Almond & Cherry Green Beans

Everyone has their own holiday green bean recipe.  This flavor combination is one of my favorites! 

Almond & Cherry Green Beans

2 T coconut oil

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 lb thin green beans (haricot vert)

1/4 cup dried tart cherries, naturally sweetened

1/2 T pure maple syrup

pinch salt and pepper

Heat coconut oil in pan. Saute almonds and green beans for about five minutes or until green beans are at desired tenderness, stirring often.  (I like mine to be a little crisp.) Add cherries, maple syrup, salt and pepper. 

Stuffin' Muffins

My husband LOVES stuffing! It is his favorite holiday dish.  He loves his stuffing dry with very traditional veggies and herbs. So I made this recipe just for him! (I will have to share my favorite cashew stuffing recipe with apples and butternut squash another day!)

I used all fresh herbs for an intense richness and I used my own homemade dried bread cubes from naturally leavened bread.  I simply cut up one 2 lb loaf of naturally leavened bread into cubes and dried it in the oven at about 300 degrees until dry. 

Hubby's Favorite Stuffin' Muffins

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely minced in food processor

5 celery spears, finely minced in food processor

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 T fresh sage, finely chopped

1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 T fresh thyme, finely chopped

2 t Himalayan salt

pinch pepper

1 1/2 T homemade vegetable broth powder

8 cups (approx) dried bread cubes (from 2 lbs bread)

4 cups water (more if needed)

Heat olive oil in large pot. Saute onion until translucent.  Add celery, fresh herbs and seasonings and cook about five minutes. Add bread cubes and liquid to desired thickness.  My husband likes a more dry stuffing, so I do not add tons of liquid.  To make the stuffing more crispy, I make my stuffing into muffins! For uniform muffins, use a 4 T stainless-steel-scoop and scoop the stuffing mixture into a muffin container, sprayed with olive oil.  Makes 24 muffins.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 60 minutes or until crispy on the outside.

Barley Mushroom Risotto

I was first introduced to having barley at Thanksgiving by my husband's family.  I loved it and have since then always made some sort of version of this family favorite.  My latest concoction uses fresh parsley and baby bella mushrooms, as well as my own homemade vegetable broth, for a more intense flavor. It continues to be one of our favorite holiday dishes!

Barley Mushroom Risotto

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 t minced garlic

1 lb baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley

6 cups water

2 T homemade vegetable broth powder

2 t Himalayan salt

pinch pepper

2 cups pearl barley

Heat olive oil in large pot. Saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add mushrooms and parsley and cook another five minutes.  Add water, seasonings and barley. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until barley is tender.

Maple Orange Sweet Potatoes

This is the sweet potato dish I made for Thanksgiving.  I love sweet potatoes and wanted to make a super sweet holiday version, but without the processed sweeteners like corn syrup, brown sugar, marshmallows, etc. They turned out amazing and will definitely be on our menu for Christmas!

Maple Orange Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

zest and juice of 1 orange

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (grade B is the best)

1 t pure vanilla extract

1/2 t Himalayan salt

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potatoes in a baking dish.  In small sauce pan, combine remaining ingredients and heat until melted through.  Pour mixture over sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

Our Thanksgiving Feast

We had a delicious, healthy Thanksgiving meal this year.  Everything was super yummy and we didn't have to use any processed flour or sugar....just lots of fresh, whole foods! We had all the traditional tastes of Thanksgiving , but without (quite) so many calories!!  Stay tuned for many of my recipes soon...

Thanksgiving Feast Menu 2012

Roasted Herb Turkey

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Turkey Pan Gravy

Organic Sweet Corn

Barley & Mushroom Risotto

Maple Orange Sweet Potatoes

Almond & Cherry Green Beans

Baked Herb Salmon

Hubby's Favorite Stuffin' Muffins

Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad

Whole Wheat Rolls

Coconut Pumpkin Custard

Raw Collard "No Bean" Burritos

 

 I went to a Raw Food Bar in Salt Lake with my friend...Omar's Rawtopia. It was utterly fabulous and everything we tried was delicious and fresh. The first thing that caught my eye on his menu was his "Bean Burrito" which is a Mexican inspired dish. The "beans" were made with Tahini and sunflower seeds and the "sour cream" was made from Macadamia nuts, both wrapped in a burrito made of collard greens. The dish was just divine and of course I immediately came home and was inspired to create something similar. 

Raw Collard "No Bean" Burritos

Collard Greens
Sunflower Seed Beans
Nut Sour Cream
Sprouts
Carrots
Avocados
Grape Tomatoes

Wrap everything in a collard green burrito style, or serve as an open faced wrap.

Sunflower Seed "Beans" 

2 cups sunflower seeds (soaked for 3-4 hours if desired)

3/4 c Tahini

1 T paprika

1 T Chile powder

1 T cumin

1/2 T dried oregano

3 garlic cloves

1/4 t Himalayan salt

2 T lemon juice

1 1/2 cups water

Blend everything in Vitamix until smooth and creamy.

Nut "Sour Cream"

1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup cashews
1 cup water
1/4 c lemon juice
1 T nutritional yeast
1 t Himalayan salt
Blend everything in Vitamix until smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Goji Berry Chia Pudding

This is a fun pudding you can make with chia seeds and goji berries...both super foods. This recipe is adapted from Green Smoothie Girl. 

Chocolate Goji Berry Chia Pudding

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup dried goji berries

1/4 cup coconut milk powder

1/4 cup Cocoa Mojo

Stir all ingredients together and let sit at least four hours. Stir again and serve, it is wonderful warm or cold. We like it at room temperature, topped with some of our favorite Whipped "Coconut" Cream. 

We have even made our own banana splits with fresh bananas, fresh peaches, whipped coconut cream and chocolate goji berry chia pudding!!  Delicious!!

Naturally Leavened Italian Bread Sticks

 

This is one of my favorite ways to use my natural leavening. It is adapted from a recipe I learned from the Natural Leavening Class I attended. These bread sticks are perfect to serve with soup or salad.

Naturally Leavened Dr. Dough Master Recipe
1/3 cup (80 g) natural leaven
1 1/3 cups (313 g) water
1 1/2 t (8 g) salt
4 cups (475 g) whole grain flour

Instructions for Naturally Leavened Italian Bread Sticks
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t minced garlic or 1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
2 T fresh chopped herbs or 2 t Italian seasoning
4 T Parmesan cheese

Step 1: Make your leavening the night before. In the morning, check to make sure your leaven is bubbly, light and at peak performance. This is crucial when you are making bread. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. You can mix it by hand or in a stand mixer. You can knead the dough for a bit if you like, but it is not necessary. Let the dough rest, covered with a wet towel and bowl, at room temperature, for 4-10 hours.

Step 2: Roll out dough slightly larger than a 12" x 18" baking sheet. Pour EVOO in pan and then place dough in pan, then flip once so the other side is oiled. Press dough into edges of pan. Sprinkle with seasonings and cheese. Cut with pizza cutter into 16 bread sticks, 2 long and 8 wide. Cover and let rise until fluffy and nearly double in size.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Naturally Leavened Pitas

Another wonderful recipe I learned from the Natural Leavening Class I attended! These pitas are delicious and puff effortlessly...they are perfect for sandwiches.

Naturally Leavened Dr. Dough Master Recipe
1/3 cup (80 g) natural leaven
1 1/3 cups (313 g) water
1 1/2 t (8 g) salt
4 cups (475 g) whole grain flour

Instructions for Naturally Leavened Pitas
Step 1: Make your leavening the night before. In the morning, check to make sure your leaven is bubbly, light and at peak performance. This is crucial when you are making bread. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. You can mix it by hand or in a stand mixer. You can knead the dough for a bit if you like, but it is not necessary. Let the dough rest, covered with a wet towel and bowl, at room temperature, for 4-10 hours.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 550 degrees. Divide dough into 8 sections for small pitas. (You can make whatever size you like...this is just what I prefer.) Flatten the dough with a rolling pin to about 3/16" thick rounds.

Step 3: Bake on a preheated stone in oven for 3-5 minutes until the dough puffs for a minute. Remove and cool. Make sure not to stack them until completely cool. Keeps well in freezer. I like to make veggie hummus sandwiches with these. My children love them with a little honey.

Naturally Leavened Old World Loaf Bread

I have had so much fun learning about Natural Leavening and making my own bread. To learn more, see my Natural Leavening post. I learned this amazing recipe from "Dr. Dough" when I went to one of his classes on natural leavening. It is a simple recipe for bread, with only four ingredients. I have listed the grams measurement as well, because it is so much easier to make this with a kitchen scale. (Learned that from Dr. Dough as well...the bread comes out perfect!) Once you have made this "master recipe" for 2 lbs of dough, you can use it to make many other things as well.

Naturally Leavened Dr. Dough Master Recipe
1/3 cup (80 g) natural leaven
1 1/3 cups (313 g) water
1 1/2 t (8 g) salt
4 cups (475 g) whole grain flour

Instructions for Naturally Leavened Old World Loaf Bread
Step 1: Make your leavening the night before. In the morning, check to make sure your leaven is bubbly, light and at peak performance. This is crucial when you are making bread. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. You can mix it by hand or in a stand mixer. You can knead the dough for a bit if you like, but it is not necessary. Let the dough rest, covered with a wet towel and bowl, at room temperature, for 4-10 hours.

Step 2: Form the bread into a round loaf and place seam side up in a 6" bowl. Cover once more with warm, wet towel and a bowl as a lid and let rise until double in size.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place dough on preheated stone seam side down and gently slash the top of the bread with a sharp knife. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy warm bread! (You can store sliced bread in freezer. Simply remove from freezer and place in toaster.) Delicious dipped in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.)

Raw Brownies with Raw Chocolate Frosting

 I have been exploring the "raw" world of cuisine! It has been fun to read all the many things that can be made raw! Never thought I would be making a raw brownie recipe, but yes it is delicious, rich, decadent and amazingly RAW!!  This recipe is adapted from The Rawtarian. 

Raw Brownies

1 cup raw walnuts

1/3 cup raw cacao powder

1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 t Himalayan salt

1 T raw agave

1 cup dates

Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until they are finely ground.  Add the cacao, coconut, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the agave and dates and slowly pulse until the mixture is combined well. Press mixture into a glass 8x8 pan. 

Raw Chocolate Frosting

1 cup dates

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup raw cacao powder

1/8 t cinnamon

pinch salt

Place all ingredients in Vitamix. Blend WELL until super smooth. Scoop mixture out of blender with a spatula and spread onto the brownie mixture. Cover and place in the freezer for about an hour.  This makes it easier to cut. Remove from freezer, cut and serve!

"Cheesy" Popcorn

I have ALWAYS LOVED POPCORN! Ever since I can remember, my dad would make hot air popped popcorn with lots of butter and salt and we would eat it together!  Now I share this love with my own family.  We make popcorn at least once a week. It is the perfect snack for a movie night or if you need to ease a few food cravings! We make many versions, here is one of our favorites, made with nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is full of protein and vitamins, especially B vitamins. It has a strong cheesy flavor which perfectly compliments popcorn!

"Cheesy" Popcorn

1/2 cup organic popcorn kernels

1-2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T nutritional yeast

Himalayan salt to taste

This makes enough for one large bowl. Place the kernels in a hot air popcorn popper. Once the kernels have popped, drizzle half the olive oil on the popcorn and sprinkle half the nutritional yeast over the kernels. Add a sprinkling of salt and then mix the popcorn with a large spoon. Repeat with the remaining oil, nutritional yeast and salt. 

White Bean Chili

This is a super simple soup to put together. It is another one that uses a lot of pantry items and does not need a lot of cooking. I like mine with just chopped avocado on top, but you could also add shredded rotisserie chicken and sour cream if you like. 

White Bean Chili
1 T EVOO
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 celery spears, chopped (including leafy tops)
1/2 t oregano

1 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t salt
pinch pepper
1 can (4 oz) diced chiles

1 can (14 oz) Cannellini beans (brand with no sugar added)
1 can organic corn
1 cup green verde salsa
1 T Homemade Vegetable Broth Powder

3 cups water

Optional toppings: chopped avocado, sour cream, shredded rotisserie chicken

Heat oil in large pot. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add celery and spices and cook while you open the other cans. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until flavors combine. Serve with desired toppings.  

Gingersnap Cookies

My children LOVED these!  They are very rich and decadent.  We put half the batch in the freezer to take out whenever we need a little treat! This recipe is adapted from my friend Orva at Greener Eating. Now I just need to experiment making them with Natural Leavening!!

 Gingersnap Cookies
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 cup coconut sugar
1 small container Gerber baby prunes (6 T)
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 T water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add sugar, prunes, molasses and water in another bowl. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix well. It is a very messy batter and you can put in the fridge for a bit to make it easier to work with. We did not want to wait so we scooped 1 T balls with a cookie scooper and then carefully smashed them down with our hands on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a dusting of coconut sugar and bake for 10 minutes. They are delicious alone or served with our favorite Whipped "Coconut" Cream! Enjoy!

Broccoli Cauliflower Quiche

 We do not eat eggs much, but occasionally I will buy some organic, free-range eggs and make a special dinner. This was one of those nights and my children and husband all loved this quiche. Another fun thing...this is made with a potato crust so it is gluten free! 

Broccoli Cauliflower Quiche

(Crust)

3 cups hash browns (make your own or use frozen)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 egg

1/2 t salt

pinch pepper

(Filling)

2 cups broccoli, finely chopped

2 cups cauliflower, finely chopped

12 eggs

2 T rice milk

1/4 t garlic salt

1/4 t onion powder

1 t Italian seasoning

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4  c Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray olive oil in a large casserole dish. Combine all ingredients for crust and press into bottom of dish. Bake until browned, approximately 40 minutes. 

When crust is done, fill with broccoli and cauliflower.  Mix eggs, rice milk and seasonings in separate bowl and pour over veggies.  Top with Parmesan cheese if desired and bake until center is set, approximately 50 minutes. 

RAW Apple Tartlets

This tart recipe is adapted from one of Matt Amsden's in his book RAWvolution. He does an amazing job with desserts! I took his large apple tart recipe and adapted it to make small bitesized tarts.  Next time I will definitely be using small ramekins to put them in, but the paper muffin liners worked good enough.

Raw Apple Tartlets
(crust)
2 cups raw almonds
1/3 cup raw agave
(filling)
2 large, crisp apples
2 T raw agave
2 T sprouted ground flax (I use Sprout Revolution brand)
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch allspice
1/4 cup raisins
To make the crust, finely ground the almonds in a food processor. Add agave and pulse until it combines well. Press mixture into ramekins or paper muffin liners.

For filling, core and chop apples. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Scoop mixture into the crust and serve. I made approximately 20 tarts in the muffin tins.

Mindy's Green Lemonade

I will drink this juice for breakfast quite often.  It gives me tons of energy and is very filling. I also drink this whenever I do a juice fast. This recipe was inspired by the green juice from Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. I have found that if you put half a lemon with any "greens" you are juicing that it is sublime! 

Mindy's Green Lemonade

1/2 head Romaine lettuce

3 stalks kale 

3 celery spears

handful parsley

1 cucumber

1 lemon (or 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime)

1" cube ginger

1 Granny Smith apple (2 if you want it more sweet)

Juice all the veggies and fruit in a juicer and drink up. It is as simple as that. You have a green drink that is packed full of nutrition! 

Veggie Spring Rolls with Coconut Peanut Dip

I love veggie spring rolls, but have been unable to find a good sauce to go with them that wasn't loaded with sugar...so I decided to make my own.  It turned out amazing...the perfect amount of sweet and spice for me (who likes a lot) and my husband (who cannot handle much!) My hubby actually said this was one of his favorite dinners...YAY! I know the secret is the coconut peanut dip...so try it!

Coconut Peanut Dip

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1 T fresh lime juice

2 T raw honey

1/2 T Bragg liquid aminos

1 t minced garlic

1 t minced ginger

1/2 t crushed red pepper

Combine everything in a Vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy. Makes approximately 1 cup.

Veggie Spring Rolls 

Rice paper wrappers

veggies of choice...julienned or chopped

  You can get rice paper wrappers from any Asian market. I like the 8" size because they are easier to work with.  

Assemble your fillings...I used baby carrots, cabbage, red peppers, clover sprouts, cilantro, avocado, and lime wedges to squeeze over the veggies. (Other ideas...cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, green onion, fresh herbs, etc.)

Get a large bowl and fill it with warm water. Place the rice wrapper inside the water until soft and pliable, about 20 seconds.

Next place your fillings on the rice wrapper.  

Fold over the sides and bottom of the wrapper and then roll it up tightly.

You can cut them in half for a beautiful presentation or eat whole! 

DIP AWAY!!

Pumpkin Chili

The weather is starting to get chilly...the perfect time to start making soup! This recipe was inspired by Unconventional Kitchen. It is fairly simple, with many ingredients coming from your pantry.

Pumpkin Chili

1 T EVOO

1 onion, chopped

2 t minced garlic

2 large carrots, chopped

3 celery spears, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder

1 t paprika

1/4 t nutmeg

1/2 t coriander

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t pepper

1 t salt (or to taste)

1 T Homemade Vegetable Broth Powder

4 cups water

2 cups plain pumpkin puree

1 can (14 oz) black beans

1 can (14 oz) pinto beans

1 can (14 oz) Italian diced tomatoes (brand with no sugar)

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

Toppings: chopped cilantro, raw pumpkin seeds, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream

Heal oil in large pot. Next I chopped all the veggies in my food processor. This makes the veggies small and uniform and makes the chopping process super quick. I did this with the onions, carrots, celery, and bell pepper in batches. When the pot is hot, add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add remaining fresh veggies and seasonings. Saute this while you open your cans. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to a rolling boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or until soup has thickened. Delicious as is or garnished with desired toppings. 

Homemade Vegetable Broth Powder

It can be hard to find a good vegetable broth with no MSG, added sugar, or tons of extra sodium. I went searching for how to make my own version. This recipe is adapted from one in the book Traci's Transformational Health Principles. 

1 cup nutritional yeast

2 T Himalayan salt

1 T onion powder

1/2 T parsley

1/2 T turmeric

1 t dill weed

1 t marjoram

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t celery seed

1/2 t basil

1/2 t thyme

1/2 t sage

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t rosemary

Add everything in your blender and combine. Store powder in a glass container and use whenever you need vegetable broth.  Use 1 T for every 3-4 cups of water, depending on how strong you want it!

Peach Kiwi Tartlets

 I adore fresh peaches! A lady in my neighborhood let us pick some fresh peaches from her tree so of course I had to make a fresh peach dessert! This turned out utterly amazing!!  This recipe was inspired by Matt Amsden's peach pie in his book RAWvolution. The almond crust is simply to-die-for and tastes like almond candy to me! I added some of our favorite Whipped "Coconut" Cream on top for the children to enjoy!

Peach Kiwi Tartlets

(crust)

1 cups raw almonds

2 1/2 T raw agave

(filling)

2 peaches, chopped

2 kiwis, peeled and chopped

1 T raw agave

1 T lemon juice

pinch nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

To make the crust, finely ground the almonds in a food processor. Add agave and pulse until it combines well. Press mixture into ramekins or paper muffin liners. 

Add all ingredients for filling and mix well. Scoop onto crust and serve. For added decadence, top with whipped coconut cream. (Link to the recipe above.) Makes 12 tarts.

Naturally Leavened Fruity Muffins

To learn more, see my Natural Leavening post. This recipe was adapted from Amy's Blue Berry Muffins. I have tried many versions of this original recipe and this is my favorite adaption. It is nearly identical to my pancake and waffle recipe, except I use 1 T less oil and 1 T more coconut sugar. This recipe enables my children to make whatever kind of muffins they want just by switching the fruit on top!

Naturally Leavened Fruity Muffins 

1 chia seed egg replacer

2 cups natural leavening 

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t Himalayan salt

2 T sprouted ground flax (one of my favorite products)

3 T coconut sugar

1 T coconut oil (plus more to oil pan)

1/4 cup almond milk
fruit of choice
(we have used chopped apples, blueberries, raspberries,
chopped strawberries, and blackberries with success)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the water and chia seed together as an egg replacer and let set for about 10 minutes. Add natural leavening to Vitamix along with all remaining ingredients except fruit. When chia seeds have soaked long enough, add this to the mixture and blend, using the stir stick to mix thoroughly. I use my favorite 4 T Stainless Steel Scoop to scoop mixture into a well-oiled muffin tin. (I cannot reiterate this enough-you must smother the pan in coconut oil or the muffins will stick!! Also, paper liners DO NOT work with this recipe!)

Top the muffin batter with the fruit of your choice and bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned on top. I have found the fruits with more water need a little longer cooking time. Cool slightly and serve. My children LOVE making their own fruit concoctions on top of the muffins. You can put a lot of fruit or a little...definitely make it fun and try some new combinations. You can even make them plain with no fruit, additionally sweetened with a 1/4 t of coconut sugar on top! My children love them!! We eat them with a green smoothie in the morning!  And another cool thing about them....no crumbs!!