March 10, 2010
Banana and avocado sweet snack
This is a super fast and easy recipe to whip up. I ate it plain for breakfast and snacks. I also made delicious sandwiches with it for lunch. I loved this so much! Raw Rob said you can also use it for a cake filling but I have not tried to yet. This may not be the prettiest of foods, but it sure was really yummy!
I told you it is not the prettiest, but it sure is tasty!!
Banana and avocado sweet snack
Recipe from Raw Rob
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 banana
- 2 teaspoons mesquite meal
- 2 teaspoons lucuma powder
Simply mash the avocado and banana with a fork, then mix in the powders.
March 8, 2010
Vegan Waffles OH MY! YUM!
My fabulous friend Rae hosts super fun brunches in her gorgeous sunlight filled apartment! So fun! Great group of people and amazing food. Love it!
They had all the usual suspects from waffles, eggs, bacon, fruit & mimosas. Rae was so thoughtful and even made me vegan waffles so I have fun food too! They were deelish!
Check out the pics 
Waffles, fruit and boysenberry syrup. YUM!
Rae’s Vegan Waffles
2cups All Purpose flour
1cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4cup brown sugar (Rae used sucanat)
2tbsp canola oil
1/4tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
2 1/2c soy milk (Rae used rice milk & some water)
Mix the dry together, add the wet. Don’t overmix. Make sure the waffle iron is hot and cook 4-6 minutes each! ENJOY!
February 28, 2010
Leek and Feta Frittata, Hashbrowns & Tangerine Juice
Frittatas are always a hit in my house. I love leeks so I figured this would be deelish. Michael really liked it, so I guess it was I served this for breakfast so it paired perfectly with hashbrowns (with onions and peppers) and deelish tangerine juice! We love juice in my house, but tangerine juice is just so sweet and deelish, a wonderful treat! We use our Breville Juice Fountain Elite and the juice comes out so creamy it is amazing!
Leek and Feta Frittata
- 2-3 leeks, washed and chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 8-12 eggs
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
- 1/2-1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté leeks and onions until soft; season to tates with salt and pepper
- Whisk eggs, milk and feta together, till combined
- Pour into pan over leeks and onions and cook on stove for 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven for 8-10 minutes till set.
- Enjoy
YUM!!!
February 17, 2010
Zucchini Strata
More grating! My box grater was sure getting a work out these last couple of weeks. If you hate grating or have a tendency to cut yourself, try using the grating blade on a food processor. It is super simple and fast. I have one and have used it in the past, but for some reason I love to grate. So box grater it is for me.
Michael really enjoyed this one! It can be a great side dish, breakfast or even a vegetarian entrée. Super simple, yet I love the way it came out with great color!
Zucchini Strata
Serves 4
4 zucchini
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmigiano, grated
1 teaspoon curry powder
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grate the zucchini and place in a sieve with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let is drain for about 15 minutes and then rinse well to remove the salt. Squeeze the zucchini with a towel to get as much water out as possible.
- Whisk the eggs and add the bread crumbs, cheese, curry powder, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Combine with zucchini and stir until combined.
- Pour the mixture into a sprayed/greased 8×8 baking and pat down until smooth. Bake for 15-20 minutes. If there is still liquid on top, blot with a paper towel and put back in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.
February 7, 2010
Low-fat Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake
This was a great side dish or snack. I also thought it came out so pretty! I love my box grater and shredding so this was a joy for me. But please be careful with your fingers, they can be easily hurt in the grater, eek! Feel free to add in different herbs, flavorings and veggies to this. You can use the recipe as a skeleton and just add what you like.
Low-fat Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake
adapted from 101 cookbooks
serves 6-8
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/2 cups fat-free or part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil
- Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan (or tart pan).
- In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.
- In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).
- At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn’t quite golden, zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature.
February 2, 2010
Souen Organic Macrobiotic Restaurant
Souen Organic Macrobiotic Restaurant 212-627-7150 28 East 13th St. (btwn University and Fifth Ave.) & 212-807-7421 210 6th Ave. @Prince St
Soeun never disappoints and has been a favorite restaurant of mine for many years. I am not alone in that either as the restaurant is normally full with happy and hungry diners and many times has a wait. I have eaten many of the vegetarian items on the menu and have always been wonderfully satisfied. The food is simple and healthy all while managing to be delicious. I am all about the healthy vegan food. You can get total macrobiotic simple foods, fun curry and noodle dishes. I think it is fabulous that although they adhere to macrobiotic cooking they serve fish dishes and even some fried foods. When picking a restaurant to dine, it always helps when there is some food like this for friends and family to keep an open mind. Everyone I have taken here has really enjoyed their meal. I love the vibe of this place. The food, the atmosphere and the faint smell of green juice it may not be for everyone, but I am sold!
I always get the deelish Mu Tea which has licorice, ginseng, peony root and dozen other flower and plant essences in it. Divine! The home-made seitan is great! (pictured) I have heard from other friends that their sushi is super fresh and sooo good! Plus I have seen several meat eaters enjoy the fish entrees with zeal, so it must be tasty! I typically order one of their abundant salads or get the Macro Plate (pictured). But I have tried so many of the appetizers and some noodle dishes and loved them too. There is always a big board with specials and desserts (YUM!) to choose from too.
A few months back (sorry it took me so long!) I came here with 2 of my fabulous ladies, Yi-Ching and Rae. Yi-Ching, the amazing photographer took pictures of our meal so we could show to you. Thanks ladies! We need to do this again soon
In March 2009 they opened a Ramen shop. I have wanted to take part in the Ramen craze that is everywhere around me in NYC but have not been able to since everything is also surrounded by pork there! haha! I am beyond excited to get over to the noodle shop to partake finally! Souen Organic Ramen (212) 388-1155 326 East Sixth Street
Planet Platter or Macro Platter
Home-made Seitan
Carrot Ginger Dressing, so good!
Veggie Curry
January 26, 2010
Slow Cooked Corn Polenta and Chiles
WE LOVE POLENTA! We love grits! Whatever you want to call it, it is deelish and one of my fave comfort foods ever! It is so simple to prepare but even simpler to eat
Sometimes when I know I have a lot of cooking to do, I love to use the slow cooker so that I can prepare one part of the meal beforehand and it is ready when I am done cooking the rest. Ahh so simple!
Pre-cooked Polenta
Soft Polenta Yummyness
Set Polenta
Polenta Square
Slow cooked Corn Polenta and Chiles
3 cups water (or milk/ or non-dairy milk)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup shredded montery jack cheese (or non-dairy cheese)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or non-dairy cheese)
1 can diced mild green chiles
- In a large saucepan or flame-proof slow cooker liner over medium heat bring water, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper to a boil. Add polenta, whisking to prevent lumps. Continue whisking until mixture begins to thicken and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Add corn, Jack and Parmesan cheeses and chiles and mix well. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware if you are using a saucepan.
- Cover and cook on Low for 2-3 hours. It will then be a soft (deelish) polenta. If you want it to set transfer to a 8×8 glass pan and place in the fridge for a half hour or so.
- Serve and enjoy either way!
3 cups skim milk (water or soy milk)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup coarsley yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
1 cup corn kernals
1 cup shredded montery jack cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 can diced mild green chiles
1. in a large saucepa over medium heat, bring milk, garli, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste to a boil. Gradually add polenta, in a steady stream, whisking to remove all lumps. Continue whisking until mixture begins to thicken and bubbles like lava, about 5 minutes. Add corn, Jack and Parmesan cheeses and chiles and mix well. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware.
2. Cover and cook on Low for 2 hours, until mixture is firm and just beginning to brown around the edges.
December 15, 2009
Banana Ice Cream Love
mmmmm!! We have been eating Banana Ice Cream for so long and I have never posted it! I am sorry not to have shared this beloved ’secret’ recipe with everyone before!! It couldn’t be simpler (to make and ingredients) and is so delicious! For us it is super easy because we always keep a bunch of frozen bananas in the freezer to make smoothies and ice cream, so there is no planning for this fabulous dessert, ever! Since this recipe is really just bananas, you can enjoy it anytime; even for breakfast!! How great is that, Ice Cream for Breakfast! There are so many twists and additions you can make with this recipe, so have fun with it! Let me know anything else you try and love!
Banana Ice Cream
1-2 frozen bananas per person serving
any toppings or additions you want to add
So Simple! Just take the bananas and blend away in your Vita-mix, Blend-tec, blender or food processor until smooth. ENJOY
Suggested Topping or Add-Ins
- The pictures in this post, we used our beloved Agave Pecan Butter, basically making an amazing frozen version of Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Banana Butter
- Sometimes we add in Cocoa Nibs and we get amazing Chocolate Chip Ice cream
- ChocAgave –yummy raw chocolate sauce, or just use regular chocolate syrup
- Goji berries for a great chewy taste
- add other berries in the mixture to change up the taste, or as a topping
- add cocoa powder to make chocolate ice cream
- maca, mesquite, lucuma , protein powders
- have fun, this is such a great treat to play with
December 14, 2009
Crock-Pot Oatmeal
I know you had all heard me profess my new-found love for breakfast but I haven’t posted one in a while. For the last couple of weeks I have been making Crock-Pot Oatmeal. As you know I am always cooking up a storm in my kitchen, so to have this one be super easy really takes the pressure of breakfast off me What I do is throw all the ingredients in the crock pot on sunday, let it do its thing and then refrigerate them in perfect portions for the week. Love it! This really couldn’t be easier and there are so many versions to play with! The one below is this week’s breakfast but I will list addition as well.
Crock-Pot Oatmeal
1 cup of steel-cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 brown rice
5 cups water
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup agave
In a crock-pot, combine the oats, quinoa, rice, water, raisins and salt. Turn on high for 2.5 hours or slow for 6 hours. About 1.5 hours in, stir and recover. Once the oatmeal is finished cooking add the sweeteners of your choice. Enjoy
Additions or substitutions
- apples, chopped (before cooking for baked apples or after for crisp apples)
- dried fruits (goji berries, cranberries, chopped figs, etc. )
- berries (after cooking)
- other grains (wheat berries, barley, buckwheat, cornmeal, etc)
- sweeteners (honey, stevia, date sugar, etc.)
December 8, 2009
Butterscotch Smoothie
Butterscotch Smoothie anyone? OMG! This was so good! Non-green smoothies are rare in my house and normally a weekend treat. This one is perfect for a treat anytime though! SO good! Mesquite is always a great addition. If you have never had it before I would definitely suggest this sweet, butterscotch tasting powder that is made from ground mesquite pods. Check it out here.
Plus they match the wood
Butterscotch Smoothie
4 large ripe bananas (I used some frozen and some ripe)
1 ½ cups water
4-6 dates
1 tablespoons of agave nectar
2 heaping tablespoons mesquite powder
Also the best thing about this smoothie, is you just put everything in the blender and blend away! You can add more mesquite or sweetener to taste.
