Healthy Noms

TED Talk - Graham Hill

2010-08-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

Veggie Lunch "Meat"

2010-05-29T17:39:00.001-07:00

Oh the wonderful things you can do with seitan :) This lunch "meat" is great for putting in sandwiches or for eating plain along side a dish of scrambled tofu for breakfast (We'll post that one soon!). It is packed with protein, so go ahead, eat a slice after that workout to build some lean muscle and help your recovery. It tastes delicious and is super easy to make. Though the list of ingredients looks kind of long, most of it is just spices. It is important to steam and then bake the seitan because that is what gives it its awesome texture!

Deli Seitan Sandwich

Philly Cheeseseitan with Follow Your Heart Soy Cheese

Veggie Lunch "Meat"
1 3/4 cup cooked white beans
2 cups veggie broth
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fennel
1 tsp sage
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp tumeric
2 tsp tamari or soysauce
2 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten

Place all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a medium sized bowl and add in the wheat gluten. Work it into a dough. The dough will be wet and elastic. Shape the dough into a thick log (something that can fit inside your steamer) and wrap tightly in foil.

Get a couple inches of water boiling in a big pot, place the foil-wrapped seitan inside your steamer basket and place the basket over the boiling water. Turn the heat down to medium, cover, and let steam for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the seitan is done steaming, place it (still wrapped in foil) on a cookie sheet and bake in the over for 45 minutes. Cool before slicing. Store it in the fridge tightly wrapped and slice as needed. The seitan holds up very well and can be sliced really thin!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bars

2010-04-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

These are hands down the most delicious thing we have ever eaten. They are great to eat for a snack or for a pre/post workout boost. The energy bars are full of protein and good fatty acids. They are so rich and yummy its hard to believe that they're good for you. This recipe was handed down to us from Thomas' mom, Molly. Thank you to her and you're welcome from us.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bars
2 cups almonds
1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup oats
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2 Tbs chia seeds*
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup coconut butter (also called coconut oil)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1 10oz package of semisweet chocolate chips

Pulse almonds, coconut, oats, salt, flaxseed, and chia seeds in a food processor until ground.

Add in the peanut butter and dates. Pulse in the food processor again to mix.

Heat the coconut butter and agave in microwave or on stove to get the coconut butter melted. Mix together and add into the mix in the processor. Add in the vanilla. Mix the dough in the food processor until well mixed (the dough will start to ball up).

Press the dough into a 8x8" pan with your hands or a spatula. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove until smooth. Spread on top of the dough in the pan. Chill in the fridge until set. Eat and love!

Makes 16 bars.

*Chia seeds were a staple food for the Aztecs. They are an awesome source of protein, calcium, omega fatty acids, fiber, vitamins and minerals. You can find them in natural foods stores.

Couscous Yam Salad

2010-04-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

We decided to put couscous and yams together in a salad one night because they were the only two ingredients in the house. To the intense excitement of our hungry bellies, the salad turned out really good!

Couscous Yam Salad
2-3 medium yams, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup couscous
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup agave
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Place the yams and carrots in a baking dish, lightly coat in canola oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake about 30 minutes or until soft.

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pot. Once boiling, remove from heat, stir in couscous, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes until the couscous has soaked up all the broth and is fluffy.

Pour the couscous into a large bowl along with the yams, carrots, bell pepper and red onion.

To make the dressing, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, agave, cumin, and salt and pepper. Adjust any of the ingredients to your taste. Pour the dressing over the couscous mixture and stir until well combined. Serve!

Serves about 4.

BBQ Chili

2010-04-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

This bbq chili is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It is sweet, smokey, and satisfying. Yet another kick ass recipe from Vegan Planet, this chili is one of our favorite meals.

BBQ Chili
1 Tbs canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup water
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups vegetarian burger crumbles
3 cups (or two 150z cans) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onion and bell pepper, cover, cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and juice, water, bbq sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the burger crumbles and beans and cook for another 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve hot with crusty bread and a salad!

Serves 6.

Coconut-Carob Haystacks

2010-04-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

These raw haystacks are so nommy that we have officially decided to keep an endless stash of them in the freezer. It take four ingredients and five minutes to make them and they are a sweet treat you don't have to feel bad about eating. We got this recipe from our local raw food restaurant, Euphoria.

Coconut-Carob Haystacks
1/2 cup carob powder (cocoa powder would work too)
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup cup coconut butter (also known as coconut oil)
1/2 cup agave nectar

In a large bowl, combine the carob powder and coconut. Mix well. Stir in the coconut butter and agave. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into large round mounds. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store the haystacks in your freezer and eat cold!

Makes approx. 12 haystacks.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

2010-03-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Tabbouleh is a traditional Middle Eastern salad. Usually it is made with bulgar but since we didn't have any, Thomas and I made it with quinoa instead. It turned out quite smackable :)You can add beans to this if you want to make it more of a meal.

Quinoa Tabbouleh
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
salt
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
leaves from 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced
4 Tbs cilantro, minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs lemon juice
pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot. Add in the quinoa and some salt to taste. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Pour the quinoa into a large bowl and add in the tomatoes, onion, parsley, and cilantro.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste. Blend well. Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve chilled :)

Serves 4-5.

Basic Grain Burgers with Garlic Fries

2010-03-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Homemade burgers are waaay better than any burger you could buy at the store. Our grain burgers are made with brown rice and walnuts and are crazy good! Thomas plays with the spices each time so feel free to do so too. However, the spices of rosemary and adobo are especially tasty. The burgers go great with a side of homemade garlic fries that are baked, never fried. The fry recipe follows the burger one below :)

Basic Grain Burgers
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 Tbs ground flaxseeds
2 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbs fresh or dried parsley, minced
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbs dried rosemary
1 1/2 Tbs adobo

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts to coarsely chop. Add in the flaxseeds, tamari, brown rice, onion, parsley, vital wheat gluten, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, rosemary, and adobo. Process until well combined but with some texture remaining. Shape the mixture into patties and place on a platter. Refrigerate for 10-15 minuets.

