Black Bean and Spinach Stuffed Onions

This recipe is a wonderfully healthy dinner option, with flexibility, and is a wonderful opportunity to create something with friends and family. I made it in under 30 minutes and was making it up the whole time!

You will need:
(recipe for three people)

~3 medium to large Yellow Onions ( one per person)
~8 oz. cooked Black Beans
~ Tbl. minced Garlic
~s/p and a pinch of cumin
~2 Tbl. Olive Oil
~1/2 cup chopped Spinach
~1/2 cup shredded mozzarella ( I used a vegan version)
~1/2 tsp. liquid smoke


To start, heat oven to 350d then start coring out the onions by using a knife. Begin at the top and cut out a small cone about an inch deep, 1.5 inches around. Using a spoon start carving away the insides leaving the top of the hole smaller than the cavity to allow the stuffing to stay put while serving. The onion shavings can ether be added o a salad later or used in the stuffing.
Mix together the other ingredients in a bowl and let sit. Grab your oven safe, glass dish with a lid and put a little olive oil in the bottom; not much just enough to allow the onions to not stick. Begin to stuff your onions with the stuffing and really pack it in there. Put a few drops of water in each one to prevent dryness and top with more cheese.
Let them bake for an hour with the last 15 lidless allowing the cheese to brown on top. Serve with a light leafy salad or some fruit. Any extra filling you may have can be used in more onions or on top of a salad the next day or eaten chilled as a bean salad!

Spicy, Asian Inspired Salad

I love the idea of using oils without cooking them, allowing to gain all of the nutrients I can from them. I also love using dark green veggies and brightly colored veggies, which are the ones that give us the most vitamins, minerals and proteins. Another thing I added was the spicy aspect which I love applying to things that are, here in the states, not generally found spicy.

You will need:

Salad~
Spinach, washed and drained
Purple cabbage, washed and sliced
White onion, washed and sliced

Dressing~
Olive Oil
Apple cider Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Basil
Garlic
Black Pepper
Cayenne


Add all the veggies into a bowl and toss to taste with the dressing ingredients. I usually never measure with anything but my taste buds, so it is always hard for me to tell someone how much of what to put in. Especially when it doesn't matter! It should be up to the cook and the eaters as to how much of what they eat. So for the dressing, until you get practiced and just drizzling straight into your bowl and knowing it will be great, use a seperate bowl and taste test and if you want, document it.

Sausage and Onion Potato Cakes

A great and fast breakfast! I used vegan sausage and organic red potatoes for the pictures. It is a good way to use up leftover mashed or roasted potatoes as well!

You will need:
Two medium red potatoes, mashed
I cup sausage, ground
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
s/p
garlic
oregano
cayenne
Tbs. grape seed oil
1/8 cup Bacos (opt)


Mash potatoes, and sausage and mix in onion and seasoning and oil Heat grittle on medium heat. Do not raise temperature any higher than medium. This is to allow the cakes to get warm in the middle and brown on the outside.
Make cakes using your hands and modeling 'discs' approximately 3/4'' high and 3.5'' across. This recipe makes about six. Place on warm grittle and flip when golden brown on bottom. Serve warm and with fruit!

Canteloupe and Yogurt breakfast bowl

A vegetarian breakfast that will surprise the taste buds. It is a funny sounding recipe, but wait until you try it before you judge. It's wonderful.


You will need:
~freshly cubed cantaloupe
~vanilla or plain yogurt
~toasted pecans
~cinnamon

As simple as it sounds. Toast the pecans in your toaster oven until you can smell them. They toast fairly fast, so watch them so they don't burn. Place your cantaloupe in a bowl and spoon on some yogurt. Toss some pecans on top and sprinkle with cinnamon. The amount of anything, base on your likes, how hungry you are etc. Not a strict recipe, basically here to suggest the combination!

Mango and Raspberry Fruit Salad

This makes such a pretty dish and has a tropical flavor with such great health benefits! I love it served with a heavier meal along side some dark greens and potatoes! Pictures coming soon!

You will need:
1 large, ripe Mango
8 oz. Raspberries, rinsed
1 large Nectarine

Easiest thing on our planet! Cut, mix and serve!

*** The trick to Mangoes!***
Cut rind length ways in quarters and peel it of. Then dice the fruit on the pit and shave off into the bowl! I will post pictures of the process to make it easier to understand asap.

Lasagna with Eggplant and Kidney Beans

I have never made Lasagna before so I picked up the ingredients I knew usually go into the dish and added a few to make it heavier and full of flavor. Hope you like it!

You will need:

Meat Filling:
1 lbs. Ground beef (imitation)
1/2 Eggplant
8oz cooked Kidney Beans
4 Garlic cloves
s/p to taste
oregano to taste
basil to taste

Veggie Filling:
1/2 cup Broccoli
1/2 cup Cauliflower
1/2 cup Carrot
1 white or yellow onion
1 cup Fresh Spinach

Sauce:
2 cans Tomato paste
2 cans Crushed tomato
Oregano, Basil, Garlic, Salt to taste
Three 'dashes' of of Hot Sauce
Three 'dashes' of Soy Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream (lactose free opt.)


Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese (I have found both cheeses in a vegan form)
Three small fresh tomatoes

The picture is lame and once I make it again in my own kitchen I will provide better pictures but... It was so good I wanted to share it as quickly as possible!

Here is how to make it:

~First using a cheese grater shred the eggplant until you have the same quantity as the 'beef'. Add into a deep skillet and heat with olive oil and garlic, crushed and chopped. Then add the 'beef'.
~Cut the veggies into smaller pieces and steam until barely soft, remember they will soften more while baking, we are just giving them a head start. Leave Spinach out. This will steam on it's own wonderfully while baking. Once the steamed veggies are drained, thinly slice the spinach and mix into the others.
~Heat lasagna noodles in water and watch.
~Into the 'meat filling', add seasonings and beans and continue to heat. Cut tomatoes in half one way and thinly slice the other way, creating a half moon shape.
~When noodles are ready strain and place to the side. Grab a 9x13 pan and put a tsp. of olive oil and spread with fingers and place one layer of noodles on the bottom. I use three or four. Lay half of the fresh tomato on top and sprinkle with mozzarella. Add another layer of noodle, and the 'meat filling', then more noodle. Veggie's turn. Add ricotta on top of that and sprinkle with a little salt and garlic, more noodle. This is the top layer of noodle. Lay down the last of the mozzarella and then the tomato slices. Sprinkle with oregano and basil for garnish and bake at 375d for 30 minutes. The cheese on top will be brown and crunchy and the noodle a little stiffer than the others. This is desirable to hold the pieces together!

Leek and Seitan Soup

I made this soup just the other day, trying to make room in my refrigerator for more produce. It was also a 'soup day'. The days when you want to wear pj's and eat soup.

You will need:

1 stem Fresh leek, washed and sliced into rings
1 small Yellow squash, quartered and sliced
1 long Broccoli stem, peeled and sliced
1 cup Seitan, marinated in soy
1/2 Red Bell pepper, sliced
1/2 small Onion
2 cloves Fresh Garlic, crushed
2 tbl. Soy sauce
4 cups Vegetable Broth
oregano, black pepper, cayenne all to taste


Slice veggies and add into cooking pot. Measure broth based on how many veggies are in the pot and how thick you want your soup. I usually add enough to cover the veggies (refer to picture). Add broth and soy sauce and heat on med-high until simmering then add the spices to taste. Let simmer for only a few minutes. Don't boil! The squash will disintegrate and the veggies will lose their nutritional value. That's the trick to soups. Never boil them! In the end it will have diminished nutritional value, all taste the same and have the same texture. Serve the soup hot and with anything you want... Crackers, sandwiches, salad etc.

If the soup wasn't already so busy, I would have added some celery and carrot as well, either way it is delicious!

~Enjoy