2 MINUTE FLAX SEED BREAKFAST MUFFIN

serve with Nature's Balance

a good heart healthy muffin

This recipe # 1 was given to me as such:

1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sweetener
1 egg
1 tsp. oil
1/4 cup blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

Measure all ingredients into a coffee cup.

raw ingredients in the coffee cup

Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds.  Remove all from the cup, cut in half and serve plain, with a topping...butter, cream cheese, etc.

rises nicely after 1 min and 30 seconds

recipe #2

I plan on playing with this one BUT here's my first with implemented changes:

1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. agave nectar
1 egg (or egg replacer)
1 tsp. oil
1/3 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp. almond milk
1 Tbsp. crushed pecans
1 Tbsp. chopped dates

DIRECTIONS:

Same as above.  Mix all together in a mug.  Microwave individually for 1 minute and 50 seconds.

My next one will include carrots, raisins and pecans, perhaps with my vegan pine nut icing?  ... A mini carrot cake, of sorts!  Oatmeal can also be substituted for the flax seeds.

Stay tuned...

This is a great recipe to make in assembly

line fashion.  Just line up those cups!

THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE MARTINI

A good friend, Mark, has perfected the perfect chocolate martini:

a frosted glass swirled with Hershey's

chocolate syrup

THE THREE NECESSARY LIQUORS:

vanilla Absolut

Kahlua

Godiva (to die for)

DIRECTIONS:

Place the glasses in the freezer for about 1/2 hour or lightly frosted.  Remove and swirl the sides with the Hershey's chocolate sauce.

glass precariously perched in the freezer

(careful, they've been known to tumble out)

swirled frozen glass

Meanwhile combine the three liquors in equal amounts, depending on how many drinks you're making. 

When ready to serve, add the liquors to a shaker with ice.  SHAKE VIGOROUSLY?  (this will create froth as well as small ice chips that are delightful in this drink)

Pour immediately into the prepared glass and serve.

great froth and ice chips

ENJOY! then have another



STUFFED PORTOBELLOS

baked to perfection

INGREDIENTS:

9 medium portobello mushrooms, scrape out underside for stuffing
2 tbsp. oil
1 large onion, diced
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
3 vegetarian sausage links, cut in small pieces
1 tbsp. pesto sauce
1 cup Pepperidge Farm stuffing
1/2 round of mozzarella cheese, diced small
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 jar marinara sauce


DIRECTIONS:

Put mushrooms on baking pan, rounded side up.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove and set aside for stuffing.

Meanwhile sauté the onions in the olive oil, after about 3 minutes.  Add the eggplant and cook both together.  Cook till soft.

Add the sausage pieces, pesto, dry stuffing, salt and pepper, stir and cook till sausage starts to brown.

Stir in cheese.

Stuff the mushrooms.  Spoon the marinara generously over the stuffing.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

GRILLED EGGPLANT SANDWICH

grilled eggplant sandwich

serve on a toasted whole wheat roll

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole eggplant, peel lengthwise, every other row (creates stripes)
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced thin
1 medium red onion
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 yellow pepper pepper, cut into strips
Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
1/4 cup pesto sauce
Whole wheat rolls, grilled till toasted
Vegenaise


DIRECTIONS:

Salt the eggplant and let it sit in a strainer for 30 minutes.  Wipe these slices off and put them into a bowl and baste both sides with the pesto sauce.   Cook these on a medium heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, turning once.

I prefer the George Forman electric grill

grilled eggplant n' pesto

Meanwhile sauté tog. The onion and peppers, till soft. Salt and pepper.

I buy peppers in bulk at Costco, cut into strips

and freeze for last minute meal planning.

sliced fresh mozzarella cheese and sauteed onions and peppers

Spread the roll with Vegenaise, lightly on both sides.  Layer on the eggplant, fresh mozzarella and onions and peppers.

RAW BERRY ICE CREAM

YUM

INGREDIENTS:

2 frozen bananas
1 cup frozen berries (I used blueberries)
3/4 cup almond milk

DIRECTIONS:

Put all into a high speed mixer and whip.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH W/ BALSAMIC

 

ready to serve

roasted butternut squash

 

the nutritional benefits of butternut squash:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/111690-butternut-squash-nutrition/



Found this one on line and was totally surprised at how simple could be so delicious.  The already peeled and chopped squash cubes are available at Costco in a 2 lb. package.  This would be great at a holiday meal.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. butternut squash cubes (about 6 cups)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T + 1 tsp. best quality balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fine dried rosemary
sea salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the olive oil, 1 T balsamic vinegar, and rosemary, then toss squash cubes with the mixture.

 

toss with oil, vinegar and rosemary

Arrange the squash on a cookie sheet or dish large enough to hold it in a single layer.

 

roast in single layer on baking sheet

Roast 20 minutes, then turn squash and roast about 20 minutes more, or until squash is very soft and starting to get slightly caramelized.

Remove from oven and toss squash with additional 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and pepper. You can mash slightly if you want, but I keep mine rather chunky. Serve hot.

SITE OFFERS RECIPES BASED ON YOUR GROCERIES

I have just discovered a site, that provides you with recipes based on the availability of food in your frig and pantry.

Two options are offered, a Quick Find, using a very short check list or the Detailed Search, using a much longer list.

Using one of these lists, you click on the ingredients you have in your frig and / or pantry and the program selects a recipe for you.

This program has several nice features:

After registering, it allows you to save your list of available foods.
The program has a category selection that enables the user to further reduce the area of the search, ie. vegetarian, etc.
Each recipe listed tells you what ingredient you are missing as well as time, calories, carbs, fat, protein, and yield.

The only question I have centers on the quality of the recipes.  Still undetermined for me, since they are reader submitted.  I definitely think this sounds like fun and would come in handy for some last minute meals.

Check out this site, give it a try:

http://www.myfridgefood.com/

CARROT SOUP WITH HONEY AND NUTMEG

perfect time of year for this root vegetable soup

made in the crock pot

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup veggie stock

2 medium size yellow onions, chopped

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 lbs. carrots (about 15 medium-sized), peeled and chopped

2 small cloves garlic, pressed

1/2 tsp. each dried thyme and marjoram

4 to 6 cups veggie broth

2 Tbsp. honey (I use agave nectar)

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

all the ingredients in the crock pot before cooking

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the veggie broth in skillet and saute the onions with a bit of salt until soft.

Put the potatoes, carrots, garlic, herbs, honey, nutmeg and salt and pepper in the slow cooker.  Add the onions.  Add enough of the broth to cover everything.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

Turn the cooker to LOW and cook for 5 to 7 hours. 

When finished, puree the vegetables right in the crock with a handheld immersion blender.  The soup will be nice and thick.

Adjust the salt and pepper.



CREAMED SPINACH

chop the steamed, drained fresh spinach

INGREDIENTS:

2 bags fresh baby spinach, steamed, drained and chopped

1 cup raw cashews

2 Tbsp. raw pine nuts

1 1/2 cup water

4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Steam 2 bags of fresh baby spinach.  Strain to remove the water.

steaming fresh spinach

2 bag yield, drain well

Meanwhile in a blender, grind cashews and pine nuts into a fine powder. Add water, lemon juice, garlic, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until completely smooth.

Transfer sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk as you bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes, whisking regularly. Stir in black pepper.

Place the sauce in a large serving bowl and add the chopped spinach.  Mix well.  Add more salt and pepper if necessary.

creamed spinach

lunch for me, consisted of creamed spinach

and brown Jasmine rice



SKIP AND GO NAKED/ drink

easy breezy



INGREDIENTS:

1 can frozen pink lemonade
1 can beer
1 can gin


DIRECTIONS:

Blend all together in the blender on high.  Be in a safe place.  Wear a helmet if necessary.  ENJOY!

NO OIL HOUSE DRESSING

what a good NO OIL dressing from Chef AJ

check out her site:

www.eatunprocessed.com

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup water

4 Tbsp. tahini

6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp. low sodium tamari

4 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

8 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp. date syrup

date syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  You may also use salt-free mustard and/or fresh lime juice.

I used my Vitamix but any blender will do.

makes enough for several days



GARDEN VEGETABLE SAUCE

tonight served on tortellini

with Vegan Parmesan

Necessity the mother of invention/creation?  YES!  Hence this sauce using my garden tomatoes, eggplant, kale, basil, green onions and oregano.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp. veggie broth

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium eggplants, peeled and diced

chopping eggplant

3 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced

2 jars sauce (I use one jar and 2 containers of my frozen crushed garden tomatoes)

4 sprigs of oregano, remove stems and chop

6 to 8 basil leaves, chop

1/2 cup red wine

generous pinch crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

3 cups kale, chopped



DIRECTIONS: 

Add the stock and oil to a saucepan.  Saute the onion with a bit of salt.  After a few minutes add the eggplant and garlic.  Saute till all is nice and tender.

To this mixture add the sauce, oregano, basil, wine and seasonings.  Cook about 45 minutes.

Add the kale, stir in and continue to cook, covered, for at least another 30 minutes.

sauce full of garden goodness

tip:  When using jarred sauce, always rinse out the jar with wine, shake very well, and pour this mixture into your sauce pot.  You get every bit of goodness!



JUNK OUT OF HOSPITAL CAFETERIAS / YEAH

In one of his latest health campaigns, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, of the no-smoking fame, is aiming to banish sugary and fatty foods from both public and private hospitals.  This ban, as I understand, is voluntary.

This cafeteria crackdown will ban deep fryers, make leafy green salads a mandatory option and allow only healthy snacks. At least half of all sandwiches and salads must be made or served with whole grains. (WHY not all???)  

And this ban is controversial???  Critics say Bloomberg is running a "nanny" state.  How hypocritical is it for hospitals to serve unhealthy food to patients and their staff  who are suffering from obesity and other health problems?  Who has ever gone to a new physician only to find that this so-called health professional is obese?  Most often there is little or no discussion of nutrition, a topic that other doctors feel is the key to GOOD health and disease reversal.  When was the last time your doctor advised you to drink your greens?

Is this another half-cocked, unmerited Bloomberg idea?  I think not!  Maybe the next step will be vegetarian???

Read the full story:  http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/3844/20120927/bloomberg-s-latest-plan-will-remove-junk.htm

WARM LEEK SALAD

warm leek salad

I'm not sure why I never posted this amazing recipe.  It was a favorite of mine at The Garden, a lovely off-beat vegetarian restaurant in Red Bank, NJ,  owned and operated by a very talented Turkish man.  Who knew he'd give me the recipe just by simply asking?

INGREDIENTS:

3 bunches leeks, cut horizontally. Using the whites, but these into slices and place them in cool water for 10 minutes to clean out the sand.  The sand will soak to the bottom.

1 bag carrots, slice diagonally

1 red onion

3/4 cup brown rice, cook and set aside

2 tomatoes, dice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large pot over low flame.

Saute onions in the oil, keeping flame low.

red onions add a sweetness to this dish

Add leeks and continue to saute for 5 minutes.

onions and leeks saute together

Add carrots.  Add tomatoes.

Simmer with the lid on until the carrots are tender (25 to 30 minutes).  Test with a fork - if it goes thru easily, it's ready.

Turn off the heat and add the cooked rice.  Stir all together.  Serve warm.

The leftovers can be served warmed up OR cold.  Good either way!

served with my leftover Kofta

STEWED VEGGIES ON RICE

my garden okra and eggplant

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 eggplant, peeled and diced

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes with olive oil and basil

approximately a doz okra, trim and slice

3 sprigs of oregano, remove stems and chop

1 tsp basil (more if none in the tomatoes)

1/2 tsp thyme

salt and pepper

cooked brown rice

DIRECTIONS:

Saute the onion in the olive oil and a bit of salt.

Add the eggplant and saute a few minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook at least 45 minutes.  Delicious served over brown rice.  Even better the next day.

simmering on the stove

the best way to cook rice

I purchased my rice cooker about 10

yrs. ago at an Asian market,

well worth the price