Hormonal health & the best nacho dip!

Lately, I've been doing a deep dive on hormonal health with a specific focus on endometriosis.  It's alarming the number of women who suffer from this condition and the lack of research out there on this topic.  Painful periods that prevent you from living your life are not a normal part of a woman's health journey.  There is hope out there.  In particular, I've found Dr. Barnard's book "Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Foods, Hormones, and Health" covers a wide variety of hormone related illnesses including endometriosis.  Dr. Barnard is president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.  You can also find information on their website at PCRM.org too.  In addition, I really enjoyed his chapter on menopause.  The power of food is significant and nicely detailed in the book.  A great resource for anyone as it also includes erectile dysfunction and other predominantly male topics.  

But onto my next recipe.  I am so thrilled by this one.  As many sat down to watch the latest Super Bowl, I began thinking of the first one I watched.  I was in college attending my first watch party when this incredible nacho cheese dip was served.  It pains me to share the ingredients now as it makes my stomach churn by just the thought of eating that crap but it was delicious at the time.  The original recipe was a can of cream of mushroom soup, browned hamburger, Velveeta (it was my first time ever having it and had no idea about its contents or that it can't even be labeled as a cheese), and a jar of salsa.  I know...please don't judge me.  I had no idea how harmful those ingredients, except the salsa, were.  But now I do.  I set out to recreate it using all health promoting plants and as low in fat as possible.  Enjoy!  

Nacho Cheese Dip:

• Cream of Mushroom Soup: I made this a day ahead.  
• Cheese Sauce: Can also make a day ahead
• Beef substitute: Ditto on making a day ahead
• Jar of salsa: Any kind you like

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the soup with all of the cheese sauce, beef substitute, and a 15 ounce jar of favorite salsa into a slow cooker on low heat.  Once it's warm serve over chips or baked oil-free corn tortillas with a sprinkle of greens. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 loved this so much.  I even got hugs!  

Book affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3YshlUi 

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

Cashew Ricotta (WFPB, vegan)

 

This is one of my top 2 favorite dairy free cheese recipes.  So simple and delicious from The Simple Veganista.  Goes well with lasagnas, crackers, sandwiches, wraps and more.  One of our favorite ways to use it is with beets, mustard and arugula.  Beets can be sliced thin in a food processor at your desired thickness, steamed in an Instant Pot for about 8 minutes or until tender, cooled and layered onto a wrap or sandwich like deli meat.  A wrap with layers of cashew ricotta, mustard (we like it with German mustard), cooked beets and arugula makes for a delicious, healthy on the go lunch.  The recipe suggests adding as much salt as you want, however, the lower the salt the better for our health.  Excess sodium consumption is a leading cause of mortality.  

Recipe: https://tinyurl.com/4wuxvt59

Sodium reference: https://tinyurl.com/32vb55rn

Instant Pot: https://amzn.to/3GesHVG

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

Cashew Mayo (WFPB, vegan)

While searching for a BLT recipe, I decided to try this simple cashew mayo recipe.  It's so amazing we now put it in wraps, sandwiches, salads and as a veggie dip for school lunches.  I keep the spice down to 1 teaspoon for the kids.  I used my high speed blender as the blade on my food processor is getting quite dull.   Haven't tried it with sunflower seeds as a nut free option, yet.  Please let me know if you do.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 4-8 hours then drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
• 3 tablespoons plain soy or almond milk
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (less or more to taste)...we use 1 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Place the soaked cashews in a food processor fitted with the S-blade (or use a high speed blender) and process until a thick paste forms. Add lemon juice, milk, Sriracha, and salt. Continue blending until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.

Yogurt (WFPB, no oil, vegan)

After years of failed yogurt recipes, I finally found one that works.  It's delicious!  The key is the plant-based milk (no additives, just simple organic soybeans and water) and the probiotic starter.  I could see it being used as a sour cream without the optional ingredients.  My kids like it with 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.  Hoping to get that down to 2 tablespoons soon.  I tried date paste without success.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 container WestSoy soymilk
3 capsules of Solgar Advanced 40+ Acidophilus
3 tablespoons maple syrup, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Directions
Place plant milk in blender on lowest speed.  Empty contents of capsule into blender.  Add maple syrup and vanilla extract if using.  Fill 7 half pint mason jars to equal levels.  Place in Instant Pot, selecting the yogurt button.  Set time for 9 1/2 hours.  When time is up, remove jars, put lids on and place in refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Sour Cream (WFPB, no oil, vegan)

Finally found a sour cream recipe we like!  Love it in this Mexican 10 layer dip.

Ingredients
12.3 oz. container of organic silken tofu
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (we used iodized)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions
Place all ingredients into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to use.


Why do we eat organic Non-GMO soy?  Here are some great videos to share why.

Pesto (WFPB, no oil, vegan)

With an abundance of basil in our garden, this has become our go to for a quick pesto recipe from Oh She Glows.  We usually double it for our family of 5.  Tastes great on pasta, in wraps, on crackers, or a spoon!  Pairs well with this plant-based cheese, by far our favorite cheese!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves 
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 15-oz can navy/cannellini beans (1.5 cups)
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon) I used 3 tbsp
• 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt (I used 3/4 tsp)
• You can add olive oil to taste if you prefer!

Directions: 

Add garlic clove to processor and process until finely chopped. Now add in the rest of the ingredients to taste and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Simply Delicious Butternut Squash "Cheese" Sauce (WFPB, Vegan, Nut free)

Yesterday, I found myself in a dilemma.  I had 30 minutes to get my daughter fed and out the door to her next activity.  My kitchen was overflowing with butternut squash so I had steamed them up the day before.  However, my children are not butternut squash fans.  I've tried too many recipes over the years to count.  I, however, love them which is why I keep buying them.  Anyway, in my determination to get them to eat butternut squash, I ran across a simple cheese recipe (which I have misplaced) without cashews (we love cashews but they don't like everyone in our family).  I adapted it slightly.  It was a huge hit with all of us except one.  It tastes amazing on the mung bean/edamame fettucine we eat.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

2 cups cooked butternut squash

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)....I thought it was great without by my kids disagreed

Directions

Put all ingredients in a high speed blender.  Purée until smooth.  Add small amounts water to help the blending process if needed (I did not do this making it a little thick).  Throw it on your cooked pasta or baked potatoes or whatever sounds good.  Enjoy!

Rating: 4 out of 5 loved it!

Healthy Amazing Vegan Cheese (WFPB, No nuts, No oil)

We love, love, love this recipe.  Kids will eat it in a grilled cheese sandwich for their school lunches or just in slices.  I'm still perfecting getting it solid.  It sounds like I need to increase my thickening time from 5 minutes on the stove to 8-10 minutes.  In the meantime, we just leave out the agar agar powder for a nacho cheese consistency to put over black bean pasta or potatoes.  It really is delicious!

Ingredients (put them in blender in order listed)
1 cup water
1 cup oats
1 cup sweet potato, steamed
1 bell pepper, chargrilled or roasted, marinated in vinegar*
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (or to taste)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup water

Optional: to firm the cheese
1 1/3 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons agar agar powder

Directions
Place 12 ingredients in order into blender.  Blend until combined, approximately 1 minute.  Heat agar agar powder and water on separate pan on stove.  Bring to boil, turn down, and whisk mixture constantly until thick as molasses, 5-10 minutes. Quickly put mixture into blender and blend until combined.  Poor into molds. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

* I buy the roasted red pepper in a jar with water at my local grocery store.  Or use my affiliate link to buy online.

Veggies & White Bean Spread (WFPB, Vegan, no oil)

In our mission to get our children to eat more vegetables in a healthy manner, my husband and I have created this recipe.  This can be eaten in a tortilla or lettuce wrap, as a dip for veggies, or in a panini (the way my children prefer it).  For the panini, we use Ezekiel bread (no oil) and add a very small amount of Daiya cheese (not part of a whole foods plant based diet due to the oil content) to the spread to give it a hint of cheese flavor for them.  We make large batches in the panini press at once with leftovers going into the refrigerator for school lunches.

Ingredients:
1 pound vegetables (we like cauliflower or a carrot/broccoli combo)
1 (15 ounce) canned white beans, drained & rinsed well or 1 1/2 cups cooked
2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste
water, for desired texture

Directions:
Chop vegetables into pieces appropriate for steaming or roasting.  If roasting, heat oven to 400º. Roast until tender using silicon baking mat, about 18 minutes.  In food processor, pureé beans and garlic until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add roasted vegetables, vinegar, and seasonings to pureé and combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add water as desired.

Spicy Chipotle Dressing (WFPB, Vegan)

This Holy Moly Spicy Chipotle Dressing recipe is amazingly wonderful from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.  We love it over roasted potatoes!  It makes an excellent sauce for stir fries.  It is just great to have on hand in the fridge.  The warning about adding all the ingredients except the chipotle powder is wise.  We use only 1/4 of what is posted in the recipe.  We double the recipe for our family of 5. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/2 cup plain unsweetened plant based milk (we used soy...yes, we are able to do additive free soy milk as it wasn't the soy making my son ill but the food additives like carrageenan)
4 teaspoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 of a medjool date, pitted
1 small garlic clove
1 teaspoon white miso (or salt to taste)
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/8-1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or more)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
water as needed

Directions
Place all ingredients in blender.  Blend on high speed until smooth.  It thickens after refrigeration.  Add water to thin as needed.

Easy Bean Dip (Whole Foods Plant Based, Gluten-free, Vegan, Oil-free)

In an attempt to recreate a store bought low fat bean dip my children like, I came up with this simple recipe. Enjoy!  Makes 4 cups.

Ingredients
4 cups cooked beans or about 2 cans (any kind will work)
1 teaspoon toasted cumin
1 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
water, to desired consistency
pinch of cayenne

Directions
Toast cumin in small pan on stove, just a few minutes, then grind.  Add all ingredients to food processor.  Blend until smooth adding water to desired consistency.  (I add about a 1/4 cup if using home cooked beans.)

Guacamole Bean Dip

Trying to get my oldest two children to eat legumes (a great source of protein, iron, fiber, and other nutrients) has been a challenge lately.  Besides our hummus and chili soup recipe, my previous recipes have been met with resistance.  After some searching, I saw a post about adding beans to foods kids already like.  This is a challenge since they don't seem to like the same foods most of the time.  Since two of them love guacamole and all three like salsa, I gave it a whirl.  While I was skeptic as I puréed another round of beans, the kids devoured the entire pie plate of dip with chips (I may have helped a bit).  Since one child does not like guacamole I put it on half the dish.  What a great dish to come together on Cinco de Mayo!

Ingredients
1 15 ounce can canellinni beans (Eden Organic is bpa free) or 1 3/4 cups cooked
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
Guacamole (we love Wholly Guacamole), to taste
Pico de Gallo or salsa, to taste

Directions
(Drain and rinse canned beans.) Purée cooked beans in blender or stick blender adding in lemon juice and salt.  Spread onto serving dish.  Layer guacamole on top.  Sprinkle with salsa.  It's that simple!

Ratings:
5 out of 5 family members love it!

Sunflower Butter

Sunflower Butter

The struggle to find a sunflower butter we like, was "safe" (not processed with other allergens), and low or no sugar added led us to make our own.  We get our sunflower seeds from Trader Joe's (after verifying that it was not processed with other nuts or peanuts).  For a $1.99 per pound, why not?  I was excited to use the Vitamix but had to abandon after 4 failed attempts.  As of now, the food processor is our tool of choice.  We add flax seed oil to our butter in an effort to bring balance to sunflower seeds which are high in Omega-6 fatty acids. There are a lot of great resources out there about understanding why Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids are essential for good health.  Here is a good one for starters (Omega-3/6 ratio).

Ingredients:
1 16 ounce bag of roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seed oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup (optional)

Directions:
Process sunflower seeds in food processor for 1-2 minutes.  Slowly drizzle in flax seed oil.  Add sugar and salt.  Continue to blend until desired consistency, maybe 1-3 minutes more.  It's that simple!

Roasted Veggie Spread 2.0

I have perfected the Roasted Veggie & Chickpea Spread recipe for my family.  While I tried various combinations of veggies (red peppers, cauliflower, yellow squash), only one was deemed good enough to eat by all three of my children, even the pickiest eater!  The winning combination is....about 3/4 lb. broccoli, 1/4 lb. carrots and 1/2 red pepper (removing skin once roasted).  Of course, I enjoyed all of the variations.  What a great way to eat vegetables!


Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound raw broccoli (or other vegetables)
1/4 pound raw carrots
1/2 red pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper (to taste)
1 (15 ounce) can or 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Expeller pressed canola oil, spray
1 cup water or less, for desired texture
Carrots, crackers, or bread, for serving

Directions:
Heat oven to 400º.  On rimmed baking sheet, lightly spray vegetables with expeller pressed canola oil.  Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.  Let cool slightly, rub off skin of pepper.  In food processor, pureé chickpeas and garlic until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add roasted vegetables and up to 1 cup of water to get desired texture.  With machine running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil and vinegar.  Add salt and pepper.

Nutrition Information:
1 serving (1/2 cup): 177 calories, 27g carbs, 6g fat, 8g protein, 8g fiber, 13mg iron

Ratings:
5 out of 5 family members like it.

Caesar Salad Dressing

I have been avoiding nutritional yeast in my recipes up until this point.  Along with not sounding good, it was low priority to research it during the first few months of our vegan adventures.  After reading online sources indicating it is a good source of protein and vitamins with a cheesy, nutty, creamy flavor I decided to try it.  My oh my!  They need to rename this great ingredient to cheesy wonder sprinkle or something like that.  It is a new staple at my house as is this recipe.  We use the dressing as a dip, a substitute for sour cream (my sour cream trials have failed to produce any winners), and dressing.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 tablespoons water, to get desired consistency
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a lidded jar.  Shake.  Add more water as needed to get desired consistency.

Ratings
5 out of 5 family members love it!

Food Allergy/Intolerance Notes:
We use Earth's Balance Minful Mayo.  It is delicious!

Sunflower Butter instead of Peanut Butter

It wasn't until I enrolled my first child into preschool when I was introduced to sunflower butter. Peanut butter and products were banned at our first preschool due to allergies of other students. After a look of panic, the owner suggested sunflower butter as a substitute. I had never heard of it.  We tried it and like it.

Fast forward three years, sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches are a staple. It is great for airplane travel as it is so hard to find Ethan-friendly food at airports. When we do go out to eat (which rarely happens), it is our back up food in case the restaurant cannot accommodate Ethan's needs. I send it in lunches for my school-age kids even though they don't have allergies (peanut butter is allowed in the lunchroom but not in certain classrooms). Primarily, I do it out of respect for others who have peanut allergies. I cannot imagine sending a child to school wondering if their EpiPen will get used that day when a simple substitution would make everything better. No recipe this time. Enjoy a few photos from our June trip to California.

(There are a few brands of sunflower butter.  I've found the Sunbutter brand to be at most stores near me. Also, you can make your own.)

Eating plums right off the trees!

Visiting one of many wonderful parks.

Touring Google's campus.

Trying to find Nemo.

Roasted Vegetables and Chickpea Spread

One of my favorite magazines is Whole Living.  The articles are interesting but the recipes are even better.  I've tried about a dozen or so with the hopes to try many more.  All of the recipes I have tried so far have been great.  Plus, they do a nice job of noting if a recipe is vegetarian, vegan, nut-free or other special diet markings.

Recently, I tried the Roasted Sweet Pepper and Chickpea Dip recipe out of their June issue with the substitutions of broccoli and carrots as suggested.  It was just ok with the radishes as a dip.  It was better spread onto a wrap.  Once I spread it onto crackers it was a smash hit with the kids.  They could not get enough.  Can't wait to make it with the roasted sweet peppers.  Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients:
1 pound small sweet peppers (or other vegetables)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & ground pepper
1 (15 ounce) can or 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 bunch radishes or crackers, for serving

Directions:
Heat oven to 400º.  On rimmed baking sheet, drizzle vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil.  Season with salt & pepper.  Roast until tender, about 18 minutes (carrots & broccoli took twice as long for me).  Let cool slightly, rub off skins and remove seeds and stems.  In food processor, pureé chickpeas and garlic until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add roasted vegetables and vinegar to pureé and combine.  With machine running, drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Information:
1 serving (1/2 cup): 217 calories, 22g carbs, 13g fat, 6g protein, 7g fiber, 12mg iron

Ratings:
5 out of 5 family members like it.

