Chocolate Pudding

Borrowed this latest taste-treat from Chef Del's "Better than Vegan" Cookbook.   Had to change-up the sweetener portion of the recipe since I did not have enough dates to make the 'date syrup' per the recipe instructions. However, I did have date sugar (not really sugar at all but ground dried dates) on the pantry shelf and a few Medjool dates.  So I whipped up a suitable substitute.

Hankering for a chocolate fix?  This could be your next favorite new thing.  I made myself two pudding cups  for the refrigerator and froze the rest in ice cube trays.  Want to try some in the blender when I'm craving some 'nice cream.'

1 12-oz package silken tofu, drained

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup BEST DATE SYRUP EVER (click here for a recipe)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.  Refrigerate until well chilled.

Here's the sweetener I used...1 c. water, 1/4 cup date sugar, liquid stevia to taste and two whole dates (pits removed----hahahaha  Forgot to remove pits and when I put everything in my blender I heard this GRATING sound and remembered "I forgot the pits!!"  What a mess removing them at that point in the production.  HA!  But I did...too many yummy ingredients to waste...and removed them both).  You can simmer this on the stovetop, like I did...or just throw it all in the blender with the other ingredients.  I'm not sure it makes much difference in taste, the way I did it.  

YUMMERS!

Easy Tomato Soup

Our weather has finally moved into fall's cooler temperatures.  Days are shorter and winter solstice is just around the corner.  Time to heat up the kitchen and whip up some delicious hot soup.  

I take major shortcuts with the recipe so that I can prepare this tasty nutritious meal in a hurry.  

There's lots of wiggle room to accommodate your personal tastes.  Here's how I make mine:

Soup Base:

1  15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (low sodium, organic or no salt added, if possible)

1 11.5 oz. can V8 Juice Original, low sodium

1 small can of sliced mushrooms with juice

That's it for the soup!  See?  I did say it would be simple.

Empty contents of  these cans into a microwaveable dish, cover and heat thoroughly (heat in a saucepan on the stovepot, if you prefer).  Season to taste but the flavor of the fire roasted tomatoes comes through deliciously without any additional seasoning.  Try it without adding extras, see what you think.  Then adjust to your taste buds. I like mine soup chunky.  However, if you have an immersion stick blender, give it a whizz and make your soup base a puree.  And if you are in a REAL hurry, try eating the soup  sans any additions.  It's pretty darned good :-)

Now for the sauteed additions.  Go wild and stir fry your favorites.  My 'go-to' veggies are baby Portabella mushrooms-sliced in half or quarters, bell peppers--green looks nice in this dish, and onions sliced thin.  This is a good start.  Chopped celery compliments the flavors of this soup nicely...and water chestnuts, sliced and packed in water, also add a perfect crunch.  Zucchini?  Yum!  Throw it all in your non-stick pan, saute with a little veggie broth or water.....and let the flavors blend.  This is a good time to add your favorite spices.  Maybe some chopped garlic?  Cumin?  Celery seed?  Love them all.  And yes, I realize I have a double helping of mushrooms in this recipe.  I like mushrooms.  These FunGuys make me happy.

Zap your soup base for another minute in the microwave, so it is hot when you ladle it into bowls.  Spoon healthy portions of sauteed veggies into each portion of tomato soup and sprinkle with a bit of nutritional yeast flakes, ground flaxseed or a few sliced almonds and fresh ground pepper.

YUMMERS!

Oatmeal On-The-Go

If you are any kind of foodie at all, you've probably seen this idea for 'no-cook' oatmeal breakfast before. Once I saw it and tried it, I began seeing recipes everywhere.  BALL canning jars are very trendy right now. Who knows, maybe that was the initial appeal.  Since I love oatmeal and eat it several times a week, I thought it would be a nice change.  It's turned out to be a  great 'grab and go' meal; I love that it's prepared ahead of time.  Additionally, it's another way to get added chia seeds and flaxseed in my diet.

Basic Recipe:

1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 tsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 c. almond milk
sweetener (I like a few drops of Stevia)
or a few shakes of Erythritol

Personalize your oatmeal by adding one of these variations:

2 T. pure pumpkin,  1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 T. raisins, 1 T. chopped walnuts, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 very ripe banana (mashed), 1 T. chopped pecans, 1-2 chopped dates, 1 T. dried blueberries, 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 c. applesauce (or chopped apple), 1 T. dried cranberries, 1 T. pecans, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients well, spoon into your favorite air-tight container and refrigerate overnight.  Oatmeal will be ready to grab and go in the morning.  Or, make in the morning and eat for a light supper meal with fresh fruit.

