BANANA BREAD

Oil a bread pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 16 slices

Mix just enough until uniform.

2-cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1½-teaspoons baking powder

½-teaspoon baking soda

½-teaspoon salt

2/3-cup water

1/3-cup flaxseed, ground

1/3-cup oil

¾ cup agave nectar

1-teaspoon vanilla

2 bananas ripe and mashed (thaw the ripe frozen bananas stored in the freezer)

optional:  ½-cup nuts, smashed

In the standing mixing bowl mix together the water, flaxseed, oil, agave, and vanilla. 

In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix just enough until uniform.  Fold in the mashed bananas. 

Pour batter into an oiled bread pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.    

GREEN BEANS GREEK STYLE

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

1 to 3-tablespoons olive oil

1-pound green beans, cut ends off, cut on diagonal

1-cup onion, chopped

1 can (15 ounces) or 2-cups tomatoes, chopped

½-cup parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a cast iron skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Sauté onions and beans until soft.  Add the parsley and tomatoes and cook until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste

GREEK STEW

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

1 to 3-tablespoons olive oil

2-cups onions, chopped

4 stalks of celery

4 carrots

4 potatoes

4 zucchini, quartered

1-tablespoons dry rosemary or 3 fresh springs

3 bay leaves

2 cans (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, chopped or 8 cups fresh

1-vegan bullion

6- cups water.

optional:  parsnips, sweet potatoes, oregano, thyme

In a pressure cooker heat oil over medium heat.  Cut the onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes into large chunks.  Sauté the veggies until a little soft. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.  Cover the pressure cooker, bring to pressure for 3 minutes.  Let the stew sit for ½-hour, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.  

CHUNKY MUSHROOM BARLEY

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

1 to 3-tablespoons oil

1-cup onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 grated carrots

1-pound mushrooms, sliced

3 stalks celery, chopped

½-teaspoon marjoram

½-teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

½-cup barley

2-vegan bullion cubes

8-cups water

salt and pepper to taste

In a pressure cooker heat oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until soft.  Add the mushrooms, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf.  Stir in the barley and bullion cubes.   Add the water. 

Cover and bring up to pressure.  Lower heat and cook for 3 more minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for ½- hour. 

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.  

CRANBERRY SAUCE

The tart cranberry sauce is used on toast with cream cheese.  

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Yield: almost 2-cups

1-15-oz bag of frozen cranberries

stevia or maple syrup to taste

In a small pan, stir the cranberries over heat.  

The berries will pop.  Continue to stir and 

heat until the desired thickness.  The more 

you cook the berries, the thicker the butter 

will be.  The cranberry sauce can be use 

with the skins or you can blenderize to make a smoother paste. 

Use as a cranberry sauce, on toast, muffins, or baked fruit.  

PEAR WITH RASPBERRY

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

4-ripe pears

4-teaspoons raspberry fruit spread

1-teaspoon water

Peel and slice pears in half vertically.  Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning.  Place on a plate core side down with water.  Zap for 3 minutes, turn pears over and repeat until pears are soft but still hold their shape.  Remove core but leave stem if possible.

Place two halves on a plate and fill each cavity with 1-teaspoon raspberry fruit spread. 

PEAR WITH PUMPKIN BUTTER

The frozen whole lemon and grater to the right used to keep the pear from browning.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

4-ripe pears

4-teaspoons raspberry fruit spread

1-teaspoon water

Peel and slice pears in half vertically.  Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning.  Place 

on a plate core side down with water.  Zap for 3 minutes, turn pears over and repeat until pears 

are soft but still hold their shape.  Remove core but leave stem if possible.

Place two halves on a plate and fill each cavity with 1-teaspoon of pumpkin butter. 

FROZEN LEMON AND GINGER TIP

Keep ginger and a whole frozen lemon in a freezer bags in the freezer.

GINGER

If a recipe calls for ginger, take out the unpeeled ginger and grate the frozen ginger.  Return it to the freezer for future use. 

LEMON

Any time you need some zest or lemon juice to keep fruit from browning, get the frozen whole lemon out of the freezer and grate what you need before placing back in the freezer.  

