Garlic Fries

I love all the blogs that I am introduced to on the Secret Recipe Club. This month I had the privilege to peruse Tea and Scones. I found several delicious recipes, however I limited myself as this month I am eating a vegan diet. I chose her Garlic Fries. She said that she could devour these with just about anything and I completely agree!

I picked up a whole bunch of fingerling potatoes at the farmers market.  I am also avoiding oil so I just roasted these with water and no oil. The fingerling potatoes crisped up just fine without oil. 

I made some frozen fried for the kids and they loved the garlic on them. I'm thinking that we have a new way to make fries now. 

This is day 23 of 30 Days of Vegan recipes.  I am so loving this way of eating. Not difficult at all.  

Garlic Fries Recipe
Adapted from Tea and Scones

3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 baked potatoes or fingerling potatoes or frozen french fries

Heat garlic cloves and a bit of water and water saute garlic for a minute or so.  Set aside.

Cut potatoes into sticks or use small fingerling potatoes.  Toss potatoes with water sauteed garlic and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Toss to combine.  Bake at 450 for about 35 minutes until potatoes are done.

If you're using frozen fries, cook first according to directions and then toss with garlic, garlic powder and salt. Put back in oven for about 5 minutes.

Alternate method:  You can use a couple of tablespoons of oil on the potatoes as well. 







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Apple Boats - Raw Vegan Salad Recipe

This recipe exceeded my expectations.  I love all the ingredients so I knew it would be good but I was anticipating it to be difficult and messy to eat.  Not only was it incredibly delicious, but it wasn't too messy to eat.  

I used a Fuji apple, they are my favorites. Not too crispy and not too sour, but still with lots of flavor. The filling was fantastic, I LOVED the sunflower seeds in it!  

This is Day 20 of 30 Days of Vegan recipes. I got this recipe from, Vegalicious, the blog that inspired my 30 vegan days.  

I know I skipped 2 days but I had trouble getting pictures off my camera. Plus, I've been making so many meals that I've been eating leftovers a lot. I LOVE having leftovers in the refrigerator.  My family still isn't on board with my eating so I'll prepare a meal for them, and then will just grab something quick from the refrigerator for myself.  

Apple Boats - Raw Vegan Salad Recipe
Adapted from Vegalicious

2 large apples, I used fuji
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. honey (or agave)
1 avocado
3 tbsp. sunflower seeds

Cut apples in half, take out stems and core.  Using a melon baller, or a knife, scoop out the insides of the apple but don't cut through the skin. 

To make sure your boats don't rock, cut off a tiny sliver of flesh on the bottom. 

Pour lemon juice into a bowl and quickly dip the edges of the apple into it so they don't turn brown.

Take the apple insides and chop into small pieces. Add celery and pour remaining lemon juice into the apple mixture.  

Add cilantro, sunflower seeds, honey and salt. (just add a pinch of salt if your sunflower seeds are not salted)

Cut avocado in half and mash until creamy. Add to apple mixture and mix thoroughly. 

Fill apple boats with the mixture and serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator. 


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Lime Cilantro Pineapple Rice

I can't cook rice. I'm horrible. It either turns out too sticky, raw, burnt, chewy, crunchy or a combination of all of them.  Well people, no more of that, I finally bought a rice cooker!  I meant to get a picture of my baby but forgot.  She's small, only cooks 3 cups at a time, tops.  She's inexpensive.  I don't have a lot of money for extras so we went cheap. But she doesn't burn my rice!  She knows when the rice is done and it makes me so happy! Who would have thought a $15 appliance could make me so happy!

I've made brown rice so often now and I just love it!  Much as I love it plain, today I decided to jazz it up a bit. Yea, it's citrusy and acidy but holy yum does it taste good!  It's like dessert rice with dinner.  I love pineapple and with these Bean and Pineapple Tacos, it was fantastic!

Lime Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

3 cups brown rice, cooked
Juice from 1 large lime
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

Combine your cooked brown rice with the juice from the lime, the drained pineapple and cilantro. Stir to combine and serve.  Add salt and pepper as desired. 

Serve Pineapple Rice with:

Chipotle Bean Burritos
Southwestern Chicken Tostadas with Pineapple Kiwi Salsa
Pork Carnitas
Lentil Tacos
Baked Black Bean Taquitos
Chipotle Honey Meatballs
Apple Chicken Quesadillas
Spicy Black Bean Cakes with Lime Cilantro Sour Cream



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Bean & Pineapple Soft Tacos

Pineapple is probably my favorite fruit.  I love fresh pineapple. I love it grilled. It's awesome on pizzas.  So why not in tacos?  

Pair the sweet pineapple with the spicy green chiles and salsa and you have a pan full of deliciousness. 

I love having leftovers in the refrigerator.  If I have something nummy and cooked, it leads to less snacking on stuff that I shouldn't eat. I made a double batch of this so we'll have it for awhile.  It freezes nicely too. 

I ate these as tacos on corn tortillas. One night I put it over brown rice with a bit of avocado. 

I also put it on corn tortillas with some garlic refried beans as tostados.  

This is day 16 of 30 Days of Vegan Recipes. Seriously, with food like this, it is not tough at all. 

Bean & Pineapple Tacos

2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 zucchini, chopped
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups salsa or a 16 oz. jar
1 can chopped green chiles
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes and avocado

In a large pan, saute onion and red pepper in water until tender. Add the zucchini and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes. Add the pineapple, salsa, chiles and beans and heat through.  Stir in cilantro.  Place 1/3 cup filling on one corn tortilla.  Add toppings as desired.  




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Green Beans with Onions and Red Peppers

The farmers market is just beautiful this time of year.  The colors, the freshness, it's overwhelming. I usually walk through twice just to make sure I didn't miss anything.  The green beans caught my eye this time. It had been awhile since we've had them.  The onions there were just huge and the peppers came in every color.  

This might not be the most amazing recipe or the most complex but it was delicious. Delicious in it's simplicity.  I love just tasting the freshness with every bite. I had to post it just as a reminder to me to make it more often. 

Green Beans with Onions and Red Peppers

Green Beans, fresh or frozen, about 1 1/2 lbs. 
Onions, 1 large
Red Pepper, 1 large
Salt and pepper

Water saute onion and pepper for 4 - 5 minutes.  Throw in green beans and cook until still crisp tender. 



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White Bean, Wild Rice & Almond Burgers

My husband refused to call these burgers. He said they aren't considered burgers unless they can go on a grill. Pffft!  So they may be a little flimsy for the grill, they tasted awesome and were the best bean veggie burgers I've made. 

If you have a food processor, these will be a snap.  I pureed everything but the rice and the texture was perfect. 

I was wondering if they would need an egg binder but they held together quite nicely.  The beans smushed everything together perfectly. 

They were a little dry so I did add some salsa to the burger.  They really tasted good though and I for sure will make them again. 

This is Day 13 of 30 Days of Vegan recipes.  Seriously, with burgers like this, I don't think I ever need to eat meat again.  

White Bean, Wild Rice & Almond Burgers Recipe

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
1 cup red onions, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup raw almonds, lightly toasted
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

Combine rice and 2 cups water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain any excess water. 

While rice is cooking, water saute onions, celery and garlic over low flame for about 10 minutes or until tender. I used my food processor for the veggies to get them really small. Stir often and let water steam off. Stir in basil, salt and pepper. 

Finely chop almonds in food processor.  Add beans and process until beans are pureed and mixture is well combined.  Place in a bowl and stir in wild rice and onion mixture. 

Form into burgers. If mixture is too wet, a small amount of whole grain bread crumbs or oats may be added.  I didn't need any.  Place burgers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, turning carefully after 20 minutes. 






