HAPPY EARTH DAY!!
I know, I know. It’s been forever since I posted a recipe. In my defense, we had a lot going on. The last year has been the busiest, and best, ever. We were involved in a not-so-fun lawsuit (are they ever fun?); planned and executed an incredible destination wedding for our daughter and now son-in-law; put our CA home of 14 years on the market and sold it; purchased our forever home on Maui; packed up and/or purged many years of memories and other junk; moved to Maui!! So, while it’s all great as you can see, my head wasn’t really in the game for posting recipes, even though creating recipes and cooking is always a regular thing for me.
This particular recipe is one I came up with as a way to use a huge bag of broccoli I had gotten at Costco. It turned out great. I’ve made it a few times since and it really is yummy – the family loves it. It’s easy too. As with most healthy, plant-based dishes, there is prep and chopping involved but once that’s taken care of, the rest is a cinch.
And remember, while Earth Day is a great way to commemorate our amazing planet, we need to do it EVERY DAY! Do your best, every day, to avoid animal products (nothing damages the planet more than livestock production and over-fishing), minimize use of single-use products that pollute our oceans and harm sea life, use less electricity, walk or bike instead of driving, consider a hybrid or electric car, pay close attention to water usage and avoid using chemicals in your home. YOU GOT THIS!
I’m so happy I figured out a way to use the huge bag of riced cauliflower I bought at Costco. This sauce is creamy and rich tasting without clogging arteries…. and as an added bonus, very easy to make. Great on veggies or whole grains, as well as pasta. Give it a try!!
November 4, 2015
CHOCOLATE!
People are coo coo for cocoa.
Me? I like it. Sure.
But I wouldn’t consider selling my offspring for the last bar on earth as some people I know might. It’s good. I enjoy a quality piece of dark chocolate or a chocolatey dessert as much as the next girl, but when I like chocolate best is when it’s paired with something else, for example, peanut butter, raspberry, or in this case PUMPKIN!
If you’ve never had chocolate and pumpkin together, you’ve been missing out! The warm spices we associate with pumpkin taste great with the rich chocolate. This recipe calls for healthy whole foods like black beans and pumpkin, uses very little flour, and no refined sugar or oil, and no eggs or dairy of course. The only not-so-healthy part is the chocolate chips but we only use 1/4 cup. I really like to use the Wonderslim cocoa powder as it’s lower in fat and caffeine than typical cocoa powder.
Go ahead, make these.
And try not to eat the whole pan.
I dare ya.
This dish is one I make for the family at least twice a month – they love it (hence the name). The creamy red sauce is yummy without being overly fattening, and I love all the chunky mushrooms and lots of fresh basil. Hope your family likes it as much as mine!
Delectable was the word used by my sister to describe her feelings on this soup, so I figured I’d call it just that – Delectable Mushroom Soup. Much more fun than plain old Mushroom Soup. And honestly people, not to toot my own horn or anything but it really is delectable. I got lucky with this one, for sure. I had a ton of cremini and chanterelle mushrooms (thanks to Costco) and realized I’d never made a creamy mushroom soup before, and it sounded really good to me. I was hopeful the recipe would work out so I made copious notes as I went along. So glad I did. The best part? It’s EASY to make!
This soup is rich and creamy but not overly fattening. I used only 1/3 cup raw cashews which adds fat of course, but not too much. The items I used for garnish are optional and do add a small amount of fat. I grated a very small amount of Miyoko’s killer Smoked Farmhouse “cheese”, and a few drops of truffle oil on top of the fresh chives. Deliciously delectable. 🙂
If you’ve ever eaten a samosa at an Indian restaurant (or Whole Foods salad bar for that matter), you know those delectable little things are deep fried. These patties have that mouth-watering samosa flavor, without all the fat and flour.
This recipe is adapted from Rouxbe, the on-line plant-based culinary school I’m attending. The first time I made these I followed the recipe to the letter but felt they could be improved and made to be lower in fat. The family actually preferred my version. Score!
Keep in mind the heat of these will depend on how much of and the type of curry powder you use. I’m a total wimp when it comes to spice so I only used 1 TBS curry powder (half Penzey Sweet Curry Powder and half Madras Curry Powder). Use more, or some cayenne, if you like the heat. They have tons of flavor regardless. Enjoy!!
This delicious condiment is similar to my “Cheesy” Sauce, with a mexican flare, and a thicker texture and consistency.
Whenever I serve this thick and creamy potato chowder to guests (non plant-based), they can’t believe it doesn’t contain dairy or cheese. For an even lower-fat version, leave out the cashews. The result will still be delicious.
This sauce is delicious with steamed veggies, on noodles or tofu scramble.
