Virgin Bloody Mary Juice (Alkaline, GF, Raw, Vegan)

Sorry for no picture, but I liked how this turned out so much that I almost just want to have it documented for myself because I know I will come back to it. This can be drank as juice, or had as a smoothie, or what I did 3/4 juice and 1/4 smoothie mixed together.

Makes 32 oz w/fiber

2-3 tomatoes (I used 2 BIG ones, if you use Roma, will need 3 possibly 4)
1 red bell pepper
2 celery ribs
1 carrot
1/2 zucchini
1/2 lime
1 clove garlic
Large handful of fresh herbs (oregano, basil, cilantro & parsley are what I used, but use what you have all else fails add in some dried herbs)

Salt to taste (I used Real Salt)
1 TBS optional Vegan Worcestershire sauce (nonvegan ones have anchovies in them)
1/2 tsp black pepper
Ice

Juice all ingredients together in first section and add the salt, pepper & vegan Worcestershire sauce after you have juiced it, and pour it over ice.

If you have a juicer, run em all through that. If you are using a high power blender like I do, I used the 'whole juice' mode on my Blendtec. It tastes great just to have it as a smoothie, but removing some of the pulp gives you a stronger taste and it's more like the Bloody Mary feel. So I strained 3/4 of the liquid through my nut milk bag and then added it back to the remaining 1/4, added 4 ice cubes, the salt, pepper & vegan Worcestershire sauce. After that I poured it into a BIG cup that had 4 ice cubes in it. So good, so good!

Kale Salad with Creamy Mango Vinigrette Dessing (GF, Vegan)

I know I am a slacker and never post anything on here lately. I wish I could say it was because I am so busy with work that I just don't have time, but that's not the case. It's basically that I'm lazy and get caught up doing other stuff. At any rate, this mango dressing is soooo amazingly good. I find myself just trying to eat IT! I use it in other salads as well, hopefully I will post another one somewhat soon.

Serves 4 as entree salads

Salad
1.5 cup quinoa, cooked in 3 cups water
4-5 cups kale torn (I also used baby greens mixed in)
1 cup tomato, chopped
1 cup cucumber, quartered and sliced
1 large mango, diced
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (or herb of choice, I've done it with basil & it's great)
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup currants, cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup pepitas (can sub slivered almonds, or cashews)

 Cook quinoa first and allow it to cool down some before putting it with the salad. In a medium-large bowl combine all salad ingredients except quinoa, kale, currants & pepitas.
To serve, place greens on 4 seperate plates (or bowls) top with 1/4 the amount of cooked quinoa. Top with salad ingredients from the med-large bowl, then put desired amout of dressing on top, it is creamy and somewhat thick. Then sprinkle with currants and pepitas. I usually sprinkle on some salt, black pepper & cayenne pepper as well, but it depends who I'm serving it to.

 *If you are making this as a large salad for individuals to dish themselves, put kale in a large serving bowl first, then add the quinoa & ingredients from the bowl, mix. Then add in a little more than half of the dressing and toss, if it seems somewhat dry, add in more, I like mine drenched in the stuff, but some people may not. Sprinkle currants & pepitas on top of the salad.

Creamy Mango Vinigrette 
1 VERY FULL cup mango
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sweetener of choice (I've used maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia & agave all in different amounts or individually, just needs to be equal to 1/4 cup)
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 large clove garlic
1/2 inch knob fresh ginger
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad (Alkaline, GF, Vegan)

One of my favorite things to order at True Food Kitchen is the Mediterranean Chopped Salad (the other is their GF Kale & Roasted Garlic Pizza, but that recipe is a major work in progress), but I always put my vegan spin on it as well as my "Amber-spin". I've since been making my own version of the salad, and I thought it was time to share! The salad ingredients and portions are pretty flexible, I don't measure any of the stuff out.

Makes 4 entree salads

Lemon-Oregano Vinaigrette
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons stoneground mustard
3 little scoops of stevia powder (enough to equal 2 tsp)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons hemp oil (or use olive oil if you don't have hemp)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Salad Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, cooked in 2 cups water
2 cups baby kale/spinach/chard/arugla (any combo)
2 cups watercress, chopped
1/2 english cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup marcona almonds
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 avocado, cut into small cubes

OPTIONAL:
bee pollen
sprouts
fresh green beans


For the salad dressing, put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, makes it so you can taste the oregano better. You CAN chop up all the ingredients and just whisk them together though, but the blender method tastes better (to me) and makes all of the tastes blend better.

Put all of the salad ingredients together however you see fit, and top with salad dressing as well as some fresh ground black pepper & (sea or Real) salt.

Black Forest Smoothie (GF, Vegan)

Thanks to those brilliant people at Vega, this smoothie is delicious. I used their Choc-o-lot smoothie mix as the protein powder. But you can use whatever kind you have/like. I saw a similar recipe on the thriveforward.com site from Vega. Those people are great! So I thought I would share my version.

