Another simple & healthy Mexican dinner

This recipe is not as low fat as most that I share here.  However, most of the fat comes from whole foods and can be kept even lower if you water saute the peppers & garlic instead of using oil.

I made the recipe exactly as instructed and everyone loved it - including my pickiest eater.  I also love the simple one pan clean up.   This recipe is definitely a keeper!

One Pan Mexican Quinoa
http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

The original recipe blog has great step-by-step instructions with photos... but here is a photo of my finished product - right before serving to my family.

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.

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!

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.

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)

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!

Kevin's favorite potatoes

I apologize for not having a link or a photo for this recipe - it was one we received in an email from our CSA and I've modified a little bit.

These potatoes are delicious and very popular!

Dijon-Herb Roasted Potatoes

about 2lbs potatoes
5 Tbsp dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon)
1 Tbsp olive oil (or omit entirely and just spray pan with cooking spray)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (feel free to substitute some combo of your own making, such as basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage...)

Mix all ingredients except potatoes in a medium bowl. Scrub potatoes (can leave whole if small otherwise cut into bit sized pieces) and then toss with mustard mixture in bowl. Turn them out into a shallow baking sheet and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until potatoes are fork tender, stirring occasionally.

Potatoes pre-baking

Just out of the oven.  Done & ready to eat!

Everyone loves chili mac!

Hearty Chili Mac
https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/plant-based-diets/recipes/hearty-chili-mac
This recipe is super simple to make and I usually have all the ingredients already on hand.
I've served it with success to guests as well.
To make life simple, sometimes I cook the onion & garlic on the stove top and then dump everything in the crock-pot, mix, and then cook on low for a few hours.  

Simple, quick, and healthy curry

Ridiculously Easy Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/04/ridiculously-easy-curried-chickpeas-quinoa.html

I often use this recipe when I have leftover plain quinoa in my fridge and I'm short on time to make dinner.  I never seem to have fresh ginger on hand, so I use 3/4tsp powdered ginger instead.    I rarely have the fire roasted tomatoes at home so I use fresh tomatoes (which taste wonderful!) in the summer or just regular canned & diced tomatoes the rest of the year. 

If you haven't tried curry with your kids before, don't be afraid.  All of my kids love this recipe!

Chocolate muffins... or are they cupcakes?

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins
http://dashingdish.com/recipe/triple-chocolate-chunk-muffins/

These muffins are so yummy that they can be served as dessert!

To make things simple, I just add the chocolate chips at once (in step #3)... I actually think they taste better this way.  

Delicious and simple soup

Provencal Red Lentil Soup
http://www.fatfreevegan.com/pressure/provencal.htm

I had a bunch of leeks and a lot of carrots from our CSA sitting in my vegetable drawer.  I'm so glad I found this recipe.  It was easy to make and tasted delicious (even my pickiest eater loved it!) 

Right before finishing, I scooped out a few cups of the soup (tried not to get too many carrots in there) and pureed it in the blender and then added it back into the pot.  I recommend this step!