Sunflower Ranch Dressing

 Sunflower seeds are very nutritious for us!  Although being rich in Vitamin E, selenium, and magnesium, sunflower seeds are very Alkaline in their properties.  That means they're good for fighting off disease and fungus in the body.  And, one of the biggest bonus' from these little seeds is the fact that they are so reasonably priced!  Even the organic sunflower seeds are very cheap.  So, now you have no excuse not to eat healthy with this easy recipe!

Sunflower Ranch Dressing
yield: 3-4 cups

2 cup vegan sunflower mayo (recipe below)
1/4-1/2 cup water
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB sweetener (I use maple syrup)
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp poppy seed
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried sweet basil
4-6 cloves fresh, minced

1.  Whisk all ingredients together into the mayo until evenly dispersed. Serve.
2.  This will set up thicker when chilled.


Sunflower Ranch Dressing #2
yield: 3-4 cups

2 cup vegan sunflower mayo (recipe below)
1/4 cup water
1 TB sweetener (I use maple syrup)
1-2 TB dried parsley
2-3 TB dried chives
1-2 TB dill weed
1/2-1 TB dried sweet basil
2-4 cloves fresh, minced

1.  Whisk all ingredients together into the mayo until evenly dispersed. Serve.
2.  This will set up thicker when chilled.

* This is an eye-balled recipe.  I usually just throw the spices in the mayo until I think it looks good at the moment.  This turns out really yummy for a quick salad dressing recipe that tastes great!


Soy Free Sunflower Mayo
Yield: 2 cups

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (I prefer organic)
1 cup water
1 TB onion powder
2 TB Lemon Juice
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup safflower oil (or other light non-gmo oil)
1/8 tsp xanthan gum (optional)*

1.  Place seeds in some cool filtered water overnight to soften if you do not own a Vitamix blender.
2.  Then, put all ingredients in your blender until completely smooth.
3.  Then, change the setting to low, and slowly drizzle in the oil until it gets thick.
4.  You may use this as any regular mayo you would on a daily basis, or just make it to use for the salad dressing recipe.

* This mayonnaise thickens as it sets in the fridge, but for additional thickness, you may add a little Xanthan Gum to it.  Xanthan gum is originated from corn, and its used as a thickener in vegan vegetarian recipes.  I usually do not add this to the recipe, it turns out fine without this product added.  But I just thought I would let you know that this option exsists.  It produces a similar product to the Garlic Sour Cream recipe (which is adapted from this one, by the way).

Thai Red Curry Soup

This soup is a go-to warm, comforting, and full-of-flavor soup.  Its one that I don't make as often as I should!  My husband and I really like Red Curry.  We think its our favorite type of curry out there!  Here's a soup I found on the internet, but I completely tweaked it, made it vegan, and boosted the flavor a bit.

Thai Red Curry Soup
yield: 8-10 servings

1 TB olive oil
2-3 TB fresh grated ginger*
1 stalk lemon grass, minced*
1 TB Red Curry Paste*
4 cups chicken-like broth or vegetable broth
3 TB Soy Sauce or Tamari (which is gf soy sauce)*
2 TB sweetener (I use agave nectar or organic brown sugar)
3 cans coconut milk*
1 red bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch pieces
1 green or yellow bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 block of tofu, cubed, and browned in olive oil*
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped*

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2.  Cook and stir the ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste for 1-2 minutes in the oil.
3.  Add the broth, while stirring continually. 
4.  Stir in the soy sauce and sweetener.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
5.  Then, stir in the coconut milk, veggies and fried tofu.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the veggies are tender but still crunchy.
6.  Stir in the lime juice, salt, and cilantro.  Serve!

* You can find these ingredients in any Asian Market
Note:  With the veggies that I like to put in here, you can add whatever you like to eat.  If you like bamboo shoots, you may add those if you wish as well as anything else!

Pumpkin Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

 There's something about pumpkin for me in the fall.  Its so comforting when I'm getting used to the cold nights again every fall!  This pumpkin cake really hits the spot for me, and apparently, some of my friends.  I brought this Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting to potluck last weekend, and it was gone before I could have a piece!   I would say... maybe people liked it?
 
Pumpkin Cake 
yield: 1-8x10 cake

2 1/2 cups flour (I use organic white spelt flour)  
1 cup organic brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt 
1-15 oz. can of pumpkin (or 2 cups cooked pumpkin)
1/2 cup water (or non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup light, non-gmo oil (like gmo-free Canola, or Safflower oil)
1 TB pure vanilla

1.  Preheat oven at 350 degrees. 
2.  Whisk together dry ingredients in large bowl, set aside.
3.  Whisk together (last five) wet ingredients in a bowl, until completely smooth.
4.  Add wet mixture into the dry, whisk until semi-smooth.
5.  Pour into greased cake pan.
6.  Bake for 30-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or 20-30 minutes in a 375 degree oven.  Its done when you poke in a toothpick in the center, and it comes out clean.



Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: one 9x13 cake
 
8oz. Tofutti (or other brand of tofu) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine or shortening
3 cups organic powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt

1.  In mixer, place cream cheese and margarine and cream together.    
2.  Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. 
3.  Spread on cooled Pumpkin Cake, or any cake of choice.
 

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.