Vegan Cake!

Now you can have your cake and eat it too!   and even lick the bowl clean without worrying about raw eggs!  what joy!      i might even make a batch just so that I can eat the batter raw...   so delish!

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup soymilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

1. Heat oven to 350°F
2. Prepare cake pan: Line 8-inch round or square cake pan with parchment paper and grease bottom and sides of the pan. Then flour the pan.
3. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add vegetable oil, soy milk, and vanilla extract; whisk until no lumps appear and batter is smooth.
5. Add vinegar, stir about seven times, and quickly pour into pan.
6. Bake around 30 minutes, until cake begins to pull away from sides and/or toothpick inserted in the center pulls out clean.
7. Let sit for ten to fifteen minutes, invert, and cool on rack.

Vegetable Quiche!

I love me some quiche, but how to make it healthier than the normal cheese/meat variety?   The answer is here!  Veggie Loaded Vegetarian Quiche!  

Ingredients:
1 organic whole wheat frozen pie shell
3 organic eggs
1 cup (or less if you can) of organic heavy cream
1.5 cups veggies minimum, the more the better!  frozen or fresh is fine
Salt/Pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 375
Get out a big bowl, add your heavy cream and eggs and mix well.  Add your salt/pepper.  Add all your veggies and mix well.  Dump mixture into pie shell and bake for about 30-40 minutes until nice and golden on top.  Let cool and enjoy!  This is one of my faves!  Yuummmmmmmy!

Posting/Commenting/Following

Hello Everyone, seems like a while since my last post!   Wanted to take a brief moment and spread the love of commenting and following on this blog.  It makes me feel really loved when you guys follow and comment on the blog!   And lets face it, everyone likes feeling loved! so show me some!   Hope to hear from you all soon!


~Rachel

Fried Rice!

 

Ingredients:

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp salt

vegetable oil

3-4 cups cold cooked rice

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion

1/2 cup cup-up cooked veggies (we use the frozen bagged organic kind)

soy sauce

Method: 

Whisk together the eggs and salt, heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium heat until hot, pour the oil in, tilting the skillet to coat.  Add the eggs all at once.  As the eggs set, push the edges toward the center and tilt the skillet to redistribute uncooked egg.  When completely set, break the egg into clumps and remove to a bowl.  Pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the skillet and keep the flame at medium.  Add the rice, and make sure the rice is coated with oil, this will take about 3 minutes.  Add your fresh ginger.   Add your scallion.  Add your veggies.  Add cooked eggs.  Add some soy sauce and hot sauce if you like (we like the Thai kind, Sriracha)    Keep stirring until everything is evenly distributed.    Serve hot! 

Whole Wheat Banana/Coconut/Chocolate Crepes

 

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Wheat flour

1 cup milk
1/2 cup lukewarm water
4 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until batter is smooth.   Heat skillet on medium flame with a small amount of oil/butter.   Spoon batter onto hot pan, batter should spread out naturally into a thin layer over pan.  Once the batter has set, you can flip the crepe until it is golden brown on both sides.  Set on plate and add whatever fillings you like.  Our favorite these days has been Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, Bananas, and Shredded Coconut, but feel free to explore all options!  Endless possibilities!  Enjoy!

Organic Lasagna!

 

Ingredients:

1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce 

8 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles 

1 (15 ounce) container low fat ricotta cheese 

2 cups chopped raw vegetables (I suggest squash, brocolli, onion, carrot, cauliflower, spinach etc.) 

1 (8 ounce) package low fat mozzarella cheese 

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 and prepare 9X9 baking dish

Pour 1/3 jar of sauce into bottom of pan

Lay 4 lasagna noodles on top of sauce

Pour 1/3 Sauce on top of noodles

Cover noodles with the ricotta cheese, vegetables, and 1/2 the mozerella

Lay 4 remaining noodles on top

Pour on final 1/3 sauce

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour

Uncover and Sprinkle with remaining Mozarella Cheese

Put back in oven uncovered and bake until Cheese is Melted and Browning

Allow to sit for 5-10 minuted before serving.

