Guacamole Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything Ingredients: 4 ripe avocados 1/2 cup red onion, diced finely 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced finely 1/4 - 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped finely 1 lime, juiced 1 teaspoon minced garlic salt and pepper to taste (optional) 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced finely Instructions: Cut avocados in half and remove pit. Scoop out flesh of avocado and coarsely chop it. Place in a large bowl and slightly mash with a fork. I like mine on the chunky side. Add the diced onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic and toss together with the avocados. If you like your guacamole on the spicy side add some diced jalapeno here. Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste. ( I added some chili powder as well to give it some zing!!! Kerry) Chill until serving. If not serving right away place saran wrap directly against the guacamole so that it does not oxidize and turn brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

Gorilla Poop and Minestrone Soup! Gorilla Poop from Gracious Pantry 1/2 cup agave (Costco has agave--natural sweetner, I use as syrup!) 2 tsp. vanilla 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup psyllium husks (or substitute with wheat germ or oat bran) 2 Tbsp. chia seeds - (I don't use these) 1 cup quick oats 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon. Spoon 20-24 small balls of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for at least 45 minutes. Remove sheet from frezer and transfer the cookies into a tupperware dish with a good fitting lid. Store in the freezer(if you have any left over to store--don't say I didn't warn you). Minestrone Soup from Rita Palmeri Elkins; with further adaptations and directions from Kerry Porter Chop one onion and 4-5 cloves of garlic Add to 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in your largest pot. Saute' slowly till ender and golden. Brown 4 chicken breasts or equivalent amount of beef in pan. Add approx. 50 oz. of chicken broth Chop and add the following ingredients: 4 stalks celery 4 carrots or about 12-15 baby carrots 1 zucchini 1/2-1 small cabbage 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley Add: 1 (15 oz.) can of whole kernel corn or corn from one corn on the cob 1 (15 oz.) can of kidney beans 1 large can stewed tomatoes (I use Italian style) Simmer for 2 hours. In the last 45 minutes of simmering, add 1 cup small pasta. Enjoy and share with friends because it makes lots! Everyone loves this recipe!

Nachos without the dairy....say what?!?

Here are the "Loaded Nachos" from Happy Herbivore. I'm not going to lie, I was really hesitant about them because they are funky to think about and to top it off the cheese sauce smelled funny to me so I pretty much thought it was going to be horrific. However, after we tried it both of us actually really liked it. You really do feel like you are eating nachos and it's sooooo much better for you. We were stuffed!

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes
1 bunch green onions
tortilla chips (she recommends corn chips though)
1 1/2 canned black beans
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or canned corn would be just fine)
1, 4 oz can sliced black olives, drained
1, 5 oz can sliced jalapeños, drained
1/4 c sour cream--she has a vegan recipe for sour cream, but let's be honest. I just used the regular stuff since everything else was so healthy. Haha.

Cheese sauce Ingredients:
1 c non-dairy milk (we use rice milk)
1/3 c nutritional yeast (the stuff that was the bane of my existence. I found it in bags at Sprouts/Sunflower Market)
3 Tbs rolled oats (I'm not really sure what "rolled" oats means, but I just used regular oatmeal)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 c. salsa
2 tsp. yellow miso (didn't want to bother seeking that out, so I did without it)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)


Here are the instructions for the cheese sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor (I used our blender) and blend until mostly all combined. Transfer to a saucepan and heat it up on medium heat, stirring frequently. It will start to thicken and get a cheesy consistency. Easy, huh?!


Now that you have the sauce, here's how you do the nachos:

Seed and dice tomatoes and set aside. Slice green onions and set aside. Fill your serving dish half way with chips, then add half the corn and half of the beans. Add one more layer of chips, followed by the remainder of the beans and the corn. Then add the olives, jalapeños, and half of the tomatoes. Pour the nacho sauce over top of all of it and garnish with the remaining tomatoes and the green onions. Add some sour cream if you're using it. DIG IN!

Spiced Carrot Muffins from Happy Herbivore

Hey ladies, I just made these and they are super yummy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour (I'm sure you could just use regular flour too)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice (optional)
1/2 c. raw sugar (It's brown and not as fine grained. I'm sure you could use regular sugar too.)
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large carrot, shredded (I used 5/6 baby carrots)


Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all the spices together. Then add the sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and shredded carrot and mix it all together. Spoon them into muffin tin, making them each about 3/4 full. Then bake on 350 for 18-25 minutes until a knife/toothpick comes out clean!

The recipe makes 1 dozen, so if you wanted to make it for a crowd you would want to double it. They are really good though!!

Bean Salsa 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained) 1 can kernel corn (drained) Tomatoes Avocados Green onions (optional) Bernstein’s Restaurant Style Italian Dressing(Use more or less depending on how many cans of vegies that you use. We 6x’s this recipe for our off-sites!) Tortilla chips This is from Dad's assistant Miriam--I think we are going to love it! One thing about cooking this way---it is simpler in the preparation!

Quinoa & Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

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If you like quinoa, you might want to make these lettuce wraps today for lunch. A few weeks ago, I made quinoa porridge, and that was the first time I experimented with quinoa in a sweet recipe. But this is one of my new favorite savory quinoa recipes.

My friend Liz and I came up with this recipe at work a few weeks ago. We created it for an elementary school nutrition class. We tried out two versions – this one and an Asian flavored one (more gingery with soy sauce and sesame oil). We liked both, but we decided to serve this one. Most of the kids liked it, although some were freaked out by the word, quinoa.

Lettuce Wraps with Quinoa, Black Beans, and Avocado

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped raw onion
• 1 red or yellow pepper (washed, seeded, and diced)
• ½ can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup quinoa (dry and cooked according to package)
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 avocado, diced
• Frank’s Red Hot (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• Bibb lettuce

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to directions on package.
2. Prepare onion and red pepper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients above (except for lettuce leafs).
4. Once the mixture is combined, spread ¼ cup of the mixture onto each lettuce leaf and wrap/fold over like a taco shell.
5. Enjoy as a snack or a quick lunch!

Overall, I would say it was a success because we didn’t have any leftovers and we didn’t get any thrown at us. Just once in my life, I would like to see someone throw a rotten cabbage….not at me of course, and not to harm anyone. Just for fun. Now that I think of it, cabbage leafs would make a very sturdy alternative to lettuce leafs in this recipe. See what happens when you let your mind wander?

Black Bean Soup from Happy Herbivore

• Okay this recipe is seriously SO easy and it tastes reallyyyyy good.

The cast:

• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 cup salsa
• 1½ cups vegetable broth
• ½ tsp cumin
• a dash of hot sauce
• 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Step 1: Put 1 cup of the can of black beans (not the whole thing), cumin, vegetable broth, and salsa in a blender and blend up nice and good.

Step 2: Pour the stuff in the blender into a pot to warm on the stove. Also add the corn, the rest of the black beans, and a dash or two of the hot sauce. Warm it up until it's at the temperature you like to eat your soups and enjoy! 

It's really good with tortilla chips and I think that we're even going to take our leftovers and put it on baked potatoes for Sunday dinner tomorrow. 

Here's a link:

http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/salsa-soup/

Chickpea and Corn Chili

Made this last night: http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/chickpea-and-corn-chili/

...and loved it! The flavors are really good, the beans are really good, it's filling, and it made me happy. :-) It's also pretty easy to make, you just throw stuff in the pot and let it simmer for an hour and then add a few more things. Do it, you won't regret it!

Baked French Fries & Ketchup by Cathy Fisher Serves 4 Instructions: Ketchup: 1 6-ounce can no-salt-added tomato paste 1 half of an apple diced (with or without skin) 1/3 cup water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder 1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano Baked French Fries 3-4 potatoes washed and unpeeled; any variety (russet, Yukon Gold, sweet potato, or yam), cut into 1⁄4-inch x 1⁄4-inch lengths Ketchup: Combine all ingredients in a blender or Vitamix until smooth. Preparation: 5 minutes; makes: 1 cup Fries: Place cut potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Take out and flip the fries over and bake for another 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and puffed up. Serve immediately with ketchup or mustard. Preparation: 10 minutes; cooking time: 30 minutes; serves: 4 Notes: For the ketchup: 1/3 cup apple juice may be substituted for the apple and water. / 1 tablespoon vinegar may be substituted for the lemon juice. / For the fries: add some flavor by placing the cut potatoes into a plastic bag with 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder (or dried herb/spice of your choice) and shaking to coat the potatoes before baking. I haven't tried this yet, but it came from the Forks over Knives website and I know how we all like fries---it just looked interesting to me. If someone tries it and doesn't like it, just delete it--we probably ought to have a policy of trying it before posting it---then we know they will always be something we love---taking out the guesswork!

