Category: Vegetarian

Vegan Gingerbread with ‘Cream Cheese’ Frosting

 

Gingerbread-Cake_3

I found this recipe on a favorite blog. Enjoy!

The recipe turns out soft and incredibly moist, with the same deeply rich flavor as traditional gingerbread laden with eggs and butter and sugar. Yet this is probably the healthiest gingerbread recipe you’ll ever eat!

Homemade Gingerbread Recipe

  • 2/3 cup milk of choice
  • 1/4 cup molasses (blackstrap or regular) (50g)
  • 1/4 cup liquid sweetener of choice (such as pure maple syrup) (60g)
  • 1/3 cup carrot juice (80g)
  • 1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar (15g)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or melted coconut oil (20g)
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxmeal (12g) (or 2 tsp energ
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (120g)
  • OR Use All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
  • with 1 t Xanthan Gum
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 cup xylitol or brown sugar (45g)
  • 1/2 cup raisins, optional

Gingerbread Recipe: Preheat oven to 400 F and grease an 8×8 pan. In a large measuring bowl, whisk together the first seven ingredients (all liquid ingredients and the flax). Let sit at least 5 minutes. In a separate measuring bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry, and stir until just evenly combined. Do not overmix. Pour into the pan and bake 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and let sit another 20 minutes to cool and achieve the correct texture.

 

Healthier ‘Cream Cheese’ Frosting

Dreamy creamy healthy cream cheese frosting…

It’s fluffier than Pillsbury cream cheese. It’s creamier than Pillsbury. And if you’re counting calories: you could eat the entire recipe for just 200 calories. Who wouldn’t want to eat an entire container’s worth of frosting in one sitting?

But the following recipe is better than store-bought frosting for a reason much more important than the calories: it’s free of unhealthy trans fats. Many packaged frostings contain your entire day’s worth of trans fats in just two tablespoons.

Healthier Cream Cheese Frosting

(makes about 2/3 cup)

Category: Healthy Frosting Recipes.

  • 1/4 cup Mori-Nu silken-firm tofu (regular or lite) (60g) (See nutritional info link below, for substitution notes.)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream-cheese-style spread (I recommend Tofutti non-hydrogenated) (90g)
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • sweetener of choice (I’d recommend either powdered sugar or powdered stevia—such as Nunaturals. I haven’t tried this with a liquid sweetener and think it would be too runny.)
  • up to 2 tbsp milk of choice, as needed for desired thickness

Blend everything together in a small food processor or a Magic Bullet. If you’re using this recipe to top cupcakes, I’d recommend frosting them just before serving, or frosting earlier and then storing the cupcakes in the fridge, due to the perishable nature of the ingredients. Leftover frosting can be stored for a few days in the fridge, covered.

Variation ideas: Add pumpkin, or shredded carrot and pineapple for a carrot cake dip, or cinnamon and walnuts…

Source: Chocolate Covered Katie

 

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Glo Green Smoothie Plus+

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Glo Green Smoothie

Add to high powered blender:

32 oz Water

1 Large handful Organic Spinach

3 leaves Organic Kale

2 stalks Organic Celery

1 Organic Green Apple

1 Pear

1 thumb sized piece peeled ginger root

1/2 lemon (with peel)

1/2 lime (with peel)

1 Organic Banana

1 1/2 T Organic Agave Nectar

1t Tumeric

2T Organic Coconut oil

If you have these on hand throw them in:

3 leaves Arugula (gives a nutty flavor), a few sprigs cilantro, a few sprigs parsley

I picked my greens and herbs right off my aeroponic Tower Garden!

Blend on high for 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

*special thanks to Yoli for the original recipe!

 

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Vegan Gluten Free Minestrone Soup with Quinoa and Kale

With the use of Quinoa, an ancient grain, instead of pasta the classic Minestrone is made gluten free! With the use of the parmesan substitute recipe below, this soup is also vegan!

This is a thick vegetable/bean soup, traditionally made with the addition of pasta. It has a long history dating back to pre-Roman days, and it used to be made primarily with leftovers by poor families looking to stretch their food resources. It’s considered a part of la cucina povera, or poor kitchen. It evolved over the years, as any good recipe does, reflecting the economies and eating habits of the people making it, so we modified it to use quinoa (instead of pasta) and add my FAVE green, kale, to this yummy classic soup.

The is a long list of ingredients, but it is super easy! All you’re really doing is chopping the veggies into a medium dice and putting everything in a big pot. It’s fast, easy, and it’s good for several meals. Make a really big pot and freeze what you don’t use in quart containers. They last for months and will be a lifesaver when you can’t or don’t want to cook.

In celebration of this time of harvest, when fresh local vegetables are available almost everywhere, go explore the farmer’s markets, stop at farm stands, or just grab your favorite fresh veggies wherever you can, and make a minestrone. Express yourself!

Ingredients

  • 1 sweet onion – medium diced
  • 2 celery stalks – medium diced
  • 3 carrots – medium diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil – or enough to cover the bottom of the pot
  • 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
  • 2 cups fresh zucchini – medium diced (about 1 medium or 2 small)
  • 2 cups green beans – cut in 1 inch pieces
  • 1 bell pepper – medium diced
  • 1.75 lbs of fresh tomatoes or 1 x 28 ounces can crushed tomatoes
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans
  • 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups kale – stems removed
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric (or to taste)
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

Parmesan ‘Cheese’ Substitute

Optional:

Garnish with parmesan to taste, omit if vegan or use a parmesan substitute such as:

Ground cashews mixed with nutritional yeast, so easy!

Garnish with slivered basil or finely chopped rosemary

Directions:

1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.
2. Add the garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for about one minute or until garlic begins to color.
3. Add the zucchini and the green beans, season with salt and pepper, add the turmeric, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and the water, raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Lower the heat to medium/low and allow the soup to gently boil (uncovered) for about 20 minutes.
6. Add the quinoa and cover for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the cover, add the kale and the canned beans (more water if needed) bring back to a gentle boil and cook for another 5 minutes or just until the kale is tender.

Optional:

Grate in the parmesan (or parmesan substitute), add the basil and serve.

Sources:
Silvia Bianco Mind Body Green
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Slow Cooker Clean Cuisine Chili Recipe

Mom what’s for dinner??
Here ya go!

Grab your slow cooker, dust it off and you’re so done with dinner.I can’t wait to make this tonight, as I purchased a super cool professional grade food slicer gadget at the State Fair! WooHoo!

  • 2 Tablespoons cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 purple or yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
  • Himalayian sea salt (or Organic Real Salt) to taste
  • 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) BPA-free organic small red chili beans, rinsed and drained (you can also use black beans)
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • 2 ½ Cups organic vegetable broth or 3 organic salt free veggie bouillon cubes
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 packages 8 ounces each tempeh (such as Lightlife) OR ground turkey (free range) OR grond veggie crumbles (such as Boca)
  • 6 ounces beer OR 1 can  6 oz. Budweiser Lime A Rita
  • Juice of a lime (omit is using Lime A Rita)
  • 1 Tablespoon raw honey
  1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrotsm and 1 Tablespoon of the garlic; sauté until the onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the celery, bell pepper, chipotle chilies, and adobo sauce; sauté until the bell pepper is crisp-tender, 4 to 4 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
  2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a 5-6 qt slow cooker. Add the nutritional yeast, beans, tomatoes, broth cumin, and chili powder. Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients together.
  3. Grate the Tempeh or use the Veggie Crumbles or ground Turkey. Pour the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil into the skillet used to sauté the vegetables; heat the oil over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of garlic and grated tempeh and sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Add the beer and honey and stir to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the beer reduce by half.
  4. Transfer the tempeh mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for two hours. Let chili sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Some of the lesser-known ingredients in the recipe are (the full recipe is listed below in blue):

  • canned chipolte chilies in adobo sauce
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 packages of tempeh

 

Look at this recipe:

  • Fresh, organic veggies (whichever veggies I think would work well with chili. Think corn, jalepenos, green peppers, etc.)
  • Garlic, onion, extra virgin olive oil (start buying cold-pressed…always)
  • Organic broth (any kind…beef, chicken, veg….just make sure it’s organic)
  • Canned tomatoes and beans (BPA-free cans are more expensive, but sometimes they have good deals at whole foods and other stores….take advantage of them! BPA-lined cans can leak toxins into our foods)
  • Spices (that I probably already have)
  • BEER (Woo HOO!!)
  • Raw Honey (I probably wouldn’t add this because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chili)
  • I would also add some lime, as I always add citrus to soups, sauces, and salad dressings (it cuts the amount of salt you need to add!)

If using ground veggie crumbles or turkey instead of tempeh (hard to find) simply brown it in a pan with the beer, some garlic and onions, and just throw all of the other ingredients in the slow cooker) And voila! You have a healthy, hearty, delicious chili to serve!

 

Adapted from the blog:

http://cleancuisineandmore.com/ask-erin-slow-cooker-chili/

 

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls~ Healthy!

