Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

This is the time of the year when I start getting summer squash weekly in my CSA share.  One fun way of enjoying some of the squash is to hide it in delicious & healthy chocolate muffins.

I use this Oil-Free Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Muffin recipe and make it with or without the nuts.  Either way the muffins are delicious and we find them plenty moist - not needing any margarine to enjoy.   Adults & kids alike enjoy them for breakfast or dessert.

My yield on this recipe is 18 muffins.

Chipolte Pasta

http://www.forksoverknives.com/chipotle-pasta/

This Mexican style vegan pasta dish is easy to make, healthy, and a hit with the entire family.  Well, the little one doesn't love the sauce, so I prepare him a dish with everything mixed together (pasta, beans, corn, tomatoes) just before I add the sauce.

I can put together this dinner fairly quickly because I have all these ingredients on hand in my pantry.   However, I remember back to my early months cooking vegan and had no idea what miso was much less where to find it (and neither did most of the grocery store employees I enlisted to help me find it).  I'm happy to report, three years later, I see miso everywhere!   I've found it at Whole Foods, Wegmans, Trader Joes, etc.   Nutritional yeast can also be found in most grocery stores now.  I prefer buying it from the bulk bins at the natural foods grocery stores (for less than $10/lb) for the cost savings.  I store it in a cleaned out empty jelly jar.

A few notes on my prep: In the summer, when tomatoes are in season here in Maryland, I use fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Otherwise, I use one can of (drained) diced tomatoes.  Also, I use an entire 12oz. package of pasta.

Happy Birthday!

My husband and I recently celebrated a monumental birthday.  I was excited to have an occasion to try a recipe for a healthy cake that everyone would enjoy.  I think I found one (let's just say my husband helped himself to more than a couple pieces...)

Chocolate-Orange Cake
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/12/chocolate-orange-cake.html

Here's the cake, 10 mins. out of the oven

I made the cake at night, after the kids were in bed, and let it cool overnight.

The next evening, after dinner, I made the glaze, right before serving.   The only tweak I made to the recipe was to use more orange juice when making the icing - especially the orange icing.  2 teaspoons of orange juice seems like the minimum needed.

The finished product - ready to serve!

I love that this yummy cake is less than 200 calories per serving, with just 1 gram of fat!    

Delicious homemade soup - allergen free!

I found this recipe in a magazine from the health food store.  The total time to make this soup is nearly an hour... but it's worth it.  A very healthy and delicious soup the entire family can enjoy.  

Jasmine Rice Soup with Cannellini and Rosemary
http://deliciousliving.com/recipes/jasmine-rice-soup-cannellini-and-rosemary

A few notes on this recipe.  I omit the olive oil and cook the onions in a thin layer of water (a fat free cooking tip!)   The half teaspoon of red pepper flakes called for gives the soup a bit of heat.  If your little ones are sensitive to this, you might want to omit or just use a quarter teaspoon.

Great Northern Beans make an excellent substitution for the Cannellini beans if you find those in your pantry instead.

I like to make a loaf of homemade bread while the soup is cooking and serve it with the soup for dinner.

It's blackberry picking time!

I took my boys blackberry picking today at a local pick-your-own farm.   We had fun picking & tasting the berries and brought home over 4lbs of berries.  Then the challenge came - what to do with all these berries?!?   I searched around until I found a recipe that called for 2lbs of fruit and adapted it for our use.   It turned out delicious!!!  I really had to hold myself back from eating 1/2 the pan!

Low-Fat Plum Cobbler
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/06/low-fat-plum-cobbler.html

I substituted the blackberries for the plums in the recipe.
I don't buy soy yogurt but do have 6oz containers of So Delicious Blueberry Greek Cultured Coconut Milk, so I substituted with that.
I substituted 1 Tbsp of Truvia Baking Blend for the stevia in the recipe.   I also sprinkled just a pinch of this over the raw berries before I spread the batter on top.

The end result was a delicious & healthy dessert.   The only downside with substituting berries for the plums is that berries release a lot of liquid while being cooked, so the baking pan had quite a bit of delicious warm berry juice in it.  Next time I may try adding a mixture of liquid & corn starch to the berries (before the batter is spread on top) to thicken that up.  Or maybe I'll just pour all that berry juice over my frozen yogurt and eat it that way!

Got summer squash? How about some enchiladas?

Many weeks in the summer, our CSA gives us a bag of summer squash.   I found a recipe that we all love (and I've served it with success to guests as well) that uses whatever type of summer squash our CSA gives us.

Black Bean and Summer Squash Enchiladas
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/05/black-bean-summer-squash-enchiladas.html

I will admit that I have trouble with corn tortillas.  Maybe I just haven't found the right kind yet... but mine always split.  In fact, I think next time I'm going to try to alter the recipe a bit and just do layers (tortilla, squash/bean mix, tortilla) like a lasagna.  Even though this dish never looks pretty when I make it, it still tastes delicious!

A cherry twist on banana bread

I have to admit, I love cherries.  If you do too, here's another cherry recipe for you.

Cherry Banana Bread
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/04/cherry-walnut-banana-bread.html
I have not made this bread with the walnuts listed in the original recipe since we're trying to keep things really low fat.  I have baked this recipe as mini loaves and as muffins.  I love her tip of letting the bread cool completely overnight to make it more moist.   I found the mini loaves to be more moist but the muffins almost as good, and more convenient (we always seem to be in a hurry!)   Remember, if you bake the bread in these smaller sizes, you need to adjust your baking time.  Start checking the muffins after 18 mins and the mini loaves after about 22 mins.   My yield on this recipe is 18 muffins or 4 mini loaves.

My quick baking tip for applesauce - use the kid snack sized cups of unsweetened applesauce instead of trying to measure it out.  They're roughly equivalent to 1/2 cup or 4oz.

Frugal and tasty vegan slow cooker soup

Our lives are very hectic so I'm always happy when I find a slow cooker recipe that the entire family enjoys. I love being able to make dinner when I have time early in the day, stick it in the slow cooker, and come home at dinnertime to a hot, homemade dinner!

Lentil & Black Bean Soup
http://penniesandpancakes.blogspot.com/2013/03/slow-cooker-lentil-black-bean-soup-023.html
I love that this recipe uses ingredients I almost always have on hand at home, the prep is simple & straightforward, and the cost per serving is approx. 25 cents!

You can see from the Nutrition Facts here that is a very low calorie &  high protein meal.

I adapted the original recipe just a bit...


INGREDIENTS
8oz (1/2 of a 1 lb. bag) dry lentils
1 can black beans
1 medium onions (finely diced)
2 large carrots (finely chopped)
1 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
5 cups HOT water

3/4 Tbsp salt (to taste)*
1/2 tsp. black pepper (to taste)*

*Added at the end of cooking

DIRECTIONS
Rinse lentils and black beans. Discard any small pebbles or bad beans. Put them in the slow cooker. Add the diced onions, chopped carrots, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, chili powder, parsley, and HOT water to the slow cooker.

Cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. No peeking, no stirring.

Remove the lid, and add the salt and pepper to taste. Scoop out  3-4 cups of the soup into a blender and puree and then pour it back into the slow cooker and stir.  This soup is very thick ... almost like chili, and tastes great by itself, over rice, served with tortilla chips, or with cornbread.

Store in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 4 months.

Pumpkin muffins or bread

I am still working my way through the large supply of organic pumpkin cans I stocked up on a couple months ago.   We've been enjoying a lot of pumpkin muffins and sometimes pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin Spice Bread
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/pumpkin-spice-bread.html
This pumpkin spice bread is very delicious and can be made with fat for those that don't love fat free baking... or without fat it's still very delicious.  This recipe is higher in sugar than others I use, so I only make it occasionally.   I use white whole wheat flour in this recipe and it turns out perfectly.
Click here for the nutrition facts for this recipe made into 18 fat free muffins.

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
http://www.nutritionmd.org/recipes/view.html?recipe_id=547
The yield for me on this recipe was much higher than listed.  I got 18 muffins and one mini loaf of bread out of this... and they were gobbled up quickly.   I ran low on raisins so I substituted dried cranberries instead.

Tip: When a recipe calls for you to only use part of a canned good, such as this recipe where you have part of a can of pumpkin left over, simply put the remainder in a Ziploc freezer bag, mark the bag with the contents and freeze it for later use.   One week I made these muffins and then froze the remaining pumpkin. The following week I took that out of the freezer and used it to thicken a stew I was making!
 

Is it soup or stew?

