Turmeric Quinoa with Vegetables

We really love the flavors in Indian food: curry and turmeric. What I didn't know is that turmeric is very high in minerals and has high antioxidant properties as well! It protects us from free-radical damage and helps clean up metabolic waste, as well as supports our liver. We love the smell, the color and the flavor.

Turmeric Quinoa with Vegetables
***soak quinoa overnight if you have time. Drain and rinse well before using.

3 c water
1 1/2 c quinoa, dry (prior to soaking)
2-3 T coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t sea salt
1 1/2 T curry
1 t turmeric
2 bell peppers (I like red & orange)
4 c broccoli and cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 carrot, shredded

Bring water to a boil and reduce heat. Add quinoa and simmer until the water is absorbed and grains are soft. Drain quinoa and set aside in a bowl. Heat oil in large skillet and add onions & garlic. Saute for a few minutes, adding salt, curry and turmeric. Add the other vegetables and saute lightly for 6-9 minutes or until they become softened, but not overcooked. Add the quinoa to skillet and stir everything together. Add salt to taste, or more curry if you like a lot of curry. Serve after a big salad. Delicious!

Cherry Wild Rice

Cherry Wild Rice
1 c sprouted quinoa rice blend (I got this at Costco)
1/2 c fresh sweet cherries, quartered, seed removed
1/3 c chopped raw cashews
2-3 stalks finely chopped celery
freshly snipped chives (optional)

Dressing
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic

1 t Dijon mustard

1 t raw honey

1/3 c olive oil
1/2 t ground pepper

1/4 t sea salt

Measure 2 1/2 c filtered water and add 1 t (opt) of vegetable broth powder. Bring to a boil and add rice blend. Simmer 25 minutes, and then take off burner and let it steam for 10 more. Let cool.
Transfer to large bowl and mix in remaining ingredients.
Blend all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over rice mixture. Stir gently until well incorporated.

**I doubled for our family. This had a different flavor, but we all gobbled it up.

Peanut Butter Eggs

Peanut Butter "Eggs"

• 3/4 cup of a good quality peanut butter
• few dashes of sea salt
• 3/4 cup powdered Sucanut (put in blender and grind into powder)
• 6 T raw cacao powder
• 6 T virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid
• 6 T maple syrup

Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl until it becomes a crumbly dough. (Note: if your nut butter is from the fridge, let it sit awhile.) Add salt or sucanut to taste. Form dough into flat little ovals (or egg shapes, but real Reeses eggs are flat). Freeze the dough for an hour or so, until it’s hard.

Meanwhile, mix the cacao and coconut oil. Add the maple syrup. Mix until it looks like chocolate sauce, and then take one “egg” out of the freezer at a time (so the rest stay cold) and cover in chocolate. (I used a corn-cob skewer.) Immediately return covered egg to the freezer and let harden. Store in freezer.

You can thaw a little before eating, or eat when frozen–either way, they’re awesome!

Fall Curry

Fall Curry
3 teaspoons coconut oil
2 cup bite sized diced peeled sweet potato
1/2-3/4 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (or 1 1/2 c water with 1 t veg broth powder
3/4 t sea salt
3 c chickpeas (or 2 cans rinsed & drained
1 large can crushed tomatoes (or pulse fresh ones in a blender)
1/4-1/2 c chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add cauliflower, onion, and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring mixture constantly. Add broth and next 3 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cilantro. We served with quinoa as prepared below:

1 c quinoa soaked for a few hours and drained and rinsed well (or just rinse really well)
2 c filtered water
1 t veg broth powder
Bring water to a boil and add quinoa and broth powder. Cook 20-25 minutes or until water is mostly gone.

Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Muffins
4 1/2 c grated fresh zucchini
1 c liquid coconut oil
2 c sucanut
3 T chia seeds (put in 9 T water and let it sit for 15 minutes or until gel)
3 t vanilla
3 t baking soda
pinch sea salt
4 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 1/2 c raisins (or dried cranberries)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl combine the sucanut, chia seeds, and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini and then the melted oil. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir these dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture. Stir in raisins.
Coat each muffin cup in your muffin pan with a little spray (or use muffin liners). Use a spoon to distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups, filling the cups up completely. Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown, and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin let cool another 20 minutes.

Vegan Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

These were so awesome! We had them for dinner this week, following a tall cup of green smoothie. This makes a really quick meal and lots of extras to freeze and toast later. I had some for breakfast this week with layers of your favorite nut butter, sliced bananas and a bit of maple syrup. It was heavenly!


*Oh, I also split this in half and blended half the ingredients first followed by the other half. My blender sure isn't big enough to handle all of it! :)

Vegan Oatmeal Banana Pancakes
3 3/4 c oats
1 1/2 c flour (I used whole wheat)
6 t baking powder
1 1/2 t sea salt
4 1/2 c almond milk
6 ripe bananas, peeled

Blend the first 5 ingredients together until smooth. Add bananas and blend more. Cook on hot griddle. I add a bit of coconut oil before batter to make the ends nice and crispy. Serve with syrup of your choice.

This makes A LOT! They freeze really well, just pop in your toaster oven for a super quick breakfast.