The Ultimate Healthy Kid Friendly Meal

Kid Friendly.......Mom Approved

Gluten Free Vegan 'Chicken' Fingers and Honey Mustard Sauce

If you would like to continue to follow my work......

My recipes and I can now be found @

http://www.plantbasednutritionista.com

I hope to see you there!   

This delicious Kid Friendly meal was a HUGE hit with my whole family!  The kids were thrilled when they saw the yummy breaded 'chicken' fingers and macaroni and cheese.  They were so excited, thanking me for making them an 'unhealthy' meal for once.

Shhhhhh..... I didn't tell them that it was actually healthy :-)  They had no idea they were eating vegetables, whole grains and legumes...hahaha.

*****Disclaimer:  Kids who are only used to eating junk food will probably not enjoy this at all!

I have to make that disclaimer because children who frequent McDonalds or who eat tons of frozen junk foods will not enjoy this at all.  These do not have the same texture as meat does so please don't expect this to taste like or have the texture of meat.

I do not like meat at all and do not try to perfectly mimic its texture or flavor for a reason!

These little seitan fingers don't have the texture of meat but they do have a delicious flavor and they are really fun to dip into honey mustard sauce!  My children don't eat junk food and so this was a really fun treat for them.  Healthy kids will have a lot of fun with this for sure!

K's Thoughts on the Seitan Fingers, Honey mustard sauce and mac & cheese

Hey guys!  I'm back again! :) This was an awesome kid-friendly dinner!  I LOVED it!  If it was my turn to make dinner this is probably what I would make! :) 

We are currently in the process of moving.....again!  I know we have moved 4 times in the last 4 years and hopefully someday we will be able to settle down and quit moving around so much.  I miss my home on 5 acres so much......  Hopefully someday we will be able to have something like that again :-)

Amongst all the moving and packing I am trying to keep up my recipe creating....I have a few cracker recipes that I will be posting pics of on the facebook page today.  Hopefully I'll be able to keep up the recipe creating for a bit longer but during the major transition I may not be able to so I might even do some posts on how to eat on the fly!  

I am really good at throwing things together or even eating from the grocery store whatever can  be made with a bowl and a spoon.  We have traveled a lot so I have a lot of experience with eating with very little available options.  It doesn't matter if you are in the middle of nowhere cowboy country, a vegan can always find something to eat!  I have done it!

Before moving on to the recipes I have a question to ask..........

How many of you would be interested in an Ebook on eradicating Candida?

I am considering writing an ebook for those who are struggling with candida because I know in our modern society it is such a HUGE problem.  There is a lot of information out there....most of which is NOT vegan and they almost make it seem as if a vegan cannot possibly rid themselves of candida but this is simply not true.  

If you want to be able to understand the facts from the myths I'd love to write an ebook and share recipes, herbs, and information about candida with you so you can rid yourself of candida the vegan way.

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!

Delicious Dairy Free Seven Layer Dip

Dairy-free Vegan Seven Layer Dip

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I hope to see you there!

This hearty seven layer dip was the hit of the party on superbowl Sunday.  My dad was a little skeptical about a dairy free seven layer dip.  However, when he dipped his first chip in for a taste he said, this doesn't have cheese?  Nope.

This delicious dairy free seven layer dip does feature a delicious vegan cheese sauce that compliments the flavors of the dip perfectly. 

As you can see the dip didn't even last for a photo before people started digging in!

We had an amazing superbowl Sunday menu, unfortunately I did not get photos of the entire spread.  Here is a teaser preview of what we had.  I will post the recipes for everything we ate in the coming weeks:

• Fruit tray with a delicious poppy seed dip
• Vegetable platter
• Gluten free seitan buffalo wings
• Seitan buffalo wings
• Healthy Hostess style gluten free cupcakes
• Potato chips with creamy dip

If you want a gluten free seitan recipe let me know in the comments!

I have created a delicious gluten free seitan recipe that will work prefectly for any recipe you would normally use seitan in.  I want to see how much interest there is in a gluten free seitan substitute.  I have seen a few on the internet but they seem complicated, time consuming and the review do not indicate that these seitan substitutes taste as well as people would like.

