No Bake Brownie

These brownies are delicious.
They are super easy and taste amazing.
All natural, raw ingredients ready to eat in minutes.




Ingredients:
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2 c. dates
2 T. cacoa
2 T. unsweetened coconut
1 T. agave

Combine and mix in a food processor.
Then press into a small pan and top with extra coconut.

side note: this recipe does not make much, for more double or triple the ingredients.


Hope to see you around.

Kale Soup

Kale.
hmm....what? No thanks.
Lets just say that I wasn't a huge supporter or Kale before this soup.
In fact I was so nervous to use kale that it took me a week to try this recipe.
A full week wasted, shame on me.

This is the best soup I have ever had.

For those of you who don't know what kale is or its benefits, let me give you a little insight.
"Kale eases lung congestion and is beneficial to the stomach, liver and immune system. It contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the eyes from macular degeneration. It also contains indole-3-carbinol, which may protect against colon cancer and is an excellent source of calcium, iron, Vitamins A and C, and chlorophyll." cite

Pretty awesome huh?
If your not a huge fan of Kale you need to try this soup.
I promise you will be in love.





Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3/4 c. diced carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 c. broth
3 potatoes, diced
1/2 t. chopped rosemary
1/2 t. chopped sage
1/2 t. chopped thyme
1 (16 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 c. finely chopped kale leaves
* 1 small red chile pepper, seeded and chopped fine (if desired, gives a real kick)
ground black pepper to taste OR 1/2 t. chipotle chili pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, cook and stir the onion, garlic and kale until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the carrot and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes more.

2. Pour in the broth, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add cannelini beans, chile pepper and black pepper. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.


Enjoy.
See you around.

Tea and Zucchini Bread

Hmm.
I love me a hot cup of herbal tea.
Especially on a cold stuffy morning.
And coupled with zucchini bread.

I have been nervous to try zucchini bread but feared my precious home grown zucchini would go to waste. So in a desperate act to use every ounce up I decided to try it and LOVED it.
Holy cow!
Who knew zucchini in bread could taste so good.


Ingredients:
3 c. spelt flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
3 t. ground cinnamon
3 T. flaxseed (dissolved in 9 T. water)
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. agave
3 t. vanilla extract
2 c. grated zucchini
1 c. chopped walnuts

Grease and flour two 8 X 4 inch pans. preheat oven to 325 F (one bread pan would probably work, I haven't tried it, but the bread in my two separate pans didn't even reach the top, so one pan should hold all the bread.)

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Mix flaxseed with oi,l vanilla, and agave. Combine with dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in Zucchini and nuts until well combined.
Pour into prepared pans and bake for 40-60 minutes.


Super delicious
Hope you like it, see you around.

Veggie Jars

Salads can be hard to eat.

Not only can they be boring at times but they can be a hassle to make.

So much prep time for something that doesn't always fill you up.

So I decided that if I am going to eat a salad everyday, or week, I need a little help.

Here is a peak inside my fridge.

Isn't it beautiful!?

Not sure if you knew this, but...

I LOVE JARS

They are so useful.

Only one day of prepping and I am set for a week or so.

All I have to do is throw some spinach on a plate and pour the veggie of my choice.

I have found that I turn to a salad more often now because it is super fast.

What do you do save time in the kitchen?

Carrot Cake Bread & Muffins

This carrot cake bread is delicious.
I made it for my daughters first birthday.
It is super healthy and made with all natural ingredients.
I have realized since first making it that I prefer it as bread or muffins instead.
I will however, include the icing recipe for those who prefer it as a cake or cupcake.

Ingredients & how to:
2 c. shredded carrots
1 1/2 c. raisins
2 c. water
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. cloves
1/4-1/2 c. agave
1/2 t. salt
3 c. spelt flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 c. soy milk (or almond)

Saute carrots and raisins in the water for 8-10 minutes.
Add cinnamon, allspice, cloves, agave, and salt to the pan.
mix dry ingredients (flour & baking soda) then combine with carrot mixture.
Lastly add soy milk and mix well.
Grease pan before pouring.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
Depending on your pan size adjust cooking time.
(large bread pan (45min), four small bread pan (30min), cupcake tin(30min))

warning - the icing has sugar, but is amazing!
ingredients:
1 container of To Futti better then cream cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 c. soy margarine (or butter)
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 t. lemon juice
mix together and spread on cake, and or cupcake.

Let me know how it works out!
Hope to see you around.

Enchiladas

I love food.
Have you noticed?
This recipes is my own creation.
No meat, no dairy, no sugar. Super healthy, super tasty, and super filling.

Ingredients:
1 can re-fried beans
(homemade re-fried beans - smash 1 can white & black beans)
1 carrot - chopped (approx 1/2 c.)
1 small zucchini -chopped (approx 1/2 c.)
Jalapeno slices (1/8 c. - to taste) *
1 tomato - diced
1/2 c. salsa
Enchilada Sauce
Healthy corn or spelt sprouted tortilla.

Mix all ingredients (-sauce & tortilla), place 2-3 tablespoons in tortilla and roll up. You may need to place in the pan with the fold down if the tortilla will not stay shut. Cover will enchilada sauce and cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve over white basmati or brown rice. (white/brown basmati rice is not stored as long as others and hold more nutrients. However it is more expensive then regular brown rice and for those who are not on as strict of a diet I recommend eating with brown rice.)

*Awesome find! They sell jalapeno slices at the dollar store.

See you around.

p.s. I dislike when recipes seem easy until I try them and they don't turn out.
Please let me know if this is the case with any of my recipes.

Tomato Basil Spinach Soup

With all the tomatoes I have been harvesting I decided to make some yummy tomato basil spinach soup. Oh! How delicious.

Ingredients:
10-12 fresh, ripe tomatoes (mashed or diced)

1 yellow onion (diced)
1-2 c. fresh spinach
1-2 c. fresh basil
3-6 cloves garlic
1-2 c. almond milk
1-2 t. real salt
1/4-1/2 c. olive oil
Spice to taste: Spike seasoning, oregano, pepper, paprika, pinch of cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, basil flakes, parsley flakes.

Saute onion and garlic in small amount of olive oil until transparent and soft.
Add mashed tomatoes and all seasonings (use your imagination. I started with a teaspoon of each).
Add almond milk to desired consistency. Place in blender (in several cup amounts if needed) until smooth.
Place in pot and heat through.
Add olive oil, stir and serve.

Enjoy with bread and a yummy salad.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Yum!

I have never had fried green tomatoes before,
but thought I would try it since my daughter always picks the green tomatoes.

When searching for a suitable recipe I discovered that the batter is full of dairy.
I, personally, don't like how dairy makes me feel, so I created my very own non-dairy version.

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 c. Spelt flour
1/4 c. Flaxseed meal
1 T. Salt
1 t. Pepper
1-3 t. Tony chacheres

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 c. Almond milk
1 Small banana or 1/2 Large banana
1-2 t. Lemon juice

+ Olive oil and of course - green tomatoes.

Thinly slice 5-6 green tomatoes (or desired amount) and lightly salt.

Combine all dry ingredients into one bowl and all wet in another. Mashing banana as much as possible.
Dip tomato slices from wet to dry and cook on medium heat in oil. 3-5 minutes on each side, or until light browned and crispy.

It does have a fairly strong banana taste but I found that the
combination of sweet and salty hit the spot for me.

Hope you enjoy it!
See you around.

Chunky Pesto

As promised here is my pesto recipe.

Ingredients:
1 c. Basil Leaves
1/2 c. Raw organic almonds
1/3 c. Extra virgin olive oil
1 Large garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/2 t. Celtic sea salt (or Real Salt)

Combine in a food processor or blender and mix until desired consistency is reached.
Enjoy on bread, rice, or with some pasta.


I had mine on bread with tomatoes so I made it a tad on the chunky side. For a smoother consistency continue blending.

What is your favorite pesto dish?

Oil Dispenser Update

Turns out that I did not like how my oil dispenser turned out.

Every time I walked into the kitchen I thought
"yuck. That looks like something I made in 3rd grade."
Has that ever happened to you?
And why didn't you tell me! You guys are just too sweet and supportive.

So I decided that I would let it sit there until I was inspired with a new look.
I am happy (for now) with how this turned out. And who knows maybe it will change again for the better.

Picture frames instead of chalk board.


Love that angle.


And that one.
For a before click here.

Looks better right?
You can be honest.
Maybe my first one was better.

My brother told me he liked it but it didn't match the house, which I agree with. But it will match our next place when I can use more of my designs.

School

School is back in session.

I must admit that I am a little excited for this semester.
I am not taking any classes, since I am graduated, but this is Danes last four months of BYU!
We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us next.

In honor of this glorious beginning we had a special candle light dinner out on our deck.
It was perfect, and I have been wanting to do this forever!


Perfectly romantic.
We had a yummy salad, brown rice, and curry (recipe to come).
hmm.. just what my tummy wanted.

And naturally we drank out of jars, and had candles in jars.
Jars. Jars. Jars.
They make me smile.

See you around.

Tomato Picking

Home grown tomatoes are the best.

I have loved spending time with my garden. There is something so sweet about picking tomatoes and carrying them in a basket or plant holder? (I am not sure what I should call what I used today)

Whatever it is, it was invigorating.
It made me want to skip.




Anyone want tagliarini pichi pachu tomorrow?
What is your favorite tomato dish?

See you around.

Stir Fry

This is a good last minute dish.
Especially when you have left over rice like I always do.

For this dinner I sauteed corn, beans, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, and any other veggie you might enjoy in oil until slightly soft.
Then I added my rice (mine was cold from the fridge so I warmed in up in the pan with my veggies), splash a few teaspoon of
liquid amino (healthy soy sauce) and presto dinner is served.
I enjoy my stir fry really salty and always add lots of liquid amino and extra salt so don't be shy and experiment with the flavor to see what you like.

Hope this works for you!
See you around.

Pesto Rice and Salads

Hmm...Pesto.
The other day while I was at Costco I sampled a yummy pesto rice and thought I would try to recreate it my own way.


Turned out great.
Basmati rice, pesto, pees, and some raw zucchini.


Yum!
I couldn't get enough of this dish and can't wait to make more tomorrow. I knew making 3 cups of rice was a good idea.


On the side we had this yummy salad.
Doesn't it look so fresh?
I love eating my salads right after I wash it, that way the leaves are coated with cold water.
I close my eyes and imagine I am in a garden.

For homemade pesto stick around. See you soon.

Bread and Sandwiches

There is nothing like the aroma of bread baking to make a house a home.
This bread is great with everything. It is especially delicious when used to make almond french toast.



I always make my bread right when I get up. That way my family wakes up to the smell of bread and we are set for the day. French toast, snacks, sandwiches, and maybe even a little side for pasta or a salad. Having a fresh loaf everyday is awesome and makes me feel so European.



It can also be used for yummy dishes such as salmon pesto, bruschetta, or any sandwich of your choice. Such as this one that I had for lunch.



Ingredients for the bread:
3 c. spelt flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 c. flax seed meal
1/2 t. salt
1 T. agave
2 T. olive oil
2 c. rice milk (sub almond)
+ may substitute 2 T. Rosemary in place of agave

Mix together, put in an oiled bread pan, and cook at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

Have fun and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Hope to see you around.

Hoo Hash

Hoo Hash is one of my favorites.

Super easy, tasty and always fills me up.


Ingredients:
4 medium red potatoes (cut in cubes and steamed)
3 T. olive oil
1 c. cabbage (I like purple best)
1/2 c. celery
1 c. broccoli
1 c. carrots
1 c. onions
2 garlic cloves (optional)
Salt to taste

Saute all veggies in olive oil. Once they begin to soften add steamed potatoes and salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Almond French Toast

Al0mond french toast is one of my favorites.
It is super easy and healthy which means I never feel bad about having one or two more then I should.



Extra delicious when topped with fresh fruit and agave (natural liquid sweetener).



To make this divine breakfast you will need:
1/4 c.Tofu - silk - blue packaging
1/2 c. almond milk (sub. rice or soy)
1/8 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. cinnamon
1 T. almond butter (optional)

Combine and mix in a blender, and pour into a bowl.
Dip both sides of bread in batter and cook on medium heat.

TIP: Make sure to detach entire toast from pan (all corners from outside to in) before flipping.
this will make your flip clean and keep your golden crust intact.

Hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
See you around.

Phood

Before I get into all of my wonderful recipes I must explain myself a little. I am, for the most part, on good days, pretty much vegan. I don't eat meat, dairy, or sugar. It makes for interesting cooking and loads of guilt free eating. The science behind my choice of eating is to help raise my bodies pH level. With all the junk food in the world our bodies are more acidic then alkaline and can have a difficult time repairing itself when our blood cells aren't healthy to begin with. Apart from feeling amazing and eating quilt free, your body may reward you by shedding a few pounds. It did for me.

Although all my recipes are without meat, dairy, and sugar they are still very tasty.
Hope you enjoy them.