Mexican Lasagna- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

Another amazing hit with the family. So good, so healthy, so yummy.

Ingredients:
2 lg. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 t. chili powder
1 bunch of kale, rinsed and de-stemmed
1/4 c. vegan sour cream
1/2 c. almond or coconut milk
1 t. olive oil
1 sm. white onion
3 c. cooked black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)

1/2 t. cumin

dash cayenne, salt and black pepper

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2-3 c. shredded vegan cheese (Daiya)
1-2 jars green salsa (extra red salsa of choice is good too)
1 pkg. corn tortillas (around 12)
chopped fresh tomatoes for garnish


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and toss with chili powder.  Bake for 35 minutes or until tender.  Meanwhile, steam kale until softened (about 5 minutes) and set aside.  In a food processor or blender, place cooked sweet potatoes, kale, sour cream, and milk and blend together.  If you have a hand held immersion blender, place ingredients in a bowl and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add onion.  Cook until softened (8-10 minutes).  Meanwhile in a medium bowl, add black beans, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Add onion when ready and set aside.

Place a thin layer of green salsa at the bottom of a large casserole dish.  Cover with a layer of corn tortillas, then about half of the black bean mixture, followed by the sweet potato mixture, half of the shredded cheese, then more salsa, corn tortillas, black bean mixture, salsa, then the final layer of tortillas, the rest of the cheese, and top with a bit of green or red salsa.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Top with chopped tomatoes and/or a bit of vegan sour cream.  Serve with hot sauce or even ketchup.  Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cake

This cake is so yummy, it's the cake my children ask me to make them for their birthdays.  It's also so easy, that I can have it all prepared and ready to go into the oven by the time it takes the oven to heat up.

Ingredients: Cake
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. evaporated cane juice sugar
1/3 c. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. warm water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 t. organic apple cider vinegar (Bragg's brand)

Ingredients: Glaze
1/2 c. evaporated cane juice sugar
4 T. vegan butter (Smart Balance Organic)
2 T. almond or coconut milk
2 T. cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract








Oil an 8x8" square pan (or 7x9") and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.  In a smaller bowl whisk all of the wet ingredients.  Combine with the dry ingredients and pour into cake pan.  Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool about 30 minutes before frosting.

While cake is baking, make the glaze.  In a sm. saucepan, combine all of the ingredients, except for vanilla and almond extracts, and bring to a boil.  Stir frequently.  Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 2 minutes, continuing to stir.  Remove from heat and stir for 5 minutes.  Add vanilla and almond extract, pour into a small bowl and chill in the fridge until ready to frost cake.

When cake is cooled, drizzle glaze over cake and smooth using the back of a spoon.  Enjoy.

Variation: Top with walnuts or coconut flakes for added fun and flavor!

Broccoli Bake

My kids love broccoli.  This dish was made in honor of my youngest son's upcoming birthday, with lots of love and lots of yum.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients:
3 c. cooked brown rice (make with veggie broth for added flavor)
2 c. cooked white beans
1 1/2 c. veggie broth (see video recipe)
3 T. nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 t. smoked paprika
dash cayenne
1/4 t. dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 T. coconut oil (or olive oil)
1/2 onion, diced
1 lg. head broccoli florets
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 t. garlic powder
3/4 c. shredded vegan cheese (Daiya)
3 T. slivered almonds


Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add onion and celery and cook for 3 minutes.  Add broccoli, a pinch of salt, and cook for 5-7 minutes longer until broccoli is bright green and softer.  Add garlic powder when finished.

In a blender, combine beans, veggie broth, nutritional yeast flakes, paprika, cayenne, dry mustard, salt and pepper to taste.  Blend until smooth (about 30 seconds).

Combine rice, bean sauce, vegetables, 1/4 c. cheese, almonds and mix well.  Pour into a 9x13" casserole dish, top with remaining cheese and bake 30 minutes.  Serve with a touch of ketchup and/or hot sauce for added flavor.  Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

You can't go wrong with fruit pie in general, but a pie that has both a fruit and a vegetable is a win-win.  Also, it's perfectly in season now so go out and make it!  You will impress everyone with it.


Ingredients:
2 c. 1" thick rhubarb slices
2 c. strawberries, cored and quartered
3/4 c. cane juice sugar
4 T. all purpose flour
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. salt

CRUST:
1 1/2 c. sifted all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. vegan butter (smart balance)
3 T. cold water

CRUMB TOPPING
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. vegan butter
2-3 T. fresh lemon juice

VEGAN CREAM TOPPING
1c. raw cashews
1/2 c. water
1/4 brown rice syrup (or agave, or both)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract (optional but yummy)
1/4 c. safflower or sunflower oil (or veg. oil is fine too)


Crust:
Combine flour and salt in a small bowl.  Add butter and blend with a fork, then mix with fingers until it resembles coarse crumbles.  Add water 1 T. at a time, gently mixing dough until it forms a ball.  Place on a lightly floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 10-11 inch circle.  Place in a 9 inch pie plate and chill while making other parts.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Filling:
Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, flour, lemon and salt until thoroughly mixed.  Spoon into pie crust and bake for 30 minutes. While this is baking prepare crumb topping. Simply combine all ingredients together and mix with hands until large crumbs form.

When pie is done baking, sprinkle crumbs on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes more or until crumbs start to brown and pie is bubbly.  Cool on rack.

Vegan cream topping:
Place cashews in a blender or food processor fitted with an S blade and process until finely ground.  Add water, agave, vanilla, almond extract and process for one minute.

Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula.  While the machine is running on low, slowly drizzle oil and process for 2 minutes or until mixture is very thick and resembles whipped cream.

Chill for 30 min. or more in the fridge before serving.  Enjoy!

Vegan Lasagna

This is soooo good, it's a sin not to make it.  My biggest gripe with "vegetable" lasagnas is that they tend to be crunchy.  Here is my version of a vegan, non-crunchy lasagna.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
9 pieces of lasagna noodles
2 bunches of fresh spinach, de-stemmed
1 1/2 pkg. (16 oz) firm tofu, drained
1/4 c. nondairy milk (coconut or almond)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T. fresh lemon juice
3 T. fresh basil (about 30 leaves)
2 t. fresh oregano (or 1 t. dry)
1 1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste
1-2 jars of  sugar free marinara sauce
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 c. shredded v. cheese (Daiya)

Preheat oven for 350 degrees.

Steam spinach until cooked, about 5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions and set aside in a single layer on tin foil.

Thinly slice zucchini and set aside.

Place tofu, milk, garlic, lemon juice, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  An immersion blender works great for this too.  Add cooked spinach and pulse a few more times.

Cover bottom of an 11x17" baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce, then a layer of three lasagna noodles, follow with a third of the tofu-ricotta mixture, and a layer of zucchini (about half of the zucchini).  Repeat with sauce, noodles, tofu, and zucchini.  Then sauce, noodles, tofu-ricotta, then  a thin layer of sauce.  Top with shredded vegan cheese and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes.  Let cool 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

Variations:  Add meatless crumbles to your sauce for more texture and body.

Hummus

I have been perfecting this hummus for about 13 years. This version is currently my favorite! The kids call it "yummina-humminas" and totally devour it. Feel good about providing your kids with a healthy snack that's great for packing in a lunch box w/ some fresh carrots, cucumbers or zucchini.  
                                                     
Ingredients:
3 c. cooked garbanzo beans (or 2 cans drained and rinsed well)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. tahini
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. dried parsley
1/2 t. ground cumin
dash of cayenne
1 T. lemon juice



In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients and blend.  If you have a hand held immersion blender, place all ingredients in a bowl and blend.  Garnish with a sprinkle of dried parsley and a dash of cayenne.  Serve with sliced cucumbers, sliced fresh zucchini (my favorite), organic tortilla chips or pita bread slices.

Variation:  I also LOVE this recipe with 1/2 t. tumeric instead of cumin.

Pea Soup

Ingredients:
1 bag spit peas, picked over and rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth (see video recipe)
2 pieces of kombu, 2-3 " (or 2 bay leaves)
2 T. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 t. ground cumin
2 T. fresh oregano, chopped (or 2 t. dried)
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 t. dried)
dash of ground black pepper to taste
dash of cayenne
2 T. fresh lemon juice

In a large soup pot, bring split peas and broth to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface.  Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat.  When oil is hot, add all the remaining ingredients (except for lemon juice).  Cook until veggies have softened, about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When peas are ready, add veggies to soup pot and simmer, covered for one hour.  Remove kombu and stir in lemon juice.  In a blender or food processor, puree soup in batches, or use a hand held immersion blender in the pot.  Season w/ more salt/pepper to taste, and serve!  Enjoy.

Variation:  This soup is great served over cooked rice or barley.