Mint-Watermelon Gazpacho and Quinoa Tabouli

Last week, I was at a restaurant that had watermelon gazpacho with mint, and I fell in love! I thought it would also go great with a simple tabouli dish, thus my mint addiction begins...

Mint-Watermelon Gazpacho 

Original recipe can be found here.

Local and/or organic is always best. 

6 cups cubed watermelon, large seeds removed if needed

1 large heirloom tomato, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 large shallot, coarsely chopped

1 seedless cucumber, diced

2 medium jalapeños, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. lime juice

salt to taste

In batches, place cubed watermelon, chopped tomato, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped shallots, chopped jalapeño, and lime juice in a blender. Blend into a coarse puree and pour into a large bowl. Dice cucumber and finely chop mint leaves to put into the same bowl, stir well. Serve cold. 

Quinoa Tabouli
Original recipe can be found here.

Local and/or organic is always best.

1 1/2 cups dry quinoa

3 cups water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, diced very fine

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

1 sweet white onion, chopped

1 cup sweet corn

1 green bell pepper, chopped

About 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if they are big cherry tomatoes)

About 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped (about 1/2 bunch)

About 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Boil quinoa in water, for about 15-20 min. In a sealed container, combine lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper Seal and shake, shake, shake it! In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, parsley, and mint. When quinoa is done, remove lid and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add to the bowl of vegetables and stir. Give the dressing another good shake and then pour it over the salad and stir well. Enjoy!

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Chips

A few years ago, I figured out I was allergic to dairy. Even though my overall health improved, I still missed it. (My sister can attest to the fact that it took me a whole summer to stop sniveling every time I passed a Dairy Queen.)

BUT...there is now hope for the lactose intolerant! Surprisingly, it comes in the form of cashews.

The original recipe is found at: http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/creamy-artichoke-spinach-dip-without-the-junk/

Another bonus is that it is super simple to make and only bakes for about 20 min. in the oven.

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.

3/4 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup almond milk (Homemade Almond Milk)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic (you can add less if you're not a garlic fan)
1/2 tsp dry (ground) mustard
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups (loosely packed) spinach leaves
2 cups artichoke hearts (I used canned because I couldn't find frozen. I used 1 1/2 cans. If using frozen, add 3/4 tsp of sea salt and let thaw for a bit.)
Package of organic corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a food processor (or blender), add the cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt (if using frozen artichoke hearts), dry mustard, and pepper. Blend until very smooth, usually takes about a minute or so. Add artichokes and spinach and just pulse through. Do not fully blend, keep some chunky texture! Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish, and bake for 17-20 minutes.

Now, this dip is normally served with bread, but I like baking chips instead. After you have taken the dip out of the oven, turn down the heat to 400 degrees. Take the corn tortillas and cut them in half, until you have 8 equal pieces from each tortilla. Put them on a baking sheet, making sure none of them are touching. Bake for about 10 minutes. **Each oven is different so you may have to keep a close eye to make sure you don't burn them.** Continue until you have baked all the tortilla chips.

Let the chips cool for a bit and then ENJOY!

My "What the heck do I make tonight?" Stir Fry

This is the type of dinner that you can just throw together with minimal chopping, or thought. You can also change up the veggies or grain that you use. 

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.

1 cup quinoa (already cooked)

1 cup frozen peas

Half a bushel of kale, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

Any spices you prefer, I used 1/2 tsp of turmeric and curry

1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

There is probably a specific order to cook this in, but I really just threw it all in together with a little vegetable broth. **I had to add more vegetable broth as it was cooking to prevent sticking. I covered it and let it cook over medium heat until the kale wilted and the carrots were soft. 

Then I topped it off with some teriyaki sauce. You could also add some chopped peanuts. 

This usually makes enough for just me, but I also eat like a football player. :)  Enjoy!

Chocolate, Sweet Potato Muffins

This is the perfect breakfast food, and so good with a little almond butter on top. The original recipe is from My Beef with Meat, by Rip Esselystyn.

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.
Yields 12 muffins

One 14 oz. can of sweet potato (I bake the sweet potato in the winter...right now it's just too hot!) or you can use pumpkin
2 ripe bananas
2 small/medium apples (I blend them up with my magic bullet so it is the consistency of applesauce) or 1 cup apple sauce
A few dashes or cinnamon and/or pumpkin spice (I personally am very liberal with these spices)
2 tsp. honey (optional)
3 cups oat flour (I blend up oats in my magic bullet and it becomes oat flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/2 cup cacao nibs (optional, but they taste like chocolate!)

In a large bowl, stir together oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, salt, and cacao nibs. In a separate bowl, stir together the sweet potato, bananas, applesauce, and honey. Combine wet into dry. Then spoon them into a non-stick muffin tin. You can use muffin cups, but they tend to stick to them more than other muffin recipes, probably because these are oil-free.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. You now have delicious, vegan, and oil/gluten free muffins. 

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato BBQ Veggie Burgers

I found this recipe on Pinterest from: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2013/03/spin-on-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-bbq.html

These veggie burgers are definitely my favorite. I changed them a bit to make them vegan AND oil free, but they are still delicious! It is also very simple and quick to make. 

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.

1/2 to 1 cup cooked brown rice, depending on how thick you like your burgers
3/4 cups peanuts, unsalted (I used my Magic Bullet to make them into a fine powder)
1 cup mashed sweet potato (I usually bake mine in the oven, but it has been so hot outside so I just used canned sweet potato, and it worked great.)
1 1/2 cups cannellini white beans, drained/rinsed
1 Tbsp dry BBQ spice blend (I used Mango Chipotle Rub from Starlight Herb & Spice Co. from Whole Foods)
2 Tbsp liquid BBQ sauce, vegan
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped or you can use dried
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a couple shakes of cayenne and salt
burger buns, I used Food for Life Sprouted Wheat Burger Buns (not gluten free)


Serves 6

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine diced onion, ground up peanuts, sweet potato, rice, beans, spices, parsley, and BBQ sauce in a large mixing bowl. Then take a potato masher and mash until it is thick and creamy. 
3. Take a large cookie sheet and put a silicone baking mat on it. Form the mixture into 6 even burgers on the baking mat. No need to use any oil. 
4. Throw the burgers in the oven for 20 min. or until the edges start to brown. 
5. While the burgers are baking, you can chop up onion, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, etc. If you would like, toast the burger buns in a toaster oven until golden brown. 
6. Once the burgers are done, you can assemble your burger with all of your preferred condiments and add-ons. I just used tomato, lettuce, onion, and avocado. I also used a little ketchup so the burger fixings would stick together better. 


*When the burgers are first out of the oven they are not as strong as a typical burger is. To help keep the burger together, I take the baking mat and fold it so the burger drops onto my spatula. Then I can put it on the burger bun much easier and in one piece!



To make it even better, cut up some watermelon for the perfect summer dish.

Enjoy!