Banana Buckwheat Pancakes

Buckwheat is actually a seed (like quinoa), and is very nutritious. I have been trying to work it into more recipes because I like to change up the grains in our diet and aim for a lot of variety. So far, I have liked the ground flour in pancakes, but have read you can also get buckwheat groats and serve them as a side like you would rice.

Banana Buckwheat Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups soy milk
2 tsp vinegar (apple cider or white)

3/4 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
dash of cinnamon

1 ripe banana, mashed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix the soy milk and the vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside to let curdle and thicken. This mimics buttermilk in recipes.

Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. This is the buckwheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda (make sure there are no clumps), salt, sugar, and cinnamon.

In another measuring cup or small bowl, mash the banana. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry which are the banana, soured soy milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix until combined (a few clumps are okay), and let the batter rest while your frying pan or griddle heats up.

Heat non-stick pan or griddle over medium high heat. Spray pan with cooking spray, and then spoon batter 1/4 cup at a time into the pan. Cook until the top is covered with bubbles that are starting to pop and hold the circle shape, and then flip and cook for another minute more, until cooked through.

Serve with your favorite pancake toppings. Sliced banana, syrup and a few nuts are awesome!

This makes 10 5" pancakes. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 82 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 145 Calories from Fat 47

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.2g 8%

Saturated Fat 1.0g 5%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 266mg 11%

Potassium 207mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 21.6g 7%

Dietary Fiber 1.8g 7%

Sugars 5.9g

Protein 3.6g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 4% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Sunbutter Bites

My recipes are heavily influenced by what I ate growing up in the 70s and 80s. This was a time when convenience foods were becoming more and more common, but my Mom still preferred to cook from scratch. She thought it was a healthier and cheaper way to feed our family of seven. One recipe I remember snacking on was peanut butter candy. It was a mixture of peanut butter, powdered milk and syrup that was rolled into a log and refrigerated.

We loved this stuff as kids, but I am no longer into the dry milk, and my son is allergic to peanuts. So this recipe needed a make-over for our family. I subbed protein powder for the dry milk and Sunbutter for the peanut butter. I also incorporated some fun add-ins like raisins and chocolate chips. The resulting bites provide energy and some added protein. Yay! I don't know if I should call these a candy, energy bar substitute, or what....they both kind of describe them, so I went with bites. Either way, they are really good.

Sunbutter Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup Sunbutter (or your favorite nut butter)
1/2 cup protein powder
1/2 - 3/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp chocolate chips
2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds

Directions:

Put the Sunbutter, protein powder, 1/2 cup of the maple syrup, salt, and cocoa powder in a bowl or food processor and mix well. You want to start with 1/2 cup maple syrup and add a little more if you need to in order to help mix. This creates a nice thick dough, you could even mix it with your hands. It is like a really thick cookie dough. Once it is all combined, roll rounded teaspoons of the mixture into little balls and then top with the raisins, chocolate chips and sunflower seeds if you would like.

I used a vanilla plant based protein powder from Whole Foods, that is comparable to this Vega brand:



Product prices and availability are accurate as of Sunday, July 17, 2016 and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

For 35 bites. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 19 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 81 Calories from Fat 38

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.2g 7%

Saturated Fat 1.1g 5%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 8mg 3%

Sodium 45mg 2%

Potassium 100mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 7.5g 2%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 3%

Sugars 5.4g

Protein 4.5g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Seitan in Saffron Sauce with Spaghetti

I thought of this dish after making saffron and zucchini risotto a couple weeks ago. I loved the flavor and color of the saffron, and found myself daydreaming about what else I could do with this wonderful seasoning. I wanted to make a saffron sauce with a hint of lemon and use it to flavor seitan, and then at the last minute I decided to put it all over pasta. It was so good, and I fell in love with this dish. I can't wait to share it and can't wait to make it again. It is so satisfying to have a rich and creamy vegan pasta dish :-)

Seitan in Saffron Sauce with Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta

1 tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 onion, diced small

8 oz seitan, diced or cut into small bite sized pieces

1 tbsp flour
Juice of 1 lemon (1-2 tbsp)
1/4 tsp saffron
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Put on the water for the pasta and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and reserve.

Melt the margarine in a non-stick frying pan and add the diced onion to the pan. Sauté until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes or so. Then add the diced seitan and continue to stir until the seitan is heated through.

