Saffron Quinoa with Stir Fry Vegetables and Cilantro-Cashew Sauce

I have this bottle of saffron in the cupboard and I've been to scared to use it because it's so expensive!  Tonight was the night to break that puppy open!  I decided to make saffron rice (except I used quinoa) with some stir-fired vegetables. I also have been wanting to make this cilantro-cashew-honey sauce that I saw the other day, but have been reluctant because it's quite involved.  Tonight was the night for that too!  I ended up drizzling the cashew sauce over the entire meal and that really made everything delicious!

Saffron Quiona with Stir Fry Vegetables
Saffron Quinoa:
1/4 tsp saffron threads
2 cups water (split in half)
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 cup quinoa
1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
Stir Fry Vegetables:
1 head of broccoli - cut into florettes
1/4 yellow onion - diced
1/4 orange bell pepper - diced
1/4 yellow bell pepper - diced
1 carrot - cut into thin strips about 1 inch long
1/8 cup cashew pieces

To make Saffron Quinoa:
Add saffron to 1 cup of hot water and allow to steep.  Add oil and salt to a large pan.  Heat on medium high heat and add quinoa.  Cook until the quinoa has absorbed the oil, but do not brown the quinoa (about 3 minutes). Add saffron water and the remaining water.  Heat to boiling and reduce to low-medium heat and cook until the quinoa is fully cooked - about 20 minutes.

To make Stir Fry Vegetables:
Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium high.  Add cashews and onion and sautee for 2 minutes stiring constantly.  Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water cover and let cook for a few minutes until water is gone and the broccoli is nice and green.  Add the other ingredients and sautee until the peppers are cooked, but not limp.

I formed the quinoa in a small bowl and turned upside down into a plate and surrounded the quinoa in the vegetables.  I drizzled the cashew sauce to the top of everything.

I copied this sauce from a recipe I found online to mimic the avocado egg roll dipping sauce from the Cheesecake Factory.  I took out the black pepper and changed the honey to maple syrup so it would be vegan.

Quinoa cooking with saffron

The layout from the top

Cilantro-Cashew Sauce
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1-1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 cloves of garlic
4 scallions chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Southwest Mix
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron
1/2 cup virgin olive oil

Combine cashews, cilantro, garlic, scallions, sugar and southwest mix in the vita-mix (or food processor) until well chopped very small and well blended.  This should look like a paste.  In a saucepan add white and balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, tamarind and saffron.  Heat on medium until tamarind is dissolved.  Pour into the vita-mix with the cashew mixture and blend until well combined.  Pour the mixture into a bowl and add olive oil.  Stir well by hand.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes then using a whisk blend well until the oil is incorporated.  Use as a dipping sauce or drizzle on top of the Saffron Quinoa meal.  DELICIOUS!

With the cilatro-cashew sauce over the top

Vegan Navajo Tacos

Who doesn't love Indian Fry Bread?  I know back in the day I probably could have lived on it!  Unfortunately, it's incredibly unhealthy - fried, lard and heavily processed.  To make this dish healthier and vegan/grain-free friendly, I used vegan refried beans, lots of beautiful veggies and my Vegan Pancakes.  Keep in mind - this meal is incredibly filling :)

Vegan Navajo Tacos
Grape Tomatoes - cut in half
Red Sweet Pepper - sliced
Orange Bell Pepper - sliced
Yellow Bell Pepper - diced
Lettuce - shredded
Red Cabbage - shredded
Scallions - cut in half lengthwise
Amy's Vegetarian Refried Beans - warmed
Vegan Pancakes

On top of a hot vegan pancake add refried beans, scallions, lettuce, red cabbage, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red sweet pepper and tomatoes.  Serve hot.

a side view

With a side of roasted corn

Beautiful rainbow of veggies

Vegan Corn Pancakes

These pancakes have always been my favorite. These wonderful guys are incredibly versatile - the options are limitless!  I started making these before I became vegan (with eggs and milk) and I didn't want to give these up so here we are.....vegan pancakes!!!

Vegan Pancakes
1 cup Corn Flour
3/4 cup Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Sugar (for breakfast I use Vanilla Sugar and Dark Cocoa Sugar)
2 tablespoons Oil (I use virgin olive oil because the flavor is very mild)
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
1-1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
2 tablespoons Water

Mix egg replacer and water until well mixed.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well with a whisk.  Heat a greased pan on medium and add 1/4-1/2 cup of the mixture and cook until golden brown.  Flip and allow to cook until golden brown.  Serve warm with any delicious ingredients! YUMMY!!!

Cooking in the pan

Delicious and golden brown

Halloween Twice Baked Potatoes

My husband was on duty last night (Halloween) so I was left to my own devices!  Because I can't eat candy, I also wanted something sweet.  I didn't want to make a huge meal, but I wanted something filling and fun!  ........so here we have it - twice baked potatoes!  Well, sort of.  This was a fun combination of sweet potatoes, purple potatoes and russet potatoes which made those fun halloween colors.

Halloween Twice Baked Potatoes
Approx. 8 oz of purple potatoes
1 giant russet potato
1-2 sweet potato(es)
1 scallion
a few chives
1/4 tsp. garlic granules
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Clove Sugar
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Cinnamon Sugar
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Ginger Sugar
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Vanilla Sugar
Olive Oil
Almond Milk
Himalayan salt

Wrap up sweet and russet potatoes in foil.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes at 375.  Peel purple potatoes and bake until soft - because the potatoes are small it usually only takes 30 minutes or so.  Once the potatoes are done, remove them from the foil and allow to cool until you are able to handle them.  Cut the russet potato in half and scrape out the inside until only a thin layer of potato remains, don't make them to thin or the potato will fall apart.  Set the inside of the potato aside.  Scrape out all of the sweet potato and add to a small bowl.  Add the sugars and blend well - adjust the amount of sugar depending on your taste.  This should be sweet enough to taste like desert.  Add the sweet potato back into one of the empty potato skins and set aside.  Thinly slice the scallion and set aside.  To a medium bowl add the purple potatoes and olive oil.  Depending on the size of the potatoes, the amount of oil will vary - I used about 2 teaspoons.  Mash well.  Add Almond Milk until creamy - I added about 4 tablespoons. Add garlic granules and salt (to taste - I used 1/4 tsp) and blend very well.  Lightly mix in the scallions.  Add purple mix into the other empty shell.  Add both shells back into the oven at 425 for 10 minutes.  While potatoes are cooking, take the russet potato insides and mash well with some olive oil and salt.  Mash very well - this will be your decoration and will hold the potatoes in place.  I used a himalayan salt slab to display the potatoes.  I just spread the russet potato out into an egg shape.  When the put-back potatoes are done place them on the slab on top of  russet potato mix. Sprinkle the purple potato with chives and the sweet potato with some of the sugars.  Serve immediately.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Hollowed russet potato

Purple potato

Sweet Potato

Broccoli Pesto "Risotto"

This was such an interesting invention!  When I started this dish I had it in my head that it was going to taste purely of basil.  As the dish evolved, it turned into this flavorful and nutty deliciousness that was incredibly satisfying!!  The quinoa, broccoli and cashews provide ample amounts of protein while the flavors of the pesto make this dish scrumptious!  ENJOY....

Broccoli Pesto "Risotto"

2 small bunches of broccoli

2 cloves garlic -cut into 4 pieces

1 shallot - cut into 4 pieces

1 cup Quinoa

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 Tbsp Herb Stop Garlic Granules

6 Tablespoons of my Perfect Vegan Pesto

Approximately 3 cups Vegetable Broth

Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Separate the broccoli florettes from the stalk.  Peel the stalk until it looks fresh (no brown spots) and slice into 1 1/2 inch sections and cut into strips.  In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil and broccoli stems for 3 minutes.  Add the florettes for 2 1/2 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil.  When the oil is warm add the garlic cloves and shallot.  Sautee until golden brown.  Remove garlic and shallot and set aside.  In the same pan add the broccoli and sautee until the broccoli has a nice garlic-y flavor - about 2-3 minutes.  Set aside.  In the same skillet add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon garlic granules and 2 tablespoons pesto.  Using a garlic press, press the garlic and shallot into the same skillet.  Heat over medium heat until bubbly.  Add quinoa until the quinoa is coated with the pesto mix.  Add 1 cup vegetable broth.  Cover and allow to simmer on medium-low heat for 25 - 30 minutes.  In intervals of 5 minutes, check on the "risotto" - you will need to add more broth along the way - about 1/2 cup every 5 minutes.  When the quinoa has opened up (you will see the white "germ" come out), add four more tablespoons of the pesto, mix well.  Add the broccoli and gently toss until coated.  Sprinkle with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.  Yummy Yummy!

Peeled and chopped broccoli stalk

Pesto, Olive Oil, Garlic and Shallots bubbling

Delicious!

Awesome Black Bean Burgers

part 2 of 2

When I say awesome, that could be an understatement!  This is such a satisfying dish - some of Eden's Organic Brown Mustard, tomatoes, red onion and lettuce on top with an accompaniment of my Spicy Roasted Rosemary Potatoes make this a perfect meal.  ENJOY!!!

Awesome Black Bean Burgers

2 cups of my Super Black Beans (or if you're in a rush 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed)

1/2 large onion (or 1 small onion) - diced

2 tablespoons Almond Meal

2 tablespoons Potato Starch

2 tablespoons Tapioca Starch

1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Garlic Granules

1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Onion Granules

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Anytime Seasoning Salt

Mash black beans until near smooth (leaving some chunks makes for a great texture).  Sauté onion in a little olive oil until translucent (limp). Add to black beans and mix well.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix very well.  Separate mixture into 6 equal parts.  Form into patties about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  Cook at medium heat on a well oiled pan until patties are firm - approximately 5-7 minutes on each side.  ENJOY!

Cooking in the pan

A burger topped with mustard, tomatoes, onion and lettuce with a side of Spicy Roasted  Rosemary Potatoes.

Super Black Beans

Ah yes black beans, my favorite.  Black beans are super high in protein and fiber.  They are also a wonderful source for iron, antioxidants and molybdenum.  Of course, not to mention absolutely delicious!  Here is a wonderful slightly spicy black bean recipe that can pretty much go with anything.  I love to mix this with salad or as a base for my black bean burgers (that will be the second part of the post). ENJOY!

Super Black Beans

2 1/2 cups black beans (soaked over night)

5 cups water

1 green bell pepper - diced

1 small onion - diced

3 cloves of garlic - minced

1 tablespoon Herb Stop's Southwest Spice

1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt

1 tablespoon Herb Stop's Mexican Seasoning

Place all ingredients into a large pot, or into a crock pot. Cook on low for a minimum of 5 hours or until beans are soft and the water is almost fully absorbed. 

Super black beans on a corn tortilla topped with a delicious salad  made from lettuce, onion, cabbage, tomato, orange bell pepper and a simple vegan dressing.

Corn & Tomato Salsa

Shucking corn isn't exactly my favorite thing to do on a Thursday night, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! Last night I wanted to make a salsa, but something a little more colorful and that I could add to the tacos I wanted for dinner.....I'm still on the Mexican theme, lol.  This was a wonderful topping on the tacos and delicious with some organic corn chips from Fresh & Easy.

So now some not so good news......I forgot to wear gloves.  I ended up with some horrendous capsaicin burns on my hands.  After I finished eating the pain became so intense that I couldn't sleep until after midnight.  I was soaking my hands in everything, I really mean everything - vinegar, antacids in water, milk, sugar water, peppermint oil, lavender oil, toothpaste, pepto-bismol (or however you spell that weird pink stuff), ice packs, soap and water, aloe vera, oatmeal and I'm sure more things, it was insane.  Today my hands are still burning so I'm carrying around ice packs and it's barely 50 degrees!!  Well eventually it has to stop right?

Now down to the good stuff......

Corn & Tomato Salsa
Corn kernels shucked from one ear of corn cooked for 6 minutes and drained
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
1 Tbsp diced serrano pepper (remove the veins and seeds)
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
the juice from 1/4 of a lime
2 dashes of Himalayan Salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve as an accompaniment to any dish.

freshly shucked corn

the salsa with the other taco fixings - lettuce and cabbage

The final product

Vegan Fajitas

I'm still diggin' the Mexican theme this week, lol!  When I came home from the shop tonight, I looked in the fridge and there really wasn't much to work with, or so I thought (I proved myself wrong).  I took out some bell peppers and an onion, left over refried beans and started chopping.  Having no clue what I was doing, I decided that refried beans meant I was having Mexican (yay!).  Then I remembered FAJITAS!  Those are so delicious and it's basically bell peppers, onions, meat (we'll change that!) and tortillas - super easy to make!  These were very filling and incredibly satisfying!  ENJOY!!

Vegan Fajitas

1 - 1/4 inch thick slice red onion - diced into large pieces

1/2 orange bell pepper - diced into large pieces

1/2 green bell pepper - diced into large pieces

1/2 can of Amys Vegetarian Refried Beans

1-2 tablespoons Almond Milk

3 dashes Herb Stop's Southwest Spice 

2-4 corn tortillas

Chives - chopped (optional)

oil for sautéing - I used sunflower

Dice peppers and onion.  Heat a skillet to medium high with a little oil.  Once the pan is nice and hot add the veggies and Soutwest Seasoning and sauté until cooked to your desired firmness.  I waited until the onion was translucent - which meant the veggies were still a crunchy, but cooked.   While those are cooking, heat the beans with enough almond milk to thin them slightly until nice and hot.  If you like your tortillas warmed up (I do!), heat them up in a skillet for a few seconds.  Once everything is cooked, place a tortilla in a plate, spread beans on top, add veggies to the top and cut the chives on top.  Yummy!

Lovely colors!

Perfect Vegan Pesto

Oh pesto, how I love thee!  What can you not do with pesto, right? Pasta, dipping sauce, on top of veggies - the options are limitless ..... except.....it's not vegan :(.  When I became vegan my weakness was cheese.  I really loved cheese, I mean REALLY loved cheese.  In fact I'm half Swiss, so the fact that I don't eat cheese is kind of blasphemous.  I guess this will just be our little secret, eh?  Anyhow, here we are....vegan pesto and delicious!

Perfect Vegan Pesto

1 cup well packed fresh basil

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup cashew butter

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Nutritional Yeast

2 dashes Himalayan salt

Add all the ingredients to your Vita-Mix - if you don't have one any food processor will probably work.  Turn on medium-low until fairly smooth. If you'll be keeping this for later, drizzle some olive oil over the top to preserve the color.  ENJOY!!!!

Beautiful and fresh ingredients

Super Vegan Tacos

I think my favorite cuisine is Mexican - at least this week it is.  Of course being a grain-free vegan the options for Mexican food are really limited to chips, salsa and maybe guacamole. So one day I decided I was going to conquer this challenge.....and I did!  Here is my favorite dish, vegan soft tacos, that are so tremendously filling and super delicious.  I think I could eat this every night and never get tired of them!

Super Vegan Tacos
3 corn tortillas
1/2 can of Amy's Traditional Refried Beans (you can make your own if you prefer)
1-2 tablespoons of almond milk
3/4 of a romaine lettuce heart - diced
6-8 small tomatoes (cherry or grape) - diced
2 - 1/4 inch slices of red cabbage - diced
1 - 1/4 inch slice of red onion - diced
1 scallion  - diced
nutritional yeast

Dice all the vegetables and set aside.  Heat corn tortillas up in a skillet, set aside and keep warm.  Cook and add 1/2 can of refried beans to a skillet and add 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk until beans are smooth but not runny.  Top a tortilla with the beans, then begin to layer the vegetables - I find that lettuce, cabbage, onion, scallion then tomato is the easiest.  Top with some nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. ENJOY!!

Colorful veggies

mmmmmmm.....yummy!

Spicy Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

When I got home from a very busy day at the shop tonight, I was tired and hungry.  I needed something quick, easy and delicious.  Unfortunately my husband is on duty until tomorrow morning, so this was going to have to be a one woman show!  Luckily I had the perfect idea!  Normally I use this dish for a side, but tonight I was going to go nuts and eat this as my meal!  

All I have to say about this dish is YUMMMMM!  My good friend, Sam Sam, had made a similar creation over dinner one evening and I fell in love immediately.  I have changed the recipe and added spices to create the perfect side dish or even a snack (or in my case tonight a meal).  You could definitely change this up a little by adding sweet potatoes.

Spicy Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

9 small potatoes - diced into 1/2 inch squares

2 - 1/4 inch thick slices of onion - diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Southwest Spice

1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Taste Without Salt

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Ground Rosemary

2 dashes Herb Stop's Himalayan Salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

oil to coat pan

Coat the bottom of a jelly roll pan with a little oil.  Preheat oven to 450.  Dice potatoes and onion and place in a large bowl.  Add spices and olive oil.  Mix very well - using your hands works best.  Spread into the jelly roll pan in a single layer.  Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked.  ENJOY!!

***To make this dish without the spicy factor, leave the southwest spice out and add a little more rosemary***

Beautiful potatoes!

  

 

Not only delicious, but beautiful as well!

Deliciously Filling Broccoli Medley

To get us started, I thought I would start off with one of my easy favorites. This is by far one of my favorite meals. Because broccoli has quite the protein content, this makes an entire meal that is nice and filling. If you were in need of a little extra, I have added a little corn tortilla and wrapped the broccoli mix up like a taco. This usually serves 1-2 two people, so some adjustments may need to be made if this is for the whole family. ENJOY!!!


Deliciously Filling Broccoli Medley
1 large broccoli head - cut into florets
1/4 inch slice of onion (red is more aesthetically appealing)- diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper - diced
1 medium tomato (completely optional) - diced
3 dashes Herb Stop's Southwest Spice
1 tablespoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix seasoning
oil for sautéing (I used sunflower oil)

Place the broccoli in a pan with about 1/2-1 inch of water and boil the broccoli for about 7 minutes (until cooked but not soggy). Drain and set aside.
Sautee the onion in a little oil with Herb Stop's Southwest Spice until onion begins to turn translucent. Add in the peppers and Pesto Mix seasoning and sauté until desired firmness (I like my veggies crunchy, but cooked). If using tomatoes add these in at the very end. Once everything is nicely sautéed, add the broccoli and gently toss with the other veggies. Serve immediately. ENJOY!

Welcome

Hello out there!

I started this blog for all the people out there that are struggling for ideas with their vegan or grain/gluten-free diet. Hoping this will inspire anyone with a restrictive diet.

I first became grain-free many years ago for health reasons. I had suffered from migraines for the majority of my life. Finally one day I was done with the pain. I went home and put everything in bags and gave my regular diet foods away. I went shopping and found that there were not many choices for grain-free. I started with the basics - salad and organic meats. Of course over time that became boring and my diet started to evolved into discovering new foods (like quinoa), baking without traditional flours and becoming creative out of necessity.

Eventually, I lost over 75 lbs using animal protein (chicken, dairy, etc), but one day I fell ill. My digestive system seemed to have failed me. Turns out I had ulcers and gastritis - ouchy. Once those issues were healed a new problem arose. I had gallstones - major ouchy! Against the advisement of the "professionals", I decided that as an herbalist and avid natural health promoter I wanted to keep my gallbladder. Overnight I became a vegan. With the help of my herbal remedies, cabbage tea, a vegan diet and the love/care/patience of my husband, I am gallstone-free and I still have my happy little gallbladder.

Anyhow, I love food! Love, love, love food! So, I got creative and, well, here are my creations! I hope you enjoy and if you have any suggestions, I am always open to any!

Gallstones:



One month after beginning my natural treatment and becoming vegan: