So the ice cream van keeps playing their annoying song on our street, every day, every hour. My 6 year old goes nuts every time she hears it and insists on getting a treat, I keep telling her no, so today I tried to find a sweet and healthy alternative to the afternoon Ice cream truck. I made these muffins today, and when the van came by blaring its obnoxious theme, Ava didn’t even notice! Victory for mom! Well I made these for the kids and hubby, since I’m trying to adhere to Dr. Fuhrman’s stricter regimen I technically shouldn’t really have these, but they are a great way to get a lot of healthy in a sweet treat. I ate half of one and honestly I couldn’t believe how good these ended up considering there is no added salt, minimal sugar, no butter or oil, eggs and no refined flour.
What you’ll need:
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup flax meal (I used Spectrum brand we love how nutty and delicious it is
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ cup coconut sugar, or a less refined sugar of choice
¼ cup dried cherries or raisins
½ semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used ones with soy instead of cocoa butter)
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
¼ cup almond butter (I love marathon brand, only contains almonds)
1 tbsp. Vanilla extract or inside of a vanilla bean
1 cup almond milk
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, line a muffin tin with 12 liners, I was out so I just used parchment paper squares. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients, add the wet ingredient and stir till evenly moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, bake 20 minutes. They will puff up, brown, and spring back when touched. I was actually shocked at how easy these were and how great the results were, I basically looked at some old recipes I had, and just substituted healthier choices. Next time I might add some cinnamon and ginger to spice them up, but in total for my first attempt at vegan bakery, I was impressed, my vegan baked good skepticism is gone, and you don’t need any of those nasty fake butter products that are marketed as “healthy”….they are not, if fat chains have to be modified in a lab….you don’t need it in your body.
Vegan Pho that is actually as good as the beefy original
I think if I was on death row and had to pick my last meal, it would be Pho. Traditionally a long simmered, complicated, meat a thon, it is AWESOME(Imagine that last sentence spoken in Oprah’s voice for full impact)! I usually order the #2…that’s basically the whole kitchen sink without the meatballs….never developed a taste for those. So it’s full of tripe, tendon, and the whole animal, which I think is great, waste not want not. I have done a chicken version and now this is a plant based version. Pho is all about the broth….that being said, a vegan version could pose a challenge, the vegetarian option at my local pho hut, is chicken broth based…haha! So I have been given a challenge….I researched, I shopped, read some “easy” recipes, that being said, I came up with my own, and even cooked some leeks, shitake, and rutabaga, in the same fashion as the meat, to add to the richness and mouth feel. This isn’t really simple nor easy, but the best things in life don’t come easy!
You will need for the broth
2 shallots, charred on the outside in a hot pan
3 inch piece of ginger, charred on the outside in a hot pan
1 stem lemon grass, smashed
1 handful dried porcini mushroom
8 shitake mushroom, stems removed and set aside
1 leek, green part removed and rinsed well, leave the white part whole
2 carrots, I used the stems as well since mine had them.
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, smashed, I used an amazing heirloom variety called “Russian Red” that is incredibly pungent, so I only used two
1 rib of celery
The stems from a bunch of purple radishes, I added these because I am going to use raw radish on top and the leaves as a garnish, totally my take and totally optional.
Black pepper and salt to taste
3 tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos in place of fish sauce.
1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash, to replace MSG.
10 cups of water
In a stock pot combine all the ingredients except Braggs, bring to a simmer over medium high heat, reduce heat and cook 1 hour. Remove shitake caps, the white part of leek, rutabaga, slice, and set aside to top each bowl. Strain broth and return to pan over low heat, add Braggs, check salt level, add additional if needed, I am trying to avoid over salting things, plus your guests can add their own addition to their own bowls after it is served. Leave in pot on low while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
Hoisin marinated baked tofu
Hoisin is a traditional condiment for Pho, so it was a no brainer for me to add it to my baked tofu for topping our soup.
You will need
1 lb. Firm tofu, drained and weighted so you can remove as much water as possible.
1 tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 tsp. Bragg’s
1 tbsp. sesame seeds, I used black and white to jazz it up a bit
Pre-heat oven to 375, slice your tofu into four slices, rub hoisin and bragg’s on to each piece, place on a parchment lined sheet pan, bake 30 minutes. Use 1 piece of tofu, sliced, for each bowl.
Noodles
8 oz brown rice noodles, I used Annie Chun’s
In a pot of boiling water, add noodles, cook 5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water, portion into 4 bowls. Top your bowls with some sliced onion, broth, veggies from broth, tofu, and let everyone pic their own toppins’
Toppins’
The classic are basil, cilantro, mung bean sprouts, limes, jalapeños or serranos.
You can also use sciracha, chili paste, hoisin, or whatever you like to season to taste, let everyone do their own! A fun and interactive meal!
Chile Verde with black beans and kale
So plant-based eating is such a deviation of the norm for me in many ways, but after a full week I already feel better! A few minor ailments I’ve had, no longer vex me, I feel light(er) and energized! I have however, really wanted some Mexican food! One of my favorite dishes is chile verde usually served with pork and thicken with a roux, it is not on the plan. So I decided I would do a version of it with black beans, and some kale. Tomatillos are in season so grabbed those today at the farmer’s market, along with some cilantro, garlic, peppers and other goodies, then I went to the kitchen and began my experiment. It ended up fresh, hearty, and spicy! Served with some whole wheat, flax tortillas it curbed my craving.
You will need:
1 lb. Tomatillos, husks removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 Jalapeno or serrano chilies (depending on how hot they are, and your preference)
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bunch kale, I used lactinato
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 ribs of Celery, chopped
6 cups Water or stock
2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
Salt to taste
In a medium sauce pan, add tomatillos, tomatoes, onion, chilies, ½ the cilantro, garlic,and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cook 15 minutes, then blend half of this in a blender or use a stick blender, be sure to leave a little texture. Add Kale, and beans, cook 15 more minutes, add the rest of the cilantro and serve over rice or with tortillas! Ole’ frijole!
3 ingredient, no cook, chocolate + chia seed pudding
So after educating myself, by reading “Eat to live”, I got me some chia seeds and some flax. My kids always want ice cream or sweet stuff, so I did an experiment, my hypotheses was that if it has a little sweetness and chocolate they will eat it. Well I was right! Not to mention this recipe is so ridiculously easy a trained or not trained chimp could make it! Therefore, it will hopefully do well on pinterest…….I’m joking…im joking….kinda. Anyway, chia are totally cool they have the consistency of tobiko (tiny fish eggs) and can be used as a natural thickener that totally makes you feel full!
You will need
½ cup chia seeds
2 cups chocolate soy milk, or you can use almond, I used Silk chocolate soy, for consistency and so I wouldn’t need to add any extra sugar.
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped of its inner beauty.
Method:
In a bowl mix all those things…..fridge it for a few hours….donzo…yes seriously. I topped ours with a lil’ ground flax, totally taste like ground nuts! Super good, super easy, super healthy!
Makes 4 servings
