Eggless Tofu Salad

This was inspired by Kris Carr's recipe in Crazy Sexy Diet.  If you don't already have this book, RUN - don't walk - to get it. It's basically my bible.  This is such a perfect dish for a party, for lunch, to snack on with some corn chips, or a summer picnic!  If you want to double the recipe, it will keep in your fridge for 4-5 days....but it probably won't last that long :)

Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie Shake

 This was born from me wanting a chocolate milkshake, but still wanting to feed my "vetus" (what Chloé Jo calls a vegan fetus) a healthy snack.  I have one of these before bed about 4 nights a week and when I have one, I only wake up 3 times instead of 12!  Extremely high in antioxidants, protein, and yuminess, this is a winner.

Cheezy Kale Chips from Heaven

 

I thought the love I have for my husband was a deep as it gets.  And then - totally and completely out of the blue mind you - he decides to whip these up.  Now I can honestly say that I know what true love is. Michael, I am honored and humbled to dub you Iron Chef of Kale Chips.  Congratulations, hunny bun.

Not only are these crispy, cheezy and salty in the most wonderful way, they are healthy too!  I don't want to say that too loud because I really don't want you to get the wrong idea here.  But they are!  Like super hero healthy! Good luck keeping these around longer than a day.  Sheesh.

Gluten Free Raspberry Fig Cookie Bars

This recipe was inspired by and all but stolen from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's theppk.com.  But since I'm doing my best to avoid wheat and gluten, I wanted to provide a GF version of this brilliant baking accomplishment.  I highly suggest taking a stroll through The PPK- it's an incredible resource of recipes and ideas.  Just remember who sent you there and come back to say hi every now and then.

This is one of those recipes that makes me chuckle when someone says, "you're vegan and gluten free? What do you eat? Don't you feel deprived?!"  Yes, so deprived.  Doesn't that photo just spell deprivation? These cookie bars have the perfect amount of fruit to allow you to justify to yourself why you ate all of them in one sitting.  But just the perfect amount of gooey figgy center, and sweet melt-in-your-mouth golden fluffy crust to let in the perfect amount of guilt.  Come one, we all know how good it feels to be bad.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

  Happy New Year!  It sure has been a long time since my last original post, and my goodness do I miss you!  I haven't posted new recipes because for the past 3 months I've been really tired.  And sick.  And couldn't stand the smell of food.  And hated all of my favorite foods.  And had weird cravings.  Catching my drift yet?  I'm gonna be a mama! Let's just say the first trimester made me a much stronger person, and now I feel ready to conquer the world! Or at least some super delicious recipes!

This first recipe comes from my friend Kristen, who I now consider a gluten free baking goddess.  She also gave a great tip.  If a gluten free baking recipe ever calls for baking soda, she omits that and just adds baking powder - it won't rise with baking soda...who knew?! Kristen, we owe you our lives for this recipe. 

Lentil Bowl

 This is very similar in taste to the Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole, but it's made with quinoa and cooks in a pot instead of in the oven..and in half the time.  It's the perfect dish for a stormy summer night.  Easy to make and easy on your budget, this is definitely a new staple!

Pizza Bellos

 While drooling my way through the prepared foods section at Whole Foods, I spotted these little guys.  Although I was tempted to buy them, I knew I could make them in 15 minutes for a fraction of the cost - so I responsibly made my way over to the produce section.  I'm big on texture, so I think I was more excited for cute mini pizzas than actually biting into a portobello crust, but.... once again I was pleasantly surprised.  They were so scrumptious and completely satisfying.  Now you can have pizza every night!! Much better than that English toast concoction my mom used to always make - sorry ma...

*if you don't use the veggie sausage they're gluten free
 

Gluten Free Cinnamon Pancakes

Since cutting gluten from our diets, Michael and I had yet to have a fluffy, melt in your mouth, good ol' fashion pancake.  Well, days of "I don't mind the texture because it tastes pretty good" are over.  We've tirelessly eaten pancakes every Sunday for the past couple months in an attempt to perfect this recipe.  I know, it's tough, but someone's gotta do it.  Trial 1: we bought a mix from whole foods and they were good...if you like soft pretzel-y pancakes.  Trial 2: we added a little buckwheat.  Also good...if you like soft pretzel-y buckwheat pancakes.  Trials 3, 4 & 5, we halved the mix and played around with other flours.  Not bad, getting closer, but we knew they could be better.  Trial 6 (or 7?): The winner!  Fluffy, melt in your mouth, good ol' fashion Sunday morning pancakes.

Heavenly Fried Rice

Happy July!!!  This freakishly flavorful dish is adapted from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.  Alicia's is deeelicious; and we had a lot of fun putting our own little twist on it.  The depth of flavor from the garlic and ginger is divine.  I love this meal.  Maybe a little too much.  Don't tell Michael.  What I have listed below is the "creme de la creme" version - feel free mix up the veggies and toppings.   However! The magical ingredients I wouldn't mess with are the: vinegar, tamari, ginger and garlic.  We make this with quinoa every now and then too!  *sigh* ....it's so amazing and versatile :)

Mediterranean Summer Salad

 Could this be any more beautiful??  I love summer veggies!  This is inspired by my all-time favorite Vegetarian Times recipe - the Toasted Panzanella Salad.  I bulked it up with beans and quinoa to make it a complete meal.  This is the perfect salad to take to a picnic or bbq or to impress your friends with when you have them for dinner.   I could pretty much live on this stuff...and ice cream.  

