Mocha Chia Overnight Oats

I love overnight oats, and I start to crave them around this time every year. I guess my tastes naturally lighten up in response to the warmer spring weather. These oats are easy to prep the night before and grab in the morning. All the magic happens as it sits overnight in the fridge. Easy peasy and good for you, too!

Mocha Chia Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup soy milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp instant coffee granules (you could also use strong coffee in place of some of the milk)
2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 pinch of salt

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a jar or tupperware, cover, and let sit overnight in the fridge. IN the morning, give it a stir and enjoy chilled straight from the jar.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 257 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  331 Calories from Fat  79

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  8.8g 14%

Saturated Fat  1.1g 6%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  250mg 10%

Potassium  331mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates  49.9g 17%

Dietary Fiber  10.9g 44%

Sugars  13.2g

Protein  13.5g

Vitamin A 8% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 45% • Iron 24%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Classic Potato Salad

My mother in law makes the best potato salad I have ever had. Whenever she makes it, people rave about it and beg for the recipe. Her secret is the dill pickles she adds. The pickles provide a cool and salty crunch, which my husband loves. Since becoming vegan, I have worked on perfecting an animal free version of her classic potato salad. My husband loves this version now, too and I love that it is egg and dairy free - but still has those pickles.

Classic Potato Salad

Ingredients:

6 russet potatoes

1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

3 stalks of celery
2 dill pickles

1/2 cup vegenaise or other vegan mayo
2 tsp yellow mustard

Directions:

Fill a large pan with water and set to boil. Wash and peel the potatoes and then cut them into bite sized pieces. Boil the potatoes until they have softened up and can be pierced with a fork. Don't over cook them, though, you don't want them to fall apart in your salad.

Drain the potatoes well and transfer them into a mixing bowl. Coat the potatoes with the lemon juice and olive oil. I learned this trick from my Fannie Farmer Cookbook. It coats the potatoes so they don't absorb all of the dressing. Add some salt and pepper and let the potatoes cool. I love old-timey cookbooks like that and read them for inspiration... and enjoy the challenge to veganize classic recipes.

Dice the celery and the pickles into small pieces and add them to the potatoes. Finally, combine the vegenaise and the mustard and fold the celery, pickle, and dressing into the potatoes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Chill the salad before serving.

For 6 servings
Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 273 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  309 Calories from Fat  149

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  16.6g 25%

Saturated Fat  1.4g 7%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  415mg 17%

Potassium  903mg 26%

Total Carbohydrates  34.4g 11%

Dietary Fiber  5.6g 22%

Sugars  2.9g

Protein  3.8g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 75% Calcium 2% • Iron 7%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Minestrone

I used to eat Campbell's minestrone as a kid, and I remember I would eat all the carrots, then all the peas, then the pasta, etc. I would take my time fishing out each ingredient one by one. I guess this made me happy, but I am now much happier with this grown up version of this classic Italian soup.

Minestrone

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced

1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery (with leaves), diced
3/4 cup chopped cabbage

1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of dried thyme
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

14 oz can diced tomato
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained
6 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups medium shells or other small pasta
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and let it begin to soften, and then add in the minced garlic. Cook for another minute and then add the carrot, celery, celery leaves, and cabbage. Let the vegetables begin to soften for about 5 minutes or so, then add in the seasonings (basil, oregano, pepper, thyme, and nutritional yeast). Then add the diced tomato and their juice, the drained cannellinni beans, and the six cups of vegetable broth. Bring this to a boil and then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, stir in the peas and serve.

You can also cook the pasta separately according to package directions to ensure they don't get too soft in the soup and add the cooked pasta as you serve the soup.

For 8 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 331 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  171 Calories from Fat  23

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  2.6g 4%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  675mg 28%

Potassium  338mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates  25.0g 8%

Dietary Fiber  5.0g 20%

Sugars  3.5g

Protein  10.4g

Vitamin A 38% • Vitamin C 8% Calcium 3% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade A-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Vegan Sunbutter Cookies

When my son was just a year old, he was diagnosed with severe food allergies. He is allergic to eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. His reactions are severe and we carry an Epi-pen wherever we go. Some kids grow out of their food allergies as they get older, but we are not counting on that as we have seen no signs of that happening. The last time he was tested I asked if he might be growing out of any of them but his allergist told me "he is as allergic as we can measure so, no".

I feel for my son when he can't have the foods that others are having, but I enjoy the challenge of trying to make a "safe" version of whatever it is he wants to try. Over the past eleven years my skills as a cook have really improved as I have experimented, researched and pushed myself to try new things and figure out a way to make delicious foods that are safe for him...and happily vegan for me.

My husband loves peanut butter cookies so I have been working on a vegan nut-free cookie for awhile to replace this childhood favorite. Earlier versions were too crumbly, too oily or just didn't have the right flavor. Finally, this recipe hit everything it needed to: soft and chewy with a nutty flavor. They are an excellent cookie in their own right and a great substitution for a peanut butter cookie.

I adapted this recipe from Betty Crocker's Peanut Butter Cookie recipe.

Vegan Sunbutter Cookies

Ingredients.

1 tbsp ground flax seeds
3 tbsp water

1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup natural sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Sunbutter
1 & 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the ground flaxseeds with 3 tbsp of water, stir to combine, and set aside to let thicken.

Beat the margarine, coconut oil, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until it is light and fluffy. Add the flax seed and water mixture and Sunbutter and stir to combine. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and fold it into the Sunbutter mixture.  Mix just until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet and place twelve rounded scoops of the dough onto it. Press each cookie lightly with a fork to create the criss-cross pattern across the cookies. Bake for 9-10 minutes and let cool.

Makes 12 cookies
Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 52 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  244 Calories from Fat  126

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  14.0g 21%

Saturated Fat  5.3g 26%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  263mg 11%

Potassium  50mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates  26.5g 9%

Dietary Fiber  1.8g 7%

Sugars  14.9g

Protein  3.8g

Vitamin A 3% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% • Iron 7%

Nutrition Grade D-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Black Lentil and Quinoa Salad with Vinaigrette

I love using lentils in salads. They are full of fiber, protein and when paired with quinoa make a very nutritious meal. I have just recently discovered black lentils. They are much smaller than other lentils, which is a fun change.

Black Lentil and Quinoa Salad with Vinaigrette 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup black lentils
1 bay leaf
water to cover

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water

1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
2 carrots, grated
1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried parsley
3 tbsp capers

Directions:

Put the lentils in a saucepan with the bay leaf and water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Check the lentils at about halfway through cooking and add more water if necessary. Check them again at around 30 minutes to see if they are done. Once the lentils are tender, drain off any extra water and set them aside to cool.

While the lentils are going, cook the quinoa by bringing it to boil with the cup of water in a saucepan.  Cover the pan and lower the heat to let the quinoa simmer for 15 minutes.

While the lentils and quinoa are cooking, prep your veggies. You want to chop the cabbage, tomato, bell pepper, red onion, and grate the carrots. Put the vegetables in a serving bowl and toss with the dressing ingredients which are the olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, and capers.

Once the lentils and quinoa are both cooked, simply add them to the veggies and toss. You can serve this chilled or at room temperature. I think it tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had some time to blend.

For 6 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 135 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  148 Calories from Fat  31

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  3.5g 5%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  147mg 6%

Potassium  373mg 11%

Total Carbohydrates  22.8g 8%

Dietary Fiber  7.1g 28%

Sugars  2.5g

Protein  6.7g

Vitamin A 76% • Vitamin C 28% Calcium 3% • Iron 12%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Herbed Biscuits

These are an easy, yet impressive side for soups and salads. Homemade biscuits are such a nice way to elevate a simple meal. I find myself making biscuits quite often as they do not require the yeast and rising time of other doughs.

Herbed Bisuits

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp flax meal (optional)
2 tbsp minced fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, sage) or 2 tsp dried mix of herbs (1/2 tsp each)

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil (vegetable oil works too...but olive oil provides deeper flavor)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. This includes the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, flax meal, and herbs.

Then add the water and olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix until it pulls together into a shaggy dough. Put the dough on a floured surface and knead for just a minute, adding more flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and drop onto and un-greased cookie sheet. Press the balls of dough down lightly to flatten into disks. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.

Serve warm alongside soup, pasta, or any other meal that the herbs would complement.

For 12 biscuits. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 43 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  129 Calories from Fat  54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  6.0g 9%

Saturated Fat  0.8g 4%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  196mg 8%

Potassium  160mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates  17.1g 6%

Dietary Fiber  0.8g 3%

Protein  2.3g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 6% • Iron 7%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet