Purple Basil, Herbs, Garlic Pesto with Bee Pollen and Nutrional Yeast RECIPE

First a little info on Bee Pollen and Nutritional Yeast:

Bee Pollen: *

Bee pollen contains vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, lipids, and protein and the Chinese have used Bee Pollen for centuries to assist with increasing energy and libido, fighting acne, aiding in indigestion, assisting depression and helping to improve blood pressure.

*Bee pollen is not safe for pregnant women. A woman should also avoid using bee pollen if she is breastfeeding.

Nutritional Yeast:

Nutritional Yeast is FULL of nutrients and is a great addition to a healthy lifestyle, especially for those who are vegan or vegetarian.  It is one of the few non-animal sources of B-12, is rich in folic acid and many other nutrients and amino acids.  This is not your typical yeast and is free of the Candida Albicans strain, making it safe for those concerned with candida.

 

Benefits of Purple Basil:  http://chefsecrets.info/vegetarian/permalink.php?article=Benefits-of-Green-%26-Purple-Basil-Pesto%2C-Basil-Leaves%2C-Basil-Oil.txt

Now for the Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of Fresh Cut Herbs: I used Purple Basil, Green Basil, a bit of mint and Onion Chives cut the leaves and wash thoroughly.
• Fresh Garlic as many cloves as you like
• tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
• tablespoon or less or bee pollen
• salt (I use pink Himalayan salt, but you can use what you like)
• pepper
• squeeze of lemon

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, add your herbs…

add fresh garlic

then, bee pollen

nutritional yeast…

about 5 tablespoons of olive oil

about

add a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper to taste

 

 

ENJOY on pasta, bread, by itself or in a salad

Quinoa Vegetable Stuffed Portobello Mushroom on a Bed of Godliness Recipe

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil (or whatever oil you want to use for coating the baking dish (coconut oil is great too)
• 6 small Portobello mushrooms (you can use big ones)
• 1/2 cup Quinoa (soaked and but not drained for 15 minutes before cooking)
• Yellow Squash cut into small pieces
• Carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped into small pieces
• nutritional yeast
• salt, garlic powder and pepper
• lettuce, washed and places nicely around the plate
• tomato, sliced
• garlic and onion chives, basil
• sprouts

*directions to cook Quinoa perfectly:

you may rinse quinoa first, but I not.

1/2 cup Quinoa, soaked, not drained (soak in 1 1/4 cup of water)

add salt to the quinoa water when ready to cook

To Cook: start boiling the soaked quinoa in its original water. Once at a boil, cover and turn down to low and cook for 15 minutes. take of the stove and wait for at least 5 minutes… then, lift lid and fluff.. the quinoa should have opaque tail.

set aside quinoa

Directions after cooking Quinoa:

wash mushrooms and take out the steam and clean out the center

chop all your vegetables (onion, carrot, squash) and add the quinoa

sprinkle garlic powder, nutritional yeast, pepper and salt also, add chopped finely garlic and onion chives into the mixture and mix.

Stuff the mushroom with the mixture stuffing without breaking the mushrooms

oil the backing dish and preheat the oven to 325-350

place the stuffed mushrooms in the baking dish and cover with foil.

once oven is hot, bake for 2–25 minutes.

in the meantime, place lettuce, basil, tomato and sprouts on the dinner plates…

once mushrooms are cooked,

place them on the plate and serve hot.

enjoy!

Somen Noodle Soup

Somen Noodle Soup with Marinated baked tofu and veggies and homemade broth

For the broth
Zest of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2-inch piece ginger, cut into coins
½ of a large red onion, sliced
sprigs of fresh herbs
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced (i left this out)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. Bragg’s or soy sauce
1 tbsp. light brown sugar

For the tofu
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
2½ tsp. light brown sugar (if it’s dark, use less)
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced
1 pound extra firm tofu, blotted dry – drain as much water out with breaking the loaf… (I can teach you how.. just reply) and cut into small cubes

For the soup
6 ounces somen noodles
Vegetable oil
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced (again, I didn’t use this)
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 celery stick
5 – 10 Brussels sprouts, cut into four

Make the broth
Put all ingredients except for the soy sauce and brown sugar in a large saucepan.  Pour in 8 cups of water and add a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.  Cool slightly, then strain out and discard the solids.  Stir in the Bragg’s or soy sauce and brown sugar.  Adjust seasoning as necessary.  Keep warm over low heat.

Make the tofu
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Mix together the marinade in a medium baking dish.   Stir in the tofu, coating well with the marinade.  Allow to sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure the tofu is coated with the marinade.  Place in the oven, uncovered, and allow to bake until all the marinade is absorbed and the tofu is getting a slight crisp to it, about 35 minutes.  Toss the tofu once or twice in the baking process so that all the pieces come into contact with the pan.  Remove tofu from the oven and allow to cool.

Make the soup
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the somen noodles and give a good stir.  Cook the noodles until they are almost done, with just a slight bite, and drain.  Rinse well with cold water, drain, and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the red onion and sauté until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, jalapeño pepper, and ginger and cook for another two minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the veggies and continue to cook, stirring often, until the green vegetables are crisp tender, about 5 minutes.

Place some noodles in the bottom of a deep soup bowl.  Ladle on the broth.  Add tofu and vegetables.

Enjoy… you may garnish with herbs, scallions and slice of jalapeño pepper.

Inspired by another recipe post.

“Chicken” Salad

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• Vegetable broth or water (squirt of Bragg’s Amino Acids)
• Celery stalk – shredded
• carrot – peeled and chopped
• fresh parsley – chopped
• fresh marjoram – chopped
• 1/4 cup Veganaise
• 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1-2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil vegetable broth, squirt in the Bragg Amino Acids. Once boiling, add TVP and mix.. turn off flame and let the TVP soak up the broth.  Wait until the TVP cools – you can place in the fridge if you like. Once cool…

Place all ingredients together.. mix. and cool.

Enjoy.

 

 

Chinese Potstickers

Ingredients:

• 8oz tofu crumbled
• one carrot, peeled and chopped
• one zucchini, chopped
• a couple of button mushroom, chopped
• one celery, chopped
• handful of broccoli, chopped
• fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce or BRAGGS
• 1/2 tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Mix ingredients for the filling in a bowl. Place a spoon full in the mix into the center of the pot-sticker. wet the sides and gentle press together.

Fry: heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet. Add closed pot-stickers. brown on each side. Pour 1/3 of water and cover lid. lower the flame and wait until all the water has been absorbed.

Serve while hot with your favorite sauce.

Quinoa with butternut Squash

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Recipe

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces butternut squash (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon orange juice
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives (optional)

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds and strings. Peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with the 1 teaspoon of orange juice. Place them on a non-stick baking sheet, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
2. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it well and allow to drain. Heat a deep, non-stick pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until shallots soften slightly. Add the quinoa and toast it until it has dried out and begins to exude a toasty aroma. Add the squash along with the fresh thyme and vegetable broth. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all broth is absorbed, about 30 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I wish I had pine nuts available tonight, but I didn’t!~

Middle Eastern Spinach Hummus

Middle Eastern Spinach Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups of garbonzo beans, soaked, cooked, drained
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) – easy to make too!
2 tablespoons garlic – I use fresh but you can roast them
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Mix all together in a food processor and serve with warm pita bread.

Can be saved in a fridge for about two weeks.

ENJOY!

Baked Marinaded Tofu Steaks with Brussels Sprout, Zucchini & Shallots with Rice & Gravy Recipe (Vegan)

Baked Tofu with Marinade with Brussels Sprouts, Zucchini and Shallots with Rice

Baked Tofu:

One 14 oz block extra firm tofu, drained
1 tiny garlic clove, peeled

For the marinade

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 garlic cloves – sliced
A pinch of dried Italian seasoning – optional
Cracked black pepper

Cut the tofu vertically in half. Then cut each half widthwise into two pieces. You will have 4 tofu pieces. Using a kitchen towel, pat the tofu pieces to absorb as much moisture as you can.

