Pasta E Fagioli with Spinach

I made this dish last night, and although it isn’t a recipe of my own, I wanted to make sure you could enjoy it, too! This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Appetite for Reduction. I HIGHLY recommend that this book become a staple in any vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian kitchen. The recipes are simple, use ingredients that are easily found in any market, and are very low-cal/diet friendly. This pasta is literally a foodgasm and a half!

Pasta E Fagioli with Spinach:
From “Appetite for Reduction” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (get it here! http://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-Recipes/dp/1600940498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333376773&sr=8-1)

Active Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped roughly
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• A few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can navy beans (about 1½ cups), drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces whole wheat small shells or orecchiette
• 1 pound baby spinach leaves, washed well

DIRECTIONS
Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and preheat a large skillet over medium heat.

In the pan, saute the garlic in oil for about 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, wine, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the beans and then lower the heat to medium. Cook until the tomatoes are broken down and the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, add the pasta to boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Once the sauce is thickened, simmer over low heat to keep warm.

Drain the pasta. In a bowl, alternate adding batches of pasta, beans, and spinach to the sauce, stirring with a pasta spoon to incorporate, until the spinach is completely wilted. Mix well and serve.

NUTRITION
Per Serving (1/4 Recipe):
Calories: 440; Calories from fat: 30; Total fat: 3.5 g; Saturated fat: 0.5 g; Trans fat: 0 g; Totalcarb: 85 g; Fiber: 21 g; Sugars: 9 g; Protein: 23 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 690 mg; Vitamin A: 250%; Vitamin C: 110%; Calcium: 25%; Iron: 45%

Easy, Cheesy, Low Cal Caulipots!

Hello Blogosphere! I know it's been a while, but I've taken on a new task in my baking and cooking, and have had to test numerous recipes trying to make them perfect for my readers. My newest task has been to reduce, reduce, reduce! I'm trying to make ALL of my dishes either low/no-fat or low-cal or BOTH! While this may seem easy, because people have an impression that vegans only eat grass and carrots, it's actually been quite a task! But, I made some DELICIOUS Caulipots last night that I am so excited to share with you! At only 142 calories per serving and less than 1 gram of fat, these are the perfect addition to any meal. Hell, you can have them FOR your meal if you choose to! I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Easy, Cheesy Mashed Caulipots (Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes)

3-4 Medium sized Russet Potatoes, sliced into 3/4 inch slices
1 Medium head of Cauliflower, broken into florets

NEW Low-Cal/Low-Fat Cheese Sauce! (Modified from Happy Herbivore)
1-1/4 cup unsweetened rice milk
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons yellow miso paste

Place the potatoes in cold water, with about 4 inches of water on top of them in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the cauliflower florets and bring down to a simmer. Let simmer about 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Drain and bring back to the pot to mash with a potato masher.

Cheese Sauce: Whisk together all ingredients over medium heat, until boiling. Reduce to a simmer and stir continuously until sauce thickens. Incorporate into the Caulipot mixture, add some chives and parsley, and enjoy!

Simplicity at it's finest!

Simple Lunch:
1 Gardein Scallopini
1/8 cup artichoke hearts, drained
Drizzle of olive oil
A few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes
=
Perfect simple lunch!

Spicy Buffalo Tempeh Salad with "Bacon-Ranch" Dressing

So last week, the sun was finally shining, the snow was finally melting, and it was really beginning to feel like Spring. Today is not one of those days, but I thought I’d share a yummy recipe that is delicious on a warm spring or summer day with you all!


Now I don’t know about you, but I crave different things depending on the weather. I made stew last night because it was cold and snowy, but when it’s warm and sunny, I crave cold things, like salads. I threw this salad together using some of my favorite Lightlife products, and a tempeh recipe from my favorite cookbook, Appetite for Reduction. I really like also that the author gives you all of the nutritional information on the food. This salad is not only delicious, but each serving comes in at just under 300 calories….when have you EVER had a salad with Ranch Dressing, Bacon, and Buffalo Protein that came in at so little?! Never! So give this one a shot, you won’t be disappointed. Here we go!


Spicy Buffalo Tempeh Salad with “Bacon-Ranch” Dressing

For the Tempeh:


1/2 cup Organic Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce (I used Franks Hot Sauce)
6 Cloves of Garlic
2 tsp Dried Oregano
8 oz Tempeh (I used Lightlife’s awesome tempeh)



Cut tempeh into smaller pieces (cookbook suggests 8 wedges).



Steam tempeh for 5 minutes.

Mix together the marinade ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

When tempeh is done, immediately transfer to marinade for 10 - 60 minutes.

Preheat large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Add tempeh and reserve marinade. Cook the tempeh for 10 minutes, flipping often, until it has browned a bit.
Add the remaining sauce and turn up the heat to high. Let the liquid boil and cook down for about 5 minutes.



For the Bacon:

4 strips of Lightlife Smart Bacon
Oil or spray for the pan
Liquid Smoke

Lightly oil or spray a small skillet and let it heat up a bit. Lay down the bacon strips and give each strip a few shakes of liquid smoke. After a few minutes, flip your bacon, and give the other side a few shakes of the liquid smoke. Cook until crispy. Allow to cool, then break apart into tiny pieces.


Now, I added the “Bacon Bits” to my own “Ranch” dressing, and shook it up so the bacon mixed in well. I tossed a salad of romaine, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and fried onions with the dressing, then topped with my buffalo tempeh. I really wish I had a picture of it, but I was so excited at how good it looked and smelled that I dug right in without even thinking about taking a shot! BUT, if you want to see how good it looked, make it for yourself, and see how awesome it looks/tastes/smells. The recipe looks like a ton of steps, but it’s really simple, so don’t be too overwhelmed by the amount of steps!

Triple Chocolate Banana Brownies, oh my!

(You won't be able to eat just one!)


Okay, so I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, "Yeah, that "Vegan" Shit", and I knew instantly that I'd have to try them as soon as possible! I tweaked the recipe a bit, used 3 different chocolates instead of just one (equal parts 85% dark cacao, semi-sweet, and mexican), used rice instead of soy milk, and followed the rest of the recipe exactly how it was. After they came out of the oven, I torched the top a bit with a kitchen torch to give the bananas a "creme brulee"-type feel/texture, and boy oh boy, Elvis would be proud of me these are so good!! So hop on over to the recipe here and try them out...right now!!! Seriously, go! These only pack 168 calories per brownie....what's stopping you?!

Back from the *almost* Dead

Hello? Heellllooo??? HEELLLOOOOO?! Anybody out there?? I know it’s been a while, but I’m going to attempt to get this back up and running. I apologize for bolting like I did, but I had to deal with a series of unfortunate events and needed to really scale back on everything in my life and literally focus on one thing at a time so as not to go completely out of my mind. I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday season (I had some amazing vegan dishes, ate at some great vegan places and had lovely vegan treats…but unfortunately lost all my photos due to a tech glitch…damnit!) and I hope you all have high hopes for this New Year. I’m trying, too.



Anyway, I saw this recipe the other day on the Gardein website, and just knew I had to try it…it looked so simple, so hearty, healthy and just plain delicious. Plus, with all the snow and cold, a good soup is always the way to go. Now, you can use canned beans and tomatoes like it calls for and this soup will literally be done in a flash (I believe it said like, 10 minutes!) or you can go old school like me since I try to avoid canned anything and used dried beans and whole fresh tomatoes. I soaked my beans overnight, then cooked them for about 6 hours on low in the slow cooker while I was at work before draining and adding to the soup. For the tomatoes, I just drizzled the tiniest amount of olive oil on them and threw them under the broiler until they were blackened, mushed them up a bit, and added them to the soup. Delish! Also, I only used half a package of the Scallopini instead of the entire package like it calls for, and it still worked great. Please click here to be directed to Gardein’s recipe for this amazing Gardein Chik’n and White Bean Soup!

Mock "Tuna" Chickpea Sammie

Sometimes, you really can’t go wrong with a good ole’ sandwich like your momma used to make! I was in the mood the other day for something different to put in between some pieces of bread, and I remembered that a few months back I had made a mock “tuna” out of chickpeas that I recalled getting from the Kind Diet book. Well, even though my book was 15 feet away, I was too lazy to get it to re-create the recipe, so I ventured out on my own to make a yummy chickpea sandwich. Well, let’s just say that I made quite a bit, had one sandwich, and when I went to put the rest away, I had realized the man had already inhaled the rest of it on THREE SANDWICHES…so yeah. I’m gonna say it was a successful recipe! I don’t think I’ve had a real tuna sandwich since I was probably 12 or 13, but the texture of this was awesome, and I think it will do the trick for anyone looking for a sandwich in that style.


Chickpea Salad Sandwich

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
Brown Mustard
Sea Salt
Garlic
Pepper
Celery, diced
Pickle Juice (optional)

Pop the all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until chunky, but blended. Spread on your favorite bread and top with your favorite sandwich “fixin’s”…enjoy the hell outta this sandwich!


By the way, none of the ingredients were measured…I just added to the food processor and continually tasted until the flavor was what I wanted. Start with small quantities of each ingredient so you don’t overdo it, and add until it suits you.




As always, check out VeganMoFo for lots of fun vegan food blogs!

Seitan-Worshipper Eggplant Stirfry

Well, it’s nearing the end of the week when the pantry is a little thin and the veggies are holding on to their last bits of life. Last night when I went to cook dinner, I noticed we had some vegetables that more than likely were not going to make it until today, and we do everything possible not to throw food out, so I did one of my favorite things…stir-fry! To me, this is the absolute easiest way to use up those veggies before having to send them to the compost graveyard. I looked at the veggies that needed to be used, and although I didn’t really know how they’d do in a stir-fry together, I gave it a shot anyway, and the man and I were more than impressed at the flavor combination we created! Here is what was in my end-of-the-road stir-fry:


*Eggplant
*Summer Squash
*Green Beans
*Edamame
*Peas
*Leftover Seitan


Throw these in a wok with a little bit of olive oil, shoyu, a splash of white wine, minced garlic and crushed red pepper, toss it over some brown rice, and you have a delicious meal…AND you didn’t waste those precious veggies! I had never actually put eggplant in a stir-fry before, but it was actually really good and gave a nice texture to the mix. What are YOUR favorite veggie-stir-fry combinations??


Happy Vegan MoFo!!

Happy Herbivore's Chickpea Noodle Soup...Yes!

Sometimes, no matter how hard you wish for something, it just isn’t possible. Take this week, for example. I have wanted nothing more than to come home from work each night, grab a towel, and lay poolside through the sunset. Well, we’re supposed to get snow today, so like I said, sometimes your wishes just aren’t possible. ANYWAY, the cooler weather, if you haven’t noticed from my last couple recipes, puts me in serious soups, chilis, and desserts-mode. Last night, I was on a super tight schedule, since both the man and I were hungry, and we only had an hour from the time that we both got home until when he had to leave again, and I didn’t want him going to rehearsal on a cold night with nothing but a pb&j in his belly!

So, we looked through the pantry, and I realized that we had all the ingredients for one of my favorite soups by one of my favorite food bloggers, Happy Herbivore!! Not only that, but it’s one of the QUICKEST soups you can possibly put together, it’s super hearty and filling, and it just plain warms the soul! I took the recipe and added a bag of frozen mixed veggies to it since we didn’t have any mushrooms (the frozen mixed veggies were totally our lizard’s food, but he didn’t mind! [and yes, I do realize it’s absurd to feed a lizard organic Trader Joes frozen veggies, but he’s spoiled…don’t judge me!]). The best thing about big pots of soup like this is that you can jar it up and have it for lunches the rest of the week…yummy! Now, on to the recipe!