Peanut Snack!

 

Ingredients:

Peanuts

Chopped Tomato

Chopped Onion

Chopped Cilantro

Lime/Lemon

Salt

Chili Powder

oil

Method:

Roast your peanuts on a medium flame until they are nice and golden brown.  Remove peanuts from pan.  Add onions, oil, and salt to a medium flame and cook onions until they are slightly transparent.   Add peanuts back into pan keeping flame at medium.  Add chili powder, and little salt.  Mix well in pan.  Taste test.   Add little lemon/lime juice.  Add chopped cilantro and mix.   Let cool and serve :)

Organic Shopping Guide

A lot of people tell me, hey Rachel, I'd love to eat Organic, but the prices are just too expensive for us!  Here's some help!  I found this list of the top 12 offenders when it comes to pesticides on your fruits and veggies!    Also, a neat trick that I use regardless of organic/non-organic, keep a small container of baking soda next to your kitchen sink, every time you need to rinse off your fruits/veggies, sprinkle some baking soda on first, it's a great safe way to clean off some extra gunk from your fruits/veggies before you eat them! 

The Dirty Dozen (Buy These Organic):
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Spinach
Cherries
Kale/Collard
Greens
Potatoes
Grapes (Imported)



The Clean 15: (Optional to buy organic)
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango's
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potato
Honeydew
Melon

Here's the link where I got this great information!  EWG, a trusted source :)
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

Sauteed Garlic Beet Leaf!

Ever wondered what to do with those stems when you buy your beets whole?  Here's an idea!  Sauteed Garlic Beat Leaf!  This recipe couldn't be any easier!

 

Ingredients:

Chopped up Stem from Beets

Chopped Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper to taste

Method:

Get out a very large pan, and add some olive oil to it.  Heat up the pan to a medium heat.  Add your garlic and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.  Then add your Beet Stems.   Saute until your Beat Stems are nice and soft.  Add Salt/Pepper to taste.  That's it!    Not only tasty, this dish is super healthy!

Organic Pancakes!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Method:
Get out a medium sized bowl. Measure in the milk, egg, oil and sugar. Beat well with a fork or wire whisk. Add the salt, baking powder and flour. Beat again, mixing until the batter is smooth. Cook on a hot, well oiled griddle or skillet. I use about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. I heat up my iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Drop in about 1/4 cup of batter. Sometimes I cook two at a time, in the same pan. The pancake will settle down and cook. As it cooks, little bubbles will form around the edges of the pancake. The top will begin to dry out a little too. When the top is beginning to dry out, and the surface has plenty of bubbles on it, turn the pancake and cook the other side. Brown it well, and lay it in a plate. Repeat until all of the batter is used up. The recipe as it is written will serve 4 people with average appetites. Serve with Real Maple Syrup, Organic Jam, Organic Butter, or some fresh Organic Fruit like Strawberries!  Yummmmmy! 

Hint: if you are going to use whole wheat flour (which was used for the picture above)  you may need to add more milk, adjust accordingly.

Fruit Smoothies!

 

  

Ingredients:

Plain Yogurt

Milk

Frozen Berries

Method: 

Add milk, yogurt, and berries into blender 

(the amount doesn't really matter, it will taste good no matter what!)

Mix until nice and smooth

serve immediately

Veggie Burritos!

This recipe is just tooooooooo easy, and soooo yummmmm!

Method:
Place a tortilla on a flat skillet
Sprinkle cheese, any kind you like, we like the Mexican shredded cheese from Organic Valley
Add your toppings!
We like a lot of toppings, and you can add pretty much anything you like:
Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Grilled Peppers and Onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, rice, even guacamole or salsa! the options are really endless!
Close up your burrito as seen in the picture, flip it over a few times so that the inside of the burrito is nice and warm, and that's it!

hope you enjoy this one!

Yummy Beet Salad!

This recipe is courtesy of another blog, "Earth Foods", I just altered a couple things :)

2 small beets
A cup or two salad greens
A handful of nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds)
A teaspoon butter or olive oil
A teaspoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard (regular yellow mustard works just as well)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Wrap the beats in foil and stick them in the oven for approximately an hour.

While beets are cooking, whisk the oil, balsamic, mustard, salt, and pepper together, and set aside. Next, heat the butter or oil in a small pan on medium heat. Add the nuts, and toss to coat. Add a pinch of sea salt, a few grindings of black pepper, and the maple syrup. Toss well, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

Pull the beets out of the oven once they are soft all the way through. Allow the beets to cool a little and then slice them up into nice sized pieces.  There is no need to peel off the skin, especially if you are already buying the beets organic

Arrange the greens on two salad plates. Arrange the beets over the greens, scatter some nuts, and drizzle the salad dressing over.

My husband swears this is the best salad I've ever made!  It's that good!

Guacamole!

1 Organic Avocado(Ripe)
1/4 Organic Large Red onion, finely chopped
1/2 Organic Roma Tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. small bunch Organic Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. Organic Olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. Organic Black Pepper powder
1/4 tsp. Chili Powder

Scoop the flesh of the avocado into a bowl.  Slightly mash the avocados with the fork, but don't make it into a paste, it should be chunky.  Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.  We like it best with blue corn tortilla chips!

Breakfast Oatmeal!

Oatmeal is a great way to start the day, with ~4g of fiber, that's about 16% of the recommended daily dose! 


Organic Oatmeal can be boiled on the stove with just water, or a combination water and milk

need it to be a little sweeter?  don't add sugar!   add a banana!

still not sweet enough for you?   drizzle a small amount of honey over the top :)

for a more savory combination, try this one: cooked oatmeal, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, yummmmmmmmy!

Homemade Organic Fries!

This recipe is super easy and super delish!

5-7 organic potatoes, cut into wedge size shapes
organic fresh rosemary
organic fresh thyme
salt
chili powder
organic olive oil

take the rosemary and thyme off the branch and put in a mortar and pestle and grind for about 2-3 minutes
Get out a large bowl, add the potatoes with about 1 Tbsp. or more of olive oil, add chili powder, the rosemary/thyme mixture, and some salt
Bake on 350 until the potatoes are nice and golden, i use aluminum foil on my baking sheet to make it a bit easier when it comes time for removal
Sprinkle with Lime Juice if you want (that's the way we like it!)

My husband has been eating this every night this week, so I know it's a good one!

Organic Sugar Cookies

Lets all be honest, we all LOVE to eat sweets at one point or another... but how is it possible to eat healthy sweets?      Organic Sugar Cookies!

    •    1/2 cup organic butter
    •    1/2 cup organic sugar
    •    1 organic egg
    •    3/4 cups organic white flour
    •    3/4 cups organic whole wheat flour
    •    pinch salt

•  if you have it in your pantry you can also mix in 1/2 tsp. of organic vanilla

Warm up the butter to room temperature, and mix in the sugar until you get a nice creamy mix.
Add the egg and vanilla (if you are using vanilla)
Next, sprinkle in flour and salt until it is all incorporated.
Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into small balls.
Place the balls onto a lined cookie sheet.
Flatten the balls of dough with a fork

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown.

You can also use this recipe to make yummy thumbprint cookies, the only thing you change is the last few steps:
Make round balls with the dough and place on your cookie sheet, with your thumb make an indentation in the cookie dough, add any organic jam into the indentation

Garlic Spinach!

Looking for an easy side to make with dinner?   then look no further!  Garlic Spinach is here!

Ingredients:
Organic Spinach (use as much as you want, and remember, spinach shrinks down when cooked, so add a lot!)
Organic Garlic
Organic Pepper
Organic Olive Oil
Salt

Take a nice large pan, and add some olive oil, not a lot, maybe 1/2 tsp., on medium heat
Add some spinach, garlic, salt and pepper
Cook until the spinach is nice and soft

enjoy!