Sweet 'n Sour Spaghetti Pasta Salad.

This kind of goes without saying, but I LOOOVE taking traditional recipes (pasta salad, for example!) and putting a totally weird spin on them. It's so fun to come up with creative flavor combinations, and even MORE fun to EAT it afterwards! Nothing better 😄 this is a really fun recipe--super colorful, too! Nice and quick, tastes super fresh, and can be made ahead (and taken to a picnic!). The use of spaghetti noodles really makes this recipe awesome. Most pasta salads use bow tie, macaroni, fusilli, shells, you get the point. But...I'm not most 🙌😂 hope you enjoy!

    Sweet 'n Sour Spaghetti Pasta Salad!

   Where have you been all my life?!

Sweet 'n Sour Spaghetti Pasta Salad; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. One serving spaghetti noodles of choice, cooked and cooled

2. 1 cup chopped fresh spinach

3. 3/4 cup steamed, sliced beets (canned is fine), sliced into matchsticks

4. 1/2 cup white beans of choice (I used navy--great northern are great, too!)

5. One stalk celery, sliced

6. 2 T Apple cider vinegar

7. 1/2 packet stevia

8. Ground ginger

Method

1. In a large bowl or on a large plate, arrange your chopped spinach. Place cooled spaghetti noods on top. 

2. Top noodles with beets, then beans, then celery. 

3. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk vinegar and stevia to make a Vinagrette. Pour over pasta salad, and top with ginger. Enjoy! 

Note: I actually rink this tastes better if you let it sit for a while...it will begin to marinate and absorb the Vinagrette...yum!

Around the World Mega Salad.

If you all follow me on Instagram (@thefitveganginger--follow me! Hehe!) you will know my utter OBSESSION with giant salads...I have lovingly termed these gigantic veggie piles "Mega Salads". I've posted a few of my past fave mega salads on the blog, but this one tops them all. The eclectic combination of flavors really makes this salad pop. You've got crisp, tangy, spicy, fresh, and buttery all rolled into one TOTALLY BOMB dish. "Clean out the fridge salad" just became a new fave lunch. 

         Around the World Mega Salad. 

Around the World Mega Salad; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one (makes one GIANT salad!). 

Ingredients

1. 8 cups packed fresh spinach leaves 

2. 1 cup canned navy beans (don't sub with great northern or cannellini. Navy beans are essential in this recipe because of their smooth and buttery texture, which other white beans don't provide.)

3. 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped

4. 2 T bragg's liquid aminos

5. 1/2 tsp dried basil

6. 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder

7. 1/4 tsp curry powder

8. Pinch mustard powder

9. Onion, garlic, and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Place spinach in a HUGE bowl (DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE BOWL SIZE---I literally eat my salads out of a family size serving bowl...!) and too with red pepper chunks. Add beans and aminos and sprinkle on spices. Eat up! So good. 

Note: because of all the different flavors in this salad, it goes well with almost anything as an addition to make a full meal. Think pita bread, brown rice, hummus on gluten free cracker, you name it. I may or may me have had this with my "Cinnamon Swirl Oatmeal", though....

Sweet 'n Sour Mega Salad.

Ok. Wow. Just, wow. This is by far and away THE BEST SALAD I HAVE EVER EATEN. And yes that is quite the statement. But I'm not kidding! It's the perfect combination of sweet, sour, crunchy, smooth, oh. YUMMO!

             Sweet 'n Sour Mega Salad. 

Sweet 'n Sour Mega Salad; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one (makes one "mega salad"). 

Ingredients 

1. 8 packed cups raw spinach leaves 

2. 1/4 cup TVP (mix with 1/4 cup water and microwave 1 minute)

3. 1/2 cup navy (or other white bean) beans, drained and rinsed

4. 1/2 chopped apple (I used gala)

5. 1/4 cup chopped red onion

6. Juice of 1/2 lime

7. 1 T balsamic vinegar 

8. 1 tsp Dijon mustard

8. Garlic powder and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Place spinach leaves in a LARGE bowl and add all ingredients in the order listed until you get to the balsamic. 

2. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and Dijon together until smooth. Drizzle over salad and sprinkle with garlic and pepper. Enjoy!

Taste of India White Bean Dip.

If you can't tell, I'm on an Indian food kick. My past three recipes have been indian. Oh well. It's my fave what can I say! Well, ONE of my faves. 

