Monday Meal Menu

Well...after we stopped getting the reclaimed produce boxes, we started getting weekly boxes of vegetables from a local co-op.  It was fun, but we decided that we could get a better bang for our buck if we just purchased it ourselves (or grew it!!)

I have been busy prepping and planting in the garden.  So far, we have carrots and beets growing strong, kale and swiss chard from summer plantings, as well as the green onions, lima beans, peppers, green beans, and okra from this summer.
So far this fall, we've planted more beets, radishes, peas, turnips, more kale, lettuce, more swiss chard, and spinach.

I planted a package of bok choy seeds...though they were definitely not bok choy.  It's some kind of lettuce...not sure what it is, so we just call it not-bok-choy. :)  It's actually a really nice and buttery lettuce. :)

So...I'm not sure if you saw my ridiculous pepper harvesting that I've been doing, but I've harvested 3 batches of peppers this large in September alone!  My freezer is filled with bags of peppers (not to mention all the fruit I froze over the summer, the corn, the kale I've been freezing, the beans that I make in huge batches, or the 27 bags of candy roaster pumpkin I have in there! :) ).

I was laying in bed this morning and I was craving Baked Beans! I told you I LOVE them. :)  So, that's dinner tonight.  Baked beans, potato wedges, and salad.

Yesterday I chopped up a ton of peppers to rotate through the freezer on cookie sheets to freeze before bagging.  I pulled out the bowl from the fridge this morning and I suddenly realized I should make Black Bean and Corn Salsa!  It would go great with the left over rice from yesterday's Red Beans and Rice.   Well, I threw it all together this morning, so now tomorrow's dinner is already done!

Then I was thinking about the huge container of spinach I bought on an impulse last week and the $1 mushroom containers I picked up also.  Then I thought - yeah, Lentil Loaf! :)  We love Rip's from My Beef With Meat.  So lentil loaf and roasted veggies sound perfect for Wednesday.  The lentil loaves taste even better when they are made a day or two in advance, so they are in the oven as I type this.  It smells amazing in here!!!  

Now I felt like I was on a roll so I was thinking about what to have the rest of the week, I'm going to try Fat Free Vegan's Mac and Cheese with a salad on Thursday.  I'm so excited about it!!

That brings us to Friday - which is our anniversary, so I'm thinking we'll go out to eat. :) If not, I think Pad Thai would be delicious.

Saturday will be left overs.

Sunday I think some Sweet Potato Chili that I have in the freezer sounds fantastic.  And that gets me through the week!!! :)

And dinners are actually made for every day except one - heck yes to free time in the fall to enjoy the beautiful weather with my Te-Man!!  :)

One Pot Wonder

Sometimes I want spaghetti, but not regular spaghetti - I used to make a dish in the oven called "fresh spaghetti"....now that I think of it, I haven't made that in a LONG time...I'll have to come up with a way to make it plant based and share it with you all! :)

Anyway, anything that cures my spaghetti craving while simultaneously curing my need for something different and tastes amazing and is met with noodle filled "mmmm"s and slurping - must be a winner! :)

And....wait for this one....you only you One Pot! What?!  After the insane mess I usually make in the kitchen with every dish in my cabinet (i.e. Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers), one pot? That's fantastic!!!

One Pot Wonder

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
4 c vegetable broth
1 12-13oz box of spaghetti (or angel hair, fettucini, etc)
8 oz spinach, sliced (or swiss chard, kale, etc)
1 medium onion, diced
2 28oz cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
4 cloves garlic
1 t dried basil
2 t dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
nutritional yeast (optional)

What To Do With It:
Add everything to the pot, break noodles in half and add them last.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium, remove lid, and boil 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or your favorite spaghetti toppings. :)

Enjoy!

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Did you wake up today thinking I NEED to find a better meatless burger recipe?  Te-Man just told me he did. :)  

Maybe you're looking for a veggie burger recipe and you didn't even know it. :)  

I was searching for a recipe that made me forget I wasn't eating a regular burger - or as close to that as I can get. This is hands down the best veggie burger I have ever made - and it's for that reason that I don't mind making ever dish in my house dirty to make them.  Well - I guess I mind a little, which is why I always double this recipe and freeze the burgers.  I get anywhere from 50-60 burgers from a double batch, so I don't make them very often, but we get to eat them whenever we want! :)

Now you have the burger...are you looking for something to pair it with?  How about these Oven Baked Beans! 

YUM!  

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
2 c water
1 c quinoa
1 c whole wheat macaroni (uncooked)
2 c black beans (canned or cooked)
2 c red beans cooked
1 1/3 c bbq sauce
1 medium onion
1 t garlic, minced
2 t chili powder
1 t mustard powder
1/2 t hickory salt (or regular salt)
1/2 t pepper
2 c whole wheat bread crumbs

What To Do With It:
Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa, stir, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer  for 20 minutes.  Set aside when finished.
Meanwhile, in a seperate pot, boil the macaroni until over done.  Drain.
Using a food processor, process the macaroni until you can no longer see any whole noodles.  Add the beans, bbq sauce, seasonings, onion, and garlic.  Process until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the bean mixture, bread crumbs, and quinoa and mix well.
Shape into burgers and freeze or cook.

To cook, heat skillet over medium high heat and cook until browned on both sides and heated through. 3-5 minutes per side.   If using frozen burgers, be sure to thaw them before cooking.

Oven Baked Beans

I LOVE beans and these baked beans are my all time favorite.

I can eat these for days on end.  Seriously.  I buy enough beans to make this at least 3 times a month and I definitely have the largest serving at dinner and then I eat them for lunch for at least the next two days.  And then I cry a little when the dish is empty. ;)

I LOVE these! You can play with the sweetness by adding less bbq sauce or maybe using a mustard or vinegar based bbq sauce.

Or leave them as is and savor every bite.

Bean Crock :)

Oven Baked Beans

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:

28oz can Bush's Vegetarian Beans*
16 oz can chili beans
16 oz can kidney beans
1 c bbq sauce
1 c ketchup
1 bell pepper, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 T brown mustard
1 T onion powder

What To Do With It:
Mix together and bake in a 9x13 in pan at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

*Or your favorite baked beans

Blueberry Breakfast Tarts

Let's start the return to blogging off right with some super delicious, surprisingly easy, and crowd pleasing Blueberry Breakfast Tarts.

Before I get to the recipe, it's confession time.  Do any of you remember the friends episode where Monica says, "And the fat girl inside me of really wants to go.  I-I owe her this.  I never let her eat."  This is the only line from that show that I remember.  I guess it really hit a nerve with me. :)  I'll tell you a secret - not many people know this....but I think I had a poptart addiction as a child.  I would sneak extra of those crazy space-ready-tinfoil packets out of the cabinet and I would hide them in our downstairs couch and eat them when I was down there by myself.  Maybe I was a squirrel in a past life and I just have this need to store food - that could explain my insane canning situation. haha.

 I was a rather overweight child and have struggled a bit as an adult as well.  Since going plant based, I find myself eating until I'm full and being very content with that.  Sometimes that means 3 bowls of chili other times, it's just a salad.  I think that listening to when my body is really hungry and not being ashamed or afraid to feed that hunger until it is gone (even if I get some weird looks - yes, this is all for me!) is such a liberating feeling.  I'm not afraid to down two entire plates of food because I know the food I'm eating is almost always fruits and vegetables or whole grains.  I haven't been exercising the way I should (read that as not-at-all) for probably 2 months, but I haven't gained a pound and believe me...I have been EATING! :)

So, now that I've gone on and on about eating whole unprocessed foods, let's slip in a treat.  I made these about a month ago and they barely survived the first 30 minutes. :)  Delicious!!

You should 100% take a few minutes to make these - but don't hide any under your couch. :)

Blueberry Breakfast Tarts

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:*

1 1/2 c blueberries

1/4 c sugar

1 T lemon juice

1 T cornstarch

2 pie crusts**

What To Do With It:

Stir together berries, sugar, and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in cornstarch and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or so until the mixture gets nice and thick.  If it's too thick, add a little water.  Once you reached a spreadable consistency, set it aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.

Roll out half of your dough into a thin rectangle.  Cut into smaller rectangles about 2.5 in x 4 in - the size here isn't really important, just however big you want your tarts.

Place half of your rectangles on the baking sheet (or as many as will fit - I had to do 2 batches)

Take a heaping tablespoon of blueberry filling and spread onto each rectangle on the baking sheet.

Top each rectangle on the baking sheet with another rectangle of dough. Slightly crimp the edges with a fork. 

Sprinkle with a bit of sugar if desired.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just start to turn a light brown. 

Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before serving.

**If you are really crunched for time or just don't have any blueberries, you can always use jam as the filling instead.  I ran out of blueberry filling and I still had 6 rectangles left, so I used some homemade peachsauce (like applesauce but made with peaches) as the filling...it was fantastic! 

*Use your favorite recipe.

HH Plant Based Blueberry Muffins

Did I mention that I LOVE Lindsay over at Happy Herbivore?  I am not kidding when I say that every recipe I've tried of hers is FANTASTIC! Seriously people, Julia Child and Martha Stewart should step aside, because this lady has GOT IT!

These muffins are phenomenal.  I mean, pay $5 at Starbucks without thinking twice good.  I think they are, in fact, the best blueberry muffin I have ever had.  They are a little sweet, a little chewy, more dense than a cupcake - but in a good way!

Excuse me, I'm going to have to go wipe up the drool from my keyboard, be right back. ;)

Maybe I'll whip up a batch of these while I'm in the kitchen and then give myself a high-five for being totally awesome! :)

HH Plant Based Blueberry Muffins

Original Recipe

What's In It:
1 1/2 c wheat flour
1/2 c oats
3 t baking soda
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t salt
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c maple syrup
1 T lemon juice
3/4 c frozen blueberries

What To Do With It:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 12 muffin, muffin tray.
Whisk dry ingredients together.  Add wet ingredients, stirring until completely combined.
Fold in frozen blueberries.
Divide between 12 lined muffin cups.  Sprinkle with extra oats and brown sugar if desired.
Bake 15-23** minutes.

*I don't buy baking powder and I've been out of cream of tartar for a month, so I improvise a bit and use 3 teaspoons of baking soda and a tablespoon of lemon juice.  I don't know how this recipe works using the originally called for 2 t baking powder and 1 t baking soda, but I'm sure it's awesome! :)
**The original recipe says to bake them for 15-18, but mine always take at least 22, so I'd say use your best judgement on the temperament of your oven.  It's always easy to add more time! :)

German Potato Salad

Alright.  We admit it, we BROKE OUT THE BACON!!!  I have been saving 3 packages.  One to make German Potato Salad and the other 2 to make BLT's.  I couldn't take it anymore and on Wednesday I used up the potatoes I got in the reclaimed produce box and I made the best German Potato Salad I have ever had! :)

When I was browning the bacon, Te-Man was happily playing in the living room and he stops what he's doing all of a sudden, whips around towards the kitchen and says "Bacon? Bacon! BACON!!!" and comes running full speed into the kitchen and then proceeds to chant Bacon Bacon Bacon until it is done. :)  He ate probably 1/4lb of bacon - it was ridiculous!

So I found this recipe over at A Feast For the Eyes.  Her site is great - you should totally swing over and check her out! I have only made the potato salad, but if her other recipes are only half as good as that one, we'll all be set! :) You should at least swing by and read this touching story about her mom and this potato salad - so sweet! You can also find her on Facebook.

German Potato Salad

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
1 1/2 c red onion,  finely chopped
1/2 lb bacon, browned and finely chopped
5lb potatoes, boiled, skinned, and sliced 1/4" thick
2 c vinegar*
2 T bacon grease
1 t dill, heaping
1/2 c rice vinegar
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 t sugar
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

What To Do With It:
Combine all ingredients together, gently.  If you can, skin and slice the potatoes while they are still warm so they soak up more of the seasonings.  Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving and serve at room temperature.

*I used white but if I'd had red wine vinegar, I'd definitely have used that.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Man oh man.  You know those recipes that your family has been making for years and yet every time you have it, your mouth is just like YES! :) This is one of those recipes.  We eat it on chips, in tacos, in enchiladas, over rice, when we used to eat eggs, it makes a mean omelet...can't say I've ever eaten it on anything and didn't like it. :)

It's so simple - but I think that's what makes it awesome! We just had it for dinner Thursday night over some wild rice from the Organic Market in town.  It is fantastic!  Also - this has nothing to do with the salsa, but one of the guys that works at the market told me that you can cook the rice covered in the oven for an hour and it turns out perfectly - he isn't kidding! So easy and I have a rice cooker but I usually leave it in the cabinet and I like to have as few things on the stove as possible if I'm not in the kitchen full time....don't want little Te-Man to burn his fingers.  I just throw in a little poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and some good old S&P. And it is phenomenal! :)

Well, back to the Salsa - make this!  And make some of these Corn Tortilla Chips to eat it on. :)  YUM!

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

What's In It:
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 qt sized bag of corn*
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained**
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c vinegar
3 limes or lemons, juiced (approx 1/3 c)

What To Do With It:
Combine all vegetables and beans.

Whisk oil, vinegar, and juice together.

Toss to mix.

Can be eaten immediately, but it tastes so much better if you let the flavors combine for a few hours.

*About 3-4 cups.  You can use canned, but go for the higher quality corn - it makes all the difference.
**I use homemade black beans and I use 3 heaping cups.

Plant Based Apricot Fig Bars

Sometimes you just need a nice gooey dessert.  To be honest, I'm not a big dessert person, but there is that odd occurrence when I just want to sink my teeth into something luscious.  Now....sometimes I want that to be a piece of chocolate cake the size of my head, but for the most part - I'm a fruit girl.  These Apricot Fig Newton Bars fit the bill perfectly!

They have just enough fig to remind you a little of fig newtons, but enough apricot to make them feel a little grown up.  I can't really remember if the kids got more than one each of these - I think Wolverine and I scarfed them down before they got the chance. :)  

I see these in my future again very soon....I've even been saving a half a bag of figs in my cabinet for these! :) I think I might even change up the "other fruit" in these to maybe strawberries or peaches...thinking I could sub in some homemade jam for the dried apricots and syrup....I'll keep testing it and see what we like!

Have you guys been over to see Chelsea at Whole New World?  She has some great recipes and a generally fantastic site!  Swing by and say hello - you can even find her on Facebook!  

Apricot Fig Bars

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:

Filling:

1 1/2 c (8oz) dried apricots, roughly chopped

1 1/2 c (8oz) dried figs, roughly chopped

1/4 c 100% maple syrup

1 T finely grated orange zest

1/4 t ginger

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

2/3 c water

Dough:

3 T ground flaxseeds

1/4 c plant based milk

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1/4 c almond or peanut butter

1/3 c dry sweetener (I used raw sugar)

2 t vanilla

1 c oat flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

What To Do With It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 7x11 pan with parchment paper (If you don't have a 7x11 you could also use an 8x8 or a 9x9, but adjust your baking times a bit).

To make the filling: 

Combine all filling ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes or until fruit is tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove pan from heat and puree.  I used an immersion blender, but if you don't have one, you can use a blender, just be sure you don't put the lid on tightly or it will blow off.  

To make the crust:

In a large bowl, stir together the flaxseeds, milk, applesauce, nut butter, and sweetener.  Mix well and stir in vanilla.   Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.  Knead with your hands a few times until it all holds together - add an extra bit of milk if necessary.  You want the dough to form into a ball.  Divide the dough into two balls.

To assemble the bars:

Place the first ball of dough into the bottom of the pan and using a spatula (or your fingers) spread the dough to evenly cover the bottom of the pan.    

Spread filling over crust.  

Shape or roll the second ball of dough into an 8x8 square (or the size of the pan you are using. I had to actually roll it out with a rolling pin between greased sheets of parchment paper.  It was a mess, but totally worth it!). Gently place second crust on top of the filling.

Bake for 20-24 minutes - the top should be firm and starting to turn golden at the edges.  

Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before cutting into squares.  

Yields approximately 12-16 squares.    

Corn Tortilla Chips

These chips are FANTASTIC!!!  They keep for at least 3 days (I say at least because they have never lasted longer than that so I can't attest to a longer time!), they are seasoned however I want, crazy easy, they are not fried, but they are crispy as all get out!

Load them up with your favorite salsa - I'll be posting my new favorite one later this week - or guac or refried beans, or cauliflower and lentil taco mixture, or all of the above and dig in!!!  :)

I don't think I'll ever buy a bag of tortilla chips again!

Corn Tortilla Chips

What's In It:
10 corn tortillas
Oil (I use olive)
Seasonings (I use garlic salt and chili powder)

What To Do With It:
Stack tortillas (I cut all 10 at once, but you can do as many or few as you are comfortable with), and cut into 6 wedge shaped pieces - I cut in half and then make two more cuts at angles like a pizza.

Place on cookie sheets, it's okay if they touch a little, but don't have them overlap.  I lay them in alternating rows and I can fill 2 cookie sheets exactly with 10 tortillas worth of chips.

Pour a little oil into your hands, maybe a teaspoon.  Pat your hands onto the tops of the chips to get a little oil onto each one.

Sprinkle with seasonings of choice. You could even do a cinnamon and sugar coating and use these with a fruit salsa.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 minutes, rotate pans and bake for an additional 6-10 minutes.  Watch the chips the second half - the brand of chip and it's thickness will greatly influence the time it takes to cook.  They need to only be lightly browned - if they look like toast, they are burnt.

Allow to cool a bit before eating - they get crispier as they cool.

Plant Based Chocolate Chip Cookies

I want my kids to be able to eat all of the fun stuff that other kids eat, but I don't want it badly enough for me to justify filling their little bodies with more salt, sugar, fat, and chemicals than a grown man should eat in 2 days.

What are we to do?  Take matters into our own hands and do something about it.  Nothing hurts processed food companies more than losing money and the best way to show them we are serious about them being held accountable for what goes into our food is to STOP BUYING it!  The convenience they offer right now is costing us all dearly in the long run!

Now, I'll get off of my soap box and bake us all a batch of these super delicious cookies!  It's hard to be upset at me with a mouthful of moist and chocolatey cookie - that is my evil plan. ;)

Plant Based Chocolate Chip Cookies

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c mashed bananas
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour*
3/4 c oat flour*
1 t baking soda
3/4 c chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 c chopped nuts, optional

What To Do With It:
Mix oil, bananas, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in a pan and heat over low heat for a few minutes while whisking together.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely or your chocolate chips will melt and the cookies will look.....interesting!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flours and baking soda.  Mix in banana mixture.  Add in chocolate and nuts (if using).

Bake 15 minutes.  Allow to cool on the pan for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

*You could also make these using all purpose flour instead of the wheat or oat, or both.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Can you believe that I have never had Nutella?  I don't quite know how that's possible, but it is.  And I can not believe what I have been missing out on all these years! :)

I whipped up a batch of this Friday and WOW it is amazing!  It took a little longer than normal because Te-Man was eating the hazelnuts as fast as I could roast them. :)  But once I got a little more focused, it whipped up super fast.  This will be a reoccurring treat around here for sure.  Friday night, Wolverine and I enjoyed a little bit spread on top of a granola bar and Wolverine almost didn't get any. ;)

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
5.3oz hazelnuts
5.3oz dark chocolate, melted
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T powdered dark cocoa
1 T oil
1 t vanilla
pinch salt

What To Do With It:
Toast nuts over medium-low heat for about 10-12 minutes.  Be sure to stir them or shake the pan often to prevent them from burning.  Rub the hazelnuts together in your hands until all (or most if you have my patience) of the skins are removed.  If there are a few with really stubborn skins, toss them back onto the stove for a bit longer.

Process hazelnuts in a food processor, then add oil and melted chocolate.  Process til smooth, then add remaining ingredients and process until mixture resembles a smooth paste.

Add more oil if necessary (I probably had to add another 1/2-1 T of oil, but my food processor is not the strongest).  Do not add water.

Eat it on everything. :)

Plant Based Pad Thai

I am a lot of things.  I'm sure you could ask a ton of people and they would probably all give you slightly different answers, but one that I think would be very rare (or hopefully non-existent) is cheater.  The Super Parents definitely raised us all to be honest, hard working, etc.  Just today at a market, a small business owner gave me the wrong change and I was almost embarrassed that I hadn't noticed.  I have my own small business and I would NEVER want to cheat anyone out of anything!

Well....I'll tell you a secret.  I do cheat.  I cheat when I make Pad Thai. :)  I found this recipe over at Happy Herbivore.  Have you checked her out yet?  Oh. My. Goodness.  I have not found a single dish of hers that I am not in love with.  I think I'm going to be asking for her entire cookbook set for Christmas and I'm kinda anti cookbook (I can't stand the clutter - so I end up putting them away and then I never use them!)

I love using this recipe to use up all the odds and ends from the fridge or when I get a ton of veggies in the reclaimed produce box.  Both of the pictures in this post are filled with free veggies (except for the water chestnuts in the first pictures - those were a special request from Ze-Ra)! :)  I think I can handle a meal that costs less than $1 for 4 people!!! :)

CHECK HAPPY HERBIVORE OUT!!!!

Cheater Pad Thai

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T sweet soy sauce (or additional regular soy sauce)
2 T peanut butter
2 T sweet chili sauce*
1 t siracha sauce
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ginger powder

8 oz rice noodles, prepared

What To Do With It:
Whisk all ingredients except for noodles together.  I sometimes do this earlier in the day and keep it in the fridge if I know I'm going to be rushed later - how can you be too rushed to whisk something together in 2 minutes?  I don't know, but it happens.  :)

Pour over rice noodles as soon as they are ready.

Serve with bean sprouts, green onions, veggie stir fry - or just enjoy the noodley goodness. :)

*I use a sweet chili sauce for spring rolls.  I just saw that you can make your own....I smell a project! :)

Plant Based Spinach Artichoke Dip

*Insert your best whiny voice here*
But Melissa....I don't want to go Plant Based....there's never anything delicious to eat!
*Insert my best mom voice*
You clearly haven't been eating over at the Hive.

:-)

Give me a holler and we'll set an extra place at the table with your name on it!  I'm not promising that there will be any food left over for you - especially if I make this dip.  I made it yesterday on a whim and I seriously ate 3/4 of it myself.  I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed.  Maybe both? :-)

I think it's even better than this Spinach Dip I made last year.  Last year's was great too, but you know how when you eat a bunch of rich, cheesy food you feel just - ugh?  Well, after eating all that I did yesterday the only feeling I had was gratitude. :)

Give this one a try - as a favor to me!  I want to hear what you think! I LOVE that I can actually taste all of the vegetables yet it has that creamy comfort food feeling!

Plant Based Spinach Artichoke Dip

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
3/4c raw cashews (not soaked)
3/4 c almond milk
3 T lemon juice
1/2 T minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t yellow mustard
1 can artichokes, drained
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
3 c spinach leaves

What To Do With It:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Blend cashews, milk, juice, garlic, mustard, and seasonings in a high powered blender.

In a food processor, pulse artichokes, peppers, and spinach (my spinach wasn't pulsing the way I wanted, so I just tore my spinach into smaller pieces by hand).  Do not completely puree!

Mix milk mixture with veggies.  Bake in an 8x8 (or equivalent) baking dish for 17-20 minutes or until it is bubbly and the edges are getting a little browned.

Serve with bread, veggies, or crackers.

Plant Based Potato Salad

What good is a burger if it doesn't share a plate with some beautiful potato salad?

I LOVE potato salad....I could eat it every day, and I'm not even kidding.

I almost feel like I don't have anything to say about this potato salad because the fact that potato salad exists at all is enough of a reason to try it.  

Wanna know a secret? I only eat potato salad with BBQ sauce.  I just think that eating potato salad without BBQ sauce is like.....Bert without Ernie - just unacceptable.  You should have seen the look on Super Mom's face the first time I put the BBQ sauce on my potato salad.  It was quite amusing, but then I used the BBQ sauce on the potato salad even when we weren't having BBQ'd food....and then Hit Girl started doing it....hahaha...let the corruption begin! :)

You don't have to eat it with BBQ sauce - but I bet if you try it, you'll like it. :)

If you're wandering what the delicious salad is in the above photo, stop by the recipe for Summer Salad and check it out! :)

Plant Based Potato Salad

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
4 medium potatoes
2/3 c relish or bread and butter pickles, diced
1/2 c onion, finely diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
1 c Plant Based Ranch Dressing
1 T dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
BBQ SAUCE - optional

What To Do With It:
Boil potatoes until tender.  Cool slightly, peel if desired, and dice.

Combine potatoes with remaining ingredients and gently stir until combined.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving - with BBQ sauce, of course ;)

Plant Based Ranch Dressing

I found this fantastic recipe over at My Whole Food Life.  She has some great stuff over there - you should stop by and check her out!

I did mix up the spices and herbs a bit to make it more like the ranch dressing I so much enjoyed pre-plant based, but boy was I skeptical about the pureed cashews....I mean really?  That's just weird, right?

Nope.  Not weird.  Tasty.

Tasty on fresh veggies, potato wedges, even in some potato salad! :)

Plant Based Ranch Dressing

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
1 c cashews
1/4 c almond milk
1 t garlic*
3 T parsley*
1/2 t onion powder*
1 t dill*
3 T white vinegar
salt to taste

What To Do With It:
Soak the cashews in water for at least 6 hours, then drain and rinse.

Place the cashews into a blender and add just enough water to blend properly.  I added maybe 1/3 c, then a smidge more.  Blend until smooth.

Add spices and vinegar, then salt to taste.


I made this dressing with the spice amounts listed above and I have also made it using my pre-made ranch powder that I keep in the cabinet.  If you'd rather use the pre-made powder, just start with a tablespoon and add to taste.  I did find that when I used my pre-made powder, I had to add a little salt to get the flavor right - but the cashews I used were unsalted, so be sure to try it first!

Ranch Powder Recipe

What's In It:
2 c parsley
1/2 c minced dried onion
1 T dill weed
1/4 c onion powder
1/4 c garlic salt
1/4 c garlic powder

What To Do With It:
Blend in coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container.

Summer Salad

I got some free portabellas in a reclaimed produce box and what better way to eat them than as a burger!?  So to go with our mushroom burgers, I made some delicious potato salad and some of this fresh summer salad.

Wolverine LOVES this stuff.  Anytime I ask him what he wants to have, he says Lima Bean and Corn Salad. :)  I just figured that since I also make this with zucchini on occasion, calling it Lima Bean Salad just wouldn't do. :)

Summer Salad

Original Recipe Here

What's In It*:
2 c corn (the sweeter the better)
1 c lima bean or diced zucchini**
1 c tomatoes, diced
2/3 c cilantro, chopped
1/2 lrg onion, thinly sliced
1 T dijon mustard
2 T basalmic or white vinegar
2 limes, juiced
1/2 t pepper
1 t garlic salt

What To Do With It:
Mix all ingredients together and allow to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

*I did measure everything out when making this recipe the first time, but the recipe is really forgiving - so I really don't measure much anymore.  I grab a couple of handfuls of lima beans out of the bag in the freezer and a quart size bag of  corn, then grab a couple of tomatoes, and a large handful of cilantro.  This summer, when my peppers are going gang busters in the garden, you can bet your britches I'll be throwing in a pepper or two as well. :)
**If you are using canned Lima Beans, just rinse and go.  If you are using frozen or dry.  Be sure to cook them enough to soften them - you don't want to be biting into a hard lima!
If you're going with the zucchini, just dice it and use it raw.

Red (or White) Beans and Rice

I started making this dish during our 30 day Vegan Challenge in 2011.  It was amazing then and it still is! :)

We LOVE it with corn bread, though I haven't quite found a plant based corn bread recipe yet that I feel is worth trying.  So the search continues!  If you have one, send it my way....I'd love to try it! :)

It is a little spicy, so you can adjust your seasonings accordingly.  If you're wanting to cut back on the spice, I'd use less Tony Chachere's and more regular salt.

If you need a little meat with your beans, you can throw in a ham hock with the beans and it will be super tender and flavorful.  I'd pull apart the meat and mix it into the beans before serving.

