Quinoa Sweet Potato Spinach Salad

I made this super easy and really delicious meal tonight.  I've been trying to load up on veggies this week and bought the 3lb bag of fresh spinach from Costco, in addition to their huge bag of Bob's Red Mill organic quinoa.  I had some sweet potatoes leftover from a meal earlier this week so I googled sweet potatoes, spinach and quinoa.  This amazing recipe from easy vegan meals appeared.  I want to make it again tomorrow.  That's how yummy it was.

pesto-based pizza

Everyone loves pizza and my family is no exception.  My kids' favorite meal is make-your-own pizza.  They load theirs up with cheese and "pepperoni" and it's always a meal they'll actually eat.  While they are creating their masterpieces, I create my own vegan version.  Today's pizza (for lunch) included fresh walnut-basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, red onion, artichoke hearts, broccoli and "pepperoni".  I always throw on whatever is around but this particular combination was especially delicious!

my favorite tofu scrambler

Since eliminating dairy from my diet in January, I've been experimenting with different tofu scramblers. I was eating egg scramblers so often before the diet change that the tofu was unwelcomed to my tastebuds, initially. Then I discovered a vegan sausage that is very similar to the Jimmie Dean variety and my tastebuds couldn't get enough. I make this tofu scrambler 2 or 3 times a week after particularly hard workouts. It's loaded with protein and very tasty. To make: Pat dry firm tofu and crumble into a cooking pan sprayed with olive oil. Crumble some vegan sausage, adding it to the pan. Throw in some steamed broccoli and let the whole thing fry until the tofu begins to brown. I add a tablespoon of something at the very end -- pico de gallo, salsa verde, homemade pesto, a sweet chili sauce would be awesome, too. If I have some Flaxseed Ciabatta (from Trader Joe's), I slice and toast one or two pieces and cover it in hummus. It's a very, very good breakfast!

Spinach Fettuccine Primavera

I made a vegan version of this tonight for my family and it was well-received by everyone. I also used a whole grain (or was it whole wheat?) fettuccine since I didn't find the spinach fettuccine at the store today. This recipe is very, very good! And any meal that is able to sneak a few more veggies into my young children is a great one to me!

SPINACH FETTUCCINE PRIMAVERA
Recipe by Rachael Ray

Ingredients
•Salt
•1 pound spinach fettuccine
•2 carrots, peeled
•2 medium zucchini
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•2 tablespoons butter
•2 shallots, thinly sliced
•2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
•1 cup frozen green peas
•1/2 cup dry white wine
•1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
•Freshly ground black pepper
•1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass at table
•1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful

Directions
Bring water for pasta to a boil. Salt the water add the pasta and cook to al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes. Use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of carrot and zucchini. Keep the vegetables flat on counter and run the peeler the length of the vegetable. Drop the carrots and zucchini into the pasta water for the last 4 minutes of cooking time.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat with extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Saute the shallots and garlic 3 to 4 minutes then add peas and heat through, 2 minutes, stir in wine, reduce for half a minute and stir in stock. Toss drained pasta and vegetables with the sauce, season with salt and pepper, and combine with cheese and parsley.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients:
4-5c cooked rice (brown or white or a mix)
1/2c peas
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2c corn
1/2c edamame
1/2c shredded carrots
1c pineapple, cut into small chunks and reserve 1/4c juice

1 tbsp sesame oil
1/3c soy sauce, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

1/4c thinly sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Saute all ingredients (peas to pineapple) in sesame oil using a large pan/wok, approx. 5 minutes. Add rice, reserved pineapple juice and soy sauce (start with half and gradually add, to taste). Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of green onions on top.

Note:
All amounts are approximate. You'll want to vary/omit/add according to your family's taste preferences.

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup
from The Real Food Daily Cookbook by Ann Gentry

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno chile, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tamari
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup tomato paste
8 corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup Crispy Tortilla Strips, for garnish
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed (optional)
1/2 cup Pico de Gallo, for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions are transclucent. Add the jalapeno chile, tamari, cumin, salt, oregano, and pepper, and saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, and tomatoe paste. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occassionally, for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the tortillas and simmer 10 minutes longer, or until the tortillas are falling apart.

Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the soup in the pot until smooth. Alternatively, working in batches, puree in a regular blender. Stir in the cilantro.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with the tortilla strips, avocado, and pico de gallo, and serve.

The soup will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated.


Crispy Tortilla Strips
I didn't use Ann's recipe because I didn't have all the ingredients for the "topping". Instead I brushed both sides of 6 (6-inch) corn tortillas with canola oil and sprinkled one side with sea salt. I cut them in half and then cut the halves into 1/8" strips. Spread on a baking sheet and bake in a 350* F oven for at least 15 minutes. I baked ours for more like 20 minutes because I wanted them to brown a little and be extra crispy.

Athena Barley with Kalamata Olives and Tomatoes

I absolutely love barley. Love it. But I don't really use it for much other than as one of the stars in a fabulous chili I make. On the cover of The Real Food Daily Cookbook (Ann Gentry) is a fantastic salad that I knew I had to try since it is barley-based. Yum!

Athena Barley with Kalamata Olives and Tomatoes
3 cups water
2 cups pearl barley
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

3-4 large tomatoes (1 pound), seeded and chopped
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
3/4 cup diced red onion
3/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2/3 cup finely chopped green onions
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano

Fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Combine the water, barley and salt in a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer about 40 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. If you're serving this dish as a cold salad, refrigerate the barley while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano in a bowl to blend. Pour the vinaigrette over the barley and toss to coat. Andd the tomatoes, olives, red onion, parsley, green onions, and dill and toss again to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve cold or at room temperature.

The salad will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated. Toss again before serving.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

This recipe comes from EatingWell. It's my new favorite chili and every time I make it I double the recipe. It's that good.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile (see Note)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation
1.Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2.Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

Nutrition
Per serving: 307 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 51 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 12 g protein; 14 g fiber; 494 mg sodium; 947 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (213% daily value), Vitamin C (48% dv), Iron (32% dv), Folate (29% dv), Potassium (27% dv), Calcium (16% dv).

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat

Kale Waldorf Salad

This recipe for Kale Waldorf Salad comes from Whole Foods Market. It's a little sweet, a little tangy and big on yumminess! I used golden raisins because I like them better and used probably 5 cups of kale total. Everything else was exactly as the recipe states. Very good!

Kale Waldorf Salad (from Whole Foods Market)
Serves 6
This variation on the classic Waldorf salad uses kale instead of lettuce and adds apple and walnuts to the dressing for a creamy consistency without using the typical mayonnaise base.

Ingredients
4 cups packed finely chopped raw kale, preferably dinosaur kale
1 large red apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raisins, divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water, more if needed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Method
Place kale in a large bowl. Chop half the apple and add to kale along with celery, 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup raisins. Chop remaining half of apple and put in a blender along with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, remaining 2 tablespoons raisins, mustard, water, vinegar and salt. Purée until well combined and slightly thick, adding water if needed to thin. Pour dressing over kale salad and toss to combine.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 5oz/131g-wt.): 140 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 135mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 3g protein

Basil Walnut Pesto

Pesto is one of my family's favorites. We eat it on pasta, in sandwiches, with raw vegetables... Prior to adopting a vegan diet for myself, I would make a traditional pine nuts and cheese based pesto once a week. Needless to say, I'm six weeks into this vegan lifestyle and pesto is one thing we have dearly missed. I was hesitant to try a recipe without cheese because the original is so good that I didn't think anything could even remotely compare. Boy, was I was wrong. This Basil Walnut Pesto is incredible. Walnuts are one of the healthiest nuts so replacing them for the pine nuts is a good move and nutritional yeast gives the pesto a cheesy flavor. You won't even miss the cheese! It's delicious and even better than what I was making before. I can't wait for dinner!

Basil Walnut Pesto

1 large bunch of basil, about 3 cups loosely packed
3 large garlic cloves
6 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1/4c nutritional yeast
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (amount varies depending on desired consistency)
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor (start with half of the olive oil) and process until finely ground. Continue to process while adding the remainder EVOO until the desired consistency is reached. Salt to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. If refrigerating, cover the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil.

Our Incredible Hulk Smoothie

We were introduced to this Green Smoothie last year and it is a big hit with my kids. I use it as their afternoon snack.

2 big handfuls of spinach

banana

1/2 container of orange juice concentrate

1/2 c water

10-12 ice cubes

Blend in a blender! We love it!

Vegan Recipes from Cherl

My good friend Cherl has been vegetarian for awhile, but just decided to take the plunge to vegan. I am always up for trying something new and taking a break from meat. So, tonight I made the Broccoli Soup she recommended.

Creamy Broccoli Soup (Vegan)
adapted from Whole Living Magazine, January/February 2011
serves 4

1 head organic broccoli (1 pound), cut into florets, stems thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
One 15-ounce can organic Great Northern beans, drained (Cannellini beans would work here as well)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

Steam broccoli florets and stems until tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly. Reserve 1/2 cup florets for garnish.

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add beans and broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat and add broccoli; puree in batches in a blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each bowl with broccoli florets, toasted pine nuts, and shaved Parmesan or cheddar cheese, if you wish.

2 out of the 3 kids ate it no problem and I thought it was really good. The only problem was I used fresh Northern beans and I don't think they were soft enough. We will definitely have this one again! I served it with drop biscuits.

She also just emailed me a Vegan Burger recipe that sounds good.

Mediterranean Lentil Burgers (from peas and thank you, you have to scroll all the way down her chatty blog post to find the recipe and photos but this is the recipe as she posts it)

• 8 oz. precooked lentils (I use Trader Joe’s Beluga Lentils, but you could make your own)
• 1/3 c. oats
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 t. vegan worcestershire sauce
• 2 t. reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 T. fresh basil
• 3-4 sundried tomatoes
• 1/4 c. chopped onion
• 1 t. dijon mustard
• 2 T. chopped kalamata olives
• salt and pepper to taste

I combined everything but the olives in the food processor, and then stirred the olives in at the end.