New Blog!

I wanted to freshen up my recipes and blog, so I decided to start fresh with a new blog! Here it is: http://peacefulcreations.wordpress.com/

I learned a lot about blogging with this blog. I learned what I like and what I don't like. I love starting new and fresh, so it gives me more excitement to post more recipes. Posting recipes became more of a chore, so I needed something to get me up and going again. However, I was still cooking up a storm in the kitchen. So that means I have a ton of recipes to post. I hope you can continue to follow me.

Thanks,

Sarah

Honey-Shoyu Glazed Tofu with Peanut Sesame Whole-Wheat Couscous

Ingredients

1 pkg firm tofu

3 Tbs honey

3 Tbs shoyu

4 cups water

2 cups whole-wheat couscous

2 cups kale

2 cups chard

2 cups green beans

3/4 cup peanuts, chopped

3 Tbs chia seeds

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup shoyu

1/4 cup sesame oil

Directions

Press tofu by wrapping it in a kitchen towel in a bowl with 2 canned goods on top for weight. Allow the water to be pressed out for 20-30 minutes. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch slices and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Mix the honey and shoyu together and coat each tofu slice. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.

Meanwhile, steam the green beans for 4 minutes. Bring water to a boil, add the couscous, cover, reduce to simmer, simmer for 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork. Saute the kale and chard until slightly wilted. Add in green beans, shoyu, and sesame oil. Saute 1 minute. Add in chia seeds, peanuts, cilantro, and the cooked couscous. Mix until combine evenly. Add more shoyu and sesame oil if needed. Top each plate of couscous with the tofu slices.

This was a quick supper I threw together. I wanted to use up the last of the kale and chard from our garden and have a healthier lighter supper. I always love using the quick 5 minute couscous. It's the fastest whole grain you could make. Eric and I are huge fans of baked tofu, so I make it a lot. But I wanted to try something different so I thought the honey would be a nice change. Eric and I were crazy about the couscous.

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Dill Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 pkg whole-wheat linguine

1 red onion, sliced (drizzled with 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 tsp agave nectar, & s&p)

3 heirloom tomatoes, large diced (drizzled with 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs olive oil, & s& p)

1 cup slivered almonds

1 Tbs ghee

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 cup half & half

1/4 cup fresh dill, minced

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp himalayan salt

Directions

Roast onions at 450 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. At the same time, roast the tomatoes at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

In a mortar and pestle grind the almonds into a powder.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions.

Saute garlic in the ghee, add almonds, and toast for 2 minutes. Add half & half and bring to a low boil for 5-8 minutes until reduced. Add in salt & pepper and dill. Coat cooked pasta with sauce and add in remaining ingredients.

I made this pasta recipe up because I needed to clean out the refrigerator and use up some produce from the farmer's market. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out. The dill paired wonderfully with the fresh sweet heirloom tomatoes. The onions became so sweet and mild after being roasted with the agave. The almonds gave a great flavor and texture to the sauce. It may take a little extra time to make, but it's relatively simple to assemble. You really can't go wrong with a comforting pasta.

Spring Rolls with Almond Butter Sauce

Ingredients

4 rice paper wraps

2 1/2 cups cooked rice noodles

1 avocado, thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, cut into thin strips

3 green onions, cut into thin strips

1 cup orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Almond Butter Sauce

1/3 cup almond butter

1/8 cup coconut milk

1 Tbs water

1 Tbs fresh lime juice

1 Tbs soy sauce

1/4 Tbs fresh ginger, minced

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 Tbs cilantro, chopped

1/2 Tbs hot sauce

Directions

First prepare the almond butter sauce by mixing all the ingredients together.

Next, place 1 rice paper sheet in a large bowl of warm water for about 10 seconds until it has softened. Quickly fill the rice paper wrapper with rice noodles, avocado, cucumber, green onions, peppers, and cilantro. Roll up like a burrito. Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers. It is important to work quickly with the delicate wrapper. Cut each roll in half and serve with the almond sauce.

One of my favorite appetizers at Thai restaurants are spring rolls, especially if they have a great dipping sauce. I usually make a peanut sauce, but I thought I would experiment with almond butter. The results were great! This sauce would also be great in a stir-fry. You can serve the spring rolls as an appetizer or you can turn it into a complete meal like I did. It's a great light summer supper.

Oat Soda Bread

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

2 cups oat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup spelt flour

1 3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 Tbs sesame seeds (topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk. Mix to combined and knead for 30 seconds until well combined. You may need to adjust the amount of buttermilk if it is too dry. Place the loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cut 2 slits 1 inch deep on top, brush with buttermilk, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes, then move to top rack, and bake another 20 minutes.

Nothing is better than freshly baked warm bread slathered with butter:) I have a tendency to steer away from yeast breads and go for the quick and easy soda breads, so when I saw the recipe on the 101 cookbooks blog I knew I had to try it. I made a few adaptations to the original recipe. I ran out of all-purpose flour, so I substituted spelt flour which is a lighter flour than my other whole-grain options. I also used a lot more buttermilk because it was too dry and I was having a hard time mixing the dry ingredients in. You could add any seed that you would like on top. I just happened to have sesame seeds. Pumpkin seeds are also great. Eric and I devoured this bread when it first came out of the oven. We sat outside with tea, some warm buttered bread, a deck of cards, and we were in heaven:)

Smoked Tomatillo Enchiladas

Ingredients

Tomatillo Salsa

3 tomatillos, diced

2 Tbs red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño, minced, seeds included

1 Tbs honey

juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp himalayan salt

1 cup cilantro, chopped

6 tortillas

1 Tbs ghee

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 zucchini, sliced

1 head savoy cabbage

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

2 cups button mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp himalayan salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp agave nectar

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup smoked cheddar, shredded

2 garlic cloves, minced

sour cream (on side)

Directions

Make tomatillo salsa by placing all ingredients in the food processor and process until well chopped and combined. Refrigerate 1-2 hours for flavor development.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Caramelize onion in ghee on medium low heat for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Set aside. In 2 large saute pans, saute zucchini, cabbage, mushrooms, and red peppers in ghee until tender. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt & pepper, and agave nectar the last minute of cooking. Stir in 3/4 cup cilantro and caramelized onions. Place about 1/2 cup veggie mixture on each tortilla, top with some smoked cheddar, roll up like a burrito, and place in 9x13 baking dish with some tomatillo salsa spread on the bottom. Next, spread remaining tomatillo salsa on the tops of the tortillas, sprinkle with remaining cheese, garnish with cilantro, and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

I saw some beautiful tomatillos at the co-op and I was inspired to invent this recipe. You don't have to have all the veggies I put in it. I was just cleaning out my refrigerator. The key ingredients really are the smoked cheddar and the tomatillo salsa. The veggie mixture makes way more than you will need, so you can lessen the veggies if you chose or you can do what I did and add them the next day to some rice or pasta for a quick delicious meal. I made these enchiladas for Eric's friends and they were all huge fans. It takes some time, but it is well worth it.

Berry Green Smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups kale, stems removed & leaves torn into small pieces

2 cups unsweetened hazelnut milk

1 banana, frozen & sliced

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup frozen berry mix: blackberries, blueberries, & black raspberries

1 cup wild blueberries, frozen

1 Tbs nut butter (almond or cashew)

Directions

Blend kale and hazelnut milk until smooth. Next, blend in the banana. Finally add in remaining ingredients and blend until well-combined.

I was a bit reluctant to try greens in a smoothie, but a friend convinced me that you could not taste the greens. I made sure that I blended the greens very well in the hazelnut milk because I didn't want to get a random chunk of greens in my smoothie. To my surprise you honestly can not tell that you are drinking 2 cups of kale, which is awesome for those that don't care for greens because then you are getting all the great nutrients delivered in a pleasant way. I usually have a bunch of frozen fruit in the freezer and will just grab what looks appealing at the moment. I also usually have bananas in the freezer. When I buy a bunch and they start to get too ripe I throw them in the freezer for my smoothies. I like to add some nut butter for some protein. You can really just make this what you want. You really can't mess it up:)