2 medium Vidalia sweet onions, minced well or grated
1/2 cup fresh chopped Parsley or 3 Tbsp Dried
2 tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp coriander, divided
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray
1 Cup Tricolor Bell Peppers, julienned
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 cup Chicken Stock or Broth
DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 400F. Mix your ground meats with all spices in a bowl with your hands until well combined. Set aside to let it rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil and grease with cooking spray.
Form your kabobs about 4 oz. each. I used a kitchen scale to get them all the same size. I got 11 Kabobs. Spray your kabobs with some cooking spray before baking. Bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime sauté your peppers in some cooking spray Once they soften just a bit (about 3 minutes on medium heat) add stock and tomato paste. Season to taste with salt, pepper and the rest of the coriander. Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes on medium low heat.
When kabobs are done in the oven. Transfer them into the sauce pan with the pepper mixture and let simmer on low heat for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve with any side of veggies and carb that you like. I served with a side of Brown Rice medley and Roasted Cauliflower.
1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips (I did half mini semi sweet chocolate chips and half dark chocolate chunks)
INGREDIENTS:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper sheets (or lightly grease the cookie sheet with cooking spray if you don’t have parchment paper). In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, applesauce, vanilla and egg. Mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another small bowl, dissolve the baking soda with the milk. Add both the dry flour mixture and the wet baking soda mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix well until incorporated.
Add in the chocolate chips and stir until evenly combined.
Using a small cookie scoop(medium scoop is equal to 1 tablespoon), drop mounds of the cookie dough on the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for slightly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
It’s Pumpkin season!!!!! I mean who doesn’t love the warm flavors of everything Pumpkin?…..from pumpkin spice lattes, to pumpkin pies, pancakes, scones, cookies…..oh I can just go on forever listing the yummiest edibles with this star ingredient. Fortunately, I have put together this recipe last minute for my fellow Phi Upsilon Omicron members at Queens College. Turned out to be a success!
They’re very moist and chewy in texture. Just the perfect little morsels of yumminess! Give this recipe a try today! Be sure to tag me in your posts and let me know what you think of the recipe. Happy Baking!
INGREDIENTS:
Yeild: about 30 mini muffins
Serving size: 1 muffin
-2 & 1/4 cups Rolled Oats (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Toasted Old Fashioned Rolled Oats)
-1 cup pumpkin puree (I use organic)
-1/2 cup pure maple syrup
-2 Large eggs
-1 Tbsp vanilla extract
-3 Tbsp Coconut Oil (melted)
-1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or Ripple Vanilla Milk (also Unsweetened)
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips (or whichever you like) + plus more for topping
-cooking spray for muffin tins (I use TJ’s Coconut Oil Spray)
-24 mini muffin tin
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and then grease with cooking spray or line a muffin tin for first 24 muffins. You will need to reuse the tin again for remaining batter.
Place the oats in the food processor and blend for about 30 seconds, or until you get smaller crumbs of the oats to resemble whole wheat flour. Next, add the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips. Blend until smooth and combined. Fold in your chocolate chips.
Using a small cookie scoop or 1 Tbsp measuring spoonful fill muffin tin. Top with more chocolate chips. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until light golden brown. Insert tester until it comes out clean. Let cool 10 min before transferring onto cooling rack. Enjoy.
INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 oz. ) can Organic Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup Fresh Organic Parsley
2 cloves Organic Garlic
1 Large Organic Egg
1/2 Cup Organic Fat free Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp Organic Low Fat Milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp avocado oil for pan frying
DIRECTIONS:
Place chickpeas and parsley in food processor. Pulse to coarsely grind, not until smooth but with no whole chickpeas remaining.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the olive oil and process into a smooth, creamy mixture, scraping sides with a spatula as needed. Don’t over-process – stop processing as soon as mixture is smooth.
Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop the batter onto the skillet, about ¼ cup per cake. I measure with a 4-tablespoon ice cream scoop.
Fry on medium heat, about 5 minutes on each side, until deep golden-brown.
Over the past few years I have tried cooking with tofu and failed miserably. So I gave it a rest for a while. Recently I came across a recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it one more chance. I finally succeeded! This recipe is definitely much easier than it seems and is absolutely taste worthy! I altered the sugar content a bit since I don’t prefer an overly sweet sauce as most people do. So if you like it on the sweeter side you can add more sugar.
INGREDIENTS:
1 package organic extra firm or firm tofu
2-3 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
1-2 Tbsp avocado or peanut oil
Sauce:
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
3 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce ( I didn’t have any on hand so I used organic regular BBQ sauce)
1 zucchini, unpeeled and julienned into thin strips to resemble spaghetti
1 large carrot, washed, chopped and julienned into thin strips
1/4 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
2 tsp Sesame oil DIRECTIONS:
1. Drain tofu of excess water pressing gently (so tofu does not collapse) between 4 layers of paper towel. Let sit 20 minutes. to drain.
2. While waiting for tofu, mix together the first 7 ingredients of the sauce and set aside.
3. Slice tofu into 1/2″ slices, then cut each slice into thirds. Coat each cube lightly with flour. Heat a skillet on medium with the oil. Then place tofu into pan until browned and crispy. You may have to turn up the heat under the pan a bit. Remove from pan and set aside on paper towels.
4. Add a little bit more oil if needed about another teaspoon, onions, and chopped ginger. Cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add veggies and stir fry on high heat for 2 minutes. Add sauce mixture to pan, bring to a boil, and simmer about 2 minutes. Add tofu back to mixture, toss to coat. Add sesame oil and toss again. Top with green onions and pepper flakes if desired. I used some sesame seeds.
Good Morning and Happy Friday! Last night I had 3 over ripened organic bananas on the counter and decided to make a chocolate chip cookie that tasted like banana bread. However, I know most chocolate chip cookies require obscene amount of butter or oil. I experimented by adding more banana and omitting the fat altogether. The Result? Delicious, soft, chewy, gooey cookies! I’m absolutely in love with this recipe and cannot believe they came out so good without all the fat added!
INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 organic mashed bananas
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 large egg
1-1/2 cup organic oats (make sure it’s not the instant or quick cook because it will act like flour and will not be suitable for this recipe)
1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (you may use regular whole wheat flour if you like. The cookies will be more dense and coarse in texture)
1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks or semi sweet chocolate chips (I used a little bit of both)
1/4 tsp of sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the bananas,sugars, vanilla, egg and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. The mixture won’t be smooth, fluffy, or ‘creamed’ like traditional cookie dough and will have small chunks of bananas present and it’s on the runnier side.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge covered with plastic wrap it up to 5 days. This is a wetter, looser dough and isn’t suitable for baking until it’s been chilled. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
4. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough. Tip – Strategically place a few chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
5. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Place cookies on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 minutes for very soft cookies, longer for more well-done cookies, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Baking times could range widely due to the moisture content variances in bananas, climate and oven variances; bake until your cookies are done. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. Happy Baking!
***Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Hey Everyone! Hope you guys are having a bright and cheerful morning! Last night I made my sisters Eggplant Parm recipe that she just simply adores….next to mine of course lol. She originally found it at Simply Recipes. I loved that the eggplant wasn’t soggy and held its shape perfectly! The sauce was probably the most delicious sauce that was made from scratch! I highly recommend this recipe and hope you will enjoy it as well!
**P.S. Don’t let the ingredient list or the long directions list intimidate you. If you read through everything first it will be easy as you start assembling everything. It took me approximately 45 minutes to dredge and bake all the eggplant after the 2 hour liquid extraction from the eggplant and an additional 10 minutes to assemble everything with the sauce and cheese. Then 35 minutes to bake the delicious concoction! INGREDIENTS:
Eggplant prep:
2 1/4 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Sauce:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove minced garlic (about 1 teaspoon)
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), tomatoes diced, reserve juices
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dredging & Assembly:
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat Panko)
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided (I used fresh shredded Parmegiano-Reggiano)
3/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat)
4 eggs, beaten (more if needed…for me 3 were enough)
1/4 cup olive oil (I used cooking spray to grease the baking sheets)
1 1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice the eggplants into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick rounds. Lay the eggplant slices out on a rack over a rimmed sheet pan (or on several layers of paper towels). Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant rounds lightly with salt. Let the eggplant rounds sit and release moisture for 2 hours.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and gently cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their juices. Increase heat to bring to a simmer, lower heat to maintain a very low simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the minced basil and remove from heat.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and place in a shallow bowl or rimmed dish. Set up your station so that you have flour in one shallow bowl, beaten eggs in another bowl, and the breadcrumb cheese mixture in another, in that order.
4. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread a tablespoon of olive oil each over the bottom of two rimmed baking sheet pans. Pat dry the eggplant slices with paper towels. Working one at a time dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour, then dip in the beaten eggs, and then dredge in the breadcrumb parmesan cheese mixture.Place on oiled sheet pan. Drizzle a little oil over the top of each breaded eggplant round.
5. Place breaded prepared eggplant slices in the oven. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes, turning the slices over at the half-way point, until they are nicely browned. Remove from oven, and let cool to touch.
6.Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Place a third of the eggplant rounds in a single layer covering the sauce on the bottom of the pan.
7.Layer half of the sliced mozzarella on top of the eggplant rounds. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Place another third of the eggplant rounds over the cheese. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the eggplant rounds. Layer the rest of the sliced mozzarella over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of grated Parm.
Add the remaining eggplant in a single layer on top of the cheese. Top with the remaining sauce and the remaining Parmesan.
9. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into to serve.
Hi everyone! Hope your week is going well despite the depressing weather here in NY. I guess the fall season is always rather gloomy especially with Halloween coming up exactly a month from today. Pumpkin season has officially begun and I better get started with my pumpkin treats. Speaking of treats I originally stumbled upon this amazingly easy recipe from Sally’s Bake Blog. I tweaked it a bit and made it my own and they’re a huge hit! This recipe is vegan but it’s very versatile and you’re free to add anything that you like to it in terms of toppings such as dried fruit, different chocolate pieces or candy, nuts/seeds of all kinds and more. I really love this recipe since it is oh-so-effortless but looks like you spent hours making them. Hopefully you will appreciate them as much as I do. They’re packed with protein, antioxidants, and fiber! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Organic All Natural Peanut Butter (make sure the ingredients are just peanuts and salt)
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar (you can use any brown sugar. I just prefer the rich molasses flavor)
2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour or any flour that you like
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Cup Organic Almond Milk (unsweetened) but you can use any milk that you like
1/2 Cup Sliced Organic Almonds
1/2 Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips or any kind will work too
1/2 cup of any additional toppings that you like
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
With an electric or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar and peanut butter on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed.
On medium speed, add in the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. The dough will be very thick and clumpy, but it will come together. Slowly add the milk in a steady stream, mixing until a dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips , alomonds and any other fixings you want. Use your hands to make sure everything is combined, if needed.
Once dough is completely combined, press it lightly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 17-20 minutes until the bars are lightly golden and set. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares. I keep mine in the refrigerator in a covered container. Bars will be good stored up to 2 weeks. And in the freezer for about 2 months.
Dessert for 5776! Requested by family🍒🍒🍒🍰🍰🍰…I doubled my Apple Blueberry pie recipe and just used 2 lbs frozen sour pitted cherries, drained all the liquid and mixed it with 2 cans of organic cherry pie filling along with turbinado sugar and arrowroot (all natural plant based thickener).