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White Bean Italian Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

Did you know that an entire cauliflower is like 150 calories?  Full of potassium and fiber. So healthy and tasty. But for some reason I forget to buy them. I rarely eat them. 

I've been seeing a cauliflower crust pizza recipe floating around and I've been waiting to try it. So when cauliflower was on sale, I snatched one up right away.  

I've made a white bean pizza before and absolutely loved it. I knew it would be perfect on this cauliflower crust.  

I did have a problem getting all the moisture out of the cauliflower.   I needed to leave it in the oven longer and it didn't get super crispy.  It was more of a knife and fork kind of pizza.  However, it did taste fantastic!  

This was an incredible vegan meal for my 30 Days of Vegan recipes. 

White Bean Italian Pizza with Cauliflower Crust
Crust adapted from Nutrition Stripped

Cauliflower Crust

• 1 small head cauliflower (about 2 cups yield), after pureeing and squeezed dry
• 2 whole eggs or Vegan: 2 Tbs. ground flax seed + 6 Tbs. water.
• 1 Tbs. flour or gluten free flour
• 3 Tbs. nutritional yeast
• 1 garlic cloves
• ¼ tsp. dried basil and oregano (each)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. To create the pureed cauliflower, simply chop all the cauliflower florets into small pieces, place into a blender and blend until pureed (it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth).
3. Place the pureed cauliflower mixture into some paper towels over a large bowl (to catch the liquid) and squeeze the excess water from the cauliflower. Or keep changing the paper towel until it's dryer. 
4. The end result will resemble a firm puree.
5. Combine the remaining ingredients into the large bowl and hand mix with a large spoon or whisk until thoroughly combined.
6. Spread the “dough” into either 1 large pizza shape or 2 small pizza rounds on parchment paper on a baking pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and firm to touch. You might have to leave it in for another 15 minutes or so if you are like me and can't get enough liquid out of it.
8. Take out of the oven and top with your favorite toppings.
9. Bake for another 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until everything on the top has warmed.

White Bean Puree

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp. water

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Puree in blender until smooth. 

Pizza Assembly:

Spread White Bean Puree on top of crust.  Top with favorite toppings.  I used squash, onion, peppers and spinach.  Put pizza back in oven for 10 minutes to warm everything. 

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Butternut Squash Rancheros

This is one of my favorite meals.  So quick and easy and total comfort food.  The caramelized squash tastes fantastic with the beans.  A little heat but not too much.  

I posted this recipe a couple of years ago but thought it needed to be reposted for my 30 Days of Vegan recipes.  This is a favorite whether you're vegan or not!  

Butternut Squash Rancheros Recipe


1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and sliced into 1 in. rounds
Cooking spray
Salt

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 large onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. honey
1 - 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
Cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray both sides of the squash with cooking spray.  Place the squash on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Flip and sprinkle with more salt.  Bake for another 15 minutes.  

While squash is cooking, begin sauteing the onions in cooking spray for about 5 - 6 minutes.  Throw in cumin, coriander, jalapeno and garlic and cook for anther 2 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, salt, honey and beans and cook for another 5 minutes or so.  

When the squash is done, turn on the broiler and broil for 5 minutes. Watch to make sure the squash caramelizes a bit but doesn't burn.  

Place half of the bean mixture on a plate or bowl and top with 1/2 the butternut squash.



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Mexican Quinoa

It's not all about the rice. I've been finding that out more and more as I use quinoa.  I may plan to make rice but then at the last minute, switch the rice out for quinoa. 

I found a multicolored quinoa at Whole Foods and was thrilled. It was so pretty!  I like pretty food. 

I loved the way this turned out.  Just like Mexican rice but with quinoa.

This is Day 10 of 30 Days of Vegan recipes.  One of the issues that people always ask about vegans is, "How do you get protein?"  Plant foods do have protein and probably has enough for you.  Quinoa is packed with protein and is a super healthy grain.  For more information about protein in a vegan diet check out this two part series.  Very interesting stuff!

Mexican Quinoa

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chipotle powder
2 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups veggie broth or water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper
Cilantro

Cook onion in a bit of water in a pan for about 5 - 7 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook for about a minute.  Add the quinoa, broth, diced tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. 



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Veggie Enchiladas with Chile Gravy

These are ugly enchiladas. I made them before and they were extremely unpretty and now I've made them again and they are downright ugly.  There was no dressing up this picture at all. I'm almost embarrassed to even include these pictures in the post.  But they are so, so, so delicious that I will risk the laughter and go ahead and post them anyways. 

I changed them up a bit, I nixed the oil and added zucchini. I think I put more spinach in them this time as well.  Corn tortillas just don't wrap well. They break, they crack and they just don't always bend right. They do make for a delicious meal though. I was glad I added this to my 30 Days of Vegan recipes.

Vegetable Enchiladas with Chile Gravy 
Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Chile Gravy:

2 tablespoons chile powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed between fingertips

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour (I used gluten free)

2 cups vegetable

Enchiladas:

1 onion, chopped

4 packed cups fresh baby spinach

1 can corn (or about 1 1/2 cups of frozen)

1 zucchini, chopped

2 cans black beans

1/2 cup tomato sauce

10-12 (or more) corn tortillas, warmed

Chile Gravy:

In a small bowl combine all the seasonings: chile powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, salt and oregano.

Heat a bit of water in a large skillet and quickly saute garlic 2 minutes; whisk in flour and cook a few minutes while constantly whisking/stirring. Add all the seasonings and cook 1 minute.

Pour in the vegetable broth and whisk until smooth. Turn heat up and bring to a boil: reduce heat and slowly simmer about 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Taste and season as needed. Meanwhile make the enchiladas.

Enchiladas:

Heat a bit of water (or oil) and onion and cook until translucent. Add spinach and stir until spinach starts to wilt. Remove from heat and add corn, black beans, and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 deep-sided casserole pan. Warm the tortillas. Top each tortilla with a 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and place seam side down in casserole pan. This is not easy to do as the corn tortilla tend to break and crack. Do your best, it may not look pretty but it will still taste awesome. 

Pour the chile grave evenly over top. Bake 25 minutes until bubbly all over. Allow to set 5 minutes before serving. Serve with guacamole if desired.

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Roasted Garlic Chickpeas

I love to snack.  It's one of my downfalls. Around 2 or 3 in the afternoon I find myself in the kitchen looking for something.  If there are unhealthy things around, I often will choose them.

I've made Roasted Chickpeas before and loved them. They really are the easiest things to make and you can make them so, so many different ways.  

This time I used garlic but you can use so many other spices. I love using chili powder and cumin. Chipotle chili powder is another favorite of mine. I am trying to avoid unnecessary oils so I just kept these a bit moist from water and they were just fine. 

This is Day 8 of 30 Days of Vegan recipes. Elena's 30 day challenge is going well.  Eating delicious snacks like these make it really easy!

Roasted Garlic Chickpeas Recipe

1 can chickpeas

2 tsp. olive oil (I didn't use)

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder or spice of choice

Rinse chickpeas and pat dry. I left a little bit of moisture on them so that the garlic powder would stick to them.  If you're using oil, pat them very dry. 

Put in a baggie along with the spices and shake to coat.  Toss on a parchment lined tray and roast in the oven at 375 for 40 - 45 minutes or until they are the desired crispness. 

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Healthy Oatmeal Banana Cookies

I try to eat healthy but I still like to have dessert. This can be challenging as I'm trying not to have any processed sugars. Well, I've seen this recipe for 2 ingredient cookies floating around and finally decided to try them. 

I found an awesome deal on bananas.  I bought 3 of these $.99 huge bags of bananas.  I chopped and froze a lot of them for Green Smoothies. Some we just ate and then I made a whole bunch of these cookies.  

