Soft Serve Ice Cream (Vegan, Fat-Free, Raw)

Another genius receipe from Happy Herbivore!  I could not believe how delicious and creamy this was...it was so quick and easy to make and I felt like I was totally cheating and eating something bad for me!

Other ideas for flavors:
- Peanut Butter: add 2-4 tbsp of PB2 (powdered low-fat, low-calorie peanut butter)
- Chocolate: add 2-4 tbsp of cocoa powder
- Berry: add 1/4 cup frozen berries

Ingredients

2 whole bananas (frozen)
¼ cup plant-based milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp cinnamon

 

Instructions

Serves 1-2.

1. Place all ingredients together in a food processor and allow the motor to run until it's smooth and creamy. Stop and break up large clumps with a spatula as needed.
2. Serve immediately or put in the freezer to store.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

This chili was Tracy's idea, so for the eve of her first half marathon, I decided to make it for her!  It was super yummy :)  The pumpkin gives the chili a creamy consistency that I really enjoyed and the paprika is the the perfect spice to compliment the flavors.  You can get creative with whatever beans or veggies you want to put in here too!  I found a recipe online that suggested using dark beer, instead of vegetable broth.  I think I may try that sometime (I just decided against it since we were going for extreme clean eating that night)!

Fueled  by the chili and a variety of other natural highs, Tracy ran her ass off and we had a lot of fun :) 

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 cups cooked black beans (or 2-15 oz cans, rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup yellow squash, chopped
• 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1-15 oz can)
• 2-15 oz cans or 1-28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1-2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided (or try dark beer!)
• 1-1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Serves 4.

1. Heat 1/4 cup water in a large stock pot and add onion. Saute for 3 minutes, or until translucent.
2. Add garlic and squash and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add spices and stir to coat the onions and squash, saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Pour in 1 cup vegetable broth (or beer) and allow to simmer for about 2 minutes.  If too thick, add additional cup of vegetable broth (or beer).
5. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
6. Lower heat and cover, simmer for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Vegan Vanilla Fruit Tart

I had a lot of fun making this because I never thought I could make something like this and still have it look pretty!  LOL...anyone who knows me well would have had the same doubts.  Anyway, it came together and was really yummy.  It is sugar-free (except for what is in the graham crackers used in the crust).  WOW!!

This one has a few steps:

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cups whole wheat graham crackers (the only "whole wheat" ones I found were chocolate..mmmmm)
• 6 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• canola oil spray

Vanilla Pudding (filling)

• 1/3 cup Stevia in the Raw
• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

• 3-4 tbsp sugar free jam or preserves (I used apricot)
• 2 1/2 cups fruit, sliced (I used 1 1/2 cups strawberries, 2 kiwis, about 20 blackberries, handful of blueberries)

 

Instructions

Serves 8.

Graham Cracker Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9" shallow pie dish and set aside.
3. Place graham crackers into food processor and pulse until they resemble bread crumbs or heavy sand consistency.
4. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and whisk in cinnamon.
5. Add applesauce and stir until large chunks of graham crackers form.  Add more applesauce if necessary but be careful the mixture doesn't become too wet or soggy.  Continue to stir until everything is evenly wet.
6. Press mixture into the pie dish to form a crust along the base edges.
7. Bake for 8 minutes, until just crisp and begining to brown.
8. Transfer to a cooling wrack and allow to completely cool before using.

Topping

1.  While the crust is baking, cut up your fruit.

Filling

1. When the crust is fully cooled and your fruit is prepared, begin making the filling.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the Stevia, flour, cornstarch, and water on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan, bring the almond milk to a simmer.
4. Pour about 1/3 cup of the hot milk into the flour mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. This doesn’t have to be precise; just make sure the mixture is a little liquidy.
5. Return to the stove and pour this flour-milk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk.   Heat over medium-low heat and WHISK IMMEDIATELY AND CONSTANTLY.  Don’t stop whisking for anything...it will begin to thicken immediately.
6. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan as you whisk. Cook until it begins to bubble, then whisk as vigorously as you can for 30 seconds, and remove from heat. (Mine never bubbled. If yours doesn’t either, just remove from heat when it seems about as thick as your average chocolate pudding.)
7. Stir in the vanilla extract.
8. Pour the pudding into the crust right away, smoothing it flat with a rubber spatula or large spoon. It doesn’t have to be perfect, since the fruit will be covering it anyway.
9. Be sure to put your fruit on top IMMEDIATELY, before the pudding sets.

Topping

1. Arrange your sliced fruit on top.
2. Heat the jam in a small saucepan, whisking contantly.
3. Once it's hot (enough to pour), use a pastry brush (or a small spoon) to brush the heated jam over the top of the fruit.
4. Cover the fruit with a thickish layer (so it looks shiny) but not overwhelming.
5. Allow to set for 30 minutes, then serve.

Maple Roasted Root Vegetables with Apple

This may be my favorite fall recipe so far.  I had some friends over for dinner last Friday, got worried that I didn't have enough food and ended up making this last minute!  Even though I had plenty of food to begin with, I'm so glad I decided to make these veggies because they were sooooooo good :-)  I found the original recipe online and then changed it considerably.  It is good to get some instructions on how to roast vegetables and the spices that go well together but I cut out the butter, oil and nuts and used what vegetables I could easily pick up at the store last minute!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup, divided
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• freshly ground salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick
• 1 lb. parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick
• 1 lb. brussel sprouts, halved
• 1.5 lb. mini red potatoes, quartered
• 2 large tart apples, cored and cut into bite size pieces

 

Instructions

Serves 6

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (use "Roast" setting if you have it).
2. Prepare all the vegetables and apples.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, vegetable broth and 2 tbsp maple syrup and bring to a boil.
4. Cook over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large shallow roasting pan, mix all the vegetables together (minus the apples).  Spray with olive oil, season with thyme, salt and pepper and toss gently.
6. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes.
7. Gently turn the vegetables, add the apples and roast 15-20 minutes longer, or until all of the vegetables and the apples are tender and lightly browned.
8. Add the sauce and toss gently.
9. Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp (or less) of maple syrup on the mix and toss gently.
10. Transfer to a platter and serve (you can also make ahead and store at room temperature for up to two hours before serving).

Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oh my, I made these last night for a dinner party I am having tomorrow night and I am not sure how many will be left by that time!  Sooooooo yummy :)  Everyone needs a sweet treat sometimes and I'm enjoying making my own, which is way healthier (and cheaper!) than buying out somewhere.  I altered the original recipe by using Stevia instead of sugar.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp canned pure pumpkin
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup Stevia in the Raw
• ½ whole banana, mashed
• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1½ cups rolled oats
• ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ¼ tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup raisins

 

Instructions

Makes 12 cookies.

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with wax paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, maple syrup, Stevia, banana and milk together.
3. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice together and then transfer it into the wet mixture.
4. Stir a few times then add raisins. Continue to mix until combined. It may look too dry initially, but keep stroking, it will incorporate perfectly.
5. Drop spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until firm to the touch and spring-like.

Chana Palak Masala (Indian Spinach-Chickpea Stew)

Last year was one of transition for me and I spent most of the year living in Minneapolis.  While there, I made a few friends who are originally from India, one of whom cooks beautifully :)  I then got to spend a month in India for business and that solidified my obsession with Indian food.  Small problem was that I came back from India with a few extra pounds!  Traditionally prepared, most Indian food is heavy on oil and cream.  However, many of the dishes are vegetarian and can be easily adjusted to make healthy and still incredibly delicious!  It's the spices that I especially love and I'm on a quest to learn more and more Indian recipes :)  Luckily Happy Herbivore and I think alike so I borrowed this one from her.  I guess you could say I'm obsessed with Indian food AND with Happy Herbivore :)  I'm good with that!

I've made this twice so far.  The first time I left the spinach pieces too big, which made it a little awkward to eat.  The second time I chopped the spinach in my food processor and I really liked the consistency of the stew this way!  We ate it with corn tortillas since I did not have Indian bread.  I recently found a recipe for whole-wheat roti though so it's only a matter of time until you see that recipe here too I'm sure :)

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 whole garlic cloves, minced
• 12 ounces peeled whole tomatoes (canned, low-sodium)
• 15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 12 ounces chopped spinach, fresh
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp mild curry powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• a dash of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• 1 tsp garam masala

 

Instructions

Serves 2-4

1. Dice onions and mince garlic, set aside.
2. Chop spinach to desirable size (I put mine in the food processor and pulsed it about 5 times to get a finely chopped size).
3. In a large pot, saute onions and garlic in 1/4 cup of water.
4. Once onions are translucent, add spinach, chickpeas, tomatoes with their juices and broth. Cover and cook over medium heat until spinach cooks down and is deep green.
5. Uncover and break tomatoes apart using a spatula or spoon.
6. Add all spices except garam masala, also add lemon juice if using. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add 1/2 garam masala and cook for 2 more minutes more.
8. Taste, adding additional garam masala if desired plus salt and pepper if needed.
9. Turn heat off and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Serve with whole wheat roti, naan or tortillas.

Beer Bread

I have to admit, I don't think I've ever had beer bread before so I wasn't sure what to expect.  But I know I like beer and it looked like a good hearty bread, so I decided to give this Happy Herbivore recipe a try.  I liked this bread a lot and could actually taste the beer which was bonus :)  The outside crust got pretty crunchy so I think next time I would bake a little less, but it still tasted great.  You could experiment with different types of beer and flavors, such as pumpkin beer... or adding sundried tomato & herbs.... or maybe nutrional yeast (i.e. "cheese") and dill... hmmm.... yes, I think I'll try that one :)  This recipe is so quick and simple, you can experiment easily!

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp Stevia in the Raw
• 3 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 12 ounces beer (I used Oatmeal Stout and definitely recommend a dark beer!)

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a bread pan and set aside.
2. Carefully measure flour and combine in a mixing bowl with remaining dry ingredients.
3. Pour in beer and mix, it will eventually start to form a dough. When dough forms, use your hands to finish combining.
4. Transfer dough to your bread pan, pressing down gently so it spreads out even.
5. Bake for 45 min- 1 hour.