Vegan/Vegetarian Side Dish

What helped me lose 30 lbs?? Eating well!

Eating healthy was instrumental in helping me to lose 30 lbs! Meals like this are very low in Sodium, Dietary Fiber, protein, Thiamine, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous and vitamin K.

This is a shredded cauliflower blend (with carrots, broccoli) and edamame.  I put this over lettuce, and add an entire sliced avocado and balsamic vinegar.  I also enjoy this as a side dish with a serving of pinto beans.

This would also be fantastic over a baked potato with butter, or baked firm tofu, or as a side dish with a meat dinner.

How do I make it?

• 1 16oz. package of pre-shred cauliflower/carrot/broccoli mix
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen edamame
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 diced garlic clove
• Medium size frying pan

Turn stove burner on high.  Heat up the olive oil. First toss in garlic, then toss in bag of cauliflower blend. Turn heat down to med/high, stir in the edamame. Stir entire time, so food doesn’t burn.  Let mixture cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and cover.  At this point you could add cheese or a flavored sauce such as teriyaki, sweet/sour, whatever strikes your fancy! (Salt and pepper to taste.) Texture should be firm, slightly crunchy and NOT mushy.

Enjoy and stay healthy! xoxo

 

 

 

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Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread-By Bees Adventures!

http://beesadventures.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/pumpkin-spice-monkey-bread-with-caramel-glaze/

I found this amazing recipe on “beesadventures” blog! Easy to make, fun to eat!!

Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread with Caramel Glaze

Yield: 1 bundt pan

Prep Time: 60 minutes | Bake Time: 20 – 25 minutes

Dough Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Lactaid milk (soy milk would work fine too)
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine or lactose-free butter (Becel or Fleischmann’s are my favorites)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup warm water (between 100 to 105 degrees Farenheit)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed (if you want to make brown sugar yourself, see the recipe below)
• 1 tablespoon ground Pumpkin Spice
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine or lactose-free butter, softened

Glaze Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup lactose-free whipping cream
• 1 tbsp vegan margarine or lactose-free butter, softened

Monkey Bread Preparation

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is warm to the touch, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Leave to cool.
2. Heat water to 100 – 105 degrees Farenheit. Add yeast; stir. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate yeast. Mixture will look foamy on top when yeast has activated.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, sugar and salt; mix well.
4. Add egg to cooled milk mixture and mix well.
5. Add activated yeast and milk mixture to dry ingredients. Mix until dough comes together in a sticky ball.
6. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, kneading well after each addition until dough is soft and smooth but still a bit sticky.
7. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
8. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, pumpkin spice and softened margarine.
9. Tear small, pieces of dough and roll into balls. Toss each into the sugar mixture until coated, then place in a greased baking pan.
10. Cover baking dish and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. If you’d like to cook these at a later time, refrigerate or freeze covered and let pan sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Don’t be concerned if rolls do not rise too much.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit when ready to bake.
12. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until browned. Let cool for 10 minutes before turning out on a serving dish.
13. Serve warm, drizzled with glaze. Glaze recipe follows below.

(Adapted from 90-Minute Cinnamon Rolls at Chinese Grandma)

Caramel Glaze Preparation

1. Pour the water into a saucepan then pour the sugar in a pile in the middle of the water. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and begin cooking without stirring. The sugar will dissolve in the water and begin to boil.
2. When the sugar begins to lightly brown, gently swirl the pan until all of the sugar is a deep golden brown.
3. Carefully pour in the cream and add the butter. Whisk until smooth.

(Adapted from Chef Michael Smith’s Caramel Sauce at Food Network)

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Bean & Avo Salad With Lemon Dressing

Sorry-my pictures are a little blurry. This was so yummy though!

Salad
1 1/2 cucumbers, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro
1 can of garbanzo beans, drain out liquid
1 4oz container of feta cheese

Dressing
1/2 olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp spicy mustard

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together, pour over salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss and eat!

Poppy Seed Cake

Moist, dense, and delicious! This is worth every calorie 🙂

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
13 fluid ounces evaporated milk
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and add eggs, vanilla, oil and milk. Mix well and fold in the poppy seeds. Pour into a 10 inch tube pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Place cool cake on a pretty plate or cake stand. Using 1/2 container of store bought frosting (vanilla), place frosting in microwavable measuring cup and heat for approximately 20 seconds. Drizzle over cake. I added a few extra poppy seeds on top for decoration.

Eat and enjoy!!

Pho!

Pronounced “Fa”, pho is a warm and cozy treat. I’m vegetarian, so no meat in my soup. But it did have tofu, bean sprouts, broccoli, carrots, basil, cilantro, bok choy, and a splash of lime 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day

Hand made cake pop in the first picture. Made by one of the parents at my school. She makes the most amazing cake pops, just for fun 🙂
The floral creation in the middle was made by another parent, and friend. She said it’s a Martha Stuart recipe, amazing! (apple pie)
The cupcakes were made by a local bakery.
Have a beautiful and lovely day!

Spaghetti in Browned Butter and Myzithra Cheese

What you will need:

Spaghetti-16 oz box/package
Basil-fresh, chopped, 1/2 cup
Garlic-crushed, 1/2 teaspoon
Butter-1 stick (1/2 cup)
Myzithra cheese-grated, 4 oz

Cook one 16 oz. package of spaghetti, follow directions on box.   Drain, put back in pot, set aside.

To brown the butter and add cheese takes only about 5 minutes.  In a white frying pan place 1 stick (or half a cup) of butter. Don’t use margarine or butter substitutes. Keep heat on medium heat, stirring constantly. It takes only a couple of minutes, you will start to see the butter turn brown. Once a medium brown, take off heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic, and 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, pour over pasta. Stir, mix thoroughly. Last step, pour all 4 oz of cheese into pot, toss pasta. Serve and enjoy!

A nice soft roll or French bread would be nice with this. I would also serve a fresh vegetable on the side. 🙂

Peanut Butter Cookie

Hands-down the best cookie I’ve ever had in my life!

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter. I used chunky
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk (I used half-and-half)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Set aside a small bowl with 1/4 cup white sugar, for sprinkling.

Preheat oven to 350 F, no need to grease cookie sheet. I lined pan with wax paper.

Add all dry ingredients, mix as you go. Add remaining ingredients. I use my hands to mix the dough well, I prefer hands versus a mixer.

Form 1″ balls of dough, then roll in the white sugar, then place on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 min, or until the cookie is slightly firm to the touch. Remove from cookie sheet, allow to cool.

Try not to eat ALL the cookies at once! Yes, they are that good, at least to me 🙂

Double Ale

Purchased at Cost Plus-World Market, about $6.00 Nice and refreshing.