Peanut Asian Noodles

 I made this dish at the Fargo Health Expo 2012 in July, and everyone loved it...  So, I thought I would share this with you guys (aka: my "internet peeps.")

This recipe is an adaptation from Chef Chloe's cookbook entitled, "Chloe's Kitchen."  (If you don't have this cookbook, you need to get it.  Now!  It has some amazing recipes in it, and its very reasonably priced.  You can find it on Amazon.com.) 

Chloe states that this is her favorite recipe from her cookbook, and it is mine as well.  

This is bursting with flavor.  I love making this, especially for company!  I add a lot more cilantro than she does, and I combine it together with everything else instead of using it just as a garnish, like she does.  The flavor of the coconut, garlic, and ginger, go very well with the fresh grated carrots, green onions, and cilantro!  I usually omit the chili-garlic sauce (which can be found at any Asian market, by the way), because I am still nursing Zoë, and she doesn't like spice.  But, I think its even better without the spiciness, but that's my own opinion, now tell me yours!!

Peanut Asian Noodles
Yield: 4 servings

1 pound brown rice noodles (I prefer spaghetti style for this)
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup water
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Tamari soy sauce
½ cup organic peanut butter (or sun butter, tahini, or almond butter) (See "TIP")
1 TB chili-garlic sauce, optional (omit if you do not want spice)
1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 TB lime juice
1 TB toasted sesame oil
4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and shredded
½ cup peanuts, roughly chopped, for garnish, optional
¼-1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1.  Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  Add brown rice noodles and cook according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.  Return noodles to pot.
2.  Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining coconut milk, water, maple syrup, soy sauce, peanut butter, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, and garlic in a medium saucepan.  Let cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until sauce comes together and thickens.  Remove from heat and mix in lime juice and sesame oil.
3.  Toss hot noodles with the sauce, scallions, carrots, and cilantro.  Garnish with peanuts (if desired) and serve.  Any leftovers can be served warm or cold the next day.

TIP:  If you have an allergy to peanuts, use sun, almond, or sesame butter in place of peanut butter.  (The toasted sesame oil gives a nice pea-nutty flavor anyway.)

Yummy Cappuccino

I love the smell, and taste, of roasted coffee.  I can still remember the first time I ever drank it.  I was a young girl.  My father liked coffee, but my mom never did, so we never really had it around the house.  My dad used to take me to Starbucks and buy me mocha's.  They were so good, I can still remember them now!

Several years ago, after a little education, I made the conscious decision to stop drinking coffee.  Not because it tasted bad, but because it was bad for me.  I found out that caffeine is a drug.  And sad to say, I was addicted to it.  Drugs affect our brain (and our whole body) in negative ways.  So, staying away from anything that will cause me harm was a huge decision to make.  Another fact is that, coffee is one of the most acidic substances we can put into our bodies.  When we consume very acidic foods, our bodies don't run like they should.  Cancer and other deadly diseases thrive in acidic environments, so staying away from a substance like coffee is a smart decision for anyone.

Thankfully, there are some coffee substitutes out there (of which, make life delightful).  They are simply made from roasted barley and/or chicory that come to have the same flavor as coffee.  So, a recipe like this is a nice treat for someone who wants a little bit healthier option, but still wants a nicely flavored drink that tastes just like any coffee house favorite!


Yummy Cappuccino
yields: 2 servings

2 cups milk (soy, rice, or almond)
2-3 TB maple syrup
1 TB powdered coffee substitute (Roma, Caffix, or Pero)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt

For iced cappuccino: Blend everything for up to a minute, then put in 6-8 ice cubes, blend until smooth, serve.  Or just serve over ice cubes.  (This one is my favorite!)
For hot cappuccino: Blend everything for up to a minute, whisk constantly in saucepan over medium heat until it's almost to a simmer.  Serve.

Note:  For a "double-shot" Cappuccino: add 2 TB coffee substitute instead of 1 TB.  And you may desire to add whipped topping to the top for a real coffee house experience.

Update:  When I make this, I always double the recipe and add the seeds from 1 grade A vanilla bean scraped.  And its a-ma-zing!  (And its really good with a few TB of org. Cocoa powder added, to taste, if you would like to make a "Mocha.")

Carob Pie

This is a recipe I got from my friend Julie!  Its always been one of my favorite deserts.  I will be posting a picture as soon as I can.  If you leave the mint out, it tastes JUST like a Frosty from Wendy's!  Enjoy.


Carob Pie
yield: 1 pie

1 cup finely chopped Pecans or Walnuts
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy or rice milk powder
1 TB vanilla
1 cup Carob chips (or chocolate chips)
1/2 cup maple syrup (or organic sugar)
1 TB peppermint extract
3 TB Roma (or other coffee substitute)
3/4 cup almond butter

1.)  Place chopped nuts on bottom of pie plate evenly.
2.)  Then, blend everything instead of almond butter in a vita-mix or food processor until smooth.  You may have to add more water (or dairy-free milk) if it gets too thick. 
3.)  Add almond butter at the end, blending until smooth.
4.)  Pour into pie pan and freeze.
5.)  Remove pie from freezer 10 minutes before serving, then slice it.

Note:  If you'd like to make this pie, but you do not have carob or chocolate chips on hand, you may sub 1/2-3/4 cup of Carob or Cocoa powder, to taste. 
Note:  You may also make this into a smoothie by adding more water.  It tastes exactly like a Wendy's frosty when you leave out the peppermint flavor.

Low-Fat Almond Sour Cream

Almond Sour Cream
 Yield: ~ 2 cups

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 cup water
2-3 TB fresh lemon/lime juice
1 TB onion powder
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp celtic sea salt
3 garlic cloves, minced

1.  Blend all ingredients (except garlic) until smooth.
2.  Add xanthan gum, blend another 10 seconds until smooth.
3.  Add minced garlic, to taste.
4.  Refrigerate, and serve chilled.

Cuban Black Beans

Cuban Black Beans
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups black beans (organic taste best)
1 small onion, finely chopped
6+ cloves garlic, crushed
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of Spanish olives

Preparation:
1.  Cook beans in 6 cups of water over medium heat.  Add water as necessary to prevent scorching.
2.  Saute all other ingredients (excluding salt and olives).  After 1 hour of cooking the black beans, add sauteed mixture. 
3.  Add the salt and olives after 2 hours of cook time.  (Whenever you add the salt, the beans will not get any softer after that.  So make sure that the beans are cooked the way you like them before you add the salt and olives.  It takes around 3 hours to cook the beans completely.)
4.  Serve over brown rice.

Beefy Gravy

Beef-like Sovex Gravy 

4 cups water
1 cup raw cashews
3 Tb yeast flakes
1 Tb So-vex (yeast extract)
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic granules
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 TB beef-like seasoning
1 TB Tamari or soysauce

1.)  Place all in vita mix, blend for 2-4 minutes until very very smooth.
2.)  Place in saucepan and stir constantly until thickened.
3.)  Serve over mashed potatoes and loaf/patties...