Black Forest Smoothie
 Serves 1

1 cup vanilla [I used unsweetened] almond milk (or nondairy milk of choice)
1/2 banana
1 cup frozen cherries
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/2 tablespoon cacao powder
1 teaspoon maca
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


If you have a high power blender, throw in all of the ingredients and blend. If you don't, blend the banana & cherries with the almond (or whatever milk you choose) milk and after it's blended then add the powdered ingredients and vanilla.

Macaroni and Cheese (GF, Vegan)

The basic recipe I got from VegNews's recipe club, there are a few edits that I put on it to make a couple of taste changes on their already fabulous recipe. I think you could easily use the sauce recipe as a cheeze fondue, or a sauce to go over nachos!! I made this for a potluck with 8 nonvegan friends and they thought it was great. My boyfriend says its the best vegan Mac & Cheese he's had. Dairy-free Mac n Cheese    Makes 6 large dinner servings 4 quarts water 1 tablespoon salt 1 16-ounce package of brown rice macaroni 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated dairy free butter/margarine. (I used Earth Balance Coconut Butter spread) 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped 1 1/3 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped 1/3 cup carrots, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped 1 cup water 1/3 cup raw cashews 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped 2 teaspoons salt 2 small garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 tablespoon Bragg liquid aminos 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions: In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add brown rice macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. In a blender, process the rest of the ingredients in the list. Add cooked vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth. Spread pasta into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, pour blended cheese mixture over the top and mix.. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling.

Tomato, Basil & Millet Salad with Pesto Dressing (GF, Vegan)

Pesto is great with every vegetable and or grain, I swear! I have been doing a no grains diet lately and figured that I hadn't explored millet quite enough. I have made it a handful of times, but it has been a while. So, this dish was created. If you are worried about using millet, you could easily sub it for quinoa or quinoa (or couscous if you don't avoid gluten), you will just need to adjust the amount of vegetable broth you use (for quinoa or brown rice, use 2 cups vegetable broth instead of 3).

Tomato, Basil & Millet Salad with Pesto Dressing

• 1 cup uncooked millet, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced basil
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• Pesto dressing (recipe below)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 
  
• Directions
• Toast millet in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and just golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and carefully add broth. Return to heat and bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until liquid is absorbed and millet is tender, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer millet to a large bowl, fluff with a fork and set aside to let cool. 
  
  Add cannellini beans, green onions, tomato, spinach and basil to large bowl, toss gently and set aside.
• Make pesto dressing then add millet to bean tomato mixture and toss to coat.  In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, then pour dressing over millet mixture and toss to coat. 

When serving, top with a dollop of pesto. Salad tastes better once the flavors have had a chance to mix, so let it sit for 30 min before eating it if you can.

Pesto Dressing
3 tablespoons your favorite basil pesto (mine is vegan, nut free Pumpkin Seed Pesto)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
salt, to taste

GF Ginger Snaps (GF, Vegan)

I really like ginger snaps, but I don't like the hard ones from the store, I like more of the soft ones with the outside that is crisp. So, these are nice and soft and actually stay soft and not stale after a few days either.

 Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

Makes about 22 cookies 

2 tbs turbinado sugar (ie sugar in the raw)

1 c gf flour  (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt 

1 1/4 tbs ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 c coconut oil
1/8 c molasses
1/8 c almond milk
1/2 c sugar (I used half coconut sugar & half turbinado sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine liquid ingredients with half cup of sugar until well combined. 

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and mix. Then add to wet mixture until well combined.

Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Then flatten the balls, keep in mind that the flatter you make them the crisper the cookies will be. I don't like my cookies very crisp, so I don't flatten them too much. Sprinkle the additional 2 tablespoons of sugar over the flattened cookies.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Sweet Potato Pie With Spiced Oat Pecan Crust (GF, Vegan)

This is a great Gluten Free, Vegan Sweet Potato Pie. I wanted to make one from scratch, so I cooked the potatoes myself rather than using the canned stuff. But I put the instructions for using the canned stuff in as well.

the crust

before the oven, I thought it would be cute if I made a heart in it with my fork

tastes great!!!

Makes 1 pie

Crust
1 cup oats, ground (or oat flour)
3 TBS brown sugar, packed (or coconut sugar)
1/4 cup pecans, ground
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 TBS coconut oil mixed with 1 TBS water

Filling
1 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
2 TBS flaxseed, ground
1/3 cup brown sugar, (or coconut sugar)
3 TBS pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup coconut milk (from the can)

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate and heat oven to 425° F.
Grind oats & pecans then combine with, brown sugar and cinnamon. Work oil mixture in until well blended, I just used my hands to blend it. Pat into the prepared pie plate. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned around the edges. Then remove.

I cooked my sweet potatoes before hand (like a baked potato) then peeled off the skins and measured out 1 1/2 cups worth. You can also just get the sweet potato puree from the store. I ground my flaxseed in my high power blender alone, then added in the rest of the ingredients & blended until smooth. You can also use flax meal instead of grinding them yourself.

Pour in the filling to the prebaked crust, then bake your pie. Bake on the lower rack at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until filling has set.

Amaretto Cookies (GF, Vegan)

Makes 16 cookies

1 1/4 cups raw almonds
3/4 cup tapioca starch/powder
1/2 cup + 2 TBS turbinado sugar (or dry sweetener/sugar of choice)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp almond extract
*2 TBS Amaretto Liquor
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 350.
In a food processor or high power blender (Blentec/Vitamix) grind up the almonds. Then add in the tapioca, sugar, baking powder & salt, blend again. Now add the liquid ingredients and mix.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or if you don't have any, a greased cookie sheet will do) roll the dough into balls 1-2 TBS and place on the sheet, don't flatten them, they will flatten in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of oven & slide parchment paper off the sheet & onto a cool surface.

*Adding Amaretto Liquor just gives it more of an almond kick to the cookie, the alcohol goes away in the baking process. But if you don't have any Amaretto, you can use water in it's place and it will be just fine.

Caramel Chia Seed Granola (GF, Vegan)

I'm guessing that you haven't really used puffed millet in things before, but it's a nice addition to this granola. It is those round light colored things in the granola. You can find it in the cereal aisle at the health food store. The regular grocery store generally will have puffed rice or other puffed cereal that you could easily use in it's place. If you don't have buckwheat groats, you can use all oats. This is a really flexible recipe.

Just out of the oven!

It made a bit more than that, I kept eating it before I took the pic

Made a coconut yogurt & blueberry parfait with the granola!

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
2/3 cup puffed millet
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 tbs whole flaxseeds
1/4 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds, can use other seed if you want)
1/4 cup crushed nuts of choice (I used pecan... caramel pecan?? mmm hmmm)
*1/4 cup coconut sugar
**1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (enjoy life brand is dairy, nut & soy free)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a medium-large bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. In a small pot over med-low, heat the coconut oil & add the coconut sugar. Once they are mixed well together add in the brown rice syrup. Bring to slow/light boil for about 3 min, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Mix hot carmel over the dry ingredients. Pour them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread it all out evenly & place in the oven.
Bake for 30 min, stirring about every 10 min.
It will still be soft when you pull it out after the 30 min, but will harden up as it cools down. After it cools down, add in the chocolate chips.

*If you don't have, or don't want to use coconut sugar, unrefined brown sugar is a sub that will make it taste very similar. (and be cheaper)

**The brown rice syrup really gives it that caramely taste, but it will still be really good granola if you use a different liquid sweetener. Don't let it scare you off from making this. But next time you are at the store and see brown rice syrup (will be near agave and honey) get some!

Black Beauty Super Smoothie (GF, Raw, Vegan)

Or as my mother so lovingly refers to it as: Black Sludge. Black Beauty Super Smoothie sounds lots better, don't you think?
Ok, here is the thing about this smoothie, I wanted a smoothie that would include a good amount of spirulina but not taste like it too much but not including chocolate (it's a good cover, but wasn't wanted). Spirulina is really good for you, if you don't know much about it check out health benefits of spirulina. A lot of the ingredients in the smoothie could be optional, if you don't have a couple of them it wouldn't throw the whole thing. If you aren't quite sure about some of these ingredients & want to learn, check out my ingredients you may not know about tab.

Makes 24 oz

1 1/2 cup coconut water (could use almond milk, water kefir or water)
3 tbs chia gel (see below for chia gel recipe)
1/2 tbs hemp seeds
1 cup blueberries
5 whole strawberries (I just throw the whole thing in, with the greens, gonna mix anyway)
1 tbs maca
1 tbs spirulina
1 tsp wheatgrass powder
10 drops stevia (can sub 2-3 tsp other sweetener)
1/2 large banana or 1 sm/med banana
6 ice cubes
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)


Throw everything in a blender, except for the ice, and blend. Then add in the ice. It just makes things be blended better that way.

Chia Gel - making the chia into a gel like this makes it so your smoothie doesn't end up turning into a jelly instead. It also makes it a lot easier on your stomach, which most people appreciate. You can throw it into any drink including water, it helps take the hunger edge off, helps you stay hydrated (chia seeds can hold 10x's their weight in liquid) and are a great source of fiber. I make two cups worth & leave it in the fridge to add to whatever I feel like.
1 3/4 tbs chia
1 cup water
mix seeds in water & let sit for 5 min

Bombay Salad (GF, Vegan)

aka Quinoa, Chickpea, Watercress, Mango & Avocado Salad w/Curry Lime Vinaigrette. Now you see why I called it Bombay Salad. haha.
 Makes 4-6 servings

1/2 c quinoa
1 c water
1 c watercress, chopped
1 c spinach, chopped
1 can (no salt added) garbanzo beans/chickpeas, rinsed
1 mango, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 avocado, cubed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbs pepitas
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes


Lime Curry Vinaigrette

2 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp honey/agave/maple syrup or other preferred sweetener
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Bring the water to a boil, add quinoa, turn to low & add a lid. Cook for about 15 min, until all the water is gone (like rice). Allow to cool for 5 min with the lid on, then fluff.

Chop up all the salad ingredients and mix in a bowl.

For the dressing, I've found it's easiest if you put it in a little container that has a lid, put all the ingredients in and SHAKE. Then pour it over the salad & mix it all around.