Magical Mint Quinoa Pudding

Quinoa for breakfast is always fun and creamy.  I decided to jazz it up recently with some mint.  The mint flakes made this all natural filling breakfast taste light and refreshing as well as satisfying.  Make some now!  You will need:
Quinoa of choice (I used basic white/yellow quinoa)

• Milk of choice (I used almond)
• Sweetener of choice
• Mint flakes
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• Vanilla (optional) 

1. Rinse and sort the quinoa, and then place it in the slow cooker with milk in a ratio of approximately 1 part quinoa to 3 or 4 parts milk, and so the slow cooker is ~3/4 full (note that this is a greater ratio of milk to quinoa than prescribed on most boxes, to get a soft, pudding-type consistency; if you want a more traditional quinoa texture, follow box directions for the proportion of milk to quinoa).
2. Add remaining ingredients to taste.
3. Cook on low overnight or until soft and creamy.
4. Stir, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. 
5. Enjoy!

Have a Healthy, Vegan Passover

These beautiful beet chips are delicious year round, not just on Passover!

Consider this a totally unauthorized guide to healthy food that happens to be vegan and suitable for Passover. It also can serve as a resource for easy to prepare, healthy vegan foods which happen to be gluten-free.

Special diets always pose an interesting and exciting challenge.  Passover, a Jewish weeklong holiday, is especially challenging for observers of the holiday who are of Ashkenazi descent, as these followers are to avoid most flours as well as rice, corn, beans, soy, peanuts (!), etc.  For vegans, such restrictions cut out many key sources of nutrients.  For a while, I had wondered if both sets of constraints (Passover and vegan) could be met with adequate nutrition and variety.  I gave this dietary puzzle some serious thought.

I now believe that, given proper planning, a healthy and nourishing vegan Pesach is indeed possible.  You can enjoy a number of delicious and healthy vegetarian and vegan Passover meals while adhering to the dietary guidelines for the holiday!  In fact, you can even expand your culinary horizons and try a lot of new and interesting foods while you're at it.  For those of you observing the holiday - or who are supporting friends who are choosing to do so, here are some tips for how to enjoy the holiday in a healthy, vegan way:

1. Eat lots of vegetables.  
   Veggies are delicious, healthy, and relatively inexpensive.  Almost all of them are allowed for the holiday.  They are filling, and really, we should be eating more of them anyway.  There are so many new and exciting ways to prepare vegetables that you could try.  How many have you considered?  For example, grilling, roasting, sauteeing, etc.  
   
   You could cook a different vegetable, prepared in a different way, each night.  You could even try two different types of vegetables each day.  You are bound to come away from such an experience with at least a few new recipes for vegetables you absolutely love.  Of course, I'm biased on this count-this is the Veggie Wonder blog, after all!   

Some of my favorites from this blog:
• Best broccoli of my life (just omit the nooch, it's still delicious!)
  
• Buttery brussels sprouts
  
• Curried eggplant
  
• Curried cauliflower soup
  
• Garlic chardonnay asparagus
  



2. Consume healthy and diverse sources of carbohydrates.
    Matzo crackers are of course the traditional carbohydrate for the holiday, but you can improve the nutrition quotient of your matzah by going for a variety made with whole grain, bran, or oats.  
   
   Quinoa is for some reason also allowed, and it's one of the healthiest grains out there.  You can use quinoa with sweetener, etc. as a wholesome breakfast in the morning (and you can prepare it in the slow cooker!), or with salt and pepper in a savory manner for lunch or dinner.  Substitute quinoa for couscous in tabbouleh recipes, or for rice for a delicious pilaf.  Quinoa is also an excellent source of protein.  And don't forget, potatoes-baked, mashed, or just the skins.  Yum!



3. Include healthy proteins in your diet.  
   There are proteins that you can find that work here.  Yes, tofu and beans are unfortunately out.  However, there are some protein powders which should pass muster.  For example, you can find online two magical, lifesaving powders: brazil nut protein powder and pumpkin seed protein powder.  Hemp and flax powders are also available, and may or may not be acceptable to you, depending on which set of guidelines you follow.   Protein balls are delicious, with a protein powder as the main bulking agent for various sweet treats.
   
   Protein powder can add a nice boost to anything you are making from a pudding to a smoothie.  Mmmmmmm, smoothies!   Now is a great time to try out a green monster smoothie, if you haven't done so already!
   
