Creamy Cashew Cilantro Lime Dressing. Southwest Salad.

I saw a salad similar to this one on Pinterest the other day, except the salad dressing was made with greek yogurt and full of olive oil. I knew I had to try to recreate this cilantro lime goodness, so I went to work. I decided on a base of cashews, because they give dressings such a rich creaminess, and the rest went from there. You really need a high powered blender like a Vitamix for this recipe. If not, you can try soaking your cashews overnight and doing it in your regular blender, but I'm afraid it might still turn out a bit grainy. A Vitamix is quite handy with the "nutritarian" diet, which is the phrase coined by Dr. Furhman.

What is a Nutritarian?
 A person who bases food choices on maximizing the micronutrient load per calorie. Micronutrients are things like vitamins, phytochemicals and minerals.

Click here to read a little more on this. http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/what-is-a-nutritarian-diet.aspx 

 Creamy Cashew Cilantro Lime Dressing

1/2 cup raw cashews
1 small bunch cilantro, about 3/4 to 1 cup
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
pinch cayenne, optional
2 cloves garlic
pinch salt, optional

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend for a minute or so until very smooth.

Southwest Salad

1 head romaine, chopped small
chopped orange pepper
chopped tomato
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 thawed frozen corn, or as desired
3/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained, or as much as desired
Creamy Cashew Cilantro Lime Dressing, to taste

First, add the chopped romaine to a large plate or bowl, then layer with remaining ingredients, drizzling the dressing over the top. Enjoy! Perfect summer lunch. This kept me full for like 6 hours until dinner!

Fruit Kissed Oatmeal

Have I mentioned I love oatmeal? I didn't use to. I used to only like oatmeal with a fair amount of brown sugar and nothing else. After reading Eat To Live, and then Super Immunity by Dr. Furhman, I cut out the brown sugar and started experimenting with new oatmeal recipes that were easy enough for me to put together each morning. Now I enjoy my oatmeal more than I ever did with plain old brown sugar.

This Fruit Kissed Oatmeal is a delight and will keep you satisfied until lunchtime. Enjoy!

Fruit Kissed Oatmeal

 Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup almond milk
1 date, chopped
1/2 banana, sliced
1/2 chopped apple
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 Tbs chopped walnuts

Instructions:

In a small pot, combine all ingredients except the blueberries and chopped walnuts. Simmer covered for about 5 minutes. Stir in the blueberries and cover for 2-3 minutes before serving. Top with the chopped walnuts.
 

Hearty Quinoa Salad

This Quinoa salad works great as a main dish. It's delicious, filling, and oil free. It's also good in a whole wheat pita, or on top of some salad greens. This salad uses simple ingredients and gets a plus for it's frugality. The recipe makes a pretty huge bowl, perfect for potlucks. It also keeps pretty well in the fridge for a few days. Quinoa is a great source of protein, about 8 grams per 1 cup cooked. Edamame is also super high in protein, making this a protein packed dish!

Hearty Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa
1/2 package frozen mango from Trader Joes, thawed and diced small, or 3 fresh diced mangos 
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped small
3/4 cup slivered almonds
2-3 cups edamame, cooked then cooled
Juice of 4 limes
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

Rinse the quinoa well, then add to a medium pot with 3.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cook at medium low heat for about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and then let it cool. I usually cool mine in the fridge for a few hours or overnight if I can.

Add all other ingredients and mix well. It's best if this can sit in the fridge for at least an hour, to let all the flavors meld. Serve cold and enjoy!

Banana Bread

I'm not sure why I keep baking breads in the heat of the summer, but I do. I'm on a mission to create healthier versions of the foods we love, without sacrificing taste. This one meets such criteria. I can not believe how delicious this Banana Bread turned out. It is super moist, not dry like some low fat baked goods can be. It has a rich, almost caramel like flavor. The top of the loaf has a crispness that is to die for. Try it and see for yourself how enjoyable healthy plant based eating can be!

* You can find whole wheat pastry flour in the bulk section of Fred Meyer, and at most other stores. It is my go to for baked goods.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

3-4 over-ripe bananas, about 1 1/2 cups mashed
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
2 Tbs pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbs lemon juice
Walnuts, Raisins, Chocolate Chips, optional

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mash the bananas and mix in sugar, vanilla and applesauce. Mix lemon juice with the almond milk and then stir into the banana mixture. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir until just combined, making sure not to over mix.You can fold in any add ins like walnuts, raisins or chocolate chips. I left mine pure.

Pour the mixture evenly into a 9x5 inch loaf pan that has been lightly oiled. Baked until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Shepherds Pie

I've made several vegan Shepherds Pies, and finally have found a recipe I love. I never did make a traditional Shepherds Pie, so I'm not sure how it compares, but this Shepherd's Pie is amazing. Comfort food at it's best. Adapted a little from Engine 2 Diet.

Shepherds Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:

5 medium yukon gold potatoes, cut into quarters
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
freshly ground pepper to taste
salt to taste
16 oz frozen or fresh green beans
2 onions, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs fresh rosemary (I used 1 tsp dried)
2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs Tamari (or soy sauce)
6 oz can tomato paste
1 Tbs vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Boil the potatoes about 15 minutes, or until soft.

Drain, and mash with the soy milk, pepper and salt to taste. Set aside.

Steam green beans for 7 minutes.

Saute onions on medium heat in a large skillet for 5 minutes, until translucent.

Add mushrooms, garlic and rosemary to the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to release their juices.

Add lentils, black pepper and tamari.

Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, adding a small amount of water if necessary to combine ingredients.

Place the vegetable meat crumble in a large casserole dish.

Spread green beans on top.

Spread mashed potatoes on top of the green beans and smooth over.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and baked another 5 minutes.

Zucchini Bread

If you use gluten free rolled oats, this zucchini bread is gluten free and vegan. My kids won't eat zucchini bread with raisins in it, so I used chocolate chips, but feel free to sub raisins for the chocolate if you prefer. This zucchini bread is oil free, much lower in sugar than traditional zucchini bread recipes, and is made with millet and rolled oats. It's moister than many low fat vegan recipes I've tried in the past, and best of all, my kids gobble it up.

* Not all chocolate chips are vegan or dairy free, they often add milk fat. Trader Joes chocolate chips happen to be vegan, and so are Ghiradelli semi sweet. 

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, ground into flour
3/4 cup dry millet, ground into flour

1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground dry ginger
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup non-dairy milk
1-3/4 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated apple
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly oil two loaf pans.

1. Grind the oats and millet into a flour using your blender (high powered works best) and place into a large bowl. Add the soda, powder, and spices. Mix together well.

2. In another bowl, add the organic sugar, non-dairy milk, zucchini, apple, vanilla, walnuts and chocolate chips. Mix well.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Divide evenly between the two loaf pans.

4. Baked uncovered in the middle rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it's probably done. The top of the loaf will be a golden brown. Cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Kale Salad

I never thought I would enjoy eating raw kale so much. This is my go to Kale Salad recipe. Adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Kale Salad

Ingredients:

1 large bunch kale (I prefer dinosaur kale, not the fluffy stuff, but any type works fine) 
2-3 Tbs sunflower seeds
1 apple, chopped
1/2 large avocado, diced (tossed in lemon juice if your not going to eat it right away)
handful of cherry tomatoes
1/2 small sweet or red onion, sliced thin

2 1/2 Tbs Tahini
3 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp pure maple syrup

Instructions:

Wash your kale, dry well. Pull the leaves off the thick stems. Then, chop the remaining leaves pretty finely, almost shredded. Discard thick stems. Put the chopped kale in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together until smooth.

Add the dressing to the kale, and massage with your hands for a minute or two. It well help soften the kale. This is optional, if you prefer a more crunchy kale, just mix the dressing in without massaging.

Fold in the sunflower seeds. Add the remaining toppings in a lovely pattern on top. Serve!

Healthy Caesar Dressing

Creamy, garlicky, and satisfying. One of my favorite salad dressings to make. This is my HUGE lunch salad (it's in a large serving bowl :)) with red leaf lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and garbanzo beans. Dr. Furhman recommends a goal of 1 lb of raw veggies per day, and this salad dressing gets me close to that! You'll need a high powered blender like a Vita Mix for this one. From www.drfuhman.com.

Healthy Caesar Dressing

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic
2/3 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
2/3 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 Tbs nutritional yeast
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
dash black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the garlic for about 25 minutes, or until soft.

When cool, remove the skins and blend with the remaining ingredients until creamy and smooth.

Makes enough for a couple of large salads. 


 

Quick Banana Berry Oatmeal

This is the oatmeal we probably eat the most often, because it's quick to throw together and it tastes incredible. Recipe from www.drfuhman.com. Not to mention it's full of superfoods, such as the blueberries, pomegranate juice, walnuts and sunflower seeds. On work days, I put all the ingredients together in one of my glass containers with a lid, microwave once I get to work, and enjoy.

Quick Banana Berry Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/6 cup pomegranate juice (or half of 1/3 cup)
1/2 to 1 Tbs chopped walnuts
1/2 Tbs sunflower seeds
1 medjool date, chopped

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 3 minutes.
You could also just cook in all on the stove top if you prefer, but I actually like the way it tastes better when I microwave it, it kinda caramelizes the bananas in a very good way.

Best Burrito Bowl

I love a good burrito bowl from Chipotle. However, since changing to a healthier, plant based diet, all I taste when I go there is salt, salt, and more salt. This bean dish is bursting with flavor, especially when topped with homemade pico de gallo. You can also wrap this with brown rice in a whole wheat tortilla, or make tacos with some corn tortillas. Or go crazy and make enchiladas out of it, pouring enchilada sauce over the top and baking.

Ingredients:

1 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 cup, packed and chopped kale
1 cup carrots, coarsely chopped
2 cans low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can low sodium diced tomatoes
1 cup salsa
3 tsp chile powder
1 tsp cumin

Instructions:

Combine onion, garlic, kale and carrots in a food processor and pulse until everything is chopped pretty small. In a large saute pan, cook the veggies in a few tablespoons of water until very tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the beans, tomatoes, salsa and spices and stir well to combine. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, giving it a stir every few minutes.

To assemble a Burrito Bowl:

Put some cooked brown rice in a bowl. Next, add the bean mixture. Top with fresh pico de gallo, tofu sour cream, and/or guacamole if desired.  

Blueberry Oatmeal

Blueberry Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup almond milk
1 date, chopped
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
Dash cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
Place all ingredients (except the walnuts) in a small pot on the stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes. Top with chopped walnuts. 
 

Maple Tahini Dressing

This dressing tastes amazing with kale, avocado and chopped apples. It's so delicious you could just drink the stuff.

Maple Tahini Dressing

4 Tbs Tahini
4 tsp lemon juice
4 Tbs apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 Tbs pure maple syrup
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
pinch cayenne, optional

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Sometimes I just throw it in the blender if my tahini's on the chunkier side. Add water if needed until desired consistency is reached. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Plant Based Snacks for Kids

Before going vegan about 3 years ago, my kids used to eat lots of goldfish crackers, yogurt cups and cheese sticks for snacks. Even once we went "vegan" but not necessarily "whole foods plant based", they ate a lot of convenient vegan snacks, like non dairy crackers, soy yogurt cups and Z Bars.

In 2012 I read Disease Proof Your Child by Dr. Joel Furhman, and I realized how so much of what I was feeding my kids had little to no nutritional value at all. I have been on a journey since to increase the amount of nutrients in their diet, and a large part of that has include changing our snacking habits. My goal for snacktime is to fill them with nutrients and phytochemicals, as well as satisfy their hunger until the next mealtime. I've found that if my kids are truly hungry, they are happy to eat an apple or a banana; even carrots or lettuce. Through trial and error, I have found many new snacks that they love and that are better for them.

Plant Based Snacks for Kids

Green Smoothie
Banana Ice Cream (frozen bananas blended together)
Apple cut up with nut butter to dip
Banana with nut butter
Grapes, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cherries, etc.
Larabar
Trail mix (usually peanuts, cashews and raisins, sunflower seeds)
Chickpeas, rinsed and drained, with nooch (nutritional yeast). Can also roast these for a crunchy snack.
Sprouted whole grain bread with nut butter
Cucumbers, carrot sticks, celery with or without hummus
Whole Romaine leaves (seriously, my daughter will eat a bunch if she's in the right mood)
Homemade oatmeal bars (recipes to come)
Chocolate Balls
Sunflower seeds
Applesauce
Air popped popcorn
Microwave Potato Chips

Chocolate Balls

These are a great way to get healthy fats into your kids. I like to keep mine in the freezer so they last longer.

Chocolate Balls

1 cup cashews
1/2 cup almonds or walnuts
1 cup Medjool dates
1 Tbs cocoa powder
Splash of vanilla

First, put the nuts into your food processor and grind them until they are medium-finely ground. Then add the dates, cocoa, and vanilla and process until the mixture will hold together in balls. This can take a few minutes. If after a few minutes the mixture is still too dry, use just a splash non-dairy and process. Repeat as necessary until the mixture will hold together. Form into small balls. Either refrigerate or freeze to store.

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Seriously, this tastes so good! And the only way my kids will eat avocado. From Dr. Furhman's Website.

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

1 Large Ripe Avocado

8-12 Medjool Dates, I use about 8

2 Tbs Cocoa Powder

Splash of Vanilla

1/2 to 3/4 cup water

First, blend the water and the dates together in a high powered blender. Then, add everything else. Blend until very smooth, adding additional water if needed. This tastes much better when cold, so refrigerate for a few hours before eating.