Smoky Baba Ghanoush - vegan, plant based and oil free

We recently took a trip back to Florida where we used to live. On my MUST list, was a trip to my previously favorite Turkish restaurant where I would go with friends for baba ghanoush and lavash.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that their recipe used dairy and I was very sad. As I was lamenting to a friend, she reminded me that mine was way better than theirs anyways (thanks Sandee!) and SO much cheaper. Here's my oil free adapted recipe, and now I will continue to eat baba ghanoush to my heart's content.

This is a repost and adaptation from a post Sept 13, 2014. 

 For any of those eggplant haters out there - I'm with you.  My mom made it when I was a kid - hated it.  I tried it several different ways as an adult, and just hated it.  Then I had baba ghanoush, and am totally in love - it tastes nothing like eggplant to me this way. 

The baba ghanoush gets a smoky flavor from being roasted, as in roasted to a char. 

Place two medium sized egg plants on the grill (some recipes say poke them, but they fill with steam and cook better without holes).  While they can be roasted on a gas range, or in the oven, a grill really brings out the smoky flavor.  

Grill for 10-15 minutes, and then very carefully turn, using tongs. Roast an additional 15-20 minutes, until the eggplant is so charred that you are completely sure that it is inedible (you may find that it has exploded or burst from the interior steam - no worries.)  

Remove from grill, wrap in foil and let it steam for 15 minutes.  

Carefully make a lengthwise slit in the eggplant and open.  With a spoon, scrape out all of the flesh from the inside of the eggplant. 

Place flesh into a salad spinner and gently spin to remove excess liquid. 

Place in a bowl, and add three minced garlic cloves, and two Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.  Mix until it becomes creamy. 

Mix in three Tablespoons of tahini, and three Tablespoons of coconut milk until

 thoroughly incorporated.  

Stir in 1/4 cup chopped parsely. 

Season with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt (to taste).   

Serve with lavas(h), naan, roti, or pita chips/bread, crackers or veggies. 

Smoky Baba ghanoush

2 medium sized egg plants

3 Tablespoons tahini

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

3 minced garlic cloves

1/4 cup chopped parsley

3 Tablespoons coconut milk

Sea salt to taste

Roast egg plant on gas grill for 30-40 minutes, until blackened and charred, turning once.  

Enclose in foil and allow to sit for 15 minutes. 

Carefully scoop out flesh (discard charred bits), and place in a salad spinner, and gently spin to remove excess liquid. 

Place in a medium sized bowl and mix until creamy with lemon juice and garlic. 

Add tahini, and coconut milk.  

Stir in parsley, and add salt to taste. 

*Note all ingredients can also be blended in a food processor or blender if a creamier consistency is desired. 

Serve with lavas(h), roti, baked tortilla chips, veggies, or crackers. 

Taquitos! Vegan, Whole Food, Plant Based

You may have noticed a taquitos theme in my previous posts.  All roads (or recent posts it seems) lead to taquitos.  

What can I say, other than we've missed them and these were pretty fabulous?

Be warned that this recipe contains several links to full recipes of some of the ingredients. If you don't already have the bouillon, ranch dressing, or salsa this recipe can be time consuming (but oh so worth it!), then again, if you are cooking or eating wfpb, you probably expect time consuming cooking anyways.


Taquito Shells - plan for 4-6 per person (this should allow for leftovers/lunch the following day)
1 Vegan Meat recipe
(1 cauliflower, 1 cup walnuts, 4-6 large shiitakes, 2 T. soy sauce or liquid aminos)
1 onion - diced
4 large garlic cloves - minced
1-2 T. chicken bouillon (vegan)
1 t. cumin
salt to taste (if needed)
2 medium potatoes - baked and peeled (cooked for 6-8 min in microwave until soft, then placed in plastic bag to sweat for 10 min., (to allow for easier peeling) then peeled)


Toppings
Ranch Dressing - vegan & oil free
Taquito Salsa - oil free
chopped spinach, arugula or lettuce
chopped tomatoes

Meat Filling:
Place vegan meat into large fry pan. Add peeled potatoes, onion, garlic and bouillon and mix with a potato masher, until potato is thoroughly mixed into the meat mixture.

Heat through with the addition of a couple of tablespoons of water (to keep it from sticking).

To assemble taquitos, place meat filling in the bottom of taquito shell, add chopped greens, tomatoes, then taquito salsa and finally vegan ranch.
 

Salsa for Taquitos

Salsa para los taquitos - continuing with the taquitos theme, these are a requirement for eating taquitos - at least good, homemade ones.

I was a little dubious about omitting the oil from these when cooking them, but it turned out great. The consistency is a little bit thicker, but the flavor remained unchanged.

10-15 dried red chiles (arbol or japones) - usually found in the latin spice section at store

6 cloves of garlic, smashed and half set aside

1 coarsely chopped onion, half set aside

1 can 14 oz. tomato sauce 

1 T. chicken bouillon - vegan 

Using gloves (or sandwich baggies which I always have on hand (clever huh?) but not so much with the gloves) crush or break the chiles and remove and discard seeds and inner veins (or save these and use them for crushed red pepper seasoning).  

Place in a frying pan with 3 T. water and sautee until they become slightly tender. Add half of the onions and half of the garlic and continue to sautee until tender, adding additional water as needed so that it doesn't stick.  

Place pan contents and remaining ingredients into a high powered blender and puree until smooth. 

Salt to taste (if needed). 

Serve over taquitos.

Baked Corn Tortillas - tostadas, chips, strips, tacos and taquito shells (no oil)

We love hispanic foods and use corn tortillas in a lot of different ways.


We use corn tortillas which have the least amount of ingredients with no oils or sugars (and if I can't pronounce or don't know what an ingredient is (or if I google it and it sounds funky), then we move along to another brand or make them ourselves with maseca.)

 The best tortillas contain the fewest ingredients - corn and lime (a mineral used to break the corn down) should be the two main ingredients.

For Simple Tostadas:
Simply separate, then lay corn tortillas on the oven rack and broil for 5-10 minutes, turning once when browned.  If you prefer crunchy, let them go a little longer, if you prefer them a little more chewy, use a little less time.  Remove and allow to cool, then serve topped with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, pico de gallo, avocados, olives, hot sauce - whatever you've got on hand. This is a fantastic snack, or super easy go to meal we use when we are short on time or ideas.

Easy Tortilla Chips:
If we are lazy, we simply break up tostadas (above) for dipping. However, some people want the uniform triangle chip, and cut them with a pizza cutter (or knife) into triangles (8 from each tortilla) and arrange them on a baking sheet and bake at 350* turning once, for 10-15 minutes.  

Tortilla Strips:
Tortilla strips can be made just like the tortilla chips by simply cutting into strips and baking at 350* for 10-15 minutes, turning at least once until browned.

Taco or Taquito Shells:
Corn tortillas - as many as desired (we plan for 4-6 + per person, which allows for lunches the next day).
Heat oven to 350*
Working in batches of 12, use a tortilla warmer like this  (they aren't expensive and they are amazing!) to heat up a stack of tortillas for 2 minutes in the microwave.

Tortillas can also be wrapped into a dishcloth or papertowel if a tortilla warmer is not available , heat for 2 minutes in the microwave.

This steams the tortillas and makes them pliable.

When they come out all steaming and pliable, simply drape them across the rungs of the oven rack - covering two rungs (they break when draped across just one rung - trust me, I've tried.)



Bake for 10 minutes until slightly golden brown, then remove and allow to cool.

These are a little wider mouthed than store bought taco shells, but still give a great crunch, and are easier to fill!

Ranch Dressing - Non Dairy

I know, several of my recent posts have been about taquitos - what can I say? We love taquitos and to eat them properly, you need ranch and special salsa. As seen in this photo:

In my recent quest to make wfpb acceptable taquitos, I created this ranch dressing recipe - the spices combination come from wellness mama, but she didn't have a dairy free option for the dressing part of it. So here's mine. It's not Hidden Valley, but it is plant based and still tastes great too.

Spice Mixture
1/4 c. dried parsley
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 T. dill weed
1 T. garlic powder
1/2 t. basil
Mix in food processor and store in airtight container.

Dressing
1 c. raw cashews (drained if soaked for 2-4 hours if you don't have a high powered blender)
1/2 c. silken tofu
3 T. coconut milk
2 T. lemon juice
salt to taste
1/2 - 1 c. water

In a high powered blender, blend ingredients until a smooth dressing like consistency is reached - add water slowly as needed until desired viscosity is reached.

Add 1 Tablespoon +/- of the spice mixtures, then season to taste with salt and additional ground black pepper if needed.

Versatile Plant Based "Meat" from Cauliflower, Walnuts and Shiitake Mushrooms

In the (almost) year that we've been eating whole food, plant based, I've learned an important rule.
NEVER cook something you used to love, expecting it to taste like it used to. Just don't, because you'll be disappointed - I've been disappointed a lot! When you cut out the sugar, oil, processed flours and ingredients, of course the flavor will change. There's just no getting around it.

Note - This photo contains onions, garlic, potatoes and taquito seasonings

In trying to find a meat substitute, we played with jackfruit for a while, trying to come up with some pulled pork options with little success. We had jackfruit tacos at a restaurant and we loved them (but I'm pretty sure they still used sugar and oil), but we couldn't replicate them - no matter how many variations on a theme we tried.  My point is, things just don't work, or turn out the same.

That said, I was super dubious about trying some different recipes for fake meat using cauliflower, mushrooms and walnuts.  Let me be clear - this doesn't taste like meat. Even with seasonings, it doesn't taste like meat. It does however, have a great texture, and a very mild flavor that carries flavors VERY well (perfect for mexican dishes).  We've used it for tacos, power bowls, and taquitos (all different flavor profiles) and we've been very pleased with it. My teenagers will eat it - need I say more? Super simple, and you can adjust your seasonings as needed for your dish.

1 small head of cauliflower - trimmed and broken into 1-2 inch pieces
1 cup walnuts
4-6 large shiitake mushrooms - cut into 1 inch pieces (+/-)

Using a food processor, one ingredient at a time, process into a coarse crumb, sized to your preference - between a corn kernel, and a rice kernel.

Mix in bowl.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce or liquid aminos and mix thoroughly.

Heat oven to 350*, and spread mixture into a shallow baking pan.
Bake for 30 minutes. Stirring once at 20 minutes.

Season as desired.

Chicken Bouillon - plant based

When we started eating WFPB, a lot of our favorite staple recipes had to be retired. We weren't big beef eaters, but we ate a lot of poultry. Yesterday as I sat down to make a menu (er...figure out what the heck I was going to try to feed my family) I was thinking about how much my family loved taquitos - the ones my friend Berta taught me to make years ago. They are nothing like the frozen grocery store taquitos and even though we didn't make them very often, they were always a huge hit.

I was day dreaming about them and I wondered if they could be made WFPB, but then I remembered that my recipe calls for (and heavily relies on) chicken bouillon.  I figured, "why not see if there are any alternatives out there?" and googled it - coming up with a surprising number of results.  Some WAY more complicated than what would be worth the work.

Here's my adaptation of several different recipes. I was shocked at how much it tasted like chicken bouillon - shocked, and then overjoyed. My husband tasted it and was also amazed. I added some to a glass of hot water and made a broth and it STILL tasted like chicken bouillon!

Thrilled, I reworked my taquitos recipe and we had them for dinner. People (including me) moaned. They weren't our normal taquitos, but they were still pretty dang good - all thanks to the chicken bouillon.

Note - this recipe (and every other that I came across) calls for nutritional yeast. My family can't stand the stuff, but I figured I would try it one last time to see if it worked in this recipe. In my previous experience buying the nutritional yeast flakes, I purchased the large flakes. Yesterday however, I bought a much finer flake, and was very surprised by it - I didn't mind it nearly as much. If you have the option, my recommendation would be to use the finest/smallest flake available.

1 cup nutritional yeast (see note above)
2 t. onion powder
1 t. onion salt
1/2 t. sage
1/2 t. majoram
3 T. dried parsley
1.5 t. garlic salt
1.5 t. celery salt
pinch basil
1 t. thyme
1 t. rosemary
1 t. sorrel (I LOVE the flavor this herb adds, but it is a bit obscure and difficult to find. I found some seeds this year and grow it, but have never seen it for sale - so if you can find it, grab some, it is delightful!)

Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Store in airtight container.

**For broth - add 1 Tablespoon to 1 cup of boiling water. Adjust taste as needed.

Umami Cabbage & Lemongrass Soup over Seasoned Rice

There's something about this soup...some people at our table may have moaned audibly, several times, and had seconds and thirds. 

I know it doesn't look like much, and when I first read the ingredients, I was seriously doubtful - but I thought I'd try it out, and then I tweaked and played with the flavor, and man oh man...am I ever glad I did. My family requested that I add this one to the blog...you know, for posterity's sake. 

This is a spin off of a recipe by Jill Nussinow.  After making her basic recipe, it felt like it needed something more, so I added and played with the seasonings and decided to serve it over a garlic and seaweed flavored rice-which doesn't necessarily sound amazing I know. But, when it all combines together...oh my-you too may just moan! For us, this is definitely a umami recipe! 

1.5 cups diced onions
4 peeled medium potatoes - cut into fourths, then sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
1/2 cabbage thinly sliced (6-8 cups)
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and diced
2 Tablespoons diced or grated fresh ginger
4 stalks lemon grass, cut into 4-6 inch pieces
2 new Mexican chile peppers or jalapeno
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1.5 cans coconut milk
1/3 cup key lime juice
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt (additional/or to taste)
2 Tablespoons liquid aminos or soy sauce

Rice
4 cups water
2 cups Jasmine rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 large smashed garlic clove
1/4 cup wakame (dried seaweed)


Turn pressure cooker to saute setting, and heat 2 T. water. When heated, add onions and saute. Add ginger, garlic, chili, and lemon grass. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and cabbage and stir a couple of times as they begin to soften.
Add broth, water, and coconut milk, salt and pepper.
Place lid on pressure cooker and cook for 4 minutes.
While this cooks, prepare rice (below)
Remove lid and add cumin, key lime juice, paprika, liquid aminos, cayenne, and additional salt to taste. Remove lemongrass stalks prior to serving.

Rice
Add water to saucepan and begin to heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt, smashed garlic, rices and wakame.
Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute. Stir, then cover with lid, and turn heat to lowest setting. Cook without disturbing for 20 minutes.
Remove lid, allow to sit for 5 minutes before fluffing.

Place rice in the bottom of the bowl, cover with soup and serve.

2 Non-Dairy Plant Based Corn Chowders, & Basic Grilled Corn

I made this a couple of weeks ago with a cashew cream base, and thought that it would also be awesome with fresh, grilled corn. This recipe is one of my teenager's favorites and I've adapted it into two recipes - one with a cashew base, another with a non-nut base. This recipe works well with freshly grilled, canned or frozen corn.

I normally cook my corn in the husk in the microwave for 6 minutes, and it comes out steamed and juicy. With this recipe, because I really wanted the grilled flavor, and I didn't want to cook 24 ears in the microwave, and I had some extra kids hanging around with time on their hands who were available to help shuck corn and man the grill...I created the grilled option - but work with what you have!

To grill corn: (this process takes about an hour)
Carefully peel husks back, (some outer leaves may be removed) and remove silk. Pull husks back up into place to protect the corn.

Soak corn in a bucket or tub of water with 1-2 Tablespoons salt for 10 - 30 minutes. This will help the husks to not burn so quickly.

Shake off excess water, and place corn on preheated grill, and turn every 5 minutes, grilling for about 20 minutes. Take care not to burn (too much). If a charred look or flavor is desired, peel husks back, and place on grill for a few moments to achieve desired charring.

To release corn kernels from husks, stand cob in a large bowl or pan, and with a knife placed close to the center of the cob, slice/cut in a swift downward motion. Slightly rotate corn, and repeat until all kernels are removed from the cob: I learned this trick from my grandfather who had dentures - and he usually used a butter knife.

Chowder Recipes

*3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-2" chunks (Russet or Yukon) - see note
*1.5 cups peeled carrots - sliced into 1-2" chunks - see note
*3 quarts water with 1 teaspoon salt - see note

OR
1.5 cups raw cashews
4 cups of water

Corn kernels from 4-6 ears of corn on the cob (or two 16 oz cans canned corn)
1-2 cans diced green chiles, or 1 diced jalapeno
1/2 - 1 cup. dry Maseca corn tortilla mix (found in hispanic or flour section of grocery store)
1-2 t. liquid smoke (optional) OR 1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. lemon juice
1.5 t. cumin (adjust to taste)
1/2 t. chili powder (adjust to taste)
Dash cayenne powder (optional - adjust to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

While the corn is grilling, place potatoes and carrots in a pan, with water, and boil until tender, (about 10-15 minutes.)
Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, (leave water in pan) and place them into the blender. Add water from pan to blender as needed, and puree until smooth. Return to pan (with the water), and stir to combine.

OR  Blend cashews in 4 c. water until smooth and place in a large pan.

Sautee onion, garlic and celery in a frying pan with water until tender. Add to the potato/carrot/water mixture OR cashew/water mixture.  

Place 2 cups of grilled corn into blender (or 1 can), and blend until smooth. Use potato/carrot water mixture or add additional water as needed.

Add to pan with other ingredients.
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

For potato/carrot option - to thicken this chowder base, place 1/2 cup Maseca corn/tortilla flour into a small bowl and add cold water, mixing until it reaches the consistency of a thick gravy.  Remove 1/2 cup of boiling chowder from the pan and mix into the maseca mixture - it will quickly thicken. Stir this mixture back into the chowder to thicken, and repeat this process until desired thickness is achieved.

For cashew cream option, if mixture is already at desired consistency, do nothing. To thin, add additional water to desired consistency, or use the maseca option above to thicken if desired.

Add additional corn kernels (1-2 cups,) diced (grilled optional) jalapenos or diced green chiles (including juices,) cumin, chili powder, lemon juice, liquid smoke/smoked paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Sweetness may be adjusted with a small amount of maple syrup or molasses if needed. Heat, then serve.

Garnish with chopped bell peppers, cilantro or pico de gallo if desired.

We enjoy this with a fresh garden or fruit salad, and hot sourdough bread with either chimi churri, or a fresh herb spread (chopped fresh herbs, salt, and a little coconut milk blended together.)

*Note - for a quicker  or cashew cream based chowder, the boiled potatoes and carrots may be omitted and replaced with a cashew cream.  To create this, combine 1.5 cups raw cashews in a high speed blender with 4 cups of hot water.  Blend until smooth, and use this as the chowder base. This cream base will thicken when heated, so it may need to be thinned with water to desired consistency.

Dairy Free Hot Chocolate ~ Creamy Cashew Cocoa

Rich, creamy, & chocolatey - this cocoa is made to be sipped and savored, rather than chased down the gullet, but my kids are still working on the concept of savoring, as they would drink this by the gallon if I let them (and they've been requesting the recipe here, so that they are no longer reliant upon me when their need for smooth and creamy chocolate hits.) 

This is what I find 2 minutes after I've made this for them: 

Keep in mind that this recipe is a guideline, and amounts should be adjusted to taste - add more cashews for a creamier consistency, more or less cocoa powder for depth/darkness of chocolate, and more or less dates or maple syrup for desired sweetness.  

1 cup raw cashews

2 T. cocoa powder

12-14 deglet noor dates 

4 - 6 cups hot water

1/8-1/4 t. salt

 Dash (or two) cayenne pepper (optional)

Dash (or two) cinnamon (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla

100% maple syrup for additional sweetening (if needed...I don't need it, but my kids think they do)

Place all ingredients into a high powered blender -

 (or soak cashews for 4 hours beforehand in hot water.)

Blend for 3-5 minutes, until the beverage is heated, and all ingredients are thoroughly blended (er..blasted into microbits and emulsified into a delicious nectar, rather than still in chunks). 

Taste, and adjust for preference. 

Note, the salt brings out the sweetness, and the cayenne, cinnamon and vanilla add depth and a very subtle, difficult to figure out what the slight essence of flavor is, but oh so much yumminess! 

Vegan Comfort foods - Cream of Mushroom Sauce

As we've been adapting to our new whole food, plant based lifestyle in the kitchen, we've made some really gross food, and we've refined some recipes into family favorites - it's definitely been trial and error.

Below is one of our favorite go to's -  probably number one on our kids list of favorite vegan foods.  For me, it is the ultimate comfort food for a girl who was raised on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup!

1 cup raw cashews
3 cups hot water
1 cup thickly sliced shiitake mushrooms (or whatever you have but shiitake are our favorites)
1 medium onion - diced
4 garlic cloves, smashed and diced
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

Place cashews and water in blender and allow to soak for 15 minutes to soften the cashews.

Place onion and mushrooms in medium frying pan and sautee in tamari or soy sauce for 5-7 minutes, occasionally stir gently. Add garlic and sautee for an additional 2 minutes to release the juices and oils.

Using high powered blender, blend the cashews until they are completely smooth, then with the heat on, add to the onion, mushroom, and garlic in the frying pan, stirring while adding.
Continue to stir as sauce will begin to thicken.  Salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Once heated, serve over rice, potatoes, pasta, or grain.

*This can also be thinned with additional water and served as a soup.

Moist Cornbread - Vegan, Sugar and Oil free

It took me a really long time to find a cornbread recipe that I liked...and then we decided to cut all animal products out of our diet. And so, following is the vegan, no sugar, oil, or processed ingredients version of my favorite cornbread recipe. Let it be known that my kids LOVE this (so do the adults) and we aren't really big cornbread fans. It's a keeper! 

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1 can corn (pureed with corn liquid in blender)
1 can corn, drained (not pureed)
1/2 cup chia gel (add 2 T. chia seeds to 4-5 T. water, let sit 10 minutes)
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove - minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 can coconut milk

Sautee the onion in small amounts of water for 25-30 minutes, stirring and adding water as needed.
Add minced garlic and jalapenos and saute for an additional 5 minutes.

Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt in a medium sized bowl.
Add syrup, pureed corn, chia gel and coconut milk - mix well.

Add drained corn and onion mixture. Stir to mix.

Line a 9x13 glass pan with aluminum foil and bake at 375* for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool before turning out of pan.

Vegan/WFPB "Chicken Tortilla Soup" Inspired Black Bean and Rice Soup

After thumbing through several vegan cookbooks tonight, I had decided to make a basic black bean and rice soup. However, as I began collecting ingredients, it morphed into something new, warm, comforting and reminiscent of chicken tortilla soup.
                
This soup comes together quickly and is awesome served over rice, topped with Pico de gallo, diced avocados, tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese (optional).

2.5 quarts boiling water
*2 cups cooked black beans
*1.5 cups cooked white beans
1 quart canned tomatoes (if home canned tomatoes are not available, add an additional 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice, & 1 Tbsp. sweetener such as maple syrup or sugar of your choice for taste as needed)
1/3 c. chopped leeks or onions
5 garlic cloves, diced or crushed
1 Tbsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds (to taste)
1.5 Tbsp. white miso
1/2 cup Maseca corn tortilla flour
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooked Jasmine Rice
Pico de Gallo
Diced avocados
Baked corn tortillas broken into pieces
Grated Cheese and sour cream (optional)


Add water to large pan and heat to boiling. While water heats, blend tomatoes until smooth. Add tomatoes to water, then add beans, leeks, garlic and spices. Stir to mix.

Scoop several Tbsp. of liquid into a small bowl, then add miso and mix until smooth. Add this mixture back into the large pan and stir.

Place Maseca flour into the small bowl. Add cool water, mixing until it is a thin paste, (similar to the viscosity of honey), adding water as needed.  Once smooth, add a small amount of the tomato liquid mixture (1/2-1 cup) to the Maseca and stir until smooth. Once mixed, add back to the large pan and stir to combine. This will thicken the soup slightly.

Add coconut milk and cilantro, and season to taste.

To serve, place a serving of rice in the bottom of a bowl, add soup and garnish with Pico de gallo, diced avocados, tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese as desired.

*I pressure cooker or slow cool beans and freeze them in 2 cup quantities.

Plant Based Carne Asada

I'm a sucker for latin foods...oh me oh my! 

This carne asada is one of my most visited recipes here, and it's probably in my top 5 favorite foods. My daughter asked for carne asada for her birthday and while I made hers with skirt steak, I was bound and determined to figure out how to make carne asada vegan style so that I could enjoy it too. 

I bet you can guess what we'll be having for Mother's Day??! Can't wait! 

I hope you'll enjoy this much as we do. I've tweaked my marinade and added mushrooms and honestly, could eat this raw as a salad as well as cooked.  

Carne Asada Marinade or Mojo
1/4 c. key lime juice (the very small green limes)**this is key for the flavor
1/4 c. coconut milk
2 T. white vinegar
4 garlic cloves - pressed or very finely diced
1/2-3/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 t. kosher salt (less if table salt)
Jalapeño or serano chiles, minced (optional - to taste)
1/4 t. crushed red peppers (optional - to taste)
2 t. pure maple syrup (more or less to taste)

3-4 cups sliced mushrooms - portabello and shiitake

Combine ingredients except for mushrooms in a non-metal bowl. 

Add 3-4 cups sliced portabello and shiitake mushrooms and toss to coat. 

Allow to marinade for at least 1 hour, gently tossing - occasionally.

Heat grill. 

Place ingredients onto a sheet of foil, and fold edges to seal. Wrap with an additional layer (or two) of foil. 

Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning once. 

Remove and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. 

Serve inside of warmed corn tortillas, with black beans, rice, pico de gallo and guacamole. 

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta - Vegan,Plant Based, No oil/sugar

I made this 4 days ago and I can't stop thinking about it - wondering how long I should wait before I make it again, because I could probably eat it every day. My husband took all of the leftovers for lunch the next day, and my kids actually liked it too! See those divine rays of sunlight in the photo? Yes, they are a sign that you should make this too. Now. You are welcome. 

Ingredients
10 red and orange mini peppers - coarsely sliced (or 2 cups normal bell peppers chopped)
1 large jalapeno coarsely sliced
1 large onion coarsely chopped
6 large garlic cloves coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
4-8 baby portabello mushrooms sliced
1/8-1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 cup boiling water
1/2-3/4 cup of coconut milk OR vegetable broth
1 package of pasta 16-18 oz (500 g)
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika (the smoked part is important for a deep rich flavor)
2 Tablespoons fresh/2 teaspoons dried basil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350* F.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper, or silpat.

Place the peppers, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and sesame seeds into a bowl and toss to coat with balsamic vinegar. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Saute mushrooms in soy sauce until softened, then remove from heat and set aside.

Bring salted water to boil, and begin to cook pasta.
Add boiling water to cashews and allow to soften for 10-15 minutes, then blend with a high powered blender until smooth. Remove the vegetables from the oven and blend into the cashew milk, adding paprika, coconut milk or vegetable broth (to thin), paprika, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth.

Drain pasta. Leave in colander. Reserve some of the cooking water.
Add sauce to pasta pan and heat.
Add pasta to sauce in the pan, and if needed, thin using the reserved some of the pasta's cooking water.
Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper.

Marinara all purpose sauce - vegan, whole food/plant based, no oil

I came across a recipe for marinara at brandnewvegan.com which I really liked....with a few tweaks of my own. My family devours this - as in, none left for my lunch the next day! This is vegan, plant based with no oils or processed sugars. And...this handy sauce can be used for a pizza sauce, a dipping sauce, lasagna, spaghetti, served over rice or other grains...so many possibilities!

Marinara

1 medium onion - chopped

1 medium red, orange, or yellow bell pepper - chopped

5 mushrooms - sliced

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

1 quart canned tomatoes, or equivalent (reserve juice)

1 six oz can tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 Tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste - optional)

black pepper - to taste, optional

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add oregano, paprika & basil (if using dried spices) and toast lightly, stirring constantly. Add fresh veggies and red wine vinegar. Saute until softened. Add water if needed to keep ingredients from sticking. 

Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Use a potato masher to break tomatoes down to desired chunkiness if needed

. Season to taste. 

Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Add reserved tomato juice or water to thin if needed, or blend if a thinner consistency is desired. 

Green Goddess dressing

I made this the other day and loved it! I've missed having a good dressing for a salad or baked potato that didnt to rain oil or sugar.  The flavors blend and mellow with time. It was much better the next day.

1/2 c. chopped red onion
2 T. Fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 c. Firm tofu
2 T. Lemon juice
2 T vinegar (preferably red or rice wine)
1 T almond butter
1 T soy sauce , tamari or Aminos
1 T 100% maple syrup
1/2 T. Salt
1/4 T. Ground black pepper

Blend together in high powered blender.
Chill

Crusted Salmon With Herbed Mayonnaise

My friend Gwen served this about 17 years ago and it was the best salmon I may have ever had. I begged her for a copy of the recipe, and I've come across it every now and then, but it has never had a permanent home.  So here it finally is for posterity...  

Crusted Salmon with Herbed Mayonnaise

Herbed Mayonnaise

1/3 c. minced fresh Italian parsley

1/3 c. minced fresh cilantro

¼ c. minced green onions

2 T. red wine vinegar

½ t. minced garlic

¼ t. dried oregano

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 c. prepared mayonnaise

Fish:

¼ c. chopped fresh Italian parsley

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. chopped fresh thyme or 2 t. dried thyme

1 t. finely grated lemon zest

¼ t. salt

2 small cloves garlic, peeled

1 ¼ fresh white bread crumbs

¼ c butter (1/2 stick), melted, divided

2.5 pounds salmon fillet, 1 piece if available

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 c. parsley, cilantro, green onions, vinegar, ½ t. minced garlic, oregano, pepper, and cayenne.  Stir until well blended and let stand, at room temperature 30 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease large, shallow baking pan. In food processor or blender, combine ¼ c. parsley, Parmesan, thyme, lemon zest, and salt. With processor running, drop 2 cloves garlic through feed tube and process until finely chopped. Transfer to large bowl and add bread crumbs. Toss to blend. (May be prepared in advance. Cover and chill overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.) Add 3 T. of the melted butter and toss to combine.

Pat salmon dry and place, skin side down, in prepared pan. Brush with remaining 1 T. melted butter. Pack crumb mixture on salmon. Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is opaque. If using several small fillets, cook 10 minutes per inch of thickness. If crumbs brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Transfer to serving platter. Stir mayonnaise into chilled herb mixture and serve on the side. 

Polenta Bites

We hit the jackpot with this one. I could probably eat it every day.

What's not to love? Corn meal, tomatoes, arugula, flax seeds, avocados, black olives and some hot sauce or homemade salsa on top, or whatever you have on hand and suits your fancy.

The hot polenta creates a palette or base for this meal, and causes the tomato juices to warm and run and mmm - these combine all of our favorite flavors and are a super quick and satisfying meal.

Simply slice polenta into 1/4 inch thick slices and place over medium heat in a frying pan (no oil needed - if it sticks add just a splash of water).  Heat on each side...just a few minutes.

Arrange on plate and top with baby arugula (which gives it a contrasting spicy freshness), freshly chopped tomatoes, sliced avocados, chopped black olives, a sprinkle of flax seeds for texture and some omegas, and hot sauce (if you want a little more heat) on top.

Lentil Soup - Pressure cooker

I've made various lentil soups over the years but my family didn't especially love them.
This one however, caught our attention and I'll definitely make this one often.
I've adapted it from a recipe by Jill Nussinow.
It takes less than 30 minutes.

1 onion - chopped
2 carrots - chopped
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs dried thyme
6 cups liquid (at least 2 cups vegetable broth)
1.5 cups green or brown lentils
1/2 cup red lentils
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 knuckle fresh turmeric, peeled and grated
1 t. ground coriander
2 t. salt
1/2 t. black ground pepper

Place onion into pressure cooker insert and add 3 T. water. Bring to a boil using the saute setting, and add onions. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring if needed. Add garlic, and carrots, and saute for another minute or so.
Add bay leaves, thyme, broth/water, lentils, potato, turmeric, and coriander.

Lock the lid into place and cook at pressure for 7 minutes.  Allow the pressure to release naturally. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve as is, with crusty bread, or over a bowl of rice, quinoa, barley, faro, or a mixture of these grains.

Brussel Sprouts to fight over

Growing up I experienced brussel sprouts just a handful of times. On one of those occasions, my brother and I posed for a photo with our cheeks stuffed like chipmunks.  Then we spit them out because they were so bitter and I hoped to never have to eat them again. Blech!

You may have thought I was jesting with the title of this recipe, but no, for the record...my children (teenagers) had a fight today over these brussel sprouts...complete with someone stomping off to her room crying.. because we used the "I cut, you choose" method when they were dividing them up, and her portion was a little less than her sisters.  Yeah, they are that good. We've had them twice last week.

Our discovery began this Thanksgiving. A friend invited us to dinner and kept talking proudly about how we would be having brussel sprouts. I was not excited...not in the least, but rather I was worried about having to eat them graciously. Somehow, I avoided them, but my family kept raving about them. They kept asking "why we don't eat those, are they too expensive??" So, I asked my friend for her recipe, which I've adapted here just a bit for our family's needs.  

Super simple, and it takes maybe 15 minutes start to finish.

1 lb brussel sprouts - washed, and bottoms trimmed

2 T. coconut milk 

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400*

Half brussel sprouts and place in medium sized bowl. 

Add coconut milk and toss to coat. 

Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet - I use a silpat, if you don't have one, I recommend a layer of foil. Salt to taste.

Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, gently stirring once.

Stand back and let the fighting begin - we have a tough time actually getting these to a serving bowl on the table...half usually go missing in the transition!  

Almond milk - whole food, plant based, vegan milk

Almost three months ago, I decided to try out a Whole Foods, plant based diet-not as in "diet" but as in lifestyle. In adopting this new lifestyle, I decided to cut out all processed sugars, oils, processed foods and refined flours.

I know, it sounds pretty extreme, but it has been an incredible adventure. I'm learning how to cook ALL over again. I didn't see that one coming!

I originally thought I'd try it just to see how my body would respond for 3 months.  And my body has loved it. I LOVE knowing exactly what I'm putting into my body.  I've looked and looked for a suitable milk option and just haven't found one that doesn't have sugar or oil, or ingredients I don't recognize or can't pronounce. So, I've been making my own almond milk.

I've tried it using a date or two as a sweetener, but found that it fermented and only lasted a day or so. So I've been using some raw, unfiltered honey.

Here's the method I've been enjoying the most:

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups water
Dash of salt
1/2-1 teaspoon raw unfiltered honey (preferably from your own bees!)

Place almonds into a quart jar and fill with water. Place in the fridge and
allow to soak overnight.
Drain and rinse almonds.

Place in a high powered blender. Add 4 cups filtered water, honey and dash of salt.
Blend until smooth.

Stain using a nut bag (best ever, takes about 3 minutes), or strain cheesecloth.

Add additional water for consistency.
Place in a container with a sealable lid, and refrigerate immediately.
Lasts 5-7 days.

Use ground almond meal remains in breads, granolas etc. 

Hot chocolate - Whole Food Plant Based, vegan

We woke up to 8 inches of snow and after our walk and some snow shoveling, we were totally craving a warm mug of hot cocoa. 

Honestly, I'd been mulling over how to make a sugar free, vegan hot chocolate for a while. My very skeptical non-vegan teenage test taster said it wasn't too bad (that's like winning the lottery), and she said I could probably sale it, she then suggested we move to Seattle and set up hot chocolate stand and hot cider stand.  She's a funny one, but she asked for seconds and thirds. 

This comes out warm and creamy and perfectly hits the spot of a great comfort food on a snowy day.  Mmmm 

Ingredients:

3 cups almond milk 

2-3 T cocoa powder or cacao nibs (for a deeper chocolate taste)

6-8 dates (seeds removed) covered with and soaked for 15 minutes in boiling water

1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews preferably soaked overnight or 15 min in boiling water.

Additional boiling water

Cinnamon (optional)

Vanilla (optional)

Place dates and water they were soaked in, into a high powered blender. 

Blend until smooth.

Add cocoa powder, almond milk and cashews, blend until smooth. Add additional boiling water until it reaches your desired consistency. 

Add a dash of cinnamon or vanilla if desired (optional).

Serve immediately. 

Zucchini & Portabello Mushroom Stir Fry

Holy cow! This was such a great dish - my husband asked me when I was going to make it again, even though I just made it two days ago.
This takes a slightly Asian twist on zucchini and is so easy and healthy.
Truly a 15 minute dish.

2 medium zucchinis

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 portabello mushroom, sliced, coarsely chopped

1-2 T. soy sauce

1-2 T. grated fresh ginger

2 t. sesame seeds

Using a grater, thinly slice zucchinis. 

Place in cast iron pan, with a small amount of water (so they don't initially stick). Add onions and mushroom pieces and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until ingredients become tender and translucent.  

Add soy sauce, and grated ginger, and cook down to reduce the liquid. Add sesame seeds, salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.  

Tadka Dal with Potatoes (Split Red Lentils)

We've entered a new realm - the realm of whole food, plant based diet, with no refined sugars or flours, or oils.

So...these next recipes are recipes have been altered to fit into the no anything (see above) category. We've been very surprised to find workable recipes that we've actually liked. The following posts include some of our favorites.

I was at Winco last week checking out their bulk dry options and found some red lentils that I thought might be fun to try out.  They were awesome in this recipe!

Tadka Dal With Potatoes (Split Red Lentils)
1 onion - finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T. grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno pepper - sliced into rings (with or without seeds)
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 T. grated fresh turmeric or 1.5 t. ground tumeric
1 t. salt
6 cups water

1 quart tomatoes
1 T. yellow mustard seeds
1 T. coriander seeds
1 T. sesame seeds
2 t. green cardamon pods
2 T. cumin
1 t. allspice

Pre-heat a pressure cooker using the brown setting.
Add a small amount of water, then cook the onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno until softened, stirring occasionally.

Add the lentils, potatoes, turmeric and salt. Then add the water, stir and lock the lid into place.
Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes.

Release the pressure using the quick release method.

While the dal is cooking, in a cast iron skillet, heat the spices, stirring occasionally - all except for the cumin and allspice.

Once they've begun to brown and are moving around and popping a bit, add 1 quart of canned tomatoes. Use a potato masher or similar tool to break tomatoes down, and boil and stir this mixture, Add the cumin and allspice, and boil and stir until it reduces and most of the liquid cooks off.

Remove from heat.

Serve in bowls, on top of rice or with naan bread, (or a homemade Maseca corn tortilla), with the tomato mixture on top of the dal.

Sandee's Super Amazing Green Chocolate Smoothie

My friend Sandee in Florida sponsors healthy living challenges periodically, and she is a health guru.  She recently shared this recipe on a blog. I've tweaked it just a bit to better work with what my family normally has on hand.

A little backstory - I've been making smoothies for YEARS, and my kids hate it when I "nutritionalize" everything (their words not mine).  If you ever come to visit they will share their favorite story of when I tried to add arugula to a smoothie. Yes, the results were a disaster, and now we know... Anyways..

I didn't get a photo of this smoothie because they inhaled it - I present the empty glass as evidence. My husband even asked for seconds and took it with him to work, and asked me to make sure that I let Sandee know how much he loved it and thank her for the recipe. That never happens. EVER. My daughter finished all of hers - with no complaints. Needless to say - this one is a keeper.

Ingredients

Power Greens - kale, chard, and beet greens (can be found at Costco)

5 medjool dates (for natural sweetening), pitted

3 T. cocoa powder

1 T. chia seeds

1 T. flax seeds

1 T. hemp hearts

2 cups almond milk or coconut milk 

1 c. ice

Stuff blender full of greens. 

Add additional ingredients. 

Blend and serve.

Serves 4

There you go - super healthy greens, cocoa powder, and those awesome omega 3 super food seeds that are all the rave - and it tastes good! 

Easy Almond Milk

This is another super simple recipe:  

Basically, you need almonds, water, a blender and a few hours. Yep. That's it. 

I tried a new recipe this am which added a cinnamon stick, a date, and a pinch of salt to the overnight soak, and so I tried it out - a couple of ways. Results are as follows: 

Combine the following in a quart jar:

1 c. raw almonds (not roasted or dried)

Water - fill the remainder of the quart jar

1 medjool date

1 cinnamon stick

pinch kosher salt

Let soak overnight. 

Drain off water, and place almonds in blender - they should be swollen. 

Add 4 cups of water for every 1 cup of almonds to the blender. 

Blend until very smooth - strain through a sieve, and chill. Water down if thinner consistency is desired.  

I blended one batch without the date and cinnamon stick and another batch with the date and cinnamon stick. Personally, I found the one without, a little on the bitter side.and prefer the one with the date and cinnamon stick. 

This is a great milk for morning smoothies! 

Super Simple Chicken

Last night, grilled chicken was on the menu, but when I stepped outside to grill, I found that my grill was out of order.
I was in a hurry, and so I threw this recipe together - just winging it with ingredients I had on hand.

I was surprised when my oldest daughter, followed by my second exclaimed how good this was! They both immediately asked me to post it here for posterity's sake (theirs). My husband got home a little later and he too really loved it. He and one of my kids took leftovers of this meal for their lunches today.

My jaw is still on the ground because it was so simple. I served it with roasted potatoes, and chimichurri sauce. 
Here's the recipe - for posterity's sake.

6-8 skinless, frozen chicken breasts
1 c. water
1/2 yellow onion - sliced
4 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped

Place chicken in cast iron pan over medium high heat.
Spread onions, mushrooms, peppers, and garlic over the top of the chicken.  Add 1/2-1 c. water, and cover with a lid (I use my pizza stone as a lid).
Cook for approximately 20 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
Check halfway through to make sure water hasn't boiled away. If it has, add more water.

Serve with roasted potatoes and chimichurri sauce - serve everything with chimichurri sauce :)