Kale and White Bean Soup

If you are like me, you have spent the last 4 days eating too much food, drinking too much wine, and generally living in a food coma state. For me, it all started Thursday morning with an ice cream sandwich for breakfast (don't judge me). It was all went downhill from there. Thursday afternoon led to too much food. Thursday night led to too much wine. Friday morning led to too much coffee. This sequence repeated for the next 3 days. Fast forward to last night. My wayward food ways had led me  to a full blown flare up. Feeling terrible and desperately craving some easy comfort food, I went to my happy place: soup. Soup is amazing because it's 1. easy to make, 2. tasty as all get out, 3. has the ability to soothe the most savage of GI tracts. Last night's coup du jour: lazy mom's Kale and White Bean Soup.

Kale and White Bean Soup:

Ingredients:
32 ounce of water
1 onion, finely chopped
8-10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
2 cans of canneli beans
2 cups of kale, finely chopped
1.5 teaspoons of thyme
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/3 cup of nutritional yeast
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
White wine
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Toss finely chopped onion and garlic into a hot pan with olive oil. Saute until your onions start to caramelize. Add enough white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook down. 
2. Combine all remaining ingredients in a crockpot. Add the onions and garlic mixture to your crockpot and put on low to cook for 8 hours.
3. To plate, pour your soup over a grain of your choice. I chose barley because it was already cooked and sitting in my fridge (I didn't even warm the barley up. Told you, lazy mom). Rice, particularly the wild rice variety, also goes great with this. Salt and pepper your soup to your taste preference. Serve with some yummy bread and bam you have dinner within 5 minutes of getting home from work.

**Note, if you don't have a crockpot or want soup in faster than 8 hours, take step 2 to a regular soup pot, but allow all the ingredients to simmer for at least 30 minutes. No one wants crunchy carrots in their soup :)

Beans, greens, and a grain. A super easy, weekday night meal waiting to great you when you walk in the door. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Gone Vegan

One of the hardest things about following a plant based diet are the holidays. All of my family members are omnivores. While they do their best to humor my plant based bent (mashed potatoes with no butter?), I wonder how much they actually like and how much they give as lip service. In my on going quest to convert all the omni's that I know into recognizing how amazing vegan cooking can be instead of thinking that all vegan food is bland and dry, I put together my own amazing assortment of holiday dishes. Bear with me, it's a lot of food. Most of which is not healthy in any way (I know, my inner fat kid is showing). First we start with the appetizer...

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans (canellini or other), drained and rinsed
1 cup pure pumpkin
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (try not to substitute lemon juice, the lime flavor really works here
1 medium-large clove garlic (adjust to taste, use smaller clove for kid-friendly)
1 tsp sea salt
1 – 2 tbsp tahini (to taste)
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp (rounded) ground allspice
1/4 – 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (if you don’t have smoked paprika, use another 1/4 tsp cumin – then go out and get yourself some smoked paprika!!)
1/2 tsp pure maple syrup
1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (see note for toasting; reserve about 2-3 tbsp for garnish)

Instructions:

In a food processor add all ingredients except pumpkin seeds (and starting with 1 tbsp tahini).  Puree until very smooth.  Taste, and if you’d like to add additional garlic or spices, add a little (and if you’d like a richer tahini flavor, add the other tablespoon).  Then, add most of the pumpkin seeds (reserving a couple of tbsps), and pulse through.  Transfer mixture to a serving dish, and top with remaining pumpkin seeds.  Serve with a vast array of veggies- bell pepper strips, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and if you must pita bread. But I would recommend saving the carbs for what's up next...

The Side Dishes

Sweet potato Casserole from the Fat Free Vegan.***This recipe is my coup de gras. This is the recipe that even the biggest sweet potato nay-sayer will gobble down with delight . It can easily replace that nasty marshmallow topping sweet potato dish with amazing results. Take this and mesmerize everyone you know.***

Ingredients:

4 large or 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked 

2 tablespoons margarine

1/4 cup soy creamer or soy milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
4 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray (or wipe with canola oil).
Mash the sweet potatoes with the margarine until smooth. Add the soy creamer, orange juice, vanilla, sugar, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
Mix the topping ingredients together until well-combined. Spread or sprinkle over the casserole and bake for 45 minutes or until hot throughout.

