Rye Flour Muffins

Alternative baking... as if my baking wasn't alternative enough! haha...

Although rye contains gluten, at least it's not wheat, so one thing at a time.


Pumpkin-Rye Muffins

ovo-veg (or vegan with egg replacer)
wheat-free
recipe from Bob's Red Mill

They didn't turn out too pretty and I'm guessing some slightly incorrect proportions are to blame. For one thing, I nearly always end up substituting something(s). For another, I gotta get myself dry measuring cups. It ends up being a bit of an eyeballing adventure with the cups meant for measuring liquids.

Left: Pumpkin-Rye     Right: Banana Cinnamon

Banana Cinnamon Muffins

ovo-veg
wheat-free
recipe from Best Health Mag

The topping adds a nice touch! Both aesthetically and for an added texture/sweetness.

Stewed Carrots, Portobellos and Edamame

vegan

Saute, covered:
- coconut oil (the best for cooking, they say!), diced onion and portobello mushrooms with a few twists from the salt grinder
- add grated carrots, plus a bit of soy sauce and hot water to keep everything juicy
- shell cooked edamame and mix in, leave a few minutes until heated through
- just before serving, mix in and also garnish with chopped parsley
- serve on a bed of grains (I happened to have a cooked pot of red Job's tears and mung beans)

Parsley: makes a Green Monster better!!

Whether adding parsley for flavor, or letting it supply the entire "green" part of the green monster, it's a delicious, original addition and also happens to be one of the top detoxifying foods!

vegan

Kinda like an actual recipe!
a mug of black tea and 3 dried apricots, soaking in it overnight
large handful parsley, infused in hot water
1-2 T ground flax
3 scoops fresh papaya
3 large slices apple, chopped

Blend. Enjoy.

That's one Smooth Papaya!

vegan

This can easily double as a dessert!

4 ingredients:
- fresh papaya
- fresh coconut
- ground flax seeds
- Turkish apple tea

ok, I tossed in a slice of lemon just for kicks, but I'm ok with the special bitterness of the rind

Quiche

Ovo-veg, easy to make dairy-free



This is an easy, quick, pretty and delicious meal and works really well for potlucks.

Preheat oven 350-400F

Crust*
I use this oil crust recipe below

1. Mix 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp salt with fork.
2.  Beat 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup fridge-cold water with whisk or fork to thicken. Add to flour and mix with fork.
3. Press it into pie plate by hand and although it doesn't say, pre-bake it after poking some fork holes all over so that you will actually get a crispy crust (5-10 minutes seems ok in a hot oven)

Filling
1. Sauté veggies if using anything you want cooked before eating (onions, mushrooms and spinach are a rockin' combo). Something like tomatoes can just get sliced and added raw. Sweet peppers can go either way, but I think they really come to life in a gourmet way after being sautéed.
2. Whisk 4 eggs with ~1 cup "milk" (I use non-dairy, also try half yogurt), season with s/p and Italian herbs. Pour over veggies in crust.
3. Sprinkle with cheese if using, can top with fresh basil leaves - press them just under the egg mixture so they don't burn
4. Bake 30-40 min

* The crust can also be made out of thinly sliced potatoes. Line the pan with them, spray or sprinkle with a little water and pre-bake for ~10 minutes.

Avocado-Flax "Nutty" Green Monster

vegan

I must say, although it's easy to grind my own flax seeds even in my aging blender, having bought the ready-to-go package of ground flax makes life one step easier and the evenly ground flax kernels have such a delicious nutty smell and taste, I can practically eat them with a spoon!


So, here this nutty flavor then hypes up the avocado's nuttiness. A short ingredient list and the result? Thick, creamy deliciousness!

Blend together:
Coconut water, pure water, mustard greens and kale (steamed), chopped avocado, ground flax seeds, Amazing Grass Green Superfood

Very Green Pretty Tasty!

Vegan

As I mentioned, since I try to err on the side of healthy, many of my green monsters can be disasters flavor-wise. This one's worth noting down. A variation on the Back On Track

In order of admittance:
1. Grind flax seeds
2. Add Turkish apple tea, then steamed greens. Blend.
3. Add diced Asian pear (also lightly cooked, since I avoid raw. I find it caramelized its flavor, too!), a tablespoon coconut oil, a few slices fresh ginger, scoop of Green Superfood or similar.
4. With the blender going, toss in a dash of cinnamon.

Voila!

Refreshing Green Smoothie

Vegan

I've just discovered romaine lettuce as a very neutral-flavored thirst-quenching base for green monsters.

This is (quick-steamed) romaine, fresh papaya, tahini, teaspoon green tea powder, flax seeds, fresh mint leaves and a herbal tea for the liquid: ginger-infused Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger.

The overall flavor is pleasant but fairly mild.

Green Love Rice Bowl

Mid-Autumn Festival
Vegan

This meal is fit for St. Patty's Day!
Brown Rice with Cucumbers, Green Beans, Avocado and
Mung Bean Dip: cooked mung beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, olive oil

all dressed with a little extra lemon j and EVOO

Green Smoothie Pile-Up: Squash and Fresh Coconut

Vegan

I'll be honest with you, not all green smoothies I've been making have been of the "Mmmm... delicious" variety. Sometimes the flavors really didn't gel that well. Here's a thick, creamy,

delicious winner. It was so thick in fact, that it stood up above the glass rim. : )

Mustard greens add a zippy peppery taste.

Cooked squash, fresh coconut meat, mustard greens, peanut butter*, green tea powder*, Amazing Grass Green Superfood*, water

*can really overpower, less is more

Salmon Burgers with Arame and Steamed Kale

Pescotarian

salmon burgers recipe
subs: dill for parsley, fresh basil for dried

Arame is a Japanese dark and very flavorful seaweed. I followed the Fresh method of preparing it: soak in freshly boiled water for 15 min, drain and pour on their Simple Sauce to add loads of intense flavor - a little goes a long way! Note: this forum says the sauce recipe should call for roasted sesame oil.

Matcha Cookies

Ovo-Lacto (egg, butter)

Rescue Mission (use-up-so-can-buy-more-fresh): green tea (matcha) powder, dried cranberries

recipe

My first Green Monster!

Vegan

Inspired by the Green Monster Movement, among other green smoothie challenges out there - curious if a steady daily diet of these will really make me feel fab inside and out?

I don't do much raw or cold, due to lax digestive ability (hopefully aided by these creations!), so...
- cooked celery, some kind of Chinese green leafy veg, Asian pear
- flax seeds, warmed oat milk, scoop of Amazing Grass Green Superfood

Yum!

Ginger Mint Lemonade

Vegan (if you're ok with honey, or use another sweetener)

This guy's a winner! A very few steps, a bit of infusion time and voila, yummy refreshing hot-weather DIY lemonade.

from the garden: fresh mint

- into a jar: grated ginger and lemon zest, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, fresh mint leaves
- infuse in fridge for several hours, strain into glasses once ready to drink
- add to taste: sweetener, dissolved in hot water
- serve with ice cubes, a slice of lemon and fresh mint

Color and Couscous

Lacto-veg (added a dab of butter to the couscous)

Couscous is the meal-in-a-flash maker: in a bowl, add same amount of boiling water, salt and oil, stir and cover for 5 min, add a dab of butter and fluff with a fork - voila!

- finely chopped carrot in a pot w water to just cover, add pumpkin
- cinnamon, dried currants, couscous first prepped as per above, fresh mint and basil sliced into strips

Served with a creamy chai tea