Chilled Gazpacho soup

Chilled Gazpacho soup

Ingredients

• 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
• 4 plum tomatoes (we used 2 large celebrity)
• 1 red onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 23 ounces tomato juice or vegetable juice (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• avocado and a bunch of cilantro (optional)

                                    

Directions

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not over process! You can also hand chop the vegetables. I like doing this because I like a chunkier soup.

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, ,salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. Top with a few sprigs of cilantro and some ripe avocado. I also like a little hot sauce to give it kick. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Black Friday Melt

                                                             Black Friday Melt

I have to start out by noting this recipe does contain wheat. Transitioning from a animal based-diet to a plant-based  can be difficult for people. There are a lot of different products you can use in place of meat which are minimally processed, much healthier than animal products and they taste great! My husband asked if I could veganize one of his favorite sandwiches from a restaurant in Portland we love. This sandwich will blow your mind it is so damn good. My measurements aren't exact because I just threw it together but you can stack it as wide as you can open your mouth. Tofurky is used in place of turkey. Contains wheat, soy, vegan, nut-free


- Ingredients-
-2-3 slices of tofurky oven roasted or smoked lunch meat
-2 slices of whole grain bread
-sprinkling of vegan cheese (i used daiya mozzarella)
-2 tablespoons of natural cranberry sauce ( i like Fresh & Easy brand cranberry orange relish)
- 1/4 of an onion cut into strips
-1/4 cup of chopped mushrooms
-earth balance buttery spread

-Directions-
Spray medium frying pan. Cook onions and mushrooms over medium heat until soft. Once cooked (3-4) minutes set aside in a bowl. Lightly butter utter each side of bread and lightly pan grill each side until golden brown. Arrange the tofurky and mushroom/onion mixture on one side of bread, sprinkle with a little (or a lot) of cheese. Spread one side of remaining bread slice with cranberry sauce. Bring the two slices together to make a sandwich. YUM!

Our Favorite Smoothie

                                                      Our Favorite Smoothie
I drink a lot of smoothies. One almost every day. They give me a great amount of energy and the fact that I can sneak greens into my kids breakfast is a plus! They are very versatile and we like to change them up with whatever fruit/veggie is in season. This one is the smoothie we had this morning. Gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, nut-free.

1 ripe banana
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit (e.g., berries, mango, kiwi, peach,pear, anything you prefer or a mixture)
1 cup greens (i used kale and chard) I add a lot more but you can start with just 1 cup to get kids used to it
1/2 cup fruit juice (pear, mango or berry nectar is nice)
1 tsp spirulina powder (optional)
1/4-1/2 cup filtered water

* for a creamier smoothie you can substitute non-dairy milk for water
Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Flax Seed Apple Butter French Toast with Berry sauce

                                                          
I'm not a big breakfast person. We usually do something simple like oatmeal  or yogurt with granola and fruit for the kids. I like to have a green smoothie in the morning (which reminds me..I need to put that recipe up too). My kids were begging me for french toast so... here it is! It can be made with your favorite gluten free bread too! I used some leftover french bread. French toast recipe is from bettyconfidential.com. The yummy simple berry sauce is from vegalicious.org.  Gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, nut free.

Flax Seed Apple Butter French Toast with Berry sauce

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons apple butter
3/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon non hydrogenated oil
4 large slices gf bread of choice, about ¾-inch thick ( we used a left over french loaf)

for the berry sauce-


2 cup berries (any kind) I used strawberries and blueberries

1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cane sugar or agave

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon corn starch

nonstick spray





To make the french toast:
Combine ground flax seeds, apple butter, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a blender and mix until smooth. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add oil. Dip both sides of the bread into the batter and transfer to the hot pan. Repeat for remaining slices. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
Serve with the fruit compote.

To make the berry sauce:

1. Place the mixed berries in a saucepan.
2. Add the water, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon.
3. Stir well to dissolve the cornstarch.
4. Place on a low heat to simmer until the berries soften and the sauce thickens

Garden Vegetable Lasagna w/ Ricotta Nut Cheese and Marinated Mushrooms and Zucchini

Recipe adapted from lunchboxbunch.com.This dish requires a bit of prep time but it is WELL worth it. You have to soak the cashews 2-4 hours or overnight. Again, so worth it. My kids happily had thirds. It is delicious with out the veg cheese too. The nut ricotta is amazing on salads if you can save a few spoonfuls. It is gluten free, vegan. Contains soy and nuts.

Garden Vegetable Lasagna w/ Ricotta Nut Cheese and Marinated mushrooms and Zucchini
vegan, makes one 9-11" lasagna

1 large ripe tomato, sliced into thin rounds
2 cups marinara sauce (or homemade recipe)
1 large zucchini, sliced into thin flat strips
1 cup mushrooms, sliced thin, any variety
1/4- 1/2 cup non-dairy cheese, I used Daiya
2 cups fresh leafy greens
*I used Kale, spinach, etc work too.
1 box gf no-boil lasagna noodles
*you can choose the boil method if you'd like
optional: 1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped - chopped basil

1 1/2 cups Chive Nut Cheese Ricotta
Vegan Chive Ricotta Cashew Nut "Cheese"
makes 2 1/2 cups

2 cups of soaked raw cashews/pinch of salt, drained
2 tsp garlic powder or 3 fresh garlic cloves
1 1/2 Tbsp EVOO
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer (for richer flavor)
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar OR lemon juice
*you can also use red wine or balsamic vinegar's if you prefer those flavors
1 Tbsp dried Italian herb blend
1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup (or honey)
1/3 cup fresh chives
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste (about 1/4 tsp minimum)
garnish: handful of fresh chopped chives

optional: 1 Tbsp Vegenaise

note on salt: If you are adding this ricotta to a recipe with salty ingredients (like a tomato-sauced lasagna) go easy on the salt. The ricotta should add a texture/taste component to the dish and not a salty one. However, if you are using the ricotta raw on salads, as a dip or dessert - you may want to increase the salt and even sweetener content a tad to suite your tastes.

Directions:

1. Add raw cashews to a big bowl of water, add a pinch of salt. Soak in fridge overnight or at least for about 2-4 hours. More soaking, smoother texture.

2. Drain soaked cashews. Add them to a food processor.

3. Add in the vinegar or lemon juice, soy milk or creamer, agave and EVOO.

4. Blend on high until smooth. This may take a few minutes depending on the strength of your food processor. If your ricotta is looking too dry, add more soy milk and/or more EVOO. I used soy creamer which made my ricotta nice and creamy.

Zesty Garlic Marinade
1 Tbsp garlic powder OR 5 chopped garlic cloves
3-4 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup red wine, apple cider or balsamic vinegar (I used balsamic/red wine)
*see vinegar note below
2-3 Tbsp dried Italian herb seasoning blend
1 tsp black pepper
optional: 1/4 cup fresh basil - chiffonade

*vinegar note: if using apple cider or red wine vinegar you may want to add a splash of agave/maple syrup to sweeten your marinade up a bit. The balsamic vinegar should have enough sweetness on its own.

Directions:



1. Gather your ingredients.

2. Make your marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Prep your veggies. Slice you ingredients very thin so that the marinade absorbs quickly.

4. Place your sliced ingredients (zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, greens) into your marinade bowl. Toss gently. Add more EVOO/vinegar if needed to cover ingredients. Allow to marinate at least 20 minutes. Otherwise you can prep this part for overnight marination.

5. If you haven't made your Chive Ricotta Lasagna in advance - do it now. Set aside.

6. Begin building your lasagna. Basically, sauce, noodles, sauce, greens,  sauce, noodles, sauce, mushrooms, noodles, ricotta, noodles, sauce, cheese, fresh tomatoes, chives, black pepper. And done! You can really build a lasagna however you'd like though. There are very few rules.

Before Baking:


IMPORTANT TIP: Be sure to put a sauce layer on at least one side of each noodle layer - since you are using the no-boil noodles you want your lasagna to be extra extra moist before baking.

And I actually poured a bit of my extra marinade over top to use as an extra moisture adder for my lasagna. Worked beautifully.

7. Cover your lasagna and store in fridge until ready to bake that day. Or bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Note: if baking lasagna from a chilled fridge, your baking time will be longer since the temp will be colder.

Summer Potato Salad

Summer Potato Salad

This Recipe was a lot of fun and really delicious. I found a bag of mixed potatoes at Trader Joe's and used two bags for this. The purple potatoes are a little alarming because the are REALLY purple. Inside and out. Gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, nut-free

Ingredients
3bs red potatoes
1/2 cup veganaise
1/2 cup dijon mustard
2 stalks fresh celery with leaves
1/2 white or yellow onion
3 fresh green scallions
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 fist full kosher salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh thyme leave

Cooking Directions

1. Quarter and boil potatoes for about 20 minutes, until tender with a fork.

2. Finely chop the celery, onion and thyme leaves, and mix together with mayo and mustard in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, and paprika.

3. When potatoes are cool to the touch, dress them in the mixture and cover. Let ingredients set up together for an hour. Eat!

Lentil Loaf

Yes, I know my pictures are not the best. It is meat loaf though! I don't think it was meant to be pretty. When my picky 8 year old told me this is better than ice cream, I knew I had to share it. I found the recipe on  melomeals.blogspot.com Gluten-free, vegan. Can be made soy-free if you sub the soy sauce for garlic salt to taste.

Lentil Loaf

4 T Olive Oil

1 large onion

10 cloves garlic

1 t poultry seasoning

1 c celery, diced

1 c carrots, pulsed in a food processor

Pinch salt/pepper

2 c cooked ( and drained ) lentils 

2 c cooked brown rice or millet

½ c sunflower seeds

½ c gf oats

2 T flax meal

½ c nutritional yeast

2 t  Cajun Spice

2 T Dijon mustard

2 T balsamic vinegar

2 T Braggs or GF soy sauce 

Glaze

½ c cranberry sauce

¼ c ketchup

2 T Dijon 

2 T evoo

1. Sauté onion, garlic , poultry seasoning, celery and carrots along with the pinch salt/pepper for 10 minutes or until soft
2. Place veggie mixture along with the lentils/grains in a food processor and pulse well
3. Scrape mixture into a bowl
4. Pulse nuts and oats, add to bowl
5. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning
7. Spray a piece of parchment with cooking spray and form into a loaf; pour half of the glaze 
8. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes; drizzle rest of glaze over the top.