   You can also mix your protein powder into soups, drinks, and sauces, to be sure you get a decent amount of protein in most of your meals.
   
   Some of my favorite high-protein recipes from this blog:
   • Sweet nut butter balls (use almond butter instead of standard pb)
     
   • Chocolate almond protein truffles (substitute a different protein powder, and you are golden)
     

Following are some delicious healthy holiday food substitutions:

• Pasta-Spaghetti squash, regular shirataki noodles (the kind without tofu)
• Soups-Curried cauliflower soup, gazpacho soup, etc.
• Sauces-Guacamole, salsa, most nut butters and seed-butters (you can stir in some protein powder into creamier sauces to make a meal out of them)
• Sandwiches-layer a high protein sauce from above with cooked or raw veggies between matzo, or roll in a large leafy green, such as cabbage or lettuce, for a wrap
• Salty Snacks-Beet chips, kale chips
• Sweet Snacks-Baby carrots, homemade applesauce (really easy in the slow cooker!), baked sweet potato fries
• Desserts-Chocolate almond berry truffles from this blog, as well as our sweet nut protein balls (use almond butter instead of peanut butter); Chocolate Covered Katie also has some great ideas, including fudge babies, healthier macaroons, and a grasshopper pie (all of which I have tried, and found delicious)

This list is incomplete, and I'll add to it as time passes and I get more ideas.  Please feel free to comment with some of your vegan holiday-appropriate favorites!

Buttery Chardonnay Brussels Sprouts

I didn't think it was possible to top my old favorite brussels sprouts.  I had so loved their strong mustard flavor and delightful balance between crunchiness and moisture.  But these brussels sprouts--they were simply amazing.  Creamy, buttery, a little sweet and a little salty, with a touch of garlic, salt, and pepper and white wine mixed into the sauce - I'm hungry just thinking about them!  I think these are now my favorite brussels sprouts ever.  I think the secret may be the white wine (I used some leftover chardonnay) and coconut butter, which made everything very rich and creamy.  I will definitely be making these brussels sprouts again!

You will need:

• Brussels sprouts
• White wine of choice (I used chardonnay)
• Coconut butter
• Raisins, sliced fresh garlic cloves, salt, and pepper to taste

1. Chop the ends off your burssels sprouts and then quarter the remaining sprouts and put them in your slow cooker.  Be sure that your slow cooker is at least 2/3 full (but not completely full!) for even cooking.
2. Toss the sprouts with a few spoonfuls of coconut butter.  If your coconut butter is solid, nuke it in the microwave for a few seconds, or until it liquifies prior to tossing with the sprouts.
3. Add remaining ingredients to taste.  Be generous with the garlic cloves and raisins-they work really well here!
4. Add wine - approximately one-two cups of wine to for every one quart of sprouts seems to work well, but this measurement is pretty flexible.
5. Cook on low (or medium, or high!) in the slow cooker until the sprouts are soft.  This may take a few hours.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  
6. Enjoy!

The pictures don't do these sprouts justice.  They're GOOOOOOOD!

Marvellous Microwave Spaghetti Squash

Craving a giant bowl of pasta without the carb-crash?   Spaghetti squash is a good alternative.  It's fast, easy and delicious, and it gets you that extra serving of vegetables each day.  The best part is that you can do all of the prep in your microwave and with a single plate - no need to heat up your house or your stove.  I would imagine this would also be a very kid-friendly, fun dish.

You will need:

• Spaghetti squash
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• Olive oil (optional)

1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  If this is difficult to do, microwave the whole squash on high for 2 minutes or so and then cut it.
2. Scoop out the seeds.  If you like, you can wash and bake them - they are edible and yummy!
3. Take a de-seeded squash half and put it innards-facing-down on a microwave-safe plate.  Add some water to the plate, as the squash will dry up a bit in the microwave otherwise.
4. Microwave the squash half on high for 5 minutes or until done (the amount of time this takes will vary from squash to squash and microwave to microwave).
5. Use a fork to separate the squash innards into spaghetti-like strands.
6. Add spices to taste and a small bit of olive oil, if desired.
7. Enjoy!

This was a big squash, and the first few minutes in the microwave weren't enough - everything was really clumpy.

After a second round in the microwave, everything was just right.

Grilled Garlic Chardonnay Asparagus

A recent green party had left me with a clump of asparagus, and I had an old, half-opened bottle of chardonnay in the fridge, and thus this recipe was born.  I don't have much asparagus tasting experience-usually the vegetable frightens me-but I was determined to cook it, and white wine and garlic does tend to be a winning combination.  This recipe was pretty good, and I might even venture that I enjoyed a few full servings of the once feared vegetable in one sitting.  The asparagus is easy to prepare and makes good use of a dormant George Foreman Grill.

To make this you will need:

• Bunch of green asparagus (if you try yellow here and it works, sound off in the comments!)
• White wine (I used chardonnay)
• Garlic cloves
• Red pepper flakes
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Sweetener (optional)

1. Snap the ends off of the asparagus and put them in a ziploc bag or a tray to marinate in white wine.  Throw in a few garlic cloves and red pepper flakes.  If you would like, you can also add some olive oil to the marinade.
2. Let the asparagus marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
3. Heat up a small kitchen grill (such as a George Foreman Grill) and cook your asparagus until cooked through.  This took a few minutes on my grill - watch carefully and cook to desired doneness.
4. Add salt and pepper liberally and taste.  The salt and pepper really bring out the flavors here.  You may also want to try adding some sweetener to the finished project for a sweet-salty combination.
5. Enjoy!

There's a lot of steam coming off of these vegetables - I tried to capture it in the photos, but in general the steam just made everything look blurry...

These asparagus had thick, woody stems even after snapping them and cooking the "good" parts.  The whole piece, however, was still quite tasty.

Green Cheeze Balls

They're cute, aren't they?

 These balls are weird.  They have no dairy butter, or animal ingredients whatsoever.  Everything in them is pretty much raw and unprocessed.  And yet... they taste distinctively cheesy.  They're loaded with protein, and a decent amount of fiber.  The fat in these balls is of the healthy, omega 3 variety...  So these cheeze balls are much healthier than regular old cheese balls.  However, at this point the flavor combination I'm giving you is a proof of concept - a proof that yes, a vegan, cheesey, easy to roll ball is possible.  And it should be very, very possible to easily make it, and to get it to taste good, and to fulfill all of your cheesy cravings.  But the exact makeup of the cheeze balls isn't there yet. 

I need some help getting things just right!  For whatever reason it is that you're avoiding cheese (or if, like me, you just enjoy the novelty of finding new combinations of ingredients to recreate some familiar flavors, with a twist), I hope this combination of ingredients inspires you to fiddle around in your kitchen.  Right now there is something kindof "off" about these cheese balls, but I'm not sure exactly what it is!  These cheese balls CAN be perfected.  And you, yes *you* can do it!  And when you get it to work, let me know! 

To start fiddling with the recipe, I recommend:

• Medium ripe avocado
• Lemon juice
• Nutritional yeast flakes
• Bran (I used rice bran)
• Protein powder (I used brown rice protein powder)
• Garlic, salt, and pepper

1. Mash the avocado to a pulp.  
2. Add some lemon juice.
3. Add remaining dry ingredients in sufficient quantities to get things to a more doughy consistency, and stir until everything is blended (use more bran or protein powder depending on what sort of flavor/nutrient profile you want.  Rice bran and brown rice protein powder both lend a nice salty/savory consistency to your cheezy dough).  
4. Taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
5. Sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast flakes.
6. Enjoy immediately, or chill in the fridge for a bit.

Green Snacks for Your Next Party

 My aunt never ceases to amaze me with her creativity.  At a recent family gathering, she worked with my cousins to create these clever snack boxes full of green goodies.  Every party has a theme, and the goodie bags are selected accordingly.  In this case, it was the food packaging that was green (colored).  I can't guarantee that everything here was environmentally friendly.  However, the products did come to us packaged in green colored boxes or baggies, often with green product names to boot.  And one could certainly make good use of the recycle bin container in which everything was stored!  My goodie bag contained:

• Beigel Beigel Long Thick Sesame Stick Pretzels
• Emerald brand Sea Salt & Pepper Cashews
• GoGo Squeez appleapple (squeezable applesauce!)
• Jalapeno Heat Dirty Potato Chips
• Joray Sour Apple Fruit Roll
• Laffy Taffy in Sour Apple
• Lime 
• Mike and Ike Candy
• Sour Power Belts (Green Apple)
• Turkey Hill Green Tea

Most of the contents were allergy friendly.  All were kid-friendly and kosher.  Any subset would be great for a children's party or St. Patrick's Day. 

The Turkey Hill Green Tea says "green" on the cap!