Friday, August 16, 2013

Julia Della Croce's Fusilli With Zucchini And Goat Cheese

Last night on the way home, Matt was listening to NPR and heard about some zucchini recipe ideas. He got a craving for one particular dish and we went to the store to pick up what we needed to make it. He was so excited and took care of cooking dinner. It was cute seeing him follow the directions so precisely! Totally opposite of me! But it paid off, because dinner was totally delicious! Okay, it requires a ton of cheese and it's not exactly healthy (except that there are veggies in it) but it's very good and it's a recipe I hope we'll make again! Maybe next time we'll find a way to make it without the cheese, or maybe just mix in some crumbles rather than making a cheesy sauce. I have a feeling we'll get a lot of opportunities to try out different things with this recipe! Find this recipe and other zucchini recipes here: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/15/211473928/drowning-in-zucchini-three-recipes-can-help

Flatbread Crisps

Matt and I are slightly addicted to Flatbread Crisps! We love dipping veggies like carrots into our hummus, but sometimes you just want some crunch! We also love using Pretzel Crisps, but it's hard not to eat the whole bag! So a while ago we bought some flatbread crisps, and somehow got the idea to dip it in the hummus. Now it's a must have for our pantry! We have two empty boxes in the recycle bin and I just opened a new box this morning. Like I said - slightly addicted! I love it because it's a quick snack. One serving is 18 crackers, but since I'm dipping them in hummus I usually eat about half that. Sometimes it just becomes my lunch (and Matt's too!).

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Portabello Wellington

Okay, maybe not healthy but this recipe is possibly the best thing I have ever found on Pinterest! I've never had much luck with wine sauces, but I did pretty well on this one! In fact, it's the sauce that I am most excited about! The portabello wellington was okay, but it was nothing without the sauce! You can find the full recipe here: http://virtuallyveganmama.com/2011/05/portobello-wellington-vegan-dinner-party-time.html It will explain how to prep the portabello and wrap it in puff pastry with the filling of more mushrooms and seasoning, etc. For the sauce, I started by following the recipe with red wine and veg stock. I didn't have date syrup so I think I added honey (or maybe it was brown sugar?). Simmer together. As it simmered, I thought back to our trip to Montreal a couple years ago, when I ate the GREATEST meal ever! Seriously, I dream about that dinner and would go back to Montreal again just to go to that restaurant! The complexity of the flavors in that sauce will haunt me forever! So I looked at my photo of what I ate in Montreal (of course I still have a photo of the greatest thing I've ever eaten on my phone). I looked at the ingredients, and though I didn't have everything that was in there I used it as my inspiration. I didn't have shallots, but I tossed some chopped onion into the wine sauce. I also had a zucchini, so I chopped it up and tossed it in as well. Some rosemary and thyme. I'm sure I put some garlic in there as well (powder and minced both?). I watched it all simmer together and prayed that I didn't just screw up the sauce that I made with a decent bottle of wine from one of our wine clubs (I think it had been opened for a couple days, so no harm). After a while I gave it a little taste and it was coming together nicely! I cleaned a couple carrots and tossed them into the oven with the portabello and also sauteed some spinach. In the end, it was all so delicious, but WAY too much food! If you make the portabello wellington, I definitely recommend cutting it in half and sharing. It is massive! But wow... the sauce soaking in to the puff pastry was out of this world amazing! I'm almost scared to try this again for fear of ruining the memory of the one time I got a wine sauce right! : )

Mongolian Tofu

You have to love Pinterest for recipe ideas! I think my "cookbook" board is the only one that I get ideas from that I actually USE! Although some day maybe I'll make that bookcase secret door! : ) One of the recipes I love is the Mongolian Tofu found here: http://themightyvegetarian.com/mongolian-tofu/ I think we followed the recipe pretty straight on (it was a while ago that I made it so I don't remember). I may have tossed in some sriracha for heat and I didn't make quite as much sauce (a mistake I won't make again!). It was really delicious and we put it on top of some broccoli and bean sprouts. I just bought another pack of tofu yesterday, so we may need to make this one again soon!

Grilled Avocado

We had this at a restaurant in south Florida, and it's one of my favorite things to eat. Well, anything with avocados is my favorite thing to eat! For this, we sliced avocados in half and spritz with olive oil and cook on the grill (flat part down, of course). Meanwhile, we pan fry some corn (I've tried it with frozen and canned and they both work). I do this by putting some olive oil in the pan and getting it hot. I also like to add some chipotle peppers in for flavor! When it's almost finished, I add some green chiles for more flavor. Chop up some red onion, tomato, and cilantro and mix with the corn and top the grilled avocado halves (or dice up the avocado if you'd like). We top it off with some sriracha. The restaurant also added some tortilla crumbs for texture. We usually skip this because we don't usually buy tortilla chips. : )

Hot Pot

After our trip to Portland last February, we've become addicted to hot pot! Hot pot is kinda like fondue (not the thick cheesy or chocolate kind)! We made ours in our electric fondue pot with a vegetable broth base with some sesame oil, garlic, and ginger and chopped up some broccoli, bok choy, mushrooms, zucchini, and snow peas (okay, we didn't chop the snow peas!). You toss a few pieces into the broth to cook and then take them out and eat them. We made a dipping sauce with soy, garlic, ginger, hoisin, and sriracha. We also made some rice vermicelli, and at the end of enjoying our veggies we tossed the noodles into the broth and ate them. Of course, we were so full by then that we didn't need the noodles. Eating at such a slow pace means filling up on less food. It's also a ton of fun!

Kale and Mushroom Fried Rice

We made this a while ago when we were going to the drive in theater! Okay, maybe it's not your typical movie food, but it was yummy! This works best if you cook the rice ahead of time and chill it in the refrigerator. Heat a pan with some sesame oil. Chop up the kale and mushrooms and add to the oil when it's hot (really hot). Stir fry for a few minutes until the kale gets crispy (mine never did, but I think that's because I didn't get the pan hot enough). When it's just about done, add the rice and flavor it with soy or tamari. I also throw in some minced garlic and ginger frozen into cubes for convenience (you can usually find these at the store). We made this again earlier this week. Definitely one of our new favorites! Based on the recipe found at http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/crispy-kale-and-mushroom-fried-rice.

Brussels Sprout Salad

We eat Brussels sprouts on a weekly basis. We are kinda addicted to them! Usually we make them as a side, but Matt decided to make them as a salad topper! They taste delicious on top of a bed of lettuce and other veggies with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar! We vary how we make our sprouts. Matt like to cut them in half and I like to shred them. But we both saute them in a pan with olive oil until they get nice and brown. We season with salt and garlic powder. Lately we've also been adding some white truffle oil in while cooking (soooo yummy). I like to add capers and Matt likes to add bacon. I could probably eat sprouts every day!

Avocado Salsa

I think I found this recipe on Pinterest. It's pretty similar to guacamole, but not all mashed up! I like this chunky dip better. It's just avocado chunks, red onion, tomato, corn, cilantro, a little lime juice, garlic powder and sea salt. Easy and yummy!

Avocado Grilled Cheese

Where have you been all my life?! This is the greatest grilled cheese sandwich EVER!!! Tomatoes, avocado, basil, cheese - heaven between two slices of bread!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Baked Tofu

I usually like to pan fry my tofu (with no oil) but I decided to try out baked tofu. Maybe it was the spicy sauce that made it so good, but I really loved it! The hubs said he prefers the pan frying but he liked it as well. After pressing, I cut the tofu into chunks and baked it at 450 for about 25 minutes with just salt and garlic powder. Toward the end I put a little sesame oil to make it a little crispy. While the tofu was in the oven, I whisked together a sauce with soy, hoisin, sriracha, fresh garlic and ginger, a little brown sugar, just a pinch of flour (to thicken), and sesame oil (though I would leave it out next time since I put it in the oven with the tofu). When the tofu was ready, I poured it over the tofu and put it on broil for a couple minutes to thicken up. Served over steamed kale (seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh garlic) and a bed of bean sprouts. This is adapted from this recipe: http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/dynamite-tofu-with-rice-and-broccoli.aspx

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Pho and Spring Rolls

Matt and I love to eat pho, so I thought I'd take a stab at making it at home. I found this recipe at Bon Apetit for "faux pho" and it's what I used to base my soup off of. Here's how I made mine: Ingredients Olive oil Small yellow onion Garlic cloves Ginger Veg broth Star anise Cinnamon Sliced mushrooms Green onion Sea salt Rice vermicelli Bean sprouts Basil leaves Sriracha and hoisin Preparation Slice yellow onion thinly, but leaving the entire circle intact. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion slices and cook until it starts to get golden. Add minced or crushed garlic and thinly sliced ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden, 3–4 minutes. Add broth (and water, until it's the desired strength you want it), star anise, and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until flavors meld, 7–8 minutes. Add mushrooms; simmer 2 minutes. Add scallion. Season with salt. Meanwhile, cook rice vermicelli. Make enough to have some extra to put inside your spring rolls! Put the vermicelli into the bottom of each bowl, then pour broth into bowls. Top with raw mushroom slices, bean sprouts, basil, and green onions. Add sriracha and hoisin to season to taste. This is a HUGE bowl (the one we use for popcorn). So you can't see much of the broth, but it was so good. I would even dare to say it was better than the pho we got at the local restaurant! We may never order out again! Spring rolls are super easy, and you can put just about anything in them. We used rice vermicelli, spinach, carrots, basil, and cucumber (I think another time I used zucchini). The basil is key, though, because it adds so much flavor. You just soak the rice paper for about 5 seconds, add your ingredients, and roll. For the sauce I just used some hoisin, sesame paste, and I think a dash of soy sauce. Maybe some rice wine vinegar or sriracha. It changes every time I make it! These are super easy and so delicious!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Banana Coconut Ice Cream

When we're fasting we always seem to crave sweets, so we tried this recipe from Pinterest. You have to kinda time it right, because if it stays in the freezer it will turn to ice. Ours turned out pretty well (and Matt was asking for it the next night).

Raw Blueberry Pie

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It's from The Raw Buzz blog, and it may be the best dessert I have ever had! Seriously, I could have just scooped the filling out of the bowl and eaten it all. I've never been a big fan of blueberry pie, but raw desserts are always so good. This one is really easy to put together. Just raw almonds and dates for the crush (I actually added a banana because I didn't have enough dates). You can add in coconut if you want (I did - because coconut in raw dessert crust makes it even better). The filling is just dates and blueberries processed together (with some whole blueberries mixed in). Top with blueberries for a pretty presentation, and voila! A killer dessert that beats chocolate cake and is way healthier! I can totally see making this with blueberries and strawberries, too. We'll definitely be making this one again!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Aloo Matar

I don't know how I lived before Pinterest. I found this recipe from a cute blog called Honey, What's Cooking. It was super easy and super tasty. I served it with some brown rice on the side.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Panang Curry

This was my first time ever making panang curry, and now I'm wondering why it took so long! It's just soooo good! The next time I make it I think I'll leave out the tofu. It's packed with veggies, and they were my favorite part. This is another Pinterest recipe, found on a blog called Recipris. (http://www.recipris.com/2012/05/01/panang/)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Polenta with Garlic Mushrooms

This one really won Matt over! I've always had a hard time getting him to eat polenta. He likes it okay, but he has never been wowed by it. After this dish, he is asking when we can have it again! This is derived from a recipe on the blog Maple & Spice. It's supposed to be pretty and grilled, but I couldn't wait any longer so I skipped the grilling part. But oh my goodness, these mushrooms were to die for!! All that buttery goodness dripping onto the polenta was just crazy good! Can't wait to eat this one again!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Thai Tofu Lettuce Wraps

We love lettuce wraps, and this recipe from PETA completely rocks! I wanted a little crunch in my lettuce wraps, so I added some cucumber and bean sprouts to the tofu. The only thing I didn't do right was buy iceberg lettuce instead of Boston lettuce. I thought I'd save some money, but Boston lettuce always makes for the best wraps!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Southwest Chili

Yesterday, the hubs said "It's cold. We should make chili!" Every time I make chili, I forget how I made it. But every time it also comes out awesome, so I'm convinced that chili is a fool proof thing to make! This pot of chili included some squash, zucchini, onions, corn, beans (1 can of kidney beans and 2 cans of tri colored beans), 1 large can of stewed tomato slices, and a ton of chili powder and cumin. When I say a ton, I mean put an obscene amount of both into the pot and just when you think you've put too much, double it! I feel like you can't add too much spice when it comes to chili! I also put some sea salt in as I was cooking. We like to also use ground soy in our chili, so if you like a meaty chili you can always use that (check the ingredients though - a lot of meat alternatives include yeast extract and egg whites, which aren't fast-friendly). I bought the packet before checking the label, so I went ahead and used it, but next time it will be strictly veggie. If you're fasting, also check the label for the beans. Some may have corn syrup. The cans I bought were organic and only had sea salt and water. This is a pic before it all cooked together. It was soooo good that I forgot to take a pic of the finished product. We each had two helpings and we're having leftovers for dinner (we may put the chili on top of some baked potatoes). Can't wait for dinner!

Avo Banana Smoothie

I had a couple avocados that I needed to use up, so I decided to try out making an avocado smoothie. I've read recipes for berry avocado (or mango avocado) smoothies, but I didn't have either of those. I opted to add a banana and some lime juice, along with some soy milk, and I am super happy with the result! It's a creamy and very tasty smoothie. Since I only have a food processor, I was very happy that it was creamy. May need to hint to the hubs that I need a nice blender for my birthday! : ) I really only tasted the banana. I think some cinnamon would be nice, but I was worried that it would discolor the pretty avocado color. But next time I think I'll give it a try! This may be my new favorite smoothie!

Orange Pineapple Juice

I know that orange and pineapple go well together, but I never thought to make orange pineapple juice at home before. That may be because I never buy pineapples (they are such a nightmare to chop up). But when our local market had pineapples on sale 2 for $3, we decided to pick up a couple. I chopped them up and put them into a container for easy access. esterday With our juicer I don't have to cut them perfectly, because it will extract the juice and separate out the pulp and any skin. So yesterday I decided to make some orange pineapple juice, and it was happiness in a glass! I made some this morning for breakfast, and the hubs sent me a text saying he loved it! Looks like we may have to buy them regularly! Chunks of grilled pineapple with cinnamon also make a very nice dessert!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Warm Chickpea Salad with Kale

This is another recipe adapted from one I found on Pinterest. It changes every time I make it, but this time I sauteed some onions, peppers, squash, and zucchini (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and some fresh lemon juice) plus the chickpeas and chopped sundried tomatoes. At the same time, I steamed some kale, then tossed it with olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I put the chickpea salad on top, and we devoured it! I made a lot, and we both could have eaten more. It was so flavorful (especially the kale - yum!).

Monday, January 7, 2013

Potato Chips

Another football watching snack during our fast is potato chips - made in the oven! I call it fake frying. I put the oven on broil, slice a potato (as thin as possible). Lay the slices on a cookie sheet, spritz with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and some rosemary, then put in the oven. When they start to get crisp, flip them over and spritz again with olive oil (I only season them once). You have to keep an eye on them, because they will burn quickly once they start to brown. We really love these, even when we're not fasting!

Protein Smoothie

I adapted this recipe from a smoothie I found on Pinterest. It includes peanut butter, cooked oatmeal, banana, unsweetened soy milk, honey, and cinnamon. I made the peanut butter myself using a little oil, water, salt, and honey. The oatmeal I cooked in advance and soaked in soy milk so it would be soft. I have decided to use honey during my fast, so if you don't want to use honey just make sure that the bananas are very ripe and it should be plenty sweet! Doing liquids only during the day has been a challenge, but manageable. This smoothie is definitely filling, so I made it my lunch drink. I start the day with juice, have this for lunch, and I was planning on doing a green smoothie in the afternoon, but I haven't been hungry enough for one!

Kale Chips

If you can believe it, I've never made kale chips before! I don't know what took me so long, but I decided to make some as a snack before dinner while Matt watched football. A fast-friendly and super healthy snack food - score!!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Vegan Insalata Caprese

One of my FAVORITE things ever in this whole entire world to eat is this vegan take on inslata caprese! I love the original with fresh mozzarella, so I wondered what I could put in its place that was vegan and would have the same buttery, soft texture and taste. Avocado!! Honestly, I think this version is even better! Avocado, tomato, and basil, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper is the meaning of happiness! Sometimes I layer the salad, and sometimes I do it chopped. This time I had grape tomatoes, so I just did a quick little chop and mixed it all together. But it is very pretty layered nice and neat!

Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes

I got the idea for this recipe from an Italian cookbook one of our friends sent us. This time, I chose some plump heirloom tomatoes and stuffed them with some sauteed spinach and cooked brown rice. They are super easy to make. Cut out the stem, and flip the tomato over so that the bottom is the top. Slice off a piece to be the "cap." Scoop out the inside of the tomato, and put in a bowl. Add your other ingredients to the bowl of tomato pieces and season to taste. If we weren't fasting, I'd use risotto and some cheese, but the brown rice and spinach worked out nicely! Place the cap back on the tomato, and put in the oven. I placed some leaves of spinach (drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder) underneath the tomatoes. Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes on 375. The tomatoes were delicious, but the spinach I put underneath was my favorite part! Next time I'll have to pile them up even higher!

Filling up our cart

We stocked up on lots of goodies for the week! Oranges were 5 lbs for $1, so we bought 10 pounds! Going to be doing a lot of juicing!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Veggie Kabobs

This is one of our favorite veggie grilling recipes! We use the Gardein beefless tips instead of meat. I cook the tips in a skillet with some salt, pepper, curry and garlic powder and a little soy sauce. Put them on a kabob with some peppers, onions, and tomatoes (also seasoned, but not pre-cooked) and put them on the grill until the veggies look done. So so yummy, especially if you have some grilled corn on the side! Easy to make fast-friendly by leaving out the beefless tips (which contain yeast extract and cane sugar).

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Falafel Pita Sandwich

I remembered today that I had some falafel in the freezer, so I heated them up and tossed them into a half pita with some hummus, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and avocado. I thought about putting some tomatoes in, but it looked so good I couldn't wait that long! LOL! When I start fasting next week I'm going to try a homemade baked falafel recipe out for Matt's lunch. Maybe I'll make him a Mediterranean salad to go til our fast begins!!!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A happy and healthy 2013!

It's the beginning of a new year, which means that Matt and I are doing our detox! We always look forward to this part of the year! Since I lost most of my recipes due to a virus on my other blog (boo!!) I'm back to posting on here. Last year I had some really great recipes, but I'm looking forward to trying some new ones! Living in California makes eating healthy much easier. The produce is plentiful, better, and insanely cheap! I just checked the ad for one of our local markets, and oranges are 5lbs for $1! Yes, not 5 oranges for $1, but FIVE POUNDS!!! Pineapples were 2 for $3 and avocados were 3 for $1 last week. Plus the spa we go to is by an amazing farmer's market. If you are willing to drive (and know where to go) there are independent sellers with even better produce deals! So not only are we cleansing our bodies, we're also saving lots of money!
This week, we have cut all meat out of our diet to prepare ourselves for 3 weeks of fasting! Last night we had a huge stir fry with the yummy stuff below!
I also added some fresh green beans and minced garlic after I took the pic. Totally forgot to take a pic of it all cooked because I devoured it! For lunch today I made half pita sandwiches filled with romaine, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, and black olives. I added a few more plump black olives and some giant chunks of honeydew on the side.
Random thing about me... I LOVE black olives, but hate green ones. Honeydew is my favorite fruit, but I can't stand the taste of cantaloupe. I also like broccoli but think that cauliflower is disgusting. Am I weird, or what?! Next week begins the real challenge! Since I work at home and don't find the parameters of the Daniel Fast all that restricting, I am going to do liquids only during daylight hours. I usually start the day with juice (I like using oranges, apples, and carrots, but today I used some pear and pineapple). For lunch I will probably do a green smoothie. In between meals I will have a glass of water flavored with cucumber and lemon (beats soda any day!). I am debating about drinking seltzer because carbonated beverages are on the no-no list, but I think that should only be things like soda that are packed with sugars. Seltzer just has a tiny bit of sodium, but otherwise it's water. So I am debating about that. In my opinion, fasting is not so much about a strict set of rules set by someone else but about making personal sacrifices during a time of reflection and prayer. I have a few days to think about it! Meanwhile, I am also already thinking of all the amazing recipes that I want to try out! Ever since we decided to move from Florida to California our lives have been crazy and we've been putting absolute garbage into our bodies! We are both excited about our commitment to cleanse our bodies and minds this month! : )