Category Archives for Recipes
Banana Ice Cream – Chocolate and Dark Cherry
Banana Ice Cream using the Magic Dessert Bullet which I purchased on Amazon. So creamy, tasty and low fat, guilt free! I also use the Vitamix most of the time as the flavours blend better in my opinion.
Easy Banana-Oat Pancakes
Woah! I just posted this recipe on banana-oat pancakes today and people are loving it!
Photo credit: Miranda Kroyer
Chocolate Pudding
OMG this was so good! Don’t worry about a tofu/soy taste – it’s just chocolately creamy goodness!
1 package firm/extra firm Silken tofu (not regular tofu)
1/4 cup of organic fair trade cocoa (or cacao/carob powder as preferred)
1/3 cup of real maple syrup or agave nectar (use less if desired)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional I didn’t have any this time)
Blend in Vitamix with tamper until smooth. Start on low speed and crank up to full. It was cold enough for me to eat right away, but you could put it in the fridge to cool.
No Cheese Quesadillas
No fat refried beans are very creamy. No need for cheese or sour cream anymore as these are so tasty.
1 can of no oil refried pinto beans (I use President’s Choice Refried Pinto Beans)
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 yellow onion (chopped)
10 yellow no oil corn tortillas (makes 5 quesadillas)
Extra Chunky Salsa (as much as desired – I use President’s Choice Hot)
Instructions
Put about 1/4 of a can on a no fat corn tortillas, add chopped raw onion and green/red pepper. Add another corn tortilla and fry in frying pan dry (no oil) until crispy, flipping half way through. Add extra chunky hot salsa or whatever salsa you prefer. Mix in chili powder with the beans if desired.
Calories for 2.5 quesadillas cut into 10 quarters and using 1/2 can of refried beans is about 500 calories if you count that sort of thing. Very filling!
Rice Pudding OMG!
I usually make a batch of brown rice for my rice and beans but I had an inspiration to make some rice pudding. So I did some Googling and found this recipe by Dreena Burton. So below is my personal take on what I did for my pudding. As you know I like simple, quick recipes – well this one definitely is easy!
Ingredients
2 cups of cooked brown rice (I make batches and have lots leftover)
1 cup low fat organic soy milk (unsweetened if possible) – you can use almond or rice as well
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar (optional depending on sweetness of your chosen milk or use a ripe banana)
*Many things can be done here – pinch of nutmeg, cacao, fruit like blueberries, etc.
Instructions
Blend 1.5 cups of rice (left 1/2 cup for later) with other ingredients and blend in Vitamix on high for 20 seconds or until it looks like everything is blended. If really thick after blending add more milk. Pour mixture into a pot, add the remaining 1/2 cup of rice (for texture) and cook on medium heat until thick.
As you might know I wing a lot of things so feel free to try some other options, depending on your tastes and how sweet you like your pudding. Depending on the sweetness of your non-dairy milk you can also add a ripe banana, cacao, etc.
Two ideas to try are subbing my banana milk for the other milk, and also added cacao to make a banana chocolate pudding.
This pudding is amazing warm and tastes great cold as well, and can be for breakfast, snack or dessert.
Potato Chips – Fat Free Guilt Free
Prior to starting this plant-based diet I would eat an entire bag of potato chips at least once a week – salt and vinegar or all dressed mostly, and sometimes with chip dip. I would have stomach aches and feel bloated even when I went to bed at night. But I kept doing it.
I recently decided to give making potato chips a try. The first time I soaked the sliced potatoes in vinegar for hours and then baked them. They weren’t that great. I think they were sliced too thin for one.
This time I found a way to microwave them and they get super crunchy. If you’re worried about the safety of microwaves check out this newsletter by Dr. McDougall.
Update: I now use Top Chips trays stacked in 2 layers without flipping.
Wash a potato and slice it think using a knife or I use a mandoline slicer. The thickness is up to you but mine are about 1/8″ thick. I don’t like them too thin but if you like that you could go as thin as you want which would require the mandoline. I encourage improvisation and trial and error here to find a thickness you like.
I tried mixing the slices with spices in a bowl but most of the potatoes stick together so they don’t get covered. So I’d put a piece of parchment paper on top of the microwave plate and lay the slices out first. Note: I now use two stacked Top Trays. Then put the spices on – premix the spices in a cup or shaker and then sprinkle on each slice.
