Hot Coconut Chocolate

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups vanilla coconut milk

1 Tbs cocoa powder

pinch sea salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp raw honey

candy cane (optional)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, warm the coconut milk on medium low heat

2. Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer for 2 minutes until desired temp is reached and cocoa powder is well mixed in

3. Garnish with candy cane

I set up my xmas decorations a few nights ago, so I was inspired to make a cozy winter drink. I found some great candy canes that were made with brown rice syrup (lower glycemic index) and real peppermint, rather than high fructose corn syrup. Even though they are still not healthy for you, at least you can indulge and feel a little bit better:) I also liked how the peppermint melted into my hot chocolate giving it a nice minty touch. The vanilla coconut milk also goes perfectly with the cocoa. I have already made this a few times. It's so easy and I have all the ingredients on hand. There is no need to buy the hot chocolate packets.

Yummy Salad with Horseradish Dressing

Ingredients

2 cups red bibb lettuce

1 cup green beans

1/2 tsp olive oil

pinch sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup corn

1 egg

1 Tbs pumpkin seeds

1 Tbs sesame seeds

Dressing

1 Tbs veganaise

1/2 Tbs horseradish

Directions

1. Place egg in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, place lid on pot, let simmer for 10 minutes, drain, cool off in cold water, peel, and slice. (I like to make extras for later)

2. Meanwhile, steam green beans for 2 minutes, coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper

3. Mix dressing ingredients together

4. On a large plate, layer the salad with all the ingredients and top with the dressing

This was a delicious lunch I made a few days ago. I love hard boiled eggs in a salad! The green beans were very tasty with the olive oil salt and pepper mix. It all paired nicely with the horseradish dressing. I am not getting tired of horseradish yet. I love how it adds a kick to the typical boring salad. The red bibb lettuce is amazing! It is so buttery and smooth. They don't always have it at the grocery store so it's always a wonderful treat. I never really thought that much about different lettuces because they didn't seem too exciting, but now that I found one I love I pay more attention.

Miso Soup

Ingredients

1 head napa cabbage, chopped

10 cups filtered water

5 vegetable bouillon cubes (no salt added)

4 stalks wakame, dried

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

4 Tbs miso

1 block firm tofu, diced

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot

2. Add cabbage and vegetable bouillon cubes, cook 5 minutes

3. Meanwhile, soak the dried wakame in cold water for 5 minutes

4. Cut the stem out the the wakame and chop into small pieces, add to boiling water

5. Reduce the heat to simmer, scoop out some broth into a cup, add the miso to the broth and stir until mixed, then add to the pot (this is important because you want to slowly get the miso used to the heat)

6. Add corn, tofu, and green onions; simmer 1-2 minutes

I have been making miso soup for a few years now and I make it different every time. This is the second time that I have used the wakame (dried seaweed). I have read about the health benefits and wanted to try them, but I never knew what recipe to add them to. I feel that the miso soup is perfect for them. Wakame is a good source of calcium, iodine, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, C, E, & K, folate, and riboflavin. It's also been found to suppress the growth of cancer tumors and the list goes on. It's hard to not want to try them after you find out how good they are for you. If you can't find them in your grocery store you can always get them online since they are easy to ship since they are dried. This was my first time adding the cabbage to the miso soup, which I really liked and it also added more nutrients. The corn was a random addition because I just wanted to get rid of some leftover corn in the fridge, but it did add a nice sweetness to the soup. It's important to add the green onions the last minute because you want them to still have a nice crunch.

Peanut Soba Noodles

Ingredients

1 pkg soba noodles

1 bottle peanut sauce (365-whole foods)

1/2 pkg tofu, small dice

1 tsp safflower oil

1 cup green beans

1 carrot

1/2 cup cashews, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 lime

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil

2. Meanwhile, saute tofu in a non-stick pan on medium in the safflower oil for 8-10 minutes until golden, add 2 Tbs of peanut sauce and mix well

3. Boil soba noodles for 5 minutes, adding the green beans for 3 minutes, and the carrots for 1 minute, drain, and coat with remaining peanut sauce

4. Stir in cashews, cilantro, and tofu (garnish with lime wedges)

This was my quick supper that I threw together tonight. When you have the peanut sauce already prepared the meal comes together super quick, although a peanut sauce is pretty easy to make. I love that the soba noodles only take 4-6 minutes. Not only are they delicious and hearty, they are perfect for the quick dinner. I cubed the tofu into smaller pieces because I wanted them to cook faster.

