It can be Thanksgiving all year round...if you want it to be. Well, I am about to show you how this can be done. By making this pumpkin smoothie. I do not remember how I came across these 2 women, but suffice it to say they are a hoot. They are the kind of people who make you want to eat healthy. With that said, let's start gearing up for the holidays and try some new and tasty foods. Let's begin...shall we? But before I let you read the recipe I want you to know where I found this great smoothie. I got it from The Plant Based Dietitian. They have so many little videos and so easy to follow. You cannot resist these two women. They are real and just so full of life. You will see once you visit their website.
16 ounces-unsweetened almond milk
2 bananas-frozen
Dates to taste (I am going 4-5ish)
1T alcohol free vanilla
1-14oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1T pumpkin pie spice (or 2T cinnamon & 1/2 t nutmeg)
Ice-if needed
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Throw all of these things together in a blender and viola, it can be the holidays all year round. I have made this and my husband and myself did not leave any for my children to sample...Awwwwww! Ain't that a shame? Not! So give this a try and you will see just how refreshing yet soothing this lovely little gem truly is. Make...eat...enjoy!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Raw Chocolate Fruit Balls
A little piece of heaven I shall call these globes of goodness. I made these tonight for my raw food class and they went wild. Now, I have made a few different variations of these and bar none, these have been the best thus far. Trust me on this one. I found these on VegWeb. A truly great site for those new to veganism. They have tens of thousands of recipes to pick from. And how they have them broke down is just a breeze to sift through. So go take a gander at the site, you will not be disappointed.
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup nuts (choose any combination you so desire)
1/2 cup chopped dates (use medjool dates and you can soak them for a little bit so they puree better)
1/2 cup apricots, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (use nibs if you want a bit more texture)
1/8 t almond extract
1 T fresh orange juice
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Mix the coconut and cinnamon together and set aside in a small bowl. Place all thee other ingredients in the food processor, except for the orange juice. Process, adding the OJ until you get a firm not but hard dough mixture.
Have a small bowl of water near by to be able to dunk your hands in so not to have the dough mixture stick to your hands. If you want to help keep the size of the balls even, you can use a tablespoon measure and then roll out the balls in your hand, then roll them in the coconut mixture.
Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so they have time to chill and firm up a bit. Serve and watch the smile creep onto folks faces. Make...eat...enjoy!
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup nuts (choose any combination you so desire)
1/2 cup chopped dates (use medjool dates and you can soak them for a little bit so they puree better)
1/2 cup apricots, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (use nibs if you want a bit more texture)
1/8 t almond extract
1 T fresh orange juice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mix the coconut and cinnamon together and set aside in a small bowl. Place all thee other ingredients in the food processor, except for the orange juice. Process, adding the OJ until you get a firm not but hard dough mixture.
Have a small bowl of water near by to be able to dunk your hands in so not to have the dough mixture stick to your hands. If you want to help keep the size of the balls even, you can use a tablespoon measure and then roll out the balls in your hand, then roll them in the coconut mixture.
Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so they have time to chill and firm up a bit. Serve and watch the smile creep onto folks faces. Make...eat...enjoy!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Spicy Hashbrown Soup
This is one of those that has an odd ring to it, but if you give it a chance, it just might grow on you. I loved this from the get go, but no one here liked it at all. I will make it again, but I won't have to share. Awwww, ain't that just too bad.
1&1/2 cups hash browns(we shredded our own potatoes)
1-2 T olive oil
1 cup water
3-6 pickled jalapeno slices
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a skillet heat oil if you are NOT using a non-stick skillet, to a medium-medium high heat. Heat potatoes until they are crisp on both sides.
Add water, jalapenos and nutritional yeast and stir until the flakes are blended.
Let heat until boiling. Remove from heat and add slat and pepper to taste.
This is so simple it scares me. And even though my family did not like this one. I loved it for its taste and quirkiness. So try it and see what you think. and as always, make...eat...enjoy.
1&1/2 cups hash browns(we shredded our own potatoes)
1-2 T olive oil
1 cup water
3-6 pickled jalapeno slices
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a skillet heat oil if you are NOT using a non-stick skillet, to a medium-medium high heat. Heat potatoes until they are crisp on both sides.
Add water, jalapenos and nutritional yeast and stir until the flakes are blended.
Let heat until boiling. Remove from heat and add slat and pepper to taste.
This is so simple it scares me. And even though my family did not like this one. I loved it for its taste and quirkiness. So try it and see what you think. and as always, make...eat...enjoy.
Everything Jumbalaya
I promised this to a customer I spoke to in connection to my health food store. I surely thought I had posted this,but alas, that was not to be. So here I am after a day of playing catch-up from a want-to-be migraine and now I am on a roll of so many chores that have just fallen by the wayside, and this blog being one of those chores.
So on to this delicious dish. Who doesn't love jambalaya. I use to, until I became a vegetarian. Traditional jambalaya is racked with animal products. But my daughter happened upon a great dish she snatched form The Food Network and we veganized it. And what a lovely dish it is now. I know those who consume traditional jambalaya will say this dish has to have meat to survive. We have disproved that saying and gone one step farther. Ours would stand up against any traditional jambalaya on any day of the week. So go ahead, make this dish and say I am wrong. And for the record, I usually do not like complicated or lengthy recipes, but every once in a while there is one that falls into its own category...this is one of those dishes. so save it for a special occasion or when company comes over and you will not be disappointed.
2 cups brown rice(uncooked)
1 T olive oil
1 T vegan butter
1 block of extra firm tofu(pressed & cubed)
1 package of sausage(Italian if you have it, we use Tofurkey, but use your favorite)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Several drops of hot sauce or 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
2-3 T all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (14 ounce) container vegetable broth(or your own homemade)
1 t cumin
1 rounded t chili powder
1 t poultry seasoning(there is no meat in poultry seasoning)
1 t vegan Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped scallion for garnish(optional)
Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish(optional)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cook rice according to directions.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Add cubed tofu to heated oil and butter. Brown tofu for approx. 3-5 minutes. Add onion, celery, green pepper, bay leaf and cayenne.
Saute vegetables for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Season with cumin, chili powder, poultry seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Bring liquids to a boil. This is best when it slow cooks for a few hours. But be careful for the tofu has a tendency to fall apart if cooked too long. so no more than a few hours on a low slow heat. And served over rice it delicious.
If you want to jazz it up a bit, add some wild rice to your regular rice and have even more fun. So make...eat...enjoy!
So on to this delicious dish. Who doesn't love jambalaya. I use to, until I became a vegetarian. Traditional jambalaya is racked with animal products. But my daughter happened upon a great dish she snatched form The Food Network and we veganized it. And what a lovely dish it is now. I know those who consume traditional jambalaya will say this dish has to have meat to survive. We have disproved that saying and gone one step farther. Ours would stand up against any traditional jambalaya on any day of the week. So go ahead, make this dish and say I am wrong. And for the record, I usually do not like complicated or lengthy recipes, but every once in a while there is one that falls into its own category...this is one of those dishes. so save it for a special occasion or when company comes over and you will not be disappointed.
2 cups brown rice(uncooked)
1 T olive oil
1 T vegan butter
1 block of extra firm tofu(pressed & cubed)
1 package of sausage(Italian if you have it, we use Tofurkey, but use your favorite)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Several drops of hot sauce or 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
2-3 T all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (14 ounce) container vegetable broth(or your own homemade)
1 t cumin
1 rounded t chili powder
1 t poultry seasoning(there is no meat in poultry seasoning)
1 t vegan Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped scallion for garnish(optional)
Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish(optional)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cook rice according to directions.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Add cubed tofu to heated oil and butter. Brown tofu for approx. 3-5 minutes. Add onion, celery, green pepper, bay leaf and cayenne.
Saute vegetables for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Season with cumin, chili powder, poultry seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Bring liquids to a boil. This is best when it slow cooks for a few hours. But be careful for the tofu has a tendency to fall apart if cooked too long. so no more than a few hours on a low slow heat. And served over rice it delicious.
If you want to jazz it up a bit, add some wild rice to your regular rice and have even more fun. So make...eat...enjoy!
A Dear Passing
Well I am ready to get back to posting more. I have been dealing with some life issues. For one, my sisters husband passed away very unexpectedly and it was due to his health. She had begged him for years to take off the weight (which he was morbidly obese), but he never did.
His entire family had serious weight issues and not one of them did a darned thing about it, and it killed them all. And to add insult to injury, two of them got so huge in their final years that they could not even got off the recliner, for the most part. that is not living, that is existing.
So not only is my sister going through the normal anger that goes along with grieving, she is dealing with a second anger, which is related to his not heading her words to get the weight off.
I still hear people say that heart disease runs in my family. Well that is the biggest lie this side of the Mississippi. Heart disease runs in those who eat garbage. And my brother-in-law proved that...with his life.
I am on a deeper mission to get myself even healthier now. I was never worried that I would perish form any of the diseases brought on by eating incorrectly, but I need to step it up a bit. So get ready for some new and as always healthy recipes.
His entire family had serious weight issues and not one of them did a darned thing about it, and it killed them all. And to add insult to injury, two of them got so huge in their final years that they could not even got off the recliner, for the most part. that is not living, that is existing.
So not only is my sister going through the normal anger that goes along with grieving, she is dealing with a second anger, which is related to his not heading her words to get the weight off.
I still hear people say that heart disease runs in my family. Well that is the biggest lie this side of the Mississippi. Heart disease runs in those who eat garbage. And my brother-in-law proved that...with his life.
I am on a deeper mission to get myself even healthier now. I was never worried that I would perish form any of the diseases brought on by eating incorrectly, but I need to step it up a bit. So get ready for some new and as always healthy recipes.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Vegan Ranch Dressing
To say I was a ranch dressing fan would be a false statement. Does that mean I never used it on my salads? No, I would occasionally use that flavor, but if I had other choices, I would opt for something else. With that said, I would like to introduce to you one of thee best vegan alternatives to traditional ranch dressing. I, of course, found it on VegWeb. But I found it quite by accident. Yes, I was looking for a new dressing, but not a ranch one in particular. But there it was staring at me and I had all of thee ingredients.
I am giving you thee altered recipe, for thee original was a bit too runny for all our tastes. And if I had read the reviews, then I too would have seen that the general consensus was the same as mine. But you do not have to go through that same mistake, I am giving you thee updated version. So try it and see how truly right I am.
1/4-1/2 cup non-dairy milk(use plain unsweetened if you have it)
1 cup vegan mayo(We use Veganaise)
1 t each, garlic and onion powder
2-3 T red wine vinegar
1 T fresh or dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throw all ingredients into a blender/food processor and whirl until smooth.
If you like it thicker, and more like a dip, then stick closer to the 1/4 mark of milk. But if you prefer it more like a dressing, then go closer to the 1/2 mark.
I tell you that is all you have to do. And both my husband and daughter could not believe how close to the real thing it truly was. When all three of us agree on something, we know we have a winner. So, make...eat...enjoy!
I am giving you thee altered recipe, for thee original was a bit too runny for all our tastes. And if I had read the reviews, then I too would have seen that the general consensus was the same as mine. But you do not have to go through that same mistake, I am giving you thee updated version. So try it and see how truly right I am.
1/4-1/2 cup non-dairy milk(use plain unsweetened if you have it)
1 cup vegan mayo(We use Veganaise)
1 t each, garlic and onion powder
2-3 T red wine vinegar
1 T fresh or dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throw all ingredients into a blender/food processor and whirl until smooth.
