Black Bean Brownies

Before you start gagging because of the name, let me assure you: I'm not a fan of beans, but these are good. Trust me. Even the dough is good (not that I, ahem, sampled any...). And it is super easy to make! Don't believe me? Try it for yourself!

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INGREDIENTS:

- 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 spotted bananas
- 1/3 cup agave nectar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup raw sugar (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
- 1/4 cup instant oats


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Grease a standard 8x8 square pan and set aside

3. Combine all ingredients except oats in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as needed

4. Stir in oats and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
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VARIATIONS:

Dark Chocolate Brownies
--> Add another 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies
--> Omit cinnamon and add a few drops of mint extract

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies
--> Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

Mocha Fudge Brownies
--> Add 2-3 tsp of instant coffee granules


From my new favorite cookbook! The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon (page 209)
**The little elephant is so cute!!

Homemade Cranberry Juice

If there's one thing I love in the world, it's cranberry juice. Not cran-apple or freaking cran-raspberry (gross), but straight up cranberry juice. What I don't like about it is the 36 grams of sugar that seems to come from every 8 oz of it. So I found a recipe to try at home! I happen to have some cranberries, so I'm going to give this a whirl...I'll let you know how it goes. I'm going to experiment to see how little sugar I can add, if any; I'd rather have it good and tart. Yum!

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• Prep: 35 min. + chilling
• Yield: 8 Servings

5 30 35

Ingredients

• 2 quarts water
• 8 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup orange juice

Directions

• In a soup kettle, bring water and cranberries to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until berries begin to pop.
• Strain through a fine strainer, pressing mixture with a spoon; discard berries. Return cranberry juice to the pan. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and orange juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.
• Remove from the heat. Cool. Transfer to a pitcher; cover and refrigerate until chilled. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts). 

Thank you to the following website for this great recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Homemade-Cranberry-Juice

Acorn Squash with Quinoa (and extras!)

My staple food since going vegan has been acorn squash. First of all, I love it -- always have. Secondly, it provides a lot of excellent nutrition. Consider this information: "This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber [Sarah's note: 25% of your daily requirements], Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese[Sarah's note: not to mention calcium!]." (Taken from the website below)

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2646/2#ixzz2HFm3JCZN

I improved on my dinner tonight. Here's what I ended up with (it's delish!)

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INGREDIENTS: 

- 1 acorn squash, cut in half

- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

- 1 Tbsp. vegan butter

- 1/4 cup almonds, crushed

- 1 small apple, cored and sliced

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Cut squash in half. Put approximately 1/2 Tbsp. of vegan butter on each side. Coat lightly with salt. Cook acorn squash at 400F for 50-60 min.

 

2. After the squash bakes for approx. 30 minutes, cook quinoa according to package instructions.

3. For the last 1-2 minutes of cooking quinoa, add apple chunks and crushed almonds.

4. Add quinoa mixture to acorn squash. Top with cinnamon, if you like.

Enjoy!

Coriander Rye Muffins

I'll begin this post by saying that I don't like rye bread, so trying this recipe was a stretch. I'm not familiar with coriander, either, but I gave it a whirl. The verdict: I don't like coriander. Like, at all. So I shaved the top of the coriander seeds and put on some vegan butter, and it tasted better.

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INGREDIENTS:

- 3 Tbsp. coriander seeds
- 1 1/4 cups plain unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. ground flax seed
- 1 1/4 cups rye flour
- 3/4 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/3 cup molasses


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and generously grease a 12-cup muffin pan. In a small skillet over low heat toast the coriander seeds for 1 1/2 minutes. Set aside 1 Tbsp. of coriander seeds for a topping, then pour the remainder into a large mixing bowl.

2. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (I used 4 cups, which I preferred) whisk together the soy milk, vinegar, and flax seed and set aside for 2 minutes. Meanwhile in the mixing bowl with the coriander seeds stir together rye flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then form a well in the center. Return to the soy milk mixture and whisk in the oil and the molasses, then pour into the center of the dry ingredients.

3. Use a rubber spatula to stir together only just enough to moisten the dry ingredients, then divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with reserved coriander seeds. Bake for 26-32 minutes.


Taken from Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero, page 202-203.

Olive Garden, vegan-style

Most of you know by now that I have recently gone vegan. This is primarily due to finding out that I have dangerously-high cholesterol. So why not fight back against this health concern by completely eliminating foods that contain cholesterol? Sounds good to me!

