Lovely Lentil Taco Filling!

I love this recipe for taco filling, a layer in 7 layer dip and all kinds of other taco-ish foods :) 

3/4 cups dry lentils
3/4 cups brown rice (I have used white as well--but use less water)
4 cups water
4 tsp-TBS (to taste) veggie bouillon (I use either my own or Better Than Bouillon)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Bring the water to a boil.  Add the lentils and let cook 10 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Wait until it is all at a boil and reduce heat to low.  Place lid on and simmer for 45-50 minutes more. 

You can also do this in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.  I can't wait to try this in my Saratoga Jack's thermal cooker!

Frozen Juice/Drink Concentrate Slushy

Frozen Juice/Drink Concentrate Slushy :)

12 oz can of frozen concentrate

1 cup water

4 cups ice

Place in blender until desired consistency.  We love this for orange juice slushies, lemonade (so refreshing!) slushies and for just about any juice combination!  Enjoy!

Veggie Stir Fry with a twist :)

Veggie stir fry is super easy and fast! It's also a great way to get veggies into your kids. Well, at my house it is :) There can be great variety in the sauces and the "starches" that you use as well.

Being tired lately, I typically buy the bag of mixed vegetables at the grocery store. We use at least an entire bag. It has cauliflower florets, broccoli florets and baby carrots in it. Then I chop them into smaller pieces. I often add other veggies that I have on hand. Here are some vegetable ideas:

Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Bell pepper
Celery
Bok choy
Green onions
Green beans
Chinese cucumbers
Sugar or snow peas (whole)
Onions
Bamboo shoots (canned are okay, but only needs warmed, not cooked)
Water chestnuts (canned are okay, but only needs warmed, not cooked)
Baby ears of corn (only needs warmed)
Summer squash
Mushrooms
Cabbage

Be sure to put the firmer things in first and add the ones that need less cooking later. For example, if you are doing carrots and broccoli, they could be together, but summer squash would cook MUCH faster. I use coconut oil and you can use peanut oil, which is traditionally used. Many oils have a lower combustion temperature, so be sure to check them. I know that coconut oil and peanut oil are both safe.

Starches you can use under or in your veggies:
Brown rice
White rice
Noodles
Quinoa (one of my favorites)
Potatoes (you can add them to the stirfry or use like a mashed potato)

Sauces:

Orange sauce
2 TBS olive oil
1-2 TBS garlic (our family loves garlic, but I use less to bring out the orange flavor here)
1 cup water
3 TBS orange juice concentrate
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS rice vinegar
4 TBS Braggs Liquid Aminos/Nama Shoyu/Soy Sauce
1/2 cup honey (or to taste)
1/2 tsp red pepperp flakes
1 1/2 TBS arrowroot powder + 2 TBS water to mix before adding to sauce(though you COULD try cornstarch)
6-8 drops essential oil

Using a small saucepan you can saute the garlic and olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except arrowroot powder/water mixture and heat to a boil. Whisk in arroroot/water mixture. Lower temperature and stir constantly until it thickens.

Peanut-miso Sauce
3 TBS peanut butter
2 TBS lemon or lime juice
1 TBS yellow miso
1 TBS grated fresh ginger (or you can use the pre-minced ginger from the fridge)
1 tsp minced garlic (about 1 clove)
1/3 cup cup water

Whisk all ingredients together and set aside while you cook your veggies. After your veggies are done, place them on starch of choice and drizzle sauce over the top.

Honey Orange Rolls

Any roll recipe, though I used my pizza crust recipe (doubled) and it was awesome and FAST!

Here is the sauce:
3/4 cup honey (or 1 cup sucanat, raw cane sugar etc)
1/2 cup butter/coconut oil
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
2 TBS grated orange peel (either fresh or dehydrated)
8-10 drops orange essential oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a bundt cake or fluted 10 inch tube pan. Melt together in a sauce pan on low heat. If you have used my pizza dough, that was about the same time to have it resting. Oil your hands and shape into balls, make one layer and pour some of the sauce over it. Add another layer and pour sauce over it until you have used the dough and sauce all up. Pour the extra sauce over the top.

My oven wasn't hot yet, so I let it rise over one of the warm burners for probably 10 minutes. Then I put it in.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serving warm is best. My 8 year old said it's the best breakfast ever. It was our special General Conference breakfast this morning.

Vegan Chocolate Shake

I love chocolate shakes but I don’t love sugar and dairy. This reminds me of the shakes you get at a fast food restaurant but guilt free.

1 cup cashews

3 cups ice

3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa

2 dates, pits removed and chopped finely or try you luck in the blender

¼ cup water

¼ cup agave or pure maple syrup

¼ tsp sea salt

Add ingredients to a strong blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. Freezes great for a snack tomorrow.

