Guide to the Perfect Smoothie

Think you need a recipe to make a smoothie? Think again!

Follow these basic tips to make deliciously fun, fruity smoothies everytime ^_^



Most of the smoothies I make are simply a combination of my favorite fruit, milk or juice.  I have listed a basic smoothie recipe below, and then below that, are some specific options for different ingredients:

1 cup fruit (fresh or frozen)
1/2 - 1 cup frozen banana
1 - 2 cups of liquid
1 - 2 tsp natural sweetener or nut butter
1tsp - 2tbsp supplement (optional)

FRUIT:
Frozen: bananas, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, peaches, cherries, or a mix of any!
Fresh: honeydew, cantaloupe, mango, peaches, oranges, blueberries, strawberries

Liquid Options (or the blender's not gonna blend)
Non-Dairy Milk (I love almond milk, but soy, rice or hemp work well too)
Non-Dairy yogurt or silken tofu
100% citrus fruit juice (orange, pineapple, mango) apple juice
Water (if you're doing RAW)

Nut Butters/Natural Sweetners:
Almond butter, all natural peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini, pure maple syrup, evaporated cane juice

Supplement:
Vegan protein powder, ground flax seed, fresh ginger

Helpful Hints: 

• Instead of making banana bread with those over-ripe brown bananas, try peeling, slicing, and keeping them a ziplock bag in the freezer.  Frozen bananas for smoothies anytime!
• Trader Joe's has amazing, resonably priced bags of frozen organic fruit like strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, pineapple, and a tropical mix that's really yummy!  I have these in my freezer at all times for whenever I'm out of fresh fruit
• Be creative! There are really no "bad" mixes of fresh or frozen fruit: strawberry/banana, strawberry/banana/blueberry (pictured above), Pinapple/banana/OJ, rasberry/peach,
• 1 TBSP ground flax seed is a great way to add thickness to a smoothie, and boost your Omega 3s.

HAPPY BLENDING!

Vegan Cookies are Invading...

A friend of mine was kind enough to lend me her copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and I went to town baking!

Oatmeal Raisin



Amazing recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar! I think I like this oatmeal cookie recipe even better than the one from Joy of Vegan Baking (which I really, REALLY love). There is actually less sugar in this one, but it is all BROWN sugar so the flavor is really amazing! Original recipe in VCIYCJ called for soy milk, but I always use unsweetened almond milk. Baking time: 10 minutes = chewy, 12 mintues = crunchy. I like CHEWY :)



I actually used half raisin and half dried cranberries, since I only had a half cup of each...



Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles!



Do yourself a favor: Make these NOW!!  You can actually find the recipe on the PPK blog here.  These cookies had the perfect blend of soft, crunch and chewy... I was a wimp, and cut the cayenne a bit, but I think next time I will make as written. 

I actually bought a bottle of chocoate extract for the express purpose of making these cookies, and it really, REALLY makes a difference in the intensity of the chocolate flavor.

AND... last but not least in any way... 

THE chocolate chip cookie!!



Again, these are the perfect blend of crispy and chewy!

Please, do NOT be tempted to over cook your cookies.  If they look done, they're OVER-done.  Just be patient and let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then carefully move them to a rack to finish.

^_^

Artichoke Olive Salsa

This recipe came in the weekly emails I receive from the Meatless Monday website. It sounded so delicious I just had to try it. It's really easy, and looks gorgeous.  Perfect as a starter to an Italian or Mediterranean themed meal. Serve with crusty bread or pitas, or as a topping for bruscetta.

Ingredients: (serves 6)


1 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons red onions, minced
1/4 cup kalamata olive, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 -2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
 
Directions:
Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

1. Mix the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, red onion, olives, garlic and basil together in a medium sized bowl.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add enough olive oil so that the salsa reaches desired consistency.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before serving.
 

Piccolini Pasta With Fresh Veggies

This is the pasta dish I made for Mother's Day, with the help of my niece, Taya. She even chose the pasta shape: mini wagon wheels! I really like how the sauce of this dish turned out, using the diced tomatoes, balsamic and tamari. This recipe will probably lend itself to many different vegetable variations in the future! And, the leftovers tasted even better the next day!!

Ingredients

16 ounces pasta, I used Barilla piccolini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1 lb frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 (10 ounce) packages sliced mushrooms (white button or baby bella)
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (fire roasted is nice if you have them)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
1 (14 ounce) can cannellini beans (white beans)
1/2 cup basil leaves (chiffonade or chopped)
salt, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
 
Directions

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2.  In a LARGE saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
3.  Add onion slices, and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
4.  Add garlic, mushrooms and italian seasoning and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to soften.
5.  Next, stir in the peppers and broccoli and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables turn bright and soften. I usually add a little salt here as well.
6.  Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 7-8 minutes.
7.  When the vegetable are just about done to your liking, add the diced tomatoes, balsamic, tamari and cannellini beans and simmer until pasta is ready.
8.  Drain pasta and toss with veggies and sauce, garnish with fresh basil and crushed red pepper, if using.

My niece and I also made crostini: Baguette toasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic, then topped with grape tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and olive oil!

Bacon with a Vegan - Part II

  

At long last, I have finally made Tempeh Bacon! My bacon adventures began back with Tofu as the main ingredient. This time, I decided to use the new, and slightly improved, Tempeh Bacon recipe found in Vegan Brunch (If you haven't checked it out yet, is probably one of the best cookbooks EVER)!

The ingredient list for the marinade is very basic: soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, garlic and some veggie broth. I sliced my tempeh nice and thin, and mixed up the liquid carefully, letting the strips marinate overnight. I then fried the stips in a little olive oil, adding a bit of the marinating liquid as I went.  The strips browned up nicely, but made one MESS of my stainless steel pan, probably from the maple syrup in the marinade, and the fact that I used ketchup in place of the tomato paste.  Carmelized sugars are nothing to fool with, but it was nothing a bit of simmering warm water and vinegar couldn't fix. 

Anyway... the jury is still out with me on whether I like these tempeh bacon strips on their own. I can't say that the flavor on these, (straight out of the pan), blew me away like the tofu bacon did.

BUT, but, but...

the leftovers make a MEAN BLT sandwich!!! It actually ended up being a B&L sandwich, as I was fresh out of tomatoes, but you get the idea! There was something about these smokey, crispy tempeh strips on top of crunchy wheat toast which had been spread with Veganaise and topped with some nice romaine lettuce...

I think I'm in love... I had one for dinner every night until the strips were all gone ;)

Quick Vegan Pasta Alla Vodka

Pasta and red sauce can be a quick and easy weeknight meal, but why not try something a bit more interesting.

This version of vegan vodka sauce is so simple to throw together, and lends itself to MANY spice variations, or veggie add-ins!

Pasta alla Vodka - Vegan style

16 ounces whole wheat pasta (I used rotini)

24 ounces tomato sauce
12 1/2 ounces silken tofu
2 ounces almond or soymilk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 ounces vodka or red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
 
*If you are using plain tomato puree instead of a sauce, I suggest adding some garlic or garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and a few hits of crushed red pepper.
 
1.  Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2.  Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in a saucepan over low to low-medium heat.

3.  Blend tofu, soy milk, and nutritional yeast in blender until smooth. Feel free to also add about a tablespoon of olive oil or additional soy milk, until the consistency is like thick alfredo sauce.

4. Add tofu mixture to the saucepan with the marinara sauce. Stir in vodka or vinegar. Add salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like, to taste. Continue to simmer over low heat until pasta is ready.

5. Toss with drained pasta and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Simple and yummy and vegan! (and totally "old skool") These cookies are chewy and delicious, and full of peanuty flavor. Enjoy these with a big glass of almond milk, or dip half in dark chocolate and let dry, for an extra decadent dessert.

The recipe below calls for ground flax seeds and water. Flax seeds are a excellent substitute for eggs in baking, and add fiber and omega 3s.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

3 tablespoons water

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

3/4 cup natural-style peanut butter

1/2 cup margarine, non-hydrongenated (I use Earth Balance)

3 tablespoons almond milk, unsweetened

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

 

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 375 dgrees.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Whip the ground flax seeds and water until thick and creamy.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, milk and vanilla.

Beat at medium speed with a hand mixer until well blended.

Add flax seed mixture and beat until just combined.

Add flour mixture (and ground peanuts or chocolate chips if using) and mix until just blended.

Drop 1 tbsp of the batter onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Flatten slightly in a criss-cross pattern with the tines of a fork

(I use a pasty cutter, and roll it across the cookies, works better than a fork I think).

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Do not overbake.

Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet for 3-5 mintues before tranferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.