Into a 350 degree oven, place 2 Morningstar veggie burgers.  Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove, and let cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients below.

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Saute the following in a large saucepan:

1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
2 Stalks Celery – diced
1/2 Large Yellow Onion – diced
2 Large Cloves Garlic – diced
1  Red Bell Pepper - diced

After the above veges are softened (but not mushy) add the following:

24 oz. of canned crushed tomato
(use any brand you like)
1 Can Corn (any brand) drain off the water
1 box of Creamed Pearl Onions
(I use Birdseye)
6 cups water
1/4 cup Timari
Add the chopped veggie burgers you cooked earlier.

We have adopted a healthy lifestyle for our diet, but virtually everyone I know LOVES pasta.  So I recently decided that I would make Sunday evening our Pasta Night.  But I don’t want to have the “white flour” version.

This dish was inspired by a recipe I saw by a well known T.V. Chef.  There was way too much cheese, and “white” pasta used, so I decided to amend it.  What I created was easy, quick, nutritious and beautiful to look at.

It still had the wonderful “mouth-feel” of a full fat version, but way less cheese.  I did not add cheese to the sauce.  I simply grated about 1 tablespoon over the top before serving.  Pine Nuts were also used sparingly.

MY HUSBAND LOVED LOVED this dish.

Spinach Pesto over Pasta

An absolutely scrumptious
One Dish delight

Serves 2 generously ~ or 4 as a side dish

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Package of Whole Wheat Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta (Cooked) *
  .
  SAUCE:

• 8 cups baby spinach (I filled my Vita-Mix blender to the top)
• 6 cloves garlic (you can use less if you’re not a fan of garlic)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 avocado
  ..
  Prepare the sauce by adding the above ingredients into a blender and whirling them together until blended into a smooth sauce.  I used a Vita-Mix blender (filled it to the top with the baby spinach) and blended until the sauce was steaming hot in the blender.If you don’t have a Vita-Mix or Blend-Tec, make the sauce and heat it gently in the microwave or saucepan.When the sauce is finished warming, pour it over the cooked pasta and top with the Ingredients below.  Note:  Mix in the tofu (or your protein choice) before topping with the other ingredients.

TOPPING
6 oz. Tofu (extra firm) chopped in about 1/4″ cubes.  If you don’t like tofu, use chicken or fish.

* 2 teaspoons pine nuts  (you can substitute walnuts* or cashews)
1 PLUM Tomato (chopped)
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (or hard cheese of our choice)
Salt/Pepper to taste

TIPS for success.

* Cook the pasta in water seasoned with 2 Tbspns salt and 1 tspn oil.  The amount of pasta to use is 1/2 of the package.  That is, 1/2 package of uncooked pasta.

* If substituting walnuts, soak them for 1-2 hours.  You can use more nuts, but they are high in calories so use sparingly.

* I heard Ina Garten mention that if garlic bothers you, remove the little green piece you see when you’ve cut it in half.

* You can substitute Kale for spinach.

I had about 1/2 cup left over.  I intend to use it to spread on some whole wheat garlic bread.  YUM.

Excerpted from: www.chaboba.com

Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan, a country that is famous for its delicious food and drink. Bubble tea is a tea based drink, which has tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup. The tapioca pearls give the drink a bubbly appearance hence the name bubble tea.  The tapioca pearls are also often called ‘boba’ and are bouncy and chewy.  Bubble tea is normally consumed using a big fat straw. Bubble tea drinkers can chew the bobas and drink at the same time. Everyone’s first bubble tea is always a memorable drinking experience! We have a bubble tea to suit everyone, don’t be a bubble tea virgin and try one today!

Bubble tea is very popular in Asia, North America, Canada and Australia

Classic Bubble Tea Recipe – How To Make Bubble Tea

Recipe Type: Beverage, Tea
Yields: 1 (16-ounce) drink – Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min (Tapioca Pearls Cooking)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chilled, cooked large tapioca pearls (if substituting smaller tapioca, use 1/3 cup)* 
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup very strong chilled black tea (or orange pekoe tea or Lichee tea)
1 cup milk or to taste
Honey or granulated sugar to taste

* See How To Cook Tapioca Pearls below.

Preparation:  Place the pearls in a large parfait glass. Combine all remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously until the mixture is frothy. 

