Artichoke Dip

Don't let the name fool you.. it is MUCH more than an artichoke dip... haha. I just wasn't quite sure what to call it since there are so many elements to it. This is a great alternative to the traditional spinach and artichoke dip, and it is far more healthy! It would be great served with chips, bread, pita, whatever you have! Unfortunately I didn't plan ahead, and I have none of those, so I have nothing to eat it with! haha. A trip to the store is in order!

Before baking 

For this recipe you will need cooked white navy beans (soaked and cooked, or canned), and soaked raw cashews (soak for a couple hours at least in warm water). So make sure you have that ready before you start.

You will need:

1.5 cups cooked white navy beans

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked (measured before soaking)

1/2 cup Sour Supreme (vegan sour cream)

1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1.5 tsp Italian seasoning (mine has salt in it)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3 cups of baby greens (once cooked it is about 1 cup) (I used Earthbound Organic Power Greens, but just spinach will do too)

3/4 cups sliced black olives

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (I used the kind packed in oil)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

oil and salt for sauteing 

Optional ingredients:

1 cup vegan cheese, shredded

Jalapeno slices, chopped up OR 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

In a frying pan on medium heat, add about 2 tsp oil and saute onions until golden. Add in garlic and cook a couple of minutes more. Add in the greens and cook until just wilted. Add a couple pinches of salt while cooking just to season it a bit. Set aside.

In a food processor, add the navy beans, soaked cashews, sour cream, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt (and cayenne is using). Turn on high, and puree until smooth. This might take a few minutes.

To the food processor mixture, add in the chopped artichokes, the onion/garlic/greens mixture, sun dried tomatoes, and black olives (and jalapenos if using). Pulse a couple of times, just to incorporate and chop slightly. Don't pulse too many times, or else you will have a completely smooth mixture. You want it to still have small chunks of everything visible. If you are using shredded vegan cheese, mix it in by hand. Transfer mixture to a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. If you aren't adding the "cheese" you can serve without baking, but I like mine a little warm. Serve with your favorite dippables! :) 

One of the best veggie burger's I have ever created! Mmmm

This is my latest creation, and I could not be happier! I love veggie burgers, but I don't always like the ones you get at the store, and until now, my attempts at making a delicious and satisfying one have not been so successful. This baby changes everything! You I have made these a few times, and changed a couple of ingredients each time, but they turned out great every time.

You will need:

2 cups cooked rice cooked in veggie stock (I used sprouted brown rice, but any kind will work)

1 cup chickpeas

1.5 cups chopped mushroom

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

2 Tbsp oil, divided

1 chia "egg" (1 Tbsp ground chia mixed with 2 Tbsp warm water)

1 cup walnuts, ground (measured before grinding)

1/3 cup bread crumbs (or panko)

1/8 cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

Oil 2 baking sheets and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook your rice if not already cooked. Grind walnuts in food processor. Caramelize onions. Saute mushrooms (using 1 tbsp of the oil for the onions an mushrooms... add a little salt too!). In food processor, combine half of the full amounts of the following ingredients: rice, chickpeas, mushrooms, and onions. Put the other half of all these ingredients in a bowl. In the food processor add the lemon juice, tamari/soy/ 1 tbsp oil/ maple syrup, and chia "egg". Puree until you have a paste. Add to you bowl with the other half of these ingredients. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients (everything left on the recipe list), and combine until well mixed. Scoop out approx. 1/3 cup at a time and form into a ball. Put onto baking sheet, and then press into a patty shape. Drizzle with oil. Bake fore 30 min, flipping half way through.

Before baking

After baking

Tonight I made this recipe, but subbed the breadcrumbs for panko, and half of the walnuts for cooked lentils (added to the food processor part). Turned out great! You could add whatever spices you'd like I'm sure too! These are just so yummy! I had mine on a whole wheat bun with bbq sauce, vegenaise, lettuce, tomato and avocado. So good! Enjoy!! :)

Yummy Banana Loaf

Last night I made Chef Chloe's delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Cake. I have made it before, and stuck right to the recipe, and it was super good, but I wanted to try and make it a little healthier this time, so I did, and it turned out great :) Basically I subbed some of the white flour for whole wheat, and replaced some of the sugar with medjool dates.

Don't mind the picture.. there isn't much of the loaf left! haha 

You can see the original recipe by clicking on the link above, and below is the recipe with the changes I made:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 medjool dates, pits removed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup mashed bananas (approximately 2 very ripe bananas, mashed on a plate using the back of a fork)
• 1 cup canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (dairy-free)

Combine flour(s), sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg in a bowl. 

Combine dates (pits out), bananas, coconut milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar in a blender (I used my Vitamix), and puree until the dates are no longer chunky. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and fold in chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. Spread the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan, and bake at  350 degrees for 50-60 min (until a knife/toothpick comes out clean). 

"Chicken" Noodle Soup

Now that the weather is cool, today felt like a chicken noodle soup day..... So I made some!:) Chicken free of course! And the kids actually ate it, so that's always a bonus. They have both been on a bit of an eating strike lately, so if they eat anything at all I am extremely happy! So if you are feeling the chill in the winter air and are craving a nice warm bowl of something nostalgic, try this!

You will need:

1 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped kale
6 cups veggie stock
1 cup diced "chick'n", seitan, or crumbled tofu (Your choice)
1 tsp poultry seasoning (I used Mc Cormick brand)
1 tsp italian seasoning (I used Clubhouse brand)
1/2 cup (approx 44 noodles) linguine or spaghetti, broken into small pieces

Heat oil on medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, and cook until onions are translucent, being careful not to brown them. Add veggie stock, noodles,"chick'n", poultry seasoning and italian seasoning, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until noodles are almost done. Add the kale in for the last couple minutes of cooking (just so it doesn't get overcooked). Ladle into bowls and serve with crackers if desired. Makes about 4-6 bowls, depending on the size.