Steamed Cauliflower with Gooey Cheezy Sauce!!!

RECIPE CONTAINS CASHEWS. LEAVE THEM OUT FOR THE ESSELSTYN REVERSAL DIET

Vegan Cheesy Sauce:

1 russet potato peeled, cubed, boiled.

1/3rd cup raw, unsalted cashews boiled with the potato. (Save 1/2 cup of the water)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast.

3 TBSPs tapioca flour.

1 level tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder.

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar. 

1TBSP lemon juice.

1/4 tsp paprika.

1/4 tsp turmeric.

1/4 tsp ground turmeric.

1 tsp salt or to taste.

1 cup unsweetened plant based milk.(I used homemade oat milk)

Blend all of the above ingredients until creamy. Transfer into a pot and stir over low heat until thickened (about 15 min)

1 head of cauliflower broken into florets and steamed until tender. Cool the cauliflower, pat dry with paper towel and plate it. Fold the cheesy sauce over it, sprinkle on a little dried basil or parsley and serve warm.

Zucchini Roll

Gooey Baked Broccoli Queso #wfpbno

I modified the recipe from the Gloriously Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook. It came out great, so it's mine now!!!!!

Vegan Queso:

1 russet potato peeled, cubed, boiled.

4 level TBSPs nutritional yeast.

1 TBSPs tapioca flour.

1 level tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder.

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar. 

1TBSP lemon juice.

1/2 tsp smoked paprika.

1/4 tsp liquid smoke.

1/2 tsp turmeric.

1/4 tsp tabasco sauce.

1/2 tsp ground turmeric.

1 tsp salt or to taste.

1 cup unsweetened plant based milk.(I used homemade oat milk)

1 crown of broccoli broken into florets and steamed until tender.

1 jalapeno pepper minced.

Set the cooked broccoli and diced jalapeno aside.

Mix the dry ingredients together to prevent clumping.  

Put the dry ingredients into the blender first, followed by the potato and remaining wet ingredients. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Pour it into a pot and heat it gently (don't boil it) while stirring until it thickens (about 5 min). Let it cool a little which thickens it more. 

Add the diced jalapeno pepper and stir it in.

Line a casserole dish with parchment paper. Put the florets into the dish and fold in the queso.

Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25 min. Stir it up a little then serve.  (It's good cold too!)

WFPBNO Quinoa Bowl

QUINOA WITH CUCUMBER, TOMATO AND PARSLEY

Quinoa is an ancient grain-like seed from South America packed with protein and fiber. This is great, hot or cold, as a side dish or a main course.  One cup (185 grams) of cooked quinoa contains 222 calories, 8 grams of protein, 3.6 grams of fat, 39.4 grams of carbohydrates, and 5.2 grams of dietary fiber. That works out to 14.6% of the calories coming from fat, just inside T. Colon Campbell, PhD's 10% to 15% recommendation. It is a gluten-free plant food that provides all nine essential amino acids. [1, 2, 3]

Plus it's full of the minerals we all need:

Key Vitamins and Minerals

Manganese: 51% of the daily value
Copper: 39% of the daily value
Magnesium: 28% of the daily value
Phosphorus: 22% of the daily value
Folate: 19% of the daily value
Iron: 15% of the daily value [1]
Calcium:  3% or 31 Milligrams
Delicious and nutritious!!!!!

RECIPE:

1 Cup dry quinoa.

3 Cups homemade vegetable soup stock.

1 Cucumber, diced.

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced.

3/4 Cup of fresh, chopped parsley.

The juice of 1/2 of a lemon. 

In a pot with a lid, bring the soup stock to a boil. Add the quinoa and lemon juice. Reduce the heat to a simmering boil. Cover and let it cook for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat, covered and wait 10 minutes to let it absorb the liquid.

Fold in the cucumber, tomato and parsley. Serve hot or cold.

The lemon juice makes it taste better and improves the absorption of the minerals, including the non-heme iron, by up to 37%!!!!

Homemade soup stock is easy to make and gives you contol over the sodium content. The lower the better!!!!

WFPB no SOS Zoodles!!!

ZOODLES, PURPLE SWEET POTATO, SALAD AND A CUP OF VEGGIE SOUP

Zoodles are long strips of zucchini, made with a spiralizer then cooked with onions, garlic, kale and pepper.  I drained off the extra liquid and reduced it in a sauce pan to make veggie soup broth.  The zoodles were mixed with 3/4 cup of homemade spicy spaghetti sauce and 2 TBSP's of nutritional yeast folded in on low heat. I added 1/2 tsp of Masala for extra flavor.  

RECIPE 4 servings

 

4 medium size zucchini, spiralized.

1 cup of chopped kale.

1 Sweet onion diced.

2 garlic cloves, diced.

1 jalapeno pepper, diced.

2 TBSP's nutritional yeast (nooch).

1/2 tsp masala seasoning.

3/4 cup of spaghetti sauce

In a non-stick frying pan with a lid, caramelize the onions in 1/2 cup of water. Add the zucchini, kale, garlic and pepper. Cook covered on low heat, stirring occasionally until the zucchini gives up it's water and the kale gets tender. ​Add the  nutritional yeast, and masala. Stir well and fold together over low heat until well combined. Strain off and save any excess liquid if desired to use as a soup broth. Fold in the spaghetti sauce, warm through and serve!!

Veggie chopped liver with corn, broccolini and side salad

Broccolini, Corn, Nut-free Veggie Chopped Liver, Whole Wheat Matzo with Horse Radish, Spicy Mustard and Cucumber, Tomato, Mint, Basil Salad 

This was my late lunch/early dinner. The broccolini was steamed, the corn was washed, wrapped in paper towel and microwaved for 2 minutes per ear. The salad was dressed with balsamic vinegar. The recipe for my version of veggie chopped liver is rather time consuming but so good. I gave some to my Cousin Rhonda and she liked it so much she had it for lunch 2 days in a row!!! Im Farklempt and Kvelling!

[Note:  for those on the Esselystyn diet, leave out the tamari and avocado. Try a salt substitute and call it Mushroom pate]

 

 VEGGIE CHOPPED LIVER RECIPE

It's made in a non stick pan with:

2 pounds of portobello mushrooms, 

1 large-ish onion, 

14 oz of extra firm tofu, 

the juice of half a lemon, 

2 TBSPs of beet juice (or 1 slice of a roasted beet),  

2 cups of rolled oats ground into rough flour, 

1/2 cup of low sodium tamari, 

1 TBS garlic powder, 

1 TBS onion powder, 

a pinch of black pepper, 

1 avocado,

1 TBS of fennel seeds ground into powder.

Chop the mushrooms and in a non-stick pan, on medium heat dry sauté the mushrooms covered until they give up their water. Add the onions and cook covered until caramelized, then uncover to cook off some of the water. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms from the pan to a blender or food processor. Add the avocado and the dry seasonings to the blender and run it but don't puree it. Press the water out of the tofu and crumble it into the pan. Add the lemon juice and tamari to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to stir the tofu and cook off the liquids like a tofu scramble. In a bowl, mix it all together adding some of the oat flour until it reaches the desired thickness and texture. Cover it and store in the refrigerator overnight to let the flavors meld and to let the oats soak up any extra liquid.

OMG! LIKE MY YIDDISHA MOMMA USED TO MAKE😋😘🥰

Curly Protein Pasta #WFPBnoSOS

Brami Curly Mac Protein Pasta

The pasta is from Costco. It is made from Italian Wheat and Lupini Beans. Each serving contains 21 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber with 4 grams of fat from the beans. 350 calories per serving. 

If you do the math, 10.2% of the total calories come from fat. The goal is between 10% and 15% of calories per day from fat. This is a WINNER, WINNER, PASTA DINNER!!!

RECIPE

One serving is 3.5 oz = 1 cup of dried pasta.  Boil for 15 minutes and strain, keeping a cup of the pasta water. Do not rinse the cooked pasta.

1 clove of garlic, chopped.

1 green pepper, chopped.

1 red pepper, chopped.

2 handfuls of kale, chopped.

1 handful of cilantro, chopped.

1 medium sweet onion, chopped.

1 TBSP nutritional yeast (optional).

2 TBSPs lemon juice.

Put the boiled pasta in the fridge to cool and form resistant starch. Your body will break it down slower, form butyrate, a short chain fatty acid, which feeds the cells lining your large intestine.

Put the pasta water, lemon juice and all the chopped veggies in a pot or skillet that you can cover and cook them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until most of the water cooks off.

Add the pasta to the cooked veggies an stir until the pasta is heated up and the water has completely cooked off. Put the lid on tight, take it off the heat and give it 5 minutes for the pan to deglaze. Plate it and sprinkle on the nutritional yeast.

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Nicecream!

Chocolate Nicecream

Long, hot day. Short, frozen nicecream!

Chocolate, frozen and fudgy. No milk products. No nuts. Just delicious and refreshing...

Four ingredients:

4 over ripe bananas - Slice up and freeze 

2 Tablespoons plant milk of choice ( this was soy)

4 Tablespoons cocoa powder

8 Pitted Dates .

Blend it all together.  Transfer it to a container and freeze for at least 4 hours. If it is the next day and brick hard,  microwave it for 20 seconds, let it sit for 2 minutes then scoop!

Brown Rice with Cilantro and Lime, Twice Baked Potato and Sweet Corn #WFPBnoSOS #PlantBasedMeal

Brown Rice with Cilantro and Lime, Twice Baked Potato, Sweet Corn

You are looking at my whole food, plant based, no added salt, oil and sugar free dinner last night. 

The brown rice came out perfectly fluffy, which was a first for me. 

The twiced baked potato was also a bit of a triumph, because I didn't really, truly bake it even once.

The sweet corn was perfect without boiling or baking it either!!!

Recipes

BROWN RICE

1 Cup of dry brown rice.

2.5 cups of homemade no added sodium veggie broth (or water).

1/4 Cup of chopped cilantro.

Juice 1/2 of a lime. 

Put it all together in a small pot that has a lid. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Put the lid on and leave it alone for 40 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it alone for 10 more minutes. Fluff it up with a fork and serve.

_______________________________

TWICE BAKED POTATO

1 large Russet potato.

2 TBSPs of Nutritional Yeast.

1/2 tsp of smoked paprika.

1/4 cup of soy milk (any plant based milk)

Wash a large Russet potato. Wrap it in paper towel. Microwave it for 6 minutes, flip it over and microwave for 2 more minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes; it's still cooking. When it's cool enough to handle, cut enough of the skin off the top to hollow it out with a spoon. 

Mix it all together with the nooch, plant based milk and smoked paprika until smooth and spoon it back into the potato skin. Use a fork to make lines on the top. Put it into the toaster oven or oven and broil it to darken the top. I used a small torch.

_______________________________

CORN ON THE COB

Shuck the corn, wash it and wrap it in paper towel. Microwave it for 2 minutes per ear. Leave it alone for 10 minutes (it's still cooking) until it's cool enough to handle. DONE!!!😋

One Pan Pasta Revisited

I like to tweak my recipes once in a while. Here is a pasta tweak. Costco now has an Italian pasta made from wheat and Lupini beans. It is high in fiber and protein while very low in fat. This recipe works with any type of pasta, but rotini or fusilli gives it body and texture. You can make any pasta into a resistant starch by simply refrigerating it over night and warming it up again. Resistant starches are heat stable. Once formed, your body will absorb the carbohydrates at a slower rate. In addition, the Lupini beans break down in your intestines to form butyrate, a short chain fatty acid that nourishes the cells of your intestine and help you avoid colon cancer. 

Recipe

2 cups of dry Pasta made from wheat and Lupini beans. The rest is veggies...onion, purple cabbage, red, green and jalapeno peppers, celery, basil, fresh pineapple, 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (nooch),  an orange with orange zest. 4 cups of water. 

Put everything but the nooch in one covered pan. Simmer on low heat until most of the water is gone (30 to 40 min), then uncover and stir in 3 TBSPs of nooch. It's done when the rest of the water cooks away. Turn off the heat and cover it for 10 minutes to deglaze the pan. Salt to taste. (I use way less salt when I add a pinch at the end)

Chickpea Pasta With Marinara #WFPBnoSOS

Rotini Chickpea Pasta with Marinara

     Hello again from the center of the kitchen, where I love to spend my time. This is a very simple recipe. This makes 2 servings of pasta, with a lot of extra sauce for batch cooking.  I just chop up the onions and garlic, add tomato paste and tomato sauce with a chopped carrot and spices. Simmer it covered on low heat with an occasional stir to keep the bottom from burning. Boil 2 dry cups of the noodles for about 20 minutes, which is much longer than the box recommends. Strain the  noodles, but keep about a cup of water in the pot. Add as much of the sauce to the noodles as you like (usually 2 or 3 cups) and boil off the water over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, folding the sauce and noodles together. Garnish with Nutritional Yeast and a little parsley. Salt to taste if desired.

(This is a big pot of Marinara sauce.  I use about 2 to 3 cups for this dish and put the rest away for another day.)
29 oz. Tomato sauce

12 oz. Tomato paste

 28 oz. Diced tomatoes

 4 cloves garlic

 1 onion

1 dash Black Pepper

1 finely chopped Carrot

4 TBS oregano 

4 TBS basil

Simmer covered over low heat for at least 40 minutes, stirring occassionally.  Save the extra in a tightly covered jar or freeze it for another day.

WFPBnoSOS RISOTTO and Brocollini #UnsaltedLikeLakeMichigan

BROWN RICE AND FARRO VEGETABLE RISOTTO WITH BROCCOLONI AND A SPRINLE OF NOOCH

     Risotto is a naturally creamy dish that is completely dairy free with no butter, no cream and no oil. I made it with a different, white rice earlier because I was duplicating restaurant Risotto. 

      Now here's the recipe for a very similar version using brown rice and Farro instead of white rice.  Farro is an ancient grain in the wheat family. It is Whole Food Plant Based with no processed sugar, oil or salt.  I like the fuller texture and overall flavor over brown rice alone. If you have Celiac disease, or just want to be gluten free, you can leave out the Farro and double the brown rice. 

VEGETABLE BROWN RICE AND FARRO RISOTTO WITH STEAMED BROCCOLINI:

1 cup of dry brown rice.

1 cup of dry farro.

12oz of frozen mixed vegetables.

3 stalks of celery, finely chopped.

2 TBSP dried onion flakes.

1 tsp dried ginger.

7 cups of water.

10 stalks of broccolini with the stems trimmed.

1 TBSP Nonna Pia's Balsamic Glaze from Costco.

DIRECTIONS:

In a large sauce pain with a lid, add 1 cup of water and the frozen vegetables, celery, onion, and ginger. Bring the water to a boil. Place a steamer tray over the boiling veggies and place the broccolini on the steamer tray. Reduce the heat to a simmering boil and close the lid.  Allow it to cook for about 20 minutes. Place the broccolini on a plate to the side. Strain the mixed veggies saving the stock. 

Add more water to the stock for a total of 6.5 cups.

Use 4 cups of stock to cook the farro for about 30 minutes over low heat, covered until tender then drain the excess stock.

At the same time, use 2.5 cups of stock to cook the brown rice for 45 minutes. 

Let the rice sit in the covered pot for 10 minutes until most of the water gets absorbed. Mix the rice and farro together.  Fold in the mixed veggies over low heat until all the water is absorbed. Cover and take it off the heat for about 5 min to de-glaze the pot.

