Friday, February 25, 2011

{ LIME SOUP }


This soup has a really great flavor. I think the original recipe may have come from the Linford family (maybe Uncle Ray?) but I've changed it quite a bit. The flavor is still very similar, though. Since the revised recipe doesn't have chicken, we like it served over cilantro lime rice.

3 c. water
3 t. vegetable bouillon
3 cloves garlic
½ white onion, chopped
3 small sprigs cilantro
1 ½ t. salt
½ t. ground cumin
1 1-inch stick cinnamon (⅓ t. if ground)
2 whole cloves
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. olive oil
¾ c. red onion, finely chopped
¾ c. green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 14-oz. cans tomatoes (I use petite diced)
2 14-oz. cans great northern beans
4 limes, 2 halved, 2 sliced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
tortilla strips*
cilantro lime rice


• Toast the cumin, cinnamon, clove, and oregano in a small skillet, then transfer to a blender. Add water, bouillon, garlic, and onion. Blend until smooth. Add cilantro and pulse a few times, until the cilantro is finely chopped.

• Transfer the blended mixture to a pot. Add the red onions and bell peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

• Add the tomatoes and great northern beans and bring to a boil again.

• When the soup comes to a boil, add the 2 halved limes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the limes at this point, even if you serve soup immediately. The soup will take on the flavor of the rind if the limes are left in too long.

• Serve over cilantro lime rice, with sliced limes, avocados, and tortilla strips*.

* To make healthy tortilla strips, preheat the oven to 400°. Slice several corn tortillas into very thin strips and spread them thinly on a cookie sheet. Mist lightly with water (or cooking spray) and sprinkle with salt. Bake them for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. You may want to turn them once or twice during baking.

{SNICKERDOODLES}


These cookies aren't super healthy, but better than they could be and they're VERY good.* We love to eat them with some vanilla soy ice cream and chopped pecans.


COOKIES:

½ c. applesauce
½ c. vegan butter (I use Smart Balance)*
2 c. evaporated cane juice
1 T. egg substitute
1 t. vanilla
⅛ t. almond extract (just a few drops)
3 c. whole wheat flour
2 t. cream of tartar (if you have it)**
1 t. baking soda**
¼ t. salt


CINNAMON SUGAR:

2 T. evaporated cane juice
1 T. sucanot
1½ t. cinnamon
1 t. pumpkin or apple pie spice (or mixture of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice)


• Mix applesauce, butter, evaporated cane juice, egg replacer, vanilla, and almond extract thoroughly.

• Sift flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Blend into evaporated can juice mixture.

• Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

• Combine cinnamon sugar ingredients.

• Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

• Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400° for 11-13 minutes. Cookies will puff up at first, then flatten out. Remove from oven while still somewhat puffy and soft. Immediately remove from pan and cool on cooling rack.

*To make these fat free, you can replace the margarine with baby food prunes (or wonderslim) and double the salt (1/2 t.).  They're really quite good.  If you do this, be sure to smash the cookies down after rolling them, because they won't flatten on their own.

Here's a picture of the fat free variety:


**If you don't have cream of tartar, you can replace it with 1 T. baking powder, and reduce the baking soda to 1/4 t.  It also works just fine to leave the recipe as is and just omit the cream of tartar.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

{BEST CHOCOLATE SHAKE EVER}

Mom came up with this Chocolate Shake and it really is a perfect mix of ingredients for a perfect flavor.  It's made from healthy whole foods so it's a delicious treat that you don't have to feel guilty eating!

1 c. cold water (like really cold from the fridge water)
1/2 c. ice
1/3 c. raw almonds
6-8 pitted dates (about 1/2 c.)

