Pizza Party!

 Dairy Free, Egg Free, Food Find, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Main Meal, Quick and Easy, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  1 Response »
Mar 222012
 
Even kids with lots of food allergies want a pizza part every now and then, so last night we had one!  This made my daughter very happy.
We used brown rice tortillas and some AMAZING garlic marinara we picked up at the farmers market, Joy’s Gourmet, Garlic Joy.  I don’t even think all caps can convey how good this stuff is.  Fresh like I just made it, a bit chunky and the perfect amount of garlic.  This made momma very happy, and in fact, I even had to make a dressing out of it by simply adding a touch of agave.  To top it off we used Daiya shredded mozzarella.  It’s vegan, dairy and soy free and made with a mixture of rice.  We don’t use too much because we like to stay towards whole foods, but every now and then it’s ok. 
To munch on we made a fresh salad of bok choy from KYV Farm and then we took it all out to the back porch for a picnic.  While we were out there we saw a small brown bunny munching on clover!  This made it much easier to get my daughter to eat bok choy.  We pretended we were bunnies.
Tortilla Pizza
Serves 2
Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Ingredients
2 Brown Rice Tortillas, we used Food For Life
Enough gluten free sauce to cover the base of each pizza, we used Joy’s Gourmet
Non-dairy cheese, we used Daiya mozzarella shreds, to cover
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray one side of tortilla with cooking spray, flip and spray the second side.  Place on baking sheet and top with sauce and cheese.  Bake for about five minutes or until cooked through.
Nutrition Facts

2 Servings
Amount Per Pizza

Calories 244.0
Total Fat 9.6 g
Saturated Fat 2.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 2.5 mg
Sodium 668.0 mg
Potassium 95.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 33.2 g
Dietary Fiber 4.1 g
Sugars 2.5 g
Protein 4.1 g

 Marinara Dressing
Serves 2
Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Ingredients
About 1/2 cup sauce
1 Tbsp agave
Directions
1. Mix ingredients together and top fresh bok choy or salad of choice.

Creamy Asian Salad with Raisins

 Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Lighter Fare, Vegan, Vegetarian  10 Responses »
Apr 142011
 
Here I am once again with an Asian salad. I know I make a lot of these but this was one of those recipes where I needed to use up a lot of veggies before I get my next fabulous CSA installment. 
While I was making this I really wanted to branch out from the Asian theme but I find it really works well with the bok choy and cabbage so I came up with a creamy dressing this time that happily came out really well.
If you like a lot of dressing simply double the dressing ingredients.  I actually planned on making a second batch because it didn’t look like much when I poured the dressing over but once I started mixing it in all the veggies were nicely coated so I decided to forgo the extra calories.
Feel free to use any veggies you have on hand for this.  It is super easy and fast!  I love the reduced fat Veganiase purely because of the taste but feel free to use reduced fat or real mayo here.
Creamy Asian Salad with Raisins
Estim. 8 generous 1-cup servings
**3 WW Pts Plus
Ingredients
Dressing:
1/4 reduced fat Veganaise (or reduce fat mayo)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp agave (or honey for non vegan)
1 tsp Sriracha (an Asian hot sauce)

3 small heads of broccoli, chopped (even stem)
1/3 cup raisins
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
Directions
1. Add the bok choy, cabbage, broccoli and green onions to a large bowl.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together; pour over veggies. Top with raisins and sesame seeds and mix will.

Estimated Nutrition Facts

About 8 generous 1-cup Servings
 Amount Per Serving
***3WW Pts Plus

Calories 113.3
Total Fat 5.7 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.9 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 213.5 mg
Potassium 427.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15.5 g
Dietary Fiber 3.3 g
Sugars 6.1 g
Protein 3.7 g

Vitamin A 38.0 %
Vitamin C 112.2 %
Folate 43.0 %
Magnesium 17.0 %
Manganese 38.8 %
Thiamin 17.9 %

In addition to this recipe I wanted to provide my update notes on Mindful Eating in my series of posts on my struggle to gain awareness with my body and not eat when I’m not hungry. 
Where the Quest for Natural Appetite Suppressants Led Me and a Massaged Kale Salad with Peanut Dressing.

The first post was 

The next was Grab a Cup o’ Miso and Join the Chat about Mindful Eating AKA Not Eating When I’m Not Hungry

And the third; Kale and Kohlrabi Salad with Miso-Tahini Dressing and Step Number Two in Mindful Eating

 

Let me start with saying my goal is to be able to maintain and even lose a bit without having to count points.  Truth be told, I love Weight Watchers and I love how their new program is pushing people to eat more whole and natural foods, but I’m sick of counting points.  I just want to live and not obsess.  I have joined and quit I’m not sure how many times over the years because I tend to not listen to my body and then I start eating more which then causes me to go back to WW.  It’s such a vicious cycle.  I’m hoping the mindful eating and the upcoming detox will help me break it.

I am really struggling with the snacking at night.  During the day I seem to have all the willpower I need but once I get home at night I’m tired and food gives me comfort until I eat where I pass that point of comfort and continue eating until I’m FULL.  I try to analyze why I keep blocking that little voice that tells me I’m not hungry but haven’t been able to figure that out yet. 

Tell me, do you struggle with eating when you aren’t hungry at specific times of day?  If so, what do you do to manage this?

Sweet, Salty and Nutty Veggie Sauté with Quinoa

 Dairy Free, Egg Free, Favorites, Main Meal, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian  21 Responses »
Apr 052011
 
With this recipe I came to a realization.


Everything is better with (almond) butter.



I had not planned on posting this recipe but it was SO good I knew I would want to repeat it.  My original idea was simply to use agave and tamari and then stir in the almond butter but as I threw in the other few ingredients it added pleasing layers of flavor rather than detracting from the three main flavors.  The Sriracha added a bit of spice and the garlic powder, a subtle savory taste.


Don’t feel like you need to use all these veggies.  When I came up with this on my drive home I was only going to use bok choy, cabbage and green onion but in the end I threw a bit of everything I got with my csa in there.


Looks like a lot of veggies right?  Yes, I realize I put only 5 servings but this shrinks down by at least half. 

With all these goodies in here you must take a moment to scroll down to the nutrition info.  I’m not talking about fat and calories, I’m talking about the vitamins and minerals.

I think Michael Pollan would be proud.

 Sweet, Salty and Nutty Veggie Sauté with Quinoa
Serves 5-6



(Estimated) Ingredients


2 heaping Tbsp Almond butter
3 Tbsp Agave
1 Tbsp Tamari
Garlic powder
High heat cooking spray
3 dashes Sriracha, (Asian hot sauce)
Water as needed


1 large head bok choy
1 bunch fresh spinach
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
2 bunch green onion, chopped
2 large broccoli florets
Handful sugar snap peas
1 to 2 cups left over quinoa (I had about 1 1/2 cups)


Handful cashews for garnish


Directions


1. Spray wok with high heat cooking spray and heat over medium high heat.  When hot add veggies and sauté until crisp-tender, adding a few tbsp water as needed to prevent sticking. Mix agave and tamari, pour over vegetables.  Add the Sriracha and with garlic powder.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  Remove veggies from heat.  Thin almond butter with a tbsp or two of water; stir into veggies. Stir in pre-cooked quinoa.


2. Divide mixture into five bowls, top with a few cashews.


***(You will have to estimate the actual cup size due to variations in the volume of your veggies but I’m thinking this is around 1 1/2 to 2 cup servings). 


Nutrition Facts

5 Servings
7 WW Pts Plus
Amount Per Serving


Calories 280.0
Total Fat 10.6 g
Saturated Fat 1.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.3 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 344.6 mg
Potassium 994.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 39.2 g
Dietary Fiber 7.5 g
Sugars 6.7 g
Protein 12.8 g


Vitamin A 189.6 %
Vitamin B-6 17.9 %
Vitamin C 161.9 %
Vitamin E 19.7 %
Calcium 15.8 %
Copper 17.3 %
Folate 51.9 %
Iron 31.8 %
Magnesium 30.7 %
Manganese 57.0 %
Niacin 7.5 %
Pantothenic Acid 4.7 %
Phosphorus 40.3 %
Riboflavin 67.8 %
Selenium 5.6 %
Thiamin 10.5 %
Zinc 8.9 %

Bok Choy with Garlic and Ginger

 Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Lighter Fare, Low Cal, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  1 Response »
Feb 262010
 

At the farmers market a few weekends ago I bought a gorgeous head of bok choy and never got around to using it until I looked at it and realized I had to use it or it would go to waste.  

That day there was an Amy’s meal I wanted for lunch so I cooked the bok choy and served the Amy’s meal over it.  I love rounding out frozen dishes with a fresh vegetable. 
Typically I have seen bok choy used in Asian dishes, however, I thought the flavors of garlic and ginger would still go well with the Amy’s meal.  It was excellent!

Bok Choy with Garlic and Ginger

Ingredients

 Olive oil spray
1 onion, chopped
1 head bok choy, washed and chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp minced fresh ginger

Directions

 1. Onion five miniutes.  salt and pepper.  Add bok choy, 5 minutes, salt and pepper, garlic 3 minutes, ginger 2 minutes.

 Along with Amy’s Mattar Paneer