Sunday, January 24, 2010

Snacks for Game Day: Mushroom Balls

I just threw this together with no recipe. It just sounded good in my head (and it is!!):

Mushroom Balls
I used baby portabellos, chopped them in the food processor, and put them in a bowl with a handful of soy cheese, corn starch, and a little olive oil. Season with garlic powder and Adobo (like I do everything) and get about a tablespoon of the mixture and make a ball. Roll in bread crumbs (or corn meal if you aren't doing breads and grains) and lightly "fry." I either use some olive oil in a frying pan or put the oven on broil and drizzle with olive oil (almost as good as fried but uses much less oil).

I think we might be seeing these again on Super Bowl Sunday!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Eggplant "Parmesan" with Spaghetti Squash

EGGPLANT "PARMESAN"

Step 1
Preheat your oven on the broil setting.
Slice the eggplant into thin slices approximately 1/4 inch thick or thinner if you can. There is no need to peel the eggplant.
Prepare the whole wheat bread crumbs and place into a flat dish. If you are making your own bread crumbs or using store bought, season to your taste with Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Step 2
Pour some soy milk into a bowl. Dip each slice of eggplant into the soy milk and then proceed to the next step.

Step 3
Place each slice of eggplant with soy milk into the bread crumbs coating both sides. Then place the breaded slices single layer onto a cooking sheet. Broil, watching carefully to not burn the eggplant. Turn over if need until tender, approximately 4-5 minutes.

Step 4
Turn oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
Using the 9 X 9 baking dish, pour enough tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish to cover. This will not only moisten the bottom layer of eggplant but prevent it from sticking. Arrange a single layer of cooked eggplant slices, spread a layer of tomato sauce to cover the eggplant. Sprinkle a layer of shredded soy cheese. Continue this layering procedure until all the eggplant is used. Top with a layer of tomato sauce and shredded soy cheese.

Step 5
Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for approx 20-25 minutes. Serve with a side of whole wheat spaghetti or whole wheat Italian bread and ENJOY!


SPAGHETTI SQUASH
We made some spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti squash is really easy to cook. Just slice in half lengthwise, place in a shallow dish of water and microwave 10 minutes. Scrape strands of squash out with a fork and top with spaghetti sauce.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Black Bean & Corn Enchilada Bake with Spanish Rice and Corn Cake

We had a feast last night! The best part is that we still have plenty left to eat tonight for dinner! Yay!

I made a variation of the recipe below. Instead of making enchiladas, I made an enchilada casserole where I layered tortillas in between two layers of the black bean and corn mixture. I also threw in some diced zucchini, squash, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms and seasoned with lots of Adobo and garlic powder. We topped it with some veggie "cheese" and green onion garnish. Next time I think I would add some sauce and maybe more cheese in between the layers, or only make one layer.

Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

•2 cups Southwest Black Beans
•1 cup frozen corn, thawed
•One 10-ounce can mild enchilada sauce
•1 cup tomato sauce
•Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas
•Chopped green onions for garnish
•Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
•Salsa to taste

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.In a medium bowl, mix together the Southwest Black Beans and corn. Set aside.
3.In a small bowl, mix together enchilada and tomato sauces.
4.Spread one-half of the sauce on the bottom of a baking pan.
5.Spread each tortilla with ¼ cup bean mixture, roll and place seam side down in the baking pan.
6.Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas.
7.Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
8.Garnish with the onions and cilantro and serve with salsa.


Spanish Rice

1 cup of brown rice
8oz tomato sauce
1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
1/2 onion (diced)
2 plum tomatoes (diced)
2 cloves of garlic
Adobo and garlic powder

Cook brown rice according to instructions on package.
Diced up pepper and onion and sautee in olive oil.
After the pepper and onion get a little tender, add garlic and tomatoes. Sautee about 2 minutes.
Add tomato sauce and heat.
Add mixture to rice and stir over low heat for about 5 minutes.


Corn Cake
We found corn cake mix in the grocery store. It's mostly corn meal and creamed corn (which has some added sugar). Such a delicious little side dish/treat!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Chinese Take Out

The first week of our Daniel Fast has gone very well, but I thought we deserved a little "treat" tonight. So I stopped by Panda Express and brought home some steamed veggies! I know, it's not really a big treat but it kinda felt like it. I sooooo wanted a little sample of that Orange Chicken, but I love their steamed veggies with all that garlic... yum! : )

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Taco Night!

I can't get enough of sauteed veggies. They are my go-to when I don't feel like trying out a new recipe. So tonight we made tacos with corn tortillas, refried beans, and sauteed onions, mushrooms, and green bell peppers. We topped our tacos with salsa, lettuce, and green onions. I also toasted some of the tortillas to make tostadas, which I think we much better than just the warmed tortilla.

The refried beans were easy. I just put the can in a pot and set it just below medium, added a touch of olive, fresh squeezed lemon, Adobo, garlic powder, and black pepper. I have never made refried beans before and I usually can't stand them, but they were delicious!

The sauteed veggies are easy. I start with a little olive oil and heat it in the pan. Add the green peppers and onions and cook those covered for a little while over medium heat. I add just a dash of water to them so they don't burn. Then I put in the mushrooms and add some Adobo, garlic powder, and fresh lemon juice (I use these to flavor just about anything). I meant to add fresh garlic but I forgot. Anyway, it's pretty tough to mess this up!

As an added treat, I cut up the small corn tortillas into 6 parts and made baked tortilla chips, which were killer! I drizzeled them with olive oil before putting them in the oven. I put them on broil, but next time I think I would just cook them at 400 degrees. No need to flip them over as long as you preheat the cookie sheet along with the oven. They seems to cook pretty well on both sides.

Baked Apples and Pears

My metabolism is in high gear right now, so it's almost a requirement that I have dessert! We tried this one the other night and it was delicious!

Ingredients:
2 apples (sliced)
1-2 pears (sliced)
honey
cinnamon
nutmeg
1 orange

Set oven to 350 degrees. Slice up apples and pears and place them in a glass baking dish. Drizzle lightly with honey and fresh squeezed orange. Season liberally with cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

Vegan Potato Latkes and Homemade Applesauce

I haven't made these yet this year, but I remember before that they were exceptional!!! The soy sauce totally makes these potato pancakes. Top with homemade applesauce and enjoy!!

Ingredients for Potato Latkes:
1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
3 tablespoons cornstarch (I'm replacing the cornstarch with leftover mashed potatoes)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
dash of pepper
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
Olive oil for cooking

Mix all the together in a large bowl. Form 3” patties and fry in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Flip latkes and fry for another 10 minutes until crisp on both sides. Serve warm.

Ingredients for Homemade Applesauce
4 med. apples
2 quart pan
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. sugar (white) - I leave out the sugar during the Daniel Fast
3-4 shakes cinnamon

1. Peel and core apples. Cutting them into quarters.
2. Put cut up apples, sugar, cinnamon and water into pan.
3. Cover and cook at medium heat for 20 minutes.
4. Let apples cool, then mash with potato masher.

Homemade Potato Chips

Fasting at the beginning of the year is such a challenge because of football! It's really hard to resists chicken wings and beer when you're watching a game! At least this year my team was out of the playoffs (makes things a little less tempting).

The GOOD thing about fasting during football season is that it gives you an excuse to make some of the best potato chips you will ever have in your life! They take a lot of work, but they are sooooo delicious! Nothing that comes in a bag can top these, in my opinion!

First, you need to wash your potatoes and get out a sharp knife. Set your oven to broil and allow it to heat up. Thinly slide the potatoes (the thinner, the better because they will get nice and crispy). Try to cut them as evenly as possible (smaller potatoes work the best). Spread the chips onto a cookie shit and drizzle with olive oil. Season with garlic powder and rosemary. Put them in the oven for about 5 minutes (I would stay close by just in case). When the chips are starting to brown, take them out and make sure they are done. They should be nice and crispy. Thicker chips may have to be flipped over and go back in the oven.

It takes some work, but I believe they are worth it! Enjoy!

Portabello Mushrooms

Tonight we had portabello mushrooms topped with sauteed onions and mushrooms (bell peppers are also great but my hubby doesn't like them). I put the oven on broil, lightly drizzled olive oil and reduced sodium soy sauce on the portabellos, seasoned with garlic powder and black pepper, and squeezed fresh lemon on top. Let them broil for about 2 minutes on each side (what carefully!) and then top with the sauteed veggies. I also use the soy sauce, olive oil, and lemon to season the vegetables as I sautee them.

Mmmm... can't wait to make this one again!!

Smoothies

To really push myself during my fast, I am allowing only liquids during the day. Smoothies are such a quick, easy liquid snack. I love berry smoothies with vanilla soymilk, but orange/pineapple is another favorite. Buying bulk bags of frozen fruit helps save money and cuts down on how much hard ice you will have to throw in your blender!

Basic Juice Recipe

I love my juicer! I have no problem eating vegetables, but for some reason I just don't care for fruit (seems backward, doesn't it?). So I prefer to have my fruit in juice form.

I use carrots as a base for all my juices because 1) they are cheap 2) they are mild and sweet and 3) they yield a lot of juice! Plus they are a pretty vibrant color when juiced! : )

Apples and oranges go really well with carrot and make a quick, inexpensive juice recipe. Strawberries, bananas and kiwi, sadly, do not juice very well. I'll try to post more juice recipes as I come across them!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Cran-Apple Salad

I'll be eating a lot of salad during my fast, so it's important to mix it up sometimes!

Ingredients

1/2 of an apple (diced)
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
field greens
balsamic vinegar and olive oil
fresh squeezed lemon quarter

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I found this recipe online. Some changes that I made to it: I added some honey, used vanilla soy milk, and instead of the suggested seasonings I added nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Personally, I think the onion added too strong of a flavor. It was okay, but not sure if I would make it again. It was a lot of work for just an okay soup!

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1 small onion diced
2 medium whole garlic cloves
2 small carrots diced
1 small celery stalk diced
1 medium sweet potato
¾ cup of chickpeas
½ cup soy milk
3 cups vegetable stock + 1 cup reserve stock
Small chunk fresh ginger
Curry powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 large sprig rosemary - remove leaves from twig (substitute sage if preferred)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Clean squash, poke all over with fork and place on cookie tray. Bake for approximately 1 hour until skin is somewhat golden and squash is soft inside skin. Set aside and cool when done
3. Sauté onions and whole cloves of garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Once garlic has some golden color; remove from pan and set aside
4. Continue cooking onions until soft and translucent
5. Microwave sweet potato in skin approximately 1 min until skin can be easily removed from potato (potato does not need to be completely cooked at this point)
6. Add salt, pepper and curry powder, diced carrots and celery and continue sautéing until vegetables are tender and wilted
7. In food processor combine rosemary, garlic cloves, chickpeas and soymilk. Blend until a smooth paste forms
8. Add squash, diced sweet potato, chickpea paste and 3 cups of broth to vegetables in pot
9. Zest small chunk of fresh ginger into pot according to taste
10. Stir and simmer for approximately 5 minutes ensuring all vegetables are tender
11. Remove from heat and blend using hand blender or blender until smooth and creamy - strain if desired.
12. Return to heat and add reserved 1 cup vegetable stock if needed to achieve desired consistency