The problem is this: I'm "leaving behind" so many of my food friends. Goodbye, chicken; goodbye, scrambled eggs; goodbye, ice cream (that last one actually has me wearing a black veil in mourning). But I'm trying not to see it that way. In fact, I've been thinking about it like this: if there is someone in your life who is toxic, and who makes you feel bad every time you are around that person, do you still choose to be around them? Or would you rather cut ties and choose to surround yourself with people who are uplifting and help you become a better, happier human being? I'm guessing you would choose the latter. That's essentially what I am doing with my food. Instead of eating food that ultimately makes me ill, I am choosing food that will nourish me and keep me healthy for a long time.

Enough of that. One of my "old Sarah" favorites is Olive Garden. I can feel my mouth salivating already, just thinking about the breadsticks and cheese...mmmm... So what I did is I went onto the Olive Garden website where they have all their recipes, and I found one that I can easily translate into a vegan recipe! Let's have a look!

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Vegetable Lasagna

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Cook Time:

1 hour

Serves 4.

Ingredients

7 oz pack goat cheese (VEGAN ALTERNATIVE: vegan mozzarella)
1/3 cup pitted black olives, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry), chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh basil (or ½ tsp dry)
1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano (or ½ tsp dry)
2 tsp garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups prepared pasta sauce (your choice)
1 lb whole-wheat lasagna, cooked according to package directions (VEGAN NOTES: make sure to check the ingredients on both the pasta sauce and lasagna noodles, as sometimes dairy/meat products can sneak in)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 small zucchinis, diced
2 small summer squash, diced
3/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (VEGAN ALTERNATIVE: vegan Parmesan cheese)

Procedures

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.

1. MIX goat cheese, olives, thyme, basil, oregano, and garlic in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
2. SPREAD 1 cup pasta sauce on bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish.
3. ADD a layer of cooked lasagna and season with black pepper.
4. ADD a layer of zucchini, squash, and red pepper. Drop spoonfuls of goat cheese mixture over vegetables and spread to cover.
5. REPEAT layers, finishing with pasta and sauce.
6. SPRINKLE Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 ºF.
7. UNCOVER and bake 5 minutes or until top browns. Let stand 10 minutes; serve immediately.

Thank you to the following website for this information: http://www.olivegarden.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Vegetable-Lasagna/ 

Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets

This is a super-easy recipe for people who are afraid to cook:


INGREDIENTS:
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" - 1 1/2" chunks
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (I used plain bread crumbs and just added Italian Seasoning)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/4 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Cut chicken breasts into chunks.
3. Mix bread crumbs, salt, and herbs in a bowl
4. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a separate bowl.
5. Dip chicken chunks first into the melted butter, then in the bread crumb mix
6. Line chicken nuggets on a lightly-greased cookie sheet
7. Bake for 20 minutes

Coconut Collard Greens with Roasted Kabocha Squash and Quinoa

This is an amazing gluten-free, vegan meal for those of us who don't particularly care if our food is gluten-free or vegan (just great tasting!).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 c. kabocha squash*, peeled and cubed
• 1-2 T. coconut oil, melted and divided
• coarse ground sea salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. sweet onion, chopped
• 1 bunch collard greens, cleaned, trimmed from stem and chopped
• 1 can coconut milk (full or reduced fat)
• 1 T. tamari or soy sauce
• 1-2 t. brown sugar or maple syrup (optional)
• 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 T. unsweetened coconut, toasted
• 1 cup of quinoa

DIRECTIONS: 
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
3. Toss peeled and cubed squash with a pat of coconut oil and place on a baking sheet.


4. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring at least once halfway through.
5. Place a deep skillet or pot over medium high heat and add remaining coconut oil.  Sauté onion until starting to soften and brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Add collard greens that have been trimmed from the stem and cut into 1×2 inch strips.  Toss to coat with coconut oil, adding slightly more if necessary.
6. Pour in coconut milk, tamari or soy sauce, brown sugar or maple syrup, if using and nutmeg.
Bring to a low boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until greens have softened but are still vibrant.
7. Add roasted squash to greens and place in a serving dish.
8. Top with toasted coconut flakes.

**I have to thank a few people for this recipe. First, my friend Sunny Mancuso, who advertised it on Facebook. And secondly, Mama Pea from this website: http://peasandthankyou.com/2012/02/06/coconut-collard-greens-with-roasted-kabocha-squash/