I prepare several servings at one time and have a week's worth of breakfasts at the ready.  YUMMERS!

Not Your Grandma's Potato Salad

4 small baked **red potatoes, skin on, cut into cubes

2 cups cooked cauliflower florets (you can use an entire head of cauliflower in this recipe.  I have.   It still tastes like potato salad.)

Boil, bake or microwave (I nuke for speediness) the potatoes and cauliflower until done, whichever you prefer.  Keep a window open or a fan on in the kitchen since cooking  cauliflower  has its own special aroma.  This salad tastes great WARM.

Instead of the traditional mayonnaise (nope, not even veganaise)--- I add only spicy brown mustard, a few shakes of white wine vinegar, fresh ground pepper, parsley flakes and a pinch of garlic powder to the warm potato mixture.  Toss well!

Add chopped onion (1/2 cup) red (or green or both) bell pepper (one whole, chopped), dill pickles (just one large or two small, chopped), grated carrots (1/2 cup),  black olives (about 10, chopped), and 1-2 cups baby spinach leaves, sliced thin (this is not pictured in the collage above).  *Optional addition:  sprouted lentils (steamed for a minute or two before adding) or alfalfa sprouts.

Blend in all ingredients. Taste and add more mustard or vinegar if you need more ‘zest.’  Salad tastes great warm…and very good for leftovers.  I’m guessing there will not be much ‘leftover.’

YUMMERS!


**I have used all kinds of potatoes for this recipe.  I like the small red but the Yukon Gold and Idaho spuds are also delish.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Now I remember why I didn't post this recipe immediately.  For awhile there, I seemed to be loving every new recipe I was trying from the "Forks Over Knives Cookbook," and not coming up with anything original. Fast forward many months, and at least a dozen 'bakings' of this recipe. I have tried and tested enough times to recommend this deliciousness to anyone and everyone, despite their dietary leanings.

I've tweaked this to suit me and mine.  I use a combination of dry Stevia and Erythritol for the sweetener.  The original recipe calls for maple syrup, like this is a healthier alternative to regular sugar.  Really?  Use whatever sweetener you like where it calls for it (too many 'scientific opinions' on this topic.  I am not trying to convince anyone of which one is right or better or healthier).  I also use the lowest calorie bread where it calls for whole-wheat bread.  Why add extra calories where you won't even taste the difference?  Sara Lee has a nice lower calorie-per-slice variety and so does Nature's Own, multi-grain or whole wheat.  Everything else in the recipe is pretty straight forward from the cookbook's recipe.

Gather together your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees:

In a large bowl, whisk together ...

1 1/4 c. pumpkin pure  (save the leftovers from your 15-oz. can, freeze in ice cube tray and pull out individual servings to make a pumpkin spice latte).
1 c. almond milk (30 cal. per cup)
1/2 c. sweetener (I use 1/4 c. dry Stevia in the Raw and 1/4 c. Erythritol)
2 t. vanilla extract

Add ...

2 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt (can omit; I use about 1/4 t.)
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves

...and whisk well.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding topped with banana/peach
sorbet and bits of dried dates

Cube 8 slices stale whole-wheat bread into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups) a fold into pudding batter until well coated.

Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins and stir just until mixed.

Pour pudding into 8" x 8" non stick or silicone baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.  If additional baking is needed, check every five minutes for doneness.  Served warm is TASTY!

I refrigerate leftovers and then pop a slice into the microwave for about 10-15 seconds before serving.

In a hurry in the morning?  Cut a slice of this for a quick 'on the go' breakfast!

Yummers!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Even in Tulsa, Oklahoma, fall is in the air.  While working on a note card design, using a brand new rubber stamp, I had some fun coloring in a 'coffee mug' artwork.  Hit the "orange spectrum" and sighed deeply at the lovely shade of pumpkin I landed upon with my coloring tools.  This made me think of hot beverages and what I might create in my own kitchen.  Found this gem of a recipe, orginally from Pillsbury and tweaked it for my taste buds. Give it a try and tell me what you think!  I think it is simply Yummers.

