20 Minute Savory Chipotle - Broccoli Oat Bran

I'm a huge fan of Savory Breakfasts.(Gingered Tofu with Zucchini) 

I have been loving Oat Bran lately, but I've been preparing it with my Bean Milk, raisins, chia seeds, cinnamon and a bit of psyllium husk, and while that is delicious, I get bored eating the same thing over and over.

BEAN MILK

So, this morning, I took a look see in the fridge and freezer and saw that I had some leftover Chipotle Hummus and frozen broccoli and one of my favorite quick soups came to mind.  

I decided to replace the quinoa with 1/2 cup of oat bran and it came out super yummy.  The whole pot was ready in 20 minutes.  Win win!  I made a quick topping of onions, tomato, cilantro and pickled jalapeno and green olives.  

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE AND SCROLL DOWN FOR THE 30 MINUTE SOUP

Yum yum!  

Wasabi-Ginger Curried Tofu Salad on Homemade Gluten Free Bread

I guess I'm in the mood for curry today!  I just enjoyed this simple curried tofu salad sandwich on my Gluten Free Sandwich Bread.  

The flavor combination might sound a little weird, but it came out really yummy and was so fast to make, I wanted to share it with you.

Tofu Salad:
7 oz firm tofu, drained
3 tbsp Wasabi Ginger 'Mayonnaise' 
2 tsp curry powder

-Mash everything together with a fork and enjoy.  This makes enough for two sandwiches (or 4 open faced sandwiches)

I topped the sandwich with spinach, red cabbage, jalapeno and green olives, tomato and lots of pepper.

30 Minute Jamaican Curried Black Eyed Peas, Collards and Mushrooms

I used my Curry In a Hurry Method to create this simple, yet very flavorful meal.  It was SCREAMING hot, because my Devilish Habanero Salsa was the base of the sauce and the Spicy Jamaican Curry Powder was also hot.   

You can use mild salsa and curry powder or whatever floats your boat!  I made a single (large) serving for myself.  What I love about my method of having 3 base sauces, 2 cooked legumes and 2 cooked grains on hand, is that I can create endless combinations of meals that come together in 30 minutes or less, but taste like they've been cooking all day long!

Here's the recipe! Serves 1 hungry person or 2 with normal appetites.

Curry In a Hurry Jamaican Beans and Greens 

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
• pinch fresh nutmeg
• 1 tbsp curry powder of choice
• pinch cinnamon
• 1 cup cooked black eyes peas or legume of choice
• 3 cups raw collards, kale or other sturdy green
• 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms
• pinch fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 - 1 cup water if needed
• Soy Sauce/Black Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat a cast iron or large skillet to medium; saute the onion, garlic ginger, nutmeg, curry powder and cinnamon along with a hefty pinch of salt for 5 minutes or so.
2. Add the legumes, greens mushrooms and fresh thyme along with the salsa and 1/2 cup water. 
3. Cover and bring to a strong simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
4. If needed, add more water. Taste and adjust seasoning and enjoy! 

I love eating savory dishes for breakfast.  The spicier the better! 

Devilish Habanero Salsa & Links to more salsa recipes.

This sauce is SCREAMING HOT!..  With and intense amount of garlic and habaneros, it is not for the sensitive palate to say the least!  I like it it a lot... in small doses, plus it can be used like Sriracha or tobasco in small doses, like one or two drops.  

Me, being me, has enjoyed 1/4 cup at a time, dipping broccoli and cauliflower into it.... but I did drool a lot; just a warning! 

I used a food processor, and processed the garlic and salt first for an even texture.

1 tbsp salt

20 cloves garlic

22 habanero peppers

1 tbsp toasted cumin seeds

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup cilantro

2 packets stevia (or one small pinch)

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1. Pulse the salt and garlic until it is a paste; add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
2. Heat in a pan over medium heat until it comes to a boil; turn off heat and chill for 4 hours before serving.

Yield, 1 qt of VERY hot, but super flavorful salsa. If you are looking for a more palatable salsa click here for my Salsa Recipe

If Tomatillo Salsa/Green Sauce is more your thing, click HERE for my yummy recipes.

