I Can Finally Eat Basil. Life is Good.

Look at those lovely, waxy leaves. They smell and taste as good as they look!

I have been waiting patiently for weeks and weeks to eat the fresh basil I planted in my garden. The crazy-deliciousness of fresh basil is just beyond compare. I've been regularly sniffing the leaves (I admit, I am a chronic leaf sniffer), my mouth watering, just hankerin' for the time I could snip off a few and put them on something - anything - edible, to throw it's flavor profile right out of the ballpark. Normally, my thoughts might hint toward spaghetti or whatever is saucy and of the Italian variety. But it's already blistering hot here in North Texas, so I'm trying to use the oven as little as possible.

Instead, I found some gorgeous tomatoes at Aldi, for super cheap. Big flavorful fatties in a four-pack, for a buck and some change. So, I sliced them up, spritzed them with a generous helping of balsamic vinegar, put a fresh basil leaf on each one, then topped them with a slice of cucumber and some black pepper. They were AMAZING! Light and full of the fresh flavors of summer. I am planning to serve these at every dinner party I throw from now until the end of time. Give it a try!

P.S. If you're not already growing your own basil, it's not too late!
Here's a great website with all the info you need to get growing.
http://www.growing-basil.org/

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Never Pay For Vegetable Broth Again!

A gallon jug of vegetable broth made from scraps previously destined for the compost bin.

I tell ya, if I'd ever had even a teeny clue how easy it is to make vegetable broth at home, I would never - NEVER - have paid a dime for the stuff at the grocery store. Plus, now that I see how simple it is, and how little it costs (just the price of water from my tap, and the gas I use on the stovetop), I know I've been getting royally ripped off all these years!

Seriously, never buy vegetable broth at the grocery store again. If you do, you might as well bend over and put a "welcome" sign on your butt, because the store is going to be "puttin' it to ya good," if you know what I mean... and I think you do...

First, you just start collecting your veggie scraps in a bowl in the freezer. I don't even keep a lid on mine. I just leave an open bowl in there and, every time I peel a carrot, or cut the tip off a green onion, or clip off cilantro and kale stems, I just chuck my scraps into the bowl in the freezer. When it starts looking kind of full,  I take it to the next level.

Dump the scraps into a large stock pot and cover with water. There are no exact measurements in this process, just make sure they are covered. Don't put in too much water, though, or your broth will be thin and flavorless.

Next, you bring it to a boil, give it a good stir just to make sure everything's mingling well, then cover and simmer on medium-low heat for at least an hour.

Allow the broth to cool completely before straining. Once it's cool enough to handle, use a fine mesh strainer like this one...



... to pour the broth through, catching the vegetables and dumping them to another bowl (destined for your compost bin) as they overfill the strainer.

You can store your broth in the fridge for several weeks. Or, better yet, freeze the broth in ice cube trays! You will never run out of the stuff, unless you stop eating or cooking with vegetables. And that would be a tragedy all on it's own...
Enjoy!

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Gingered Cranberry Waldorf Salad

This is a tangier, sweeter version of the traditional Waldorf salad. It's a perfect addition to summer barbecues, and it will get gobbled up fast at potlucks. Give it a try!

2 Granny Smith apples, cut into small cubes
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger powder
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

• Place apples, carrots, cranberries, walnuts, and mayonnaise into a large bowl and gently stir. 
• Add mayonnaise and ginger. Stir to coat. 
• Drizzle rice vinegar all over salad. Add pepper. Stir again .
• Makes about 8 servings. 
• Enjoy!

NUTRITION INFO (per serving):

Calories: 117.9 / Total Fat: 6.1g (Saturated Fat: 0.7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g) / Cholesterol: 3.5mg / Sodium: 181.4mg / Potassium: 79.3mg / Total Carbohydrates: 16.7g (Dietary Fiber: 2.3g, Sugar: 13.0g) / Protein: 0.8g / Iron: 1.0%

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Fruity Yogurt Freezer Pops

I'm going to be experimenting with freezer pops and ice cream quite a bit over the summer because my daughter constantly asks for both. I sometimes get lucky and find Rice Dream or Almond Bites (her favorite!) at the salvage grocery store, but I cannot afford either at the regular grocery. So, for those times that I'm not so lucky, I need a quick fix to replace her daily question, "How 'bout some ice cream, Momma?"

This is my first attempt, and I think it turned out pretty nicely, but I really want to try something with chocolate, and maybe some tofu in it, so I can dose her with extra protein while she snacks.

10 large strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1 banana
1 6-ounce cup vanilla or strawberry yogurt (soy yogurt is fine)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar

• Whirl all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. 
• Pour into preferred freezer pop vehicle. If you have nothing available, an ice tray with plastic baby spoons or straws works great.
• Allow to freeze overnight. 
• Makes about 6 servings, dependent on the type of pops you're using.
• Enjoy! 

NUTRITIONAL INFO (per serving):

Calories: 100.6 / Total Fat: 0.6g (Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g) / Cholesterol: 1.7mg / Sodium: 24.1mg / Potassium: 167.6mg / Total Carbohydrates: 22.2g (Dietary Fiber: 1.2g, Sugar: 19.1g) / Protein: 2.0g

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Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

This is my newest addiction. It is so good! I have always loved tabbouleh salad, even long before my health journey began. A plate full of falafel, tabbouleh, and dolmas was, and still is, one of my very favorite meals. So, when my husband and I decided to try gluten-free for a while, I assumed that I would have no choice but to give up my good friend, tabbouleh. But, now I don't have to! I found a delicious substitute for the bulgur wheat - quinoa! It tastes wonderful, and adds a lot of extra nutritional value toward your daily protein goal.
And, hey, remember all that fresh mint I told you about in my garden? Well, I have fresh Italian parsley growing out there too. So, badda bing. Scrumptious tabbouleh is mine once again! Give it a try.

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
4 green onions, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1/2 large cucumber, diced
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint, finely minced
1/8 cup fresh parsley, finely minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice, or less (to taste - I like a lot!)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa and stir. Cover and reduce heat. Allow quinoa to simmer on medium-low heat until all water is cooked off, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Be careful not to burn your quinoa. Allow to cool.
• Place cooled quinoa into a large bowl (preferably something with an airtight lid).
• Add all remaining ingredients and gently stir until very well-mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Stir again before serving.
• Can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for two or three days. But it's best on the first day, when the veggies are still fresh and crisp!
• Makes about 6 servings.
• Enjoy! 

NUTRITION INFO (per serving):

Calories: 192.6 / Total Fat: 8.8g (Saturated Fat: 0.9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5.0g) / Cholesterol: 0g / Sodium: 6.8mg / Potassium: 97.1mg / Total Carbohydrates: 24.6g (Dietary Fiber: 3.7g, Sugars: 2.1g) / Protein: 4.7g / Iron: 18.3%

 

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Gluten-Free Agave-Sweetened Corn Bread

Remember that great deal on brown rice flour I told you to take advantage of a short while back? Well, now it's time to start feeding the fiddler and using that stuff! At the behest of Kris Carr's new book, Crazy Sexy Diet, my husband and I have decided to try a gluten-free and sugar-free diet for a while to see how it treats us. As usual, he's already lost fifteen pounds and I have lost nothing. Nothing! Why am I perpetually unable to lose weight? Am I cursed?? Anyway, I will say that the gluten-free transition has given me a lot more energy. I've been going to the park with my little one a lot more, and I even hoisted my big butt up onto a bicycle and rode a while yesterday. So, weight loss or not, I am definitely seeing positive changes. Thanks, Kris Carr! Now if I could just get into the habit of downing a big green smoothie every morning instead of a cup of coffee... Well, I'm still working on that.
This recipe is adapted from the cornbread recipe in the Gluten-Free Vegan cookbook. The only things I did different were that I left out the sorghum flour (I just doubled the brown rice flour), I substituted canola oil for the grapeseed oil, and I brushed a little bit of melted Earth Balance butter over the top of the finished product. Can you say, "Yummy-licious?!" We ate this cornbread with some homemade black turtle beans, and it was the perfect complement. Hope you like it too!

CORNBREAD  
(recipe from Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien)
"This cornbread can be stored in an air-tight container for several days."

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer (whisked together with 2 tablespoons warm water)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup hemp or soy milk
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
4 teaspoons baking powder*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 
• Spray an 8 or 9 inch square pan with vegetable oil nonstick spray.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg replacer with the warm water, until bubbles form and the powder has completely dissolved.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the agave nectar and oil, and beat until smooth and thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg replacer mixture and milk, and continue to mix until well blended. 
• In a separate bowl, combine the brown rice and sorghum flours, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal, and stir well together. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and stir until it becomes incorporated. Do not overbeat. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake until lightly browned on top, 18 to 20 minutes. 
• Cool on wire rack and serve. 
• This is wonderful served as an accompaniment to black beans, with a side of guacamole.

*The baking powder link I provided in the recipe will take you to a really good deal on aluminum-free baking powder by Bob's Red Mill. None of the stores in my area supply aluminum-free baking powder, so I was really happy to find this and wanted to share it with you guys!

  
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