Savory Vegetable Quinoa Soup

When I made this I really didn't think my kids would like it. Surprisingly all ages 2-16 loved it and had seconds. This is very versatile. I add green beans, parsnips, zucchini and whatever vegetable I think would taste good. I have left out other vegetable because I didn't have them on hand.

Serves 6

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 yellow onion (diced into small pieces)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 very large red potatoes (about 14 oz.) (diced into small squares)

2/3 cup quinoa (uncooked)

3 vine ripened tomatoes (diced)

2 carrots (diced into small squares)

1 yellow squash (diced into small pieces)

9 cups unsalted vegetable broth (I used Rapunzel, Vegan)

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. stevia powder

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)

4 fresh basil leaves (sliced)

1. Add olive oil to a large stock pot and add minced garlic & onion. Season by

sprinkling some salt and pepper while cooking.

2. Add quinoa, diced potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, dry seasonings, stevia, salt & pepper.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, Cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Add vegetable broth and yellow squash. Bring to a boil and then turn to low and

simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Add nutritional yeast and stir well. Turn burner off and add in chopped parsley

and basil leaves.

5. Serve with crusty bread and a green leafy salad. ENJOY!!

Vegan Miso soup (not traditional :) )

I made this raw, because I was nursing a sick child back to health. I used my awesome blender. This could be done in a normal blender or in a pan and then blended or not blended at all. It's pretty flexible, but oh so easy! If you don't have a blender that you can use to heat your soup to just warm and not cook the garlic, then you can press the garlic in last (if this is important to you) and then let it sit for a few minutes to warm it.

I added the following to my blender:

5 1/2-6 cups of water

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6-8 baby carrots

4 cloves of garlic (though less if it's your first time and you don't need it for healing :)

1 small onion

1/2-1 inch ginger or 2 TBS minced ginger like "Ginger People" minced ginger

3 heaping TBS of yellow miso (you could use any miso though)

2 heaping TBS bouillion (I used the homemade raw veggie boullion I made)

2 TBS Nama Shoyu/Braggs Liquid Aminos/Soy Sauce

Turn on the blender until it is warm and not hot. Unless of course your blender doesn't work that way. Then do the garlic like I suggested and smear the miso at the bottom of the bowl (1/2 TBS) and then pour the soup into the bowl.

Enjoy! We surely did!

Yerra Moolee (Yellow Coconut Rice)

My family loves Indian food which was introduced to us by a friend from India. Here is a family favorite.

2 cups finely chopped onions

2-3 Tbs oil (enough to saute your onions in)

2 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 Tbs ground or crushed fresh ginger root

2 green chilies (anaheim or jalepeno, if you're brave)

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 Tbs ground coriander

3 cups coconut milk (2 cans will do)

1 1/2 tsp Salt

2 Tbs minced fresh coriander leaves or 1 Tbs dry(optional but wow what a flavor!)

2 cups potatoes

1 cup cauliflower

1/2 cup peas

Serve over:

4 cups cooked rice (Basmati is the best)

This can be a fast recipe if you do the following:

Cut up cauliflower & potatoes and have them steaming or boiling?(not my favorite method) while you are working on the sauce.

Also, start cooking the rice.

Now, heat oil and saute the onions until soft, reduce heat and add garlic, ginger & the chilies for another 2 minutes. Add turmeric and coriander, stir rapidly for another 15 seconds and add coconut milk and salt. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients sit to allow time for flavors to blend. Do not cook the coconut milk or it will turn sticky and slimy (not good). Add the steamed veggies and the peas (you can add them frozen and they will turn that pretty green and be the perfect texture).

Your rice should now be done. You are ready to serve!

Salsa Verde

I am part of produce buying co-op. Sometimes I get a Mexican pack full of peppers, cilantro and tomatillos. This is the recipe that I make with the above ingredients.

1 lb fresh tomatillos, husked, softened in a pan of water, then chopped

1-2 fresh green chilies (jalepeno or serrano), deseeded and finely chopped

1 green bell pepper or large mild pepper like Anaheim or pablano, deseeded and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Salt to taste

I put the ingredients in a blender until smooth. This makes a large batch so I freeze what I cannot eat now. This is good with chips or in taco and tortillas.

Energy Bar (Yummy Snack)!

A friend of mine, who is also my visiting teaching partner, shared this recipe with me. She competes in bike rides and use this bar instead of Goo or power bars from the store. We like it for a snack and after a good run. My husband said it was addicting because of the rice puff crunch!