COOKIES-LEMON BARS

(This is one of those cookies that you make up and adapt for your husband that likes lemon bars.  It took a few tries, but I got a decent lemon curd and a nice cookie crust out of my experiments.  The crust was crumbly, but I pieced it together a bit and rerolled it.  Delicious! I did sift some powdered sugar on the top to brightened up the color.  I laugh every time I think of my friend, Judy Farber, who told me the powdered sugar doesn't count if you lick it off quick. )

Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2-dozen bars

Filling

3 lemons juice and zest

2-cups water

2-tablespoons agar flakes

1-cup nut, rice, or soy milk

½-cup agave nectar

3-tablespoons arrowroot powder

optional:  pinch of turmeric for color

Crust

½-cup agave nectar

1-tablespoon white vinegar

¾-cup oil

4-cups pastry flour

¾-cup baking soda

¾-teaspoon cream of tartar

Filling

In a glass bowl zap the water and agar flakes for 5 minutes, stir, and repeat until flakes are dissolved.

In a pan whisk together the milk, arrowroot, and turmeric until it starts to thicken.  Add the lemon, zest, agave, and whisk together.

Crust

In a standing mixing bowl whisk together the agave, vinegar, and oil. 

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. 

Mix the dry into the wet and form dough.  Divide the dough in half.  Roll between two pieces of parchment paper into a rectangle the size of a baking pan.  Peel the parchment off the top.  Place the dough in the baking pan and peel off the parchment.

Spread with the filling.  Roll out the second half of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.  Peel the parchment off the top of the dough.  Place on top of the filling dough side down.  Peel off the parchment. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden. 

This is an easier version with the same great lemon taste.  Use 1/4 of the dough recipe and pat it in a 9-inch square pan.  Fill with 1/2 the lemon curd and bake.  

GRANOLA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3-dozen cookies

½-cup maple syrup

½-cup coconut oil

1/3-cup ground flaxseed

1/4-cup water

2-cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1-cup granola

1-teaspoon baking soda

1/3-cup vegan chocolate chips

In a standing mixing bowl mix together the maple syrup, coconut oil, water, and flaxseed. 

In another bowl whisk together the flour, granola, and baking soda. 

Add the dry to the wet and mix until uniform.  Stir in the chips. 

Drop tablespoons of dough on parchment lined baking sheets

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

PUMPKIN BUTTER

Pumpkin Butter Toast

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Yield: almost 2-cups

2-cups unsweetened cooked pumpkin puree or a 15-oz can

1/4-cup molasses

1/4-cup maple syrup

1-teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-teaspoon cinnamon

In a small pan, whisked together all the ingredients. 

Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and whisk frequently for 15 minutes or until thickened. 

Refrigerate for an hour and use on English muffins, toast, bagels, and baked fruit.  

RUTABAGA STEW

1/4-cup olive oil

2-cups onion

2-cups celery (3 stalks), sliced

2-cups carrot (3 carrots), sliced

4-cups potato, sliced

4-cups rutabaga, sliced

4-cups zucchini, cut in chunks

1/4-cup soy sauce

1-28 oz can whole tomatoes

1 can of water

1-teaspoon paprika

1-teaspoon thyme

1-teaspoon pepper

Heat a large pressure cooker, add the olive oil until it heated.  Stir in the onions, cut each next vegetable and stir the pot after it's added.   Add the soy sauce, can of whole tomatoes, water, and spices.  

After all the ingredients are in the pot, stir, put the lid on, bring up to pressure for 10 minutes.  The stew can stay in the pressure cooker for a half hour or until time to serve, but you can run tap water on the lid for an early release.  

