Carrot Ginger Mashed potatoes

This recipe was posted by Aspen Lodge, 6120 Highway 7 Estes Park, Colorado 80517, which now has a new chef, Chef Will, and a new organic menu.  These have a different flavor, and are good and good for you! Thanks Aspen Lodge, for sharing your recipes!



Carrot Ginger Mashed Potatoes

3 Organic Potatoes
2 Cups Organic Carrots
1 Tablespoon of Fresh Organic
Ginger
2 Ounces of Butter (I just used a small amount of Earth Balance)

 

Peel the potatoes and cut the carrots into large chunks. Boil together the potatoes, carrots and ginger. After the water comes to a boil and the potatoes are soft, strain. Save ¼ cup of the juice and add back to the potatoes, carrots and ginger. Add butter with salt and pepper to taste. Mash together, and serve as your favorite side!

Healthy Dinner - NOT!

So my husband, who is not vegan, in fact, he's a strickly meat and potatoes kind of guy, comes home from the grocery store, very proud of his "healthy" dinner - says right on the label FujiSan -  "a trend to Healthy Eating".  Just for kicks, I checked out the ingredient list:

Rice: Water, rice, vinegar, sugar, salt)
Imitation Crabmeat: (fish Protien, pollock, and/or whiting, water, wheat starch, sugar, egg whites, modified food starch, sorbitol, aspartame, natural and artifical flavors, sodium tripolyphosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, maltodextrin, hydrolized soy protein, wheat flour, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, soybean oil, carmine, soy lecithin, color added, avocado, carrots, seaweed, mayonaise, oleoresin, brown sugar, sesame seeds, Yellow 5, Blue 1, EDTA, soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, monoglycerides, sodium lactate, sodium diacetate, sodium bisulfite (preservative) sodium metabisulfite.... tired of reading this label, but the rest are more like the above and phenylketonurics, phenylalanine.

I see a couple of ingredients that might be construed as healthy, this is far from it! Now granted it might be a step above a 20 oz T-Bone with a loaded baked potato, but would probably be cheaper to just pour the salt shaker and sugar bowl down his throat!  Not to mention all those preservatives I can't even pronounce.  I sat there quietly eating my salad (pictured in the very back, organic fresh herb salad) watching him consume the entire pack of preservatives and sodium, while reading this!  By the time he was done, I didn't have the nerve to tell him what he just ate (not sure he would care as much as I did anyway!)

Guess it just irritates me when something is packaged as "healthy" and is really not.  Not too many people have the time to try and read the fine print at the grocery store, they only see what's bold on the front of the package. 

A nice little snack!

I don't usually brag about processed food, and rarely purchase it, but I really like this product for a snack or dessert since it has a sweetness and crunch to it which we all need sometimes! It's made by Bakery on Main. This one is cranberry orange cashew granola, all diary free, gluten and wheat free non GMO certified.

Curried Butternut Squash and Veggie Soup

Curried Butternut squash and Veggie soup

Lunch today (Thurs. Feb. 21), perfect for a snowy day-although the sun's out now!  Smells wonderful cooking and tastes so delicious!!  Pam

Curried Butternut Squash and Veggie Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced

3 stalks celery, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut in small cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
4 cups vegetable broth (or water) - I use water and vegetable cube
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot heat oil over medium-high heat, add celery and onions and saute for 5 minutes, until  translucent. Add minced garlic and ginger and saute for another minute until fragrant. Add curry powder stirring together until onions are evenly coated. Stir in squash, potatoes  and carrots and once mixed, add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes or until squash and carrots are tender.
Remove from heat and allow soup to cool.
Once cool, either:

 

blend in a food processor or blender until smooth, then reheat.

 

or use a immersion blender while still hot.  I like a little bit of chunks left in my soup, and this works perfectly!!  This is my favorite method!! ( Love my immersion blender, had it for 20 years or more, and still works great!)

 

After serving in bowl, I top with a few french onions or seasoned wonton strips.

 

Yummy cake in a mug

This cake is so goo and moist! I made it for Kevin's birthday today in about five minutes!


Dark chocolate Mug Cake

Prep time: 0:05
Total time: 0:07
Categories: Dessert


Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1T dark chocolate cocoa powder
• Dash salt
•
• 2T oil (I've used grape seed and canola,
• Probably olive oil would work too)
• 3 T water
•


Directions

Stir dry ingredients together in mug and add wet til moistened. Microwave on high 1 min 40 sec. Let sit 1 min. Sprinkle with powder sugar if desired

Breakfast smoothie

Have you had your breakfast smoothie today? I try to have a healthy smoothie at least three mornings a week, each a different color. Here's this morning's recipe:

One half frozen banana
Five organic strawberries
One cup of unsweetened almond milk
One scoop of vegan protein powder
1 tablespoon almond butter
Five ice cubes

Blend until thoroughly mixed. I have a nutribullet that my kids got me for Christmas that I love for smoothies!

Refried bean Soup

I have decided to only publish recipes that I have tried and liked.  I  have received some negative feedback on a couple of recipes I published without trying, so there might not be as many on a daily basis, but they will have been tested by at least this cook!!  Won't really matter since I have a very small following anyway!!  I would still love any recipes you have tried and liked, as long as they are plant based and healthy!


This soup would be pretty quick to whip up if you have some rice frozen, or already prepared, but even so, was ready in an hour.  Its so yummy and filling, and perfect for a cold winter's night! 

Refried Bean Soup

1/2 large organic onion
1 T organic grapeseed oil
1/2 cup finely chopped organic celery
1 32 oz container of organic veggie broth
3 small organic red potatoes, diced finely
1 cup rinsed organic rice - I used a gourmet blend of whole grain brown rice, but I think any wild rice or nutty rice would be great

Brown the onion and celery a large pot and add the remainer of ingredients above.  Cook for the recommended time for the rice and potatoes are tender ( mine was 40 minutes)

Add the following:

1 can (yep, I'm actually using a can but if you want to make your own refried beans, be my guest!)
fat-free organic refried beans (if you have the spicy variety that would work great!)
1 cup water
1/8 t.  (or more depending on taste) cayenne pepper
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Just warm on stove for a few minutes and VOILA! its ready!

Top off with green onion slices; or avacado if desired.

pasta with garlic sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups uncooked medium seashell pasta (about 6 ounces)

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

 

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add crushed garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, chickpeas, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. While garlic mixture simmers, cook pasta in boiling water 9 minutes, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
3. Place chickpea mixture in a food processor, and process until smooth. Combine chickpea mixture, pasta, tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh parsley, and lemon juice; toss well.  Serve immediately.

crackers

Multi-Seed Crackers

• ½ cup Unbleached All purpose flour
• ½ cup Barley flour
• ½ tsp Baking powder
• ¼ tsp + 1/8 tsp Sea salt
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Poppy seeds
• ½ tsp Caraway seeds
• 1/8 tsp Onion powder
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp Water

-Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

-In a medium bowl, mix together the first 8 ingredients. Add oil and water and mix well until it forms and nice dough. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.

-Very lightly flour your work space and roll out your dough to 1/8 thickness. Use a small cookie cutter (I used a 1 ½ inch circle) and cut your desired shapes.

-Place on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes until edges are golden brown

Raspberry bars

Print

Raspberry Almond Bars (Grain-free, Dairy-free)

Author: Detoxinista.com

Featuring protein-rich almond flour and metabolism-boosting coconut oil, these treats are something you can feel good about serving to your loved ones. Sweet and tart homemade raspberry sauce pairs perfectly with this buttery crumb topping, creating a moist and crumbly bar that’s truly hard to resist.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 cups almond flour or almond meal
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Filling:

• 10 oz. bag of frozen raspberries
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Prepare the raspberry filling by heating the ½ cup maple syrup in a 1½-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring the maple syrup to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the frozen raspberries and vanilla extract, and bring to a simmer again, allowing the mixture to cook for 15 minutes, until thick. (Do not cook for longer than 15 minutes, or the pectin will break down and the sauce will not thicken properly.) Remove from the heat, and transfer to a glass jar to chill in the fridge while you prepare the crust.
3. For the crust, preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with parchment paper, to prevent sticking. Combine all of the crust ingredients in a food processor, and process until the dough sticks together. Press the dough into the bottom of the baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
4. Prepare the crumbly topping by combining the walnuts, coconut, maple syrup, coconut oil, sea salt and almond extract in a food processor, and process until sticky and crumbly, but still coarse in texture.
5. Arrange the bars by spreading the raspberry filling over the crust, then spreading the crumbly topping over the raspberry layer. Return to the oven for 15 minutes at 350F, or until the topping is lightly golden.
6. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. For best shelf life, store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to a week.