Roasted Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

I wish I had taken a picture of this meal.  This is definitely, hands down, one of our FAVS!!  It was soooooo good!!  It took a little more time to make, although I took a walk why the vegetables were roasting, but it was so worth it! 

Roasted Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

Tomatillo Sauce

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husks removed (in my local grocery store they were found by the tomatoes.  They are green and look like a tomatoe but they have a husk. They taste very different than tomatoes so I don't think substituting would work well, although they still would have been good with just salsa on the top, the tomatillo sauce is what made this recipe so delicious)
3 small jalapenos (I used the kind in a jar, but I'm sure fresh would be great.  I happen to like the tang of the jar.)
1 c. chopped cilantro
2/3 cup vegetable broth
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Enchiladas

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
2 medium sized red bell peppers, halved and cut into small wedges or slices
1 large red onion, cut into small wedges
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin (I used a lot more:)
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
12, 6-inch corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (I like cheese so I used a lot more of this too:)

1) To make sauce:  Cook tomatillos in pot of boiling water 3-4 minutes or until soft (like a ripe plum). Drain.
2) Puree jalapenos in food processor.  Add rest of sauce ingredients and process until smooth (I processed until it looked like chunky taco sauce). Set aside.
3) To make enchiladas:  Preheat oven to 400F. Coat roasting pan and 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
4) Toss together squash, peppers, onion, oil, cumin, coriander, and salt in roasting pan.  Bake 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until browned.  Stir in garlic.  Reduce oven to 350.
5) Warm tortillas one by one in large skillet over medium heat.  Spoon 1/2 c vegetables down center of each.  Top with 1 tbsp of cheese (I probably did like 3).  Roll and set seam side down in baking dish.
6) Pour 2 cups sauce over enchiladas.  Bake 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake 10 minutes.
7) Warm remaining sauce in skillet over low heat (I skipped this, I thought the sauce was great just the way it was).  To serve:  Place two enchiladas on each plate and drizzzle with warm tomatillo sauce.

I fed 7 people with one pan but if I would have made two pans they would have all got eaten, so next time I will be making two pans.  This is one of the few things that I have made where, hands down, EVERYONE raved about them!  My daughter generally doesn't care much for squash but she LOVED this recipe!  They've all asked me to make it again soon!

Green Smoothies

This is a recipe that many people have been asking me to post.  This is something we make just about every day in this house, usually as an afternoon snack.  I got this recipe (the basics) from a raw food workshop that I went to but I've changed it up a bit.  It is yummmy and there is not one person in this family that doesn't ask me to make them daily (including Rylee who doesn't eat anything that is green), so here is my version:

Green Smoothie

big handful of spinach
couple leaves of kale, de-stemmed (if you blend with stems it will be stringy)
one banana
one apple, peeled
one pear
two oranges, juiced (I just use a simple hand juicer)
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
1/2-1 inch cube of ginger, chopped up in a couple of pieces
2-4 Tbsp honey
1/2 c-1 c. water
12-15 ice cubes

Blend up in blender until smooth.  Enjoy!!

I'm always fascinated with how my body goes in these cycles of ebbs and flows. I'm pretty in tune with my body and constantly tweak my diet so I give my body what it needs.

I started this blog when I decided to give veganism a try for one month. That month turned into a six month relationship with veganism and for my son it lasted for two years. In that time I learned a lot about what foods make me feel good and what foods don't. My son learned to stick with his convictions towards the food industry- for him it was more about ethics and animal rights. He also learned that his body wasn't getting all that it needed with a vegan diet, especially as an athlete. He was having to take lots of supplements. I personally feel that if you have to fill your body with a bunch of synthetic supplements that you need to change your diet so your body gets what it needs from food. I also decided that there are certain things that I enjoy too much to give up, mainly wine and cheese. Those two things alone give me a lot of pleasure and I want them in my life:) So neither of us are vegan anymore.

The differences that Kev has experienced are amazing! Just adding eggs to his diet has made him stronger, less sick (something he has struggled with for three years), and is taking incredible amounts of time off of his swim races.

