Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks with Peanut Butter Tahini and Ginger Sauce Vegan
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| Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks with Peanut Butter, Tahini, and Ginger Sauce for a Meatless Monday dinner or snack. |
Even in families who are committed to Meatless Monday meals, I'm guessing tofu can be a tough sell sometimes. And the idea of convincing people who think they don't like tofu to try it as a snack might be even harder! But don't give up on getting your family to enjoy tofu unless you've tried pressed and baked tofu, because pressing out the water and baking the tofu makes it firmer and more chewy, and that should make it more appealing to people who don't like the texture of softer tofu. And if you have a delicious peanut buttery sauce to dip those tofu sticks into, I think that makes it even better. I tried three versions of these Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks with Peanut Butter, Tahini, and Ginger Sauce to get one I thought was just right. The tofu sticks were delicious warm, and I even liked the leftovers that had been in the fridge for a few days!
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Chipotle and Black Eyed Pea Soup with Double Cilantro Vegetarian can easily be made vegan
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| A delightful and slightly spicy soup made with black-eyed peas. |
(Today's choice for A Month of Daily Phase One Recipes is this unusual and delicious soup made from black-eyed peas, herbs, and a touch of spicy ground Chipotle pepper. You'd have to limit yourself to a small serving of this for Phase One, since the soup is mostly beans, so enjoy it with something like Vegan Tomato Salad with Cucumbers, Avocado, Cilantro, and Lime on the side.)
Mention eating black-eyed peas, and most people think of Hopping John, the southern U.S. dish that combines black-eyed peas, ham, and collard greens. If I hadn't made Hopping John Soup a few years ago, and realized how much I like the taste of black-eyed peas, I might not have tried making this soup. That would have been just sad, because I absolutely loved this recipe, (which I did change a tiny bit, mostly to indulge my love for extra lime and cilantro.)
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Saturday, March 7, 2015
Patty Pan Squash Skewers With Orange Marinade The Perfect Vegan And Gluten Free Summer Barbecue!
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| Vegetable skewers are great to serve at a BBQ! Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK . |
Patty Pan Squash
Patty pan, also known as scallop squash, are perfect for barbecuing. Their flesh is firm and they stay on the skewer, unlike their cousin, zucchini. Pair them up with mushrooms, onions, peppers, or other veggies that will take similar amounts of time to cook, and you have a simple, but very impressive looking meal.
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| If you can find them, buy baby patty pan squash, about 3 inches in diameter. 1 cup is only 23.4 calories! |
Marinades
You can buy a marinade from the store or just use your favorite Italian salad dressing. I like to make my own with a little citrus juice (orange, lime or lemon), extra virgin olive oil, garlic (of course), pepper, something salty, and something sweet. Experiment to see what you like. Dont worry too much about the calories from the oil as most of the marinade will drip off during the cooking process. Oil also helps prevent the veggies from sticking to the grill.
Heres a simple recipe for patty pan squash skewers with an orange marinade. Serve them on top of brown rice, orzo, or quinoa or wrapped in a tortilla.
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Patty Pan Squash Skewers with Orange Marinade
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 skewers]
For the marinade
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
2 or 3 cloves garlic, skins removed and pressed
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the skewers
6 small patty pan squash
18 crimini mushrooms
1 large red onion
Combine all marinade ingredients, mix well, and set aside.
Make the skewers. Clean the onion and cut in half vertically. Then again in thirds vertically. Separate into big chunks. Set aside.
If you buy the baby patty pans, cut in half vertically. If they are large, cut each half again vertically. Set aside.
Clean the mushrooms with a clean, damp paper towel. Without removing the stems, trim them in line with the mushroom cap.
For each skewer, place a double slice of onion, a mushroom, and a piece of patty pan squash, another double slice of onion, another mushroom, another piece of patty pan squash and end with another double piece of onion and a mushroom.
Place all of the skewers in a large, shallow roasting pan. Pour the marinade over the skewers. Let them sit in the marinade for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally until they are well coated.
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| Pour marinade over skewers and turn to coat. |
On a low flame, place the skewers on the barbecue and cook slowly, turning every three minutes, until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Save the marinade from the roasting pan and use it to baste the skewers while they are cooking. Its important to turn the skewers frequently, especially when you first put them on, to prevent sticking.
Once the squash is fork tender, remove from the barbecue, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve on top of your favorite grain. Rice and quinoa are good gluten-free options. Or, cut them into smaller pieces and place inside a warm tortilla with salsa.
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| Patty pan skewers served over orzo pasta. |
Enjoy!
Hemp Almond Butter and Raisin Cookies A Healthy Vegan And Gluten Free Treat Packed With Omega 3 And Very Low In Sugar!
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| This EASY, HEALTHY and DELICIOUS cookie makes a great afternoon snack! Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK . |
A Healthy Remake
My nephew made some delicious cookies this weekend from a popular recipe on the web that called for peanut butter, hemp seeds, sugar, chocolate chips and eggs. As I am always looking for ways to turn delicious recipes into delicious and healthy recipes, I created a remake that:
* Made it vegan by replacing the egg with a flax egg. (This also added omega-3 and made them cholesterol free).
* Reduced the sugar by 75% and added some stevia to make up for it.
* Replaced the chocolate chips with raisins.
* Replaced the peanut butter with almond butter for those followers with peanut allergies. (Peanut butter is fine to use too if thats not a problem.)
The result was not only irresistibly delicious but each cookie has 563 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and a very favorable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 3.5 to 1 (anything less than 4 to1 is good). These beneficial omega-3 fats come from the power seeds, hemp and flax.
And they are very low in sugar with only 1 tablespoon used in the entire recipe! You can reduce the sugar in any recipe by adding some stevia to compensate. Even if you dont like stevia, if you leave a bit of sugar in the recipe, you will can get the sweetness you desire with much less sugar and without noticing the stevia. Personally I love stevia but some people dont care for it as much as I do.
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| Hemp seeds, almond butter and flax seeds |
Cookie Sheets
I have an insulated cookie sheet that makes terrible cookies. Every time I try to use it, the cookies dont brown and never cook in the specified time. So if you are using one of these, you may have to extend the cooking time.
Nut Butter
These cookies have a much better texture if you use crunchy almond or peanut butter.
Another tip for having success with this recipe is to stir up the nut butter to mix in the oils that are usually sitting on the top. The recipe is even better if you use a fresh jar because old almond and peanut butter can get hard and dry and wont make as good a cookie.
This recipe makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies. Feel free to double it for 3 dozen.
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Hemp, Almond Butter and Raisin Cookies
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 18 cookies]
Requires a Cookie Sheet and 1-Tablespoon Cookie Scoop (Optional)
1 tablespoon ground flax
3 tablespoons room temperature water
1/2 cup shelled, raw hemp seeds
1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
2 packets stevia powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup raisins, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup crunchy almond butter (or peanut butter)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make a flax egg by combining the ground flax seeds and water in a small cup. Beat with a fork until the mixture becomes gooey. Set aside.
In a medium size bowl, mix the hemp seeds, sugar, stevia and baking soda.
Stir in the chopped raisins until they are separated and coated.
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| Coat chopped raisins with hemp mixture to prevent clumping |
Add the nut butter and the flax egg and stir until well combined.
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| Mix in nut butter and flax egg |
Using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, drop tablespoons of batter onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten with the back of a fork.
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| Flatten with a fork |
Bake in the preheated oven until they firm up and brown slightly, about 13 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 to 10 minutes. Move them to a serving plate and let cool completely. Enjoy!
Per cookie: 75 calories, 6 g total fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 563 mg omega-3 and 1,979 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 0.5 g dietary fiber and 49 mg sodium.
Raw Vegan Pear and Apple Crisp with Raisins
Pears, apples and raisins tossed with Fruit-Fresh produce protector.
One cup of fruit processed with soaked dates and nutmeg.
Raw crisp from processed walnuts, almonds and dates.
Prepared fruit being topped with crisp.
Completed pear and apple crisp in an 8 x 8 glass pan.
Weve got boxes of harvested apples and pears thanks to generous friends with fruit trees. We love making raw crisps (see my recipe for Raw Vegan Peach and Blueberry Crisp). Since we enjoy both apple crisp and pear crisp, Doug and I thought wed try putting them together. The juicy pears and crispy apples make a great combination.
Just Fruit and Nuts
If youve never tried a raw crisp before, you wont believe how good it is. And healthy too. The crisp is sweetened by the fruit itself along with the Medjool dates and seedless raisins. There is no added sugar. Nor is there any butter. The only fat is that from the heart healthy almonds and walnuts. This dessert is low in saturated fat and has zero cholesterol and nearly 6 grams of fiber per serving. The walnuts alone provide almost 1 g of omega 3 per serving.
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Raw Vegan Pear and Apple Crisp with Raisins [serves 8]
For the Crisp
1/2 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup raw walnuts
3 Medjool dates, unsoaked
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the Filling
3 cups thinly sliced peeled and cored pears
3 cups thinly sliced peeled and cored apples
2 teaspoons Fruit-Fresh produce protector
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour
1/4 cup seedless raisins
To make the crisp, place almonds in a food processor with an S blade and process until coarse. Add walnuts, dates, cinnamon and salt and process until the mixture begins to stick together. Remove mixture and set aside. Dont wash the food processor, youll be using it again.
To make the filling, place the pears and apples in a large bowl and toss with the Fruit-Fresh produce protector. Remove one cup of this filling and place in the food processor. Drain the soaked dates but dont squeeze out the moisture. Add them and the nutmeg to the food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides when necessary. Stir mixture into the bowl of sliced fruit along with the raisins.
Spread 1/3 of the crisp on the bottom of an 8" x 8" pan. Place all of the filing on top of it. Sprinkle the remaining crisp over the filling. Serve immediately or refrigerate. It will keep for several days.
Per serving: 246 calories, 11.6 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 4.1 g protein, 27.5 g carbohydrates and 5.6 g of fiber.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup Serve ChilledRaw Vegan And Gluten Free
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| Raw almonds make this chilled cucumber soup creamy. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest. Download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen, on Amazon and iTunes. |
Busy Week
Sorry its taken me so long to post this month but weve been busy harvesting 3.7 tons of organic Pinot Noir grapes in our vineyard here in Sebastopol, California. Sudden hot weather caused the sugar in the grapes to quickly spike and we had to scramble to get the grapes harvested. The sugar level dictates the percent alcohol in the wine and since we like our Pinot to be around 14% alcohol or under, we pick our grapes when they are around 24% sugar (Brix) or less.
Friends, family, and workers came to our rescue and we got it all done in three days. My brother and his wife happened to be visiting (thinking that they were here for a relaxing vacation) only to find themselves out in the field picking grapes. They enjoyed the experience and now have a story to tell back in Charleston, South Carolina.
Check out last years post on how we make Pinot Noir.
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| My brother Peter, harvesting grapes. |
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| My sister-in-law Dianne busy at work. |
Back to Cucumber Soup
Before we roped Peter and Dianne into harvesting, we did some fun things. It was Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and we took them to a fabulous wine event at Fred MacMurrys Estate that featured 200 wineries and 60 local chefs.
One of the chefs made a delicious chilled cucumber soup. Since it was creamy I assumed it was made with dairy. (I always have to ask since Im allergic.) But to my surprise, the cucumbers were blended with almonds (my favorite source of vitamin E). I didnt get the recipe but I have attempted to recreate the dish, especially since my garden is packed with cucumbers right now. My version is a bit thicker and instead of drizzling olive oil over the soup, I use cold-pressed hemp oil since it has more omega-3.
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| Cucumbers in my garden |
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Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes about 2 1/4 cups - 4 small servings]
Requires a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix
3 cups diced, peeled cucumbers with large seeds removed
1/4 cups raw almonds, soaked over night
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill plus some for garnish
1 1/4 teaspoon cold-pressed hemp oil
To prepare the cucumbers, peel and quarter lengthwise. If you have large seeds, remove them. Dice and measure 3 cups and place them in a high-speed blender.
Add the soaked almonds, lemon peel, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill and blend until smooth. If its too thick, add a tablespoon of water or non-dairy milk and blend until mixed. Chill until ready to serve.
To serve, place the soup in 4 small teacups or bowls and drizzle 1/4 teaspoon of hemp or olive oil over each bowl. Take a demitasse spoon or a toothpick and stir the oil into the soup. Garnish with a small piece of dill and serve.
Per serving: 77 calories, 6 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 170 mg omega-3 and 1,749 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 293 mg sodium.
Sugar Free Miniature Whole Grain Corn Muffins with Stevia Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes
This recipe makes 9 to 12 large or 24 miniature muffins.
Stevia is a natural herb and a safe replacement for sugar.
This recipe fills 2 miniature muffin pans.
Perfect size to accompany a large Thanksgiving feast.
