Coconut Fakin' "Bacon" ~ Meatless Monday

I recently read a blog post about making coconut "bacon", over on the blog ~ Hungry Hungry Hippie.  I was instantly intrigued and went right out to get some coconut flakes.  I made a batch and was happy with the results.  The coconut "bacon" had a flavor that really did have a similar taste to crispy bacon.  It worked great sprinkled over salad, added to a sandwich and eaten right out of hand.  You get a bit of coconut flavor, but only if you really try to 'taste' it.  

Next time I make it I'll increase the amount of seasoning, that way it will have a bigger 'bacon' taste.  I think I'll also add some McCormick's Smokehouse Maple seasoning to the mix, for an extra layer of 'smoky' flavor.  The coconut flakes go from pale-to-dark pretty quick, so keep a close eye on it while it's in the oven.  Thinking outside traditional bacon usage, this might be a fun twist for topping a chocolate cupcake.  Chocolate and Coconut Fakin' Bacon together? ~ YUM!  What do you think?  :)   Happy Meatless Monday!

Spicy Almond Noodles ~ Meatless Monday

When I have leftover plain spaghetti noodles in the fridge, I'll often turn them into a quick Asian-inspired meal for the next go 'round.   I don't really have a recipe for this kind of meal because it all comes together based on what is hanging around in my fridge, what I'm in the mood for and how creative I'm feeling at the moment.  This time I just nuked some sliced yellow squash, mushrooms, onions and cubed tofu.  I mixed up a quick and simple 'sauce' from a big spoonful of almond butter,  a pinch of Chinese 5-Spice, a dash of Tabasco sauce and a little Bragg's Amino Acids (my stand-in for soy sauce).  I tossed the sauce with the reheated noodles, threw in the veggies and tossed again.  I topped it all off with some chopped fresh cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes and a handful of  toasted sliced almonds.  Spicy Almond Noodles = Yummy for my tummy!  This makes a super simple meal for a Meatless Monday, or for any day of the week.  Who says leftovers are boring?  Certainly not me!!  :)

BBQ Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potato with Quick Coleslaw ~ Meatless Monday

I've pretty much been absent from my kitchen for the last few weeks.  Ever since my son went back to school on August 1st, I've been painting and redecorating just about anything around here that doesn't move.  :)  Before I started my 3-week DIY cosmetic home renovation bender, I cooked up a huge pot of plain lentils.  I wanted them basic so I could change-up their flavor for each individual meal ~ just by mixing in different spices, sauces, or toppings.  A few of the creative ways I've enjoyed the lentils ~ as a quick Indian soup; tossed into a simple garden salad; mixed into canned turkey chili; tucked into corn tortillas as a stand-in for taco meat; and as shown in the stuffed sweet potato above...  

For this meal I was inspired by a combo of posts I've done over the last year.  I took a bit-of-this from one recipe and bit-of-that from another... 

• Lentil Sloppy Joe's
• Red Chili Bean Stuffed Sweet Potato
• Cajun Sloppy Joe's topped with Coleslaw

...and came up with a really quick and tasty meal!  I tossed some hot, drained lentils with my favorite BBQ sauce (Bull's-Eye Original BBQ Sauce), made a super easy coleslaw by mixing shredded cabbage with low-fat ranch dressing, stuffed it all into a nuked sweet potato, and served it with some steamed veggies.  It was a wonderful meal that was ready in just a few minutes.   I still have enough to make another serving today...so, now you know what I'll be eating for my Meatless Monday lunch today!

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas & Kale ~ Meatless Monday

This recipe for Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens popped up on my Facebook feed yesterday.  The recipe said to change up the greens if you like.  Well, I had some kale that needed using up...and an open can of chickpeas in the fridge...and a bottle of balsamic vinegar in the pantry ~ all the things I needed for a superfood Meatless Monday meal!

I made this today for my lunch and I was really happy with how it tasted...and used up the odds-and-ends in my fridge.  Real-time cooking in my kitchen this afternoon.  Check out FatFree Vegan Kitchen for LOTS of other wonderful meatless recipes.

Oat Bran "Polenta" with Mexican Beans ~ Meatless Monday

Giving leftover oat bran the 'polenta treatment' ~ what a great way to eat more of this superfood!

Ixtapa, Mexico

I've recently returned from a 2-week long vacation and I'm slowly easing back into my routines, both around the house and on the blog.  I went to another Club Med EXGO Reunion (read about my first EXGO reunion here) and this time I took my son.  This latest reunion was at the Club Med village ~ Ixtapa Pacific.  We met lots of new people and became really good friends with a lovely family from San Francisco. :) 

Since I've been busy working on editing our trip photos, I've been thinking a lot about our vacation and all the different types of Mexican foods they served ~ as well as some interesting new spins on old classics.  They served polenta a few times on the dinner buffet and since I happened to have some cooked, leftover oat bran in fridge  that looked a lot like chilled polenta, (once I took it out of the round Tupperware container) I decided to give it the 'polenta' treatment.

I sliced the cold oat bran 'polenta' into a few discs (just like you would from a tube of precooked polenta), sprinkled on some zesty spices and then 'fried' the discs in a little oil.  I topped the 'fried polenta' with home cooked pinto beans, some Mexican fixin's (chopped white onion, cilantro, sofrito and chipotle hot sauce) and salt/pepper from my cool new shakers (Thanks, L!).  It made for a marvelous meatless lunch that would be good for breakfast, brunch, or supper, too.  I just love finding new and unusual ways to enjoy my oats!

The cooked oat bran really tastes a lot like polenta when you slice and cook/fry it after it's been chilled overnight in the fridge.  It would be easy to adapt this for an Italian version, just by switching up the spices/toppings.  All the more reason to make some extra oat bran in the mornings ~ now I can eat it for a quick lunch or dinner, too.  :) 

  

Braised Radish Greens with Chickpeas & Tomatoes ~ Meatless Monday

I had some radish leaves left over from the bunch that our 'gentleman farmer' neighbor brought over the other day, ((see the post that I wrote about the homegrown radishes HERE))  and I'm still amazed to find out that you really can eat radish greens.  It really shouldn't have surprised me, but it did.  If I had to describe them, I'd say they are a bit tough and a tad bitter, sort of like turnip or mustard greens.  I'm glad I gave cooking/braising them a try, and was happy with how my meal turned out.  It was pretty simple to make...

I trimmed off the tougher ends of the leaves (saving them for the juicer) and gave the radish leaves a rough chop.  I braised the leaves with about a half cup of canned diced tomatoes/ juice, a cup of chickpeas and some EVOO.  As you can see, they cooked down a lot.  When they were done, I gave the whole thing a drizzle of maple syrup, a shot of Bragg's Amino Acids, and some crushed red pepper/salt.   I think this works for either a light lunch/dinner or as a side dish.  Next time you find yourself with some homegrown or some organic radishes, consider cooking the leaves ~ I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, too.  Happy Meatless Monday!

Quinoa, Kale, Walnut & Cranberry Salad

When I'm trying to get more greens into my diet, kale is one of the first veggies I head for.  I really enjoy eating raw kale in salads, especially when I have some leftover quinoa in the fridge.  Throw in a handful of walnuts and cranberries, a big spoonful of quinoa, then drizzle on some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, give it all a toss and I'm good to go.  Who says eating your greens has to be boring?  Certainly not me!

Vanilla Soy Creme Brulee/Flan

Vanilla Soy Creme Brulee/Flan ~ I started out making homemade vanilla soy yogurt, then turned that into vanilla soy 'soft cheese/Greek yogurt', and then turned that into a vanilla soy 'faux' creme brulee/flan.  I love tinkering with different recipes in my kitchen.  How about you?

I was playing around in the kitchen one day, trying my hand at making homemade soy yogurt.  I followed this recipe, using light vanilla soy milk, and came up with  a very tasty batch of vanilla soy yogurt.

I enjoyed the yogurt as is, but decided to keep going with the process and turned the soy yogurt into a vanilla soy 'soft cheese/Greek yogurt', following this recipe.  Waiting for the liquid to drain out of the soy yogurt was the hardest part of making the 'soft cheese/Greek yogurt'.

Now that I had a thick and creamy 'soft cheese/Greek yogurt', I decided to continue playing around with it.  I mixed up a small box of vanilla instant pudding with about 1/2 cup soy milk and combined it with the vanilla soy 'soft cheese/Greek yogurt'.  I put the mixture in ramekins and let it setup in the fridge until firm; sprinkled it with brown sugar & broiled it in the oven until the brown sugar melted/caramelized.  

To me, the resulting dessert tasted like a cross between creme brulee and flan.  So, I'm dubbing it my ~ Vanilla Soy Creme Brulee/Flan.  I enjoy tinkering around with different recipes, combining them and seeing what you come up with ~ and when you're playing around with desserts, it's always good.

Lentil Sloppy Joes ~ Meatless Monday

Recently, I was looking at the blog ~ Chocolate-Covered Katie ~ & read a post on one of her family recipes for ~ Lentil Sloppy Joes.  I had some lentils in the pantry & thought it sounded like it would make a great meal.  I cooked the lentil mixture ahead of time & it really thickened up nicely, then I just reheated it before serving dinner.  J LOVED it & asked for seconds.  He had a hard time keeping the filling in the bun, (8 year old fingers can get a little smoosh-happy sometimes :) so I turned his into 'open faced' Sloppy Joes, but I ate mine the regular way.  I did add some cheese, lettuce & tomatoes to our Sloppy Joes ~ just to get some extra protein & veggies into my kid.  Worked like a charm!  We really enjoyed this unique & tasty spin on the classic Sloppy Joe.  Check out Katie's recipe & see how fun & easy Meatless Monday can be.  :) 

Learn more...

Eating Freah Pumpkin ~ there's more to love than just pumpkin pie...

Wondering what to do with all those leftover pumpkins?  Here are some tasty ways we have enjoyed eating these great big orange wonderful fruits (did you know that they're a fruit, and not a veggie?) of fall & Halloween... 

Easy, simple & low cal ways to enjoy eating pumpkin. ~~ Pumpkin Home Fries - chop pumpkin into bite sized cubes and then cook them in a little olive oil with diced onion, bell pepper & spices for a low carb version of Home Fried Potatoes. (bottom right) ~~ Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (bottom left) ~~ Mashed Pumpkin - chop pumpkin, steam and then proceed just like you were making regular mashed potatoes. (top left)

Pumpkin Hash Browns ~ I just shredded some pumpkin and cooked it over med-high heat with a little olive oil, diced onion & spices. VERY tasty, it's a great low carb substitute for hash brown potatoes.

 

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds ~ We finally got around to roasting the seeds from our Halloween pumpkin. According to Dr. Gittleman, pumpkin seeds are good for clearing parasites from your body. Who knew? I just like them because they're tasty. 

 

  Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds  ~ I tossed some fresh pumpkin seeds with oil olive & roasted in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then tossed with honey & salt and roasted for 5 more minutes. When I took the seeds out of the oven I sprinkled them with a little sugar. My son has been munching on them all afternoon & says he can't stay away. So, I can safely say they are really good! :)

Freezing some for later...

There's more to pumpkin than just pumpkin pie.  Hope these pictures inspire you to try eating pumpkin in different ways.   If you're looking for even more ideas, check out my other pumpkin posts.  :)

Mean Green Juice ~ Meatless Monday

Mean Green Juice ~ from the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

I'd been looking for juicer recipes that included the superfood ~ kale ~ when I came across tons of posts that talked about the documentary movie ~ Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  I remembered hearing about the documentary, but had never seen it.  I was intrigued & read a couple of the blogs.  Then I headed on over to the ReBoot With Joe site & looked around.  If you haven't seen the movie yet, I highly recommend it.  (you can watch it over on Hulu ~ if you're in the US)   Wow!  What an amazing journey Joe & Phil went through!  Certainly a lot of food for thought. (no pun intended ~ OK, pun intended :)

I made the signature ~ Mean Green Juice ~ and really enjoyed it.   It'll become a regular in my juicer recipe rotation.  Watch the movie & see for yourself how much these guys (and others who's stories where told) benefited from their juicing journey.  Very inspiring, indeed!   Good on ya, mate!

Mean Green Juice 

recipe adapted very slightly from the ReBoot With Joe site

Ingredients

• 6 Kale Leaves
• 1 Cucumber
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 2 Green Apples
• 1/2 Lemon, peeled
• 1"-2" piece of peeled ginger, depends on how spicy you like your juice

Directions

Feed your fruit & veggies down the shoot of your juicer & juice away!

Here is a great post from the blog ~ Macheesmo ~ that talks about the movie, reviews it & also has the basic recipe, but he makes his Mean Green Juice with his blender.  And for more variations on the original Mean Green Juice recipe, check out this site.  :)

Learn more...

Easy Pumpkin Soup

I was cleaning out my freezer the other day & came across a big bag of cubed pumpkin.  Yup, the remains of last years autumn/Halloween edible decorations.  I just couldn't dispose of  the golden frozen chunks, even though they had languished almost a year in the deep freeze...  where's the challenge in that?

I spent the day baking & cooking ~ applesauce, pumpkin soup, breakfast cookies, vegan maple cookies...

I decided to make a quick & easy, very creamy Pumpkin Soup.  Boiling the chunks made short order of the whole process.  I covered the about 8 cups of frozen pumpkin chunks with water, brought it up to a boil, added some cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, a 1/2 cup of cashews, salt/pepper & then reduced the heat until it was at a strong simmer.  In about 20 minutes the chunks were nice & tender.  I then pureed the pumpkin mixture, in batches, returned the soup to the pot, adjusted the seasonings (adding a little Creole seasoning mix), added a bit more water & warmed it back up. 

Lunch was on the table in about 30 minutes.  I was baking & cooking A LOT that day, so having something easy, yet flavorful & comforting for my lunch was a real treat.  The cashews really gave the soup a wonderfully rich flavor, without having to add oil or dairy.   I just love making soups in the fall.  How about you?  :)

Fresh Carrot-Apple Juice with Ginger

Lately, I've been enjoying playing around in my kitchen ~ with my juicer. There is something so satisfying about shoving all those fruits & veggies down the chute and watching the glass fill up with liquid nectar.  I'm having so much fun, that even cleaning the juicer doesn't bother me.  Yup, I'm a kitchen geek!

I was pleasantly surprised when I made this super simple juice ~ Carrot-Apple Juice with Ginger.  The thing that surprised me was how much I love including a slice (or two) of fresh ginger with the other ingredients.  The ginger's flavor is subtle, but it brightens up & immensely improves the over-all taste of every juice recipe I've added it to.  I'm hooked & think I'll be including a few slices of ginger to all my juicer drink recipes now.  :)


Fresh Carrot-Apple Juice with Ginger
serves one

Ingredients

• 2 carrots
• 1 apple
• 2 slices ~ fresh, peeled ginger 'coins' ~ 1/8 inch slices (more or less, to taste)

Directions

Cut carrots & apple into chunks that will fit into your juicer.  Shove the chunks, along with the ginger slice(s), down the chute & juice away.

Serve straight-up or over ice.

Enjoy!

Grilled Tempeh & Veggies ~ Meatless Monday

Grilled Tempeh & Veggies ~ Using my George Foreman Grill makes for a quick & easy dinner for Meatless Monday.

I've mentioned before how much I love my George Foreman Grill.  It makes cooking for one, or two, super simple & quick.  One of the things I like to make on it is ~ Grilled Tempeh & Veggies.  I slice the tempeh into serving size portions, brush it with a little olive oil & sprinkle it with some spices ~ then I do the same thing for the veggies I'm going to serve with it.  All sorts of veggies get grilled, but green onions are a favorite of mine ~ they truly shine when cooked this way.  It only takes a few minutes to complete the cooking since the tempeh is already cooked, so you're really just heating it through. Cook the veg to your liking & you're ready to eat.  My favorite part of cooking on the George Foreman Grill is all those glorious grill marks on everything ~ YUM! 

