Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This recipe is slightly modified from a recipe I found from Vegan Lunchbox blogger Jennifer Schmoo (recipe here).  It's a great recipe for around the holidays and a real crowd pleaser!  It is fairly easy too, the only time consuming part is separating the leaves of cabbage.

Makes: 10 cabbage rolls
Prep Time: 45 min (not including cooking the rice)
Cook Time: 50 min

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup canned or cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup oat bran
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce 
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
10 cabbage leaves for stuffing and extra leaves for chopping
1 jar tomato sauce (I like Muir Glen Roasted Garlic)
pepper to taste


Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

While the water is boiling, separate the cabbage leaves.  To make this easier, try to buy a cabbage that has very green outside leaves.  This means the cabbage is fresh and it will be much easier to peel back the leaves.  If the leaves rip while while peeling off the cabbage, don't worry, you can still use them and just patch it up with an extra leaf.

Next, make the cabbage stuffing.  Use a food processor with the metal blade to chop the walnuts into tiny pieces.  Pour the the walnuts into a large bowl and set aside for later.

Then, process the garbanzo beans and brown rice with the food processor until a course mash forms as shown below.  

Add the mash to the walnuts and then add the oat bran, marjoram, thyme, onion powder, liquid aminos and mustard.  This is the fun part!  Mash the mixture together with your hands until it is all mixed together and will stick together.  Divide the filling mixture into ten equal pieces and make a tiny loaf out of each.  Set aside until we are ready to stuff the cabbage. 

Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.  They shouldn't be cooked all the way through, but should be soft enough to roll them.  Drain the leaves thoroughly.
 
Next, get your pan ready for the cabbage by adding enough tomato sauce to just cover the bottom of the pan.

Place a cabbage leaf on a cutting board and add a loaf to one edge of the leaf and roll it up.  Fold in the edges as you go like you would a burrito.  If the cabbage leaf has a tough stem, you can cut it out before rolling and just overlap the remaining leaf.  Also, if there is a rip, just add another smaller leaf to patch it.  Add the cabbage roll to the pan seam side down.  Repeat the process with the rest of the loafs and leaves.

Chop up the remaining cabbage leaves and pieces you have left over and sprinkle over and around the cabbage rolls in your pan.  Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls.  Season with pepper to taste.

Bake the rolls for 45 to 50 minutes, until slightly brown on top and enjoy!

These went over really well this holiday with my kids.  They also taste better if they are reheated for the second time, so I tend to make a double batch so we have leftovers.  If you are reheating them in the pan, it works well to add some water to the pan so the cabbage rolls stay moist.  We have eaten them all up this week, but I am now wishing that we had more!!

Cashew Hot Chocolate

My 10 year old and I were invited to a get together where hot chocolate was going to be served.  Since we try to eat as healthy as possible, avoiding all dairy, sugar, and processed foods, I’m not into giving him traditional hot chocolate…  I still wanted to go, and I was thrilled when I found this recipe!  I made a batch and brought it with us so he wouldn't feel like he was missing out on the treat.   It was a huge hit, and if you like hot chocolate you MUST give it a try!!


I found the recipe on Our Fresh Kitchen.  Check out their site, I'm sure they have plenty of other healthy recipes to try!  http://www.ourfreshkitchen.com/snacks/cashew-hot-chocolate/

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
4 pitted dates
3 cups of hot water
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 cup of raw cashews

Instructions:

Boil the water, put everything in the blender and blend until very smooth.  That's it!

Cashews, Dates, Coco powder, and water.

The Taste Test...

They love it!!

Cara's Apple Strudel

This apple strudel is from the Eat to Live Cookbook by Dr. Joel Fuhrman on p. 285.  It is a great dessert and a real crowd pleaser!  I don't have pictures of it after we cooked it because we ate it up too fast!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes (a little longer if  you don't have an apple peeler)
Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vanilla almond, soy or hemp milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 apples, cored, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup ground raw walnuts
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until combined.  Stir in the chopped apples, raisins, oats, ground walnuts and flax seeds.
Pour into an 8×8 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.


I made the recipe recently for a communion party and quadrupled the recipe.  Below are the pictures of the strudel before I put it in the oven:



On my friend Jenn's recommendation I bought an apple pealer from Amazon specifically for this recipe and it makes it so much easier!  Check it out!

http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Apple-Potato-Peeler/dp/B0000DE2SS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383157903&sr=8-2&keywords=apple+peeler+corer+slicer\



I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! 

Avocado and Tomato sandwich

I don't know if it's fair for me to say, since I haven't had one in so long, but this really feels to me like a direct replacement for a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.  I pile the avocado pretty high, and it has that same creamy consistency that I remember from open faced toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches.

Serves: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 tomato
2 slices of sprouted whole grain bread

Instructions:

Toast the bread, and slice the avocado and tomato.  Spread half the avocado one one slice of toast, and the other half on the other slice.  It may seem like a lot of avocado, but pile it high, and smash it into the toast with a fork so it gets nice and creamy.  It might end up being a 1/4 inch or so thick.  Then pile on the tomato and press it into the avocado a little so it won't slide off.  That's it, you are done and ready to eat!!

Try this on it's own for breakfast, as a snack, or even a small meal.  Or have one with a bowl of hot soup to recreate that grilled cheese and soup combination that I remember eating as a kid.  No matter how you decide to enjoy it, be happy to know that this simple version is much healthier than the old classic.

Beet and Black Bean Burgers

Beet and Bean burger on a sprouted whole grain bun with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and spicy mustard.

The recipe is only slightly modified from The Kitchn's Best-Ever Veggie Burger (recipe here).

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 30 min (not included roasting the beats and cooking the rice)
Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
3 large red beets (cooked-roasted, steamed, or boiled)
1/2 cup brown rice (slightly overcooked)
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (ground to a flour in a blender or food processor)
4 cups black beans (or 2 15 oz cans), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup prunes, chopped into small pieces.
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp brown mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook the onions in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Use a little water as needed to avoid sticking, and cook well until golden with a little caramelization on the bottom of the pan.  Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then quickly ad the vinegar and stir the bottom to deglaze the skillet.  cook until the vinegar evaporates and then set aside to cool.

Put half the black beans and the prunes into a food processor and pulse until they are chopped, but not total mush.  Put this mixture into a large mixing bowl, and add the remaining black beans.  Shred the beats, and press in a strainer to remove as much of the liquid as possible.  Add the dry shredded beets, cooked rice, and cooked onions, paprika, mustard, cumin, coriander, and thyme, and black pepper to the mixture.  Mix it a little and then add the oats, and mix well.  I started with a spoon, but was really only able to get it all combined well with my hands...

Shape mixture into patties, and cook on a pre-heated skillet with a very light spray of cooking oil, to prevent sticking.  The burgers cook well, and I was surprised at how well they stayed together.

Serve them on Food for Life sprouted whole grain buns (found here) with whatever toppings you like and enjoy with a big healthy side salad, and maybe some home made oven baked sweet potato fries!

Make them fun!

Cathy and I got together with our friends Leigh Ann, Josh, Chris, and our kids, and had a great time making and eating these.  We made a triple batch, which was a lot of work, mostly because of how much of everything we had to prep, mix and then cook.  It was also too much food.  I think we ended up eating 8 burgers total, and split the  remaining 10 or so that were left.  They do freeze well though, and I have been enjoying them ever since!  A single batch will still be a lot of work, but should not be overwhelming, and I think it is well worth it.  Next time I'll try to add some chopped mushrooms to up the nutrition factor even a little more.

Avocado Banana Pudding

Serves: 2
Prep Time: 5 min
Blend Time: 2 min

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1 banana
2 dates, chopped
1/4 cup coco powder (I will use a little less next time)
1/4 cup almond, coconut, hemp, or other non-dairy milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
fruit to garnish (optional)


Instructions:
Put everything in the vita mix and blend it up!  That's all there is to it!  It's super easy, and the kids liked it a lot.  I added sliced bananas as you can see in the picture.  The next time I'll put less coco powder, and maybe a tiny bit more nut milk, because it was a little rich for my taste.

 

Thai Pineapple Stir Fry

I was really craving some Thai food one night, so I decided to try this dish for the first time.  I thought it was really easy to make and tasted really good!  Yum!!  Lots of good flavors in there!  I used a recipe I found in the Happy Herbivore abroad book that we just got, but modified it a bit.  These dishes could definitely be made together, but since it was my first time making them, I wanted to keep them separate to see how it went.  Also, this was just enough for the three of us, so definitely double up if you're making for more!

Thai Pineapple Stir Fry

Serves: 2-3
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

4 green onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3.5 - 7 oz of shiitake mushrooms (depending on how much you like)
1 8-oz can diced pineapple (in juice, not syrup) or about 4 rings of fresh pineapple diced
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 tsp Braggs liquid aminos

Instructions:
Over high heat add a thin layer of water, the garlic, and green onions and water sauté for a minute or two.  Be sure not to let the garlic burn.  Add bell pepper and mushrooms and more water if needed to line the pan.  Continue to cook over high heat until the peppers and mushrooms are slightly tender.  Once peppers start to soften add the pineapple, coconut milk, and Braggs.


Chinese Cabbage Stir Fry

Serves: 2-3
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients:
1 Chinese cabbage, cleaned and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 tsp Braggs liquid aminos
1 8-oz can diced pineapple (in juice, not syrup) or about 4 rings of fresh pineapple diced

Instructions:
Over high heat add a thin layer of water and the garlic and water sauté for a minute or two.  Be sure not to let the garlic burn.  Add the Chinese cabbage, the pineapple, coconut milk, and Braggs.  Saute in the pan until the cabbage is wilted and slightly soft.

Easy Lentil Loaf and Steamed Asparagus

This lentil loaf recipe is super easy! It is definitely easy enough for a weeknight meal and my kids have really been loving it. We made it the other night with a huge serving of asparagus and it was delicious! We usually finish off one batch of the lentil loaf for dinner, so if you would like some leftovers I would definitely double the recipe.