This recipe is called soup, but my boys argued it should be called stew because it's so thick.    Either way, the entire family enjoyed this one and it's pretty easy to make from the pantry.    I would suggest going really easy on the Chipotle chili powder and skipping the hot sauce when making it for the 1st time for the family... or until you figure out how much heat they can handle.

Smoky Refried Bean Soup
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/03/smoky-refried-bean-soup.html
I make a few substitutions - I use a drained can of corn instead of the frozen corn and whatever pepper I have on hand (yesterday it was red pepper).
We enjoy ours with tortilla chips crumbled on top.

Healthy & Tasty Shamrock Shake

It's March so that means my favorite (since childhood) item is back on the McDonalds menu - the Shamrock Shake.  Unfortunately, with ingredients like corn syrup and artificial flavors & colors... it's really not a healthy choice at all.    I've been experimenting at home with some healthy mint shake recipes and have found that they're super easy to make and quite tasty too.     The secret ingredient it make the shake beautifully green & healthy is.... spinach!     My son remarked tonight how amazed he is that I can put ingredients he doesn't like into the blender and turn it into something he really likes!

The recipe I'm recommending to you I adapted from a recipe from One Green Planet.   If you are not vegan and consume dairy - you could get a very yummy shake by substituting regular milk & vanilla greek yogurt in this recipe.

Mint Chocolate Chip Shake
Ingredients

• 1½ cups nondairy milk of choice (for nut-free, use hemp or coconut milk)
• 6oz cup of So Delicious Chocolate Greek Style Cultured Coconut Milk
• 1 medium, very ripe banana, peeled and frozen overnight
• 2 big handfuls fresh spinach leaves
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 to 2 pitted dates (or 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice)
• 1 heaping tablespoon cacao nibs

Instructions

1. Combine the milk, greek yogurt, banana, spinach, dates, peppermint extract, cacao nibs in a high-­speed blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve immediately.

Pre-blending

Minutes later - ready to drink!

What's your smoothie recipe?

I often get asked for my smoothie recipe.  The problem is... there is no recipe!  I just use whatever I have on hand in my fridge/freezer!

This is what my blender looked like before I turned it on this morning

I start with enough liquid to cover the blades - usually Silk Fruit + Protein or fruit juice... but you can use water too.   Then I like to cover the liquid with a thin layer of chia seeds (you can get a big bag of these at Costco now).   Next I add a green - either kale or spinach.  Then the fun part - add a few extra fruits and veggies.  Today I added half a carrot, an entire orange (I used the knife to peel off the outer skin), some frozen cherries, and half a frozen banana.  I almost always add at least half a frozen banana for delicious natural sweetness.    I always recommend using a deep colored berry/cherry (raspberries are my favorite) especially if the green is a bit tough/bitter like kale.     I either stock up on organic frozen berries when they're on BOGO sale at the grocery store or buy the big 3lb bag of organic mixed berries at BJs for $9.99.

My smallest customer enjoying his smoothie and an apple for breakfast

I should note that usually my smoothies are not pretty.   When you blend bright greens with deep colored berries, the result is usually brown.   But don't let your eyes fool you - the result is delicious and so healthy too!

My latest breakfast obsession

I've recently gotten into making overnight oats in the slow cooker.   I put all the ingredients in before I go to bed at night and by the time my earliest riser wakes up in the morning, hot breakfast is ready and I can still snooze away in bed while they help themselves to a delicious, hot & healthy breakfast.  

I've tried a few recipes so far, but this, by far, is my favorite one I've found.
Slow Cooker Cherry Almond Oatmeal
http://www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Cherry_Almond_Oatmeal

I omit the butter/fat in this recipe and use applesauce (instead of shredded apple) for simplicity    It's basically impossible to limit myself to one serving with this one... it's soooo tasty!  Reminds me of a cherry pastry.    I even cut back on the brown sugar to 1 Tbsp and it still tasted great.  The dried cherries already provide a lot of sweetness.   I think next time I'll try omitting the sugar and see how it turns out.

Easy Homemade Black Bean Burgers

We've always enjoyed black bean burgers - but the frozen ones I buy at the store have some additives that aren't too healthy and others that add fat.   I found an easy recipe that everyone enjoys for homemade black bean burgers.  I like to enjoy mine with a thin layer of guacamole on top, some fresh spinach leaves, and a thin pickle slice inside of a sandwich thin.  I serve them with Kevin's favorite potatoes.

Black Bean Burgers
http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/quick-black-bean-burger/
As you can see, I bake them on a Silpat mat.  It makes flipping them and removing them when finished stress free.   I didn't have any instant oatmeal at home, so I just whisked some regular oats in the Vitamix to make it more similar to instant oatmeal.

Burgers - pre-baking (they look very similar baked as well)

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This one is way too popular in our household.  The entire thing disappears in less than 24 hours and there's even some fighting about the last piece!  Guess I need to double the recipe for this growing family!

Blueberry Breakfast Cake
http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/blueberry-coffee-cake/
The last time I made it, I only had fresh blueberries in the house, so that's what I used.  It still turned out great.
I've been sprinkling the top with a cinnamon & sugar mix.  I haven't tried her recommendation of brown sugar yet.  Let me know if you do!

Chocolate Deliciousness

We all love chocolate.   I am so excited to have found some healthy vegan chocolate desserts that the entire family loves.

Two-Bite Banana Brownies
http://lowfatveganchef.com/vegan-valentines-day-dessert-two-bite-banana-brownies/
My pickiest eater will never eat a banana, but he couldn't stop popping these in his mouth - so this recipe is definitely a winner.   I'm going to need to get a few extra mini muffin pans so I can double or triple the recipe - these didn't last long in our house!  

I used White Whole Wheat flour and ground flax seed because that's what I had on hand.    I didn't need to spray my Pampered Chef mini muffin pan as it's already non-stick.


Double Chocolate Cupcakes
http://www.forksoverknives.com/double-chocolate-cupcakes/
I was happy to have a cupcake recipe that we all can enjoy.   They were enjoyed with or without the frosting.   I knew this one was a winner when my oldest son wrote "these are yummy" on the recipe!

Healthy Homemade Baked Beans

We had this for dinner last night.  It was delicious!   This recipe makes a lot, so we enjoyed the beans for leftovers again today for lunch.

Smoky Apple Baked Beans
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2013/02/smoky-apple-baked-beans.html
I was not sure at first if I was going to recommend this dish here (since I'm trying to only post recipes the entire family enjoys).   My boys ate it without complaining, but needed to drink a lot of water since it had a kick to it.  I did make one substitution when I prepared it... I used Cayenne Red Pepper powder instead of the Chipotle Pepper powder called for in the recipe because that's what I had on hand.    Today I looked up the difference and found out that Cayenne is almost 3x as hot as Chipotle!   So I think I'm going to have to buy some Chipotle powder or only use a pinch of Cayenne as a substitution next time (not a 1:1 substitution) to make it more kid friendly.

I served these beans over the collard greens I'd made the night before along with some herb bread to make it a complete meal.  

Black Bean Soup

I have found a couple of great tasting black bean soup recipes from the forksoverknives.com site. 

Mexican Black Bean and Corn Soup
I've used regular tomatoes and salt and bottled lime juice and it turns out great.
http://www.forksoverknives.com/mexican-black-bean-corn-soup/

Black Bean and Salsa Soup
This recipe is so quick, simple, & delicious!
Be sure to use a good quality salsa.   I omit the extra hot sauce as the salsa I use is spicy enough.  I have been using canned no salt added corn (drained) for convenience.
http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/salsa-soup/

Mexican Chowder
Finally, this one isn't a traditional black bean soup... but rather a Mexican chowder, but also really tasty.   Again, for convenience, I use bottled lime juice. 
http://www.forksoverknives.com/mexican-chowder/

Low Fat Apple Swirl Loaf

This vegan treat can be made wheat free by using spelt flour.   Spelt flour is expensive (over $2/lb) but it works well.   I omit the oil in this recipe and it turns out great.  

We've eaten this for a dessert or along with breakfast.
http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/recipes/recipe-low-fat-apple-swirl-loaf/

Pumpkin Lentil Curry with Apples

This is easy to make and is quite tasty... and even better the next day as leftovers.

Pumpkin Lentil Curry with Apples
http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/recipe-pumpkin-lentil-curry-with-apples/

I've only made it once so far, but plan to make it more often as my local natural foods market recently had cans of organic pumpkin on a 75% off markdown so I stocked up!

Remember as your gathering your ingredients together to start a batch of brown rice (or other grain of your choice) in your rice cooker before you start making this dish.... so both will be done & ready at the same time!