You can change up the flavor of the meal by sprinkling on different spice blends or by adding your favorite sauce ~ poured over the grilled tempeh ~ right before serving.  Some of the sauces I like to add; BBQ, teriyaki, sweet & sour, chipotle ranch dressing & fresh salsa.  If you've got a George Foreman Grill, take it for a spin today & see how good ~ Meatless Monday ~ can be!  :)

Join the Movement!

Vegetarian Mock Tuna Salad ~ Meatless Monday

Vegetarian Mock Tuna Salad made with Garbanzo Beans ~ This makes such a tasty vegetarian version of the classic Tuna Salad Sandwich, especially when served with some homegrown tomatoes & cucumber.  Mock Tuna Salad is also perfect in stuffed tomatoes, pitas, topping a garden salad or crowning half an avocado.

I was craving a tuna fish sandwich the other day, but we were all out of canned tuna.  Darn!   I started searching in the pantry for something else to eat, when I came upon a can of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) & knew I had the makings of a great meal!  I'd almost forgotten about how I used to make a vegetarian ~ Mock Tuna Salad ~ using those tasty, roundish, pale golden beans.  I'm so glad I remembered, it's been way too long since I enjoyed this simple, but pleasing salad! 

Making my vegetarian ~ Mock Tuna Salad ~ couldn't be easier.  All you do is gather all of the items you would normally add to your favorite tuna salad & mix them together with a can of garbanzo beans that's already been drained & smashed.  Just make sure to leave some of the beans a little chunky.   When you mix all the ingredients together, the beans have the look & color of light tuna fish chunks & the flavor is surprisingly similar to the real thing ~ especially with the extra ingredients that so often go into a traditional tuna salad.  Some Mock Tuna Salad add-ins that you could include in your salad might be ~ low-fat mayo, diced celery, sweet pickle relish, sliced green onions, lemon juice, dill weed, dulse/nori, capers & maybe even some chopped-up hard boiled egg ~ the sky's the limit!

Make your Mock Tuna Salad as simple or complex as you like.  I usually go for simple, just adding some Hellmann's Low-Fat Mayo, cracked black pepper & a bit of dulse. (a type of seaweed, to give it a salty, 'hint-of-the-ocean' marine aroma/flavor ~ or ~ you could use your favorite dried flaked/ground sea vegetable)  This Mock Tuna Salad is great in a sandwich, as the filling in the center of a stuffed tomato, nestled in an avocado half, or even just plopped on top of your garden salad.  Make it vegan by using a vegan mayo ~ so simple!  Anyway you decide to enjoy it, this vegetarian salad makes for a tempting, satisfying meal.  Enjoy!  :)

Overnight Oatmeal Cookie Dough Breakfast Cookie

Overnight Oatmeal Cookie Dough Breakfast Cookie ~ An unusual & tasty way to make a breakfast cookie ~ it sets up overnight in the fridge.

I was surfing around the web the other day, looking at other breakfast cookies & came across this recipe for a breakfast cookie that ~ requires no cooking, sets up overnight in the fridge, tastes like oatmeal cookie dough & can be made as either vegan or vegetarian ~ depending on the milk & protein powder you use.  It intrigued me, so I made it that night & enjoyed it for my breakfast the next day.  It's simple to do ~ you mix up all the ingredients the night before, spread the 'dough' on a plate & leave it in the fridge overnight. Easy-peasy.

In the morning you have your breakfast cookie ~ the raw oats absorb all the moisture from the other ingredients & firm up into a 'dough-like' oatmeal cookie.  It sorta reminds me of the containers of 'overnight fridge oats' I used to make years ago, except this version is made on a plate & is more dense & 'dough' like. (the 'overnight fridge oats' have more liquid & add-ins in them)

It's an easy recipe & if you're looking for another unusual way to make your morning oats, I'd give this method a try.  I don't think it's ever too early in the day to enjoy a little 'oatmeal cookie dough'.  How about you?   :)

Low-Fat Blueberry Oat Bars

I bought a lot of blueberries a while back & still have a bunch in the fridge.  They're starting to look a little worse for wear & really need to be used up.  I thought they'd do better in a cooked recipe then just for eating fresh, so I went on a hunt for a good recipe that highlighted blueberries.  I ran across a recipe for Blueberry Oat Bars from ~ FatFree Vegan Kitchen ~ that sounded good, so I gave it a go.  I tweaked her recipe just a bit ~ I added some lemon juice/lemon zest to the blueberry mixture & sprinkled some whole oats on top of the the whole thing just before I baked it.  I also came up with 12 servings instead of the 16 she has noted.  16 slices just seemed too small a serving ~ but, it would keep the calories down...

I think this dessert is sorta like a cross between an 'oaty' cobbler & a cookie bar, especially with the 'jammy' blueberry filling in the middle.  It would be nice as an after school snack  (school is just around the corner!) & I know we'll enjoy it, especially with a little whipped cream on top or maybe some ice cream on the side.

If you don't have fresh blueberries, I'd go ahead & use frozen, about 2 cups.  Don't let a little thing like not having fresh blueberries stop you from trying a low-fat treat like this.  :)

Low-Fat 'Fried' Green Tomatoes ~ Meatless Monday

'Fried' Green Tomatoes ~ My version is very low fat & low cal, it makes a perfect summetime meal since green tomatoes are so plentiful right now.  I enjoy this recipe from now until frost.  As long as there are green tomatoes, I'm cooking/eating this dish.  :) 

Grandma Bunni was raised in the hills of West Virgina, where eating Fried Green Tomatoes was part of her childhood & she made it a part of mine.  I gotta say, I'm a huge fan of Fried Green Tomatoes, but not of the actual 'frying in oil' that goes along with making it.  When the tomatoes are cooked like that, they are really tasty, but they just have too much fat & calories to let me enjoy them with a clear conscience.

Years ago, I came up with a recipe that allowed me to enjoy this meal anytime I want to ~ and my version of 'Fried' Green Tomatoes is low fat & low cal ~ Yes!  With green tomatoes now showing up in our garden, (and in Bill & Cheryl's veggie garden, thanks for all the tomatoes, Neighbors!) as well as at the local Farmers Market, now is the perfect time for enjoying this ol' homestyle, summertime favorite.  Who says you have to wait for your tomatoes to get ripe before you can begin enjoying them...certainly not me!  

Low-Fat 'Fried' Green Tomatoes

serves 1

recipe can be doubled, just use a bigger skillet

• one medium (or large) green tomato, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 Tbsp Italian Style/Spiced bread crumbs *
• 1 Tbsp cornmeal * (optional, use all bread crumbs if you like)
• smoked paprika (or regular) ~ for sprinkling on the tomato slices before cooking
• 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' Spray ~ for spraying on the tomato slices before cooking (& maybe after, too :)
• Pam, butter flavored or regular
• salt & pepper, to taste
• your favorite hot pepper sauce, to taste

*double the bread crumbs/cornmeal if making a double batch or if your tomato is really big


Heat skillet over medium heat.  Combine Italian bread crumbs & cornmeal and place in small plate for dredging the tomatoes in.

Take the sliced green tomatoes, dredge both sides in the Italian bread crumbs/cornmeal mixture, sprinkle one side with smoked paprika & spray with 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' Spray.  (there should be enough moisture on the tomato slices for the bread crumb mixture to stick, if not ~ dip the tomato slices in water & then proceed with the dredging)

When the tomatoes are ready, spray the skillet with Pam & lay the tomato slices in a single layer, with the paprika sprinkled side down, so that side cooks first.  Cook for approx. 3 minutes.  While the first side is cooking, sprinkle the top side of the tomatoes with paprika & spray with ICBINB Spray.  When the 3 minutes is over for the first side, flip & cook the other side for an additional 3 minutes or until the green tomatoes are golden & getting softer, but are still a bit firm. (sorta like how pasta cooks to al dente)

Serve the 'Fried' Green Tomatoes with your favorite hot pepper sauce and salt & pepper to taste.  Add some extra ICBINB Spray to the tomatoes, if you're so inclined. (I'm always so inclined, I love that stuff)   I usually make at least 2 or 3 tomatoes for my meal.  I'll eat the first tomato, while the second one is cooking & eat the second one, while the third one is cooking.  Enjoy!