 Salsa Verde

Chickpea Brown Rice Yeasted Sandwich Bread (Vegan, gluten and soy free)

Well, I had pizza dough leftover from Sunday and it's been proofing in the fridge for that past two day.  I decided to see how it worked as a bread, and boy oh boy, color me impressed.

I baked it at 375 for around 45-55 minutes.  I made half a loaf, but now I know that the pizza dough recipe will work as bread too.  Yay!  Cup for cup, my flour mix has 100 less calories and 33 grams less of carbs compared to whole wheat flour.  I'm really excited to experiment more with my baking mix!  It's not just for pizza!

Gluten Free Pizza and homemade chickpea flour/brown rice baking mix

I'm a huge fan of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix, but I wanted to cut calories a bit and see if I could come up with a whole food version of my own.  I apologize to those of you who don't have a Vita Mix or high powered blender.  It will be difficult to make a big batch of flour , but you can still make this if you have a decent coffee grinder to grind the brown rice.  I did not grind my own chickpea flour, instead I bought Besan at the local Indian Grocer. 

Speaking of Besan, have you made my Chickpea Flatbreads?  They are super simple, nutritious and a fast to make.

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

I digress...  as I said before, I love Bob's GF mix and actually have simple Gluten Free Crust Recipe I make from it..

Gluten Free, Vegan Goaty Cheese and Roasted Pear Pizza with Fresh Thyme and Caramelized Onions 

Click  Here for Cashew Goat Cheese Recipe

Gluten Free, Vegan Jalapeno, Mushroom and Onion Pizza

Click Here for My Pizza Sauce Recipe

OK, back to this recipe.  I originally thought I would be calling this my "High Fiber, High Protein Gluten Free Baking Mix", but upon plugging in the nutritional information I was shocked to find plain, whole wheat flour had a higher amount of protein and fiber oz per oz, so if you are not sensitive to gluten whole wheat flour is pretty darn nutritious! 

I did manage to reduce the calories by 100  per cup and the carbs by 30 grams per cup compared to whole wheat flour, so that's pretty impressive! 

I am going to use this for other baking purposes and report how it works.  For now, I've only used it in pizza dough. 

Melomeals Gluten Free Baking Mix: 

PRINT RECIPE

• 4 cups brown rice
• 4 cups chickpea flour 
• 1/4 cup xantham gum
• 1/4 cup psyllium husk

Method:

Grind the brown rice into flour, mix with the rest of the ingredients. Sift together and store in an air tight container. 

Here is the Pizza Recipe.  Now, it does have a mild Chickpea Flour taste.  I, personally, don't mind it, but this may not be for everyone.  My original Gluten Free Pizza Crust recipe does not have that taste! 

• 4 1/2 cups Melomeals GF Baking MIx
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 2 c warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 
• 2 tbsp olive oil (optional; I did not use, but I think it would add nice flavor to the crust)
• 1 tbsp salt

Method:

Bloom yeast in the water with the sugar, pour into baking mix along with the spices and salt; knead until dough comes together.  You might need to wet your hands a bit.. I don't add more flour like I would with regular dough.  It will be sticky. Cover and let proof for an hour.  Follow THESE  baking instructions.  

and enjoy your pizza! 

Citrus Fruit and Nut Bars (raw, vegan, gluten, soy and grain free)

Just a quick FYI, you can use the crust recipe from my Raw Blueberry Cheesecake to make these awesome citrus infused date-almond bars!  They make a perfect dessert, snack or even breakfast!  They keep in the fridge for at least two weeks and in the freezer for 6 months.  Pat the crust mixture in a 9 by 9 square baking pan and chill, then cut the bars into whatever shapes you like.  You could also roll them into balls if you find yourself with time to kill.

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake

Raw Blueberry Vegan, Gluten, Soy and Grain Free 'Cheesecake'

It was our friends 40th birthday a couple weeks ago and she is on a very strict elimination diet.  I was excited to make her a 'cake' she could actually eat!  The pictures aren't very good.. but that doesn't matter, because the cheesecake sure was.  I learned something making this cake, which is cool, because I have made probably at least a 100 raw desserts and never run into this problem.  If you use frozen fruit, thaw it completely first!  I used frozen blueberries and mixing it with the coconut oil, it never fully incorporated into the smooth, velvety texture that we all know and love in traditional cheesecakes.  It was still good, but if you look closely, you can see how grainy it is.  It should NOT be that way! Also, there were several pieces of solidified coconut oil in the cake. I was kind of embarrassed serving it, but I've been told not to apologize for my food and I"m not going to, even though I should have known better AND I know how MUCH BETTER it could have been..

That being said, it was still delicious and oh, so rich.  You could easily get 24 slices out of a 9 inch cake.

Note: There is honey in this recipe.  If you choose not to eat honey, I have provided the alternative of agave for vegans.

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake

• Crust 1 ½ cups almonds
• 1 cup coconut
• 12 large dates pitted (about a cup loosely packed)
• Healthy pinch salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• Pinch stevia powder
• 3 tablespoons warm water

In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients except the water until it resembles very course flour. Add water by the tablespoon until the dough comes together; press into spring form pan and put in freezer while you make the filling.

Filling
• 2 ¾ cups cashews that have been soaked in warm water for 10 minutes (soak them while you are preparing the crust)
• 1 cup coconut oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of two medium lemons
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom and nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup honey or agave for vegans
• 14 oz blueberries (around 2 cups) you can use either frozen or fresh. If you use frozen, thaw them first!

Place everything in a food processor and process until it is very, very smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. This can take up to 5 minutes of processing.
Fill the spring form pan with the filling and place in the freezer for at least two hours before serving.

Topping:

• 2 cups frozen mixed berries
• 3 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp psyllium husk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup honey

Blend everything together until smooth.

Here are some links to more Raw or Almost Raw Desserts! 

Almost Raw Key Lime Pie (vegnan, gluten, soy and grain free)

RECIPE vegan, gluten, soy and grain free

Orange Scented Chocolate Pecan Pie (vegan, gluten and grain free)

Chipotle Soy (or other white bean) Hummus

I cooked up 4 cups of dried soybeans the other day to use in recipes and smoothies and had around 3 cups leftover, and since it is wicked hot outside, I knew hummus would be a great thing to have on hand.  When isn't hummus a good thing to have on hand?  It is so versatile.  My normal chipotle hummus recipe is great, but I tweaked it a little bit to use what I had on hand.

If you're not into soy (and the soybeans I used are white, cooked soybeans, although you could probably do this with edamamae if you don't mind a grittier texture) feel free to substitute with chickpea, black eyed peas,  lentils, yellow split peas or any other white bean.  I, personally, am a big fan of non-gmo soy and think it's a great addition to my diet.

Soybean Chipotle Hummus

• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 ¼ cups cooked soybeans
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 canned chipotle peppers
• ¼ cup tahini
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp paprika
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, tamari or Braggs Amino Acids
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro

Method: In a food procesoor:

1. Pulse garlic and salt until it becomes a paste
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until very well combined

I enjoyed 1/2 cup of this hummus this morning as an addition to this huge salad.  The salad contained: 

• cabbage
• arugula
• tomatoes
• carrots
• sprouts
• avocado
• house-made garlic-caraway sauerkraut
• bamboo smoked black sesame seeds
• daikon
• sriracha

I love eating salads for breakfast.  The bigger , the better!  

For my traditional hummus recipe, click here

Did you know that you can easily make your own tahini if you have a food processor?  It is so much cheaper. 

What is your favorite type of hummus?

Vegan Mango Lassi Smoothie ..sugar free and made with beans!

I really love using whole beans in smoothies.  I know it may sound weird, but give it a try!  Not only are beans inexpensive, but they are oh, so good for you!  Much better than processed protein powder.  I used whole, cooked white soybeans, but you can also use any other well cooked white bean.  The calories and fat content will be a little lower if you use white beans instead of soy.  I also used my Soy Kefir , but you can use vegan or regular yogurt in place of the kefir.  You an also add up to 4 cups of baby spinach or lettuce to turn this into a green smoothie!

This makes around 6 cups. I like to drink a quart of it for breakfast and save the rest for a snack.

