Spicy Sweet Cranberry Chutney (Great on oatmeal!)

December 21, 2011 by aprilcball

Just in time for your holiday meal! This cranberry chutney is really good and would be an excellent addition to any holiday dish – any dish for that matter! This recipe was written to go with seitan. We ordered Indian food last night and added it to that, it was delish! I don’t make things like this often so this was a real treat! (Trying to reduce the amount of sugar I use in my recipes.) This freezes well too.

*UPDATE* I recently made a batch of this with 1/4 tsp Stevia instead of sugar and it turned out great! I’ve been adding it to my daughter’s oatmeal. She loves it!

Spicy Sweet Cranberry Chutney

This is another awesome recipe from Melomeals, of course! 🙂

Cranberry Chutney

2 c cranberries
2 apples – I used organic Gala apples
2 Serrano chilies – I deseeded mine
1 T chopped fresh ginger – I love ginger so I added 1 extra Tbsp
Juice of 2 oranges
2 3 inch pieces of orange zest
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 t cinnamon
1 1/4 c sugar – Use 1 cup of raw sugar OR use 1/4-1/2 tsp Stevia
1/2 t salt

Instructions:

Place in saucepan and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or so. Stir often.
If you want to tone it down, remove the serrano chilies and reduce ginger to 1 teaspoon. If you don’t have oranges you can use water or any fruit juice you have around.

Place all ingredients into saucepan and cover. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes

Stir often

All done!

Protein Packed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

November 28, 2011 by aprilcball

This is a great way to use up leftover white beans and add a little more protein and fiber to your breakfast! Sometimes I add raisins, almonds or walnuts and I always top it with fruit!

Protein Packed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

This recipe is from Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day – she wrote it on her Facebook page one morning and I had to try it.

Protein Packed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

– 1/2 cup white beans (I use whatever I have left… today it was about 3/4 cup)

– 2 cups water

– 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I use 1 tsp)

– 1/4 tsp nutmeg

– 1 large apple, chopped

– 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

– 1 Tbsp ground flax meal

– 1/4 tsp vanilla

– Stevia, to sweeten (I use Kal Brand Stevia Powder)

Directions:

1. Blend beans and water until smooth. (I use my magic bullet – it’s fast and cleanup is easy!)

– Add cinnamon, apple and oats to saucepan

– Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cover – cook for 10 minutes

– Remove from heat, stir in flax and vanilla

– Sweeten with Stevia

Use leftover white beans

Blend in Magic Bullet

Add cinnamon, apples and oats to saucepan with bean water

Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes

Add flax meal and vanilla before serving... sweeten with Stevia

Yummy!

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

November 8, 2011 by aprilcball

I love quinoa (pronounced “Keen-Wah”) for breakfast! It has such a warm nutty flavor!

I have a few recipes I follow or I just throw whatever I have in the cupboard in my quinoa – raisins, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, chia seeds, walnuts, etc. I don’t usually follow a recipe but I figured posting accurate amounts of everything would help if someone wanted to try quinoa for breakfast.

I buy my quinoa at Costco – It’s about $9 for a big bag and it’s organic.

This recipe is from Happy Healthy Mama food blog, it’s really easy and I bet you have all these ingredients in your kitchen! Her other breakfast recipe, Orange Banana Walnut Breakfast Quinoa, is our favorite too!

Nutty Apple Quinoa Breakfast

Makes 2 large or 4 toddler-sized servings

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed

1 cup milk (I use soy, almond or coconut milk, any milk will work)

1 cup water

1 medium apple, diced (I don’t peel)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa, milk, water, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and maple syrup. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat your walnuts over medium heat in a dry skillet. Allow to toast until the nuts are fragrant and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

Top each serving of quinoa with some walnuts and serve. This dish reheats well, so you can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days.

I usually make a double batch so we have leftovers during the week.

Yummy!!

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.

3. Divide batter evenly into muffin tins and top with walnuts, if using. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Raw Collard & Apple Salad

October 4, 2011 by aprilcball

I love my greens! I enjoy hearty meal-type salads and I’ve been making a few lately that we really enjoy! Kale is my go-to salad green but I’ve been trying to venture out. I came across this Raw Collard and Apple Salad from my latest favorite vegan food blog MELOMEALS: Vegan for $3.33 A Day. You can use collard greens or kale – I used collard greens. I love the spiciness of the dijon mustard with the sweetness of the raisins! I’ve been eating this with my collard wraps for lunch, it’s just so awesome that it keeps in the fridge and doesn’t wilt and sog like regular salad!