Energy Bar

Slightly warm these ingredients in a pan until they become mixed and more liquid:

1 cup of peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter

3/4 cup of honey or agave

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Mix in blender or food processor and add to above:

1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds, almonds, or walnuts

1 cup dried fruit (apples, apricots, dates, raisins, craisins, or strawberries for example)

4 cups brown puffed rice

Mix all ingredients together and press into a 13 x 9 inch pan. I put plastic wrap over it and use a a cup to make it really smooth and compact. Refrigerate until firm.

You can cut into squares and wrap it individually if you want energy bars on the go. My family eats it out of the pan but I plan on taking it to snack on during the Ragnar.

Basic Fruit Smoothie

I taught a nutrition class and have had a lot of requests for a smoothie recipe. This is my favorite smoothie which makes 5 cups. One non-vegetable or fruit eater told his wife he would have this for breakfast every morning! It is so energizing and refreshing!

Fruit Smoothie

1 cup water

1 cup of greens (spinach or kale)

2 cups of fruit (I use a frozen blend of strawberries, pineapple, melon, peaches and blueberries)

1 ripe banana

Add the ingredients in the order listed. I recommend defrosting your fruit before mixing in the blender if you do not own a high power blender (BlendTec or VitaMix). The banana is the sweetener and adds a smooth texture. It is a must. Most grocery stores sell nice fruit blends. In the summer I use all of the fresh fruits growing in my yard. Go ahead and experiment. You can make the exact same mixes you see in the Smoothie stores if you pay attention to their ingredients.

Some fruits that are great to use:

Apricots

Peaches

Strawberries

Raspberries

Blueberries

Pineapple

Kiwi

Mango

Nectarines

Tomato and lentil stew

Hi there everyone!

We have really enjoyed this meal. It is inspired by another recipe, but the way I made it was so different that I thought I would post how I did it.

3 cups of vegetable broth (or chicken broth/beef broth)
1 cup dry lentils

Boil the vegetable broth and add lentils. Simmer for around 20-30 minutes. While these are simmering add in this order:

3 TBS oil
1 onion chopped(or large if you like onions)
1 medium green bell pepper diced(I have used all color of bell peppers)
2 cloves of garlic minced or diced

Saute the onions, peppers and garlic until the onions are tender. Then add:

2 cans of diced tomatoes juice and all
spices to taste. I used:
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 white ground pepper

Continue to simmer for awhile until your lentils have simmered and are almost out of liquid. Add the veggies to the lentils and simmer until lentils are completely tender. It took mine probably another 20 minutes.

Serve as is, over rice (I think I want to try the sauce on quinoa sometime) and you can top with cheese if desired. Some children did, some didn't, I liked it both ways!

Best Ever Pumpkin Cookies

Cream together:

1 ½ cups oil

2 cups honey (or sugar)

3 Tbs applesauce or (3 eggs)

Add:

1 Tbs vanilla

1 Tbs baking soda

1 Tbs baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

1 Tbs cloves

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 30 oz can pumpkin

7 ½ cups flour (I use whole wheat flour)

12 oz chocolate chips

Mix all together and bake at 400 degrees. Makes about 6 dozen cookies! But I freeze some if we don’t eat them first. You can always ½ the recipe and freeze the leftover canned pumpkin.

Slow cooker veggie curry

No Hurry Vegetable Curry

1 TBS peanut oil
2 large carrots, sliced
1 medium size yellow onion, chopped (I always use a little more)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBS curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced (I usually don't peel mine)
8 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (sometimes I use frozen green beans)
1 ½ cups slow cooked or one 15.5 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups vegetable stock
½ cup frozen green peas, thawed (I never have these…I always forget)
½ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk (optional—but man does it make it
tasty!)

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots
and onion, cover and cook until softened. (around 5 minutes?) Add the garlic, curry powder, coriander and cayenne, stirring to coat.

2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a 3 1/2 -4 quart slow cooker.
(mine is at least 5 quarts) Add the potatoes, green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes and stock; cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in the peas and coconut milk and season
with salt. Taste to adjust the seasonings.

Personally I would put more curry in it, but the kids liked it the way it was. It definitely needed the salt and I would maybe add red pepper flakes (not for my kids though). This was absolutely delicious served over long grain brown rice.

Pasta e Fagioli

It's soup time! This recipe is similar to Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli. I serve it with some sort of bread and a salad. It takes about 1 hour. I do not add the beef so to round off the flavor I add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 large carrot, julienned

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can red kidney beans (with liquid)

1 15 oz can great northern beans (with liquid)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 12 cans vegetable juice (like V-8 juice)

1 tbs white vinegar (optional)

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp thyme

1 handful small shell pasta

dash of cayenne pepper

1. Brown the ground beef and drain off most of the fat.

2. Add onion, carrot celery and garlic and saute’ for 10 minute

3. Add remaining ingredients except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. About 50 minutes into simmer time, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Serve.

I like this soupier so I add a 46 oz can of V-8 and double the seasonings.

Pizza or pasta sauce

This is a super simple and flexible sauce. We LOVE it on our pizza and we stole it from Alicia. :)

2 roasted garlic cloves--you can also crush them and cook in 1/4 cup oil and add (though I always use fresh, I am too lazy)

2 14 oz cans of diced/whole etc tomatoes. I even use fresh ones and it turns out great!

2 tsp Italian mix (or any Italian herbs you have on hand--basil, marjoram, oregano, sage)

1/4 tsp pepper

Blend in your blender and put on your pizza. I have read that you can let it "marinade" for awhile and it makes a great raw (assuming you use fresh tomatoes and garlic) tomato sauce for pastas.

I have also been known to blend other veggies into it...like summer squash, cauliflower, spinach etc ENJOY!

Hair-Raising Cider :)

Hi there everyone!

I really like this recipe because it's easy to get the ingredients and it can be used immediately. This recipe is from the book "Family Herbal" by Rosemary Gladstar.

1 quart RAW apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh grated horseradish
1 chopped onion
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 TBS turmeric
1-2 pinches of cayenne pepper.

Cover and let sit in a warm place 3-4 weeks. Strain this and then add 1 cup honey, rebottle and regrigerate. You can take 1-2 TBS daily as a tonic or if you are sick then you can take it from the first sign of symptoms and every 2-4 hours until your symtpoms are gone.

Some people like the flavor okay, some don't care for it. However, it works great and has very familiar ingredients, all of which you can purchase at your local grocery store!

non-dairy cheesy spread :)

Hey there all! This recipe was inspired by a recipe I had read in the Cancer Prevention newsletter. I didn't have access to my computer and so I had to wing it, I did get to it later and it was pretty darn close! However, there are a few differences, so enjoy! My kids all loved it spread on Flat Outs...kind of like a tortilla.

One 15 ounce can of white beans or 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
2 TBS nutritional yeast
Handful of baby carrots (I would say like 8-10)
1-2 TBS of olive oil (I just put some in until it was moving in my blender)
1/2 tsp garlic and herbs (or garlic powder or fresh garlic)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 squirt of prepared mustard (I used honey mustard...any mustard is opt)

You can combine all of this in a food processor or in your blender. Because it has carrots in it, I would make sure your blender is really good...

Then spread like mayo, use as a dip or use as a cheesy substitute, we LOVED IT!

3 Bean Mexican Soup

16 oz jar of salsa

15 oz can of mexican stewed tomatoes (I also use crushed, whole)

3 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth

1 Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp minced garlic

1 tsp cumin

3 15 oz cans of beans (kidney, pinto, chickpeas, black & etc.)

15 oz can of hominy (optional, I don’t use)

15 oz can of corn or frozen corn (I just throw some in)

3 cups of cooked chicken (opt.)

1 medium zucchini chopped and diced (opt.)

I put the first 6 ingredients in the blender, even the garlic whole so I don’t have to mince it. I then put it all in a big pot and add the beans, corn and sometimes zucchini if I have some. If you are serving it with chicken add it now. Warm your soup and serve.

I used to blend up the zucchini also so my kids couldn’t tell it was there but now I know they like it. I also make my own bouillon found at this website http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/homemade-bouillon-recipe.html

I add 3 Tbs of my own bouillon to 3 cups of water instead of chicken broth. It is so much cheaper than the products I was buying and so flavorful for all kinds of soups.

Blender Tortilla Soup

This soup is very tasty. My children all gobbled it up! We had the awesome experience of sitting through a demo of the blendtec guy at Costco and so this is inspired by his demo. I don't have the real recipe, but this is what I did.

◦6 Roma tomatoes cut in half (You can use a can of diced tomatoes I bet)

◦2 handfuls of grated cheese (optional)

◦1 whole onion or two small onions

◦2 teaspoons veggie boullion

◦2 tablespoons taco seasoning

◦1 clove of garlic (or half if it's really big, I used one and it was pretty spicy *smile*)

◦4 cups warm water

-salt to taste


Place ingredients in blender. (I did it in that order) Secure lid and turn on. When heated to my liking, I added a few handfuls of tortilla chips. Secure your lid and blend for a second or two...not long, that way it's a little chunkier :)

I did not make mine so hot we couldn't eating it as I am trying to increase the amount of raw veggies that we eat. It was so awesome!