Monday, June 30, 2014

Veggie Couscous

I have never cooked with couscous before and I have always been curious to try it. I decided to grab a small box at the local market and see what fun I could have with it making a vegan dish. I spent Sunday morning at the local farm market, buying my organic veggies for the week and looking at my bounty I chose several to add to my couscous dish. I am very aware of food contamination and I first soak my veggies in a pot full of cold water with a couple teaspoons of vinegar and then rinse them really well with fresh cold water. I never reuse the water on cut veggies. My goal is to try to keep all chemicals out of our bodies and to eat as clean as possible. I try not to support industrial farming and companies that make their billions at the expense of our health and our children's health. So back to the recipe... This was easy and very yummy and I made enough for four servings.     Use 2 servings of Couscous and prepare according to package directions replacing butter with vegan margarine or smart balance for allowed calorie vegetarian option.                             

 

Market Day June 29

I took a trip to our Rich's our neighborhood greenhouse and market to fill my weekly basket. This would be my inspiration for my weekly cooking and recipe design.


                                                                                  

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Veggie Quinoa





This is a really amazing Quinoa Dish. You can use any veggies you want. I chose my market fresh finds.
1 cup Organic Brown Quinoa
2 cups water salted with Pink Himalayan Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
0 Calorie Canola Spray
1\4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 scallions roots cut off and chopped
8 baby carrots chopped
1/2 medium zucchini cubed
2 cups chopped curly leaf spinach
1 cup low sodium vegetable juice or tomato juice
1\2 ripe organic avocado for topping
Boil water and quinoa in pot, turn down to lowest heat and cover for about 20 minutes until fluffy. While quinoa is cooking spray deep frying pan with canola oil and  sauté all vegetables except spinach until tender. Add spinach and sauté a few minutes longer. In a bowl mix quinoa, tender veggies and vegetable juice. Serve in small glass bowls and top with diced avocado. Salt and pepper to taste.




 

New Recipes all month!

I will be creating and posting new recipes all month with my market finds. The first is a Vegan Tomato Basil Soup. I had to figure out a way to make Tomato soup creamy without the use of any dairy products. I decided to use tofu and coconut water processed to a cream. For the recipe I used.

9 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup soft silken Organic Tofu
1\4 cup coconut water
1 clove of garlic
I medium yellow onion
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
1\4 cup rough chopped fresh lemon basil
Fresh Cracked Pepper
6 cups low Sodium Organic Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Veggie Shreds Mozzarella

Cut up tomatoes, garlic, and Onions spray with no calorie canola oil and sprinkle with Himalayan sea salt and roast on 400 degrees until soft. Put 6 cups vegetable broth in large soup pot add the roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and allow to cool a little then blend entire contents of pot in blender until smooth. In food processor puree tofu, basil, and coconut water until smooth. Add everything back into the large pot and stir until mixed. Add Veggie Shreds to pot and stir over low heat until well blended and creamy. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with multi grain crusty bread.