Recipes

Anna’s Savory Sausage Cassoulet

1 lb. spicy Italian Sausage

EVOO

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. carrots, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

15 oz. stewed tomatoes- no salt added

1c. good red wine

Freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. fresh sage

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1 15-oz, can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Sprinkle bread crumbs

1.  Brown sausage in evoo; transfer to a plate and reserve.

2.  Lower heat- add onion and garlic and cook until translucent.

3.  Add red wine, bay leaf, sage, parsley, and pepper- bring to a boil.

4.  Add carrots, peppers, and chickpeas.  Lower heat; cover, allow to cook until carrots are soft (20-30 minutes)

5.  When just about done, add sausage back on top and sprinkle with breaad crumbs, cover and allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes.

This Lazy Girl Quiche- because seriously, as long as it involves melted cheese, it can’t taste bad!

Spray a round dish with olive oil spray, then dust it with bread crumbs (I used Italian style for extra flavor).

In a bowl, mix:

1 egg, 3 egg whites

1/4c. rice milk

1c. grated cheese (we had a medium cheddar lying around, so that is what I used)

1c. cooked and shredded spaghetti squash

salt and pepper to taste

Pour mixture into baking dish- I garnished with green onion and mushrooms.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown.

Savor the cheesiness.

 

Anna’s Deadly Guinness Cheesecake

2 8oz. blocks Neufchatel cheese

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

6 oz. Guinness Dark Stout

2/3c. white sugar

2 T. flour

Place ingredients in food processor.  Process.  Pour in graham cracker crust, and baked at 350 for around 45 minutes, or until the cake is still a little wobbly on the inside but stable on the outside.  Allow to cool completely.  Drizzle with melted chocolate.  Fall into a fat/sugar coma. 

Healthy Winter Turkey Chili- Delicious, so your gentlemen friends will love it, and figure-friendly, so you will love it!

Brown up 1.3 lbs of ground turkey in a pot with evoo, diced onions, and celebery, and

Season with s and p and chili powder

When the meat is brown, add 2 cans of no-salt added tomatoes, 1 can of no-salt added black beans

Season with everything! – cinnamon, cilantro, chili powder, red pepper, cajun seasoning, ketchup (!), and red pepper flakes.  I let it it

Simmer for about 40 minutes, and I recommend serving with brown rice.  FABULOUS!

Pasta with Sweet Onions and Goat Cheese- Pure Comfort Food

First, I “grilled” (broiled) a whole, thinly sliced onion -that was sprayed with a little evoo spray andrubbed with salt and an Italian herb mix- until the onions were charred at the sides.  Then, I heated up <1 tsp. evoo, and dropped the onions in, turning down the heat way down so they would soften and sweat.  While I did this, I put my water on to boil and prepared a serving (2 oz.) of whole wheat penne. 

Then I added lemon juice (1.5 tbsp.), tons of minced garlic (perhaps 1.5 cloves), and a swirl of agave.  I let the onions absorb all these flavors and cooked the mixture for about 4 more minutes.  Then, I added the  drained and perfectly al dente penne to the pan, and then added about 1 oz. goat cheese, and a little sprinkle of nutritional yeast.  Then I salted and (cracked red) peppered to taste.

This was amazing!  Grilling the onions kept them from being too sweet and retained a hearty flavor, the goat cheese perfectly cut the lemon, the red pepper added a little kick, and the agave rounded the dish out perfectly.  This was so comforting and tasty!

The Most Amazing Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bran Muffins

1 box Hodgson Mill bran muffin mix,

1/2 a 15 oz. container of pumpkin

1/4 c. soy milk

1/2 c. vegan chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together.  Put in muffin cups.  Bake according to directions on table.  Savor each gooey bite.  Repeat.

 

Low Fat Goddess Dressing!

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. toasted sesame oil

2.5 T. sesame tahini

3 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. mustard

2 t. chopped garlic

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1.5 t. agave

1 t. marjaram (dried)

1 T. reduced sodium soy sauce

12 oz. silken tofu

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients but tofu together in a bowl.  Place tofu in food processor and add liquid mixture. Mix until smooth, then add water (maybe 1/3-1/2 c.) to get desired consistency, and mix again until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  This makes about 4 cups of dressing and is awesome!

Overnight Oatmeal

I put 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, and 2 T. water in a bowl the night before.

In the morning, I add 1 T. flax, 2 T. vanilla soy yogurt, cinnamon, and a sliced banana.  To die for! 

 

Sesame Noodles (this is adapted from Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Meals Classics book, but with a few new seasonings and different proportions of ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 lb. thin whole wheat spaghetti (Ronzoni seems to have very few additivies and is cheap!)

1/4c. tahini

1/4c. toasted sesame oil

1/4c. soy sauce

2 T. agave nectar

1 T. almond, cashew, or peanut butter

Crushed red pepper to taste

2 green onions, sliced thin

1/2 c. shredded carrots

Toasted flax seeds, fot garnish

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions and al dente.  Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients excluding the last 3 (veggies and flax).  Combine this mixture (the dressing) with the pasta  in a large serving bowl.  Add in veggies and mix.  Garnish with flax seeds.  Refrigerate until serving.  It is best to prepare this several hours (or the day before) serving- the flavors get better as time goes by.  Enjoy!

 

Homemade Hummus- Serve with everything, eat incessantly

1 can chickpeas (15 oz) rinsed

2 T. sesame tahini

2 T. lemon juice

2 t. minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in your Cuisinart, and voila.  Try adding variables- red peppers, green olives, mustard, hot sauce, capers, avocado, etc!

 

Vegan Brownies

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

1 c. water

1 c. oil (ew, I know, but makes them so moist!)

1.5 t. good vanilla extract

1/2 c. vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa in a large bowl.  Add water, oil and vanilla and mix until traces of powder are gone.  Fold in chocolate chips and pour into a greased 9×13 baking pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes to desired “doneness.”  I sprinkled coconut on half and left the other half plain.  Enjoy this rich treat with friends and family!