Oats and Chia

More oats and chia πŸ™‚ This was great because it was raw and still included oats. Having the oats become saturated by the almond milk overnight really worked! I added a few drops of stevia for some sweetness and raspberries because they are my fave. Yum!

Oats and Chia
serves 2-3

1 cups thick rolled oats (raw if you can find them)
1 cup almond milk, plus more for serving
1 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
pinch of cinnamon
berries
stevia and/or agave to taste

I am medium bowl place the oats, chia and connamon. Add the almond milk and stir well. Let sit for 10 minutes and stir well again. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning stir again and then top with berries, stevia and/or agave for some sweetness.

Baked Sweet Potato with Cinnamon & Coconut Butter

Veggie Girl is awesome and always has great recipes and insights on her blog. Here is her latest snack obsession that I loved as well!! My mother-in-law has always told me that she loves to eat sweet potatoes and once I saw this recipe I decided to take the plunge πŸ™‚ (I have had them before, but not a regular staple in my life) It was awesome!! Plus coconut butter is so delightful, always!! haha This was a sweet and satisfying meal that I am sure I will have many times! It can be breakfast, a snack, lunch or a side for dinner. Try it out, so simple and deelish! Thanks Veggie Girl πŸ™‚

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Baked Sweet Potato with Cinnamon & Coconut Butter

1-2 sweet potatoes
1-2 tablespoons Coconut Butter (Just like Veggie Girl, I highly recommend the Artisana brand of coconut butter. It is by far the best out there ever!!)
Cinnamon to taste
Dash of salt

Bake the sweet potatoes at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cut open and add coconut butter, cinnamon and salt. Enjoy!!!

Polenta Vegetable Casserole

I love Polenta! (of course I do, it is made from corn and I love corn!!) It is such a comfort food for me. Adding veggies and cheese made this such a comforting and complete meal that we both really enjoyed! This is also super fast and something everyone will love. Plus there might even be leftovers to enjoy πŸ™‚

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Polenta Vegetable Casserole
Makes 6-8 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, chopped into small cubes
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup water
10 ounces baby spinach
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
14 ounces prepared polenta, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella (I would use Vegan Mozz Daiya now πŸ™‚)

1.Preheat oven to 450F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large 12″ + nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes. Add water and spinach; cover and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir marinara sauce into the vegetables and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add in basil.
3. Place polenta slices in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, trimming to fit if necessary. Sprinkle with half the cheese and top with the vegetable mixture and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbling and the cheese has just melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. ENJOY πŸ™‚

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Cream of Pumpkin Soup Topped with Curried Pecans

This was so delightful! One of the creamiest vegan soups I have ever had!!! Such a great flavor and the nuts added so much! This will be a great fall and winter go-to soup. The recipe is super simple and super quick. I have mentioned canned pumpkin puree before as it is a wonderful ingredient to take advantage of! Super fast, deelish and very low in calories. I am sure you could substitute butternut squash if you prefer that over the pumpkin but the puree keeps this simple. If you are looking to cut calories definitely use a light can of coconut milk as it will still be creamy and deeelish!!!

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Cream of Pumpkin Soup Topped with Curried Pecans
Recipe inspired by the Quick-Fix Vegetarian cookbook
Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

1. Preheat the oven to 375Β° F. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, Cover and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and the pumpkin puree, then whisk in the broth until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2. While the soup is simmering, make the curried pecans. In a small bowl, combine the pecan pieces with the remaining maple syrup and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, tossing to coat. Place the pecans in a small baking dish and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. If you have an an immersion blender use that to puree the soup right in the pot. Otherwise, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir back into the pot. Return the soup to the stovetop, turning the heat to low. Whisk in the coconut milk, taste to adjust seasonings. Heat until hot, do not boil. Serve the soup garnished with the pecans.

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Halva Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

AMAZING!!!!!!!! Michael and I loved these!!! Growing up in a Jewish household halvah was always one of our go-to desserts and this is a fabulous raw substitute πŸ™‚Β  I know when I make these for my family they are going to freak! These were (as in they are already gone haha) one of the best cookies ever! I used frozen raspberries and the raspberry sauce tasted sooo fresh and soo BRIGHT! YUMM!!! Plus how cute are they !?!??! Try these asap and let me know what you think.

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Halva Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
These were thankfully inspired by Ani Phyo’s Halva Chia Thumbprint Cookies

Raspberry Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup pitted semi-soft Medjool dates
1/8 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup water

Combine well in blender. Chill till ready for use.

Cookies:
3/4 cup flax seed powder
1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pitted semi-soft Medjool dates
Recipe for Raspberry Sauce

Combine dry ingredients with tahini in a food processor and mix well. Add in dates and mix till combined. Roll dough into 10-15 balls. Place on sheet preferably lined with parchment paper. Use your thumb to make an indentation into the center of each cookie. Fill each with generous amount of sauce. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 min. or more to firm up. Will keep for several days or many weeks stored separately from jam if you can keep them that long haha πŸ™‚ Enjoy!!!

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These are the cookies up close, so easy to make!

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a close-up of these little gems! mmmmmm

Marmalade Chicken and Roasted Broccoli

My husband loved this one! Using chicken tenders made this quite simple and super quick! The sauce was thick and looked deelish :)I served this with my go to broccoli dish. I normally make a big batch of the broccoli and freeze it in individual servings for future sides.

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Marmalade Chicken
2-3 servings

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon orange marmalade
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
12 ounces chicken tenders
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 orange, zested
Whisk together broth, vinegar, marmalade, mustard and cornstarch.Β  Salt and pepper the chicken. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet, add chicken and cooked till no longer pink inside. Remove chicken and add remaining oil and shallots and cook until they begin to brown. Add broth mixture and reduce heat. Simmer until reduced and add chicken to rewarm. Once warm remove from heat and add zest. Serve and Enjoy πŸ™‚

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Roasted Broccoli
Makes 6 servings

2 bunches of broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350Β°F. Toss broccoli, oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl until evenly coated. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the broccoli softens, 30-45 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Raw Corn Cakes

The raw corn cakes are deelish! As I have probably mentioned before I love Corn!!! I know this is a bit late for fresh corn but I wanted to go ahead with this anyway. It was such a great success! Deelish!!!!

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Raw Corn Cakes
around 5-6 cakes

3 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob
1 jalapeΓ±o, seeded
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup cashews
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
Celtic sea salt to taste

Blend all ingredients until combined but still slightly chunky. On a teflex sheet make 2 tablespoon rounds and dehydrate for 8-10 hours at 115 degrees. (make sure to flip after 4 hours)

I also made a pesto sauce to go with the cakes but it really was not necessary. The cakes were more than delicious on their own.

Edamame Guacamole

I served this with pita chips and it was deelish! This was a great way to enjoy heaping chips full of guacamole with more than half the fat! Check out the nutrition stats below!!! Love it!! Just be careful how much lime juice you use. I used a whole lime and it came out a little too limey. If you want traditional guacamole add cilantro. I don’t enjoy cilantro so I didn’t add it.

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Edamame Guacamole
Serves 6

1/2 cup shelled edamame
1/2 cup broccoli stalks, peeled
1 avocado
1 scallion, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tomato, diced
salt to taste

cilantro – optional

Bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add edamame and broccoli to boiling water for 4 minutes till softened. Drain and puree in a food processor. With a fork or a whisk mash the puree with the avocado. Add in the avocado, scallion, red onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime, tomato and the optional cilantro. Salt to taste and enjoy πŸ™‚

Per serving: 66 calories, 4 g fat, .5 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 10 sodium, 2.5 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 3 g fiber

Simple Spaghetti Squash

I love Spaghetti Squash! I actually love most squash but spaghetti squash holds a special place in my heart. You can use it in place of actual spaghetti pasta and make a sauce but I love it super simple with a little vegan margarine and salt. Now that we are officially in winter squash season I will be sure to make it often! I have already made this twice in the last two weeks πŸ™‚

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Simple Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash
Vegan Margarine about 1/4 cup (depending on the size of your squash and taste)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut slits into the squash so it can breathe during cooking. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50 min – 1:10. You can check after 45 minutes by cutting in half. Once the squash is fully cooked scoop out the seeds and then take a fork and rake against the squash to “release” the spaghetti. Place in a bowl with the margarine and salt to taste. Enjoy πŸ™‚ Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to a week but also freezes beautifully!

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Slice in half after 45 minutes to check if done or to continue cooking

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Mango Chia Goodness

I love all things chia. I am sure you have seen my many posts on Chia and all the fun recipes you can make with it. Chia Seed Pudding, Sweet Double Coconut Chia Pudding, Holiday Chia Pudding, and Banana Date Chia Pudding. (wow, I totally love Chia!!)

Here is a super simple recipe that barely takes any prep time to make (although you do have to let it sit overnight). For me this chia recipe is super simple… I mix it at night and in the morning all I have to do is cut up a mango and I am ready to go πŸ™‚ Love it! Super simple and deelish!

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Mango Chia Goodness
4 servings
2 cups vanilla almond milk
1/3 cup chia seeds
1 mango diced

Combine chia seeds with almond milk and whisk. Let sit for 10 minutes and stir again to avoid clumps. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning dice a mango and add to chia pudding. Enjoy πŸ™‚

Per serving: 144 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 4 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 8 g sugar, 9 g fiber

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