Recipe Roll

Scroll to find featured recipes without all of the annoying pontification that you must usually trudge through to find a decent recipe.

Goji- Ginger Tea

• 8 oz water
• 20-30 goji berries
• grated FRESH ginger

Heat in the microwave or on the stove.  Drink morning and evening.

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour – yes, whole wheat

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or from a can)

1 tablespoon soy yogurt

1/2 cup soymilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease muffin tins with vegetable shortening or spray on oil.Sift together dry ingredients (flour through cloves). In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (pumpkin through oil). Pour wet into dry and combine. Fill muffin tins 2/3 of the way. Bake for 27-30 minutes, till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes Clean Eating Magazine May/June 2009

I highly recommend you do as I do, and cram a Cadbury Mini Cream Egg or a Palmers Peanut Butter Egg right smack in the wet batter of each one of these. I recommend you eat it with much joy.

• 1 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1 + 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice, divided
• 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream (I used plain Greek yogurt)
• 1/3 cup + 2 tsp skim milk, divided
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites
• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with 12 liners (important if you defile this recipe with the yummy candy center I suggest). In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice for later use. In a medium bowl combine wet ingredients (with exception of 2tsp milk and egg whites).

Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing gently. In a separate bowl whip egg whites until frothy. Slowly begin adding reserved 1/4 evaporated cane juice. Continue whipping until the whites create medium-stiff peaks. Fold gently into batter with a rubber spatula. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. This is where you stick candy yumminess in the batter. Don’t push it down all the way to the bottom, and make sure it is covered with batter on top.

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups flour (Whole wheat pastry flour substitutes one-for-one with that all-purpose insulin jacking stuff. If it is not pastry whole wheat, it does not substitute exactly and you will need to use slightly less or the batter will be dry.)
1 1/3 cups rolled old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (Grate it fresh. It tastes better and the grating process exfoliates the knuckles.)
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional: 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1/2 cup quality dark chocolate or carob chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Have two baking sheets ready.

Mix together flour, oats, baking soda, salt and spices.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, pumpkin and vanilla (and flax seeds if using) until very well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet and combining gently, but thoroughly. Fold in dark chocolate/carob chips.

Drop onto cookie sheets. A small ice cream scoop or melon baller is great for this. Then no one fights about getting the biggest cookie and they bake evenly. They don’t spread very much so they can be placed close together. Flatten the tops of the cookies with a fork or with your fingers, if you prefer. Bake for 16 minutes at 350. If you are putting two cookie sheets in the oven together, be sure to use two levels of your oven and rotate the sheets halfway through for even baking. Remove from oven and get cookies onto a wire rack to cool.

Triple Layer Carrot Cake

Bon Appetite October 1994

This is often requested for birthdays. I omit nuts and raisins, based on my preference. I’m selfish like that. Decorate with candied carrot strips.

Cake
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (about 1/2 ounce)
1/2 cup raisins

Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Lightly grease waxed paper. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and vegetable oil in bowl until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots, chopped pecans and raisins.Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)
For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and thoroughly combine. Add powdered sugar until you achieve desired consistency.Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with another cake layer. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Using icing spatula, spread remaining frosting in decorative swirls over sides and top of cake. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate.) Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Filling:

• 4 cups of rhubarb cut into ½ inch half-moons (about 1 ¼ lbs)
• 2 cups of strawberries, quartered if large or halved if smaller
• 1 scant cup of cane sugar
• 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour (do not substitute whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 lemon finely zested

Instructions:

Prepare fruit.  Dab lightly with a towel to remove excess water from washing.  Add vanilla and zest.  Toss gently.  Combine dry ingredients.  Add to fruit and combine gently.  Turn out into a deep dish pie pan.  Cover lightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven.  While filling cooks, combine ingredients for the topping.

Topping:

•  2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup ground flax meal
• 2 Tablespoon chia seeds
• ½ Tbsp cinnamon
• 2/3 lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup 100% bran flakes, measured and then finely crushed

Instructions:

Combine dry ingredients.  Beat eggs, add to dry ingredients and combine.  Remove fruit from oven when cooking complete.  Turn topping onto the hot fruit.  Distribute it evenly and return it to the oven.  Cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and the top is crisp.  Best when served immediately.  Individual servings may be served topped with cream, soy milk, vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Basic Hummus

• 2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained (reserve some liquid to thin hummus to your preferred consistency)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, halved (more if you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley

Note: You can swap out the garbanzos for black beans and add cilantro and a dash of red pepper to mix it up.

Note 2: My friend Allison, a wise woman and yummy cook, suggests red pepper added to the basic recipe also. I am in agreement. Also, I would add, good paprika is more than just red dust to sprinkle on deviled eggs. Good paprika is smokey and spicy and has a complex flavor. I suggest you abandon the grocery store shit and upgrade (worth the investment) and investigate this flavor.

Vegetarian Dirty Rice

Modified From Three Bowls, Recipes from a Zen Buddhist Monastery

Serves 4 to 6

Everyone in my house loves this recipe. I added additional mushrooms, miso paste for stronger flavor, and kale because I thought it needed something green.

• 6 Dried Shiitake mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 large package fresh Shiitake, button or mixed mushrooms (optional)
• ½ medium onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 package tempeh, crumbled or cut in pieces
• 2 lg celery ribs, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons Tamari (or more to taste)
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 2 cups short-grain brown rice, rinsed and drained
• 3 Tablespoons dark miso paste (optional)
• 3-4 leaves kale, cut in a coarse chiffonade (optional)

Bring 4 cups of cold water and the dried mushrooms to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Transfer the mushrooms to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or coffee filter. Set the broth aside.

Clean mushroom in cold water. Blot dry, cut off stems and mince the caps.

Oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about two minutes.

Add the tempeh, celery, mushrooms (fresh and dried), garlic, and tamari. Continue to sauté and scraping the bottom, until the tempeh mixture begins to stick to the skillet, about ten minutes. Scrape up as much as you can from the bottom of the skillet.

Add enough stock or water to the mushroom broth to measure four cups. Place the broth, tempeh mixture and rice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer without removing the lid until the rice is tender, about 50 minutes. Stir in miso paste (miso should never boil). Toss in optional kale. Cook only a few more minute to soften kale. Let stand 10 minutes to let starches firm. Fluff with a wooden spoon.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

• 3 Cups Whole Wheat flour
• 1 Cup buttermilk or kefir
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons sugar

Pre heat the oven to 350 with a very lightly greased heavy cast iron skillet in it. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk or kefir. Knead it on a floured surface by continually folding it in half on itself. Form it into a ball. Pull the hot skillet from the oven. Throw that round ball of dough in there. Make an X on the top with a knife. Bake it for about 30 minutes. Take it out of the pan and put it on a cooling rack immediately or the bottom crust will become chewy and not crisp. Eat it hot. YUM. Putting the dough in a hot iron skillet makes a nice crispy crust on the bottom.

Basic Quiche

Here is a basic Quiche recipe to try. Some cheese and ingredient combinations that work well at my house:

• Sundried tomato, roasted red pepper, kalmata olive, fontina cheese
• Spinach and feta (be certain that frozen spinach is very well-drained)
• Zucchini and mozzarella (make sure zucchini is well-drained and does not add too much additional moisture)
• Mushroom, shredded chicken and mozzarella (be certain that all extra moisture has been drained from mushrooms after sauté!)

Ingredients

• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated cheese of choice
• 2 eggs
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
• 1 cup veggies and meat additions
• 1/8 cup flour
• ½ Tablespoon baking powder
• Salt and freshly ground pepper and any other selected seasonings

Instructions

1. Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Partially bake pie crust if necessary until golden, and remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
2. While crust pre-bakes, sauté the onion, garlic and selected vegetables and meat.
3. Combine cottage cheese, salt and pepper, flour and baking powder. Blend until frothy with an immersion blender. Fold in shredded cheese and items from sauté.
4. Turn into pie shell.
5. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown and firm in the center.
6. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.

Friday Night Tilapia and Black Bean Tacos

Filling

• 1 lb frozen tilapia filets, thawed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• Dash of cayenne
• 4 Large cloves garlic, diced
• 1 Large Onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chipotle salsa
• 2 raw avocados, sliced thin
• 2% reduced fat Colby cheese
• 6 Fajita sized whole wheat tortillas

Cilantro Sauce

• 16 oz Kefir Cheese or Greek yogurt
• Juice of one lime
• 1 Large bunch cilantro
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Milk

For cilantro sauce, combine first three ingredients in food processor . Add milk to reach desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350. Sauté garlic, onion and spices in olive oil. Add fish. Cook until done. Break up fish into small pieces. Add black beans and salsa. Continue to cook until warmed through.

Take one tortilla. Place a small amount of shredded cheese in the center. Cover with fish mixture and avocado slices. Fold in ends and roll over, or fold in half like a traditional soft taco. Continue until all tortillas are filled. Heat through in oven until cheese is melted. Serve covered with cilantro sauce and assorted veggie toppings.

Lasagna

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 large cloves garlic (modify based on your tastes), peeled and crushed
• 1 ½ Large bags of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 Tub 2% cottage cheese
• 1 packaged Shredded mozzarella
• Hard provolone
• 2 jars homemade or favorite sauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt, course ground fresh pepper

• 2 small Zucchini – Ends removed and sliced thinly lengthwise on a mandolin *
• 1 small eggplant – Peeled and sliced thinly on a mandoline. Do this early, lightly salt the rounds and set aside. Blot extra moisture off rounds with a paper towel before adding to the dish.*
• *One or both of these additions are great, but totally optional. Using a mandoline allows the slices to be perfectly even and nice and thin so as to slide right on by the radar of the kids.

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 350.
• Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet.
• Add garlic, stir until fragrant. Add onion. Sauté until transparent.
• Add frozen spinach, sauté briefly. Salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• In a large mixing bowl place cottage cheese, egg, dash of salt and pepper. Blend together with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Fold in spinach, onion and garlic mixture.
• In an empty 9 ½ X 11 inch pan add ¼ cup of sauce to cover the bottom. Add a layer of dry lasagna noodles, then cheese and spinach mixture, a small handful of mozzarella and additional sauce. Repeat layers alternating mozzarella and provolone cheese. If you are using the optional vegetables, layer them above and below the dried noodles, so that the noodles will absorb the additional moisture. Repeat using up all of your ingredients. Final layer should be sauce and a very generous mozzarella and provolone mix.
• Bake covered for 20-30 minutes. Uncover and bake until it is bubbling and browned, another 20 minutes or so. Let stand for about ten minutes prior to cutting, to allow it to set up.

Portuguese Potato-Kale Soup

Collard or mustard greens can be substituted for the kale. Spinach doesn’t work well in this – it is too delicate a leaf and overcooks quickly. I can’t fully recall where I scored the original recipe, but I have modified it over time and this is what we have now.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ounces chicken or turkey sausage, sliced (FYI, slicing frozen sausage is much easier. Jenny-O Sweet Italian Sausage is easily acquired, stored and tasty in this recipe. One package is great for a dinner for four.)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Large onion, chopped
• 8 cups turkey or chicken stock (homemade is fab, but Better Than Bouillon brand is easy to keep on-hand in the ‘fridge and tastes good, without garbage in it)
• 8 red potatoes (yukon golds will work nicely too) or more, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled, root ends trimmed and chopped
• 1 bunch kale, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced (remove the tough thick center rib of the leaf)
• salt, to tastefreshly ground black pepper, to taste
• nutritional yeast flakes (sprinkled on top prior to serving, optional)

PREPARATION

1. In a heavy stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until softened, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add sliced sausage. Add chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Stir in kale, a handful at a time. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Using an immersion blender, remove 1/4 of the potatoes, broth, veg and meat. Blend and return to the pot. This improves the consistency and for ‘pickers’ that try to pull out the kale, some will still get in their spoon. You can also add dehydrated potato flakes to thicken it up – if you like a thicker soup. Read the label on the package though, make sure its just potatoes in there though – no freaky ‘butter flavor’ or any of that nonsense.

Rolled Flank Steak

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat panko (panko is Japanese bread crumbs used for tempura. If you can’t find whole wheat, just use regular)
• 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (If your a fan of garlic, let loose and add as much as you like
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes (totally optional)
• 1 flank steak (1 lb), trimmed of visible fat
• 3 oz fresh baby spinach leaves (about 6 cups)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange a rack in a baking pan and coat with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine panko, nuts, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper flakes. Set aside.
3. Place steak on a cutting board. Holding a sharp knife parallel to the work surface and positioned along one of the longer sides, cut steak almost in half horizontally, without slicing off a finger, so it opens like a book – one of the old fashioned kind with pages, not like your Kindle. Apply bandages or seek medical attention before continuing. Spread steak open with spine of book parallel to you.
4. Sprinkle panko mixture evenly over steak, leaving a 1-inch border along the farthest edge. Arrange spinach on top of panko mixture. Beginning with the closest edge, roll steak up, gently pressing down on spinach. Rotate steak roll so it’s vertical to you and tie crosswise at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string. Place steak on rack in the pan. Bake until the thermometer registers 150°F for medium doneness, about 35 minutes. Transfer steak to a cutting board, loosely cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes (internal temperature will continue to rise).
5. Remove foil and string and carefully cut steak crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
6. Serve with something remotely healthy please. Some fresh fruit on the table wouldn’t hurt anyone either. Don’t let the kids pick out the spinach, there is no way they should be getting away with that.

I am not kidding about the meat thermometer part, this is really important. You don’t want to over cook it, nor do you want to give anyone food poisoning. I could go all microbiology on you, and give you a hundred reasons why, but I will spare you, for this post. Seriously, get a meat thermometer and use it.

Pasta and Kale with Balsamic

• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/8 cup really great olive oil
• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 Tablespoons unspectacular  olive oil
• 1 box 100% whole wheat pasta rotini or whatever, cooked al dente
• small handful of shredded Parmesan or crumbled feta

Saute garlic in regular olive oil over medium heat, being careful not to brown it.  Toss in kale and saute until wilted and limp but not overcooked.  Toss in cooked pasta.  Turn heat down to low. Combine balsamic, GOOD olive oil and cracked pepper in a small bowl and whisk.  Add to pasta and kale and toss – if it seems like too much vinaigrette, reserve the rest and use as salad dressing   If using feta, add it now.  If using Parmesan or Pecorino plate the pasta and sprinkle with cheese.   Now wasn’t that easy….

Strawberries and Balsamic

If this sounds gross to you, you’re just going to have to trust me.

• 3 1/2 cups sliced hulled strawberries (about 16 ounces)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Toss all ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Serve over ice cream or pound cake, or just with a sprig of mint.