Holiday Post!: Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper.

I love spicy. I mean, I looooooooove spicy. So this Mexican Stuffed Poblano is naturally one of my favorite meals. Relatively simple and super scrumptious, this visually appealing pepper packs good protein ad ton of other nutrients from veggies. Serve alongside steamed veggies and brown rice or homemade corn chips and voila! Dinner. Happy cinco de mayo!

       Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper. 

Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. One large poblano pepper (mine weighed 6 oz.), top removed and seeded

2. 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

3. 5 oz. cauliflower florets, processed into cauliflower "rice"

4. 1/4 cup chopped onion

5. 2 tsp minced garlic

6. 2 T bragg's liquid aminos

7. One small Roma tomato, chopped 

8. Cayenne, cumin, and oregano to taste

9. 1/4 cup salsa of choice (I used tomatillo verde salsa)

Method 

1. Sauté onion and garlic with a little water in a nonstick pan until soft. Add aminos and sauté about 3 minutes. 

2. Add black beans, cauli "rice", and tomato. Stir with spatula and then add your salsa. Cook over medium heat until heated through and tomatoes are slightly wilted. 

3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes. 

4. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment. While oven is preheating, wash and prepare your poblano. Once seeded, start spooning the skillet mixture into the pepper, mashing it in tightly but gently. Do not overfill. I had some filling left over that I served over some spinach. 

5. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until pepper is beginning to brown and slightly wilted. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Almond Joy Oatmeal.

Are you ready to take a mini vacation to paradise?! I am a strong believer in my theory of "taste bud transporting". And this delicious bowl of oats does NOT disappoint! Silky smooth, warm oats combined with sinlessly sweet coconut, rich carob, and crunchy almonds. This right here is absolute perfection. 

                 Almond Joy Oatmeal. 

Almond Joy Oatmeal; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup oats of choice (I used oatbran) 

2. 1 cup water (2 if using my "double your grains!" Thehu wye explained in a previous post)

3. 1 T carob powder

4. 10 drops liquid coconut stevia

5. 2 T unsweetened coconut shreds

6. Handful sliced almonds 

Method

1. In a small soup pot, bring your water to a boil. Stir in oats and reduce heat to medium. Cook until just beginning to thicken and then whisk in your carob and coconut stevia. Whisk vigorously to remove any clumps. 

2. Once nearly fully cooked, stir in your shredded   coconut, reserving about 1 tsp for topping. 

3. Once desired consistency of oats is reached, transfer to bowl, top with almonds, and sprinkle with remaining coconut shreds. Enjoy!

                     Absolute Bliss!

Holiday Post!: Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie.

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday worthy of celebration, right?! In my opinion, any holiday that involves themed-food is worthy of celebrating. You all know I absolutely LOVE making holiday food and creating fun holiday-themed recipes. I'm so corny like that...!
This Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie is perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Cool and tangy, a perfect treat to sip on as you're sitting poolside this summer too.

Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie.

Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Serves One. 

Ingredients

1. one whole lemon, peeled, sectioned, and frozen
2. one whole lime, peeled, sectioned, and frozen
3. 1 cup water
4. 1-2 stevia packets (I know it seems like a lot, but TRUST me...)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix or other high speed blender and blend until frosty. Enjoy!

Frosty Deliciousness. Yummmmmmo.

Raw Hummus

Raw vegans rejoice! I have created a fully raw hummus dip. The secret ingredient? Zucchini squash in place of chickpeas...really! You will be shocked at how much this resembles "real" hummus. Yum!

                       Raw Hummus. 

Raw Hummus; Vegan, Gluten-free. Makes about 3/4 cup hummus. 

Ingredients

1. One small zucchini squash, chopped (mine weighed 6 oz.)

2. 1 tsp tahini 

3. 2 tsp minced garlic

4. 2 to 3 T fresh lemon juice

5. Splash water to blend

6. Black pepper for garnish

Method 

1. Add all ingredients to your mini food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Serve as desired! 

Sweet cinnamon buckwheat biscuits

Everyone loves a good biscuit. I mean, how comforting is it to snuggle up with a good book, a nice fuzzy blanket, a warm mug of tea, and a nice plate of freshly baked biscuits?! Ok. Now I need to go make these...

    Sweet Cinnamon Buckwheat Biscuits. 

Sweet Cinnamon Buckwheat Biscuits; Vegan, Gluten-free. Makes 7 small biscuits. 

Ingredients 

1. 1/2 cup buckwheat flour

2. 3 T water

3. 1 tsp baking powder

4. 1/4 tsp baking soda

5. 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 

6. 1/4 tsp cinnamon

7. 1/2 to 1 packet stevia

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment. 

2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add applesauce and water and stir well. 

3. Using about 2 T at a time, scoop dough into hands, roll into a ball, and flatten slightly onto parchment. Repeat to make 7 total. Bake uncovered for 13 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy! 

Note: these go excellent with either my cinnamon fig jam or raspberry his jam. Both recipes in previous posts! Go check 'em out! 

Cinnamon Fig Jam

You won't believe how unbelievable easy and good this jam is. Aside from soaking the figs, it takes all of 5 minutes to prepare. I'm not exaggerating! And it's so delicious. Perfect on toast, with homemade biscuits, and on oatmeal. 

                  Cinnamon Fig Jam. 

Cinnamon Fig Jam; Vegan, Gluten-free. Makes one serving (about 1/4 cup jam). 

Ingredients 

1. 3 dried figs

3. Cinnamon to taste

Method

1. Place your figs in a medium size bowl and cover with water. Cover bowl and set aside. Allie figs to soak for at LEAST 8 hours, but preferably overnight. 

2. Once soaked figs should be a lighter color and very puffed. Drain water, add figs to food processor, and blend with cinnamon until jam consistency, adding just a splash of water I facilitate blending if necessary. Enjoy!

Note: keep unused portion in tefrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Lemongrass Coconut Tofu

Back before I went vegan, there was this frozen dinner that I absolutely loved. I think it was Kashi brand...Kashi lemongrass coconut chicken. Oh boy was it scrumptious. Tangy and sweet paired with zesty black pepper. Literally a party in your mouth! 

The last time I was at whole foods, I saw jarred lemongrass that caught my eye. I can never use up fresh lemongrass quick enough...and it's so expensive! So naturally, I had to buy this jarred version. When I got it home and remembered I had an open can of coconut milk in the fridge, I had a lightbulb moment. Bingo. 

This tofu is super quick, super yum, and very versatile. I used mine in stuffed cabbage leaves, but it would be great over brown rice, in a salad, or in a wrap. 

           Lemongrass Coconut Tofu. 

Lemongrass Coconut Tofu; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 4 oz. firm tofu, cut into small cubes

2. 2 T lite canned coconut milk

3. 2 T jarred (or fresh) lemongrass 

4. Dash of bragg's liquid aminos 

5. Garlic and ginger powders and black pepper to taste

6. 1 T shredded unsweetened coconut

Method

1. Heat a nonstick pan over low medium heat. Add your tofu and pour coconut milk over top. Add a few dashes of bragg's and stir together with a spatula. 

2. Add all your spices and coconut shreds. Sauté about 4 minutes. 

3. Raise heat to medium and cook until it starts to sizzle. Remove from heat and serve as desired. Enjoy!