Stuffed Biscuits with Mashed Cauliflower

I don't know where the idea for these stuffed biscuits came from, but I'm lovin' the result. I already want to test out some other fillings for these, because this cauliflower "mashed potato" filling was so satisfying!

By the way, the mashed cauliflower makes a delicious side dish on it's own (though Warren still disagrees, so cauliflower-haters beware).

Stuffed Biscuits with Mashed Cauliflower
biscuit dough:
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 TBSP olive oil
2/3 cup water (or almond milk)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp rosemary

mashed cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP oil
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper
almond milk, if desired

toppings:
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cover. Cook for about ten minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft. Drain the water and put the cooked cauliflower in a food processor bowl. Add the rest of the mashed cauliflower ingredients. Process until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes, scrapping down the sides of the food processor bowl as needed. You can add a little almond milk to make it creamier.

Mix biscuit ingredients together and knead for a minute. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/2 inch thick. Cut into circles using the rim of a drinking glass. Combine the scraps and roll out and cut again until you have twelve biscuits. Push each biscuit into a cup of a muffin tray, so that the biscuit dough covers the bottom and sides of the muffin cup, but leave the center hollow.

Put a dollop of mashed cauliflower in the hollow center of each biscuit. Top with a few pieces of mushroom, tomato, and red onion.

Bake for 12 minutes at 450° F.

Tomato Basil Soup

This hearty tomato soup is really great for a cool autumn day. And it's a healthy recipe that anyone will enjoy. It does take a while to make because the tomatoes have to roast for an hour, but that doesn't require any active attention, so the actual prep time is probably more like fifteen minutes to chop vegetables and fifteen to thirty minutes to cook the soup.

Tomato Basil Soup
10–15 roma tomatoes
olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4–6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
2 cans vegetable broth
1 cup almond milk (optional)
water, if needed
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove cores. Spread on a foil-covered baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about one hour.

Sauté onion in a few tablespoons of water in a large pot over medium heat. After the onions are soft, add the garlic. Cook for another minute or two and then add the roasted tomatoes, broth, milk, and enough water (if needed) to just cover the tomatoes. Add basil, pepper, and onion powder. Boil for 15–30 minutes. Then add the salt. Blend the soup in two batches in a blender, being careful to release steam through the lid so that too much pressure doesn't build up. Serve hot!

Note: If you want your soup to look more red, you can add a few tablespoons of tomato paste to the soup when you add the tomatoes. Otherwise, it will be a little lighter than most tomato soups.

Garlic Mushroom Ravioli

I should have cut one open to show the filling before taking the picture! Oh well.

What a burst of flavor! These raviolis take a little while to make, but they are worth the effort. And if you do have the time, the recipe isn't very complicated, and it's pretty fun to stuff the raviolis and cut them out. :)

Just a note, taste-wise I have to say I prefer white flour in the ravioli dough.

Garlic Mushroom Ravioli
1 jar marinara sauce OR one batch vegan white sauce

ravioli dough:
2 cups whole wheat or white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP oil
3/4 cup hot water

Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the oil and water. Knead the noodle dough until it is an even consistency (about three minutes). Let dough sit for a few minutes.

mushroom filling:
1 TBSP oil
1 TBSP soy sauce
2–4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups crimini mushrooms, diced
salt and pepper

Sauté the garlic in oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Sauté for about ten minutes. Set aside to cool.

"cheese" filling:
1 cup cashews (soaked in water for one hour)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup water
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

Combine "cheese" ingredients in a food processor. Process until they form a even paste consistency. Add 1/2–3/4 cup of the "cheese" mixture to the sautéed mushroom mixture to make the ravioli filling.

To stuff the ravioli, sprinkle a clean surface with flour and roll half the dough into a large rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick. Use a large knife to cut the rectangle in half. Use the knife to make very gentle indents in the dough to divide one half of the dough into as many 2–3 inch squares as will fit. Put about a tablespoon of the ravioli filling in the center of each square. Then brush water down each "channel" between the lumps of filling. Sprinkle the other half of the rolled out dough with flour, and gently lift it and stretch it over the half with the filling, flour side down. Gently press the halves of dough together in the channels between each lump of filling—the water and flour should paste them together pretty well. Then use the knife to cut down each channel and trim around the edges of each ravioli. Place raviolis on a floured baking sheet.

Roll out the other half of the dough, cut in half, and repeat the whole stuffing process.

To cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add one ravioli at a time until there are about ten raviolis in the pot. Cook for two or three minutes (or until they float on top of the water), then remove to a strainer. Cook the rest of the ravioli in batches of ten and then strain.

Serve with marinara sauce or vegan white sauce.

The dough recipe will yield about 25 to 30 raviolis, and there will be extra filling (the leftovers are good on toast!).

Rice and Beans Bowl (and Guacamole Recipe)

This rice and beans bowl is definitely one of my go-to recipes when I want something that will give us lots of leftovers. It works well as a burrito filling, too.

Rice and Beans Bowl
4 cups cooked brown rice
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained (pinto, red, or kidney beans work, too)
1 TBSP oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp onion powder
water
salt

Toppings:
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 bell peppers (any color), chopped
guacamole (recipe below) OR 2 avocados, chopped
salsa (fresh, if possible!)
pickled jalapeños

Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Add black beans, onion powder, and salt. Mash some of the beans with a wooden spoon to make paste. Add enough water to just cover the beans. Mix and let simmer for at least ten minutes (longer is fine).

Meanwhile, chop toppings and prepare guacamole and salsa.

Put about 1/2 cup cooked rice and 1/2 cup beans in each bowl. Add desired toppings, mix it all together, and eat up!

Yields 6–8 bowls.
Adapted from The Engine 2 Diet

Guacamole
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork until desired consistency is reached (I like to leave it a little chunky).
From the Cook This, Not That cookbook

Quick and Fresh Veggie Sandwich (with Variations)

I wish I could take credit for this stroke of genius, but the credit for this recipe goes to my husband. :) I confess, we ate these sandwiches for lunch at least five times this week, and I'm still not tired of them. So simple, yet so very delicious.

The best part of this sandwich is that I cut up the veggies and put them in baggies in the fridge, so it was easier than easy to slap the toppings between two pieces of bread and eat up.

Quick and Fresh Veggie Sandwich
whole wheat bread or french loaf or wrap
2 bell peppers (yellow or orange are preferable), sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
fresh spinach or other leafy greens
1/2 TBSP (per sandwich) sweet onion salad dressing (or whatever dressing or spread you prefer)
salt and pepper

Variations:
avocado, sliced
or
mushrooms (sautéed with 2 tsp garlic, black pepper, 1 tsp soy sauce, and a handful of red onion slices)

Like I said, I chopped the bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onion ahead of time and stored them in the refrigerator so that we could eat these sandwiches all week without any prep time. We still haven't made it through those toppings after making 8 sandwiches, so I would estimate they will last for 10 to 12 sandwiches, just to give you a rough idea.

Restaurant-Style Vegetable Curry

I've been trying to create a restaurant-style curry dish for a little while now (something with a thick sauce), and after a lot of research, I think I've put together a decent vegan curry to fulfill my craving. But I'll let you be the judge. :)

Restaurant-Style Vegetable Curry
2 TBSP grape seed oil (or other oil)
2 medium onions
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
2 inches ginger, peeled
4 roma tomatoes
2 stalks celery (optional)
4 potatoes, 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup cauliflower, 1-inch florets
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp curry powder (probably optional, since curry powder is usually just a combination of the spices above, but I found that it filled out the flavor)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (for a milder curry, reduce or leave out pepper flakes)
2 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk

Heat oil in a 3-inch-deep frying pan over medium heat. Chop onion, garlic, and ginger into chunks and puree in a food processor. Add puree into frying pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add all seasonings and cook an additional minute. Chop tomatoes and celery into chunks and puree in food processor. Add tomato puree to the frying pan and incorporate thoroughly. Let the sauce simmer, partially covered, for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Just a note, you can let the sauce simmer for a long, long time., if you want. The longer, the better, because the flavors will blend better and the sauce will thicken more. If the tomato flavor is too strong, the sauce probably needs to cook more.)

Add potatoes, cauliflower, and almond milk. Mix thoroughly, making sure that the potatoes are covered by sauce so that they will cook. Simmer an additional 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft (it may take longer). Serve over rice or with naan bread (naan recipe here).

Happy cooking! If you are able to tune up the seasoning ratios for a better flavor, please leave a comment at let me know what you adjusted!

Rosemary Potato Soup

The weather is gradually cooling down, which means it's soup season!

I think this rosemary potato soup is particularly satisfying. It has a rich, hearty flavor that kind of reminds me of chicken noodle soup. And it just begs to be accompanied by fresh dipping bread. Yum.

Heidi's Rosemary Potato Soup
2 TBSP grape seed oil (or other oil)
1 medium onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4–6 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
10 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (I like to leave the skins on, but you can peel them if you want)
2 15-oz. cans of vegetable broth
2 cups unflavored almond milk
3–4 cups water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (probably optional)
1 TBSP dried rosemary
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
salt to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for five minutes. Add garlic and sauté for two more minutes. Add celery and carrot and sauté for another ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add potatoes, vegetable broth, almond milk, and enough water to cover the vegetables. Add nutritional yeast, rosemary, onion powder, and pepper. Stir thoroughly, cover, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Salt to taste and serve warm! (I ended up adding 1 tsp of salt.)

Note: If you want the broth to be a little thicker, you can blend part of the soup in a blender and then mix it back in. I've also used a simple roux before to thicken the soup (2 TBSP oil, 2 TBSP whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup almond milk; heat oil in a sauce pan, add flour and mix, gradually incorporate milk and let thicken, then add the roux to the soup).

Roasted Ginger Garlic Asparagus

This asparagus recipe is so easy. You can prepare it in 60 seconds flat and just throw it in the oven while you're making the rest of your meal. Can't beat that!

Oh, and it's yummy, too :)

Roasted Ginger Garlic Asparagus
1 bunch of thin asparagus, rinsed and trimmed
1 TBSP grapeseed oil (or other oil)
about 1/2 tsp ginger powder
about 1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the washed and trimmed asparagus on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with ginger, garlic, and salt. Mix the asparagus around with your clean hands until it is evenly coated. Spread asparagus into a single layer.

Bake at 400° F for 20–25 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender.

That's all!

(If you were really ambitious, you could chop fresh ginger and garlic and use that instead of the powdered stuff, but I'm just not that motivated.)

Vegetable Lasagna

This recipe, from Oh She Glows!, is fantastic! I've made it several times, and it's not difficult. The cashew "cheese" is so flavorful and delicious that you can't even tell it isn't real ricotta. I've posted the link to the recipe below, and I would only make two suggestions: you don't need to use crumbled veggie burgers, and you don't need the Daiya cheese on top. It will still taste delicious! And it freezes really well, too.

Click to view recipe.

Vegetable Stir-Fry (Mongo-Inspired)

I'm a big fan of those Mongolian restaurants where you can choose all your veggies and noodles (and meat) and concoct your own sauce, and they grill it all up right in front of you. Especially now that I am limiting my meat and dairy intake, a good Mongolian place is one of the few places I can eat at and feel really good about afterwards. (I just leave out the meat and cut back on the noodles.)

Well, it was after a fantastic experience at a Mongolian restaurant that I decided to try to make my own Mongo stir-fry. You can use whatever vegetables you want, but I will list what I use most frequently. The key is to not add the sauce until the very end, so the garlic and ginger still have a strong flavor. We eat this a LOT! Almost weekly. It's a great way to eat tons of vegetables in one sitting. I like to stack my plate more heavily with the vegetables and less with the rice, because the flavor is just so good that I hardly notice how many vegetables I've eaten! Win. :)

Vegetable Stir-Fry
2–4 cups cooked brown rice (however much you want)
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, chopped
1 head of cauliflower or broccoli, in bite-sized florets
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced (about 1 TBSP)
1 inch of ginger root, peeled and minced (about 1 1/2 TBSP)
3 TBSP soy sauce or tamari (low-sodium if possible)
2 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP tahini (optional)
1 TBSP sesame seed oil
1/4 tsp siracha sauce (if you don't like spicy food, leave this out; if you absolutely love spicy food, double it)
dash of curry powder
dash of red pepper flakes

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and water sauté for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables (bell pepper, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and mushrooms) and sauté another 5 or 10 minutes, or until they are as cooked as you desire. Stir frequently, and feel free to add more water if the vegetables begin to stick. (But only add a little at a time, because you don't want to end up with tons of liquid at the bottom when you add the sauce.)

While the vegetables are cooking, mix garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, tahini, sesame oil, siracha, curry, and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl or cup. When the vegetables are just about done, add the sauce to the skillet and stir in. Cook for 1 minute, until the ginger and garlic are just barely cooked.

Remove from heat and serve over brown rice (you could also serve it over noodles). Salt to taste, and top with additional siracha sauce, if you want. I like it super spicy!

Other vegetables you might add:
shredded carrots
green peas
bean sprouts
eggplant
pineapple (okay, not a vegetable)

It's hard to go wrong!

Potato and Bean Burrito

Back home we have a Mexican restaurant that serves some delicious burritos with potatoes in them that they call Oregon burritos. I don't remember any of the other ingredients, but those potatoes sure made an impact. So here is an Oregon burrito–inspired potato and bean burrito. I hope you like it!

Potato and Bean Burrito
whole grain tortillas
6 oz. bag of frozen potatoes (french fries, Southern hashbrowns, whatever)
2 15-oz. cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (or other beans)
3 bell peppers (any color), sliced
1 jalapeño, seeds removed and sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash of paprika
salt and pepper
salsa
guacamole or chopped avocado

Cook frozen potatoes according to package instructions.

Heat beans in a sauce pan over medium-low heat with enough water to just cover them. Add garlic. (If you want, you can season the beans with additional cumin and chili powder.) Let the beans simmer until you are ready to serve them. It's good if the liquid boils down a bit.

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a frying pan over medium heat. When the water starts sizzling, add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Sauté the vegetables until they are tender (about 10 minutes). You will need to add a few tablespoons of water occasionally to keep the vegetables from sticking.

Assemble burritos with equal parts potato, beans, and sautéed vegetables. Top with salsa and guacamole.

Roasted Cauliflower

I used to have a hard time eating cauliflower (euphamism for "I hated it"), but then my mom taught me how to roast it in the oven, and now I love it. So if you're like me, this might be the miracle recipe that gets you to like cauliflower. (Or not. I'm not offended, Warren . . . )

Roasted Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
extra virgin olive oil
dried basil (or oregano or rosemary or italian seasoning—whatever you like best)
salt

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Lay out the cauliflower in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with basil and salt. Mix the cauliflower around on the tray until everything is coated.

Bake for 25–30 minutes or until tender on the inside but a little crispy on the edges.

Pretty simple, but yummy.

Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

Really, the guacamole is what makes this recipe work, so make sure you have a good guacamole recipe on hand. As you can see from the photo, I believe in slathering it on. :)

Stuffed Anaheim Peppers (serves 2)
Stuffed peppers:
4–5 Anaheim peppers (about 8 inches in length)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup black beans
1/3 cup salsa (homemade is better than store bought)
salt and pepper

Toppings:
1 roma tomato, diced
2 TBSP pickled jalapeños (optional)
guacamole or diced avocado
more salsa

Preheat oven to 400° F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Cut the ends off the Anaheim peppers, and then cut them in half the long way. Remove seeds. Put peppers in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Then drain and rinse in cool water. Shake as much water out of them as you can.

Cover a baking sheet in foil, and lay out the peppers. Mix together your stuffing ingredients (rice, beans, and salsa) in a bowl and stuff the pepper halves to the brim. Cover the peppers with another sheet of foil and place in preheated oven.

Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and broil for 5 minutes. But watch them closely!

Then serve them with the toppings listed or your own favorite toppings. (Other ideas: cilantro, olives, green onions, hot sauce, cilantro lime dressing)
Inspired by Land O Lakes

Portabello Mushroom Steak

This is going to be a new favorite of mine—I can already tell. The portabello mushroom holds flavor really well. Very juicy and delicious! And it was so easy to make, too.

Portabello Mushroom Steak
2–4 portabello mushrooms, rinsed and stems removed
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP green onion, thinly sliced
1 TBSP fresh basil, minced

Mix ingredients together and marinade the mushrooms for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Then grill for 15–20 minutes until slightly brown.

That's it! Enjoy!

Breakfast Smoothie

Banana, Strawberry, Spinach Smoothie

I don't know about you, but my stomach can be a little picky first thing in the morning. Cereal gives me a stomach ache, toast makes my stomach acidic, pancakes are way too sugary, and traditional breakfast foods like bacon and eggs are too rich (and not plant-based :). So for me, the best breakfast is large smoothie.

I know, I know—breakfast it supposed to be your biggest meal, a big breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism, a big breakfast gives you energy for the rest of your day. But my body is definitely telling me that a nutritious smoothie is the right breakfast for me, and I'm done trying to argue with it. Especially since smoothies are so delicious, gentle on the stomach, and easy to make! 

Here is a very basic, and very open-ended, smoothie recipe to get you started, and then I want to tell you why I don't use protein powder.

Breakfast Smoothie

1 ripe banana (fresh or frozen)

1 cup almond milk 

1–2 big handful of raw spinach or other greens

1 TBSP flax seeds or chia seeds 

1–2 TBSP natural peanut butter (optional)

1–2 cups frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, melons—whatever you want)

My blender works better if I layer the ingredients in the this order: milk, flax or chia seeds, peanut butter, banana, spinach, and then frozen fruit on top. Pulse the blender until the frozen fruit is mostly broken up, and then blend it until smooth. (I think that it's easier on the motor if I do it this way.) And don't feel like you have to measure the ingredients. I never do.

The Protein Myth

So I don't use protein powder in my smoothies, and if you're wondering why, it's because some research is saying that it is actually a myth that extra protein equals extra health. Yes, your body needs protein, but it doesn't need very much. And the typical American is actually getting way too much protein. 

It's funny, because I've read or heard about the protein myth several times since I started eating healthier, and the research seems pretty solid to me, but I still occasionally panic about not having enough protein in my diet. It is so engrained in us to obsess over protein when really you can meet all of your protein needs by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes (beans).

Anyway, that's all I want to say, because I'm no expert, and I don't want come across as preachy either. :) But if you want to know more, here is a website to get you started. I also recommend The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell and Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman.

What healthy breakfasts do you guys like to eat? I'm always looking for new ideas!

Vegan Pizza

On flat bread with tomato pesto sauce

On homemade crust with vegan white sauce

Here is the promised pizza recipe! I'm going to give you a list of the toppings I use and a couple of ways I have made it, and you can figure out how you like it! 

