Rutabaga Fries

I tried this recipe this week due to a change I've made in my diet - trying to heal and cure some health issues.  They turned out really well!  Yummy!!


RUTABAGA FRIES

1 rutabaga
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 T. olive oil
1 t. paprika

Preheat oven to 425.

Wash and peel rutabaga like a potato.  Cut into fry size pieces.  Place into bowl and toss with oil and spices.  Spread out on cookie sheet and bake 30 minutes - turning halfway through.

Blueberry Coconut Lemon Bars

I had some leftover blueberries this week that I wanted to use in something yummy.  Since I've recently gone refined sugar free, it made my search a little bit more difficult.  Thanks to thesweet-toothlife.com, I found this recipe!  Yum, yum, yum!

And, family approved!  Everyone liked them.  Mom said, "I give them 4 out of 5 stars."

BLUEBERRY COCONUT LEMON BARS

Base:

3/4 c. oats

5 T. pure maple syrup

3/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

Lemon Layer:

1/3 c. melted coconut oil

1/4 c. pure maple syrup

3 T. lemon juice

1 t. lemon extract

1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1 banana

Blueberry Swirl:

2/3 c. fresh blueberries

3 T. pure maple syrup

1/2 t. vanilla extract

2 T. water

1/2 T. lemon juice

Make the base: Pulse the oats and shredded coconut in blender or food processor until it becomes a rough flour.  Add the maple syrup and process until it all sticks together.  Press into the bottom of an 8x8 square baking pan.  Put in the fridge.

Make the lemon layer: Blend all the ingredients until smooth.  See if you like the taste and adjust if you would like more maple syrup.  Pour into pan over already made base/crust.  Put back in fridge.

Make blueberry swirl: Combine blueberries, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan and boil for one minute.  Transfer to blender/food processor, add maple syrup and vanilla and puree until smooth.  Spoon onto the top of the lemon layer.  Marble using a knife.  Cover and freeze overnight.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Frito Deliciousness

Oh.  My.  Deliciousness.

Seriously.  This stuff is like crack.

Beware.

PEANUT BUTTER FRITO DELICIOUSNESS

1 1/2 bags of Fritos Scoops
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter
chocolate chips or M&Ms for garnish


Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Spread Fritos out on parchment paper.

In saucepan, over medium heat, melt corn syrup and sugar.  Stir constantly until sugar is disolved and mixture begins to boil.  Once boiling, remove from heat.  Stir in peanut butter, until melted.  Pour over Fritos.  Sprinkle chocolate chips or M&Ms (if wanted).  Allow to cool.  Then enjoy!!

Sweet Potato Soup

Turned out good, but not perfect yet.  I need to make it again and play around with some different spices to get it just right...

SWEET POTATO SOUP

4 medium sweet potatoes

4 c. vegetable broth

1 (15 oz) can of white beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 t. salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Bake potatoes until tender (about 1 hour).  Once done, peel and cube potatoes and place in blender or food processor.  Add other ingredients and season to taste.  The soup will be warm enough to serve, but you can put it in a large pot on the stove and heat more if desired.  

Garnish with avocados, croutons, sunflower seeds, or whatever tickles your fancy at the moment.   

**I added some paprika into the soup I made, and ate it with avocados and some tortilla chips.  

**Mom put avocados, croutons, and sunflower seeds and added nutmeg to hers.

Glazed Lentil Walnut Loaf

I got this recipe from ohsheglows.com.  I changed it a bit by taking out the raisins that she puts in it.  Because I hate raisins.  When I'm president of the United States I'm abolishing raisins.

LENTIL WALNUT LOAF

1 c. uncooked green lentils

1 c. walnuts, finely chopped and toasted

3 T flax meal + 1/2 c. water

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 c. diced yellow onion

1 c. diced celery

1 c. grated carrot

1/3 c. sweet apple (firm variety - I used a honeycrisp), peeled and grated

1/2 c. oat flour

3/4 c. bread crumbs

3/4 t. dried thyme

3/4 t. salt

pepper to taste

GLAZE

1/4 c. ketchup

1 T. pure maple syrup

2 T. unsweetened applesauce

2 T. balsamic vinegar

Rinse and strain the lentils.  In a pot, with 3 c. water bring to a boil and season with salt.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for at least 40-45 minutes.  Stir frequently and add more water as needed (I ended up adding an additional 2 c. of water).  You want to overcook the lentils slightly until they are a doughy consistency.  Mash lentils slightly with a spoon when done.  

While lentils are cooking, toast walnuts at 325 for 8-10 minutes.  Set aside and increase heat to 350.  

Whisk flax meal and water and set aside.  

Heat 1 t. of olive oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic and onion for 5 minutes.  Season with salt.  Then add celery, carrot, and apple.  Saute 5 minutes more.  Remove from heat.  Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  

Grease loaf pan.  Press mixture in firmly.  Whisk glaze ingredients and spread half on top of loaf.  Save the rest for dipping sauce.  Bake 40-50 minutes, uncovered, until edges are lightly brown.  Cool 10 minutes then serve!

No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Holy crap, these were amazing!  They're not healthy, by any means, but they made my mouth very happy last night!


NO-BAKE PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 c. almond milk
1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix + 1 T. pumpkin pie spice
3 1/2 c. quick oats
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. vanilla

In a saucepan combine sugars, margarine, and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for two minutes.

Remove from heat and add pudding mix and 1 T. pumpkin pie spice, stirring to combine completely.  Add teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and oats.  Stir to combine and let stand 5 minutes.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto waxed paper and allow to cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Vegan Slow Cooker Chili

We had family dinner this week on Saturday because of some family that is in town visiting.  This week's recipes turned out SO GOOD!  Everyone loved it and was raving about it.  This will definitely be a repeated dinner!

VEGAN SLOW COOKER CHILI

1 (28 oz) diced tomatoes

1 (14 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) corn, drained and rinsed

2 c. vegetable broth

2 t. garlic powder

2 t. onion powder

2 t. cumin

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

2 t. chili powder

1 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
1 (12 oz) Lightlife Smart Ground Veggie Protein Cumbles

Combine all ingredients in 6 qt. slow cooker.  Cook 6-8 hours on low, or 4-6 hours on high.  

Serve with: tortilla chips, avacado, cheese and sour cream (dairy or vegan depending on your preferences)

It was so good that I forgot to take any pictures until it was almost too late and everyone was almost done eating!

Black Bean Lasagna

Tonight's recipe is courtesy of Trisha Yearwood.  It's one that I've had on my list to try for a while and I finally decided to do it this week.  It was surprisingly delicious!

BLACK BEAN CHEESE-LESS LASAGNA

Serves: 8

1 (14 oz) extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry

2 (15.5 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (28 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 (12 oz) tomato paste

1 c. water

1 small-medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 T. dried oregano

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 c. raw cashews

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

3 T. olive oil

2 T. finely chopped fresh basil

8 oz lasagna noodles

Place tofu between 4 paper towels (or between two folded up dish towels like I did because we're currently out of paper towels).  Place heavy skillet on top for 1 hour, pressing down on tofu.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375.  Into large sauce pot, stir black beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, onion, oregano, garlic powder, 2 t. salt, and 1/2 t. pepper.  Heat to boiling on med-high, stirring often.  Reduce heat to maintain simmer; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While sauce cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the lasagna noodles and cook to al dente, according to package directions.  Drain the noodles well.  (THIS IS IMPORTANT!  I decided to try to use no-cook lasagna noodles and they didn't get quite cooked enough.  They were a little chewy and still crunchy on the sides.  Oh well...live and learn...)

In food processor, pulse cashews until finely ground; transfer to large bowl, along with pressed tofu.  With hands, crumble tofu until texture resembles ricotta cheese.  Stir in yeast, olive oil, basil, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/8 t. pepper.

In 13x9 dish, spread 1 c. tomato sauce.  Layer with noodles, sauce, and tofu mixture; repeat layering twice.  Top with 1 c. sauce.  Spread sauce to completely cover noodles.  Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Let stand a few minutes before serving.

End result:

It was REALLY good!  (Despite the still too chewy noodles that weren't quite done.)  Dad cleaned his plate!  (Still not sure if it was because he really liked it, or because he was just starving from being at church all day...it was probably the latter, but I'm choosing the believe the former!)

And Julia asked for seconds!  That's a successful dinner in my books.  My work here is done!

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars

This week's dessert was another hit.  At least in my book.  One family member who tried them, didn't like them, but others did.  They were easy to make and had a bunch of good stuff in them.  How can you go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter??

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE BARS

1 c. peanut butter (I use Sprout's natural pb because it doesn't have a lot of extra "yucky" stuff in it)
2/3 c. honey
1/2 c. coconut oil (I use Whole Food's 365 brand)
2 c. oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free)
1 1/4 c. chocolate chips (as you can see in the pic: ghirardelli is my choice, they don't use milk fat)
3/4 c. Craisins

Melt peanut butter, honey, and oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add oats, chocolate, and cranberries.  Stir until chocolate melts.  Spread mixture into a 9x13 pan.  Refrigerate (or freeze) until hardened.  Store in fridge or freezer.

I cut the pan into 24 squares.  But you can obviously cut them however big you want them.  Beware, though, they are kind of rich, so you don't want them too big or you'll get sick of it before you're done with it!

Bean Tostadas

This week's dinner is another quick and easy favorite.  Tostadas!  Being a native of Arizona I have been born and raised on Mexican food.  I love it.  And when I go too long without it I crave it something fierce.  However, over the last year as I've been making lifestyle and diet changes, I've had to give up a lot of my favorites because they're loaded with meat, cheese, sour cream, and all that other "good stuff".  I've had to adapt recipes (some that came out great, and others I'm still working on), and adjust my expectations.

Tostadas, though, have been something that have stayed constant.  Yea!  All I needed to do was remove the cheese (easily removed and not really missed all that much once you add in a bunch more veggies and salsa for flavor), and sour cream (which I have substituted with a soy version that is actually surprisingly good!).

All the fixings for a easy and super yummy dinner!

I bake my corn tortillas in the oven so you're not getting all that extra, unnecessary fat, by frying them.  Lay the tortillas out on a cookie sheet in a single layer, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, then flip over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until they get a little brown and crispy.  

They you can add whatever toppings you want.  At my house we usually stick to the basics: tomatoes, lettuce, cheese (for those on in my house who eat it), salsa, olives, and your choice of sour cream (either dairy or non-dairy).  When I'm feeling like something a little extra (and when avocados are on sale!) I'll make up a batch of my famous guacamole: avocados, tomato, minced onion, seasoned salt, and lemon juice.  So good!!  

Everyone gives these a thumbs up!

Flour-less Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I saw this recipe earlier this week on Facebook.  They looked good, so I gave them a try.

FLOUR-LESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 1/4 c. canned garbanzo beans, rinsed, patted dry
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. + 2 T. natural peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
1 t. baking powder
1/2 c. vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in food processor (I use a Ninja).  Blend until very smooth - scrape down edges periodically to make sure everything is blended.  Add chocolate chips and stir.

With wet hands form into 1" balls.  Place on parchment paper lined baking tray.  Press down slightly as cookies will not rise or expand very much.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Refrigerate.

Everyone tried them and everyone gave a thumbs up.  Even Dad!

Black Bean Brownies

For dessert I made a batch of my Black Bean Brownies that I found the recipe for a couple months ago and fell in love with.  Vegan and gluten free!

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 flax eggs (3T ground flax seed meal + 6T water)

3 T. coconut oil, melted

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 heaping c. raw sugar

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 c. water

12 oz bag vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 12 slot standard size muffin pan.  Prepare flax eggs by combining flax and water in food processor or blender.  Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, and puree - about 3 minutes - scraping down sides as needed.  

You want it pretty smooth.  It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Evenly distribute batter into muffin tins.  Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if wanted.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides.  Let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.  Store in airtight container in the fridge.  

Chunky Garden Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

When we were living in Oregon, I remember, a couple times, my mom making this really yummy spaghetti sauce from scratch.  I remember it had a lot of big chunks of veggies in it and it smelled really good!  When I was thinking about what I wanted to make for Sunday dinner this week, I kept thinking, "I just want some pasta with some really good sauce."  (My recent trip to Italy has spoiled me, however, when it comes to pasta.  I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with store-bought pasta again.)

So, I asked mom if she still had the recipe and she did!  I made it last night (because we're having a party at the house tonight and didn't want everything smelling like onions and garlic) and it turned out just as great as I remember it being.  I cooked up some of my favorite gluten free pasta to go with it and steamed some zucchini as a side.  For the gluten eaters in my family I also had a loaf of french bread and made them some regular pasta as well.  This recipe is super easy to make and it's really cheap as well, if you're able to get stuff on sale at the grocery store.  I think my batch this week only cost me about $10 and it made a HUGE pot!!

Here's the recipe:

56 oz. can diced tomatoes
58 oz. can tomato sauce
3 c. chopped onion
2 c. chopped green bell pepper
5-6 c. chopped mushrooms
1 T. garlic, minced
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 t. Mrs. Dash
2-3 stems fresh basil, leaves taken off and stems discarded

Simmer all ingredients (except basil) 1+ hour.

Add basil.  Cook 30 minutes.

*Cover the sauce as it's cooking if it's getting too think.  Uncover it if it needs to thicken.

Banana Cherry Chocolate "Ice Cream"

And now for dessert, and in honor of National Ice Cream Day today and National Ice Cream Month, I tried this new "ice cream" combination.  I found this recipe from The Simple Veganista.


2 frozen bananas, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 c. cherries, pitted and frozen (divided)
splash of almond milk
1/2 c. vegan chocolate chips (I used Whole Foods' 365 brand that I love)

Place banana chunks, 1 cup cherries and milk into blender and blend until just combined.  You may need to scrape down the sides and add more milk to help the mixture move.

Add in chocolate chips and 1/2 cup cherries, pulse until just combined.  Serve immediately.

Reaction: Loved it!

Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup

Found this recipe here: Vegangela and wanted to give it a try!  There's nothing better than a good bowl of tomato soup and since the canned varieties inevitably wind up having gluten in them (for some reason I still haven't figured out) I was excited to have one now that was gluten-free.

I doubled the recipe (as I often do) so I have plenty of leftovers to either put in the freezer, or take to work for lunch during the week.  This made a BIG pot of soup!  We ended up getting 14 servings out of it, but the were large servings.  If you were just having a cup, instead of a bowl, of soup you'd be able to get a lot more.  With the ingredients I bought on sale this week at the grocery store and what I had on hand, it winded up being less than $1 a serving.  Score!

Here's the recipe:

6 pounds fresh tomatoes, halved (I used Roma tomatoes because they were on sale this week)
12 cloves of garlic (I used the already minced kind in the bottle...it was 6 tsp)
4 small yellow onions, cut in half and then sliced in large slices long-wise
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
6 c. vegetable broth
4 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 450.

Spread tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast 30-35 minutes, or until caramelized.

Add veggies, with juices, to a large stock pot.  Add vegetable broth and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Using either an immersion blender, or regular blender, blend until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Reactions: two enthusiastic thumbs up!!