Mexican Sushi

Here's a nice little party item that plates up well and tastes amazing. We call this Mexican Sushi because we roll it like sushi and rice is involved!

 
Ingredients:

• Spanish Rice (Near East) 
• Lavash Bread (Trader Joes) 
• Fat-Free Refried Beans
• Roasted Red Pepper  (jar)
• Orange Bell Peppers
• Fat Free Nayonaise (Nasoya)
• Lime 
• Tomato Paste 
• Spice blend (chipotle / ancho / garam masala / smokey paprika / rosemary / sea salt / sugar)
• Micro Greens 
• Lettuce (Romaine or Leaf or a blend)
• Cilantro
• Tomatoes

Directions:
Start the Spanish Rice mix, 2 cups of water to a boil, add rice and spices NO OIL! (simmer until the water is gone 20mins est) While the rice is cooking, cut your orange pepper into small strips & start the sauce in the blender or food processor.  Blend well.

Spicy Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Nayonaise Fat-free mayo
• 1/2 lime, TBS of fresh cilantro
• 4 Tablespoons roasted red pepper from a jar
• spice blend - You can use a mex spice, but just anything with chili powder and paprika will do! *I like to get creative and add rosemerry & Garam Masala to kick it up. 

Cut the lavash bread in half. Use a sushi mat covered in plastic wrap. Cover the lavash in a THIN layer of refried beans with the back of a spoon, don't miss anything because this is the glue! On top of the bean mix add your Spanish rice leaving the last 1/2" clear. On top of the rice strategically break and lay the lettuce like paper over the rice. Add two strips of cut orange bell pepper all the way across in the middle. Sprinkle micro greens and add a generous pour of the special sauce down the center.

Wrap like sushi!   We picked up this sushi mat from Sur La Table for $8.95

Fold over once to get all the fillings in place and give it a final roll so the 1/2" with just the bean dip overlaps and secures the roll in place. You want this roll TIGHT so it stays together and holds in all the fillings. If not you'll need to use a toothpick to hold it together.

 Cut in diagonal strips with flat bottoms to plate nicely.

Our Shopping List:

Trader Joes:
Micro Greens $2.29
Whole Wheat Lavosh Bread $1.99
Orange Bell Pepper $1.29
Fresh Cilantro $.99
Fresh Lime $.20

Whole Foods:
Fresh fire roasted Salsa $3.39
365 Refried Beans $.89
Italian lettuce bag $1.99
Cherry Tomatoes $2.99
Spanish Rice Mix $2.49
Roasted Red Peppers $2.69
Fat Free Naoynaise $4.39

Total: $25.59 for 24+ rolls.
*to cut cost everything can be purchased at Trader Joes besides Naoynaise. 

Healthy Vegan Outdoor Diner Party With Panache!

When having vegans, non-vegans & healthy vegans all over for a diner party the pressure is on to impress!  We went right to our front line of potato tacos, butternut squash quesadillas & pea guacamole (recipe below), Tangy Lime Slaw along with an assortment of oil-free chips & salsas.

Add a bit of outdoor serving wear & place-mats from CB2 and a bit of presentation turns a bowl full of frozen mashed up peas into deliciousness!  

No Fat Quick Pea Guacamole;

• 1 cup of frozen peas, (let them defrost a little bit)
• Trader Joes Pico De gallo

Drain the water out of the Pico De Gallo and mix about a 1/4 of the contain in a food processor with the frozen peas, just pulse it a few times until its blended.

Then add large chunks of the pico de gallo into it with a spoon to give it some added texture & color.  

Jesse Miner's Tangy Lime Cole Slaw
Crunchy and colorful cabbage slaw combined with a tangy lime dressing provides a fresh and bright accompaniment to a winter meal. Serves 8.
1/2 green cabbage, cored and finely shredded
1/4 red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
2 carrots, peeled and finely shredded
12 ounces silken tofu
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 limes, zested and juiced  (we used 2)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon agave nectar
3 cloves garlic
water, as needed
Toss the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
Combine remaining in a blender and process until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water to thin to desired consistency.
Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss well.

Awesomer Blossom - Fat Free Onion Rings!!

In life there exists a single menu item that can instantly make you ONE POUND heavier for LIFE.  Its the Awesome Blossom at Chili's
Chili's Awesome Blossom
2,710 calories
203 g fat
194 g carbs
6,360 mg sodium

"It takes a special talent to turn a single oversized onion into the fat equivalent of 67 slices of bacon, but the line cooks at Chili's manage this horrific feat with the help of a thick batter, a calorie-loaded dipping sauce, and a vat of bubbling fat." -Men's Health


So The Healthy Vegan's aren't ones to take on a challenge of making the worst possible item on the planet healthy.  And here you have it, thanks to my awesome vegan Mom for coming up with these healthy onion rings and sharing them with us & the world.

 INGREDIENTS:

• ONION

• FAT FREE NASOYA NAYONAISE

• PANKO BREADCRUMBS

• Parchment Paper

 HOW TO:

Mix equal parts water and Nayonaise.  Peel and slice onion.

Dip onion slices in the Nayonaise mixture then roll in panko breadcrumbs. Place on parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 450c. Cook for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and crispy!

Velvety Carrot Soup...Jazzy Vegetarian style :)

 

My good friend Becky gifted me this pretty amazing signed cookbook by The Jazzy Vegetarian.

The recipes are very simple with few ingredients and fortunately most of them are low fat / oil free!!  I promised Becky the first thing in the cookbook I would make was the Rigatoni with Lettuce Sauce but Lex wouldn't have anything to do with it..haha!!  I know the thought of "Lettuce Sauce" sounds gross but I was actually excited to try it, minus the oil of course:) 

 VELVETY CARROT SOUP INGREDIENTS

• 5 large carrots, peeled & coarsely chopped
• 3 med white potatoes, peeled & coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 C unsweetened nondairy milk
• 1 1/2 C Veggie broth (don't use low sodium, made my too bland)
• 1 TSP Brown Sugar
• 1 TSP Italian Seasonings
• 1/2 TSP reduced sodium tamari
• Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 TBP chopped fresh parley, garnish

 Steam the carrots and potatoes until soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add the nondairy milk, broth, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, and tamari and stir to combine.

Put half the mixture in a blender and process until smooth.  Pour into a soup pot.  Repeat with remaining mixture, then stir the two batches together.  Put the pot over medium-low heat and simmer, stirring often until heated through, about 10 minutes, adding more broth and nondariy milk if needed.

 Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with parsley, if desired.

The Toast of Raviolli Town

Toasted Ravioli is a tradition in St. Louis, it usually involves a deep fryer and plenty of cheese filling. We gave this sacred STL dish a healthy makeover that keeps true to the crispy goodness.

Try Ian's Panko Breadcrumb for extra crispy raviolis

Rising Moon and Whole Foods both make vegan low fat raviolis

Preheat oven to 450. Boil these according to the directions and remove from the water. Drop into bread crumbs, coating both sides. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until browned (about 5 to 7 minutes) or until ravioli puffs. Enjoy with your favorite pasta sauce!

Vegan Tea Party!!!

 HEALTHY VEGAN TEA PARTY!!

My mother and I wanted to treat her friend Janine to a tea party, so we had three bite sized delicious snacks. Butternut squash quesadilla, white bean and cucumber sandwiches and pumpkin scones.  The conversation ranged from local affairs to the savory flavors on the table.  Just goes to show with a little extra preparation and effort you can entice the palate of a any non-vegan to an enjoyable healthy snack!    

Oil Free Pumpkin Scones, Butternut Squash Quesadilla, & Basil White Bean Cucumber Sandwiches

FAT FREE PUMPKIN SCONES 

• 1 3/4 Cup -WW Pastry Flour
• 1/4 Cup- Sugar
• 1 TSP - Baking Powder
• 1/4 TSP- Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 TSP- Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 Bannana
• 1 Cup- Pumpkin Puree 

-In a large mixing bowl,  add dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin spice).

-Cut in banana, adding a bit at a time until mixed then add pumpkin and combine well..DON'T OVER MIX!

-Put dough on a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times, pushing it into a large circle, a few inches thick.

-Use a cookie cutter to cut the petite scones.

 -Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar

-Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.

BASIL WHITE BEAN & CUCUMBER TEA SANDWICHES 

• 1 Can -White Beans
• 3 leaves-Basil
• 1/8 TSP - Liquid Smoke to taste
• 1/2 TSP- Paprika 
  
• 1/2 - Fresh Lemon Juice 
• 1/4 TSP- Sea Salt

-Mix ingredient in a food processor, use water to attain desired consistency.
-Spread White Bean mixture on top of toasted bread.
-On top add a cucumber, diced grape tomatoes.
-Sprinkle dried basil and dill on top.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH QUESADILLA  

• 1 OR 2 BAGS -Frozen Butternut Squash Cubes
• 4-6- Sliced Grape tomatoes
• 1 TSP - Ground Cumin
• 1 TSP - Paprika 
• 1/8 - 1/4 TSP- Liquid Smoke -to taste
  
• To Taste- Crush Red Chili Pepper

Put the frozen cubes in a nonstick pan on med-low heat.

As they heat up karate chop them with a nylon spatula until they are mush.

Fold in the spices (play with the amounts) and liquid smoke.  Use about half a cap of the liquid smoke, but no more than a capful.

Once the spices are well mixed set aside and heat up both sides of a tortilla and spoon in enough to cover half and toss a few tomatoes on top.

Fold over and crisp on each side.

Cut them up and serve with salsa and have a party!  

  Our Vegan Tea Party was so easy and such a success we are doing it again next Sunday!!! 

NASOYA NAYONAISE GIVEAWAY!! - Spinach Artichoke Dip

When's the last time you had creamy spinach artichoke dip?..before you were vegan lol:)

 

 Spinach Artichoke Dip inspired by Nasoya

Gotta luv 365 Everyday Value @ Whole Foods

•   1 12-oz. pkg. Nasoya light silken tofu
•   2 Tbs. Nayonaise® Fat Free 
•   1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
•   1 Tbs. lemon juice
•   2 cloves garlic, minced
•   1/2 tsp. onion powder   
•   1 15.5-oz. can artichoke quarters in water,  drained, rinsed, chopped
•   1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
•   1/2C. Eden Navy Beans **
•   Pinch of nutritional yeast and Paprika

** Was going to use Vegan Parmesan Cheese but after reading Lex's label lies post ..NO WAY!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Purée tofu, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, beans, nutritional yeast and onion powder in blender or food processor until smooth
2. Transfer to bowl.
3. Stir artichokes, spinach into tofu mixture.
4. Spoon into 8-inch glass pie dish or casserole.
5. Bake 20 minutes. Dust with paprika; serve with 365 Baked Woven Wheat

 

Bruschetta sans oil!

The trick to a good bruschetta is starting out with good bread!  We are addicted to good sourdough.  Sourdough is made with lactobacillus, which is a bacteria that is present in our guts, instead of yeast.

1 loaf (you can make pizza boats like we did or do it on individual slices)

-white beans mashed with italian seasoning and fresh basil  (use like cheese)

-fat free whole foods pasta sauce

-tri colored peppers

-peppercinis

-artichokes

-grape tomatos

-crushed red pepper

You might want to scoop the bread out a little bit, but bake at 360 for 20 minutes or until it gets crisp.

Quick Low Fat Vegan Finger Foods

We've been having a lot of guests over lately as we've settled back into stationary life.  As good hosts we do our best to have a few snacks and drinks (beer) on hand, especially if we're hiking people through the steep hills of the neighborhood.  Kudos to J,H&J for being the only ones to complete Phase II of the tour!

Since discovering that Whole Foods 365 Organic Wheat Wafers (think triscuits) are wonderful (ingredients Whole Wheat and Salt, that's it)  We've been pairing them with the Health Starts Here White Bean Salad.  Kristin has even been making her own version of the White Bean Salad, which is just White Beans, Dijon Dressing, Fresh Basil, Spinach, Oregano, Grape Tomatoes, Paprika (sometimes persian cucumbers & dill).  We've yet to have people over with any of these left standing on the plate.

Another fun and fast treat we can slap together is just simply cutting up some Health Starts Here Cookies and Brownies.  (remember these things are just wheat, applesauce & coco powder).  Adding fresh fruit on top, especially Raspberries if they are in season, really makes people forget they are healthy cookies.

Wash them down with Gus's Grow-up Sodas and you've got a party.  Gus's sodas are lightly sweetened and only 95 Calories (you'll burn that on one hill here).