Lemon Vinaigrette

 Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1-3 garlic cloves

1-2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1) Put garlic cloves in a food processor and run until minced. 

2) Put all remaining ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

3) Keeps for up to a week in the fridge.

Pumpkin Spice Groatnola

This is my new favorite breakfast, courtesy of NutritionFacts.org's Instagram account. I eat the groatnola as a cold cereal with golden raisins, pumpkin seeds, and unsweetened soy milk. It's not really sweet at all on its own, but the addition of raisins and milk makes it really good, kind of like a raisin bran crunch flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup uncooked buckwheat groats, rinsed
1 large cooked sweet potato (1¼-1½ cups mashed)
1-2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon, or more to taste
2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or more to taste
8-12 cups rolled oats

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 250F

2) In a sauce pan, bring 1½ cups water to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the uncooked buckwheat groats. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes or until soft.

3) Add the cooked buckwheat and sweet potato to a large mixing bowl. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash together until well combined. Add the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, and continue mashing together.

4) Add 8 cups of rolled oats and stir until the mixture is well combined and forms clumps. 

5) Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Spread the granola on the cookie sheets. Bake for 2½ hours. 

Cilantro Chutney

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanuts

1 jalapeno, deseeded

1 bunch cilantro, washed and leaves only

1 tsp salt

1 tbs lemon juice

1/2 cup water

Directions

1) Roughly blend the peanuts and set aside.

2) Blend all the other ingredients until smooth, scraping down sides of blender as necessary.

3) Add peanuts back into blender and blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Taco Salad

Ingredients

2 corn tortillas

1/2 cup refried beans (or fat free refried beans from a can)

1/2 cup salsa of your choice (my favorites are chipotle salsa, pico de gallo, and La Victoria brand's cilantro salsa)

1/2 cup chopped tomato

2 tbs chopped red onion

2 cups salad greens (your choice of lettuces, arugula, and spinach)

1/4 cup cilantro (optional)

Directions

1) Toast the corn tortillas in a nonstick skillet until cooked. I like to cut them up so I don't have to try to cut them up once they're underneath beans. Add them to a plate.

2) Heat up the refried beans and put them atop the corn tortillas.

3) Top with salsa and all other ingredients. Eat.

No Oil Tofu Veggie Stir-fry

This recipe varies for me based on what is currently in the refrigerator and freezer.  Anytime I have more vegetables than I can use in other meals, I chop them up and freeze them to use in this stir fry.  All of the ingredients in this stir fry freeze and reheat well, and you can swap out any vegetables you want.  Here is my favorite version of this recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup extra firm tofu, cubed (this recipe also works well with sliced seitan or a combination of the two)
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger root, minced (or ginger paste, if you're lazy like me)
1 clove garlic, minced (or about 1 tsp garlic paste, if you're lazy like me)
2 carrots, chopped
1-2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup baby corn (or however much is in half a can)
1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced (or however much is in half a small can)
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, sliced 
2-5 tbs Braggs' Liquid Aminos (Adjust to taste.  Low sodium tamari also works, but I find full-sodium soy sauce makes the dish too salty.)
1/2 cup water
1 tbs corn starch


Directions

1. First drain the tofu.  If it is already cubed, just drain as much liquid as possible.  If it's still in one big block, wrap it in a couple of paper towels, place it between two dinner plates, and put a few cans on top to weight it down.  After a couple of minutes, most of the water should be drained from the tofu block. Cut into cubes. Add two tablespoons of water to a nonstick skillet, heat over medium, and cook the tofu cubes for 5 minutes, adding more water if it starts to stick.

2. Add the sliced onions to the skillet.  Cook onions until slightly translucent, then add garlic and ginger. Continue to add water a tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking.

3. Whisk together Bragg Liquid Aminos, corn starch, and water or vegetable broth, and add this sauce to the skillet. 

4. Add remaining vegetables.  Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  I usually cover the skillet and let it cook on low for up to 30 minutes while the rice finishes cooking.  If the vegetables cook to the point of getting mushy, it just makes them taste more like take-out to me, so I've never seen this overcook.

5. Serve over your choice of brown rice, brown rice noodles, or soba noodles.

Champiñones al Ajillo

This is from the NY Times. I copied it here because I usually end up getting locked out of the recipes I'm making before I'm done with them.