Okay, so on to the feature recipe.......dairy free, vegan seven layer dip

Mary's Mini Diet Menu and Journal Day 4

Mary's Mini Menu Day 4

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

I hope to see you there!

 Dinner: BBQ squash strips and a large salad with oil-free creamy dijon dressing

I must apologize for not posting yesterday, it was a hectic day, I went to Jazzercize in the morning came home showered and left again, I had to eat lunch out and it was at about 3pm and then dinner ended up being some fruit because my lunch was so late and then off to my son's basketball game so there wasn't time to post.

Lunch yesterday was at Costa Vida, I had a veggie salad and it was delicious.

As I have done 4 days on my choice of Squash I must admit that I don't think it was the best choice, I have found that it does not contain enough calories to sustain me.  My stomach cannot hold much at all and so it is difficult to get enough calories with low calorie foods like squash or other non-starchy vegetables.  I thought that being that my calorie intake is quite low due to my size it may work but I have had to rethink that decision.  

I know it is a no no but I think I will go ahead and choose another starch for the remainder of the 10 day diet.

Weight loss so far:  1.4 pounds!

That is pretty good I think in only 4 days!

Breakfast

Acorn Squash steamed with apples and cinnamon topped with blackberries

This makes a really delicious breakfast and by steaming the squash it is done in 20 minutes!  

Serving Size:  If you are a small person under 5'3"  the half will be a serving, for an average size person you will need to make both halves.

Recipe:

Acorn Squash halved

1/2 apple diced

1/4-1/3 c. apple juice

1 tsp. cinnamon

4-6 blackberries

Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Fill the squash with the diced apples.  Put the squash in a small sauce pan filled with 1/2 to 1 inch of water.  Fill the squash with the apple juice.  Bring the water to a boil and cover the pot with a lid.  Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon, top with berries and serve.

Nutrients in the Acorn squash breakfast:

The whole squash for an average serving

Calories............311

Protein.............5g

Omega 3's........ 15%

Vitamin A ...... 75%

Folate...........  22%

B6.............58%

Calcium...........17%

Iron..........20%

Zinc.........10%

Lunch

Steamed veggies and leftover acorn squash

I didn't take a photo, it is nothing spectacular.  

I sauteed some broccoli, onion, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms in water and added a little salt.

I scooped out the second half of squash and sprinkled it with cinnamon.

Dinner

I decided to get a little creative with my squash because it is certainly getting, well, boring.  I thought it would taste delicious in some BBQ sauce so I experimented.

Recipe:

Peel and slice butternut squash into thick strips

Use your favorite BBQ sauce

I put the squash strips in a small baking dish and covered them in my smokey BBQ sauce.  I baked them at about 375 for 25 minutes.

I really enjoyed the change of flavor in the squash.  It was a simple dinner but it was satisfying.  

I was craving my creamy dijon dressing so I had a large salad on the side.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas on how to make Mary's mini creative.  I will probably start with potatoes tommorrow as they are more calorie dense and a  lot more filling than the squash.  Hopefully that will give you some more creative ideas of what to do if you choose potatoes.

Enjoy!

Don't worry, I will be back to my usual creative self in a few days.

In fact, I have a fun surprise!!

My daughter wants gluten free goldfish crackers.......so my challenge begins!

Thanksgiving Blog Fest Continues with a Vegan Gravy Recipe

Thanksgiving Blog Fest Continues Featuring.....

Vegan 'Turkey' style gravy Recipe

 photo by telephone melts

Delicious vegan 'turkey' style homemade gravy for your peaceful Thanksgiving feast!  This recipe uses the perfect blend of herbs to create a rich, delicious traditional gravy flavor.  One of my  biggest pet peeves about vegetarian gravy recipes is that they ALWAYS feature mushrooms.  I am sorry but mushroom gravy is disgusting!

Why don't we all just let go of the disaster mushroom gravy and settle on a more traditional flavor of gravy.  Mashed potatoes and gravy are a classic part of Thanksgiving fare and a peaceful vegetarian Thanksgiving should be no different.  You do not need to sacrifice on taste to have a peaceful Thanksgiving and this delicious gravy recipe will delight your guests for sure.

Thanksgiving Blog Fest Yam or Sweet Potato Casserole

Thanksgiving Blog Fest

Vegan Yam or Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Delicious vegan yam or sweet potato casserole recipe features cashew cream and maple syrup to give the perfect rich, creamy flavor to this delectable Holiday dish.  The sweet potato casserole is topped with a combination of pecans, succant and cinnamon to give a delicious crumb topping.  This delicious mix of cashew cream, sweet and spices create absolute perfection!

The first Thanksgiving that I served this delicious sweet potato or yam casserole it was my absolute favorite dish!  I had the leftovers for lunch for several days, I couldn't get enough of this sweet potato casserole.   This is an absolute MUST for any Peaceful Thanksgiving or Holiday table!  If you dare to be non-traditional  you could even make this dish anytime as a delicious side dish for any cold fall or winter evening!


This post is a little later than I planned but I have been extremely busy this past week teaching nutrition classes, making delicious vegan feasts for family and a lot of running around but I promise that I will finish ALL the Thanksgiving recipes in time for you to create your own peaceful Thanksgiving feast!  Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Blogfest Tempeh Sausage Stuffing

Thanksgiving Blog Fest Day 2 

Vegan Tempeh Sausage Stuffing with Gluten free Options

Delicious tempeh sausage, whole grain dried bread and seasonings combine to make the perfect stuffing for your Peaceful Holiday table.   This delicious stuffing has received rave reviews at all holiday parties and I know you and your guests will love is traditional flavor and texture!


This weeks Thanksgiving blog fest post is featured in the Wellness Weekend event so please check out the other recipes featured in this weeks Wellness Weekend! 
 Click Here to See all the delicious recipes

You can use store bought dried bread for the stuffing if you would like, there are several varieties available at Whole Foods and other natural foods markets throughout the holidays.  I wanted to make sure I was using whole grain bread in my stuffing and so I made my own cubed dried bread, it is simple but it does require some forethought.

  

Vegan Tempeh Bacon Recipe

Vegan Dairy Free Homemade Yogurt Recipe

Purchasing dairy free yogurt in the grocery store can be quite expensive and it does not provide the same digestive benefits as  homemade dairy free yogurt.  Homemade yogurt provides an excellent source of probiotics and improves digestion. I have seen dramatic health improvements in many people I have worked with simply by adding fermented foods into their diet.  Relief from constipation, headaches, fatigue, IBS, inflammation, nutritional deficiencies and more.... Commercially prepared yogurts contain only one strain of bacteria, tons of sugar and are NOT health foods.

What's Wrong with Dairy?

Yogurt made from dairy products contains:  insulin growth factor known to contribute to juvenile diabetes, promote the growth of cancer cells among a host of other health problems.

"Studies have suggested that bovine serum albumin is the milk protein responsible for the onset of diabetes... Patients with insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus produce antibodies to cow milk proteins that participate in the development of islet dysfunction... Taken as a whole, our findings suggest that an active response in patients with IDDM (to the bovine protein) is a feature of the autoimmune response."
New England Journal of Medicine, July 30, 1992

Insulin growth factor or IGF-1 stimulates the growth of normal cells and is a key factor in growth and development of nursing infants or animals, however, after weaning IGF-1 is a potent stimulator of both normal and cancerous cells.   

 Rosenfeld, R.G., et al. Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins in neoplasia (meeting abstract). Hormones and Growth Factors in Development and Neoplasia, Fogarty International Conference, June 26-28, 1995, Bethesda, MD, 1995, p. 24

Several studies found that IGF-1 found in cows milk accelerates the growth of breast cancer cells.   

Lippman, Marc E. The development of biological therapies for breast cancer. Science, Vol. 259, January 29, 1993, pp. 631-32

Papa, Vincenzo, et al. Insulin-like growth factor-I receptors are overexpressed and predict a low risk inhuman breast cancer. Cancer Research, Vol. 53, 1993, pp. 3736-40

 In 1995 researchers at the National Institutes of Health reported that IGF-1 plays a central role in the progression of  a number of childhood cancers as well as  breast cancer, small cell lung cancer, melanoma, and cancers of the pancreas and prostate. 

LeRoith, Derek, et al. The role of the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor in cancer. Annals New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 766, September 7, 1995, pp. 402-08

Making your own dairy free yogurt is very simple.  I have tested recipes using soymilk as well as cashew and almond to give you a variety of choices when making your homemade yogurt.

Homemade Dairy Free Yogurt Recipe

My kids LOVED this yogurt, they ate it at breakfast and lunch everyday for over a week....it's time to make more!

** This yogurt can be made with fresh almond, cashew, brazil nut milk etc... however, these ferment more quickly and only need about 8-12 hours fermentation so be aware of that.

**Do NOT use store bought almond milk, it will not thicken.  You MUST use fresh homemade almond or cashew milk.  If you use milk other than soymilk add about 1 or 2 Tb. of turbinado sugar to feed the culture.

1 qt. soymilk, almond milk, cashew milk, brazil nut milk......
1 pkt. dairy free kefir starter  [1/2 c. water kefir from water kefir grains]

Warm soymilk to finger temp about 92 degrees, pour in packet and stir until dissolved.  Pour into a clean quart jar and put the lid on. Ferment on counter for 48 hours, up to 72 hours.  It should smell slightly sour.

Strain off yogurt water as best you can.  Add:

2 packets of stevia in the raw
3 Tb. turbinado sugar
1 Tb. vanilla

Stir well.  Pour into a container and store in the fridge up to one week. You can add your favorite fruit to this yogurt for a delicious snack. 

What do you do with the left over liquid ferment?

I noticed that when I made the cashew and almond yogurts the yield was much lower and it produced a lot more liquid that needed to be strained.  This liquid can be used so DO NOT just toss it.    Use 1/2 c. of the liquid ferment to make another batch of yogurt without having to use another packet of starter. 

I actually added some of my liquid ferment to creamy salad dressings, you can also add it to fresh pressed juices for some probiotics and it can be added to green smoothies as well. 

Homemade Dairy Free Raw Almond Yogurt with Fruit Recipe

I wanted to show another example of homemade yogurt, this one will really appeal to raw foodists as this is a homemade raw almond yogurt recipe.  The almond milk only has to be heated to about 95 degrees before adding the kefir starter.  This homemade yogurt makes a delicious addition to breakfast or a snack.

In this photo I used mango, raspberries, blueberries and banana topped with raw buckwheat, oats and topped with my fresh raw almond yogurt recipe.

I would LOVE to hear your yogurt making stories! 

Post your yogurt making story below and you can WIN a dairy free, soy free Cheese and Cream Recipe Collection:

"Grate-able Vegan Cheddar Cheese, Mozarella cheese, Cashew Dill Cheeseball, Ricotta Cheese and more...."

Stoll, B.A. Breast cancer: further metabolic-endocrine risk markers? British Journal of Cancer, Vol. 76, No. 12, 1997, pp. 1652-54

  

Hearty Vegetable Stew with Gluten-Free Dumplings

This is a classic, hearty fall stew recipe with delicious gluten free dumplings.  Unfortunately, where I live it has been very cold, still freezing at night and the house has been particularly chilly as we have been heating it only with fires in the fireplace so this warm, hearty stew was perfect. I was surprised how delicious the gluten free dumplings turned out, I wasn't sure how well they would hold together being cooked in a liquid, but to my surprise the gluten free dumplings turned out amazing!  I hope you will enjoy this heart stew on a nice cool evening.

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Homemade Vegan & Gluten Free Rice a Roni Recipe

I have been busy in the kitchen creating some amazing recipes!  I was sitting at the computer the other day and thought, I used to LOVE rice a roni as a kid......I wonder if I could create a healthy version of rice a roni and another amazing recipe was created! My family flipped over this recipe, it was certainly on the top of everyones favorites list.  You have got to try this amazingly delicious, healthy, vegan version of rice a roni.

This is a healthy, vegan, gluten free rice a roni recipe!  You certainly can make it with whole wheat pasta as well, but I think those on gluten free diets will certainly appreciate a gluten free rice a roni option! DELICIOUS!  Skip the monosodium glutamate and junk found in the boxed version and make your own healthy rice dish!

Homestyle Breakfast Potatoes

To the left side of my famous Tofu Scramble are these yummy Homestyle Breakfast Potatoes.  These potatoes were seasoned with complimentary flavors so they feature chili powder and cumin for a litle southwestern flair.  If you prefer more traditional potatoes you can leave out the chili and cumin and use parsley or rosemary would make a delicious flavor as well.

These homestyle potatoes are a little tricky to make mainly because you have to watch them, stir them frequently and make sure they have enough vegetable broth to prevent burning until they soften but when the potatoes are done all liquid should be absorbed so if the homestyle potato recipe doesn't work out for you the first time don't give up on it.

Ranch-style French Fries

These go great on the side of my famous Black Bean Burger or with any meal.  This is a low fat french fry recipe!  It is oil free, vegan, gluten free and amazingly delicious!  It adds a little extra kick to your low fat homemade french fries.

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Mexican Chayote Squash in Chili Sauce Recipe with Mexican coleslaw recipe on the side

We receive a bountiful basket every saturday and it is always a wonderful surprise to see what comes in our basket.  Last week it contained 3 chayote squash, I had no idea what to make with chayote squash.  I've never used this type of squash so I looked around at the FEW recipes available and I wasn't very impressed.  So I decided to create my own, this is a very good recipe with a nice flavor.

We also had two heads of cabbage so I really needed to use them.  The mexican coleslaw idea turned out amazing!  I created the coleslaw dressing without added oil.  It has a wonderful flavor but it has quite a strong lime/vinegar flavor so if you want a more creamy mexican coleslaw dressing I would suggest adding another 1/4 to 1/3 c. of cashews.  Enjoy!

Mexican Coleslaw Recipe

Corn Chowder, Vegan Gluten free buttermilk biscuits

Vegan Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

There are a few tricks with gluten free biscuits that make them light and fluffy.  You really need to use coconut flour, it absorbs a lot of liquid and gives a lot of wonderful light texture to gluten free baked goods.  I have found that when I use coconut flour in gluten free baking I do not usually need to use xanthan gum.  Xanthan gum often causes baked goods to take on a 'gummy' texture that I do not like.  Generally with gluten free baking you either get a crumbly mess to a gummy texture that is undesirable.  Coconut flour solves this problem beautfully.  These delicious vegan gluten free buttermilk biscuits do not contain xanthan gum but they hold together extremely well, they are not crumbly, nor are they gummy. 

I generally add between 1/4 to 1/3 c. of coconut flour to each gluten free recipe.  You don't need much or it will absorb too much liquid and make the baked goods dry.  If you are making a gluten free recipe substitute about 1/4 to 1/3 c. of any other gluten free flour with coconut flour.

I try to avoid refined oils if at all possible, this can be a daunting task as most baked goods contain a fair amount of refined oil.  Refined oil gives a rich flavor to baked goods.  This recipe is fairly light, but if you want to add Earth balance for the applesauce you can certainly do that and the recipe will turn out very well that way as well.

Featured Readers Favorite award recipes......

#1 Vegan Dorito-style Nacho Cheese Chip Recipe

These Dorito-style Nacho Cheese Chips have been a hit with The Peaceful Kitchen blog readers!!  They are a fun recipe for kids and they don't contain any dangerous or unhealthy ingredients.  Visit the link below for the Nacho Cheese Chip recipe.

Vegan Dorito-style Nacho Cheese Chips

 #2 Gluten Free Vegan Pop Tart Recipe

This gluten free pop tart recipe is absolutely AMAZING!!  I have tested this recipe on many groups at parties and it is always a smashing hit!  The recipe is simple, contains only 1 Tb. of sweetener and is so delicious!  Even if you are not gluten free you will LOVE this gluten free pop tart recipe.  Forget about high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and other unhealthy ingredients and enjoy this little gem of a treat.  Click on the link to get the gluten free pop tart recipe...

