Bananas and Cream Pancakes

So along with being a vegan this year (and preferably life long), I also want to work my way through my cookbooks. I've had some that I've barely cracked because when I early into this new eating style I was intimidated. Now that I have the basic equipment and understand the lingo I've been more adventurous. One particular book on my shelf: Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton is loaded with excellent, tasty, and easy ideas. So this morning I decided to make and slightly modify the 1st recipe in the book. To date these are my favorite pancakes and a new regular addition to my busy morning schedule.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup spelt flour (or any all purpose flour of your choice)
• 1 Tbsp. + 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 Tbsp. raw sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
2. In a blender or food process (I used my Nutribullet because it's super easy to clean) blend until creamy and uniform the coconut milk, banana, sugar, and vanilla
3. Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined
4. Lightly grease a griddle and let get hot. 
5. Pour out 1/4 cup amounts of batter onto griddle
6. Cook until bubbles start to form and then flip, cook a few minutes more
7. Serve with your favorite toppings.  

Gluten Free Flour Blends

I have been experimenting with different gluten free flour blends because of various reasons. Mostly because I like the challenge and the different flavors that come from using non-wheat flours.

Here are 2 of the current blends I have made up in my pantry. Each mix yields about 4 cups.

Double Rice Flour Blend

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1 cup tapioca starch
• 1 cup potato starch
• 2 tsp. xantham gum

Corn-Rice-Sorghum Flour Blend

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1 cup tapioca starch
• 1 cup potato starch
• 2 tsp. xantham gum

Feel free to sub together any different flours you might like. The key thing is to have an equal ratio of flour to starch and to always use a gum in the amounts of 1 tsp. per 2 cup mix.

Baked Peanut Butter Banana Quinoa Oatmeal

Ingredients 

Dry

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp Peanut flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Wet

• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 mashed ripe banana
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Add-ins

• 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
• 1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease or line an 8.5 x 13 in. casserole dish
2. In large bowl mix the dry ingredients
3. In medium bowl mix the wet ingredients
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients
5.   Fold in the quinoa
6. Pour mixture into dish and top with chocolate chips
7. Bake for 25 min
8. Let cool for 5 min and then slice

Complete Wheat Pancakes

So we all know that implementing fiber into our diets is essentially for a healthy GI tract. Fiber is properly known as cellulose, the insoluble carbohydrate found in plant cell walls. We as humans, and most mammals for that matter, are unable to digest this little guy. However, this makes it excellent in our foods. Fiber makes you feel fuller so you eat less and it adds bulk which makes things move through smoother. The only down side is the added flatulence you may experience. This is much more likely if fiber is something you're newly increasing in your everyday scheme. You see, we all have lots of little microbes in our gut to help us digest. These bacteria have the proper enzymes in their cell walls to break down cellulose and as a result they release nitrogen gas, which is translated as a FART to the human world. Furthermore, we have billions of these guys living in our body at any given moment. So when they go at a new found smorgasbord of cellulose they go a little over the top and cause more gas than you may like....

But if you start to eat plenty of fiber daily this affect will begin to wear off and you will poot more normally... Not sure how to put it any nicer.

On that note, I've been trying more and more ways to incorporate fiber into my family's diet in yummy and creative ways. My 1st goal was to do something with wheat. We all use it (save those that are Gluten-intolerant for obvious reasons) and I did a little research. The flour that we commonly use in our meals is actually only the milled 1/3 part of wheat. The wheat berry (the pretty little round things you see growing off a wheat stalk in the field) is composed of 3 parts: the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. For most flours the endosperm is the only part ground up. What happens is much of the fiber and nutrient dense part of wheat is thrown out. This is true for many other grains such as oats, because we typically only eat 1/3 of those little guys as well.

On different trips to the grocery store I purchased some wheat germ, its in the fridge at the health food store and I also got some wheat bran, on the shelf this time. The germ tends to go rancid if its not kept cold. Now I have plenty of wheat flour in my home: whole wheat pastry, white whole wheat, stone ground whole wheat, and unbleached enriched white wheat. None of these are truly "whole" because again they are only the endosperm. Now my meals started turning and I wanted to create a mixture of all 3 and see what taste I came up with. Boy am I glad I did.

Oddly enough I could find a recipe anywhere online that used all three, in fact if a bran was used with the flour and wheat germ it was almost always oat bran. So I finagled (spelling) and few ideas together and came up with my own concoction. Zacchaeus gobbled these pancakes down, something he almost never does before for finishing his oranges first. Made me smile a bit.

Feel free to also experiment with this recipe, but I promise it is wonderful, nutty, and delicious as is.

Ingredients:                            Makes 5 pancakes

Dry

• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
•  2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 heaping Tbsp. brown sugar

Wet

• 1 Flax Egg (1 Tbsp. ground flax seed (or flax meal that is already ground) + 3 Tbs. water)
• 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce (this replaces oil but you can sub it in if you're not worried about the added fat)
• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

 Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Make flax egg (I use my cheap and awesome coffee grinder to break mine down)
3. Mix all wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined
5. Heat a skillet or griddle and lightly grease
6. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle about 2 inches apart and push down slightly with cup
7. Heat about 2 minutes on one side til you see bubbles in the center
8. Flip and heat about 2-3 minutes on the other side
9. Plate and top with what you like
10. Enjoy!

I decided to not use syrup this morning. Instead I put a little Strawberry jam, Almond Greek-style yogurt, pomengranate seeds, and golden raisins on mine. It was so yummy and filled me way up plus gave me lots of energy this morning.

Feel Better Sweet Potato, Barley, and Greens Soup

I've had a bit of a cold the last couple days and I've also had some sweet potatoes staring at me begging to be used. So I decided at 4 am today when I was up nursing Franklynn to look up on my phone's internet a soup recipe. There are tons of recipes out there and I always want to modify what I find and make it my own based on what I have on hand. So today for lunch I made this awesome soup that melts in your mouth, smells amazing, and made me feel a bit better.

I don't like to miss church but I did not want to go and get anyone else sick. Franklynn stayed home with me since he's still primarily nursing, but Jordan and Zaccheaus went and came home to tell me about the beautiful sermon and all those who were praying for me. I love my church.

The best part is that this soup came together quickly and was ready right when the fellas walked in the door at noon. I always like how timing seems to work out.

 Ingredients

1. 4 small (or 2 medium sweet potatoes) peeled and diced
2. 1 red onion, peeled and chopped
3. 2 cups chopped greens (your choice but mine was a mix)
4. 1 cup pearled barley
5. 7 cups vegetable broth
6. 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
7. 2 Tb. red curry paste (I use Thai kitchen)
8. 1/2 tsp. sea salt
9. 1/4 tsp. white pepper
10. 2 Tb. olive oil (optional)

 Instructions

1. Line a pot with oil (or water if you want to go fat-free) and add the onion and sweet potato
2. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes
3. Add in the curry paste and coat the onions and potatoes, then stir and cook for about 2 more minutes
4. Pour in the barley, broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil
5. Once boiling stir, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 25 min.
6. Add in the greens and chickpeas. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes
7. Turn off heat, serve, and Enjoy!

 I served mine with a few slices of lightly toasted whole grain vegan friendly flatbread

Low-Fat Peanut Butter Chocolate Green Smoothie

I recently made an appliance purchase that I could not have been happier about, the Nutribullet. This little wonder is fairly inexpensive (especially since I had Christmas gift cards). I bet I use it 5 or more times a week. It's especially great when I don't have to pull out my bigger and harder to clean food processor...also I great tool that I use often.

When it comes to smoothies, the Nutribullet can't be beat. Plus it makes the product as uniform as a juice blend but I don't waste any pulp, ergo, I don't lose any fiber. I do still love my Breville juicer, but I always cringe when I put close to a pound of pulp down the disposal and am left with maybe 8 oz. of juice. But anyway back to my point.... Green smoothies. I've experimented with many types and consistently find that spinach is the only green that doesn't over power the sweetness I aim to include.

Plus I've had a bit of a cold today and yesterday which is making me somewhat dizzy and lethargic. So I figured every meal I had today would be super charged with nutrition.

Ingredients

• 1 handful or two baby spinach
• 2 Tb. peanut flour (you could use 1 Tb. natural smooth Peanut butter, but this would make it higher in fat)
• 1 Tb. cocoa powder
• 1 frozen banana, broke into a couple smaller pieces
• 1 cup unsweetened almond/coconut blend milk

Instructions

1.   Add all ingredients to the large bullet cup and screw on the extractor attachment
2. Run the bullet for about 10 seconds
3. Put on the handle attachment
4. Enjoy!

Overnight Marmalade French Toast

This is one of my oldie yet goodie favorite go-to breakfasts. It works especially well when I have leftover ciabatta or french bread that is stale and sitting in my fridge. I don't particularly like to throw away groceries because it's like throwing money down the drain. So when there is a way to use up the scraps in a new delicious way it's always a win. This is another great recipe from Lindsay Nixon if you haven't already bought her books or checked out the website, all I can say is what are you waiting for!

Ingredients

• 2 square multi-grain Ciabatta buns ( I get mine from Sam's club, they're freshly baked and vegan friendly) 
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (but any non-dairy milk will work)
• 2 Tbsp. chickpea flour (this little wonder is what provides the "egg-like" texture and taste)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade (pay close attention to the label and get one that does not contain high fructose corn syrup.... in other words, avoid the really cheap ones)
• Any topping of your choice, this morning I used pomengranate seeds, bananas, golden raisins, powdered sugar, slivered blanched almonds, and little maple syrup

Instructions

1. Slice the buns diagonally into 1/2 strips.
2. Lay the slices into a lightly greased 13x9 casserole dish
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, flour, cinnamon, salt and marmalade until fairly uniform
4. Pour the mixture over the top of the bread aiming to have a consisent coating on all pieces
5. Cover dish with saran wrap and place in fridge overnight
6. In the morning, remove saran wrap and place in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes
7. Plate according to desired serving size and top with your own liking
8. Enjoy!

Easy Veggie-Stuffed Pitas

Tonight I wanted something really easy to eat that was still loaded with nutrition. I also didn't want to get over-full with loaf bread. So I opted for whole-wheat pita bread which is yummy anyway. You can make this with virtually any filling you want, so feel free to mix up the veggies. I just used what I had on hand.
Stuffing:
- 1/3 a cucumber, peeled and finely diced
- 1 roma tomato chopped
- 1/8 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 small sweet pepper, finely chopped
- 1/3 large avocado chopped
- 1 Tbsp vegan mayo
Stir all together
Meanwhile slice pita in half, spread pocket open and toast lightly in toaster oven.
Throw it all together:
1. Place a little fresh spinach into 1-half of each pita
2. Place a small amount of shredded soy cheese in pocket
3. Feel in the pockets with stuffing
.... the remaining stuffing makes a good dip for corn chips

Teriyaki chickpeas with mango/pineapple salsa

One of my favorite and easy dinners to make.
Mango/Pineapple Salsa
1 mango diced
1 6oz can crushed pineapple (in juice not syrup), drained
1/3 red onion, diced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Mix all together and refridgerate
Chickpea Teriyaki
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup low sodium Teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 Tbsp raw sugar
- mix all in a cold pan and let marinate for 10 minutes
- turn on heat and cook covered ~ 5 min until liquid absorbed
The Whole Shebang
- place 1 cup cooked brown rice in bowl
- cover with a generous amount of salsa
- place half of the chick pea mix on top.... Enjoy!!

Beany Enchiladas

If you look at my previous post you can see how the enchiladas are supposed to look at the end. I've made some modifications that you can basically make from stuff in your kitchen. I know most people don't go to the health food store so they won't have access to TVP.

Plus tonight I brought the new and improved enchiladas to a potluck with my Sunday school class this evening.  They were a big hit and I had a few ladies ask me for the recipe, so of course I'm putting the recipe on here.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 cup cooked brown rice ( I use instant because it's way faster)
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 can reduced sodium black beans, well rinsed
• 1/2 can fat-free refried beans
• 1 small can sliced olives
• 1/8 shredded non-dairy cheese (optional)
• 1 - 2 cans of green enchilada sauce
• 10 - 12 corn tortillas

Instructions

1. Cook rice
2. Saute mushrooms, onions, and rotel in the water until the onions are opaque
3. Add the saute mix to the rice
4. Add in beans and mix until all is uniform on low heat
5. Heat corn tortillas in microwave for about 30 seconds 
6. Spoon mixture into tortillas and roll
7. Pour half a can of enchilada sauce in a baking dish
8. Place the rolled tortillas in dish until packed and pour remaining sauce over. Also sprinkle cheese and olives on top
9. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes
10. Enjoy!!!! 

Bean Burgers

Another great site!... I love bean burgers. You can eat them on a bun like a standard beef patty. Or you can chop them up and add them to a salad with salsa for dressing.  Or go breadless and top them with some homemade fresh guacamole. There are so many options.

Also use any bean you want. I've done it with chick peas (garbanzo beans) and they're great.

http://katelinmae.blogspot.com/

Homemade Guacamole
1/2 rip avacado
1 medium tomato
1/3 small onion

Smash the avocado in a bowl with for. Add chopped tomato and keep smashing. Stir in finely chopped onion. Easy and delicious.