Make 2 small slits on top of each tofu piece. Thinly slice the garlic clove into 8 slices. Insert one slice of garlic into each slit on the tofu. Skip this step if you don’t like garlic.

Whisk together all marinade ingredients and pour into a dish. Place the tofu slices in the dish with the marinade. Carefully flip the tofu pieces so they are covered all over by the marinade. Let the tofu marinade for about 15 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 350f

Remove the tofu pieces from the marinade and place on a non-stick baking dish. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, flipping the tofu pieces every 20 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on your oven and thickness of tofu slices.

Tofu is done when it is firm and browned all over.

Brussels Sprouts and Zucchini

1 lb Brussels sprouts
2 small shallots ( or substitute yellow onions)
2 medium zucchini

3 small carrots pealed and chopped

1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

good quality olive oil
salt and pepper

Wash the Brussels sprouts and remove any loose leaves. Trip the stem ends if needed and if leaving them whole, make a small cross-cut in the stem. If you have rather large sprouts, cut them in halves or quarters.
Slice the shallot very thin. Cut the zucchini into slices.
Heat the pan with the olive oil and shallots, and sauté over a medium-low heat until the shallots are wilted. Turn up the heat and toss in the sprouts and add nutritional yeast and mix.
Cook for a couple of minutes then add the zucchini and carrots.
Sauté until the sprouts are a very bright green and tender-crunchy, and the zucchini is just a bit limp. Maximum cooking time should be around 10 minutes

Enjoy!

Vegan Green Bean Casserole – EXCELLENT!!! 5 Stars!!! by fatfreevegan

made originally by www.Fatfreevegan.com

Green Beans  2 quarts water

1 tablespoon table salt

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

Mushroom Sauce

10 ounces mushrooms (I used a combination of regular button mushrooms and Trumpet mushrooms)

5 cloves garlic, minced                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeas

generous pinch cayenne pepper

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup vegetable broth (I used some of the brine from the cooked green beans)

1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup soy creamer (or soy milk)

Topping

1 1/2 slices whole grain bread

1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine

pinch of salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 3-ounce can of French fried onions

Green Beans

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. While its heating, cut up the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander, and then spray for a minute with cold water to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water.

Mushroom Sauce

Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

Topping

Put the bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the onions. Stir to combine.

Assemble:

Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with mushroom sauce and the onion mixture on top of it all evenly. Bake at 375 F for about 25 minutes.

 

please check out my favorite recipe blog: Fat Free Vegan

Vegan Jalapeno Popper! Wow, totally the BEST – and HEALTHY!

Here is Lunch Box Bunch recipe..

Party Jalapeno Poppers
vegan, makes 10 poppers

5 large jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and halved

cheese mixture:
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds

Flour Mixture:
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
dash of chipotle powder – i didn’t use this in mine….
pinch of salt and pepper

Panko Bread Crumbs

small flat bowl of soy milk (about 1/4 cup)

1+ cups grape seed oil (you can also use canola or olive oil) – i usewd olive oil!

Directions:

1. Prep your jalapenos by halving them and carefully removing the seeds. Set aside.

2. Get your “breading” station set up. You will have a bowl for each of these: cheese mixture (fold the shreds into the cream cheese), flour mixture, panko crumbs, soy milk.

3. Start prepping your jalapenos. Here is the method: stuff with cheese, roll in milk, roll in flour, back in milk, roll in panko crumbs, set aside. Pressing the panko crumbs into the wet cheese layer really helps. Continue this process until all the jalapenos are stuffed and breaded.

4. Pour your oil into a large pot over med-high heat. Test the oil for heat-readiness by dropping one panko crumb into the oil – if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. If you can get by with cooking all your poppers with 1 cup of oil, great. But if you want a more saturated “fry” you may need to add more.

5. Pan-fry eat jalapeno popper for about 90 seconds on each side. Flip with care.

6. Transfer poppers to a paper towels to cool for a few minutes before serving.