Food Allergy/Intolerance Notes:
I have scoured the grocery shelves looking for safe crackers for my child.  Finding ones absent of dairy, soy, and nuts as ingredients and in the manufacturing process has been a challenge.  I found two with the Back to Nature brand that work for us.  Their saltines and flatbread crackers are great.  Plus the flatbread crackers taste great with the black bean dip and hummus recipes.

Dynamite Dairy-Free Ranch

Since sharing our food allergy/intolerance journey with family, friends, and acquaintances, I am amazed at the number of people who open up about their journeys with food.  I have had the opportunity to hear remarkable stories involving precocious puberty, airborne food allergies, and learning disabilities.  While some can only be managed, it is astonishing to me when removing certain foods appears to eliminate the symptoms.  The past two years has been such an education!  If I was still a practicing school psychologist, one of my first steps after getting a referral on a child would involve a diet questionnaire.

One of these food warrior family members (my term for these amazing families), mentioned a recipe for dairy-free ranch.  Once again, I found myself wondering why hadn't I thought of going dairy-free with ranch.  My older kids love it but I have had to keep it away from Ethan.  After some recipe research, I tried this one.  Wow, we all love it!  I am not much of a ranch user but this recipe has me hooked.  You can add in the full amount of rice milk/lemon juice mixture to make it a dressing or a lesser amount to make it a dip.  I put in 1/2 the amount of dill as it was a little strong for me.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice + enough rice milk to equal 1/2 cup (7 1/2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
Mix lemon juice and rice milk.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Whisk together mayonnaise and seasonings.  Slowly whisk in rice milk lemon juice mixture until you reach your desired consistency (full amount is very runny).  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes prior to serving.

Rating:
5 out of 5 family members love it!

Food Allergy/Intolerance Notes:
We have had success with the Earth Balance product line for soy-free vegan mayonnaise.

Black Bean Dip Revised

In an attempt to increase our Vitamin A intake, I modified the original recipe just by simply adding a packed 1/2 cup of fresh chopped spinach.  While the texture and taste are slightly different, it is still a winner in our house.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, drained black beans

3 tablespoons tomatoes, seeded (remove seeds, pulp) and chopped

1/2 cup spinach, chopped and packed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Process all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.  (It takes additional time with the spinach as compared to the original recipe.)  Serve or refrigerate.

Nutrition Information:  

1 serving (1/4 cup): 67 calories, 12g carbs, 0g fat, 4g protein, 4g fiber, 6mg iron

Ratings:

5/5 like it

Food Allergy/Intolerance Notes:

If buying beans in bulk, I've found the bagged dry beans to contain information on other foods used at the processing facility. In my experience, the large bins of bulk have not contained this valuable information.

Our New Fast Food

With busy lives, we needed something quick and easy to feed our family for those need to get somewhere moments. The solution so far has been a rice, black beans, and pico de gallo mixture. Our rice maker has been extremely handy and in high use since my son's food issues began. We splurged on a high end rice cooker a few years ago after hearing the praises of the Zojirushi induction heating technology. We love it! It is extremely simple to use and clean plus makes great rice. We make up a batch whenever we get low.

For our fresh pico, we had to stop the oh so convenient purchasing of the fresh pico de gallo from the store. The labeling indicated it was made in a facility using items our son could not tolerate. So, I pulled out a favorite pico recipe I save for summer when our garden tomatoes start producing. I really like this recipe but substitute on-the-vine tomatoes for the romas. Basically, we have all three products in our refrigerator ready for use. I just reheat the beans and rice then mix in the pico de gallo. I add avocado to mine but my 1 year old prefers it with the Black Bean Spread mixed in. Super simple!

Ingredients for Pico de Gallo:

5 on-the-vine tomatoes, cored and chopped

1/2 red onion, minced

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 lime, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pinch ground cumin

1 pinch garlic powder (optional)

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Stir everything together. Refrigerate 3 hours before serving.

Rating:

3/5 like it (my 6 and 4 year olds won't try it, however the 4 year old likes the pico with tortilla chips)

Food Allergy/Intolerance Notes:

Relying on someone else to prepare foods increases the chance that the food is contaminated with other food products not listed in the ingredient list. Once again, check labels and ask to make sure store prepared foods are safe.