I wish you all a very happy day filled with love and friendship. I thought I would revisit one of my family’s favorite recipes…the recipe I created for my honey last Valentines and the recipe that my children requested for tonight’s dessert!
Click HERE for my Chocolate Molten Lava Cake recipe (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
I recently linked this recipe to the Running on Happy and The Fit Foodie Mama #MeatlessMonday recipe link-up.
Sur La Table recently had a big sale (still going on) on the Cuisinart Multi-Cooker and I couldn’t resist. With holiday gift cards in hand I marched right in and upgraded my slow cooker. Man, I am glad I did. It is SO nice to be able to brown onions in the slow cooker and then just pour in the rest of the ingredients. This slow cooker is going to get some major use in my household.
I saw some split red lentils at Trader Joe’s the other day and I was inspired to make a red lentil based slow cooker curry sauce. I love that this “sauce” is packed with protein and fiber.
This recipe makes A LOT of sauce, so get ready to freeze some for later. I have also enjoyed the sauce as a soup…simply add broth and thin it out. Good stuff!
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INGREDIENTS – makes an ENTIRE crockpot full…more than enough to freeze for later
Water sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and leeks for 5-7 minutes. Add the curry seasoning, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir together to combine the flavors and cook for 1-2 minutes while continuing to stir (If the mixture is getting too dry, add a tiny bit of water).
Add the light coconut milk and stir to combine. Add the split red lentils, broth and water.
Set your slow cooker on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10.
Serve on top of roasted squash, steamed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, summer squash) potatoes, brown rice, etc. Would be fantastic over brown basmati rice. Have each person salt their own food upon serving…that way the food will taste salted, but will not be LOADED with sodium.
*Remember to remove the lemongrass stalks before serving
For a printable version of this recipe click HERE.
Filed under Beans/Legumes, Crock Pot, Gluten Free, Main Dish, Recipes, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian
I originally blogged about this Skinny Bitch chili recipe HERE and thought I would re-post the recipe since it is an awesome FAST and EASY one to make for the Super Bowl.
This chili tastes great over polenta, brown rice, with a side of cornbread or on its own.
DEB’S CHILI – Yields 6 servings
2 Tbs grapeseed oil (I omitted this)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 (4-ounce) can green chilis, diced
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, diced
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup salsa
2/3 cup vegan cheddar cheese, shredded (I omitted this)
1/4 cup vegan sour cream (I omitted this)
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions until soft, about 5 minutes (I water sautéed mine). Stir in the chilis, taco seasoning, tomatoes, kidney beans, and black beans. Let the mixture simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes (after water sautéing the onions I threw all of the ingredients in the slow cooker around lunchtime and kept it on low until dinner).
Serve with salsa, cheese, and sour cream.
Filed under Beans/Legumes, Gluten Free, Holiday, Main Dish, Quick, Recipes, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian
I have been making this well-loved tofu dish for years, however due to my hypothyroid issues (click HERE for more details) I have avoided soy for a while now. If it weren’t for my thyroid issues, I would include tofu, tempeh, and edamame in my diet…I don’t think there is any harm (actually there are benefits) to including unprocessed soy items in your diet rotation. Having said that, I would avoid the processed soy foods that are über plentiful in the market today.
The creator of the EZ Tofu Press ($26.99) recently contacted me and offered to send me a free sample of his product to test and review. I own the TofuXpress which retails for $39.95 now, but I paid nearly $50 for it when I purchased it…ouch!!!
I was curious to see how the two tofu presses compared. While I like the fact that the TofuXpress I already own and use is a completely self-contained unit, it takes a hours for the tofu to drain completely which is a drag and means that you absolutely have to plan ahead. The new EZ Tofu Press seriously drained completely within 7 minutes! I put the tofu in the press, prepared the rest of the ingredients for my meal, and the tofu was ready to go. Major bonus.
The EZ Tofu Press was also easy to clean…all I needed to do was rinse it off. Make sure you go to the bottom of the post and learn how you can enter to win your very own EZ Tofu Press.
The traditional way to prepare this tofu dish is to fry it in a bit of oil. I thought I would try “frying” the tofu in a dry pan (I used my ceramic pan) and I was happy with the results.
The sauce I always served this dish with is Black Bean Garlic Sauce, which is NOT gluten-free. If you would like to serve the tofu with a gluten-free sauce, SAN J has some really tasty ones (their Szechuan sauce rocks). Keep in mind that you want the sauce to be a bit overflavored, oversalty, etc. since you are serving it with absolutely plain tofu.
INGREDIENTS
block of tofu, pressed 1 Tbs. black bean garlic sauce (or sauce of your choosing) 1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced chilies, finely minced (optional) green onions, minced .Slice the tofu into 1/4″ thick slices. Now slice the slices into thirds (See image above).
If using black bean garlic sauce, mix the sauce, the ginger, chilies if using, and 1-2 Tbs. water (depending on your personal taste) to a bowl and mix to incorporate.
Heat your pan on HI. Place the tofu slices in the pan and dry-fry them for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. If you insist on using oil, use it sparingly.
Serve immediately topped with a drizzle of sauce and garnished with the minced green onions.
For a printable version of this recipe click here.
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GIVEAWAY *** GIVEAWAY *** GIVEAWAY
We have a winner…
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Jessica
I emailed my best friend!!
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Filed under Appetizers, Beans/Legumes, Giveaways, Main Dish, Quick, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian
When the weather turns cold I CRAVE hearty soups and stews. I thought I would do a quick round-up of the soup / stew recipes on Veggie Grettie in case any of you were in need of winter dinner inspiration.
After putting this recipe round-up together I can’t wait to revisit some old favorites.
What are your favorite wintertime soups and stews (post links to the recipes if you have them). I’d love to gather some more inspiration from you!
Filed under Recipe Round-Ups, Recipes, Soup
My family and I had a wonderful holiday and I hope you did as well. We were able to have a laid-back Christmas at home and then left the next day to visit my sister and her family in the mountains for a white post-Christmas and New Years celebration. Good people, good times.
I was motivated to not stray from healthy eating by the fact that I had a Swimspot.com 2013 swimsuit trends video shoot on January 8th (at a gorgeous private home on the water side of PCH in Laguna Beach…spectacular view!). Let’s just say that cookies and candies don’t look as appealing when you know you will be on display wearing a slew of swimsuits shortly after the holidays.
In preparation for the shoot I ate my fill of fruits and veggies and stayed away from processed foods, grains, and legumes. I ate a ton of roasted mushrooms because quickly add substance and heft to meals. It was my habit to make a huge batch at the beginning of the week and it usually lasted me 5 days or so.
One of my favorite meals lately has been a water saute of onions and cabbage over roasted kabocha squash topped with roasted mushrooms and low sodium tamari or a spicy Asian sauce…yum!
INGREDIENTS
2 24oz packs mushrooms (I bought mine at Coscto and used one pack of baby bellas & one pack of criminis) 1/2 cup red wine 1/2 cup reduced sodium tamari
Filed under Events, Recipes, Vegetables
2012 has been a great year. I truly appreciate your readership, comments, questions, and recipe inspiration…keep it coming!
In the spirit of Top 10 Lists, I thought I would do a recap of Veggie Grettie’s 10 most popular recipes of 2012 (all vegan and gluten free of course).
Happy New Year!
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9. ROASTED SPICED CHICKPEA SNACK
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7. BAKED TOSTADA SHELLS / BOWLS
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6. VEGAN NACHO CHEEZE – AKA VEGAN QUESO
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5. AWARD WINNING VEGAN GFREE CREPES
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3. OAT FREE PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS
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And the top pick was…….
1. DESSERT HUMMUS – PB CHOC CHIP
Filed under Recipes
Now that we are into the holiday season I do make a few more treats than normal (though I do feel the need to admit that I generally do not eat many of them).
People tend to think that making candy is complicated…it doesn’t have to be. Last year the kids and I make homemade peanut butter cups. These peanut butter cups were made with only three ingredients:
Melt the bag of chocolate chips over a double boiler along with 1-2 tsp. of oil.
Once melted, pour a small layer into mini cupcake liners and place it in the fridge for approximately 10 minutes. Place the melted chocolate over the double boiler to ensure that it remains melted.
Top the hardened chocolate with some peanut butter and try to keep it in the center allowing a rim of chocolate to remain around it (this will allow the next layer of chocolate to completely cover the peanut butter).
Cover the peanut butter with another layer of chocolate and place in the refrigerator to harden.
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This year I used the same method to make chocolate covered pretzels (gluten-free) and peanuts. My daughter and I broke small pretzel sticks in half and mixed them with the melted chocolate. We then placed spoonfuls of the chocolate covered pretzels on waxed paper to cool and harden…little chocolate bird’s nests. We had some left over at the end with a little too much chocolate, so we mixed in some peanuts and made spoonfuls of that. They have been a total hit with my family!
Filed under Candy / Fudge, Dessert, Gluten Free, Holidays, Kid Friendly, Quick, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian
I am in the thick of preparing gifts for the coaches and teachers in my children’s lives and I thought I would share with you what we are gifting food-wise this year.
My daughter wanted to gift her teachers with some body butters, and my son will be giving some of his middle school teachers gift certificates, but we will be giving the coaches in our lives the “healthier” caramel popcorn that I made one month as my Secret Recipe Club assignment.
The original version was loaded with butter and sugar, so I rolled-up my sleeves and did my best to remake the recipe. My family loves the recipe I came-up with and while it is definitely a treat, it is much healthier than the traditional version.
I just air popped the popcorn and will be making it into caramel popcorn tomorrow. This recipe is SO EASY. I have made caramel popcorn before where you have to stir and stir and stir and with this recipe you shake it all up in a big brown paper bag…it couldn’t be more simple.
Click HERE for the recipe or HERE for the original post with detailed pictures.
Filed under Dessert, Gifts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holidays, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian
One of the blogs I follow is My Plant Based Family. I have enjoyed watching Holly’s blog develop and appreciate the fact that after suffering from health issues she and her husband decided to transition their family to a plant-based diet. She has been open and honest about the diet challenges that she has faced with her older children (her younger children adapted easier to the lifestyle change), which I am sure is something others are going through as they try to make the transition in their own homes.
My birthday is at the beginning of November and after celebrating with a nice meal (we enjoyed Mexican food), we came back to our house and enjoyed a gluten-free version of Holly’s World’s Best Banana Bread. Reading through the ingredients in her original recipe, I felt confident that I could make a GF version and it turned out beautifully.
This has become a staple in our household.
The cake tastes the best if you allow it to cool completely and then sit under a cake dome overnight (I know it is REALLY hard to wait), but Holly was SO right…If you leave it overnight the texture is infinitely better.
Thanks for the birthday cake inspiration Holly!
For a printable version of this recipe click HERE.
Filed under Cake, Dessert, Gluten Free, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian
