Raw Eggplant Pizzas and BBQ Chicken with Collard Greens and Crushed Sweet Potato

18 May 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

So not only do I have the best husband but he is also so supportive of all my experimenting in the kitchen and my raw food diet. Only a few short weeks ago he bought me the best dehydrator ever, the Excalibur!!! We have been having so much fun! We dehydrated 2 different kind of mangoes, bananas, kiwis, pineapple, apples and strawberries. I even made fruit roll ups, sweet potato chips (BBQ and regular!) and kale chips (my favorite!!) last week, so Delicious and fun! So here is my first attempt at dinner in the Excalibur and it was super yummy!

Raw Eggplant Pizzas/Bruchetta eggplant pizza

  • 1 large eggpant  sliced 1/4″ thick (I did not peal it, but think I should have)
  • 1/2 cup nut cheese*
  • tomato slices 1/4″ thick
  • oregano and paprika

Spread tablespoon of cheese on each eggplant slice and then top with the tomato slices. Sprinkle oregano and paprika on top.
Place them in the dehydrator for 10 hours on until dry (most likely 8-10 hours), but still pliable.

* For the cheese I used the Pignoli “Ricotta” from the Zucchini-and-Green-Zebra-Tomato Lasagna with Basil-Pistachio Pesto Recipe from Pure Food and Wine

  • 2 cups raw pignoli nuts, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional; available in health food stores)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons filtered water

Place the pignoli nuts, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times, until thoroughly combined, Gradually add the water and process until the texture becomes fluffy, like ricotta

BBQ Chicken with Collard Greens and Crushed Sweet Potatobbq chicken

This recipe is adapted from the The Hearst Corporation’s Cafe57 off the The Daily Green website. This was pretty much the worst written recipe I have ever seen so I had to rewrite it for you! haha  I liked the take on a healthy southern recipe. It is great comfort food without all the grease and dairy! Enjoy!

SERVINGS
6-8

INGREDIENTS
6-4 ounce pieces of chicken breast
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
2 bunches collard greens, washed and rough chopped
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup nonfat milk (I used plain soymilk instead)
1 tablespoon honey (I used around 4-5 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. In a 4 quart saucepot, saute half of the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the cayenne, chili powder (I used crushed red pepper instead), ketchup, red wine vinegar and molasses and whisk to incorporate. Simmer for 10 minutes and cool. (by accident I dumped the entire crushed red pepper jar into the pot! I am not one to measure exact, unless baking. So I added much more of everything so it was not too overwhelming, but it was still a SPICY BBQ Sauce!)
  3. Boil the diced sweet potatoes until tender. Drain the potatoes and return to pan. Pour the non-fat milk/soymilk into the pan and mash the potatoes, but keep some texture. Add the honey and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Lay the chicken pieces on a baking sheet in a flat layer. Brush with the BBQ sauce on both sides and place in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes or until done.
  5. While the chicken is baking, saute the remaining onion and garlic in a 12″ pan for 2-3 minutes. Add the collard greens and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. I also added a little lemon juice.

Curries from around the World May 2009

13 May 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , ,

 

The Curries from around the World May 2009 issue of the The Vegan Culinary Experience is now available for download. This issue concentrates on curries from places like Thailand, Indonesia, Africa, and the Caribbean! This is really cool and has such great information and recipes in it. To download the issue, go to www.veganculinaryexperience.com/VCEMay09.pdf

Pasta Night

06 May 2009 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , ,

Last night was Pasta Night at our house. There is nothing quite as comforting as a big plate of spaghetti as far as I am concerned.

We made cooked Vegan Summer Garden Pasta and Raw Zucchini Noodles with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes. My husband and I were both really happy with the turnout.

raw-noodles-and-pesto1

Raw Zucchini Noodles with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Noodles:

  • Zucchini (count on 1 per person)

You can use a spiralizer or veggie peeler to make long strands of zucchini for your noodles.

Basil-Pistachio Pesto:

I love the Zucchini and Green Zebra Tomato Lasagna featured in Raw Food Real World It is pretty much my favorite raw food recipe ever! For my pasta last night I used the Basil-Pistachio Pesto from the lasagna recipe.

  • 2 cups packed basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup pistachios
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • pinch of freshly ground pepper

Place the pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined but still slightly chunky.

I then cut up some sun-dried tomatoes. I took the tomatoes and the pesto and poured over my pasta. I then enjoyed it very much 🙂

vegan-pasta

Vegan Summer Garden Pasta

This recipe was adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch (a super fun vegan cookbook by the authors of Skinny Bitch) It is a gorgeous and colorful nutritious take on pasta. And as if there was not enough veggies in the pasta dish, I served this with steamed asparagus. If you are going to eat something like pasta, the best thing to do is load up on the veggies too.  I also made a point to serve whole wheat pasta for a more nutritious meal.

Serves 4 (or 3 servings for my husband)

  • 3 quarts of water
  • 5 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 8 ounces whole wheat linguine, spaghetti or fettuccine
  • ¼ cup refined coconut oil
  • 6 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 28 ounce can of Organic diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup thinly slices fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

In a 4-6 quart stockpot over high heat, combine water and about 1 ½ tablespoons of salt. Bring the water to boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package directions

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a 10-12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash, garlic, pepper and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and cook stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes, basil and oregano, stirring until the tomatoes are heated through, about 2 minutes.

When the pasta is done, drain it and transfer to plates or platter and top with tomato mixture and serve.

Add salt to taste.

Steamed Jamaican Beef Dumplings & Rice and Peas

29 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking Tags:

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This is not the best food combining meal, but it was fun to make. I always love making food that involves my hands and this one was pretty creative. Plus Michael loved it and the kick that I gave both the rice and the dumplings.

I am sure this would be so delicious with soy or veggie beef crumbles!!

Jamaican Beef Dumplings

Dumplings inspired by recipe from Gourmet May 2009

This should make about 40 small dumplings

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped scallion
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
  • Hot sauce (preferably Jamaican)
  • 30-40 dumpling or wonton wrappers

Cook scallion, onion, curry powder, and thyme in 1 1/2 tablespoons oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef and bread crumbs and cook until meat is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with hot sauce. Cool.

Put a rounded teaspoon filling in center of a wrapper. Lightly brush edge of wrapper with water, then fold in half (diagonally if square) and press to seal. Form remaining dumplings. Have fun with making them in fun shapes, just make sure they are sealed.

If you want you can fry them, but for healthier steamed dumplings, boil water and place dumplings without crowding in your steamer (metal or bamboo). Cover and steam for 20 minutes.

Jamaican Rice and Peas
I can’t say how authentic this is, but it was fun to put this together. This makes a lot, 10 or so servings. My own creation 🙂 By the way, when Jamaicans say peas, they mean beans not green peas. So that is why you do not see any green peas in this recipe.
  • 1 can red kidney beans
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 1 can green chilies
  • 5 teaspoons of salt
  • 2 scallions, minced
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs, left whole
  • 3-4 cups of long grain rice
  • 5-7 cups of water

Stir water, coconut milk, beans, salt, scallions, thyme, and chiles together. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Discard thyme.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

23 Apr 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

This pesto is so great and has so many uses! I used this for a different chicken recipe and had so much left over that I was able to freeze it for future use. I made Michael simple grilled chicken with the pesto and for me fabulous zucchini noodles with the pesto. Although this was not a totally raw meal for me, it is a great transitional meal. If you have never seen, made, or tried zucchini noodles it is a must! You can use a really inexpensive tool called the Spiralizeror just use your vegetable peeler and make strips for more of a linguine. I use these noodles all the time to mix it up and have fun with my food. You can use raw sauces for a totally raw meal or marinara, etc. for more of a comfort food or transitional meal.

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Zucchini Noodles with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

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Grilled Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Spinach with Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

quick and simple, this should take 20 minutes
recipe yield 2.5 cups

4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped pine nuts
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use vegan parm.)
salt to taste

  1. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with warm water for 5 minutes, or until tender.
  2. In a food processor or blender combine sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts and onion; process until well blended.
  3. Add vinegar, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and red wine, and process.
  4. Stir in olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
  5. Season with salt to taste.
  6. Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

19 Apr 2009 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking Tags: , ,

Is there anything more comforting than spaghetti and meatballs? It was a real pleasure to eat this after the 8 days of Passover!

I make this with turkey so it is healthier than another red meat recipe. I quadruple this meatball recipe (and package them in single serving foodsaver bags) so Michael can pull them out of the freezer whenever he wants for a quick meal. I love my tomato sauce, such good flavor and a little kick.

I, of course do not eat the turkey meatballs. I normally buy Nate’s Meatless Meatballs but this time I tried Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs and they were so incredible! So good!

img_1757

Spaghetti and Meatballs

  • 1 1lb of Cooked Pasta

Turkey Meatballs

meatball recipe from Gourmet

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, cooled, and chopped
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (preferably flat-leafed)
  • 1 large egg, beaten lightly
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

In a bowl stir together well turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, onion, pine nuts, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper and form into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. In a large heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook half of meatballs, shaking skillet, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towels to drain and brown remaining meatballs in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same manner.

Marisa’s Spicy Garlic Tomato Sauce

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree
  • 2 heads garlic, cloves peeled and halved lengthwise
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or to taste

Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, red-pepper flakes, salt and sugar and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. As the sauce is cooking use a whisk to break up the whole tomatoes so there are chunky bits. After the sauce has been simmering for an hour, if you feel the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Rice Noodle and Vegetable Stir-Fry

17 Apr 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

As much as I love Passover and my birthday (which normally falls during the holiday) I know there is a rush for the carbs when it is over. I don’t even typically eat many carbs, but because they were not allowed for 8 days there is a desire for them afterwards anyway.

This recipe is really great and really really quick! It is great for all year but I especially love it for the after Passover feast as you still involve veggies in all that pasta!!

ENJOY 🙂

rice-noodle-

Recipe fromVegan

SERVINGS 2

COOK TIME 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 ounces rice noodles
2 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 red onion, sliced
8 ounces rehydrated soy protein or tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)
8 lychees, peeled, pitted and quartered (adds such a nice sweetness!)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 cup finely sliced cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
2 1/2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

To Serve:
Nori flakes
Sesame seeds
Lime wedges (optional)

PREPARATION
1. Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes, then rinse in cold water and drain.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan until very hot, add the coconut oil, then the onion and soy. Stir briskly to sear on all sides until golden.

3. Pour in the soy sauce and stir to coat the mixture.

4. Reduce the heat and add the remaining ingredients plus the drained noodles, stirring until hot.

5. Transfer the stir-fry to warmed serving bowls, sprinkle with the nori flakes and sesame seeds, and serve with wedges of lime, if desired.

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Corn Salsa (raw salsa)

15 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Raw Vegan Recipes Tags: , ,

I love love love this salsa! Michael was lucky that there was some left over for his chicken! I really dislike cilantro and I still loved this salsa.

I made this for dinner a few weeks ago, (before Passover 🙂 ) I do not have a grill so I broiled the marinated chicken. The Salsa is so Delicious and totally Raw so it was a perfect dinner for me. Michael really enjoyed the chicken and salsa combo!

Here is a picture of the Salsa!! Mmmmmmmm!

corn-salsa

Recipe from  Bon Appétit 1995

Salsa

  • 1 1/4 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño chili

Chicken

  • 1/2 cup dark beer
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño chili
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Preparation

For Salsa:
Combine all ingredients in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

For Chicken:
Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

Preheat barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Drain chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil chicken until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Cut chicken into thin diagonal slices. Arrange chicken on plates. Top with salsa and serve.

Dairy-free ice cream in the East Village

14 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights Tags: , ,

I have not been here yet, but so excited to try! Their coconut based ice-cream is pasteurized so it is not raw, but I am still super excited to check it out!

trio

Dairy-free ice cream without all the artificial ingredients!! No refined sugars, no animal products, no preservatives and no artificial flavorings!

Stogo, a new East Village dairy-free ice cream shop which specializes in small-batch ice creams and sorbets with all-natural, high-quality ingredients. They start with an agave-sweetened soy or coconut base, then add vegan and organic ingredients to create flavors like Salted Caramel Pecan and  Toasted Almond Joy. MMMMMM!!!!!! The toppings sound amazing as well; rich vegan hot fudge sauce,  Raw Cacao Nibs, Goji berries and more.

Stogo, 159 E. 10th St. (between Second and Third aves.); 212-677-2301 or www.stogonyc.com

Sweet & Sour Chicken Thighs with Carrots

14 Apr 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking Tags: ,

This is a really great Passover recipe that could be used all year round. For me, sauteing the vegetable in rendered chicken fat felt very traditional and reminiscent of my Jewish relatives using schmaltz in their recipes. I am sure this also increases the flavor! But I did use skinless and boneless chicken thighs which made it much healthier.

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Makes 4 to 6 main-course servings
active time: 30 min
total time: 1 1/4 hr

from Gourmet 2005

Ingredients

  • 8 small chicken thighs with skin and bone (2 1/2 to 2 3/4 lb total), trimmed of excess fat  (I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into1/4-inch-wide strips
  • 1 lb carrots (6 medium), cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons mild honey
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro

Pat chicken dry. Stir together 1 1/2 teaspoons salt with paprika, cinnamon, and pepper and rub onto chicken.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in 2 batches, turning over once, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken as browned to a plate.

Discard all but 3 tablespoons fat from skillet, then add onion and carrots. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.

Return chicken, skin sides up, to skillet, nestling it into vegetables. Stir together water, lemon juice, and honey until blended and add to skillet, then cook over moderately low heat, covered, until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. If necessary, skim fat from sauce, then add salt to taste. Sprinkle with herbs just before serving.

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