Italian Potluck Night!!

30 Jun 2011 1 Comment

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

As you know I LOVE Potlucks! And now we have a pretty regular Vegan Themed Potluck Party happening 🙂 Last nights theme was Italian Night! (last month was Asian) SUPER YUM! Not kidding this meal was out of control. We didn’t end up having dessert, but we all happily had seconds of the deelish food!

Lisa Dawn made this OUT of this world lasagna! We have seen her amazing Ricotta Cheese in her Stuffed Shells, but to taste this you would think that this was gourmet ricotta cheese made in Italy. But happily it was Vegan (but still super gourmet :)) And the homemade tomato sauce was also deelish!

Joey made this amazing pesto pasta sans cheese of course. It was so gorgeous with the fresh grape tomatoes and basil! Beautiful and super tasty!

I made my favorite Raw Crisp Caesar Salad with Pinenut parmesan and Artichoke Guacamole with mulit-grain pita chips. Yum!!!

On a side note, I can’t help but brag about Lisa & Paul’s overly impressive and adorable son Luke! Lisa had this great deck of cards with all the US Presidents pictures on them. Luke was able to go through all of them and name them!!! SO CUTE!! And he is under 2 years old!

Such a super great night with friends and deelish vegan food!

Amazing photo courtesy of Lisa's fabulous husband Paul!

Creamy Basil Dip

09 Jun 2011 6 Comments

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

This was super yummy and sooo quick and easy to make. Love it! I love making meals that I can “snack” while eating. This was also great to have over for company. Yum, vegan, creamy and deelish!

Creamy Basil Dip

1 cup of cashews
1/2 cup water
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
A dash of coarse black pepper
One big handful of fresh basil, leaves only (most of one bunch)

Blend all ingredients except the basil until smooth and creamy. Then add basil and pulse – you still want there to be green flecks in the sauce.

Mushroom and Kale Polenta

18 May 2011 2 Comments

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

We love polenta! It cooks so quick and you can do so many fun things with it 🙂 You can probably guess from many of my recipes that I love kale and mushrooms and they went SO well with the polenta. This an easy dish that also makes great leftovers.

Some other polenta goodness: Polenta with Nectarine-Blackberry Salsa, Vegan Creamy Polenta, Polenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce, Slow Cooked Corn Polenta and Chiles and Polenta Vegetable Casserole.

Here are just a few other mushroom recipes if you love them too! Mushroom Stroganoff, Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff, Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna, Raw Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiche, Vegan Creme of Artichoke and Mushroom Soup with Pesto, Thai Coconut Bliss Soup, Easy Tofu Scramble, Raw Mushroom Cream Sushi and Chopped “Liver” Spread.

Mushroom and Kale Polenta

1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 – 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (any mix)
1 – 2 cups kale, washed and chopped
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2-3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt, freshly ground pepper, olive oil

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the cornmeal, whisking continuously. Add corn, thyme, and salt and pepper, turn heat to low and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes. If the polenta becomes too stiff, add a little more water. (1/4 cup at a time.)
  3. In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and continue to cook for 5 minutes; the mushrooms should be giving off some liquid.
  4. Add kale and about 2 tablespoons of water to the mushrooms, then cover the skillet for about a minute, until the kale softens up.
  5. Add everything in the mushroom and kale skillet to the polenta. Mix the nutritional yeast into the polenta, and spread the mixture into a glass baking dish.
  6. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Either serve right away or chill and cut into squares.

Baked Freekah Risotto

01 May 2011 1 Comment

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

I just recently tried out Freekeh “free-kah”. To me it was a new product but I have read that it has been around forever originating in the Middle East. It used to be only found in Middle Eastern markets but now it is popping up in restaurants in NYC and can be found in Whole Foods. Freekeh is a roasted green wheat and can be used in place of rice, bulgur or any grains and substituted in recipes for salads, pilaf, tabbouleh, or soup. I made a baked risotto with the freekeh and it came out sooo good! I used the whole grain version (instead of the cracked) which had a really nutty flavor and texture.

Baked Freekah Risotto

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
zest of one lemon
1 medium onion
sea salt
1 1/2 cups freekeh
1 cup tomato sauce
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 recipe Pinenut Parmesan (below), divided or Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

Pinenut Parmesan from Raw Crisp Caesar Salad Recipe

1/2 cup pinenuts
1/2 cup whole cashews or macadamia nuts
2 teaspoon good oil or fresh water
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
pinch dried garlic granules or powder
pinch Celtic or sea salt

In a food processor or blender: Chop pinenuts and cashews into a fine meal. Drizzle in a touch of oil or water. Chop in pulses until moist and ground. Add nutritional yeast, dried garlic and salt and chop in pulses until crumbly.

