Waffles and Hashbrowns

WAFFLE Ingredients:

1 C. Flour (Sometimes we do all wheat, most we do 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white, works good both ways)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C. Almond Milk (1 T of vinegar or lemonjuice added to it, let sit for 5 mins makes "buttermilk")
1/2 C. Applesauce
1 T Ground Flax Meal (mixed with 2 T water, allow to sit for 5 mins, makes "egg")
2 tsp Baking Powder

Directions: Mix together flour, cinnamon, salt. Then add the Milk, Applesauce, and Flax. Last add the Baking powder. I find that adding the powder last makes them more fluffy. Cook in waffle iron. Longer if you want them more crispy.

Hashbrowns:
I always do about 1 potato per person. Peel and dice potatoes. Also cut up some red and green peppers and some onions. Place in skillet. You can spray the skillet with a little cooking spray if you want. But you DONT have to cook the potatoes in oil! They turn out really great, if you just add a little water to them and cook with a lid. When the water is gone, if they are still not done, add a little more. Make sure not to put too much water though. Keep adding little bits of water when needed until the potatoes are golden brown and soft.

Quinoa Veggie Stew (chili)

 I got the Chili recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod. Go HERE to view it.
Obviously, omit the cheese, sour cream as toppings.
This is delicious, packed with protien, and we calculated that it's only about 160 calories per CUP!!

I've been meaning to try a few homemade vegan cornbread recipes...but haven't done it.
For now, I have been buying a milk, egg, dairy-free vegan friendly cornbread mix at the store. And then I just add Almond milk(instead of the milk) and make a "flax egg" in place of the eggs.

This salad above is my favorite right now: Spinach, cherry tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and avacado. I usually pair it with a Blush Wine Vinegarette, or Annie's Balsamic Vinegarette. The sweetness of the dressings makes it takes like a dessert to me:)

Mexican Salad

The easiest thing for me to make since going plant based (that the whole family is happy with) seems to be variations of different mexican dishes. You still get all the flavor and I find I don't really miss the meat, cheese, and sour cream as much as I thought I would. Whenever I am struggling with cravings for bad things, if I make a mexican dish, it usually satisfies me and reminds me that I am not missing out on anything eating this way (and after 30 days now, not one headache or my usual stomach issues, it is SO worth it!!)

 

 

Mexican Salad

 

Ingredients:

~Lettuce

~Black beans

~tomatoes, diced

~grilled red, green, yellow pepper with onions

~Rice (I make mine using veggie broth instead of water, and I add a little cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Sometimes if I am in a hurry I just mix some of my homemade salsa with the rice and it is good that way too)

~Fresh Salsa

~Homemade guacamole (I mix some of my homemade salsa or some Herdez salsa with mashed avacado, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and some lime juice. This is just as good as the lenghty guac recipies I have tried and way less work)

 

-The salsa and guac act as your "dressing". SO YUMMY!!!!

 



Homemade French Fries and BLT's

Homemade Fries:
Cut potatoes into 1/4 in long strips.
Place on a baking sheet covered with either parchment paper or aluminum foil.
You can spray the fries with cooking spray if you want, but it isn't neccessary.
Sprinkle with salt.
Bake @ 400 degrees. 15 mins on one side. Flip the fries and cook about 15 mins more on the other side. Until the fries are golden brown (or too your liking, I like mine a little too done:) )

BLT's:
I can't say that I love using meat substitutes. Honestly, I'd rather just not have "meat" at all.
However, I can say that my family loves "Smart Bacon".
We make our BLT's by toasting some good vegan bread (we use Dave's Killer Bread)
You can use some Veganaise (I do for the kids)
My hubby and I would rather just smear some smashed avacado on as a sub for the "mayo".
The place your "bacon", lettuce, and tomatoes. Sprinkle a little pepper and salt and your good to go.
Easy!!

Peanut Butter Secrets

These are awesome! Our go-to dessert if we are dying for something sweet. It makes a SMALL batch, so we each can have two cookies and we don't go crazy (like most other batches of cookies)
I got the recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie. Please go HERE to view it. You won't be sorry.

Roasted Vegatable Enchilades and Mexican Rice

Ingedients:
1 zucchini
1 yellow Squash
bell peppers (1/4 red, 1/4 green, 1/4 yellow)
1 small onion, diced
1 can black beans
1 can died green chilies
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
8-12 corn tortillas
Vegan Friendly Enchilada Sauce ( google for, there are homemade recipes and store friendly options. I think last time I used a Lawry's packet with organic tomato paste. It was the only option that specifically stated there was no MSG, some of the labels on the other enchilada sauces its hard to tell for sure. I need to try some of the homemade versions)

Place the peppers, onions, zucchini, and squash on a large baking sheet. Lightly spray with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss veggies. Place in oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 mins until veggies are done. Let cool to room temperature and reduce the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the black beans, cumin, chilli powder, diced green chilies, garlic, and cilantro. Then add the roasted veggies. Mix together.

Spead 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on bottom of an 8x8 pan. Add a layer of tortillas, covering the bottom of the pan. Top with 1/3 the veggie mixture. Then make another layer of tortillas, and veggie mixture. Make a third and final layer. (sometimes it seems I only use 8 tortillas, with two layer -more veggies in between and fewer calories) Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of it all. You may not use all of the sauce, just eyeball it. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 mins approx. Let cool for a few mins, then cut and serve.

Original recipe came from HERE


MEXICAN RICE

My dear friend from Mexico taught me how to make a simple mexican rice.

Ingredients:
1/2 T. olive oil
2 C. White Rice
1 can Organic Tomato Sauce
1 can Organic Diced tomatoes
water(if needed)
Chili powder
Salt and pepper

Place the oil and the rice in a skillet. Fry the rice for about 5-10 mins, browning it a bit.
Then read the package directions to see how much water the rice needs to cook in.
Place the tomato sauce in a liquid measuring cup, add water to it until it makes the total amount of water the recipe calls for (so you are counting the tomato sauce as some of the water)
Add the water, sauce mixture to the rice, as well as the diced tomatoes, and cook.
The key is low heat, for a long time! Like 30 mins at least.
If it looks too dry, add a little more water. If it's too runny, keep cooking it.
I like to cook it until it is soft and starts to "fry" a  little on the bottom. I flip it over several times to get that "fried" effect on lots of the rice. When i am satisfied with how it looks, we eat it!!

Crockpot Black Bean Soup (chili)

Crock Pot Vegan Black Bean Soup adapted from Food.com ,  Noreen Cooks, and Prevention RD
1 lb dried black beans
1/2 red onion, diced
1 green bell peppers, diced
2 jalapenos, diced (we use diced green chilies, less hot for the kids)
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Directions:
Soak the beans in 1-2 quarts of water overnight at room temperature.
Drain the beans and combine all ingredients in a large crock pot, stir well. Cover and cook on HIGH for 9-12 hours. Stir before serving hot.
Yield: ~10 cups (varies with cooking time)

Nutrition Information (per cup): 123 calories; 02. g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 295 mg. sodium; 26.1 g. carbohydrate; 6.7 g. fiber; 7.2 g. protein

Breakfast Potatoes...for dinner

We love having breakfast for dinner! This Forks over Knives recipe is great, especially with my Fresh Salsa covering it.

Go here to view the recipe.

Fresh Salsa

This is a family recipe, that I have adjusted a little bit over the years, to be in my unhumble opinion, the most delicious salsa, ever. It is a family tradition with most of my siblings to hand it out as "neighbor gifts" at Christmas time. But I make it almost weekly. My kids were eating this salsa almost since birth, and it's blended consistancy allows them to actually eat the veggies in it, without just dipping into the sauce around the veggies.