Heat 1-2 Tbs canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties, and cook until browned on both sides. About 4-5 minutes per side. Serve hot on a whole wheat bun with whatever toppings you like!

Makes 3-4 patties.

Garlic Fries
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs canola oil
2 large red potatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Keep the skin on the potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks.

Heat the garlic and oil together in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil and set aside for later. Toss the potatoes with the garlic oil and salt in a large bowl until well mixed.

Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread the potatoes out on it in an even, single layer. Bake until golden crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle the cooked garlic pieces on top of the fries along with some pepper. Serve hot!

Serves 4.

Banana Split Pudding Brownies

2010-03-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

These brownies are gooey and wonderful with lots of yummy banana in them. They're fast to whip up and are a great way to use up all those frozen bananas in your freezer (or is that just us?). We got this recipe from Isa Moskowitz's cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance.

Banana Split Pudding Brownies
For the Brownies:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt

For the Topping:
1 cup mashed very ripe banana
2 Tbs cane sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs arrowroot powder (cornstarch would work too)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of mashed banana, the oil, and the cane sugar. Use a handheld mixer to beat everything together for 1 minute (or use a fork and beat for several minutes). Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add this to the banana mixture in batches, mixing with the handheld mixer as you go along. Mix well.

To prepare the topping, combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and mix with the handheld mixer for about a minute.

Spread the brownie batter evenly into the baking pan. Pour the topping mixture over that and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. After about 15 minutes, move the pan to the fridge to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve!

Makes 12 brownies.

Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini

2010-02-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

We love stuffed peppers so we figured we would branch out and try stuffed zucchinis. They did not disappoint! These stuffed zucchini boats make a great light dinner and they're nutritionally packed with quinoa, almonds, tomatoes, and beans! They pair well with a side of roasted sweet potatoes :)

Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
4 large zucchini
1 (15oz) can white beans (such as great northern or cannellini)
1 cup cherry or plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup raw, unsalted almonds, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cheese, grated (we used Follow Your Heart Mozzarella and Cheddar)
3 Tbs olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a pot, combine the quinoa with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the quinoa is fluffy and the water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place them in a large pan, cut-side up.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and then gently fold in the beans, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, 3/4 cup of the cheese, 3 Tbs of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats and top each with a little drizzle of olive oil and the rest of the cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the zucchini is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the tops are golden, another 8-10 minutes!

Serves 4.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com

2010-02-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

This video is definitely worth watching! Jamie Oliver is a very passionate speaker and work like his will make a big difference in the world.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com

Indian Mango Dal

2010-02-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Dal is a traditional Indian dish that usually consists of lentils flavored with spices and served over rice. The mangoes in this dish add a whole element of unexpected flavor! You can use both ripe and under-ripe mangoes. Ripe mangoes will add a sweetness to the dal while the under-ripe mangoes will add tartness. This recipe comes from Eating Well magazine.

Indian Mango Dal
1 cup lentils, rinsed
4 cups water
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp cumin
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Combine the lentils, water, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and turmeric in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the cumin and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the onions and cook till they soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes.

Add the garlic mixture and the mangoes to the pot with the lentils. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are falling apart and the mangoes are soft, about another 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve over steamed brown rice!

Serves 5-6.

Banana Walnut Pancakes

2010-02-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like a nice fluffy pancake in the morning? These are fast to whip up and are great for a relaxing weekend breakfast (or brunch for that matter). Use whole wheat pastry flour to keep them nutritious while at the same time, keeping them light and airy. Paired with a couple patties of Gimme Lean veggie breakfast sausage and you've got yourself one tasty meal!

Banana Walnut Pancakes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups plain soymilk
2 Tbs canola or coconut oil
1 Tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix together the soymilk, oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine well. Add in the banana and the walnuts.

Preheat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1/3 cup of pancake batter for each pancake to the griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the top and around the edges of the pancake and the bottom is nicely browned (about 2-3 min). Flip the pancake over and cook another 1-2 minutes until the other side is browned as well. Repeat until the batter is gone. Serve hot with butter (we use Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light) and pure maple syrup!

Serves 2-3.

Heart-shaped pancakes Thomas made on Valentine's Day :)

California Guacamole

2010-02-10T16:28:00.001-08:00

This is hands down the best guacamole we've ever had. The ingredients are similar to any other good guac, however, the ratio of the ingredients seem to put this one over the top. Thomas made this for our super bowl party last weekend and the recipe made so much we had leftovers for several days. Needless to say, we were thrilled :)

California Guacamole
6 medium, ripe avocados
2 cups scallions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and coarsely chopped
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp sea salt
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. We mashed it a bit with a potato masher to get the consistency we wanted. Feel free to do it however you want!

Serves about 8 to 10.

French Lentil Soup

2010-02-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

This soup is wonderfully earthy and satisfying. Lentils definitely earn their spot among the powerhouses of food. They are considered legumes along with other types of beans and are extremely rich in fiber, minerals, protein, B-vitamins, and contain almost no fat. At only 230 calories for a cup of cooked lentils you can fill up without rounding out :) The red wine and dijon mustard in this recipe add a rich "Frenchy" element to the soup. Serve this with rice, barley or a nice thick, crusty piece of bread. Word to the wise, plan to spend the evening at home after eating this soup. Toot toot!

French Lentil Soup
3 Tbs canola or coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
6-7 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 heaping Tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 cups red wine
16 oz. dried red lentils, rinsed and sorted
6 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbs dried oregano or thyme
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs dijon mustard

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over med-high heat. Add the onions and celery and sauté for a few minutes. Add in the garlic and bay leaves. Sauté another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and wine. Reduce by three-quarters.

Add in the lentils, and enough veggie broth to cover the lentils with a couple inches of liquid. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, and adding enough broth (or water) to keep the lentils covered.

Cook the soup for 30-40 minutes or till the lentils are tender. Add in the oregano/thyme, pepper and salt. Stir in the spinach and cook gently until it is soft and wilted. Finally, add in the dijon mustard and serve immediately while it's hot! The soup tastes even better the next day as leftovers :)

Serves about 6.

Pot Stickers with Spicy Dipping Sauce

2010-01-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

Pot Stickers (called gyoza in Japanese) have to be one of the most fun foods to eat. Ever. You know who would agree with us? The entire country of America. These pot stickers are not only fun to eat but fun to assemble and cook as well. It takes a little bit of practice to get the gyoza or wonton wrappers sealed properly so don't get discouraged if your first several(or twenty in my case) look like crap. Serve these as appetizers or do as Thomas and I do and just eat twelve a piece for dinner (and feel like a balloon afterward). These pot stickers are delicious served with the spicy dipping sauce. The recipe for the pot stickers came from Vegan Planet and the dipping sauce is from Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network.

Pot Stickers
1 cup napa cabbage, minced
1 cup extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1/4 cup carrot, shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot
Salt and pepper to taste
24 gyoza or wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
2 Tbs peanut oil
1 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
1 cup water

In a food processor, combine the cabbage, tofu, carrots, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Place one gyoza wrapper on a work surface and spoon about 1 Tbs of the filling mix into the middle of the wrapper. Dip your finger into some water and then run it across one edge of the wrapper making that edge wet. Fold the wrapper over the filling and seal the two edges together to form a semicircle (if using round wrappers) or a triangle (if using square wrappers). Crimp the edge of the wrapper in three places to keep it sealed and to make it look like a traditional pot sticker (Frankly, a pot sticker is not a pot sticker without the crimp!) Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

NOTE: You might want to assemble and cook one batch of the pot stickers before assembling and cooking the second because if the pot stickers are left too long on the counter before cooking the filling will soak through the wrapper and you will have to re-wrap them!

Heat 1 Tbs of the peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place half the pot stickers in the pan and cook about 4 to 5 minutes. Don't over crowd them.

Pour in half the tamari and half of the water. Cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for another 5-6 minutes, lifting the lid off occasionally to let some of the steam out. Uncover and cook till the water evaporates, about another 3-4 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of pot stickers. Keep the first batch warm in the oven on the lowest heat setting or cover with foil. Serve hot!

Makes 24 pot stickers.

Spicy Dipping Sauce
3 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbs chili-garlic sauce
2 tsp hot chili oil

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve in little dipping bowls, one for each person.

Raw Onion Bread

2010-01-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

There are many advantages to eating raw food (food that hasn't been heated above approx. 105 degrees F). It is thought that cooking food at high temperatures depletes that food of many of its nutrients therefore making raw food the epitome of healthy eating. While Thomas and I don't follow a strictly raw diet, we do like to incorporate some raw food into our diet for its nutritional benefits and because it simply tastes good :) This raw onion bread is made in a dehydrator--an essential tool in raw foodism. We tried to make it in the oven once and while it still tasted good, the texture just wasn't right. We would place this onion "bread" in more of a cracker category and it works great as a crust for mini pizzas, buns for a burger, bread for a sandwich or just eaten by itself! We got this recipe from one of our local raw restaurants, Euphoria. Be prepared, this onion bread takes 36 HOURS to dehydrate. Plan accordingly!

Onion bread batter ready to start being dehydrated

Raw Onion Bread
3 large yellow onions
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup ground sunflower seeds, raw, shelled and unsalted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup nama shoyu (or tamari if you don't care about being strictly raw)

Peel and halve the onions and coarsely chop them in a food processor or by hand. Place the onions in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Spread a thin layer of the batter on several teflex or "fruit roll" sheets of the dehydrator.

Dehydrate at 100 degrees for 24 hours. After the 24 hours have gone, flip the onion bread off the fruit roll sheet and directly onto the trays of the dehydrator. Dehydrate for 12 more hours. Cut into large squares or triangles when done and store in the fridge!

Completed onion bread :)

Use onion bread as a yummy replacement for the buns when you have burgers! (We'll post our grain burger recipe soon!)

Cranberry Chocolate Granola Squares

2010-01-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

These granola squares are great to have in the morning or as a snack. The soymilk in them keeps the squares nice and moist which we like. Some granola is so dry and hard it's like we're feeding ourselves a form of tooth-cracking chicken feed. Not pleasant. Enjoy these chicken-feed-less granola squares stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week. We got this recipe from Robin Robinson's 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

Cranberry Chocolate Granola Squares
1 cup shelled sunflower seeds, unsalted
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup carob chips (semi-sweet chocolate works too)
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup plain soymilk
2 Tbs butter, melted (we use Earth Balance)
2 Tbs agave or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8" square pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the sunflower seeds, oats, chocolate chips, cranberries and coconut.

In a small bowl, combine the soymilk, butter, and agave or maple syrup. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix together well. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake until it is lightly browned around the edges, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

Makes about 16 small squares.

Potato Coconut Curry

2010-01-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

We love curries and this is one of the easiest and most yummy we've had! The coconut milk gives it nice creamy texture and flavor. We added tempeh to this dish to boost up the protein content. Served over brown rice or with flat bread, this is a very filling meal! Feel free to mess around with the recipe! It is very conducive to throwing whatever ingredients you want into it and it will most likely still taste good :)This curry is pretty spicy so if you want it more mild don't add in as much cayenne pepper.

Potato Coconut Curry
3-4 potatoes, cubed
2 Tbs coconut or canola oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 scallions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tsp curry powder
4 tsp garam masala
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tsp salt
1 (8oz) package tempeh, cubed (optional)
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed*
2 cups frozen peas
1 (14oz) can coconut milk

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Drain.

Heat the oil in a skillet and stir in the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, cayenne, curry, garam masala, ginger and salt. Add in the tempeh and cook for another couple of minutes. Add in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, peas, and potatoes. Mix well. Stir in the coconut milk. Let the ingredients simmer for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve over steamed brown rice or with flat bread!

Serves 5-6.

*Rinsing canned beans under cold water removes approx 40% of the sodium that's in them. It's a good habit to form if you're going to eat canned beans :)

Basic Seitan

2010-01-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

Seitan (say-tahn) is commonly called "wheat meat" and is used as a meat substitute in any dish meat would normally take part in. It is popular in Asian cooking. It is made from wheat gluten and is pretty much pure protein. Around 18g of protein is in each serving of seitan. In traditional seitan, wheat flour is washed in water and kneaded three times over two days in order to get out the starch and make wheat gluten. In this recipe, the process is sped up by starting with store bought wheat gluten that you can find in pretty much all supermarkets in the same isle as the flour.

