Oil Free Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Muffins

I had some zucchini hanging around the fridge and went searching for a recipe that would inspire me.

Angela Liddon to the rescue once again! Her muffin recipe in Oh She Glows- and on her blog- is light in texture, rich in flavour and as about as healthy as you can get in the baking department.

I used coconut sugar in the first batch, and although I don't enjoy a lot of sweetness, it wasn't enough for me. So in the 2nd batch I used a combination of cane sugar and coconut sugar, and it was just right.

I'm hoping I can freeze these- otherwise I'm in big trouble. :)

Recipe link is posted below. Enjoy.

Link to recipe:

http://bit.ly/1DjrZ4Q

Edamame Hummus and Tofu Wraps

From Isa Chandra Moskowitz's cookbook- Isa Does It, these wraps were simple to make and the edamame hummus is delicious. I didn't have wasabi powder, so I substituted horseradish to give it a little kick. 

Coupled with a simple salad this makes a great Monday dinner!

Edamame Hummus & Tofu Wraps

Ingredients

• 14 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained & pressed
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil, divided
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• edamame hummus 
• 4 whole-wheat tortillas
• 
  
• Edamame Hummus
• Ingredients
• • 1/3 c. water
  • 1/4 c. lemon juice
  • 1/4 c. tahini
  • 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 c. shelled edamame (thawed if using frozen edamame)
  • 1/2 tbsp. (1 1/2 tsp.) wasabi powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  Directions
  1. In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients in order listed. Process until the mixture is smooth.
  2. Refrigerate in a sealed container, up to 1 week. (If possible, refrigerate for a few hours before serving to allow flavors to fully blend.)
  3. Cut tofu into 8 equal pieces. Pat dry & set aside
  4. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil over medium heat. Add tofu to pan & sprinkle with salt. Lightly fry for 4-5 minutes, until lightly brown. Flip & add remaining 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil to pan. Continue to fry for another 4-5 minutes, until lightly brown. Remove from heat
  5. Assemble wraps: Layer, on tortilla, 2 slices cooked tofu, 2 tbsp. hummus & 1/4 c. broccoli sprouts. Serve immediately.

Black Lentil Winter Vegetable and Wild Rice Soup

I recently got an Instant Pot- an electric pressure cooker. I came across a sale on Amazon, and couldn't resist- even though I had no prior experience using one.
It took me awhile to get up the courage to use it. I read everything I could, thinking it would be complicated and scary (remember the horror stories of the early ones blowing up?!) Quite the contrary- as long as you know the settings before you start cooking, it is really easy and is now one of my favourite appliances.

So why is it so great? I love to cook, but not every single day. When it's a busy day, I like the simplicity of using one pot- and making a quick meal that would normally involve multiple steps, pots and long cooking times. I wouldn't eat a soup made in 20 minutes on the stove- it would be barely cooked, and the flavour wouldn't have a chance to develop. With an Instant Pot- it's like fast forwarding the process without compromising any of the flavour. We can always have delicious, nutritious soups on hand in a matter of minutes. And I like how energy efficient it is.

I bought a couple cookbooks to get me started: The New Fast Food by Jill Nussinow and Vegan Pressure Cooking by JL Fields. Both seem to be very good. The recipe below is from Jill's pressure cooking blog.

This soup took awhile to prepare just because of the chopping involved, but it was worth it to have all the wonderful vegetables in it. With a piece of homemade spelt bread a big bowl of this soup really hit the spot on a cold winter's night.

Recipe to the link is posted below:

Link to recipe:

http://pressurecooking.blogspot.ca/2008/12/veggie-queens-black-lentil-winter.html

Gluten Free Apple, Pear and Cranberry Crisp

I had some organic cranberries in the freezer and wanted to use them up. I love fruit crisps and this one was really good- couldn't resist having dessert first tonight!

Recipe:

My Gluten-Free Apple, Pear and Cranberry Cobbler is made healthier by making an oat topping. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

 In a bowl, add 2 pears and 2 apples cut into bite-sized pieces, 2 cups fresh or frozen  cranberries, ¼ cup coconut sugar, 2 Tbs. orange juice, 1 tsp. fresh orange zest, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground allspice, a pinch of salt, 1 Tbs. quinoa flour, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Toss so the fruit is well-covered. Transfer the fruit filling to your baking dish.

In another bowl, mix 1 cup gluten-free certified oats, ½ cup chopped walnuts, ¼ cup quinoa flour, a pinch of salt, 3 Tbs. maple syrup and 2 Tbs. melted coconut oil. Mix well. The topping mixture should be crumbly and a bit sticky.  Top the fruit filling with the oat topping. Press it down into an even level. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden-brown and the fruit is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let set for about 10 minutes.

Immunity Boosting Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms

… is the name that Angela Liddon gives this recipe. I'll just call it  My FAVOURITE Pasta Sauce.

 I seem to give points to a recipe that is easy to make, but tastes like it took hours. This one gets a 9/10. It really is fast, but it doesn't compromise on flavour. If you have a half hour- you've got this one on the table.

Note: I did make some changes to the recipe. I added about 3 rather than 6 tbs of tomato paste (we prefer a thinner sauce, with less intense flavour). And 1 tbs of chia seeds to thicken- just right.

I scrimped on the salt but we added it to our own dishes after. Next time I would add about 3/4 tsp. Also, the full amount of red pepper flakes for a little kick.

I didn't add the lentils.

For the noodles- This was the first time I've cooked zucchini noodles. For the first batch, I made them with the blade that produced the thinnest noodle, and cooked them about 6 minutes. They were basically mush after I drained them, so I just added them to the pasta sauce. The next batch had the bigger noodle blade, and cooked them for half the time. Perfect.

The dish is light and refreshing served on the zucchini. We both loved it!

 Recipe from Cookbook: Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon:

IMMUNITY-BOOSTING TOMATO SAUCE WITH MUSHROOMS

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup packed fresh basil, chopped

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, including juices

6 to 8 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 to 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)

1 cup cooked lentils (optional) (I used yellow peas)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic then stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper then sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
2. Stir in the mushrooms and turn heat to medium-high. Cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until most of the liquid released from the mushrooms has cooked off.
3. Add the basil, canned tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, salt, oregano and thyme then stir to combine. Next, add the red pepper flakes, chia seeds, and split peas or lentils, if desired, and stir to combine.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer while stirring every so often. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes and serve over pasta.

Notes

I used 6 zucchinis to make enough pasta for the sauce.

Recipe from The Oh She Glows Cookbook

Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats

I had some brown crispy rice cereal in the pantry begging to be used up, so I went hunting for a recipe and when I saw the Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows) site- I looked no more.

This is a really easy recipe that sets up in no time. I used peanut butter and it was delicious too. I missed the part about using 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (instead of 1/2 cup) if you want to drizzle it rather than spread it all over the top - so next time will definitely use that lesser amount.

This is light, crispy square just right for sweetness and over all yumminess. I could eat the whole pan which is why I'm kinda glad I used up all the cereal in this batch!

e.n.j.o.y.

Link to the recipe is found below.

Link to the recipe:

http://bit.ly/1Vvzg4h

Rice Casserole with Lentils

 I bought the book "From Forks to Knives" a couple months ago, but haven't made many of the recipes so decided to try a couple. I was in the mood for a casserole that included lots of vegetables and some beans. This one had it all. I used quinoa penne as the base, and it was very nice.

Word of caution- it does take time to make! Soaking the lentils and making each layer individually was time consuming, as was the clean up afterwards since many pots were required. However, the dish turned out so well, cut beautifully, flavours were complimentary and it was even better a day or two after I made it.

This is dish that is perfect for a large crowd or pot luck. I don't know how well it would freeze, so decided not to take the chance.

I will make again for sure.

The link for the recipe is posted below.

http://bit.ly/1GmsDuh