Favorite Holiday Recipes and a new Green Smoothie

It's been a while since I have posted any recipes, but life has gotten a bit hectic over the past few months! I promise these holiday favorites are well worth the wait!
The thought of never having my favorite thanksgiving recipe again, green bean casserole, was not acceptable to me! I sought out different recipes, and had to eventually make up my own to be happy with the results. My family agrees that this recipe rivals the cream of mushroom soup/cholesterol ridden one that we all know so well.
To begin, I clean and de-stem the fresh green beans and steam for 10 minutes (I have also made this with frozen julienne cut green beans and it was equally delicious!). While that is cooking, I whisk together the almond milk and the vegetable bullion cube until dissolved. I then add the cornstarch to thicken. Once the creamy and consistent, I coat the green beans in the mixture and mix in 1/2 cup of the crispy onion and put in an oven safe dish. This bakes for 25 minutes at 350, then topped with another 1/2 cup of the onions and cooked for 5 more minutes. This was the only picture I snagged of it, after it had been well enjoyed!

 

     1 lb fresh green beans

1 large vegetable bullion cube

1 tbsp cornstarch

1- 1 1/2 c. almond milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 c. french fried onions

Pumpkin pie was always one of my holiday favorites, and the past few thanksgivings I had used a recipe I found online, but I wanted to change it up this year. I began by buying a pre-made graham cracker crust (I know that this would be 10x better with a homemade crust!!), and spreading a thick chocolate mixture made out of dark chocolate chunks and almond milk just on top of the crust (heat the almond milk, then stir in chocolate until all combined evenly)- then I put this in the refrigerator to set for 10 minutes while I made the filling which was easy as mixing all the ingredients together at once and putting in the pie shell. Then into the oven at 350 F for 60 minutes. The chocolate added just a bit of extra sweetness and special flavor- perfect combination!

1 premade pie crust

1 cup dark chocolate chunks

1 tbsp almond milk for chocolate spread

2 c. pumpkin puree

1 c. almond milk

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch **sifted to avoid lumps**

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp allspice or ground cloves

Lastly, a new green smoothie recipe! I put the spinach, coconut water, pineapple, peach, and strawberries along with the hemp proetein powder into the Vitamix and blended for 30 seconds on high....Delicious!

5-8 oz fresh spinach

4 chunks fresh pineapple

3 pieces frozen peaches

4 frozen strawberries

1 cup coconut water

2 tbsp raw hemp protein powder

Pumpkin Man-n-"Cheese"

I've had the past week off and truthfully spent a good amount of it relaxing on the couch, watching lots of cruddy daytime TV, but also lots of cooking shows! I came across this recipe from the Rachael Ray show, although I'm NOT a fan typically!, and thought this was an original recipe that I could easily manipulate for a rich vegan treat!

 After cussing out the grocery stores for not stocking pureed pumpkin yet, I sucked it up and made some of my own. (SO glad I did, so easy, and fresh!) Simply I cut a small pumpkin in half, removed the seeds and placed in the microwave on high for 10 minutes. Next I scrapped out the 'meat' of the pumpkin and put into the Vitamix, using the tamper to create a smooth consistency. Here's a picture of the fresh puree, so simple!

I boiled water and made the whole wheat pasta as indicated on the box to al dente. Next, I melted the "butter", and whisked in the flour.  Once combined, I added the beer and allowed to thicken, whisking throughout. Next I added the almond milk and maple syrup. At this time I also added all the spices. Once this cooked down and thickened up to a creamy consistency, I added the pureed pumpkin and the daiya cheddar cheese, whisking until all was combined. I tasted and added a bit more salt, then combined with the pasta. Per request of my boyfriend, I used a soy based Parmesan cheese as a topping before putting under the broiler for ~10 minutes. (you could also top with extra cheddar cheese, or make a crumb/cracker type crust)

 

The final product is creamy, cheesy, and the flavor incorporates so many fall flavors that I encourage you to try this recipe out!!