Like tofu, seitan soaks up flavors like a sponge and you can season and marinate it however you wish. The texture of seitan is very much like meat and it is extremely healthy for you. This is a meat substitute that does not contain chemicals, preservatives or anything else that does not fit under the title of healthynoms!

This was our first time making our own seitan so we followed a recipe from the cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance. Now that we know how to do the basics we'll be experimenting with our own recipes so watch for them in the future! This recipe is really yummy though so try it!

Pictured above is the raw seitan dough. It is very elastic and must be cooked before being eaten.

Thomas being goofy while making the dough :)

Basic Seitan
2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbs whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup veggie broth
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Broth
12 cups water or veggie broth (you can do half and half too)
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce

In a large bowl, mix together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, and flour. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together through the lemon zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes till it is spongy and elastic. Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes.

Put together the ingredients for the both in a large pot (don't turn the heat on yet).

Roll the dough into a log shape about 10 inches long. Cut it into six equal pieces and place them in the broth (the broth should be cold when the seitan is put in it in order to have a firmer textured seitan and to ensure it doesn't fall apart). Partially cover the pot (leaving a space for steam to escape) and bring the broth to a boil. When the broth is boiling, set the heat to low and simmer for an hour, turning the pieces occasionally.

Turn off the heat and let the broth cool completely before removing the seitan. Once it has cooled, you may eat the seitan right away or store it. If you want to store it in the fridge, place it in a covered dish and cover with broth. It will last for about a week. If you want to freeze it, wrap each piece individually with plastic wrap and then place the pieces in a ziplock. They will keep for a couple of months.

Use seitan sliced on sandwiches, crumbled in pasta, as a burger element, in stir-fries, tacos, burritos, on pizza, etc... We will have recipes following this one with some exact recipes!

Makes about 6 cups.

Cooked seitan ready to be eaten!

Spaghetti with seitan marinara sauce :)

Ginger Cabbage Sushi Rolls

2010-01-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Here in Santa Monica we have farmers markets every Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday. This means we always have fresh local veggies on hand to eat. Today we decided to make sushi with some fresh cabbage, leeks and carrots that we picked up at the market. This was our first go at sushi, but our recipe turned out pretty good. The hardest part for me at first was getting the rolling technique right. Lets just say there were some vast improvements over the course of a few rolls.

Ginger Cabbage Roll (makes 1 roll)
1 medium/small carrot cut into thin spears.
1 handful of cabbage cut into thin long strips.
1/2 cup chopped leek.
1 1/2 cups cooked rice.
1 Sheet of Nori (seaweed)

Ginger Sauce
2 Tbs Vegenaise (Or whatever mayo you choose).
2 tsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Dried Parsley

Mix up the ginger sauce in a small bowel and set aside.
Lay your nori down on the rolling mat and spread the rice out evenly over the surface. Make sure to cover the nori evenly using all of the rice. Take your ginger sauce and spread it in a line across the center of the rice. Next lay down your carrot spears, leaks, and cabbage ontop of the ginger sauce. Roll lightly holding the veggies and nori tight to itself until the mat reaches the rice. Make sure at this point, using your fingers, that the roll is tight. Then complete the roll while squeezing the mat to ensure a tight roll.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2009-12-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

This broccoli cheese soup is just the thing to have on a cold, rainy, movie-watching day. It's a super easy recipe to follow and it makes enough soup that you can graze on it all day (of course we're not saying this from personal experience or anything...). The original recipe (which we got from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin) says you can use either arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken the soup. The first time we made this we used cornstarch and it didn't turn out well. The cornstarch thickened too much into a kind of gloppy, sloppy mess. We use arrowroot now and it works really well. No glop. No ick. Broccoli cheese soup has always been a fav of ours and we absolutely love this recipe! Nom, nom :)

Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 Tbs coconut or canola oil
1 onion, diced
4 cups roughly chopped broccoli florets
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
4 cups soy or rice milk (I used almond milk once and it was good but the soup was not as thick and creamy)
1/4 cup arrowroot dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water*
6 ounces vegan cheddar cheese, grated (or regular cheddar if you're not vegan)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes. Add the broccoli, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add in the veggie stock and increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes till the broccoli is tender. Remove from the heat and add in 1 cup of the soy milk.

In batches, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy (Use a hand held immersion blender instead if you have one). Transfer the soup back to the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Add in the rest of the soy milk. Once the soup has returned to a simmer, add in the grated cheese and the arrowroot mixture. Stir until the cheese melts and serve!

Makes about 7 cups.

*Arrowroot is a starch extracted from the roots of the South American Arrowroot plant. Arrowroot is used as a natural thickener in many foods such as soups, sauces, and puddings. The arrowroot powder should be mixed with cold water before being added to a recipe, and it should be added towards the end, since overcooking can destroy the gelling properties of arrowroot making it kind of slimy instead. You can find arrowroot at most health and natural foods stores :)

Persimmon Bread

2009-12-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

This is the first time Thomas and I have worked with persimmons and we find that we like them! We like their taste just by themselves and in bread they're fabulous! Before making this bread, my only memory concerning persimmons was when tragedy struck my mom's freshly baked persimmon loaf some years back. Our family puppy, Sligo, decided to undertake an impossible pooch mission by clamoring onto the kitchen counter and gulping down the entire loaf of persimmon bread in one sitting. Needless to say, he was not a happy puppy agent after that.

While wandering the farmer's market last weekend, Thomas and I spotted a batch of beautiful persimmons and decided that it was time to get acquainted with these little red and orange fruits (we were hoping that persimmons only attracted dogs and that our cats would not fall under the spell of persimmon seduction as well).

Persimmon Bread
1 1/4 cups persimmon, mashed pulp (about 5 persimmons)
1 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs canola oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (regular whole wheat is fine too)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a loaf pan.

To make the persimmon pulp, wash the persimmons under cold water and then cut off the tops. If the persimmons are soft enough you can peel off their skin with your fingers. If they are more firm use a vegetable peeler. If the persimmons have seeds, cut them out. Slice the persimmons into quarters and then blend them into a smooth pulp in the food processor or blender.

In a small bowl, mix together the persimmon pulp, lemon juice, oil, and agave. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except for the raisins and nuts. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined, don't over stir. Gently fold in the raisins and nuts (if using). Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes till a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove from the pan to a wire rack and cool the rest of the way. Wrap in plastic or foil and store in the fridge. The bread tastes even better the next day!

Makes 1 loaf.

You can turn this recipe into persimmon muffins too which we love! Use the same recipe as above except heat the oven to 375 degrees and bake them for 15-20 minutes. Line the muffin pan with paper liners. Makes 12 muffins!

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Red Onions and Yams

2009-12-10T16:28:00.001-08:00

Our Aunt Carolyn cooked this recipe for us when we visited her over Thanksgiving a year ago. Obviously it was so good that it stuck with us and we had to make it again! Don't worry if it looks like there is way too much Swiss chard. Add it to the skillet in batches as it will wilt down after a minute or so in the heat and make room for more. Also, you can use a butternut or acorn squash in the dish rather than a yam if you want :)

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Red Onions and Yams
2 tsp coconut or canola oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 yam or sweet potato, cubed
1/4 cup apple juice
1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped
sea salt to taste

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, till softened (about 5 minutes). Add the yam and apple juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the yam are soft. If the liquid dries up before the yam is soft, add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet. Add the Swiss chard, cover, and cook about 5 minutes or until the chard has wilted (may have to do in batches). Season with salt to taste and serve!

Serves 3 to 4.

Peanut Butter Cups

2009-12-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

The holiday season means having some extra tasty treats around the house. These peanut butter cups help provide that little bit of extra Christmas cheer! They are super rich so Thomas and I have found that splitting one is the perfect way to be satisfied without getting that "oh my god I'm gonna be sick" sugar feeling. I was inspired to make these peanut butter cups after seeing them on a fellow food blog, http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/

Peanut Butter Cups
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (make sure it's vegan)
4 Tbs peanut butter (we like the Smart Balance kind)
1 Tbs nutritional yeast (for texture, flavor and nutrition)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave until it is smooth and creamy. In 4 paper muffin liners, pour just enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each liner. Put the liners in the fridge for just a minute to help harden this first layer of chocolate.

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, nutritional yeast and vanilla. Split this mixture between the 4 muffin liners and layer on top of the chocolate bottom. Pour the rest of the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and set the 4 peanut butter cups in the fridge until they are fully hardened. Once hardened they are ready to be eaten!

Makes 4.

Chili Lime Quinoa

2009-12-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Quinoa (pronounced Keen Wa) is an ancient seed that has been cultivated in places like Peru, Chile, and Bolivia for over 5,000 years. It was a staple in the diet of the Incas who considered it the "food of the gods." Today, it is most commonly thought of as a grain. However, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. The health benefits of quinoa are numerous. It is extremely high in protein and contains all nine essential amino acids making it a complete protein like meat. It is also loaded with calcium. 1/2 cup of quinoa contains more calcium than a quart of milk. When cooked, it is slightly fluffy and creamy and has a nutty taste. Quinoa is becoming more and more popular in the U.S. today and you can find it in most well stocked grocery stores or health food stores (check the bulk section). This chili lime quinoa is extremely delicious and can be eaten as a main dish or as a side. Pictured with the quinoa is some freshly chopped Swiss Chard :)

Chili Lime Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 to 14 ounces vegetable stock
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 Tbs lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

In a dry skillet (no oil) toast the quinoa over medium heat, stirring often. This helps to bring out the flavor of the quinoa. After about 5 minutes the quinoa should become aromatic. Take it off the heat, transfer to a fine sieve and rinse with cold water.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chilies and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the quinoa and the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer over high heat. Once simmering, reduce the heat enough to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer without stirring for 20-25 minutes until the quinoa is soft, fluffy and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Add in the cilantro, scallions, lime juice and salt. Mix gently and serve!

Serves about 6 (2/3 cup each).

Pad Thai

2009-12-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

Pad Thai is one of Thailand's national dishes. Traditionally, it is a dish that consists of stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, an assortment of vegetables, with some occasional meat thrown in and covered in a light, spicy sauce. This dish was easy to put together and tastes extremely delicious!

Pad Thai
8 ounces rice stick noodles
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup mirin*
3 Tbs ketchup
3 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs sriracha or another chili sauce
2 Tbs coconut or canola oil
14 to 16 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into small cubes
1/2 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

To drain and press the tofu, place the tofu in a bowl with a paper or kitchen towel underneath. Take another towel and soak the water off the top of the tofu. Then take another dry towel and place it on top of the tofu with a bowl or can (anything with some weight)on top. Leave the tofu this way for about 15 minutes. With the water pressed out of it, the tofu will cook much better. After the tofu has been pressed, cut it into small cubes.

Fill a large pot about halfway with water and bring to a boil on the stove. Once boiling, put in the rice noodles for about 2-3 minutes. Rinse with cold water, drain and set the noodles aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the agave, mirin, ketchup, tamari, lime juice, and sriracha. Set the sauce aside.

To bring out a stronger flavor in the peanuts, place them in a dry skillet (no oil or anything) and cook them on high heat for a few minutes until they begin to smell strong and flavorful. This will add to the overall flavor of the dish.

Heat the coconut or canola oil in a 12 to 14-inch wok or skillet over high heat. Add the tofu and cook for about 5 minutes. Add to the skillet the onion and the garlic and cook another minute or so. Add the rice noodles and sauce mixture and cook until everything is well coated in the sauce and heated through. Finally, add in the scallions, bean sprouts and carrots and cook until all the ingredients are well combined and hot. Transfer to plates and top with the cilantro and peanuts.

Serves 4 to 5.

*Mirin is a type of sweet rice wine that is often used in Asian cooking. You can usually find it in the foreign foods section of your grocery store or in an Asian market or health foods store.

Crumb Cake

2009-12-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

Even with the lack of snow in SoCal, the holiday spirit has arrived at our house and the festive moods of Thomas and I can be seen around the living room as well as in our cooking. Our Christmas tree is up (which the kitties have terrorized already), a string of glowing blue lights has been placed around our big balcony window and we made crumb cake to go with our Rice Nog. We got the recipe for this crumb cake from Vegan Yum Yum.

Crumb Cake
-Crumb Topping-
8 Tbs margarine, melted (we used Earth Balance vegan margarine)
2/3 cup raw cane sugar
1 tsp molasses
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Whisk the still warm margarine together with the sugar, molasses, cinnamon, and salt. Add in the flour and mix with your hands to form a thick dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the cake.

-Cake-
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup raw cane sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup soymilk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar mixed together
1 Tbs cornstarch (mixed in 1/4 cup water)
2 tsp vanilla
some powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8" baking pan with lightly grease aluminum foil.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add in the canola oil, soymilk mixture, cornstarch mixture and vanilla. Whisk until smooth but don't over mix. Pour into the prepared pan.

Break apart the crumb topping into pea-sized pieces with your fingers and spread it all over the cake batter. It will seem like too much crumb topping but don't be shy! Put it all on! It is a crumb cake after all.

Bake the cake for around 35-45 minutes or until the crumb topping is slightly brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Once the cake is done, lift it out of the pan by the foil and place it on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in a tupperware and kept at room temperature.

Serves 9.

Tortilla Soup

2009-12-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

We got the recipe for this tortilla soup from one of our local restaurants, Real Food Daily. Simply put, it is the most drool inspiring, tummy rumbling, and overall happiness inducing tortilla soup we have ever had. Beware, this soup has a bit of a nose running kick to it so if you want it less spicy simply take the seeds out of the jalapeño. We garnished the soup with homemade tortilla chips (recipe follows below) and cilantro. You can put whatever you want in the soup though! Here are some ideas: store bought tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream, and pico de gallo.

Tortilla Soup
1 Tbp canola oil
2 onions, coarsely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, finely chopped
2 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
8 cups vegetable stock
1 pound (approx 2 large) tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup tomato paste
8 corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the jalapeño, tamari, cumin, salt, oregano, and pepper and saute for another minute or two. Stir in the veggie stock, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the tortillas and simmer another 10 minutes.

Blend the soup until smooth in the blender (do it in batches) or use a hand held immersion blender and blend the soup in the pot. Stir in the cilantro and garnish with tortilla chips or whatever you wish!

Serves 6 to 8.

Homemade Tortilla Chips
4 corn tortillas
1 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Slice the tortillas into 1/8" thick pieces. Toss them in a bowl with the oil and spices. Then spread the tortillas out on a baking sheet and bake them for about 15 minutes or until they're slightly brown and crispy!

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

2009-11-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

I tried a couple of different dairy and egg free chocolate chip cookie recipes before I made this one and was satisfied. The egg replacement mixture in this recipe works wonders and gives the cookies the exact same texture as regular ones. While these cookies do offer nutrition (unlike Betty Crocker's sugar, fat, and ick laden ones)that doesn't mean you can down fist loads of them! Moderation my friends, moderation.

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies
-Egg Mixture-
2 Tbs ground flaxseed
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs canola oil
4 Tbs boiling water
Mix these ingredients together in a small bowl. They should make a wet paste. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

-Dry Ingredients-
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (regular whole wheat is okay too)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup carob chips (semi-sweet chocolate chips work as well)
Mix these ingredients together in a medium bowl.

-Wet Ingredients-
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup margarine, melted (we used Earth Balance vegan margarine)
3/4 cup raw cane sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
2 tsp vanilla
Mix together in a large bowl. Add the "egg" mixture and dry ingredients and mix well. Chill the dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Chill 2 non-stick, ungreased baking sheets in the freezer for a few minutes. It is important to have the baking sheets cold when the dough is placed on them.

Make the dough into golf ball sized balls and place on the baking sheets. Bake them in a 375 degree oven for 9-12 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them.

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

2009-11-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

We love these peppers. It's like Christmas morning when you open them up and see the treasure of gooey goodness that spills out. You can stuff the peppers with pretty much anything but we chose to do orzo (a rice-shaped pasta) here.

Orzo Stuffed Peppers
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 zucchini squash, grated
1 yellow squash, grated
2 large scallions, chopped
1/2 cup cheese, plus more for sprinkling, grated (we used vegan mozzarella but you can use anything. The original recipe calls for Romano)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups orzo (try and use whole wheat if you can)
6 sweet bell peppers (red, orange and yellow)
Basil for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and break them into pieces with your fingers. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, scallions, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. Drain the orzo through a sieve, reserving the broth. Stir in the orzo with the vegetables. Transfer the vegetable broth to a 9x13 baking pan.

Slice the tops off each pepper and with a spoon or your fingers remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the veggie broth. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle each pepper with some cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 more minutes. You can garnish them with basil if you want.

Left-over peppers store well in a tupperware in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave!

Serves 6.

Jerk-Spiced Soy Jerky

2009-11-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

This jerky was item #2 that I cooked for our Vegas trip. We were all a little
skeptical about the idea of jerky made from tofu but we were pleasantly surprised! It tasted really good and the consistency of the tofu was very similar to meat jerky. Be prepared however. This jerky takes nearly all day to cook in the oven. I didn't realize this when I started and ended up making the rest of my dishes for the trip around midnight. I got this recipe from Robin Robertson's 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

Jerk-Spiced Soy Jerky
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar (I used raw cane sugar)
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 Tbs soy sauce or tamari
2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (I left this out as I'm not convinced liquid smoke is healthy)
1 (16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu

First you need to drain your tofu. To do this place the tofu in a bowl with some paper towels underneath it. Take more towels and soak the water from the top of the tofu. Then place a layer of dry towels on top of the tofu and place a couple of cans or bowls (anything somewhat heavy) on top and let the tofu drain for about 15 minutes. Once the tofu is drained, cut it into 1/4-inch thick strips.

In a small bowl, combine the allspice, thyme, garlic powder, sugar and pepper. Stir in the soy sauce, ketchup, maple syrup, olive oil, and liquid smoke (if using). Combine well.