Gluten Free Pop Tart Recipe

#3 Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This delicious gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe is not only delicious, but low in sugar as well.  These are my daughters favorite cookies!!  This gluten free chocolate chip recipe has been a HUGE hit with readers because it is low in sugar, gluten free and it tastes AMAZING!!  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

#4 Broccoli Sunburger Divan Recipe

This delicious broccoli divan recipe features my famous vegan cheese sauce recipe, the famous sunburger recipe and an amazing cream sauce all wrapped into a delicious, healthy meal!  This broccoli divan is a definite crowd pleaser and a favorite among picky youngsters.

Broccoli Sunburger Divan Recipe

#5  Gluten Free Broccoli Cheese Croissant

This gluten free broccoli cheese croissant recipe is a reader favorite.  It has a delicious, flaky gluten free pastry crust and is filled with a creamy sauce full of veggies.  I topped it with my famous vegan cheese sauce recipe.  This is sure to become a favorite in your family too!

Gluten Free Broccoli Cheese Croissant

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the top 5 readers choice award recipes....

Please click to follow the blog so you will be updated when new delicious recipes are posted!

Vegan and Gluten Free St. Patricks Day Recipes

Vegan St. Patrick's Day Menu Recipes

I decided to create a wonderful meal for St. Patricks Day and I wanted to be able to share it with my readers.  If you  have ever created a recipe you know that they don't always work out the first time around so I had my work cut out for me creating this vegan corned beef recipe.  

The flavor of the vegan corned beef turned out really well, I think you will be very pleased with it.  I chose to make this gluten free because I know it is so hard forvegans to find gluten free meat substitutes.  I personally don't care for meat substitutes but my family enjoys them and I know for those who are new to the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle some familiar flavor or texture can be helpful.  I am in the process of creating more vegan and gluten free meat substitute recipes because I have noticed that this is a very popular question I am asked.

I want to improve the texture of some of the gluten free meat substitute recipes I have created so far.  I will be posting the recipes for the gluten free meat substitute recipes as they are created and perfected so if you would like the recipes please click to follow this blog and you will be updated as they become available.

The vegan corned beef recipe is a little tricky and it does need some time to cool down and firm up but it has a wonderful flavor.

Vegan Gluten Free Corned Beef Recipe

Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots for Vegan Corned Beef Recipe

Ooooooo this is GOOD!!  In fact, this would make a delicious meal on its own!  My husband LOVED the flavor of these veggies!  I think I may keep this on the regular menu as my family really enjoyed it and this part of the vegan corned beef and cabbage recipe is easy.

Vegan Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

This vegan gluten free Irish soda bread is a delicious compliment to the vegan gluten free corned beef and cabbage recipe above!  This vegan and gluten free version of irish soda bread has all the flavor and texture of traditional Irish soda bread.

Gluten Free Cornbread

Gluten Free Cornbread 

  

I had no idea how this gluten free cornbread recipe would turn out, it was a complete test recipe.  When I poured the cornbread batter into the pan I really didn't think it was going to qualify for the blog, but much to my surprise this delicious little cornbread came out of the oven and was delicious!!   This gluten free cornbread recipe is very simple, low fat, lower in sugar than most cornbread and very good for you.

Veggie Garbanzo Burger Recipe, Italian Macadamia cream dressing and Italian tempeh and vegetables in tomato cream sauce

Italian Tempeh and Veggies in Tomato Cream Sauce

My sister and her husband came to dinner last night and I wanted to make a delicious Italian dish because she LOVES pasta!  I created this italian recipe just for them.  The recipe is absolutely delicious and is PACKED with nutrition!

This photo also features some gluten free breadsticks, I had little time so I made them out of biscuit dough, they turned out good but they aren't recipe blog worthy in my opinion so I won't feature the recipe here.

Recipe Thoughts, Nutrition Tidbits, and Carrot Juice Nutritional Profile

Carrot juice is found in many of my recipes because it is so packed with nutrients and adds such an amazing flavor to the food.  It is sad to me that so many people are so ill informed when it comes to nutrition.  Nutrition understanding is based on a totally reductionist view of nutrition.