If you want to add a special flavor, toss the broccolini with 1 TBSP of Nonno Pia's Balsamic Glaze.

 Plate the risotto and add the broccolini. Season to taste. I used Tabasco Sauce. Other options include, but are not limited to Nutritional Yeast, Costco No Salt Seasoning or whatever you choose....!

CARROT DOG, ARTISAN WHEAT BUN, ROASTED POTATO WEDGES, ALL SMOTHERED IN VEGGIE CHILI CON QUESO, CARAMELIZED ONIONS WITH JALAPENO PEPPER, MUSTARD ON THE DOG AND KETCHUP ON THE POTATO WEDGES!!!

Getting ready for the 4th of July holiday!!!

The carrot dog was delicious and the roasted potato wedges were crunchy without using any oil. Even smothering them under chili con queso with water-caramelized onion with jalapeno mixed in; still crunchy!!

What's on YOUR July 4th menu this year???

RISOTTO WITH MIXED VEGETABLES!!! #WFPBnoSOS

My Risotto

     For those of you who are keeping score and started following me from Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Facebook page, I posted a picture of my dinner, (reposted below) from a Journal Club meeting at a local steak house. All I did at that time was tell the Waiter I am a vegan. I got the choice of a rice dish or a pasta dish. I chose the rice dish. My friends asked me to get the recipe from the restaurant. The problem is that the restaurant recipe was not compliant with the Whole Foods Plant Based No Oil, Sugar or Salt guidelines. 

     Having over 12 years experience of cooking this way, it was a snap to duplicate the recipe. Compare my version of Risotto With Mixed Vegetables, above, with the restaurant version, below. I made some with pasta last night too and it was equally delicious, but I wanted to duplicate the picture too. So, I went to the local Meijer grocery store and picked up some Italian Risotto Arborio Rice, 

a 12oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables with no seasoning or oil and some fresh broccolini. Seasoning is optional. Here's my recipe:

VEGETABLE RISOTTO WITH STEAM BROCCOLINI:

10oz of short grain Arborio rice.

12oz of frozen mixed vegetables.

3 stalks of celery, finely chopped.

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped (or 2 TBSP dried onion flakes).

5 strawberry tomatoes (or one Roma tomato) finely chopped.

1 tsp dried ginger.

5 cups of water.

5 stalks of broccolini with the stems trimmed.

DIRECTIONS:

In a large sauce pain with a lid, add 1 cup of water and the frozen vegetables, celery, onion, tomato and ginger. Bring the water to a boil. Place a steamer tray over the boiling veggies and place the broccolini on the steamer tray. Reduce the heat to a simmering boil and close the lid.  Allow it to cook for about 20 minutes. Place the broccolini on a plate to the side. Strain the mixed veggies saving the stock. 

Add more water to the stock for a total of 4 cups to cook the rice for about 20 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently until the rice gets creamy and sticky. It's ok to add a little more water if needed to soften the rice. Once the rice is at the creamy consistency, fold in the mixed veggies over low heat until all the water is absorbed. Cover and take it off the heat for about 5 min to de-glaze the pot. Plate it and add the broccolini. Season to taste. I used Tabasco Sauce. Other options include, but are not limited to Nutritional Yeast, Costco No Salt Seasoning or whatever you choose....!

Restaurant Risotto

Chili-Con-Queso on a baked potato

Talk about a quick and simple recipe, this is a baked potato cut in half and covered with Quinoa chili and WFPBNO cheese sauce. I had batch cooked the chili and cheese sauce last week. The potato is a Russet that I washed, wrapped in paper towel and microwaved for 7 minutes, let it cool for 10 minutes. Cut it in half and covered with the chili and cheese sauce. Stir them together if you want and it becomes Chili Con Queso on a baked potato. I sprinkled it was dried parsley. 

Here are my recipes for the chili and for the cheese sauce. You can leave out the dates if you are on the Esselstyn Reverse Heart Disease Diet.  If you are PLANT STRONG, salt to taste

Butternut Squash Chili:

3 carrots, 4 stalks celery, 1 onion, 6 cloves garlic, 4 stalks kale, 2 generous handfuls baby spinach, 2 lbs cubed butternut squash, 28 oz diced tomatoes, 28 oz tomato sauce, 6 oz tomato paste,  2 TBS chili powder, 1 TBS cumin,  1 TBS cayenne pepper, 2 TBS smoked paprika, 1 chopped jalapeno minus the seeds, 6 pitted dates, 1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar, 6 cups water, 1 TBS basil, 1 cup of dry red quinoa. 

Put all the veggies and the pepper into a food processor or blender and grind them up to a course texture.

In a large pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add the tomato sauce, paste and diced tomatoes and everything else. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to let it simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring it occasionally.  If its too spicy, and you are not on the Reverse Heart Disease Diet, try adding maple syrup, more ground up dates or agave nectar. Sweet things counter the hot peppers.

This is a TON of chili. I wash out and boil Mason jars. Store it in mason jars when it is still very hot from the stove and the jars will seal as it cools. I love to hear the lids "POP!"  

You can also freeze it.

Vegan Cheese Sauce:

2 fist sized Yukon gold potatoes peeled cubed boiled with 4 stalks of celery (save 2 cups of the water), 6 level TBSPs each of nutritional yeast and tapioca flour, 1 level TBSP each of garlic and onion powder, 1/3rd cup white vinegar, 1TBSP lemon juice, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp tabasco sauce. 

Mix the dry ingredients together to prevent clumping.  

Put the dry ingredients into the blender 1st, followed by the potatoes and celery with 1 and 3\4 cups of the saved potato water and the remaining wet ingredients. Blend thoroughly. Pour it into a pot and heat it gently (don't boil it) while stirring until it thickens. Let it cool a little which thickens it more.  Put some on the potato. 

Store the rest for another recipe. 

If it is in the fridge over night, add about 3 TBSP  of water, stir it in and microwave it for 20 to 30 sec.

Sweet and Sour Low Mein Noodle Soup. No added salt or sweetener needed

It was late and I had not eaten since breakfast. So I chopped up 2 big leaves of kale, a handful of parsley, 4 Portobello mushrooms and a peeled carrot sliced very thin. It went into a pot with 2 cups of water,  a sprinkling of garlic and onion powder and the juice of 1/3rd of a lemon with the skin. It simmered on medium heat for 30 minutes. I had a can of Great Northern white bean packed in water, no salt.  I added the beans with another cup of water and let it simmer, covered for about 20 min until the stock was thickening. The stock was strained into another pot, saving the cooked veggies.  The stock was brought back to a boil and the low mein noodles were added. The heat was reduced to a simmer and the noodles were cooked until plump and tender (about 20 min). 

The veggies were plated with a ring of whole grain Matzo crackers and a dollup of wfpbno cheezy sauce.

The noodle soup was garnished with some of the cooked veggies.

All the flavors blended well together deliciously!

Water Sautéd Chopped veggies with Coconut Ginger Basmati Brown Rice

DINNER TIME!!

It's almost the end of the week. Time for a refrigerator dump!!! We have carrots, celery, colored peppers, onions, kale, fresh parsley and ginger, Portobello mushrooms, 2 mandarin oranges, coconut water and a non-stick titanium pan next to 1 cup of Lundberg brown rice.

Boil 1 cup of rice in 2.5 cups of fresh coconut water. Grate in a small thumb of ginger. Reduce thw heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 min or until the water is absorbed. Set aside.

Chop up all the veggies, fruit and mushrooms. Over medium heat in a non-stick pan, add 1/3rd cup of water and cook all the veggies, stirring occationally to prevent burning. When the veggies are tender and have released their water, uncover the pan and stir until the water is absorbed. (About 20 min on medium heat)  Stir in 1 TBS of nutritional yeast.

Fluff up the rice. Make a ring of rice on a plate. Scoop the veggies into the center of the ring. Garnish with a light sprinkle of more nutritional yeast and serve. 

Creamy Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Tonight's Dinner!!

Half a baked potato smothered with wfpbno spicy chili topped with nutitional yeast, an ear of corn with no salt or butter and a mixed salad with homemade, creamy green goddess style, strawberrry vinaigrette dressing with half an avocado, a slice of lemon with the peel, 1/2 cup of homemade oat milk (any plant based milk will do), 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 2 peeled mandarin oranges, 1 stalk of celery, 6 strawberries, 1TBS each of dried onion flakes, basil, dill and parsley and 2TBS of maple syrup. Blend until creamy.

HAVE AT IT, FOOD POLICE🤪

Carrot Dogs!! #VeganCarrotConeyDogs

     Carrot Coney Dogs !!!!!Detroit Style!!!!

Father's day is almost here!! Time to BBQ some carrot dogs! Normally significant salt is involved in these recipes. But I think I found a way around that. 

Usually they are marinated in soy sauce or tamari which are very high in sodium along with garlic salt. 

I used reduced sodium miso paste, which contains 390mg of sodium per tablespoon. Then I did the math. The sodium is equal to 1/6th of a teaspoon of table salt. That's just a pinch!! Plus- that's the marinade!  You don't eat most of the marinade. You only eat that which the carrots absorb! Your blood pressure won't notice😄.

RECIPE

4 Carrots unpeeled, cut to bun size.

4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped.

1 Thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped.

2 TBSPs of maple syrup.

1/2  tsp of liquid smoke.

1/4 tsp of smoked paprika.

1 slice of lemon including the peel.

4 stalks of cellery, chopped.

1 TBSP of reduced sodium miso paste.

1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds.

4 Cups of water.

Trim the ends of the carrots to round them like hotdogs and set aside.

Put everything else in the pot and simmer covered for about 30 min to create the marinade. Add the carrots and if necessary,  more water to cover the carrots. Give it a stir and cover to simmer for another 30 min, adding water as needed to keep the carrots covered.

Put the carrots and marinade into a ziplock bag or container 😁with a lid over night.

When ready, wipe off the carrots and place them on the grill for grill marks and to heat them through.

Place them on a whole grain bun. The chips are 1/2 a recommened serving of Baked Lays. The beans are from my pressure cooker. Whole Foods has whole wheat and gluten free buns. Add veggie chili, chopped onions and mustard for some Detroit Style!

Check out my quinoa, butternut squash chili recipe also on my blog!  Here's the link:   https://01reluctantvegan.blogspot.com/2014/11/butternut-squash-chili-or-how-i-learned.html

Purple Sweet Potato Parfait

Purple Sweet Potato Custard #dairyfree #bananafree #WFPBNO

One more hot, humid day in Michigan with storms predicted again. Some of my friends were asking if I could make a frozen dessert out of sweet potato. It happens that there is a small roasted purple sweet potato in my fridge. So lets do it! 

1 Small Roasted and peeled purple sweet potato.  (130 cal)

4 Dates.  (80 cal)

1/2 cup Silk soy milk.  (55cal)

1 thumb of peeled ginger.  (8 cal)

1 tsp Allspice.  (5 cal)

1 cup of frozen blueberries. (84 cal)

1 TBSP Maple syrup. (55 cal)

1 tsp vanilla extract  (12 cal) 

1 TBSP Lemon juice

Total Calories = 429

215 cal per serving

Directions:

Wash the sweet potato. Make an aluminum foil boat for the sweet potato, add 1/4 cup of water and seal the potato inside. Put it in the oven, 400°F for 1 hour.  Let it cool for at least 30 min before opening the foil. Peel the cooked potato, slice it up and put it into a blender or food processor with the other ingredients. Blend until creamy, like custard. Divide into 2 serving containers and chill for 1 hour.