Author: PatagoniaLlami

Directions

1. In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the dark brown sugar and coconut oil together for about 5 minutes. During this time prepare the tbs. of flax with the 3 tbs. of water until the mixture congeals and becomes egg like.
2. Then, add the flax “egg,” honey and peanut butter to the mixer and allow it to mix for another 5 minutes.
3. During this time whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and combine until it is well blended. Throw in the chocolate chips and knead them into the dough.
4. Now place all of the prepared dough into the refrigerator for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. When the dough is chilled, roll it into about thirty 1 1/2 inch balls and space them about an inch apart on the trays. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes and then cool them to room temperature. At this point, place them into the freezer until they harden (30-60 minutes).
6. Finally scoop a generous amount of ice cream onto fifteen of the cookies and place the remaining cookies on top as “lids.” Place the cookies back into the freezer and they can be served anytime.

I try my best to eat healthy seasonal foods every day of the week. I build most dinners around vegetables, and try to eat a mostly plant-based diet. But there comes at least one time almost every week when I am just too tired to shop, peel and chop.

That’s where frozen produce comes in. It’s quick and easy and I always have some on hand. It doesn’t require a trip to the grocery store. No peeling, cleaning, or chopping.

At the surface, this is just a recipe for simple sauteed corn. But it’s actually a formula for the freshest healthiest tasting frozen vegetables. Use this formula with chopped broccoli, cauliflower, or peas. Vary the herbs if you like, and substitute oil for butter and stock for the milk/cream, for a vegan version.


—Ordinary Blogger (Rivki Locker)

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large, preferably cast iron pan. Saute the onion for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat till it’s nice and soft.
2. Add the celery and saute for another few minutes till it’s softening. Add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes longer till fragrant.
3. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes till heated through and through. Pour in the cream/milk and the seasonings. Heat through, stirring.
4. Stir in the herbs and serve warm.

Directions

1. For the beets, poach, pickle or fry beet slices. Or cut raw beets. Or serve beet chips from bags of commercial root vegetable chips.
2. Cabbage group & easier preparations. Cut raw cabbage, leek, scallion or chives into edible pieces. Serve dates as is. Pomegranate – remove all white webbing (like citrus pith) and serve seeds in a bowl. Mix raw or roasted sesame seeds with a little sugar and serve in a bowl (similar to Indian after-dinner snack).
3. Fenugreek group. From seeds, make Hilbeh, a Middle Eastern dip or sauce. Here’s one of many online recipes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSqpNM3WsRE
   Or use fenugreek fresh leafy herb, washed and trimmed. Or cook and serve one of the black-eyed peas, string beans or carrots.
4. Fish group. Bake or fry fresh fillet (your choice or family favorite), serve thin slices of smoked fish, or chopped fish salad (about 1/4 cup per person).
5. The beef tongue idea is probably the most palatable of the group (otherwise fish, lamb or sheep’s head). Average size will give you leftovers for another dinner or sandwiches. Cook, cool and slice. Serve cold or reheat to serve hot. Here’s one of many online recipes to use. https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/beef-tongue-recipe/
6. Pumpkin wedges or carrots cut in coins. Trim, lightly oil, roast until tender. Serve hot, cold or room temperature.

This soup is a double-tried-and-true winner! It’s earthy from the lentils, just-barely-spicy from the curry, and creamy from the coconut milk. It’s vegetarian, and could easily be vegan if you use olive oil or coconut oil instead of the butter.

I found myself fiddling a bit with the acidity and sugar levels in the original recipe, feeling like it was missing a little something. The second time around, it turns out I had run out of tomato paste, so used the same amount of ketchup instead — sounds a touch gross, I know, but bear with me — and the flavour balance was just perfect! It really hits the bright acidity and teeeeeeny bit of sweetness you need just for balance. But you can always use tomato paste instead and adjust with lemon juice and sugar to your own liking.


Adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day —One Tough Cookie

Directions

1. Give the lentils a good rinse, until the water they’re rinsed in stops being murky. Set aside.
2. In the largest pot you’ve got, heat the butter/ghee/oil on medium-high heat, then add the onions. Allow them to cook until softened, about five minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add 2 Tbs curry powder (reserving the last tablespoon), stirring until toasted and fragrant (about 1 minute).
3. Carefully pour in the water. Add carrot, ginger, ketchup (or tomato paste plus some lemon juice and a touch of sugar), coconut milk, and salt. Add the lentils. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for about 18 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
4. Add the remaining tablespoon of curry powder. Taste and add any salt, pepper, or extra lemon juice to your taste.
5. Serve with whichever of the garnishes your little heart desires; or heck, with all three!

Directions

1. Add the shallot, vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down as needed. While blending, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify. Taste and adjust if you’d like (say, more mustard for more spice). Sealed in a jar, this keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium to large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together olive oil, club soda, grapefruit, and tequila. Don’t worry if it’s a little chunky from the grapefruit pulp–it’ll bake up fine!
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the olive oil mixture (about 2-3 additions), mixing until just combined. This will form a slightly thick/chunky but still liquid batter.
5. Pour into prepared loaf pan. To settle some of the bubbles (as with a meringue-based batter), drop gently straight down onto a flat surface 1-2 times.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the surface is golden, checking after about 30 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan about 30 minutes, then gently lift it out of the pan, parchment paper and all, and allow to cool completely on a cool surface, about 2-3 hours.
8. To prepare the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and reserved grapefruit juice, adding club soda as needed to achieve the appropriate consistency.
9. Pour glaze onto cooled cake and allow to set, 1-2 hours or overnight. This can be done in the fridge if, like me, you don’t like leaving saturated sugar solutions exposed on your countertops for extended periods of time.
10. Cake is ready to serve once the glaze is set. Slice, pass it around to your coworkers, and enjoy!

Mushrooms and farro—has ever a better texture combination existed? Topped with crunchy beets, this meal is just an amazing textural experience: juicy mushrooms, buttery farro with just a bit of bite, and nice, crispy beets. It is absolute heaven.

This recipe is so, so easy and quick to prepare and leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day (although the beets won’t be crunchy the next day, it’s totally okay because it still tastes amazing.) This recipe works wonderfully as an entrée or as a beautiful side dish to fish or chicken. For a vegan option, simply omit the butter. —Kylie Thompson

Nutty farro, meaty mushrooms, and delightfully earthy beets: This recipe is all I needed on an it’s-still-winter-but-I-wish-it-were-spring evening! I went into the cooking process thinking it might need a little more oomph in the form of dressing, but finishing the dish with more lemon juice and parsley adds all the brightness it needs. The mild bitterness of the herb and acid meld seamlessly with the rich grain and buttery veggies. As Kylie recommended, I brought the leftovers to lunch the following day—talk about a NSDL! My coworkers were jealous.

It’s great as a topping for a green salad as well as on its own. When I made it a second time, I broiled the beets as opposed to frying them: They were still satisfyingly crispy! —Rebecca Firkser

Directions

1. Prep your ingredients: Prepare the farro according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside. Halve the mushrooms (or cut into bite-sized pieces). Peel and very thinly slice the beets. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Juice half the lemon. Cut the other half into wedges.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned and slightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Once the mushrooms are nice and browned, add the lemon juice and all but a few pinches of parsley and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the farro to the skillet and stir gently to combine all the ingredients.
4. Optional step: Add 1 tablespoon of butter and continue to gently stir the farro until the butter has melted and is mixed throughout the farro.
5. Remove the farro from the skillet into a serving bowl. Wipe out the skillet.
6. Add vegetable oil to the skillet until about 1/4-inch deep and heat to medium high. Once the oil is shimmering, add the thinly sliced beets and fry until crispy and beginning to brown on the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Once the beets are cooked, remove from the pan. Set the beets aside on a paper-towel lined plate and season with just a touch of salt.
7. Plate it up: Top the farro with the crispy beets and the remaining parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

In this riff on classic pesto, California Avocados bring a creamy, rich texture while soaked cashews and nutritional yeast stand in for the traditional pine nuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The finished sauce coats the pasta beautifully—just check out that gorgeous green hue. Even better, the whole dish can be made vegan-friendly if you leave out the chicken breasts. This meal makes for a delicious weekday lunch or dinner, since it comes together in well under 30 minutes.

This recipe is shared in partnership with California Avocados. —The Editors

Directions

1. Boil the spaghetti according to the package instructions, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before straining. Set aside the strained pasta and reserved pasta water.
2. While the spaghetti is cooking, slice the chicken breasts and cherry tomatoes.
3. Once pasta is done, make the pesto: Add all pesto ingredients to a blender, starting with 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Blend on high, adding more pasta water as needed, until smooth.
4. Add cooked spaghetti to a large bowl and toss with the avocado pesto, sliced chicken, and cherry tomatoes to combine. Top with fresh black pepper and more salt, to taste, and serve.