Then add a tbsp of flour and stir to coat the seitan. Lower the heat and add the lemon juice, saffron, nutritional yeast and soy milk and simmer until thickened over low heat. Serve over the pasta.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 235 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  338 Calories from Fat  48

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  5.3g 8%

Saturated Fat  1.1g 6%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  41mg 14%

Sodium  662mg 28%

Potassium  252mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates  37.6g 13%

Dietary Fiber  2.4g 10%

Sugars  2.8g

Protein  31.1g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 4% Calcium 3% • Iron 16%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Farro Waldorf Salad

This is a yummy summer salad that my husband came up with. He thought it would be great to have that fresh waldorf salad flavor with some added whole grain to make it more of a meal than a side dish. The tart and sweet flavors of this salad worked perfectly with the hearty farro and we were very happy with the results.

Farro Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup farro
3 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil

1 granny smith apple, cored and diced (I like to leave the peel on)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 stalk celery, washed and diced
1/4 cup raisins

1 tsp agave
1/3 cup vegan mayo (I am a fan of Vegenaise)
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Put the farro in a saucepan and cover with 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. It should be firm and chewy when done, but not crunchy at all. Drain off any excess water and let the farro cool. Toss the cooked farro with the tbsp of olive oil. This coats the grain so it doesn't absorb all of the dressing.

While your farro is cooking, dice the apple and toss it with the 2 tsp of lemon juice. Add the diced celery and raisins and toss with the farro. Dress with the agave and mayo and then add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, top with the chopped walnuts.

For 6 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 219 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 319 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17.0g 26%

Saturated Fat 1.2g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 86mg 4%

Potassium 236mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates 36.7g 12%

Dietary Fiber 6.9g 28%

Sugars 7.9g

Protein 6.1g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 6% Calcium 2% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Brown Rice Risotto with Saffron and Zucchini

Last winter, my family fell in love with vegan risotto. Now that I am getting the first vegetables from my garden, I knew I wanted to make a summer version of this rich and savory rice dish. It turned out great; rich and creamy with fresh zucchini and lemon to balance it out.

Brown Rice Risotto with Saffron and Zucchini

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegan margarine
1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cups short grain brown rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp saffron

1 cup dry white wine (I used cooking sherry)

10-12 cups vegetable broth (I prefer Better than Bouillon brand)

2 cups diced zucchini (1 small)
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt (if needed - taste first)
lemon zest (for serving)

Directions:

Heat the margarine and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the rice, garlic and saffron and sauté for 5 minutes more.

Then, deglaze the pan with the wine and let it evaporate almost completely while stirring occasionally.

Heat the vegetable broth in another soup pan and bring it to a low boil. Add the broth one cup at a time, while stirring the rice frequently. This step takes awhile. You keep adding broth and stirring to slowly bring out the starch in the rice, which creates the creaminess of this dish. After 10 or so cups of broth, taste the rice for doneness. You want it to be fully cooked, but still a little al dente. When the rice is cooked through, add the zucchini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt (if needed, this will depend on the saltiness of the broth you used).

Serve with lemon zest sprinkled on top.

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

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 426 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  307 Calories from Fat  71

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  7.9g 12%

Saturated Fat  1.5g 8%

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  1144mg 48%

Potassium  597mg 17%

Total Carbohydrates  41.7g 14%

Dietary Fiber  3.0g 12%

Sugars  1.9g

Protein  11.9g

Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 11% Calcium 4% • Iron 14%

Nutrition Grade B-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Ginger Berry Summer Slushy

Here we are right in the middle of summer, and it has been hot in Colorado. These slushy drinks that we have been loving lately are the perfect summer afternoon drink. This favor combination came together because of a radio spot that talked about the benefits of drinking shots of ginger juice. I love ginger, but straight ginger juice has quite a kick so I decided to mix the ginger with berries for a delicious frozen drink. This recipe works best with a high powered blender that can blend ice cubes.

Ginger Berry Summer Slushy

Ingredients:

1 cup crushed ice
1 cup mixed frozen berries (I like equal parts blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries)
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 piece fresh ginger a slice about the size of your fingernail is good 1/4 - 1/2 inch long piece
3/4 cup water

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend. You can stop and scrape down the sides if necessary or add a bit more water to help it blend if needed. Taste and add a little more sweetener or ginger if you like and blend again.

For one serving. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 341 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  150 Calories from Fat  5

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  0.6g 1%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  7mg 0%

Potassium  217mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates  35.6g 12%

Dietary Fiber  5.3g 21%

Sugars  27.3g

Protein  1.2g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 50% Calcium 3% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet