Berry Almond Muffins

These muffins are so moist and tasty your morning coffee will never be the same! Any berries—fresh or frozen—work well.

You can use white or whole-grain flour, or a combination…I like to use half spelt flour and half buckwheat, for a nearly gluten-free muffin:) Feel free to experiment with other flours—let me know! *

Keep out only what you’ll eat in the next day or two, then pop the rest into the freezer—they freeze beautifully.

If you make fresh almond milk the pulp leftover can be added. 

TIME 40 minutes, including baking time

MAKES 12 (1-cup) muffins 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour* (see note above)

½ cup sugar, I use raw cane sugar 

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup soured non-dairy milk **

¼ cup healthy oil, like olive, avocado or sesame 

Flax Egg Substitute equal to two eggs 

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup berries

½ cup chopped almonds, or almond pulp from making almond milk

Cinnamon and sugar or additional chopped almonds (optional)

PREPARATION 

• Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil muffin tins, or line with paper or silicone cups.

• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

• In another bowl, stir together soured milk, oil, flax eggs and almond extract.

• Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Stir just to combine. Do not over mix.

• Stir in berries and almonds/or almond pulp. Again, mix just to combine.

• Spoon into muffin tins. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or chopped almonds.

• Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until firm to the touch and lightly browned. Cool in tins on wire rack 5 minutes then turn out and cool completely.

* *To sour any kind of milk (dairy, soy, almond or otherwise) adds one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk.  Then stir and let sit a few minutes to curdle. 

Guacamole

Stirring up your own guacamole couldn’t be easier!

Ingredients

• 3 ripe (soft to the squeeze) avocados

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

• 1 small clove garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tomato

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 

Instructions

1. Scoop avocado flesh into a medium mixing bowl.

2. Add onion, garlic, lime juice and salt. Mash together with a fork, leaving it a bit chunky.

3. Stir in tomato and cilantro.

4. Serve with dippers of your choice.

Enjoy! 🥑🌶️🪅

AVOCADO ADVICE

Selection

Choosing the right avocado is the key to great guacamole.  You want to use the smaller, darker-skinned Haas fruits, which generally produce smooth, creamy guacamole.  The larger, green, shiny-skinned avocados are best saved for salads or stuffing.

Ripeness

For guacamole, you want the avocados to be relatively soft.  If they’re just squeezable to the touch – soft enough to mash with a fork – then they’re perfect.  If your avocados are too hard place them on the counter for 2 to 3 days until they ripen.  For slicing into salads avocados should be firm, but not rock hard.

Cutting

To remove the flesh of an avocado, make a cut lengthwise all the way around the avocado then separate the halves, remove the stone, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Preserving

Some people swear by placing an avocado stone in their guacamole to prevent it from browning.  I’m not a big fan of this idea.  I don’t like anything to get between my chip and my guacamole.  But if you want to make the recipe a wee bit ahead, just cover it with plastic wrap by pushing the plastic flat onto the surface of the guacamole.  Doing this, along with the acid from the lime juice, should keep it fresh for a few hours without discoloration.

Veggie Chili

This is my go-to for chili. It’s easy, quick and you likely have most of the items already in your house. Inspiration from this recipe comes from a recipe out of Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking, by Dana Shultz. This recipe gets better after a few days in the fridge, and freezes well.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon grape seed, avocado or other healthy neutral oil

½ of a red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup chopped carrots

1 bell pepper, chopped (I like to use a sweet red, yellow or orange pepper)

1 medium sweet potato, chopped

1 cup chopped mushrooms (I like to use shitake)

2 tablespoons pure chili powder (I use ancho)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 15-ounce cans of beans, your choice, drained. (Some good options are black beans, kidney beans, chili beans or chickpeas…)

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice

½ cup tomato sauce, or ¼ cup tomato paste stirred into a bit of water

3 cups veggie broth or bean cooking liquid if you cook your own beans

1 cup of frozen corn

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of ½ of a lime

PREPARATION

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft and translucent.

• Add the carrots, bell pepper, sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes.

• Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper to pot. Stir to coat and cook over medium heat for another 3-4 minutes until veggies are fragrant.

• Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce or paste and broth. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

• Reduce heat, cover and cook until the veggies are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

• Stir in corn and simmer a few more minutes.

• Add remained of salt and pepper and more cayenne pepper if you like a lot of heat.

• Serve hot topped with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Rob's Plant Powered High Protein Mix

My guy, Rob. 

He’s cute (don’t ya think?), 58 years young, and a plant-based ultra athlete. That’s right, Rob runs ultramarathons and only eats plants—no meat, fish, dairy, eggs or honey. He’s hard core.

Ask Rob where he gets his protein and how he recovers so quickly following the grueling 50 and 100 mile mountain runs that he does and he’ll tell you in one word: plants.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to run ultras or be vegan like Rob to age healthily.

But you do have to eat plants, and a lot of them. You know, things like fruit, veg, grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

“What about protein?”

FACT: If you eat lots of different plants, you’ll most likely get enough protein. (Sure, if you’re an ultra athlete like Rob, you might need a little more than your average Joe, but you can still get what you need from plants.)

Which is why Rob eats things like this high-protein, plant-powered “mix,” as he calls it—a top-secret dish loaded with anti-inflammatory plant protein for healthy cells and strong muscles, complex carbs for fuel, fiber for pooping and a healthy gut, antioxidants like vitamin C to protect his cells from free radicals and for speedy recovery, magic mushrooms for magic, and  deliciousness for pleasure!

Rob’s mix is really good over quinoa or brown rice, or with roasted potatoes.

You’ll notice this isn’t really a recipe, rather a method. Rob’s method:)

INGREDIENTS 

Olive oil

1 pack tempeh or tofu, chopped into little pieces

Handful of mushrooms, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

Soy sauce or tamari

Ground cumin

Ground turmeric

Garlic powder

Sea salt

Veggie broth, water, aquafaba, optional

1 can of chickpeas, drained (save the aquafaba)

A few handfuls of kale

A few handfuls of spinach

Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté tempeh or tofu, mushrooms and red pepper in olive oil until soft and tempeh/tofu are beginning to brown at the edges, about 10 minutes. 

• Lower heat, sprinkle with soy sauce and continue to cook.

• Stir in some turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. If the pan gets dry add some more olive oil, soy sauce, veggie broth, aquafaba or water, etc.

• Stir in the chickpeas.

• Toss in kale and spinach, cover, lower heat and cook until greens are wilted.

• Serve hot with freshly ground black pepper.

Cauliflower and Red Pepper Soup

Cauliflower is so underappreciated! Leafy greens get all of the play, potatoes all of the notoriety and asparagus is clearly an aphrodisiac. 

But what about this cruciferous beauty? She comes in several stunning colors, is readily available and ridiculously healthy. 

What are you waiting for? Grab a head, cook her up and have some fun! 

If you need some inspiration, check out this delicious recipe for cauliflower and red bell pepper soup. Low in calories—but who’s counting?—and ridiculously rich in vitamin C and other anti-aging antioxidants. 

The inspiration for this recipe came from team member Lauren, who says her family loves it! Maybe a sneaky way to get veg into your family?

INGREDIENTS 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small shallot, diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chopped cauliflower

1 potato, chopped

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup unsweetened, non-dairy milk (I use homemade cashew milk)

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Pinch red chili flakes, optional

Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 

• In a medium soup pot, sauté shallot, red pepper and garlic in olive oil until pepper is softened, about 8-10 minutes. 

• Add potato, cauliflower, vegetable stock, non-dairy milk, bay leaf, salt, coriander, cumin, and red chili flakes.

• Gently bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 until veggies are softened.

• Remove from heat, remove bay leaf, and partially blend with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend some of the soup with a regular blender or use a potato masher for a chunkier soup.

• Serve hot with freshly ground black pepper.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

How to Make Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Usually, fresh is best! Well, frozen broccoli is pretty darn good…but when it comes to cranberries, I stand by this assertion.

If you only know cranberry sauce as that giggly, super sweet stuff that slides out of a can, you must try this fresh version made with whole unsweetened cranberries. They’re bright, tart and bursting with antioxidants!

Note: This is more of a loose guide rather than a recipe. Toss in what you have on hand, experiment and have fun!

INGREDIENTS 

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 ripe pear (or apple) 

Juice & zest of one orange

Small handful of chopped walnuts

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

Juice of half a lemon or lime

Small cinnamon stick

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

Few sprigs of fresh time 

Pinch of salt

Pinch of black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Put all ingredients in a sauce pot and cook over low heat until cranberries start to pop and are soft.

Green Goddess Curry

This vibrantly-hued, tomato-free curry recipe was the darling of my recent March cleanse. Turmeric provides the burst of bright yellow and the brilliant green courtesy of not one but FIVE different green veggies. Serve with brown rice or quinoa.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup green beans (frozen works)

1 medium broccoli, cut into florets (frozen okay)

½ cup peas or snow peas (frozen okay)

Small handful of Brussels sprouts, quartered - frozen not okay with me :P 

1 can chickpeas or 1.5 cups cooked, drained

4 cups vegetable broth

1-15oz can of unsweetened coconut milk 

1 large or 2 small bunches of any type of greens, washed and cut (kale, bok choy, escarole, collards, turnip greens, etc. I like mustard greens for a nice bite.)

Crush red chili, if you like spice

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of one lime

Fresh cilantro for garnish

PREPARATION

• In a large pot heat oil and sauté onions, garlic, ginger and spices until the onions are soft and spices are fragrant (about 6-8 minutes).

• Add the green beans, broccoli, peas, Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, and 2 cups the vegetable broth.

• Cook for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the coconut milk.

• Simmer until the vegetables are tender, adding more broth as needed. Stir in the greens, then season with salt and pepper. 

• Cook just a few more minutes until the greens are done but still bright green.

• Season with red chili, salt and pepper.

• Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Split Pea Soup

This ain’t your grandmother’s split pea soup! Nothing wrong with your grandma, but many traditional split pea soup recipes are loaded with ham bones, bacon, butter and/or chicken stock. 

This recipe is every bit as delicious and nourishing, but a whole lot healthier!  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (about one cup)

1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2-3 small cloves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger (optional)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced sweet potato - white potatoes work too

2 cups dried split green peas

8 cups water

PREPARATION 

• Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat.

• Add the oregano, salt and pepper to the onions and garlic, stirring often until onions are soft and translucent.

• Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, 1-½ cups of the peas and water.

• Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 40 minutes.

• Add the remaining peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes or so, until all of the peas are soft. Stir frequently while cooking.

• Season with additional salt and pepper and serve hot.

Photo courtesy of Ann Williams.

Roasted Broccoli with Chickpeas

Tired of boring ole’ steamed broccoli? Me too! Try this fun way to eat your cruciferous veg. Be sure and include any leaves attached to the stalk— they get deliciously crispy! Not sure about nutritional yeast, aka nootch? Give it a go, it’s a great plant-based substitution for Parmesan cheese.

Roasting is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to get your veg! We often think of roasting root veggies like carrots and potatoes, but don’t neglect roasting your cruciferous veg, too!

The chickpeas are optional, but give a bonus hit of plant-based protein.

Ingredients

1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets of even size. You can peel, chop and include the stems, too!

1 can chickpeas, optional, drain (save the aquafaba for another use if you like)

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice from half a lemon, about 1 tablespoon

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425°F.

• Place broccoli, chickpeas and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet.

• Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice until lightly coated, season with salt

  and pepper and stir to coat.

• Roast 15-20 minutes until tender and lightly browned. The browned

  leaves are the best!

• Toss with nutritional yeast, adjust seasonings and enjoy!

Black Eyed Peas with Herbs

This dish is so simple, and yet so delicious, proving that often less is more. I like to serve this with brown rice or quinoa, and a salad or other green veg. It’s also good served in a bowl like a stew, topped with more fresh herbs and fresh tomatoes. Either way, you can’t go wrong!

Aside from being easy and absolutely delicious, black-eyed-peas are a nutritional powerhouse providing loads of:

• fiber

• plant-based protein

• plant-based calcium

with the added benefits of being fat-free, inexpensive and easy peasy.

All of this is a round-about way of saying black-eyed peas are:

• helpful for weight loss

• good for your heart

• good for your gut, which is good for your immunity and your mental health

• and they’ll help you poop.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from Madhur Jaffrey’s classic vegetarian tome, World Vegetarian. (It’s an awesome cookbook.

Ingredients

1 cup dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight or use the quick-soaking method*

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano plus more for garnish, if using fresh

½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon paprika (I like smoked)

1 jalapeno pepper, split lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed unless you want that heat

1 sweet bell pepper, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Hot sauce, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

• Drain and rinse (soaked) black-eyed peas. Remove any stones.

• In a large pot, bring the peas and 3 cups of water to a boil.

• Add the bay leaves, oregano, thyme and paprika to the pot.

• Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Set aside without draining.

• Put the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and the onion, stir for a few seconds, then add the garlic and stir again.

• Sauté for a few minutes, then pour on top of the cooked black eyed peas. Gently reheat.

• Stir in salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• Serve hot, topped with additional fresh oregano and maybe a squirt of hot sauce. :)

*Quick-soak method: Pick over beans. Put them in a large pot and cover with water by a few inches. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for two minutes, then cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let the beans sit in the hot water for one hour or more. Drain and rinse before cooking. 

Cherry Vanilla Muffins

These muffins are so moist and tasty your morning coffee will never be the same! Any fruit and/or nut combination works well, but if you can get your hands on sour cherries, by all means toss them in. Also known as “pie cherries,” sour cherries are the old-fashioned kind I used to pick at from my Aunt Jo’s tree, growing up in Iowa. They are super duper good for you, fight inflammation and have a seductive tart flavor.

You can use white or whole-grain flour, or a combination…I like to use half spelt flour and half buckwheat, for a nearly gluten-free muffin:)

These muffins are very moist so they won’t last long on the counter— fortunately, they freeze really well—pop any you don’t gobble up right out of the oven into the freezer.

If you make fresh almond milk the pulp leftover can be added. 

TIME 40 minutes, including baking time

MAKES 12 (1-cup) muffins 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour 

½ cup sugar, I use raw cane sugar 

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup soured non-dairy milk *

¼ cup neutral, heart-healthy oil, like avocado or sunflower 

Flax Egg Substitute equal to two eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pitted sour cherries

½ cup chopped almonds, or almond pulp from making almond milk

Cinnamon and sugar or additional chopped almonds (optional)

PREPARATION 

• Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil muffin tins, or line with paper or silicone cups.

• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

• In another bowl, stir together soured milk, oil, flax eggs and vanilla.

• Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Stir just to combine. Do not over mix.

• Stir in cherries and almonds/or almond pulp. Again, mix just to combine.

• Spoon into muffin tins. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or a chopped almonds.

• Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until firm to the touch and lightly browned. Cool in tins on wire rack 5 minutes then turn out and cool completely.

* To sour any kind of milk (dairy, soy, almond or otherwise) adds one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk.  Then stir and let sit a few minutes to curdle. 

Blueberry Superfood Smoothie

To be honest, I'm not a huge smoothie fan in general (especially if you're trying to lose weight), it can be so easy to load them up and before you know it you've slurped down like a day's worth of calories. But this Blueberry Superfood Smoothie is a good one, and a quick & easy way to load up with superfoods.

You may be surprised that something so chocolatey is full of such goodness, but yes! Chocolate in its raw form (as in cacao powder and cacao nibs) is absolutely a superfood. As are blueberries, maca and spinach. No worries if you don’t have maca powder on hand; substitute another superfood powder or skip it.

TIME 5 minutes (but don’t forget to freeze your bananas & blueberries beforehand)

MAKES 1 smoothie

INGREDIENTS

1 frozen banana

1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

Good handful of fresh spinach, micro greens or sprouts (broccoli sprouts are especially nutritious)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (you can use Dutch process cocoa powder in a pinch, but don’t use sweetened cocoa powder)

1 teaspoon almond butter

1 teaspoon cacao nibs, optional

1 teaspoon maca powder, optional

Drop of vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into glass, head out to your garden, and slurp with a reusable straw.

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus

This is my go-to for fresh asparagus. I prefer to keep the preparation and seasonings simple, to really enjoy the taste of spring, but feel free to experiment with any of the following:

• a dusting of nutritional yeast,

• some chopped fresh springtime herbs like dill or mint

• a sprinkle of crushed red chili flakes

• orange or lemon zest

• toasted chopped nuts—hazelnuts are nice with asparagus

Ingredients

1 large bunch fresh asparagus, about one pound

Olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

Keep asparagus fresh by storing in a glass of water in the fridge.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup (optional.)

• Trim rough woody parts off of the end of each asparagus stem. I like to do this by holding each stem close to the end and snapping; the spear will break off in just the right place, and it’s fun! Discard the tough ends, or peel to use in an omelets or stir-fry, or save to make asparagus broth for soup.

• Arrange whole, trimmed asparagus in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

• Roast in hot oven until you can just pierce the thickest part of the stem with a fork. Thin spears won’t take very long, around 8-10 minutes. Thicker spears will take longer, maybe 12-15.

• Transfer cooked asparagus to a serving platter or individual plates. Season with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice and any desired additional seasonings.

• Serve fresh from the oven or at room temperature. Leftovers are great on a salad the next day for lunch!

Sweet Potato Soup

One of my favorite ways to enjoy colorful sweet potatoes is in this creamy plant-based soup. If you can’t find purple sweets like in this picture, substitute any color. White sweet potatoes are really good, the Japanese Murasaki variety are extra-tasty and heck, regular potatoes work fine in this recipe as well. Now go! Make some (potato) soup!

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil

1 small onion or medium shallot, chopped

½ tablespoon minced fresh ginger

½ tablespoon minced garlic

1½ pounds sweet potatoes, cut into chunks (any color will do!)

1½ cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 15-ounce can coconut milk or your favorite unsweetened, nondairy milk. I like to use homemade cashew/coconut

½ bunch fresh cilantro, parsley or dill

Freshly ground black pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large soup pot over medium heat, sauté onions in oil until tender.

• Stir in ginger and garlic.

• Add potatoes and water, bring to a boil, add salt, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are soft. You may need to add more water.

• Stir in coconut milk and heat gently heat until warmed through.

• Let cool slightly, stir in herbs and blend in a blender or with an immersion blender.

• Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and more water if needed to make 7 cups.

Fleggs - flax seed egg substitute

Fleggs

Fleggs are a great egg substitute for baking. One flegg is equal to one egg. You can make either with ground flax seeds or whole flax seeds you grind yourself. Examples of both, below.

INGREDIENTS - for one flegg

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

3 tablespoons water

PREPARATION - for one flegg

• Combine ground flax seed and water in a small bowl. Mix well and let sit for a few minutes until thick and gooey.

For multiple fleggs, made with whole flax seeds

For recipes calling for more than one egg. Fleggs freeze really well—mix up a batch and freeze in one or two-flegg portions.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup whole flax seeds

1 cup water

PREPARATION 

• Whirr flax seeds in a blender until ground.

• With blender running, pour in water.

• Blend until combined.

• Three tablespoons of this goey mixture equals one flegg.

• Use immediately or freeze in one or two-flegg portions.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Delicious AND oh so much healthier than most other cookie recipes and for sure better than nearly all packaged treats, these are great with a cup of tea for a 3:00pm snack, with a nice glass of red for dessert or even with your almond milk latte for breakfast! This recipe is based on one from Angela Liddon’s, The Oh She Glows Cookbook, a book I highly recommend. 

INGREDIENTS

1 Flegg (flax seed egg)

¼ cup neutral cooking oil such as avocado, grape seed or light olive oil

¼ cup peanut butter (make sure there’s no added sugar or additional oils)

½ cup sucanat or lightly packed brown sugar 

¼ cup organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup rolled oats, processed into a flour using a food processor (or 1 cup purchased oat flour)

1 cup almonds, processed into a meal using a food processor (or 1 cup purchased almond meal)

¼ cup mini or regular size non-dairy chocolate chips (I like dark chocolate)

Flake sea salt, optional

Smoked paprika, optional

PREPARATION 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional.)

• Prepare your flegg.

• With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat the oil and peanut butter until combined.

• Add both sugars and beat for 1 more minute. Beat in flegg and vanilla extract until combined.

• Beat in baking soda, baking powder and salt.

• Make your oat and almond flours, if doing it yourself.

• Beat in oat and almond flours.

• Stir in the chocolate chips.

• Shape dough into small balls and place on prepared baking sheet about 3” inches apart.

• Flatten balls of dough with a fork.

• Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes. The cookies will be very soft coming out of the oven, but they will crisp up as they cool.

• While hot, sprinkle with salt and/or smoked paprika.

• Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes.

Baked Black Eyed Peas w Collards

This recipe is (vegan) comfort food at its best. I like to serve this dish on New Year’s Day.  According to tradition in the southern U.S., black-eyed peas and greens bring good luck and prosperity for the new year. The black-eyed peas represent coins, and the collard greens symbolize paper money. If you don’t have collards, you can use spinach, Swiss chard, kale or any other cookable, leafy green.

It’s not completely necessary, but if you soak your peas ahead of time for at least three hours or as long as overnight, it will expedite the cooking process.

Serve the peas over brown rice, quinoa or mashed sweet potatoes.

Servings: 4 - 6

Ready in: 75 Minutes

Ingredients

1 cup dried black-eyed peas, soaked

2 cups vegetable stock

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped into wedges 

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 bay leaf

4 cups chopped fresh collard greens

½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

2 tablespoons dry English mustard powder, such as Coleman’s

½ cup + 2 T nutritional yeast *

½ teaspoon sea salt – you may need more or less depending on whether or not your vegetable stock is salted

Freshly ground black pepper

Dash or two of hot red pepper sauce (optional – but I think it needs two!)

Cooked rice, quinoa, other whole grain or mashed sweet potatoes for serving

Instructions

• Drain and rinse (soaked) peas.

• Put peas in medium pot. Add stock, onion wedges and bay leaf.

• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered until the peas are tender. This will take about 30 minutes, more if you haven’t soaked your peas. If the pot gets dry, add additional stock or water as needed. You want the peas to be soupy.

• While peas are cooking, preheat oven to 400° and prepare other ingredients.

• In a medium bowl combine milk, mustard powder and 1/2 cup nutritional yeast. Mix well.

• Oil a medium (approximately 2 quart) casserole dish and set aside.

• When peas are cooked do not drain, but remove from heat and cool slightly. Remove bay leaf and stir in collards.

• Stir milk mixture into pot with peas and collards.

• Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot red pepper sauce.

• Pour entire mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with additional 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.

• Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. You can broil the last couple of minutes to brown the top.

* Nutritional yeast is a common ingredient in vegetarian cooking and can be found in most natural food stores.  It is often used as a plant-based substitute, and is and rich in B-complex vitamins.

Baked Butternut with Herbs

Baked Butternut Squash with Herbs

Butternut squash gets zipped up with fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme in this colorful dish. It’s perfect at your holiday table, cleanse-friendly (whole food plant based) and most importantly, delicious!

Tip: If you’re not up for attacking a whole butternut, you can buy butternut already peeled and cubed! Easy peasy!

Servings : 4-6

Ingredients

• One 2-2-½ pound butternut squash

• 1 medium garlic, finely chopped

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 heaping teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh sage

• 1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Extra chopped parsley + chopped walnuts for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and oil a baking dish.

2. Peel and seed squash and cut into 1” cubes.

3. In a baking dish toss squash with garlic, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

4. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring once or twice, until squash is soft.

5. Top with additional chopped parsley and chopped walnuts to serve.

Enjoy!

Kitchari

Kitchari, which means “food of the gods,” is pretty, golden-colored  porridge made of rice, mung beans, sometimes called mung “dal” and spices. It’s a traditional Ayurvedic dish often used for cleansing because it’s easy to digest. Of course it can be enjoyed anytime. This makes a large batch so you may want to cut it in half if you aren’t feeding a crowd. Ayurveda frowns on leftovers.

*Split or whole mung beans can be used. If using whole mung beans (the green ones), soak the beans overnight before cooking. Split mung beans (the yellow ones) don’t need to be soaked.

SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS

Split mung beans (the yellow ones)

Whole mung beans (the green ones)

1 cup white basmati rice (white rice is easier to digest than brown rice), rinsed

1 cup split yellow mung beans

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or ghee)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup golden raisins, optional

6 cups water

1 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh cilantro, optional

Squeeze of fresh lime, optional

About two cups chopped raw, seasonal vegetables (asparagus, green beans, squash, carrots, kale, chard, spinach…your choice), optional

PREPARATION

• If using whole mung beans, soak overnight. Rinse rice and set aside.

• Heat coconut oil, ginger, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fennel seeds in a large pot over medium heat until the seeds are fragrant and beginning to pop.

• Add the rice, turmeric, and cinnamon. Stir to coat.

• Add the mung beans, raisins, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20-30 minutes. Add a bit more water if the kitchari looks dry.

• Add veggies to pot, return to simmer.

• Simmer until beans are soft and rice and veggies are fully cooked, another 15 minutes or so. Your kitchari will have the consistency of a slightly soupy porridge.

• Stir in salt. Serve hot and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Gazpacho

Gazpacho season!

We’re at the height of the local growing season and the farmer’s markets are overflowing with gorgeous produce. This cold tomato soup is one of my favorite ways to enjoy lots of summer veg. Have fun experimenting with different colors of tomatoes and peppers; heirloom tomatoes are especially delicious.

Unlike many traditional gazpacho recipes, this version skips the bread, which keeps it nice and light and naturally gluten-free. A blender or food processor is needed for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium clove garlic

1 cup chopped bell pepper, any color

1 cup peeled and chopped cucumber

1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped into chunks (no need to peel)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground pepper 

Crushed red chili flakes 

Chopped fresh basil, optional

• Pulse chopped garlic in blender.

• Add bell pepper and pulse; then add cucumber and pulse a few more times.

• Add tomatoes, olive oil, vinegars and salt. Blend.  

• Add black pepper and crushed red chili flakes to taste.

• Chill at least two hours.

• Serve chilled drizzled with additional extra virgin olive oil and topped with fresh basil. 

Oscar overseeing the gazpacho ingredients.