Sushi Roll Edamame Salad with Green Onion Miso Vinaigrette

October 30, 2011 by aprilcball

We’ve been craving sushi lately but haven’t had much extra time so I made this sushi’ish salad instead. It turned out really good! The dressing is fabulous and I plan on using it for many things in the future – veggie sandwiches, kale salads and veggie kabob marinade!

I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks “Appetite For Reduction: 125 Fast And Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes” By Isa Moskowitz. (Buy Here)

This recipe is super healthy, refreshing and so much faster than chopping up sushi toppings!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed

* 1 Tbsp rice vinegar

* 1 tsp agave nectar

* 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

* 2 cups cooked and cooled short-grain brown rice

* 1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks (I cheated and just sliced them thin)

* 1 medium-size carrot, cut into matchsticks (again, cheated and just sliced them thin)

* 1 cup thinly sliced green onions

* 4 tsp sesame seeds (I used rice seasoning from the asian market – a mix of nori, sesame seeds and dried kelp)

* 1 sheet nori (seaweed paper) – cut into strips or tear into small pieces

* Sliced avocado

* Green Onion – Miso Vinaigrette (recipe)

– 1/4 cup red miso (Sprouts has it)

– 1-2 cups roughly chopped green onions, white and green parts

– 3 Tbsp rice vinegar

– 2 tsp chopped fresh ginger

– 1 clove garlic

– 2 tsp agave nectar

– 2 tsp toasted sesame oil (Trader Joe’s has it and it’s cheap)

– 1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Dressing Directions:

Blend in a blender until smooth, adding 1/2 cup water first and additional 1/4 cup as needed. Chill until ready to use.

Salad Directions:

– Prepare dressing first

– Mix together the edamame, rice vinegar and agave in a small bowl

– Assemble salad – romaine lettuce first, then rice, cucumber, edamame, carrot, green onion and sesame seeds

– Sprinkle with the nori and avocado

– Serve with vinaigrette

Coconut Red Lentils With Spinach, Cashews & Lime

October 28, 2011 by aprilcball

This is really good served over brown or jasmine rice. If you don’t like rice, try serving it with chapti or naan bread (Costco sells both!)

This recipe is from ExtraVeganZa cookbook (Buy Here).

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder – I use my usual, Kashmiri favorite but you can use whatever you have
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1 lime, juice of
1 3/4 cups water
1/3 cup whole cashews
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped – I used 2 bundles of organic spinach since it wilts down so much and we love spinach!
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. While the onion cooks get the rest of the ingredients ready to go.
Add in the curry powder, mustard seeds, turmeric and red lentils – cook for another 5 minutes. Watch the lentils don’t stick by stirring frequently and/or adding more oil if necessary.
Mix in the coconut milk, salt, lime juice and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Unlikely, but if you find the lentils have absorbed all of the liquid and are still not cooked, add a bit more water.
Once the lentils are cooked they will break down quite a bit and you’ll have a reasonably thick dahl like consistency. Stir in the cashews and spinach, along with cilantro if using. Give those ingredients about 3 or 4 minutes to warm through and then you’re ready to serve. Garnish with additional cilantro, lime wedges and/or cashews. I added a bit of shredded coconut to the top of ours and it was good!

Jerk Asparagus

October 28, 2011 by aprilcball

This is a really tasty low-calorie side dish, it tastes even better cooked in a cast iron pan.

I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks: “Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes” By Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Buy Here)

Jerk Asparagus

– 1 pound asparagus (pick the skinny ones, the fat ones are more for grilling) – cut off the tough ends

– 1 tsp olive oil

– 2 tsp minced fresh ginger

– 4 cloves garlic, minced

(I use 4-5 tsp garlic & ginger paste when I’m feeling lazy – you can find it at Vine Ripe Market)

– 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy, less if you don’t)

– 1/4 tsp dried thyme

– 1/4 tsp salt

– 1/4 tsp allspice

– Pinch of ground nutmeg

– Pinch of ground cinnamon

– Lime wedges to serve

* Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.

* Saute the ginger and garlic (or ginger garlic paste but half the oil) in the oil for about 30 seconds.

* Add the red pepper flakes and thyme, plus a splash of water. Let it sizzle a few seconds.

* Add asparagus, salt and spices. Use tongs to toss and coat, adding a few splashes of water if it seems dry.

* Saute for about 10 minutes, until the asparagus is tender and the ends are slightly frizzled.

* Serve immediately – lime wedges on the side.

Spicy Thai Ginger Kale Chips

October 27, 2011 by aprilcball

I am obsessed with kale chips! I found this recipe on Meghan Telpner’s website. I’ve made them in the oven and also in the dehydrator and these are soooo yummy and healthy too! 1 bunch makes 4 small servings or 2 large depending on the kale lover involved.. I can eat a whole bunch myself, easily!

1 bunch kale – I use green or black/Lacinato
1/4 cup unsalted almonds (or almond butter)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey (recipe calls for raw but I use regular)
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 dash cayenne

Directions:

Place all marinade ingredients in blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add water as needed just in order to blend. Remember: you will be drying this out again later.
With your hands, mix together the kale and marinade, massaging gently.
Transfer to dehydrator rack or parchment lined baking sheet.
Stick in your dehydrator on medium-high setting (I use 130 degrees) or in your oven on its lowest temp with the oven door left slightly open.
In the dehydrator it will take about 4-5 hours for them to reach the perfect crunchiness. Drying times will vary in oven.

The BEST Green Smoothie

October 26, 2011 by aprilcball

My CSA goodie box (from Abundant Organics) arrived this morning so I decided to make up a new green smoothie recipe. I threw this together and it turned out to be super delicious! Both my hubby and toddler slurped one down and asked for another, we may need to run to Sprouts for more greens!

I’ve been going back and forth from juicing to blending because I can’t decide which one I like better. A VitaMix blender really makes the difference when it comes to blending, most (if not all) other regular blenders don’t hold a candle to the VitaMix! Costco has the best price I’ve ever seen so if you’re looking to buy one, check it out!

So here’s my BEST Green Smoothie Recipe

* 1 orange, peeled

* 1 frozen banana

* 1 bunch chard

* 1-2 stalks of mint (stems, stalks… whatever you want to call them – about a handful of fresh mint)

* A 1.5″ by 0.5″ chunk of fresh ginger

* 1 small gala apple, remove seeds

* 1 cup vanilla, unsweetened coconut milk (I suppose you could use any kind of milk but this one is tasty!)

* Stevia – I used my favorite Kal Stevia, 2 tiny scoops

Blend all together and drink! YUMMY!!

*UPDATE*

I made this smoothie again today – I used parsley and cucumber instead of chard (just realized I’m out!) and it was really good too!!

Healthy Low-Fat Veggie Muffins

October 25, 2011 by aprilcball

Need a way to sneak a couple servings of veggies into your daily diet? These healthy muffins are really easy to make and they taste awesome! You can eat these for breakfast or for a quick snack.

I found this recipe on the Veg News website, they always have a ton of great recipes.

Low-Fat Veggie Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

What You Need:

1/3 cup hot water
1⁄4 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
1 grated apple
1-3⁄4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small cup, add water and ground flaxseed, stirring with a fork. Let it sit for 5 minutes, until mixture thickens. (This is your “egg” mixture)

2. In a small bowl, combine agave nectar, maple syrup, vanilla, and applesauce. Add in zucchini, carrot, and apple. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. To agave mixture, add flaxseed mixture and stir to combine. Mix dry ingredients to wet, and stir to combine.