This dip is a great used as a hummus replacement, sandwich spread, cracker topper, or simply by the spoonful! It's so so yummy and as always SUPER simple. Serve this at a party and it's GUARANTEED to be the first thing gone from the table. Enjoy!

        Taste of India White Bean Dip. 

 I served mine with salt-free brown rice snaps. 

Taste of India White Bean Dip; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one (can easily be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled). 

Ingredients

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

2. 2 T canned coconut milk, lite

3. 1/2 tsp garam masala spice

4. 1/3 cup frozen mango, thawed

5. Dash of bragg's liquid aminos

Method 

1. Easy peasy. Combine all ingredients in your mini (or regular-sized if you are making a bigger portion) food processor and process until almost completely smooth. You still want a few small mango chunks, so don't completely purée. 

2. Spoon into bowl, serve with crudités, crackers, spread in a pita-the options are endless!

Herbed Apple White Bean and Spinach Soup

I love a good 30 minute dish. The only thing I love MORE than a 39 minute dish? A 15 minute dish! Yes, yes, you probably guessed where I am going with this. This soup takes 15 minutes (or less!) start to finish. Perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. And I know it's spring, but who says you can't have a spring-y soup?! It's 45 degrees in Virginia today anyway...!

   Herbed Apple White Bean and Spinach Soup. 

Herbed Apple White Bean and Spinach Soup; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1.  1 cup low sodium vegetable broth 

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

3.  One small green apple, chopped 

4.  Onion and garlic powders to taste

5.  1/4 tsp EACH parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme 

6.  2 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn

Method 

1. In a small soup pot, combine broth, spices, and beans. Heat over medium high heat as you add your chopped apple. 

2. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in spinach. Pour into bowl and serve! 

                            Bliss. 

Vanilla fudge bar bites.

Are you prepared to be transported to vegan food heaven?! These are absolutely sinful. Except for the fact that they are absolutely sinless! The entire recipe contains only 185 calories, packs an impressive 14 grams of quality, plant based protein, and is of course completely salt, oil, and sugar free. Even better (like you need any more reasons to make these...)?! They take less than 30 minutes, start to finish. There you go. I may very well just be your new best friend. 

                Vanilla fudge bar bites. 

Vanilla Fudge Bar Bites; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 1 cup canned navy beans, drained and rinsed

2. 1/4 tsp vanilla powder

3. 1/2-1 packet stevia

4. 2 tsp water

Method 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. 

2. In a mini food processor, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Refrain from adding more water...the batter should be very thick. 

3. Spoon batter into parchment and spread around evenly with the back of a spoon. It should be about 1/2 inch thick. 

4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes, slice into small bites, and serve! I served mine with blueberry pear sorbet. Yummy! 

             You so love me. Admit it. 

"Blondie" Pie

To tell you the truth, I thought this would be disgusting. I was totally branching out when I tried this recipe. I really thought it would be quite gross. But I was VERY pleasantly surprised! It was very VERY tasty. Also, it hardly counts as "pie"...this baby packs 20 grams of protein and over 15 grams of fiber! Totally acceptable to eat this as a full meal...with a side of some veggies, of course.

Blondie Pie.

Blondie Pie; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Makes one "mini" size pie.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup flaxseeds, ground
2. 2 dates
3. 1 cup canned navy beans, rinsed and drained
4. 1 T agave nectar
5. 1/4 tsp vanilla powder

Method

1. For the crust: In a mini food processor, combine flax and dates. Process until crumbly and sticky. 
2. Remove and press into small dish (if it doesn't hold together, add a splash of water and stir). 
3. Cover and place in fridge while you make your filling. 
4. In mini food processor, combine beans, agave, and vanilla powder. Blend until very smooth. 
5. Remove crust from fridge and spread filling evenly over the crust. Recover and place back in fridge. Refrigerate 8+ hours. 
6. Slice and enjoy!

Last bite. Sharing Optional.

Vanilla Bean Pancakes with Raspberry-Chia Jam

Pancakes. Just saying this word makes me happy. I mean, who in the world doesn't love pancakes?! I have yet to  meet this person (if they even exist!). These pancakes are a bit different, though. You should know by now I LOVE to play around with different things...manipulating ingredients to act like others. It's so much fun! These pancakes have a VERY secret ingredient. Even though the "secret ingredient" is mentioned in the title! Sneaky, huh? Don't be grossed out by this special ingredient. It TOTALLY makes these pancakes. They are absolutely, positively, WONDERFUL. I would eat these every day for the rest of  my life if I could! And even better? They're quick, easy, and extremely nice to look at. Go ahead--"indulge" (even though these are 100% guiltless!).

Vanilla Bean Pancakes with Raspberry-Chia Jam.

Vanilla Bean Pancakes with Raspberry-Chia Jam; Vegan. Makes one serving (4 pancakes and about 1/3 cup Jam).

Ingredients

For the Pancakes

1. 3/4 cup canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
2. 3/4 tsp baking powder
3. 1/2 packet (1/2 tsp., approximately) stevia
4. 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
5. 2 T oat flour
6. 1 T vital wheat gluten
7. 1/4 cup almond milk

Method

1. Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. 
2. In a mini food processor, combine beans, baking powder, stevia, and vanilla powder. Process until thick and smooth. 
3. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Add flour, gluten, and milk and stir well. 
4. Spoon approximately 1/4 cup of batter onto heated pan and spread around (gently!) with the back of a spoon. Cook about 3-3 1/2 minutes and then flip. Repeat to make 4 pancakes. Top and enjoy!

Note: Unlike normal flour-based pancakes, these don't "bubble" when ready to flip. Instead, watch them carefully around the edges. When the edges look like they are beginning to cook, it's time to flip.

Vanilla Bean Pancakes, pre-toppage.

For the Raspberry-Chia Jam

1. 1/3 cup frozen raspberries
2. 1 T plus 2 tsp chia seeds
3. 1 T agave nectar

Method

1. Super simple. Put all ingredients in your Vitamix and blend until raspberries are smooth and ingredients are fully combined. 
2. Pour into a small dish, stir, and cover. Place in fridge for about 15 minutes to thicken up. 
3. Use as desired (in this case on top of the pancakes) and enjoy! 

Raspberry-Chia Jam. 

Coconut-Ginger Veggie Burger

I'm sure you've heard the old saying "don't judge a book by it's cover". Well, I've got a new one for you: "don't judge a burger by it's color". Seriously, though. Don't scrunch your nose up until you taste this baby. Oh. Mmmm. Yes. Creamy white beans combined with exotic coconut flavors and spicy ginger. It's may look unassuming, but this burger is hiding it's deliciousness. Packed with protein, flavor, and good-for-you fresh herbs (hello, ginger!), this burger is the perfect addition to a meal, or can even be enjoyed as a snack.

Coconut-Ginger Veggie Burger. Don't Judge.

Coconut-Ginger Veggie Burger; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Makes one small Burger.

Ingredients

1. 1 T coconut cream
2. 4 tsp fresh ginger, minced
3. 2 T coconut flour
4. 1/2 Cup navy beans, drained and rinsed
5. 2 T unsweetened shredded coconut

Method

1. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
2. In a mini food processor, combine beans, ginger, coconut cream, and coconut. 
3. Process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in coconut flour. 
4. Form a patty and place on skillet/pan. Cook 3-4 minutes per side. Serve warm. 

You reaaaallly want to make this burger. Trust me.

No-Bake "Baked Beans"

Baked Beans are definitely a comfort food. They are an American classic, after all! I think the "comfort" part has a lot to do with the fact that many of us associate eating baked  beans with happy times...at least I do anyway! When I think of baked beans, I think of family. Picnics, BBQs, holidays, warm weather, you get the point.
If you're trying to recreate your favorite baked beans recipe, the one that is deliciously sweet and sticky, with smooth, buttery white beans that melt in your mouth, THIS recipe delivers. All the flavor, all the fun, and all the memories.

Yummy Salad, featuring No-Bake "Baked Beans"

No-Bake "Baked Beans"; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Makes one small serving.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup canned navy beans (or other white beans), rinsed and drained
2. 2 T no-salt added tomato paste
3. 2 tsp maple-flavored agave  nectar (maple syrup will work too)
4. 1 T apple cider vinegar

Method

1. In small soup pot, combine tomato paste, agave/maple syrup, and vinegar. Whisk together over medium heat until melty.
2. Add beans and stir well to thoroughly coat in sauce. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Serve! You can use these as a salad topped, as I did, or serve them in a toasted bun, as a side dish, or you can double/triple the recipe to make a full meal.