Szechuan Tofu, Broccoli and Mushroom

by: vegetariantimes.com

Serves 4

This dish is delicious!  It takes under 30 minutes to prepare.  I made a few adjustments.  I didn't have sherry so I used Apple Cider Vinegar.  If you make this adjustment, reduce the amount of vinegar to half of the amount (1/8 cup).  Then add 1/8 cup water.  I also used baby bella mushrooms because that's what I had and it worked perfectly!  I didn't have carrots so I just omitted them.  Otherwise, I followed the recipe and it came out great!  I also doubled the recipe because I have big eaters in my family!  Enjoy!

Sauce

    2 Tbs. cornstarch
    1 Tbs. chili paste with garlic
    ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
    ¼ cup sherry  
     1 tsp. sugar

    1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained
    1 Tbs. vegetable oil
    8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced (3 cups)
    5 to 6 cups tiny broccoli florets (from 1 bunch broccoli)
    2 medium carrots, thinly sliced diagonally

    Make sauce: In small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water and stir until smooth. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients. Set aside.
    Cut tofu into 1/2 slices and pat very dry. Then cut into 1/2-inch cubes and pat dry again. In large nonstick wok or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add tofu and stir-fry until deeply golden all over, about 2 minutes. Transfer tofu to plate.
    Add mushrooms to wok and stir-fry until they begin to release juices, about 2 minutes. Add broccoli and carrots, and pour in 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until broccoli is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes.
    Return tofu to wok and toss to mix. Stir sauce once and quickly add to wok. Stir until sauce thickens, about 15 seconds. Serve right away over hot rice.

Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

From: veganyumminess.com  Author: Lindsay Rey

In my quest to make a grilled cheese sandwich to go with my tomato soup, I thought I'd give this recipe a try.  The cheese was very good! It's the consistency of Velveta cheese...just much healthier and tastes better! :) I put it in the refrigerator for an hour to thicken up.  I will say, it is very messy.  I didn't mind.  I dipped it in the tomato soup recipe on my blog and it was fabulous!!  I have a lot of the cheese mixture left over.  I will make macaroni and cheese out of it tomorrow night!

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups peeled and finely diced potatoes (i used Russets, but yellow work as well)
1/4 cup peeled and diced fresh carrot
1/3 cup peeled and diced onion
2/3 cup water (preferably from pot of cooked veggies above)
1/2 cup raw cashews (pre soaked for a few hours if not using a high speed blender)
1/4 cup coconut milk (lite or full fat)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 loaf vegan french bread, or vegan bread of your choice
Vegan butter (I used Earth balance) or coconut oil for grilling sandwiches.

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring several cups of water to boil.
2. Place prepared potato, carrot, and onion into the boiling water, and cook until potatoes are fork tender, or about 10 minutes.
3. While your potatoes, carrot, and onion are cooking, place ⅔ cup water (preferably water from your pot of cooking/cooked vegetables), cashews, coconut milk, yeast flakes, lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder into your blender. Blend on high until everything is creamy smooth.
4. When potatoes are fork-tender, place potatoes, carrot, and onion into your blender--using a slotted spoon to avoid adding excess water to your cheese.
5. Blend everything on high until smooth.
6. You can use this cheese as is (pretty warm) to make your grilled cheese sandwiches, or you can place it in the fridge for a few hours or days to cool and thicken up slightly--which makes a less messy grilled cheese sandwich. If you're like me, you don't mind ooey gooey all-over-the-place cheese, and the hot stuff works just fine.
7. Slather your cheese sauce on 2 thick slices of bread, slap 'em together, and brush the outsides of your sandwich with either coconut oil (or other heat-safe oil of your choice) or vegan butter. (I use Earth Balance, generally.)
8. Place your sandwich in a preheated pan or griddle on medium heat. Usually, my sandwiches only need about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side to be nice and crispy. Check your first sandwiches frequently, as they can burn quickly without warning.

Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

From: veganyummies.com  Author: Lindsay Rey

I was on the hunt for a delicious tomato soup that didn't contain any dairy.  I found it in this recipe!!  This is delicious!!  Everyone in my family loved it.  I made this along with the vegan grilled cheese sandwiches.  A perfect combo meal for a chilly December night!  I doubled the recipe so that I would have leftovers.

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
1 cup diced onion
1 large clove garlic,  minced
1 tsp plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided, optional)
1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked for a few hours, if you are not using a high speed blender) I used
  my Vitamix blender and did not soak them.  It came out perfect.
1/2 cup water
4 1/2 cups stewed tomatoes (three 14.5 ounce cans)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Instructions:
1. In a pan, saute onion and garlic in 1 tsp olive oil for 1-2 minutes, just until they are soft and fragrant

2. Place cashews and water in blender. Blend on high for about 30 sec or until the mixture is fairly smooth and creamy. If you need more liquid, add a cup or two of your stewed tomatoes and blend again until all the cashew pieces have disappeared.

3. Add your sautéed onion/garlic and remaining stewed tomatoes to blender and blend until smooth.

4. Pour blender contents into a saucepan on medium to medium-high heat. As soup begins to simmer, stir frequently to prevent lumpiness and burning.  Simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until soup color has darkened slightly.

5. Add remaining ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil, coconut milk, granulated sugar, dried basil, and salt to your saucepan.

6. Taste for salt and serve immediately!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

From: Frolic through Life blog

This is a delicious side dish with a kick!  Our family loves spice...especially sriracha!  When I was asked to bring a side dish for a BBQ, this was what I decided to make.  No oil makes it even healthier!  This serves about 6 people.  I doubled it since I was going to a party.  I also used all organic veggies, quinoa, and beans.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups veggie stock
• 1 can black beans
• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• salt and pepper to taste

Pour veggie stock into a large pot and add quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer until quinoa is light and fluffy. Drain and rinse can of black beans. Combine beans, corn, diced onion and pepper in a large bowl. Add cooled quinoa, lime juice, vinegar and sriracha and mix to combine the flavors.  I made it several hours ahead so it had plenty of time for the sriracha to soak in! Enjoy!

Not-Tuna Spread

From:  The Starch Solution
By: John McDougall, MD

Ok...I'm so bummed that I forgot to take a picture of this!!  It is DELICIOUS!  Don't let the name scare you.  I will post a picture when I make it again in several days.  This is so good that my teen daughter requested I make it again.  I tripled the batch and ate it for lunch all week.  I topped it with avocado slices to add extra protein and it was great.  It tastes delicious inside a whole wheat pita.  Also, I added more than the 1/4 cup of tofu mayo.  Just put enough in for your liking.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Tofu mayonnaise
     *1 package (12.3 ounces) silken tofu, drained in a fine mesh strainer
     * 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
     *1 tsp granulated sugar
     *1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp mustard powder, 1/8 tsp white pepper
     *Combine all of the above in a food processor and process until mixture is completely smooth.
       Transfer to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a week

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1 tbsp lemon juice

Place chickpeas in a food processor and process until COARSELY chopped, or mash with a bean masher.  You do NOT want this smooth so go easy on processing.  Place in a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix well.  Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 4 days.

Farm Salad

From: Zinburger Restaurant

*Our family ate out the other night at Zinburger.  We ordered this salad and loved it.  My daughter found the recipe online.  It takes work chopping up the ingredients, but it is worth it!

Ingredients:
Spring mix (finely chopped, portioned 1ounce each) 1 each (I bought the spring mix in a bag at Trader joe's and used half of the bag)
Cooked Red quinoa 1/3 cup
Garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained) 1/3 cup (I added double this amount)
red radish (diced small) 1/4 cup
carrots (peeled and diced small) 1/4 cup
cucumber (peeled, seeded, and diced small) 1/4 cup
tomatoes (seeded, diced small) 1/4 cup
green cabbage (diced small) 2-3 ounces (I bought the grated cabbage in a bag at Trader Joe's.  I just used half the bag)
Avocado (diced small) 1/2 avocado (I used the whole thing)
chives (minced) 1 tsp (Since I had to buy a container of fresh chives, I used about triple this amount)
champagne vinaigrette 2 ounces
kosher salt 2 pinch
ground black pepper 2 pinch

Dressing:

Champagne Vinegar 32 oz
Granulated Sugar 11 oz
Blended Oil 64 oz
Honey 7 oz
Dijon 7 oz
Kosher Salt 2.5 oz
Fresh Ground Pepper .5 tsp

Blend ingredients together.

Toss all the ingredients together for the salad and then toss with the dressing.  If you aren't eating all the salad that night, only toss what you are eating.  The salad stays good for the next day if you leave off the dressing

Quinoa Wilted Spinach Salad

By: Taste of Home

*This is a great salad!  I served it as a side dish and everyone loved it.  My daughter is taking the left overs to school tomorrow so that is always a good sign that it is a hit!  I did make some changes....I do that a lot! :)

Ingredients:
-2 cups water
-1 cup quinoa
-1 package (6ounces) fresh baby spinach, torn (I used about 18 ounces since I love spinach.  I chopped
  it into small pieces)
-1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing Ingredients:
-3 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp orange juice
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tbsp red wine vinegar
-1 garlic clove minced
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp pepper
-1 green onion finely chopped (we love green onions so I used the entire bunch)
-1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I used 1 cup and I bought unsalted dry toasted pecan pieces at Trader
  Joe's so that saved me time)

Directions:

-In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add quinoa.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 min until water is absorbed.  Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork.