Egg Sandwich with Green Bean Appetizer

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 slices whole wheat sour dough bread, lightly toasted

2 eggs

1 tsp safflower oil

1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

3 slice fakin bacon

2 Tbs veganaise

1 Tbs garlic aioli mustard

Appetizer

1 1/2 cups fresh green beans

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

3 Tbs veganaise

1 1/2 Tbs fresh horseradish

Directions

1. Fry eggs in the safflower oil on medium low heat, breaking the yolks, and cooking until solid on each side; about 3 minutes

2. In the same pan as the eggs, cook the bacon until golden, about 2 mins each side

3. Meanwhile, steam green beans for 3 minutes, coat with the olive oil, salt, and pepper

4. Mix veganaise and garlic aioli mustard together, spread on toast, layer in egg, bacon, and avocado

5. Mix veganaise and horseradish for a dipping sauce for the green beans

Every once and awhile I will get on an egg sandwich kick, so I am always trying to find new creative ways to enjoy them. I love egg sandwiches for a quick supper. The green beans were looking great at the grocery store so I had picked up a bunch. I wanted to try to find a new way to enjoy them, so I thought I would serve them as an appetizer to my sandwich or basically a side dish. It gave you the sensation of dipping fries into a yummy sauce, but without all the bad stuff. I have been continuing my horseradish crazes. It gave a nice kick to the green beans, which can be a little boring at times.

Portobello Pizza

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 portobello mushrooms

3/4 cup marinara sauce

1/2 cup daiya vegan cheddar cheese

1 Tbs vegan parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Wipe mushrooms clean with paper towel, remove stems, dice finely, and sprinkle in the inside of the mushrooms

3. Place mushrooms on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes

4. Take mushrooms out of the oven and layer in the marinara, cheeses, and top with chives; bake for another 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted

This was a super quick supper! Eric said his only complaint was that there were not more:) By using the portobello as the pizza crust you make this dish super healthy! Feel free to throw on any other preferred pizza toppings. I just made theses simple. I loaded in the marinara sauce, partly because I was trying to use up an open bottle, but mostly because it was delicious. It's important to have a great tasting marinara sauce. I decided to sprinkle the mushrooms stems in the inside of the mushroom because I didn't want to waste them and you couldn't even tell they were in there in the end. My mom would be proud of me for not wasting:)

Beet Burgers with Horseradish Mayo

Ingredients

2 cups cooked beets, diced

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 cup kale, stems removed & chopped finely

1 portobello mushroom, diced finely

1/2 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 Tbs white truffle oil

2 Tbs fresh chives, chopped

1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Horseradish Mayo

3 Tbs veganaise

1 Tbs real horseradish

4 slices whole wheat sour dough bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Saute mushroom & kale in truffle oil until wilted, about 3-4 minutes on medium low heat, adding the garlic the last minute.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mash the beets and black beans together with a potato masher (this is what makes your burgers stick together)

4. Mix mushroom mixture, sunflower seeds, chives, thyme, and salt& pepper into the beet mixture

5. Form into patties and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway.

6. Mix horseradish and veganaise together, spread on bread slices and top with burger.

I roasted a bunch of beets at the end of the summer when I had extras from the farmer's market and then I froze them to use for another time. I had roasted them with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and thyme. I knew that I wanted to make the beet burgers so I just put the bag of frozen beets in the refrigerator the day before so they would thaw out. Since I had the beets already cooked this was a super easy recipe. I was very happy with how they turned out and they made great lunches throughout the week. I also found a new love for horseradish! My dad has always been a huge horseradish fan, so I would try it every once in awhile growing up, but I never really thought much about it. But now that I love the mayo mixed with the horseradish I will be experimenting with it a lot more! Above I stated that you want fresh horseradish and what I mean by that is that you want to get the product that is in the refrigerated section of the grocery store and the ingredients listed with simply be horseradish and no other funky additives. It will also be stronger because it is pure horseradish, rather than being watered-down with other additives.