Pumpkin Mac-n-"Cheese"

1 lb short whole wheat pasta

4 tbsp butter (I used earth balance soy free variety)

3 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat flour)

1 c. amber beer (I used Blue Moon's Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale to bring out more pumpkin flavor)

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 2/3 c. almond milk

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp apple pie spice

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. fresh pumpkin puree

~2 c. daiya chedder "cheese"

Caramel Popcorn

I've had a recent obsession with popcorn, mainly with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top, but was craving something sweet and came up with this basic, quick, and tasty recipe!
I added the sugar, earth balance, and water into a saucepan and melted them together. Next, I covered and let boil for ~3 minutes, then added the vanilla. I let the mixture cool a bit so that the caramel had time to thicken a bit, and poured it over the popcorn while mixing for even coverage. After sneaking a few tastes, I put it in the refrigerator to cool and let the caramel harden a bit. Easy!

Caramel Popcorn
1 bag natural popcorn
1/2 c. turbinado
1/2 tbsp earth balance
4 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Quick Chickpea Burgers

I have been playing around with the idea of a chickpea burger (the first attempt turned into hummus due to too much liquid and too much blending!!), and think I've come up with a good basic recipe that could be seasoned and spiced many different ways. (Off the top of my head, I REALLY want to make Curry Chickpea Burgers next time!).
I began by taking the chicpeas and mashing them with a potato masher until they were mashed, but not pulverized, with some good texture left. I then added some of the canned liquid to the mixture for some moisture. I added the spices, mixed, then folded in the red pepper and egg substitute (this really gave the good consistency and binding to form into patties with my hands). I put the patties into a frying pan with about 1 tsp of olive oil and cooked on low/medium heat until golden brown and warm throughout. I ate with a side of bar-b-que sauce and it was great! (The next day I used in a spinach salad; FANTASTIC!!) Here they are just finished cooking:

Basic Chickpea Burgers
2 14oz can low sodium chickpeas
~1/4 c. drained liquid
1 medium bell pepper
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
salt and pepper to taste
(any other seasonings you desire!)

"Cheesy" Roasted Tomato Sauce for pasta and Fudge Babies

I have been wanting to try almond cheese for a while now, and couldn't think of what recipe to try it out in first; upon reading a magazine that had macaroni and cheese recipes in it I suddenly had a craving for a play on mac n cheese. Together with the almond cheese and some fresh vegetables from the farmer's market, I came up with something quite flavorful!!
I bean by chopping up the tomatoes and putting them in a small oven safe dish with 1/2 of the olive oil, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning blend, and covering with tin foil.

I placed this in a 400 F oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, I chopped up the onion and caramelized them with the remaining olive oil and a dash of garlic salt. While that was cooking, in a small sauce pan I heated up the almond milk and put the almond cheese in it, using a whisk to even the texture as it melted. I let that sit on low heat, stirring occasionally.
Once the onions were caramelized, I added  the mushrooms and sauteed for an additional ~7 minutes. Meanwhile, I added the cornstarch to the cheese sauce to thicken it up. I removed the tomatoes from the oven and added to the cheese sauce, then added that to the sauteed mushrooms and onions. The smell that filled my kitchen at this point was heavenly =)

I made sure it was all combined, and ended up mixing in some fresh spinach pasta from the farmer's market. I sprinkled a dash of soy Parmesan cheese on top, and I have to admit I was quite happy with the results! Will definitely be making this again.

"Cheesy" Roasted Tomato Sauce
2 large tomatoes
1 large sweet onion
1 large package exotic mushrooms
1/2 c almond milk
1/2 block shredded almond cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
seasoning to taste
3/4 lb fresh spinach pasta

yield: ~6 full dinner size servings (depending on how hungry you are!)


Fudge Babies
On a mission of loosing a few extra pounds this month, I wanted to create a sweet treat for those late night cravings that didn't have any added sugar. I tried two different recipes, and the second definitely wins in flavor and sweetness. It's extremely simple: Place walnuts, dates, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract in the Vitamix, blend using the tamper until all is combined into a dough consistency. I took it out of the blender and hand kneaded the mixture to make it a little more even consistency (it's a very thick dough and some of the cocoa powder stuck the side of the blender). Next, I rolled into golf ball size treats, and put in the freezer to congeal. They taste of some rich dark chocolate that just couldn't be good for you, however the proof is in the ingredients- nothing but whole foods and good nutrition.

Fudge Babies
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/3 c dates
4 tbsp cocoa powder (Next time I might try using 3)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mashed Cauliflower (yum yum YUM!)

I had been planning on making this for a few weeks and finally got around to trying it out, and boy am I glad I did!! It was simple, healthy, and surprisingly mashed potato like. I found that after it cooled a bit (about ten minutes) the texture was closer to mashed potatoes and a definite keeper of a recipe, especially considering the nutritional information.
I began by pulling apart the cauliflower and steaming it for ~13 minutes. Once cooked, I put the cauliflower in the Vitamix and added the garlic, almond milk, salt, and pepper. I blended on level 6/7 for about a minute using the tamper to combine all of the ingredients then put in a plastic container as I plan to use this for lunches this week (although I keep going back for a another 'taste', so time will tell how much I have left for lunches!

Mashed Cauliflower
1 med head cauliflower
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c almond milk (unsweetened)
salt and pepper to taste

"Chicken" Peanut "Alfredo " & Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

For father's day I made a variation of the cupcake recipe found at http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com with some changes since I can't leave recipes alone. I began by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F, and then put the apple cider vinegar and almond milk in a pyrex measuring cup and let stand. Next I thoroughly combined all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. I then added to the liquid mixture: vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and the seeds from one large vanilla bean. I then combined the liquid and dry ingredients thoroughly and put into a muffin tin with liners, and cooked for 20 minutes (they were a little moist; depending on your oven you may want to cook for 25-30 minutes). I did some searching online and found that the homestyle version of Duncan Hines icing is vegan, and therefore would save me lots of time!! I gladly used it on top of the cooled cupcakes.
They were moist, flavorful, and surprisingly easy!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes:
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c almond milk
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 c oil (I think substituting mashed banana for oil would be GREAT in this recipe!)
2 tsp mexican vanilla
1 large vanilla bean


Tonight for dinner I made a spin on chicken alfredo since I had been craving some pasta recently. I began by putting the tofu, garlic, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and peanut sauce in my Vitamix. I blended for roughly 30 seconds to make sure all was combined. I then poured the sauce into a saucepan and let heat on the stove.
Next I lightly sauteed some onions, and added the "chicken". Once the "chicken" was browned, I added some spinach and let sautee for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile I chopped up mushrooms and put them in the "alfredo" to cook. I then put the onion/spinach/"chicken" into the sauce and let simmer while I cooked Udon noodles. I cooked fewer noodles than I had sauce (a pet-peeve I have is old pasta...I prefer cooking new pasta and pouring the premade sauce over!), but spooned ~2 spoons of sauce on the noodles, combined and ate.
The peanut flavor is slight, but enough to add an interesting flavor. I will definitely be making this one again!

"Chicken" Peanut "Alfredo":
1 package silken tofu
3 tbsp peanut sauce
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional- more for me getting all of my amino acids than flavor)
1 medium vidalia onion
1 package Gardein chik'n strips
2 large handfuls spinach
Pasta/Noodles- how much depends on how much sauce you want/ how you prefer your leftovers.

Butternut Squash "Lasagna"

These past few months have thrown me for a whirlwind and I haven't had the time to post any of my creations. The dinner I made tonight was so delicious I had to return to share it! (And I will be updating much more frequently now that my schedule has changed, especially with the recipes I have been making throughout!)
This lasagna recipe I made is based on the one from http://www.veganlunchbox.com/ although I made a few slight changes.
I began by peeling and thinly slicing the squash ans setting it aside. I diced the onion and water sauteed until tender, then added the chopped kale and cooked for another 10 minutes until the kale was wilted. I foiled a 9x13 pan (greasing would work fine) and placed a layer of squash rounds on the bottom. I then spread all of the onion/kale mixture, the topped with a second layer of squash. I spread the diced tomatoes on top, sprinkled w italian seasoning and garlic salt,  and cooked for 60 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Once done, I spooned premade tomato sauce on top (lightly), and cooked for another 5 minutes.

The steam coming off this made it blurry, but trust it looked, smelled, and tested SO GOOD!


Butternut Squash Lasagna
2 small butternut squash
1 bunch kale
1 vidalia onion
1 28 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
 1/4 c tomato sauce
seasoning to taste

Stuffed Peppers

This dish took a little longer to complete, but the outcome was well worth the wait! I began by cooking a 50/50 mix of red and white quinoa as normal. I then diced up all of the veggies and lightly sauteed in vegetable broth, garlic, and salt and pepper. While those were cooking, I de-seeded the green bell peppers and placed them in a dish (I only had 3 peppers, but this could easily make 4!)
Once everything was cooked, I mixed the veggies and quinoa to get this beautiful mix:

I put the mix into the bell peppers (pictured above), and covered with store bought marinara sauce (I didn't have the time to make that, too! The marinara sauce from Pasta alla Norma would be perfect here if you have the time!), and placed them into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
The flavor was perfect, and the mix of quinoa and veggies was a good balance.

Stuffed Peppers
1/2 cup red quinoa
1/2 cup white quinoa
1 zucchini
1 zucchini squash
1 red bell pepper
1/2 orange bell peppers
1/2 container baby portabella mushrooms
3 green bell peppers (there was enough mix for 4)
3/4 cup marinara sauce

Banana-Nut Bread

STOP everything you're doing, gather the ingredients at the bottom of this page, and do yourself a favor and make this bread!!!

I've been looking around at different recipes and decided to combine a few and came up with an AMAZING combination! It's so simple- mush up the bananas, add the rest of the ingredients and throw into a greased bread pan in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. Then wait a few minutes to cool and enjoy!!

 This is the bread right out of the oven......

...and about 5 minutes later because it smelled too good I needed to taste!! =)


Banana-Nut Bread
3 bananas
1/3 c. vegan margarine
1/4 c. vegan sugar
2 c. unbleached flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. chopped almonds
1/4 tsp apple pie spice  (mix of cinnamon/nutmeg mostly)

Spaghetti Squash noodles with a Tomato-pesto sauce

I made an absolutely delicious healthy meal the other day that I HAVE to share!
I began by cutting the squash in half (I used two whole squash) , removed the seeds, covered with tin foil, and baked in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
I lightly sauteed onions, red potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms in a skillet with light salt and pepper. Once the squash was cooled, I took a fork to the squash and pulled it across to form "noodles". Once this was done I mixed in the sauteed veggies.
Next, I pulled out the Vitamix and made the sauce. I placed the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and garlic in and turned it on high for about 15 seconds and it was done! I didn't want to mix the sauce into the noodles for fear of the leftovers getting soggy, so I poured it on each plate individually.

Here is a picture of the "noodles" with the sauce on top before it was mixed in. The flavor of the sauce was so perfect, and the squash noodles were so easy and a great carbohydrate substitute-- I will definitely be making this and other squash noodle recipes again!!

Tomato-Pesto Sauce
2 vine ripe tomatoes
1/2 oz fresh basil
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

New Green Smoothie and Panang Curry

I took a week's vacation in the Florida Keys this past week and regrettably fell off the band wagon with my diet and exercise regimen I have been so good about the past few months. It was beautiful and so much fun- but it's definitely time to kick my diet and exercise into high gear again!!

I made a green smoothie this morning with a few new ingredients and it was SO GOOD!! I used spinach as always, banana, fresh mango, fresh unsweetened coconut shavings, and coconut water. The mango added a perfect amount of sweetness and the coconut shavings added a unique texture and flavor. (I purposely did not blend the coconut to pulverize it- such a good decision!) This will definitely be a new favorite!!
Here are all the yummy ingredients in my vitamix!!

This evening I made a dish I have been CRAVING weekly since I first had it a few months ago. This was my first attempt at this dish, but I would say I knocked it out of the park! The ONE thing I would change would be to thicken the sauce a but more with either flour or cornstarch. The flavor was perfect though, and I will be having this again soon!!
I began by making some brown rice, then I created the sauce by slicing the peppers and cooked for about 8 minutes, then added the cubed tofu and simmered for an additional 5. It was surprisingly simple and delicious! (for my non vegan friends/family...instead of tofu you can add chicken or whatever!) Here's a pic of the sauce n veggies over brown rice.

***Edit: I made this again this past week and added 1 tbsp flour to thicken the sauce and it was PERFECT*****

Coconut Green Smoothie
2 large handfuls of spinach
half of a fresh mango
half a banana
2 tbsp shaved coconut
1 1/2 c coconut water

Panang Curry Tofu
brown rice
1 package extra firm tofu
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper
1 13 oz can Tahitian coconut milk
1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste
***1 tbsp flour

Stuffed Mushrooms & Spinach Pasta Pie

While I have taken a break from posting I have still been in the kitchen experimenting with many recipes and have come across two that I want to share. The first is the stuffed mushrooms from the SB cookbook.
I began by de-stemming 28 medium mushrooms and placing them stem-side down on a cookie sheet, and placed them into a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. While they were in the oven I finely diced and sauteed the mushroom stems, one small shallot, and one red bell pepper with one tbsp coconut oil, and salt and pepper. Once they were sauteed, I removed from the heat and set aside to cool a bit. I took the panko bread crumbs and added the parsley. I mixed this together then added the sauteed veggies. Once the mixture was combined I placed a rounded tsp in each mushroom cap and baked for an additional 20 minutes. Next time I would be heavier with the seasoning, but other than that these mushrooms were delicious!! They would make a GREAT addition to a potluck, or a great appetizer for a small group.

The next recipe I want to share is derived from "Sandra's Money Saving Meals", but I had to add some things to fit my veggie taste! I began by cooking half a box of angel hair pasta (spaghetti would work too). I then cut a bunch of asparagus into 2 inch pieces and sauteed them with salt and pepper with a pot lid over to help steam. I added the garlic then the artichoke hearts. Once these were combined and the asparagus was cooked I added the spinach and sauteed for a few minutes then removed from the heat. I then mixed the pasta with the olive oil and egg substitute. I placed into a pie dish and formed into a pie-crust shape. Once the spinach mixture had cooled I added the almond milk and 2 servings of the egg substitute and combined thoroughly. I then put the spinach mixture in the "pie" and rimmed it with a thinly sliced a roma tomato. The last step was to place it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Next time I make this I don't think I would add the artichoke because there was something not quite cohesive with the flavors, although it was still tasty-I would recommend keeping them out entirely. Other than that, this dish was easy, flavorful, and hearty!


Stuffed Mushrooms
one large container of mushrooms
one small-medium shallot
one red bell pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley
6 tbsp panko bread crumbs
one tbsp coconut oil

Spinach Pasta Pie
1/2 box angel hair
1 bunch thin asparagus
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1lb bag of chopped frozen spinach, thawed
3 "eggs" of an egg substitute
1/4 cup almond milk
1 roma tomato
1 tbsp chopped garlic

"Sausage" and Peppers over Polenta

After a five day vacation in New Orleans, LA and falling off the bandwagon on eating well (It was New Orleans, after all!), I needed to dive back into some healthy but tasty recipes STAT. I'm not sure I ever wrote about this, but the book 'Skinny Bitch' by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnoun is what changed my entire viewpoint on eating. They give realistic accounts of the meat/dairy industry, as well as provide multiple research studies to back up why the vegan lifestyle is so healthy. I recently picked up the accompanying cookbook, 'Skinny Bitch in the Kitch' which is filled with a mixture of easy/quick meals as well as some innovative recipes, all vegan of course.
I first tried the 'Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Garlic over Soft Polenta' which is a different flavor from what I'm used to cooking. That being said, I thought it was so simple, and so delicious! I have been eating off it for three days now, so definitely worth it!
I began by preheating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and chopping the onions and peppers. I placed the chopped veggies into a 9x13"pan and added the garlic, salt, and pepper. I placed in the oven and cooked for 20 minutes.
Next I diagonally cut the sausage and stirred them into the peppers/onion mixture and cooked for an additional 15-20 minutes. While the sausage/peppers mixture was cooking I made some quick polenta with vegetable stock, and then stirred in the vegan Parmesan cheese.  I spooned the Polenta onto a plate and placed a good serving of the sausage/pepper/onion mixture on top (and sprinkled a little more parmesean on top!) The result was this wonderful dish:

The brand/flavor of 'sausage' I used was a bit spicy, but the flavors (especially the polenta!!) were incredible. I would highly recommend this dish as it is SIMPLE (I folded laundry while the oven did the work!) and and surprisingly TASTY!

Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Garlic over Soft Polenta (from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)
4 teaspoons garlic (I chopped mine)
4 peppers any color (I used two green, one red, and one orange)
2 onions
4 italian vegan sausage (I used Tofurkey brand, flavor: Sweet Italian with Tomato and Basil)
4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry polenta
1/3 cup vegan parmesean cheese (I used galaxy brand)
salt and pepper to taste

Eggplant Rolls

I am definitely on an eggplant kick, and just have to share this recipe because I honestly can't believe I just made this myself. It's a light dish but left me feeling pleasantly full, and the taste is lingering in my mouth and I am fighting the urge to get a third serving.
I began by preheating the oven at 350 and cutting the eggplant lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices, salted them and put them on a cookie sheet. I put in the oven for 10 minutes, turned the eggplant over and cooked for 5 more minutes.
While the eggplant was cooking I diced the onion and sauteed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and an Italian seasoning blend. Once the onions were translucent I diced the celery and added it to the saute pan and cooked for 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes and butter substitute. I left the sauce to simmer while I made the filling.
I used my Vitamix to cream together the silken tofu, mayonnaise substitute, cream cheese substitute, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and heavily added the Italian seasoning blend.
Once the filling was blended, I began the assembly. I took a slice of eggplant and covered the entire slice with the filling, then added some spinach and rolled it up. I placed the rolls in a 9x13 in baking pan, and poured the marinara sauce over the top. I put the pan back in the oven for ten minutes for the flavors to meld and then let cool. (OK, I didn't actually wait until it was cool, it smelled way too good to wait!)

This is the eggplant slice with the sauce and spinach ready to be rolled up.

Here are all the rolls in the 9x13 pan.

And the rolls with the sauce on top.  YUMMY!!

There was a lot of extra filling which would be PERFECT for a lasagna "ricotta cheese" layer, and extra sauce which was great to spoon on the rolls and save for some quick spaghetti later this week.


Filling
1lb silken tofu
6 tbsp cream cheese substitute (I used Tofutti)
3 tbsp mayonnaise substitute (I used Vegannaise)
6 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt, pepper
3 tbsp italian seasoning blend

Marinara
1 yellow onion
2 celery stalks
1 24 oz crushed tomato
12 oz diced tomato
1 tbsp butter substitute (I like Earth Balance)
2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper

A New Feature

My friend Mansi (hey girl!) suggested that I post pictures of the recipes and process of cooking, and sweetly helped me figure out how to put pictures on each of my blog posts! So for today all I have for you is a green smoothie (simple spinach/banana/frozen peach/almond milk). You can see all the yummy goodness that goes into the smoothie and the vibrant green color the smoothie turns out to be.

I know they can look intimidating, but green smoothies taste so fantastic and are packed with so much goodness that I think everyone can benefit from!

Lentils over Curry Rice

After a hard workout and realizing I had very little to pick from my refrigerator, last night I decided to try to make a curry sauce to mix into some rice and top with some lentils for a quick, high protein and high fiber meal. (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4338/2)

I began by making a large batch of lentils since they take a while to make, and it would help me have some quick meals this week. I put 2 cups of lentils in a big pot and added 4 cups of organic vegetable broth, stirring every 20 minutes for about two hours over low heat until the lentils were soft and had absorbed the liquid.  (this does take some time, but fortunately I used this long process to take breaks from the 3 loads of laundry I had to do! oops!)
I made the rice as indicated and fluffed with a fork when done. (I used 1 cup of uncooked jasmine rice)
After the rice and lentils were cooked, I made a very quick and quite tasty curry sauce in a small sauce pan. I began by adding the coconut milk along with the curry, turmeric, and paprika (I am very sensitive to heat, so feel free to add more if you can handle more!). After the sauce was whisked and began to simmer, I added the flour and continued to stir until it thickened slightly. I immediately poured the sauce over the rice and stirred to combine.
I served with the lentils over the curry rice and was surprised by the quality of flavor in the sauce. I bought some Seitan today and was thinking of making some sort of curry 'chicken' this week with this same sauce, should be good!!

Curry Sauce
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp mild curry
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1tsp flour

Pasta Alla Norma

I have always been interested in cooking with eggplant, and have more recently been satisfied with the recipes I'm trying with the texture and taste of the eggplant. I saw a cooking show with their recipe for pasta alla norma and thought that it would be a really easy dish to make vegan, and make some changes I thought would be even better. 
I made this pasta last night and all of the prep took me about 30 minutes. Once the prep was done, it was about 15 minutes till i was eating. I began by peeling the eggplant. I cut one into 1/4 inch slices and the other into 1/2 inch cubes. I salted them and put them in a colander to help pull out some of the extra moisture. I then slices the onions and sauteed in a pan with olive oil until translucent, added the garlic, and then added the cubed eggplant and sauteed for about 10 more minutes. I then added the crushed tomatoes and seasoned with Italian seasoning blend from the farmer's market, salt, and pepper. I added 1 tbsp butter substitute to make the sauce a little richer. I left on low/med to simmer.
I boiled the pasta while I pan fried the breaded eggplant (flour, egg substitute wash, then seasoned panko bread crumbs).
Once the pasta was done I tossed the sauce in it, and served with a friend eggplant on top!
YUMMMMY!! The eggplant in the sauce was soft and almost melted into the sauce, and the fried eggplant added a perfect amount of crunch and depth of flavor....definitely making this one again!!!


Pasta Alla Norma:

2 med eggplants
1 1/2 white onion
1 pound pasta
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp butter substitute ( earth balance)
150g crushed tomatoes
Italian seasoning (or basil/oregeno)
flour
egg substitute (ener-G)
panko bread crumbs with italian seasoning and salt/pepper

Soy Ginger Vegetables over Quinoa + the perfect green smoothie

For the past couple of weeks I have been experimenting with different green smoothie recipes and I think I have come to the perfect recipe! I started using 'light' orange juice in place of almond milk, as well as using a brown rice protein powder for more daily protein since I have increased my weight workouts.  I have been experimenting with different frozen fruits (no sugar added of course) and for the past couple of mornings I've been hooked on the recipe at the end of this post!

For dinner I made a soy-ginger sauce that I used with vegetables over Quinoa. The carrots and mushrooms tasted amazing in the sauce, and I think either one alone in this sauce would be a great side dish wish any sort of food with Asian flavors.  I started out by cutting the carrots lengthwise and cutting the halves into 1/4 inch thick strips and placed them into a small saute pan with about 1 tsp of earth balance 'butter' to allow them to get a little soft. I added the broccoli and then the snap peas. I poured the sauce over the vegetables and covered them with a pot lid. I thinly sliced a portobello mushroom in half then made slices (1/4 in. thick or so). I tossed the vegetables and sauce and let cook for about one more minute before I removed from heat. It was delicious! The sauce is heavy in ginger flavor, so you might want to do a taste test before adding the full amount.


Soy-Ginger Sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch of pepper
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Green Smoothie Recipe
2 large leafs of kale (or 2 handfuls baby spinach)
1/2 banana
1/2 cup frozen peaches
3/4 cup light orange juice
1 small tbsp brown rice protein powder
(can add 2-3 strawberries, or a small handful of blueberries too!)