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced

• 1 small dried red chili, crumbled, or ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 pounds mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, cut in half

• Salt to taste

• ½ cup dry white wine or fino sherry

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1) Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and chili or red pepper flakes. After about 30 seconds, when the garlic begins to sizzle, add the mushrooms and turn the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring, until they sear and begin to sweat, then sprinkle them with salt and add the white wine or sherry. 

2) Turn the heat down to medium, and continue to cook, stirring or tossing in the pan from time to time, until the mushrooms are tender, five to 10 minutes. 

3) Stir in the lemon juice and parsley, taste and adjust seasonings, and remove from the heat. Serve hot or warm in small ceramic dishes, or serve on a platter with toothpicks stuck into the mushrooms.

Mushroom Hot Cocoa: First Attempt

There is a small business tea-maker whose herbal teas and unsweetened cocoa blends I've been enjoying for the last couple years, but she unfortunately seems to have stopped making product. So I'm attempting to replicate my favorites based the ingredients list. Yesterday at Whole Foods I found powdered versions of all the mushrooms on the list, so my first attempt was this morning. The original version includes some other powdered herbs and roots, but they are further down in the list, so I figured I'd attempt it with just mushroom powders and unsweetened cocoa powder first (because EXPENSE) and make notes from there.

The blend I'm trying to recreate calls for about 2 tsp of mix to make a cup of cocoa, so this morning's attempt was 1/4 tsp each of lion's mane, cordyceps, reishi, and chaga powders, and 1 tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder. These are much smaller than the servings listed on the mushroom powder bags and also much smaller than the amounts that studies on the NIH website indicate can cause any sort of kidney or other health problems. (I drink these sorts of things on a regular basis, so it was important to me to make sure I wasn't overdoing anything.) I dissolved my blend in about half a cup of boiling water and then topped with unsweetened soy milk like I do with the blends the tea maker sells. It doesn't taste mushroomy or even particularly earthy like I'm used to, but it's also not very chocolatey. It's a bit more watery than anything. Next attempt I'm going to actually buy cacao powder and see if it's richer. I don't know anything about cacao powder, but the blend I'm trying to emulate was definitely a darker color like coffee and definitely referred to "cacao" rather than cocoa. All in all, it's drinkable, so not a bad first attempt.

 

 

Instant Pot Brown Rice

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice

1.25 cups water

Directions

1) Add rinsed rice and water to Instant Pot. Seal lid and cook for 22 minutes, natural release.

Instant Pot Quinoa

 Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups broth or water

Directions

1) Rinse quinoa and put quinoa and water or broth in Instant Pot. 

2) Seal lid and cook for 1 minute, natural release.

Creole Red Beans & Brown Rice

I'm finally writing up how I make this with brown rice so Sameer can cook it.  Liquid amounts and cooking times vary based on the instructions on my bag of brown rice.  My current bag calls for a 2:1 ratio of water to rice, cooked for 22-30 minutes.  Maybe it's parboiled because brown rice cooking time is usually longer than that.  Original recipe comes from "Vegetarian Times."

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  
• 2/3 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups pepper and onion mix, divided
• 1 15-oz. can tomatoes with medium green chiles, divided
• 1 1/2 cups cooked small red beans

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat, add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and heat until shimmering. Add rice and 1 cup pepper/onion mix, and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly softened. Add 1⁄3  cup tomatoes and their juices, plus 1 cup water; season with salt, if desired. Bring to boil, and stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. 
2. Heat remaining 1 tbs oil and 1/4 garlic powder in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup pepper/onion mix and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add remaining tomatoes with their juices, beans, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Cover, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Transfer 3/4 cup bean mixture to blender and purée until smooth. Return purée to pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with hot sauce.
   

Blueberry BROL Breakfast Bowl

 

 

This is my new go-to breakfast.  I cook the BROL in advance and keep it in the refrigerator ready to go.  One batch lasts almost a week.  Then in the morning I put one cup of BROL, 1 tbs of ground flaxseed, and half a cup of frozen wild blueberries in a bowl and stir them up and microwave them for 90 seconds.  Then cut up a banana on top for added sweetness.

Buddha Bowl

 

This recipe comes from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 89.  I love it so much.  I eat it for lunch most days because it makes me feel good and it's got tons of protein and fiber and vegetables.  It takes a little time to make the sauce and marinade and BROL and bake the tofu, but I only do that once a week or so and it only takes a couple minutes to compile on the other days.  The recipe below includes my notes. 

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice (I use BROL here. Just make it once and use it for the week.)

4 oz tofu or tempeh (I use tofu marinated and baked in B-Savory Sauce.)

1/4 cup Korean Tahini BBQ Sauce

2 cups mixed baby greens 

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup mung bean sprouts (I haven't tried this with mung bean sprouts yet but I use homegrown broccoli sprouts in their place.  Any sprouts or microgreens would be good here.)

1/2 cup sauerkraut or kimchi (I use the vegan variety of Mother In Law's Kimchi.  It's in the vegan section of a couple grocery stores around here.)

1/2 avocado, sliced

Sesame or hemp seeds (optional.  I've been meaning to try this with nigella seeds.  Not sure yet if it'll be good.)

 

Directions:

1) Dole out your grains, tofu, and sauce onto a large plate and microwave for about 90 seconds.  

2) Pile everything else on top.  Enjoy. 

BROL

This recipe comes from Michael Greger MD of NutritionFacts.org.  I'm not sure if this base recipe is in one of his cookbooks or if it's only found with other things added to it.  I couldn't find it plain though and I just make this basic BROL (barley/rye/oats/lentil) as the base for my lunchtime Buddha bowls.  It makes enough for a week worth of Buddha bowl lunches.  It's just basic whole grains and lentils, so it could theoretically be the base for a lot of different things.  It is one of the few things I've ever eaten that made me feel energetic and just better in general than before I ate.  I also used up some random whole grains as substitutions (e.g., millet) before buying the actual ingredients listed below.  If you have whole grains or lentils to use up and don't know what to do with them, I highly recommend this.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup hulled barley

1/3 cup rye berries

1/3 cup oat groats

1/2 cup black beluga lentils

Directions:

1) Rinse barley, rye, and oats and combine with 2 cups of water in an Instant Pot.  Cook for 30 minutes with natural release.

2) Set aside cooked grains and put black lentils and 1 cup water into Instant Pot. Cook for 1 minute with natural release.

3) Stir grains and lentils to combine.  Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Eat plain or add whatever.  They have more flavor than most plain grains.  Not bad for a healthy breakfast, especially with some fruit.

Korean Tahini BBQ Sauce

This recipe comes from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 230.  I use it in Buddha bowls (recipe from the same cookbook).  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup red miso

1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 tbs chili paste or chili sauce (I use 1 tbs samal oelek and 1 tbs gochujang)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs rice vinegar

2 tbs tahini

1 tbs dark brown sugar

 

Directions:

1) Puree all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 

 

B-Savory Sauce & Marinade

This recipe comes from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, pg. 232.  I've been making it every week or so to marinate and bake tofu.  I slice up a brick of tofu and then marinate it for anywhere between 30 minutes and 24 hours in the fridge.  Then I bake the slices in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, flipping them over at the halfway point.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup reduced sodium tamari

2 tbs apple cider vinegar

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tbs vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs + 1 tsp maple syrup

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients in a resealable container. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks and yields enough to marinate 4 blocks of tempeh or tofu, or 16 portobello caps.

2) For Buddha bowl tofu, slice 1 tofu brick into fourths.  Marinate for at 30 minutes to 24 hours in refrigerator.

3) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4) Bake marinated tofu on baking sheet for 20 minutes, flip, and then bake for another 20 minutes.  Reserve remaining marinade in resealable container in the refrigerator for another use.

5) Cube baked tofu.  Throw some into a Buddha bowl and put the rest in a sealed container in the refrigerator for next time.

My Favorite Healthy Things to Eat

I'm going to keep updating this list I think.  But I've been meaning to make a list of reliably good recipes I make since this blog is a list of pretty much everything I've ever made, some of which should not be made again.  This list will focus on plant-based, mostly whole food recipes that taste good to me and also make me feel good (i.e., vegan healthy stuff).

 

Breakfast...

Kale-Berry Smoothie (My go-to breakfast.)

 

Soups...

I like to make a big pot of soup about once a week in the cold months.  I eat it for lunch with some fruit and give a cup of the non-spicy ones to Simran as a side dish to her usual quesadilla or whatever she's eating for lunch.

Curry Pumpkin Soup (The tastiest of the bunch. Even Simran likes it.)

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup (Great way to pack beans and cruciferous greens into a meal.)

Sambar  (Full of protein and veg, so add brown rice or idli and it's a filling meal all by itself.  It's spicy, so I like it when I have a cold.)

Vegetable Manchow Soup (My favorite food when I have any sort of cold or flu because it's spicy and light but also nutrient dense.) 

Veggie Sides...

Blanched dark leafy greens with Walnut Sauce (Even Simran likes this.  It's best on lacinato or dinosaur kale, but it's good on chard or pretty much whatever you've got.)

Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard Sauce (Simran doesn't eat the sauce on this, but she eats the seared sprouts without complaint.) 

French Beans with Caper Bagna Cauda (Simran's favorite veggie side.) 

Collard Greens with Almonds (It's easy and very healthy.) 

Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo (I keep a container of lemon-caper mayo in my fridge all summer alongside a container of steamed, chilled asparagus ready to eat. This is another one where Sim doesn't like the sauce but she'll eat the veg plain.)

Smoky Potato Salad over Greens (This is good in summer whenever you have arugula or salad greens that you need to use up.)

Red Cabbage Slaw (This is another one no one in the house likes as much as I do.  It goes well with Mexican food though and Sameer will eat a large plate of it if he has red chile pesto to mix in.)

Main Courses...

Creole Red Beans & Rice (I replace the white rice with brown and adjust the cooking time and liquid amount accordingly.  I really need to type up the times and amounts.  Otherwise this is a quick and easy one.)

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Tofu Pot Pie

Tofu Provencal

Dal Makhani  

Nut-Crusted Tofu

Hearty Veggie Hoagies (Sim loves these and you can make them hours in advance. Great for hot summer days.)

Veggie Summer Rolls (Light and delicious. A fair amount of prep work, but Sim helps, and they're perfect for hot summer days.)

My Comfort Foods...

Breakfast Burrito with sausage (Seems like a lot of work if you're tired and/or depressed, but you can buy vegan breakfast sausages ready made in the freezer section and, once you've got everything cooked, you've got several meals worth of breakfast burrito materials ready to re-heat, roll up, and eat.)

Black Bean Burgers (Make a batch whenever, individually wrap them in wax paper, and put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer.  Then you've got several meals worth of burgers ready to heat in the oven or toaster oven whenever you need something healthy, tasty, and protein-packed.) 

Vegetarian Club Sandwich (This isn't really health food, but it's quick and easy, not terrible for you, and it does make me feel better when I eat it.  Tofurky deli slices are vegan, but Morningstar bacon contains egg whites, so you can make it vegan by using bacon-flavored tempeh slices instead and Vegannaise in place of the mayo.  I exclusively use vegan mayo now. I've never missed the eggy version.)

Buffalo Tofu Salad (The theme I'm seeing in this post is "things I can make once and eat for several days." This is another one of those recipes I eat for lunch for like an entire week. I need to update my buffalo tofu recipe because I make it differently from the original recipe and bread it with 1/3 cup cornmeal and 2/3 cup oats.)

Sweets...

Healthy Chocolate Truffles (Even Simran likes this one, and she prefers straight up junk food.)

Cherry Chocolate Chia Pudding (Ideal healthy way to curb a craving for chocolate or candy.  I'm the only one in the house who thinks so though.)

Mango Sorbet (We all like this one.  I need to type it up.  It's just unsweetened mango -- canned or frozen, though fresh would work if you have it -- blended with the juice of a fresh lime or two and about a tsp of agave nectar.  Then run it through the ice cream maker.)

Healthy Zucchini Bread - Attempt #1

Three small loaves are in the oven right now, but I don't have high hopes.  I realized as soon as I set the timer that I'd forgotten the ground flaxseed meant to bind everything together.  I also made a lot of changes from the healthy carrot bread based on instinct and also what I had on hand, which is why I'm typing this up immediately, just in case it turns out okay and I want to refer back.  Here is what I did, and I will report back afterward about how it turned out:

Ingredients
2 cups grated zucchini (approximately -- I didn't even measure; I used the fine grater and did NOT drain the liquid)
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 heaping cups Medjool dates + 2 cups boiling water + a couple pineapple rings and a few tbs juice, all combined in blender
1 cup raisins (it just wasn't sweet enough without)
1 cup dry toasted walnuts
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
about 1 cup homemade date syrup (because it was in the fridge and I wanted to get rid of it)
1/2 cup Ezekiel 4:9 cinnamon raisin cereal (because the consistency at that point felt a little too runny, probably on account of the date syrup, and I didn't want to grind up more oats and also no one in the house eats this cereal anymore and it would be nice to get rid of it)

Directions
1) Combine dry ingredients minus the nuts and oats (and cereal and raisins).  Meaning combine the dry ingredients with a flour-like texture.

2) Combine the blended date/pineapple slurry you just made with the vanilla and grated zucchini (i.e., the wet ingredients).  This part should've also included 2 tbs ground flaxseed.  Then stir in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated.

3) Stir in the nuts, oats, cereal, and raisins.

4) Spray mini loaf pans (it's easier to get something this dense fully cooked without burning the edges by using smaller loaf pans) with Pam and fill each halfway with batter.  Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  I just checked mine at the 30 minute point and put them in for another 10 because they aren't done in the middle.  They will probably end up baking for at least 50 minutes, but I'll keep checking them by stabbing them in the center with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean yet.

Okay, so I probably should've baked them at 375 instead of 350 and I probably should've used the amount of oats and nuts that are in the carrot cake recipe because, while the flavor of this bread was good and the sweetness seemed right, the texture was wrong and the centers of the loaves weren't fully cooked even after 50 minutes and even after the toothpick was seemingly coming out clean.  It's hard to make the texture good on a whole-grain, no oil bread.  It's edible and it will get eaten -- I put one sliced loaf in the fridge and the others in the freezer -- and Simran said she likes it better than the carrot cake bread and wants to eat it for breakfast tomorrow, but I think it was mostly because 1 tbs of cinnamon turned out to be a good amount.  Next time I make this, I will remember the flaxseed and increase the walnuts to 1.5 cups at least.  Rather than doubling the oats, I'll probably use the rest of that Ezekiel cereal we have and then add oats until I'm at 2 cups in total. 

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo

I am tired and just jotting down what it occurred to me to make for dinner tonight so I don't forget later when I am more tired and have to do this.  I made the garlic scapes and carrot greens into a (hefty amount of) rough pesto with some pine nuts, olive oil, and salt.  There was a lot more finished product than I intended.  I'm going to throw some of it into the Vitamix with some water, raw cashews, and seasonings to taste and make it into a pesto alfredo sauce.  Apparently you can make anything into a vegan cream sauce by running it through a blender with raw cashews and water and seasoning it to taste.  I've done this a couple times now (for pesto alfredo and a vodka-less vodka sauce) and it is easier than I would have expected and very forgiving since you fix the thickness and flavor while it's still in the blender.  Just err on the side of too thick since you can always add water but it's harder to cook it out.

I think I have Tofurky brand vegan chik'n strips in the fridge, and if I don't, I definitely have Tofurky brand Italian sausage.  They add a lot in terms of flavor and how filling the dish is.  I also have whole wheat penne for this.

I'm going to blanch the fresh fava beans and throw at least some of them into this pasta dish along with some of the fresh English peas, one or two of the little summer squash sliced, and some broccoli florets and sliced bell pepper from the freezer.  And maybe one of the fresh shallots from the farm box.  And some of the red basil.  I tried putting the red basil in a sandwich yesterday and it was not good for that.  It has a nice, fairly typical basil flavor, but it's too strong to use as sandwich greens and the stems are too fibrous to chew, so I'll have to rip off some of the leaves and just throw them into this whole thing at the end.  Or add them to the blender while I'm making the sauce.  I'm not sure which will make it a weirder, less appetizing color (red basil is the brownish color of pretty much any other red lettuce).  It should taste nice though. 

[Edited after dinner:  The sauce contained a generous scoop of my homemade garlic scape pesto, water, raw cashews, salt, some dry oregano, fresh red basil, and fresh ground black pepper.  I don't know amounts because I kept messing with it, but it was probably around half a cup each of the pesto and the cashews and maybe a cup of water (definitely don't take my word for it on the water).  The vegan parmesan on top from the produce department -- I can't remember the brand -- was a really good addition, probably because the sauce needed lemon or something equivalently tangy and I didn't think to include any.  The garlic scape pesto had a serious bite to it from CONTAINING MOSTLY GARLIC so my primary goal was evening out the final sauce so it wasn't too spicy.  The rest of the ingredients were a couple of fresh shallots thinly sliced, a few baby summer squash sliced, fresh English peas, fresh fava beans that I'd blanched and double shelled (today I learned fresh fava beans have a really nice texture), some leftover diced yellow bell pepper, and Tofurky chick'n strips lightly sauteed in olive oil.  I ended up using whole wheat spaghetti because I felt like the thicker, chewier texture of the penne would've been overpowering with all these small, tender vegetables.  Farfalle would've also worked.]

Healthy Chocolate Truffles

This recipe originally came from The How Not to Die Cookbook.  But that version gave me a little bit of a stomach ache, presumably from all the nuts, so I replaced some of them with black beans this time around, which also cut the fat content a bit.  Simran also likes this version, which is shocking.  I think it's the first whole food plant based dessert she's liked.  I will probably keep a batch of these in the fridge going forward since they don't require cooking and one or two can sate a chocolate craving pretty well.

Ingredients
1/3 cup chopped and pitted soft dates
1/3 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbs almond butter (or substitute whatever nut butter you have -- I think I used some sunbutter I'm trying to dispose of)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup date sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond flour (or finely ground nuts of your choice), for coating

Directions 

1) Combine dates and black beans in food processor and process to a paste.  Add almond butter and process to combine.  Add cocoa powder, date sugar, vanilla, and 1 tsp of water.  Pulse until well combined.

2) The finished product should look fudgy in color and texture and just hold together when molded into a ball.  If it's crumbly, add a little more water, 1 tsp at a time, until it can be shaped into balls.  If it's too soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm it up.

3) Use your hands to shape and roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.  Then roll them in almond flour.  Place them in a container and refrigerate until firm before serving.

Healthy Carrot Cake - First Attempt

I will completely forget what I did this time around if I don't write this down.  The cake (quick bread) is still cooling, so I don't know how it's turned out yet.  I will add that later, along with changes for second attempt. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tbs ground flaxseed
1/2 cup quick cooking oats (or pulse some old fashioned rolled oats through a food processor a little, which is what I do)
1 cup shredded carrots (about two carrots; I ran mine through my salad shooter)
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 sparse cup golden raisins
2 canned pineapple rings + about 2 tbs juice (I have a feeling I should've used more juice to brighten the flavor but I was afraid of making the batter too runny)
1 cup walnut pieces, dry toasted in pan
1 cup boiling water
about 1/2 cup date syrup (because that's how much was currently in the fridge)

Directions

1) Boil 1 cup water (I just did this with a glass measuring cup in the microwave) and cover dates and raisins with it.  Let cool a bit.

2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray inside of two small loaf pans with Pam.

3) Mix flour, salt, baking soda and powder, spices, flaxseed, and oats together in a large bow.

4) Pour water with dates and raisins into blender, add pineapple with juice, and blend for just a few seconds.  I should still have chunks of fruit in it.

5) Add walnuts, carrots, and wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to incorporate.

6) Divide batter into loaf pans and bake for 25-30 minutes (I put them in for 25 minutes, at which point a toothpick came out clean but they still looked thin in the middle, so I let them sit in the oven with it off for about five more minutes, at which point I could smell them from outside the oven and they looked more done).  Let cool.

[Edited 5/18/2020: It's good.  It's pretty dense.  Tastes better (and sweeter) the next day.  I sliced it, put it in a sealed container, and stored it in the fridge, and it was better today than yesterday.  The fridge keeps it moist, which helps with the density.  Resembles the buttery, sugary carrot cake cookies I made a couple weeks ago by more than I'd dared to hope.  I wonder how this recipe would turn out if scooped into cookies on a cookie sheet instead of baked in loaf pans.  The only change I would definitely make for next time is changing the spice from 1 tsp cinnamon to 1.5 tsp and omitting the ginger and clove since those made it very closely resemble my pumpkin bread in aroma and flavor, which is fine but I want it to be different.  I'd also add 1 tsp vanilla.  I also wonder what would happen if I incorporated sourdough discard into the recipe.  Would it lighten it up?  It probably wouldn't hurt, but I'm not sure if/how much I would need to add other ingredients to correct the consistency.]

[Edited 6/4/20: For my second attempt, I altered the spices as noted above, forgot the vanilla again, and had no date syrup so I steeped a sparse cup of golden raisins and a slightly heaping cup of dates in hot water and then continued from there as before.  Good amount of sweetness and consistency.  There might've been more pineapple juice this time; I didn't measure.  It was good though.  Only changes for next time are to remember the vanilla and maybe increase the cinnamon to 2 tsp because it's currently a very mild flavor.  Maybe add the ginger back in too.  I also have pecan pieces again, so I would replace maybe half the walnuts with pecans.]