Summer Tomato Bruschetta





Serve this on crostini, pasta, salad, pizza or just eat with a spoon.  It's always delicious! 

Printer Friendly





Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil (preferably a higher quality)
1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered (remove some seeds if desired)
1 small handful basil leaves, cut into thin strips

Method

In a large bowl whisk olive oil, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes and basil, give a quick stir and voila.  Fresh tomato bruschetta!



Frozen Chocolate Coconut Banana Bites

These make a tasty little treat that's perfect for satifying a sweet craving without going over board.

Ingredients

Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Splash of almond milk
Sliced banana, frozen (1-2 hours)
Unsweetened coconut


Method

Place chocolate in a small bowl with a tiny bit of almond milk and microwave 20-30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Add more almond milk if needed. 

Place some coconut in a small dish.  Dip your sliced bananas in the chocolate and then coconut.  Then place chocolate side up on a parchment lined plate or baking sheet.  Freeze an hour and then eat!  Transfer any leftover to tupperwear to keep in the freezer.

ChocoBanana Protein Smoothie

It's Hemp History Week (June 4-10) so why not enjoy a smoothie with hemp protein!  Hemp contains easily digestible protein, fiber, and Omega-3.  I love the hemp seeds on salad or oatmeal but decided to give the protein powder a shot (I bought the Nutiva brand).  It's definitely got an earthy flavor but in this smoothie that is masked by the banana, cocoa, and peanut butter.  Try slicing the banana and freezing for an hour to make the smoothie thicker.  It's not only delicious but quite filling.  I'll definitely be trying this is different smoothies.

Printer Friendly

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond milk

1 banana, sliced

1 Tbsp hemp protein

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp peanut butter

crushed ice (optional)

Method

Add all the ingredients to a blender and and blend until smooth.  Add ice for a more frozen consistency.

Tempeh Bacon

Vegan BLT with Avocado

So maybe this doesn't taste exactly bacon but it sure is a lot close than you would expect.  I am now pretty obsessed with tempeh bacon.  It makes a fantasic vegetarian and vegan B.L.T.

Printer Friendly

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1-2 Tbsp. water
1/2 package tempeh, thinly sliced (the thinner the crispier they'll be)

Oil for brushing

Method

To make the marinade, whisk all the ingredients, except tempeh, in a small bowl. Give it taste and make any adjustments.  Now gently dip each slice of tempeh in the marinade.  Lay in a shallow dish and pour or the remaining marinade over top.  Refrigerate for at least an hour (if you can do it overnight they will be even more tasty).

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay tempeh slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (this worked much better than directly on a greased baking sheet).  For extra crispness: mix a little oil with the left over marinade and brush on the slices.  You can also skip the oil and just brush the marinade.  Bake 8-10 minutes, flip over and brush again.  Bake another 8-10 minutes, or until crispy and browned.

Perfect Pancakes Done Vegan and Healthy

I have a lot of favorite breakfast foods but I think pancakes might be my all time fave.  It's taken some time and tinkering, along with a whole lot of pancake eating, to get my recipe just right.  Not only are they vegan, but also healthier using whole wheat flour and no oil!  It was worth the wait!

Some tips from my successes and failures with pancakes:

DO sift the dry ingredients.  It makes them lighter, less chewy.

  For the flour I typically use whole wheat pastry flour and sometimes sub in 1/3 cup oat flour (optional).

DO mix your wet ingredients thoroughly before combining with dry. This helps with the following...

Do NOT over mix your batter. DO let it sit at least 10 minutes. It's hard to wait, I know, but the the batter must rest.

DO heat your skillet.  10 minutes over low heat is ideal.  So VERY IMPORTANT!

Cook over medium-heat, no higher.  They will burn too fast.

If adding any fruit, add on pancakes JUST BEFORE flipping.  Adding too soon can weigh down,

you want those delicate pancakes to rise and be light in texture.

DON'T overcrowd the pan.  Leave plenty of space around the pancakes.

Printer Friendly

Makes 4-6 pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup almond or soy milk

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

Method

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl (you can use a mesh strainer to do this).  Add the rest of the ingredients to another bowl and whisk or stir to thoroughly combined.  Add the the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just mixed.  Do not over mix.  Let batter sit at least 10 minutes.  If it's too thick after standing you can a tablespoon or two of milk.

Now make sure to heat your skillet (cast iron works well) over low-medium heat for a few minutes.  To test, drop a little water on it and if it sizzles.  Spray with cooking spray and turn heat up just a bite to medium.  Pour a small amount of batter into into skillet to form pancakes.  Don't overcrowd.  Cook about 3-4 minutes until small bubbles begin to form.  If adding any fruit, add now then flip and cook about 3 minutes longer.

Favorite Variations:

Banana Nut: Add a pinch or 2 of cinnamon to the dry ingredients.  Add thinly sliced banana to pancakes before flipping.  Top with syrup and walnuts or pecans.

Maple Cinnamon: Add a some maple syrup and sprinkle of cinnamon to a small dish and microwave about 10-15 seconds, drizzle over cooked pancakes before serving.

Blueberry or Strawberry: Heat fresh or frozen blueberries or strawberries, optional: stir in a little jam (any berry flavor).  Pour over pancakes.

Just Peachy: Heat fresh or frozen diced peaches, stir in a pinch of each cinnamon and brown sugar.  Pour on pancakes and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Blueberry topped pancakes