Recipe: Spicy veggie marinara and quinoa pasta

spicy marinaraI have craved pasta for weeks, so I found some quinoa pasta at Sunflower Market. The pasta is really yummy… I’ll definitely this pasta again. Below is the spicy marinara sauce recipe I put together. Turned out great! This has some kick, so if you can’t handle the heat, omit the Rotel and red pepper flakes.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 20 oz can tomato sauce
1 can Rotel original
1 can diced tomatoes
2 zucchini cubed or round slices
1 head broccoli cut into pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 package of 4 veggie sausages, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
Water

DIRECTIONS:
On medium heat, use a 4 quart soup pot to water saute’ the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes, add the remaining ingredients plus 1/2 cup more water. Cover and stir occasionally for 20-30 minutes. This is a great make-ahead recipe that can easily be reheated for when you’re ready. Serve over warm pasta.

Restaurant Review: Ginger’s 2 – Utah

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Lovely lunch to Ginger’s Garden Cafe in Springville with my dear friend Ronda. I had heard this was a good spot, but I wasn’t ready for how amazingly yummy the food is! They also have many packaged items as well, so I’m excited to go back and check out more of their offerings.

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For lunch, Ronda enjoyed the Veggie Wrap. This is her favorite and she gets often. I was tempted to sneak a bite, but instead I’ll get this wrap another time.


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I loved the Falafel Sandwich. I have craved falafel and this sandwich hit the spot. The vegan ranch was perfect!

We shared the nachos… oh my goodness! Before going vegan, I considered nachos to be a food group. So, I’ve been really craving nachos for months. These vegan nachos were fantastic! I’m craving them again already…

 

 

Restaurant Review: Bombay House – Utah


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Haven’t been to Bombay House since embracing the vegan way of eating. Very pleased to find that they have vegan dishes on the menu. In fact, found out that 70% of their dishes are vegan… they just add meat when a patron requests.

We really enjoyed the garlic and plain naan, the Vegetable Coconut Kurma and the Aloo Gobi.

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Note: The next morning, woke up with a headache which tells me that they use MSG. Now that I know that, if I go back again, I’ll ask that they not add MSG.

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Recipe: Almond Milk

almond milkYield 1 quart

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup raw almonds
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Soak almonds uncovered over night in room temperature water. Rinse very well. 3-4 cups water with almonds in high-powered blender. Blend until thoroughly and finely blended. There will be tiny almond pieces at bottom. We leave in, but you can strain out pieces if desired. Store in air tight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week (if it lasts that long!!).

Nectar of the Gods – best vegan sweetener around


Klint stumbled upon this recipe while looking for different vegan recipes on YouTube. We always recommend Nectar of the Gods sweetener because it’s such a helpful ingredient to have on hand for vegan dishes.

Yield about 2.5-3 cups

INGREDIENTS:

20-25 medjool dates, pitted
11 ounces pure coconut water

DIRECTIONS:

In a small-medium size bowl, soak dates uncovered in coconut water for at least 4 hours and up to over night. This will soften the dates to make the best creamy consistency. Coconut water should mostly cover the dates, but don’t worry if some of the water is absorbed and a few of the dates are at the top and uncovered. Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender. refrigerate in air tight container. Because we eat it so quickly, not sure how long this will last in the fridge… probably up to 2 weeks. But if you’re not using it within two weeks, that tells me you aren’t experimenting with other recipes. Try my vegan cookie recipes for a great way to use the NOTG.

SHOPPING TIP:

We buy our medjool dates at Costco in the produce section. We also buy coconut water at Costco – it’s the Vita Coco brand that comes with individual sized servings that are the perfect amount for making one batch of NOTG.

Blueberry banana walnut ice cream

yogurtWe saw a gal on Dr. Oz’s show who lost a lot of weight (like ~200#… holy cow that’s amazing!) eating the “Eat To Live” way. She had a major sweet tooth, so found that she still craved sweets. She created this adaptation of Dr. Fuhrman’s Banana Walnut Ice Cream, by adding some blueberries. Delish!

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

1 frozen banana
2 tablespoons walnut
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup almond milk

DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender, serve immediately. Can be doubled. (Note: I like to put in the freezer and eat when it’s even more firm. Really feels like you’re eating ice cream!)

Recipe: Oatmeal Cherry Macadamia Cookies

oatmeal cookiesMy first crack at vegan cookies… and they turned out really yummy. Not just IMHO, but everyone in the family – even the picky 6-year-old nephew liked them. Woot!

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups quick oats
1 cup Nectar of the Gods (aka NOTG)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 cup raw macadamia nuts, rough chop
3 ripe bananas (not totally brown peels, but lots of brown spots)
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup raw coconut
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
Water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix together NOTG and bananas until fully mixed well. Add oats, 1 cup at a time, until mixed through. Add all other ingredients and mix until well combined and very sticky. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time to make sure that you have a good sticky consistency. You don’t want the cookies to fall apart in the oven… then you’ll just have really chunky granola. Bake 15-18 minutes (depending on your oven). Cool on cookie rack. Store in container… if they last that long!

Recipe: Mexican Couscous Salad

mexican couscousFamily picnic dinner in the canyon, so wanted to take something easy to eat and flavorful yet I needed it quickly. Thank God above for giving us couscous. This quick and easy to make semolina grain is versatile and delicious!

Serves 12-15

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups couscous, prepared to directions on the box. Let cool on the stove top.
4 cups carrot chopped
4 cups celery small dice
1 cup cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1 can Rotel original
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoon no-salt seasoning
Juice of 2 limes

DIRECTIONS:
Cook couscous per package instructions. While couscous is cooling, chop and prepare the veggies. Add all the veggies to a large mixing bowl. For the sauce, blend the Rotel and Rice Vinegar in a high-powered blender. Add the cooled couscous to the large bowl and all the remaining ingredients. Add additional seasonings if desired. You really can’t go wrong. Mix thoroughly and put into a sealed container. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe: Mexican Tortilla Pizza

mexican pizzaFound this great recipe for Mexican Tortilla Pizza by Ellie Krieger on FoodNetwork.com. We really enjoyed it! Below is the original recipe and how we adjusted.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 corn tortillas, or whole-wheat tortillas (6-inches in diameter)
1/2 cup Black Bean Dip, recipe follows
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 cup shredded green cabbage [we used purple cabbage]
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
[We added fresh guacamole on top as well.]

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the tortillas onto a baking sheet and spread 2 tablespoons of black bean dip on top of each tortilla. Top with tomato and cabbage and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven and sprinkle some cilantro on each one. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into wedges.

BLACK BEAN DIP:

2 teaspoons olive oil [we used water instead]
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin [we used coriander]
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil/water in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute more. Put the beans into a food processor. Add the onion mixture and the rest of the ingredients and purée until smooth. Yield: 1 cup

Recipe: Vegan tofu veggie stirfry


tofu stir fryI’ve been in the mood for a stir fry with tofu, so I cleaned out the fridge from all the veggies I could get my hands on. Ultimately, the recipe turned out really good.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 white onion sliced
3 clove garlic, minced
4 baby bokchoy, cut into fourths lengthwise
2 c carrots sliced diagonally
1 head of broccoli cut into florets
1/2 orange bell pepper julienne sliced
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced
2 zucchini sliced
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into rectangular slices about 1/2 inch thick
Tofu seasoning: Mix together 1 tablespoon each cumin, chinese five spice, crushed red pepper, white pepper
Water for stir fry
1/2 cup cilantro, rough chop for garnish
1 lime, cut into fourths for garnish
For extra heat, use chili paste or Sriracha for garnish (a little goes a long way)

DIRECTIONS:
Start with cooking rice because you’ll want the rice ready to eat before the stir fry is cooked. We used 2 cups brown rice, which yielded about 6 cups cooked. We like to have extra rice on hand for left overs. Rice cookers are a wonderful invention!

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Line 1 cookie sheet with parchment paper so that the tofu doesn’t stick. One piece at a time, coat the tofu slices with the tofu seasoning and lay the slices on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the tofu slices and bake for another 10 minutes. Should be firm, with a little crispness on the edges. If not crispy, don’t bake longer because can get too hard. Once ready to serve, diagonally cut the tofu rectangles.

While the tofu is baking, cook the stir fry. Heat large skillet on medium-high heat. Add about 1/4 cup of water and water sauté the onion, garlic for about 3 minutes, adding water as needed so that the veggies don’t stick. Add the other veggies and continue to water sauté until cooked al dente – about 5 minutes. Covering the pan helps keep the moisture in for the sautéing

To serve, bed of rice with veggies and tofu rectangles on top. Garnish with cilantro, lime and Sriracha. No oil, no salt, no sugar, no explaining vegan needs to a Thai waiter. How do you say “bon appétit” in Thai anyhow?

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Enjoy, my friends!