Monday, March 26, 2012

Fermented foods & Vegan Tempeh Reuben Sandwich Recipe

Delicious Vegan Tempeh Reuben Sandwich along with the most AMAZING Dairy-free Thousand Island Dressing!



If you would like to continue following my work please visit my new site:  http://www.plantbasednutritionista.com

I hope to see you there!

This rich, creamy, hearty,tempeh reuben sandwich recipe features a delicious, creamy low-fat Thousand Island dressing recipe, homemade white cheese sauce, homeade sauerkraut and delicious smoky tempeh.

Okay, so first I must confess.......  I have never tasted a traditional reuben sandwich.  So, if you are going to try this recipe please understand that I have no frame of reference on how a reuben sandwich would generally taste.  However, I absolutely LOVED this sandwich.

My family did not test this recipe for me so I cannot make any claims about how well received this would be with children.  The reality is that I wouldn't expect many children to enjoy this very much, generally because of the sauerkraut.  I do not know many children who enjoy the taste of fermented veggies but if your kids do that is amazing!

**** I do not recommend using bottled sauerkraut!!  Why? 

Why would you eat sauerkraut without the amazing benefit of PROBIOTICS!  The probiotics in my homemade sauerkraut have helped improve my digestive health more than anything I have ever taken or eaten. 

I still love my water kefir and it certainly has been beneficial for my digestion,  but not to the extent that fresh homemade dairy-free yogurts and sauerkraut!  If you struggle with candida, constipation, celiac disease, crohn's, colitis, auto-immune diseases or allergies, or any digestive issue fermented foods are an absolute MUST!

Sauerkraut is SO easy to make, there shouldn't be any excuses about not having time or money!  Purchase high quality probiotic capsules and a head of cabbage.  Grate the cabbage an massage with 1 Tb. salt until it releases its juices.  Pack into quart jars, cover with water and release all the bubbles in the jar, top with a cabage leaf and a few cleaned rocks, screw on the lid and leave for a few days!  It's that simple!

I will post more of my fermented recipes later, but I think it is very important to recognize the benefits of fermented foods and realize that in our over sterilized world EVERYONE should be consuming fermened foods.   On to the recipe.......






Assemble sandwich:


Spread one side of bread with white cheese and top with sauerkraut, spread other side of bread with thousand island dressing and top with corned tempeh. You can spread earth balance on the outside of the bread and grill in a skillet or in a panini pan or george foreman grill until browned on each side.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Roasted pepper Greek Fusilli Pasta

Delicious Roasted Pepper Greek Fusilli Pasta with Kalamata Olives and Fresh Vegetables






If you would like to continue following my work please visit my new site:  http://www.plantbasednutritionista.com

I hope to see you there!

A very simple yet elegant dish that will tantalize your taste buds.  Your family will think you've slaved away in the kitchen preparing this delicious Greek dish with roasted peppers, fresh vegetables and whole grain pasta.  This dish combines very simple ingredients with a homemade parmesan cheese that really adds to the flavor of the roasted peppers and simple whole grain pasta.

I have been so busy lately I haven't had much time to think, let alone sit down and post another recipe.  Today I am short on time but I wanted to post a quick recipe to add to your delicious recipe collection this week.

Hubby and I are celebrating our 15 year wedding anniversary so I will be gone for the next couple of days.  I will be eating out and enjoying being pampered in a hotel. 

Okay, so back to the recipe.  Hubby got home late Monday night and wanted a bowl of cereal, he poured his FAVORITE cereal and then I pulled out leftovers just wanting him to try it to see if he thought this simple recipe was blog worthy and he LOVED IT!  He ate quite a bit of the leftovers and then stuffed himself with the cereal since he had already poured on the soymilk.

This delicious vegan Greek pasta recipe can be made very quickly, tossed together on a whim so save this one for when you are short on time.  You can prepare all the ingredients at the same time, roast the peppers while boiling pasta and sauteeing veggies so really it should only take about 20 minutes to get this delicious pasta dish on the table.




Monday, March 12, 2012

Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean & Cheese Ravioli in a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

The Ultimate in Gourmet Vegan & Gluten Free Cuisine......

Vegan, Gluten Free Black Bean & Cheese Ravioli in a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce!



If you would like to continue following my work please visit my new site:  http://www.plantbasednutritionista.com

I hope to see you there!

Gourmet handmade gluten free ravioli filled with a delicious black bean and cheese mixture, topped with a delicious roasted red bell pepper sauce with the perfect blend of spices and fresh basil.  This dish does take a little bit more time to prepare but it is absolutely AMAZING!  It is a definite crowd pleaser.  If you are hosting a dinner party and want to impress your guests, this is the perfect dish!

You'll have to forgive the photo, I made this at my mom's house and I forgot to bring along my nice camera.......This is a cell phone camera picture but I think you can still get the idea of how amazing this dish was!

My kids like to eat the ravioli plain, without any sauce.  Yes, it is actually that good.

I was really worried that the gluten free ravioli would not hold together.  You just drop it in boiling water so you can imagine how worried I was that I'd have a HUGE mess on my hands if the ravioli came apart and released a whole slew of black bean and cheese filling all over in the pan.  Much to my surprise the ravioli came out perfectly, and it floats to the top when done just like regular ravioli.

You can fill this ravioli with ANYTHING you want.  You could use ground tempeh sausage, cheese sauce, ground bean burgers, spinach and tofu ricotta, whatever sounds good to you!

I know haven't posted in awhile but we took an amazing vacation down south away from all the cold, snow and ice!  It was AMAZING to enjoy the warm sun for a change.  We went swimming and hiking through Zion National Park and had a wonderful time.  I had a short break from blogging but I am back and creating more delicious recipes!

Yesterday I was practically in tears as I got a jump start in the kitchen again......

Yes, even those of us who know our way around the kitchen can still make some real blunders!

I wanted to make some amazing, delicious gluten free cinnamon rolls.  This is definitely on my to do list.  Well, I rinsed out the bowl I had made mashed potatoes in and began making my cinnamon roll dough when much to my shock and horror I smelled GARLIC!!!!!! 

My amazing cinnamon roll dough wreaked of my garlic mashed potatoes!  Yes, they were completely RUINED!

Well, I had to have Sunday dessert so I started on a new venture.....Gluten free Blondie Brownies.

Well, unfortunately I did not check the oven temp and of course it was set to 400 degrees which dried out the blondies!  Seriously!  Well, my son ended up eating the whole pan saying they made delicious gluten free graham crackers..... That is NOT what I was going for!  Oh well, after a few minutes of sheer frustration I made some banana ice cream, crumbled up the crispy over baked blondies and that was dessert!

Gluten free cinnamon rolls are still on my to do list and I promise, some day soon I will be posting the most amazing, moist cinnamon rolls you've ever had.  But until then......Enjoy the ravioli.


Gluten free Homemade Black Bean Ravioli and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce




Serves 6





















Thursday, March 1, 2012

Fluffy Gluten Free Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits

The Biggest, Fluffiest Gluten Free, Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits.......EVER!





If you would like to continue following my work please visit my new site:  http://www.plantbasednutritionista.com

I hope to see you there!

These are the most delectable, light, fluffy gluten free & vegan buttermilk biscuits you will ever try!  They have a very light, melt in your mouth texture and make an amazing companion for your favorite dinner!  If you are sick and tired of crumbly gluten free breads you will LOVE these biscuits!  They hold together perfectly and are extremely soft in texture!

The dough holds together well and is very easy to work with!   This gluten free, vegan buttermilk biscuit recipe is the easiest gluten free quick bread recipe I have ever made.    My family LOVED these biscuits!  My husband who is not gluten free really enjoyed these as well and he is an absolute bread LOVER, he is extremely picky about the texture of his bread. 

I have to admit these are not low fat and do contain Earth Balance however, in baking gluten free breads you absolutely MUST use a fat or the bread will be hard and crumbly.  I tried to minimize the amount of oil in this recipe to obtain the desired soft texture without using too much.

If you are tired of rubbery bread you can certainly use these biscuits for sandwiches or for your veggie burgers.  The gluten free vegan biscuits are very versatile, enjoy!

I have been so busy lately I have not had a lot of time to get the newsletter out or to create recipes in the kitchen.  I am hoping that life will settle down a bit and allow me to get back into the kitchen.   I still have a couple recipes waiting for the blog. 

Gluten free, vegan black bean ravioli I really want to get a better picture of the plain ravioli so you can see how absolutely beautiful it is!

I really want to dedicate some time to emphasizing the imporance of fermented foods.  I know that has been a very popular subject in the natural health world lately, however, most fermented recipes are NOT vegan!  I personally believe that dairy based fermented foods may be better than their regular counterpart, however, I do not believe that any milk whether human or cow is good for weaned children or adults!  There are natural growth hormones in milk, including human milk, that are designed to promote the rapid growth of the infant and these hormones are NOT good for us!

With that in mind, I plan to continue expanding my fermented food recipes so you can include them in your daily diet.   Hopefully I will be able to put together an entire fermented food class very soon so you can learn everything you need to know about making dairy free kefir, water kefir, dairy free yogurt, sauerkraut, kim chee, rejuvelac, cheeses and much more!  Okay on to today's recipe........

Please let me know if you have any questions you'd like answered, recipes you would like created or anything else, I'd love to hear from you!

Gluten Free, Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits






Makes 12 biscuits









**DO NOT ROLL WITH ROLLING PIN!

Press dough into a circle with hands until 1/2" thick and cut with glass cup or biscuit cutter. Place in a round cake pan or baking pan. Bake 400 for 12 minutes.



Don't miss out on these amazing, fluffy vegan and gluten free biscuits!

Please let me know how you enjoy these biscuits in the comments!