10 Jan 2011
by marisashealthykitchen
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: asian, comfort food, maple syrup, quick and easy, sauces, sides, soy, tamari, tempeh, tofu, vegan, vegetarian
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Sorry to have disappeared for a bit there, but Michael and I spent almost a month in India, so please forgive me ๐ It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. (Post to come soon!)
Back to healthy and deelish Vegan goodness for 2011!!!
This dish was amazing! I love tempeh so much but Michael doesn’t typically like it and he really enjoyed this dinner! It is all about these deelish flavors. You can use tofu as well if you prefer it or to mix it up.
I have been a little short on time these days so haven’t been cooking nearly as much as I like. But when I do get to it is really special time in the kitchen and even better at dinner time with Michael ๐ But I am trying to come up with different time-saving techniques so I can cook more regularly. Normally I would squeeze the orange juice myself (all you need is 3-4 oranges) but instead I bought fresh OJ for the recipe. Just nice to know I can still make a deelish meal and save a little time here and there. I also always keep my ginger root in the freezer so it stays for longer. What I have been doing now is grating most of it and then putting it back in the freezer. That way when I have a recipe or dish that calls for freshly grated ginger all I have to do is pull it out of the freezer and measure, simple and perfect!

Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh
adapted from 101cookbooks.com
serves 3-4
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons tamari
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
roughly 10 ounces of tempeh (or extra-firm tofu)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lime
- Put the orange juice in a small bowl and combine with ginger, tamari, mirin, and maple syrup, ground coriander, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.
- Cut the tempeh (or tofu) into thin-ish, bite-sized pieces, and if working with tofu, pat dry with a paper towel.
- Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until golden. Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze. Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over the tofu from time to time.
- Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime, with the coriander scattered on top.
08 Jun 2010
by marisashealthykitchen
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: maple syrup, quick and easy, sides, snack, squash, vegan, vegetarian
Super simple and super yummy side. My mom used to make this or something like this and we always loved it! So def. kid taste tested and approved ๐ Make sure to buy organic, especially since you are eating the skin. Yum!

Maple Squash
1 acorn squash (or really any squash you want)
drizzle olive oil
drizzle maple syrup
sprinkle of cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spices)
Pinch sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF.
- Cut the squash into 1-inch circles, then halve them. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Use a brush to spread over and cover the squash.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning over halfway through – until the squash is tender. Serve and Enjoy ๐
26 May 2010
by marisashealthykitchen
in Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: chocolate, cocoa, coconut, cookies, dates, dessert, entertaining, maple syrup, quick and easy, raw, snack, vegan, vegetarian
I love Coconut, Chocolate and Mint! YUM!!!!! If you are not into mint just leave it out and enjoy the chocolate coconut goodness! This was super simple and fast to make and more importantly to enjoy!! Love that! Keep these babies cold and they are perfect for these already super hot summer days!


Meltaway Peppermint Patties
recipe adapted from Elaina Love
Mint layer:
3 cups dry, raw shredded coconut
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. mint extract or 3 drops peppermint essential oil
Chocolate or carob layer:
3 cups dry, raw shredded coconut
1/3 cup maple syrup or date paste (made by blending dates and water)
1/8 cup organic cocoa powder or raw carob powder (add until mixture reaches desired color)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1: Blend the first 3 cups of coconut in a dry blender on low speed with the lid off. Use a spatula to keep things moving until it becomes the consistency of butter. Make sure you do not blend so long as to separate all the oil from the coconut. This step is tricky, and takes a good blender like a Vitamix. If you don’t have a Vitamix, you can still do this step, although you may need to separate the coconut into 2 batches.
2: Remove the coconut and put in a mixing bowl. Add the sweetener and mint extract. use a spatula to mix well. Set aside.
3: Blend the coconut for the chocolate layer. Mix the coconut by hand with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.
4: Separate the chocolate mixture into 2 halves. Take one half, and press it into the bottom of a 4 x 4 baking dish or Tupperware. Put it in the freezer for 5 minutes until it is solid.
5: Remove your dish from the freezer and add all of the mint layer. Place in the freezer again for a couple of minutes.
6: Add the second half of the chocolate mixture to the top of the mint layer. Freeze again until solid or refrigerate.
7: Pop the meltaways out of the container by twisting or using a spatula to pry up. Place on a cutting board and cut your candies into whatever shape you like using a sharp, thin knife. Enjoy and store in the refrigerator.
22 Apr 2010
by marisashealthykitchen
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: almond milk, banana, breakfast, comfort food, dessert, entertaining, french toast, maple syrup, quick and easy, snack, soy, vegan, vegetarian
These were amazing! The banana was thick enough to really coat and soak the bread. It also gave the french toast the most deelish flavor. I highly recommend this!



Banana French Toast
Makes 4 slices
2 medium bananas
2/3 cup soymilk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices whole-wheat bread
1 vegetable oil spray
Blend bananas, soymilk, syrup, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side. Transfer carefully to a vegetable oil sprayed skillet. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook second side until browned.
Recipe from Food for Life, by Neal Barnard, M.D.
21 Mar 2010
by marisashealthykitchen
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: breakfast, butternut squash, comfort food, maple syrup, quick and easy, sides, snack, vegan, vegetarian
This is Amazing!!! So deelish, great texture and super good for you! This would make a great dish for kids to enjoy their veggies (or everyone for that matter!). You can make this even easier by buying the pre-cut squash, but even with peeling and cutting the squash this did not take too long. Very enjoyable and highly recommended! ENJOY ๐

Gorgeous Color!
Maple Squash Mash
2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- In a large saucepan, place squash and water (water comes halfway up squash). Cover and boil squash in water with 1 teaspoon salt until tender and drain.
- Purรฉe squash, syrup, earth balance, pepper and salt in Vita-mix or food processor. Serve and super enjoy

16 Mar 2010
by marisashealthykitchen
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: Cashews, comfort food, crock-pot, maple syrup, Peanut Sauce, quick and easy, Rice Noodle, sauces, sides, slow cooker, tamari, vegan, vegetarian
Yum! Peanut Sauce and Veggies – what could be bad?!?! As you know I often use the slow cooker because it is so easy and mostly comes out delicious! This was a great example of a perfect meal that could not have been easier! I usually use the slow cooker on Sundays. In the morning I prep and set in the slow cooker and then go on with our day. When we come home we have a deelish and easy meal with minimal clean-up. What could be better for a relaxing Sunday!?!

Mixed Veggies with Peanut Sauce (slow cooker style)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh pepper
1 cup vegetable stock
3 cups frozen sliced green beans
1 bunch of broccoli, cut into florets and chopped, peeled stems
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp red curry paste
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped peanuts or cashews
broad rice noodles – cooked
- Heat oil in a large skillet or slow cooker insert and add onions and carrots and cook will softened. Add ginger, garlic and pepper, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer to a slowcooker insert or place insert in slowcooker. Add veggie stock and stir well.
- Add green beans and broccoli and stir well. Cover and cook for 6 hour on low or 3 hours on high, until tender,
- In a bowl, whisk together peanut butter, tamari, lemon juice, maple syrup and red curry paste until blended. Add to slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes until heated through.
- Serve on top of rice noodles garnished with scallions and peanuts or cashews.


20 Jan 2010
by marisashealthykitchen
in Home Cooking
Tags: chicken, comfort food, maple syrup, Nama Shoyu, quick and easy, tamari
This is a super simple recipe I just whipped up for Michael. If I know I am not going to have a lot of time one evening to cook, I love setting up something in a marinade the night before so all I have to do is cook. I am a big fan of the foodsaver but you could just use a gallon size bag to marinade. I doubled the recipe as usual, but wrote it for 4 servings. Michael really enjoyed the flavor of this chicken dish!

Maple Chicken
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoon tamari, nama-shoyu or soy sauce
juice from 2 lemons
2 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- In a large plastic bag pour all ingredients except the chicken and mix. Add chicken and marinate from 2 hours to overnight.
- Heat a grill pan or skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. remove chicken from the marinde (reserve) and grill chicken untikl cooked through on both sides, flipping once.
- While the chicken is cooking, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat until reduced by half. Pour over cooked chicken and serve.

15 Nov 2009
by marisashealthykitchen
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: coconut milk, comfort food, cream, maple syrup, quick and easy, sides, snack, soup, vegan, vegetarian
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!!!

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 375ยฐ 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.

29 Oct 2009
by marisashealthykitchen
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: breakfast, comfort food, maple syrup, oatmeal, quick and easy, sides, snack, stevia, vegan, vegetarian
I love Oatmeal!! But sometimes I want more per serving and don’t want to up the carb & calorie stats. I know many people have the same feeling with cereal servings. What we would consider a normal serving is twice what the stats are giving us ๐ฆ So this time around I added canned pure pumpkin. It added a deelish pumpkin taste and fiber, giving me more oatmeal for a tiny bit more calories. A 1/2 cup serving has just 40 calories, .5 gram of fat, 9 carbs, and 5 grams of fiber (and I only used 8 tablespoons for the whole recipe!) I loved this recipe and it was husband approved ๐ Success!

Pumpkin Oatmeal
4 servings
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
2 1/2 cups water
8 tbsp canned pure pumpkin
4 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground dry ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
12 drops of stevia
3/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
Boil water and oatmeal together for about 8-10 minutes. Turn down the heat and add the pumpkin, maple syrup, spices, stevia and salt. Stir over heat until well combined and it has reached the desired consistency. Enjoy!
Per Serving: 240 calories, 3 fat, 44g carbs, 7g fiber, 15g sugars, 7g protein
19 Oct 2009
by marisashealthykitchen
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Tags: breakfast, comfort food, maple syrup, oatmeal, quick and easy, quinoa, sides, snack, vegan, vegetarian
I have been loving quinoa lately! I have always loved it but with the addition of breakfast to my diet I have been eating so much more of it lately. My mom was so awesome and picked me up this amazing 4 pound bag of quinoa from Costco. Thanks Mom!

If you have seen my other posts I have been loving quinoa for breakfast! Check out my Quinoa โOatmealโ and Quinoa Apple Oatmeal.
Here is another take on Quinoa and Apples. I added more apples this time which made it that much more tastier.

Apple Quinoa Breakfast Cereal
6 Servings
2 cups quinoa
5 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 apples diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup maple syrup
Bring quinoa, apples, salt and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cooked, about 15 minutes. Add cinnamon and sweeteners, stir and Enjoy.
Per Serving: 300 calories, 3g Fat, 0 Sat. Fat, 0 Chol, 14mg Sodium, 62g Carbs, 4g Fiber, 22g Sugars, 7g Protein
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