Sourdough Stuffing from Vegan.sheknows

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat sourdough bread, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon minced rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup candied walnuts or pecans (you can also substitute roasted nuts)

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Spread bread out on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven until toasted, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened.
In the prepared baking dish, combine bread, vegetable mixture, broth, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for 10 minutes. Add nuts and mix well.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 more minutes or until the top is slightly dry. Serve warm.

Green Beans Amadine (BTW, have I ever mentioned that green beans are seriously the best vegetable ever?) yum.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds green beans
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons earth balance butter
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Put up a large saucepan of water to boil.
In the meantime, place a large, deep skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil or melt in the butter, and swirl to coat the pan. Turn the heat down to low, add the almonds, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until the almonds give off a toasty aroma. During the last couple of minutes, stir in the garlic. (Be careful not to let any of it burn.) Set aside.
Meanwhile, when the water from Step 1 boils, turn the heat down to low, and add the green beans. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the beans turn bright green and shiny, and are beginning to become tender. (This is imprecise.) Dump the green beans into a colander in the sink, and drain thoroughly.
Return the pan of almonds to the stove over medium-low heat. Add the green beans, turning them with tongs until they become completely coated (or at least well mingled) with the almonds. Sprinkle in the salt as you go. Serve hot.

Vegan Dad's Macaroni and Cheese (follow my previous post here)

Main Course

Then of course you can't be without a main dish. I usually make Harvest Pies, but this year I got lazy. And by lazy I mean I was busy working at the actual job I get paid for :) So we opted for a Field Roast celebration roast. It was delicious, but to some of my Omni's found it a little strange (texture thing). Next Holiday will mark the return of the Harvest Pies. Vegan Dad's Harvest Pies are the dreams that vegan holidays are made of. But I digress, on to dessert!

Dessert 

This year we chose Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookie Sandwich (from my previous post)  with Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. I know this hardly seems like the pumpkin pie that we are all used to. However, my family is not much of a dessert family, so I tend to gear my desserts more towards the kids. And really, what's more amazing than ice cream sandwiches whether you are 4 or 94? Nothing.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 can coconut cream (or full fat coconut milk)
1 cup pumpkin puree (make sure it’s plain pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
Chopped pecans for topping

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into your Vitamix (or high speed blender) until smooth. Freeze for about an hour. Place the Ice cream on one cookie and put in the freezer for 15 minutes, then adhere the other cookie to the top side. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve. 

Whew! That was a doozy of a post and one gluttonous plant based feast.  Now excuse me while I go into a food coma for the next three days...

Strawberry Banana Quinoa Muffins

It's only Wednesday night here at the Trippet house, and yet I feel like I have crammed 7 days of stress into three. The life of this working, solo parent makes for crazy days. Couple that with the insane stress at work, and I have found my head spinning. As a result, I have been on the hunt for an stress outlet. This has led to some tough sessions at the gym (don't punch me in the arm, I might faint), some hard, quick runs (my hip flexor is crying out in pain),  and of course cooking. What goes best for a sore, pressed for time, stressed out, 34 year old body and is still kid friendly? Protein packed breakfast muffins of course (veganized from this Poor Girl Eats Well recipe!

Strawberry Banana Quinoa Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/3 c quinoa flour (or whole wheat pastry flour. You can also use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All purpose flour to make this a Gluten Free recipe )
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c turbinado sugar
1 tbsp black strap molasses
2 egg replacers (2 tbsp of ground flax or chia seed combined with 6 tbsp of hot water)***
2 T melted Earth balance
1 t vanilla extract
2 medium overripe bananas, mashed
1 c cooked quinoa
1 c finely chopped fresh organic strawberries
1-2 strawberries, thinly sliced (optional for garnish)
Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 375°.  Prepare a muffin or cupcake tin with cooking spray or muffin liners.  In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.  In a separate, larger bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, egg replacer (flax or chia mixture). black strap molasses, & vanilla and whisk until smooth.  Mix in the dry flour mixture a couple tablespoons at a time, stirring together until completely incorporated.
2.  When all the flour has been mixed in, add the mashed bananas and the quinoa, and mix well.  Add the chopped strawberries (juice & all!) and fold into the muffin batter.  Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.  Place one strawberry slice on top of each muffin, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.
3.  Remove from oven and cool for a couple of minutes before removing muffins from pan.  Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, or until ready to serve. 

 *** when using ground flax or ground chia as an egg replacer, make sure that you mix with hot water to create a binding effect. And, as always, use all organic ingredients where you can.

This recipe makes 12 muffins. Enjoy your powered up breakfast!

Nutrient Round up:
Quinoa: A good source of Protein, Fiber, Folate, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Manganese.
Flax/Chia: good source of Omega 3, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin and Manganese.
Black Strap Molasses: excellent source of manganese and copper. It is a very good source of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and selenium.
Strawberry: good source of Folate and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C and Manganese.
Banana: good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin B6

Epic French Toast

First let me start by apologizing to all of you about my self imposed quasi blogging retirement. It was surely not by choice. My confinement, er, retirement, just so happened to coincide with the kids summer break and JT being out of state for the remainder of the summer. This summer was all about survival mode, and by that I mean the kid's surviving and me hanging on to what shred of sanity I had left. Fast forward to this weekend. It was my Saturday with the boys. Normally, they spend Saturday morning with JT (who is an omnivore) doing who knows what. I have a don't ask, don't tell policy because I know nothing good will come from me knowing. Anyhow, on this particular Saturday morning the boys were with me and I decided to take them out to breakfast to a local vegetarian restaurant. We were in luck, they had cinnamon French toast on the menu. Unfortunately, said French toast did not live up to the hype and I learned that they preferred Omnidad taking them McDonalds. Not to be outdone and let them think that vegan French toast is crap, I decided that I would make the most epic vegan French toast to ever cross their paths for dinner tonight. For those of you who have had the pleasure of me cooking for you (yeah, not cocky at all), you know that I only make vegan food that make omnivores not miss animal based food at all. And with that hyped up lead in, I give you Chubby Vegan Mom's French Toast Casserole...

Vegan French Toast Casserole Bake
(Serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
1  stick of butter (melted)
1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk
3/4 cup brown sugar (and a little more for sprinkling purposes)
1 loaf of deliciously perfect bread, sliced thick (I used Trader Joe's Multigrain bread)
1/4 block of silken tofu
1 TBS vanilla extract
Cinnamon (for sprinkling purposes)
Powdered sugar (for sprinkling purposes)
Maple Syrup (for delicious purposes)

Directions:
Cut your bread into thick slices (we did about an inch thick) and lay out the pieces on the bottom of a sprayed casserole dish (I used a 9X9 glass one). Melt 1/2 stick of butter and stir in brown sugar. Once all the sugar is dissolved, pour the butter goop on top of the bottom layer of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

In a small bowl, mix the melted half stick of butter, almond milk, vanilla extract and silken tofu. Blend in a food processor until all the little tofu lumps are gone. Place the rest of your bread on top of the gooey sugar and butter covered layer, then drizzle the butter, milk, vanilla and tofu mix over the entire casserole.

Now, I know this isn't exactly the food that good health is made of, but it will dissuade any vegan naysayers. Next time I promise I will health it up for you, but for now enjoy this food bomb gift.

A Tale of Two Dips

This weekend my in laws were in town for my niece's high school graduation. Since they are a bit crunchy like me, I figured this would be a great opportunity to showcase my mad cooking (and plagerizing) skills. I say plagerizing because these two sweet dips that I made both came from my amazing friend over at theresahippieinmykitchen.blogspot (if you aren't following her you are totally missing out. She's an amazing cook and one of my best friends). This first dip is going to blow your mind. It's raw, easy (3 ingredients people), and will fool everyone you know. I give you chocolate fondue dip...

Chocolate Fondue Dip:
2 ripe avocados
3/4 cup of maple syrup (less if you don't like it as sweet)
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Directions:
Skin and take out the seed of your avocados and put them in a high speed blender (I recommend a vitamix). Add maple syrup and the cocoa powder and blend until there is no green left. Put out in a dish and serve with strawberries or bananas for dipping. This recipe fooled my kids. They wouldn't touch an avocado with a 50 foot pole, but you better believe they chowed down on this!!!

Next is chocolate chip cookie dough dip. A few years back there were a lot of really unhealthy recipes floating around for chocolate chip cookie dough dip. Not being one to let my family go down the path of eating junk but not wanting them to live a life of broccoli and kale only, I was so excited to find this recipe! The base of the recipe is made from potatoes. I know it's sounds crazy, but this is so amazing it's a must try!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (taken from ohsheglows.com)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 yellow-skinned cooked potatoes, peeled
6-7 tbsp pure maple syrup, or to taste
3 tbsp cashew nut butter
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
1/4-1/3 cups dark chocolate chips

1. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove-top until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.