-In a large bowl, combine the warm quinoa, spinach and cranberries.  Stir until the spinach wilts.  For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the oil, orange juice, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt and pepper.  Stir in onion.  Pour over quinoa mixture; toss to coat.  Sprinkle with pecans.

Garlic Roasted Chickpeas

From:  Clean Eating Magazine Jan/Feb 2013

*As a mom of 3 teenage kids, I'm always looking for healthy snacks.  All 3 of my kids loved this!  I was so excited...I will make this easy recipe again.  The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, but I deleted it since I don't eat dairy and am trying to limit my kids dairy intake.  

Ingredients:
2- 15 1/2 oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans).  I buy organic.  Drain and rinse well.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (I did 2 because we love garlic)
1/2 tsp sea salt (I will use 3/4 tsp next time...I think they needed a touch more salt)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:
-Spread chickpeas on several layers of paper towel and let dry for 30 min

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add chickpeas    and toss to coat.  (If you are using cheese, add the cheese into the bowl as well)

-Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden and crispy.

*This is a great snack for a road trip, seeing a movie, after a workout, or any other time when you need a healthy snack!

Breaded eggplant

This was my first attempt at eggplant.  I loved it and so did my husband and kids!  I will definitely make it again.  I followed the directions but ended up turning the oven up higher and cooking longer to get it nice and crispy.  It tasted liked it has been cooked it oil but it was much healthier being baked. j

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
1 10 ounce bag organic bread crumbs (I couldn't find these so I used italian bread crumbs)
2 cups Bob's Red mill Organic whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 cups organic soy milk (I used plain almond milk since I didn't have soy milk)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (I cooked mine on 475 because I couldn't get it crispy at 400).  Put parchment paper over a pizza stone or cookie sheet (they recommend a pizza stone).  You can peel the eggplant before you cut it if you prefer.  (I washed mine with vegetable wash and left the skin on-it tasted great).  Cut it into 1/2 inch rounds.

Get 3 wide shallow bowls.  In one bowl whisk the milk and dijon mustard.  In the second bowl, put the flour and in the 3rd bowl, put the bread crumbs.

First, flour the eggplant.  Then, dip it in the milk mixture coating both sides.  Lastly, put in the bread crumbs and coat both sides.  Place on the parchment paper and spray generously with olive oil.  Turn each slice over and spray other side.

It says to bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  I baked 10 minutes then flipped each piece over and baked another 8-10 min depending on when they got lightly brown.  You want them crispy..not mushy.

**I cooked whole grain pasta and put 2-3 slices of eggplant on top of the noodles and topped with my homemade marinara sauce (recipe on blog)

**This recipe made a ton!  Next time I will only make half this amount because I didn't like the leftovers.  They did not reheat well.  

Marinara

This is my mom's homemade marinara recipe.  I usually double the batch when I make it so I have lots of leftovers to freeze.

4 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes
5 cans tomato paste (small cans)
1 large white onion
4 tsp italian seasoning
2-4 tbsp dried basil (If i have fresh basil in my garden then I use that instead)
2-4 tbsp parsley (I normally use fresh italian parsley but dried works as well)
1-2 tsp oregano (I use 2)
package of sliced mushrooms
1-2 tsp kosher salt (I use 2)
1 tsp pepper
4 large garlic cloves minced


Heat onion and garlic in large pot with a tbsp of water to keep the onion from sticking to the pot.  When the onion is softened (2-3 min)  add all the above ingredients.  In addition, mix approximately 1-1 1/2cups water in to reach desired thickness of sauce.  Simmer for 3 hours or more with lid off or it becomes too watery.  Stir periodically.  Taste sauce and season accordingly.

**If you have a crockpot, put all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 8 hours.  The sauce comes out perfect!  No need to sauté the onion and garlic beforehand.  Just throw it all in and turn it on.


Use it on top of your favorite noodle.  I used it on top of my baked eggplant...everyone loved it!

The BEST vegetarian chili in the world!!