1 cup soy kefir or yogurt
3 cups water
1 frozen banana
3/4 cup cooked soybeans or other white bean
1/4 tsp stevia powder
pinch cardamom
1/2 tsp rosewater
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp psyllium husk
1 cup frozen or fresh mango

Blend everything together VERY well and enjoy!

Calories: 585
Fat: 14 grams
Carbs: 87 grams
Protein: 36 grams
Fiber: 20 grams

This is such a healthy and delicious breakfast/snack!  Here are links to some more smoothies:

Pineapple Crush Green Smoothie

Apple Pie Green Smoothie

Very Berry Green Smoothie

Pineapple Cilantro Habanero 

High Protein and Fiber Classic "Potato" Salad (vegan, gluten and soy free)

This spin on Classic Potato Salad is packed full of protein, fiber and vitamins! Replacing half of the potatoes with cauliflower lessens the calories. The White Bean ‘Mayo’ is a wonderful alternative to egg based mayonnaise, making this tasty treat a great addition to your picnic. 

Just a tip: Don’t tell anyone that this is a healthy salad! The taste will speak for itself and you can win people over with that alone!  Please use organic potatoes if you can and don’t peel them! Most of the nutrition will be lost if you do!

The New Classic Potato Salad

Serves 8

• 1 pound waxy potatoes, diced (Red or Yukon Gold are my favorite)
• 1 pound or 1 small head cauliflower (you can use frozen florets if desired)
• 1/2 cup minced red bell pepper (around ½ of a medium)
• ½ cup celery, minced
• 3 tablespoons minced red onion or shallot
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill
• Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

White Bean Mayo

• 1 large clove garlic, pressed
• 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed or 1 ½ cups cooked cannellini beans
• 5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ cup best quality extra virgin olive oil

Method:

• 1.       Scrub potatoes, dice into 1 inch pieces
• 2.       Prep cauliflower into 1 inch pieces
• 3.       In a 4 quart pan, add 8 cups water and a good pinch of salt, place potatoes in the cold water and bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Add Cauliflower and boil for 2 more minutes.
• 4.       Drain potatoes and cauliflower in a colander
• 5.       To make the mayo, place all of the ingredients except  olive oil in a food processor
• 6.       Process for 2 – 3 minutes or until very smooth; slowly drizzle in the olive oil
• 7.       Toss the potato/cauliflower mixture with the red peppers, celery, red onion and dressing.
• 8.       Chill for 2 hours then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary; sprinkle with fresh dill and paprika before serving.

Calories: 206

Fat:  11 grams:  saturated 1, polyunsaturated 3, Monounsaturated 7

Carbohydrates:  25 grams

Fiber:  5 grams

Protein:  5 grams

Sodium:  500 mg

You can also use my very low fat Vegan Mayonnaise Base or Southwestern Chipotle or Wasabi Ginger Sauce in the place of the White Bean Mayo. 

This is an old recipe I originally developed for Northeast Flavor Magazine!

New and Improved Lower Calorie Vegan Mayo and two sauces

I love Vegenaise!  I could eat globs of it on burgers,

Sandwiches 

Slaw

Spicy Daikon Noodles

.. and of course, the old stand-by, Potato Salad

I LOVE my original Lower Fat Vegenaise recipe, but wanted to do see if I could make it easier, with less ingredients and lower in fat and calories.  I'm happy to say, I succeeded!  You don't need to use lecithin in this recipe, but it does use whole white, cooked soybeans.  I haven't tested this recipe with regular white beans, but I imagine it would work well too, just add less water.  The Southwestern Chipotle Sauce and Wasabi Ginger Sauce use the same recipes, but with this as the mayo base.

This makes 2 quarts of sauce.  I made both the sauce variations and have a bunch of leftover regular 'mayo'. It will keep around 2 weeks in the fridge, providing you NEVER double dip. That means not only double dipping with a spoon in your mouth, but also using the same spoon for other foods as you would use to dish this up.

Very Low Fat/Calorie Vegan Mayo Base Sauce

• 4 cups very well cooked white soybeans
• 3 tbsp kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic
• 9 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup safflower oil or other neutral oil

1. In a food processor, place the salt and garlic in and pulse until it forms a paste.  
2. Add the beans, dijon, sugar,water and vinegar and process until totally smooth, scraping down the side as necessary
3. Very slowly, drizzle in the oil until the mixture just comes together
4. Chill for at least 4 hours before using

Yield:  around 2 quarts
20 calories per Tablespoon, around 1 gram of fat

Since this has a fair amount of mustard, the base 'mayo' is more like a dijonaise, but I'm a fan of that. You could reduce the mustard, but then I would add more oil.

Click here and scroll down for the Southwestern Chipotle and Wasabi Ginger Sauce Recipes.

Simple Sesame Green Beans

I just made The Boyfriend dinner and included these simple green beans as a side dish.  They are really delicious and easy to make and have only 4 ingredients (excluding salt/pepper).

Simple Sesame Green Beans

• 1 lb green beans, trimmed 
• 1 tbsp hot toasted sesame oil (or regular toasted sesame oil if you don't like heat)
• 1 large onion, cut into half moons
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (we used bamboo smoked black sesame seeds which we found at our local Asian market)
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a 12 inch cast iron skillet, boil around 2 inches of water and salt liberally
2. Place green beans in the water for 20 seconds, drain and rinse with cold water
3. Heat the oil in the skillet until smoking hot, add the onions, pinch of salt and pepper and saute until they are golden
4. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes; top with sesame seeds and season to taste with salt and pepper

Another Health Challenge & Counting Calories

Cabbage Soup

So, I am, unfortunately dealing with yet another health issue.  My foot.  I'm not sure yet what the treatment will entail, but there's a fairly good chance I'm going to have to have surgery.  I am currently needing to stay off of it which impacts my life in many negative ways.  My job for one.  My boss is understanding, but not THIS understanding and who can blame him?  If I can't do my job, I can't do my job.  I'm waiting on an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon and will know more then. 

Second, if I'm not active, it is VERY difficult for me to lose weight, which means that starting TODAY, I am counting calories and going to be very strict about what I'm eating.  I have come too far to gain the weight back and losing weight is important when it comes to my foot anyway.  The less I weight, the less strain is on my foot.  I'm sure the years of being morbidly obese  and working on my feet did not help my situation. 

That being said, Cabbage Soup is my friend when it comes to calories.  I like to make a big batch and eat a bowl before meals or as a snack.  I "cheat" a little and use the store brand of Onion Soup Mix.  I'm a bit of a fan in certain recipes like my 3 Ingredient Veggie Burgers! 

LINK TO BURGER RECIPE

As I said in the burger recipe post, there is no need to shame me, warn me or tell me how you would never use this product.  That's fine.  We all have our own comfort levels when it comes to food and I choose to use this product now and then.  If you don't, feel free to use this recipe as a substitute for the soup mix.  Negative comments about my food choices will only lead me to care less and less about sharing recipes with you on this blog and I am VERY serious about that!  

I digress.  Back to the Cabbage Soup Recipe.  Get your largest soup pot for this since it makes a lot! This recipes is adapted from the famous Cabbage Soup Diet recipe.  

• Cooking Spray
• 2 large onions
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp (or less if you don't like heat) crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 big carrots
• 2 big stalks celery
• 2 big zucchinis
• 1 medium to large head cabbage, chopped
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes and their liquid
• 2 28 oz cans full of water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 envelope Onion Soup Mix (check the ingredients to make sure there's no animal products)
• 1 cup fresh basil, torn 
• Lots of black pepper
• Salt or Tony's Creole Seasoning to taste

Method:

1. Saute the onion, garlic and spices over medium heat (add a pinch of salt to get the juices flowing)
2. Add the carrots, celery, zukes and cabbage along with the vinegar
3. Saute for 3 more minutes
4. Add the tomatoes, water, bay and onion soup mix
5. Cover and bring to a strong simmer for 20 minutes 
6. Turn off heat, add basil, pepper and salt/Tony's to taste

You can use any non-starchy veggies you have on hand and mix up the spices.  

1 cup of the soup has around 30 calories.  I like to eat two cups at a time.