Monday, July 23, 2012

Chickpea Strawberry Mango Salad

This salad is from one of my favorite cookbooks Peas And Thank You.  It's written by a vegan mother and wife who has two young girls, so she knows very well the struggles of picky toddlers -- and husbands when it comes to a plant based diet.  I didn't try this recipe on my husband, but I do think that he would have liked it if I would have made it for him.  ;)

Salad
8 cups of romaine lettuce (or green of choice) washed, dried and torn in to bite sized pieces.
1 (14 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 mango, peeled and cut in to chunks
2 cups strawberries, washed and sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup roasted almonds (I just used slivered raw almonds)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped



Cinnamon Vinaigrette Dressing
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
3 Tbs Apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup agave nectar or pure maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil

Whisk together all ingredients except for the oil. Once they are thoroughly combined, slowly add the canola oil while whisking, until the mixture has emulsified. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Pasta with Pesto Cream (Vegan)


The abundance of sweet summer basil and tomatoes inspired this recipe.  The rich and creamy texture makes it irresistible.  This recipe is gluten-free friendly and can easily be adapted by simply preparing it with gluten-free pasta.
Makes 2 1/2 cups; Serves 3-4

Pesto
  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (this is a lot of basil, so try and find a large clamshell package of basil leaves in the produce section and you basically end up using all of it)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
Cream:
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 1 tsp white rice flour (I used regular flour)
  • 1/3 cup soy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk because it was what I had on hand, & couldn’t taste the vanilla flavor at all)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
Pasta
  • 1 (16-ounce) package pasta, spaghetti style (I like brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta)
  • Asparagus, ends trimmed and cut in to 1-inch pieces
  • 1 basket red cherry tomatoes, halved

To make the pesto: Combine all ingredients listed for pesto in a food processor. Pulse the mixture, scraping down the sides of the food processor with a spatula, until smooth.

Prepare the pasta according to package directions and start on the sauce.  *Note - When pasta is just about done, add the asparagus to blanch for just a few minutes, then drain all together and set aside.

To prepare the sauce: Whisk together the olive oil, flour, salt, and pepper in a saucepan until smooth.  Put on medium heat and whisking constantly, add the soy (or almond) milk a little at a time until incorporated. Reduce the heat to medium-low; return the saucepan to the heat. Slowly whisk in the vegetable broth and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 6 minutes. Add the pesto mixture to the saucepan, whisking until thoroughly blended and heated through. Take care not to boil the sauce. Taste and correct the seasonings. 
Gently toss the pasta and sauce together, serve the pasta topped with tomatoes.  Enjoy! 

Photo coming soon.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Excited about PIZZA!

Pizza is one of those things that gets a bad rap.  When you think of eating pizza, it's almost always associated with being unhealthy.  But that does not have to be the case!   While, yes, when you order pizza from your local delivery place, it is probably loaded with at least twice as much cheese as it needs, not to mention, often times, sausage and pepperoni.  Considering that there are 11 grams of fat and 135 calories JUST in the pepperoni that are on two pieces of pizza, plus who knows what goes in to making it, obviously it doesn't come off of the cow or pig like that.... (what is pepperoni made out of anyway??  I don't even know!) Yikes!  So obviously when you add up the sausage, pepperoni, heavy cheese, oil topped crusts also containing the unknown, it's not going to be good for your body.  One easy/obvious way to lighten it up if you're getting delivery is to ditch the processed meat products and opt for vegetable toppings instead.  Then ask for light cheese, and you've made an improvement.

But I like to make pizza at home, that way I can control what and how much of everything goes on, and I know all of the ingredients involved.  Often times I buy whole wheat pita bread and use those for the crust of individual size pizzas.  (as in, the whole round pocket, so you have to make sure you don't buy the ones that are already cut in half)  then I spread pizza sauce from a jar or even spaghetti sauce works just as well, and I usually put baby spinach on it and lightly steamed broccoli (because I always have those on hand, but I also add sauteed mushrooms and onions if I have them) and light cheese and pop them in the oven for about 5 mins, until the cheese is melted.  Tyler even likes this and it's fun for him because he can help make his own pizza.  :)    You can also buy a large pre-made pizza crust and make a family size pizza if you want something everyone can enjoy/share.  With those though, if you're eating clean, you'll want to make sure you buy one from your local natural food store, because the ones sold in regular grocery stores are full of crappy ingredients.  Also, I remember seeing ready-made dough for whole wheat pizza crust at Trader Joe's for $1 once, but I've never tried it. 

We've been enjoying homemade pizza for quite some time, and I can tell you, it tastes delicious, without leaving me feeling weighed down or feeling guilty for eating poorly.  But now I've found another pizza to make at home that's different and soooo delicious!!

BBQ Pizza with Black Beans & Corn!!!  This is awesome and so simple!!!

-1 Large Organic/natural pre-made pizza crust
-Organic/natural BBQ sauce 
-black beans (drained and rinsed if you're using canned, or cooked if you're using dried)
-Corn (either fresh off the cob, or frozen)
-Reduced fat/part skim mozarella cheese (Daiya Mozarella style would also be a good vegan option!)

Assemble in that order, put it in oven directly on the shelf, and bake until the cheese is melted.  Usually less than 10 minutes.


Some optional toppings you could add would be to sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro on top when it comes out, chopped tomatoes and even squeezing some fresh lime juice would be good!!  Red onions would also make a nice topping to go along with the black beans & corn.  This pizza is awesome, different, healthy and easy!!  I think it's something the whole family would love!