Mexicali Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

 I promise I wouldn't post a salad unless it was dynamite, and this is nothing short of that.  We have this for dinner at least once a week!  The nutrition in this is off the charts - protein, potassium, iron, calcium, antioxidants, zinc, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, folate, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, E, K - to name a few...it's exciting.  What's also exciting is that you now have the recipes for our Marinated Kale and Chipotle Ranch!   They're aaaawwweesooommee!!! Essentially, this salad is 3 staple recipes thrown together: Marinated Kale, Burrito Filling, and Chipotle Ranch, so it might seem like a lot of steps, but after you've made it once, you'll see just how simple it is!

Crazy Bran Bowl

I went to see an acupuncturist to try to find out why I've been fatigued in the afternoon.  I drink my green juice, I eat my veggies, I eat plenty of protein, my sleep was good...I was stumped.  He told me that for some people, hot and cold foods really affect their energy levels.  He said that in Chinese medicine, your biggest and hottest meal is in the morning - it goes way back to the 4am start time on the farm.  Since I was having green juice and smoothies for breakfast (very cold), I thought I'd give hot cereal a try.  He was right.  Crazy bran bowl in the morning and green juice and smoothies for lunch is the formula that works for me.  It only takes about 6 minutes to make and it's delicious! Let's get crazy!

Blood Orange Fig Chutney

 I have a confession.  I almost got selfish with this one.  On Saturday we threw a surprise bridal shower for Kristen and I brought this along.  It was inspired by a recipe we learned at a cooking class taught by Rachel Carr and Kristan Andrews of SunCafe.  I also made the Southwest Quinoa Salad, hummus (I'll share that soon), and Michael made an almond cheeze log (stay tuned for that one!)  There were mostly non-vegans, and I was worried it would get looked over, but boy oh boy was that chutney a hit!   "Award-winning!" "Incredible!" "Oh my god are you kidding?!" 'What IS this!?"  "Are you a professional chef?" "This is crack!" was some of the praise this unassuming little bowl of chutney received.  So, for a good 5 minutes before I started typing this post I contemplated whether I should share it with the world, or keep it as my secret weapon.  But - alas - I want to be popular and loved so here you go ;)

Orange-Glazed Tempeh

 You are going to LOVE this.  I was in the mood for some comfort food, so I decided to experiment with some Tempeh!  It's sooo easy and you'll feel like a pro.  Tempeh is a great alternative to tofu because it's fermented.  This means it's not as processed and much easier on your gorgeous insides :) For those of you who have yet to try tempeh and are a little put-off by it, just got for it! Once you make it, you'll love it and it won't be a stranger anymore. You can do it!

Cheater Chili

 This dish was created out of the combo of a bare pantry, and a very hungry girl who was not in the mood to chop or measure. At first, I wasn't too proud of my dinner creation as I thought is was lazy and kind of boring, but when I took my first bite, I whipped out the camera so I could share it with the world! It's bangin!

Juicy Veggie Burgers

 The idea for this recipe is inspired by a recipe Kristen found on ChoosingRaw.com.  I make big batches of juice twice a week and always felt beyond guilty throwing the pulp in the trash.  After all, there's still tons of fiber and great nutrients left in that green stuff.  Now, not only will we NEVER waste that stuff again, we get twice as much food for our buck!  We now have 8 burgers in our freezer ready to go for a quick meal! This is really exciting stuff, ya'll!  Aaannndd, these are seriously the most delicious veggie burgers I've EVER had.  They don't fall apart on the grill, and they're moist and....juicy!  Shout out to Cathy who got us the cutest little green grill for our wedding! It was perfect Cath!

Good Mood Maca Smoothie

My friend Kristen created this recipe and I'm pretty much addicted.  It's a great little afternoon pick-me-up.  Ladies, maca is great for helping with pms.  This smoothie becomes my best friend at a certain time of month...and I double the cacao!

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Michael made this for me for lunch the other day.  He was inspired by all of the fresh food shown in the documentary Forks Over Knives.  I know I always say this - but this is our new favorite!!!  We'll be making this a lot this summer - it's fresh, clean, easy and DELISH!

Bean and Quinoa Salad

 This recipe is inspired by the yummy bean and grain salads at Whole Foods' salad bar.  I made it last night for dinner and we ate it with organic blue corn tortilla chips.   It might win healthiest meal on this blog - and it was super duper easy peasy and DELISH! Because it's balanced with lots of protein, veggies and grains, it's a complete meal.  It would also make an awesome side dish at a picnic! This salad is packed with nutrients including zinc, iron, and vitamin C.  And to add to the excitement, brazil nuts are a complete protein!  Woo hoo!!!

Mashed Potatoes with Asparagus

My sister made this for dinner last week and it looked too good to keep to myself! If a college student can do it, you can do it!  I'm so proud!!! She calls it: "Mashed 'Gus." Love it, Bird.  Disclaimer: I try all the recipes on this blog, but I have not tried this one.  But you can't really go wrong with mashed potatoes, garlic and asparagus!  When I do make it, I'll revise the recipe (if it needs it), but a.) I didn't want to keep this yumminess from you for too long and b.) I was so excited that she created this awesome meal!  Channel your inner top chef and have fun with it :)