They are just 2 ingredients: Oatmeal and Banana.  You can use either quick oats or regular. I used regular and did stick them in the food processor for just a second or two so everything would hold together a bit better.  

There are add ins that you can put in.  I chose to put a small box of raisins and a couple of shakes of cinnamon.  They were awesome!  So, so, so simple and they tasted really good.  My daycare kids loved them too!

Then, at the urging of my children, I made a batch with chopped pecans, coconut and chocolate chips. I didn't try these but the kids polished them off in record time. 

This is Day 7 of 30 Days of Vegan Recipes.

Healthy Oatmeal Banana Cookies

2 large bananas

1 cup oats

Mash banana, add oats and stir to combine. Spoon onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until desired crispness.  

They are still a bit soft when they come out.

Add ins:

Raisins

Cinnamon

Chocolate Chips

Butterscotch Chips

Coconut

Chopped Nuts

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The Green Smoothie

We buy a lot of fruit.  I buy in bulk at Costco and it usually gets eaten. If it does get a bit old, I just pop it in baggies and freeze it. Then we add the fruit to smoothies.  My kids love smoothies and the daycare kids love smoothies as well.  Of course I love to be able to give them a treat that is so super healthy. 

I've been drinking green smoothies for awhile.  Mostly it's consisted of adding spinach to my fruit smoothies. Sometimes kale.  Then I began reading Elena's site Vegalicious.  I started a 3 day smoothie cleanse. I loved it! And I learned so much more about what to put in smoothies.  I bought a whole bunch of greens that I had never tried before. My regulars I keep in the refrigerator now are mustard greens, kale, radish greens and of course, spinach. I do like to try other ones too for variety. 

I clean the leaves, chop them up and throw them in the freezer and the refrigerator.  I've been shopping at Whole Foods and getting organic greens which is awesome! They have a huge variety of greens. 

I used to add the fruit first to the food processor and then the greens. It was a bit chunky. The greens didn't process all the way.  Now, if you have a Vitamix, then you probably won't have that issue.  Mine is the Ninja and might not be the best for smoothies but it's sturdy and it's lasted a long time. 

Anyways, I found if you add your greens first and then your water. Then process the greens and they get much smaller. I try to add as much green as possible. The more green the better! The mustard greens do have a bite so there is some flavor but for the most part, my smoothies just taste like fruit.  I also have been adding dulse flakes and ground flaxseed to my smoothies. I'll experiment with more additions eventually. 

So, so, so many different fruits you can add.  I buy a big bag of frozen strawberries and organic mixed berries at Costco.  I also buy a bag mixture of frozen strawberries, peaches, pineapple and mango at Sams Club. These are my staples in my freezer. I also like to buy a ton of bananas when the are on sale and chop them up, stick them in baggies and throw them in the freezer.  

I also often have grapes, plums, nectarines, watermelon, pears and various other fruits in the freezer as well. I told you, we buy a LOT of fruit!

Puree your veggies, then add whatever fruit you'd like and blend away.  If you add dark berries, you're smoothie might turn brown and look like mud. It still tastes wonderful so don't let the look of it dissuade you from making these. I actually have a cup that is tinted green that I like to use, it makes it look like a nice pretty green. I like pretty food. :-)

I can't tell you exactly how much water to add. It really is a matter of personal preference. I add a lot of water. I used to drink them thick but found I didn't enjoy them as much.  I like them thinner with a lot of water. Then I drink them for breakfast and usually finish off the pitcher by the end of the day. 

This is day 6 of 30 days of vegan recipes. I find that if I start my morning with a green smoothie, the rest of the day just goes better.  I think of it as my daily medicine. My DELICIOUS morning medicine. 

Green Smoothie Recipe

Assorted greens
Assorted fruit
Water
Blender, vitamix or food processor

For more information about green smoothies, check out Vegalicious!



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