Homemade Recipes

Spicy Butternut Squash Fries & Black Bean Quinoa Burgers.

Spicy Baked Butternut Squash Fries 

Peel butternut squash. Cut in half and remove seeds (you can set the seeds aside, add some seasoning and bake). Slice in strips. Toss with extra virgin olive oil in a big bowl. Add some thyme, garlic salt, pepper and chili flakes. Pop in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes—flipping halfway through for even cooking—or until your desired done-ness, I like mine a little extra crispy.
Easy as that. Serve with ketchup, balsamic vinegar, bbq sauce, whatever dips get you going.


 

I play fast and loose when it comes to cooking and usually toss spices around so hopefully my measurestimates are close enough. But if you don’t like spicy, go for some dried oregeno, thyme, basil, salt and/or pepper, or keep it simple with limited spices.

Black Bean & Red Quinoa Burgers

Needs:
1 Cup Quinoa (measured out when dried). I like using red quinoa or the tri-color blend, but any will work just fine.
1 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 15 oz. Can Black Beans
1 Egg, Beaten (This could be substituted out for a vegan alternative. The egg helps bind the burgers together but a vegan alternative would work).
1 Cup Flour (Whole Wheat, Quinoa, or Buckwheat flour are my faves).
Optional:
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Chipotle Powder
1 Tbsp Chili Flakes
1 Dash of Cinnamon
1 4 oz. Can of Green Chilis
1 Handful of Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Tsp of Garlic Salt
1/2 Baked Yam (If you want to add the yam, add in the baked, chopped yam with the other ingredients in step 3).
1. Cook quinoa by following the directions on the package. Or if you buy bulk, bring two cups of water with one cup quinoa and a dash of salt to a boil. Add lid and turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, sauté the chopped onion in some olive oil, about 5-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic for the last few minutes, just long enough so it cooks slightly, but don’t let the garlic burn (it’ll get bitter).
3. Move cooked quinoa to a large mixing bowl. Add drained and washed black beans (and chilis, if you’re using them) to the quinoa in a large bowl. Add the sautéd onion and garlic, and all spices and herbs to the quinoa mixture. Add egg and flour, mix everything together until well blended. (For smooth-textured burgers, you can mix everything in a blender or food processor).
4. With hands, mold quinoa mixture into burger-sized balls. Place balls on slightly greased oven pan and pop into preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Flip and cook for another 15.
Top with greens, avocado, ketchup, mayo, mustard…anything you’d like.

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Vegetarian / Vegan Recipe Contest

Enter our recipe contest. Send us your vegetarian / vegan recipes by 12/31/13. The tastiest, simplest, and cheapest meals will each win this Go Vegan gift basket.

Please email recipes along with your name and mailing address. Do not post your personal info. on this page.

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Pad Thai

  

Ingredients :

·         1 8oz bag of rice stick noodles

·         1/4 cup fish sauce

·         1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

·         3 tablespoons brown sugar

·         1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

·         1/4 cup coconut milk

·         1 tablespoon sesame oil

·         3 tablespoons peanut oil

·         1 lb. chicken breast strips, cut in half

·         1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps (optional)

·         1 cup mung bean sprouts

·         1 cup Julian cut carrots

·         1/2 cup Julian cut red bell pepper

·         2 tablespoons minced garlic

·         1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

·         1 fresh lime for  juice

·         Sriracha (Thai hot sauce), for serving (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, red pepper, coconut milk.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Cover sauce and set aside.

Fill a  pot with water and bring to boil for the rice noodles.  Remove boiling water from heat.  Add noodles.   Cover and let noodles sit for 5 minutes.  Rinse the noodles with cold water, drain and set aside. 

Heat the sesame and peanut oils in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.   Add bean sprouts, carrots, red bell pepper, garlic, noodles (mushrooms if you choose) and cook until heated through.  I let it cook for about 5 minutes. Stir constantly. 

Add peanuts and pour the sauce into the pan and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Squeeze lime juice over the mixture and remove the pan from the heat.  Serve with Sriracha sauce.

 

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Rice Cereal 

 

Ingredients:

• ·         2 cups water

• ·         2 tablespoons olive oil

• ·         salt to taste

• ·         2 cups uncooked rice (White, Brown, Wild, Jasmine any will do).

• ·         Almond Milk

• ·         Raw Honey or Organic Maple Syrup

Cook rice as directed.  Each rice calls to be cooked slightly differently.  However, most white in color rice can be cooked as follows:  Place 2 cups water, 2 tbsps. olive oil in a small pot.  Add salt and taste the water as you add the salt, until you reach the desired taste.  Cover pot and bring water to a boil. RINSE out the rice three times.  Don't fail to do this.  This is generally the cause of clumpy or gooey rice. Add rice to BOILING water.  Stir constantly until water dissolves (approx. 5 minutes).  Cover rice and lower heat to simmer for 15 minutes.  NO PEEKING!!! Uncover and stir.  Add 1 more tbsp of oil if the rice seems a bit sticky.  Cover and let simmer for another 15 minutes.

