Recipes

Beans, Beans The Magical Fruit…

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Beans, beans the magical fruit the more you eat the more you…..okay you know how the rhyme goes.  Beans are a great source of protein and nutrients but for many people eating beans does a real number on their stomachs. The cause of the gas is from a sugar in the beans and it is easily preventable.  Here are a few ways to make beans give you less gas:

1. Make sure if you are using dry beans to soak them for at least 8 hours and then make sure when you do cook them that they are cooked in fresh water until soft.  Do not add salt to the water. Alternatively for canned beans make sure to rinse them to remove all the salt and then I recommend cooking them in a little vegetable broth for 10 minutes.

2. Refried beans, not the healthiest; these beans that have been cooked once and then cooked a second time with some sort of fat weather margarine, oil or vegetable shortening.  The fat helps to balance that sugar causing gas.

3. Do not eat fruit with beans such as tomatoes.

4. Eat rice and beans- whole grains and beans are a great combination and civilizations have been pairing these two things for hundreds of years- this is proof that they are a wonderful combination.

5. My favorite thing to do is add seaweed, specifically kombu to my beans when I am either boiling them from dry or even with canned when I do a second mini cook.  Additionally adding seaweed will provide a number of essential minerals and is a great detoxifier; I also love to add it to my grains (don’t worry if it makes you squeamish you don’t have to eat it to get the benefits and it doesn’t make your grains or beans taste funny).

I would recommend that if you shy away from beans because of their “magical properties” that you test out these 5 easy tips and see how your body feels.  Everyone’s body is different so if one suggestion doesn’t work for you move on to the next.

Below are a few of my favorite bean recipes:

Three Bean Burgers

2 cups of black eyed peas, kidney beans, and chickpeas
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2-3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2t chili powder
1/2t cumin
1/4t garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1T hot sauce (I used VT Pepperworks Chocolate Chipotle)

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mash the beans up and add in the spices, chickpea flour, panko breadcrumbs and hot sauce. Form the patties into 1/4 cup patties and bake for 10 minutes on each side.


Creamy Mashed White Beans

2 cans Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
8-10 oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped small
5 scallions, chopped small
3T vegan cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1t garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a pan over medium heat and mash with a potato masher.  Mix everything together and then heat until warmed

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Tamales and a Sunset

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Tonight’s local menu challenge is based on Grace’s Tamales from the Waitsfield Farmers Market.  Grace’s has delicious vegan tamales but from where we live now it would take over and hour to buy them as well as the fact we can only get them on Saturday’s.  Now the Hubz has been bugging me to make a vegan tamale recipe and I have been putting it off trying to figure out a way to make the tamales without all of the fat.

Traditionally tamales are made with a lot of lard or oil or vegetable shortening and it just wasn’t going to happen for me.

Low-Fat Black Bean & Corn Tamales

Ingredients:

14 dried corn husks, plus extra husks to make ties

2.5 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup warm vegetable broth
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, diced small
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1t chili powder
salt and pepper

Directions:
 Place the corn husks in a bowl of water to soften for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Pat dry and set aside.

In a food processor, process the 2.5 cups of corn kernels until pureed.

In a large bowl, combine the pureed corn, masa harina, lukewarm water, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and oil and use your hands to combine into a dough.

Spray a medium pan with cooking oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion, black beans, corn chili powder and salt and pepper and saute until the onions are soft and lightly browned; remove from the heat.

To assemble a tamale, place about 3 tablespoons of masa mixture in the center of corn husk. Flatten with your hand until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Place 1 tablespoon of the black beans on the masa mixture. Fold the long side of the corn husk over the filling to cover, then fold over the ends, overlapping them. Tie with a thin strip torn from an extra soaked husk. Repeat to make 14 tamales in all.

Layer the wrapped tamales in the steamer. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and steam until the filling becomes firm and the tamales are heated through, 50 to 60 minutes.

After dinner the Hubz and I went for a walk down the bridge behind our house to watch the sunset and we got to see this guy fly in:

Now off to relax with the Hubz!

P.S. Don’t forget that Almond Butter is for sale in my OpenSky Shop from now until September 7th.  A $1 from each jar sold will be donated to The Lunch Box by OpenSky as well I will make a donation for every jar sold.

Recipe: Tempeh Bolognese Napoleon

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This week all of my recipes are based on dishes from local Vermont restaurants that I have either always wanted to try or love.  The first dish I made was based on a dish from Leunig’s Bistro in Burlington Vermont.  I went here about 7 years ago and have wanted to return for years however the place is a little pricey so I decided tonight that I would try my own interpretation of a dish off their menu.

Tempeh Bolognese Napoleon

This dish is tempeh bolognese with a white wine tomato sauce topped with sauteed spinach and crispy eggplant over spaghetti.