If you like it thicker, and more like a dip, then stick closer to the 1/4 mark of milk. But if you prefer it more like a dressing, then go closer to the 1/2 mark.
I tell you that is all you have to do. And both my husband and daughter could not believe how close to the real thing it truly was. When all three of us agree on something, we know we have a winner. So, make...eat...enjoy!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Golden Spicy Cauliflower
Wow, I cannot believe I have not posted in such a long time. Never fear, all is good. But suffice it to say I have been very busy, and in a good way. But you don't want to read about all the fun stuff in my life, you want new recipes, and man do I have more than a few to add here. So let's get started.
I have rejoined an organic co-op. It is a bi-weekly pick-up and the produce rotates every time. the prices are very comparable to what is out in the store, but what I like most about it, is that every time you are getting different items. Which means you are forced to try new dishes. Awwwww, what a shame. NOT!
I have already gone through at least 1/3 of my produce already and 1 week has not gone by. I may have to bump to an every week pick-up. But now on to this lovely new dish I discovered. Cauliflower. LOVE-IT! In any way, shape, or form. But I of course, wanted something new and different. Enter Dr. John McDougall. I had picked up one of his and his wife's cookbook at a flea market. Best $2 I ever spent.
I went scouring for something with cauliflower and found it, but I was on crunch time and had to make sure I had all or at least most of the ingredients. Viola! In comes this recipes, save for the onions, I had everything in my pantry or fridge. Wow! I loved this dish. I got home late last night after having made the dish, ran out for a meeting that ran Waaaay too late and had dinner at 9:30 at night. Served it over some brown rice and I just may have it for breakfast this morning...just kidding.
Make this, but do not be fooled by how spicy it looks, for the flavors end up melding together and coming off brilliantly for sure. Make it and call me in the morning.
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 T grated ginger
1 cup water
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 T rice vinegar
2T soy sauce
1/2 t ground turmeric
Freshly ground pepper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Place the cauliflower, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of the water. Cook, stirring, occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir occasionally during cooking to prevent the cauliflower from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Now, one would think that with not 1 drop of fat in this dish it would taste bad. Oh no, this was divine and I cannot wait to make it again and again and again. Make...eat...enjoy!
I have rejoined an organic co-op. It is a bi-weekly pick-up and the produce rotates every time. the prices are very comparable to what is out in the store, but what I like most about it, is that every time you are getting different items. Which means you are forced to try new dishes. Awwwww, what a shame. NOT!
I have already gone through at least 1/3 of my produce already and 1 week has not gone by. I may have to bump to an every week pick-up. But now on to this lovely new dish I discovered. Cauliflower. LOVE-IT! In any way, shape, or form. But I of course, wanted something new and different. Enter Dr. John McDougall. I had picked up one of his and his wife's cookbook at a flea market. Best $2 I ever spent.
I went scouring for something with cauliflower and found it, but I was on crunch time and had to make sure I had all or at least most of the ingredients. Viola! In comes this recipes, save for the onions, I had everything in my pantry or fridge. Wow! I loved this dish. I got home late last night after having made the dish, ran out for a meeting that ran Waaaay too late and had dinner at 9:30 at night. Served it over some brown rice and I just may have it for breakfast this morning...just kidding.
Make this, but do not be fooled by how spicy it looks, for the flavors end up melding together and coming off brilliantly for sure. Make it and call me in the morning.
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 T grated ginger
1 cup water
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 T rice vinegar
2T soy sauce
1/2 t ground turmeric
Freshly ground pepper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Place the cauliflower, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of the water. Cook, stirring, occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir occasionally during cooking to prevent the cauliflower from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Now, one would think that with not 1 drop of fat in this dish it would taste bad. Oh no, this was divine and I cannot wait to make it again and again and again. Make...eat...enjoy!
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