Spoon rice into a bowl.  Add Almond Milk and Raw Honey or Organic Maple Syrup.  Serves 4.

This is just a base recipe.  Don’t feel limited.  Add cinnamon, or vanilla extract.  You can cook the rice in coconut water in place of plain water.  There are many ways to get creative with this.

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Ranch Dip

1cup Dukes mayonnaise
1/2 Daisy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon McCormich dry dill weed
1/2 teaspoon McCormick dry parsley
1/2 teaspoon McCormick dry chives
1/4 teaspoon McCormick garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon McCormick onion powder
1/8 salt
1/8 pepper

In large bowl, whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.  Makes 1 1/2 cups.

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Mexican Cheese Dip

1 lb hamburger
1/2 pork sausage
1 cup salsa
2 cups velveeta cheese

Brown hamburger and sausage then drain.  Add salsa and cheese.  Melt cheese and serve warm with tortilla chips.

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Mama's Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs free range hamburg
enough fresh mozzarella balls to cover meatloaf (3-4 balls) plus one to eat while you cook
1 cup spinach
Chilli Powder
Seasonings for meatloaf


Season your meatloaf as you normally would.  Then lay it out flat.  Break up the mozzarella cheese and layer on top of the meatloaf.  Sprinkle the chilli powder over the cheese, lightly if you don't like to much heat or sprinkle a little more if you do.  Be sure you can still see white.  Sprinkle a layer of spinach over the cheese and chilli powder.  Then roll the hamburg so it looks like a swiss cake roll.  Place the roll into a bread pan and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until done.  Enjoy.



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Foods for Thought

Since its the holiday season and we're all eating.... and eating.... and eating.  Some of us are trying really hard to watch the waist line or should I say, some of us are watching the waist line... grow.  Food can be our enemy.  But, food can also be our best friend if we learn how to apply it right.  Food is not just for nourishment but it is also our medicine.  I've had my battles with food.  If only I had known then what I know now, I would have never had to struggle with food.  Food would have never been my enemy but my best friend in all the right ways.   I would have had a healthy love affair with food and not the wrong, unhealthy love affair. If only I could literally get a 'do over', I would even educate my mom at a young tender age and help her (un)cook healthier foods.  She was into health and fitness but didn't know any better back then because the information was so limited.

I want to share with you, recipes I have made that are raw, living foods and are PERFECT for the holiday season to share with you family and friends!   This way, you won't have to feel the guilt of cheating and everyone can taste a bit of what it's like to be fit and not have to sacrifice flavor.  You can have your cake and eat it too!  YUM!  And ICE CREAM!!!!!!

Recipe #1

Hot and Tart Avocado Soup

1c filtered water
1 large Avocado
1 Lime
3 Cucumbers
1Garlic Clove
1 Green Onion
1 pk Miso
2 Celery Stalks
2 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp Curry
Sea Salt to taste

Add all ingredients to Vitamix blender until smooth.  You can either enjoy cold or heat it up and enjoy hot.  If you like it hot.  Take care to heat it up slowly and try to watch the temperature.  If you heat it over 105*F you run the risk of killing the the enzymes in the soup.  Feel free to play with the ingredients!  Add more Cayenne and curry if you like it really hot or don't add so much if you can't handle the heat.  You could put some Greek Yogurt in it too!  What about some carrot juice to go with it instead of lime juice?



Recipe #2

Lisa Screams for Ice Cream

5 oz.Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/16 tsp scant sea salt
1 cup sweet almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein shake (optional if you're into that stuff)
1 banana
Sweetener (Optional, such as Stevia or dates, raw honey, etc.)

Add all ingredients to the Vitamix and blend until smooth.  If you don't have a Vitamix, just use your regular blender.  Add mixed ingredients into ice trays and freeze.  Once cubes are frozen, remove from the trays and reblend.  Place the ice cream into a bowl and serve with an ice cream scoop to get that real ice cream look.  Refreeze any that is left over for later.  Feel free to play with this by adding fruit or peanut butter, chocolate chips, etc.


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Clean Egg Salad

1 dozen eggs

3 dollops Sour Cream

2 dollops Ricotta Cheese

1 tablespoons Yellow Mustard

1/4 Dill Weed

1/4 Paprika

Sea Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Boil the eggs until hard, for about 12 minutes.  Drain water and peel.  Place eggs in a medium size bowl.  Add other ingredients and mash until eggs are to your desired consistency.  Cover the eggs and place in the frig to chill for about two hours and serve over a slice of Ezekiel bread (or make your own like I do) and enjoy!

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Marinated Cucumbers, Onions, and Tomatoes

3 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup oil

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving