Healthy No Bake Cookies

Best No Bakes I've ever had, hands down! Delicious! 

3 tablespoons almond milk
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup all natural crunchy peanut butter
1/8 cup wheat germ (heaping)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground flax meal (optional)
1 cup quick oats (scant)

~yield 12 cookies

 

Heat milk, sugar and cocoa powder over high heat until boiling, stirring constantly.

Take off heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter; stir until peanut butter has melted completely.

 

Stir in wheat germ, flax meal and oats. 

Put on baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze 10-15 minutes until set. 

*each cookie has about 100 calories including, 2 g fiber, 35 mg potassium, 3.2 g protein, 5% vitamin E, 6 g sugar & 4 g total fat

Snobby Joes

1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns (optional – for serving)

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.  Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can’t wait.

Recipe taken from The Post Punk Kitchen. 

Broccoli Curry Udon

8 oz dry round udon noodles
Olive oil for sauteeing
1 pound broccoli florettes (6 cups)
Medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Big pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups vegetable broth mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup light coconut milk
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

First boil water for the udon. Cook udon according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute broccoli in a few sprays of oil and a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes. Keep covered while cooking, lifting the lid just to stir a few times. In the meantime, prep everything else.

When broccoli is done, remove from pan and set aside. Next saute onions in a bit of oil, with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes. You want them to retain some crunch. Remove from pan (transfer to the same bowl as broccoli to cut down on dishes). Now you’ll make the sauce in the same pan.

Saute the garlic and ginger in a little oil for about 1 minute. Mix in the red pepper flakes. Add the vegetable broth/cornstarch, the curry powder and soy sauce. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Let thicken a bit, for about 3 minutes. Mix in coconut milk and turn off the heat.

Add noodles to the pan and mix to coat. Then fold in the broccoli and onions. Divide between bowls and top with garnishes (if using) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Recipe taken entirely from Post Punk Kitchen. 

Kathy's Veggie Pasta Stew

4 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used shiitake)
1 medium tomato
1 large sweet onion
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 Tbsp Italian Herbs
1 potato, diced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast or 1/4 cup vegan cheese
1 cup dry fusilli pasta
1/3 cup leftover roasted tomato salsa
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 can of beans, drained (I used white cannellini beans)
6 ounces leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, collard..)

optional: a few dashes of cayenne for added heat.

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, add the onions, tomato, mushrooms, garlic and olive oil. Stir and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onions become translucent.

2. Add in all the remaining ingredients (except the beans and leafy greens). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with lid. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Do a few taste tests midway through and check on the salt/spice levels.

3. When you are just about ready to serve the soup, you can add in the beans and greens. Adding the last keeps them tender and not mushy. If you want your greens a bit more hearty, use kale or collard. Spinach wilts very easily.

4. Serve warm! With a nice slice of crusty bread.

Cobb Salad (vegan style)

6-8 cups of chopped romaine
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 avocado, chopped - tossed in the juice of 1 large lemon
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chilled kidney beans, drained





Place lettuce in large bowl and arrange other toppings in rows on the lettuce. Serve with your favorite ranch dressing. Recipe slightly adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Ultimate Panini

sliced sourdough bread (or multigrain)
buttery spread – spread on the outside layer of each slice of bread
thin slices tomato
handful fresh basil leaves
pepper jack cheese (vegan style if desired)
a few thin slices roasted red or yellow pepper (from a jar)
handful of baby spinach

Butter the outside of the bread. Layer on the sliced tomatoes, a roasted pepper, basil, spinach and the pepper jack cheese. Place in a panini grill if you have one or your George Foreman and cook until cheese is melted and bread has a nice crust. yum!

Recipe adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

5 Minute No Bake Peanut Butter granola bars

Ingredients:

Dry (use scant measurements):

• 1 & 3/4 C rolled oats
• 1 C crisp puffed brown rice cereal
• 1/4 C pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 C sunflower seeds
• 1/4 C chia seeds
• 1/4 C unsweetened coconut
• 1/8 C finely ground flaxseed

Wet (use generous measurements):

• 1/2 C brown rice syrup
• 1/3 C creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Mix them together.

2) In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients, then microwave them for about 20 to 30 seconds. This will make it easier to mix and add to the dry ingredients since it’s really sticky!

3) Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix! Keep mixing until the wet binding ingredients are as well distributed as possible. 

4) Put the mixture into a shallow pan and flatten it down. 

Recipe taken completely from fannetasticfood.com.