Monday, March 30, 2009

{HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS}

This isn't really a recipe, but it's a meal we enjoy.  It's a great way to use up leftover veggies, too.

cooked brown rice

Top with any combination of the following:

cooked peas
steamed broccoli
cooked carrots
cooked green beans
steamed zucchini
pineapple
mandarin oranges
raisins
chow mien noodles
sunflower seeds
almonds
celery
olives
water chestnuts
bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow)
tomatoes
avocados
mushrooms (grilled or fresh)

Saturday, March 28, 2009

{ROSEMARY REDS AND SWEET POTATOES}

Someone (maybe Joanne?) shared this recipe with us a few years ago. I don't know how far I've strayed from the original recipe, but here's what I do:

4 to 6 medium red potatoes
1 to 2 large sweet potatoes or yams
dried rosemary
salt
pepper

• Cube red potatoes.

• Peel and cube sweet potato(es).

• Put potatoes and sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with rosemary, salt, pepper. (I like the rosemary really really small--not ground, but very small "sticks," and I probably use about a tablespoon? I just sprinkle the spices on, put a lid on the bowl, and shake it.)

• Transfer to lightly greased 9x13 pan.

(This is 4 red potatoes and 1 sweet potato.)

• Bake at 425 for 35 to 45 minutes, turning once.

Note: I sometimes add garlic and onions to this. When I do, I pour 1/2 to 1 cup water over the whole thing before cooking.

(This is how Mariah, my 2-year-old, likes hers.)

Thursday, March 26, 2009

{HOMEMADE BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGERS}


This is actually one of my favorite meals to make, because it's one of the rare meals that all of my kids like - it's so nice to have a healthy dinner with no complaints from anyone.

Also, I just really love to be able to make my own veggie burgers for super cheap out of ingredients that I always have on hand.

That being said, I've been reluctant to post it, because I never follow the recipe exactly, and mine turn out a little different every time.

This is the original recipe, which I found here at all recipes.com. I'll include the changes I have made in parenthesis. They say it makes only 4 patties. I say it makes around 10, depending on the size of your patties - I like mine pretty thin (so they cook all the way through).


1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces (I'm not a bell pepper fan, so I leave this out)
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg (I use Ener-g egg replacer powder plus water)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce (or a few Taco Bell hot sauce packets)
1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs (or 1 cup oats or 1 cup cooked rice, or some combination of the three)*

(additional veggies)**

* This is the part that I vary the most on. I rarely have bread crumbs on hand - sometimes I'll toast a piece of bread and throw that in, but I actually prefer using oats and/or rice to thicken the mixture. When I have leftover spanish rice, I use that plus some oats for some extra flavor.

** Although these are mainly made from black beans, feel free to add extra veggies. Last time I made these I experimented and grated a handful of baby carrots in the food processor before I started with the onion, garlic, etc., and they turned out great.
  • If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F , and lightly oil a baking sheet. (I've always baked mine, but I'm sure they'd be great grilled - you may want to read the comments in the original recipe link, though - I think some people recommend freezing the patties first if you want to grill them)
  • In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic (and additional veggies if desired)
  • Add egg replacer, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce and pulse until combined
  • Add drained black beans and pulse
  • Add bread crumbs (and oats or rice) until the mixture is sticky and holds together.
  • If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on oiled baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side. (When I make these, the mixture is not thick enough to form into patties, so I plop little spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, and then flatten them into circle shapes. They won't get any bigger, so you can put them pretty close together)

Here's what mine look like before baking:


And after baking:

  • Serve on whole wheat buns (I broil mine) or toasted wheat bread, with whatever hamburger toppings you like. I love avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup and hummus on mine. Here's how Oliver (my six-year old) likes his:

Whenever we have any leftoever patties, I love to put them in the fridge and eat them for lunch on a toasted sandwich the next day. They also freeze really well, and are easy to reheat by just popping them in the toaster.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

{LEMON CASHEW AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO CREAM SAUCE}

This recipe is a combination of the Lemon Cashew Cream sauce and the Spicy Lemon Pepper Pasta with Broccoli from Vegan Yum Yum. She uses the lemon cashew cream sauce with her gnocchi, but we've had it on regular pasta and it's delicious. If you want the original recipe for that, go here. We've also had her spicy lemon pepper pasta with broccoli and it's delicious as well. However, it uses olive oil to coat the noodles and I'm not crazy about that (tastes good, not so healthy). Find that original recipe here.

Anyway, I was messing around with my new blender (a Blendtec) and decided to make a pasta sauce with these two dishes in mind. It turned out quite wonderfully, if I do say so myself.

1 1/2 c. water
1 1/4 c. raw cashews
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 lemon, zested and then peeled and quartered*


• Zest the lemon. Reserve zest and then peel and quarter the lemon.

• Add all ingredients (including the lemon zest and peeled lemon quarters) to your blender.

• Blend until completely smooth and hot**.

• Serve with whole grain penne pasta and broccoli (either on the side or mixed in).

* This makes the sauce pretty lemon-y. We really liked it, but you may want to start with 1/2 of a lemon and add more if you'd like. I'd still use the zest from the whole lemon, though.

** The sauce should still get pretty creamy with a normal blender - it just won't heat up unless you have a Vita Mix or a Blendtec.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

{LEMONADE}

2/3 c. lemon juice (if you have a vitamix you can put in 3 whole lemons, peeled)
8 to 10 c. water
1/2 to 3/4 t. stevia (to taste)

Experiment with different amounts of lemon vs. sweetener--everyone likes their lemonade different!

Blend very well--works best in a blender to get the stevia to blend in.
I also make a 'slushy' by replacing some of the water with ice cubes.
Also, for St. Patrick's day, I made a 'limeade' slushy by adding lots of spinach to the original recipe (if you do this, blend the spinach and water first before adding the ice)

{WHOLE WHEAT BREAD}


This is the recipe my mom has been using for years and years. Lots of my friends have had really good luck with it! Over time, we have changed it a bit to make it more vegan-friendly. I'll post the original recipe, with the vegan substitutes in parenthesis to the side). There is also a lower fat version that I use now that I'll post way down below, since it involves trickier substitutes. I have had good luck replacing 1/2 of the oil with applesauce or wonderslim, though, if you want to try an easy substitute. I recommend trying the original recipe first to get the hang of it before you try substituting--although the egg replacer is really straight forward and doesn't mess too much with the consistency.

Mix and soak for at least 1 hour:
3 1/2 c. water (vegan: 3 3/4 c. water--to replace liquid from egg)
1 c. oil (or 1/2 c. applesauce or *wonderslim, 1/2 c. oil)
1 c. honey
2 eggs (vegan: no eggs--you'll add egg replacer later)
8 c. whole wheat flour

Add:
1 c. hot water + 4 T yeast: put dab of honey in water to help yeast rise--let rise in cup before adding
6 c. whole wheat flour
4 t. salt
(vegan: 1 T egg substitute powder--no liquid)

Knead in Bosch for 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Let rise until double; punch down. Rise again; punch down. Split dough into 5 sections. Roll out each section and form a loaf. Put in loaf pans; rise until double. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Now for the lower-fat version: this recipe makes 6 loaves instead of 5, because that's the way I figured it out:

Mix and let sit:
4 1/2 c. water
9 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. wonderslim
just over 1 c. of honey
1/4 c. (heaping) *liquid lecithin (it works best if you pour this into the wonderslim--it's very sticky and is a mess if it touches anything)

Add:
1 1/4 c. water + 1/4 c. (heaping) yeast
1 1/2 T egg replacer powder
7 c. flour
4 3/4 t. salt

Follow the other directions above.

*liquid lecithin is still oil, but is supposed to be a healthier type, and is also more concentrated (without adding more calories or fat), so you can use less of it. You can buy it at health food stores. Someday I might post a picture of it.

*This bread stores and freezes really well.

*I've had friends do a half-recipe if they don't need 5 loaves, or if they don't have a mixer that can handle this much flour (a Bosch works the best)

*wonderslim: 3 cups water, 2 cups prunes, 3 T lecithin granules. (I've also done it without the lecithin, and it's fine). You can also use prune baby food

{NO-BAKE COOKIES}

This recipe is adapted from one I used to make all the time when I was a teenager.  They taste about the same as the original recipe--they do take a little longer to 'set'.  I figure it's worth it!  Gwyneth is actually the pro at making these--hers turn out way better than mine, so if you have questions, talk to her about them!

Combine in a bowl and set aside:
4 1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 T. vanilla

In saucepan combine:
2 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice
2 T. cocoa powder
1/2 c. soymilk
1/2 c. ground white beans (from a can--I just empty the whole can into the blender and blend it, then measure out 1/2 cup--this replaces the butter in the recipe)

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Let it boil for 1 minute (use a timer), stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and pour over the oat mixture.  Scoop onto greased cookie sheet, and let cool.  Cookies should 'set' fairly quickly.

{BAKED FRIES}


6 to 8 medium potatoes
seasoning salt (or seasoning of choice)

• Slice unpeeled potatoes into thin slices or wedges, lengthwise.

• Put in a large bowl and toss with seasoning salt or other seasoning.  (I actually just put the lid on the bowl and shake it.)

• Transfer to lightly greased cookie sheet.

• Bake at 425 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning once.

{SLOPPY JOES}

Here's an alternative to the lentil sloppy joes.  This one uses potatoes and carrots as the base.  I adapted it from Aunt Elna's recipe.  Mike has said it's in his top 5.

1/2 to 1 c. water
1 onion, chopped
3/4 c. celery, chopped

5 medium red potatoes, grated (peeled optional)
3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
2 c. water
3/4 c. ketchup
2 T. mustard
1 t. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
2 T. honey
2 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder
1 6-oz. can tomato paste

• In a large pan, cook onion and celery in water until tender.

• Add remaining ingredients, except tomato paste.

• Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring often, until desired texture.

• Add tomato paste.

• Serve on whole wheat buns or bread.

Notes:  We like our bread toasted.  I like grilled mushrooms, avocados, and lettuce on mine.  Mike puts pickles on his.

The baked fries are great with these.

This recipe makes a lot.  I sometimes freeze what we don't use the first night.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

{CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES}



These definitely take care of any chocolate needs you might have.  At least they do for me.  The original recipe can be found here , but for a very low fat version try this one:

1 T. + 1 t. whole flax seeds
1/2 c. soymilk

3/4 c. wonderslim or baby food prunes (fat replacer)
2 c. evaporated cane juice*
2 t. vanilla

2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Grind the flax seeds on high in a blender until they become a powder.  Add soymilk and blend for another 30 seconds.  Set aside.
  • Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
  • In a separate large bowl cream together oil and evaporated can juice.  Add the flaxseed/soymilk mixture and mix well.  Add the vanilla.
  • Mix wet and dry together.  Add the chocolate chips and mix again.
  • Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into disc that's about 1 1/2 inch in diameter.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, set them on a wire rack.
*I actually used half evaporated can juice and half super concentrated stevia (1/4 t. = 1 c. sugar) and it worked great, but if you don't have either of those you can use sugar.

Friday, March 13, 2009

{CORN WAFFLES WITH SALSA}

(Served with mango avocado salsa.)
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. corn meal
¼ c. evaporated cane juice
4 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
2 T. egg replacer + ½ c. water
¼ c. soy yogurt (vanilla or plain) or applesauce*
2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. non-dairy milk
2 c. corn


black bean salsa, mango avocado salsa, or pineapple mango salsa


¼ c. plain soy yogurt or sour cream (optional)
fresh cilantro (optional)

• Plug in waffle iron and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

• In a small bowl, combine whole wheat flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set mixture aside.

• In another bowl, whisk the egg replacer and ½ c. water together until frothy. Add yogurt (or applesauce), vanilla extract, milk, and corn. Mix well.

• Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture.

• Spoon batter onto hot waffle iron and cook until golden and crispy, 3-5 minutes.

• To serve, cut waffles in half. Divide warm waffles among 4 serving plates.


• Dollop with salsa, yogurt, and cilantro.


• Serves: 4


* The original recipe called for melted butter, but I decided to use applesauce instead. When I looked in my fridge for the applesauce, I noticed I had vanilla soy yogurt and thought that might be tasty instead. I ended up using the yogurt and it was really good, but I’m sure applesauce would work just as well.

{PINEAPPLE MANGO SALSA}

1 pineapple
6 mangoes (or peaches)
1 bunch cilantro
1 jalapeno (careful)
1 red onion
juice from 1 lime
tortilla chips, to serve


• Chop and mix all ingredients

• Serve chilled, with tortilla chips.

I also serve this with corn waffles...and will be posting that recipe next! I've also always thought this would be fabulous with black bean burritos of some sort.

{MANGO AVOCADO SALSA}

1 medium mango, peeled and chopped (1 c.)
1 small avocado, peeled and chopped (¾ c.)
¼ c. chopped sweet red pepper
2 T. chopped red onion (¼ small onion)
½ fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t. lime juice
1 t. evaporated cane juice (or 1 drop stevia)
¼ t. ground cumin


• Combine all ingredients.

• Serve chilled, with tortilla chips.

I also serve this over corn waffles and it's delicious!

{PUMPKIN PECAN BUTTER}

This is the recipe for the topping that Bekah put on her pancakes. It's delicious with waffles, too.

Zest of ½ of one orange
Zest of ½ of one lemon
3 ½ c. pumpkin puree prepared from scratch
(OR 1 29-oz. can pumpkin + ½ c. water)
1 c. honey
1 c. evaporated cane juice
½ c. pure maple syrup
3 T. fresh orange juice, strained (squeeze the orange you zested)
3 T. fresh lemon juice, strained (squeeze the lemon you zested)
1 ½ t. cinnamon
½ t. salt
¼ t. allspice
¼ t. ginger
⅛ t. ground cloves
⅓ c. pecans, lightly toasted and then ground to a fine powder


• Combine all ingredients except pecans in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer the mixture, stirring it very often. Simmer until the mixture has become very thick, about 15 minutes.

• Stir the ground pecans in and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

• Yield: 5 cups

This mixture can be canned: ladle the hot pumpkin butter into clean, hot, half-pint canning jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Seal the jars with new 2-piece canning lids, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Cool, label, and store for up to a year in a cool cupboard. Instead of canning, you can also freeze this for long-term storage.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

{DONUTS}

I found this recipe and changed it a bit to use whole wheat flour and evaporated cane juice. The last time I made them, I also changed the recipe to be fat free (besides the soy milk), and they worked fabulously! I hope you enjoy!

mix together in bowl:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg (scant)
1 little pinch cinnamon

mix in a separate bowl:
1/2 c soy milk (or rice milk)
1/2 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 egg (use egg replacer to equal one egg)
4 T earth balance butter (i replace all the earth balance with 4 T *wonderslim, which is fat free)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix together
Pour into a lightly greased donut pan (available at walmart, etc.--I've also used a mini muffin tin, but they're not quite as cute)
Important: only fill each donut spot about 1/3 full or the donut will rise too much and you will get a muffin, not a donut
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes (I actually cook them for about 15 minutes--I think the whole wheat flour needs a little longer)

For frosting I've used powdered sugar (from evaporated cane juice) and cinnamon and evaporated cane juice. You could also make a frosting using earth balance butter, soy milk, and powdered sugar.

*Homemade wonderslim: a fat replacer made from prunes and water (you can also use prune baby food)

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

{MISO}

You can buy miso in tubs, usually near the tofu and vegetarian cheeses.  Or you can get miso powder, which is sometimes cheaper, in the Asian food section.




This definition of miso is from Wikipedia:

"Miso is a traditional Japanese food produced by fermenting rice, barley, and/or soybeans with salt and the fungus kojikin, the most typical miso being made with soy. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso soup called Misoshiru, a Japanese culinary staple. High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso played an important nutritional role in feudal Japan. Miso is still very widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest. Miso is typically salty, but its flavor and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory, and there is an extremely wide variety of miso available."

{HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING}

This recipe is from the lid of Cold Mountain miso.

4 1/2 T. miso
4 1/2 T. honey
3 T. rice or wine vinegar
3 T. mustard

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl (or blender).  Mix well.

Monday, March 9, 2009

{CREAMY POTATO SOUP}

This is Mom's recipe.

4 large potatoes, diced
3 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 T. vegetable bullion
1 t. fridge garlic (1 clove)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
4 c. water




• Combine above ingredients in large pot and simmer until vegetables are tender.

9 oz. soft tofu
1 T. lemon juice
1 c. soymilk
1 T. butter buds*




• Blend above ingredients with 3 ladles (2 to 3 cups) of the cooked vegetables and water.

• Stir blended cream sauce into soup.

*I haven't been able to find truly vegan butter buds, so I use 1/4 c. nutritional yeast instead.

Pressure Cooker Instructions:
Cook first group of ingredients on low pressure for 1 minute, quick release.  Add cream mixture.

{CREAMY BROCCOLI CHEEZ SOUP}

My husband loves broccoli cheese soup; I finally came up with a vegan variety that he really likes. I used parts of the mac & cheez recipe, creamy potato soup recipe, and my mother-in-law's broccoli cheese soup recipe to come up with this one.

3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 c. chopped onion
1 T. vegetable broth powder

3 heads of broccoli, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium potato, diced
1 c. water

1 c. soymilk
9 oz. soft tofu
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. butter buds
1/3 c. raw cashews
1 T. miso
1 T. tahini (3 T. sesame seeds)
1/2 t. dijon mustard
1/3 c. nutritional yeast
1 t. salt
1/4 t. paprika
2 T. cornstarch


• Put first group of ingredients (carrots, celery, onion, vegetable broth powder) in a large pot and add just enough water to cover the vegetables.

• Cover and simmer until vegetables are on the firm side of tender.

• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil the carrot and potato in 1 cup of water until tender.

• Add last group of ingredients (soymilk through cornstarch) to blender (at least 5-6 cup capacity). Do not blend yet.

• When the vegetables in the large pot are firm/tender, add broccoli. There will not be enough water to cover the broccoli. Do not add water.

• Cover pot and simmer/steam until broccoli is tender, stirring occasionally.

• When the carrots and potatoes are tender, add them, along with their boiling water, to the blender. Blend until very smooth.

• When the broccoli is tender, stir in the blended creamy cheez sauce.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

{BLACKBERRY TART}

This recipe is from www.whfoods.org.  It is absolutely delicious and only uses 4 ingredients.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Chilling time:  3 hours


Crust
2 1/2 c. walnuts
1 1/2 c. dates
Filling
5 c. fresh or frozen blackberries*
3 T. honey
1 1/2 T. arrowroot or cornstarch
2 T. water, or juice from frozen berries
  • Combine walnuts and pitted dates in a food processor.
  • Process until well mixed and ground, but not smooth (about 40 seconds- it should be a course texture when done).
  • Press into a 9 inch tart pan.  Set in fridge while making filling.
  • Place 2 c. of the berries along with cornstarch and water (or juice) in a blender.
  • Blend into a puree.
  • Place in a small saucepan along with honey and cook puree over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3-4 minutes.  It should lose its cloudiness and thicken.
  • When it thickens and the cloudiness is gone, remove from heat.
  • Mix with the rest of the blackberries and fill tart shell.  
  • Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Make sure it's covered so it doesn't pick up moisture from the refrigerator.
*If you are using frozen berries, make sure they are completely thawed.  If not, they will dilute the filling and make it runny.  You may need to process crust in 2 batches so it doesn't get too smooth (you should not process more than 40 seconds for each batch).  If it's over processed the crust will end up pasty, if it's not quite ground enough it won't hold together.

*One serving (it serves 8) gives about 120% of your daily value for Omega 3 fatty acids.  It is also very high in manganese, copper, fiber, and vitamin C and has tons of antioxidants!

{RICE MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES}

Laura adapted this recipe from one she found on the back of a rice milk box. They are the closest I've found to "real" chocolate chip cookies.

2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. grain sweetened chocolate chips
1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 c. nuts*
3/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. rice milk
1 T. baking powder


• Mix all ingredients together.

• Drop onto lightly greased (pam spray works great) cookie sheet.

• Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

• Makes 2 dozen medium cookies.

*The cookies in the picture do not have nuts; I didn't have any on hand when I made them. They were still delicious.

{WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKE MIX}

Eliza adapted this recipe from one she found; she then figured out quantities to make a bulk dry mix to freeze. I love having healthy pancake mix on hand!

10 2/3 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. baking powder
1 c. honey
4 t. salt
1/2 c.
egg replacer

• Mix with electric mixer until well combined. (The honey will essentially disappear, and the mix will seem dry.)

• Freeze.

• To make pancakes, mix one cup pancake mix with one cup soy/rice milk (or water for a fatfree variety that are still really good).

These pancakes have pumpkin pecan butter on them.  Or try this fruit syrup.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

{TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE}

My mom shared this with me, and it's such a good presentation to watch if you are trying to improve your health that I just had to pass it on.  Most of the lectures on VSH are pretty good, but this one takes the cake.  It's 60 minutes long and well worth your time.  (I admit I am a food nerd and get very excited about this kind of stuff, but I think even normal people would like this.)

*There is a boring, cheesy intro with elevator music but it only lasts about a minute, I promise!

Monday, March 2, 2009

{ARTICHOKE SPINACH PITAS}


We sometimes use pitas for this and sometimes use flatbread wraps.  Both are available at most grocery stores.

1 15-oz. can Northern White Beans, drained and rinsed
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. garlic salad dressing (we use Good Season's Italian, made the lowfat way)
1/4 t. pepper
1 bag baby spinach
falafels (optional, but we've never had these without them)*
6 whole wheat pitas or flatbreads

  • Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl.
To serve:
  • Put about 1 c. spinach in pita or flatbread
  • Add about 1/2 c. bean mix
  • Crumble up 2 or 3 falafels on top
*We use the falafel mix made by Fantastic.  It's available at most health food stores.  I follow the broiling directions, but instead of brushing them with oil I just spray a little cooking spray over the pan.  


{VITAMIN A SMOOTHIE}

This smoothie is great if you are going for your "oranges" instead of your "greens."  It's nice to have a change sometimes, and if we are already having a lot of greens for dinner then the kids like a different kind of smoothie.

1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. rice milk
1/2 to 1 sweet potato, peeled*
2 to 3 large carrots, peeled
2 frozen bananas
2 c. other fruit (strawberries, peaches, cantaloupe)
1 orange, peeled (optional)
1/3 c. orange juice concentrate
3 T. flaxseed  (optional)

  • Blend together until smooth
*I've always used my leftover cooked sweet potatoes but my friend Toni gave me the idea to use raw, and of course that's much better and easier (I guess unless you have some in the fridge you need to use...).  I've put greens in this too and it tastes just as good, but it's not as pretty to look at and the kids don't view it as icecream anymore (like they do with the just orange one). Mess around with the amounts until you find something you like- none of mine have ever tasted just the same, but they've all tasted good!

{DATE SQUARES}

This is a variation on the date balls posted earlier.  It's the same idea, but this version is a little less healthy (without the walnuts, etc.) and my kids view it as more of a treat.  I also tried putting them in a pan and cutting them up and that was fun and a little bit easier.  Kind of like fudge squares, ya know?  (Kind of.)

3/4 c. oatmeal
2 c. dates*
3 T. peanut butter
2 T. cocoa powder

  • Blend oatmeal in food processor.
  • Add other ingredients and blend until all mixed together.
  • Press into 8x8 pan (or roll into balls).
  • Chill and then cut into little squares.
*You can buy pitted dates at most health food stores.  I think Costco also sells unsweetened dates.  I store mine in the fridge because it's humid here.  You can add more peanut butter (I've done it and they are good!) but that makes them higher in fat, or you can lower the fat by using less peanut butter.