2. In a food processor, immediately add the cooked potatoes (still hot), nut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Do not use cold potatoes or the texture will be like mashed potatoes instead of a silky dip. Process until smooth for at least a couple minutes. Make sure no clumps remain. You want it super smooth. Adjust sweetness if necessary and add salt to taste.

3. Place mixture in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes (preferably an hour) to chill and then stir in the chocolate chips just before serving. Serve the dip with fresh fruit. Again, strawberries are an excellent vehicle for this dip.

I would recommend not trying to change this particular recipe up very much. I tried using peanut butter, but found that peanut butter comepletely over takes the taste of this recipe, and this recipe is so amazing as is!!

Both of these dips are great for parties or just curbing a sweet tooth. So go and enjoy somewhat guilt free! You are doing better for your body than a lot of the alternatives out there!!!

Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

Yesterday was Mother's Day. A day for all of us to celebrate the amazing women in our lives and for those of us who are moms to spend a day being pampered by our children. Boy Wonder and Mini Me love to do it up for me, it's quite sweet when kids are young. They brought me a card and flowers and showered me with love. That lasted all of 5 minutes and then they went back to fighting and arguing like every other day. All I wanted for Mother's Day was a day without arguments and not to have a fight over dinner. Seemed like that shouldn't be too much to ask for, right? Riiiiight.... Well for all of you Mother's out there who have the same wish as me I can't promise you that your kids won't argue with each other, but I can give you a recipe that might quell the fight over dinner and give you a little piece of mind that you are doing something good for their little bodies (and yours!). We all know that there is precious little that kids like more than peanut butter and noodles (well, besides candy and ice cream). So based on this premise I give you Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce....

Cooking a Spaghetti Squash:

• Prick the spaghetti squash all over with a skewer so it will not burst while baking (same way you would do with a baked potato).
• Place whole squash in a shallow baking pan.
• Bake in preheated 375 F oven for 1 hour.
• Once cool enough to handle, cut the squash in half
• Scoop out the seeds and toss them out
• Then, take a fork and scrape all the "noodles" out. 

 Peanut Sauce (taken from cooks.com)
2 teaspoons peanut oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2/3 cup smooth all-natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot chile sauce

In a small saucepan, saute the garlic in peanut oil over low-medium heat. Add the water, soy sauce, and coriander, and bring to a boil. Add the peanut butter and turn the heat to low. Whisk well until the peanut butter and oil are combined. Mix in the maple syrup, vinegar, and chile sauce. If you are making this dish for kids you will want to gradually add in the hot sauce to make sure it's the appropriate level of spiciness. 


Next, plate your spaghetti squash noodles the way you would use pasta noodles, add some veggies (I used lightly steamed broccoli), then add a little protein (we opted for baked tofu), and top with the peanut sauce. The spaghetti squash has a very bland taste, so layer on that peanut sauce. Don't worry, its a good fat ;)

Lentil and Quinoa Pilaf

This weekend was amazing. Sunny, warm, and beautiful. The boys played all weekend in the water, running around the neighborhood in flip flops and swim trunks. Spring had sprung and it was great! And then came Monday. Since rain is few and far between for us here in Southern California, I didn't take the time to look at the weather. I figured it would be just another beautiful, cool morning for a run. Turns out I was wrong. It did rain, right in the middle of a very fast paced 5 mile run. At the end, I was cold, wet, with two rubbery legs, and felt completely exhilarated. It also makes me crave something really warm to eat when the cold run and subsequent hot shower are all said and done. Today lentils and quinoa fit the bill.While this may not be as kid friendly as some of the other recipes, this one is super easy, pretty quick, and can be made in large batches for easy lunches/dinners.

Lentil & Quinoa Pilaf

Lentils
1/2 C of uncooked green lentils
1 1/2 C of water
1/2 vegetable bullion cube
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of ancho chili powder
Salt to taste

1. Pour water, bullion, and spices into the pot and bring to a boil
2. Toss your lentils into the boiling water and cook for 30-45 minutes until lentils have soaked up all the liquid and are tender.
3. Add salt to taste.
***1/2 cup of uncooked Lentils will yield 1 cup of cooked lentils***


Quinoa
1/2 c uncooked quinoa
1 cup of vegetable broth or water
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring water or vegetable broth to a boil.
2. Add in the quinoa and cook until you see tiny spirals (the germ) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds. The quinoa will have a "fluffy" look to it.
***1/2 cup of uncooked Quinoa will yield 1 cup of cooked quinoa***

Once both are done, layer the lentils over the quinoa and serve hot along side of a green salad.  This makes for a very high protein, satisfying lunch. Enjoy!

Mushroom and Spinach Risotto

Being the lone vegan in a family of meat eaters, every holiday meal becomes a task. This year I decided that I would make something so epic, something so ah-mazing, no one in my family would miss the fact that there was no meat and (gasp) no cheese! So this Easter, bomb risotto was born. Now, risotto is one of those meals that sounds fancy and has a reputation that it's difficult to make. But I have to say I think that's a cop out. This risotto was easy, tasty, and had me dreaming of it again a few days later. And so we had it twice in one week. (Oh, and if your kids are picky like mine, tell them it's "cheesy rice" not risotto. My kids fear anything with a fancy name. Seriously.) Without further adieu, I give you Mushroom and Spinach Risotto, taken from dairy free cooking:

Mushroom and Spinach Risotto

Serves 4

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces dried shitake mushrooms
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2½ cups vegetable broth
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• 1 t. sea salt, plus more to taste
• 2 T. olive oil, divided
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped onions
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 T. dairy-free soy margarine
• 1 ½ T. nutritional yeast
• Black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, combine the boiling water with the shitake mushrooms, and let them soak, uncovered for 30 minutes. Drain the liquid into a medium-sized saucepan and discard the mushrooms. Add the vegetable broth to the sauce pan, bring the mixture to a simmer and cover.
2. In a small bowl, toss the spinach, lemon juice and 1 t. of the salt. Set aside.
3. In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 T. of the olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme, and cook until the mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes more. Add the remaining 1 T. of olive oil and the rice, and, stirring constantly, cook until the rice is evenly coated and sounds like crispy rice cereal in the pan, making snapping and popping noises, about 4 minutes. Add the wine, stirring constantly, until all of the liquid is completely absorbed.
4. Ladle ¾ cup of the simmering broth into the rice and cook, continuing to stir, until most of the liquid is absorbed.Continue to add the broth in ¾-cup increments, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before another addition, until the rice is translucent around the edges but still solid in the middle and the rice is of a creamy consistency, about 20 minutes.
5. Add the spinach and cook for just about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the spinach is wilted and bright green. Stir in the dairy-free soy margarine and nutritional yeast. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

So the key to making an amazingly creamy risotto is constant stirring. I know it seems a little much, but trust me it's only about 15-20 minutes of stirring and it's totally worth it! We also added in some asparagus and a little extra garlic and served with a green salad. So fantastic. This one is definitely going into heavy rotation at our house!

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies

Ahhhh, Chocolate Chip Quinoa cookies, one of my crowning kitchen achievements. Let me start off by tooting my own horn. These chocolate chip cookies are the best that I have ever tasted, because they are 1. vegan, 2. made with quinoa, and 3. this recipe went through about a million and one revisions to get to where we are today. It's the recipe that I am most known for in my circles. It's the recipe that gets requested the most from those I know. Today, it's the one treat that my very health conscious brother will take a break from his body building diet to consume for his birthday. Now, with all of that crazy lead up, here's my uh-mazing Chocolate Chip Quinoa cookie recipe...





  
Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies
1/2 C of rinsed uncooked Quinoa
1/2 C of Earth Balance "Butter"
1/2 C of Almond milk (or similar non dairy milk)
2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1.5 cups of turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon of black strap molasses
1 tsp of vanilla
2 tablespoons of flax meal, 5 tablespoons of water (combined as an egg replacer)
1 package of Chocolate Chips

Melt your earth balance and place the earth balance, milk, quinoa, vanilla, molasses, sugar, and flax meal/water mixture in your blender and blend until the quinoa is completely smooth. Then add flour, baking soda, and salt to mixture. Finally add the chocolate chips and cook at 375 for about 8 minutes. If your cookie dough is too soft, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes and then bake. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to cool. Enjoy!!

Nutrient Round up:
Quinoa: A good source of Protein, Fiber, Folate, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Manganese.
Flax: good source of Omega 3, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin and Manganese.
Black Strap Molasses: excellent source of manganese and copper. It is a very good source of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and selenium.

Meatless Monday Meal: Chipotle Corn Chili

It's been a blustery few days here in Southern California. We have swapped our warm, sunny weather for rain, wind, and just down right cold temperatures. As much as I love to eat raw, when it's this chilly my thoughts turn to, well, chili (sorry I couldn't help myself, it was just right there). It's also Monday, so that means many of you readers are looking for a Meatless Monday meal to make. With the two big meat stories of last week, you might find yourself looking for a way to: 1. Make a meal with no "pink slime" meat, 2. Make a meal that can help lower your risk of degenerative diseases (Harvard Nurses Study), and 3. Make a non- meat meal that won't break the bank.

Well, great news! This recipe delivers on all three. For less than the price of a value meal at a fast food restaurant, you can feed you and your family with something hearty and healthy! I give you Chipotle Corn Chili, taken from Poor Girl Eats Well:

4 c cooked brown rice
2 can dark red kidney beans, undrained
1 can sweet corn
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 yellow onion, diced
2 T olive oil
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t granulated garlic
1 chipotle pepper and its adobo, finely chopped (add additional for more heat and smoky flavor)
Small handful of cilantro (optional)

Heat the cooking oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sautee for about 2 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the beans, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and all the spices, and stir together. Cook over medium heat for a couple of miuntes then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over brown rice or on its own. Garnish with chopped cilantro to cool the heat of the chipotle a bit. If you are making this recipe for little kids, always start with minimal amount of peppers and add more if your kids are like my 6 year old nephew who eats Tapatio hot sauce like its Ketchup.

The great part about this dish is that it can be thrown together very quickly or can be thrown into a crockpot to cook if you are gone all day. Very versatile and very tasty. Now, off to find out why my kid is being so quiet!! Enjoy :)

Zucchini Muffins

So first of all, I have to apologize about the lack of awesome recipes of late. I have been so busy with life, that I realize that I have been horribly slacking in the blog writing department. I had a great group of ladies over today - good wine and great company. Every ladies brunch comes with a ton of great food, trust me i am stuffed! Today's new recipe comes from happy healthy mama. These are as filling as they are amazing. I ate one of these before my nine mile run this morning and I didn't think about food once(which if you have ever run with me that's pretty much all I talk about)! I know it's kind of a miracle, but I digress. So, without further adieu I give you super healthy, super tasty Zucchini Muffins....




vegan zucchini muffins

Makes 12 muffins
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup flax meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. 
Add the oil, agave nectar, almond milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is just combined.  Do not over mix.  
Using a plastic spatula, gently fold in the zucchini just until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
Scoop 1/3 of the batter into each prepared cup.  Bake the muffins on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
Let the muffins stand  in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

These are great grab and go breakfast food. They will satisfy even the pickiest eaters and keep you full for hours!! Enjoy!

Nutrient Round up:
Flax: good source of Omega 3, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin and Manganese.
Zucchini: good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.

Coconut Oil: high content of Vitamin-E and minerals

Baked Potato Soup

Today is Saturday, which of course means that I ran a lot. 12 miles to be exact. And it always seems that in those last few miles my mind and conversation drift to two things: 1. I am ready to be done running, and 2. Food. Today's food conversation turned to baked potatoes. I always said that if there was ever a food that I could eat every day for the rest of my life, it would definitely be a baked potato. Potatoes in the last decade definitely have been given a bad wrap. Deep fried they are horrible for you, but in their beautiful baked state they can offer up to 18% of your daily value of potassium. So the dish du jour is Baked Potato Soup, loosely based on a recipe from Cooking Light Magazine.






Baked Potato Soup
2 1/2 pounds of baking potatoes
2 Tbs Earth Balance

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
3 cups veggie broth
1/2 cup of cooked pureed cauliflower
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 c of Nutritional Yeast
1 1/2 cups of cooked broccoli
10 slices tempeh bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.
Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Melt butter in a large pot. Add flour, whisking to combine with the butter. Gradually add milk and veggie broth, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add potatoes and pureed cauliflower. Transfer 1/3 of the mix to a blender and blend until creamy (this step is optional, but it will give you a creamier soup). Transfer back to your pot and add salt, pepper, and paprika. Remove from heat.
Stir in nutritional yeast and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Add additional salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle each serving with onions and veggie bacon.
For added nutritional boost, pour soup over steamed broccoli for a potato/broccoli soup that's out of this world. I know two broccoli recipes in a row? What can I say? Organic broccoli was on sale for 99 cents a pound :)

