Heart Healthy Cookies

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

3 Tbs. safflower oil

2 cups walnuts

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups oat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats

1½ cups vegan chocolate chips (12 oz.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

2. Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add safflower oil, and blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.

3. Whisk together brown sugar and ½ cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain.

4. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 15 minutes. Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.

Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with bottom of drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

I don't usually bake a lot because I don't like to have sweets around because I will eat them! But the sweets I was used to were loaded with sugar and bad fats, but after a little research I found the best cookie recipe ever and they are even healthy! I started to look for a healthy recipe because I knew I wanted to bake with my niece, Kendal, and I didn't want to load her little body up with bad stuff. Kendal loves helping me in the kitchen, which I think it awesome and I think more parents should take them time to teach kids how to cook at any age. Kendal was helping in the kitchen at age 2! She may not have been able to do a lot, but I think it makes them feel good about themselves when they can help. Another great thing about this recipe is that you can actually eat the dough and you don't have to worry about getting sick because there are no eggs in it. Kendal loved the dough, as evident by the picture! When you replace butter and eggs with ground walnuts, and all-purpose flour with a blend of oat flour and oatmeal, you get a moist, chewy, vegan cookie that’s loaded with good-for-your-heart ingredients. I have made these cookie 3 times now and everyone loves them! I can't believe how moist they stay. In the picture I made huge cookies, basically out of laziness but I have made them smaller and I ended up with 42 cookies! This will be my go to recipe for cookies from now on!

Smores

In the spirit of summer traditions I thought I would try making my favorite childhood treat, the smore! I was craving a smore the other night and since I can't have a bonfire in my backyard I thought I'd try making them in the oven. When I was a kid I remember my brother and I making them in the microwave, but that doesn't work too well if you don't catch the growing marshmallow in time because it makes an awful mess to clean up when it explodes! ha! So I preheated the oven to 450 degrees and placed 2 graham crackers on a baking sheet topped with 2 marshmallows. After 4 minutes the marshmallow was perfect golden brown. So then I took 2 other graham crackers and put 2 small squares of a really good milk chocolate on them. Then I took the hot crackers with the marshmallows and topped the chocolate graham cracker pieces. Then I put them back in the oven for 1-2 minutes and I had perfect smores! They were such a yummy treat! I got out the lawn chair in the back yard and enjoyed my smores while reading a great book! My idea of a good time! Although I wouldn't eat them everyday because they are full of bad stuff like high fructose corn syrup, they do make a fun treat when eaten in moderation. They do have some healthier versions of marshmallows at the co-op, so maybe next time I''ll plan ahead instead of my late night craving run.

Rice Pad Thai

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

3 cups water

1/2 onion-diced

1 tbs olive oil

1 portobello mushroom-diced

1 head of napa cabbage-cut into bite size pieces

1/2 bag of frozen peas

1/2 cup of corn

1 jar of pad thai sauce

3/4 cup of unsalted peanuts-chopped

3/4 cup of cilantro-minced

1/2 lime-zested

Directions

1. Place rice and water in pan and bring to boil

2. Once the rice is boiling, put the lid on the pan and set it on simmer for 15 mins, then fluff with fork

3. Meanwhile, saute onion in oil for 3 mins

4. Add mushroom and cabbage and cook until the cabbage is wilted

5. Add peas, corn, lime zest, and pad thai sauce-simmer for 5 mins

6. Meanwhile, toast peanuts in dry pan on medium low heat for 3 mins

7. Mix rice into the pad thai mixture

8. Top with peanuts, cilantro, and garnish with a lime wedge

I came up with this recipe last minute tonight because I wanted to use up the prepared pad thai sauce that had been sitting in my cupboard for awhile. Often when I start planning what I am going to make for dinner I look in the fridge and see what is about to spoil first so that I am not wasting any food and then I plan the meal around that ingredient. So the head of cabbage was starting to age, so that's why I threw the whole head in. I was worried it might be too much, but it wilted down and you could barely tell it was in there because it had such a mellow flavor. You can feel good about eating that much cabbage because napa cabbage is a good source of niacin, calcium, potassium, vitamin A & C, folate, iron, copper, and manganese. I thought it would be more unique to make the pad thai with rice rather then the usual noodle. My favorite addition was the toasted peanuts. They added a nice texture to this comforting dish. The only bad thing about this recipe is that it is hard to stop eating!

Meatloaf Dinner

Adapted from Rachel Ray

Mini Meatloaves

Ingredients

1 can of northern beans

1 can cannellini beans

Slice of wholegrain buttered toast-diced

2 vegetable bouillon cubes (vegetable broth)

3 cups of water

2 1/2 Tbs. orange marmalade

2 1/2 Tbs. dijon mustard

1 shallot-diced

2 Tbs. fresh thyme

1 egg

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Mash beans with potato masher

2. Boil 3 cups of water, add vegetable bouillon, mix until they melt into the water

3. Take 1/2 cup of broth and add to the buttered toast and let it soak

4. Add remaining ingredients to the mashed beans and mix with hands

5. Add soaked bread and mix

6. Form mixture into mini loafs (about 5) and place on greased baking sheet (it will be runny)

7. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-25 minutes depending on color-light brown and firm

8. Slice the mini loaves on the plate and cover with gravy, that way the gravy gets into all the cracks

Gravy

Ingredients

3 Tbs Earth Balance butter

2 1/2 Tbs flour

Remaining broth from meatloaf 2 1/2 cups

1 Tbs worchestershire sauce

1/4 slice of orange

pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter and gradually add the flour-constantly whisking to make a rue

2. Cook rue for one minute-whisking

3. Add broth-continue to whisk as it gradually thickens

4. Add worchestershire sauce, the juice of the orange slice, and salt/pepper

5. Simmer while the rest of food cooks

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato-diced

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 Tbs. Earth Balance butter

1/2 cup vanilla coconut milk

salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cover potatoes in water-boil with lid on 10-15 minutes until tender

2. Mash potatoes, add nutmeg, butter, milk, and salt/pepper

Peas with Radishes

1 bag of frozen peas-thawed

3 radishes-diced

1 Tbs. Earth Balance butter

salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt butter in pan, add peas and cook on medium for 2 minutes

2. Add radishes and salt/pepper

3. Cook 2 minutes and serve

I was watching the Rachel Ray show the other day and I saw her make this yummy meal, so I thought I would try to make a vegetarian version of it. I substituted the beans for the ground turkey and vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I also used rye bread for the breadcrumbs. I like the idea of making your own bread crumbs this way because the store bought bread crumbs become stale quickly and everyone has a slice of bread at home. After I mixed up the loafs I was worried that it wouldn't turn out because they were so runny, but to my surprise they cooked up beautifully! I felt like I was eating a Thanksgiving meal. My favorite part was the gravy! It was my first attempt at gravy making and I was a little nervous because I always heard the horror stories of gravy gone bad. My Mom said that the first time she made gravy the dog wouldn't even eat it. ha! I thought the gravy had great flavor! I think the vegetable bouillon cubes I used had great flavor, so it's important to have good broth. The bouillon cubes already had sea salt added to them, so I would recommend going light on the salt. Next time I won't even add salt, but everyone's preference is different. I also added my own touch to the mashed potatoes by adding the vanilla coconut milk, which added a nice sweetness. The peas were also delicious! I had plenty of leftover peas, so I ate them cold as a snack the other night and they were very satisfying.

Healthy Snack Ideas!

Trail Mix

2 cups raw cashews

2 tbs. maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of sea salt

3/4 cup of dried peaches-chopped into 1/2inch pieces

3/4 cup of dried apricots

3/4 cup of raisins

1. Mix maple syrup with spices

2. Coat cashews with syrup mixture-spread out on baking sheet-may need 2

3. Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes

4. Let cashews cool, then add dried fruit

The cayenne pepper can make it pretty spicy, so if that's not your thing just exclude it. You can also add other types of nuts or dried fruit to make it your own. Coconut is also another great thing to add for a little sweetness. You could make this easy trail mix at the beginning of the week and section it out into smaller portions for a healthy snack throughout the week. But remember, nuts have a lot of fat in them, so eat them in moderation. That's why portioning them out ahead of time is a good idea.

Avocado Toast

2 slices of french bread

1/2 avocado

1/4 tomato-diced

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

pinch of sea salt and pepper

1. Mash avocado with fork

2. Add lemon juice, tomatoes, salt, and pepper

3. Spread on toast

This is a quick and satisfying snack! Sometimes I will doctor it up more with red pepper flakes, garlic, and cumin. But this is the fast approach.

Apple with Cheddar

Something as simple as taking the time to thinly slice an apple makes you feel as though you are eating a substantial snack because you have more bites. It may sound silly, but just try it. I think apples are very filling, so it holds me over for awhile. Pairing a good green apple with an aged cheddar cheese is a great combination. I think it is worth the extra money to buy a good quality aged cheddar.

Rye Toast with Hummus & Blackberries

I usually prefer to make my own hummus, but it is really convenient to have a store-bought hummus around for a quick healthy snack. I prefer to have the fresh hummus made in the deli over the prepackaged kinds. You can also experiment with hummus flavors. The Co-op I go to have a great roasted red pepper hummus! So you get some fiber and protein from the toast with hummus and the blackberries add another sweet healthy kick. I also like to drink coconut water every once in awhile. I get a brand that has pineapple puree in it, so it tastes even better and adds even more nutrients. Coconut water is great for rehydrating and it is very refreshing in the summer. A much healthier choice than soda.

Chili with fresh mozzarella

Ingredients

1 can black beans

1 can chili beans

1 can corn

1/2 onion-sliced thin

1 pkg of ground beef seitan-crumbled

2 cloves of garlic-minced

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp molasses

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bottle of good beer

1/2 cup cilantro-chopped

Fresh small mozzarella balls-about 15 balls

Directions

1. Caramelize onions by cooking them on low heat slowly until they gradually brown up

2. Add garlic, seitan, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, and red pepper flakes

3. Add beer, beans, corn, and molasses-simmer 5 minutes

4. Place mozzarella balls around pan in chili and allow to slowly melt-2 minutes

5. Top with cilantro and serve

I wanted a quick dinner, so I thought chili would be a good option. We just happened to have the mozzarella balls on hand, so I added them last minute because they sounded good. The fresh mozzarella is what made the chili! It was always such a treat when you would bite into the mozzarella. I also think that the molasses made a big impact because of the subtle richness it gave to the chili. I have been playing around adding molasses to different dishes because it is high in iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The ground beef seitan that I used has very similar texture to regular ground beef. I was not always a fan of seitan, but I was lucky to find a good brand that makes several different varieties. It is called Upton's Naturals and I found it at Whole Foods.

Grilled Coconut Peaches

Ingredients

2 peaches-cut in half and pit removed

2 tsp of Agave Nectar

1-6oz container of plain coconut milk yogurt

1/4 cup of shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cardamon

1 tbls of walnuts-chopped

Directions

1. Drizzle inside of sliced peach with agave nectar

2. Grill peach on charcoal grill 3 mins each side-until tender

3. Meanwhile, mix yogurt, coconut, vanilla, and cardamon together

4. Spoon yogurt mixture over peaches and garnish with walnuts

This is an easy dessert when you are grilling. Once you take off the main course you can put the peaches on. The charcoal grill also lends a great smoky flavor.

Buttery Sage Cannelli Burger

Ingredients

2 tbls of butter

6 fresh sage leaves

3 cloves of garlic-minced

1 can of cannelli beans-rinsed

1 cup of cooked quinoa

1 can of sliced black olives

1/2 cup of corn

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

Rye bread-toasted

Sliced tomato

Safflower Mayo

Directions

1. Melt butter in cast iron pan, add sage leaves-cook 2 mins

2. Add garlic-cook 1 min

3. Add sunflower seeds-cook 1 min

4. Add beans, quinoa, olives, and corn

5. Form into 6 patties-refrigerate 30 mins so they stick together better on the grill

6. Cook on charcoal grill 4 mins each side

7. Assemble burger with mayo and tomato slices

I got some fresh sage the other day and I was trying to figure out what to do with it. I knew I wanted to grill tonight, so the idea of a burger came up. I figured cannellini beans would go best with sage. I thought quinoa would be a good healthy grain to add. Although there is a lot of butter in the burgers, I figured it would be a good splurge since I was using healthy ingredients. I added the sunflower seeds mostly as a nutritional addition. Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E, vitamin B1, manganese, magnesium, copper, selenium, phosphorus, vitamin B5, and folate. So I try to sneak them in whenever I can.

The burgers tastes really great, but just as a warning they don't stick together very well when cooked on a grill. You have to be really careful when you are taking them off. But they still taste amazing! I also recommend a charcoal grill because it lends a smoky favor.

I made some fresh green beans for a side dish. I decided to use the same butter sage theme.

Green Beans

2 cups of green beans

1 tbls butter

2 fresh sage leaves

1 cloves of garlic-minced

1/4 cup walnuts-chopped

1. Steam green beans 4 mins

2. Melt butter-add sage leaves-cook 2 mins

3. Add garlic and walnuts-cook 1 min

4. Add green beans-cook 1 min

Vanilla Banana Breakfast Oats

Ingredients

1/4 cup of steel cut oats

3/4 cup of water

1/8 tsp salt

2 Tbls of vanilla coconut milk coffee creamer

1 banana-diced

Bring water and salt to a boil

Add oats, cover, and cook on low for 14 minutes. (Can cook 10-20 mins-depending on desired texture)-stir occasionally-especially towards the end of the cooking time

Add creamer and banana

Enjoy!

I bought steel cut oats awhile ago because I heard that they were good for you on the Oprah show. Dr. Oz said that the high fiber content made it a great breakfast option and Oprah even stated that she ate them every morning. Well, I made the oats according to the directions on the package and I thought they were a little boring. So I stuffed them back in my cupboard and forgot about them. So last week I decided to give them another try and I was pleasantly surprised! I had the vanilla coconut milk coffee creamer leftover and since I am trying to cutdown on coffee, I needed to use it up before it spoiled. I know that it may not be easy to find this creamer in every grocery store, but if you can I highly recommend it! In one tablespoon it only has 20 calories and 2 grams of sugar. If you can't find the creamer, I have use vanilla coconut milk and it tasted just as good! If you can't find that either you could put vanilla in regular milk. You can also doctor up this recipe in many different ways. For example, I added cinnamon when the oats were cooking and it was really good! You can also add ground flax, cardamon, honey, maple syrup, shredded coconut, frozen fruit (blueberries are awesome and then you have purple oats) walnuts, or dried fruits. You could make it different every morning!

Portobello Mushroom Reuben

Ingredients

Peasant Rye bread

Organic Unpasteurized Sauerkraut

Portobello Mushrooms

Thousand Island dressing

Serving sizes:

About 1/2 to 1 mushroom per person-depending on the size and how hungry the person is

About 3/4 cup of sauerkraut per person

Saute the portobello mushrooms with a little water in the bottom of the pan-you really don't need oil because with the water they don't stick, so it saves on calories. You can season the mushroom to your liking: garlic, pepper, or salt-but don't add the salt until the end because the salt draws the water out of the mushroom.

Once the mushroom is close to being done, add the sauerkraut on top and only cook until they are warmed up. You don't want to cook all the good nutrients out of the sauerkraut.

Toast the bread, two slices in a slot, so only one side gets toasted. The toasted side is on the inside of the sandwich to prevent it from getting soggy.

Assemble sandwich with mushroom, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing.

This is a quick supper and it's really tasty! You can also add cheese to the sandwich if you wish for added flavor. I also recommend that you try unpasteurized sauerkraut because it is loaded with naturally occurring beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes, lactic acid, sulphur and easily digested vitamins and minerals. When you pasteurize the sauerkraut you lose all those benefits. I also found a great thousand island dressing that is made with yogurt, so it cut out 60% of the fat and it was super yummy:) I also recommend playing around with portobello mushrooms because they are huge cancer fighters and they are a blank slate that you can add all sorts of different flavors to to make it unique.

Banana Cocoa Smoothie

Adapted from Vegetarian Times
1 frozen banana-diced
1 1/2 cups of vanilla coconut milk
1/2 tsp of unsweetened cocoa
pinch of cinnamon

*Peel and dice banana-it's very cold so move quickly or peel before freezing:)
*Blend and Enjoy!

This is a super easy smoothie that I have been making for breakfast lately. I had a few bananas in the freezer that I was saving to make banana bread because that is all I thought I knew to do with an overripe banana. But now I can use those bananas in a healthier way! This smoothie is rich in potassium from the bananas, calcium from the coconut milk, and magnesium from the cocoa, three minerals that strengthen brain function, reduce anxiety and fatigue. I switched the original recipe from soy to coconut milk and I excluded ice, because I prefer my smoothie to be thicker. But go ahead and add the ice if you like, as well as any other fruit that needs to be used up. I always like to have a freezer full of different varieties of fruits. Also, play around with different spices, like cardamon or nutmeg.

Thai Spring Rolls

Spring Rolls-makes 6

1/2 pkg of rice noodles

6 rice paper wrappers

1 carrot-thinly slicd

1 1/2 avocado-sliced

1/2 cup of cilantro

Boil noodles 3 mins, drained and drizzle with a little safflower oil so they don't dry out.

Take rice paper sheet and soak for 10 seconds in a bath of warm water

Layer noodles, carrots, avocado, and cilantro in wrap. Fold up like a burrito

Almond Sauce

1/2 cup of almond butter

1/4 cup of soy sauce-low sodium

2 tbls of rice wine vinegar

2 tbls of lime juice

3/4 inch of ginger-diced

2 tbls of brown sugar

1 tsp of red pepper flakes

Blend in food processor. Serve with spring rolls

Eric and I love to go to Thai restaurants and we always get spring rolls for an appetizer. So I thought I would try to make my spin on them. I decided to make the sauce with almonds rather than the traditional peanuts because they are healthier. We love the almond butter at the Co-op because they have a machine that grinds the almonds fresh into butter=yum! This recipe can be made as an appetizer, but Eric and I actually had it as our meal. After 2 rolls you are stuffed! You can cut the rolls in half, which I would suggest if you serve them as an appetizer. You can get really creative with the rice paper wrappers. You can basically stuff them with any veggie or even fruit that you prefer. I have made ones with mangos before that were amazing! You have the foundation, now put your own spin on them:)

Veggie Bean Burgers

1can of aduki beans
1 can of cannellini beans
1/3 can of corn
1 cup of frozen spinach
1 cup of frozen cauliflower
1/2 cup of roasted red pepper spread-Trader Joes
3 cloves of garlic-pressed
Juice of half lime
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of cumin
2 tbls of molasses

*Steam cauliflower and spinach for 4 mins
*Mash the beans
*Add red pepper spread and garlic-mash
*Add steamed cauliflower and spinach-mash
*Add corn, lime juice, molasses, and seasonings-mix well
*Form into patties-refrigerate for 30 mins to make solid or you can cook right away but be delicate with them so they stick together
*Cook in cast iron pan with safflower oil until they are crispy on each side-cook on medium-makes about 8 patties

Garlic Cilantro Mayo

1/2 cup of mayo
3 cloves of garlic-pressed
1/2 lime juice
2 tbls of cilantro

Preparing burgers

*Brush bread with safflower oil and sprinkle with garlic powder
*Toast ciabatta bread in 400 degree oven for 10 mins
*Slice avocado and drizzle with lime juice and fresh cracked pepper
*Layer burger: toast, mayo, burger, avocado



I invented this the other day when I needed to make a quick lunch and we hadn't gone grocery shopping yet, so we were pretty low on fresh ingredients. So I looked to the pantry and the freezer for this one. The frozen cauliflower and spinach was perfect for adding nutrition and not a strong flavor. It was more of a nutritious filler. I thought it would make it more interesting to try two different types of beans, which by the way, always rinse them to get the sodium off of them before you use them. I usually just open my seasonings cupboard and start throwing things in. I was also just trying to use up the red pepper spread. It's not a necessity that you make these exactly like the recipe, so feel free to add your own twist. It's not like baking, you don't have to have exact measurements. I absolutely love the Garlic Cilantro Mayo, but I know a lot of people that hate cilantro, so just eliminate it or add another herb to your liking.

SuperMoist Chocolate Cupcakes

*Adapted from Vegetarian Times

1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1 cup pure maple syrup
¾ cup vanilla coconut milk
¹⁄3 cup safflower oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze
¼ block soft silken tofu (from 14-oz. container), drained and patted dry
3 Tbs. pure maple syrup
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¹⁄8 tsp. salt
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Purée avocado in food processor until smooth. Add maple syrup, coconut milk, oil, and vanilla, and blend until creamy. Whisk avocado mixture into flour mixture.
2. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake cups. Bake 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached. Cool.
3. To make Glaze: Blend tofu, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in food processor until smooth. Add chocolate to tofu mixture and blend until smooth. Transfer to bowl. Dip tops of Cupcakes into Glaze, pulling straight up from Glaze to form peaks.


I decided to change a few ingredients in the recipe. For example, I prefer to use vanilla coconut milk instead of soymilk because soymilk is highly processed and is not that great for you. I try to limit my soy intake to only tofu and tempeh every once and awhile. When I say coconut milk I don't mean the coconut milk you get in a can that you usually get to make currys, that has a lot of fat in it is not something you would probably enjoy drinking. I get my coconut milk in the refrigerated section, next to all the soymilks. Eric actually found it and it tastes really great and it is loaded with vitamins. I also changed the recipe to using safflower oil, which I use in most of my cooking. It is a flavorless and colorless nutritional oil.

I made these for the first time for my Dad's birthday. I was a little nervous about the avocado and whether you would be able to taste it, but if you mix it well, you can't even tell.The cool thing is that the avocado replaces the eggs and most of the oil in the recipe, so you can feel better about your dessert. I also used a larger muffin pan, so I ended up with only six cupcakes.

This recipe is now one of my favorites and I plan to make it for many more birthdays. Even my farmer Dad thought they were good! Of course, I didn't tell him what was in them until he was done eating them:) Another great thing about this recipe is that it makes lots of chocolate glaze and the leftover glaze can be used as a chocolate mousse for a second dessert. I added fresh fruit and put it in a pretty glass. It was so simple and very delicious!