Tristan also informed me a few days ago that he is not vegetarian any more. He does not want to search meat out to eat but if someone cooks it for him, mainly when he is at a friend's house, he will eat it. I love that my kids are able to make those decisions for themselves and we honor and support those things the best we can. Being that his dad eats meat he won't have to look far if he really wants it.

Over the last couple of months I've been learning more about diet and nutrition; for me it is an ongoing quest, a sort of passion. My body is once again going through a cycle where it is craving something more. Over the last 15 years of being "vegetarian" about 7 of those years have been pescetarian, meaning I ate seafood during those years. It's been a year here and there, as I really just try and listen to what my body needs. I'm once again feeling like I need to add seafood to my diet (it's been four years since I last ate fish). One of the reasons, having nothing to do with how I feel, is that we are trying to move towards a more self-sustainable lifestyle, at least with the food part. Within a few years I would like to be able to only depend on the grocery store for grains and legumes and an occasional treat. Salmon is a readily available food source for us and extremely easy to get for pennies.

I may change the blog name, we'll see. I don't want to misrepresent. I will still mostly be posting vegan recipes, as vegan dinner meals are still more frequent than vegetarian meals but I want to concentrate on HEALTH! I want to start posting more tidbits on research and share more about general health and I want to post on my slow transformation to self-sustainability. I have always had a hard time with the vegan and raw food culture, mostly because they seem to be so black and white: if you don't eat this way you will die or get cancer! I think there needs to be balance in one's life; it's like Kevin from Alaska Center of Acupuncture said to me this week, "It's about what we eat six days out of the week that matter." You could say it's what you eat most of the time that matters.

So stay tuned! I really want to concentrate on this blog v. my regular one, simply because I have FB to update everyone on my life:)

Portobella Mushroom Bake

These were delicious! The recipe suggests serving them with rice and a side of wilted greens. Kev and I enjoyed them on a bun, as a burger, with slices of avocado. I broiled a little bit of mozarella cheese over mine as well.

Portobella Mushroom Bake

1/2 c. almonds

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. Braggs

1/4-1/2 c. water

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I minced mine)

1 tsp. dried rosemary (I used fresh herbs, yummy!!)

1 tsp. oregano

4 larger Portobella mushrooms, stems removed

1 medium onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, blend the almonds until powdered. Add oil, Braggs, water, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and oregano, and blend until well combined. In a large baking dish, place mushrooms upside down and top with onions (I coated tops with olive oil as well). Pour sauce over top and bake for about 25 minutes.

Coconut Spiced Vegetables

I made this tonight; it was really yummy but not "out of this world" yummy. I will definitely add it to my list of favorites though and make it on occasion. When I made it I tripled the recipe and if I make it again I will add triple more the amount of Asian Chili Sauce.

Coconut Spiced Vegetables

1/4 c. almonds
1-2 tsp. asian chili sauce
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. Braggs (can substitute soy sauce)
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil

1 carrot, chopped
1 c. cauliflower, chopped
1 c. broccoli, chopped
6 mushrooms, chopped
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
1 c. chinese cabbage, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

In a blender or food processor, blend together the almonds, chili sauce, coriander, ginger, onion, and Braggs. In a large saucepan on medium heat, saute the almond mixture in oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and 1/2 the coconut milk and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, cabbage, and red pepper, turn off heat, and let sit covered for 5 minutes.

I just realized as I was typing the instructions that I actually sauted the vegetables for 3-4 minutes prior, not the almond mixture. Maybe sauteing the almond mixture first will bring out more flavor:) This was a pretty quick meal, only took me about 20-30 minutes from start to finish. All the kids said the same thing, "It was pretty good." So not, OMG that was so awesome!! But a winner:)

California Chop Chop Salad

This is definitely one of my absolute FAVORITES!! I haven't made it in a long time and had kind of forgotten about it. It's back out now.............yuummmyyy!

California Chop Chop Salad:

3/4 c. canned garbanzo beans
1/2 c. small pitted olives
1 medium avocado, chopped (I usually add more because this is my favorite part of the salad)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1- 6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped- RESERVE THE MARINADE JUICE
3 oz cheddar cheese or mozarella cheese, cubed (I don't add this)

Dressing:
Mix the reserved artichoke marinade with the same amount of balsamic vinegar

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar mixture.

You can serve on top of lettuce too:)

Szechuan Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This is for you Kelli! Hardly southern but hey, it's got black-eyed peas! This is one of my personal favorites. I usually make a batch at lunch and snack on it until supper:)

2 14 oz. cans black-eyed peas
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced, 2 Tbsp. (I usually just do the canned variety)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 avocado, cubed
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Szechuan sauce (for some reason I can't find any at our stores so I just use stir fry sauce)
2 tsp sugar

Toss together black-eyed peas, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and garlic in large bowl. Toss avocado with lemon juice in a separate bowl. Add avocado to black-eyed pea mixture.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, Szechuan sauce, and sugar in bowl used for avocado. Toss black-eyed pea mixture with Szechuan sauce dressing.

Yummy!!! This would be a great side dish too, especially (Kelli :) if you have meat eaters in the house. Make the meat dish and have this as a side dish for the veggies.

Extraordinary Quinoa Tabbouleh

I LOVE, LOVE tabbouleh and we've been experimenting with quinoa recipes so this was a perfect combo. I like it with more parsley than the recipe calls for and maybe a little more lemon juice. Kev likes me to make a big batch and leave it in the fridge for him to snack on all week.

This recipe comes from The Garden of Vegan cookbook.

1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 c. cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 stalks green onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped (I leave these out)
6 medium radishes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tbsp Braggs

In a medium saucepan, stir together the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heart to medium-low. Simmer for 15 min. or until cooked. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, green oinions, carrots, radishes, garlic, parsley, oil, lemon juice, Braggs, and quinoa. Mix well and cool in refrigerator. Serve chilled. Makes 6 servings.

Happy eating!

Chickpea Tacos

This is, by far, the easiest meal I have ever made. The boys LOVED them! It literally took me 5 min. to prepare this meal- that's a winner! Oh, and I tripled the recipe for a family of 5. We had enough leftover for two more tacos.

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I used dry and soaked and boiled them myself)
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
corn taco shells
2 cups baby salad greens
1 c. salsa
1/2 c. non-dairy sour cream

1. Place avocado in small bowl, and mash with fork. Stir in chickpeas, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
2. Set taco shells in napkin-lined basket. Place salad greens, salsa, and sour cream in seperate bowls, and set out alongside chickpea-avocado mash.
3. To serve, let each person build their own taco by filling each shell with 1/4 c. chickpea-avocado mash, some greens, salsa, and sour cream.

Yummy Veggie Wraps

I've never been a person that likes to mix my greens with fruit, or anything with fruit for that matter.............until a couple years ago. My sister-in-law made this wonderful rice/apricot dish, that I just loved, and my other sister-in-law made a salad, that had mandarins in it, that has become my absolute favorite salad. So I've been playing with the combo with these yummy, yummy wraps.

You can put just about anything in these and use any kind of wrap. The one I had today had the following in it:

sprouts

fresh spinach

cucumbers

tomatoe

avocado

pear

craisins

candied walnuts

raspberry chipotle sauce and..............for those of you that aren't vegan.........I added

once slice pepper jack cheese and

1-2 tbsp of Bleu Cheese dressing

Kevin left out the chipotle sauce, cheese and bleu cheese and opted for Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing.

For me, it's almost orgasmic but I guess you can decide for yourself:) The thing that made it so heavenly for me was the raspberry chipotle sauce that Costco is carrying right now.

Saucy Dogs

Well, about every few months I get determined to keep this blog up and then let it go by the wayside again. So, let's just say I will try my best to post now and again.

So this recipe is one my mother made for us when we were growing up. I don't know if I love them because they remind me of being a child or if they are really as good as I think they are. You be the judge. My husband hates them and my daughter doesn't care for them so you can give me your feedback. I made vegan ones for Kevin but regular ones for us. Of course, when I was a child they were made with real hot dogs too and I make them with veggie dogs.

Saucy Dogs

1 lb veggie dogs
1 tbsp chopped onion (I use a bit more than this)
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp worcestshire sauce
1 c. cheddar cheese (or soy cheese)
1/2 c. tomato soup
1/4 c. sweet relish

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spoon into hot dog buns. Individually wrap each one in foil and bake for 12-15 min. at 400 degrees.

Garden Chili

The following recipe is one we have made for several years, before my kids were vegetarian, and long before anyone in this household ate vegan. My mom got this recipe from a good friend and, of course, I got it from her. It is very easy to make; I might spend 30 min. in the kitchen total to make it. It goes very well with cornbread or irish soda bread!

Garden Chili

1 red pepper (I leave this out when I make it because we have made it with and without and we like it better without- you might like it with though:)
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp cummin
1 tsp oregano
2 c butternut squash, chopped into bite size pieces
1 large can tomatoes (I like to use fresh and then pour in 1 can tomatoe sauce)
2 c. zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces
1 can black beans (again, you can use dried, soaked, and boiled)
1 can corn
1/4 c parsley (I usually don't have this on hand so I skip it)

In 3 qt. sauce pan saute onion, pepper, and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in seasonings, butternut squash, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 min. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for another 10 min.

I usually double this recipe, as my kids scarf it down!! I might have two small bowls left-over and we are a family of five. This is what we had tonight and it is just about gone:) It was so fun to make tonight, more than usual, because I had a fresh zucchini and fresh tomatoes from my mother-in-law's garden. It was delicious!!

For the non-vegans in the household: It is great with a little dollop of sour cream or ranch dressing on top. Sometimes I will even add a little cheddar cheese if I don't feel like eating vegan, teehee.

Spicy Potato Curry With Cauliflower

So this has been one of our favorites for the last month or so. The kids ask for it often. A couple weeks ago I served an appetizer, while I was cooking this, of baked tofu with homemade peanut sauce so I added the recipe for the peanut sauce also. To bake tofu you just put it on skewers over a cooling rack, in the oven, and bake it until it has a nice egg-like consistency.

Spicy Potato Curry with Cauliflower:

1 cup finely chopped onion
4 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp coursely ground pepper
1/2 tsp each, ground cumin and cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate, dissolved in 1 cup water ( I got this at an asian store. It comes in a small plastic container that looks a little like a soup can but it's plastic)
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 cup coconut milk (lite or normal)
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups 1 inch cauliflower florets
1 tsp salt

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions in 2 tsp of the oil until edges are brown, about 6 min. Stir in coriander, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and fenugreek. Cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth, adding tamarind liquid as needed for a thick puree. Set aside.

In same skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and turmeric, cooking 1 minute until aromatic. Stir in paprika, puree and remaining tamarind liquid. Cook 4-5 min.. Stir in coconut milk and potato. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and salt. Cover and cook until sauce is thick and vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.

I usually triple this recipe for our family of five and it all gets eaten. I use a little more potatoes and cauliflower than it calls for also. This is really easy to make and actually very quick.

Grilled Sesame-Tofu Skewers with Ginger Peanut Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
4 Tbs soy sauce, divided
1 Tbs. sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 12 oz pkg extra-firm tofu (you can do smoked tofu if you can find it), cut into 1 -inch cubes
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 Tbs light brown sugar

Combine orange juice, 2 Tbs soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 tsp garlic and red pepper flakes. Let stand 15 minutes at room temp. Fold in tofu and cover. Marinate 1 hour or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Soak wood skewers in cold water for 1/2 hour. Preheat grill or broiler. If using broiler, coat broiler pan with cooking spray. Drain tofu, and thread on skewers. Place on broiler pan, if using. Broil or grill 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides, turning occasionally.

Whisk together peanut butter, remaining 1 tsp garlic, ginger, brown sugar, remaining soy sauce, and 1/3 cup warm water to make a thick sauce. Serve skewers with dipping sauce.

Tofu with peanut sauce is also a great afternoon snack! Sometimes I fry the tofu in a little olive oil until it has a nice egg-like consistency. I like my tofu nice and chewy, not slimy.

I keep thinking I'm going to abandon this blog, as it is quite obvious I don't blog much here, but for some reason I just can't let it go. My efforts to go vegan permanently have been all over the map, from being fairly strict, to saying "what the heck". I ate strict vegan (except for the honey) for 6+ months and then slowly slipped into the dairy again. I don't eat eggs, except in the occasional baked goods but have been eating tons of dairy this last few months. I have to admit, I just don't feel as good. I felt the best when I was eating vegan for sure. So now, to find that middle ground; eating just enough dairy to feel satisfied but not so much that I feel like crap.

I'm feeling the need to purge right now so Martin has agreed to eat vegan with me for one month. Today was supposed to be our start day and I forgot twice and ate dairy........oh well! The funny thing is that at dinner time we all eat vegan because I ALWAYS cook vegan for Kev's sake. He has been eating vegan since last August and has been very firm about his lifetime choice. I have supported him 100% and the family actually loves all the vegan dishes I cook.

When I went vegan last fall it forced me to get the cookbooks out and I felt it satisfyingly challenging. We have adopted some wonderful recipes in our repertoire of weekly meals and even the teens, that come hang out, love them. Again, I will make an effort to post some of our favorites, at least once a week or so, and see if I can keep up with this blog.

Well, I'm four weeks now eating almost entirely vegan. There have been a few instances where I have failed to read the label on something only to find out later that there was something non-vegan in the product and twice, over the last four weeks, I have enjoyed a bowl of popcorn with real butter on it. We have tried some wonderful new recipes that the entire family thoroughly enjoyed and asked me to make it again.

Something I have gotten very good at is reading labels! There are things in food that you would not suspect! Which is why we just shouldn't eat processed food to begin with. I'm learning more and more to prepare, prepare, prepare. It's the best way to eat whole foods, foods that haven't been processed away from their original state.

Something I have made a few times that the kids keep begging for is baked potatoes and yams. I cut up several potatoes into 1/2 inch chunks, along with one large yam. I dowse olive oil on it and liberally sprinkle oregano, basil, and garlic salt all over, then mix. I bake for about 45 minutes or so until browned. That yam just adds a nice flavor and of course, the extra nutrients. No matter how big a pan I make it is always entirely gone 10 minutes after coming out of the oven.

My friends have been quite supportive, in fact we are getting ready to go to dinner at some friends that are making us a vegan oriental meal. I've learned that when I go somewhere I almost always offer to bring something vegan so people don't have to feel put-out and at the same time we have something good to eat and share a meal with friends.

I think the thing I enjoy the most is how I feel. I feel lighter, no stomach aches, etc. I was having stomach pains quite often after eating cheese, usually in large doses such as pizza or something like that. My family loves the vegan pizza that Kev has made a couple of times so maybe here in the next week I will post the recipe.

Things are going pretty smoothly. It helps that we are cooking and preparing interesting meals rather than just randomly taking cheese and milk out of our diets.

Martin and I have dreamed for quite some time of having a coffee shop in which we also serve soup, bread, and pasta. We are slowly building up our collection of "winner" soups and tonights meal is definitely getting added to the pile! We might even do a vegan coffee shop! That would be interesting:) So this recipe came from The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer.

Tanya's Curried Squash Soup

1 medium onion
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups cauliflower
2 cups yams, chopped
2 cups squash (any kind), chopped
1 medium potato, chopped
1 leek, sliced (white and pale green parts only)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp soy sauce

In a large soup pot on medium heat, saute the onions in oil until translucent. Add the cauliflower, yams, squash, potatoes, and leeks and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Add the stock, coconut milk, curry, turmeric, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. In a blender or food processor, blend 1/2 or all of the soup until smooth, return to pot and reheat. Makes 4-6 servings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I fed six people and it was all gone but everyone was quite satisfied. No left-overs!! We did figure out that it needs a bit of salt to make it REALLY good. I'm always tickled when I can get so much nutrition in a meal that my kids gobble up. And the plus side is that it was a fairly cheap meal.

The non-vegan members haven't complained yet. Don't even think they are noticing that they are eating vegan, teehee.

Well, I'm going to give this vegan thing another shot. Kev has made the choice to remain vegan for life and through that I am slowly learning how to cook vegan and to have more interesting food choices than the first time I did it. I've been cooking all vegan dinners for the past 8 weeks or so. A gal that I'm doing yoga teacher training with is also vegan so I've been picking her brain.

I will blog about feelings, recipes, etc. and maybe it will be an inspiration for others to live a more healthy lifestyle. Like I said before, lots of people have asked me, "What the heck do you eat?" so I may list an entires day worth of meals once in a while to give people an idea of how vegans, or even vegetarians, eat on a daily basis.

Last night I happened to make a recipe from a vegan cookbook that ended up tasting exactly like a non-vegan recipe that I make quite often. Calista didn't even realize that it was a different recipe. The interesting thing is that it had TOTALLY different ingredients. Even Martin gobbled it up and he is the only meat eater in our family. A friend of Kev's, who isn't even vegetarian, RAVED about it so it is proof that vegan eating doesn't have to be bland and boring. It was a time consuming recipe but there are plenty of others out there that aren't.

Mandarin Pasta Salad

Okay, here is one that my sister-in-law, Lizz, made for us when we were in Grand Junction, that came from Pampered Chef. I made it the other night, forgot how good it was. Again, no complaints from a single family member and it got eaten up! The recipe actually calls for chicken but we just leave that out so I won't put it in the ingredient list.

Dressing:
1 tsp finely chipped and peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. orange juice (I used the juice of one fresh orange)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
2 tsp sugar

Salad:
8 oz. uncooked bow-tie pasta (I couldn't find any so I used a different shape pasta)
1/2 sliced cucumber
1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
1/2 c. coursely chopped red onion
1 pckg. fresh baby spinach leaves (6 oz)
1 can mandarin orange segments, drained
1/2 c. sliced almonds, toasted

1. For dressing, mix all ingredients together and stir
2. For salad, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold running water. Place in large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, slice cucumber, dice red bell pepper, coursely chop onion and add to salad along with rest of ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Tuscan Bean Soup

Okay, I am such a liar, lol! I haven't been on the computer much but I have a chance now to post a scrumptious recipe. As I said before, our family loves soup, so here is another winner. I didn't have a single complaint on this one and the ENTIRE pot was gone when dinner was over, and it is packed with nutrition.

Tuscan Bean Soup

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 small- medium onions or one large one, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 celery sticks
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
2 large zucchini, sliced
14 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp pesto
3 3/4 C. vegetable stock
14 oz. can of navy beans, or any white bean, drained
salt and ground pepper to taste
For the base:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb fresh spinach

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the chopped onions, carrots, crushed garlic, celery and fennel and fry gently for about 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and fry for a further 2 min.
2. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, pesto, stock and beans and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 25-30 min., until the vegetables are completely tender. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the spinach for 2 min., or until wilted. Spoon the spinach into heated soup bowls, then ladle the soup over the spinach. Just before serving, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with ground pepper.


When I made this I used a little bit more pesto than it called for. The fennel really gives it a nice flavor too. I also served mine with multi-colored spiral noodles, per Calista's request. She ate hers with the noodles instead of the spinach. I also made multi-grain bread with it, yummy!! Everyone asked me to make this a LOT more!

Oh, and it only took me about 15 minutes to make this one and about ten minutes of just simmering before we ate it, a HUGE plus for busy families!

Vegan/Lacto

Wow, I haven't blogged on here for a while, maybe because I haven't been doing much cooking lately:)

I give up trying to make this a completely vegan blog. Maybe it is like when I went vegetarian and my entire family wasn't entirely on board; I found it hard to cook for both a vegetarian and the meat lovers. Eventually, my family went vegetarian at home so it made it really easy. Once in a while my husband will cook a steak at home but he doesn't expect me to handle and cook the meat. Well now I am finding it hard to cook completely vegan when there are too many dishes that my family LOVES that have cheese in them. So I will commit to cooking 2-3 vegan meals a week and the rest lacto vegetarian meals. I will mostly post vegan recipes but once in a while don't be alarmed if there is cheese or milk in the recipe. I don't do eggs so there won't be any of those.

I promise to post at least two recipes by Sunday :)