From:  All recipes.com

**I've made a lot of chili recipes before, but this one is the best!  It is so tasty and hearty.  I forgot to take a picture of it so you will just have to trust me on this one! :)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4ounce) cans chopped green chili peppers, drained
2 (12ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles (I omitted the meat and loved it)
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (I used diced tomatoes)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can of each: kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, and whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt.  Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers.  When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

Mix the tomatoes into the pot.  Season chili with chili powder and pepper.  Stir in the beans.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes.  Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

**I did NOT do the above cooking method.  I used my crock pot.  If you have the time, I highly recommend it because it was so easy.  I omitted the oil and put all the above ingredients (minus the meat since I didn't want the meat in it) into my crock pot.  I put the crock pot on low for 8 hours.  Before serving, discard the bay leaves.  Top with diced green onions and avocado...yum!  This is a hearty meal and so healthy.  Make sure to rinse your beans prior to putting them in the crock pot...this removes the extra sodium.  Enjoy!

Superfood Salad with lemon vinaigrette

By: Iowagirleats

**Love this salad!!  My family liked it as well!  I will make this again soon!

Serves 5:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 orange, peeled and segments chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup pomegranate arils (about 1 pomegranate worth)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

lemon vinaigrette:
2 lemons, juiced (1/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
dash of sweetener (agave syrup, stevia, white sugar)
salt and pepper to taste
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

directions:
1.  Cook quinoa according to package...cool
2. Make lemon vinaigrette.  combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake to combine.
3.  Combine cooled quinoa with all ingredients.  Pour vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine.  Serve cold or room temp

Vegetable White Bean Hash

By:  Forks over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe

**Yum!  That is what I have to say about this dish!  My husband loved it as well!  I served it as a side to my veggie burger.  The rosemary and orange juice add a special touch to this recipe!  It reheats well for left overs.  This will definitely go into my side dish rotation!

Serves 4 (I think more like 6)

1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp minced rosemary
1 large turnip, peeled and diced
1 med sweet potato, peeled and diced
zest and juice of 1 orange
One 15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped kale (I did 2)
salt and pepper to taste

Place the leek and red pepper n a large saucepan and saute over medium heat for 8 minutes.  Add water 1 to 2 tbsp at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan (I used vegetable broth instead of water).  

Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for another minute.  Add the turnip, sweet potato, orange juice and zest, and the beans and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  I added some vegetable broth to the mixture to help the vegetables cook and not stick.  Add the kale, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes.

Vegetable and Chickpea Ragout

From:  Self Magazine by Wendy Giman

*I doubled this recipe since it only serves 2.  It was very good!  My whole family liked it.  I added chicken sausage to my husband and son's since they eat meat.  They really liked the meal.  It was a delicious one pot meal that I will make again!  

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup onion and garlic mix (see below)
1/2 cup broccoli and red bell pepper mix (see below)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
4 artichoke hearts in water, drain and quarter
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup whole wheat penne, cooked

Onion/garlic mix: Finely dice 1 onion and 2 cloves garlic.  Heat a heavy skillet over high heat.  Saute until soft, approx 6 min.  I saute using vegetable broth...not oil.

Broccoli and Red bell pepper mix:  Finely dice 1/2 head broccoli and 1 large red bell pepper (seeded and cored).  Heat a skillet over high heat.  Cook until vegetables are soft, approx 3 minutes.

Simmer tomatoes, chickpeas, onion and garlic mix, broccoli and red bell pepper mix, salt, oregano, pepper, pepper flakes and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot until liquid reduces by half, about 20 minutes.  Add artichokes, peas, and olives: cook 10 min more.

Thai Noodle Soup

From:  Forks over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe

Serves 4

1 med yellow onion, peeled and julienned
1 med carrot, peeled and julienned
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 cups sliced bok choy
4 cups vegetable stock (I used vegetable broth)
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 serrano chile, stemmed and thinly sliced
6 ounces brown rice noodles, cooked according to package
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
I added one package extra firm tofu.  I seared it and put it in the broth before serving

1. Place the onion, carrot, and mushrooms in a medium pot and saute for 7 to 8 minutes.  Add water 1 to 2 tbsp at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan.  Add the garlic, ginger, bok choy, vegetable stock, soy sauce, lime zest and juice, and serrano chile.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. To serve, divide the noodles between four individual bowls.  Pour the soup mixture over the noodles and garnish with bean sprouts and cilantro.

Rotini and Black Bean Salad

From:  Pasta Salad Cookbook by Barbara Lauterbach

I followed this recipe but also varied it quite a bit.  I noted in blue writing what I did differently.  This is another salad that tastes better over time since the flavors get stronger.  Also, another good one to pack in my kids lunches.  I doubled the recipe when I made it so we'd have leftovers.

