Category Archives: Vegan

Bold Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

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We had my husband’s colleagues over for a picnic yesterday. I had intentions of making my vibrant blackeyed pea salad; however, I cooked the beans too long in the pressure cooker. It was my first time cooking the black eyed peas in the pressure cooker.  Apparently they don’t take as long to cook as black beans. Well, I learned my lesson for the day. There seems to always be a lesson to be learned. Anyway, there is a positive to this food story,  the unintended outcome was this spicy black-eyed pea hummus. I was able to showcase some crispy fresh garden vegetables from my grandfather’s garden and also my favorite local markets as well.

Hummus goes well with so many foods, I like to add it on top of a pizza instead of marinara sauce. I also add it to my vegetarian BLTs, and I love it on my soft tortilla shells. My frequent go to with hummus is with fresh vegetables. I suggesting skipping the ranch and giving this creamy dip a try.  My favorite pairs are cherry heirloom tomatoes, kohlrabi, red bell peppers, and snap peas.

This recipe makes 30 ounces of hummus (plenty to share; even for us non-sharers )

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Water

2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

3 1/4 cup cooked black eye peas, (if canned make sure to buy low sodium and rinse well)

4 Tablespoons fresh chives

4-5  large of cloves of garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons of ground cumin, plus more for garnish (optional)

1 teaspoon of fajita seasoning

Tools: Vitamix Blender  (I have the Professional Series 750)

2 (2 cup capacity sealalbe containers to store the goods)

Directions:

  1. In the order of the ingredient list, place all the ingredient items in the vitamix or blender. Place the lid on the attachment to secure.
  2. Select variable number one and gradually increase to number seven.
  3. Allow for all the ingredients to marry in the vessel for at least 1 minute. Use the vitamix wand to press the ingredients to the blades if necessary.
  4. Portion out the hummus in two separate containers. Sprinkle with fresh chives.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Baked Barbecue Zucchini Chips

We have so much Zucchini in the garden! We could not even fit two more in the refrigerator.  I have been wanting to try baked zucchini chips for a while now so no better time than now. 

This recipe is very easy especially if you have a mandolin. These chips take a little extra time and patience; however, they are worth the wait.  I ate the entire first batch… oops and then had to make another. 

Ingredients: 

One small-medium zucchini

Add half a teaspoon a barbecue 3001 seasoning 

Canola Oil Cooking Spray

2 Half sheet pans with parchment paper

Pre-directions preheat the oven to 230 degrees and line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.

Directions

1. Using a mandolin safely cut up one zucchini. 

2. Blot the cut zucchini slices with paper towels to remove the excess moisture.

3. Line the zucchini slices on parchment paper lined pan. 

4. Spray the zucchini with cooking spray & sprinkle with the BBQ powder. The trick to even distribution is using a powder sugar metal shaker (all purpose shaker). 

5. Place the pans in the oven. Bake for an hour at 230 degrees. Rotate out the pans and bake for another hour, at same temperature, or until golden in color. 

Enjoy !

Cinn-licious Chia Overnight Oats

I am pretty routine when it comes to breakfast staples.  If it is not oats & eggs it is probably Greek yogurt and eggs. That said I like to spice up the different variations or combine the two. 

This recipe I usually heat up but since today there is a heat advisory for our county. I decided to keep this breakfast cool.

Serving size: one just for me

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon of old fashioned oats 

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 

1 1/2 cup water 

1 teaspoon of Ground Vietnesmeese Cinnamon 

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

2 packets of truvia 

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup of frozen blueberries

24 oz mason jar
Directions:

1. Place the first 7 ingredients in a mason jar. 

2. Add blueberries place the lif and seal on the jar. Give the jar a good shake. Place in the refrigerator overnight and allow the ingredients to marry. 

3. In the morning give the jar a good shake and enjoy. These oats are very liquidy. You can almost drink them so they would be a good for a long morning commute. 



Tri-Color Quinoa


I love quinoa! This Tri-Color Quinoa goes well with just about any dish. I make it in bulk on the weekends and serve it up with most of my lunches or dinners during the week. Add it to beans, salads, place onto of portobello mushrooms, stuff peppers with. Really you can use it just about anywhere you typically use rice. I prefer it over rice because of it’s nutty flavor and fluffy texture. Quinoa provides more protein than traditional grain products. A 1/2 of cup uncooked quinoa provides 8 grams of protein.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dry (rinsed through a strainer) Quinoa (I like the tri-colored but you pick your favorite)

2 cups of water

1 tsp of Penzey’s Vegetarian Soup Base

1 tsp of Pasta Sprinkle (or Italian seasoning)

1 tsp Roasted Garlic Powder

Directions:

  1. Place a 2 quart pan on a burner with vegetable base, garlic powder, water & quinoa on high. Allow the quinoa to come to a boil.
  2. Once the quinoa is boiling, decrease the temperature to simmer and place lid over pan.
  3. Allow the quinoa to simmer for 15 minutes with lid on. After 15 minutes have elasped check to see if the grain is fluffy and no water remains.

Roasted Cauliflower Rice

 

 

 

IMG_8283Cauliflower rice is a fairly new concept, well everything cauliflower replacing traditional grain products is all the rage. But this idea is not the first time cauliflower has replaced a traditionally starchy food at the dinner table. I can remember 20 years ago, my mom making cauliflower mock mashed potatoes when I was growing up.  When everyone was low carb and loving it.  I love whole grains please don’t get me wrong. I eat whole grains daily, matter of fact several times a day. Whole grains are superfoods, rich in many vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

I strongly advocate for incorporating more vegetables into any diet. Actually, everyone can use a more vegetables in their lifestyle.  Cauliflower rice is one way of sneaking in (aka increasing) vegetables into you and your families meals . Switching out regular rice and substituting it with cauliflower rice can significantly decrease the calories in a dish as well.   This rice recipe is something you have to try! One of my colleagues has me hooked. I love this side dish. You will eat half a head of cauliflower in a sitting and not even bat an eyelash.

 

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower

Salt to taste

1/4 Teaspoon of  Black Pepper

1 & 1/2 Teaspoons of Roasted Garlic Powder from Penzey’s

Low Sodium Soy Sauce (optional)

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside
  2. Prepare a food processor with the grater attachment. Take the cauliflower feed it through the top using the plastic plunger. Pour the shredded cauliflower onto the baking dish evenly.
  3. Sprinkle with roasted garlic, pepper, & salt and mix. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the rice starts to brown.Every 10 minutes, toss the “rice” with a spatula.
  4. Enjoy!

Zippy Black Bean Salad with Tajin & Radishes

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Yesterday my husband and I had our families over for a Father’s Day picnic! We had a wide spread lunch with all kinds of summer time favorites. My husband smoked a pork shoulder over night for pulled pork carnitas. My mom made her famous mac salad, my mother-in-law made her famous sheet cake, & potato salad, my grandma lee made her calico beans.  We also had some other favorites like rhubarb pie, coleslaw, jalapeño cornbread.

It was a beautiful day for a picnic. Even though all of boys love meat, there were a few of us at the picnic who are herbivorous aka vegeterians. The other day, I made a few pounds of dry black beans in the pressure cooker and had some leftover for this colorful zippy salad.

 

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One of the vegetables both my husband’s dad and my dad love are radishes so I thought I would incorporate these into the salad as well.  Let’s face it my dad and my husband’s father are from the ever so popular “meat and potato” lovers generation. Any way I can get the men to eat vegetables in our family is a plus!

This salad is quick and easy and only takes a few hours to marry the ingredients together in the refrigerator.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of black beans

1 cup of chopped celery about two stalks

1 TB apple cider vinegar

2 TB lime Juice (1 small lime)

1/2 cup Orange Bell Pepper, Chopped (about a half of a medium)

1/2 cup chopped red onion (about a 1/3 of a large onion)

1 green onion chopped

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of Tajin

2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

1 cup of mini Kumato Tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 cup of radishes (sliced thin with mandolin) about 4 radishes

1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup of chopped fresh chives

salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of pepper 1 tsp); I did not add salt to this dish since my grandfather is on a low sodium diet and well we could all use a little less salt in our diets).

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl mix the apple cider vinegar, lime juice, tajin, garlic, salt & pepper. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the remainder of the ingredients. Pour the prepared liquid dressing over the vegetable blend. Using a spatula fold gently the ingredients together. Place a sealable lid on the bowl and allow the ingredients to marry for several hours in the refrigerator prior to serving.
  3. Before serving fold the ingredients together one more time.
  4. Enjoy!

**** Caution there will not be many leftovers*******

 

 

Pumpkin Oat Bars

We had a special birthday in the office the other day and one of her favorite things to eat is pumpkin flavored treats . Luckily I still have a stock pile of puréed pumpkin in our freezer from our generous neighbors . I love using pumpkin purée in baked goods.

Sometimes I like to add it as a mystery ingredient for moisture and other times I like it to be the star of the show . Puréed pumpkin is a very moist and packed nutrients. It is a perfect substitute to swap out some unnecessary fat with oil or butter in a baked good. Pumpkin is high in vitamin A and bonus only 30 calories per 1 cup cubed. 

Ingredients:

1 cup pure puréed pumpkin

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup puffed wheat cereal

1 cup raw sugar

1 oz chocolate hazelnut spread

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cups dried craisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly mix together in a large bowl the first 7 ingredients and then fold in the dried cranberries. 
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread the batter evenly into the baking dish. 
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 
5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Maple Granola in the Actifry

Our Mother’s Day Brunch is tomorrow and we are prepping for the festivity. This year we are having a yogurt bar. I cannot think of a better topping for the yogurt other than homemade granola (and fresh berries)!


Since I made this granola in the actifry, I was able to cut way down on the fat. Most granolas have high amounts of unwanted fat, but the actifry allows you to cook with minimal oil and have the same result in texture with the cooking process. 

Next time you go to the store take a peek at the label before you purchase “healthy granola”.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup puffed wheat cereal

1/6 cup dried cranberries 

1/6 cup raisins

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 TB canola oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 TB grounded Flaxseed

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in the Actifry and set the timer for 10 minutes. Allow the granola to cool prior to eating. Enjoy the granola on its own or on top of yogurt!

Banana Almond Milk Smoothie

 

I needed this smoothie after that Pittsburgh half marathon on Sunday! I was craving a chocolate banana combination and this is what I came up with! It is a super quick and easy recipe. Not to mention a resourceful way to utilize bananas that are too ripe to use but perfect to freeze for smoothies. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk 

1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa

Half a teaspoon of peanut butter extract

Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

6-8 ice cubes

One frozen banana, sliced

1/2-1 packet of truvia 

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a high tech blender. Position the blender to smoothie mode, blend & Enjoy! 

Suggested serving one

Overnight Berry Oats

 
 
I don’t know what it is about a mason jar but it makes preparing breakfast the night before a lot more enjoyable. I love using mason jars for storage, canning, snacks, and now overnight oats. 

What I enjoy most, the jars are a fun way to see your creations come to life as they blend and marry in the refrigerator over night. 

This overnight oat recipe is very quick and easy to make and your belly will thank you in the morning. 

Ingredients: 

2/3 cup unsweetened cashew milk 

3/8 cup old fashion oats

1 tsp ground  vietnamese cinnamon

1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp coconut extract

1 tb slivered almonds

1 cup mixed frozen berries

1 packet of non caloric sweetener (optional) 

Directions:

1. Place the milk, oats,  sweetener, extracts, & cinnamon in pint mason jar and stir. Add the frozen berries and slivered almonds. Secure the lid and place the jar in the refrigerator overnight. 

2. The next morning stir the contents of the jar thoroughly! Enjoy !