OCTOBER COMMENTS

I received some interesting comments and recipes from blog readers.  I tried everything out and loved all the ideas, but made some changes for myself.  That's the great thing about recipes.  You can take an idea and customize them to your sweetness level and calorie level.  I've always keep frozen ginger unpeeled in my freezer.  I use to buy fresh ginger, use it, and then it would get moldy. Mildrene Swan sent me the Frozen Lemon idea.  I wish I had thought about keeping a lemon in the freezer.  It's great for the times you want to use a zest or keep fruit from browning.  Marlene Chaff sent me a great stew recipe.  See her recipe below, and look for a future photo and my version of the recipe.  I used thyme instead of basil since I already have a stew recipe that uses basil.  I loved the rutabaga.  Susan Berry sent in the Harvest Butter Recipe.  She thought it was an old Amish Recipe.  I like any recipe that is buttery without animal fat.  I was concern that it would taste too molasses, but it works.  I don't use honey or sugar so look for my version in the future.  This one would make a great hostess gift.  Everyone has heard of apple butter, but a pumpkin butter really says fall with the holidays on the way. 

From Susan Berry:

Harvest Pumpkin Butter

l small can of cooked or canned pumpkin

½ cup honey   ( I added 2 tablespoons of sugar also)

¼ cup molasses

l tablespoon ground cinnamon  ( I added l teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice)

In a small saucepan, combine the first five ingredients, mix well.

Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, Reduce heat: simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until thickened.

Refrigerate for at least l hour. Serve on English muffins.

Yield:  l ¼ cups.l small can of cooked or canned pumpkin

½ cup honey   ( I added 2 tablespoons of sugar also)

¼ cup molasses

l tablespoon ground cinnamon  ( I added l teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice)

Marlene Chaff's Stew

Onions, rutabag, celery, potatoes, carrots, zucchini

Start sautéing the veggies in olive oil, then add a little flour for a roux.

Season with sea salt, pepper and paprika, basil or herb de Provence

I'm smelling the aroma as I am writing this, I love food!

The liquids:

2 cups of tomato juice

1/2 cup of soy

1/2 cup canola oil

1/8 c tamari

Bake until tender, 45-60 mins.    400 degrees

This is so good with crusty home made bread ...toasted, with a little olive oil

and garlic

Beige, I made this 2 nights ago, just had some for lunch.

You prob. Already do a version of this...

Marlene

From home

In Warren, MA USA

Mildrene Swan's Lemon Idea

Amazing frozen lemon

All it is.....is a frozen lemon

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted.

How can you use the whole lemon without waste?

Simple.. place the lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it)and sprinkle it on top of your foods.

Sprinkle it to your whisky, wine, vegetable salad, ice cream, soup, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes.

All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste,

something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore.

Now that you've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles.

What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste and adding new taste to your dishes?

Well, you see lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself. And yes, that's what you've been wasting.

But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it on top of your dishes, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier.

It's also good that lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body.

So place your lemon in your freezer, and then grate it on your meal every day. It is a key to make your foods tastier and you get to live healthier and longer! That's the lemon secret!

s not affect healthy cells.

LEMON MOUSSE

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

1 container (12.3ounces) silken tofu

¼-cup agave nectar

1-cup lemon curd

Blenderize all ingredients until smooth.  Place mousse in a parfait glass or in a gelatin mold.  Refrigerate until set, and then serve.

LEMON CURD

3 lemons juice and zest

2-cups water

2-tablespoons agar flakes

1-cup nut, rice, or soy milk

½-cup agave nectar

3-tablespoons arrowroot powder

optional:  pinch of turmeric for color

In a glass bowl zap the water and agar flakes for 5 minutes, stir, and repeat until flakes are dissolved.

In a pan whisk together the milk, arrowroot, and turmeric until it starts to thicken.  Add the lemon, zest, agave, and whisk together.

Whisk the two together.  Cool in the refrigerator until it sets. 

Use on scones, toast, on top of a cheese less cake, or in a mousse.  

APPLEBUTTER

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3 lbs.  of apples makes about 3cups

Peel apples. 

Grate.

Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.   

Zap for 3 minutes and stir.  Repeat until the apples are thick and 

APPLESAUCE

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3 lbs.  of apples makes about 4 cups

Peel apples. 

Grate.

Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.   

Zap for 3 minutes and stir.  Repeat until the desired consistency.  

