Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

 These are the perfect cookies for school parties when you have to make sure you don’t leave anyone out! Gluten, dairy and nut free!

Ingredients:
1/2 c coconut oil
1 1/2 c coconut palm sugar
1 small banana
2 tsp vanilla
2 c oat flour
2/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a mixer until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and beat for 5 minutes until very smooth. Chill for 30 minutes.

Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake 8 minutes. Cool and enjoy.

Makes about 12 cookies.

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Pumpkin Tofu Breakfast Pudding

 
This is from VB6, Mark Bitman had it as a breakfast recipe, it would  make a great dessert too!

Ingredients:
24 oz silken tofu
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
6 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/5 tsp nutmeg

Combine in a blender until smooth. Chill for a couple hours.

Serves 4.

Eggplant Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

  This is from VB6 – it is a little time consuming but worth it!

Ingredients:
Tomato Sauce:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, sloced thin
2 TBSP garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Red pepper flakes, to taste
2 – 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 c chopped basil

Put oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 30 minutes.

Eggplant Meatballs:
3 TBSP olive oil
1 lb eggplant, cubed with skin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 onions sliced thin
1 TBSP garlic, minced
1 c canned white beans
1/4 c fresh parsley, choppped
1 c breadcrumbs
chilli flakes to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

Add 1 TBSP olive oil in a pan, over medium heat, add eggplant, season with salt and pepper, add 1/4 c water and cook until tender, 10 – 15 minutes. Transfer to food processor.

Add 1 TBSP olive oil to pan over medium heat, add onions and garlic and cook it up soft, about 5 minute. 

Add beans, onion mixture, parsley, breadcrumbs, chili flakes to the processor and pulse until combined and chunky. Scoop into 2 inch balls and place on a oiled baking sheet.

Bake 25 – 30 minutes until brown.

   
 

Pulled Pork Tacos

  
Ingredients:
2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 garlic powder
1 c chicken broth
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
2 bay leaves
Tortillas

Season pork with salt and pepper.

Combine garlic, cumin, garlic powder, adobe and cayenne in a bowl. Rub over pork and place in slow cooker.

Pour chicken broth in the crockpot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumalated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

Serve with slaw and cheese.

Serves 6 – 8.

Blondies

  
This quick and easy blondies are amazing!

Ingredients:
1 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick of butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 c chocolate or white chocolate chips
1 c walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter on reduced power. Stir in sugar until combined. Stir in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour until completly combined. Stir in nuts and chips.

Pour into a sprayed 8×8 pan. Bake 15 – 20 minutes until cooked in the center.

Serves 12.

Turkey Panini with Avocado, Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper

  
A quick and healthy sandwich!

Ingredients:
1 avocado, mashed
4 sandwich thins, or bread of your choice
2 c baby spinach
8 slices turkey
4 slices provolone
4 jarred roasted red peppers
Olive oil spray

Spread the avocado mash on 4 slices of bread. Top with remaining ingredients and bread. Press down.

Heat a pan over medium heat, spray with olive oil. Place sandwich in pan and top with a heavy pan. Cook about 5 minutes per side.

Serves 4. 5 WW PP. 

Baked Crab Cakes

  
Baked crab cakes only 140 calories a piece! Serve with a green salad for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Ingredients:
1/2 c panko
1 large egg
2 tbsp shallots, minced
2 tbsp red pepper, minced
2 tbsp paraley, minced
2 tbsp light mayo
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp old bay
Salt and pepper
8 oz crabmeat

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Shape into 4 patties and chill 30 min.

Spray a pan well with olive oil. Bake crab cakes for 8 – 10 min per side. Carefully flip.

Serves 2- 4.

Heirloom Tomato Soup

  
This soup from Patricia Wells is by far my favorite tomato soup. It comes together in less than 10 minutes, be sure to chill it well before serving.

Ingredients:
1½ lb ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and quartered (do not peel)
½ c tomato paste
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground piment d’Espelette or other ground mild chile pepper
2 TBSP sherry-wine vinegar

Combine all the ingredients in a a blender or a food processor. Add 1-2/3 cups water and puree to a smooth liquid. Taste for seasoning.

Serves 4 – 6.

Polenta with Mushrooms

  

This is from Ottolenghi’s Plenty and like every other recipe in his book it is perfect, and I don’t mess with perfection.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
4 c mixed mushrooms, cleaned
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp thyme, chopped
1 tbsp truffle oil
Salt and pepper
2 1/2 cvegetable stock
1/2 c polenta
1/2 c Parmesan, grated
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp chervil, chopped
4 oz taleggio, cut into thin slices

In a frying pan, heat half the oil. When it is very hot, fry half the mushrooms – try not to move them much so you get golden-brown patches on their surface. Remove from the pan, reheat the remaining oil and repeat with the rest of the mushrooms. Off the heat, return all the mushrooms to the pan, add the garlic, tarragon, thyme and truffle oil, season, and keep warm.

Preheat broiler to its highest setting. Bring the stock to a boil, slowly stir in the polenta, reduce the heat to minimum and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan but is still runny (instant polenta won’t take more than five minutes; the real stuff will take up to 50).

When the polenta is ready, stir in the Parmesan, butter, rosemary and half the chervil, and season. Pile on to an ovenproof serving dish and top with taleggio. Place under a grill until the cheese bubbles, remove, top with the mushrooms and their juices, and serve garnished with chopped chervil.

Serves 4.

Broccoli Beef Stir Fry

  

This recipe is from Skinny Taste and it’s much healthier that take out!

Ingredients:
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp + 2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine
4 tsp sesame oil
1 lb. sirloin steak, trimmed of fat, thinly sliced against the grain
¼ tsp kosher salt
4 c broccoli florets
4 medium scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces; white & greens separated
1 tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Toasted sesame seeeds

In a shallow glass container, whisk together the cornstarch 2 tsp soy sauce, rice wine and 1 tsp sesame oil.

Sprinkle the salt over the steak. Add the steak to the marinade, turn to coat, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the broccoli from cooking further.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tsp sesame oil and half of the steak. Cook 30 seconds on each side, without stirring as it’s cooking. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another 1 tsp sesame oil and the rest of the steak.

Heat the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil add scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds.

Add the broccoli, brown sugar, remaining 3 TBSP soy sauce and oyster sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.

Add the beef and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the scallion greens.

Serve over brown rice and spinkle with sesame seeds.