Lentil Sloppy Joe

This one is a REAL crowd pleaser.  You could serve this to anyone and I would expect them to like it.  It's got that tangy flavor that I remember from so many years ago, and the texture works really well.  The kids like it, my parents like it, and my friends like it.  Give it a try for yourself and I think you will like it too!!

The recipe is slightly adopted from the Forks Over Knives web site. (link below)  I just cut back on some of the salty stuff, and removed the sugar.  http://www.forksoverknives.com/sloppy-lentil-joes/

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15 min 

Cook Time: 35 min

Ingredients:

3 ⅓ low-sodium vegetable broth

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 ½ cups red lentils

1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 tablespoons braggs liquid aminos

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Instructions:

Put 1⁄3 cup of the vegetable broth in a large pot, and add the onions and bell pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften slightly. About 5 minutes.

Add the chili powder and mix in well. Add the remaining liquid, lentils, tomatoes, and the rest of the seasonings. Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over greens, on sprouted grain bread, or in a whole-wheat pita.  We usually top it with sliced avocado or a dollop of guacamole, whether it's in a sandwich or not.   

You must try this, it's so good!

Lentil Dahl Soup

This dish is soooo easy and so delish it is a staple in our house these days. 50% of our kids like it! Okay, that is only one kid, but that is still pretty good!

This is my sister-in-law's friend's recipe, but I have modified it a bit:

Ingredients:
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 lb canned, chopped tomatoes (I use Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 small can coconut milk
- 1/2 bag frozen peas
- Chopped cilantro & Lemon slices for optional garnish (which I never do!)


Pretty much I cook the onions, garlic and spices in water for a bit to mix the flavors, then I add everything else and cook for about a half an hour or so until the lentils cook and are soft. Red lentils cook *much* faster than brown lentils.

We usually eat it over some steamed spinach. Yum!

Fruit Pops!

Fruit pops for the last day of school. If you have a hard time getting your kid to eat fruit, put it on a stick! They love it!!

Best. Birthday cake. Ever.

I'll be honest with you, I was a little nervous when Evan told me he wanted to have a healthy birthday cake at his birthday party this year. I was very proud of him for making that choice, but yes, nervous. We have made kids cry before with our healthy desserts. Multiple kids cry. Luckily they were part of our immediate family so they got over it quickly. But now we are talking about Evan's classmates and they are big kids. Not three or four year olds. They might quickly resort to violence before crying if they didn't like the cake!

Luckily, none of that happened and I must say overall the healthy cake that Anthony made was a success!! Some of the kids chose not to even try it. Unfortunately, Evan was so excited about the cake he started reciting the ingredients before the kids took a bite. The second they heard beets and zucchini, they pushed their plates away. But, every kid who tried the cake really liked it!! So I'm counting that a success!!

Dr. Fuhrman has outdone himself with this one!

We found the recipe here:
http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=3911&catId=11

Serves: 12
Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 60 min+

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1-2/3 cups whole wheat flour


1 teaspoon baking powder


3 teaspoons baking soda


3-1/2 cups pitted dates, divided


1 cup drained pineapple chunks


1 banana


1 cup unsweetened applesauce


1 cup shredded beets


3/4 cup shredded carrots


1/2 cup shredded zucchini


3 tablespoons cocoa powder


1/2 cup currants


1 cup chopped walnuts


1 1/2 cups water


2 teaspoons vanilla

For the icing:

1 cup raw macadamia nuts or raw cashews, unsalted


1 cup vanilla nondairy milk


2/3 cup pitted dates


1/3 cup brazil nuts or hazelnuts


2 tablespoons natural non-alkalized cocoa powder


1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In blender or food processor, purée 3 cups of dates, pineapple, banana, and applesauce. 


Slice remaining 1/2 cup dates into 1/2-inch thick pieces.

In large bowl, mix sliced dates, shredded beets, shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, cocoa powder, currants, walnuts, water, vanilla, and flour mixture. 


Add the blended date mixture and mix well.

Spread in a 9 1/2 x 13 1/2-inch nonstick baking pan. 
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  

-OR-

I have the best results making this as cupcakes.  Regular sized or mini.  I line cupcake pans with paper wrappers, fill just below the top and bake for about 1 hour.  Note, I've never actually gotten the toothpick to come out clean... 

Using a blender or food processor, combine all icing ingredients until smooth and creamy. Place a dollop of icing over warm cake and serve, or spread icing on cooled cake.

Note:

I have had the best results baking it a day ahead of time.  It lets the cake "set up" a little more, and it's much easier to remove the cupcake wrappers.  

Totally delicious!!

The finished product:




Sliced up and ready to go. Looks like a regular cake, doesn't it??




Henry chowing down:





Here's to trying to change the world one birthday cake at a time!

Spinach banana whip

Posting this to hopefully inspire those who want to eat more healthfully and want their kids to also. My kids begged me to make them this for dessert. Spinach banana whip with a dollop of all-natural peanut butter. They love it!



If you stop eating junk, you will no longer crave it!!

Apple Pizza

Today I put apples on everything! They are so sweet they liven up everything. Tonight we made veggie pizza with apples and butternut squash soup with kale and apples. Yum!

Stuffed peppers

Veggie stuffed peppers that even my meat eating Dad gave a thumbs up to! Peppers stuffed with stewed tomatoes, onions, brown rice, baby bok choy and broccoli. Delish!