We add it to breakfast potatoes, bean and veggie burros, over rice, mix it with avacado to make guacamole, mix it with vegitarian refried beans as a bean dip, have it as the dressing for a vegan santa fe salad, the options for this salsa are endless. It is one of my best friends:-)

Ingedients:
1 Can Diced tomatoes, large 28oz (petite diced work best)
1 can El Pato Sauce, 8 oz (found in Hispanic section at most stores)
1 Can diced green chilies
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions
1/8 of yellow onion, diced small (in food processor)
1/2 bunch cilantro (more if you like)
salt & pepper to taste
One generous squirt of lime juice (or juice from 1-2 limes)
2 avocados, chopped (I don't always add the avacados, if I want to use it for lots of things during the week)

Put all ingredients in a large bowl, besides the cilantro & avocado, and mix. Then I use a food processor (Ninja) to finely chop the cilantro, and add that to the salsa. Use food processor again to blend the salsa into a finer consistency, similar to Chilli's Restaurant. Last, add the avocado and stir.

Vegan Pico De Gio Nachos

My 8 year old daughter got a recipe book (and the cutest little apron) from her Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas. She has been begging to make something out of it since. She looked through it and came to me and said "look Mom, you will like this one! There is no meat, and I just won't put cheese. Can I make it please?". I relented a let her go to town in the kitchen. She did it all by herself and it turned out amazing! I had to share. It is from the DK Cookbook for Girls.

It's called Nachos & Salsa but I thought that
Vegan Pico De Gio Nachos
was a better description for the adjustments we made to the origional recipe.

Ingredients:
Plain tortilla chips
3-4 medium tomatoes, (cut in half, seed removed, then chopped)
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lime
4 T. finely chopped cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
(additional yummy options to add: can of diced chillies (or fresh), fresh bell peppers, mushrooms)

Place Tortilla chips on a cookie sheet or pan. Mix all other ingridents together in a bowl (besides salt and pepper). Sprinkle over chips. Optional * spritz with olive oil spray or lime juice. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Place under a preheated broiler for 3-4 minutes.
The next time we make it I will either double the recipe, or use less chips. But, it was so flavorful and yummy!!

Extra Thick Cut Oats

A switch up from the normal oatmeal. These oats are chewy and very filling.

The directions call for water, but I used almond milk for a creamier outcome.

Drizzled on a little agave for sweetness 

 

My Favorite Green Smoothie

-Almond butter, chocolate, spinach smoothie

This is my favorite green smoothie recipe.

1 frozen banana
2 C fresh spinach
1 T. chia seeds (or sometimes I use ground flax)
1 serving chocolate protein powder (Sunwarrior is excellent. Vitacost.com is cheaper than stores)
1 T . almond butter
1 C almond milk
a scoop of cubed ice

Blend well in a blender (I use my Ninja. Oh, how I wish I had a vitamix...someday.)

If you drink this all, its about 450 cal. It's a great after workout shake, to give your body some extra protein and natural sugar for energy.

Fried Rice with Tofu

Ingredients:
About 1 C. Veggie broth
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 med onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 large carrots
1/2 of a crown of broccoli, chopped
5 whole white button mushrooms, chopped
1 C. frozen peas

2 teaspoons seasame oil
1 pkg. Extra Firm Tofu

2 C. Rice (cooked)
salt to taste
Vegan Soy Sauce (Tamari) or Teriyaki Sauce (we use Soy Vay Island Teriyaki)

Directions:
Cook the rice according to package directions.
Sautee onion and garlic in a little veggie broth (less fat, same outcome as oil).
Add chopped veggies, and a little more broth (enough so veggies don't stick and burn, but not too much). Let steam until soft. About 10 mins.
While veggies are cooking, chop Tofu into squares and fry in a skillet with the 2 tsp. seasame oil.
This video was helpful when cooking Tofu my first time: How to Fry Tofu

Add the Rice to the veggies, stir. Then add the Tofu.

Last add about 4 T. of  whatever sauce you picked. (can add more later if not enough, I think we ended up with 6 T.)

I found this one in the Asian foods section at Winco. It is by far the best tasting Terriaki sauce we have tried.
SO. GOOD.

Soy Vay, Island Teriyaki

This recipe will feed my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids) for two nights.
I am a huge fan of recipes that last two nights. Less work for me and cheaper.
If you don't like leftovers, you may want to half the recipe!!

