Vegan Tofu "Egg" Salad

This delicious recipe is a great alternative to regular egg salad if you are allergic to eggs or just seeking some variety in your proteins. It can be made up in a larger batch for 2-3 lunches to get you through the week satisfied and healthy!

8 oz firm extra firm tofu, drained

2 Tablespoons minced celery

1Tablespoon minced green onion

½ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

2-3 Tablespoons Almonaisse- see recipe* (I use almost the whole batch) :-)

Fresh ground pepper (optional)

Crumble tofu into a bowl.  Add celery and green onion. Add all the other ingredients to taste. Blend with a fork to mash up. Enjoy!

*Almonaisse

½ cup raw almonds

½- ¾ cup water or almond milk

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

¼ teaspoon garlic powder (scant)

¾ teaspoon salt free seasoning, seasoned salt, or sea salt

1-1 ¼ cup oil

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons basil

2 teaspoons fresh chives

2 teaspoons chervil (optional)

2 teaspoons poppy seeds (optional)

Cover almonds with boiling water and cool slightly before slipping off the skins. Place almonds in food processor and ground to fine powder.  Add half the water, along with garlic powder, seasoning salt, nutritional yeast.  Blend well then add remaining water.

With blender running on low, remove insert on top and drizzle oil in in a thin stream until mixture is thick. Keep blender running and add lemon juice and vinegar. Blend on low for 1 minute to desired consistency.  Stir in herbs and refrigerate (if you can refrain from eating it!)  ENJOY!

Recipe Adapted by D.VanReken from Kathy J Rose of ShiftMassage.com Original recipe is from The American Vegetarian cookbook by Marilyn Diamond

Gluten Free Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

These muffins are a perfect way to start the pumpkin season!  Try them with a dab of butter, coconut butter, or cream cheese.  For an easy access to a quick treat in the morning or evening, you can individually wrap the muffins and store them in the freezer. 

Adapted from, Gluten Free Goddess:  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/11/gluten-free-pumpkin-streusel-muffins.html

Prep Time: 23 minutes

Servings: about 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup millet flour
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, or sucanat.
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger or GF pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
2 organic free-range eggs, beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla
1 rounded cup chopped walnuts

For the streusel topping:

1/4 cup organic light brown sugar
2 tablespoons brown rice flour or coconut flour
1-2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add in the coconut oil and beat until crumbly. Add in the eggs, pumpkin and vanilla, and beat until the batter is smooth and sticky- about two minutes. Add in the walnuts and stir to combine.

Spoon the batter into twelve muffin cups, filling them close to the top. Smooth the tops using the back side of a wet teaspoon.

Combine the streusel topping ingredients with a fork, or by rubbing the mixture with your hands. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the muffins.

Bake in the center of the oven till domed and firm, about 22 to 25 minutes. A wooden pick inserted into the center should emerge clean.

Cool briefly, then remove the muffins from the pan, and cool them on a wire rack. (This helps keep their bottoms from getting soggy.

Onion Cashew Cream

Katrina, who works in my office, has an amazing blog that I love using for tasty, whole foods recipes. This onion cashew cream is just one example of how she has a magical touch for making whole foods ingredients tasty and user friendly.  Onions and cashews are both packed with nutritious goodness for your body and they are so tasty together too!

1 cup cashews, soaked* 2-4 hours and drained

3 tablespoons water

juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

3 tablespoons chopped sweet onion

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

1 clove garlic, minced

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy. You can add more water, one tablespoon at a time to reach the consistency you prefer. Thicker creams make good spreads and dips while thinner creams make good sauces for greens, etc.

Check out this and more great recipes at: http://deliciousyetnutritious.blogspot.com/

Sesame Ginger “Spaghetti” Squash

I Cooked this delicious squash recipe the other day and fell in love with it!   I found it over at Katrina’s blog, “Delicious Yet Nutritious,” which was adapted from family Fresh Cooking.  Give it a try!

From the blog, “Delicious Yet Nutritious”: http://deliciousyetnutritious.blogspot.com/2012/09/ginger-sesame-spaghetti-squash-noodles.html

Servings: 2-3

1 large spaghetti squash

3 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons tamari

1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1.3 cup chopped onions

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds – toss them or save them to make roasted squash seeds.  Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish.  Roast until flesh is easily pierced with a fork – about 35 minutes.  Set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Heat sesame oil over medium heat and add ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic.  Sauté until really fragrant – about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Using a kitchen towel to hold the skin side of the squash (it will still be really warm) use a fork to scrape the strands of squash (stem to base) into a serving bowl.

Poor sesame mixture over the squash and add tamari, vinegar, sesame seeds, green onions, cilantro, and edamame

PCC Hijiki Salad

I found this amazing seaweed on one of my favorite local pages, PCC Market! Its a super simple way to enjoy this amazing nutrient dense food!

Hijiki (hiziki) is a seaweed, similar to arame. Hijiki is a black, slightly bitter-tasting seaweed and is sold dried in short, coarse strips. Like other seaweeds, hijiki is a rich source of iron, protein, calcium, zinc and iodine. 

SALAD:

         1/4 pound hijiki, reconstituted and drained well

         2 pounds organic carrots, rinsed and grated

         2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

DRESSING:

         1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

         1/4 cup mirin

         1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

         2 tablespoons rice vinegar

         1/2 cup minced fresh ginger

Soak dry hijiki in cool water until thoroughly reconstituted (about 30 minutes). Drain thoroughly and combine with the grated carrots.

Whisk the dressing ingredients until completely mixed. Combine with the carrots and hijiki. Garnish with the sliced green onions and serve immediately. If you plan to make ahead of time, keep the dressing separate from the carrots and hijiki until ready to serve.

Original Recipe: http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/pcc/recipes/hijiki-salad?utm_source=taste%20magazine&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=url&utm_campaign=recipes

The Purple Moo

This drink is a fun lavender color and full of coconut milk bubbles. It's a great way to get your finicky family members to hydrate now and again and little kid’s love it! Blueberry is filled with antioxidants and coconut is a great source of immune supportive Lauric Acid. Enjoy!

Seltzer or sparkling mineral water

Unsweetened bottled blueberry juice

Stevia drops

Full fat coconut milk (from the can), preferably organic

Ice cubes

In individual glasses, place the ice and 3 or so stevia drops (or powdered stevia to taste). Add blueberry juice to about 1/3 of the height of the glass, then add a splash of coconut milk (about 3 tblsp), and mix thoroughly. Taste for sweetness at this point. Then top off the glass with sparkling water (seltzer or gassed mineral water), and watch the bubbles rise up to the top!

This drink would be delightful with tropical mango/papaya juice, pomegranate juice, elderberry juice, cranberry juice (would need more stevia likely), or other sugarless juice that would pair well with coconut milk. Could also be good with cold jasmine tea.

Serves: As many as you like!

Preparation Time: Less than 5 minutes

Recipe by Heather Graham, July 2012

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cinnamon Icing

Check out this bar recipe I found from Kristi, over at “Food Renegade.”  You can store these pumpkin bars in the fridge and the icing will harden.  If you prefer it to be soft, let it come to room temperature.  Enjoy with a cup of morning tea!

Adapted from the website, “Food Renegade”:  

http://www.foodrenegade.com/pumpkin-cake-bars-with-cinnamon-icing/

Yield: 9 bars

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Cake
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup almond butter
1/2 c raw honey
2 eggs (preferably pasture raised)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

For the Cinnamon Icing

1/4 cup coconut butter

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ raw honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F.
In a medium sized bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Pour into an 8×8 oven safe baking dish.  You can also try using a muffin tin (would make about 12).   Bake until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and use either your mixing blade attachment or a whisk to beat the ingredients until fluffy.

Once the pumpkin cake has cooled, cut it into 9 squares and remove from the pan.…very important to make sure it has cooled first!

Use a small, offset spatula or a spoon and drizzle the frosting over the top.