Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Pizza Pasta

What sounds better than a pizza and creamy pasta fusion???? I'm going to go with......nothing!!!  This was creamy, delicious and flavorful!!!  Definitely a do again!!!  YUMMY!!!!

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Pizza Pasta
1/2 package Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta (linguine or spaghetti is perfect)
1/3 cup Cashew Halves
1/3 cup + 1/3 cup Water
2 teaspoons + 2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Pizza Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
1 tablespoon Grapeseed Oil
1/4 cup Red Onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed

Cook Pasta with 2 teaspoons Pizza Seasoning according to package directions.  In a vita-mix or blender add, cashews, 1/3 cup water, 2 teaspoons Pizza Seasoning and Salt.  Blend until creamy.  In a large skillet, add grapeseed oil and heat until nice and hot.  On low heat, add onion and garlic and sautee until golden.  Do not allow garlic to get dark because it will become bitter.  Add cashew mix and 1/6 cup water.  Mix well until thin enough to use as sauce.  If cashew mix is too thick continue adding water until thin.  Turn off heat and add pasta.  Toss well.  Serve hot with some fresh oregano to garnish.  ENJOY.......

Cashew mix.

quinoa pasta

garlic and onion

added cashews

Pasta added to sauce

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Avocado Black Bean Salad

I love love love my Super Black Beans .  So needless to say I'm always looking for ways to put them into, well really everything :)  Last time I made the beans I had a lot left over so I decided to try freezing them.  Great news....they do great frozen!  The first night I had tacos (safety from my previous failures) but the second night I decided it was time to get cr-a-a-azy!!!!  I struggle with my weight, so after my fast I decided to limit my oil intake to a minimum for a little while.  So how am I supposed to eat salad?  I have the solution!!!! and it's Y-U-M-M-Y!!

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Avocado Black Bean Salad
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
5 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
2 Scallions, diced
1/4 cup shredded Red Cabbage
1 head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup Super Black Beans
1/8 teaspoon Herb Stop's Garlic Granules
1/2 - 1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Minced Green Onion

Gently heat black beans over low heat until thoroughly reheated.  Remove from heat.  In a large bowl add avocado, scallions and red cabbage.  Once beans have cooled enough not  to cook the vegetables you will be pouring over, add desired amount to to large bowl.  Mix until well coated.  Add cherry tomatoes, lettuce, garlic and minced green onion to the bowl and mix until all ingredients are well coated.

yummy start

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Simple Quinoa & Carrots

I must admit, cooked carrots on not on my favorite list...... buuuut, they are so good for you.  Quite the dilema eh?  When prepared this way, I actually enjoy these crunchy tasty guys.  ENJOY!!!

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Simple Quinoa & Carrots
1/2 cup Quinoa
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Make Mom Proud/Power Up Power Shake or any powdered broth
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Spaghetti Seasoning
1 1/2 cups minus 1 tablespoon Water
1 Scallion, diced
1 Carrot, sliced
Dried Herb Stop's Minced Green Onion (optional)

Rinse quinoa very well.  Add to a medium pot with water, shake/broth and spaghetti seasoning.  Bring to a boil then reduce to medium high heat and cook for 5-7 minutes or until 1/2 the water is absorbed.  Add carrots and scallions.  Cook until water is fully absorbed.  Serve hot with minced green onion sprinkled over the top as garnish.

Fasting and Fails

Well....don't those look delicious???? (said with anger)  I've been working hard on new inventive recipes - GF spaetzle, raw hummus, salad dressings - and all have been epic failures.  Some I could eat anyway, but most went right in the trash.....even my dog turned her nose up. Needless to say I decided that it was time to do safe tacos after a weeks of one fail after another.  Well, I then decided it was time to do a juice fast for three days, which ended up for five days.  So basically for two weeks I have been recipe-less.  I will have recipes again soon....PROMISE

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Sulfur Madness

So as I was making dinner I was laughing to myself ..... all of the ingredients I grabbed were sulfur foods!!  So I had these ideas to call this Brassica madness - yes here is my geeky herbal side - or Curried something or another, but as I was talking to my mom I made a joke about my sulfur madness dish and her husband heard my loud voice through the phone and started laughing.  I figured I would let the name ride....give everyone a little giggle.

As I was putting this dish together, I had this idea to make this mostly with Italian herbs.....but every time I opened the spice drawer the Curry was staring at me.  I gave in and figured if I'm going to curry....well the by golly gosh.....I'm gonna curry!  It's potent, but incredibly delicious!  ENJOY!!!!

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Sulfur Madness
1 large head of Broccoli, into florettes
1/2 head Cauliflower, into florettes
1/2 large Yellow Onion, into strips (use a mandolini slicer)
1/2 cup shredded Red Cabbage
4 cloves Garlic, pressed
1/2 cup Roasted & Salted Cashews
1 1/2 teaspoons Curry (if you prefer mild, start with 1/2 teaspoon
2 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil

In a medium pot, steam broccoli & cauliflower until it begins to get soft - don't let it get mushy though.  In a large frying pan, add grapeseed oil and heat over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion and sautee until limp.  Do not allow the garlic to burn or it will become bitter.  Add cabbage and curry powder and sautee until curry is well mixed.  Add broccoli, cauliflower and cashews and lightly toss until the curry has coated everything.  ENJOY!!!

onion and garlic

onion, garlic and cabbage

cauliflower and broccoli

yummy yummy

Vegan Chunky Guacamole

On our last Azure Standard order, we ordered a case of organic avocados.  I thought they were going to be Haas, but they weren't.  I was less than pleased to find those huge green ones with the thin skin - we were now stuck with 40 of these!  I started putting them on sandwiches (I was still going to eat them) and other things....also forcing my husband to eat them, lol.  Last Sunday we were cleaning and I wanted to make a light lunch so I grabbed an avocado and decided to make guacamole.  It was incredible!!  I take back any bad things I ever said about those avocados.....I even started a tree - or at least I hope it turns into one!

Vegan Chunky Guacamole
1 large Avocado
5 Cherry/Grape Tomatoes, diced
3 tablespoons Red Onion, diced
2 small cloves/1 large clove Garlic, pressed
fresh lemon juice

Add avocado to a bowl.  Using a fork, mash avocados well making sure to leave some chunks.  Add tomatoes, onion and garlic and slightly mash with the fork.  Squirt a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice to the avocado mixture.  Mix well and enjoy with some chips - I love the organic tri-colored chips from Fresh & Easy!  mmmmmm......

Fresh veggies...well mostly fruit technically

All mashed up

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Apple Quinoa Burgers

Someone once asked me why I don't post breakfast recipes and jokingly I said "no one wants to have what I have for breakfast"!  My breakfast consists of juicing apples, carrots (some times) kale and mixing in our Power Up/Make Mom Proud Shake.  It's green madness!  Well, so what happens to my pulp is the fun part!  Well, maybe it's fun for me....I feel it to my doggie, Mu.  She loves apple pulp, but when she takes a bite she makes this face like "ewe, what was that?" and then realizes she likes it and comes back for more.  Ever bite is like that.  It's quite entertaining!

So after all that!..... my left over pulp occasionally makes it into my famous Apple Quinoa Burgers.  Now I use the term "famous" very loosely.  They are famous to my mom, really.  She gets very excited when I make these. ENJOY!!!

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Apple Quinoa Burgers
Pulp from 2 Apples
Pulp from 1 Carrot
1 zucchini, finely grated
2 tablespoons Almond Flour
2 tablespoons Potato Starch
2 tablespoons Tapioca Starch
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Italian Seasoning Powder
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Bar-b-Quick
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Anytime Salt
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Onion Granules
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Garlic Powder
1 teaspoons Grapeseed Oil
1 cup Quinoa
1/2 tablespoon Herb Stop's Make Mom Proud/Power Up Power Shake
1/2 tablespoon Herb Stop's Vegetable Broth

Wash quinoa well.  Add to a medium pan and cover 1 inch with water.  Add Make Mom Proud/Power Up Power Shake and Vegetable Broth.  Cook until all the water is absorbed and the germ is visible.

Collect the pulp from your juicer after juicing two apples and one carrot.  In a small bowl combine pulp and shredded/grated zucchini in a bowl.  Mix in Almond Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch and Grapeseed Oil and set aside.

Once quinoa has cooled enough to handle, add to apple mixture. Mix very well.

In a large frying pan, add grapeseed oil and heat over medium high heat.  Form quinoa mixture into patties.  They will be fairly sticky - if you keep your hands moist it should help out.  Gently place in the frying pan and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side until the outside is firm to the touch. Once finished cooking, place on a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.  ENJOY!!

quinoa cooking with broth and power shake

shredded zucchini

carrot and apple pulp

zucchini, apple and carrot mixed

apple mix with flours and spices

apple mix, blended

apple mix blended with quinoa

shaped into burgers and frying.

burger with mustard on one of my dinner rolls

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Macaroni & Cheese

My husband just informed me that Mac & Cheese is trademarked or something, so good ol' fashioned Macaroni & Cheese will just have to do!  Sometimes at 4 in the afternoon, I start to get hungry and I get these wild ideas of what I want to eat and I swear I have olfactory hallucinations, because I smell what I'm drooling over in my head!!  Anyhow....Macaroni & Cheese was on my mind.  How was I supposed to create that?  Well, I did and it rocked my world!!!  ENJOY!!

Vegan Grain/Gluten-Free Macaroni & Cheese

1 box Quinoa Harvest Macaroni Elbows

3/4 cup Cashews
13 tablespoons Almond Milk
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Granulated Onion
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Turmeric Powder
1/2 tablespoon Grapeseed Oil
3/4 teaspoon Unrefined Salt (I use Himalayan or Sonoma)

Cook pasta according to the box (I like 8 minutes).  While the water is heating up, prepare cheese sauce.  Add the rest of the ingredients to your vita-mix, blender or food processor, until smooth.  This should be a little runnier than my cheese recipe.  Once noodles are cooked drain the noodles and set aside.  In the same pot add the cheese mixture and heat very carefully on low - make sure that the cheese will not separate by heating very gently.  Add noodles in and toss well.  Some very lightly steamed zucchini and squash gave a little crunch to this dish and was delicious!  ENJOY!!

ooey gooey cheesy pasta

julienned yellow squash and zucchini 

Simple Mediterranean Salad

I love a simple salad.  Easy to prepare, easy to eat, and my favorite.....easy to clean up!  This flavorful salad combines the delicious flavor of bell peppers with Mediterranean spices.....ENJOY!!!

Simple Mediterranean Salad
1 head of Romain Lettuce Hearts, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 Bell Pepper, diced into large pieces
1 Roma Tomato, diced into medium pieces
1 slice of Red Onion, diced into small pieces
Red Cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1 clove of Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix Seasoning

In a small bowl mix olive oil, vinegar (depending on how strong you like the vinegar adjust the amount) and press garlic through a garlic press into the mixture.  Blend in pesto mix and allow to sit while chopping the salad.  Chop veggies (depending on how much of each veggie you like vary the amount) and toss well in a bowl.  Pour salad dressing over veggies and toss until well coated.  Enjoy!!!

salad dressing

Sweet Roasted Salsa

I seem to be eating a lot of the same thing lately.  Tacos, bean burgers, tacos, tacos...ummm....tacos.  So needless to say I haven't really had any new recipes to post.....until now!  I decided to try a nice salsa recipe, lightly roasted, spicy and while I was eating....yes tacos....I forgot that I had the veggies roasting in the oven.  At least I didn't start a fire, right?  Well, on the upside to my forgetfulness, the over roasting made everything sweet. This turned out to be the best salsa I have ever made!  Whoopie!!!!  ENJOY!!!

Sweet Roasted Salsa
1 Red Bell Pepper, washed
1 Green Bell Pepper, washed
6 Roma Tomatoes, washed
1 Red Onion, with peel left on
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup very well packed fresh Cilantro
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Chipotle Salsa Seasoning (optional - this will give the heat to the recipe)

Heat oven on broil setting and place the rack close to the heat.  Place bell peppers, tomatoes and onion on the top rack and broil on each side until the tomatoes pop and the bell peppers welt.  Do not let them burn, so keep your eye on them.  Once done cooking allow to cool.  Once cooled, peel skin off the bell peppers and remove the stem and seeds.  Peel onion and cut of ends.  Place all the ingredients into a vita-mix, food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  ENJOY!!!

fresh veggies before roasting

after roasting

peeled peppers and nicely roasted tomatoes

ready for the vita-mix

Grain-Free/Vegan - Curried Cauliflower Quinoa

Another quick fix dinner was necessary last night!  I was starving and exhausted from a long week and lack of sleep.  I thought about my Easy Quinoa Delight, but I just made that last week.  After looking through our spice drawer, I decided I was in the mood for curry!!!   Monday is usually grocery shopping day, so as I rummaged through the fridge, I was incredibly luck to find the perfect pairing....cauliflower!  Yaaaaay!!!  As this was baking I made some dinner rolls - with added spices.

After eating, I fell asleep on the couch at 6:30!!!  Yes, 6:30!!  So at 9:30 my hubby kindly woke up to let me know a tiny little oopsy I had made :/  Yes, sadly, I had left the oven on with the dinner rolls inside.  So, they had been baking for over 3 hours....uhhhhhh.....oops :-D!!!  Well, I decided to put them into a plastic bag and into the fridge...perhaps they would make nice croutons?  HA!  I was sadly mistaken!  I took them out this morning and I had mini frisbees!  Oh well....perhaps the vita-mix can eat them up into bread crumbs?  Sure hope so!!!  I guess I should be happy I didn't burn the house down!  Perhaps I take after my Mom, who has set the toaster oven on fire several times?????  I always tell my husband "it's a good thing I married a fireman!"

Curried Cauliflower Quinoa
1 cup Quinoa
1/2 tablespoon Grapeseed Oil
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into mini florets
1-2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Organic Curry Powder
1 cup Cashew pieces
2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Onion Soup & Dip Mix
2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Vegetable Broth
3 cups Water
Himalayan Salt - optional

Add grapeseed oil to a large skillet.  Sautee quinoa, curry, cashews, onion soup mix and vegetable broth until all the oil has been absorbed into the quinoa.  Cover with the water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a hard simmer.  In about 15 minutes, check the quinoa.  If it has begun to open up, add the cauliflower.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.  Serve hot with extra curry powder over the top, if desired, and added salt. ENJOY!

Grain-Free/Vegan - Unbelievably Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna

I love Betty Crocker....well at least I love her for giving me ideas!  When I'm lost in the world of hunger, I browse through her cookbook.  Almost all of her recipes are not vegan let alone gluten free, but.....the ideas are there.  I was looking at a vegetarian lasagna - which was LOADED with cheese :( - and she had a fabulous idea to use pesto in the mix.  I thought....hrmmm, what a genius idea!  Well, she was right!  This recipe does involve quite a few steps, but I was able to eat on this for lunch and dinner for 3 days....and feed my mom too, of course!  Definitely worth the time.....it's so cheesy and very filling!

Unbelievably Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna
1 medium Zucchini
Grapeseed Oil
3 cups Broccoli, diced florets and sliced stem
3 Carrots, grated (shredded)
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 medium Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 Red Onion, diced
1 batch Perfect Vegan Pesto (http://veganisnotjustsalad.blogspot.com/2010/10/perfect-vegan-pesto.html)
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Himalayan Salt
3 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
1 clove Garlic, pushed through garlic press or finely chopped
3 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
2 cups Unsweetened Plain Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix Seasoning
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast

Coat the bottom of a casserole pan with grapseed oil.  Preheat oven to 350.  Thinly slice zucchini with a mandoline slicer, or using a vegetable peeler, into long strips.  Place 1/2 the strips in the bottom of the casserole pan to create the "noodles" at the bottom.

sliced zucchini

In a large bowl combine, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, pesto and salt.  Mix very well until all the vegetables are coated with pesto.  Spread evenly over the zucchini.  (If you want to make a layered lasagna, you can separate this into two batches and use one more zucchini sliced to make the middle layer and a little extra on the top and bottom).  Add a final layer of zucchini to the top.

grated carrots

broccoli

bell pepper

tomatoes

onions

veggie mix added to the top of the zucchini

Heat grapeseed oil and garlic over medium heat.  Cook until garlic turns golden, stirring constantly.  Add Nutritional Yeast, Pesto Mix Seasoning and arrowroot and mix well, until fully incorporated.  Add Almond Milk and heat to boiling.  The sauce thickens very quickly.  Be sure not to over cook or it becomes like pudding.  If you over heat the mixture and it becomes to thick, add a couple tablespoons of almond milk to thin it out. Pour this mixture over the top of the "lasagna".

Almond Milk mixture poured over the top

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes.  If you can (wink) wait 10 minutes before cutting into the lasagna.

Fresh out of the oven

To serve drizzle with a little pesto olive oil (I made two batches of pesto and drizzled a little oil over  my dinner and added a dollop of pesto to the top)