{RAW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH} and {BLIZZARD}

Warning:  Do not make this if you love chocolate chip cookie dough and you are trying to lose weight.  There are mostly healthy ingredients, but they are NOT low fat.  So if you feel like eating the whole batch, you have been warned and do not blame me. 

I found this recipe here.  It's really perfect as it is, so I'll just list the recipe like she has it.  We have a ton of frozen bananas right now, so I was looking for something new to do with them besides smoothies and the normal soft serve ice cream.  This blizzard looked pretty good, and it opened up a whole new world with the cookie dough that was made to be eaten, not cooked!

{COOKIE DOUGH BALLS}
yield: 1 cup packed cookie dough
1/2 c. unsalted raw cashews
1/4 c. oats
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 T. natural cane sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
3-4 T. pure maple syrup (or a bit more if dough is dry)
1/4 c. chocolate chips (vegan)

• Put cashews and oats in a food processor.
• process until it forms a fine crumble
• add salt, sugar, and flour and process a few seconds more
• add in the maple syrup and vanilla and process until combined
• add chocolate chips and stir by hand, or process
• form into balls and store in the freezer

{BLIZZARD}
yield: 2 servings
3 frozen bananas, cut into 1 inch chunks 
splash of non dairy milk, if needed
2 T. cookie dough

• put frozen bananas in processor
• process until smooth, adding small amounts of milk if necessary
• add cookie dough and process until combined
• stir in desired amount of mini cookie dough balls
• put in a glass and serve with a spoon

*I did the nutrition profile for just the cookie dough part- obviously it will be healthier if you mix it with the bananas!  The cookie dough is 43% fat, 48% carbs, 9% protein.  Each 2 T. serving has 8 g. fat, 2 g. fiber, 4g. protein. 

{ POTATO PEEL PIE MINIS }

 I hosted my book group a couple weeks ago. We read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (a MUST read, if you ask me), so, naturally, I had to serve potato peel pie.

I didn't use the original World War II recipe (potato peels + 1 T. milk to form a crust; 1 potato + 1 beet boiled in salt water and mashed for filling). I found a few ideas online and then made my own version. They were really tasty!

{ POTATO PEEL CRUST }

3 c. fleshy potato peels, grated
1 small onion, chopped

1 T. egg replacer + 1/4 c. water
2 T. baby food prunes
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt

• Cut peels off of 8 small to medium potatoes. (I basically squared off the long sides of the potatoes and peeled the short sides, so you have some potato flesh with the peels.)
• Grate peels using a food processor.
• Chop onion and combine with potato peels.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together egg replacer and water until frothy.
• Whisk in prunes, flour, and salt.
• Add potato peels and onions and mix until well combined.
• Press a heaping tablespoon of peel mixture into each of 24 cupcake holders (lightly oiled).
• Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

{ FILLING }

I basically used my twice baked potato recipe for the filling and then sprinkled tiny diced (boiled) beets on top.

flesh of 8 small to medium potatoes, steamed

1 1/2 c. butternut squash, steamed

1/2 c. roasted garlic sauce
3/4 c. non-dairy milk
1/3 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. paprika

1 beet, boiled and diced small

• While crust is cooking, chop and steam potatoes and squash, then mash with potato masher.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
• When crust is ready, spoon potato mixture on top and sprinkle with beets.
• Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

{ "CHEESE"CAKE MINIS }

I hosted my book group a couple weeks ago and served these. They were a hit!

I used this "cheese"cake recipe. I made the full crust recipe and half the filling recipe. It made 24 minis (regular cupcake size). Next time I might do the whole filling recipe instead of half.

Directions:

{ CRUST }

For the crust, I used a little less than a tablespoon of mixture for each mini. (The backside of the tablespoon worked great for pressing and molding the crust.)

Bake the crust at 315 for 5 minutes (instead of 8). Allow to cool to room temperature before pouring in filling.

{ FILLING }

When crust has cooled, pour 1 to 2 tablespoons filling on top of each crust.

Bake at 315 for 30 minutes (instead of 50-60).

Allow to cool to room temperature before covering and putting in the fridge.

{ CHILLED DOUBLE CHOCOLATE TORTE }

Thanks, Angela, of Oh She Glows (again)! This dessert is beyond-words good! (Mom: "Quite possibly the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!") Yeah, it's really good.

{ NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE CRUST }

2 c. pecans
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 T. peanut butter (original: 2 T. coconut oil)
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt


{ CHOCOLATE AVOCADO MOUSSE }

2 c. avocado flesh (2-3 avocados)
1/3 c. almond milk
2/3 c. pure maple syrup
1 T. peanut butter
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 T. arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
1/4 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 c. + 2 T. chocolate chips, melted

• Lightly oil a 7-10 inch pie dish (or springform pan).
• Process pecans until crumbly (you want some chunks).
• Add remaining crust ingredients and pulse until just mixed.
• Scoop mixture onto prepared pan and press down firmly and evenly with slightly wet fingers or a spatula.
• Put crust in freezer to set while making the mousse.
• Place all mousse ingredients, except chocolate chips, in food processor.  Process until smooth.
• Melt chocolate chips in microwave and scoop into processor.
• Process until smooth.
• Remove crust from freezer and scoop mousse on top of crust.  Smooth out as much as possible and then freeze for 2 hours to firm.
• Allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.
• Cover leftover torte and store in freezer.

This is delicious served with this coconut cream!

{ HEAT WAVE SUMMER SALAD }

Oh She Glows has quickly become one of my favorite sites. This is another one of hers, with a couple of adaptations. I served it last night with cabbage pitas, and I'm eating the leftovers right now. So good!

{ SALAD }

1 c. wheatberries (2 c. cooked)
1 can garbanzos, drained and rinsed*
2 c. chopped peaches
1 c. chopped strawberries
1 c. blueberries
1/2 c. chopped almonds


{ DRESSING }

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. pure maple syrup
1 t. dijon mustard
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt


fresh baby spinach

• Cook wheatberries.
• Combine all salad ingredients.
• Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad.
• Serve over fresh baby spinach. (Original recipe has sauteed kale instead.)

*I forgot the garbanzos last night, and it was still delicious. I added them into my leftovers today, and I like them. In the future, I'll just do with or without depending on my mood.

{ BROCCOLI RAISIN SALAD }

Elna and Mom found this one on Rawmazing and tweaked it slightly.  Loved it!

{ SALAD }

6 c. chopped raw broccoli
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 c. raisins
1 c. sunflower seeds

{ DRESSING }

1 c. raw cashews, soaked 2 hours
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. pineapple juice
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. water
1 shallot (2 T. chopped) (or red onion, or sweet onion)
1 clove garlic
1 to 2 T. agave nectar
1 t. mustard powder
1 pinch salt (optional)

• Blend dressing until silky smooth.
• Pour over salad and combine until well coated.

{ PISTACHIO CAKE }

I recently read Jeanne Ray's Eat Cake for my book group.  I thought it was a fun read, and the recipes all looked delicious but very un-vegan and very high fat.  The pistachio cake recipe was the only one that seemed remotely convertible.  Here it is--veganized, whole wheat, and with no processed fats.  It was delicious!

3/4 c. shelled pistachios

1 c. whole wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt (omit if using salted pistachios)

1/2 c. non-dairy milk
1/4 t. vanilla

1/3 c. water + 1 1/2 T. egg replacer powder

3/4 c. wonderslim
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice
1/2 c. sucanat

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Process pistachios in food processor until finely ground, but not pasty.
• Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse to mix.
• In a mixing cup, combine milk and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl or mixer, whisk water and egg replacer until frothy.
• Add wonderslim, evaporated cane juice, and sucanat, and mix well.
• While mixing on low speed, add the pistachio flour and milk in batches, alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
• Mix just until combined.
• Pour batter into a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan.
• Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

(We ate half of it a couple days ago, and I'm serving it like this for my daughter's birthday today: with vegan lemon cream cheese frosting.)

Printing Error

Users beware:  Sometimes when using the printing option for a recipe, random ingredients are left out (no obvious sign they're missing).  It just happened to me twice.

Does anyone know how to fix this problem? And, in the meantime, if you use the print option, double check the ingredient list before printing.

{ STRAWBERRY BANANA SOFT SERVE }

This tastes as good as it looks!  (I was reminded of this little treat browsing through recipes on Oh She Glows.)

3 parts frozen bananas
1 part frozen strawberries

• Process in food processor until desired consistency.

I put the extra into 2 oz. containers and made popsicles. They were a hit!

Here's one of my princesses enjoying her first of two popsicles!

{ WALNUT POLENTA MEATLESS LOAF }

If you like(d) meat loaf, this is a great one to try. I started with this recipe from The Health Seeker's Kitchen, but couldn't find green chili polenta, so I ended up changing quite a few things slightly and adding some other things. I used (and changed) this recipe from Oh She Glows for the sauce. Here's what I did (and I'll do it again):

1/4 c. water to saute
2 c. sweet onion, chopped

1 T. canned green chilies
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. dried cilantro
1 T. fresh chopped parsley
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 t. sesame seeds
2 T. tomato paste

1/2 c. sun-dried tomato garlic polenta*

1 c. walnuts, coarsely ground
1 1/4 c. cooked brown rice (1/2 c. uncooked)**


{ SAUCE }

3 T. ketchup
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. unsweetened applesauce

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Saute onions in water until translucent.
• Add chilies through tomato paste and mix well.
• Add polenta and mix well. Make sure there aren't any lumps.
• Add walnuts and rice.  Mix well.
• Press into a loaf pan.
• Top with sauce. (I made extra sauce for dipping.)
• Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

*This was my first time using polenta.  I've looked online, and as far as I can tell, it freezes well.  So I plan on just dividing the remaining polenta into 1/2-cup portions and freezing it for next time.

**I knew I would be needing Spanish rice later this week, so that's what I made and used this time.  It was great.

{ CHILLED STRAWBERRY ALMOND SOUP }

I made some changes to this recipe to make a whole-foods version.  Yum!

1/2 c. water
2 T. almonds
1/4 t. almond extract
6 dates

3-4 c. sliced strawberries

Chopped strawberries and slivered almonds for garnish.

• Blend water, almonds, extract, and dates until very smooth.
• Fill blender to 4 cups with strawberries.
• Blend until smooth.
• Chill before serving.
• Top with slivered almonds and chopped strawberries.

{ QUINOA ALMOND BERRY SALAD }

Ok.  This salad is one of the most delicious things I've ever had!  Mom and Elna told me about it a couple days ago.  I immediately hauled all 3 kids to the store for berries, and we had it for dinner that night.  And lunch the next day.  Then I made it again for dessert the second night.  And I had the leftovers for breakfast this morning.  I'm not kidding; it's delicious!  (I'm making it AGAIN for a Relief Society breakfast on Saturday.  That'll make 3 times in 4 days.)  You can find the original recipe here.

3/4 c. dry quinoa

3 c. sliced strawberries
2 c. fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1 c. cherries, pitted and sliced*
1/2 c. almonds, slivered or chopped

{ DRESSING }

1/4 c. pure maple syrup
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 pinch salt

• Prepare quinoa according to package instructions.
• Combine fruit and almonds in a large bowl.
• Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and add to fruit.  Combine.
• Pour on dressing and mix well.
• Serve immediately or chill in fridge until serving time.  (Mike and I both liked it better chilled.  In fact, the second night I made it, I rinsed the cooked quinoa in cold water, so we wouldn't have to wait for it to chill.)

*Mom and Elna used mangoes and said it was delicious.  Any fruit, I'm sure, would be good.

{ ARTICHOKE PASTA - FAT-FREE VERSION }

Posted with original recipe, here.

{ SWEET POTATO PUDDING - WHOLE-FOODS VERSION }

Check it out here.

{ CORN CHOWDER - NEW VERSION }

Check it out here.

{ CRISP RICE FRUIT BITES }

Thanks, Elna, for sharing this recipe!  (The original recipe is here.)

1 c. almonds
1 c. walnuts
1 c. prunes
1 c. dried fruit*
1/4 c. honey
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon

1 1/2 c. Barbara's Brown Rice Crisps cereal

• Place almonds in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop.
• Add remaining ingredients except cereal and process until finely chopped, but not pureed.
• Place in a large bowl and mix in cereal by hand.
• Using your hands, press firmly into a 3/4-inch thick square on a cutting board.
• Cut into 1-inch squares.
• Place squares on parchment paper or lightly greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 200 for 30 minutes.
• Allow to cool.
• Store in an airtight container.

*The original recipe calls for 1-inch pieces of dried mango.  I didn't have mango, so I used dried apples.

{ WHOLE WHEAT BURGER BUNS }

I found these on Notes From the Vegan Feast Kitchen. Bryanna was kind enough to give permission to post the recipe.

I changed a couple things to make them 100% whole wheat. They worked great, and we loved them! We had them with bean burgers and oven fries.

1/4 c. warm water + 2 t. yeast

1 c. leftover soft mashed potatoes, warm (or 1/2 c. instant mashed potatoes mixed with 1 c. boiling water)
1 c. medium-firm tofu, drained and mashed
3/4 c. to 1 c. non-dairy milk, warm
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
1/4 c. wheat bran
2 T. sucanat
2 T. oil (or wonderslim)
1 T. nutritional yeast flakes
2 t. salt

4 c. whole wheat flour*

non-dairy milk for brushing

sesame or poppy seeds, or onion flakes for garnish

• Proof yeast in water for a few minutes.
• Add potatoes through salt and mix well. (I used a Bosch mixer, dough hook.)
• Add flour and knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes. (Original instructions are to knead for 5-10 minutes, with a mixer or by hand.)
• As the dough is kneading, keep an eye on it, and add more non-dairy milk or water, a couple tablespoons at a time, if it seems too dry.
• Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place (corn warmers in the microwave worked great) for 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down and divide into 9-12 equal balls. (I made 9.) Dough should be pretty sticky.
• With wet hands, press the balls down on greased or cornmealed baking sheets to make circles 3-4 inches across.
• Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Brush the buns with non-dairy milk for a shiny glaze and sprinkle with garnish.
• Bake at 350 (325 convection) for 20 minutes.
• Cool on racks.

*The whole wheat flour we use is home-ground from hard white wheat.  It makes a much lighter bread than other wheat varieties.

{ STRAWBERRY (SHORT)CAKE }

Wow!  This was good!  Thanks, Mom (source?).

{ Cupcakes }

Mix together dry ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. evaporated cane juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder

In a separate bowl, whisk together:
1 c. water + 1 T. egg replacer

Add to egg replacer and whisk together:
3 T. baby food prunes
1 T. Earth Balance margarine
1 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon juice

• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and gently fold together by hand until only a few lumps are left.  Do not use an electric mixer.
• Fill 12 muffin tins about 3/4 full.
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
• Wait 5-10 minutes before removing muffins to cool on a rack.

{ Strawberry Sauce }

12 oz. apple juice concentrate

1/4 c. corn starch

1 t. to 1 T. lemon juice

1 to 2 t. lemon zest

3 lbs. fresh strawberries, chopped

• Combine first ingredients in saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly.
• Stir in strawberries.
• Chill before serving.

Serve with coconut cream.  So good!

Forks Over Knives

Check here to see if it's playing near you!

{ YOGURT PARFAIT }

This recipe comes from May's issue of The Friend magazine. We had them two days in a row!  Delish!  (This recipe makes four 1-cup parfaits.)

2 c. granola
2 c. non-dairy yogurt*
2 c. fresh berries
1/4 c. shredded coconut
2 t. orange zest
2 T. evaporated cane juice

• Mix coconut, zest, and evaporated cane juice together in a bowl.
• Put 1/4 c. granola in the bottom of each cup.
• Pour 1/4 c. yogurt over granola.
• Add 1/4 c. berries.
• Sprinkle with coconut orange mixture.
• Repeat layers - granola, yogurt, berries, coconut.

*The original recipe calls for vanilla yogurt.  We used lemon one day, and strawberry the next.

{ CASHEW ALFREDO SAUCE }

Aunt Elna emailed this recipe to me (original source?).  It was super easy and really good.  I think I like this recipe a little bit better, but the very best might be the 2 recipes combined.  I'll try that next time and let you know.

1/2 c. raw cashews
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1-3 cloves garlic
2 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 t. salt
1 dash pepper
1 1/2 c. boiling water (best to use starchy pasta-cooking water)

• Blend all ingredients until very smooth and thickened.
• Serve over whole grain pasta.
• Top with freshly ground black pepper.

{ WONDERSLIM (home-made fat replacer) }

There are a lot of posts on Greener Eating that call for wonderslim, or baby food prunes.  Wonderslim is a product that used to be sold at health food stores as a fat and egg replacer.   All that was in it was pureed prunes and water, with a little soy lecithin and citric acid (I'm assuming just to preserve it's color or make it more shelf stable).  We just puree our own prunes now, and it works great!  I always replace at least half of the oil or butter in recipes with it the first time I make something, and if it works well then the next time around I replace all the fat.  Use a 1:1 ratio. 

Here are the amounts I use and it works every time.  I either store the extra in the fridge if I think I'll be using it soon, or I freeze it in 1/4 cup containers (the same ones the baby food prunes come in) and just thaw it out when I'm ready to use it.

water
prunes (or dried plums, if that sounds better!)

• Fill blender with water up to the 3 cup mark
• Add prunes until water reaches the 4 cup mark (this is the easiest way to measure, because  you don't have to worry about how packed down they are in a measuring cup - plus it's less dishes to wash!) 
• Blend until completely smooth

  *Remember that if the thought of eating prunes makes you feel like an old lady (or man), it's actually what's going to keep you young!  Prunes are very good for you and replacing fat in recipes just makes it doubly good.  Don't be scared!

{ LEMON BARS }

We went to Marian's for a day last week, and she said something about lemon bars.  I've been thinking about them ever since and had to find a vegan recipe and make some. The original recipe can be found on Savvy Vegetarian.

Mike, Mariah, and I really liked them. Elaine (2) said they were too spicy.

{ CRUST }

1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. baby food prunes
1/4 c. powdered evaporated cane juice
1 c. whole wheat flour

{ FILLING }

1/2 c. silken tofu
1 c. evaporated cane juice
zest from 2 lemons
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
2 T. whole wheat flour
2 T. cornstarch

1 T. powdered evaporated cane juice

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cream coconut oil, prunes, and powdered evaporated can juice with an electric mixer.
• Add flour, and beat until the dough just comes together.
• Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a greased 8x8 baking pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Remove crust from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
• Blend filling ingredients in blender until very smooth.
• Pour over the cooled crust.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set.  (It will also continue to set as it cools.)
• Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
• Sprinkle top with sifted powdered evaporated can juice.

{ PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES }

These are some of my favorite cookies right now. I'm doing a new thing with my kids where if they give me the treats that they get at school/church/parties etc., I exchange it for healthier cookies that I've made. I've always got to have a few selections in the freezer in order to keep it up. So far it's been fun but I CAN'T BELIEVE how many treats they bring me (which means they would have been eating all that before- which is the reason I did this in the first place!). I know that even vegan cookies aren't super healthy, but at least they are better than the alternative!

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oats
1 c. sucanat or brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. baby food prunes
2 T. applesauce
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. peanut butter

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Mix all ingredients together (I use a Bosch)
• Drop rounded balls onto greased cookie sheet.
• Smash down with a fork
• Sprinkle with sugar or ECJ if desired
• Bake 10-12 minutes

{ GOT (THE FACTS ON) MILK? }

{ PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN }

This is a fun and easy snack my kids (and I) love.  I guessed on the amounts here, so play with it if it doesn't work for you.

air popped popcorn (1/2 c. kernels)
1/2 c. healthy peanut butter (no added sugar or oil)
1/3 c. honey

• Combine the peanut butter and honey and heat  in the microwave until it's melted and can be easily stirred together.
• Pour over popcorn and stir.

{ APPLE PECAN FLIP }

I saw this on Plant Based Health and thought it looked yummy.  But I also just really like the name.  Anything called "flip" should be good, right?

It was really easy and quite good.  I served it (of course) with leftover coconut cream.

1 c. whole pecans
1 apple, 1/4-inch diced
1/3 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. non-dairy milk


1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt


3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. agave nectar
1 t. vanilla

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a 9-inch baking dish, spread a single layer of pecans and top with a layer of apple.
• Drizzle with maple syrup and non-dairy milk.
• In a bowl, mix dry ingredients.
• Add applesauce, agave, and vanilla and stir until well combined.
• Dollap batter over apples and pecans, and carefully spread evenly.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  (Original recipe said 30-35, but mine was a bit over done at 30 minutes.  I think I'll try a few minutes less next time.)
• Remove from oven and carefully flip cake onto a platter.

{ 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.

{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

 

{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.

{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.

{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.

{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.

{CASHEW CHEEZ BALL}

This was delish!  We served it at our New Year's Eve party to very normal, non-vegan people.  It was a hit!

I just doubled this cashew cheeze recipe, processed it for a lot longer to make it creamy, and chilled it for several hours.  Here it is:

2 c. raw cashews
1/2 c. water
5 T. fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
1 t. salt
2-4 cloves garlic


1/2 c. cilantro, packed

• Process all ingredients except the cilantro until very smooth.
• Add cilantro and process until desired consistency.

• Line a round mould with saran wrap.  (I used one of my baby's stacker balls.)
• Fill mould with cheez.
• Cover and chill for several hours.
• Turn onto serving tray and remove mould and saran wrap.
• Brush with water to smooth lines.
• Serve with vegan crackers.

Note: I roll mine (after it's set) in toasted pecans mixed with black pepper and nutritional yeast. Delish!

{POMEGRANATE SALSA}

This stuff is amazing!  Mom got the recipe from her sister.

seeds of 1 pomegranate
1 avocado, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 T. onion, finely chopped
1/4 t. ground coriander
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

• Combine all ingredients.
• Mix well.
• Chill before serving.
• Serve with healthy tortilla chips.

{CHRISTMAS GINGERBREAD COOKIES}

I served these with coconut cream at book group last night. They were a huge hit!

The dough worked great rolling it out instead of rolling it into balls.  I tried parchment paper, floured surface, and pam-sprayed surface.  The latter worked the best, but all were fine.

I decreased the cooking time from 10 to 9 minutes.  They were perfect!

{EASY PECAN PIE BITES}

Mom happened upon these here.  They are my new favorite snack.  So good!

dates
pecans

Replace date pits with pecans.  Done.

{WHOLE WHEAT FAT-FREE TORTILLAS}

These turned out really good!  I was so sick of trying to find anything close to a healthy whole wheat tortilla-- without the sugar, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oil, shortening, etc.  On my last trip to the grocery store, I decided I would just make my own and never buy those lousy things again.

So, we had fajitas today.  I did some searching online, looked at several different recipes, and came up with this.

This makes 12 to 16 tortillas (all photos are of half the recipe).

4 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 to 2 drops stevia (I use an actual "drop" measuring spoon.  Very very small amount!)
1/2 c. baby food prunes (or blended prunes and water)
1 1/2 c. cold water

• Mix together dry ingredients.
• Cut in baby food prunes.

• Mix in water, forming dough into a ball.
• Cover with saran wrap and let sit 15 minutes.

• On a floured surface, roll dough into 2 logs.
• Cut each log into 6 to 8 even pieces.

• Put pieces back in bowl and recover with saran wrap.
• Heat a skillet over medium high.
• Remove one piece of dough and roll into a ball.
• Flatten onto floured surface.  Flip over (so both sides are floured) and flatten again, into about a 4-inch disc.

• Roll with a rolling pin until very very thin.  The easiest way I found (after some trial and error) was to hold the dough down with one hand and use my other palm on the rolling pin, turning the dough slightly with the holding hand between each roll.

• Carefully transfer rolled dough to the skillet.  (I found it best to drape the dough over the rolling pin to pick it up.)

• Dry fry for a few minutes on each side, until bubbles form on the first, and then until bubbles are brown but not burned on the second.

• While it's cooking, roll out your next tortilla.  Be careful, however, not to over cook the first.
• Keep tortillas covered with a towel until ready to serve.  (They do rewarm well, between paper towels, 20 seconds in the microwave.)
• These should store well in a bag in the refrigerator, or in the freezer.

(The bullets are all messed up on my computer; I hope they're not on yours. I don't know how to fix it.)