breakfast at kelsey's

vegan waffles

If any of you have ever tried to find a good vegan pancake or waffle recipe, you know how difficult it can be.  We've tried all sorts of healthy combinations: flax seed, applesauce, whole wheat flour, oats, etc...And our pancakes or waffles always turned out as dense as concrete! Nothing like the light, fluffy ones you would think of.  As healthy as they were, it just wasn't worth it.  So finally, FINALLY, we found this simple, basic, {not-quite-so-healthy}, but much more delicious recipe for waffles! 

the recipe:

1 cup flour (I do any combination of white wheat flour,  spelt flour, buckwheat flour, or brown rice flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
berries, to taste, optional
chocolate chips, to taste, optional
1 cup nondairy milk (I use almond milk)
1/2 cup applesauce

Topping:
1/2 cup frozen berries
sugar to taste

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with berries or chocolate chips, if using. Mix the wet ingredients in a different bowl. Combine and mix until just mixed up.
2. Preheat waffle iron and spray with some nonstick oil (or wipe down with some oil). That's important cause they stuck like crazy to the iron when we made them.
3. Cook according to the waffle maker's instructions.
4. For the topping, microwave the berries and sugar until warm and mushy. I like to use this topping with some coconut oil, but I also like using agave nectar as a syrup.  

hardly-meatless sandwich

I love a good, warm sandwich, and even vegans need an easy to-go lunch or go-to dinner. My sandwiches are fancy and filling.  I call it "hardly-meatless" because once you add all the toppings, this sandwich is so thick and flavorful that you would not even want any meat!!

the recipe:

2 slices of your favorite bread (toasted)
hummus
avocado
sprouts
tomato
cucumber
mushrooms
green peppers
green onion
red onion
radishes
spinach
cilantro
salt & pepper to taste

Toast your bread, spread a generous amount of hummus and avocado, and do your best to pile up all the toppings! Seriously, I really have every single one of those ingredients on my sandwich, but I'm not going to lie, it's a challenge to balance it all! :)

manic monday

Mondays are crazy enough already, you shouldn't have to spend more than 30 minutes on dinner.

portobello lettuce wraps with pineapple chutney

1/2 cup pineapple chutney

1 lb baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 cups cooked couscous*

8 romaine lettuce leaves

Saute mushrooms in a large skillet, until soft, add the soy sauce and garlic.  Meanwhile, cook your couscous according to the instructions.  Combine mushrooms and couscous.  Spoon mixture onto a lettuce leave and top with chutney.

*Couscous is about the quickest easiest pasta to cook in the world, seriously! Boil the water, add the couscous, take off the heat, let it sit for 5 minutes, and fluff.  Done. 

pineapple chutney

This is a great condiment to have on hand, so I make the whole recipe, then use it on anything and everything until it's gone...

1/2 diced yellow onion

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and diced (or a small can of diced green chiles)

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1/2 fresh pineapple, diced (or a can of diced pineapple)

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

salt to taste

Melt a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large skillet and saute onions until tender.  Add ginger, jalepeno pepper, and cumin, and cook for another 4 minutes.  Add pineapple and remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the cilantro and salt. 

Makes 1 1/2 cups

copy cat

I really did make this for dinner tonight.  I even took pictures of it....they just didn't look anywhere as nice as the pictures on this blog, which is where I got the recipe anyways.  So, I admit, I'm a copy cat tonight.

Anywho, I have been so excited to make this meal.  It is one of my favorites! I think this was actually one of the first real vegan meals we ever tried, way back, almost a year ago, when we started changing our diet.  And once we tried this, we knew we could still to the whole vegan thing no problem! This is one vegan recipe that you will be amazed by! The cheese sauce is quick and easy, and it can replace cheese in plenty of recipes.  

Enough talking.  Enjoy!

Vegan Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

family friendly friday

meatless sloppy joes

This is a great recipe to make for a big family.  We make the whole recipe for just the two of us, then eat sloppy joes all week long.  And don't you worry about not getting enough protein! Lentils have the third-highest protein content in the legume family (after soybeans and hemp).  I promise you will be pleasantly surprised by this sweet and spicy dish.

 

the recipe:

1 lb brown lentils
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1/2 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper

Cook lentils according to instructions. Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, until mixture reaches desired thickness.  Drain lentils, and add to sauce.  Serve on toasted buns. 

tip of the day

oregano

Oregano is the "pizza herb" of southern Italy that we're all familiar with.  But, you probably didn't know how good it is for you! Oregano is high in antioxidants and in {the overlooked} vitamin K.  It is also a great source for iron, magnesium, and fiber. It can even be used to cure stomach and respiratory ailments, and will make your sore throat feel better.  So don't be dainty! 

the recipe: 

cooked carrots

Now, I know there are no measurements for this recipe, and that's because the spices are "to taste" and the rest is determined by what's in my fridge or how many people I'm feeding.  

sliced carrots

diced onion

oregano 

salt and pepper

water

Fill the bottom of a large skillet with about 1/2 inch of water, and bring to a boil.  Add carrots, onion, oregano, and salt & pepper.  Cover and simmer until carrots are tender. 

family friendly friday

build your own pizza

When I was a kid, I used to love making homemade pizza! Something about adding your own toppings makes it taste extra yummy.  And with these healthy toppings, you can go crazy!  Believe me, when your pizza is piled high with colorful veggies, you won't even notice that there's no cheese or meat...but, if you can't wrap your head around that, go ahead and sprinkle some cheese.  

the recipe:

• Flatbread (I use whole wheat)
• Pizza sauce  
• Nutritional yeast*
•  A variety of chopped veggies:

                Spinach

                Red & yellow peppers

                Mushrooms

                Artichoke hearts

                Green onion

                Crushed pineapple

                Red Onion

Preheat oven and cookie sheet to 425.  Brush flatbread with olive oil.  Spread a generous amount of pizza sauce (without any cheese, the extra sauce is nice for adding moisture).  Add toppings, sprinkle nutritional yeast, bake for 6-7 minutes, and enjoy! 

 

Tip: Scoop the left over toppings into a bowl of spinach, lettuce, or kale and you've got yourself a fancy salad as a side!

*Nutritional yeast is a good source of protein and vitamins, especially vitamin B.  It is often sold as flakes in the bulk food section, and is often used as in recipes as a cheese substitute because of its cheesy, nutty flavor.