Monthly Archives: February 2016

Sandwiches/Wraps

Gluten Free Turkey Burger Sliders With Zucchini and Sweet Potato Fries

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OMG this was SO GOOD, I was shocked!! This recipe is for protein packed turkey burgers, but you could replicate it with any kind of burgers you like: lentil, mushroom, Mahi Mahi….  Personally, I will change nothing, but will restock up on all the ingredients so I can make this again very soon for my carnivore and me! I do want to do a vegan veggie burger on of these days, standby!
I used:

1 large sweet potato, the larger the better

4 small zucchinis washed and the ends cut off

1/2 lb very lean ground turkey

2 jalapeños, sliced

1 yellow onion, sliced

Micro greens, tomato, avocado sliced for burger toppings 

Olive oil or coconut spray

Basil and salt for the fries

1 tsp each garlic and onion powder

1/2 tsp all purpose seasoning of choice

1/2 tsp black pepper
For the sauce:

4 tbs liquid aminos

1/3 cup honey

1tsp minced ginger

2 minced cloves garlic

Sauce Instructions:

Whisk all the above sauce ingredients together, then pour into saucepan, simmering for about 10minutes before removing from heat to let thicken.

Next begin your fries by cutting your sweet potato in half, at its widest point. You want a large potato sliced into 1/4 in slices to make little sweet potato slider buns!  For 1/2 lb of turkey, I made 4 sliders, so 8 slices of nice round sweet potato.  Then cut the rest of the sweet potato into 1/2 in “fries”. Slice the zucchini lengthwise twice and again to make nice long “fries” then place all sliced veggies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray with oil of choice and sprinkle with dried basil and sea salt. Then bake at 400 for about 20min, flipping once through and removing any pieces that are getting too brown before the other pieces.

In the meantime, slice your jalapeños and onion. Spray olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When nice and hot, add your onion in there, cover and let brown for 10min. Add 1/4 of your prepared sauce, mix, then remove from pan and set aside. 

Mix your turkey, seasoning, garlic/onion powder, and pepper in a bowl and form into 4 small patties. Spray pan again with oil and place patties in hot skillet and cook for about 2-3min on the first side, depending on thickness. Then pour the rest of your sauce in there before flipping patties over. Once flipped, add your sliced jalapeños and sauté that additional 2 minutes or so. Then you are ready to serve!!

Assemble each slider with 1 patty, 2 sweet potato slices, some sautéed onions and jalapeños, and all the fresh fixins your heart desires. For me it was simply sliced tomato and avocado, and some organic micro greens, yum!! ENJOY with your zucchini and sweet potato fries for a truly healthy and fortifying version of america’s favorite junk food meal 😀 ENJOY!
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Appetizers, Casseroles, Salads

Glorious Golden Beets

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Simple and beautiful, an excellent side dish or salad topper! 
All you need:

2 large gold beets, peeled and chopped

Coconut oil spray for pan and tops of beets

1tsp fresh minced Rosemary

Salt, pepper to taste 

Sprinkles of Nutmeg

Sprinkles of Ginger powder

Preheat oven to 350. Wash, peel and chop your beets into 1/2 in cubes. Spray your own with coconut or olive oil spray and place beets singe layer in your dish. Then spray again. Sprinkle all seasonings on top of beets and put in the oven for 1 hour, checking in 15 min increments for overcooking. My beets were particularly tough to begin with so used the full hour, but yours could potentially be done as soon as 30minutes in, so keep an eye out! That is it! Enjoy!

   
    
    
    
   

Breakfast, Dessert, Snacks

Carob Chip Goji Granola Bars

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Yummy healthy totally sugar free! Gluten free, full of protein, and make a great snack or dessert. To really kick it up a notch you can also melt some peanut butter on top for icing-y goodness!

You need:

3 large very ripe bananas

1/2 tsp each vanilla/almond extract

3/4 cup rolled oats made into flour 

1 cup Quinoa flakes

pinch baking soda

Pinch salt

Pinch baking powder

1/4 cup flax meal

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup vega protein powder

1/4 cup chia seeds 

Goji berries 1/2 cup

1/8 cup carob chips for pressing on top
 First, using dry high speed blender, make your whole oats into a flour, it only takes a few seconds. Then combine all dry ingredients (except carob chips) in a large bowl, set aside. Blend your bananas and extracts on high until a frothy creamy mixture develops, also does not take long. Then mix into the bowl of dry ingredients. Once well mixed, turn into parchment paper lined baking pan (mine is about 12×8 but I did not go all the way to the edges).  Then press carob chips into the top of the bars. 

Bake at 350F for about 25-40 minutes, I like mine extra crispy but 25 min will keep them soft. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, lift out and cool another 10 minutes out of the pan before slicing. Enjoy!
   
    
    
    
 
   
    
    
    
    
    
 

Casseroles, Italian

Noodle and Gluten Free Veggie Lasagna 

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You know how you can order a pizza half and half when you just want veggies but your friends want all-the-meats? Well, you can make lasagna like that too! Enter the half vegan, half low fat turkey, all grain and noodle free veggie lasagna!  I have to say, while I was expecting the vegan one to pale next to melty cheese, (and let’s be real, visually this might be true) in all reality, the flavors of the vegan side were much tastier!! Feel free to make one side or both to your own tastes! The ingredients below apply to the half/half style, but you can adjust it accordingly if you only want one of the sides for your whole lasagna 🙂

You need:

1 medium eggplant, sliced longwise into thin strips

2 zucchini sliced likewise

3/4 Jar organic marinara (I used Newman’s own basil tomato sauce)

About 8 oz firm tofu

About 8oz lean ground turkey

About 3 large mushrooms sliced thinly

About 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed

About 1 cup low fat cottage cheese

About 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella

About 3 TBS goat cheese

4 TBS nutritional yeast

Plenty of:

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Black pepper

Crushed red pepper

Oregano

Basil

And a little nutmeg
Layer some eggplant and zucchini in the bottom of a greased (and foil lined if you prefer) large casserole dish.  Take your ground turkey and half of your marinara sauce and combine in a bowl, along with your onion/garlic powder, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper. Then spread 1/2 of this mixture over the chosen “meat” half of your lasagna.  Next spread your cottage cheese over the top of this half of the lasagna. Sprinkle with black pepper and nutmeg.

Then place tofu, spinach, 3tbs nutritional yeast, and some of all the spices mentioned (including the nutmeg) in a high speed blender until you have a creamy green purée. Spread this on the vegan half of the lasagna. Next place thinly sliced mushrooms single layer on top of the creamy greenness, and sprinkle with black pepper and nutmeg.

Then, lay down the second half of your thinly sliced zucchini and eggplant.  On the meat side, go ahead and spread the remaining turkey mixture, then sprinkle shredded and crumbled cheeses on top. On the vegan side, spread a generous layer of marinara sauce, then sprinkle the top with the remaining nutritional yeast.

Cover with foil and place in oven preheated to 450F and bake for about 50minutes. Take off foil for the last 5 minutes and then broil about 2 minutes if desired. Let cool slightly, slice and enjoy!  So delicious and worth the extra efforts to please all types of eaters 🙂 Just make sure to serve full vegans the slice farthest away from the meat side! ENJOY 🙂
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

Bread

Gluten Free Loaf Bread

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First timer alert when it comes to yeast bread baking! However, I was pleasantly surprised with this gluten free result!  I opted not to make this vegan the first time around, knowing that the eggs will likely make it easier for a first try, but perhaps next time, I will experiment with substituting flax eggs in this recipe. This turned out wonderfully with a crisp buttery crust and a fluffy spongy middle, quite tasty and not difficult at all! I don’t have a hand mixer, so I blended the liquids (and the yeast) in my blender before combining well with the other dry ingredients.  Turned out quite well, if I do say so myself 😀

You need:
 1&3/4 cups brown rice flour

3/4 cup tapioca starch

 1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum 

3 tablespoons ground flaxmeal 

 1 1/2  sea salt

 1 packet active dry yeast 

 3 tbs honey 

 3 large eggs, placed in a bowl of warm water to bring to room temperature

 1 cup warm water

1 Tsp coconut vinegar

1 Tbs olive oil 

Combine all wet ingredients plus yeast in blender on high, adding the eggs last and one at a time. Then combine all dry ingedients well in bowl, adding these dry ingredients to the blender by thirds. The resulting batter will be fairly thick. Pour into the bowl and let rise in a warm place covered for approx 2 hours. This one rose a lot in this initial rise. Then push down the rise, and mix/knead well, placing dough into a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise another 2 hours, before baking at 350 for about 45minutes until some golden brown appears on the edges. Let cool outside of pan on a cooling rack, slice and enjoy!!
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Dessert

Vegan Chocolate/Vanilla Mousse Pudding Parfait

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I love pudding!! I have posted some vanilla/chocolate pudding recipes before, and have been entertaining the idea of a layered pudding pie. While I did not quite go that extra step to make a pie today, I did turn this into little mousse pudding cups that have the bittersweet chocolate with that sweet creamy vanilla to make one decadently decent-for-you vegan dessert.   Feel free to layer over pie crust of choice, as I will likely do for my next family gathering, but if you just want pudding cups for your own desserts for the week, go with the small mousse cups.  YUM.  I always put chocolate on the bottom because, duh, saving the best for last, so we’ll start here with a chocolate chia pudding.
You need:

For the chocolate chia almond pudding:

1/4 avocado

3 dates, softened (I put them in a bowl covered with water in the microwave for a minute to soften hard dates)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 &1/2 cup soymilk

1/4 cup water

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1/2tsp almond extract 

1tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup Chia seeds
Place all ingredients in high speed blender, until super creamy smooth. If too thick to blend, add a little more water until blending easily. Then pour into small glass dishes or ramekins, filling only half full. 
Next the vanilla pudding:

1 12oz container Mornaga extra firm silken organic tofu

2 TBS melted coconut oil

1TBS vanilla extract

1 dash cinnamon

3 dates softened

1 tiny piece of Madagascar vanilla bean for that true vanilla flavor!
Blend on high until creamy and fragrant, then pour on top of chocolate layer. Place in fridge for at least 3-4 hours or overnight to get maximum texture and taste benefits, but do sample your flavors from the blender.  🙂 ENJOY!
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Bread

100 % Whole Wheat Bread

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YUM, this dense, chewy, whole grain vegan bread is so delicious. I have never tried to bake bread before, so I searched an array of recipes for whole wheat bread made from whole wheat berries, and came up with this hybrid. It has a springy texture, not a light and fluffy one, though I guess that is expected from whole grain. It is so chewy and nutty, I enjoyed it plain right out of the oven, but also tasty with a little strawberry jam :). I ended up baking two different kinds (another post to follow) at once but forgot I only have 1 loaf pan, thus the resulting funny shape. It would be so much better in a traditional loaf pan, but the bite sized pieces this one made are equally yummy.
You need:
1&1/2 cups warm water 

Active Dry Yeast,1 packet

2tbs honey (or vegan substitute)

1/2 tbs salt 

1tbs flax meal

3.25 cups 100% whole wheat flour (I vitamixed mine down from 2 cups of enikorn wheat berries)

2tbs sunflower seeds

1/3 cup rolled oats
Sesame seeds to garnish
Combine wet ingredients in blender. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and turn liquid into the bowl, mix very well. A hand mixer would probably make the bread lighter and fluffier, but I did it by hand. Then place in a warm spot to rise for about 2 hours. I put it in a slightly warm oven. Then knead bread again, turn into greased loaf pan and sprinkle with sesame seeds on top, press lightly to help them stick. Let rise for another 2 hrs, then preheat over to 35oF

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, applying foil loosely on top about halfway through, if you don’t want the edges too crisp. I actually like crunchy corners, but it is an option.  Enjoy!! 😀
   
    
    
    
    
    

     
    
   

Dessert

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

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I know it is not fall, but thanks to canned pumpkin purée, I can eat pumpkin all year round! 

You will need:
filling:
10-16 drops of stevia
1 can pure pumpkin puree
1 package morinu firm tofu (not regular tofu, this is not refrigerated)

Dash nutmeg 

1tbs cinnamon
1tsp pumpkin pie spice

1tbs vanilla

Blend all ingredients together, set aside

crust:
1 ripe banana mashed
2tbs cocoa powder
2tbs sunflower seeds
4tbs flax seeds
gluten free whole oats approx 3/4cup
Mix all ingrediants and add oats slowly and last, until just moistened. Depends on the size and ripeness of your banana. You don’t want runny, but not cookie dough thick either, more like chunky muffin consistency.

Spread a thin layer in greased mini muffin tins. Bake 375 for approx 15min depending on size of muffin cups (10-15 for mini, 20 for regular)

Add filling mixture and bake another 15-20 minutes until pretty cracks appear in the cheesecake. Take out to cool. I refrigerated mine overnight to ensure they stayed intact when removed from the muffin tins. Enjoy!

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Indian

Butternut Red Lentil Soup

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This recipe is actually a hybrid of my Aunt’s lentil soup and dal recipes, that I blended then added in some creamy butternut squash to make this red lentil, butternut squash soup. I loooove middle eastern flavors and still dream about the delicacies I tasted that summer I spent with my Aunt in Bangladesh, so for me this is like bringing a little taste of that heaven home.  Savory/spicy dal meets sweet mishty kumra, but in soup form for our rainy winter :). For me, this was an instant classic, and one I won’t feel badly about downing bowls full 😀

You need:

1 cup dried red lentils

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

Turmeric 1 tsp

Coriander 1/2 tsp

Cumin 1 tsp

Cloves 1/2 ts

The flesh of 1 roasted or steamed butternut squash

Oil/butter/ghee of choice 1tsp

3 cups water or vegetable broth

Begin by sautéing your onion, then garlic, then spices in oil of choice. Add spices once onions and garlic are translucent and soft and turn off heat while sautéing the spices. Meanwhile boil your lentils with a pinch of salt and water (or broth), simmering about 15-17 minutes until lentils become soft. Next to assemble, I recommend blending the squash, lentils, and all seasoning components together in a high speed blender or food processor. Always blend in small batches with a way for heat to vent out of the top. Once all are combined you have a thick, creamy, fragrant soup to pour into bowls. This recipe made enough for SEVERAL full bowls full (leftovers of my dreams!). Garnish with a little plain yogurt or coconut milk on top. Other suggested garnishes/accompanying foods include steamed broccoli and crumbled!  I also have a strong penchant for a dash of crushed red pepper right on top your your creamy topping 🙂
Enjoy!

(I forgot entirely to take prep pictures, most likely because I was busy making this fantastic fruit plate as I was cooking, yum!)   
    
    
    
   

Dessert

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

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The ingredients for this recipe don’t get more simple. All you actually need is dried unsweetened coconut, very ripe bananas, and vanilla extract. For an added touch you can use cinnamon and chocolate, but these are not required. These went over very well at a recent housewarming party, and could not have been any easier!! 

Use the ratio of 1/2 cup banana/vanilla purée to every 1 cup shredded coconut. I experimented with 3 different levels of shreddedness when it comes to unsweetened dry coconut. Clearly the most finely shredded looks the prettiest, but I actually prefer the taste of the more burnt appearing coarsely chopped coconut macaroons! Something about that texture that was so good! So feel free to experiment in your own! I put some cinnamon on the coarsest shredded ones before baking as well, which may have made them even better! You can enjoy them simply as is, or for an additional treat you can melt some chocolate and either dip or drizzle the macaroons in said chocolate. So easy and so good!!

You need:

Approximately 3 large ripe bananas. I actually blended about 5 but ended up with a surplus of about 1/2 cup at the end.

1Tbs vanilla extract

3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut


Optional: 

Sea salt

Cinnamon

Chocolate bar/chips for melting


Blend bananas and vanilla for a sweet creamy liquid. Mix in with shredded coconut and form into little (ping pong sized) balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Add sea salt and/or cinnamon to the top if you choose before baking.

Bake at 350F for 15-18min, then let cool before removing from pan.
Once cooled and easily removed from the pan, melt 1 chocolate bar with double boiler or in the microwave (30 seconds at a time, stirring between each). Then dip the bottom of the macaroons in the chocolate and place chocolate side up to cool. Place in freezer to escalate this process. Then serve either chilled or at room temp. Enjoy!