Chili

We first tried this chili at a potluck.  It is a very flavorful chili and we knew we had to get the recipe to make again!

The original recipe is from Dr. McDougall’s Newsletter from March 2013 found here (the third recipe down). The recipe was adapted by our friends at a FOK Potluck, Sharyn and Bryan.

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb firm tofu, crumbled
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 apple,  chopped
• 1 28oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (drain the liquid)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 heaping tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder

Directions: Put all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high heat for 6 hours.

There are a lot of ingredients in this chili, but it is so tasty that every once in a while it is definitely worth the extra effort.  I would definitely recommend making this on a weekend evening when you have more time.

 

 

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheeze

We don’t eat as much pasta as we used to, but we love this Mac and “Cheeze” recipe. If you are craving mac and cheese, there are 3 things you can do:

Option # 1: Buy a box from the store. Yes, there are vegan versions, and even gluten-free, and it is convenient but take a look at the ingredients from this brand by Earth Balance:

enriched macaroni project (Durum wheat semolina, niacin, folic acid, ferrous sulfate (iron), riboflavin (vitamin b12), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vegan sauce seasoning (maltodextrin, dehydrated sunflower oil, salt, corn starch, yeast extract, modified food starch, natural flavors, lactic acid powder (lactic acid, calcium lactate), citric acid, calcium phosphate, paprika extract (color)

There is NO REAL food in that and it has oil and salt! Do you really want to be putting that into your body?

Option # 2: Make your own from a recipe that uses non-dairy cheese or oil to replicate that creamy taste.  Once again that requires using fake foods full of chemicals and oil.  No thank you.

Option # 3: Make your own from a recipe that uses REAL food and NO chemicals, salt, oil, or sugar and still get a creamy delicious flavor.  Yes, this is possible.  In this recipe we will be using cannelini beans to get that creamy texture, nutritional yeast and a roasted red bell pepper to get an amazing flavor, and the butternut squash gives both a creamy texture and an incredible flavor!

This recipe was adapted from 2 others here and here:

Ingredients:

• 16 oz brown rice or corn pasta (can also use whole wheat)
• 20 oz butternut squash (you can buy a pre-packaged already cut butternut squash)
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted
• 1 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup cannelini beans
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder or corn starch
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ground black pepper, to taste
• Optional: Mix-ins of choice (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds, etc)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Roast butternut squash cubes and red bell pepper for about 40 minutes, or until tender.
2. Once the butternut squash and bell pepper has cooked and is cooled, begin cooking the pasta according to the package directions.
3. Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender combine all ingredients, except pasta and any mix-ins.  Blend until smooth.
4. Once the pasta is cooked drain it with colander.
5. Pour the cheeze mixture into the pot and heat.  Once warm, rinse the pasta and add it to cheeze mixture.  Gently stir to evenly coat the pasta.
6. Gently stir in any mix-ins you want to include in your mac and cheeze.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Craving something sweet? Make this chocolate chia pudding! It uses dates as a natural sweetener to satisfy that sweet tooth and cocoa powder for those chocolate lovers! We have made this multiple times for family members and they love it!  In fact, they now make it themselves 🙂

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (can also use carob powder)
• 4 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender* and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour into two serving dishes and fridge overnight, or at least 30 minutes before eating.

*A high-powered blender will give you the creamiest texture and make sure to grind those chia seeds completely.  However, any blender will combine all ingredients but you may have more of a tapioca texture with the chia seeds.

Enjoy this right away or refrigerate for several hours or overnight (if you can wait) for a colder, thicker texture.

This pudding can be enjoyed plain off a spoon, or with fruit.  We love strawberries and bananas!

Ashley wants to try using this recipe as a chocolate sauce to swirl into banana ice cream as a decadent dessert!

Chickpea Noodle Soup

As the weather starts getting cooler, you may be in the mood for warmer foods.  This is one of our favorite soup recipes! It is full of flavors, healthy, and delicious!

This recipe is originally from here:

Ingredients:

Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas

• 16 oz. chickpeas, rinsed
• 1-2 T vegetable broth
• 2 t. onion powder
• 1 t. garlic granules
• 1 t. thyme
• 1/2 t. rosemary
• Pepper to taste

Soup

• 6 oz. gluten-free or regular linguine noodles, broken in half and cooked according to package instructions
• 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (to sauté veggies…add some splashes as needed)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 – 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 T. low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 T. dill
• 1 T. thyme
• 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup curly parsley, chopped
• Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet (with raised edges so the chickpeas don’t roll off) or another long, flat pan with parchment paper. Spread the chickpeas on the pan and bake for 20 minutes, remembering to move them with a spatula every five minutes to prevent burning.
2. After 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees, and place the chickpeas in a bowl and toss with the broth and spices. Return them to the same baking sheet and cook for 15 more minutes. Once out of the oven, put them back in the bowl to prevent further cooking.
3. Meanwhile, start your soup. Start a large pot of water to boil and cook the linguine according to the directions.
4. Heat the vegetable broth on medium-high in a large sauté pan; add the onion, carrots and parsnips for 4-5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Add the celery, garlic, tamari and spices and sauté for 5 more minutes. Transfer to a soup pot, add the broth and cook on medium-low until the soup is heated through. Season as you like with pepper.
5. Add the cooked linguine to the soup and stir in the chickpeas. Serve and enjoy!

We  DOUBLE this recipe as it always goes quickly! Plus then you would use the whole box of pasta instead of 1/2 a box.

Quick Hummus

Have you ever tried hummus on salad? Hummus works great as an alternative to dressing! It’s amazing how hard it is to find oil free and salt free hummus.  It is just easier to make your own. Especially when it is this easy!

This recipe was adapted from The Engine 2 Diet:

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

You can use this hummus on salads, as a spread for sandwiches, or as a dip for veggies! Enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie

This smoothie is great for breakfast! It’s got your greens, fruits, oatmeal, and yogurt! This recipe makes one smoothie but can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 7 strawberries
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 6 oz plain yogurt (we make this in the instantpot with Westsoy brand unsweetened plain soy milk)
• handful of spinach
• 1-1.5 cups water

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

We recommend using frozen fruits for this recipe to make it colder and creamier, though fresh fruit works just as well. Add as much water (or non-dairy milk) as you would like for a thicker or thinner smoothie.  The amount of liquid may also depend on if you use frozen or fresh fruit.

The amount of each ingredient can be adjusted to your taste.  You can use different types of greens, not just spinach. Also, if you use more strawberries you can make a nice red smoothie color!

Enjoy 🙂