Lentil Loaf

Here is the loaf recipe I found: http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/veg/lentilloaf.html:

Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 min
Cook Time: 50 min

Ingredients:2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups tomato sauce
1-1/2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and press mixture into a loaf pan. Bake 50 minutes or until the lentil loaf is cooked through.

Glaze

I also found this homemade glaze topping with another lentil loaf recipe that is super tasty http://terrywalters.net/pdfs/CF2_WINTER_p271_LentilLoaf.pdf:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple butter
1 teaspoon arrowroot

Instructions:
In a small saucepan over no heat, combine all glaze ingredients. Place over medium heat and stir continuously until this ( about 2-3 minutes). Spread evenly over loaf and bake.

Enjoy!

A hearty salad

Dinner doesn't have to be complicated or involved to be healthy and delicious.  This is much more typical of what we eat for dinner on a daily basis.

The ingredients change all the time.  Sometimes it's over romain lettuce, other times it will be over steamed kale, baby spinach, mixed field greens, or any other greens or lettuce.  The elements are what's important.  I always try to include beans, onions, and mushrooms.  Everything else is bonus and should be changed based on whatever you feel like eating that day.

We usually have plenty of different cooked veggies, beans, and hummus around so we can throw a meal like this together in minutes.

Serves: 1
Prep time: 15 min (provided you have some cooked beans and veggies hanging out in your fridge)


Ingredients:
Romain lettuce
black beans
peppers and onions (water sauteed)
portobello mushrooms (water sauteed)
avocado
grape tomatoes
salsa

Instructions:
Take any amounts of the above ingredients that you want, toss it onto a plate, top it off with some low sodium salsa, or Cathy's Thai peanut dressing, and enjoy!

It's simple, and delicious!!

 

Tofu Scramble

Veggies for breakfast???    Yes! eat veggies all day every day!   The bottom line is the more vegetables you eat the healthier you will be, so try to incorporate as many vegetables as you can into every meal.
  
Serves: 2 to 4
Prep time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
2 onions, finely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped or thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped or thinly sliced
1 clove garlic
2 tomatoes, diced
1 lb firm tofu, cubed
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 cup kale, chopped
black pepper to taste
1 avocado, sliced
a dash or two of hot sauce (optional)

Instructions:

Chop and slice all the veggies and the tofu.  Saute the onions, peppers, and garlic in a large saucepan with a little water to keep it from sticking.  When the onions and peppers are soft add everything else, and cook until the greens are cooked, and everything is hot.  Finish with a little black pepper to taste.  

Fill up a bowl and top with sliced avocado and a dash or two of hot sauce if you like.  The result is a healthy, delicious, sustaining breakfast that will start your day off right.  

Enjoy!!

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

My kids will devour a salad at the Thai restaurant, mostly because of the Thai peanut salad dressing. I would like them to eat just as much salad at home, so I've been experimenting at making a healthier version. I think I have got it! Everyone at home loves this dressing and it is very easy to make too!

Ingredients:

4 Medjool dates (or 8 Deglet Noor dates)
6 tbsp water
2 tbsp all-natural peanut butter (salt-free, only ingredients should be peanuts)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp Braggs amino acids

Instructions:

If the dates are not soft, I usually soak them in the water for at least a half hour before hand to make them softer. Next, put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. It's best if the dressing is liquidy enough to pour when finished. If it's too thick it will solidify when stored in the refrigerator. If you find it is too thick, just add some more water.

We keep the salad dressing in the fridge for about a week. We all like it so much it usually doesn't last that long though! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do!

Black Bean Soup with Kale and Mushrooms

As if Black Bean soup isn't already good enough, I added Kale and Mushrooms to push it over the top!!

I started with a Black Bean soup recipe from allrecipes.com (link), and changed it up a bit.  What I ended up with is below, and it's been a huge hit with our friends and families so far!  It's a hearty soup that covers 5 of the 7 GBOMBS (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds) that we are suppose to be eating every day.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

2 medium onions

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

black pepper to taste

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

8 cups (or 4 15 oz cans) black beans

2 cups sweet corn (frozen is fine)

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 bunch Kale, chopped

a dash or two of hot sauce (optional)

Instructions:

In a large pot over medium-high heat add onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or so, until the onions and mushrooms are cooked. 

Add chili powder, cumin, and black pepper.  Stir, and cook for 3 minute or so before adding the vegetable broth, 4 cups of beans, and corn. Bring everything to a boil.

While that's cooking combine the remaining 4 cups of beans and the crushed tomatoes in a blender, and blend until smooth. Stir the blended beans and tomatoes into the boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium.  

Add the chopped kale, and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

If you want to spice it up, which I almost always do, add a little hot sauce when serving!  Delish!!

Onions, Celery, Carrots, Mushrooms, and Garlic in the pot!

All stirred up and cooking nicely, just before adding the spices.

Fast forward, and it's finished and ready to eat!!