Vegetable Ragout with Polenta slices (Vegan)

I modified this from a food network recipe (mine is much more simple)

1 onion, chopped
1 stick of celery hearts, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
2 yellow squash, cut into half coins
2 zucchini, cut into half coins
1 eggplant, cubed

1 small can tomato paste
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tube of cooked polenta (store bought)

Saute veggies in tsp of olive oil until soft. Salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato paste and 1-2 cans full of water (enough to thin the consistency a bit) and fresh herbs and simmer for 5-10min. Slice polenta into rounds and lightly sauté to warm through on both sides. Serve rounds covered in ragout.

Creamy Asparagus Soup (Vegan)

I modified this from a weight watchers website.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
6 cups water and 3 vegan bouillon
2 bunch of fresh asparagus
1 package of silken tofu

Boil potatoes and onion in veggie broth until soft. Add asparagus until tender. Turn off heat and blend with immersion blender. Add silken tofu and blend until smooth. Could also use upright blender. Salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Healthy Date Hops (Vegan)

My Grammie used to make Date-Hop cookies each Christmas. Not much to look at, but they are chewy and delicious, it just wouldn't be Christmas without them. This is a "healthy" no bake version that makes a great snack and incorporates the same flavors. I plan to use them to tempt Great Aunt Ally to come for another visit soon. :)

1 c pitted dates
1/2 c raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
tiny shake of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend in cusinart until combined. Form into little bite sized balls, wrap in saran wrap and enjoy!

Cherry-Almond-Nutella Balls

This was adapted from the Smart School Recipe ebook, a recipe by Kat from ( www.keepnthefaith.com). She suggested shaping these into little heart shaped treats. Since I was pretty sure my dear husband would not eat little heart shaped treats, I opted for balls.

1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/8 cup sunflower seeds

Melt nutella over stove until it is just soft and oozy, then add all the other ingredients and stir until combined. Cool slightly before forming the balls and wrapping each n tinfoil. Store in fridge and pop them in your lunch for a hearty treat!

Raisin Bran Muffins

My mother-in-law makes a muffin with Raisin Bran cereal that you can keep the batter in the fridge and make fresh muffins over the course of a week. This is a version of that that I have doctored (Ellie Krieger style) to cut the fat and add some omega-3s to make a hearty breakfast muffin.

Dry:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 cups raisin bran cereal (I used Cascade organic)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Wet:
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup raisins

Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately then combine. Stir in the raisins. Drop into muffin pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 12-15 min.

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

Yum, yum, YUM!! What is the downside of Falafel? It's too dry! You have to slather it in hummus to counteract the dryness (which isn't all bad, I admit). This recipe makes moist, slightly sweet falafels that are so delicious I don't think I've ever make regular falafel again. And they are baked so much better for you then the fried version.

I adapted this from a recipe by Joanne of Eats Well with others (www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com) that I found in a free online book called Smart School Time Recipes by Alisa Fleming (www.godairyfree.com)


1 box falafel mix (the original recipe calls for garbonzo bean flour, which I couldn't find and the box has all the spices in it anyway!)
4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 ground coriander
1 bunch cilantro (optional, I skipped this)
2 TBSP lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400. Wash and puncture sweet potatoes and bake until soft, about 45 min (you could do this before hand and refrigerate them, or as my sister-in-law showed me, 6 min in the microwave will cook a sweet potato to perfection). Mix falafel mix with water as instructed on box. Add minced garlic, cumin, coriander, cilantro and lemon juice. Mash sweet potatoes into mixture. Line a baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray. I like to line with tinfoil and spray the tinfoil with spray, it makes clean up easier. Form patties (a cross between a ball and a pancake) and place on sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake 8 min then take out and flip over. Bake another 8 min.

Serve with pita or flatbread and sauce as follows;

Tahini-Yogurt Sauce:
1/4 c tahini paste
1 c Greek Yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon's worth of lemon juice.

Did I mention, YUM?

Quinoa Veggie Mix (Vegan)

This is my go-to dish when I haven't really planned dinner and need to throw something together.

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water

Bring to boil then simmer, covered, for 15 min until water is absorbed.

1 onion, chopped
1 eggplant, cubed
1 carton extra firm tofu, cubed
approx 1/4 cup Soy Vay Teriyaki sauce

Saute until onions are translucent and eggplant is soft. Add tofu and cook for 1 minute until warmed through. Add Soy Vey teriyaki sauce to coat.

Handful of almonds, chopped
Handful of raisins
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
4 sticks of celery, chopped

Mix it all together and enjoy!

Ginger Apple Squash Soup (Vegan)

I got this from a Weight Watchers website and modified it. I am loving my new toy - an immersion blender! Easier than putting batched in the blender.

3 Golden delicious apples, peeled and diced
2 packages frozen organic butternut squash
2 TBSP grated fresh ginger
4 cups water with 2 vegan bouillon cubes

Boil water and add apples, squash and ginger. Simmer until soft. Blend with immersion blender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve! We had this with sourdough bread and a mandarin orange/avacado salad with rice vinegar dressing.