Baked Oatmeal

I got the original recipe from a friend, and over the months I have altered it to be "Vegan" friendly.
It still has a bit more sugar than I would like, but it is an amazing breakfast treat. My kids beg for it.
It only has 211 calories per serving (1/8 of the batch) So I shouldn't feel too bad I guess.

Sometimes I add applesauce instead of the "butter". It is still good, but comes out more fluffy, bread like, than crumbly oatmeal.
Our favorite way to eat it is with fresh Farmers Market berries or peaches in the summertime, but since it is winter, today we just had banana slices on top.

Ingredients:

3 Cups oats
1/2 Cup brown sugar ( or raw sugar, I use vegan Demerara Sugar Crystals, I bought at Walmart)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
"Flax Eggs" (2 T. ground flax meal, mixed with 6 T. Water, let soak for a few mins)
1 1/4 C. almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
3 T. Earth Balance, melted (butter sub)

Directions:
In a large bowl combine oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and bkg powder. In another bowl combine melted "butter", milk, and flax eggs. Pour into oats mixture and stir until blended. Pour into an 8x8 square baking pan. Bake at 350 for about 40 mins or until set. Yield 8 servings.

*Helpful note: I love to put this altogether the night before and let it soak in the fridge over night. Then I can just pop it in the oven in the morning, and go shower, and then its ready!

It also lasts really well stored in the fridge and warmed up the next day.
One batch lasts two days for us.

You can also pour milk over the top of it all, if you prefer. I like it's crumbly, sticky perfection just the way it is myself. Yum.

Cowboy Caviar

I was calling this the "black-bean-avocado-corn-salsa-stuff", until I learned from a friend a month ago that it actually has an official name. "Cowboy Caviar" is one of my favorite things on planet earth.
I think it is filling enough to actually be called dinner, though it is usually listed in the "side dish" category. I was afraid my hubby would agree with it's side dish status, but he said his 1 cup serving ( a heaping cup) and 15 tortilla chips were plenty:)

I have seen several different variations of this salad. This is what I like to put in mine:

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 C. corn (i use frozen because I have a ton on hand-steamed before adding to salad-but a can of corn would be sufficient)
3-4 tomatoes, diced
3 avocado's, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced small
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 C. Italian Dressing (See this list- condiment section)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Basically you just put all this together in a bowl, reserving the dressing to be mixed in last.
Refrigerate until cold and flavors have time to marinate. (30 mins to 1 hour)
Serve with tortilla chips.

Homemade Healthy Hummus

This recipe I got from the Forks Over Knives recipe book. Go here to view it.
If you haven't seen the Forks Over Knives documentary, you should watch it.
Netflix streaming offers it.

Paired with veggies and pita chips, this hummus makes for a great lunch.

* I also ate about 1/2 cup whole almonds, dried cranberries, and raisins as a snack inbetween lunch & dinner this day.

Buckwheat Pancakes

Buckwheat is awesome. It is a fruit, not a grain. Buckwheat is gluten free, rich in protein, lysine(amino acid), magnesium, and research shows it will help keep glucouse levels in check. It also makes delicious pancakes...that satisfy me as much as my previous go to "Aunt Jemima's Buttermilk Pancake Mix". So greatful to have found a healthy alternative that my kids love!

Ingredients:
1 C. Whole Buckwheat (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 C. Almond Milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)

1 T. Coconut Oil
1 T. Maple Syrup
"Flax-eggs"-egg replacement ( 2 T. ground Flax, mixed with 6 T. Water, let soak for a few mins)
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Blend the buckwheat and milk together well in a blender or food processor (I use my Ninja)
Add the coconut oil, syrup, "flax-eggs", vanilla, and salt. Blend.
Add the bkg soda and powder last, and blend. (seems to fluff it up best this way)

If it is too thick to pour, add a little bit more milk (sometimes mine needs just a bit more for some reason, sometimes it's fine?)

Pour on a skillet or griddle, cook on each side, serve and enjoy!
We love to put Organic Peanut Butter, or Almond Butter on ours with a little Pure Maple Syrup.
I use Earth Balance (butter sub) to grease the griddle.