Salads!!

I made 2 different salads this weekend and have been chowing down on them...

The first was a recipe from Whole Foods and its a Wheat Berry Salad.  I changed it up a little bit so here is what I did:

1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries
Salt and pepper to taste
1 orange
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons grape seed oil (use whatever oil you prefer)
2 small raw beets
1 small handful bagged grated carrot
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1/2 bag broccoli slaw
2 small bunches green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Place wheat berries in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cold water. Let soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the berries and place them in a large saucepan. Cover by several inches of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until berries are tender and some break open, about an hour. Drain well and set aside to cool.

Put the beets in a microwave safe container, cover with water and cook for 3 minutes.  When you pull them out they will be easier to cut.  Cut into thin strip. (Note: To avoid staining your hands with beet juice, wear kitchen gloves.  If you have a food processor you can keep the beets raw and use the shredding attachment on a food processor.)

Zest orange then transfer zest to a large bowl. Add juice of half the orange (save remaining for another use), lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and whisk to make a dressing. Add cooled wheat berries and toss.  Add beets, carrots, raisins and green onions and toss again. 

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

The second salad was also from Whole Foods.  I tried their Superfood Salad and loved it.  If you live near a Whole Foods I would recommend just buying the salad, it's not much cheaper to just make it, but I did change up the recipe a little bit, of course, so here is where I found the original and this is how I changed it up:



Salad
2 cup Kale, thinly sliced
2 cup Nappa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 bag grated carrots
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 C Blueberries
1/2 cup Grape tomatoes
1/2 cup Edamame, shelled
3 tbsp unsweetened dried coconut flakes

1/4 cup dried cherries and cranberries (from the bulk section at Publix)
A handful Sunflower Seeds, raw
A handful Cashew pieces, raw

3 tbsp black sesame seeds

Dressing
1 cup POM pomegranate and blueberry juice
3 tbs lemon juice
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Cayenne powder to taste

Put the dressing ingredients in a close-able container and shake.  Pour over all the salad ingredients.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.  Eat within a few days... it will go bad fast.

Kind-Of Marinated Collard Greens

I went to Whole Foods yesterday and saw that they had Marinated Collard Greens.  That sounded DELICIOUS and so I knew I had to make it. I figured for the price I could make it way cheaper.

And so I did.  I found a recipe here and it is a raw vegan recipe.  I didn't have time to let it marinate as long as they recommended so I changed it up a bit...

1 bag, collard greens (its already chopped up and washed, score!)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips
6 garlic cloves, minced

5 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbs olive oil
4 Tbs soy sauce
salt and black pepper to taste


In a large pan over high heat, spray the pan and cook the onion until just soft.  Chop 1/2 of the garlic and add it to the pan.  Add collards 1 handful at a time until you have added about 1/2 the bag and stir constantly until the collards turn a bright green color (only a few minutes).  Take off the stove and put into another large container.

Add the rest of the garlic and collards from the bag, orange pepper, coconut, and parsley. 

In a small bowl combine lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic. 

Pour over the collard greens and veggies. Using your hands massage the dressing into the veggies well.

Eat right away or refrigerate at least an hour.  Enjoy!!

Baked Coconut Lentils

Another delicious dish!! But, I really didn't change it up much from the original recipe. So if you like coconut and you like lentils try this dish out here.

Rice and Beans

I have been dreaming lately in rice and beans but haven't ate any in a long time.  So, I made some.  But of course I must veggie everything up so here is what I did.  And don't be scared of any of this, its so freaking easy!!

Kristie's Rice & Beans with Caramelized Onions, Zucchini, and Mushroom

1 cup brown rice
2 1/2 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatos (home made - thanks Dad!!), with juice

2 white onion, thinly diced
2 tbsp grapesead oil (but use any oil you wish)
1/2 tbsp salt

spray oil
3 zucchini, thinly diced
1 container mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
fajita seasoning, to taste (I used 2-3 tbsps)

6 green onions, thinly sliced
fresh cilantro
lime (optional)

In a rice cooker, cook the brown rice, garlic, and water.  When it is about 3/4 of the way done add the black beans and diced tomatos

While the rice is cooking, over medium heat add grapeseed oil, onion, and salt to a cast iron skillet.  Let it sweat, stirring regularly until it caramelizes.  Set aside.

Using the same cast iron skillet, spray with oil and add zucchini, mushrooms and garlic.  Sprinkle fajita seasoning.  Cook over medium heat until just barely cooked.  Take off the heat.

To assemble, put the rice and beans on the bottom of your bowl.  Add a good handful of cilantro and mix together.  Add a squeeze lime if you would like.  Top with zucchini mixture, caramelized onions, green onions and more cilantro.  Add fresh cracked pepper.

This is one of the best things I have made in a long time.  So full of amazing flavor, you will just love it. Enjoy!!

Seaweed Salad

If you ever ate seaweed salad at a restaurant and loved it, and like me thought, 'this is way to hard to make at home,' I'm about to show you how easy it really is.  And, this is a bit different but I think even better.

First, you will want to get some sweet fish sauce.  My friend Moni made me some and her recipe was something similar to this one. But I'm sure you could get something like this at the market or just leave it out, and maybe just add some ginger, a squeeze of orange and/or orange zest to the salad and I'm sure it will still taste good.  P.S. this sause doesn't taste at all like fish, so it can be a little bit misleading in the name.

Ok, now onto the recipe...

Seaweed Salad

4 cup soaked Seaweed
1 tbsp grapeseed oil (use any oil you have at home)

2-3 tbsp sweet fish sauce (recipe above)
1 Tomato, diced
5 mushrooms, diced

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

3 tbsp sesame seeds

3 tbsp flax seed, ground
Fresh Lemon Juice
Sea Salt

1 Avocado (optional)

Mix everything together, except the avocado.  Chill, serve the seaweed salad and top with avocado.  

THE BEST!! Yummy!!

'Healthy' Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been craving peanut butter and coconut lately (CRAVING)!!!  So, last night I decided to make some cookies!!  I found a great recipe here and changed it up a little bit.  Here is my cookie recipe.

'Healthy' Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup crunchy peanut butter (no sugar added)
2 tbsp honey
1 whole egg, or a flax eggpinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 bar Ghiradelli 86% cacao dark chocolate bar, broken into pieces

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, mix together the first five ingredients until a smooth batter forms, then gently fold in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips.

Using a teaspoon, drop the batter onto a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray.

Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350F, rotating the pan after 5 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes.

Try not to eat them all at once :)

Chania Moussaka

The name of the disk makes it sound fancy, foreign, and hard, right?!?!!?  But really, its just an eggplant casserole (or cheese-less eggplant lasagna).  The original recipe can be found here, I only changed it up a little bit but I thought you would want to see what I did!

Chania Moussaka

2 large eggplants, cut into 1/4-in. round slices
Salt
2 tbsp. grapeseed oil (you can use any oil)

non-stick cooking spray as needed
1/2 bunch spinach
1 green pepper, chopped
Ground cinnamon to taste
1 red onion, sliced into half moons
5 Garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, cut into 1/4-in. round slices
2 tbsp. raisins
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
4 small chicken breasts, cooked & diced
2 tbsp. bread crumbs

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Spray a rectangular baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 
• Place the eggplant slices on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt. Top with paper towel, and place a pan or other weight on top. Let rest until ready to cook. The salting will draw out the bitterness from the eggplant, drawing out the salt with it. 
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the eggplant and sauté until slices are browned on both sides. Add cooking spray as needed to keep sautéing the eggplant. Transfer half the eggplant to the baking pan, forming a layer on the bottom of the pan. It’s okay if the eggplant overlaps slightly. 
• Add the chopped Swiss chard and green peppers to the pan and sauté about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to baking dish and season with cinnamon. 
• Spoon 1/3 of the tomato sauce over the vegetables. 
• Add diced chicken to the baking dish.
• Add 2 tbsp. of grapeseed oil to the pan. Add onions, carrots and garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the currants to the pan and sauté 3-4 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Transfer to the baking dish. 
• Spoon 1/3 of the tomato sauce over the vegetables.  
• Add the rest of the of the eggplant to the baking dish.
• Press down to compact, add the remainder of the tomato sause and add more cinnamon to taste. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. 
• Cover loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes longer until golden brown and bubbling around the edges. 

Makes 4-5 servings.

Banana & Tapioca Pearl in Coconut Milk

How about a Khmer recipe???? My Cambodian class is doing a pot luck today in which we each bring in a Cambodian dish to share.  I was tasked with doing dessert (how perfect, right?!?!)!

I changed up the recipe because I found a few different ways to make this and then I tripled the recipe to get enough for the class but I say its still Cambodian. :)  

Oh, and if you want to see where I got the recipe from click on the link.

Banana & Tapioca Pearl in Coconut Milk (makes 3-4 servings)
(Jake Ktiss) បង្អែម​ចេកខ្ទៈ

2 plantain bananas
1 tablespoon small size tapioca pearl (more if you prefer a thicker consistency)
1 can coconut milk (13 oz)
2 T sugar

In a small dish, add tapioca pearl and hot water.  Cover and let sit for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, peel banana and first cut them diagonally.  In a sauce pot on medium low, add plantains, coconut milk and sugar.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the coconut milk has thickened and turned slightly yellow.  Turn off the heat and add the tapioca.

Serve warm or cold.

Lentil Soup

Another amazing Oh She Glows recipe!!   She made a Triple Lentil Recovery Soup that I'm in love with. I have barely changed it up but I did so I'm posting my recipe, mostly so I don't forget.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1 tsp grape seed oil
2 red onions, chopped (~2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
5-6.5 cups vegetable broth, depending on how thin/thick you want it
1 1/2 cup dry red lentils
1/2 cup dry hominy


1. In a large skillet or pot, add the oil and sauté the onion and garlic over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes.

2. Add in the celery and sauté another minute. Stir in the spices and cook for another couple minutes on low.

3. Now, rinse and drain the lentils and stir into skillet/pot. Add the broth and stir well. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, a simmer until thick and lentils are cooked, about 45 minutes to an hour. Watch closely and stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot. Add more broth to thin out if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Dinner time

Dinner smoothie time!!!

1 red beet (chopped)
1/2 apple
1/2 lime
3 celery ribs (chopped)
3 handful red lettuce
5 basil leaves
Small amount of ginger
Water

Back to smoothies!!!

A few friends have been doing this for a while. I did it last summer but stopped due to cold weather. But I'm back to making smoothies!!!! I am drinking the one I made this AM and m having a hard time remembering why I stopped. It is so yummy. What I put into this one:

1 large apple
3 handfuls baby carrots (chopped)
4 ribs celery (chopped)
1/2 lemon
5 globe grapes
2 mint leaves
Few handfuls spinach
Flax seeds (ground up)

Delicious!!

Vegetable Stew and Crispy Tofu

I'm still on a roll with Oh She Glows and made two more of her recipes this weekend.  For the Crispy Tofu I really didn't change it up at all and it was very good, but I may add more spices or something next time to give it some added flavor without having to use catsup.  Her 'Husband's Healing Stew' I did make a few adjustment so see my creation below.

Also note, I found out that cayenne pepper can be very good for circulation.  Bad circulation may account for me being so cold all the time and may also account for knee pain that I usually experience in cold weather.  Because of this I've added a few different things to my diet to try to help, including cayenne... which I've pretty much started adding to everything.  I'll try to remember to let you know if it works :)


Vegetable Stew

1 tbsp canola oil
1 sweet onion, chopped

1 red onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground corriander
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped 

2 red peppers, chopped
1/2 bag mini-carrots, chopped
2 cups organic chicken broth (low sodium)

2 cups water
1, 14-oz can diced organic tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked raw buckwheat groats, rinsed (or grain of choice)
1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley, rinsed (or grain of choice)
4-5 handfuls of baby kale, chopped
1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp minced parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
5-10 shakes red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 tsp kosher salt + Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot over low heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and the chopped sweet onion, red onion, green onion, and minced garlic. Heat over low until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.

2. Stir in coriander, cinnamon, and two bay leaves and heat an additional minute or two. Now, add in the chopped vegetables (zucchini, peppers, carrots) and cook for about 5 more minutes.

3. Stir in the diced tomatoes, broth, water rinsed buckwheat and pearled barley (or grains of choice). Simmer on low-medium heat (dial 3-4) for 20 minutes, checking often to make sure it doesn’t burn or thin out too much. Add a bit more broth or water if necessary and reduce heat when needed.

4. After 20 minutes, add in the lemon juice, kale and additional seasonings- all to taste (parsley, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne and salt & pepper). Cook for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves. 

Enjoy!!

Mushroom Soup... Yum!!!

So, I made another Oh She Glows soup and it was delicious!! Of course I changed it up to what I had on hand so here is what I ended up with:

Mushroom Onion Soup

1 cup short grain brown rice 

2 pounds fresh mushrooms (I had 1 lb button and 1 lb baby bella -- but use whatever you would like), sliced
4 chopped sweet onion
6 garlic cloves, minced

1 bag frozen spinach
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

3 1/2 cups water

1 tsp herbs de provence

1 tsp fresh rosemary
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 tbsp Worchester sauce 

Instructions
1.  Cook brown rice according to the directions.
2. In a large pot over medium-low heat, add a bit of oil (~1 tsp) along with the chopped onion, saute 4 minutes.  Add minced garlic and saute another 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and herbs de provence.  Saute another 4 minutes or until onions are transparent and mushrooms are starting to cook.
3. Stir in broth, spinach, water, salt, pepper, Worchester sauce. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Scoop half of the mixture into a blender and blend until almost smooth (but still a bit chunky). Add back into the pot.
5. Stir in cooked rice. 

Enjoy!!

Tortilla-less Enchiladas and Corn Bread

I haven't been blogging much because, well, I haven't been cooking much!  But, I have found my new favorite cooking website and made a slight spinoff of a few of her recipes so I have to tell you what I did.

If you want to follow an amazing blog with the best vegan recipes check out Oh She Glows.  For each recipe I'll link to the original so you can see her's too.  The originals are pretty amazing, you will love them.

First up, I made her Flat and Crisp Corn Bread.   I didn't really mix this up at all so check out the recipe and make it up.

Next is Oh She Glows Vegan Enchiladas.  Here is my version:

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 sweet onion, chopped (~2 cups)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large sweet potato, chopped

2 bell pepper, chopped
2 handfuls spinach, chopped
~ 2 cups black beans (I had dried that I reconstituted and then froze but you can use canned as well)
Enchilada sauce (see recipe below)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
guacamole

1. Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato, I steamed them in my rice cooker but you can do it over the stove too. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet or pot, add oil and bring to medium to low heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Add in garlic and peppers and reduce heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Now add the chopped pepper, pre-cooked sweet potato, drained black beans, and chopped spinach. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes on medium-low heat.

3. Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in your seasonings: nutritional yeast (optional), cumin, fresh lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder- all to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir well.

4. Spoon into a bowl, top with guacamole, and dip in your corn bread (see recipe above) and enjoy!!  Delicious!!

The enchilada sauce from Clean Green Simple sounded amazing for this but I didn't have enough chili powder so I used what I had on hand.  It was quite spicy so if you don't like spice cut back a bit.

Enchilada Sauce

2 tbsp chili Powder

1 tbsp chili chipotle power

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp flour
1 14oz can Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 cups water

Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine tomato sauce, water, and spice mix and stir until well combined. Heat until the sauce is warmed through and as thick as you like (if it starts out thicker than you’d like just add more water). Use wherever you would use enchilada sauce.