  • Put above ingredients in blender
  • Blend 90 seconds or until smooth
Add:
3 whole frozen bananas (6 halves cut into 1 inch pieces- should raise the almond date milk from about  2 cups to 4 cups)
1/4 t. coconut extract (Don't leave this out!  It's what makes the shake not taste like a banana/chocolate shake)
1/2 t. vanilla extract
 8 t. cocoa powder
  • Blend until smooth, scraping down sides of blender as necessary.
  • Pour a nice tall glass and enjoy!  We like to eat it with a spoon.
  • Serves 2-4
 

Friday, February 18, 2011

{ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH}

I saw this recipe here and remembered I had some frozen, uncooked butternut squash.  I made a couple changes (omitted the oil, for one), and it turned out great!  The girls and I are eating it with our fingers as I post this.

I also think the same seasoning would be great on sweet potatoes or red potatoes.

3 c. cubed butternut squash
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/4 t. pepper

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl.
  • Spray a cookie sheet and spread squash in single layer.
  • Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Turn squash and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until desired crispiness.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

{MOROCCAN VEGETABLES}

I found this recipe in the February issue of Better Nutrition magazine.  I really liked it; Mike said it was ok. The original recipe is for a slow cooker, and calls for chicken.  Baked tofu would be great in it, but I left it out this time.  I made it in the pressure cooker, so that's what I'll post.

prepared brown rice or quinoa


water to saute
2 c. onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. fresh ginger, grated (or 1 t. ground ginger)


2 cans diced tomatoes, blended
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 c. green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 large carrots, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. cinnamon


raisins
fresh parsley
toasted sliced almonds

  • Saute onions, garlic, and ginger in water (in pressure cooker) while you prepare and chop vegetables.
  • Add tomatoes, garbanzos, carrots, zucchini, and spices.
  • Cook on low pressure for 1 minute.  Quick release.
  • Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
  • Top with raisins, fresh parsley, and almonds.

Monday, February 7, 2011

{BRYANNA'S BARLEY AND WINTER SQUASH CHOWDER}

Mom and I saw this one on Vegan Feast Kitchen.  You can find the original recipe here.  Bryanna was kind enough to allow us to post the recipe on our site.

I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I did some improvising, and I opted to not use the tofu or fake chicken.  I'm just going to post what I did.  It was delicious!

4 c. vegetable broth (I used 4 c. water + 1 T. Better-than-Bullion)
1 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery leaves and tops, chopped
3/4 c. pearled barley
1 bay leaf
3/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. dried mint leaves
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper


4 c. red potatoes (I used regular)
4 c. butternut squash


1 1/2 c. non-dairy milk


fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

  • Place broth, onion, celery, barley, and spices into a soup pot and bring to a boil.
  • Meanwhile, chop the potatoes and butternut squash.
  • Add potatoes and squash and turn down to low heat.
  • Simmer until vegetables are tender.
  • Add non-dairy milk.
  • Garnish each bowl with fresh parsley.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

{NOT POT PIE}

Wow!  So good!  This is Aunt Amy's pot pie recipe, veganized by Elna and Lucy and served over these biscuits. We loved it!  Perfect for a snowed-in day here in Oklahoma.

water for sauteing
1 c. onion, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped


3-4 c. vegetable broth
1 t. poultry seasoning*
3 c. carrots, sliced or diced
3 c. potatoes, diced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed


1 c. non-dairy milk
1 c. raw cashews
1 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper


1/2 c. frozen corn
1/2 c. frozen peas**

  • Saute onions and celery in water for a few minutes.
  • Add broth, 1 t. poultry seasoning, and carrots and bring to a simmer.
  • Add potatoes and garbanzo beans.
  • Simmer until veggies are tender but not overcooked.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Blend non-dairy milk, cashews, 1 t. poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and 1 c. broth/potato mixture.  (Try to avoid carrots and garbanzos, but don't stress over a few strays.)
  • Add "cream," corn, and peas to veggies.
  • Serve over drop biscuits, regular or herb.
*I happened to have fresh (frozen) poultry seasoning (equal parts rosemary, thyme, sage) this time.  So I put 2 T. of this in the pot and did not put additional in the blended part.

**I did not have peas, so I added an additional 1/2 c. corn.