Whole-Grain Pasta with Thai Coconut Sauce

A Green Smoothie Girl Recipe--One of my favorites.

 You can serve it with 4 C of cooked quinoa or brown rice instead
of pasta, if you prefer to keep it truly Asian.
16 oz. whole-wheat or spelt pasta, cooked according to package directions
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 onions, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 red bell peppers, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. red curry paste (or green or yellow, if you prefer)
1 can lychee fruit, drained (pronounced “LEE-chee”)
1 can baby corn, drained
¼ tsp. sea salt
Heat the coconut oil in a wok or skillet and sauté vegetables* until tender-crisp. Blend the coconut milk,
cornstarch, fish sauce, curry paste, and salt in a blender. Add to the vegetables, along with the lycees and baby
corn. Heat and stir until sauce thickens. Toss vegetables/sauce with pasta and serve.

*I use onions, carrots, and potatoes as my veggies, and leave out the fish sauce.

I finally did it......

Yes, it's true.  I've found another protein shake!!  AHH!  I know.  You thought you'd never hear that come out of my mouth.  The Green Smoothie Girl promotes this brand.  It's a company called Sun Warrior (sunwarrior.com)
They make a raw vegan protein that is absolutely amazing!  This one is made from rice.  I'm currently using the Warrior Blend.  My favorite is the chocolate, but the vanilla is good too.  The Warrior blend has peas, hemp, cranberry and coconut oil.  They also make something called Ormus SuperGreens which has been a lovely probiotic afternoon drink.  You can get it directly from sunwarrior.com, amazon.com or at your local Good Earth.

Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I recently bought a Blendtec blender and happened upon the recipe book that came with it today.  This soup recipe was in it.  All I did was substitute Vegetable broth for the chicken broth and almond milk for the butter milk.  This was sooooo good!  Even my anti-vegan food husband agreed it was good.  I love when that happens!

1 1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 cup almond milk
1/4 small onion*
3 cloves garlic*
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
1 cup canned artichokes, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

*Optional: Sauteed onions and roasted garlic greatly enhance flavor

Directions: Place above ingredients into blender jar and secure the lid.  Press the Soups button.  When the cycle stops press the soups button again.

1 cup chickpeas, drained
1 cup artichokes, drained
1 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Add above ingredients to blender and press Pulse button approximately 5 times or until desired chunky consistency is reached.  Place in individual bowls and warm in the microwave or transfer to a pot and warm on the stove.

New wrap recipe!

I love those moments when you don't know what to eat for lunch and end up making something from things you have in the kitchen!  The cheese recipe makes a ton!  You can use it on chips or in any recipe that calls for cheese.









Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Tortillas
Nutty Cheese, Mexican variation, grated (See recipe below)
1/2 large Avacado, sliced
Sea Salt, to taste
Tomato, sliced
Handful Spinach leaves

Nutty Cheese: 500 Vegan Recipes, by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman, pg. 88
Nonstick cooking spray
1 ounce (28 g) agar flakes or powder
3 cups (705 ml) water
2 cups (275 g) raw cashews, finely ground into a powder
3 Tbsp (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sesame oil (olive oil will work , too)
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teasponn cumin
6-7 jarred jalapeno slices, chopped

Prepare a loaf pan (or other deep rectangular container) by lightly oiling or spraying with cooking spray.  Place the agar in the water and bring to a full boil, then boil for 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent it from boiling over.  Place the cashew powder, lemon juice, oil, yeast, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Pour the mixture into the water-agar mixture and stir until creamy and smooth, then remove from the heat.  Quickly pour into the oiled loaf pan and refrigerate until set.

Lay the tortilla on a plate and layer with cheese.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Place avacado on top and sprinkle with salt.  Top with tomato and spinach.  Roll it all up together and enjoy!

Coconut and Curried Cauliflower by Katie Newell

I love this recipe.  I cook a little brown rice and smother it in this goodness!

Coconut and Curried Cauliflower
1 Head Cauliflower, cored and cut into bite sized florets (about 6 cups)
1 Diced Onion
1 can Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup Golden Raisins
2 15-oz Cans Light Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Cashews
1/2 cup Cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 tsp Mild Curry Powder
2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Cardamom (1 tsp of ground ginger can be substituted if you can't find Cardamom)
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Organic Sugar
1/4 tsp Cayenne, if desired

1. Prepare your produce. Core cauliflower and cut into bite size florets. Dice one onion, and coarsely chop 1/4 cup cilantro leaves.

2. Prepare your seasonings. In a small bowl or ramekin, combine all ingredients listed under “seasonings”.

3. Rinse and drain 1 can of garbanzo beans.

4. Heat a large deep skillet or large pot (big enough to hold all of the ingredients) over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and heat for an additional 30 seconds, until oil shimmers.

5. Saute onion in oil for about 7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the seasonings and stir constantly for 2 minutes more, being mindful not to let the spices burn. Add cauliflower and saute an additional 3 minutes. Pour in coconut milk, raisins and chickpeas.

6. Reduce heat to medium low. Stir until thoroughly combined and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

7. Transfer contents of skillet to a serving bowl, and garnish with cashews and cilantro.

Servings: 6

This is one of my favorites.  Basmati rice is a fun little rice to use.

Basmati Rice with Grilled Vegetables & Pine Nuts
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1 bulb fennel (anise), quartered
1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 large red onion, peeled and quartered
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 grated peel and juice of a lemon
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup chopped roma tomatoes or whole cherry tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
fresh ground pepper
salt or Bragg to taste
pine nuts for garnishing

1. Wash the rice then cook in a saucepan with 2 cups filtered water, covered, until done, about 35 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. If grilling on the barbecue, toss in olive oil, grill, then chop into bite-sized pieces. If sauteing, chop raw vegetables into bite-sized pieces and stir fry separately in 1 Tbsp olive oil each batch. If roasting, toss large or small chopped pieces in olive oil and roast until cooked and slightly charred. Stir once or twice to prevent sticking or burning.

3. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, pepper, and salt or Bragg. When the vegetables are cooked, place the rice in a large bowl and top with veggies. Season with salt and pepper, add parsley and tomatoes, then pour on the dressing. Gently stir everything together with a large spoon or salad tongs. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve hot, warm or at room temperature, topped with pine nuts.

Servings: 4

Delicious Vegan Hot Chocolate (allrecipes.com CYMBALINE)

I LOVE HOT CHOCOLATE!  Therefore, that was one of the things I was going to miss by changing my eating habits.  This is a tasty version of hot chocolate that almost makes me forget about my Ovaltine :)  Side thought...I love to heat almond milk and add Starbucks hot chocolate mix which does not contain any milk products.  I found the mix at Costco.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups soy milk
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Bring the soy milk, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk until frothy. Serve immediately.