We select a food such as protein, find the food we 'think' has the most protein and that food is then considered healthy and necessary in order to get your protein.  We do the same thing for calcium, omega 3's and any other fad nutrient to come along.  The problem with this is, we totally miss the boat entirely through this approach, we eat unhealthy foods that are not good for us because they contain some random, high prized nutrient in large quantities, when in reality ALL food contains this nutrient and therefore that particular food is unnecessary anyway.

To give you an example, our humble carrot juice.  Let me guess, you think carrot juice has sugars and some vitamin A [carotenoids]  right?  Wrong?  The nutritional profile of carrot juice is BROAD!!  Carrot juice has been used by natural health professionals for hundreds of years as a healing juice, why?  Because the nutritional profile of carrot juice is impressive and supremely health promoting.  If you thought you knew a lot about nutrition, lets take a peak into the nutritional profile of carrot juice and you might think twice about what you think you know about nutrition.

Nutritional Profile of Carrot Juice

1 cup of Carrot juice
All percentages are the daily percent of the RDA

Calories..............94

Protein................2.2g        [Carrot juice has protein....gasp...shock]

Fat.......................4g         [Carrots have fat? Yes, this is how our fat needs are met without refined oil, gasp]

Vitamin A............1935%

Folate......................2%

Vitamin B1.............20%

Vitamin B2.............12%

Vitamin B3.............7%

Vitamin B5...........11%

Vitamin B6...........39%

Vitamin C............27%    [But I thought only oranges had vitamin C]

Vitamin E............18%

Vitamin K...........41%


Calcium..............6%   [Okay wait, only cows milk has calcium, NOPE!]

Iron...................6%

Magnesium.......10%

Manganese.......17%

Phosphorus......14%

Potassium........15%  

Selenium...........3%

Sodium.............5%   [But I thought we had to eat table salt for sodium, nope, it is in plants]

Zinc.................5%

Omega 3's......2%     [Something other than flax and fish has omega 3's?  I am shocked at the poor understanding of nutrition these days, almost ALL plant foods contain fat and even omega 3's, I know, I know how crazy is that, nature provided well for our  nutritional needs and yet, we don't even realize it]

As you can see, something as simple as 1 cup of carrot juice can provide a significant amount of nutrition.  In fact, consuming carrot juice mixed with a variety of vegetable juices can provide nearly all nutrients we require in a day. 

Hopefully that helps you understand why you see so many vegetables, including carrot juice in so many of my daily recipes and menu plans, it is for the nutritional content!  I hope this brief look into the nutritional profile of carrot juice has helped broaden your understanding of nutrition so that you see that nutrition and nutrient consumption is so much more than milk=calcium, fish=omega 3's etc....

on to more recipes............

Italian Macadamia Cream Salad Dressing Recipe 

 

This salad dressing recipe was a creation in an effort to get my husband and kids to eat a salad for lunch.....it was a smashing success!!!  They all LOVED this salad dressing recipe and cleaned their plates.  I added the yellow squash to the salad dressing recipe as a thickener in place of refined, empty calorie oil and to increase the nutritional content of the dressing.

Blending zucchini, yellow squash and other veggies in sauces is a great way to sneak veggies into your family's diet!

 

More Nutrition Tidbits

Okay, so you read the carrot juice nutritional profile and you might be thinking that was interesting, but why add yellow squash to a salad dressing?  Well, it is the same reason I add carrot juice to many recipes, NUTRITION.  Unfortunately, most people have little understanding of the simple nutritional profile of vegetables, because our society focuses on protein=meat and milk=calcium and that's about where nutrition knowledge ends.  Vegetables only make up about 5-7% of the American diet and therefore we have VERY little understanding of the nutrition in fruits and vegetables.

I enjoy creating delicious salad dressing recipes to share, but I think it is important for you to understand WHY you need to eat your veggies.  Sure, you know veggies are good for you because your mom said so, but WHY are they good for you?  Lets find out by using the humble yellow squash nutritional profile as an example.

Yellow Squash Nutritional Profile

1 yellow summer squash

Calories.................51

Protein..................4g [squash has protein? Surprise!]

Fat................... .6g [you can get all the fat you need from natural foods]

Vitamin A............28%

Folate..................23%

Vitamin B1.........14%

Vitamin B2.........42%

Vitamin B3.........11%

Vitamin B5.........10%

Vitamin B6.........54%

Vitamin C...........73%

Vitamin E............3%

Vitamin K...........11%

Calcium..............5%

Iron....................6%

Magnesium........17%

Manganese.........31%

Phosphorus.........18%

Potassium...........18%

Selenium.............1%

Sodium...............1/2%

Zinc.....................12%



Another shining example of how nutritionally dense vegetables are. In only 51 calories you get A LOT of nutrients!!! This is the reason you should EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!! Your mom was right! Most nutrient deficiencies are due to a lack of a variety of vegetables. They are nutrition powerhouses packed with a small amount of calories, this is the absolute key to weight loss too. Eat your veggies. The nutritional profile of the humble yellow squash is amazing and yet it is only one example of the potent nutrition found in vegetables.


This is the reason you will see vegetables featured in every main meal recipe I create, because they should absolutely take center stage.

Carrot Veggie Bean Burger Recipe

My sunburgers have been a hit with EVERYONE who has tried them.  They are a staple in our house, however I decided to create a veggie burger with higher nutrient density and this delicious little veggie burger was the result.  My husband said it is better than my sunburgers and that is saying a lot because sunburgers are his favorite!!

**I did not dress up this veggie burger for the photo because I wanted you to see the texture of the patty and the veggies.

Nutritional Profile of the Veggie Burgers

I thought it would be interesting to show you the nutritional profile of these veggie burgers so you can see how potent a plant based diet is nutritionally, I figured this for 1 veggie burger.

Calories....................150

Protein....................8g

Fat........................4.5g

Vitamin A............31%

Folate..................11%

Vitamin B1...........34%

Vitamin B2...........38%

Vitamin B3...........21%

Vitamin B6...........35%

Vitamin C..............12%

Vitamin K..............5%

Black Bean Dip Recipe

 

My goal this past week has been to get the fam to eat MORE veggies.  My son LOVES beans, he will eat them right out of the can, so this was my little trick to get him to eat veggies, my black bean dip recipe creation.  It worked like a charm, he dipped veggies in this bleack bean dip all week.  However, he did end up eating a lot of  the black bean dip right out of the bowl, but it still is a healthy snack without the veggies too!

 

This is a fabulous dip for veggies!!  You can also bake up some sprouted ezekiel corn tortillas and dip those in it too.  Enjoy!

 

Looking for Articles on Nutrition?

 

I have authored a couple of articles that are available on Article Base, if you are interested in learning more about nutrition please check out my articles.

I will be publishing articles frequently so please subscribe and read my articles, thanks so much for all your support!

 

http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/how-to-get-your-kids-to-eat-healthy-food-4128345.html

http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/fruit-nutrition-facts-4120868.html

Vegan Holiday Recipes..Vegan Cordon Bleu, Twice baked potatoes and more!

Vegan Holiday Recipes

It has taken me awhile to prepare the holiday recipes and photos for all the holiday fare I created. We had a wonderful vegan Christmas Eve Dinner and I wanted to share the photos and some recipes with you so you can create your own beautiful vegan meals for the holidays in the upcoming year.

Chocolate Turtle Cookie Bar Recipe

These were a HIT at the family Christmas party!!! Many asked for the recipe.

Vegan Cordon Bleu Recipe

** All photos were taken with cell  phone cameras so they aren't as high quality.

This recipe was created using my mozzarella cheese recipe, sunburger recipe, eggplant bacon and cream sauce.

 Dairy Free Cheese Ball Recipe

This cheese ball is so rich and delicious no one will know it is dairy free!! 

Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe

This was amazing, it was rich and creamy and everyone raved about the blueberry cheesecake!! 

Christmas Fruit Spritzer Recipe

Dairy Free Twice Baked Potato Recipe

This is a very simple recipe that can be made for a weekday dinner or it can be dressed up for a special occasion!

Bake however many potatoes you need, we did 16 potatoes




I hope you enjoy these vegan holiday recipes as much as we did!