Maple Mustard Taters (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free)

Who doesn’t love potatoes?  Poor little guys sure get a bad rap.  If any of you have read Dr. John McDougall’s The Starch Solution, you know they don’t deserve such abuse.  Potatoes are a satiating, healthy food, chock full of fiber and nutrients.  As Dr. McDougall says, it’s the company they often keep that turns them into a bad food (butter, cheese, oil, etc).  Potatoes, without all the bad stuff, should be part of the regular diet, and they definitely are in our house.  Yukon, red, gold, butter, russet, fingerling, sweet….if it’s a potato we eat it.  My sister Julie loves potatoes so much her nickname(s) lovingly given to her by my husband is “tot” or “tater”.  Since she is the one who came up with this recipe, I’m referring to them as taters, in her honor.

These are delicious and super easy to make.  This makes a sizable batch since we had them as our entree, along with steamed broccoli – perfect meal!  The amounts listed are estimates so be sure to taste test and adjust before cooking, if necessary.  It’s hard to mess this one up so not to worry!

Maple-Dijon Green Bean and Sweet Potato Salad (vegan, low-fat, gluten-free)

It was lunch time.  I opened the fridge and saw fresh green beans I’d gotten from the farmer’s market, and a Japanese sweet potato.  Those are the kind with purple/burgundy skin but are white inside.  Delicious.  Anyway, I thought to myself “what can I do with both those items to make an entree?”  This salad, which I ate warm, is what I came up with.  Very tasty.

I used my amazing pressure cooker for the sweet potato (cooked 2 mins), and the green beans (cooked 1 minute), but however you want to cook them is fine.   This dish is really quick and easy.

Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal Muffin Recipe. Vegan, Oil-Free, Low-Fat, Wheat-Free! Good for Breakfast, Snack or Dessert.

I was inspired to create these tasty muffins as I was preparing for a 5 hour flight for which I would be leaving my house at 5 a.m.  I knew it would be too early for my usual breakfast smoothie, and I was already planning on packing a PB&J sandwich for later in the day….what would I eat for breakfast?? God knows there wouldn’t be options on the plane.  Sure, I could have brought Starbuck’s oatmeal or McDougall’s instant oatmeal (great for travel) on with me but I wanted something different; something substantial, not too sweet, and didn’t need to be warmed.  Thus, these Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal Muffins were born!

PUMPKIN LOAF | vegan | oil-free | low-fat | gluten-free option

For any followers out there who don’t love pumpkin, I do apologize.  I realize this is my 3rd pumpkin recipe…so far.  🙂  I told you – I love pumpkin.  And I’m going to utlilze it as much as I can this fall.  The picture shows a loaf made with a combo of dried cranberries and chocolate chips.  You can use one, both, or neither – it’s yummy either way!

So, if you like pumpkin, bust out the baking supplies and enjoy this tasty Pumpkin Loaf.  It’s easy to make and really satisfying.

Pumpkin Treats! Low-Fat, Oil-Free, Wheat-Free, Guilt-Free!

I’m all about the pumpkin.  It’s one of the many things I adore about fall.  I love the look of those orange beauties, and the flavor of anything pumpkin.  I only wish the pumpkin bread, scones and pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks were healthy!  Oh well, these little treats, along with my Pumpkin Pancakes (see Recipes), and Pumpkin Pie Minis (recipe coming soon) will suffice.  They do contain chocolate chips, taking the healthy factor down a notch, but it’s a small amount and just enough to make you feel like you’ve been treated.

Peach Crisp

I needed to make a dessert for company recently and I knew I wanted something sort of summery, but warm since evenings are still cool here.  Wasn’t in the mood for cake, pie or the Chocolate-Banana Muffin Cakes I always make.  I decided a peach crisp was definitely in order since peaches are abundant and delicious right now.  Unfortunately, most recipes for any kind of crisp are laden with sugar and butter. This version does contain some Earth Balance, so it’s best for special occasions, but it’s definitely less fattening than standard recipes – and every bit as good!

Guilt-Free Bacon? OH YES!

Back when I ate animal foods, I never ate pork – except on rare occasions if it was in the form of a BLT.  Bacon alone grossed me out but on that sandwich…yum!  How silly is that?  Reminds me of the mentality I had towards chicken – I could eat a boneless chicken breast no problem, but give me chicken on the bone and forget it!  It’s amazing what we can talk ourselves into, or out of, in order to ease our conscience.  Anyway, when I discovered tempeh bacon I was so excited to be able to eat BLT’s again, and more than occasionally since it’s not unhealthy! There are several varieties of ‘fake bacon’ out there, but the majority of them are highly processed and not what I’d call healthy (with the exception of Fakin Bacon by Lightlife, which is made from tempeh).

In case you aren’t familiar with tempeh, it is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans and usually a grain into a cake form.  It has a high content of fiber, protein and vitamins and a unique, earthy flavor with a very firm texture.  I recommend steaming the tempeh prior to cooking to remove some of the bitterness, as well as to help it absorb flavors of marinades, etc.

In a pinch I will buy Fakin Bacon, however it’s about double the cost of making it myself from plain tempeh.  If I do use the pre-made bacon, I never cook it according to the package instructions as it calls for frying in oil.  See recipe below for details.