Chocolate Carob Walnut Carob Muffins, Anything Goes Potato Soup and Fresh Bread!

It's been a couple of weeks since I have posted up new recipes.  Check out my guest post on this website, which I have mentioned before.  This popular, green mommy-owned company is what I use to be able to afford all-organic weekly produce!  In this post I have five fabulous ways to eat your greens and a yummy roasted beets recipe that is perfect for the more reluctant!  Eating local and in season is a great way to support local growers.

We went to Alabama to visit my parents over the holiday weekend and they cooked us scrumptious cuisine! It was nice to have a cooking break :-)  When I returned, I tried a couple of new recipes out, but they need some adjustments--works in progress.

However, I also made a couple simply delicious dishes to share with you guys!  First, I will post up the chocolate carob muffin recipe from last week.  I milled my own flour for these and they were very tasty, but no need to do this to make these great.  I would recommend using whole wheat flour (whole wheat from white wheat berries imparts a more mild "wheat" flavor...usually called 100% white whole wheat flour).  It is healthier and doesn't take away from the flavor of these wonderful muffins, making them into a perfect breakfast or snack.  Also, a little known trick...if you don't have dark brown sugar, you can use blackstap molasses, about 1tablespoon per cup of sugar and fork mash it into the sugar until it becomes...brown sugar!  Not to mention unsulphered blackstrap molasses is good for you!!

Vegan Chocolate Walnut Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk or soy milk
• 1 1/2 t. apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 cup agave nectar
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup carob chips (or dark dairy-free chocolate chips)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional, I did not use this)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a 12-cup muffin tray and set aside. In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dairy-free almond milk and cider vinegar until well combined. Set aside.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, dark brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

3. Add the agave nectar, oil, and vanilla extract to the almond milk-vinegar mixture, whisking until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin emerges clean. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkling with powdered sugar if desired.

The other meal I made this week is an original recipe and is one I like to make fairly often.  It is versatile, simple, and delicious.  I usually make it at the end of a week when I have odds and ends of veggies I need to use up!  I recommend serving it with freshly baked bread like I did...nothing like fresh bread with freshly ground flour (optional).  I used this amazing vegan recipe.

Anything goes Potato Soup

Ingredients: 

* Red Potatoes (1-1/2 pounds), scrubbed with peels on, quartered

* Carrots (1-2), cut into 1 inch chunks 

* 1 head Broccoli, 1/2 head Cauliflower florets, cut into pieces

*whatever other veggie you would like to chop and add such as onion, celery, zucchini, ect.  the possibilities are endless!

* 6-8 cups of broth/stock

* 1 cup soy/almond milk

* 1 Tbsp. vegan margarine

* 1/2 cup daiya cheddar cheese

* 1 Tbsp. Parsley

* salt and pepper to taste

1.  Place potatoes in a large soup pot with carrots and cover with water, the water level should reach about an inch over the potatoes.  If I don't have broth on hand, or when I am trying to save money, I throw in a natural bullion cube or two (my favorite brand pictured below, they also have low sodium varieties).  Please, please to not get the regular bullion cubes squares, full of MSG and other things you don't want to spend your money on!

2. Cook this on medium heat for about 25 minutes after the water begins to boil, covered.  Then add in other veggies that take less time, such as broccoli or zucchini. Add the parsley. Cook 10 more minutes.

3. Turn off heat and add milk and margarine. Use potato masher (for thicker consistency) or immersion blender (smoother) and mash.  Stir in cheese, salt, pepper and enjoy!

New recipes and cleaning routine for the new year!

Things are finally getting back to normal since all the holiday festivities.  Got the Christmas decorations down, although my husband insists on keeping the tree up even though the lights and ornaments are off.   Whatever makes him happy!  My daughter's preschool started back today so I actually got to cook and clean and felt like I got so much done!!

