Monthly Archives: October 2011

Quick Pasta Alfredo with Broccoli

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This is a quick, easy recipe with tons of flavor and versatility. It takes me about 15 minutes to make this meal which makes it an easy go-to recipe on busy nights. Not to mention this alfredo sauce is MUCH better for you than the regular kind!

As you can see, my toddler LOVES this…

Toddler Approved!

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag/box of whole grain pasta – or whatever pasta you like best
  • 1 cup soymilk (or you can use almond milk)
  • 1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews (make sure they are RAW)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 tablespoons tamari or 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp arrowroot powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika (I like to use smoked paprika)
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 1 pinch salt
  • pepper, to taste
  • 2 -4 garlic cloves (optional – I like to add about 3 or 4)
 Directions:
  • Boil the pasta until tender but not mushy.
  • Combine everything else in the blender and blend until smooth – I use my VitaMix blender
  • Drain the noodles, return to the pot and pour the sauce over until well heated.
  • Add cooked broccoli or whatever veggies you wish.
  • Serve hot.

Chickpea Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower & Potato Curry)

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Indian Food… we LOVE it! How could you not? It’s so flavorful, you’re allowed to eat with your hands by putting most of your dish on a yummy flat piece of bread (naan) and it almost always makes great leftovers! This is one of our favorite Indian dishes, I make a ton of them and this one is in the top 3! It’s really cheap and easy to make plus kids love it!

Cauliflower & Potato Curry

Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower & Potato Curry) recipe from VegKitchen.com (Excellent resource for all things veg!)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium-large potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh or jarred ginger
  • 2 teaspoon garam masala or good-quality curry powder, or to taste – I use Kashmiri Curry Powder from World Spice Merchants
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 – 15oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans – rinsed and drained
  • 2 medium or 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro, optional
  • Salt to taste – I make it without salt and let everyone salt their own. The salt really brings out the flavor of the dish!
Directions:
1. Water sauté the garlic over medium-low heat until golden.
2. Add the potato and about 1 cup water. Cover and bring to a simmer, then cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add the cauliflower, then sprinkle in the spices, and continue to simmer gently for 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and peas, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Stir in the optional cilantro, season with salt, and serve.

Yummy!!

AMAZING Kale Salad topped with Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles

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We eat a ton of kale salad but this one is the absolute best! I highly recommend this one, you WILL NOT be disappointed. I’ve added the Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles to make it more of a meal-type salad and it’s awesome! You can make this without the tempeh too, it’s so good either way! Plus, this salad keeps well in the fridge for a few days so it makes awesome leftovers!!

AMAZING Kale Salad topped with Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles

This salad recipe is from food blog Melomeals: VEGAN FOR $3.33 A DAY, one of my favorites!

Here is her recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups kale, destemmed and cut in a chiffonade – I use Black Kale/Lacinato or also called Elephant Kale
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon best quality sea salt (smoked salt would be fabulous here!) – I use Alderwood Smoked Salt from World Spice Merchants but you can use regular salt if that’s all you have (Smoked salt is best though!!)
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar – I add a little extra
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cup chopped red cabbage
  • ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons minced red onion
  • ½ cup chopped green olives – make sure you mince them well
  • 1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • Salt/pepper to taste if needed
Directions:
– In a large mixing bowl, add the kale, salt, orange juice, vinegar and garlic powder. Massage well with
your hands for several minutes.
– Add the rest of the ingredients and massage well
Let salad sit for 10 minutes; taste and adjust seasonings and enjoy!
For the Smoky Maple Tempeh Crumbles – you can use these in a lot of other dishes too, they are great in breakfast burritos, other salads and just by themselves! You can also keep them in cubes instead of mashing them.
* 2-4 blocks Organic Tempeh – from Trader Joe’s
* 2-4 tsp Liquid Smoke (depending on how smoky you like it!)
* 2-4 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup (depending on how sweet you like it!)
– I use 4 blocks of tempeh (from Trader Joe’s) so I have enough for leftovers (I always double this salad recipe for leftovers) – you can use 2 for a single batch of this salad
** Note: I used to cook these in oil but I’ve since removed oil from our diet. You can bake these crumbles on parchment paper at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so.
– Slice tempeh into cubes
– Boil tempeh in salted water for about 15 minutes
– Drain tempeh and transfer to mixing bowl
– Mash tempeh into crumbles
– Heat Safflower oil until hot and add crumbled tempeh
– Brown tempeh crumbles a bit then add Maple Syrup and Liquid Smoke – taste and add more if you like.
Top salad with crumbles once they’ve cooled… YUMMY!!!

Black Bean Chocolate Chili

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Black Bean Chocolate Chili

I’ve been making this for a couple of years now and it’s delicious every time! I usually make it in the crock pot but you can make it on the stove if you are in a hurry.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (OR water sauté – I do)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced
  • 1 -2 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers (red and green are nice)
  • 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 4 oz (or a small cup) of strong coffee
  • 1 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate (about 1/4 cup)
  • Vegan cheddar cheese (Daiya) or vegan sour cream or green onions, for serving (Optional)
Instructions:
  • In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions become soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the celery and chile, cover and cook for another five minutes more.
  • Reduce the heat and stir in spices, (cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, chili powder, black pepper, salt) along with the bell peppers. Cover again and cook for another five minutes. Stir often to keep the spices from burning. If the pan gets too dry add a little liquid from the diced tomatoes, or some water.
  • Next, add the black beans, tomatoes, lime juice (if using), coffee (if using) and soy sauce. Let the chili simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes, until it thickens slightly and flavors combine.
  • Stir in the chocolate. When chocolate has melted, taste to adjust the salt and pepper. Serve with topping of your choice. I like a bit of vegan cheese, sour “cream” and scallions.
  • Chili can also makes a great filling to serve wrapped in flour tortillas, or in taco shells if you prefer.
** Crock Pot Method:
– Saute the onions for about 7-10 minutes in olive oil
– Add garlic and peppers and saute a bit more.
– Add spices and sautéed for a minute then transferred to crock pot
– Add all other ingredients
– Cooked on low for 6 hours (or high for about 4 hours)
I served this with Bread Machine Pesto Bread tonight but I usually serve it with cornbread. Yum!

Orange Banana Walnut Breakfast Quinoa

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Orange Banana Walnut Breakfast Quinoa

We love quinoa for breakfast! I usually make it with some kind of fruit and a few spices, usually apples and cinnamon, so when I found this recipe I had to try it! It turned out REALLY good, my hubby ate two bowls and my picky toddler ate THREE BOWLS!

I found this recipe on a newly discovered food blog Happy Healthy Mama.

Breakfast Quinoa

Serves 3-4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (unless you have a brand that is pre-rinsed) – I use the Costco quinoa, Bob Mills brand

1 1/2 cups milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (juice from 2 small oranges–if you get a little more or less add or subtract some milk to make sure you have 2 cups total liquid)

zest from 1/2 an orange

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

generous pinch nutmeg

pinch ground cloves

1 banana, mashed

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup – Trader Joe’s has Grade B maple syrup for the best price

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

In a small sauce pan, bring the milk, orange juice, and orange zest to a boil.  Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and quinoa.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, dry toast your walnuts in a small skillet pan.  In a small bowl, mash your banana.  Stir in the maple syrup and set aside.

Remove quinoa from heat and stir in banana/maple syrup mixture.  Sprinkle with walnuts and serve.

You can make this the night before and reheat it in the morning – I made a double batch so I can reheat it for future toddler breakfast!

Bread Machine Pesto Bread

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I’m not afraid of carbs and I enjoy fresh bread from my bread machine every now and then. I made this for the first time tonight and it was really good!

Bread Machine - Pesto Bread

For a 2lb loaf:

Add ingredients, in order listed.

*  1 1/4 cups water, room temperature

* 2 Tbsp olive oil

* 1/3 cup pesto (I make mine with avocado instead of cheese)

* 1 tsp sea salt

* 4 2/3 cups bread flour

* 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

* 2 tsp yeast – active dry, instant or bread machine

Cook on Bread/White cycle until machine is done!