2. Snicker Doodle Blondies @ Chocolate Covered Katie
6. Lowfat Vegan Nacho “Cheese” @ Happy Herbivore
2. Snicker Doodle Blondies @ Chocolate Covered Katie
6. Lowfat Vegan Nacho “Cheese” @ Happy Herbivore
Once in a while, I make a recipe that I end up getting giddy excited to share with you. This 5-minute raw nut taco meat is one of those recipes! Can you imagine not having to deal with the greasy mess of browning hamburger meat for tacos, but still have the amazing flavor of taco meat? This recipe keeps your stove off and will please even the meat eaters in your life.
I served this to my kids last night and said, “I’m trying out a new recipe. It is chopped up nuts that are flavored with taco seasonings. Nuts are super good for you and will give you the protein and good fats that our bodies need. Try it and let me know if you like it.”
Okay, so I only told 2 of my daughters that. My youngest HATES nuts, so I did not tell her what was in her taco until she devoured it. Hee! Sneaky Mom! She looked at me with wide eyes and a dropped jaw when I told her. Then crossed her arms over her chest and said “Mom! Why didn’t you tell me?” I answered, “I thought just maybe you were getting old enough to start liking nuts, but I was not sure.” She was not sure if she liked that answer!
Such a great meat alternative for those Taco Tuesdays or Meatless Mondays! My family now prefers this over ground beef. Bonus: no heating up the oven or stove!
I used unsalted nuts. The original recipe I found on Pinterest. It is from Raw Veggies & Yoga. It called for an entire teaspoon of salt, which just about ruined my batch. It was WAY too salty. Fortunately, I had enough ingredients to double my batch and I ended up saving it.
I went for years without a food processor, and now I don’t know how I lived without it. I use mine all the time. I have a 7 cup Kitchen Aid Food Processor. I love using it for chopping onions and veggies for soups, for making nut butter and date pastes, and my yummy healthy chocolate mudballs.
I am new to the world of sun-dried tomatoes but bought them for a pasta recipe that I will be sharing with you soon. I am now a HUGE fan. The flavor they add to this recipe is key. I had no idea how much flavor these packed! I now keep a jar in my refrigerator at all times.
I used these Chia Seed Flour Tortillas that I just found at Trader Joes this week. They are my new favorite. Boy, do they fill you up with all that extra fiber from the Chia. New to Chia? Read all about this mega superfood here.
I just put the tortilla on a plate, added some rice and cheese. I microwaved it for 30 seconds until the cheese melted and the tortilla was soft. I put the Raw Nut Taco Meat right on top.
Would you consider having a meat-free meal once a week? Do you think you could get your family to try this recipe?
We’ve gone greek and are loving it! We had some new friends over a few nights ago and wanted to give them a fun gluten free culinary experience. It was their first time to eat totally gluten free and vegan, and we wanted to show them how much fun and delicious it can be.
Falafel Ingredients:
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This pasta was so very comforting and hit the spot! The orzo pasta is chewy, and the caramelized vegetables add layers of flavor to the pasta.
The garlic, ginger and sage add wonderful flavor, just enough; not overpowering. I love a pasta that is so flavorful that it does not need any type of sauce, and this is exactly that!
This Orzo Pasta dish is very simple to put together. After boiling the orzo pasta, you only need to use one skillet for this dish.
Have everything chopped up and ready to go before you start to cook, ready to go in and caramelize in steps. This is important.
It is not complicated, but you need to follow the instructions below. You put the sweet potatoes in first, cook until they start to brown a bit, then push them to the side and throw in the onions.
Once the onions start to caramelize, you push those over and add garlic. Do the same with ginger and mushrooms.
Use one large skillet over fairly high heat, add the ingredients in order according to instructions, pushing them to the side of the pan as they cook. Easy!
My favorite part was deglazing the pan with a mixture of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. I am a huge balsamic vinegar fan, so I loved that this recipe utilizes this ingredient.
You serve this hot, but I liked it cold the next day eaten as a pasta salad, too.
It is hearty and filling, and it is vegan if you leave the Parmesan cheese off.
My girls loved it and were bummed the next day when I ate the leftovers for lunch and there was not any left for them. They wanted it as an afternoon snack!
I wondered if the green kale would throw them but it is chopped so finely that it looks like an herb and they didn’t even notice it.
It makes a lot and would make a great main dish for vegetarians or a great side dish for meat eaters!
Enjoy!
Orzo Caramelized with Fall Vegetables & Ginger
serves 4 as a main dish and 6 as a side dish
Salt
1/2 pound orzo pasta
Grapeseed, peanut, or vegetable oil
1 large sweet potato (about 3/4 pound)
2 medium onions (about 1 pound), finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-inch piece fresh ginger — peeled and grated, about 1 tablespoon
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps diced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 big leaves chard or kale, stalks removed and leaves finely chopped — about 2 cups
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan, optional
Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt it generously. Cook the orzo until barely al dente — about 6 to 7 minutes. Drain and toss with a generous drizzle of oil so that the grains of orzo are lightly coated with oil. Set aside.