How to Save Calories on Thanksgiving or Other Multi-Course Meals
Although no one needs bread on Thanksgiving with all of other dishes, we often feel compelled to serve it. One way to prevent over-eating these treasured carbs is to serve them in a "miniature" package. In this recipe, I use miniature muffin tins which allows me to get 24 muffins out of same amount of batter than yields only 9 to 12 regular sized muffins. If you put a large muffin on your plate youll probably eat it even if youre busting at the seams. If you put a miniature muffin on your plate, youll get the joy of having some extra carbs with only a fraction of the damage. Most likely, you wont go back for more.
Making Sugar Free Muffins with Stevia Instead of Sugar
Stevia is an herb which has been used to sweeten beverages in Paraguay and Brazil since pre-Columbian times. Its popular in many parts of the world but has been kept a "secret" in this country, in my opinion, by the artificial sweetener and sugar lobbyists. It wasnt until recently that the FDA granted GRAS approval to stevia so that it can be used in "food and beverages" and not just as a "supplement" for which it was previously approved. With its popularity around the world, it has been used in large quantities for many years and has been shown to be completely non-toxic unlike many artificial sweeteners on the market.
When baking with stevia, you do not have the "volume" that you get when using sugar. In this recipe, I replace 1/4 cup of sugar with 6 (1 gram) packets of stevia, 2 tablespoons of applesauce and 2 tablespoons of oat bran. The applesauce and oat bran make up the missing volume nicely.
Fiber Fiber Fiber
As my blog readers know, I think fiber consumption is one of the most important things you can do for health and longevity. This recipe is made with "King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour" which gives you the delicate mild flavor and light color of white flour but all of the fiber and nutrition of whole wheat. I also use whole grain cornmeal which, I must admit, gives you a very grainy texture. If you dont like the texture of whole grain cornmeal, you can substitute degermed cornmeal but you will not get as much fiber. Try the whole grain cornmeal and see what you think.
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Sugar Free Vegetarian Miniature Whole Grain Corn Muffins
[makes 24 miniature muffins]
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
1 cup whole grain cornmeal (or degermed cornmeal)
3 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 (1 gram) packets stevia extract
2 tablespoons oat bran
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 organic, cage free, omega 3 egg, beaten
1 cup 1% organic low fat milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 miniature muffin pans that hold 12 muffins each. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend. Divide batter into 24 miniature muffin tins and bake for 9 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. You can also make 9 to 12 large muffins but they will have to cook a little longer, about 12 to 15 minutes. You can also put the batter into an 8 inch square pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Per miniature muffin: 63.9 calories, 2.8 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 9.3 mg cholesterol, 1.8 g protein, 7.9 g carbohydrates and 1 g of fiber.
Sugar Free Vegan Miniature Whole Grain Corn Muffins
[makes 24 miniature muffins]
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
1 cup whole grain cornmeal (or degermed cornmeal)
3 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 (1 gram) packets stevia extract
2 tablespoons oat bran
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons EnerG mixed thoroughly in 2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup organic soy milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 miniature muffin pans that hold 12 muffins each. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend. Divide batter into 24 miniature muffin tins and bake for 9 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. You can also make 9 to 12 large muffins but they will have to cook a little longer, about 12 to 15 minutes. You can also put the batter into an 8 inch square pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. When using EnerG egg replacement, bake the muffins immediately after preparing the batter. If they sit around a while, they may not rise properly.
Per miniature muffin: 60.5 calories, 2.7 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g protein, 7.5 g carbohydrates and 1 g of fiber.
Spaghetti And Tofu Stuffed Eggplant Vegan And Gluten Free
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| Spaghetti makes a fun stuffing for fiber packed eggplants! Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK . |
Just for Fun!
Ive been wanting to do something with eggplant lately so I decided to stuff them. Most stuffed eggplant recipes use chopped meat or breadcrumbs. I thought, "wouldnt it be fun to stuff them with spaghetti"?
Eggplant
This purple beauty is packed with fiber and is an excellent source of manganese, potassium, folate and a host of other vitamins and minerals. They do belong to the nightshade family of vegetables so some people avoid them. Being Italian, its impossible for me to avoid nightshade vegetables which include tomatoes and peppers - how could I possibly cook without these wonderful vegetables? But some people are sensitive to the alkaloid solanine, contained in nightshades, which can aggravate joint pain in a small number of people.
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| Although these eggplants are organic, you can buy conventional with safety as eggplants are part of the "Clean 15" and are grown with very little pesticides. |
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Spaghetti and Tofu Stuffed Eggplant
Vegan, Gluten Free (when made with gluten free spaghetti)
Requires a large pot, a 3 quart saucepan and a 9"x13" baking dish
[makes 4 servings]
2 eggplants (1 pound each)
4 ounces whole wheat or gluten free spaghetti
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped,
8 ounces firm, organic, non GMO tofu
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 tablespoons vegetarian nutritional yeast
1/2 cup diaya mozzarella style shreds
1 cup prepared marinara tomato sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the 9"x13" baking dish and set aside.
Prepare the eggplant. With a sharp knife, score the eggplant 1/2 inch from the edge. Be careful not to penetrate the bottom of the eggplant.
With a spoon, scoop out the pulp leaving enough eggplant to provide structure.
Save 4 cups of pulp, discarding any with too many seeds.
Place hollowed out eggplant, hollow side down, in a large pot on a steamer basket. Cover and steam briefly until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Dont cook too long or they will lose their shape and be difficult to stuff. Carefully remove the eggplant shells and drain on a paper towel.
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| Score eggplant and scoop out pulp |
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| Leave enough eggplant to provide structure |
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| Cover and steam briefly |
Break the spaghetti in half. Using the smaller, 3 quart saucepan, prepare the spaghetti according to manufactures instructions. Cook "al dente".
Rinse and set aside.
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| Use your favorite spaghetti. For gluten free, use brown rice or quinoa spaghetti. |
Chop the eggplant pulp into 1/2 inch cubes and place in the 3 quart saucepan with a half cup of water, black pepper, dried basil and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until eggplant softens, about 5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.
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| Cook eggplant pulp until soft and dry. |
Heat the olive oil in the large pot. Add the onions and cook until they soften, 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute.
Crumble the tofu and add to the onions. Cook several minutes, stirring constantly.
Turn off the heat and stir in the ground flax and nutritional yeast until well combined.
Add spaghetti and most of the mozzarella shreds, reserving 1 or 2 tablespoons for topping. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
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| Mix all stuffing ingredients. |
Place the eggplant shells in the baking dish and stuff each with 1/4th of the mixture.
Cover with marinara and sprinkle with the remaining daiya mozzarella shreds.
Cover with foil making sure the foil does not touch the eggplant.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes.
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| Stuff and bake. |
Remove from the oven and serve. Each eggplant half is one serving.
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| A single serving provides 15 grams of fiber! |
Per serving (made with whole wheat pasta): 326 calories, 11 g of total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 568 mg omega-3 fatty acid*, 1,677 mg omega-6 fatty acid*, 0 mg cholesterol, 15 g protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 15 g dietary fiber and 624 mg sodium.
Per serving (made with gluten free brown rice pasta): 336 calories, 12 g of total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 561 mg omega-3 fatty acid*, 1526 g omega-6 fatty acid*, 0 mg cholesterol, 13 g protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 13 g dietary fiber and 629 mg sodium.
* This does not include any contribution for omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids from daiya mozzarella shreds, nutritional yeast or the gluten free pasta since that information was not available from the manufacturer.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Easy Party Lentil Salad With Fresh Corn And Red Bell Pepper Vegan Gluten Free And Inexpensive To Make!
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| Inspired by Alice Waters - Perfect for a holiday gathering! Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK ! |
Almost Time for Holiday Parties
With the holidays approaching, youll soon be looking for party recipes. Heres a quick and easy dish thats stores well so you can make it earlier in the day or even the night before. Lentils cook quickly, unlike other beans, and are an affordable way to feed a crowd. Because the salad is vegan and gluten free, all your guests, irregardless of their eating preferences, can enjoy it! Not having a party? Feel free to cut the recipe in half and serve it for lunch or dinner.
Why you should Love Lentils
Truth be known, I hated lentils as a kid but I love them now. And its a good thing because they are a very healthful food. Here are a few reasons why you should LOVE lentils:
* For those of you who dont eat read meat, lentils are a great source of iron. One cup provides a third of your daily requirements.
* You heart will be happy! Studies have shown that you have a much lower risk of heart disease when you eat high fiber legumes. One cup of lentils provides 16 grams of fiber - nearly two thirds of your daily requirement! The high fiber content also helps lower your cholesterol level. And lentils have zero saturated fat and cholesterol. I told you your heart would be happy!
* All that fiber also stabilizes your blood sugar making it a wonderful food for those with diabetes or hypoglycemia.
* Tired of people asking you where you get your protein? These powerful legumes contain 18 grams of protein per cup. Together with corn (which provides the amino acids methionine and cystine) you have a complete protein!
Party Lentil Salad
Vegan, Gluten Free
[Serves 10 or more]
2 cups green lentils
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cold pressed, flaxseed oil *
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (scallions)
1 cup corn (kernels from 1 large ear of corn)
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
* If you do not have flaxseed oil, omit and increase olive oil from 3 to 4 tablespoons. The addition of flaxseed oil improves the balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids to 1:1. When you buy flaxseed oil, make sure it is cold pressed and has a "press date" to make sure its fresh. It should be in the refrigerated section of the grocery or health food store.
Sort through the lentils removing stones or clumps of dirt and rinse well. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook, partially covered, for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through but not mushy. Drain.
In a large bowl, toss the hot lentils with vinegar, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Mix olive and flaxseed oils with lemon juice and add to the lentils along with bell pepper, onions, corn, carrot and parsley. Mix gently until combined and serve.
If you are planning to make it the night before, dont add the fresh parsley until you are ready to serve it. Also, remove from refrigerator an hour before serving so it can get to room temperature.
Per serving: 206.1 calories, 6.2 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0.8 g omega 3 and 0.8 g omega 6 fatty acids, 10.9 g protein, 27.9 g carbohydrates, 12.9 g fiber and 243.8 mg sodium.
Vegan Fettucini Alfredo Tricolore Alfredo Without The Calories And Fat Perfect Valentines Dinner!
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| Creamy fettucini sauce with silken tofu and cauliflower |
I hate to keep picking on Olive Garden, but did you know that a dinner serving of Fettucini Alfredo has 1,220 calories and 75 grams of fat, 47 grams of which are saturated? Throw in 1,350 mg of sodium and youve got a pretty unhealthy meal. Since I love traditional pasta dishes, last night I made a "healthy vegan" version of this classic.
Sneaking in the Extra Veggies!
Back in November, I posted a Vegan Mac and Cheese where I used butternut squash as the base of the cheese sauce. Its a great way to get the family to eat more veggies! The Alfredo sauce recipe is similar except the secret veggie in this sauce is cauliflower!
Even if you are still transitioning from a vegetarian to a vegan diet and are still using cheese in dishes like mac and cheese or Alfredo sauce, start blending in these vegetables and use less cheese. Its healthier for you and your family and you can start to wean your pallet from fat. Remember, fat, salt and sugar are addictive, (especially when combined) and companies like McDonalds spend millions determining just the right combination to get you hooked. They call it your "bliss point". So weaning yourself from cheese can be tough, but simple and tasty vegan recipes like these can help you make the change to a healthier diet with less saturated fat and cholesterol!
Fresh Pasta
Whole Foods carries fresh, whole grain, vegan, tricolore pasta. Im not sure if youll be able to find it but if you can, I highly recommend it. But be careful, it cooks in just a few minutes. If you cant find fresh pasta, just make the recipe with a half pound of dry, whole grain fettucini pasta or spaghetti. Or, better yet, make your own fresh pasta! As soon as I learn how to do that, Ill blog it!
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| Fresh whole grain, vegan fettucini noodles |
I love my VitaMix blender. I cant imagine life without it (and Im not getting paid to say this!). This Alfredo sauce whips up in minutes in a high speed blender and the best thing about it is that after a few minutes, it actually starts heating the sauce. But if you dont have one, you can use a regular blender or a food processor. Youll just have to heat the sauce a bit before putting it on the pasta.
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| Blending the Alfredo sauce in a VitaMix blender |
[makes 4 servings]
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced, (half of a small onion)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup steamed cauliflower, fork tender
8 ounces silken tofu, (from the refrigerated counter, not boxed)
1 tablespoon vegan buttery spread, melted
2 tablespoons vegetarian formula nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, (optional)
8 ounces dry fettucini or 12 ounces fresh, cooked according to package directions
On medium low heat, in a small saucepan, sauté the onion in olive oil until soft, about 4 or 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
In a blender or food processor with an S blade, add cooked onion mixture, cooked cauliflower, silken tofu, buttery spread, nutritional yeast, salt and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Add a touch of soy milk if the sauce is too thick.
Heat sauce in a sauce pan or by blending for several minutes if you have a VitaMix.
Toss together with cooked pasta.
Top with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Per serving (with dry pasta): 288.6 calories, 6.0 g fat, 0.9 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 12.5 g protein, 48.3 g carbohydrates and 7.9 g fiber
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