Creamy Broccoli & Spicy Veggie Rice.

I've been out of town this summer and have found myself creating meals from basic foods-because I am running low on funds and not in my own properly stocked kitchen. Two days into my summer vacation I stocked up on whole grains (pasta, rice) and a lot of frozen veggies. This meal proves that as long as you have a basic whole grain, fiber and some sort of seasoning-you can make an excellent tasting meal for yourself while you're away from home.

Rice:

1/2 cup whole wheat (brown) rice. I'm a fan of Uncle Ben-because he's super easy. I NEVER add the salt or "butter" to the rice..there's totally no need for it.

1- 1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup frozen veggies

"Middle Eastern Spice" (I found this in the Beau's cupboard-it's a mixture of curry, turmeric and cordiner.)

Black Pepper

Montreal Steak Spice *it's vegan-shut up! Not just for steaks!*

Bring to a boil and let simmer covered on medium-low heat, stir every now and then. About 5 minutes into the simmer process, add 2 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce.

Creamy Broccoli

1-2 cups frozen broccoli

2 generous tbsp of organic peanut butter

3-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce * If you've got BRAGGS-use it in replacement of the soy sauce and add according to taste*

3-4 tbsp orange juice

garlic powder to taste

While the broccoli is being steamed, combine the remaining ingredients into a saucepan on medium heat, starting with the peanut butter. Add steamed broccoli and toss to coat!

Easy 3 a.m. Veg Muffins

I am the first to scoff at muffin mix from a box. It's true, I much prefer to do any kind of baking from scratch and encourage people to dirty their hands and create from raw ingredients. However, my friend is not of the same mentality. The man likes his muffins, and he can pop them out "fuss free" when the mix comes from a bag. 3am, a few mornings ago the baking bug nibbled away at our insides! With our pre-packaged muffin mix in tow, we set out to bake.

Most mixes (pancakes,cookies,muffins,cakes) are already vegan-it's the eggs you are instructed to add that makes the muffins non-veg. Easy solution: add 1tbsp of unsweetned applesauce for every one egg the box requires. For a personal twist, I threw in some oatmeal and crunchy cereal. The nice thing about these mixes is that they are mostly fool-proof!

So have fun and add in some nuts,dried fruit or morphine. ..Kidding about the morphine. Just make sure to READ the label on your mix to make sure the dry ingredients are AOK.

My veg muffins are in the blue silicon tray! FDA approved silicon cookware is a blessing! Easy to clean, less likely to burn the bottom of your baked goods AND you use a LOT less fat in your baking because you do not have to coat the pan with oil before you bake. I run a little grapeseed oil through just incase-but it is not a must. I use a silicon pan for my loafs and they come out perfect everytime!

NomNom!

Pumpkin Seed Milk

Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) are full of magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, iron, copper, protein, zinc, protein , Vit B and unsaturated fatty acids.

It is recommended that vegans eat at least one tablespoon of raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds a day to get their needed dose of all these nutrients. Pumpkin seeds are also an immunity-boosting food and aid in the reduction of cholesterol.

I have never entertained the idea of pumpkin seed milk before, until last Friday when I met a wonderful and very knowledgeable vegetarian woman who does a lot of vegan baking. She told me that her kids (who are now in their teens) LOVE this milk because it's green. She also told me she uses it in her baking, and that it is fantastic to use when making pancakes. Although I haven't tried using it any baking yet (although I have full intentions of one day making a batch of gooey oatmeal cookies and using this milk in them!) I DID make a smoothie with it this morning and YUMMMY. Nuts, in general are really good for having a lot of protein in them..and wowie am I ever full. I took her basic recipe and added some almond extract-yum-yum!

Pumpkin Seed Milk

What You'll Need:

1 cup organic,raw and unsalted pumpkin seeds.

2 cups water
1 cup apple juice
1/2-1/4 tsp almond extract

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until it's smooth and creamy.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Everything Zen Salad with "Honey" Mustard Dressing.

There are some nights when we come home from work or school and our daily demands are not yet done. I whipped this sucker up in no time flat, on a Tuesday night when I had hardly enough time to get dressed and head out the door before my 7:30pm yoga class-and my tummy was demanding to be fed THAT MOMENT.

This salad is quick and easy to prepare, it is by no means "gourmet" for you food snots out there-but dang it tastes GOOD. You can use whatever dressing you can think of, but I was in a hurry and flipping through my cookbooks when I stumbled upon Dreena Burton's (eat,drink & be vegan pg 81)recipe for "Honey" Mustard Dressing. I'll include the recipe for that in this post, as I had never tried to before until this salad and must report that it is very tasty-and I made a few of my own alterations, so my posted version will be that of my change.

Everything Zen Salad

What You'll Need:
1 veggie pattie (I used PC Blue Menue Bean&Lentil pattie. Yummy and full of protein!)

3-4 roman lettuce leaves
Zen Veggies: onions, red peppers, yellow peppers, carrots. (Look for this mixture in the frozen foods section of your grocery store!)

Handful of mushrooms

Prepare your Zen Veggies! For me, this meant that I stuck them in the microwave for three minutes while I let my veggie pattie cook. Prepare your veggie pattie. I fried mine up in a teaspoon of Earth Balance until it was cooked. Do I need to tell you to wash your lettuce and make sure your mushrooms aren't covered in cack? Add Zen mixture to lettuce, crumble veggie pattie and top with mushrooms.

" Honey" Mustard Dressing

What You'll Need:

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp Agave Nectar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

dash of sea salt

1 clove of garlic
4 tbsp light olive oil

Stick all of the ingredients starting first with the garlic clove and minus the olive oil in your food processor (or in my case, my Magic Bullet! LOVE that thing) Blend, and then add in your oil, blend some more.

How Do You Morning? Ready-When-You-Are Berry Oatmeal.

Breakfast. Yes, we all know how important a good sturdy breakfast is upon awakening. Our first meal of the day can set the entire tone of how our bodies will feel and flourish. A lot of our mornings are wasted on the SNOOZE button, as we rush to brush our teeth, get into some clean panties and head out the door. I dare you to try this quick and easy recipe-it is one that I make the time to enjoy almost every busy weekday morning. Don’t forget to add your favorite tea to the mix. Give yourself the ten minutes it will take to prepare, consume and enjoy this tasty filling way to start your day!

What You’ll Need:
1 package plain oatmeal
½ cup frozen mixed berries

½ cup-1 cup soy milk
1 tbsp agave nectar

Directions:

In this order add oatmeal, mixed berries, soy milk-give is a wee stir and drizzle your agave nectar on top. Microwave for 3 minutes. Eat, enjoy and feel nourished!