This is another recipe that my husband says tastes delicious as long as you aren't expecting it to taste like a "real" pizza. So keep that in mind. :)

Vegan Pizza

1) Choose your toppings
sweet onion, sliced
zucchini, sliced
red bell pepper, sliced
mushrooms, sliced
tomato, sliced
artichoke hearts, chopped
spinach, chopped

2) Choose your sauce
Tomato Pesto (posted earlier)
1 8-oz. can of tomato sauce
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup fresh basil (packed tightly)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Pulse tomato sauce and garlic in a food processor until the garlic is chopped and incorporated. Add cashews, basil, and nutritional yeast and combine very thoroughly. Scrap down the sides of the food processor bowl as needed.

If your food processor has a hard time chopping up nuts, you can presoak the cashews in water for an hour or even over night. Just drain them before you use them.

Yields 1 heaping cup.

Vegan White Sauce (also posted earlier)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1–2 TBSP sweet onion, minced
3 TBSP whole wheat flour (or other whole grain flour)
1 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 TBSP fresh basil, minced (optional, but really recommended)

Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic in oil for a few minutes. Add flour to oil mixture and combine thoroughly. Whisk in almond milk, a little at a time. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about five minutes, or until thickened. Sauce will thicken even more upon cooling.

3.) Choose your crust
whole wheat flat bread (pictured in photo)
whole wheat pita pocket
homemade pizza crust (here is a link to one that I have used)

4.) Put it all together
Cover your crust with a thick layer of sauce. Layer on all the toppings. Press them firmly into the sauce. Bake crust according to recipe instructions, or if you are using a pita or flat bread, 10–15 minutes in a 350° oven should do it!

The brand of flat bread I used was really, really thin, which I didn't like as much as the homemade pizza dough. But, it did have the advantage of taking a fraction of the time and labor to prepare!

Tomato Pesto

I made this tomato pesto to go on a pizza (recipe coming soon!), but you can use it for sandwiches, wraps, a vegetable dip, or whatever you want! I think it would work well as a pasta sauce as well (especially with some extra tomato sauce). In fact, I think I'll try it out tonight. :)

If you haven't discovered nutritional yeast yet, you might want to try it out. It's a non-active strain of yeast that comes in yellow flakes, and it has a "cheesy" taste to it. Besides being a complete protein, nutritional yeast is often fortified with B12. I buy it in bulk at Winco Foods.

That being said, if you don't want to use nutritional yeast, you can probably leave it out of this recipe.

Tomato Pesto
1 8-oz. can of tomato sauce
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup fresh basil (packed tightly)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Pulse tomato sauce and garlic in a food processor until the garlic is chopped and incorporated. Add cashews, basil, and nutritional yeast and combine very thoroughly. Scrap down the sides of the food processor bowl as needed.

If your food processor has a hard time chopping up nuts, you can presoak the cashews in water for an hour or even over night. Just drain them before you use them.

Yields 1 heaping cup.
Inspired by Oh She Glows

15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

One of my favorite recipe blogs is Oh She Glows. I've been impressed with everything I've tried from that blog. But this recipe is a favorite among favorites. It has very few ingredients, it's easy, and it's delicious. My husband and I probably eat this every other week! But don't forget to eat a salad or vegetable dish with it. :)

Click on the link below to get the recipe. And just one note, leftovers won't keep well, so eat it up!

15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

Veggie Wrap

When I started eating healthier, one of the challenges I faced (and let's be honest, I'm still facing it!) was finding quick meals that I could eat away from home. At first, I cooked ridiculously elaborate meals—and not just once a day, but every meal of every day. I don't recommend that. :)

Now I'm trying out some easier and more portable recipes. This veggie wrap is one of them. It's nothing brilliant, but I know that I struggled to figure out how to make a healthy lifestyle actually doable, and an easy recipe like this would have been helpful. So if you're in the same boat, try this!

Veggie Wrap
1 whole-grain tortilla
slices of tomato
roasted red peppers (from a jar)
avocado slices
artichoke hearts (from a can)
handful of spinach or other greens
1 TBSP pesto (from a jar)

Roll everything up in the tortilla!

This recipe is just to give you some ideas. You can leave out any of these ingredients or add more, of course. And you can make this meal even faster if you leave some sliced tomato in the fridge. Then all you have to do is slice your avocado and slap the whole thing together.

Like I said, it's nothing brilliant, but I hope it helps!
Adapted from Eating for Pregnancy

Mom's Spinach Salad

Credit for this salad goes to my mom. I've made a few adjustments to the salad ingredients, but the dressing is all hers. This salad is so fresh and tangy—everyone seems to like it. I get compliments every time I make it.

Not kidding.

Mom's Spinach Salad
Salad:
6 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 orange, peeled and sliced
1 avocado, chopped
handful of dried cranberries
handful of sunflower seeds
about 1/2–3/4 cup salad dressing (don't overdo it!!!)

Dressing:
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup Italian dressing (or 1 tsp Italian dressing mix)
1/2 tsp dry mustard (or 1 TBSP mustard)
1/2 cup oil (I leave this out completely)

Combine salad ingredients, then combine dressing ingredients, then combine the salad and the dressing. As easy as that!

You only need a little bit of dressing, but the leftover dressing saves well in the refrigerator. And it is good on almost any kind of salad.

Just a note, the salad doesn't hold up very well once the dressing has been added. So if you think you are going to have leftover salad, you might want to consider leaving the dressing separate.

Vegan White Sauce Pasta with Veggies

Who says eating healthy means you have to give up delicious white sauce pastas? Not me. I love this sauce so much. And who can say no to some extra veggies? My mouth is watering just thinking about eating this delicious pasta.

Vegan White Sauce Pasta with Veggies
2 cups uncooked whole wheat noodles (doesn't matter what shape, but I recommend shells)
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
vegan white sauce (recipe below)

Cook noodles. Meanwhile, sauté onion in 1/4 cup water over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add red bell pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms. (Leave the tomatoes aside.) Cook until soft.

Drain noodles and mix with the tomatoes and the sautéed vegetables. Add white sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Vegan White Sauce
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1–2 TBSP sweet onion, minced
3 TBSP whole wheat flour (or other whole grain flour)
1 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 TBSP fresh basil, minced (optional, but really recommended)

Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic in oil for a few minutes. Add flour to oil mixture and combine thoroughly. Whisk in almond milk, a little at a time. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about five minutes, or until thickened. Sauce will thicken even more upon cooling.

Stuffed Picnic Loaf

I really enjoy summer recipes that don't require cooking. Especially if they have the added bonuses of being easy to prepare and delicious. Fortunately, this stuffed picnic loaf qualifies in all three categories. Plus, it is incredibly easy to take with you on any summer outings.

Stuffed Picnic Loaf
1 large round loaf, whole grain if possible
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup roasted red pepper (from a jar, if desired)
2–4 cups fresh spinach
3 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
3 TBSP pesto

Begin by cutting one inch off the top of the round loaf. Using a knife or your hands, hollow out the inside, leaving about a half-an-inch lining of bread on the sides and bottom of the loaf.

Spread pesto on the bottom of the loaf. Then put a thin layer of spinach leaves on the bottom to prevent the tomato juice from making the bread soggy. Layer the tomato, artichoke, avocado, roasted red pepper, and basil on top of that. Then stuff the loaf to the brim with more spinach. You want your loaf to be tightly packed, so don't be afraid to really stuff it!

Replace the top of the loaf, wrap it, and place in the refrigerator for a few hours with something heavy stacked on top of it. (This will help prevent the ingredients from falling out when you cut it open.)

Cut into fourths and serve!

Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts to fit the size of your loaf. Also, I want to try this with alfalfa sprouts sometime. Or maybe with hummus instead of pesto. Just some ideas. :)
Inspired by Daily Mail

Cilantro Lime Dressing or Dip

This dressing is inspired by Café Rio's cilantro lime dressing, but I made a few adjustments to make it healthier. It's really good on a taco salad (greens, pico de gallo, guacamole, rice, beans), but I also use it as a spread for burgers and sandwiches. Or as a sour cream substitute in soups!

Cilantro Lime Dressing or Dip
1 cup raw cashews (soaked in water for one hour)
1/2 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup almond milk (or adjust amount of milk until desired consistency is reached)
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 TBSP hot sauce

Combine ingredients in food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Black Bean Burger

What could be better than a good bean burger recipe on the fourth of July? These burger patties have a Mexican flavor to them, which is one of the reasons I love them. They are very tasty, but as my husband puts it, "They taste better if you aren't expecting them to taste exactly like hamburgers."

Yup.

Sometimes these patties are a little dry, so some juicy toppings like tomatoes or guacamole can go a long way. Also, they break apart sometimes. If that happens to you, just throw them on your sandwich anyway—they will still taste delicious. They break less if you freeze them and then cook them.

We freeze them a dozen or so at a time, and I take one or two with me to barbecues. It's convenient to be able to participate in family barbecues with out much hassel and—even better—with out consuming my least favorite meat, hamburger.

Black Bean Burger

1/2 medium red onion

5 cloves garlic

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (I've also used fresh basil before)

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp olive oil (optional)

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 15 oz. can black beans (any type of bean would probably work)

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use Panko bread crumbs)

Put garlic and onion in food processor and pulse until chopped, or if your food processor is a little iffy like mine, dice garlic and onion and add to food processor bowl. Add almonds and sunflower seeds and pulse until finely chopped. Add cilantro, chili powder, oil (if using), salt, and pepper and process until cilantro is chopped and all the ingredients are combined. 

Put drained and rinsed beans in a separate bowl and mash well. (Honestly, the best way is to wash your hands thoroughly and get right in there with your hands.) Mix bread crumbs and food processor contents in with the beans. 

Then make your patties. I have done all different sizes and thicknesses, so what ever you prefer should work. Just be warned that a thinner patty may break more easily. If you are having trouble getting the patties to stick together, you may want to add the oil (if you didn't earlier) or a teeny bit of water.

Throw them on the grill or into a frying pan over medium heat and cook a few minutes on each side. I like mine to be soft on the inside, but if you are going for a crispier patty, you can cook them longer at a lower heat.

If you want to freeze them, do it! Just separate each patty with plastic wrap so you can get them apart easily. They make an awesome quick meal out of the freezer if you microwave them. 

Some of my favorite toppings for these burgers are tomatoes, sautéed bell peppers, jalapeños, lettuce, sriracha sauce or Mexican hot sauce, avocado slices or guacamole, and salsa. 

Yields 4–8 patties, depending on how big you make them.

Adapted from A Couple of Cooks

What I'm All About

Hey, I'm Heidi. Thanks for visiting my blog. Last summer, after watching Forks Over Knives, reading Eat to Live, and researching dietary health,  I decided I wanted to eat a plant-based, whole-foods diet. At first, it was really difficult to find good recipes—good tasting and good for you. I created this blog to share my favorite healthy recipes with all of you. 

Some of these recipes are my own creations, some I have collected and adapted to my needs, and some I have posted direct links to, because they are already amazing. I am very diligent about giving credit where credit is due, and I hope you will follow the links and use the many amazing blogs out there as resources for your own recipe hunts! 

I am not perfect at eating healthy, and perfection is not my aim. I am aiming for persistent healthy eating, not perfect healthy eating. In other words, I'm happy with myself if I make healthy choices 80%–90% of the time. And I certainly don't feel guilty about a good juicy steak or a big bowl of ice cream every now and then! I share this with you because I want you to know that every healthy choice is a good choice, and you can celebrate making one good decision today even if you make a less good decision tomorrow. And that "less good" decision shouldn't stop you from making a better decision the next day! 

Whether you are looking for drastic dietary change or just a few healthy recipes to supplement your current diet, I hope you will find some recipes here that you like! My only hope for Useful Snippits is that you will find it . . . well . . . useful. :)

Enjoy!