Tempeh Bacon, aka "Facon" as seen in Vegetarian Times

Makes 24 slices

• 1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, sliced into 24 very thin slices
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
• 2 tsp. liquid smoke, optional (but highly recommended)
• 1 Tbs. canola oil
• Smoked paprika, optional

Directions

1. Lay tempeh slices in 2 13- x 9-inch baking dishes. Bring soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, cumin, ancho chile powder, and ½ cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat, and stir in liquid smoke, if using. Pour over tempeh slices. Let cool, then cover and chill 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Carefully transfer tempeh slices to prepared baking sheet, and discard marinade.
3. Brush slices with canola oil, and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Flip tempeh slices, brush with oil, and bake 5 to 7 minutes more, or until crisp and dark brown.
 



Nutrient Round up:
Potato: a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese.
Tempeh: a good source of Protein, Riboflavin, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Manganese.

Cauliflower: a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid and Manganese.

Broccoli: a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.

Now go enjoy your soup knowing that you are enjoying all of the taste of a baked potato with none of the guilt!

Mac and unCheese

Nothing says comfort food quite like Mac and Cheese. As a kid I seriously would have eaten mac and cheese for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if my mom had let me. Mac and cheese was second only to my love of barbies. Of course, the barbies are long gone, but love of mac and cheese dies hard. After going lactose intolerant I tried MANY vegan cheeses, most of which were made from a disgusting rubber like substance that could have possibly been old tires. So as you can imagine, it was with great joy the day that I found Vegan Dad's Kraft Dinner recipe. (For those Americans reading this blog, our wacky neighbors to the north (aka America's hat) call their blue box mac and cheese Kraft dinner. Weird eh? Yeah Canadians are a strange bunch). So here is Vegan Dad's Kraft Dinner aka Mac and Cheese:


 INGREDIENTS
- 1 large red pepper roasted, peeled, and seeded
-1/4 cup of cooked carrots
- 3 cups macaroni
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup margarine
- almond milk

METHOD
1. While red pepper is roasting, cook pasta according to directions. Toss your cashews, carrots, and water in your Vitamix (or other high powered blender) until very smooth (3 to 5 mins).
2. Chop roasted pepper (after peeling and seeding, of course) and add to cashew mixture. Add yeast, mustard, spices, salt, and flour. Blend until smooth.
3. When pasta is cooked, drain. Add margarine to the now empty hot pot and return to the stove over medium heat. When melted, slowly whisk in cashew mixture, then add pasta and mix well. Add enough almond milk until desired consistency is reached.

For added nutritional value, use quinoa pasta and if your kids aren't completely horrified by greens, you can add lightly steamed broccoli to the macaroni after it's been cooked.

The health count in this dish stacks up as follows:
Carrots: rich in beta carotene, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients
Red Bell Peppers: contain 3 times more vitamin C than an orange. Also, loaded with lycopene.
Broccoli: contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties.
Quinoa: contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source. Also high in protein at 18% of it's total calories come from protein.
Nutritional Yeast: high in B complex vitamins and is also a complete protein
Tumeric: has long been used as an anti inflammatory in eastern cultures.

Oh and did I mention it takes really great too? Just about as close to the blue box version that has none of the above going on. Take that Kraft dinner, you have just been schooled.

Chocolate Incognito Pancakes

Ahh Valentine's Day. A day for love, flowers, and eating really amorous, extravagant food. Well that's if your Valentine's dates aren't 4 and 6 years old and have a blood lust for chocolate. With the hubs out of town I decided to indulge Boy Wonder and Mini Me with Chocolate pancakes for dinner. Now, I have to disclose that pancakes are a real winner of a food hiding spot for me. It's a food that is extremely kid friendly and you can hide a ton of good stuff in these without the kids suspecting a thing. So, without further adieu, I give you my nutrient rich Chocolate Incognito Pancakes:

Chocolate Pancakes:
3 cups of Almond milk
3 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 cup of uncooked quick cook oats
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
2 tbsp of flax oil (or coconut oil)
2 tbsp of apple sauce
1/2 cup of Blueberries
2 handfuls of raw spinach or kale
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of baking powder
1 cup of whole wheat flour

Add the first 8 ingredients (almond milk- raw spinach) to your Vitamix (or other high powered emulsion blender) and blend on high for 2-3 minutes until the spinach, blueberries, and oats have been completely mixed and there are no visible chunks in the mixture. Then add the salt, baking powder, and flour to the Vitamix and mix until the all the dry components mix with the wet ingredients. Then pour into a pan or griddle. You can use this mix for waffles or pancakes. To get the heart shaped pancakes I used a heart shaped cookie cutter and poured the pancake mix directly into the cookie cutter. Once they are done, top with your favorite fruit and a little powdered sugar.

My sweet little Valentine's loved their chocolate dinner and were completely oblivious to the fact that the just ate kale in their beloved pancakes. I call that a win-win!!

Spinach Pasta Soup

Saturdays are my absolute favorite day of the week. Why? Because they are all about two of my favorite things: running a LOT of miles and eating a LOT of food. And quite frequently, running several miles while talking about food. Today's topic: bread. And what goes better with bread on a kind of yucky weather kind of day? Soup of course!!!

Spinach Pasta Soup:
1/2 diced onion
5 cloves of diced garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes
5 cups of water
2 cubes of vegetable bullion
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of cooked and pureed carrot/cauliflower mix (1/4c chopped cooked carrots, 1/4 cup of chopped cooked cauliflower, 1 tbsp of water- pureed in the Vitamix)
2 tsp of oregano
8-10 fresh basil leaves, minced
3 cups of chopped fresh spinach
2 cups of cooked pasta- I used Wacky Mac spirals
Salt and pepper as needed

Cook onion and garlic in a pan with hot olive oil until onions soften (about 5 minutes on a medium heat). Then add basil, oregano, vegetable bullion, water, tomato paste, and the pureed carrot/cauliflower mix and cook for 15 minutes. Add the spinach in for the last 3 minutes. In a seperate pot, cook your pasta according to it's instructions.

Layer your pasta in the bottom of your bowl and top with the soup. (If you add the pasta directly to the soup it will continue to cook in the hot soup and can get overcooked). I topped our soup off with Bean Balls from my culinary Bible, Veganomicon:

Beanballs
From Veganomicon
1 can of cooked kidney beans
1/4 c. vital wheat gluten
1/2 c. bread crumbs- I used Panko and it was fab!
2 T. olive oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. steak sauce or tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
1/4 t. lemon zest
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. thyme
Preheat oven to 375* and spray rimmed baking sheet with oil.
Mash kidney beans using potato masher or food processor. (Use a Vitamix for the ultimate creamy consistency). Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Knead with your hands for about a minute once combined.
Roll into balls – I got about 16 out of this – and place on baking sheet. Spray beanballs with a little more oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake again for 10 minutes.
Then of course what meal isn't complete without its muse? By that of course I mean bread. Top your meal off with a tasty baguette and you are set! Who says vegan food isn't filling? This girl is stuffed!!!

It's Valentine's!!

Here at our the Trippet House I take holidays very seriously, and by seriously I mean I bake my weight in treats (consequently my jeans start fitting tighter around the same time. Coincidence?). Valentine's Day is of course no exception. If my boys had it their way they would eat their weight in those puffy pink grocery store Valentine's sugar cookies. You know the ones that I am talking about- they have about 80 ingredients on the label, most of which I can't pronounce. That's if I let them of course. So with Mini-Me's preschool Valentine's party coming up I figured I would offer the kids a healthier version of the puffy pink heart cookies, something without all the junk and artificial food dyes. So here goes:

Healthy Sugar Cookies! (taken from Chocolate Covered Katie's blog)

• 1.5 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I use Bob's Red Mill organic)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
  
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance

Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well. In a separate bowl, melt the vegan butter, then stir in vanilla and milk. Pour dry into wet and mix again. Form balls or roll out (not too thin), then use a cookie cutter to make shapes. If you want soft cookies, you’ll need to get the dough very cold. (So roll the balls first, then fridge until cold.) Cook in a 325F preheated oven for 9 minutes. They will look very underdone when you take them out, but that’s ok!! Just let them cool for 5 minutes before touching. http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/12/01/healthy-sugar-cookies/

Raspberry Royal Icing

• 15 frozen raspberries
• 1 lb vegan powdered sugar (be careful as most powdered sugar is not vegan)
• 1/3 cup of water

Heat the raspberries in the water until the raspberries start to fall apart. Throw them in the Vitamix (or any other high powered emulsion blender) on a low speed and gradually add the powdered sugar. If your frosting is too thin add a little more sugar. Frost the cookies once they have cooled (about 30 minutes). Let the cookies sit out until the frosting has hardened.

Enjoy!!