Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I made this dessert the other night and will definitely be making it again.  It was made with an avocado, so it was very creamy and satisfying.  When I took my first bite the avocado really stood out, but as I continued to eat it I really loved the taste.  In fact, I could have eaten another one.  Here's the recipe I followed, but there are so many different ways to include an avocado into chocolate pudding so play around with the recipe and see what you like.

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons almond milk (I had chocolate flavored in the fridge so I used that)

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. (This made 2 servings.)

Update: I made this pudding again only this time I made Dark Chocolate Avocado Pudding.  I used 4 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of original almond milk.  Wow! I love the dark chocolate and it was super dark!

This recipe yields 2 servings.

Based on the ingredients for the Dark Chocolate Avocado Pudding using original Silk PureAlmond Milk, 1 serving yields approximately 288 calories and 4g protein.

Black Bean Patties

After a great personal touch workout, a dinner filled with protein sounded perfect.  I have been wanting to try these Black Bean Patties for a couple weeks now.

I adapted the recipe from Happy Herbivore and below is how I made mine.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup GF instant oats
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease a cookie sheet.
2. Mash beans with a fork until mostly pureed, but some half pieces are still left.
3. Stir in onion powder, garlic powder, mustard, and ketchup until combined. Then mix in oats.
4. Divide into four equal portions and shape into thin patties.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes, flip carefully, bake for about another 5 minutes or until crusty on the outside.

I loved how simple and quick these were to make.

Here's the my sandwich between 

two slices of Gluten Free light brown rice bread by Ener-G

Based on forming 4 black bean patties using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats and Goya Black Beans, 1 patty without bread yields:

Approximately 128 calories and 7g protein.

Blueberry Muffins

I was in the mood for a quick and filling breakfast and I thought muffins would be perfect.  I had some blueberries so searched around online for a blueberry muffin recipe that sounded sweet enough to be tasty, but healthy enough for breakfast.  

This recipe was adapted from here.
I made only two small changes to the original recipe.  Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow corn grits (I used Arrowhead Mills brand)
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup (or more) fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a muffin tray or line with muffin cups. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix together yellow corn grits, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together cooked quinoa, maple syrup, almond milk, applesauce, lemon juice, and oil.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Fold in blueberries.  Spoon batter into muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.

These are so good I can eat two.  And since they are high in nutrition, having two is perfectly fine!

Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta & Spinach

This is a recipe I made for dinner this past Sunday night.  This recipe is adapted from the book "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta:

• 1 medium-size head cauliflower (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (leave off stems)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• Nutritonal yeast flakes
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Ground black pepper

For the Red Sauce:

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients:

• 8 ounces lasagna noodles, cooked according to package, broken in half
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place prepared cauliflower on greased baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt. Toss with hands to make sure everything is evenly coated. Bake for 10 minutes, flip with a spatula, continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.
2. While that is baking, crumble tofu into a mixing bowl with your hands to mash the tofu into the consistency of ricotta cheese. Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Mix well with a fork.
3. When the cauliflower is done, add it to the mixing bowl with the tofu.  Use a potato masher to mash everything together really well and set aside.
4. To prepare the sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 350F. To assemble lasagna: Pour a thin layer of red sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Line with a layer of noodles. Add some of the cauliflower ricotta mixture. Layer with some spinach leaves. Add about a cup of sauce on top. Repeat this process one more time to create another identical layer, starting with the noodles. For the top layer: line with noodles, pour on sauce, layer with cauliflower ricotta mixture. (This layer has no spinach.)
6. Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is browned.

Note: After the cauliflower is done baking, just lower the oven to 350F so it is already preheated for the lasagna to bake.  This is also the time to begin cooking the lasagna noodles according to the directions on the package.


This is a bit time consuming, but definitely worth making on a weekend.

Barbeque Tofu Pizza

I was in the mood for pizza but always have regular cheese pizza (I make it with daiya). Before becoming vegan, I used to love making barbeque chicken pizza, so I thought why not use tofu instead of chicken by turning the tofu into "chicken" nuggets.  This is how I made my pizza:

1. Marinate tofu in Bragg's Liquid Aminos for an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. Slice tofu into squares and cover tofu squares in gluten free bread crumbs (This makes the "chicken" nuggets.)
4. Bake in oven for 20 minutes on greased baking sheet.
5. Flip tofu squares and cover with the remaining marinade from earlier.  Bake an additional 10 minutes.
6. Cover pizza crust in barbeque sauce, top with daiya cheese, and tofu nuggets.  Bake about 10 minutes in 375F oven (or according to the directions for your pizza crust.)

Grasshopper Pudding Parfait

I have one more St. Patrick's Day recipe, a green dessert I adapted from this recipe I found online. I changed the recipe around quite a bit. Here's how I made my Grasshopper Pudding Parfait:

Ingredients:

• 19 ounces silken tofu
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup agave
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• small handful of spinach (for the green color) or you can use green food coloring
• 8 or more crushed cookies (I used a brand by Kinnikinnick called Kinnitoos Chocolate Sandwich Creme)

Directions:

1. In a blender, add all ingredients, except crushed cookies, and blend until smooth.
2. Assemble the parfait by layering cookie crumbles and pudding.
3. Top with cookie crumbles.
4. Chill in fridge for at least an hour before eating so the pudding firms up.

This recipe makes four servings.

Stuffed Bell Pepper

As I mentioned in the previous post, for St. Patrick's Day I made a green dinner:

Yesterday I posted the recipe for the Colcannon Puffs in the picture.  Here's my recipe for the stuffed bell pepper:

Ingredients:

• 1 green bell pepper
• About 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• About 3/4 cup sauce
• About 1/2 cup black beans
• 3 tsps garlic, or to taste
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning, or to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cut the green bell pepper in half, wash, and take out the seeds. (I'm sure this recipe would also work if you just cut off the top of the pepper, wash it, and take out the seeds.) 
3. In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients.
4. Stuff the pepper and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender.

This recipe makes one stuffed bell pepper. You can add more rice, beans, sauce, seasonings, or other veggies depending how you want your bell pepper to taste.

Colcannon Puffs

I made these Colcannon Puffs yesterday as a side dish for dinner on St. Patrick's Day. This recipe is adapted from fatfreevegan:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes (I left the skin on)
• 6 ounces kale
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons soymilk
• 2 tablespoons potato starch or corn starch

Directions:

1. Cut the potatoes into small cubes (about 1/2-inch), put them in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, remove the center stalk from the kale and slice the leaves into strips. When the potatoes are done, lift them out with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. Put the kale into the potato water and cook for 6 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove kale with a slotted spoon to a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and pulse to chop fine.
3. Preheat oven to 425 F. Mash the potatoes and add the kale and all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Using a well-rounded tablespoon, form into balls about 1 inch across. Place them on an oiled baking sheet or, preferably, a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn over and bake fore 20 minutes more, until lightly browned.

This recipe makes about 30 puffs (mine didn't turn out as round as fatfreevegan's, but they still tasted great!)  My picture above only shows the puffs I ate as a side dish to the rest of my green dinner:

I'll post the recipe for the stuffed pepper tomorrow!

Mock Tuna Salad

I have been wanting to try this recipe out for a few weeks now.  I saw it posted on The Engine 2 Diet's Facebook page. The original recipe is from Happy Herbivore. I adapted the recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 whole celery stalks
• 1/2 tsp onion flakes
• 2 tsp nutrional yeast
• 1 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos
• 2 tbsp vegan mayo

Directions: In a large mixing bowl, mash chickpeas with a fork until coarse and no whole beans are left.  Chop celery into small pieces and add to the mashed chickpeas. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Spread between 2 slices of toast. (I used Gluten Free light brown rice bread by Ener-G)

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Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Chickpeas

For Sunday dinner I decided to try a new recipe.  I made a few minimal changes to the original recipe.

This recipe was adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen:

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 pound brussel sprouts
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Pierce a spaghetti squash 8-10 times with a skewer or thin knife (pierce deeply through flesh into center). Place on a baking sheet on center rack of oven. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn 1/4 turn. Bake another 30 minutes or until outside has browned in places and shell feels soft. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Once it’s cool, cut it in half and remove and discard the seeds and scrape the strands of squash out with a fork. Put the squash into a bowl and set aside.
2. While the squash is cooking, prepare the brussel sprouts. Trim and discard the ends and cut the sprouts in half (quarter larger sprouts). Place on a baking sheet and cover lossely with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent burning. When the squash has almost finished cooking, put the sprouts into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
3. In a large, deep, non-stick skillet, cook the onions on medium-high heat until they become golden, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Add the brussel sprouts, garlic, and vegetable broth and cover tightly. Cook for 3-5 minutes, adding more broth or water if skillet becomes dry.
5. Add the chickpeas and seasoning.  Stir in the spaghetti squash and toss gently to mix.
6. Cook until heated through.  Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

I also topped my meal with nutrional yeast which gave it an additional great flavor.  This meal was so tasty, my mom and I both went back for seconds! 

Fruity Quinoa Cereal Bowl

This morning for breakfast I created a delicious healthy cereal.  My recipe below is adapted from The Engine 2 Diet's Simple Cereal Bowl.

Ingredients:

• Cooked quinoa (I had this made the night before)
•  Fruit (Any combination works, I used strawberries and blackberries)
• Almond Milk

Directions: Combine as much quinoa as you want with some fruit and pour some almond milk on top. 


This is a great option when you want to have cereal but need to avoid gluten products and want to stay away from those processed and sugary cereals.  Plus this has tons of protein and keeps you filled to start your day!

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Baked Asparagus

For dinner last night I decided to make this yummy veggie side:

I bought some fresh asparagus and after washing and breaking off the stems I laid them out flat on a baking sheet.  I then drizzled them with a little olive oil and sprinkled on some salt, pepper, onion powder, and nutritional yeast.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 12-20 minutes.

Super easy and super delicious !

Avocado Spinach Hummus

I had an avocado laying around that needed to get used so I decided it would make a great snack if I made Avocado Spinach Hummus as a dip for some tortilla chips.  Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

• 1 can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 avocado
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• About 3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
• About 3 teaspoons garlic, or to taste
• Salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste

Directions: Blend everything together in a food processor or blender.

This also tastes great as a spread for a sandwich. Try spreading this hummus on 2 slices of toast and adding apple slices for a delicious unique sandwich!

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