I started the day off with doing the dishes and a sink shine.  I found a really neat, natural way to keep the lovely bright white kitchen sink we have (which shows no mercy in the slightest stain) cleaner.  I sprinkle coarsely ground sea salt all along the surface after I finish and wipe with the sponge and voila, *sparkling*.  Which is the goal according to www.flylady.net.  I love this get clean program, and if your New Years resolution is to get cleaner and STAY cleaner this year, I have been doing this for a year now and it really works.  I love how she emphasizes baby steps.  I tend to go on a cleaning spree but then can't sustain it long term. The other major cleaning I did today, as I do each Monday while Ethan is down for his nap, is to sweep and mop the floors.  I fill the sink with water, vinegar, and 4-5 drops of an antibacterial essential oil (today it was Lemon-Eucaplytus) and sanitized the floors.  This is a great alternative to the harmful chemical solutions bought at the store, not to mention much more economical.

Ok, on to the good stuff!  Today we are cooking up vegan meatballs and wheat blend speghetti and sautéed rainbow chard.  I again used recipes from the Whole Foods site.  This is not always the case, but I tend to get bored easily and so I am constantly trying new recipes!

What I love about this recipe is the high protein content.  I did some preparation ahead of time to make it less time consuming later.  I made the rice and cooked vegetable mixture ahead of time so I just had to blend it all together and put in the oven.  Another great tip, other than doing early prep-work--as mentioned in my last post, is to utilize time wisely by planning ahead and coordinating when things will be cooked.  Since I am trying to keep the amount of time I spend on a meal 30 minutes or under, I blend the meatball mixture and get it in the oven.  While that's cooking, I get the water for the pasta going.  I then prep and sauté the swiss chard while all that is going on and I clean in between.

Another note to make, if you like a more "meaty" taste to the meatballs, use portobello mushrooms instead of cremini.  I just used simple button and it was delicious!

Here is the recipe for the chard.  If you do not like bitter greens normally, you should really give this recipe a try (plus they are in season and on sale ;-)).  Sautéing them with fresh garlic and vinegar (my favorite for this recipe is balsamic) imparts a warm flavor and they almost melt in your mouth, if you can believe it!

Recipe for "meatballs":

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup roughly chopped cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed, drained and divided
• 2 teaspoons dried organic basil
• 2 teaspoons dried organic oregano
• 1 cup frozen organic brown rice, thawed
• 8 ounces organic spaghetti
• 1 (25 ounces) jar organic pasta sauce

Method: 

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and spinach. Cover and cook until mushrooms are tender and spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse sunflower seeds until coarsely ground. Add cooked vegetable mixture, half the beans, basil and oregano. Pulse until mixture is just coming together. In a large bowl, combine puréed mixture, remaining beans and rice. Stir until combined. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake meatballs 30 minutes or until heated through and crisp on the outside. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well and return to pot. Add pasta sauce and toss until combined and heated through. Add meatballs and toss very gently to combine, taking care not to break up meatballs. Serve.

Nutritional Info: 

PER SERVING:620 calories (200 from fat), 22g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 980mg sodium, 89g carbohydrate (12g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 18g protein

Here are my pics:

The consistency should be like this before forming into meatballs.

 Veggie mixture.

A little tip here I have learned after doing things the hard way...for greens such as kale or chard, fold in half as i show in the picture below.  Then take one hand and slide it along the stem, pulling away from you as you go.  The leaves will come off in your hands, if this makes sense.

 Then you are left with the leaves and the stems like this!

 Last thing!  I also have an eight month old son who I make baby food for. So I have the challenge of feeding him dinner too.  I took some of the rice from the meatball recipe earlier and added cut up apple, blended and served.  Mission accomplished :-)

Good Eatin in the New Year

Hi all!  I am excited about this upcoming year and all that it has in store.  I am more than ready to say goodbye to 2012 and hello to new beginnings.  I am an avid researcher and this year I am going to share all I have learned along the way with you all and would love to hear what you are learning as well!  This post will be dedicated to recipes of some of the vegan food I have been cooking lately.  Let's start this new year off right.  I will be posting healthy recipes to help us reach that goal.  So come on this adventure to good health with me.  I hope to soon have meal plans and so forth up as well!  I will also be posting reviews on health products I have found to work and the others that aren't so hot, as well as DIY beauty products and information.  Stay tuned!

Sweet potato enchiladas (don't knock it before you try it, they are delicious) are the first and most delicious recipe I made this week.  It took a little extra time, but I made a large batch, enough for two meals for my family!  That is my first tip to eating healthy on a regular basis with a busy schedule:  always cook double and freeze some for later or have it two nights in a row.  Work smarter, not harder! It does not take much extra time to double a recipe for what you are already doing.  I get many of my recipes from the whole foods website, this is no exception.  If you have a smartphone, they also have this great app (http://wholefoodsmarket.com/apps) where you can put in all the ingredients you have and they will give you the recipes that include those ingredients.

I have copied the recipe below.  One thing I would like to mention here is about roasting your own green chilies.  Takes very little time, and it is so much healthier than the supermarket versions, which use preservatives linked to stomach ulcers and several other side effects, which can be found just by googling the ingredients on the back of the can.

Just rinse off the green chilies and then preheat your oven to 450.  Simply place on a baking sheet and roast until skins blister, about ten minutes.

Another tip I am going to add here that is a big factor in cooking healthy consistently is to PREpare.  Meaning, I think ahead of time about what I will make and the time I need.  When I have time earlier in the day I will do the prep work.  I put in the chili pepper and potatoes in the morning to roast while I am doing household chores so they will be ready to assemble later.  The actual time it takes for them to cook is not time away from me or you.  So do other stuff while they are cooking and plan ahead.  You will be amazed how much extra time you feel that you have!

If you are looking for some delicious black beans, the BEST ones I have found are Eden's, which have no added salt and are packaged in a BPA free container (a super plus).  They are also organic and include seaweed which imparts a slightly salty flavor, while also increasing the digestibility of the bean, fondly known as "the miracle fruit" ;-)...if you know what I mean!  We get ours off of Amazon.

I would like to make one more note specifically for this recipe, if you do not have arrowroot powder, you can also use cornstarch (make sure you get the non-GMO kind!)  Also, this recipe made 12 enchiladas for me.  Here are my pics:  the finished product of the roasted chilies, the quickie sauce as it thickens, the roasted sweet potatoes (was attempting to show you in the bad phone shot that when you roast them at 400 for about 1.5 hours the skins easily peel off on their own), rolling them in the dishes, and the finished product with Daiya shredded cheese.  These are gluten free and can be vegan if you omit or use vegan cheese.

• Quickie Green Chile Sauce
• 1 cup light gluten-free vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
• 1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles, hot or mild
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste
• Enchilada Filling
• 1 (15 ounces) can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
• 2 heaping cups cooked diced sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted mild green chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder mild or spicy
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Assembly
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, as needed
• 8 white or yellow corn tortillas
• 4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Method: 

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Choose a baking dish that would hold 8 rolled enchiladas. Make your Quickie Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test and adjust seasonings. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the Enchilada Filling, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the cooked sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

To assemble the enchiladas, grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them, one at a time, as you stuff each one.

Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce. Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. Top with 1/8 of the black beans. Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce. Top with a sprinkle of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Nutritional Info: 

PER SERVING:500 calories (190 from fat), 21g total fat, 7g saturated fat, 25mg cholesterol, 980mg sodium, 64g carbohydrate (11g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 18g protein

Ok!  I am going to add one more delicious recipe for today....Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

 2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup softened vegan butter or margarine (Earth Balance and Smart Balance Light are vegan)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs (vegan option: 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds soaked for 10 minutes in 6 tbsp of warm water)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup carob chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts (or another)
1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil (this is optional and is for a more decadent, buttery tasting cookie with added nutrition but not necessary to the recipe)

In small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  In large bowl combine butter, sugar, vanilla.  Beat until creamy.  Then add eggs to larger bowl. gradually add dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Stir in chips and then nuts.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-12 minutes.  ENJOY!!