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.

Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup (Vegan, WFPB, Gluten-free)

My sister made this on one of her trips to visit last fall.  Delicious!  It is a favorite of mine. The children don't love it like I do which just leaves more for me to enjoy.  We have frozen the leftovers in small containers and the taste remains the same.  The original recipe calls for soy milk but her version is so good without the milk we don't add it.  To make it a meal, I will pour the soup onto some steamed brown rice.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 small or one large butternut squash, peeled and chopped (frozen cubed butternut squash will work in a pinch)
5 cups low sodium vegetable broth (read ingredient labels to avoid added refined oils)
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, sauté onion and garlic in 1/4-1/2 cup of water until soft (5-8 minutes).  Add in carrots, celery and more water cooking an additional 5-8 minutes.  Continue to add water to keep ingredients from sticking to pan.  Add squash, broth and sage.  Stir until squash well coated.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 25 minutes or until squash is soft. Mash the contents with a potato masher or blend ingredients in food processor or blender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

Gallo Pinto (Vegan, WFPB, Gluten-free)

Thank you to my friend and preschool Spanish teacher, Julie, over at Spanish Chat LLC who introduced us to gallo pinto.  This dish is simple, inexpensive and delicious.  I can see why it is a staple of the Costa Rican diet.  This is the recipe I adapted. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked black beans (we've used a variety of small beans & all have turned out well)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (toasting it brings out more flavor but not necessary)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2-3 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
fresh cilantro to taste

Directions
Sauté onion and garlic in about 1/4-1/2 cup of water until onion softens and turns color adding in water as needed to keep onion from sticking to pan.  Add spices and worcestershire to onion mixture, stir.  Next, combine beans and rice into onion mixture.  Cook until heated through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

Cumin Lime Black Bean Quinoa Salad (WFPB, Vegan, Gluten-free)

Tried out this recipe from Oh She Glows but omitted the oil to make it healthier.  I served it as a side dish on a large piece of romaine lettuce so the kids could pick it up easily without spilling it.  Our main dish was my Sweet Potato Burrito recipe minus the oil and processed vegan cheese.  Delicious!  Why no oil?  Here is a link to a nice summary of the scientific research all of which I learned in my Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition program.  For a more detailed explanation on the biochemistry click here for a video explanation from Dr. Esselstyn.

Ingredients
Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa (or 3 cups cooked)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can)
1 1/2 cups cilantro, finely chopped
3 small/medium carrots, shredded
4 green onions, chopped

Dressing
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin, toasted
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste

Directions
Cook quinoa following directions on packaging.  (Rinse quinoa in a fine colander, add 1 1/2 cups water to quinoa and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat (with lid on) and let rest for 5 minutes, fluff with fork.)  After fluffing with fork, chill in fridge for 15 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients.  Whisk together dressing in a small bowl. Add to salad ingredients and toss to combine.  Add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Chill for an hour if desired.

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.)

Healthy and Easy Chocolate Pudding (Whole Foods Plant-Based, No Refined Sugar)

The Healthy Librarian, one of the many people I follow online, posted this interesting recipe on her Facebook page with rave reviews. My children are not very fond of sweet potatoes so why not try it.  Wow, I was surprised at how tasty it is.  It really tastes like chocolate pudding especially after a short chill time. Everyone loved it!  Cannot believe I got them to eat so many sweet potatoes.  This is a new favorite in our house.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
4-5 pitted dates, softened in water while sweet potato roasts
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder (I used cacao)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons peanut butter or sunflower butter
1/3 cup non-dairy milk

Directions
Soak dates in water.  Cut sweet potato in half length-wise.  Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake sweet potato in a 425º oven until very soft.  Allow to cool.  Scrap out insides of baked potato.  (I'll try peeling and boiling the sweet potato for the summer months to avoid running the oven.)  Add sweet potato, soaked dates, and remainder of ingredients to food processor.  Run until very smooth.  Can eat right away but we prefer it chilled for about 15 minutes.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Found this simple, delicious recipe on the Ellen Degeneres Show website.  It has become a part of our Friday night routine as we need a really easy recipe that the kids love after a long week of work, school, and activities.  These are so good they don't even need syrup. We usually make a double recipe as leftovers heat up nicely in the toaster or even use them as bread for sunflower butter sandwiches during the school week.  Single recipe makes about 8 medium pancakes.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups nondairy milk

1 cup rolled oats or quick-cook oats (original recipe called for quick-cook oats but our Vitamix blends so well we use rolled oats)

2 medium-size ripe bananas, chopped

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

In blender (we use a Vitamix), purée nondairy milk and oatmeal until smooth.  Add remainder of ingredients, purée until ingredients mixed (a few seconds more).  Allow batter to rest for 10 minutes.  Heat large pan or griddle to medium heat.  (Use nonstick spray if needed.)  Scoop 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake or to desired size. When pancakes show air bubbles over the top and bottoms are brown, flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown.  

We usually have this with a green smoothie, bowl of fruit or the kid's favorite Chunky Banana Smoothie.