Apple Currant Confetti Salad

Confetti salad or micro salad, they both refer to a salad that has been pulsed in a food processor into tiny pieces. I love these sorts of salads for many reasons. One, a salad like this makes it super easy to eat a ton of veggies in one sitting that I wouldn't normally eat, such as raw broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower. Second, these salads are much easier on digestion since everything is chopped so small. Third, they are quicker to eat which is great when I'm in a hurry at work and have to eat fast. I also love that I don't need any salad dressing with this salad, and I can make a ton over the weekend to eat all week long. This will stay really well in the fridge for several days.

You can eat this as is, or for added nutrition use it as a topping for salad greens, and even add some garbanzo beans for a complete meal. Inspired by Oh She Glows and Dr. Furhman.

Apple Currant Confetti Salad

Ingredients:

2 heads of broccoli, stems removed
1 small to medium head cauliflower, stems removed
3 large carrots, cut into smaller 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsely
1 apple, cored and cut into 4-5 pieces
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
3/4 cup currants
2 medium lemons, juiced or 4-6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

In a food processor, chop the broccoli with the S blade until fine, like pieces of confetti. Add to a large bowl.

Process the cauliflower until fine, then the carrots and add both to the large bowl with the broccoli.

Put the apple pieces and the coarsely chopped parsley in the food processor and pulse until they are both in very small pieces. Add this to the bowl.

Stir in the sunflower seeds, currants and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for later. You could also put some in individual containers to take to work all week long. 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Simple roasted sweet potatoes are this plant based family's favorite side dish (or main dish). Pair these babies with some steamed broccoli, and you've got yourself a great meal. My kids go crazy for sweet potatoes, they can't get enough of these. We especially like them alongside some veggie/bean burgers, baked beans or with the No-fu Love Loaf.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients: 
 
4-6 medium sweet potatoes
Parchment paper
spray oil, optional
salt, optional

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit a large pan for roasting. Peel and chop your sweet potatoes so that the pieces are pretty equal in size. Lay the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the parchment paper/pan. Sometimes I need to use a smaller roasting pan as well, depending on how many sweet potatoes I'm cooking. Spray lightly with oil, sprinkle with salt if desired. Roast for 25 minutes, flip sweet potatoes and roast another 25 minutes. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Remove from oven and serve.

No-Fu Love Loaf

This is another one of our family favorite meals. We usually eat this once a week. The loaf ranks high on my list of frugal meals, especially because it's so delicious. My whole family likes it, there's no chopping involved, and it freezes beautifully. From Let Them Eat Vegan, by Dreena Burton. Make some roasted sweet potatoes and Best Brussel Sprouts to go with it. Healthy comfort food!

No-fu Love Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup green lentils
1 cup vegetable stock (I usually just use water)
1/3 cup water
1 dried bay leaf
3/4 cup bulgur or steel cut oats
1 cup water, boiled or warm
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup rolled or quick oats
3 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons ground chia or flax meal
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoons dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Topping:
3-4 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Combine the lentils, vegetable stock, 1/3 cup of water, and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium low, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until just about tender. Once done, add the bulgur (or steel cut oats) and boiling water, cover, and cook on medium low heat for another 8-9 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375. Lightly oil an oven-proof glass loaf pan. Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl.

Once the bulgur is cooked, remove the bay leaf and add all the remaining ingredients (except topping). Stir very well. Transfer the mixture to prepared pan and pack it in. Spread the topping mixture over the top.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25-28 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes or so, before cutting to slice and serve. Serves 5-6 people.

*To save on money and time, double the recipe and freeze 1 loaf. See this website on freezing vegan foods for more details: Vegan in the Freezer.

Whole Grain Blender Waffles

These waffles are gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free rolled oats), full of healthy fats from the flaxseeds and nuts, oil free and dairy free of course. My kids pretty much eat a waffle for breakfast every morning, so I make a ton of these and freeze them. For being so healthy, these actually have a really great flavor and texture. They are crispy on the outside while being pretty light, not dense like some vegan waffles I've made before. This recipe makes about 22-24 waffles, depending on your waffle iron. Feel free to cut the recipe in halves or thirds if you don't want that many. Recipe adapted from Whole Food Mommies.

Whole Grain Blender Waffles

Ingredients:

6 cups water
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup millet
3/4 cup flaxseed
3/4 cup almonds or cashews
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar OR 12-16 medjool dates
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat your waffle iron. Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender such as a Vitamix for 1 minute or so until smooth. Your blender will be very full, but it will work. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes if you can to thicken. Pour mixture in to waffle iron and cook according to waffle iron instructions or until steam stops rising and the waffle is golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately with desired toppings.

 * If freezing: Spread waffles out on your counter to cool completely. Once cooled, place stacked waffles in freezer bags and freeze. Then, when you want a waffle, just pull one out of the bag and pop it in the toaster.

