Chocolate Smoothie

A lovely chocolate smoothie with loads of good for you nutrients. In one cup 6.6g of protein, 4.9g of fiber, 150mg of calcium, and 2.8mg of iron. All for about 188 calories. (Data computed from USDA nutrient database, plus nutrition facts on my jar of powdered peanut butter.) Powdered peanut butter, the only slightly odd ingredient, can be found online or in some health food stores. I used PB2, a brand out of Georgia.

¼ c coco
4-6 T sugar
2c unsweetened coconut milk
1 carrot
1 ½ c fresh spinach (45 grams)
4 oz tofu
¼ c powdered peanut butter (4T)
1 frozen banana
Put everything in the blender and blend. For best results add the powders after the spinach, so they don't get stuck on the bottom. Makes about 4 cups.

White bean and pasta soup

A lovely very thick soup (based on this one). Best served with bread and olive oil.

abt 2T olive oil
2 long sprigs rosemary
1T thyme
2 bay leaves
dash red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
3-4 ribs celery, chopped
2 (15oz) cans white beans, drained
1T minced garlic
3T nutritional yeast
 1T salt (or less)
7c water
8-10oz orzo pasta

Put olive oil in soup pot. Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaves (broken in half), red pepper, onion, carrots, and celery. In separate bow stir together water, garlic, yeast, and salt. Stir constantly over high heat until onion is clear and beginning to brown. Add water mixture and beans. Bring to boil and add pasta. Reduce heat slightly and cook 8-10 minutes, until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and serve.

Really good beans and tortillas

This dish was totally inspired by little frozen bean and green chilli burritos. I decided I would have to recreate them. This isn't exactly a recreation, but it is amazingly yummy.

3c pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
1T nutritional yeast
1tsp dried oregano
1T salt
homemade flour tortillas  (I used this recipe)
salsa verde
onions, cillantro, diced tomatoes, or other toppings as desired

Put beans in a large pot with yeast and oregano and cover with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Cover and let soak about 1 hour. Return beans to a gentle boil, adding water if needed to keep barely covered. Simmer about 1 hour, until tender, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Add salt and stir. Serve on tortillas with salsa verde.

Note on tortillas: I found that if I did not cover the tortillas when letting them rest it was not necessary to flour the rolling pin or board. This is a huge time saver. Also there is no need to repeatedly divide the dough in half, just pinching off a large lump (perhaps 2 walnuts worth) at a time was sufficient.

carrot muffins

These muffins are very sweet, like cupcakes. When measuring the carrots, smash them into the measuring cup to eliminate empty space. The tops will deflate when cooling, giving a flat top.

3c cooked carrots
2c flour
1 1/2c sugar
1c oil
1T baking powder
1/4c water
1c raisins, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Blend carrots and oil in a blender or food processor until smooth, scraping down side frequently. Stir together flour, sugar and baking powder. Mix carrot puree into flour mixture. Stir in raisins, if desired. Bake in well oiled muffin pans for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with only a trace of the muffins. Allow to cool a few minutes before removing from pan. Makes about 21 muffins.

Two Cup Beans

These easy crock-pot beans are a great accompaniment to cornbread. Like many beans, they are even better the next day. Use a medium or mild salsa unless you want really, really hot beans.

2c pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
2c vegetable broth
2c water
2c salsa
2t dried oregano
2t cumin

Stir all ingredients together in a crock-pot. Cook on high 4 1/2 to 5 hours or until beans are soft and sauce begins to be thick Stir well and serve. Stir one or twice during cooking to avoid scorching.

Simple Thai Salad

A simple and easy salad to accompany a Thai, or other meal. I had mine today with Thai pot stickers and pad thai. As a testament to its greatness, it was eaten before I could take a picture. This salad is also a great way to use up the center of a head of lettuce after the outer leaves are used for sandwiches.

1/2 head iceberg lettuce (outer leaves removed ok)
1/4c chopped mint
1/3c sweet thai chilli sauce

Slice the lettuce into 1/2 inch (1cm) slices. Sprinkle with mint and drizzle with chilli sauce. Eat.

Utah Brownies

These simple and inexpensive brownies are the perfect mix of fudge and cake. I named them after another brownie I used to make in Utah, but have never been able to make again (the altitude must have contributed to the texture).

1 c flour
1c sugar
1/3c coco powder
1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1/2c oil
1/2c water
1/2tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients, then stir in wet. Place in greased 8x8 glass pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out only holding a crumb. Cook 15 minutes before cutting.