Whole Wheat Cinnamon Pancakes (Vegan)

Wholesome!   Hearty!   Delicious!

Ingredients:

1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup of Sugar in the Raw

1/2 ground Oats

2 teaspoons of Apple Pie Spice

1 teaspoon of Baking Powder

1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt

1 cup of Almond or Soy Milk

Directions:

In mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir until the spice is well blended throughout. Add the milk and completely mix. Pour into a hot frying pan greased with a vegetable based oil and fry as you would regular pancakes. 

Serve with raw agave or natural maple syrup.

Recipe makes 8 three-inch pancakes.

This recipe is:

-Vegan

-Whole grain

Roasted Tomato Vermicelli

This dish answers the tough question:

What do I do?!

My doctor said I need to eat whole grain/plant-based diet.

But the foods I love aren't either! 

 

It's daunting when you first face such dramatic diet changes. I promise you the transition doesn't have to be as intimidating as it seems. Starting with small key changes you'll find yourself slowly getting a knack for this new cooking style. This simple, delicious recipe is a great example of how making these key substitutions just takes an extra step to turn old-favorites into new healthier versions. 

 

Most Americans love their spaghetti and pasta sauce. I certainly do! Frankly, there's little to be found nutritionally in a jar of canned/processed tomato sauce and boxed dried pasta. Read their labels. Can you pronounce or define all the ingredients? Honestly, without a chemistry degree, you probably can't. 

 

Substitute the processed semolina pasta for it's whole wheat partner, or better yet, go to a nearby Trattoria and ask the manager a pound of uncooked pasta. Pasta from scratch is a wonderful treat. Not everyone has this available to them, and it can be pricey. Whole wheat (make sure the box says 'whole wheat' not just 'wheat') pasta is a healthy substitute for regular white pasta and it only costs pennies more. Plus, your body will thank you for the extra fiber. 

 

If you have the patience, making pasta sauce at home isn't difficult to do from fresh scratch ingredients, and the end product is delicious! Plus, it can be canned or frozen to use again later.  However, it can be very  time consuming.

 

I'm a busy gal. I'm active and social. If you're anything like me, you probably don't have the time to spend two hours in the kitchen making homemade pasta sauce. This roasted tomato recipe takes 30 minutes and is bursting with fresh flavor!

 

 Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

6 vine ripe Tomatoes (or 10-12 Compari Tomatoes), seeded and quartered

1 pound of Whole Wheat

1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for the pot

2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon of dried Parsley

1 teaspoon of dried Basil

1 teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400*F. 

Seed and quarter your tomatoes by cutting them in half first, and using the tines of a fork scoop out the seeds. Once seeded, cut them again into halves or thirds depending on the size of the tomatoes you've purchased. You want each tomato slice to be about 2 bites in size. 

(They will reduce in the oven to bite sized.)

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, and all the spices. Using a basting brush, brush the bottom of a baking pan with a thin layer of the balsamic oil. Lay all the tomatoes out flat, and baste them liberally with the balsamic herb oil. Place them in the oven and roast them for 30 minutes, turning once half way through and basting them again. 

Prepare your whole wheat pasta according to the directions, adding a large dash of olive into the pot at the start so the pasta won't stick together. 

Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the large pot it cooked in. Pour the roasted tomatoes over the pasta and fold it them in. For a stronger sauce flavor, you can pour the remaining balsamic herb oil in as well. 

Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.

This recipe is:
-Vegan/Vegetarian
-Whole Grain

Vegan Coconut Flan

Yes, it's really Vegan! 

And oh, goodness, it's soooo delicious!

Ingredient for the Caramel:

½ cup sugar

Ingredients for the Custard:

1 can of Coconut Crème

1 cup of Coconut Milk

2 Tbsp. Agar Flakes**

1 cup Silken Tofu
2 teaspoons of Coconut Extract

A pinch of Sea Salt

**For Vegetarians: you can use regular plain gelatin (unflavored Jello).

   Instead of two tablespoons, use two small packets.

Directions for the Caramel:

This is a bit tricky, but if you continuously stir the sugar as it heats you’ll be successful. Pour the sugar into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until it turns golden and runny like dark honey.

Quickly, using a metal spoon, pour enough melted sugar into the bottom of a ramekin or small glass dish to just cover the bottom of the dish. Allow it to cool and harden at room temperature while you prep the custard.

Directions for the Custard:

Bring the coconut crème and coconut milk to a gentle boil. Immediately pour into a blender, add the agar or gelatin, and blend well (about a minute.)

Now add the tofu, coconut extract, and salt. Blend for another minute. Pour about ½ cup of custard mix over the hardened sugar in the ramekins.

Refrigerate about 2 hours before serving. To remove the flan from the ramekins, dip the bottoms of them in hot water for about 20 seconds. You should be able to spin it with your finger. Turn them over on a serving plate and let the delicious, creamy caramel run down the sides and across the plate.

Enjoy!

Makes 3 large (4”inch) or 5 small (3”inch) ramekins of flan.

This recipe is:

- Vegan/Vegetarian

- Whole Food

- Gluten-Free

Sunday Brunch Broccoli Salad

This elegant broccoli salad is the ideal accompaniment to any Southern Sunday Brunch. The light poppy seed dressing adds a sweet and tangy flavor which brightens the crunchy texture.  

Ingredients:

1 head of Broccoli, chopped

1 cup of Fage Plain Greek Yogurt

2 tablespoons of local, organic Honey

1 tablespoon of Poppy Seeds

1/2 cup of Purple Onion, Diced

1/2 cup of Dried Cranberries

1/2 cup of Sunflower Seeds, salted

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, and poppy seeds until thoroughly mixed. Pour over the chopped broccoli florets and stir to completely coat. Add the diced onion, dried cranberries and sunflowers seeds, stirring again to evenly combine. Keep the salad refrigerated until you're ready to serve.

This salad makes great leftovers! Enjoy it over the weekend, and have it again for lunch on Monday. 

Makes four 1 cup servings. 

This recipe is:

- Vegan

- Gluten-Free

- Whole-Food

Snickerdoodles!....Vegan and Gluten Free!!

If these delicious cookies sound too good to be true...

....they almost are!

Baking is my first culinary love. I whipped these up for a friend, and I had loads of fun, working out the science of making a tasty Snickerdoodle. This is a remake on a classic American cookie...but I think you'll agree that for all this recipe is missing: gluten and animal products, it makes up for in taste. 

I dare you to eat just one!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of Gluten-Free Flour mix (with xatham gum added)

¾ cup natural Sugar

¼ cup Cornstarch

1 teaspoon of Baking Powder

½ teaspoon of Nutmeg

½ cup of Earth Balance margarine, softened

¼ cup vanilla Soymilk or Almond milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (GF)

Also needed:  ½ cup of natural sugar 

                       3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour thru nutmeg),

making sure they're stirred together well. Set them aside. 

Using a whisk or mixer, blend all the wet ingredients.

A nice smooth paste should form. Add about a third of the 

dry ingredients at a time and work into nice dough. 

In a small bowl, mix the additional sugar and cinnamon. 

Fold this into your dough, but don't completely stir it. 

You want the cinnamon & sugar to ribbon through your cookies. 

Place your dough in the refrigerator and preheat your oven 

to 325*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

When your oven is ready to go, your dough will be too. 

Using a spoon, scoop 1 inch piles of dough onto the 

sheet in neat rows. 

NOTE: these cookies expand while baking so leave sufficient room between 

them or they'll bake together. On a regular 14" baking tray you should only be 

able to get 3 across the tray. 

*If you aren't going to serve these cookies right away, place them in a 

resealable Tupperware and put them in your fridge. They'll stay as moist

and delicious as if they just came out of the oven. 

Enjoy!

Makes 12-14 cookies.

This recipe is:

-Vegan

-Gluten-Free