Tempeh Bolognese:

  • 1-8oz package of tempeh, grated
  • 2 carrots, small dice
  • 2 celery stalks, small dice
  • 8oz mixture of mushrooms sliced (I used shiitake and baby bella)
  • White Wine Tomato Sauce:
    • 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
    • 1T olive oil
    • 1 small onion, minced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup white wine
    • 1t Italian seasoning
    • salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high and add onion; saute for 5-7 minutes.  Stir in garlic; 30 seconds.  Add the italian seasoning and white wine; cook 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper.

Toss the tempeh with the veggies and tomato sauce and place in a casserole dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until vegetable are soft.

Sauteed Spinach:

  • 1T olive oil
  • 10oz frozen spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • salt and pepper

In a cold pan add the garlic and olive oil and heat until garlic is warmed. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and toss together until heated through and well coated.

Crispy Eggplant:

  • 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced
  • 1T olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of flour mixed with 1t each of salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
  • 1T salt

Toss the eggplant with the salt and place in a colander and let sit for 30 minutes.  Rise the eggplant and drain.  Pat out on paper towel until mostly dry and then dredge in the flour. Heat the olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium high and fry the eggplant until crispy.

4 servings of cooked spaghetti


To assemble:

On the based put the spaghetti, top with bolognese then the spinach, then the eggplant and sprinkle with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Serve with Italian wine and a yummy side salad.



From Farm to Table

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Yesterday was busy with meetings, appointments, CSA pickups and lots of organizing before our first guests visit our new home. Since it was going to be a busy day the Hubz stopped and picked up iced coffees for us after his trip to the gym.

We used our GlassDharma Straws to sip them with

After our whirlwind day we finally sat down to a meal that was filled with delicious items from our CSA. In our CSA this week we received 2 lbs Red Beets; 2 lbs Onions; 1 Bunch Kale; 1 Bunch of Thyme; 1.5 lb Beefsteak or Heirloom Tomatoes; 1 Bag Spicy Brassica Mix; 6 ears of Sweet Corn; 1 Qt Frozen Winter Squash Puree. Last night I used half the kale to make baked kale chips, 2 corn on the cob for baked corn and 1 tomato for our pita pizzas.

The kale was tossed with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne and baked at 425F for about 7 minutes; just until it began to crisp up.  The corn was removed from it’s husk and rubbed down with a little Earth Balance and then sprinkled with nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper and rolled up in aluminum foil and baked at 425F for 15minutes.  The little pita pizzas had a slice of vegan cheese of half of a pita with a leftover bean&rice burger, tomato and quarter of an avocado.

After dinner I caught up with my BFF for awhile over skype since we hadn’t talked via phone/skype in over a month and then I decided that it would be a great time to try out the Ravi Wine Chiller.  I learned something new last night that red wine is often served too warm! I was unsure about the Ravi Wine Chiller at first thinking that maybe it would make my red wine too cold but it was perfect! It has a great little valve on the side that the more your thumb is over it the slower the wine pours out and the colder it gets; so for red wine you just let it run through the chiller and it brings it to a proper temperature without making it cold.

Q: What is your favorite type of wine to drink? or do you enjoy wine?

P.S. From now until August 16th you can save 25% of your total purchase when you use coupon code EXCITE25; this a one time use only so make sure to check out other items on my OpenSky shop as well as others shops before checking out!

Disclaimer: Ravi provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Burgers & Smoothies

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Yesterday after work I wasn’t feeling great so I just spent the afternoon relaxing on the couch with the fur baby.  I wasn’t really feeling up to solid foods but was hungry so I decided to make myself a smoothie. In the smoothie I had original 1 cup unsweetened hemp milk, 1/4 of a cantaloupe, 1/2 banana and about 1 cup of frozen mango.

It was so cool and refreshing I think it is my new smoothie love.  I also tried out my new GlassDharma straw which I absolutely love! It as a little weird to drink our of at first but I really like it.  Above is just one of the straws I have and I can’t wait to show you the others! Not only are these straws pretty but they are sustainable, dishwasher safe, kid friendly and they have a life time guarantee; you can’t beat that! Also at first I was like how am I supposed to clean this thing?  Well GlassDharma includes a cleaning brush which makes things so much easier because otherwise I would have had a hard time getting that smoothie residue out of the straw. They are also part of my new OpenSky Shop where right now until August 16th you can save 25% of your total purchase when you use coupon code EXCITE25; this a one time use only so make sure to check out other items on my OpenSky shop as well as others shops before checking out!

Finally dinner time rolled around and I knew the Hubz would not be down for a liquid dinner so I decided to use up some veggies and rice that was in the fridge and make bean and rice burgers.  This is one of my favorite things to make when I have left over grains, veggies and beans in the pantry. I also love how easy it is to make these because there is very little work that I have to do; I just stick everything except the spices, condiments and rice into the food processor and pulse.   In last nights mix there was: 1/2 parsley, 10 olives, 1 carrot, 1/2 onion and 1 can of drained and rinsed white beans all tossed into the food processor.

Pulse everything until it is pretty well combined but there are still some small chunks.

Once the mixture has reached the right consistency dump it into a bowl and start adding the remaining ingredients: 1 cup of cooked rice or grain (I only had white rice; need to restock the pantry), 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1t salt, 1/2t black pepper, 1t chili flakes (optional), 1t paprika, 1 heaping tablespoon each of dijon mustard and tomato ketchup, 1/2 tablespoon hot sauce and 1t garlic powder.

Mix to combine all of the ingredients and then scoop out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and place in a 425F oven for 23-27 minutes, flipping part way through.  I then topped mine with a little BBQ sauce and served it up with roasted broccoli.

I get this question a lot of time from friends and family: “I really want a food processor however they are a lot of money, do you have any suggestions for a lower cost one?” YES! I do have a great suggestion!  I have always wanted wanted a really nice Cuisinart 14 cup food processor, however these are around $200+ and just not in my budget at this time.  I one day was checking out reviews online for lower end food processors and came across the Black & Decker Quick & Easy and decided that the price was right and that I would get one.  I have now had mine for a few years and I love it! I can make hummus, dips, veggie burgers, cookies and baked goods, and my favorite banana ice cream in it with no problem.  When I was looking through OpenSky to see what items that I love and use in the kitchen I was excited to see that they actually had this food processor so now you can have it too!

For now I am going to be glad I have a good food processor that works but I still am dreaming of the day when I will come home to a nice big Cuisinart food processor.

Q: What one appliance do you wish you had but don’t?

Saving Money & Calories: Starbucks at Home

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Okay so maybe it isn’t Starbucks but I have come to the realization that I can make my own lattes at home and save a ridiculous amount of money in doing so.  Not only can I save money I can make a healthier latte at home since I can decide how much non-dairy milk I want as well as what kind I want to use.

Now you don’t need an expensive espresso machine to make your own espresso all you need is your favorite espresso blend or dark roast coffee and a stovetop espresso maker.  I got mine at Winners (Canadian version of TJMaxx or Marshalls)  for only $15 or you can get it directly from Bialetti (or if you wait until August 10th you can buy it in my OpenSky store) and it is so easy to use.  You fill the base with water then place the insert in and fill with coffee; screw on the top and place it on your burner and when the top fills it’s ready! So easy right?

At this point you can make yourself an Americano, drink as espresso or create a hot/cold latte.  I love to make lattes with mine and the best part I can add as much or as little non-dairy milk as I want and I can control the calories.  I love to use unsweetened almond milk which only has 40 calories per cup. A tall soy latte at Starbucks is 130 calories versus the 30 calorie latte I can make at home- so why drink my calories and spend $4 on a latte when I can have it at home for $1 or less and only 30 calories? No Brainer!

Now if you want even better espresso and would like to spend a little bit more money you can get a Mypressi Twist which you can hear more about on Tina’s OpenSky.

A Day of Posts

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It’s 9:00 pm and I am finally blogging! This day has been crazy with work, studies, and just trying to enjoy the fact that it is friday. I started my morning off right with a bowl of cereal a mix of my [Me]&Goji (goji oats, goji bears, golden berries, pistachios, coconut, cacao nibs, and chia seeds)and Uncle Sam’s with hemp milk and mug of sencha tea.

I also tried out some new products before I headed to work that Auromere sent me to sample.  I have been on the look for a new natural toothpaste and was delighted to find a tube and a few sample sizes in my package.  The toothpaste is licorice and although the flavor wasn’t my favorite for toothpaste I felt that it did a good job cleaning.

After a crazy day at work and staying 2 hours later than I had intended I came out and cooked- the only thing that chills me out after a busy day. I decided to make some skinny pizzas on these new flatbreads that I found at the market yesterday. I topped them with a tablespoon of spicy peanut hummus, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed napa cabbage, sauteed zucchini and onions and a little thai basil. After baking if for a 10 minutes I topped it with a spicy hoisin drizzle and a mix of chopped green onions, cilantro and thai basil.

See that pretty beverage next to my skinny pizza it’s a wonderful skinny mojito- now when you read the recipe you might say mojito? right but where is the rum!?! Rum is just too sugary and besides we didn’t have any only a really nice bottle of vodka from our anniversary trip to Maine.

Skinny Mojito (makes 1 serving)

Ingredients:

  • 12 mint leaves
  • 1/2 lime, quartered
  • 1T agave nectar
  • 1.5oz vodka
  • ice
  • club soda

Directions:

Place mint and lime in the bottom of a cup and muddle together.  Top with the agave and then fill the cup to the top with us.  Pour over the vodka and then top with club soda.  Gently stir together and enjoy!

Hubz and I are now going to relax and catch up on NCIS: LA and enjoy a snack of grapes for me and crackers and hummus for hubby.