Pour into the glass, and serve with extra-thick straws.

Yields one (16-ounce) drink.

How To Cook Tapioca Pearls:

Ingredients:
6 to 8 cups water (the ration is a minimum 7:1 water to tapioca pearls)
1 cup tapioca pearls

Preparation:  In a large pot (Make sure the pot is big enough so boiling tapioca water will not spill over) over high heat, add water and bring to a boil. 

Slowly stir in the tapioca pearls so that they do not stick together (after 1 minute, the tapioca pearls should float). Reduce heat to medium and let boil, covered, for approximately 15 minutes; turn the heat off and let the tapioca pearls site, covered, for an additional 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat, rinse the tapioca pearls in cold water, and drain.

NOTE: The cooking time above is a general guideline. If you shorten the cooking time, you will get chewier tapioca balls. Cook longer and you will get less elastic tapioca balls.

Add the cooked tapioca pearl to your favorite Bubble Tea recipe.

Recipe reposted from: Whatscookingamerica.com

And so a  while back I found this recipe for one of the most delicious dressings I’ve ever tasted.
WARNING: A little goes a long way.   Even though these are “good fats” you don’t want to overdo it.

VERSION #1: (Makes a lot)
VIDEO FROM THE CHEF AND THE DIETITIAN

Version #2 - HEALTHY GIRLS KITCHEN

Version #3 - Nut Gourmet

Personally, I think this is a lot of almond butter … I would cut way back on the portion of that ingredient.

Ingredients:
2 large heads of curly kale (about 24 ounces)
sesame seeds, hemp seeds, peanuts, almonds or cashews (optional-I don’t think it needs this)

Dressing:
1 cup raw almond butter (raw, unsweetened and unsalted) **
1 cup coconut water (or regular water)
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2) and zest (I used the juice and zest of one large lemon, cause that’s what I had on hand)
2 cloves garlic
fresh, peeled ginger (approximately 1” or ¾ of an ounce)
2 tablespoons low sodium Tamari (soy sauce)
4 pitted dates I used Majool (soaked in water if not soft)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
If it’s too thick, add some water or even almond or soy milk.  I like my dressing so that it’s the consistency of heavy cream.

Preparation:
In a high powered blender combine all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Remove the thick, larger stems from the kale and place in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups of the dressing over the kale and using an Ulu blade, massage the dressing into the kale while using the Ulu to finely chop the kale. Sprinkle with seeds or nuts before serving, if desired. Like a woman, this only gets better with age.

This dressing also makes a delicious peanut dip for fresh veggies but you need to cut way back on the water and add some cilantro. http://www.chefajshealthykitchen.com/

** You don’t need to pay for expensive nut butters already made in a jar.

I used one cup of RAW unsalted almonds.  You will need a powerful blender to grind them into a “nut butter”.  I used a Vita-Mix.  You could also use a Blend-Tec.  I just threw the almonds in first, then added all the other ingredients on top of them.

(Adapted from Dr. Fuhrman)

My friend Dawn named this cake.   I am a member of Dr. Fuhrman’s online center and found this cake.  I was going to make it “as is” but decided to add a couple of eggs and dress the top with some extra nuts.

The result, a truly gorgeous cake good enough for any special occasion.

Instead of making one big 9 x 9 cake, I used smaller pyrex bowls and ended up with 5 cakes.

Two 6″ cakes ~ Two 4.5″ cakes and One 3.5″ cake:  Perfect sizes to give as gifts.

The batter is red (because of the beets) but the finished cake is brown, as you see in the picture above.  ALL the sweetness comes from natural ingredients.  NO SUGAR, NO OIL.  Unbelievably moist.  Unbelievably good.

I also used the same recipe and instead of making 5 smaller cakes, I made two bread loaves.  You can see them below.  We like to have a couple of slices with our morning coffee.  Add 1/2 of a grapefruit and you have a wonderful nutritious breakfast.

So below is the Beet/Carrot recipe adapted from Dr. Fuhrman.   I didn’t alter it too much, I just added two eggs, about 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional) and I topped the cake with some pecans which I had added some (scant) maple syrup and molasses to.  I PROMISE you that this will be one of your “go to” cake.  It is very dense, and yes, even heavy (like carrot cake) but so delicious.

I’m going to make a cashew cream sauce (recipe below) for the “frosting”.

Serves: 12-14

Holiday Cake

Ingredients:
(My additions are in bolded green)

I did not use currants.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour and baking soda in a bowl. In a larger bowl, beat date sugar, blended pineapple, mashed banana, and applesauce together (add eggs if you’re using them here) . Stir in the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture along with the chopped walnuts and mix. Now add the shredded carrots and beets. Mix well. Spread in a 9″ square nonstick baking pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

You must be a paid member of Dr. Fuhrman’s website to access his recipes. Some of them, however, can be found online outside of his blog.

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten

Heavenly Holiday Fudge

Ingredients:

1 can (15oz) of black beans
½ cup of dark cocoa powder
1 cup medjool dates pitted and chopped
3 apples chopped
1/4 c. water
1 banana
2 t. vanilla
1-2 cups walnuts

Place all ingredients (except walnuts) in a vitamix or high power blender. Process until very smooth. Then stir in by hand walnuts (not finely chopped) and bake in a 9 x 13 pan at 350 degrees for an hour until the top has a crust and the middle remains gooey. Transfer the batter into a rectangular plastic container and pack in tightly and put into the refrigerator overnight. Afterwards cut into 1 inch squares.

Store cut up fudge in-between layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer and enjoy!

Are you thinking of buying one of those Bake pop Cake Pop maker things?  My experience with these kinds of “specialty pans” hasn’t always been successful, so I decided to do some research first, but I think it looks like a terrific little pan.

Reviews I read were that the pop maker could be difficult to work with, but Liz from Nut in a Nutshell shares some great tips on using it.

You can buy the cake pop maker here and also direct from Bed Bath and Beyond.

If you buy it direct from the Bake Pop Cake Maker site, they have a “special offer, for a limited time” of two sets for $19.99.  BUT, there’s a catch.

You must pay 7.99 shipping and handling TWICE.  That amounts to $35.97.  With that you get some other goodies too, head over to their site to check it out.

Here is a picture of some cake pops finished.  Sweet yes?

The Holidays are officially underway at our house.  God bless you all.

It looks perfect for Thanksgiving and  is also Eat To Live Compliant.

I’m going to follow it to the letter.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

Almond/Date Crust

Oat-Nut Crust (uses butter but only a little bit)

Dr. Fuhrman Oat Crust

Oats and wholewheat flour (works great to replace a butter crust)

Grape Nuts and Apple Juice

OAT PIE CRUST
1 cup quick oats (not instant)
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (optional)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pie Crust: Mix oats, almonds, flour. Blend oil and water together with a wire whisk. Add to dry ingredients and mix until it holds together. You may need to add a little more water.   Smooth a tiny amount of oil around pie dish and press the crust to thinly cover the bottom and sides of the pie dish.

Pie Filling:
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup date sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 10-ounce pkg soft tofu

Pie Filling: In a blender combine the pumpkin and date sugar. Add raisins, spices, arrowroot powder, and tofu. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes at 450 then lower heat to 350 degrees. Cover crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning, and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

While pie is in the oven make the Cashew Cream. Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other powerful blender.

Serve slightly warm or cold with a dollop of Cashew Cream.

Note: The pie filling will firm up as it cools.
CASHEW CREAM
1 1/3 cups raw cashews
3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
2/3 cup dates

Tri-Nut Crust (modified from Dr. Joel Fuhrman)

Hhr>
TART SHELL (from Dr.Fuhrman)
1/2 cup walnuts, ground
1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts, ground
1/2 cup raw pecans, ground
1/2 cup oatmeal, ground
8 pitted dates (Go here to learn what to do with the dates)
3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

TART SHELL:
Make the nut crust by kneading the ground nuts and oatmeal with the dates and coconut and pressing them into the bottom of a glass or ceramic pie or tart pan.

By the way, here’s a tasty tidbit for you.  Did you know that the recipe for Yorkshire Pudding is almost identical to Popovers?   The major difference being that instead of using butter, one uses the “drippings” or rendered fat from cooked meat (usually beef/lamb or if you can get it, mutton).  No worries if you don’t want to use Beef drippings, use butter.
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Basic Popover (Alton Brown)
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Dutch Baby (Alton Brown)
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During the episode From Alton Brown (recipes above) he mentioned a book call The Whole Duty of a woman.  I was curious so I looked it up.  You can read it online.  From: www.archiveorg.