Mighty Muffins for Mother’s Day By Rip Esselstyn | Posted on May 11, 2012 Makes 6 large muffins or 1 enormous loaf Ingredients: • 3 cups oat bran
 • 1 teaspoon baking powder
 • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
 • 4 tablespoons sweetener
 • Juice of 1 lemon
 • 1 large apple, grated
 • 6 brown bananas, lightly mashed (leave some chunks) 
 • 1⁄4 cup walnuts, chopped or halved
 • 1⁄4 cup raisins
 • 3⁄4 cup water Instructions: Preheat oven to 375F. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lemon onto the combined apple and bananas. Add walnuts, raisins, and water. Combine the wet and dry ingredients into one bowl. Pour into sprayed muffin tins and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. I have tried these---I really liked them and so did Cameron---but Sarah didn't much care for the consistency, it isn't like a flour muffin!

Black Bean Enchiladas

Here is the ingredients that Melissa used to make the Black Bean Enchiladas! They were super yummy and very filling!  Cut out the cheese if you want it to be 100% vegan! YUM!

Ingredients:

1 carton of Mushrooms

2 Cans of Black Beans (rinsed and drained)

1 onion chopped

1 green pepper (cut into thin strips)

1 small can of green chilis

Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)

Low Moisture Mozzarella Cheese

5-6 Whole Wheat Tortillas

Directions:
1) Chop mushrooms to desired size. (I cut mine pretty small for the kiddos) Heat a tiny bit of oil in pan and add mushrooms. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add beans and cook 4-5 more minutes until liquid is almost gone.
2) In second saute pan heat tiny bit of oil. Cook Diced Onion, and green pepper. Cook until soft, add green chilis and cook for a couple more minutes.
3) Place a little bit of sauce in bottom of casserole dish. Take a dish plate and ladle a little sauce on it. Dip both sides of tortilla in sauce. Place bean mixture and pepper mixture in tortilla. Top with a little cheese and roll. Place in casserole dish. Continue with all the tortilla's.
4) Top with a little more cheese if desired and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
ENJOY!

Enchilada Sauce:

(adapted from vita mix cookbook)

2 C Chicken/Veggie Broth

1 Tbl of Olive Oil

1 Tbl Red Wine Vinegar

1 Roma Tomato, halved

1/2-1 Can of Tomato Paste (taste sauce to see how much you want)

1 Garlic Clove

1/4 tsp Dried Oregano

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/8-1/4 C Chili Powder (depending on how hot you want it)

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour

Blend all ingredients. If you have a vitamix turn on high for about 6 minutes until steam is coming out of lid. Slow speed and watch it until it thickens. Add a little cornstarch if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serve with Low Fat Greek Yogurt! That made it the best!!

ENJOY!

Sweet Potato Veggie Lasagna

Here is a link to what is supposedly Rip Esselstyn's (one of the main guys in Forks Over Knives) lasagna: Sweet Potato Veggie Lasagna

I made it last night and it was really good! Jayce thought so too--you know that's a plus! I had a hard time finding tofu and in the end just decided to do it without it, so feel free to do the same. I also halfed the recipe and put it in an 8x8 pyrex. I still had a ton of the veggie mix left over that wouldn't fit into the dish, so I froze it for next time. I don't know what kind of a casserole dish Rip uses, but mine could only hold so much! I know it seems weird to put in sweet potatoes and cashews, but it tasted great! Also, don't stiff the mushrooms, I decided to give them a chance and was glad I did! I highly recommend it, but it is a little more time consuming of a meal.

Video

Hey, I thought you ladies might find this interesting/fun. It is probably pretty biased, but I thought it was neat!

http://youtu.be/2zVxA6yipv4

Healthier Eating

Okay ladies, here we have it! Time to start sharing some recipes that we think are healthier than our normal eating habits! Jessica had the idea to get the blog going so that we could have a go-to site of healthy recipes. Add some of your favorite tried and true healthy meals and we can all benefit! Plus whatever tips you have on the preparation, substitutions to use, where to get anything funky that's in them, what the good brands are of different ingredients, etc. Let's share the wealth of our knowledge because sometimes the world wide web with so many opinions can seem really overwhelming.



Okay, Jayce and I have tried a quick and easy one a couple of times now that we really like. I can't find the link to it for some reason, so I'll just tell you how it goes with no exact measurements or anything--but they are not really needed any ways!

Grab a whole wheat tortilla and put a nice amount of hummus in it. (Gives it a tasty and creamy feel without the calories of sour cream). Then add some slices of avocado, lettuce/spinach, tomato, slices of green/red pepper, and some salsa. Squeeze some lime juice on it, add a sprinkle of the spice cumin, wrap it up and voila! It is really yummy and surprisingly filling.

Black beans and corn are also really yummy additions.

Happy eating!


P.S.
After I posted this, I found the link to the original recipe...go figure. :-) Here you are if you want to take a look and get more ideas!

http://petitelefant.com/vegan-hummus-and-avocado-taco-recipe/