Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Makes 4 servings, ¾ cup each

Ingredients
• 8 cups bite-size cauliflower florets (about 1 head)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• 1/3 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tip)
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Snipped fresh chives for garnish

Directions

1. Place cauliflower florets and garlic in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover and steam until very tender, 12 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, place florets and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup water, cover and microwave on High for 3 to 5 minutes.)

2. Place the cooked cauliflower and garlic in a food processor. Add buttermilk, 2 teaspoons oil, butter, salt and pepper; pulse several times, then process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garnish with chives, if desired. Serve hot.

Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 107
Protein: 5 g
Carbohydrate: 10 g
Fat: 7 g
Fiber:4 g
Sodium: 399 mg
Potassium: 288 mg
Phosphorus:  NA

recipe source: wwww.eatingwell.com

Five Minute, No-Bake Sunflower Oat Bars

Makes 10-12 bars

2 1/2 cups rolled or quick oats (substitute gluten free oats if needed)
1 cup sunflower seeds (raw or toasted)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup carob chips (or cacao nibs)
2/3 cup nut or seed butter of choice
1/2 – 2/3 cup agave nectar or brown rice syrup (adjust based on how well things stick together)

1) Mix oats, sunflower seeds, raisins, and carob chips in a large bowl.

2) Whisk together nut butter and agave. Pour into oat mixture, and mix well, till everything is sticky and combined. If it’s too dry, add a bit more agave.

3) Press mixture into a shallow baking dish that you’ve lined with foil or saran wrap. Cover with more foil/saran, press well into the baking dish, and refrigerate for 4 hours. Cut into bar shapes, wrap, and keep refridgerated till ready to use. They ought to last two weeks at least.

OR:

4) After mixing wet ingredients with dry, crumble mixture into bite sized pieces and bake at 375 degrees for about forty minutes, or until crispy and brown.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 381
Protein: 8 g
Carbohydrate: 50 g
Fat: 19 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sodium: 31 mg
Potassium: 239 mg
Phosphorus: 126 mg

from: http://www.choosingraw.com/hurry-up-vegan-five-minute-no-bake-sunflower-oat-bars/

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad with Cumin Dressing

Serves 4

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
Dash salt
1/2 large cucumber, diced neatly
1 small bell pepper, diced neatly
1 can black beans
10-15 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For the vinaigrette:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Cook quinoa in salted water till tender and fluffy (use a rice cooker or the package instructions).

2) Add chopped vegetables and herbs.

3) Whisk dressing ingredients. Add about 1/4-1/3 cup dressing to the salad, and serve.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 247
Protein: 7 g
Carbohydrate: 34 g
Fat: 10 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sodium: 24 mg
Potassium: 443 mg
Phosphorus: 219 mg

from: http://www.choosingraw.com/recipes/entrees/black-bean-and-quinoa-salad-with-quick-cumin-dressing/

EDAMAME WITH STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES

Simple – Serves 6
For a video of cooking this recipe go to www.feedinghealth.com

INGREDIENTS:
Olive oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 T
Cumin seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 t
Garlic chopped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 cloves
Jalapeño pepper sliced in half. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .one-half
Corn kernels fresh (or frozen). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1••• Cups
Turmeric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .••• t
Salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .to taste or ••• t
Edamame thawed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Cup
Zucchini diced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Cups
Sweet red bell pepper diced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Cup
Cilantro with tender stems chopped. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Cup
Lemon juiced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .one-half

DIRECTIONS:
1. Assemble and prepare all ingredients.
2. Add jalapeño, salt and turmeric to the corn and set it aside.
3. Heat on medium-high heat a 2 to 3 quart skillet or pan. Add cumin seeds.
4. When the seeds begin to change color add oil and garlic, turn heat to medium.
5. Fry the garlic for a minute, then add corn with combined ingredients. Stir and cook covered for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Stir and add edamame, zucchini and red pepper. Stir and cook covered for 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Before serving add chopped cilantro and fresh lemon juice, stirring to mix all the ingredients.
8. Serve the vegetables over rice, quinoa or millet as part of a meal. Enjoy leftovers for lunch in a pita pocket.

