Monday, February 25, 2013

Faux Cookie Dough


For those times you just NEED cookie dough.

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/8 tsp salt
1.5 cups Garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed
1/4 cup unsweetened non dairy milk of choice
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 TBSP sweetener of choice (agave, honey, pure maple syrup)
1/4 tsp Hazelnut or vanilla extract
*chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine oats, protein powder and salt. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, puree the beans, milk, sweetener, peanut butter and extract until smooth. Add to dry ingredients -with chocolate chips if using - and mix well.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Lemon Avocado Pudding

Rich and tangy!

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 - 1 1/2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp coconut oil
3 TBSP pure maple syrup

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little lemon zest or chocolate shavings as a garnish!

Chilies en Nogada

Ingredients:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup walnuts (or pecans)
12 oz ground pork
1 medium onion - chopped
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 apple - chopped
1 4 oz can diced green chilies, undrained
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cumin
9 oz cooked rice of choice (about 2 cups) I used a mix of wild and brown rice))
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup soft bread crumbs
3 TBSP cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp brown sugar
*1 4 oz can whole green chilies (optional)
toasted chopped walnuts, fresh cilantro or fresh parsley for garnishing

In a small bowl, combine nuts and milk; set aside.

In a large skillet cook pork and onion over medium heat until browned, breaking up pork as it cooks. Drain off fat. Add the tomatoes, apple, diced green chilies, the 1/2 tsp salt, pumpkin pie spice and cumin and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until most of the liquid evaporates.

For the sauce, transfer milk and nuts to a food processor. Add sour cream, cream cheese, bread crumbs, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Process until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and ground white pepper.

Spread a little sauce onto each plate. Add a pile of rice. If using the whole green chilies, cut each chili in half lengthwise, then wrap around the pork-rice mixture. Garnish with cilantro, chopped nuts and pomegranate seeds.

**Allergy-free Substitutions:
Milk - So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut milk
Sour Cream - Tofutti Sour Supreme
Cream Cheese - Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

You can also omit the white cream sauce altogether. The rice and pork are amazing without it!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2-3 drops vanilla
pinch cinnamon

Combine everything in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Serve chilled or at room temperature!

Avocado Pasta

Ingredients:
10-12 small Campari tomatoes - quartered or 3/4 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
3-4 TBSP olive oil
4 servings of fettuccine noodles
2 ripe avocados - pitted and skins removed
2 garlic cloves - peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
*1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
grated Parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 300.

Wash and quarter (or halve) tomatoes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle with 1-2 TBSp olive oil. Bake for 1 hour.
*I skipped this step entirely and just sauteed the tomatoes in a pan with a little oil until slightly golden.

10-15 minutes before tomatoes are done baking - cook fettuccine al dente according to box directions.

While the pasta is boiling, add 2 TBSP olive oil, avocados, garlic, salt and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy.

Strain pasta and combine immediately with avocado sauce, coating noodles evenly.

Add the roasted tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Crock Pot Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup brown lentils
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 onion - diced
2 celery ribs - sliced
2 medium carrots - cut into small chunks
2 cloves garlic - minced
*1/3 cup chopped fennel (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes or 3 medium fresh tomatoes - chopped
2 TBSP wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Easy Mexican Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 TBSP butter
1/2 cup salsa
1 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp taco seasoning
1/4 tsp cumin
1 TBSP tomato paste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until all liquid is absorbed (adding water as necessary to reach preferred texture of rice).

*I used brown rice and it tends to be a little more hard than white rice so I suggest using 2 cups chicken broth and 1-2 cups water.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Crispy Baked Pork Chops


Ingredients:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper
1 large egg
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fresh parsley (or cilantro) - chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp olive oil
4 1 inch bone in pork chops

Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed cooking sheet with foil and place a rack on top.

On a plate combine the flour, garlic powder, celery seed, cayenne and about 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. On a second plate combine breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan and oil. In a third shallow dish whisk together egg and mustard.

Coat each pork chop in flour mixture and then in egg mixture. Then coat each in breadcrumb mixture, pressing it gently to adhere. Place on prepared rack.

Roast the chops about 20 minutes - flipping once if desired - or until cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

*When I made this recipe I forgot to preheat the oven. So I cooked chops in olive oil in a pan over high heat for about 3 minutes on each side, then placed them under the broiler for about 6 minutes. Turned out fantastic!

**Allergy-free Substitutions:
Flour - all purpose gluten free flour
Garlic powder - omit
Egg - in this instance you can replace with 3/4 cup non dairy milk
Breadcrumbs - EnerG breadcrumbs or homemade GF breadcrumbs
Parmesan - omit

Balsamic Steak Sauce


Ingredients:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp all spice
1-2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk together over medium heat until well combined and heated through. Season to taste.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Chicken Tacos


Ingredients:
1-2 chicken breasts - cut into 3 or 4 pieces each and flattened with a meat tenderizer
1 cup breadcrumbs
coconut oil for frying
1/2 small head cabbage - sliced into thin strips
1 carrot - grated
2 green onions - sliced on the bias
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 tsp+1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
chipotle chili powder
1/3 cup mayonnaise
salsa
corn tortillas
*black beans, chopped pickled jalapenos, corn kernles

Start by combining cabbage, carrot, green onion, apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.

In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, 1/4 tsp lemon juice and about 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder-or to suite taste. Set aside.

Heat enough coconut oil for frying, in a large pan over medium-high heat. Coat flattened chicken breast pieces with breadcrumbs and fry in oil until golden brown - remove to rack or paper towels to drain, then slice into thin strips.

Soften tortillas on a hot, dry skillet until pliable. Build your taco with seasoned mayo, fried chicken, cabbage slaw, salsa and if you like - black beans, jalapenos and corn!

**Allergy-free Substitutions:
Breadcrumbs - EnerG breadcrumbs or homemade GF breadcrumbs
Mayo - Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream (add a bit of salt and pepper with chipotle)

Sweet Coffee Marinated Pork Chops


Ingredients:
1 cup cool strong coffee
8 TBSP molasses
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 bone-in, 1 inch thick pork chops

Place all of the ingredients into a 1 gallon ziploc bag, seal and shake. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat grill/pan to medium high.

Remove pork chops from marinade. Transfer liquid to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and boil gently, stirring often, until reduced to about 1/2 cup (12-15 minutes). Remove thyme stems. Meanwhile, cook pork chops 3 to 4 minutes per side or until barely pink or all white inside. Allow chops to rest 4 to 5 minutes before serving with glaze.

Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

My first brisket ever and it turned out AMAZING! So tender and not a bit dry!

Ingredients:
2 TBSP chili powder
2 TBSP salt
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP black pepper
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
1 bay leaf - crushed
4 lbs beef brisket
1 1/2 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make a dry rub by combining all the seasonings together in a bowl (minus the broth). Trim the brisket of most of its fat and then season well on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan or Dutch oven and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Add the beef stock to the pan along with enough water to yield 1/2 of liquid in the bottom. Lower the oven to 300, cover the pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours or until fork tender.

Remove from oven to a plate or carving board and let rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain.

I made an awesome gravy from the leftover broth!
Start by making a roux by melting 4 TBSP butter or bacon fat in a pan over med-high heat. Whisk in 4 TBSP flour and then slowly add about 1 1/2 cups broth from roasting pan and 1/2-1 cup milk. Whisk constantly until it reaches desired thickness.

Serve over brisket and mashed potatoes!

Chocolate Chia Pudding


A pudding for us lactose intolerants.

Ingredients:
1 cup non dairy milk of choice (I suggest almond or coconut)
1 banana
4 TBSP chia seeds
1 TBSP coconut oil (melted)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP sweetener of choice
1 TBSP cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor - blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate 20-30 minutes before enjoying.