Peel the sweet potato and dice it finely into cubes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to a side. Heat a large sauté or frying pan (the largest you have — you want plenty of room and hot surface) over high heat. Drizzle in a little grapeseed or vegetable oil (not olive oil — you want an oil with a high smoke point) and heat until very hot. Add the sweet potatoes and arrange them in one layer. Cook them over high heat until they are beginning to caramelize and turn brown — about 4 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 3 minutes or so.
Turn the heat down to medium and push the sweet potatoes up in a pile against one side of the pan. Add the diced onions to the center of the pan and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are beginning to turn brown. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and stir them into the onions. Push the onions off to the side of the pan, next to the sweet potatoes, where they will continue to caramelize.
Add the diced shiitake mushrooms to the hot center of the pan and cook them for 4 minutes without turning them. Then flip and stir them and cook for another 4 minutes.
At this point everything should be getting well-cooked; the onions should be quite dark brown and the garlic should be golden and soft. The potatoes should be softening.
Finally, toss the chopped greens into the mix and cook for 1 more minute or until the greens are barely wilted. Turn off the heat and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, with shavings of Parmesan if desired.
This is my favorite on-the-go and go-to salad. It is very filling, healthy, delicious, and full of wonderful plant protein! Edamame, quinoa & chickpeas make this a plant protein powerhouse! I pick it up at Trader Joes, but don’t worry if you do not live close to a Trader Joes, because this salad can easily be made at home!
Here are the ingredients:
Spinach –about 2 cups
Cherry Tomatoes –2-4
Shredded Carrots – a palmful
Quinoa –1/2 cup cooked (directions here)
Chickpeas –1/4 cup, drained & rinsed
Dried Cranberries–palm-ful
Edamame –1/4 cup, cooked
Pumpkin Seeds –palm-ful
Salad Dressing —Carrot Ginger or your choice.
These are ingredients I now have on hand at home most of the time, exempt pumpkin seeds. I live right by a health food store that has pumpkin seeds so that is not a problem. The Carrot Ginger Miso Salad dressing it comes with is really good, but I have made this at home and really this salad goes well with any type of dressing. For some salad dressing inspiration, click over to my Salad Dressing Pinterest Boards.
Michael of Koinoia is a friend of ours and had us over to recently to watch the Nebraska football game. {GO HUSKERS!} When we walked into his home, the most amazing aroma of chili greeted us. He made his famous chili for us, AND made a whole pot of meat- free chili just for me! He shares his recipe and thoughts about fall here at his blog. He has some other great recipes, like Bruschetta, that you must check out, too. While you are there tell him Amy said hello.
I have made his exact meat- free version twice and we just love it. His recipe uses a can of Bush’s Chili Starter which is really good but a little bit high in sodium, plus– as you all know, I like to do one- stop shopping for my groceries at Trader Joes –but they do not sell Bush’s brand there but they do sell organic canned beans. I decided to try my own Trader Joes version and using a can of their Vegetarian Chili in place of the Bush’s Chili Starter and it turned out yummy! I still think I like Michael’s original version better as far as taste, but if I want to keep my shopping in one spot and keep things organic, at least there is a alternative.
I you want meat in your chili, (and a pic of the finished product) click here to go to Michael’s blog for the recipe.
Here is the meat-free version:
My Vegetarian Go-To Chili Recipe
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
15 oz can seasoned Bush’s chili beans, in sauce
1 can Bush’s Chili Starter
15 oz can Bush’s black beans, drained
15 oz can Bush’s red kidney beans, drained
15 oz can Bush’s white northern beans, drained
46 oz tomato juice
2-4 Tbsp chili powder
salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
Put olive oil in a large stock pan over medium heat. Add diced onion. Cook until translucent. Add red pepper & garlic. Cook about 5 minutes, careful not to brown the garlic. Add all beans, tomato juice, & spices. Let simmer for at least an hour up to 3.
Enjoy with your choice of toppings. We love it with Trader Joes organic version of Frito type corn chips or crackers.
*To buy all ingredients at Trader Joes, get Trader Joe’s brand beans and substitute Trader Joes Vegetarian Chili for the Bush’s Chili Starter.
Do YOU have a favorite chili recipe? If so, please share in the comments!
I am so very happy to have found this recipe! I have made it twice in 4 days and may make some more tomorrow…it is THAT good. It is a vegan recipe, but it would be a keeper even if I were not vegan. It is a recipe by Happy Herbivore that has been getting lots of attention on twitter, so I am not the only one who loves it.
Back to the bread..it was super moist but had a nice crunch on the sides and bottom. Loved that. I cut the brown sugar down to 3/4 cup, that was plenty. I used almond milk. I loved that there was no fat used, and if you are out of eggs, NO PROBLEM, for there are no eggs in this recipe. It is amazing how much cheaper a recipe is with no butter and eggs!