Nutrients per Serving
Calories: 112
Protein: 5g
Carbohydrate: 12 g
Fat: 6 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sodium: 97 mg
Potassium: 385 mg
Phosphorus: 93 mg

VARIATIONS & OPTIONS
• Eliminate jalapeño if you prefer it without the heat of the pepper. Substitute cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper or mild paprika for the jalapeño.
• Substitute chopped onion for garlic.
• Substitute either basil or parsley for cilantro.
• The recipe calls for 6 ½ cups of vegetables, so you can substitute a variety of vegetable combinations.
• Substitute 1-cup sprouts for 1-cup zucchini. • Substitute canned beans for edamame.


From cookbook: Blending Science with Spices by Gita Patel

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup honey (or substitute maple syrup)
• ¼ cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. In a large bowl, stir together three cups of old-fashioned rolled oats, three tablespoons brown sugar, a quarter teaspoon kosher salt, and a half teaspoon cinnamon.

2. In another bowl, stir together one-third cup honey, a quarter cup canola oil, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Dump this over the oat mixture and combine thoroughly. Get your hands in it to mix everything well, and to coat the oats evenly with the honey mixture. Heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet and place on the center rack of the heated oven. Bake, stirring after 15 minutes, until the granola is a very light golden brown. It should take 20 to 30 minutes. If you like your granola crunchier with a toastier flavor, bake it a little longer, keeping a close eye on it—if it gets dark it will taste burnt.

4. Cool the granola completely, stirring it around so it doesn’t stick together. (It hardens as it cools.)

5. Once the granola’s cool, get creative: Now is the time to stir in all your extras like dried fruit, raw or toasted nuts and seeds, toasted coconut, etc. Store in an airtight container (this is very important—the granola goes stale easily) and eat within two weeks.

Nutrients per serving (about 6 servings)
Calories: 255
Protein: 3 g
Carbohydrate: 39 g
Fat: 11 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 61 mg
Potassium: 94 mg
Phosphorus: 91 mg

Mix It Up!
• Try adding in other rolled grain flakes with the oats such as spelt, kamut, or brown rice.
• Tropical: Add toasted coconut, macadamia nuts, and dried mango.
• Apple-Cinnamon: Add dried apples and toasted almonds to the mix, and additional cinnamon if you want.
• Date-Nut: Add dried dates and toasted pecans.
• Berry: Add dried mixed berries and toasted cashews.
• Experiment! Use other dried fruits (apricots, plums, raisins, cherries, currants) and toasted or raw nut-seed combos (sunflower seeds, mixed nuts, pistachios) and whatever spices you want.

Fettuccini Alfredo - Non dairy

1 cup raw cashews
2 tb raw pine nuts
1 ½ cups water
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/16 tsp g nutmeg
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
4 cups cooked fettuccine(or other pasta made from allowable grain)
3 tb freshly minced parsley



In blender grind cashews and pine nuts to a fine powder. Ad water, lemon juice, garlic, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until completely smooth.

Transfer sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk as you bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes, whisking regularly. Stir in black pepper.

Serve over hot pasta and garnish with parsley and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Per serving: (approx 4 servings)
Calories: 440
Protein: 14 g
Carbohydrate: 54 g
Fat: 19 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sodium: 12 mg
Potassium: 325 mg
Phosphorus: 281 mg

HOMEMADE HUMMUS

• 1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced (if allowed, other seasonings like cumin, dill, paprika, cayenne would be good)
• 1 - 2 tbsp tahini (it's made out of ground up sesame seeds)
• Juice from 1/3 of a lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender for a few minutes, or until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Serve in a bowl with fresh vegetables and sliced pita bread.
Fit's Tips: This is a basic recipe, so play around with it - add your own special ingredients like grated carrots or artichoke hearts.

Nutrients per serving: (about 8 servings)

Calories: 102

Protein: 3 g
Carbohydrate: 11 g
Fat: 5 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 138 mg
Potassium: 95 mg
Phosphorus: 62 mg