Dip the tofu slices into the marinade to coat both sides. Place the marinated tofu on a non-stick baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour in order for the tofu to soak up the flavors of the marinade.

Place the oven rack in the lowest position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and bake the tofu for about 8 hours or until it is very firm and a deep reddish brown color. The jerky will keep in the fridge covered for about a week.

Serves 8.

Thin Crust Flaxseed Pizza

2009-11-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

So last weekend my husband's company had their annual holiday party in Las Vegas. Needless to say, it was an awesome party filled with good friends and good dancing. In fact, I danced so hard that I about ruined my poor feet in my Target brand heels...guess I need to up the quality a bit. Anywho, before leaving for the weekend I found my inner boyscout and decided to prepare as much food as I could in advance to bring with us (I was a little unsure how healthy eating would fit into the city of sin). I knew that we would be staying in a hotel room with no microwave or any other form of heating food so I decided to make meals that would taste good cold. Surprise, surprise, pizza came to mind and let me tell you...it definitely hit the spot!

Thin Crust Flaxseed Pizza
2/3 cup warm water
2 Tbs agave or honey
4 1/2 tsp yeast
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (regular whole wheat is fine too)
1/2 cup soy flour (gives the crust some good protein but you can replace it with regular wheat flour if you want)
4 Tbs ground flaxseed
1 tsp salt

Whisk together the water, agave (honey), and yeast in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until the top gets foamy. In a large bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Add the wet yeast mixture to the dry mixture and stir together as best you can. The dough will be dry and will mix hard. This is okay. Don't add water to it. Dump the dough out onto a counter top (doesn't need to be floured) and knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is a smooth round ball. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean towel. Let it rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.

After the dough has risen, knead it for a minute or so on a floured counter top. Split the dough into two balls and roll each ball out and place on a non-stick pizza pan or stone.

We like to vary our pizza toppings. However, the pizza pictured here has marinara sauce, onions, red and green bell peppers, some cilantro, and Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Soy Cheese on it. Feel free to top your pizza with whatever you want!

Bake the pizza in a 425 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Makes 2 pizzas.

3-Ingredient Savory Sauce

2009-11-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

One of our friends from Illinois, Tria, gave us the recipe for this amazingly yummy and healthful savory sauce. This sauce can be drizzled over rice, vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and yes, meat too! Our favorite way to eat it is to pour it over a big bowl of steaming rice and vegetables. Other than the wonderful taste, I love this sauce because it is powerfully nutritious. Each of the 3 ingredients found in this sauce, flaxseed oil, nutritional yeast, and Braggs liquid aminos, is a food that we should all be incorporating into our eating routine everyday. Alone, these ingredients might be a catastrophe of bad taste and poor spirits followed by a solemn vow to love every bite of that Mickey D's Happy Meal, but joined together these ingredients taste like pure love.

3-Ingredient Savory Sauce
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup flaxseed oil (organic is always best)
1/3 cup Braggs liquid aminos

Whisk all of the ingredients together. Store in a jar or in any other covered container in the fridge. The sauce will last for a good month or more. You may have to whisk it each time before you use it as it will separate in the fridge.

Makes 1 cup.

Check Out Healthy Hints!

2009-11-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

Thomas, my husband, just started another blog called Healthy Hints. It partners well with Healthy Noms in that it explains many of the things we have been learning about having a balanced, healthy, and long life through fitness and nutrition. There is a link to it in my Healthy Links section, or click here www.healthy-hints.blogspot.com Check it out!!

Agave Dijon Salad Dressing

2009-11-13T10:22:00.001-08:00

Okay, so this is probably one of the best salad dressings I've ever had. It livens up even the most boring and pathetic of salads! We got this recipe from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch and its pretty much a staple in our fridge now.

Agave Dijon Salad Dressing
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. The dressing will last for up to a month covered in the fridge.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Note: The dressing can harden and separate in the fridge. Let it warm to room temperature and stir before serving.

Chana Masala and Curried Naan

2009-11-12T11:10:00.001-08:00

So last night I figured I would attempt to make one of my great loves, Indian food. A lot of Indian food naturally falls into the category of healthy noms so it won't be hard to implement this cuisine into our lifestyle. Chana Masala is curried garbanzo beans and naan is a type of Indian flat bread. Traditionally, naan is cooked in a tandoor oven. However, since we have nothing that even slightly resembles a tandoor oven in our western apartment kitchen, I cooked the naan in a simple skillet. Though the naan could have been prettier (as you will see in the pictures) it tasted really good! The chana masala was great too, though I think I could have made it even spicier. The best way to eat chana masala and naan is to dip the naan in the curry. You can serve the curry over steamed brown rice too if you want :)

Chana Masala
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can diced tomatoes (try and get 'no salt added' if you can)
5 small red potatoes, diced (leave the skins on)
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp tandoori paste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro plus 2 tablespoons reserved for topping, chopped
1 Tbs arrowroot or cornstarch, mixed with an equal amount of water

Heat a tablespoon of coconut or canola oil in a 1 or 2 quart pot. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for a few more minutes. Take off the heat and add in the beans, potatoes, tomatoes, stock, herbs and spices. Place back on the heat, get it to a simmer and then let simmer, covered, on medium-low until the potatoes are soft and a lot of the liquid has cooked off. Mash the curry with a potato masher to break up the big pieces. Add in the arrowroot or cornstarch mixture (this will thicken the curry). Take off the heat and sprinkle with the reserved cilantro. Serve with naan or rice!

Serves about 6.

Curried Naan
scant 4 cups of whole wheat pastry flour or bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs curry powder
1 Tbs dry yeast
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup raisins
3 Tbs mango chutney

Put the flour, salt, oil, curry powder, yeast, and water into a bowl and mix for about 2 minutes. Then tip the dough out onto a floured counter top and knead for 5 minutes or until soft and pliable. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Knead the raisins and mango chutney into the dough. Then divide the dough into six pieces and place them on the baking sheet. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.

On a floured counter top, roll each piece of dough out into approx an eight-inch circle or oval. Let rest for another 5 minutes. In a large frying pan, heat some coconut or canola oil until very hot. Shallow-fry each naan on high heat until it is browned on both sides.

Makes 6 naan.

This recipe is from Paul Hollywood's 100 Great Breads cookbook

Autumn Spice Cake

2009-11-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Though it is cooler, Southern Cali doesn't embrace Autumn like our home state of Colorado. There are no changing leaves, frosty mornings, or first snows. Therefore, Thomas and I have taken it upon ourselves to create what Autumn ambiance we can on our own. The festive spices and dried fruit in this spice cake definitely add to our Autumn mood. In fact, I think I might go don my scarf and wool mittens right now! Oh wait, its 70 degrees outside. And I'm sweating. Never mind.

Autumn Spice Cake
1 cup sugar (we used raw cane sugar)
1/2 cup margarine (we used Earth Balance vegan margarine but any will do!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried fruit (we used raisins)
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (regular whole wheat is fine too)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cream the sugar and margarine together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla, applesauce, spices and baking soda. Add the applesauce mixture to the margarine/sugar mixture. Slowly add in the flour and stir. Fold in the dried fruit. Place the batter in a greased 9x13-inch pan and sprinkle the almonds on top if using. Bake for 20-25 minutes until top is golden and slightly spongy!

Quick and Yummy Chocolate Mousse

2009-11-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

Thomas and I were craving chocolate the other night (big surprise) and decided to whip up this amazingly yummy chocolate mousse. There are only 3 ingredients in this dish and it is not only good, but good for you!

Chocolate Mousse
2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup agave nectar*
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
dash of vanilla (optional)

Place all of the ingredients in the food processor or blender and blend together until thick, smooth and creamy! You can eat it straight out of the blender or you can chill it in the fridge for a cool, rich texture.

Serves about 4.

*Note: Agave nectar is a sweetener like honey only more mild. It has a low glycemic index (meaning good for you, way better than processed, white sugar)and can be substituted for sugar in most recipes. The agave plant is the same plant that tequila is produced from and is found mostly in Mexico. You can find agave with the honey in most super markets!

Jalapeño Poppers and Acorn Squash

2009-11-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I admit it. My mouth was on fire last night. In fact, I had to do multiple high speed circuits around the living room with a half piece of frozen bread shoved into my mouth before I could get the flames out. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised considering I was shoving jalapeños into my mouth. I'll not lie though. I loved the jalapeño poppers. They were absolutely delicious and the gooey cheeze that we made to stuff them was amazing. Next time, Thomas and I will know NOT to add the seeds of the jalapeños to the cheeze sauce to make it hotter. Believe me, its hot enough as it is. Thomas is the one who did all the cooking last night! I was simply his lowly sues chef. Along with the Poppers, he made yummy sugar glazed acorn squash and some salad. Overall, it was a great meal. Except...oh yeah, all the soymilk is gone...that's right...we guzzled it all in our frantic burning states of hell.

The original recipe for the Poppers (which we got from www.myveggiekitchen.blogspot.com)said for us to deep fry the poppers. Well, Thomas and I don't feel there's a need to deep fry anything. So, we baked 'em. And guess what? They turned out just as wonderfully golden, crispy and crunchy as if we had fried them!

Jalapeño Poppers
15 jalapeño peppers, with stems
the recipe for gooey cheeze sauce (below)
10 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup soymilk
1 cup flour (we used whole wheat pastry flour)
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

To prepare the jalapeños, cut a slit down the length of each pepper with a paring knife. Then cut the seed pod at the top of the pepper under the stem. The seeds should be freed now so take the knife and scrape them out along with the pith. Mix the garlic in with the cheeze sauce (along with the seeds if you want it really hot!) Take a ziplock bag and snip a small hole in one corner of it to form a pastry bag. Pour the cheeze in the bag and then funnel it through the hole and into the slitted peppers.

Dip each Popper into the soymilk and then dip it into the flour. Let them sit for about 10 minutes like this until the flour hardens some.

Then dip each Popper once more into the soymilk but this time instead of flour, dip them into the bread crumbs. Let them sit for another 10 minutes.

Lightly oil a baking sheet to put them on. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for about 30 minutes!

Gooey Cheeze Sauce
3/4 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
2 oz pimiento peppers, diced
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 tsp. yellow miso
2 Tbsp. butter, melted (we use Earth Balance butter but regular is fine too!)
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend. Then blend some more until it is thick and creamy.

Makes 15 jalapeño poppers.

Acorn Squash
2 acorn squash
some butter (vegan or not)
some brown sugar or raw cane sugar

Cut each squash in half and dig out all the seeds with a spoon. Lightly spread around some butter on the inside of each half. Then sprinkle on some sugar. Place on a baking sheet face down. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for about 30 minutes until they are soft.

Serves 4.

Teriyaki Tofu

2009-11-05T13:29:00.001-08:00

Welcome to my first post! Last night I embraced the Asian side of myself (which is purely in heart since I'm mostly Irish)and made teriyaki tofu with steamed brown rice and vegetables. I'm drooling all over myself just thinking about it. It tasted better than any teriyaki tofu I've eaten in a restaurant and made being healthy not only easy, but incredibly lip smackable. I got the recipe from fellow foodie blogger, www.myveggiekitchen.blogspot.com Below is a picture of my final result. Yum! (Sorry, I'm no professional photographer, though I like to pretend).

Teriyaki Tofu
14 oz. firm tofu, drained
3 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 recipe of teriyaki sauce (below)

Cut tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and place in a ziplock bag with the cornstarch. Seal and shake to coat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tofu, turning only when sides are browned. Once browned, pour in the teriyaki sauce and stir to combine. It will thicken in the heat.

Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar (I use raw cane sugar or sucanant to be more healthy)
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger, minced
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a medium pot. Over low heat, whisk the ingredients together and simmer until the sauce thickens and bubbles!

I use the other half of the sauce on vegetables. Simply place the veggies in a skillet with a little bit of oil and saute them over high heat until soft. Pour in the teriyaki sauce and stir until it thickens (only a few minutes).

Serve the teriyaki tofu and veggies over steamed brown rice!
Recipe serves about 4