My little one loves pancakes. She is not a vegan and regularly extols the virtues and pleasures of butter, whipped cream and cheese.

I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Although I did not eat this meal the smells were intoxicating; partly due to my obsession with quality, fancy, organic, exotic vanillas.

Fresh quality ingredients are the key to the best dishes and I just try to bring out the best in creative combinations.

Hashbrowns

3-5 medium sized yellow organic potatoes

Peel and place in the food processor and shred, or grate on a hand held grater.

The most important thing is to make sure that the potatoes are thoroughly dried before you cook them.

I patted mine with a few rounds of paper towels then placed them into a hot skillet with about 2-4 tablespoons of butter.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

Method

Place a pan to medium heat.

Combine the 4 dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a bowl.

Add the buttermilk and vegetable oil and vanilla to your mixture.

Mix until smooth.

Now the pan should be ready for your batter, so spoon one pancakes’ worth of the mixture into the pan.

Flip [carefully] when you see bubbles in the middle of the pancake, or if the edges are looking stiffened.
Repeat until the batter is gone, and try not to eat them all while you’re cooking them.

These pancakes were so light and fluffy and they had a crispy “edginess”.

A leisurely afternoon spent with friends, eating good food and sipping champagne is the best way that I know to spend my time!

The asparagus were delicious.

I sautéed them in olive oil, 3 cloves of crushed garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and a handful of pine nuts.

We sipped on Mimosas and soaked in the gentle sunlight listening to music and chatting about old times.

This meal is more than just rice and beans.

For my daughters I will turn these into big fat burritos with cheese and serve the salsa on the side with chips.

I enjoyed the vegan version of just rice and beans with a dollop of the salsa on top.

What I like the most was the cold crunchy salsa on top of the creamy hot beans and rice.

The girls are going to love this tonight. It’s nutritious and festive.

Rice and Beans

I boiled 1 cup of brown jasmine rice in 2 cups of water

I used 2 cans of pinto beans and cooked them in a frying pan with 4 big cloves of garlic

That’s it for that part.

Salsa

This also works as a salad;

2 avocados

3 medium sized tomatoes

The juice of 2 limes

A nice handful of fresh cilantro

½ of a medium sized onion

½ a cup of yellow corn

I wished that I had some olives on hand but I didn’t. I thought that would really make this pop.

For the burritos I use whole wheat flour tortilla and shredded Monterey Jack, or Manchego cheese.

I roll the beans, rice and cheese together and bake in the oven for a bit then garnish with the salsa.

Of course, salt to taste

Enjoy!

I love kale and have become obsessed with it since discovering Dr. Alejandro Junger’s book, CLEAN.

Dr. Junger refers to green foods as the royal family of nutrition and kale is the king.

This dish includes all of my favorites; kale , asparagus, broccoli, garlic, spinach, basil, and a tablespoon of toasted pine nuts and half an avocado for garnish.

I steamed everything and topped it with a spinach, basil, and oilve oil pesto.

What I like about the pesto is that it incorporates spinach and garlic which are raw, thereby adding important enzymes to this meal.

These foods are great for the cleansing program, to be sure, however, I like to include these super foods into my everyday meals.

Making healthy highly nutritious foods a part of your daily diet ensures that you are are getting high quality, nutrient rich food and that you are functioning at optimal levels.

I am attemping to make these dishes easy for everyone to enjoy with recipes that don’t compromise quality and which satisfy the palate and the senses.

Active teenagers with busy schedules are hard to feed in the best of times but with a 15 minute window it’s almost impossible.

Thank goodness for frozen pasta.

I added fresh baby spinach to the last minute of the boiling pasta to wilt it.

I had a jar of sundried tomatoes in oil in the fridge. I put about 1 cup in a sauce pan and let it begin to cook then added about 1-1/2 cups of half and half.

I put the mixture in the blender and pureed it completely. Then returned it to the sauce pan to warm a bit more.

I had this ready in about 10 minutes.

I always have a salad ready to go making this one quick meal.

Easy and green Meatless Monday!

The cheese sauce starts with a simple roux of butter and flour to which I added about 1 cup of heavy cream and 3/4 cup of shredded parmesan.

I also added 3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic while the butter was melting before I added the flour.

And anytime I use cream or spinach I add a pinch of nutmeg.

This was a hit with my teenage daughters who don’t always enjoy my vegan meals.

Add salad and you have an inexpensive, nutritious meatless monday!

I added aspargus and broccoli to this meal. Artichokes would work here, also.

It all started with cake and a snow storm and the gorgeous organic produce in my refrigerator.

Sometimes when I’m shopping I don’t have any particular recipe in mind. I simply pick up things that catch my eye, are in season, especially ripe, smell good or are just pretty.

So that is how I ended up with a coconut, that gorgeous ginger root and a million organic carrots!

What to do with carrots on a cold snowy day in the middle of winter? Soup, of course!

But to begin my day, baking a cake seemed to be the most natural thing in the world to do to get things rolling. Chocolate, raspberry and fresh whipped cream was beckoning.

Cake would be a nice treat at the end of a long day.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate (cool)

Method

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour baking pan, 13×9x2 inches, or two 9-inch or three 8-inch round layer pans.

Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly.

Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.

Pour into pan(s). Bake oblong 40 to 45 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool.

Coconut Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients

About 20-30 carrots
5-6 cloves of garlic
A nice sized piece of fresh ginger root 5-6 inches long
2 tsp ginger powder
1 can organic coconut milk
One whole coconut ( use the water and flesh)
2-3 cups vegetarian stock
2-3 Tbsp coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro, for garnish
Avocado, for garnish

Method

Peel and chop the carrots then sauté with garlic and coconut oil.

Start grating the ginger and add to sautéing carrots.

Add the ginger powder.

Let things start to lightly caramelize then add the stock.

Allow to cool then transfer the mixture to the food processor and puree.

Add the coconut milk to the mixture and continue to puree.

Transfer to a soup pot and add the coconut water and flesh.

Add ginger powder if necessary.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm with fresh cilantro and avocado garnish.

Enjoy!

I added curry powder to the dough

Kale, yellow waxy potatoes, garlic, coconut oil, coconut milk, red curry paste, curry powder

Courtesy of Laylita’s Recipes

Making empanada dough is not as hard as it sounds, especially if you have a food processor, and even if you don’t it is still pretty easy because the dough should not be overworked and requires minimal kneading. Also, these days it is very easy to find the empanada discs already made (frozen) in Latin grocery store, and even though I was skeptical at first they are actually quite good, but it also always fun to have them homemade and you can also customize the dough by adding spices, herbs, etc that will complement or contrast with the fillings.

Ingredients for 15 medium size or 25 small empanada discs:

3 cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cold and cut into 12 pieces
1 egg
4-5 tbs water
Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.
Add the butter, egg and water until a clumpy dough forms.
Form a ball and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.

I like to eat my veggies. I look forward to eating my veggies and usually crave them first thing in the morning.

And I don’t apologize for it anymore. If I want broccoli for breakfast then, that is what I eat.

But sometimes crunchy, cruciferous, crudités don’t sit well on an empty belly.

And besides, I am all about deconstructing these days. I am experimenting with texture and flavor.

I am trying new tricks with old favorites and trying to look at food in a new way, new presentations and combinations.

I am a vegan after years of examination. I like organic, basic, unprocessed food. But I am having fun “processing” the favorites in my diet.

I try to make every bite count; that means getting the most nutrition out of every bite.

This dish combines some of my favorite flavors; toasted pine nuts, roasted garlic, basil, broccoli, and olive oil.

As I am cooking more I am starting to realize that the method is just as important as the ingredients.

Toasting and roasting bring ingredients to peak flavor. Pureeing creates creaminess without adding fat and layering flavors and textures ensures well rounded nutrient rich, complete meals which are satisfying and nutritionally balanced.

I am calling this Broccoli Mousseline. It could substitute for mashed potatoes. Not that there is anything wrong with mashed potatoes but the nutritional bang is in the broccoli.

Olive oil and pine nuts add fat and protein. I also snuck in about a ½ of an avocado. Once again, adding fat and creaminess as well as depth of flavor. The flavors can range from buttery to almost bacon tasting.

Try this recipe to add tasty nutritious elements in place of carbohydrate filled empty calorie foods.

Ingredients:

10 oz broccoli
5-6 cloves roasted garlic
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 toasted pine nuts
½ ripe avocado
2 Tbsp Basil pesto
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook the broccoli until bright green and just tender.

Add all the ingredients into the food processor and puree until well blended and serve.

Garnish with pine nuts. I think that artichoke hearts would be a great garnish with this, also.

Serve it as a side or as a main dish with spinach pasta. This would also work well as a filling for ravioli, manicotti, or perhaps lasagna.

Enjoy!

Healthy and full of protein, this bean spread is hearty and tasty.

Not only does it make a great snack on flax crackers or garlic toasted baguette, it works well as a sandwich spread or on a veggie pizza.

I like to keep this in the fridge for a quick, go-to protein pick me up which is high in nutrients but low in calories.

This even works well on celery for a savory nosh.

I recently had this served with toast and wine sautéed onions! It was fantastic!

The sweetness of caramelized onion soaked in red wine with this savory spread was a meal in itself.

I would also garnish with roasted red pepper for a bruschetta style presentation.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cans cannellini
¾ cup toasted pignoli
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
1 bulb roasted garlic

Method:

Combine toasted pignoli, roasted garlic, and 2 cans of cannellini in the food processor.

Add the olive oil and continue to puree.

Serve and garnish with olive oil and pignoli

I wanted to spoil my girls with something fun and healthy.

These nachos are made with all organic ingredients and my favorite organic fast food treat; Amy’s Organic Vegetarian Chili.

The avocados and cilantro were so fragrant and delicious. This didn’t last very long!

Just layer, corn chips, organic vegetarian chili, and cheese ( my girls insisted on real cheese; I caved) and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes and finish up on broil for about 5 minutes.

Then top with your favorite fresh ingredients; cilantro, avocado, fresh salsa, olives, fresh corn, and enjoy!