Edamame Hummus!

This recipe is courtesy of my cousin Elise - an amazing chef!  She made this for a cousin home-video viewing party.  It was great fun and I ate this hummus non-stop the entire time I was there (and I'm eating it right now).  This is a super healthy and super delicious snack!

Makes 2 cups

2 cups shelled edamame (from the frozen section in the grocery store.  Thaw for an hour.)

2 cloves garlic

1⁄4 cup fresh parsley

1⁄4 cup fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp chives

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1⁄2 tsp ground cumin

3 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed butter found by the peanut butter in the store)

juice of 1 large lemon or two small

1-2 Tbsp olive oil depending on the texture you want, just keep adding til it's like a hummus texture

1-2 Tbsp water to help with the texture too, it'll make it a little less viscous

salt and pepper to taste (I think try it out with whatever chip or pita you're eating the dip with because if that's a nice salty chip, you won't need too much salt.)

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth - add water as needed.  

Thanks Elise Bobise!

gluten free!

Roasted Cauliflower Soup With Curried Cashew Crème

New Years resolution #1: Venture outside of your comfort zone.  A couple facts about me: I'm not a fan of soup and I've never really cared about cauliflower.  Therefore, I generally stay away from both.  So what better opportunity to put my new year's resolution into action than to try Robin Robertson's Cauliflower Soup recipe in this months issue of VegNews.  I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised!  This soup is so flavorful, hearty and creamy, it feels like you're coating your insides with spoonfuls of velvet.  It sounds fancy and will take about an hour to make, but the steps are cake and most of that time is spent waiting around while the oven and pots do the work for you.  You could even double it and freeze the rest for a bonus meal a couple weeks down the road.

Chili

 I love chili on a chili fall day ;) This is a basic recipe that is amazing on it's own but can also be pimped out to your liking.  Michael likes to add celery but I am anti-celery unless it has peanut butter and raisins on it :) You could also add a zucchini, red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, butternut squash, etc... This is also a recipe where you get to call upon your inner chef.  I'm a flavor lover, so I usually go heavy on the spices and add a little more than what's listed here.  But start with these amounts, let your chili simmer for a couple minutes to let the spices incorporate, and then test it and go from there.  I know this recipe looks like it has a lot of ingredients, but besides chopping the onion and whatever veggies you decide on, the rest is just canned goods and spices that get thrown in.  Plus it's a one-pot meal! My FAVORITE!  

If you want to get really creative, sometimes Michael and I turn it into a cornbread-n-chili casserole.  Reduce the simmer time for the chili to 5 minutes, pour into a large casserole dish, top with the your favorite cornbread batter (stay tuned for a cornbread recipe -still trying to perfect it), and bake according to the cornbread's instructions.  Super yummy and fun!

Creamy Kabocha Squash Soup

When Kristen had me over for dinner and told me we were having a squash soup that she found in The Kind Diet, my heart sank.  I really hate squash soup.  And when she excitedly told me it was just squash, water, and salt and pepper, I wanted to go home.  But I was a good friend and stayed and I'm so glad I did! Kabocha squash on it's own is so sweet and creamy that you don't need anything else!  We made it a meal by pouring it over broccoli and rice with some bread for dipping.  You could also add some tofu or tempeh!  If you can't find kabocha squash, butternut would work too. 

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 cups kabocha squash
3 1⁄2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.Cook the Squash:
Place squash in a saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes until soft. 

2. Mash the Squash:

Mash with potato masher, mixer, or fork right in the pot.  If you're using a non-stick pot, make sure to use non-stick friendly masher-o-choice.

3. Simmer the Squash:

Add another pinch of salt and some pepper and simmer for another 7-10 minutes or longer

4. Serve

Place rice and a broccoli on the plate and spoon soup over it.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

Gluten Free

Burrrrrrrritos!

 I realized I haven't been posting enough lunch or dinner recipes.  So I'm going to make an effort to share more of those!  The only problem is that the camera doesn't take the best pictures at night and we eat pretty late, so I might not be able to post pictures with all of the recipes.  But rest assured, they look beautiful and taste great!  This is a go-to meal we make at least once a week for lunch or dinner - we're always using different veggies depending on what we have in the fridge, so these are never set in stone.  This recipe is courtesy of my wonderful hubster, Michael.  Thanks love!

My Perfect Smoothie

Finally....the moment my family has been waiting for.  My perfect smoothie.  Michael and I drink these after almost every workout.  A great source of protein, fiber, omega-3, potassium, good fats, complex carbs (those are the healthy ones), antioxidents, and a little special happy powder called Maca, this is a super duper healthy, hearty, creamy and absolutely delicious smoothie.  There are a couple special ingredients like cacao nibs, Maca powder, and hemp protein that are great investments.  They are a little pricey, but a little bit goes a long way and they'll last a very long time - I think we've had our Maca for over 6 months and we're just about half way through it.  Go to my "intriguing ingredients" page for more info on these not-so-common ingredients.


Ingredients:
1 1⁄2 cups milk (we use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1 banana
1⁄2 cup almonds
1⁄4 cup walnuts
2 Medjool dates (pronounced me-(like the e in hemp) jool(rhymes with drool...or cool)
2 1⁄2 Cups frozen fruit:
    I used: 1 cup (about 10 whole frozen strawberries), 3⁄4 cup pineapple, 1⁄4 cup
               blueberries, 1⁄2 cup sliced peaches (about 6 slices)
1 tsp. Maca powder
1 Tbsp Hemp protein powder
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 Tbsp sweetened or unsweetened cacao nibs
2 tsp. agave or maple syrup

Starting with the milk, blend all ingredients until smooth.  If your blender isn't that powerful, slowly add the ingredients and blend a little at a time.

I know there are lots of ingredients, but I've made this so many times, that it takes me about 7 minutes so cheer up Charlie - you'll get better with practice.  And don't be afraid to play around with different types of fruit or the amount of sweetener.  Michael likes them a little thicker so he adds about 1⁄2 cup more nuts.

Your body thanks you :)

Gluten Free!

Blackened Tofu and Orzo Pasta Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

One of my favorite lunches.  It's a long post, and it might look complicated, but if you have some of the ingredients made in advance, it's easy peasy.  This was a left-over creation when I already had extra cooked orzo from the night before, blackened tofu from 2 nights before and Ranch dressing on hand. But the Ranch is really easy and A-MA-ZING!  It's courtesy of our friends Jenny and Heather at Spork Foods and it's a staple for us.  So if you plan your meals a little in advance - have a yummy pasta dish the night before and make a little extra pasta for the next day.  Have blackened tofu, mashed sweet potatoes, and sautéed garlic spinach two nights before and make some extra tofu.  The leftover tofu will be nice and firm too! If you don't have leftovers, I suggest making the tofu and orzo the night before so it's not hot when you serve it.  If you don't want to make it the night before, chill the tofu and orzo for an hour before assembling.  This is better served cold because of the veggies and dressing.

I actually can't believe I haven't posted this tofu yet - I eat it at least once a week.  This is also courtesy of Jenny and Heather, but with a little twist of my own.  I eat it on it's own, or in salads.  Unfortunately, by the time I'm done cooking it, usually only half has made it out of the pan alive...even my non-veg friends love it!

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as an entrée.

Pasta Salad:
Blackened Tofu (recipe below)
1⁄2 seedless cucumber, quartered and sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite size-of-your-choice pieces
1 or 2 tomatoes depending on how much you like tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
15-ish baby carrots or 1 or 2 big carrots, sliced
1 Cup cooked Orzo*

*Orzo is a type of pasta that has a similar shape to rice.  If you can't find orzo, any small pasta will do.

**The veggies, tofu, and orzo in this recipe are just a guide.  I'm not sure exactly how much I used, so if you'd like more cucumber - add more! if you like more pasta and less bell pepper, go for it! If you want different veggies, be my guest! Same goes with the ranch dressing - start with less Chipotle and garlic seasoning and add more if you see fit - I like a lot of both :)

Ranch Dressing:
3⁄4 Cup Veganaise
1 tsp agave
dash of fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Chipotle seasoning (less if you don't like spicy)
pinch dried celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (adding Vegenaise first), and let it sit for a few minutes before mixing it in the salad.

Blackened Tofu: 
1 Block of extra firm organic tofu (I use Trader Joe's in the vacuum sealed pack)
Smokin Willies meat seasoning (I think this can only be found at Whole Foods - I couldn't find it online - but trust me; find it.  You'll LOVE it.)
1⁄4-1⁄2 Cup canned coconut milk or soy creamer
2 tsp Jerk seasoning (optional but yummy)
2 Tbsp Coconut oil (or another medium-high heat oil like Safflower. Do NOT use olive oil)
salt, to taste

Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large pan.  Cut the tofu into bite-size cubes.  Sauté tofu until good 'n brown on most sides - this will take some time. Add milk until it just covers tofu with a little extra in the pan and toss to coat.  Cook until most of the milk has evaporated.  Sprinkle a generous amount of Smokin Willies seasoning and a little salt until the tofu is completely coated.  Cook on medium-high heat for 3 or 4 more minutes.  Add the jerk seasoning, a little more Smokin Willies, and toss the tofu until evenly coated.  Remove the tofu from the pan onto a paper towel to remove excess oil if there is any.  Let cool before adding to the salad.

Mix all components together in a large bowl and Voila! You've just made a damn good lunch/side/dinner/snack/bowl of heaven.

Make this with Gluten Free pasta and it's Gluten Free!

Party Soup!

I didn't know what to name it - there's so many fun and yummy things in it.  It's super duper easy and easily modified to please your personal palette!  I had left over rice, diced tomatoes and my carrots needed to be used so I just threw everything together without exact measurements.

Grilled Cheese Please

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to Daiya Cheese.  I really hope you are within a reasonable distance from a whole foods.  If not, find it online.  It will change your life.  Daiya Cheese is a new vegan cheese that tastes like cheese, looks like cheese, and yes, actually MELTS like cheese.  For non-vegans, you might be thinking, no big deal.  If you're a vegan, you will probably have to go change your pants.  Seriously, this is amazing!!!!

Ingredients:
Tomato Basil dressing from salad in previous post
Daiya cheese (Italian herb and cheddar flavor - use both!)
Spelt Bread
Butter

Directions:
Spread butter on both sides of the bread and toast BOTH sides of the bread.  Pile on ingredients as you wish and get it toasty and golden brown.

YUM!

Cucumber Pesto Salad w/Tomato Basil Dressing

This salad is as healthy and delicious as it looks.  Michael and I have been reading a book called Thrive by Brendan Brazier.  Brazier is a professional Ironman Triathlete and a vegan...just wanted to make sure ya got that ;)  I haven't finished the book yet, but we're trying to bring our "healthiness" to a whole new level.  This salad is from that book.  So if you want to be uber healthy for the day, include this as one of your meals!

Salad
Ingredients
1⁄2 clove garlic, chopped
1⁄2 Cucumber, grated
couple handfuls broccoli florets
1 bag mixed greens
2 Tbsp pine nuts
Nutritional Yeast and Sesame Seed Topping (1 part nutritional yeast flakes, 1 part unhulled sesame seeds ground together in coffee grinder.  This mixture imitates parm cheese)

Dressing (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
2 tomatoes
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp hemp oil
1 Tbsp dried basil or 3 Tbsp fresh
1 Tbsp agave
salt and pepper to taste

- Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor to desired consistency (we liked ours a little chunky)

Toss salad ingredients with desired amount of dressing.  You will have extra salad dressing.  Save it for the next recipe I post!! Top with a little extra "parm cheese" mixture.

What's the deal with...

Hemp oil?
Nutritional Yeast Flakes?

check out the "intriguing ingredients" page to learn about 'em!


You can find Nutritional yeast flakes usually by the vitamins in health food stores.

Gluten Free!

Pumpkin Yogurt Snack

Ingredients:
Vanilla yogurt (I used "So Delicious" coconut based yogurt from Whole Foods)
Walnuts
A banana

and...

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter!  I added 2 tsp. Yum!

There is sugar in it, but not too much - so it's pretty healthy!

Add some veggies and hummus on the side to make it a complete lunch!