quinoa!!

(photo is blurry from the steam!)

quinoa curry

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, 1/4 finely diced, 3/4 coarsely chopped
• 1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed (some of the newer brands don't need rinsing)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt & freshly milled pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 3-4 large mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup carrot juice (i used 3 large carrots in a juicer, but you can also purchase carrot juice)
• 1 cup peas
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, including a little of the greens
• 1/2 cup cashews, roasted and coarsely chopped (i used raw cashews, roasted on baking sheet in oven 10 minutes, then chopped in food processor)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

    heat half the oil in a soup pot, add the finely diced onion, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. 

stir in the quinoa, 1/2 tsp curry powder, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook for two minutes. 

add 2 cups boiling water and then lower the heat. 

cover and cook for 15 minutes.

    meanwhile, heat the remaining tbsp oil in a large skillet. 

add the chopped onion, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, chili powder and remaining 1.5 tsp curry powder

cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat, for 5 minutes. 

add 1/2 cup water, the carrot juice, and 1/2 tsp salt. 

cover and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the peas and scallions and cook for a few minutes more. 

stir the vegetables and cashews into the quinoa 

taste for salt and season with pepper. 

serve in soup plates, garnished with cilantro.
(i also topped mine with sriracha)

ginger nut cookies

these taste somewhat like an energy bar, but mostly like a cookie!

packed with tons of protein, flax, and fiber (as well as sugar), so you don't feel as guilty eating them?

ginger nut cookies

• 9 tablespoons ground flax seed 
• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• 1/4 cup oil (or applesauce)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup almonds (or other filler of choice), chopped
• 2 tablespoons rice bran
• 1/2 cup different nuts or fruit ( i used cashews), chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons powdered ginger
• 1 1/4 cup flour

PREHEAT oven to 350 F

in medium mixing bowl, combine flax seeds and milk, let sit five minutes

add olive oil, brown sugar, vanilla and mix well

add everything but the flour, mixing well

slowly beat in four until all combined evenly

 spoon onto slightly greased baking sheet

top with raw sugar

bake 17-20 minutes, watching carefully as to not burn them

remove from oven when sides are slightly browned

let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes

transfer to wire rack to finish cooling

not enough time to cook?

 quick bean dip

really simple! just throw all this in a bowl and mash it up!

• 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic, minced (mix with lime juice before everything else, it will cook the garlic a bit)
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of corn, drained (optional)
• 2 avocados
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• cilantro, chopped, to taste
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• cumin, to taste

any chipotle or hot sauce adds a nice kick.

i like to eat it with fresh greens and corn tortillas toasted in the oven, better for you than chips and then it's like a taco!

sunflower butter cookies!

if you're avoiding peanuts like i am, or even if you aren't, i think you'll really enjoy these cookies.

they have a rich yet not too overpowering taste, and are full of iron!

 

sunflower butter cookies 

• 1 1/2 cup flour (i used white rice)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup soy-free earth balance, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed, mixed with 1/4 cup water (allowing to sit at least 5 minutes)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup sunflower butter
• 1/8 cup sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt

PREHEAT oven to 350 F

whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, set aside

in a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar

beat in flax mixtue, vanilla, and sunflower butter

add remaining dry ingredients, mix on low

on slightly oiled baking sheet, place 1" balls of dough
press with fork
in a small cup, mix together sugar, cinnamon, and salt
top cookies with sweet salty mix

bake 10-12 minutes (until sides are slightly brown)

do not over cook! they harden once they cool.

cool on baking sheet 10-12 minutes,

then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool

**note** the cookies will be slightly green on the inside, this is a natural occurrence when you mix the sunflower with baking soda!

sorry for the lack of visual aid....

it's been a distracting past few days!

that hasn't stopped me from eating, just from taking pictures.

here are some of the things i've made this week.

spanish cauliflower with black beans and kale 

this is a healthier alternative to traditional spanish rice, and tastes just as delicious!

      spanish cauliflower

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 orange or red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 a head of cauliflower
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

heat oil in medium skillet

add onion and garlic, cook until onion is tender

add pepper and cauliflower, attempting to slightly brown cauliflower

stir in water and tomatoes

season with spices and parsley

cover and cook about 20 minutes (till liquid is absorbed)

         black beans with kale

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4-5 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 a bundle of kale
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 a lemon 

in medium pan, heat oil 

add mushroom, cumin, and chipotle powder

after stirring a few minutes, add beans

after another few minutes add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

in separate pan, heat oil and garlic

once garlic is almost browned, add kale

squirt lemon over kale and cover for 5 minutes

cook kale to desired consistency (i like mine pretty chewy)

salt and pepper to taste

plate all items together, and enjoy!

rice pudding

vegan rice pudding

simple dessert!

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 1/4 cup milk of choice
• 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

bring 2 cups of water to a boil

add rice

cook until all liquid is absorbed

add milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

cover and cook until liquid is absorbed

you can serve it warm or chill for at least 30 min to serve cold

top with cinnamon

potato ravioli turned potato pesto casserole

i got the idea to try and make ravioli from potatoes instead of dough,

although it didn't work out as planned, it was still really tasty!

i left the potatoes to boil too long, and they became too soft to shape into ravioli,

so i laid them out in a casserole dish, layered the pesto filling in between the potato, and topped with a tomato sauce.

potato pesto casserole

• 2 large potatoes, sliced into thin sheets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5-6 large mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• salt, to taste

PREHEAT oven to 350 F

boil sliced potatoes until tender, drain and set aside

in separate pan, heat oil

add onion and garlic, cook until tender

add mushrooms, cook about 5 minutes

add spinach, basil, and italian seasoning

in separate pan, fry cashews for a few minutes on low heat

once spinach is tender, and cashews are slightly browned, take off heat and add to food processor

blend until creamy, adding salt as needed.

in casserole dish, add a little olive oil to the dish

add bottom layer of potatoes

add layer of pesto

add top layer of potatoes, coat lightly with oil, garlic salt, and nutritional yeast

bake for 15-20 minutes (until top later of potato is slightly browned and crispy)

        tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped 
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
• 5-6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• pinch of rosemary, sage, oregano

heat oil in pan

add garlic and onion, cook until tender

add tomatoes and spices

cook about 5 minutes 

once casserole is out of the oven, top with tomato sauce.

yum!!