The most recent time I made this, I didn't have any red beans in the house and our organic market didn't have any and our Sam's doesn't carry dry beans.  I am usually not the kind of person to make a trip to the store for a single item, especially when I have a perfectly fine substitute in my cabinet.  Hence, our White Beans and Rice for the photo.  Just use your imagination and they'll be red!  :)

Red Beans and Rice

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:

1 lb dry beans, rinsed, soaked for at least 8 hours, and drained

1 T oil

1 lrg onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 c chopped celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T dried parsley

3 bay leaves

1/2 T black pepper

1 T smoked paprika

1-2 T salt (kosher or Tony Chachere's depending on your preference)

1/2 T thyme

1/2 T onion powder

1/2 T poultry seasoning

3-4 c stock

Sliced Green Onions for garnish

What To Do With It:

Saute veggies and garlic in oil over medium high heat for a few minutes - I usually do this until they start to sweat a bit.  

Add spices and beans and stir to combine. 

Add stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least 2 hours.

If you'd like your beans to be a little smashed, you can take a spatula and press them against the side of the pot while you stir.

Serve over rice.

Pumpkin Bread

I did not have high hopes for this bread.  I made some significant changes to the recipe and to be honest, I was planning on pitching it.  Boy was I wrong and relieved too....I used my second to last bag of NC Candy Roaster pumpkin to make this bread and I would have been so sad to have wasted it.

This stuff was delicious!  Wolverine scarfed down 2 pieces, Te-Man was running around the house holding his piece singing "dessert bread", Ze-Ra and I didn't really do anything of note, we were too busy stuffing our faces!  :)  The bread is a smidge dryer around the edges and really moist in the middle.  It isn't dry in a bad way, just enough to make you appreciate the extra moist inside.  ;)

I would say that if you aren't needing/wanting to make this recipe plant based, you could totally make it according to the original recipe, but I would still suggest adding the additional spices.

The orginal recipe calls for walnuts, but I don't like walnuts and usually substitute pecans....but I didn't have any pecans (I placed our monthly Nuts.com order on Monday and it hadn't arrived just yet).  So I was perusing my cabinet and it seemed that the least amount of work would be to take my homemade trail mix and pick out the whole almonds and banana chips - leaving sunflower seeds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, and dried cranberries.

When I make this again, I won't change a thing.  YUM!

Pumpkin Bread

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c oat flour
1 c brown sugar
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t ginger
1 t salt
2 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
2 c pureed pumpkin (I used homemade candy roaster pumpkin, but canned would also work)
1/2 c oil
1/2 c applesauce (I used homemade unsweetened)
2/3 c coconut milk
1 1/2 c nuts/seeds/dried fruit/coconut

What To Do With It:
Grease and flour 2 loaf pans
.
Mix dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in nuts/dried fruit by hand.

Distribute evenly between 2 loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes.

Remove foil, run a knife or spatula around the edges of the pan, and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Lime Cake

Oh My Goodness.  The first thing I want to say is - stop by Hun....What's For Dinner's page....she is awesome and has some amazing food on her page!

I made this way back in February.  Man that feels like a LONG time ago.  I can't believe I am just now sharing it....it was phenomenal!  So delicious and moist and just YUM!

It disappeared so QUICKLY - Wiley Kat and her family were here and whatever survived the night, didn't make it through the rest of the weekend. ;)

Strawberry Lime Cake

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:

1 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c sugar

3 eggs

3 T lime juice, divided

3 limes, zested

2 1/2 c AP flour, divided

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 1/3 c greek yogurt or sour cream*

1 T vanilla

1 1/2 c fresh strawberries, diced

1 c powdered sugar

What To Do With It:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10" bundt pan.

Sift together 2 1/4 c flour, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 the lime zest.  Set aside.

Cream together the sugar and the butter.  Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 T lime juice and vanilla.

Add the yogurt and the flour mixture alternating between the two and mixing just until combined.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 c flour.  Then gently mix into the batter.

Pour batter into the bundt pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Whisk together remaining lime juice, zest, and powdered sugar.  Drizzle over the cake.

*I didn't have any yogurt on hand, so I used the sour cream and it was amazing!