Tag Archives: vegetarian

Tahini Salad Dressing — Tahini Vegetable Dip

Posted on by

 

Mother's Market Inspired-Tahini Salad Dressing

Mother’s Market Inspired-Tahini Salad Dressing

I love a great salad. One of my favorite salads to eat when I eat out is a simple garden salad that I get at a local health food market that I frequent.  The salad is simple in every way,  fresh mixed greens, topped with fresh mushrooms, carrots, and beets.  What makes this salad better than other salads?  That’s simple, the tahini dressing that accompanies it. The dressing is one of the best salad dressings that I have ever tasted.  The only problem is that the restaurant doesn’t sell it in a bottle, so I can’t take it home to use at a later time, and the restaurant is very secretive about what exactly is in the dressing.  I’ve asked a thousand and one times, but they won’t give me the recipe. Sort of like they wouldn’t give me the recipe for their gingered greens, which I also love.  So as usual, I had to experiment, and come up with my own version, and it is amazingly close to their tahini dressing– exact actually.  It is so good!  You can use it to dress a salad, but it’s equally good as a dip for cucumber, carrot, and celery sticks. My daughter loves it, with a capital L, and the best part is that nothing in it is bad for you.  It’s high in protein, because it contains both sesame and cashew butters.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: none

Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of tahini paste

2 teaspoons of cashew butter (about 20-30 whole cashews)

4 medium sized cherry tomatoes (about 2 tablespoons chopped)

1 large clove of garlic

1 teaspoon of Tamari soy sauce

3 tablespoons of a neutral oil like safflower

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Directions:  Place all of the ingredients in a blender or processor and blend until smooth.  Pour into a serving container and enjoy! This would be awesome on grilled veggies as well!!

image

image

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes!

Posted on by
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

 

From time to time, I crave a meal with a deep rich wine sauce. When that happens I turn to Julia Child’s beef bourguignon recipe, or my version of it.  If you have ever made beef bourguignon, then you know the sauce that accompanies the beef is everything for that particular dish! The beef, as succulent as it is, is nothing without that sauce, and that sauce was made to adorn a potato mash! The year that I had Page I decided rather than running from house to house to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family, it would be easier on her, and my husband and I,  if we just stayed home and made dinner ourselves. My best friend agreed and we divided the dinner duties. Instead of a massive turkey, I roasted a chicken, she made a few sides, and I baked a cake. One of the sides she made was a potato and cauliflower mash. It was delicious, and Page loved it! It was hearty and everything you’d expect when eating mash potatoes and at the same time it had the added bonus of cauliflower. When I was making my beef bourguignon, and anticipating the yumminess of the sauce, I knew that this cauliflower mash would go perfectly with the sauce. If you’re on a low carb diet, you can omit the potatoes, and whip the cauliflower in a blender. For this recipe, I opted to not whip the mash, I wanted the hearty texture, so I used a potato masher instead. If you want a more creamy texture, just throw all the ingredients in a blender after cooking them.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 small head of cauliflower (about 5 cups)

2 medium potatoes (2 cups cubed)

4 tablespoons of grassfed butter

2 tablespoons of half and half (optional)

1 head of roasted garlic

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:  Add the cauliflower and potatoes to a pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, and cook until potatoes and cauliflower are fork tender.  Immediately drain the water from the cauliflower and potatoes, then add in, butter, half and half, roasted garlic, sea salt and pepper.

image

Mash with a potato masher until well incorporated, or add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, then enjoy!

image

Orange Creamsicles

How to make Homemade Orange Creamsicles–How to make Half and Half bars

Watch my How to Video above, there is a cameo appearance by my daughter Page

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Another favorite frozen treat of mine when I was a little girl was orange creamsicles. We used to call them half and half bars, because that’s exactly what they were, half juice pop and half cream center.  Whatever you call them, I think we can all agree that they are super delicious. Unfortunately creamsicles are not made the way they used to be made, they have a ton of ingredients in the boxed versions in the store, none of which contain real juice or cream. This recipe takes care of that.  I used freshly squeezed orange juice for these, but if you can find some fresh juice in the store that does not have added sugar and preservatives, then go for it.  If you decide to squeeze the juice yourself, just make sure that the oranges that you’re using are very sweet, that way you don’t have to add sugar to sweeten the juice.  If heavy cream isn’t your thing (my vegan friends) don’t fret, I’ve done these with coconut cream, and they are just as yummy if not more.  Lastly, I purchased the Zoku Quick Pop Maker to make these, it’s the only way to get a true half and half bar, with that creamy center filling, but if you don’t want to spend the $25 (for a single), $38( for the duo), or $50 (for the triple) pop maker, you can still make these, but you’ll have to blend the mixture, or just pour half juice and half cream into regular molds, ( I used Zoku Classic pop molds), you’ll get a verticle half and half bar–still delicious.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup of freshly squeezed organic orange juice
1 cup of heavy cream or coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
Directions: Add the cream, vanilla extract and maple syrup to a cup, mix well and set aside.  If using classic pop molds, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.  Divide mixture evenly among molds and freeze for 6-8 hours or until frozen solid.
If you are using the Quick pop maker, Pour the orange juice into the molds and allow to set for 2-3 minutes.  At the 3 minute mark siphon out the remaining unfrozen juice with a straw or a unused infant aspirator–I purchased one just for this.  Zoku sells a tool kit for $20 which includes a siphon tool, but the aspirator is $3 and does the job equally as well.  After you have removed all of the juice, pour cream into the molds, and allow to set for another 4-5 minutes, then follow the directions for removing the pops.
Orange Creamsicle

Orange Creamsicle

image If you aren’t going to eat the pops right away, you can store them in sandwich size zip lock bags and place them in the freezer until you’re ready to eat them.  These never last longer than a few hours in our house, so I can’t say how long you could store them that way. These are the Orange and Coconut Creamsicles that I made using the classic Zoku popsicle molds:  

Marinated Mushroom Steaks

Posted on by
Marinated Mushroom Steaks

Marinated Mushroom Steaks

 

I make an entire meatless meal at least once a week.  Going vegetarian, or vegan, even once a week is great for your health, excellent for your pocket book, and a very environmentally friendly thing to do.  One of my favorite and I mean FAVORITE vegetarian meals is faux steak, with beans, rice, salsa, and plantains.  It’s simple–yes! But so delicious, and it reminds me of the delicious dinners I had while in Puerto Rico.  I switch out the steaks for marinated, grilled mushrooms, and the result is perfection!

 

Logo Pinterest-01

Pin it!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 7-10 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2 large Portabello mushrooms, undersides and stem removed

1/2 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 large garlic clove sliced thinly

1 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

sea salt and black pepper to taste

 

Directions: Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl.  Pour over Mushrooms and let marinade for 30 minutes.

 

Grill on a hot grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, remove from grill and serve!

Marinated Mushroom Steaks

Marinated Mushroom Steaks

Sauteed Beet Greens with Garlic and Feta Cheese

Posted on by
Sautéed Beet Greens With Garlic and Feta Cheese

Sautéed Beet Greens With Garlic and Feta Cheese

 

I planted a garden about four months ago, the first thing to sprout from my garden were these lovely beet greens stalks. They were so beautiful and perfectly green that I found myself fighting the urge to pick them too soon.   For the longest time I had no idea that I could actually eat the tops of the beets, which means many, many, beet greens have been thrown in the trash by me without a thought. When it finally hit me that these beautiful greens were actually edible and that I could cook and eat them, I wondered why it had taken me so long to do so!  My husband is not a fan of beets at all. However, he is an ultra fan of the stalks on this vegetable.  I can’t blame him, the greens produced from the beets are delicious and tender, and when cooked, they are reminiscent of tender spinach.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

 

Ingredients:

5 cups of beet greens chopped

2 large garlic clove (sliced thinly)

1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons of olive oil

sea salt to taste

Directions:  Add the oil and garlic to a saute pan over medium heat.  Cook until you smell the garlic, about 20 seconds.

 

image

Add in the beet green and saute until they begin to wilt.

image

Add in the balsamic, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Transfer the greens to a bowl, top with feta cheese, and enjoy!

image

Roasted Broccoli and Garlic

Posted on by
Roasted Broccoli and Garlic

Roasted Broccoli and Garlic

 

Trying to get my daughter to eat and love broccoli has not been easy.  This whole food texture thing she has is more trouble than I initially thought.  I mistakenly thought that since she loves roasted cauliflower then roasted broccoli would be a no-brainer—apparently not so with her.  Despite her refusal, this roasted broccoli and garlic dish has become a new favorite for my husband and I.  We both love it! Not only do we love it, but I served it to some friends, and they loved it too!  I’m just going to have to keep trying with my daughter, she has not been won over by a love of broccoli–yet!

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of broccoli sliced

3 large cloves of garlic sliced thinly

Coconut oil spray or 3 tablespoons of olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

 

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray it with coconut oil. Add broccoli, and sprinkle with sliced garlic.  Season with sea salt and black pepper then spray the broccoli generously with coconut oil spray.  If using olive oil, add broccoli to a bowl with olive oil and toss until broccoli is coated, then add it to the sheet pan, sprinkle sliced garlic, season with sea salt and black pepper.

image

Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until broccoli starts to brown a bit.  Remove from oven, serve and enjoy.

image

How to make Cherry Lemonade–Made with Real Cherries

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Lemonade is as American–especially Southern American–as cherry pie–see my upcoming blog about that–and I’d be remiss if I didn’t share one of my favorite summertime drinks–Cherry Lemonade. Cherry season is almost at an end here, so I thought I’d give the last of my cherries a brilliant send off, by highlighting them in two recipes. If it’s too late in the season and you can’t find a fresh cherry anywhere–then use frozen cherries–skip thawing them, and blend them frozen with the lemon and the sugar. Doing so will allow you to omit the use of ice cubes.

Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh cherries (pits and stems removed)
1 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup of maple sugar (can sub other sugars, and if you like your lemonade on the sweet side use more sugar)
3 cups of water
ice for chilling

Directions: To a blender add the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar and blend until well combined. Add this mixture to a pitcher, with the water and some ice, mix well, serve and enjoy.

image

Grilled Asparagus

Posted on by

Grilled Asparagus

 

Asparagus season is almost over here. If you are not paying attention the season can pass in the blink of an eye.  One of my favorite ways to make asparagus is on the grill.  The smokey flavor from the grill pairs well with the fresh crispness of this stalk green. Grilled asparagus has many fans in my house.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 8 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1lb of asparagus bottom stalk portion removed

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

 

Directions:  Lay asparagus on a flat plate, drizzle with coconut oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roll to spread seasoning.  Place asparagus on a hot grill, and grill until done about 8 minutes. Remove from grill, drizzle with a little bit of lemon juice, or with my spicy mustard vinaigrette and enjoy!

image

 

Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Posted on by

 

Flourless Chocolate Merengue Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cookies

 

This heat has definitely made me a Starbucks fan. Everyday I find myself going there to buy a shaken green iced tea, and since I’m there, I pick up  a treat–their flourless, gluten free, chocolate cookie. It’s probably the healthiest treat option in their refrigerated showcase, and my daughter and I love it. However, this afternoon tea and cookie thing is getting expensive, at $5 a day–$7 when we indulge at Disney–it’s getting a bit out of control. I love treating myself, but I hate mindless spending too. I’d much rather spend that $200/month on a new kitchen gadget–like a Searzall, or a chamber vacuum sealer to go along with the new immersion circulator that my husband got me for Mother’s Day.  So what’s a girl to do? Buy a box of organic green mint tea, and make the meringue cookies myself, of course!  The best thing about these cookies is that besides the cream of tar tar, I already had all of the ingredients.  These cookies are chewy, gooey and light all at the same time–just like the Starbucks cookies, but unlike the Starbucks version, these contain no added oil, so they are super low-fat, low-calorie and gluten free! Score!!!

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time : 10-12 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

5 ounces of bitter sweet dark chocolate (60%)

1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar

3/4 of powdered sugar(I used maple sugar see how to powder it here)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

 

Directions:  Pre-heat the oven to 375.  Melt the 5 ounces of chocolate in a double boiler and set aside.

 

image

Add the two egg whites to a stainless steel bowl and beat on low until bubbles form, add the cream of tar tar and beat on high, add in the sugar one tablespoon at a time, and beat until peaks are stiff and fluffy—-  you can turn the bowl upside down with out the mixture running.

image

Pour in the melted chocolate and fold it into the egg white fluff–be gentle– fold until the white streaks disappear.

image

Fold in the chocolate chips, then spoon onto  a parchment lined cookie sheet.

image

Bake for 10-12 minutes, the cookies should be soft and pliable.

image

Let them cool for 10 minutes, then move them to a cookie rack to continue cooling 5-7 minutes.

image

Serve and enjoy with an ice cold glass of mint ice tea;-) Share with me some of your favorite afternoon snacks.

 

Tofu Scramble

Posted on by
Tofu Breakfast Scramble

Tofu Breakfast Scramble

 

My daughter loves tofu–loves it!  Lately she has been refusing to eat breakfast, I think mainly because she tires of having the same thing over and over.  One of my favorite natural restaurant’s serves a tofu scramble which I adore.  I thought I’d give it a try in my own kitchen, in hopes that my daughter would enjoy it–she did.  She actually thought this was a real egg scramble–she kept saying “mmmm egg’s are good for you?” This is equivalent to her seal of approval.  So everyone is happy when I make this;-) Mommy win!!

Pin It!

Pin It!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

7 ounces of soft tofu

1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric

1/2 cup of diced onion

1/2 cup of diced red or green bell pepper

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions: Heat oil in a skillet, add bell pepper and red onion and saute until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes, add in the tumeric and cook for 20-30 seconds:

image

Add in the tofu and break up with a fork, mix until the tumeric, onions and bell pepper have been well incorporated into the tofu, and the tofu has been warmed-about 3-4 minutes.

image

Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy.

image