The whole duty of a woman, (1737) or, an infallible guide to the fair sex : containing rules, directions, and observations, for their conduct and behavior through all ages and circumstances of life, as virgins, wives, or widows : with … rules and receipts in every kind of cookery.  A real find.

Related: From blogs.princeton.edu

INGREDIENTS:

1 Box Extra Firm tofu – packed in water (19oz each) or 2 cans cannellini beans … drained and rinsed)
2 oz. Fresh basil leaves
1 cup pine nuts, raw cashews or hemp seeds
2 cloves garlic (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup – low-sodium miso
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1 pound frozen kale (defrosted, drained) or
2 pounds frozen, chopped spinach (defrosted, drained)

Place all ingredients except for the spinach or kale in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade and process until smooth and creamy.  Add spinach or kale and process again until combined.

Chef’s Note: Place in a hollowed-out, round loaf of sourdough bread for a spectacular presentation.

Angela’s Note: On their video (see below) they served the spread (or dip as they call it) on some kind of a chip.  I emailed them to ask what kind of chip it was, but still have not heard from them.

Angela’s Note #2:  I have also made this in my Vita-Mix and it makes a delicious salad dressing that way.  Just remember that when it’s blended in the Vita-Mix, you will no longer have a thick dip, everything will now be blended into a “sauce”.

I’ve had the idea of creating some sort of lentil loaf  in my head for a while. I’ve seen a few recipes floating around, but decided to just make it how I make my regular meatloaf, subbing lentils for the beef/turkey. Since I was making this for the family dinner, I thought putting them in little muffin cups might make serving them easier, and they’re much cuter that way!

• Lentils:
• 2 cups dry lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp. EVOO
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and minced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup ground oats (I put rolled oats in a food processor and pulse 20 times)
• 1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• Topping:
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. light brown sugar

1. Rinse lentils, place in a pot with 4 cups of water, bay leaf and salt.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain in a colander and set aside.
4. Heat a saute’ pan over medium heat.
5. Add EVOO, garlic, onion and carrots, season with salt and pepper.

• Cook for 5 minutes, until slightly caramelized and softened, turn heat off and set aside.
• Add lentils to a large mixing bowl, mash with a potato masher until about half the lentils are mashed and half are whole.
• In a small dish, beat egg whites until they are foamy.
• Add egg whites, cooked vegetables, tomato paste, oats, parsley and paprika to the lentils.
• Toss gently to combine everything, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• Place muffin cups in a tin (12), spoon mixture evenly into the cups, mounding them at the top.
• In a small dish, whisk ketchup, balsamic vinegar and light brown sugar.
• Spoon mixture over lentil loaf muffins.
• Place in the oven, bake for 25 minutes, or until topping is caramelized and lentils are crisp on the edges.

A few weeks ago I tried Heidi Swanson’s recipe for her fabulous Carrot Oatmeal Cookies.

I tweaked the recipe a little and here below is my version.  I love fresh ginger, so I bumped up the ginger a bit.  I also added a bit of cinnamon (my husband’s request) and dressed the top of each cookie with a little maple syrup (scant 1/4 tspn per cookie) and sprinkled black and white sesame seeds on them for color.  See the video included in this blog.

Heidi “drops” hers right onto the baking sheet.  I used a tablespoon and formed them into a ball, then “smooshed” them down with a fork.  The cookies are about 3-4″ across.  Hubby LOVES THEM.

INGREDIENTS:

•     1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
•     1 teaspoon baking powder
•     scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
•     1 cup rolled oats
•     2/3 cup chopped walnuts
•     1 cup shredded carrots
•     1/2 cup real maple syrup, room temperature (for the batter)
•     1/8 cup Honey (for garnishing top of cookies) *
•     1/2 cup unrefined (fragrant) coconut oil, warmed until just melted
•     2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
•     1/8 cup of Sesame seeds (white and black) *

After you have all your ingredients mixed, Preheat oven to 375F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Or Use a Silpat.    They cost about $20.00.  Sometimes you can find them on sale.  This saves lots of money on parchment paper.  It’s a little expensive to buy the Silpad initially, but worth the investment if you bake often.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats. Add the nuts and carrots. In a separate smaller bowl use a whisk to combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Drop onto prepared baking sheets, one level tablespoonful at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

* You can substitute Maple Syrup or Agave for the maple syrup
* You don’t have to use Sesame Seeds, it is optional, and of course you can use just one color if that’s all you have.

ONE FINAL WORD.  These cookies are very forgiving if you happen to leave them in for a few minutes over the recommended bake time.  It’s really up to you how hard or soft you’d like them.  Heidi’s recipe calls for 10-12 minutes, and I kept them in a good 5 minutes longer.

I’m trying this one next!  http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html

Dip into whole sesame seeds 

Consider adding fresh apple (for more moisture)

Cream together oil and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir into butter mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes. Don’t overcook – these cookies are already a bit crunchy / crumbly – in a good way! – because of all the flax seeds.

• 1 cup Tahini*
• 1 cup Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped mixed Dried Fruit, soaked and drained
• 3 cups Quick Cooking Rolled Oats 
• 1 cup mixed Nuts and Seeds, chopped

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are slightly brown. Cool on the baking sheet for a several minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

*Make your own tahini with Natural Brown Sesame Seeds or White Hulled Sesame Seeds.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serving Size: 1 Cookie

Calories 140, Calories from Fat 70, Total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 0mg, Total Carbohydrate 16g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 9g, Protein 3g.
Filed under: Dessert | Snacks ]]> http://angelasphere.com/2011/10/26/sesame-cookies/feed/ 0 Angela Sphere http://angelasphere.com/2011/10/07/butternut-squash-mac-%e2%80%98n-cheeze/ http://angelasphere.com/2011/10/07/butternut-squash-mac-%e2%80%98n-cheeze/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:29:25 +0000 Angela http://angelasphere.com/?p=3310 Continue reading →]]> Hubby says he loves it.  He went back for seconds.  ”Yay”!

If you’ve ever been afraid to try a “vegan” Mac ‘n Cheeze” you have to try this one.  This will be one of my favorite go to meals.

I found this recipe over at Oh She Glows.  Angela Liddon has a real winner here.  It is nut free and if you use rice noodles also gluten free.  Angela writes “she’s made many different vegan cheeze sauce recipes. The initial ones weren’t what I would consider spectacular, but with trial and error I’ve made recipes that not only satisfy my cravings, but make me crave the new recipes instead of actually craving cheese itself.”

And so, with that endorsement, I decided to give this recipe a try.  I actually went out and purchased all the ingredients the day I read her post.  Well, here it is fresh out of the oven with my pics.  It not only looks gorgeous on the table, is truly delicious.

THIS WILL BE ONE OF MY “GO TO MEALS”.

I absolutely lOVE LOVE LOVE this, and yes it satisfies just as much as dairy cheese.  I opted to add my green vegetables as a salad (or whatever green I have on hand) on the side.  Next time, I’ll probably add broccoli to it while it bakes.  I wanted to try it “naked” so I could get the full flavor.  I also can tolerate wheat so I opted for whole wheat noodles (notice I’ve changed Angela’s recipe to reflect that).

Having said that I do want to add that it would be even more scrumptious with some dried minced onion, or even fresh onion (though I wouldn’t want to “water down” any of the sauce) and even MORE nutritional yeast.   Don’t get me wrong, it was wonderful just the way the recipe was written, but for my tastebuds, I’d add those things. And maybe even a bit of fresh minced garlic.

I lined my casserole dish with parchment paper so the noodles wouldn’t stick. I think that was a lifesaver for cleanup.
Below is Angela’s recipe from OH She Glows … “well done Angela”

Yield: 4 servings or 1.5 cups of cheeze sauce

Ingredients:  My amendments are in green

• 1 fresh butternut squash* (peeled and chopped) or 1 cup canned butternut squash
• Extra virgin olive oil, S & P
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter replacer)
• 1 cup unsweetened & unflavoured almond milk (or use rice or hemp milk if nut-free)
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) – I used cornstarch
• 5 tbsp nutritional yeast (my tastebuds preferred more, but it was delicious as written)
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 servings brown rice macaroni (8oz or half a 16oz package) makes 3 1/4 cup cooked (I used whole wheat)

Mix-ins of choice (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds, etc) (I had mine on the side)

1. Preheat oven to 425F.   Line a casserole dish with tin foil.  Mix chopped squash with EVOO, S & P. Roast for about 40 minutes, uncovered, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cheeze sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add Earth balance over low-medium heat.
In a bowl, whisk together milk and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour) until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk. Stir in remaining ingredients (nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, S & P) and whisk over low heat until thickened (about 5-7 minutes or so).

3. Cook your pasta according to package directions. The sauce makes enough to cover 4 servings of pasta.

4. In a blender, blend the sauce with 1 cup of roasted squash (or if using canned, simply stir 1 cup into the pot).

5. Add cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni into pot, along with cheeze sauce & mix-ins. Heat and serve.  I lined my casserole dish with parchment paper for easier cleanup later.  This is absolutely optional.

Note: A 3.5 pound squash made 5 cups cooked squash, so you will have about 4 cups leftover.   (Yay, you can make it 4 more times)

Filed under: Breads | Grains ]]> http://angelasphere.com/2011/10/07/butternut-squash-mac-%e2%80%98n-cheeze/feed/ 1 Angela Sphere Mac N Cheeze Vegan_003 Mac N Cheeze Vegan_006 Mac N Cheeze Vegan_011 Mac N Cheeze Vegan_012 http://angelasphere.com/2011/10/02/3161/ http://angelasphere.com/2011/10/02/3161/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:20:20 +0000 Angela http://angelasphere.com/?p=3161 Continue reading →]]> I never even gave a though to making my own.  I stumbled across these today and thought I’d share the good news.  I had all the ingredients on hand and IMMEDIATELY made them.  They are sooooooooo easy to make.  I mean it … The recipe is at LovelyVeggiesandYoga.com ~ Peanut Butter Cups … This recipe makes 2 large cups BUT I used those mini candy wrappers and it made 6 cups.  The perfect snack size for when you want something sweet but not too much.

You can go and do the recipe just as it is written, but I’ve made these now 3 or 4 times since.  I don’t even measure anymore. 

First put your candy wrappers inside the cups of a mini muffin pan.  Then I just take some chocolate (whatever kind I have on hand), usually bittersweet because it has more antioxidants) and then I melt it, add a bit of vanilla and some LoHan for sweetening.

Then I pour it into the candy wrappers.  Then I let it cool for 15 minutes or so.  (you can put it in the freezer to speed up the process).  While it’s hardening I mix up some peanut butter and some nutritional yeast.  I don’t even measure it, I just taste it and see if I like it.  When the hardened chocolates come out of the fridge, I spoon some peanut butter mixture onto the top of the hardened chocolate.  Then I melt some more chocolate and pour it over the top.  Then I let that harden.

I’m telling you … it’s such a JOY to do it. So easy, so delicious.  Next time I make them I’ll give you all the measurements, but in the meantime, just go to the link I gave you above.  You’ll see, you really won’t even measure the 2nd time you do it.

LOVE these things.

Ingredients

1 cup Black Beluga Lentils (Dry)
5 Large Button Mushrooms
1 Medium Onion
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 cup Tamari
2 Tablespoons Cabernet Wine (or other dry red wine
1 Cherry Pepper (red or green)
1 Packet Soya Sazon (without annatto)
2 carrots – chopped

Rinse the lentils and drain.  No need to soak first.

In a Medium saucepan put in olive oil, red wine and tamari and keep it on low while you are chopping the mushrooms, onions and garlic.

Add the chopped mushrooms to the pan and increase the heat to medium and saute til crispy.  Watch the mushrooms so that they don”t burn.  When mushrooms, are done add onion and garlic and saute til they are softened.

Place the sauteed veges, and all the other ingredients to a medium sized crockpot and cook on high for a couple of hours.  When the lentils have softened, reduce heat to low and continue to cook.

If you don’t have a crockpot simply use the same pan you used to cook the veges.  If you don’t have Tamari you can substitute Soy Sauce, or you could leave it out all together.  I added it for a smoky flavor.  In fact if you don’t have all of the ingredients, you could get away with just onions and garlic with some of your favorite spices and it will still be wonderful.

This is one of the best lentil soups I’ve ever made and/or tasted.  I know this sounds self serving, but I really mean it.  I didn’t use a recipe, I just kept throwing the ingredients in that sounded good to me.  My husband said it was a “10″.  It made enough for 4 large servings.  I have made it twice since my original posting.

Serves 4.

P.S. 

She was interested in learning how to make an energy bar that she could make and pack ahead and take with her on the road.  So for a while now I’ve been experimenting.  There is an earlier post on this blog with a similar recipe, but the one here is what I consider to be the star.  A video will follow soon with visuals, but the pics and recipe here will suffice.

This is an amazingly delicious and highly nutrient dense food.  It could be a nutritious snack or a replacement for a meal if you are breaking your meals up into eating 5-6 times a day.  I try to stay between 1200 to 1400 calories per day, so for me it’s perfect as a (small) meal replacement if that is how my day is going.  For instance, I eat one bar at 8:00 a.m., and I’m not hungry at all until well past 11:00.  It’s loaded with fiber, good carbs, enough fat to keep you from being hungry in another 1/2 hours, but low enough fat to be guilt free, and the fat are all good fats.  It is truly delicious.  I’m not just saying that.  It really is delicious.

After it’s finished baking and cooled….  you cut it into 16 bars (for a meal replacement) or 32 bars (for a snack).  Put it in the refrigerator (or even the freezer) and you have enough for two people for a week, or for one person for two weeks.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS and Nutritionl Information: and … below …

Optional:
*  Black Sesame Seeds/White Sesame Seeds
*  Raw Sugar * Cinnamon

350 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes.

THE NIGHT BEFORE: 
Soak Walnuts (use filtered water … you’ll discard the water in the morning) and Line a large baking sheet (like a deep cookie sheet pictured to the right) with parchment paper.  Don’t skip this step or your bars will stick.  If you have a silpad….use it.  If you have neither lightly grease your cookie pan, preferably with canola or olive oil.

Into a VERY large bowl pour 2 cups of the best filtered water you have.  To the same bowl add the chia seeds, molasses, agave, raisins and applesauce.  Be sure to stir the mixture three or 4 times over a 15 minute period to avoice clumping of the chia seeds together.  Then just cover and leave il the morning.  I keep mine in the microwave (no need to cover it then).

In the morning:
Rinse the walnuts and chop them
Grind the flax seed (I use a coffee grinder)
Add the walnuts and the ground flax seed to the bowl
Add the oatmeal to the bowl
Add the bananas last … just peel them, break them into pieces and them with a large fork mash them into the batter already in the bowl.  Stir with a large spatula until well mixed.

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.  If you have a built in cook timer … set it to 45 minutes.

Spread your batter evening over the pan.

*optional ~ Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top.  I love to add the cinnamon because it makes the whole house smell like Christmas.  It is absolutely optional.  You can buy it already mixed by McCormick, or you can certainly make your own mixture…just mix 1 part cinnamon to 4 parts sugar.

You’re only going to use about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Mix the cinnamon and sugar (like we used to sprinkle on toast) and then with a small strainer sprinkle it all over the  top.    Use any strainer you have.  The easiest way is to hold the strainer over the center of the spread out batch and then add a couple of teaspoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture…then shake it over the batter.

*optional ~ After the sugar/cinnamon, sprinkle a mixture of white and black sesame seeds all over the surface of the batter.

Remember we eat with our eyes first.  The combination of the sugar/cinnamon mixture and the seeds causes a wonderful browning effect and looks very appetizing.

If you don’t care for cinnamon, omit it.

This is truly a wonderful, delicious recipe that I have worked diligently to perfect.  We love it.  We look forward to eating it AND it stays with you for hours.  Just a piece of fresh fruit perhaps about 3 hours after eating a bar and I’m good until lunch.

P.S. I like to toast mine now, (like bread) and it’s especially scrumptious (my sister’s favorite word) like that.

P.S. My sister recommended that athletes like a “recovery food” … so for that perfect 4-1 carb/protein  combination…. add three ounces (or 84 grams)  of your favorite protein powder to the batter, or make as is and drink  one (1) ounce of milk.  The last batch I made I added protein powder and it made it even more scrumptious.

I’ll add the protein next time and report on the taste.  I’ll use Healthy ‘N Fit (Vitamin Shoppe).  You could use whatever type of protein powder you like.