Chickpea Noodle Soup by Happy Herbivore
1 whole carrot, skinned
2 whole celery stalks, sliced
1 small onion, diced
10 whole cremini (brown) mushrooms (we subbed the frozen mixed veggies)
8 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp yellow miso paste
1 tsp tamari
2 whole bay leaf
4 ounces whole wheat pasta, uncooked
15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Instructions:
Line a large soup pot with broth, about 1/4 cup. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute over high heat until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and more broth if necessary. Continue to cook over high heat until the mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Add remaining broth, bay leaves, miso and tamari. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta and reduce heat to medium. Cook for another 6 minutes, or until pasta is al dente (adjust time accordingly). Stir in chickpeas and taste test. Add more miso or salt if necessary or desired. Allow soup to thorougly heat the chickpeas. Fish out bay leaves and serve.



I didn't get to feel the sun on my face lying poolside, but I did get to enjoy the warmth and goodness of this soup deep in my soul!



Have you checked out Vegan MoFo yet?!

Low-Cal Super Stuffed Peppers

The other day I had mentioned that I was going to make stuffed peppers, but was then overcome with the urge to “stuff” something else. Well, my craving for stuffed peppers was back, so here we go! Now, the actual process of these is much less complicated than it seems…it’s really just cooking the rice and the SmartGrounds, and popping them in a pepper, but follow along for a delicious meal! (FYI, the amount of rice and “beef” that this makes is enough for 6-8 peppers. It is just the two of us, so we use 2 peppers and then have the “beef” and rice left over to make other yummy stuff through the week with!)

At only 1.5 grams of fat and 230 calories, this is Mexican food at it's finest, folks!

You’ll Need:

Red or Green Bell Peppers (2-8, depending on how many people you’re feeding)
1 cup of brown rice
Spices – I used cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder
½ a small can of green chilis…about 4 ounces
2 tomatoes
½ onion
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 package of Lightlife SmartGrounds, Mexican Style or other vegan ground beef substitute
Your Favorite Smooth Tequila (not for the peppers, but for the cook!)

Bring 2 ½ cups of water to a rolling boil and pour in 1 cup of rice. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, and chili powder to your liking (I’m a spice fiend, so the amount I use is probably way more than you’ll want to use!). While that is cooking, sautee ½ a diced onion and tablespoons of minced garlic until garlic is golden brown and onions are transparent. Add these to the cooking rice. Dice 2 tomatoes and add these along with 4 ounces of canned green chiles when there is about 5 minutes left of cooking time for the rice.

When the rice is almost finished, heat up your SmartGrounds (I prefer the Mexican style). I add about 3 tablespoons of hot sauce to this while it’s cooking and about 2 teaspoons of onion powder just for some more flavor. The SmartGrounds only take a few minutes to heat.

Cut the tops off of your peppers, so they are like deep bowls. Seed and rinse out the inside of the peppers and place in a pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes, until slightly soft. Remove from boiling water and submerge in cold water for a few minutes.

Once your peppers are cool enough to handle, prop them upright and begin layering. I do a spoonful of the SmartGrounds, a spoonful of the rice, and so on and so forth until the pepper is full. I then top this with a couple sliced olives. Put these in a very lightly oiled baking dish, and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes. Top off with some salsa and enjoy!



Buen Provecho!

"Rock Me, Baby" Stuffed Squash

The other day I wanted to make some stuffed peppers for a quick and fun lunch, but being a dual-minded Gemini, by the time that I rinsed my beautiful peppers, I had completely changed my mind! I wanted to "stuff" something still, but I just didn't know what. So, I got a little creative, yanked some squash out of the fridge, and decided to "stuff" them as best as possible! Because the "Freaking Amazing Cheese Sauce" is now a junk-food-alternative staple in our house, and super simple to whip up, I splooged that into some hollowed out squash, popped it in the oven, and topped with some fresh diced tomatoes in the end...and now I'm pretty sure that this will be a staple from this day forward in our house!

Rock Me Baby Stuffed Squash

2 Summer Squash, halved and hollowed out with a spoon
1 Medium-sized tomato, diced
"Freaking Amazing Cheese Sauce" (recipe below)

Freaking Amazing Cheese Sauce¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
¼ cup flour
1 cup water
2 tblsp. Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (if you're not so much into wreaking havok on your taste buds as I am, this can be reduced/omitted completely)
1 can of RoTel Diced Tomatoes and green chiles, drained

Put nutritional yeast, flour, salt, garlic, and pepper in a saucepan. Add in water and stir constantly over medium heat until mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add vegan butter. Stir until melted. Add tomatoes/salsa and lime juice and return to heat, stirring until tomatoes are warm.

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray/oil a glass oven dish and lay the squash in, hollowed sides up. Fill squash with Freaking Amazing Cheese Sauce and enjoy the leftovers with some carrots and pita while this cooks in the oven for about 20 minutes, until squash is tender. Remove from oven, top with diced tomatoes, and enjoy!

Now THAT's what I call a tasty freaking lunch!


How perfect is this tomato?!


Squash Boats!


Still trying to figure out if these are organic? I know they are vegan, and they sell them at Whole Foods, so does that label them organic automatically?? They're tasty regardless!


Right before heading to the hot and toasty oven!



Quick photo before they were devoured in record time!


And don't forget, every ad that you click on this page will be a donation to a local Madison animal rescue! That's it! All you have to do is click them! Easy as that!

Rosemary-Infused Spaghetti Squash

This weekend, while I was at the grocery store, I couldn’t help but get giddy when walking through the produce section…all the squashes, apples, and all my favorite fall things were in abundance!! One thing I have discovered about grocery stores in Wisconsin which is unlike grocery stores in California, is that they try to have as much local and seasonal produce as possible, which is awesome, but I do start to miss certain things when they aren’t in season and aren’t being sold. So you can imagine my excitement when I was there on Saturday and saw an entire box of organic spaghetti squash!!! Woohooo!!!! My life was complete once again! I picked up a couple of these bad boys and immediately started planning in my head what I wanted to do with them. I used the first one last night, in celebration of Autumn, and couldn’t have been more satisfied! AND, at only 112 calories per serving, this was by far a low-cal and hearty meal that kept me full the remainder of the night! For those of you watching your waistline, this is definitely a recipe to add to your kitchen repertoire!

Rosemary-Roasted Spaghetti Squash

1 Spaghetti Squash, about 3-5 pounds, cut in half and seeded
1 ½ cups of Vegetable broth
2 large sprigs of Rosemary
2 large sprigs of Sage
2 Tblsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tblsp Parsley
2 Cups chopped broccoli florets
1 diced tomato
S&P to taste


Preheat oven to 375. Pour broth into a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Bruise rosemary and sage sprigs with the back of a knife and toss into broth. Arrange squash in dish, hollow sides down, and roast until rind gives easily when pressed and flesh is just tender, 35 to 45 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook squash since it will become too soft and soggy.) While squash is in the oven, lightly steam the broccoli. Set aside. Transfer squash to a large plate, hollow sides up, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Using a fork, scrape squash out of rinds and transfer to a large bowl. Add oil, parsley, broccoli, tomatoes, salt and pepper and toss gently. Serve immediately.

The hint of rosemary that the squash soaks up is seriously perfect, and I don’t think I’ll ever cook spaghetti squash without it now!

Recipe Blast from the 21-Day Kickstart!

Today marks day 5 of PCRM’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart…and I’m LOVING it!! Every single recipe, even the ones that I honestly thought I’d hate (especially never particularly enjoying Black Eyed Peas) have all been fabulous! Now, some people do the program to get into veganism for the first time, and others do it for new recipe ideas but not to really follow the plan. I’m doing this to see if this plan really does “kickstart” my weight loss as I have heard that it can. Well, I haven’t done a weigh-in yet, but I did slide my “skinny” jeans on with ease today…and to think, I haven’t even been able to pull them over my ass for over a year now! It’s like going shopping in my own closet! So anyway, I’m linking to all of the fabulous recipes that I’ve tried so far this week so you can all give them a shot. Also, if you want to have the recipes sent to you, it’s not too late to join up on the PCRM website!!


Cous Cous Confetti Salad
I'm not a fan of raw veggies in a hot dish like this calls for, but this was suprisingly delicious! As I type this, I'm currently eating the last of it in a hot pita for lunch...yummm....


Hoppin' John Salad
I was hesitant to try this one, considering I've always had an aversion to black eyed peas...but it was really good as well! And super filling! I couldn't even finish one serving size!

Carrot and Red Pepper Soup
I didn't take a picture because well...it just looked like a bowl of tomato soup...and we all know what that looks like! This soup was so yummy and warmed me to the core...did just the job a soup was supposed to do. It was a perfect pairing with the Confetti Cous Cous, too!

Southern Beans and Greens
I made this recipe with the leftover Hoppin' John Salad (just threw it all in!), Kidney Beans and Navy Beans. It was perfect! The perfect savory dish on a day that seemed all too chilly for early September!

All in all, I highly recommend all the recipes so far...give them a try, and let me know how you like them!

Creamy, Cheesy Mexicali Chick'n Bake

Alright, I'm not gonna lie. I'm not a big fan of cooking with processed foods (fake cheese, fake meat, etc.). I tend to use them to excentuate a meal for someone who doesn't normally eat vegan, and who wants cheese, or meat or the like. HOWEVER, sometimes I am feeling exceptionally lazy, and just don't feel like taking time to perfectly chop veggies and rinse grains and la-di-freakin'-da. Like last night. I wanted a quick, easy meal that would be filling, and that my now nearly veg fiance (meat-free for over 2 months, with a few seafood exceptions!) would also enjoy. So, I raided his stash of Gardein and Galaxy Vegan Cheese, and re-created one of our old, carniverous favorite meals. And let me tell you, this was just as good as the real thing! Not only that, but it tastes like there is no possible way that it can be good for you, but it's super low cal, low fat, and high in nutrients. So squeeze some lime in my tequila, throw on your fiesta jams, and enjoy this recipe!!

Creamy, Cheesy Mexicali Chick'n Bake

1-4 pieces of Gardein Chickn' Scallopini (depending on how many are eating)

Taco or Enchilada Sauce of your choosing

Tofutti Non-Hydrogenated "Better Than Cream Cheese" (Plain flavor)

Shredded Vegan Cheese (I used Galaxy Rice Vegan Cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350. In a glass baking dish, line the bottom with your taco or enchilada sauce (thin layer). Take your cream cheese, and spread on each piece of Scallopini. Place the scallopini cream cheese side up in the baking dish. Cover with additional taco/enchilada sauce. Cover dish with tinfoil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese (as little or as much as you like) and put back in the oven (no foil this time) for an additional 15 minutes.

I served this with some quick homemade spanish rice, a can of organic non-fat refried beans, and drizzled the remaining sauce over all three. Quick, easy, and to die for. Now THAT'S what I call dinner success!!


(Camera Phone shot...not the greatest, but you get the idea!)

Insanely Cheesy Summer Squash

Okay, so I’m pretty sure that this next recipe deserves some sort of award?? Why, you ask? Well let me tell you why…this meal literally gives you a big, comforting bear hug with all its super-creaminess and deliciousness, all for under *drumroll* 200 calories per serving!!! Yes!!!!



Yesterday, while at work, I was thinking about what I wanted to make for dinner (a curse for someone who is always hungry!). I knew that I had some squash in the fridge that needed to be used soon, or it would just become compost, and this girl does NOT let squash go to waste! Usually, I don’t like to mess with squash. I like to let it speak for itself…either eating it raw or lightly steamed. But I was in the mood to try something a little different, and this is what I came up with! Now, it’s basically like a casserole, and I used the “cheese” sauce that I make my Mac ‘n Cheese with, adding some crushed saltines for a little crunch, and wow! Amazeballs! Now, I used yellow and green squash, but I know that this would taste delish with any type of squash you have. The best part: This recipe makes about 6 servings, and coming in at only 196 calories a serving, you can afford to have seconds (which you will, I promise!)!!


Ingredients
Danielle’s Super Amazing Comfort Food “Cheese” Sauce (recipe below)
25 Multigrain Saltine Crackers
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
3 summer squash, such as zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

“Cheese” Sauce Recipe (this recipe has been halved from the original)
1/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos or Shoyu
1 tsp. garlic powder
Turmeric to taste
1/8 cup oil of your choosing (for this, I just use regular Canola Oil)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

In a saucepan, melt Earth Balance over low heat. Mix in the flour. Stir continuously over medium heat until smooth and bubbly. Stir in the boiling water, salt, liquid aminos, garlic powder, and turmeric. Continue whisking until dissolved. Once the sauce thickens and is bubbling, stir in the oil and the nutritional yeast flakes.

Casserole Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, toss together cheese sauce, cracker crumbs, parsley, onion and thyme. In another bowl, toss together zucchini, oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Arrange squash in a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish. Scatter cheese mixture evenly over the top and bake until melted and golden brown and squash is just tender, about 20 minutes.

Farmer's Market Recipes

My favorite thing about going to the Farmer’s Market each week, is that every week, there is always something new that is in season. This week, the market was flowing with all sorts of potatoes!! The best part, one farmer was so excited about this gorgeous white potato that he grew for the first time this year, he handed me five pounds, wouldn’t take payment, just told me to come back next week and tell him how they were! Well, this cocky farmer knew I’d be in love, because he now has a customer for life!! So, with my large bag full of goodies from the market, I went home and started putting together some delicious goods:



Salad with spray-free mixed greens, tomatoes, squash, and chickpeas – all from the Farmer’s Market. (Ignore the Jack Daniel's...it's the rocker in me, I can't help it!!)


Potatoes, chopped asparagus, 3 tsp. minced garlic, olive oil to coat potatoes, onion powder, popped in the oven at 425, taking out and shaking up a bit every ten minutes for 40 minutes. Potatoes and asparagus from the Farmer’s Market.



Sunshine Burger patty marinated in BBQ sauce, sliced tomatoes and pickles on whole grain pita with spicy hummus. Tomatoes and pickles both from the Farmer’s Market.

Cheap, delicious produce like this is the number one reason I freaking love summertime! And each week, it’s just gonna keep on getting better!

Simple Seitan Stir Fry!

Check out those beautiful vegetables!!

So for all of you calorie-counter’s out there, I created this delicious, and super filling masterpiece last night! It’s quick, simple, colorful, and everyone will love it! And if they don’t, well, then it’s more for you!! I use a rice cooker to cook the brown rice, but if you don’t have one, just follow directions to cook basic brown rice.

Seitan Stir Fry (approx. 3 servings)
1 cup brown rice
1 yellow summer squash, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 ½ cups chopped broccoli
1 ½ cups green beans
1 cup sliced bell pepper (I used red, yellow and green)
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 cup shoyu or soy sauce
1 package West Soy (or your favorite brand) Seitan (the “strips” work best)

Cook rice according to your rice cooker. When rice has approximately 15 minutes of cooking time left, combine all remaining ingredients in a large wok. Cook over medium high to high heat until seitan browns and veggies are cooked through. Put over rice, and enjoy!

Okay, so that is one of the easiest dishes you can make. The best part about it is it is so simple and fast to make, extremely filling and satisfying and it’s really low-cal! One serving is only 290 calories! Eating healthy never tasted so good!


"Diet" food at it's very best!