 Baked Freekah Risotto

  1. Preheat oven to 400F, with a rack in the top third. Spray non-stick oil over a 8×8-inch baking dish and sprinkle with lemon zest.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat combine the olive oil, onion, and a couple pinches of salt. Cook until the onions soften up and begin to become translucent, a few minutes. Add the freekah, stir until well-coated, and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the tomato sauce and the broth. Bring just to a simmer, remove from heat, and stir in about 3/4 of the Parmesan. Carefully taste a bit of the liquid, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Transfer to the baking dish, cover with foil, poke a few slits in the foil, and bake for about 55 minutes or until the grains are cooked through. Uncover and add remaining Parmesan a cook for a few for minutes.

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto

24 Mar 2011 5 Comments

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

I Love risotto. YUM! It does take a bit to prepare and a lot of stirring but it always turns out amazing, pretty much fool-proof. This is such an amazingly creamy and deelish recipe. Serve this for non-veg company and they will be so surprised it is vegan!

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 to 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil on medium. Add onion and squash; season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.
  2. Heat vegetable broth in a separate pot on low.
  3. Add rice to saucepan with onions and squash, stir to coat for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup hot broth mixture. Cook, stirring, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until absorbed. The whole process takes about 40 minutes.
  5. Once creamy and rice is fully cooked, stir in the nutritional yeast, sage, salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve and super enjoy!

Vegan Mini Broccoli Quiche

31 Jan 2011 1 Comment

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

Vegan Quiche!! Seriously! How fabulous are these! So perfect!!! They were amazing to have as breakfast or as a side next to some veggies or as a quick go-to snack. Plus, they were super tasty!! The crust is a little crumbly, but it was worth it.

Vegan Mini Broccoli Quiche
Recipe from http://www.glueandglitter.com

Crust

2 2/3cups all-purpose whole wheat flour
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/4 cup soy milk

filling

1 package soft silken tofu
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cup frozen or fresh broccoli, cut into small florets and peeled stems

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. Mix the crusts – dry ingredients together, then add the wet and stir until well combined. Press about 1/3 cup crust into each cup of a regular muffin pan. With your hands form the cups up the sides and make sure they are pressed well together, without cracks or holes.
  3. Vita-mix or blend all the filling ingredients except the broccoli until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the broccoli.
  4. Spoon the filling into each cup, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the tops start to brown.
  5. Cool for 10 minutes and then using a knife remove from cups and Enjoy 🙂

raw crust

before the oven

Vegan Eggplant and Ricotta Bake

25 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

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

Of course this is not Dairy Ricotta – but it is a deelish vegan alternative! You can use this mixture for lasagna or manicotti, etc.

It is also great to be able to bread the eggplant and and broil it (of course waaaaay healthier than frying them!) I bet this would have been extra insane with a sprinkling of daiya cheese on top…next time 🙂

Vegan Eggplant and Ricotta Bake

1 large eggplant, sliced medium thin
4 cups bread crumbs
3 Ener-G Eggs
2 cups tomato sauce
dried mixed Italian herbs

Vegan Cheese Ricotta

1 block extra-firm tofu
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1 Tbs. garlic powder
3 Tbs. vegenaise
1 Tsp. Each dried Parsley, Marjarom, Basil and Chives

  1. Make the Vegan cheese ricotta. Crumble the tofu and make sure it is fine, no big pieces – looks like ricotta. Add the herbs and vegenaise, which makes it super creamy. Then add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt and pepper and mix well.
  2. In two separate bowls, put the bread crumbs (also, herbs and salt and pepper) and Ener-G eggs and take each slice and coat in the egg mixture and then in crumbs.
  3. You could fry the eggplant or to keep it Much healthier broil the coated slices for 2 minutes on each side.
  4. Use an 8×8 glass baking dish and layer some sauce on the bottom. Then cover the bottom with layers of eggplant and the tofu. Pour on a little more sauce and a drizzle of olive oil and repeat the process. When you have two layers, cover with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Vegan BBQ Burgers with Amazing Barbecue Sauce

07 Oct 2010 5 Comments

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

These are amazing!!! The gardein was a super ingredient in these burgers. They came together really easily when making them into patties. The best part was how unbelievably tasty they are!

And the BBQ sauce is so deelish and perfect for everything else you would ever want with a condiment! It was great that I had extra left over sauce to savor for weeks 🙂

I served this with Cucumbers with Creamy Dill Dressing and Summer Corn & Zucchini Salad with Citrus Dressing. Pretty much the perfect meal!!!

Amazing BBQ Sauce bubbling away

Vegan BBQ Burgers
Makes 8 -12 amazing burgers

1 ½ cup onions, chopped
1 ½ teaspoon Earth Balance
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
½ cup tahini
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups Chick’n Scallopini Gardein, roughly chopped
2 cups Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with oil spray. In a skillet, sauté onions in Earth Balance until soft. In a bowl, combine nutritional yeast, tahini, paprika, and salt. Add onions and combine.
  2. In a food processor, combine half of the mixture and 2 cups of Gardein and blend together, adding Gardein gradually. Set aside and repeat with the other half of the mixture and Gardein.
  3. Form mixture into 1-inch-thick patties, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Pour 2 cups of barbecue sauce over patties, and increase heat to 375 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until well done. Serve with extra barbecue sauce on the side.

Amazing Barbecue Sauce
Makes about 3 cups

2 teaspoons corn oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 1/2  cups tomato sauce
2 cups water, divided
1 cup agave
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tamari
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

  1. In a medium pan over high heat, add oil. Sauté onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add tomato sauce, cup of water, agave, molasses, mustard, salt, allspice and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for about an hour.
  2. Add second cup of water, tamari, lemon juice, and liquid smoke. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Allow to cool slightly and serve generously over burgers.

Cooked Burgers before the Sauce

Uncooked

Raw Sweet Summer Creamed Corn

29 Jul 2010 12 Comments

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

Summer Corn is Back!! Yeah!! I love Corn Chowder but I decided to make creamed corn tonight! YUM!!! It was really good, although I think I overdid it a little on the cayenne, so that is why I am recommending a pinch not a few shakes like I did. You could also make this creamier by adding soaked cashews into the base before blending. This could also be made sweeter by blending in some dates as well, depending on how you like it. Enjoy!

To see more recipes for Summer Corn check out all of these! Raw Corny Soup, Succotash of Fresh Corn, Lima Beans, Tomatoes and Onions, Cashew “Mock Chicken” Salad and Corn Stuffing, Super Amazing Raw Jalapeno Corn Chips, Summer Quinoa with Corn, Corn & Red Pepper Chips, Raw Corn Chowder, Sweet Corn and Snap Pea Summer Side, Cornbread Bruschetta with White Truffle “Sour Cream” and Spiced Tomatoes, Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad, Raw Spicy Corn Chips, Peach, Avocado & Corn Salad, Toasted Corn Salsa, Raw Just Corn Chips, Raw Corn Cakes, and Raw Corn Chowder II. Can you tell that I LOVE LOVE LOVE gorgeous fresh summer corn!!??!!

Raw Sweet Summer Creamed Corn

5 ears raw sweet corn
1/2 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon flax seed oil/cold-pressed olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregeno
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
tiny, pinch of cayenne pepper

  1. Cut corn off cobs, setting aside the kernels from 3 of the cobs
  2. Blend the remaining corn and the rest of the ingredients until smooth.
  3. Pour puree into bowls and stir in the reserved corn.

1 great reason to become vegetarian – Guest Post!

13 Jul 2010 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in In the News, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , ,

I am super excited to welcome Louise from vegetarianmenu.net to write a guest post today! See below 🙂

Give me five minutes and I’ll provide you 1 great reason to become vegetarian.

While fish may serve as the most important dietary supply of the long-chain omega-3s eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which were shown to be important in supporting brain health, low intake of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in vegetarians will not adversely affect mood, according to a new research (Nutr J. 2010;9:26. DOI:10.1186/1475-2891-9-26).

A study team from Arizona State University conducted a cross-sectional study to check the mood of vegetarians who never eat fish with the mood of healthy omnivorous adults.

A total of 138 healthy Seventh Day Adventist adults residing in Arizona and California (64 vegetarians and 79 non-vegetarians) were enrolled in the study and completed a health history questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire and two psychometric tests, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and the Profile of Mood States..

Vegetarians had significantly lower mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and the omega-6 arachidonic acid; they had higher intakes of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 linoleic acid.

“Seed oils are the richest sources of α-linolenic acid, notably those of rapeseed (canola), soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed (Linseed oil), clary sage seeds, perilla, chia, and hemp.”

However, the vegetarians also reported considerably less negative emotion than omnivores in both psychometric tests. Mean total psychometric scores were positively linked to the mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid , and inversely associated with alpha-linolenic acid and linolenic acid intake.

The research team noted there is also the chance that vegetarians may make smarter dietary choices and could generally be healthier and happier.

If you would like to try it out, here is a good example of vegetarian recipe based on Italian cuisine.

Italian Spaghetti with Zucchini

Ingredients:

  • 17 oz. Spaghetti
  • 24 oz. Of thin sliced zucchini
  • A half cup of walnuts oil
  • Some basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons of yeast flakes
  • Salt and pepper

In a skillet or frying pan heat the oil and when hot, add garlic and zucchini. Raise the heat and stir often to finish their cooking. They need to be golden and crispy outside and tender inside. Cook the pasta, drain and sauté in pan with zucchini, basil and yeast. Serve immediately.

***Zucchini contain fewer calories and have no fat. However they are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin e, vitamin c, folate, lutein and zeaxanthin. These types of nutrients are very sensitive to heat and to enjoy their full benefits you need to find a quick method to cook or even eat raw in salads. From the therapeutic viewpoint, zucchini have laxative, refreshing, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and detoxifying action.

About the Author – Louise Infante writes for the www.vegetarianmenu.net. Her personal hobby blog focused entirely on vegetarian cooking tips to help people live better.

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