Banana Pancakes

With all the bad weather and city closing because of all the ice, I have been very creative in the kitchen the past few days! This recipe is great because you can use whatever pancake mix you already use, and I'm sure it would turn out just as good as mine with the substitutes. The key is to chop the banana lengthwise, then cut 1/4 inch thick slices from there, and submerse the bananas in the batter (not just sprinkle on top)- this gives a great flavor as the banana cooks with the added spices.

Banana Pancakes
2 cups pancake mix
1 cup + 1/4 cup almond milk
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
2 tsp vanilla (Mexican vanilla is my favorite!)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Homemade Hummus and Acorn Squash Soup/ Recipe Nutrition Calculator

Last night I wanted a light dinner, and decided to make the hummus and dip some red bell pepper in it. (I just found out red bell peppers have over 300% of your daily vitamin C!! How cool! http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2896/2 )  
I used the recipe in the getting started recipe book and found the recipe a little runny. It wasn't quite as thick as traditional hummus is, but the freshness of it made up for the off texture. Next time I make this (and there WILL be a next time!) I will drain both cans of chickpeas, and I think this would resolve the texture issue.

I made Acorn Squash soup tonight which turned out SO SO SO tasty! I used the recipe from the getting started cookbook as a jump off point, and made a few changes to make it a little healthier. According to one of my favorite recipe calculators, the entire batch of soup is only 230 calories. Since there are 4 full bowl servings, this is definitely a light, tasty, and healthy soup which is oh so fresh and pretty easy to make!

The website I use for a recipe health calculator is:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp


Hummus
2 15-oz cans chickpeas (both drained!)
1/4 c lemon juice
1tsp salt
1tbsp

Acorn Squash Soup
1 medium sized acorn squash (cooked on 400 degree oven for 1 hr, seeded & peeled)
1/2 cup almond milk
2 cups vegetable broth
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp nutmeg

It's Official!!!

I LOVE MY VITAMIX!!!
There's something oddly intoxicating about waking up each morning and using this powerful machine to make something so deliciously healthy that has me hooked! I have been using spinach in my green smoothies the past few days, I am still undecided which I like better- kale or spinach- for them.
On another note, I made a DELICIOUS tomato basil pesto sauce two nights ago!! It was a little thin, so next time I will add some corn starch or some other thickener to make it thicker and creamier. Other than that, this sauce had SO much flavor!! The recipe is from the getting started cookbook, and blending took NOWHERE near the 30-45 seconds they recommend- after 15seconds I waited another 5 for good measure, but the texture was perfect. The combination of the fresh basil and the tomatoes in a sauce was so refreshing- definitely going to be a favorite for spring pastas! I would highly recommend this recipe!!


I feel like I am getting the hang of these recipes and I am looking forward to getting creative with the different things I try. I am definitely going to be trying some more sauces (I'm thinking roasted tomatoes and roasted red bell peppers sounds good!), and plan on making some fresh hummus within the next few days!


Tomato and Basil Pesto Sauce (getting started cookbook)
1/2 cup olive oil
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh spinach (i added a little more :) )
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt (I added more once I tasted it with the pasta)
dash of black pepper

Applesauce!

So after a few days of taking it easy to start the new year, I finally made the applesauce! I used two fuji apples (I read this is a good apple to make sauce out of), washed them, and cut them into quarters to rid them of the core. I placed two apples, skin and all, into the vitamix and squeezed some lime juice on them (~2 tsp) since I did not have the suggested lemon juice to prevent oxidation of the apples. I added 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1 tsp of apple pie spice (a pre-mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice) to add some more flavor.
I will admit this took a little bit of effort to push the apples into the blender (with the tamper) on variable speed 3. It took some muscle, but I ended up with some 'home-style' chunky applesauce (variable 5 is suggested for the more pureed texture).
The color with the spices and the inconsistencies with the peel did NOT make this applesauce appealing to the eye, yet it is definitely tasty!
Next time I make this, I will definitely peel the apples before blending!!

Applesauce
2 Fuji apples, cored and quartered
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp cinnomon
1tsp apple pie spice