Energy Booster Smoothie

First post of 2014! It's been 9(!!!) months since I last posted a recipe, mainly because I've fallen off the vegan train. At home, I still cook 100% vegetarian, but since vegan substitutes are nonexistent in Mexico (or the few that can be found here are really, really expensive), I've had to resort back to basic dairy and egg products. When I eat at a restaurant, I sometimes totally cheat and eat all the seafood things, because, oh my god, shrimp cocktails and ceviche! Of course I'll still eat vegan food when and where I can, but it's just not all the time anymore. 

But back to vegan food. Today, I made the creamiest, thickest fruit smoothie ever for lunch. It's full of vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, fiber, and healthy fats. Plus, it's only 5 ingredients, so it's perfect for my lazy Friday!

Ingredients

1/2 ripe avocado

1 sliced banana

6-8 frozen strawberries

6-8 frozen mango cubes

Almond milk (I cheated and used regular milk + a splash of strawberry milk, since almond milk is 3x more expensive than regular milk here)

Directions

Toss the avocado, banana, strawberries, and mango cubes in the blender. If you use fresh strawberries and mango, add a couple ice cubes. Pour in the almond milk until about 2/3 to 3/4 of the fruit is submerged, and blend on high for about a minute. You'll get a super thick, creamy, banana-colored smoothie, and you can only taste the fruit!

Vegetarian: Avocado, Egg, and Black Bean Breakfast Sandwiches

It's been awhile since my last post! I've recently moved in to a new apartment in Mexico City where I actually have a functioning kitchen. And, I'm not afraid that the stove is going to explode every time I light it. Perhaps more recipes soon to come?

 This morning for a late breakfast, I made a hearty meal to warm me up post-chilly-weather-workout. (Yes, really. Mexico City can get pretty cold in the night and early morning hours). Fast, filling, and easy, here's the recipe for one delicious breakfast sandwich:

Ingredients:

2 slices whole-grain bread

1 egg

1/2 avocado, sliced

Refried black beans (or cooked and pureed black beans)

Salt and pepper


Directions:

In a small bowl or coffee cup, beat the egg. In a small frying pan over low heat, pour in the egg. Leave the egg to cook in one piece (no more mixing, no scrambling the egg).

While the egg is cooking, place both slices of bread in the toaster. Toast on the lowest setting--you want the toast warm and slightly crunchy. Slice the avocado into small strips. Spread the refried black beans over one slice of the toast and top with avocado slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the avocado and black beans.

Flip the egg that has been cooking, and make sure it is cooked all the way through. Place the egg on top of the avocado slices, and top with the other slice of bread. Serve with potatoes on the side, and enjoy!

PB-Banana Oatmeal

I've become a bit of a convert to the famous PB-banana mixture. And you know what? I  l-o-v-e  it. If you haven't tried it, don't bash it just yet! I thought it sounded kinda gross too, but I was wrong. PB-banana foods have become a staple in my diet (PB-banana wraps, PB-Banana Protein Bars, and PB-banana oatmeal, to name a few). Quite recently, I've been making oatmeal to warm myself up on these chilly Mexico City mornings! What, you thought all of Mexico was hot? NOPE. Because of our elevation, Mexico City mornings are just as cool as Iowa October mornings. So here is my quick, simple, little warmer-upper:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats

1 ripe, mashed banana

Almond milk (I didn't measure, but I guess I used no more than 1/3 cup)

1 tbsp creamy natural peanut butter

Honey, to taste (or agave, for strict vegans)

Cinnamon, to taste

Directions:

The method itself is just as sinfully simple as the ingredients. Toss everything into your breakfast bowl, minus the cinnamon, and mix it together as well as you can (the sticky peanut butter won't want to mix perfectly). Pop it in the microwave for 1 minute to 90 seconds, depending on microwave power. Remove from the microwave and mix it again (now it should mix much better). Sprinkle cinnamon on top and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

If you're having a cold winter where you live, then you know that there's no better way to warm up on a chilly morning than by eating a hot and hearty breakfast. Pancakes are notoriously delicious, but are not typically the healthiest things to chow down for breakfast. 'Till now ;) These heart-healthy whole wheat blueberry pancakes are vegan: which makes them cholesterol-free. Even without eggs, these pancakes are super fluffy and have that perfect pancake thickness. They're delish. And if you're not sold already, maybe knowing the fact that they only have about 150 calories per cake might convince you to give them a try. (You'll likely be full after one, trust me). I wrap the leftovers in foil and a ziplock bag and freeze them, and pop them into the toaster for quick breakfasts all week long! This recipe makes 7-8 pancakes, each about 6 inches in diameter.

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

4.5 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon sugar

Dash of salt

2 cups almond milk (+up to 4 tablespoons, as needed for texture)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. (Keeping blueberries out).

Mix wet ingredients together in a measuring cup or small bowl that holds a little more than 2 cups of liquid.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry, and whisk until everything is thououghly combined. Gently stir in the 2 cups of blueberries last.

Cook in a skillet (sprayed generously with cooking oil) on the stovetop over low heat. When bubbles start to pop in the batter, flip the pancake and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve topped with a little pure maple syrup, and enjoy!!

Green Chilaquiles

Finally! My first authentic Mexican recipe. Kinda funny that I waited until I was visiting Iowa for Christmas, but I wanted my home grocery store where I can read everything and be absolutely sure what I'm buying. (I've had more than a few failures in locating items in my Mexico City grocery store). So, I've finally gotten around to making a homemade rendition of my absolute favorite Mexican dish! Chilaquiles are a popular breakfast food, so this recipe will be filed under the breakfast category, but tonight for me they were dinner :) De-freaking-licious. I heart chilaquiles. There are several ways of preparing chilaquiles--for one you can make them with a red or a green sauce (the ones here are made with green sauce, they're less spicy), it's also popular to make them with eggs and/or shredded chicken, if you're not a vegan. The recipe you'll find here, of course, is vegan. They can be made spicier by adding more serrano peppers to the sauce, if you like, but two peppers are usually enough for those not accustomed to the uber spicy Mexican food. Here is your homemade green chilaquiles recipe!

Ingredients:

Corn tortillas (I recommend homemade, since they're tasty and easy, but you can find good ones at the store as well. Regardless, let them sit out for a few hours or overnight to dry out a bit.)

Refried black beans (Or or they don't exist in your store, as is the case in central Iowa, make them at home by draining a can of black beans and whipping them up in the blender.)

Vegan sour cream

Vegan shredded cheese (Daiya dairy-free mozzarella style is my favorite)


For the green sauce:

1 pound tomatillos

2 serrano chile peppers

1/8 - 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 white onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Chop tomatillos in half, and place in foil-covered baking dish, along with whole serrano chile peppers. Roast in oven for about 25 minutes.

While the tomatillos and serranos are roasting, cut or rip the corn tortillas in to bite-sized bits. Coat a large frying pan in 1/8 inch vegetable oil, and fry the tortillas over medium-high heat until they are a golden color. Remove from heat, pat dry, and set aside.

Roughly chop the white onion and sautee in hot oil until just before it begins to brown.

Place the roasted tomatillos (don't forget the juice collected by the foil during the roasting process!), serranos, cilantro, garlic, onion, and vegetable broth into your blender. Blend for about 30 seconds.

Change the oven temperature to 350. Divide the fried corn tortillas into two or three oven-safe bowls. Cover lightly with the green sauce from the blender, and stir around with a spoon until evenly coated. Top with a layer of refried black beans, then a layer of vegan sour cream, then cover with a layer of vegan shredded cheese.

Place in the oven and cook until the cheese has begun to melt, or about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and garnish with extra sliced onion and green sauce, if you want it more spicy.

Serve hot, and enjoy!!

(Pictured is the dish, just before it goes into the oven. Yum!)

Creamy Hot Chocolate

There's nothing quite so comforting on a cold day as a big mug of hot chocolate. These last few days in central Iowa have been cold, grey, windy, and rainy, and have left me desperate for something warm. Cue hot chocolate. For the longest time, I tried just stirring some cocoa powder and sweetener into hot almond milk--and it didn't work. The cocoa dissolved a little bit, but mostly just clumped into these wet cocoa powder globs that were quite unpleasant to ingest. Ever try eating a pinch of plain dry cocoa powder? Miserable, I'm telling ya...But then I had a big "Duh!" moment and remembered that I own a blender. (A blender named Phillip. Phillip the blender. Does anybody else name their appliances?) Aaaaanyways, here's the super-simple recipe to blend your way to rich hot chocolatey bliss:

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon Splenda (or sugar)

1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon maple syrup (You can substitute this with more Splenda/sugar, but the maple syrup makes the taste much more rich in my opinion--like the difference between a generic packet of hot cocoa mixed in skim milk versus Ghirardelli brand hot cocoa mixed in whole milk.)

Directions

Pop everything into the blender and mix for about 30 seconds, to make sure all the cocoa clumps get dissolved. You've just made cold hot chocolate!

Pour your cold hot chocolate into a coffee mug and heat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds.

That's it, you're done! Enjoy it! Unless you want to get gourmet and top it with some vegan whipped cream and shaved dark chocolate--not a bad idea ;)

Notes

PS: I'm going to file this under both the Breakfast and Dessert categories, since I'm not expecting to make a plethora of drink recipes...Who knows, if it becomes my thing, I'll add a new category :)

Autumn Spice Granola

Hi again! Sorry it's been so long since my last post: this has been a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type week for me, and 24 hours doesn't seem to be enough in the day anymore! (Can I get an "Amen"?) When I had some extra time, I did a little food preparation so that I could easily have a quick meal even when I'm in a rush. My favorite result of this haphazard food prep session was a warm, lightly spicy (think cinnamon kind of spicy), and sweet granola. It's by far been my favorite breakfast this week. Also, it's pretty simple to throw together, and likely that you already have several, if not all, the ingredients lurking in your pantry! The recipe:

Ingredients:

2.5 cups quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (can also sub with pecans, almonds, etc.)

2/3 cup Splenda (or sugar)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons coconut oil (can probably sub with vegetable oil or similar)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/8 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup chopped dates

1/8 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium saucepan over low heat on the stovetop, whisk together applesauce, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and coconut oil until blended together very well. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together oats, Splenda, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry, and mix together as evenly as possible. The granola will start to form clumps.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with raised edges (or a large brownie pan would work, 13x9). Spread the granola over the sheet, covering most of it.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, remove and flip/stir the granola a couple times, bake for another 15 minutes, again remove and flip/stir, then place in the oven for 10 more minutes. Finally, remove and transfer the granola to a lidded container.

Toss the dates and raisins into the lidded container along with the granola, place the lid on, and turn the container over a few times in your hands to mix everything together.

Enjoy!! Makes 4 large breakfast servings, easily keeps for at room temperature for at least 5 days.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

The trick to turning an uncomfortably chilly morning into a warm, "I-love-Fall" feeling morning? Dessert for breakfast, of course! And pumpkin pie oatmeal has been happening a lot for me recently :) Perfect thing to help wake up and warm up as the weather starts getting cold once again. This recipe makes one large serving of steaming, spiced, and slightly sweet oatmeal that's packed with fiber and protein. The toasted almonds are optional, but highly recommended! They add in extra protein, give a nice little crunch to the dish, and are just plain tasty. As a side note, I found this is an optimal breakfast 2-3 hours before a workout, great energy from it! The recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1-2 tablespoons Splenda or sugar, depending on taste

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash of ginger

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of salt

1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) slivered almonds, or chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

Directions

If adding in almonds (or pecans or walnuts, etc), preheat oven to 350, spread almonds over a baking sheet, and toast in the oven for about 6-8 minutes, just being careful not to burn.

Whisk almond milk and pumpkin puree together in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat.

Pour the quick oats into the saucepan, and mix constantly for a couple minutes, or until it starts steaming.

Stir in the brown sugar, Splenda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and immediately transfer to your bowl.

Top with the toasted almonds, and enjoy!

Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins

Happy Friday!!! I made something for you guys this morning, and just in time for the weekend :) How would you like to wake up to some cappuccino-chocolate-chip muffins? I tried these for the first time last weekend, and I knew my life was changed--OMG, I just had to make my own, vegan version. And wouldn't you know it, I made a gluten-free version as well! You can make these either way, the only substitution for the gluten-free version is, of course, the flour. Here's a nice surprise: they're oil-free too! The recipe for your dangerously delicious (and addicting!) CCC muffins is:

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (If going gluten-free, make 2 cups of oat flour by pulsing quick-cooking oats in a blender or food processor until a fine flour forms)

1/2 cup Splenda (or sugar, if you prefer)

1.5 tablespoons of instant coffee crystals

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli brand is vegan)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a muffin tin.

If doing the gluten-free version, make your oat flour in the blender or food processor.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together, keeping the chocolate chips out for now.

Pour all wet ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend thoroughly.

Then, pour the wet ingredient mixture from the blender into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together very well.

Now stir in your chocolate chips.

Distribute the batter evenly in the muffin tin, and place in the oven for 20 minutes. (24 minutes for the gluten-free). The muffins are done when you can insert a toothpick into the center and remove it clean--no sticky batter.

Let cool for a few minutes, as those chocolate chips are now like lava! Delicious lava, but still...Enjoy!!

Notes:

If you're a toppings person, these are really good with some strawberry jam (A lot of flavor mixing, I know, but I'm addicted to strawberry jam. Even if some people make fun of the way I say "straw'bry"...), tofutti cream chese, or Chocolate Covered Katie's "Coffee Fudge Frosting" [link: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/19/creamy-coffee-fudge-frosting/.] I made Katie's frosting, but with almonds instead of cashews, so the texture was more chunky, dip-like and less frosting-like, but nonetheless delicious!

However, these muffins have no need for toppings, yum-yum-yummy without, too :)

I'm sure you're all wondering about calories...No? Well, I'm telling you anyways! Making 12 muffins, the gluten free version will have about 85 teeny-tiny calories each (WOW!), and the regular will have just 110 calories each. Holy moly, at that rate, you can eat these muffins all day! Hahaha, or maybe that's just my way of thinking...

The gluten-free muffins probably won't win a beauty contest anytime soon. When I pulled them out of the oven, I was a little worried I'd made some cardboard. BUT, looks certainly are deceiving!! I actually prefered the GF version to the regular ones! So, give them a whirl--these cappuccino-chocolate-chip muffins and I may have a bit of a love affair this winter...hehe...

And have a happy weekend!

Southwestern Style Scrambled Tofu

One of the things I missed the most when I first went vegan was scrambled eggs. Although, my heart definitely isn't missing the cholesterol! But they were a good flavor...luckily, tofu came to the rescue :) I never used to like tofu, but that was just because I didn't know how to make it right. Cooking with tofu gets easier and easier, and now I love cooking with tofu since it can serve as a base for a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert--how versatile! Replacing the eggs with tofu works really well as long as you add in some other flavors and make a scrambled omelette, so to speak. You may know very well that tofu is quite bland on it's own, but does an amazing job of absorbing other flavors, which is the key in its versatility. (In all fairness, plain eggs aren't bursting in flavor either, it's the add-ins that make them tasty). Anyhow, here's a tasty tofu breakfast recipe for two!

Ingredients:

1 block Mori-nu extra firm silken style tofu

Scant 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salsa of your choosing, mild or hot as you would like

Veggies from below that you want to taste--make it YOUR meal :) But, I'd definitely add at least 3 veggies.

     Chopped yellow onion
     Chopped celery
     Chopped red, green, yellow, and orange bell peppers
     Chopped spinach
     Chopped mushrooms
     Sliced olives
     Minced garlic
     Chopped green chiles
     Chopped chives

Spices and herbs from below that you want--again, it's your own taste, but I strongly recommend not skipping out on the salt and pepper.

     Black pepper
     Dash of crushed red pepper
     Salt
     Garlic powder
     Onion powder
     Dash of chili powder
     Cilantro

Directions:

First, sautee your veggies (except spinach, if you're using it) in a medium-sized pan lightly coated with a cooking spray. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, flipping a the veggies a couple times.

Drain the tofu and pat dry with a paper towel. Crumble tofu slightly with a fork, being careful not to over-mash. Add crumbled tofu to the pan with the veggies. Lightly sprinkle the turmeric as evenly as possible over all the tofu.

Continue to cook over medium heat for another 8-10 minutes, flipping occasionally with a spatula, adding in the spices during the last couple of minutes.

Divide evenly into two bowls, top with your salsa, and enjoy your Southwestern-style breakfast for two!

Notes:

This will also keep in the fridge if you want to save the second bowl for lunch, just be sure to cover it when you go to reheat it in the microwave--tofu tends to explode a little bit in the micro!

The entire thing has about 320 calories, so 160 per serving: wowza! :)

    

My Favorite Fruit Smoothie

You know one of my favorite things about the vegan diet? The boost in Vitamin C: I hardly ever get sick anymore, it makes my skin glow, and I notice that little nicks and scrapes heal faster. Not to mention, the sources of Vitamin C are super yummy! My favorite smoothie has just four ingredients, is really simple to make, and it packs in the good nutrients. Also, it's a meal for under 200 calories :) Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk

2/3 - 3/4 cup sliced strawberries

1/2 cup raspberries

1 frozen banana


Directions:

Well, you all know how to make a smoothie: into the blender it all goes! If you're really having a sweet-tooth, you can add a little sweetener (like Splenda or Stevia) to taste, but the fruit is makes it nice and sweet to begin with.

Note:

If you use frozen berries, the taste is a little more tangy, but still delish! In my opinion, it's even a little better :)

Also, you can add more good stuff into the smoothie! Need your dark greens, but don't like the taste? Try blending a handful of spinach in along with everything else. I promise, you can't taste it at all, though the color might be a little off-putting if you let it sit for a few minutes...

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Milkshake

So I have this little habit, call it good or bad, of combining breakfasts with desserts. My smoothies and oatmeal are usually modeled after some kind of desserts--lately it's been chocolate-banana or pumpkin pie flavoring. Bad, right? Actually, not! Recipes coming soon to prove it :) This first recipe post is reserved for something entirely new, born just this morning.

For some reason this morning, I woke up with one thing on the brain: snickerdoodles. Having no idea where that craving came from (it's been over a year since I've had a snickerdoodle cookie), I decided not to fight the urge, but instead incorporate it into a healthy breakfast milkshake! I had no idea how this recipe would turn out, as I didn't take the time to do any research before, but OMG. This recipe is amazing, my new favorite breakfast. In fact, I liked the breakfast one so much, that I did a repeat for lunch. The oats in the milkshake help you feel full longer, so this really is a meal--for just 280 sinless calories. Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1 tablespoon almond butter (could try subbing with other nut butters, but the almond butter gives it such a good, creamy, batter taste)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2-3 packets of Stevia, or Splenda, or other sweetener, to taste

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Mix the almond milk and the oats in a cup or container, and let sit in the fridge/freezer for at least an hour. (So the oats don't give the milkshake a gritty texture.)

The hardest part is waiting--now you just toss everything in the blender and blend it up really nice and smooth! It's nice to pour into a frosted glass (if you store those in the freezer), otherwise you might want to add some ice to make it cold.

And the Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Milkshake was born :) Happy Wednesday!