Ingredients:
8 oz whole wheat/whole grain rotini pasta
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 can black beans
1/2 c. cherry tomatos (I used roma tomatos)
1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
1/4 c. chopped green onion, white parts
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 ripe avocado
salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh cilantro (I used an entire bunch)

*First of all, I doubled the recipe above.  Then, I added 1 red bell pepper, 1 bunch cilantro (instead of 1 tbsp), 1 tsp cumin, several dashes cayenne pepper, & garlic salt to taste.  I also used more beans and corn than it called for. In addition, double the dressing recipe.  As the pasta sits, it absorbs the dressing.  You need to add more prior to serving.  I grilled chicken breast to put in the salad for the family members that eat chicken.  If I would've had fresh spinach, I would have put that in it as well.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on box.  Rinse with cold water and drain.  Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and garlic in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then, whisk oil in until dressing thickens.  Add beans, corn, onion, chives, cilantro, bell pepper, etc. to the pasta.  Pour dressing over pasta and toss.  Add cubed avocado to pasta and fold in.  Refrigerate at least an hour or longer before serving.

Quinoa Party Salad

From Clean Eating Magazine Nov/Dec 2011

This is a delicious and nutritious salad that will fill you up!  I'm always looking for quinoa recipes since quinoa is high in protein.  This is another salad that the family loved!

Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1/4 cup olive oil
juice 1 lime
1 tbsp ground cumin
pinch red pepper flakes
3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 med red bell pepper, chopped
1 med orange bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Make the quinoa according to directions on package.  Let cool.

Meanwhile, prepare dressing:  in a small bowl, whisk oil, lime juice, cumin and pepper flakes until combined.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine corn, beans, bell peppers, jalapeno and cilantro.  Add quinoa and stir to combine.  Top with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.  Serve cold or at room temp.

**The longer this sits the better the flavor.  You can make ahead!

Curried Chick Pea Salad

I will admit...I'm normally not a fan of curry.  I was hesitant to make this dish because it had curry spice in it.  However, I'm a huge chick pea fan so I thought I'd try it!  I'm glad I did!  This is a great dish.  It is very versatile.  Sometimes I eat it as is...other times I put it in a whole wheat pita stuffed with uncooked spinach and the salad.  It is also great to eat with whole grain pita chips.  This one is worth making!

Ingredients:
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil (I used half this amount)
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted (I dry toasted them in a saute pan)
2 cans cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped (I used cilantro)

mixed greens, spinach, pita chips (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, curry powder, maple syrup and salt.  Add raisins, cumin, chickpeas, bell pepper, onion and cilantro and toss to combine.  Spoon chickpea mixture over salad, serve with pita chips, or put in whole grain pita.

Rip's Big Bowl....Fast & yummy breakfast!

From The Engine 2 Diet book by Rip Esselstyn

I'm always looking for breakfast ideas...having the same boring cereal every day does not excite me.  Plus, with all my working out, a simple bowl of cereal does not fill me up.  Giving up eggs was tough for me...I really like eggs!  So far my favorite breakfast is the quinoa pancakes.  If you haven't tried them you should!  However, for a quick easy breakfast, I like this Rip's big bowl.  Once you make it a couple of times, it is easy.  I made modifications to mine which I will note in the recipe.  Enjoy! :)

1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup grape nuts or Ezekiel brand equivalent
1/4 cup bite size shredded wheat
1/4 cup Uncle Sam Cereal
1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
2 tbsp raisins (I use golden raisins from Trader Joes)
1/2 handful of walnuts (not a walnut fan so I use hemp seed from Costco..3 tbsp is 11 grams protein)
1 banana, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced (I omitted this)
1 grapefruit (I omitted this)
3/4 cup milk substitute of choice (I use Almond Breeze Coconut/Almond milk unsweetened...YUM!)

Toss all ingredients except the grapefruit and milk substitute into a bowl.  Remove the grapefruit segments and put on top of cereal.  Squeeze in the juice.  Top the bowl with milk substitute.

Pesto Pasta with White Beans

From: Forks over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe

This is a quick and easy dish...love easy dishes! :)  I liked it although I had to add a touch of salt to it.  My kids liked it "ok"...not overwhelming thumbs up.  My husband liked it as a side dish.  I ate it as an entree.  It heats up great the next day.  One tip...make the basil pesto ahead of time to speed up making dinner.  For whatever reason the pasta looks red/brown in the picture.  It is actually green...much tastier than it looks! :)

Serves 4

12 ounces whole grain spaghetti, cooked according to pkg directions, drained, and kept warm, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid

1 cup basil pesto (see below)

One 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Place the cooked spaghetti in a large bowl and add the pesto.  Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to achieve a creamy sauce.  Add the beans and toss well.

**Basil Pesto
2 cups packed basil or arugula
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (cook approx 10 min at 350)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
1/2 package extra firm silken tofu (6 ounces) drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional (I added.  You can buy at Sprouts in bulk food section)

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.