Category Archives: Recipes

Posted in Dessert, Gluten Free, Less is more, Make Ahead, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged chocolate bars, crunch bars, quick candy, vegan candy bar, vegan dessert, vegan Nestle' crunch

Fried Rice

Posted on July 16, 2012 | 2 comments

I typically make grains on the weekend to avoid the time it takes to prep them during the week. There is nothing worse than a 30 minute meal, that takes an hour and a half because you need to account for the brown rice to cook. I have gotten in the habit of planning out a week of meals at a time because as you have probably noticed about me by now, I hate the friggin’ grocery store. So I shop once a week, get my CSA’s two times a week and that generally allows me to be pretty prepared for all lunches and dinners for the week.

Now sometimes, those made-ahead grains get lost in the back of the fridge. When that happens there is no better time to use up the rest of your CSA, freezer stuff, and pre-made brown rice, than in fried rice.

Ingredients

3 C cooked brown rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
3 T sesame oil
1/2 C shelled fresh or frozen peas
1/3 C frozen shelled edemame
1 C shredded carrot
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten (omit if vegan)
1/4 C Tamari (to keep it gluten free; okay to use soy or Bragg’s Aminos if you are not concerned about gluten)
1 bag Quorn strips (if vegan omit)
1 handful roasted, salted peanuts

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas, carrots, edemame, onion, Quorn*, and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled*. Add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated.

*To keep this recipe vegan, omit the egg and the Quorn of course.

Recipe adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in CSA, Dinner, Fridge Finds, Gluten Free, Leftovers, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Stir Fry, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged Bragg's Aminos, fried rice, Gluten Free, quick recipe, Quorn, seasonal, Stir Fry, vegan, vegetarian

Happy Birthday Mr. Wonderful!

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 1 comment

I was really worried when I elected to go on the Sip 5-Day detox the same week as my hubby’s birthday, for one major reason: cupcakes. I can’t resist a cupcake of just about any flavor. Any flavor that is, except Red Velvet which I happen to loathe. So while most times I’d be upset that he made this request of me, today I couldn’t be happier. Seriously. I made these gleefully. Complete with vegan cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For the Cupcakes:

1 cup vegan milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup vegan granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegan red food coloring* or two small bottles of red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract, optional (this can be hard to find, so omit it if you cannot locate it in your local store)

For the Frosting:

1/4 cup vegan butter, softened
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese, softened
2 cups vegan powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
soy milk to get correct consistency

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with liners.

Whisk together the vegan milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle. I had Westsoy Light Soy Milk on hand.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, food coloring, chocolate extract, vanilla extract and almond extract to the curdled soy milk. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients in mixer with paddle attachment. Do not over mix, or your cupcakes will turn out gummy – small lumps are okay.

Fill cupcake liners about three-quarters full as these cupcakes will rise fairly high. And make sure you use the right size of cupcake liners – mine were too small for my pan, but I used them anyway!

Place in hot oven and bake 18-20 minutes until done, or until toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes in the pan for five minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack or surface to cool completely. Using a mixer, cream together the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese until just combined. Whip in the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup batches. Scrape down the sides and mix until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla then use the soy milk to get the consistency you prefer. I like to pipe icing into the cupcakes so I prefer a thicker icing.

No animals were harmed in the making of these cupcakes.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.noveleats.com/

Posted in Dessert, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged cream cheese frosting, Mr. Wonderful, red velvet cake, Sip 5-day detox, sip raw juice fast, vegan baking, vegan cream cheese frosting, vegan cupcake, vegan desserts, vegan red velvet cake, vegan red velvet cupcakes

Flaming Amy’s Burritos

Posted on July 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

File this place under “why the hell didn’t I think of a burrito barn?”

First of all, yes, this is a real place. Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn is a little slice of cool, in one of the hottest (for real it was like 100 degrees out when we went there-see my Dryfit shirt and horrible hair?!) cities in NC-Wilmington. It has a cult vibe, bumper stickers, southern hipsters, mullet-wearers, bikers, babies and dogs are all welcome. Yeah, even babies. 🙂

Secondly, add this to the list of retail institutions that Grand Rapids doesn’t have, but desperately needs along side Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Ikea.

Last, the homemade salsas are amazing…if you get a chance, do a shot of the pineapple-jalapeno, it will change your life.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in Dinner, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged dog-friendly, flaming amy's burrito barn, mullet, north carolina, tex-mex, vegan, vegetarian, wilmington

Kohlrabi Tofu Scramble

Posted on July 9, 2012 | 2 comments

This is a twist on a previous post: Curried Tofu & Wilted Arugula Scramble . I won’t bore you with the details, but this update is awesome when you add the garlic scapes and kohlrabi it turns slightly more sweet than the original. Proof that really you can toss anything into a tofu scramble and it will taste good. Flex your imagination, or simply look into your CSA bag for inspiration.

Ingredients:

1 tsp canola or olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 garlic scapes, minced
1 medium sized kohlrabi, peeled and diced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes
1 large handful, pea pods
1 1/2 T fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch dice
2 tsp regular (sweet) curry powder
1 tsp hot curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
a few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
2-3 C baby arugula or spinach
2 T crushed roasted peanuts

Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and kohlrabi in oil for about 4-6 minutes covered, until translucent and tender. Add the garlic, scapes, and ginger, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add tofu and pea pods to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the tofu has browned on some of the sides.
Add the curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon juice & a few splashed of water if it’s too dry. Mix in the arugula. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the arugula is wilted (cover if you want this to go faster).
Taste for spices and add another teaspoon of curry powder if needed. Plate, add crushed peanuts on top and serve!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in Brunch, CSA, Dinner, Meatless Monday, Quick Cooking, Seasonal Ingredients, Stir Fry, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged curry, kohlrabi, meatless monday, peanuts, quick meal, scapes, tofu scramble

Broccoli Peanut Sweet and Sour Tofu

Posted on July 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

I love the writing and photography skills of LoLo over at Vegan Num Num, but every single recipe I had made of hers up until this point just didn’t hit the mark. That is, until I made this one.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The possibilities of substitutions to formulate different stir-fries or other lush take-out tastes from this “mother recipe” is really mind blowing. With this base sauce, choose any plant-based protein really, any veg or veggies, any kind of roasted nut you might have in the cupboard, and serve over any grain you have on hand to create a dish that seems like take out, but is so much more fresh than that neighborhood Thai/Chinese place.

Serves Two

1 tub extra firm tofu, pressed
2 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer + 4 tsp water, mixed (vegetarians go ahead and use 2 egg whites and 4 tsp of water for the egg wash)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4-1 C peanut or canola oil (depending on your pan size, you want it about half way up the side of the frying pan you have chosen)
1 head of broccoli (or about 2-3 cups worth)
3 T roasted, lightly salted peanuts, chopped (for topping)
sesame seeds for garnish (I didn’t have these but they would be delicious)

Sauce

3 1/2 T Seasoned Rice Vinegar (you can eyeball the 1/2 Tbs)
1/4 C water
2 T + 2 tsp sugar (white or brown would be fine too)
2 T tamari
1 T Sambal
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp molasses
1/4 tsp ginger powder (double this if you use fresh grated ginger)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 T cornstarch + 2 T water

Prep: if you are going to serve this recipe over a grain, start it well in advance. This recipe comes together super fast, like it will be done faster than the water boils for your rice. Clean and cut broccoli into bite sized pieces and steam until al dente. Set aside. I prefer crunchy to soggy broccoli any day.

Slice the tofu into triangles or small cubes. Smaller = better for this recipe, since smaller pieces won’t have a tendency to break when you toss them, and they have a bigger surface area to volume ratio. You are looking for maximum frying surface value.

Toss tofu with the egg replacer/water mixture until coated. Then toss in cornstarch until each piece is coated and dry, adding more cornstarch if needed. Be sure to gently tap to rid yourself of extra cornstarch.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok.

While oil is heating, mix sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch/water into a small sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until sugar and salt is dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. If you leave the sauce unattended now it will thicken and burn, so keep an eye on it. When thick, turn off heat and set aside. Gently fold your broccoli into this sauce concoction.

Place tofu in the hot oil, being careful not to burn yourself. You don’t want the tofu to be crowded or the pieces will stick to each other, so fry it in batches if needed. Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden on the bottom, then gently turn and brown the other side. Remove from oil and place on dry paper towels to rid yourself of the extra oil, you don’t want them to become soggy while waiting for the rest of the parts to come together.

To assemble take broccoli/sauce mix and spoon over the crispy tofu, sprinkle peanuts and/or sesame seeds over top. Serve immediately, you want that tofu crisp people!

Normally I’d serve over brown rice, but I didn’t heed my own tip at the beginning and started my rice too late for it to participate in this meal. It was still however, amazing.

Posted in Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged broccoli, deep fried tofu, mother sauce, peanuts, Stir Fry, take-out worthy, tofu, vegan, Vegan Num Num, vegetarian

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Posted on July 2, 2012 | 3 comments

I’m already thinking of dishes to take to 4th of July festivities. So many salads have mayo (gag) in them and have a short potluck shelf life. This one can stay at room temp indefinitely.

I could eat this every single day of the summer, mixing and matching veggie add-ins. It’s really THAT good.

Adapted from the NY Times.

Try it for yourself.

For the salad:

1 cup uncooked red quinoa
1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh corn (optional) *see note
1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces

For the dressing:

4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (juice from 2 small limes)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin, or more to taste (I used 1 tsp, I love cumin)

Directions:

1. Cook 1 cup Red Quinoa according to package directions.

2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing.

3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well.

4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Keep fresh in a sealed container for 1-2 days. Makes about 5 cups.

Note: I defrosted and drained frozen corn before adding it to the salad, but the result was rubbery corn. I painstakingly picked out every, single, kernel after that eff up. I would suggest using fresh corn only, if the season applies, otherwise I wouldn’t bother with the frozen stuff.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

3 Comments

Posted in CSA, Dinner, Fridge Finds, Make Ahead, Meatless Monday, Quick Cooking, Salad, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged black beans, ny times, quinoa, salad, seasonal ingredients

Roasted Turnip and Sweet Potato Pizza

Posted on June 28, 2012 | 6 comments

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Most of the recipes I come up with that are truly “my own” are straight out of my lack of want to go grocery shopping. I hate, no loathe, the grocery store. As a result of this…Roasted Turnip and Sweet Potato Pizza was born right from the contents of my pantry, fridge and deep freeze.

Ingredients:

store prepared or homemade hummus (I used Sabra, garlic flavor)
store prepared or homemade pizza dough (I used a ball of Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat dough from the freezer)
1 large sweet potato, cut into thin discs (skin on or off, your choice)
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
a handful of turnips, cut into thin discs (skin on or off, your choice)
goat cheese (unless you are vegan, then sub your fave non-diary cheese or go without)
extra virgin olive oil (about a glug’s worth from the bottle-we are very scientific here)
salt and pepper
flour for counter top to roll out your raw dough

Wash, cut up and roast veggies tossed with olive oil, either in a foil packet on the grill or in a 400 degree oven until they are tender. In the photos, I took them out of their foil packet and put them right on the heat for the last minute or so to get a char. They are high sugar content veggies, so do not leave them unattended [if you were to by chance do this…you just end up with potato chips, so win-win at least]. You could roast your veggies up to 3 days in advance and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use. I would do this if I were more organized…alas, I am not…so keep reading.

While your veggies roast away, roll out your dough blob to desired crust thickness and let rest until your veggies are off (I have a VERY small grill-large grill owners you can do both at the same time is space allows). Brush crust on one side with some olive oil and put directly onto grill grate. DO NOT MOVE the dough until you can see the grill lines developing on the underside, or you will tear your perfect crust-give it a peek after a minute or so to see where you are at. This grated side is going to be your topping side.

Flip dough after it is firm yet not burned. At this point you can apply your hummus to the first cooked side, scatter around your potatoes and onion then drop your goat cheese or cheese substitute on top, cover and allow for the cheese to melt. When your cheese hits the melty stage, remove entire pizza. Let cool a few minutes then slice it up.

I find hummus is an awesome base for pizza-I use it more than the traditional tomato-based sauces. You can put just about any combination of toppings on this, sub what you like or what you have on hand, add fresh herbs to increase the wow value…if it were up to Mr. Wonderful we would make grilled pizzas every day.

6 Comments

Posted in CSA, Dinner, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged DIY pizza, hummus, onion, pizza crust, sweet potatoes, Trader Joe's, turnips, whole wheat pizza

Frosty Paws takes Pinterest

Posted on June 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

I opened Pinterest up last night to waste time of course, and this post showed up no fewer than 25 times on my homepage alone. Instead of making you open Pinterest and losing two hours of your life you will never get back…just bookmark this page and there, I’ve basically purchased you two hours credit to your life and gave your best doggie friend a super yummy reward. You can thank me later.

My dogs go batshit crazy over Frosty Paws. Here is a way to make the portion size a little smaller if you have say a hefty dog like our Bosley, it’s flexible and fun. I love the drop-in ideas of biscuits and baby food or processed veggies for variety. I’m sure my dog Walter is judging me for giving him the same flavor time after time. Enjoy!

Homemade Frosty Paws

32 oz plain yogurt
1 mashed ripe banana
2 T peanut butter
2 T honey

Mix all of the ingredients with a blender or mixer and freeze in ice cube trays. Small paper cups and disposable egg cartons also make good molds. When frozen, microwave for a few seconds, unmold, and place the treats in a plastic bag and store in the freezer. (Note: if using Styrofoam egg cartons or cups, rest the containers briefly in a partially filled pan of warm water to loosen contents. Unless the Styrofoam is labeled as microwave safe, it could melt.) If you want to be fancy, bone and paw shaped molds are available.

Variations

This is where the fun part begins! Using only the yogurt as a base, there are any number of ways to vary the original recipe. You’re only limited by your imagination. Because these treats are frozen, their consistency is less important than when experimenting with baked goods.

Use fruit and flavored yogurt instead of plain. Vanilla, blueberry, and strawberry/banana are all good options.

Mix the yogurt with a packet of low sodium powdered chicken bouillon (Herb Ox has sodium free chicken granules) and a cup of low sodium chicken broth.

One large jar of baby food is approximately equal to one banana. So instead of the banana, use the baby food of your choice. Dogs LOVE meat flavored baby food. Unfortunately, this only seems to come in small jars. Use three or four jars of the meat of your choice in place of the banana, peanut butter and honey.

You get the idea … you truly ARE only limited by your imagination.

The above was cut and paste edited from this website: http://brettwinn.hubpages.com/hub/Homemade-Frozen-Dog-Treats

Posted in Fridge Finds, Vegetarian

Tagged Frosty Paws, frozen treats, Pinterest, vegetarian dog treats

Quick Grilled Bok Choy

Posted on June 21, 2012 | 4 comments

I haven’t posted in two weeks!!!!! Eek! I have so many backlogged I must remedy this situation immediately. I’ll start with one of my fave items from our first CSA jackpot from Blandford Nature Center. Bok choy.

There are about a thousand ways to spell this little veggie wonder. I’m going with ‘bok choy’ for purposes of this post. High in vitamin C, antioxidants, folic acid, and potassium yet low in cals and carbs makes bok choy an eat-until-you-are-stuffed candidate for low guilt and high yum.

Ingredients:

3 baby bok choy, cut in half length wise
1 T roasted sesame oil (garlic oil, chili oil, walnut oil, anything would be great here)
1 tsp hot pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

This is a no-brainer. Heat grill to let’s say, hot…I just turned it all the way to high and waited like 5 minutes. I know, scientific eh?

Drizzle bok choy halves with oil, sprinkle hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper on top. Toss on HOT grill until charred. Mr. Wonderful said, “if more people could experience charred greens, they would LOVE them.” I would have to agree.

I served this next to brown rice, mandarin orange chick’n and a few crushed up cashew bits I had lying around. Quick meal, as the rice was in the freezer just waiting for a chance to shine.

Recipe adapted from: Simply Recipes.

Here is another recipe that I’ve wanted to try for a while now too: Sesame Coconut Bok Choy. If you make it let me know how it turns out.

4 Comments

Posted in BBQ, CSA, Quick Cooking, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged asian cabbage, bak choi, blandford nature center, bok choi, bok choy, CSA, seasonal, summer foods

Happy Birthday to Me! Vegan Cupcake Recipe for YOU!

Posted on June 19, 2012 | 6 comments

In honor of my birthday today (36 is the new 26), a vegan cupcake recipe for your nom nom pleasure.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

3 C all purpose flour
2 C white sugar
6T cocoa powder
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 C vegetable or canola oil
2 T white distilled vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Sift the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl. Gently add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined.

Scoop out 1/4 C batter into cupcake wrappers.

Bake 350 x 12-16 minutes depending on your oven. My batches all averaged about 15 minutes in a conventional gas oven.

Let cool and frost with your fave vegan frosting or Pillsbury chocolate frosting (both dark and milk chocolate varieties are accidentally vegan).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thank you to my friends Jon Dunn and Kolene Allen of VeganGR for sharing this recipe with me.

6 Comments

Posted in Baking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged accidentally vegan, birthday, chocolate cupcakes, Jon Dunn, Kolene Allen, PETA, vegan, vegan baking, vegan cupcake, vegan dessert, Vegan GR, vegetarian baking

THANK YOU!

Posted on June 18, 2012 | 1 comment

Thanks to all who took the time to brave the captcha nightmare and voted for me to be on the cover of West Michigan Woman Magazine’s debut issue (August). I’ll let you know the results as soon as I am able.

What is on your Meatless Monday menu this week? We’re gonna try a roasted sweet potato pizza.

Posted in Meatless Monday, Michigan

Tagged cover girl, meatless monday, west michigan woman magizine

Vegan Num Num Bowl

Posted on May 31, 2012 | 2 comments

I really, really wanted this to be mind blowing. Sadly it wasn’t. I don’t even have any witty commentary to present about this recipe. If you should choose to make it. Fix it up a bit. As is, Vegan Num Num Bowl is actually, yuck yuck. Sometimes recipes fail to meet expectations. This is one of those recipes.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

1 Block Extra Firm Tofu, pressed, cut into small squares
1 tbs Canola or Peanut Oil
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Mirin
Broccoli, steamed
1 Carrot, peeled and shredded
Peanuts, crushed (optional)
1 Cup Dry Brown Rice

Peanut Dressing
1/4 Cup Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Water (or coconut milk if you have it!)
1 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Hot Chili Oil
1 Pinch Salt

Start cooking your rice. Mix sauce ingredients until smooth (be patient, it’ll look like hell at first) and set aside.

Pan fry tofu in the oil over high heat in a non-stick skillet until browned on both sides. Drain and return to hot pan (turn off the heat). Mix soy sauce and mirin together and pour over tofu, mixing well. It will bubble up and form a light glaze.

Plate rice, add broccoli, tofu, carrot, and crushed peanuts. Drizzle with sauce and serve.

Posted in Dinner, Quick Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged bowl, peanut dressing, tofu, vegan, Vegan Num Num, vegetarian

Chickpea Tacos

Posted on May 24, 2012 | 2 comments

So many friends have been asking for quick, kid-friendly meals. I have no idea what kid-friendly means…I mean, feed them what you eat, then if you eat this, logic dictates kids friendly, right? This one is just as delicious as the lentil taco recipe from earlier in the month; however, when you mash up the chickpeas…they actually take on the texture of shredded chicken (or what I remember shredded chicken to look like). It will fool your friends and kiddos too. If your kids have delicate palates, adjust the salt and spices accordingly. Go ahead, play with your food.

Adapted from The Snarky Chickpea

Ingredients:

6 taco shells or tortillas
1/3 lb dried chickpeas (I think it made about 1.5 cups after cooking)-you could use 1.5 cans of chickpeas here if you like, just drain them before using and give a good rinse
2 TB Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce/tamari
1 1/2 TB lemon juice
1 TB chili powder
1 TB garlic powder
1 TB onion powder
1 TB red pepper flakes
1 TB cumin
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
taco toppings: lettuce, onion, tomatoes, taco sauce, etc.

Method:

Cook your chickpeas for about 90 minutes over a medium or medium-low heat (you could also use canned).
In bowl, combine Braggs, lemon juice, and all spices. Mix well.
In a saute’ pan, add chickpeas and pour the liquid spice mix over the chickpeas in the pan and mix well-mashing down the chickpeas so you have some whole and some smushed for texture. The chickpeas will start to suck in the spice mix which is total noms.
Heat through on low-medium, stirring well.
Remove from heat and add to your shell of choice, top with your fave veggies, salsa, etc and shove in your pie hole.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in Dinner, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged chickpeas, cinco de mayo, tacos

Tempeh, Poblano and Portobello Tacos with Honey Cumin Slaw

Posted on May 17, 2012 | 1 comment

My third taco recipe of May is a blend of two of my fave recipes: Poblano & Portobello Tacos and TLT Sandwiches. Sundays are typically a very hectic day at my house cramming all the stuff we should have done on Saturday AND Sunday into just Sunday, so I wanted leftovers for Sunday that I could reheat and not have to spend time on din-din.

Enter, the Tempeh, Poblano & Portobello Taco for dinner guests on Saturday. Most of this can be done in advance and kept warm in a 200 degree oven until company arrives. This recipe looks long and drawn out, but it’s mostly done in stages so you don’t even notice it.

Components:

3 packages portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced then roasted
4 poblano peppers, roasted, skinned and sliced into strips
3 red bell peppers, roasted, skinned and sliced into strips
2 boxes grape tomatoes, roasted
dairy or nondairy cheese
tortillas of your choice
dairy or nondairy sour cream
cubed avocado
lime wedges
store-bought salsa (I used Newman’s black bean and corn)

First things first…the prep for the roasted veggies is not difficult, they pretty much do the work for you…it’s magic, but takes time to get that roasty goodness, so plan accordingly. Before you dive in, read below to prepare your dressing for the slaw and your marinade for your tempeh, get those two things started and then get your veggies goin’-you will want your tempeh to marinade for about 30 minutes before you bake it off.

Roasted peppers from a jar or the frozen food section are adequate, but who the hell wants to be knows as the adequate taco maker? Not this chic. Plan ahead and then deny the time it takes to make these the right way like every other reasonably awesome at home chef. Easy peasy. Preheat a grill or your oven to super hot (for the oven we’re talking like 450 and open up the windows just in case). Preheat your oven to 450 and roast the mushrooms and tomatoes indoor while you soak up some vitamin D outside grilling your peppers. Since it’s summer, grill them your peppers, then you won’t have to disable your smoke detectors to get the perfect charred pepper. Take clean, dry peppers and drop them on the grill, wait for smoke and or charring and then turn until every side is burned but yet still moist-ish (yeah, it is a word now). Transfer these little beauties to a bowl, cover in plastic wrap and then wait until they are cool to remove the charring. After this is done, you will be left with succulent, sweet and smokey roasted peppers. Resist eating them all before company arrives. All that goodness and NO oil needed.

Take your washed and dried tomatoes and chopped mushrooms, place on baking sheets in the oven (use the ones with sides to contain the liquid or you will have a fire, and jerky instead of roasted veggies). Spray with a little cooking oil, pop in preheated oven and wait. The tomatoes are done when their skins are bursting. The mushrooms are done with them are still glistening from moisture, not dry like rawhide. Watch those, they will burn and then you have mushroom chips. Gross? Or maybe a new blog post..hmmm.

Tempeh “Meat”

2 bricks tempeh (any flavor), steamed and sliced into strips

Marinade

6 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 C tamari or soy sauce
4 T balsamic vinegar
4 T maple syrup or agave
6 T chipotle en adobo

Toss all marinade ingredients into a food processor and whirl away. Pour over the top of the tempeh strips that you have nestled into a 9×11 baking dish and let sit for 30 minutes or longer. When your oven roasted veggies are done from above, reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees and slide the tempeh into the oven. Bake until the marinade has become basically a syrup. Watch it though, don’t let it burn. It will look very dark. Reduce oven even further to 200 degrees leave in tempeh, then toss back in the tomatoes and mushrooms to keep them warm until guests arrive.

Honey Cumin Slaw

1/2 large green cabbage, shredded (could also use a bag of cole slaw mix)
5-8 radishes, grated and patted dry

Combine both items in a large bowl. Just before service, top with dressing below. Serve on top of or along side tacos.

Dressing

1/3 C fresh squeezed lime juice
1 T vegetable, grapeseed or extra virgin olive oil
2 T honey or agave
1 tsp cumin

Easiest. Dressing. Ever. Combine items in a Ball jar, give it a good shake and let it sit for 30 minutes before topping slaw above. Serve immediately.

Finally, assemble tacos with your choice of tortilla (I prefer corn), roasted peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, tempeh, dairy or nondairy cheese, avocado, dairy or nondairy sour cream, salsa, slaw, squirt of lime and prepare for leftovers.

From this recipe, I was able to get dinner on Saturday night for four, TLT’s from the leftovers with the help of some bread from the freezer toasted for two for Sunday night dinner, two lunches of black bean/mango bowls on Monday, and finally…dinner on Monday night for two, roasted veggie quesadillas. Not bad for a bunch of simple ingredients, a little prep work, and some help from the freezer.

Posted in Dinner, Leftovers, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged 101cookbooks, chipotle en adobo, mexican, tacos, tempeh, TLT's

Bitchin’ Pantry Raid Granola

Posted on May 10, 2012 | 2 comments

My friend Julie and I are addicted to granola. Too bad all the store brands are made with crap. I set off to create a better-for-us-granola. I concocted this from the combo of several other granola recipes before me, the result was delish. Now that I have the hang of it…I have lots of flavor combos in mind. Stay tuned.

Ingredients:

2 C Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats (or any non-instant oat)
1/4 C reduced-fat, flaked, unsweetened coconut (yes, it exists, buy it at Harvest Health or online at Amazon)
1/4 C chopped hazel nuts
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/8 C chia seeds
1/8 C flax seeds, whole
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 C REAL maple syrup

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Now prepare yourself…this next part is very complicated…combine all items in a bowl and stir.

Pour out granola onto a baking sheet with sides and bake for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes, checking that the granola is crisping, not burning. Remove, let cool totally and enjoy.

This recipe makes 3 1/2 C of granola with each 1/2 C serving costing you 337 well-worth-it calories.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Fridge Finds, Gluten Free, Less is more, Make Ahead, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged clean food, granola, oats, pantry finds, whole food

A Tale of Two Lentil Taco Recipes

Posted on May 3, 2012 | 1 comment

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only (A Tale of Two Cities-Dickens-opening paragraph).

If I haven’t lost ya yet, now you have some trivia knowledge and two taco recipes coming right up! See this is why we are friends! Speaking of friends that tolerate me, my friend Angela asked me about these lentil tacos I keep talking about. I went to direct her to my blog and realized, crap, I have never shared them on my blog. Here you go Angela! I have no pictures for you, but the recipe needs to get out into the universe. We all know that pink slime, er beef is bad; love on a lentil instead.

Recipe One: Lentil Tacos

Adapted from Isa Chandra.

2 teaspoons olive oil (you can do this oil free if you add a smidge of water to the onion when it starts getting sticky from sauteing it)

1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked lentils (from about 1 cup dried)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Cholula)

Spice mix:

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt

First combine all of the ingredients for the spice mix and set aside. Also, keep a cup of water within reach, you’ll need to add splashes as you cook. You can totally put in taco sauce or salsa for the hot sauce and chili powder for the ancho pepper in the spice mix to make it less of a shock.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add spices and toss them for 30 seconds or so to toast.

Lower heat to medium, add lentils, a few splashes of water, tomato paste and hot sauce; use a spatula to mash them a bit as they cook, until they hold together. If your spatula isn’t strong enough to accomplish this, just use a fork. Do this for about 5 minutes, adding splashes of water as necessary if it appears dry. Depending on the type of lentil you land, it will take more or less time to cook. Taste for salt and seasoning; you may want to add more spices or hot sauce. And that’s it, time to serve!

Lentil Tacos Take Two

Adapted from the recipe above based on what I had in my kitchen

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
shredded lettuce, chopped fresh tomato, vegan cheese, avocado, limes

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa. Stuff in your shell of choice and serve with toppings as you have them available.

Posted in Dinner, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Quick Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged cinco de mayo, isa chandra, lentil, Post Punk Kitchen, tacos, vegan, vegetarian

Gluten-Free Banana Oat Pancakes

Posted on April 26, 2012 | 5 comments

I’ve been on a banana kick lately. Here is the latest feel good pancake recipe in my recipe box. Don’t be put off by the make your own oat flour portion, you just whirl it around in your food processor or blender for a second and voila’ you have flour.

Ingredients

3 small bananas (9.5 ounces), mashed
2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 small lemon, juiced)
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
2 eggs**
1 cup oat flour (1 cup oats processed in your food processor for about a minute-be sure these are GF oats. I suggest Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 cup whole oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, lemon juice and maple syrup.
Beat in the eggs. If your coconut oil goes back to its solid state like mine did at this point, just warm the mixture for short 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until it is melted again.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oat flour, whole oats, baking soda, salt and spices.
Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. With a big spoon, stir just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Do not overmix or you’ll run the risk of getting tough pancakes!
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. The book notes that you may want to thin out the batter a bit with a touch of milk or water, I did not.
Heat a heavy cast iron skillet (or nonstick griddle) over medium-low heat. If necessary, lightly oil the surface with vegetable oil or cooking spray.
Once the surface of the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on it, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Let the pancake cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the cake.
When the pan is just beginning to set, flip it with a spatula and cook for another 90 seconds or so, until golden brown on both sides. You may need to adjust the heat up or down at this point.
Serve the pancakes immediately, topped with cut up bananas and shredded/toasted coconut, or keep warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven until ready to serve.

**To make Vegan, substitute your fave egg replacer such as flax in for the eggs.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Adapted from Cookie + Kate

5 Comments

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged banana, Bob's Red Mill, Gluten Free, oat cakes, pancakes, vegan, vegetarian

Skinny Bitch Curried Chickpea Patties

Posted on April 19, 2012 | 2 comments

I have a love/hate relationship with the Skinny Bitch vegan book series. I think it starts with the word skinny, something which I will never ever feel that I am, nor that I necessarily desire to be frankly…Thinner Bitch I will strive for I guess then. At any rate, I present to you, a reason I’ll never be skinny….Curried Chickpea Cakes via Skinny Bitch Kim Barnouin’s Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.

Curried Chickpea Cakes
Makes 10 Servings

1 (15-ounce/430 g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup (20 g) sliced green onions, both white and light green parts
1/3 cup (75 ml) light coconut milk
2 teaspoons evaporated cane sugar
2/3 cup (75 g) breadcrumbs, plus 1/4 cup (30 g) for coating
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2/3 cup (130 g) brown rice, cooked
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) grapeseed oil or toasted sesame oil, for pan searing

In a large food processor, combine the chickpeas and green onions. Pulse until combined. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut milk, sugar, 2/3 cup (75 g) of the breadcrumbs, curry powder, nutmeg, and cumin. Stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Stir in the brown rice and the salt.
Mold into 10 mini patties.
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat (make sure it is preheated well in advance, so you get a nice crust). Add the chickpea cakes to the pan and sauté until there’s a nice golden sear on the bottom. Flip and sear the other side as well. Continue with the remaining cakes.
Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Serving Size: 123 g; Calories 170; Fat 7 g; Saturated Fat 1 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Carbohydrates 23 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 4 g

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in Dinner, Make Ahead, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged burger substitute, chickpea burger, Kim Barnouin, Skinny Bitch, vegan, vegetarian

No Pudge Brownie Knock Off

Posted on April 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

I get these cravings sometimes that only a fudgie and delicious homemade brownie cure. Mr. Wonderful and I are trying to be more calorie consciensous so, here is a knock off of a low fat, lower sugar brownie that still tastes like heaven and a lot like the No Pudge name brand brownie but without all the weird ingredients you can’t pronounce. After a tour of the Interwebs, I created this from the collaboration of many other recipes. Thank you to everyone that came before me, needing a fudge fix.

No Pudge Brownies

3/4 – 1 cup sugar (don’t use a substitute here, you will regret it-they fall flat)
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup non-fat greek yogurt (a 6 oz. container, I used Chobani Pomegranate)
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix all dry ingredients.
Add yogurt and mix well.
Batter will be very thick.
Spray an 8×8 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread batter evenly.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
Remove and cool.
Dip a knife in warm water and cut into 16 squares.

This batter is SUPER thick. I had to spread mine into the pan with greased hands. The results though, are amazing! Trust me!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in Baking, Dessert, Recipes, Vegetarian

Tagged brownies, dessert, fat free, no pudge brownie knock off

Shhhh, it’s a Peanut Butter Secret

Posted on April 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

So I’m calorie counting. And frankly, it’s horrifying.

Not what I’m eating now so much as how much I was probably eating when I wasn’t keeping track of things so well. I mean it’s pretty easy for me to put away a bottle of wine without even flinching, you know while I’m inhaling an entire cheese plate at Greenwell during happy hour BEFORE I even order dinner, which I would likely eat in its entirety. This behavior, plus LOVE, security and stability, has caused me to gain 35 pounds in about a year. For those of you keeping track is like 2-3 chicky jean sizes, officially outing me from the bikini category which I was barely one cheek in to begin with.

No wonder America is fat. Food in America is DELICIOUS! Food in America is LARGE. I’ve read all the books, done all the research, but all that I will leave for another blog post. My point is this….if you are a chronic dieter (i.e. probably if you are female and breathing), you are probably trying to figure out how to get your sweet fix without breaking the calorie bank. To you I say, let me introduce you to my friend Katie. As in “Chocolate-Covered Katie“. I know, I know….you just looked at the first page of her blog, from the link and you hate her already. I don’t blame you. She is, in fact, so effing sweet and cherub-like that she didn’t even realize that basically she has given herself a stripper name for a “brand.” To add to the hatred, she has also, managed to create treats that don’t taste like shit even though they are sometimes made from things like dates which youare all now Googling, because they are so healthy you have never eaten one…and lastly, she’s thin. BITCH!

For a long time I too hated Katie, in fact avoided her cutesy stories, so-so food photography, her sinfully dreamy recipes, and general cheerleader rah-rah…that is until I ate her Peanut Butter Secrets. The rest is history. Go ahead, eat a handful of these and bookmark her website. Do it. You must like her. You really have no choice now.

1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 tsp baking soda
3 T whole-wheat pastry flour (or white or a gf mix)
1/4 cup sugar (for sugar-free cookies, see below link)
2 T brown sugar
2 T applesauce
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients very well. Then add wet stuff and form cookie balls. If you want soft cookies, refridge the dough for at least an hour. Then bake in a preheated oven (350F) for 7-8 minutes. They’ll look underdone when you take them out, but that’s ok. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from tray. If you don’t refridge the dough, check the cookies in 5 minutes and probably take them out at about 6 minutes.

If you are keeping track…rolling out 22 cookies hits you at 50 calories a piece (according to Katie). I rolled out 44 little cuties and baked them for 5 minutes each. Perfect. Vegan. YUM!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Lovingly adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie.

Posted in Baking, Dessert, Vegan

Tagged Chocolate-Covered Katie, diet food, food bloggers, peanut butter cookies, sweets, vegan cookies, vegan peanut butter cookies

Vegan SIN-amon Rolls

Posted on March 29, 2012 | 1 comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I wasn’t sure if I should share this recipe or just keep it to myself so I alone look amazing when I waltz into a potluck brunch with these babies in tow. Alas, I want to eat them more often, so I thought if I can get this out there to my vegan friends, they also would develop a mild addiction and want to make them frequently as well thereby getting them into my face more often.

I’ve had this cookbook Vegan Brunch on my bookshelf FOREVER, and never even cracked the binding. Honestly, when is the last time you attended a brunch? Yeah, me either. A few months ago however, my friends Kolene and Jon hosted, you guessed it, a VEGAN BRUNCH! I made curried tofu scramble, but Jon….he made these rolls and probably other delicious things-but THESE I was frankly obsessed with and had to get more of. When I asked for the recipe he directed me to Vegan Brunch, you know the book collecting dust on my shelf. I went home and made them that night, pigged out on them at midnight with Mr. Wonderful, then brought a batch to work the next day (the recipe made a TON of rolls) to test on my coworkers. In case you were wondering how to score serious favors at work for a while, bake cinnamon rolls in your office kitchen, then serve them to your friends. They become even more helpful in their sugary comas.

Caution, these take a while to make. You are MAKING cinnamon rolls-like “from scratch”, not just baking them off from the frozen food section at Meijer, so there are steps involved. Do not skip them, do not rush them. And by all means….MEASURE, this is baking, you know…like chemistry and crap, so you need to be precise. If you haven’t worked with yeast before, check out this link to keep you from throwing in the towel prematurely.

Dough

2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1/3 c sugar + 1 tsp sugar

1/2 c lukewarm water

3/4 c non-dairy milk, room temperature (I used coconut milk)

1/3 c canola oil

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

3 1/4 – 4 c flour

Filling

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1 T ground cinnamon

2 T flour

To roll

1/4 c Earth Balance (soy margarine, non-hydrogenated)

also, a great deal of patience and an uncluttered work space

Icing

1 C powdered sugar (10x)

1-1/2 – 2 T non-dairy milk (I used coconut milk here too)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Proof yeast by putting yeast into half the lukewarm water with the 1 tsp of sugar. Let sit, make sure it bubbles so you know your little organisms are hungry, alive and well. Mix the rest of the dough ingredients together, add proofed yeast mix. Knead for 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and let rise 1 hour. Punch the dough down and let rest 10 more minutes.

Make the filling (mix together ingredients above for filling).

Roll out dough to 12″ x18″ (or whatever you get frankly-mine was a little larger) on a floured clean, flat surface. Sprinkle filling over the dough evenly, dot with small chunks of the Earth Balance.

Roll from the long side. Go slowly and get it as tight as possible. This for me is the most difficult part. I can’t even roll up my yoga mat without having it all cock-eyed, so this dough rolling part is torture for me. Do the best you can. When they bake, no one will know you had edges that were not perfect as they will be too busy cramming the final product into their pie-holes.

Oil or spray any kind of pan you like really. I used two pie plates so I could bake one now, and take one to work in an unbaked state later. Cut the roll into half to one inch pieces pieces and place close together in the prepared pan. I used dental floss to cut through the dough so that I didn’t smash the dough.

Cover with towel, let rise for 30-45 minutes in a warm location. I usually put it on the stove, above the pilot lights. These can also be stored in the fridge overnight without losing any of the yumminess to be baked off the next morning, just cover in plastic wrap. The next morning when you are preheating the oven (below) leave on the counter until they hit just about room temp.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 18-2o minutes-the smaller your rolls when they go in, the less time you need, check them regularly to make sure they aren’t burning, they should be lightly browned. Make icing while it bakes.

Drizzle with the icing as soon as you remove from the oven.

Adapted from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Featured on The Mode Life.

Posted in Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Make Ahead, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged Breakfast, Cinnamon, dough, isa, make-ahead, nom nom, proof yeast, vegan, vegan brunch, vegangr.com, vegetarian, yeast

Garlic, Chickpeas, Broccoli and Politics

Posted on March 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Previously, the only thing that George HW Bush and I had in common was our dislike of broccoli. I’m proud to say that after eating this dish from Appetite for Reduction, I can distance myself a little more from HW, with only a slight dislike of broccoli and have narrowed it down to when it is 1) overdone or 2) raw. I love broccoli in this dish.

Warning, this is one ugly dish. I mean, there isn’t a food blog around that would claim this dish a beauty. So maybe not on the top 5 of dishes to serve when say the Queen is coming to dinner, but certainly a fail-safe dish for a busy week day dinner. After you roast this off the possibilities are endless, it would make a great soup with some veg broth added, perhaps toss it on a piece of naan for a sandwich, over rice, lentils, quinoa, etc. Or do as I do and just eat it off the baking sheet as you don’t want to dirty another dish. I won’t judge you.

1 lb broccoli, cut into large spears and stems chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (around 9-10 cups) – I really hate the spears, so I used just florettes out of a bag, 2 bags worth.
10+ cloves garlic, peeled and smashed-use what you want. I’ve done up to 20 and an no worse for the wear.
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or a 19-oz can, rinsed and drained)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon) reserve the juice
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano or 3 tsp fresh
1 cup vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the broccoli, garlic and chickpeas in a 9×13 inch baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, chili flakes, lemon zest, oregano and black pepper to taste. Toss to coat and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, flipping once.

After 30 minutes, mix broccoli and chickpeas again and add broth, deglazing any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Continue to bake another 15 minutes until the garlic is tender and the broccoli is browned in some places.

I finished this dish with the lemon juice from the zested lemon, and baked for another 5-10 minutes until it was absorbed.

Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Posted in Dinner, Gluten Free, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged broccoli, chickpeas, garlic, George HW Bush, quick dinner, vegan, vegetarian

Bonus Find: One Minute Chocolate Cake

Posted on March 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m not going to talk…just gonna give this to you. Make it. You’re welcome.

Via Chocolate Covered Katie

1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp cocoa powder
3 tablespoons spelt flour (or white, or even coconut or peanut flour)
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 stevia packet (or 1 more tablespoon sugar)
1 tablespoon mashed banana or applesauce
3 tablespoons almond milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well. Add liquid, stir, then transfer to a little dish, ramekin, or even a coffee mug. Microwave 30-40 seconds. If you don’t want to eat it straight out of the dish, be sure to spray your dish first (and then wait for it to cool before trying to remove it).

Posted in Baking, Dessert, Vegan

Tagged chocolate, dessert, low cal, vegan

Pasta with Citrus Sauce

Posted on March 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This recipe will blow your mind. If you followed the same path I did and made that quinoa bowl a few days ago, you should still have around a citrus sauce that is begging to be used up. Your dinner plan will be as follows:

boil water
drop in store-bought tortelinni
heat up store-bought baguette in 350 degree oven
add dressing to cooked and drained tortelinni
plate and eat (serve over a bed of arugula if you are feeling fancy)

No kidding…that’s it. Dinner is served.