Pumpkin Stuffed Cinnamon RollsPumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

(Makes 13)

  • 1 tbsp yeast
  • 1 cup milk of choice
  • 2 tbsp sweetener of choice (not xylitol or stevia)
  • 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or all-purpose Gluten Free flour ( I found a GF flour by Namaste Foods at Costco)
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup sugar of choice
  • 1/8 tsp pure stevia extract, or 4 more tbsp granulated sugar of choice
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 4 tbsp melted coconut oil or full-fat (but trans-fat-free) butter-type spread
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 5 tbsp whole-wheat pastry or all-purpose Gluten Free flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar of choice (I like Sucanat here)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • optional, 1/2 cup raisins
  • scant 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • dash salt

Warm the milk in a small measuring bowl. You want it warm, but not boiling: if you have a candy thermometer, it should read 110 degrees F. Stir in the 2 tbsp sweetener, sprinkle the yeast on top, and set aside for 5 minutes. During this time, it should bubble up. (If it does not bubble up, either your yeast is no good or your milk was too hot or cold.)

In a large measuring bowl, combine the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar of choice, stevia, salt, the 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Stir very well.

Stir the melted oil and vanilla extract into the milk mixture, then pour this into the large measuring bowl of dry ingredients and stir to form a dough. Especially if using spelt flour, you may need to add a little extra flour until it’s dry enough to form a dough. Form dough into a ball, then place in a lightly-greased large bowl. Cover loosely with a towel, and set in a warm place to rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size. (If your oven has a “bread proof” setting, this is the perfect place to let your pumpkin cinnamon rolls rise.)

Meanwhile, stir together all remaining pumpkin cinnamon roll ingredients in a medium measuring bowl. Set aside. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan. Set aside.

After the dough has risen, punch dough to deflate. Knead dough with your hands, adding the 5 tbsp flour as you knead so that the dough is not sticking to your hands. Knead 5 minutes. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough into a very thin rectangle. Spread the contents of the medium mixing bowl evenly on top. Carefully roll up the dough, lengthwise, lifting and rolling the dough.

Using a large, sharp knife, slice dough into 13 even rolls, wiping the knife after each cut. The filling may ooze out a bit, but this is okay. Place the rolls in the prepared baking pan, and return to the warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. When it reaches this temperature, place cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Glaze with the recipe below:

For the Glaze:

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or Sugar-Free Powdered Sugar
  • 3 1/2 to 4 tsp milk of choice (or more or less to achieve desired glaze thickness)

Whisk ingredients together to form a glaze. Using a spoon, drizzle evenly over pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Click for: Cinnamon Roll Nutrition Facts

 

pumpkin cinnamon rolls

From my fave dessert blog Chocolate Covered Katie

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Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese

I found this great recipe on Skinnytaste.com! It’s a great choice for vegetarians or those who observe “Meatless Mondays”.

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup flour (use 2 tbsp corn starch for gf)
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)
8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach
1/8 cup grated parmesan

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 – 4 minutes.

Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper.

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.

SSQUASH

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Kale Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

I so love my kale. I had my tower garden at our booth at the State Fair and missed it so. I just FEEL GOOD when I eat raw green kale. I also found that the baby dwarf kale doesnt affect me in the same way. Although it is tasty, I seem to really get more energy and clarity from the large curly kale.

With that note, I was wanting a great breakfast and love Kale Pineapple smoothies, but did not have a fresh or frozen pineapple, so here is what I created, SO simple and very tasty!

3 large leaves curly green kale, organic or washed very well

1 1/2 C Orange Juice 100% Juice

1 1/2 Cups Organic Soy Milk

1 scoop Complete Whole Food Drink Mix by Juice Plus+

Blend in a high powered blender for 1 minute.

Enjoy! Ahhh!

 

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Orange Julius Style Healthy Smoothie

Orange Julius Ingredients

Orange Julius Ingredients

This is a super yummy version of the famous Orange Julius. I bought one the other day and after being used to whole food and drinking all my green smoothies it just wasn’t as good as I remembered. This version will make your taste buds jump and you won’t feel guilty!

Silk Organic Soy Milk Unsweetened or Vanilla

Orange Juice

Crushed Ice

Juice Plus Complete Whole Food Powder Vanilla

Orange Julius Healthy Smoothie

Orange Julius Healthy Smoothie

Blend all together til frothy. Share with a friend and enjoy!

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Green Smoothie Pineapple Kale Ginger Lemonade

This yummy green smoothie is so refreshing! Plus, it is so full of nutrition and very clarifying for your body. Kale just makes me feel good!

Ingredients:
1/2 Fresh Pineapple
Two to three large handfuls organic kale (freshly picked dwarf baby kale is what I used)
One half to one whole lemon peeled
1 ‘quarter size by 1 inch’ cubed ginger piece
2 to 3 cups of organic apple juice
3 cups of filtered /alkaline water
Add stevia if you’d like it sweeter.

Put all ingredients into a high-powered blender. Run for one minute on high. Scoop off any extra foam.
Enjoy!

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