Vegan Chocolate Milkshake

This "milkshake" is so sweet and delicious that I honestly feel guilty having it during our annual sugar fast...even though it does not break our rule that fresh and dried fruits are the only sugar allowed.  Taste it and see for yourself!  (PS - I like to credit recipes when I get them, or the basis of them, from somewhere else, but this one is all me.)

Ingredients:

2 bananas, peeled

unsweetened plant-based milk, variable amount

cocoa powder

2 big spoonfuls of unsweetened peanut butter

3 dates

handful of frozen mango

Method:

24 hours in advance, cut one banana into 4 pieces and freeze it.

When ready to make the "milkshake", put about 1/2 c. plant-based milk in a blender with the other banana.  Add the cocoa powder and peanut butter.  Blend until the banana is puréed, then add the dates, frozen banana pieces, and the frozen mango.  Blend until completely puréed, adding more milk as necessary to  keep the blender going but not so much that the shake loses its thickness (stir first, then only add more liquid if truly necessary).  Pour it out and freak out on its amazingness.

Lettuce Tofu Wraps

This delicious recipe is slightly modified from Eating Well magazine's website.  It's a great meal with a side of fries when you're looking for something easy, fun, and delish.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. smooth natural peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu (If you need the dish to be gluten-free, check the ingredients.  Not all of these are gluten-free.), plus more for the tofu, to taste
1 T. rice vinegar
1 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1 lb. Chinese tofu (Tofu's texture is greatly improved if it has been frozen for 24 hours and then thawed prior to use.  Plan ahead.)
2 T. canola oil
1 c. julienned Asian pear
1 c. julienned cucumber
8 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Method:
Whisk the peanut butter, 1/4 c. soy sauce (or tamari or shoyu), rice vinegar, garlic, and red pepper together for the sauce.  Add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the sauce to the desired texture.

Squeeze as much water from the tofu as possible, then cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.  In a large, non-stick skillet, cook the tofu over medium-high heat until water is no longer sizzling out of the tofu.  Drizzle the tofu with soy sauce (or tamari or shoyu), to taste, then drizzle with the canola oil.  Toss the tofu to coat with the oil.  Cook until one side of the tofu is browned, toss again, and cook until a second side is browned.  Remove from heat.

Divide the tofu, pear, and cucumber between the 8 lettuce leaves, and drizzle the filling of each lettuce leaf with the sauce.  Use the lettuce leaf as a wrap, and eat taco-style.

Serves 3 - 4.

Tofu Zoodle Salad

This is a slightly modified version of a super-healthy recipe I found on a fascinating and beautifully photographed blog called Scaling Back.  Check it out here.

NOTE:  This recipe requires a special tool called a spiralizer.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Chinese tofu  (Tofu has a more desirable texture if it has been frozen for 24 hours, then thawed.  Plan ahead.)
soy sauce (or shoyu or tamari), to taste  (If you need to avoid gluten, check ingredients.  Not all of these are gluten-free..)
2 T. canola oil
1 c. frozen mukimame (shelled edamame)
3 T. peanut butter
2 T. lime juice
2 t. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 t. garlic chili paste
2 medium zucchini
1/2 c. shredded carrot (I buy the kind that is already shredded.  So convenient!)
1/2 avocado, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. chopped cashews (roasted but not salted)
1 T. toasted sesame seeds

Method:
Squeeze as much water out of the tofu as possible.  Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.  In a large non-stick skillet, cook the tofu over medium-high heat until water is no longer sizzling out of the tofu.  Drizzle the tofu with soy sauce, to taste.  Drizzle tofu with the canola oil.  Toss the tofu to coat in oil, and cook until browned on one side.  Toss again, and cook until browned on another side.  Remove from heat.

Cook the mukimame according to package directions.

Whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, 1 T. water, sesame oil, minced garlic, and chili paste in a small bowl to create the dressing.  Add water judiciously, if needed to thin the dressing.

Using a spiralizer, spiralize the zucchini on the most narrow setting so that it is about the diameter of spaghetti noodles.  Toss the zucchini, carrot, avocado, and parsley together with the dressing to coat.  Toss in the tofu and mukimame.  Top with cashews and sesame seeds, and serve immediately.

Serves 3 as a main dish.

8 Vegan Breakfast Smoothies

I have been having these incredible vegan smoothies for breakfast 5 or 6 days per week for the last 2 years.  The recipes are really flexible, so feel free to play around with them.  Don't have lime?  Use lemon.  Don't have chia seeds?  Use flax seeds or omit altogether.

I like my smoothies to be the texture of milkshakes, so I have a high frozen-to-fresh ratio, and I only use the amount of liquid necessary to get things moving in the blender.  This can require several blender stops to stir things so they will move again, depending on the power of your blender.

Each smoothie includes a frozen banana, which I feel is essential to the texture of the drink.  Every Sunday I peel bananas for the week, cut them into 4 pieces, and freeze them in a single layer.  Then they all go into a freezer storage bag for the week.  A lot of the smoothies have fresh pineapple in them, so I cut up one fresh pineapple at the beginning of the week, too.

I also make sure I have a variety of smoothie colors to cover the nutrient spectrum.  Every week I have red, green, orange, and purple, then I pick another smoothie or two to round out the week.  Have fun!

RED SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen raspberries

slight handful of frozen cherries

2 or 3 large frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. hemp hearts

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

GREEN SMOOTHIE

1/4 - 1/2 fresh avocado (peel and pit removed)

1/4 of a fresh cucumber, cut into a few large chunks

2 handfuls fresh spinach

1 date, pitted

1 handful frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lime

2 T. brown flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add a peeled kiwi to the list of ingredients, if desired.

ORANGE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. golden flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add fresh peaches to the list of ingredients during the summer when they are in season.  SO good!

PURPLE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

handful of fresh spinach OR 1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen blueberries

slight handful of frozen blackberries

slight handful of frozen raspberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. of black chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  I buy a frozen mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, which makes this super convenient.  If you can find such a thing near you, just throw in a couple of handfuls of the mixed berries.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE

generous handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lime (lemon will also work)

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can also add frozen (or fresh, when in season) peaches to this smoothie.

PEACH-COCONUT SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. white chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEACH-BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted (or use fresh pineapple chunks if peaches aren't in season)

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

handful of frozen blueberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

juice of 1/2 lemon

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEANUT BUTTER-BANANA-COCOA SMOOTHIE

1 fresh banana, cut into chunks

3 large spoonfuls of freshly-ground peanut butter, or to taste

1 - 2 spoonfuls of cocoa powder, or to taste

1 - 2 frozen bananas (see intro)

plant-based milk

Put the first 4 ingredients in the blender with just enough PLANT-BASED MILK to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.



Spring Rolls!

Ever since Scott made a layer cake at Christmas, he's been on a cooking kick. The sweet joy of success is eating your own creation! I have to give him credit for taking on the task of finding ingredients for and making such a foreign food, which we fell in love with at a local Vietnamese restaurant. With the aid of the classic cookbook Joy of Cooking, he recreated our beloved dish perfectly at home!

First make the peanut dipping sauce, which we mixed with store-bought chili garlic sauce. I could eat this with a spoon!

Ingredients:
2 t. canola oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 t. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 c. water
2 T. soy sauce (or tamari or shoyu)
2 T. fresh lime juice
2/3 c. chunky peanut butter
1 T. brown sugar, or to taste

Method:
Heat the canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until golden brown (about 1 minute). Add the water, soy sauce, lime juice, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring, until thickened (about 4 minutes).
Serve warm or at room temperature. This sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Now make the rolls:

Ingredients:
4 large red-leaf lettuce leaves, washed, large stems removed, leaves torn into large pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 c. bean sprouts, rinsed
1/2 c. cilantro leaves, minced
8 scallions, washed and chopped, white and green parts
2.5 oz. vermicelli noodles, broken in half (or use cellophane noodles or rice stick noodles)
3 T. canola oil
1 lb. firm Chinese-style tofu, water squeezed out, cut into 1/2-inch chunks  (I like to freeze my tofu for 24 hours, then thaw it.  It improves the texture.)
8 12-inch round sheets of rice paper (This stuff is edible, even though it does not appear to be when first taken from the package.)

Method:
First make sure all your vegetables are prepared and ready to go.  Put a large saucepan over high heat and bring 4 c. water to boil.  Cook the noodles until just firm to the bite.  Drain and rinse under cold water.

In the meantime, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet.  Add the tofu to the hot oil and brown on 2 sides of each chunk.  Remove from heat.

Lay a damp kitchen towel on the counter.  Have a large bowl of hot water (115 - 120 degrees F).  Dip 1 sheet of rice paper into the water, completely submerging it, and quickly remove it to lay flat on the damp towel.  Slightly lower then center and leaving about 1 inch on the right and left, put a horizontal line of lettuce, then noodles, then bean sprouts, then tofu, then cilantro, then scallions, then carrots (about 1/8 of each ingredient).  Fold the right and left sides in and overlapping the filling by about an inch so that the paper sticks to itself above and below the filling.  Bring up the bottom edge of the paper to cover the filling and stick to the rice paper at the top of the filling.  Now roll tightly into a neat cylinder.

If the rice paper starts to tear, overlap it with another sheet of paper (prepped in the hot water, as usual), using 2 sheets for one roll.

Cut each roll on the diagonal with a sharp knife and serve immediately as the rice paper will toughen with time.  Serve with peanut dipping sauce and, if you want, some chili garlic sauce.  Makes 8 delicious servings.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Are you freaking out, because you have to go to a "big game" party today, but you don't have anything planned to take?  Personally, I'm taking a layered Mexican dip to my sister-in-law's house, but this candy-cookie that I usually make at Christmas is easy and quick, too, if you're looking for a sweet thing to take.  I got this recipe from my mom (Hi Mom!).  She's been making this at the holidays for decades.  The amounts are flexible...make as many or as few as you want.

Ingredients:

chocolate bark (This is the meltable chocolate that you can buy by the pound in the baking section of your grocer.)

waxed paper

Ritz crackers

peanut butter (I'm not sure if the truly natural kind will work.  It seems like it might be too wet.  I use the Jif natural, which is still creamy instead of wet somehow.)

optional:  white chocolate bark for garnish

Method:

Melt chocolate in the top pan of a double-boiler (or we usually use a slow-cooker on the lowest setting).  Cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

While the chocolate is melting, spread a generous amount of peanut butter between 2 Ritz crackers to make a sandwich.  Make as many cracker-sandwiches as you want.  When the chocolate is fully melted, dip each peanut butter cracker sandwich into the melted chocolate to completely coat the sandwich.  Remove with a fork, scraping off the excess on the side of the pan.  Place the coated sandwich on the waxed paper to set.  Once you're done dipping, put the cookie sheet in the fridge to harden up the chocolate.

Once the chocolate is set, you're set, too!

Optional garnish:  To make the white zig-zags shown in the photo, melt some white chocolate bark in the microwave, zapping a few seconds, then stirring, then zapping, then stirring, until the chocolate is melted.  Pour the melted chocolate into a Ziploc bag and zip it up.  Using kitchen shears, snip a corner off the bottom of the bag.  Zig-zag the chocolate over the covered cookie sandwiches while they're on the waxed paper.  Put in the fridge to set as normal.

Scott would like to add:  Go Giants!