EASY FAST OATMEAL

Top oatmeal with applesauce.

Time, Money, and Energy Saver:  Don’t buy the individual serving size; buy oatmeal in bulk and save money.  Make a large batch and reheat individual servings.  Using the microwave to zap the oatmeal cuts down on time and energy.  It also prevents the oatmeal from being scorched or burned on the stovetop.   

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Yield: individual serving

1/3-cup oatmeal

2/3-cup water

1/8-teaspoon salt (optional)

optional: sweetener of choice ( agave nectar, maple syrup, stevia), add cinnamon, raisin, dry fruit, or fresh fruit

In a serving bowl, mix the oatmeal, water, and salt together.  Zap for 2 minutes, stir and repeat for 1 minute.  The oatmeal becomes creamy with the repeat zapping and stirring.  Add more water if needed. 

This is one serving, but you can make any amount by using the ratio of 1:2, oatmeal to water, but always use a large glass or ceramic bowl.  Oatmeal rises as it is cooked.

GINGER SQUARES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Yield: 3-dozen cookies

1/2-cup canola or coconut oil

½-cup agave nectar

¼-cup molasses

3-tablespoons fresh grated ginger or 1½-teaspoons dry ground ginger

2 ½-cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1-teaspoon baking soda

½-teaspoon salt

optional: 1-teaspoon cinnamon, 1-teaspoon allspice, raisins

In a standing mixing bowl, mix together the agave, molasses and ginger. 

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry to the wet and mix until uniform.   

Use rolling pin guides to get a uniform 1/4-inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper.  Remove the top parchment and cut the dough into 2-inch squares.  Place the parchment paper with the cookies onto the baking pan.

Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 7 minutes or until lightly golden.  Bake longer if coconut oil is used. 

.   

CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIES

(GLUTEN FREE)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6-dozen cookies

1-cup water

1/3-cup ground flaxseed

1-cup canola or coconut oil

1/2-cup agave nectar

2 1/2-cups oat flour

2-cups coconut flour

1-teaspoon baking powder

1-teaspoon baking soda

1-cups vegan chocolate chips

optional: 1-teaspoon cinnamon or ½-nutmeg

In a standing mixing bowl, mix together the water, flaxseed, oil, and agave. 

In another bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, and baking soda.

Add the dry to the wet and mix until uniform. 

Roll the dough into a large rectangle 1-inch thick in a plastic freezer bag.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes. 

Cut into 2-inch squares. 

Place on a parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

GREEN SPLIT PEA SOUP

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

1 to 3-tablespoons oil

1-cup celery stalks and leaves, chopped

1-cup onion, chopped

1-cup grated carrot

3-bay leaves

6-cups water

1 vegan bullion

3-cups split peas

salt and pepper to taste

In a pressure cooker, heat oil over medium heat.  Sauté celery, onion, and carrots until soft.  Add the bay leaves, water, bullion, and stir.  Stir in the split peas. 

Bring up to pressure.  Lower heat and let cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for ½-hour.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and serve.  

CAULIFLOWER BRAISED

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: serves four

This is one of my favorite cooking methods.  It brings out the subtle and special flavor cauliflower.

1 bunch cauliflower

1-tablespoon olive oil

¼-cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Cut the cauliflower in half.  Cut out the core.  Cut into same size flowerets. 

Heat pan, warm oil, and then using a spatula keep the cauliflower moving until lightly coated with the oil and heated evenly.  Add the water and cover for about 10-minuets.  The cauliflower should be cooked but still firm. 

COOKIE-NUT SHORTIES WITH VARIATIONS

Oil a 9-inch square pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 32 cookies

½- cup oil (canola or coconut)

½-cup agave nectar

¼-teaspoon salt

2-cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1½-cups coconut, unsweetened

In a standing mixing bowl, mix together the oil and agave.

In another bow, whisk together the flour, coconut, and salt. 

Add the dry to the wet.  Mix until uniform.

Press the dough in a parchment lined 9-inch-square pan with a spoon.  Cut into 32 equal parts before baking. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.  Cool and cut again. The cookies should cut apart easily. 

This is a very forgiving creative recipe. 

AUGUST COMMENTS

Comment:  I want to write a comment.  I love your cooking, but I don't know how to leave a message. 

Response:  You have to join Google and sign in with a password so that the site can be monitored.  It's free and easy once you do it. 

 Comment:  Thanks Beige. I appreciate your input. I love your blog and the recipes. I am trying, but I have not given up meat. Chicken and all pork and poultry are out of my diet, but I have not given up the meat. I am diabetic and have not done enough study.

Maggie

Response:  Thanks for your kind comments.  May I put them in my August comments on my blog?  Do you have any requests or concerns?  Is there any way I may assist you on your road to health?  

Suggestion:  Start with a meatless Monday.  Explore need recipes or veggies that are meat free.  Go to an ethnic restaurant for a meat-free and cook free day.  Most cultures have fantastic meatless tradition recipes.

 Here's what I like:

Mexican-bean burrito, tostada salad,

Indian- aloo gobi, bartha, biryani rice, chick peas, daal, nann, samosas

Greek=falafel, lemon potatoes, Greek Salad

Italian- pasta marinara, salad

Veggie restaurant- all kinds of things

American- Ask what veggie options they have?  You can make a meal out of the sides.  

I was walking downtown past a bar that serves food.  The manager invited us to try their food.  As I walked by, I said, "Do you have any vegan options?"  I do this all over the world.  To my surprise almost everything they make with meat they make with a new product called, Gardein (Garden Protein).  I took friends their and they got out their phones to snap a shot of me with a pulled pork (fake) sandwich.  

Whenever I travel, I check out the vegan restaurants in that city on the site below.  You will be amazed at the many available choices. 

Go to: http://www.happycow.net

CHOCOLATE PECAN COCONUT COOKIES

This is more of an involved cookie.  Break up the work by making the dough and filling one day.  Thaw for 15 minutes on the next day, assemble, and bake.  

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3-dozen small cookies or 1½-dozen large cookies

Chocolate Dough

¾-cup agave nectar

½-cup canola or coconut oil

1/3-cup ground flaxseed

1/3-cup cocoa powder

1-teaspoon baking soda

2-cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1-3-teaspoons water

In a standing mixing bowl mix together the agave, oil, and flaxseed.

In another bowl, whisk together the cocoa, baking soda, and flour. 

Add the dry to wet and mix until uniform.  

Place the dough in two plastic bags and roll each to 1/4-inch thick.  Freeze for 10 minutes. 

Pecan Coconut Cream cheese Filling

3/4 cups pecans

1-cup coconut

1/3-cup agave

3-tablespoons arrowroot powder

Smash pecans in a plastic bag with a heavy object like a can. 

Mix all the ingredients together.

Place in a plastic bag and roll 1/2-inch thick. 

Place in freezer for 10minutes.

Cut the chocolate dough into 2-inch squares. 

Cut the filling into 1-inch squares. 

Place the filling between two chocolate squares and pinch the edges closed. 

 Place on parchment covered baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.  If coconut oil is used, it takes longer to bake. 

ALMOND BISCOTTI

Oil a baking sheet

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3-dozen

1/2-cup coconut oil

1/2-cup agave nectar

1-teaspoon almond extract

1/4-teaspoon salt

1/2-cup ground flaxseed

1/1/2-cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1-cup coconut or almond flour

1/2-cup almonds, sliced

Slice almonds. 

In the standing mixing bowl mix together the coconut oil, agave, flaxseed, almond extract, salt, and flaxseed. 

In another bowl whisk together flour, baking, the coconut or almond flour, and almonds. 

Add the dry to the wet. Mix until uniform. 

Pat or roll out dough into a two 8-inch long rectangle 1-inches high. 

Bake biscotti on an oiled baking sheet at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from pan and let biscotti cool for 5 minutes. 

On a cutting board cut the cookies on the diagonal into ½-inch pieces with a serrated knife. 

Place cut side down on a baking sheet. 

Bake biscotti again for 15 minutes more or until golden brown.