1. Here's what you'll need to make my version:

1 1/2 cups Almond Milk (unsweetened or vanilla, the 30-calories-per-cup variety)

2 T. pure packed pumpkin

1 t. *instant coffee crystals

1 t. vanilla

1-2 tsp. your favorite sweetener (I've used rice syrup and Erythritol and stevia ---not at the same time :-) and liked them all.  Prefer my Erythritol when I have it on hand.)

**Pinch of Pumpkin Pie Spice

Whisk together all ingredients except the pumpkin pie spice.  Heat in microwave safe bowl or on the stovetop until hot and bubbly but short of boiling.

I add a splash of almond milk to my mug, cooling it off just a tad before drinking.  Sprinkle with small amount of pumpkin pie spice and 'bottoms up.'  Delish on any Autumn or wintry day.

*For you tea drinkers out there, substitute the instant coffee with 1/2 cup to 1 cup freshly brewed hot tea.  Just as delicious.  I recommend an unflavored strong green or black tea so the pumpkin has a chance to 'shine.'

** Don't have pumpkin pie spice on the shelf?  Try making your own:  1 T. ground cinnamon, 2 tsp. ground ginger and 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg.  Have some cinnamon sticks crying to be used?  This would be the drink to use them!  YUMMERS!  Next up?  Going to try adding 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder for some scrumptious hot chocolate pumpkin yumminess!  Should be a perfect fit!

Fajita Night!

This recipe was inspired after a visit to a local eatery in downtown Tulsa.  The best part of this dining experience was spending some time with my daughter on an open air rooftop, sipping an iced water and looking out over the city.  The fajita salad I ordered was very tasty but shy on vegetables (really?) and I thought I could make it amazing in my own kitchen.  It's my new 'best dinner for guests' recipe.

There is a lot of wiggle room in the preparation of this salad.  Go with your staple favorites and I'll share with you the produce I use most often.  The salad is a bed of your favorite greens and topped with your favorite sauted veggies.  If you allow yourself some whole grains,  add a side of freshly seared corn tortillas and my infamous 'guacamole' made with a bit of avocado and alotta fresh green peas.  

Recipe in a nutshell:

Fresh salad layer:

Prepare your bed of salad and lots of it!  I used a variety of greens (artisan, Romaine, baby spinach) and toss in a full can of chopped tomatoes (no sodium added) with juice, sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, chopped zucchini and a handful of cherry tomatoes.  Sprinkle with your favorite balsamic vinegar and no-salt seasonings, toss, and keep chilled!

Sauted Veggies (water and steam method):

**If you are going to enjoy some corn tortillas, you can warm these in another pan while you are sauteing your veggies.

My favorites for the sauted topping are Baby Portobello mushrooms,  lots of sweet onion, red bell pepper (use whichever color I have the most of!) and a small amount of black beans (cooked up in my crock pot and kept in the freezer until needed).  I like to add a small can of mild green chilies, too.  Sprinkle with healthy amount of 'make-it-yourself taco seasoning,' a little water or veggie broth and let cook for several minutes, until onions are slightly clear.  Put a lid on it and turn to very low heat until ready to serve.

Sauteing my veggies

Homemade salsa (recipe not included here) or your favorite  'go to salsa' in a jar

Kim's infamous guacamole (recipe not included here)

Time to put it all together:

Get out your BIG plates and serve up a healthy amount of salad.  Fillerup!  Heap it High!

Now spoon on a good cup full of sauted veggies.

For toppings, add a few slices of avocado, a few sliced black olives, some nutritional yeast or sliced almonds.

Add a heated corn tortilla, several tablespoons of guacamole and salsa...and dinner is served!

Yummers!

Ice Cream

Dessert was never so simple or tasty.  I have spotted a number of recipes for this delicious, frosty treat lately.  Here's mine.  Simple to make and only need slice and freeze ripe bananas.  One banana per serving. I said it was simple.

Other ingredients, a splash of milk (I use almond), up to 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, a bit of sweetener if your banana wasn't  ripe enough before you froze them (I reach for Erythritol) and a smattering of mini carob chips (optional, of course, but oh so tasty).

After they're frozen, you can put them into a smaller zip lock freezer bag.
But I can  never keep enough of them on hand and am always freezing more.

Put your frozen banana slices into your blendera and add your splash of milk, sweetener and vanilla;
blend until smooth.  If you add too much milk, you'll end up with a smoothie.
Still delicious but I like to eat my ice cream with a spoon.
Your ice cream will want to stick to the sides, so scrape down the sides until your banana chunks are all smooth.

Serve and sprinkle with carob chips.  Eat and enjoy the Yummersness!

Whole Wheat/Flaxseed Bread

Man cannot live by bread alone but I'd sure like to try.  Torn from a magazine ad boasting 'cholesterol lowering properties,' I kept this recipe and stuck it in a folder that rarely sees the light of day.  Then, I cleaned out my recipes, threw away all the oldies calling for cheese and meat and oils.  This recipe made the cut.  

Here's the exact quote at the top of the recipe's page:  "The Amazing Bread That Works Exactly Like Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs But Without the Side Effects" Don't hold your breath.   But the bread is tasty and at least when I make it, I know the ingredients that go into it.  No preservatives, so after a couple of days, I toss it in the fridge.  And if you are making just for yourself...I'd cut the finished baked loaf in half and wrap it well and put it in the freezer for another time.  Perhaps when you have a neighbor over for tea or coffee and a fruit plate.  Just sayin'.

Let's get to it... here is the list of ingredients as copied from the original recipe (mostly) and I've added my notes showing the adjustments I've made after several tries with the recipe.  

1 2/3 cups warm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast

3 T. honey or 1/8 cup sugar (I use Erythritol dry sweetener)

1 T. oil (safflower or olive) -- * I use grapeseed oil because I have it on hand

1/2 t. salt ( may be omitted) but I use it...so as not to mess with the leavening properties

1 cup ground flaxseed meal (use 2/3 cup whole seeds if you are grinding yourself)

3 cups fresh whole wheat flour + additional cup of flour for kneading--I used whole wheat pastry flour for this and don't always use the entire extra cup...just depends on the stickiness of your load while kneading.

** I use an additional ingredient:  2-4 t. of Wheat Gluten added in with the wheat flour.  I have it on hand, don't have any issues with gluten and I like my bread to get that height that is sometimes missing when you use whole wheat flour.  This is just the way I do my bread but will make a perfectly tasty loaf without the added gluten.

Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until bubbly (5-10 minutes)

Mix in sugar...

salt...

oil...

flaxseed...

and half of the wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well.
Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour until it makes a soft,
kneadable dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.

Begin kneading, adding just enough flour to keep dough from being sticky.

Knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.  Preferably done while listening
and singing along to your favorite tunes.  I think the bread knows and rises better if you do this ;-)

Optional method of forming loaf, learned from my friend, Melissa White-Dunn, many years ago.
Roll it out into long rectangle.  Helps eliminate air bubbles.  Really makes a
difference when you are using white flour.  With this whole wheat, not so much.
I still like rolling it out and thinking of Melissa!

Roll up bread into a loaf and tuck neatly into your bread pan.

I like to score the top of the loaf into 1/2"segments (use a very sharp knife, going only 1/4" deep).
Makes it easier to slice the bread after baking.

Cover loosely and let rise in warm place for one-two hours, until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes in center of your oven; Your bread is finished when the loaf is browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped.  (My oven is a bit off so I have to let my loaf bake a bit longer and it never gets very brown on top.  I probably take it out of the oven too soon but since I always toast my bread before eating, I prefer it a little underbaked that overbaked.)

Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

Yummers!

Virgin Cosmopolitan

4 oz. cranberry juice** (I use unsweetened juice and add a couple teaspoons of Erythritol dry sweetener)
6-8 oz. club soda, low sodium
1/4-1/3 cup lime juice (can use store bought or fresh squeezed or a combo of the two)
Juice from one orange

Mix all ingredients together and pour over crushed ice.

**When cranberries are in season, I buy a number of small bags and toss them in the freezer.  Adding a few frozen cranberries to this drink makes it even prettier.

Wish this were an adult beverage?   Add 1 to 2 oz. of Vodka and mix well before pouring over ice.

Bottoms up!

Quick Banana Breakfast To Go

Have been getting back to some streamlined nutritarian recipes and this one is taken right from the pages of Eat To Live, by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Quick Banana Breakfast To Go

Serves 1

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used 1/2 cup)

1 banana sliced

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup pomegranate juice (I used cranberry)

1 Tablespoon chopped Walnuts

1/2 Tablespoon raw sunflower seeds

1 Tablespoon dried currants (optional - I used raisins)

Combine all ingredients in microwave -proof bowl.  Heat in microwave for 3 minutes.

Can be eaten hot or cold.

YUMMERS!

Chocaberry sorbet

Every need a little  dessert?   You might like this one...

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
1 heaping tsp. of unsweetened **cocoa powder
1-2 packets of dry sweetener
just a splash of Almond milk

Place all the ingredients in a blender and start to pulse.  I use a Ninja blender and have to start and stop and tap this container several times to make sure the frozen fruit stays down in the blade area.  If you have to add more milk be careful you don't end up with a 'smoothie' instead of a thicker sorbet.  It takes some practice and patience but I've got it down to a nice 'soft serve' texture.

YUMMERS!

**cocoa powder contains caffeine.  So, if you are like me and need to watch your caffeine intake before bedtime, try this dessert in the early afternoon instead of right before hitting the rack.

Roasted vegetables

Here's what it all looks like before roasting.

Sometimes a meal can be as easy as roasting some veggies.  Preheat oven to 375 and start cleaning and slicing & chopping your favorite vegetables.  If you want to add a potato to the mix, (sweet or russet, Yukon or red --all are good) scrub clean, slice into wedges (skin on) and cook potato first for about 15 minutes before putting the other veggies into the oven.

I spritzed the veggies with a bit of butter spray.  If you use oil, a teaspoon is plenty or even some vegetable broth, just enough to moisten the vegetables.  Toss them all in a baggie with your favorite salt-free seasonings.  I topped the raw veggies with some nutritional yeast and chili pepper.

I roasted these in two separate pans so I could switch them out as needed and remove one if one batch is cooking faster than the other.

This batch took approx. 30 minutes to roast.  The cauliflower and mushrooms cooked quicker.  The green bell peppers and onion have more water content so I like to keep them separate.

I've also roasted asparagus, fresh broccoli, red & yellow bell pepper along with these you see pictured. Everyone has their favorites.  Eat yours!

A little dish of my 'cheesy sauce' to dip these vegetables (or maybe a nice homemade salsa) and I've got the perfect lunch or dinner.   Yummers!

Cheesy Sauce

From the Cookbook Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker by

Robin Robertson

**Cheesy Sauce

1 c. cashews, soaked for 4 hours and drained
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. vegetable broth powder (recipe here)
1/2 t. salt
1 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
2 T. fresh lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and process until smooth.

Jeff and I have used this sauce on our veggie burgers in place of the veggie cheese slices, we drizzle a small amount over steamed broccoli and string beans, and the best yet is 1/4 c. of sauce over your favorite whole grain pasta with fresh ground pepper.  This sauce is also the perfect dip for carrots, celery and fresh red bell pepper strips.   Mmmm, good!

Yummers!

** I've copied the recipe exactly as is printed in the cookbook.  .

Vegetable Broth (short cut)

I have made vegetable broth a couple of different ways.  The first two times I made it the traditional way, using onions, celery and carrots in water with some basic seasoning and simmered on the stove top for an hour while the vegetables cooked and created a thin watery soup base.  Another time I used these same vegetables plus one cup of lentils, giving the broth more body.  But I hated straining out the vegetables and tossing them, even though they are mush and have little flavor at this point.  Given a choice, I prefer to saute those same veggies in a pan and then heap them on my plate and eat them, just like that!

When I found this recipe for 'instant dry veggie broth' I was skeptical but knew I would have to try it. I am posting the recipe link here.   This recipe is now one of my 'top ten favorite pantry items.'  It takes only one tablespoon of dry mix to make one quart of soup broth.  I keep a jar of it made up and on hand in the refrigerator to add to recipes and use for sauteing vegetables (in place of oil or spray).  This dry powder mixes with water quickly whenever you might need some soup stock.

All three variations pictured above utilize the instant vegetable soup broth.  I saute my vegetables in a pan on the stove top (mushrooms, onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers, carrots), toss in some sprouted lentils and a small amount of cooked brown rice or cooked whole grain linguine and then just add in a quart of the vegetable broth, heat and serve up.

Soup's On!