Blueberry Banana Bran Muffins...delicious!

These muffins are my new breakfast obsession!  I love knowing that they are waiting for me when I wake up in the morning.  With oat bran, flaxseed, blueberries and a little hemp milk, they have everything I need to feel great all morning.  Flax and hemp seeds both have lots of Omega-3's, which are great for your heart and brain.  This recipe also calls for bananas, molasses and agave, leaving out the sugar completely.  We like to cut them in half, toast them and add a little Earth Balance.  These muffins are sweet, moist and delicious!   I hope you have a chance to try them out! 

Ingredients:

1 heaping cup oat bran

1 cup whole wheat flour or whole grain spelt flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

4 med overripe bananas (preferably previously frozen)

2 heaping TBSP flaxseed meal

2 TBSP canola oil

1 TBSP molasses
1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Agave Nectar

1/4 cup Hemp Milk (or other alternative milk)

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.) Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl (include flaxseed)

3.) Mix dry ingredients together

4.) Mix wet and dry ingredients together until just combined

5.) Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin and bake for 17-20min. or until the tops are golden

**This recipe makes 6 large muffins, or 12 medium + 12 mini muffins

 Today's Ingredients:

Organic Whole Grain Spelt Flour - Marlene's (or PCC or Whole Foods)

Organic Oat Bran - Marlene's (or PCC or Whole Foods)

Tempt Hemp Milk - Marlene's

Wholesome Organic Molasses - Marlene's

Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal - Costco

Organic Agave Nectar - Costco

Organic Bananas - Trader Joe's

Spring Resolutions

Ready or not, Spring 2011 is about to begin!  In Seattle,we will soon have at least a couple days a week when it is accepteble to go outside, put on sunglasses (or even sunscreen??), and notice how beautiful and green everything is.  Today was almost one of those days, and it reminded me of what I am so looking forward to.  It also brought some clarity to my thoughts and goals and made me realize that I have gotten a bit off-track.  Last week I only ran twice 'because it was so rainy' and although I promised not to make MORE cookies, I found a way around it and made peanut butter balls AND vegan banana brownies instead.  Whenever my food and exercise start slipping away, I find myself slipping away with them.  So...what better than a nice long run on a semi-springy day to put it all back in perspective!  I love my runs because I get so much think-time, and here's what I thought about today:

Spring 2011 Resolutions:

1. I will run at least 4 days a week, no excuses (nope, not even rain or snow)

2. I will focus my passion for food on delicious fruit and veggie recipes (hopefully inspired by the farmer's market)

That's it!  Keep it simple, right?  So to kick things off, here's a delicious and crazy-simple recipe that I make several times a week:

Crispy Oven-Fried Broccoli

Ingredients:

Broccoli Florettes
Olive Oil
*optional: Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

Directions:

1. Cut broccoli florettes into bite-sized pieces and put into a bowl

2. Drizzle olive oil into the bowl and mix with a spoon until the broccoli is lightly coated

3. Pour some bread crumbs into the bowl and stir with a spoon until well-mixed

4. Arrange broccoli on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10min. at 400 degrees

5. Eat right off the tray!  Or enjoy with the rest of your meal.

Today's Ingredients:

Organic Broccoli Florettes - Trader Joe's 

Organic Olive Oil - Costco

Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs - usually homemeade from our Dave's bread, but also available at Marlenes, PCC or Whole Foods

Great Northern Lentil Chili

This wasn't a recipe that I was planning to share as I quickly threw the ingredients into a pot this week. I left the soup simmering and took my little guy for a walk, and when we stepped back into the house, the smell was amazing!  We had this for dinner with the Maple Cornbread Muffins I posted last month and it hit the spot! The lentils gave this chili just the hearty texture that it needed, and we topped it off with some avocado, tortilla chips and cilantro.  My husband even requested that we have it again!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. dry lentils, rinsed
4 cans organic Great Northern beans, drained
1 carton vegetable broth (I prefer Trader Joe's for this recipe because it doesn't have much tomato in it)
1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 (4.5oz) cans chopped green chiles

1 cup organic corn kernels

Toppings:

corn tortilla chips

diced avocado

chopped cilantro

splash of lime juice

Directions:

1.) Saute onion in hot oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat until soft
2.) Add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes
3.) In a blender or food processer, puree one can of beans together with a splash of broth
3.) Stir in the puree and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for at least an hour before serving

4.) Enjoy!

Brown Rice California Rolls...yum!

There's not much I enjoy more than sharing delicious food with the people I love.  It often seems that people view 'vegan' (...or 'almost') as some kind of deprived lifestyle, but I actually view it as quite the opposite.  Not only do I eat insanely yummy food everyday, I feel great in about a million different ways because of it!  Honestly, it feels amazing, which is why I love to share my ideas and recipes with you!

Bringing something when I go to a party is so much fun, because I get to show off delicious, healthy food.  These cute little rolls are made with short-grain, brown rice, tahini, avocado and more.  Although I didn't add any wild shrimp or crab, I'm sure that addition would be tasty.  They are also gluten-free and just all-around fun to eat!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup organic short grain brown rice (dry)

1/4 cup tahini

1/2 ripe avocado

1/2 organic cucumber

1/2 cup shredded carrots

2 organic nori sheets

some sesame seeds

1 tsp dry wasabi powder

Shoyu or gluten-free tamari

seasoned rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Cook the rice in your rice cooker according to the package directions.  When the rice is cooked, add another cup of water and cook it again.  This will make it nice and sticky!

2. Cut the avocado and cucumber into long, thin slices.

3. Put cooked rice into a glass or wooden mixing bowl and add some rice vinegar and shoyu to taste (I think I used around 2 TBSP vinegar and 2 tsp. shoyu).

4. Put a sheet of nori, shiny side down, onto your cutting board or bamboo mat.

5. Add a layer of rice to the nori. Make sure your rice is not wet so that the nori stays in-tact.  Press the rice until you have a layer 1/4-1/8in. thick.  Leave about 1/2 inch of nori showing at one end. (if the rice is too sticky, you can get your fingers a little wet).

6. Spread a thin layer of tahini onto the rice, then add avocado slices, cucumber and carrots.

7. Carefully hold ingredients in as you roll the nori.  Use a little water to seal it at the end.

8.  With a sharp knife, slice your roll and dip each piece in a bowl of sesame seeds.

9. Mix up some wasabi and tamari and they're ready to eat!

 

 ...and now for the photo shoot! I just couldn't stop taking pictures!

  

 

Today's Ingredients:

Lundberg's Organic Short Grain Brown Rice - Costco

Avocado - Costco

Organic Nori Sheets - Marlene's

Shoyu or Gluten-Free Tamari - Marlene's

Tahini - Marlene's

Bunny Love organic shredded carrots - Fred Meyer

Organic Cucumber - Trader Joe's or Freddy's

Seasoned Rice Vinegar - Trader Joe's