The microwaving times will vary depending on your microwave and size of potato. Microwave for 6 minutes on one side, then flip the slices over, sprinkle on more spices and microwave in 1 minute increments. When they start to brown watch carefully – you want crunchiness but not overcooked. Roughly 6 minutes on first side and 6 minutes on other side but don’t leave unattended!
I’ve been also eating these spiced or plain with my ranch dip.
Ingredients (many variations of spices can be used)
One medium potato (any kind – I use yellow-fleshed)
1 tbsp Chili powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to heat preference)
1 tsp Salt (optional, whatever kind you prefer)
Instructions:
Cut potato into thin slices (1/8″) – thinner or thicker as preferred. Put parchment paper on microwave plate (mine is built-in glass plate) and lay slices on. Mix spices and sprinkle on each potato. Microwave for 6 minutes on one side. Flip slices over and microwave in 1 min intervals until very crunch – do test bites along the way). Could be 5-6 minutes on the second side. So I put 6 minutes in and then pause at various intervals to check. Make sure not to overcook and burn, watching the 2nd half of the cooking carefully. Very time consuming!
Something I’m looking into getting is a microwave chip holder so no flipping will be required and will probably cook faster.
Another option is to soak the slices in malt vinegar for a few hours and then do the same thing with some optional salt sprinkled on the chips. Since I couldn’t wait I made these once and spritzed on some vinegar as I ate them which wasn’t bad. Or you could get some of the Gourmet Fries Seasonings.
My latest method:
Method if you don’t have Top Chips Trays, using parchment paper:
Plant-Based Diet – Spicy Asian Soup
I winged this but:
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen broccoli
4 baby bok choy chop off the bottom
1 cup chopped Chinese cabbage
1/2 red pepper sliced
1 medium onion
1 cup or more of beans sprouts
2 tbsp vegetable stock powder
1/2 package of vermicelli noodles (depending on how many people are eating enough for bottom of bowl for each person)
Hot sriracha sauce to taste as you eat the soup
(the amounts above are rough estimates, feel free to adjust to your tastes)
I just throw in some frozen peas and broccoli with a cup of water and heat in a big skillet. Then I added chopped onions, the cabbage, bok choy and over time some more water (1 cup or more) and vegetable stock powder to taste. Then I added chopped red pepper and bean sprouts near the end. During this time I’m cooking the vermicelli noodles which only take a few minutes. Put the noodles in a bowl and top with veggies and pour in some of the broth. So yummy! Top with Sriracha hot sauce as you eat the soup for an extra kick!
Burger and Fries
Who doesn’t love burgers and fries? Isn’t it great to be able to eat these guilt free? Just made these and they were yummy!
Ingredients:
– 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed). Optionally use red kidney beans.
– 1/3 cup rolled oats
– 1 tsp onion powder
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1/2 shredded carrot
– 2 tbsp ketchup
– 1 tbsp mustard
– 1/4 tsp sriracha sauce (optional: caution hot and spicy!)
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 400F. Put beans in a bowl and mash with a fork, add the oats and other ingredients and mix. Press mixture into 4 patties and put on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or Silpat baking sheet. These burgers tend to break apart so be careful. Bake for 10 minutes then carefully flip and bake for another 10. I use a spatula. Make sure they’re cooked to your liking and getting crispy as oven times can vary. I put them on Ezekiel whole grain sprouted bread with lots of toppings (pickles, tomatoes, onion, mustard, ketchup)
The fries are my crispy herb fries
If you’d like to learn more and try different burgers check out Jeff Novick’s Burger and Fries DVD.
Grilled Tofu
OMG this was so good.
Ingredients:
-1 package extra-firm tofu
–Sweet thai chili sauce
Instructions:
I pressed out the water, sliced the tofu, marinated it with some thai sweet chili sauce bought from the store in a jar (enough to coat the tofu) and a bit extra for basting, and sugar (sorry I didn’t measure), then grilled with my Cuisinart 5-in-1 indoor griddler, which is also great for pancakes and grilled vegetables. Love the grill marks!
Still need to work on a good sauce for the cellophane noodles but I enjoyed this.
Avocado Bean Dip – Plant-Based Diet
I don’t eat this too often but it is so tasty with a layer of no oil guacamole and baked no fat nacho chips.