finely chopped scallions
2 “eggs” (use a powdered egg replacer like Ener-g)
2 T flour
1 ½ t salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Grate the potatoes and squeeze the liquid out of them.
In a bowl mix together the potatoes, flour, shallots, “eggs”, salt and pepper.
In a large skillet heat ¼ in of oil over medium high heat.
Drop heaping tablespoons of potato mixture and cook 3-4 minutes a side.
Place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve immediately with applesauce and scallion sour cream

Applesauce

2 ½ lbs apples peeled and cored
3 T sugar
1 T lemon
3 T water

Combine everything in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cover and lower heat to a simmer, cook for 20 minutes.
Uncover and cook 30 minutes.
Mash.

Scallion Sour Cream

5 scallions sliced, both greens and whites
1 package of lite silken tofu
1 T lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon agave
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a blender of food processor, blend all tofu through salt together, then place in a bowl.
Stir in sliced scallions.

I used Nature’s Path Oaty Bites instead of the traditional Chex and they worked great. They are a bit sweeter then normal Chex cereal which gives this Chex mix recipe a great sweet and salty taste.

Recipe for Oaty Bites Mix

4 1/2 cups Oaty Bites
1/2 cup spelt pretzels
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnuts
3 T vegan margarine
1 T vegan worcestershire sauce
1 t Adobe seasoning (I use Goya brand)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 250F
2. In the oven melt the margarine on a large rimmed baking sheet.
3. In a bowl mix together the Oaty Bites, pretzels and nuts.
4. Once the margarine has melted add the seasonings and mix together then gently pour on the Oaty Bites mixture and evenly toss in the margarine spice mixture.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Let cool and then store in air tight containers for 5-7 days (not that it will last that long)

SPICY CHIPOTLE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

This is a great recipe for your next holiday party, dinner or brunch.  It combines the sweet flavors of the squash with the smokey spice of the chipotle chili powder.  Spice up your next meal with this recipe!

Served up with Tofu Scram and Toast- Breakfast for Dinner

• 2 small Butternut Squash, peeled and diced
• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder

1.       Preheat to 450 degrees F.

2.       Combine oil, paprika, salt, garlic powder and chipotle chili powder in a large bowl.

3.       Add squash; toss to coat with the seasoning mixture.

4.       Spread the squash evenly on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet.

5.       Roast, stirring once or twice, until the squash are tender and browned, 30-40 minutes.

4 small servings or 2 large

½ lb WW Penne

Salt & Pepper

1 T Olive oil

1 T Margarine (I prefer Earth Balance)

1 small Onion, diced

1 t Dried Thyme

3 T AP Flour

1 C Vegan “chicken” broth (I used Imagine No Chicken Broth)

1 small Pie Pumpkin, roasted* or 1 can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)

½ C Unflavored Soy Milk (or non-dairy milk)

½ C Vegan Cheese Spread (I used Wayfare cheese spread however you can use any  vegan cheese spread you like or vegan cream cheese would work great as well)

1/4 C Nutritional Yeast

¼ t ground nutmeg

Topping:

1/3 C WW Bread Crumbs

1/3 C French Fried Onions (I like the Trade Joe’s Brand)

Mix together.

*For the pumpkin: Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds.  Lay cut side down on a baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 35-40 min, until the pumpkin can easily be scooped out of it’s skin.  Scoop the pumpkin out and set aside.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Heat a pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Salt the water and add the pasta, cook until al dente (will cook a bit more in the oven).
3. While pasta is cooking, heat a medium heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add the oil and margarine.
4. Add the thyme and onion to the melted margarine/oil and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Whisk in the stock.
7. Stir in the squash and soy milk and bring to a simmer.
8. Stir in the cheese spread, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
9. Once everything is well combined stir in the drained pasta.
10. Transfer the mac and cheeze mixture into a baking dish and top with the bread crumb mixture.
11. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 min, until browned and bubbly.
12. Remove from oven and let sit for 5minutes before serving.

We did not eat the cat!

Last night marked the beginning of week two for our CSA “Winter Food Basket”. Every two weeks we get a basket full of assorted winter/fall veggies from many different local farms. As we began the second week, we had mostly root vegetables and squash left as greens and other veggies obviously don’t last as long.

So, last night was a fairly quick and easy dinner made (mostly) out of our CSA items. We roasted up some delicata squash rings (although, these delicata are different than ones we’ve had in the past. more stringy like spaghetti squash) and a Celeriac and Potato Mash. We were originally thinking celeriac soup, but were more in the mood for a quick meal. So, Lindsay whipped this up while I did some dishes.

In addition to the veggies, we had some “light life ginger teriyaki tempehtations”. I found them to be quite dull. The flavor was weak and the tempeh was dried out and definitely of a lower grade than we are used to.

Below, is the recipe for the mash:

Celeriac Potato Mash

2 medium sized celeriac (celery root), peeled and diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
¼ cup sour supreme
¼ cup nondairy milk
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
2 heading tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.Boil the potatoes and celeriac until fork tender.
2.Drain the potatoes and celeriac and add back to the pot.
3.Mash in the sour supreme, nondairy milk, margarine and nutritional yeast. Mash together- I like to keep it a little more chunky but if you like it whipped you’d like.
4.Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches with Quick Napa Slaw and Spicy Agave Mustard Dipping Sauce (for the sweet potato)

Makes 4 Servings

Pulled Mushrooms:

•  
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced 
  • 1 lg onion, thinly, sliced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 T safflower oil 
  • 2 T garlic A-1 steak sauce
  • 2 T BBQ sauce
  • 1 T dijion mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a cast-iron pan over medium high heat and add the mushrooms and onions.  Sauté for 2 minutes.
2. Turn the heat down to medium low and stir in the garlic. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the mushrooms and onions have caramelized, making sure to stir occasionally. 
3. While the mushrooms and onions are cooking in a small bowl mix together the steak sauce, bbq sauce and dijion mustard.
4. When the mushrooms and onions have caramelized add the steak sauce mixture and stir together. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the slaw.

Quick Napa Slaw

•  
  • 1 cup shredded napa cabbage
  • 1 T reduced fat vegenaise
  • 1 T Drew’s Smoked Tomato Dressing
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Toss everything together.

To assemble the sandwich:

Take 2 rolls and place 1/4 of the slaw on the bottom.  Top with 1/4 of the mushroom mixture.

Spicy Agave Mustard Sauce- this goes great with the sweet potato and brussels

•  
  • 1/4 cup of Dijion mustard
  • 1 T agave
  • 1 t chipotle chili powder

1. Mix together.

After hours (yes hours) of flipping through this cookbook I finally decided that I would make the Batter Baked Tempura with the Spicy Mustard Sauce, We Will Rock You Three Layer Nachos and Eggless Egg Salad.  The Batter Baked Tempura was delicious especially with the mustard sauce, however I am not sure if it totally resembled tempura but rather it was more like baked onion rings/veggies.  Nevertheless it was amazingly delicious and unfortunately was the only item I ended up taking the time to photograph.

The We Will Rock You Three Layer Nachos were next on my list of items to make and they were so good.  I made both the tempeh bean mixture and nacho cheese sauce which I put over baked blue corn chips and baked then topped with salsa, pickled jalapeno and avocado.  The recipe made so much sauce I only used half of bean mixture and nacho cheese for the nachos and saved the remainder to make a Tex-Mex Mac and Cheese the following night with mushrooms, onions and cherry tomatoes.

My husband’s favorite recipe that I made was the Eggless Egg Salad and it was certainly one of the best recipes for it that I have tried.  I served the Eggless Egg Salad in whole wheat pita halves.  The great part about this recipe is that it made enough for 2 days worth of lunches!

Overall I love this book and find that although not all of the recipes are 30 minutes with prep time and cooking they are still quick, fast, healthy and fun. You can order your own copy of The 30 Minute Vegan on Amazon. 

You can also check out other reviews of The 30 Minute Vegan on the following sites:

Happy Herbivore

Basil & Spice

Vegan Guinea Pig

Chow Vegan where you can find reviews & recipes for Mango Gazpacho& Baked Tempura

Vegan Fusion – The authors blog

Vegan Crunk