Kung Pao Vegetables

We have been eating this meal once a week for the last couple of years. That's how good it is. We just don't get sick of it. The vegetables stay a little crunchy and the sauce is simple yet delicious. It's also one of those meals that is super budget friendly and tastes great. My kids don't eat a ton of the vegetables yet (Have I mentioned how picky they are?), but they love the Baked Tofu and brown rice.

In the book, Super Immunity, Dr. Furhman says "Cruciferous vegetables are not only the most powerful anticancer foods in existence; they are also the most micronutrient-dense of all vegetables." Bok choy is a cruciferous vegetable, as well as broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and kale. Mushrooms are also a super immunity, anticancer food: "..they prevent DNA damage, slow cancer cell or tumor growth, cause programmed cancer cell death, and/or prevent tumors from acquiring a blood supply. These effects have been shown in breast, prostate, and colon cancers.."

So while this recipe is inexpensive and simple, it delivers a nutrient packed punch. Happy health!

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan.


Kung Pao Vegetables


Ingredients:
 

8 oz sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced onion
8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup peanuts (optional)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 package baby bok choy from Trader Joes (about 4), chopped small

3 tablespoons mirin or rice wine
3 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup water
asian chile sauce to taste
cooked brown rice
Baked Tofu, 1 batch

Instructions:

Before starting the vegetables, cook your brown rice according to package instructions. If adding Baked Tofu which I recommend, have that in the oven before you start the stir fry as well.

To make cooking a breeze, first slice your mushrooms and put them in a large pan or wok, no heat yet. Chop your carrots, celery and onion and put them in a medium bowl. Put the drained water chestnuts, garlic and chopped bok choy stalks in a different bowl. Leave the bok choy leaves on the cutting board. Now when you start cooking, everything will be ready to go.

Place the sliced mushrooms in a dry wok or large pan and heat on high. Stir until the mushrooms release their liquid, it will happen after 1-3 minutes, I promise!  Then, add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until the colors brighten.  Add the water chestnuts, garlic and bok choy stalks and cook until heated through.  Add the bok choy leaves and cook until slightly wilted.

Mix together the mirin/rice wine, tamari/soy sauce and seasoned rice vinegar.  Pour over the vegetables and stir cook until slightly bubbly.  Add the cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce. Remove from heat.

Serve over brown rice. Add a few peanuts, baked tofu and/or asian chile sauce to taste. Also makes great leftovers the next day for lunch, if there's any left!

Baked Tofu

Simple to prepare, this is my kid's favorite way to eat tofu. I add this to stir fry dishes, or put it in the kid's lunch boxes with some brown rice. It's also great in sandwiches. From www.fatfreevegan.com.

Baked Tofu

1 lb extra firm tofu

about 1/8 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Press tofu for 30 minutes, or squeeze excess water out of tofu. 

Slice tofu into 1/4 inch rectangles. Brush with soy sauce, front and back, and allow to marinate for 10 minutes. Place onto a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning once halfway through, until brown and crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside. Remove from oven.

If using in a stir fry or serving to little ones, cut the pieces into cubes before serving.

Zucchini Bars

This summer, the plot in our community garden has been producing more zucchini than I know what to do with. So far I've made my version of Zucchini Bread and Happy Herbivore's Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (which are my kids favorite zucchini recipe). But I wanted to make something with zucchini that was even healthier, free of flour and sweetened with only fruit and dates. This recipe is adapted from Dr. Furhman's website, a great place to find fruit or date sweetened only desserts, plus many other wonderful recipes. These certainly have a much healthier taste than your average zucchini bread that is filled with white flour, sugar and oil, but that's what I like about them. My kids liked these a lot, I think they would be a great lunchbox addition once school starts.

Zucchini Bars

Ingredients:

12 pitted medjool dates
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 very ripe medium bananas or 3 small bananas
4 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
4 tablespoons ground flax seed
4 cups oatmeal, divided
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips, or raisins, or carob chips
5 cups shredded zucchini
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 by 13 dish with oil and set aside.

Using a high powered blender, process 2 cups of the oats into oat flour. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Next, add the dates, soy milk, bananas, sunflower seeds and flaxseed to the blender. Blend until very smooth. Add this mixture to the bowl with the oat flour. Add the remaining 2 cups of oats, cinnamon, walnuts, chocolate chips (or raisins), zucchini and vanilla. Mix well (mixture should be moist but very thick, if it seems too runny or wet, add a little extra oats). Spread mixture into the 9 by 13 dish.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and the center is firm. Mine took 45 minutes. These also firm up a lot as they cool, so don't worry if they seem a little mushy right out of the oven.

Store in the refrigerator for several days. Happy Summer!