Homemade Peanut Butter

I absolutely love being in the kitchen, especially when I can whip something up really fast. I found a recipe for peanut butter off of Pinterest, but what I didn't know is that it is more simple than I thought. Why was I not doing this a long time ago! Even though the peanuts I bought were not organic, at least they didn't have the preservatives and additives that I often wish to stray away from. I read that the peanut butter will last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator and one week room temperature. Again, it was super easy very tasty. Here is how to make it:

Homemade Peanut Butter

Ingredients:

1 container of salted peanuts.

-You really can make as much as you want but remember you have one to two weeks to eat it.

Method:

1) Put peanuts in food processor and press on.

2) Let it run for about 4 minutes and then it will be smooth. The consistency depends on what you want.

Note: The peanut butter will thicken a bit in the refrigerator.

Banberry-Oat Smoothie

Breakfast is always the same for our family and I decided that it was time to change it up a bit. What about a smoothie for breakfast? That was an awesome idea. Simple, fast, and tasty. I found a Banana-Oat Smoothie on wholeliving.com. I loved the look of this recipe, but I had to change it to work for us. Here is our new and improved recipe! :) By the way, it is kid approved!

Banberry-Oat Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 Ripe Bananas (One frozen and one room temp.)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup Rice Milk

1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats

2 tsp. of ground flaxseed

1TBS of honey

1/2 cup ice

Method:

1) Blend all ingredients together until smooth

2) Enjoy!

 

 Juliana

Olivia

Low-fat Vegan Mayo

There is something about the taste of eggs that has not been sitting well with me lately. I have been trying to find an alternative to all my egg based items. So far baking has proven to be the hardest. I had purchased some new kind of mayonnaise that was supposed to be creamier, without the milk. It had peaked my interest. I tried it and with the first bite of my nicely made sandwich, I was throwing it out. It was ruined by the distinct taste I really dislike, eggs. They had added more egg yolk to the dressing. What a tragedy. So on a mission I started looking for some vegan mayo recipes. There are a few out there I would like to try, but this one that I found on myvegancookbook.com . 

Ingredients

1/2 14oz Block Silken Tofu

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Champagne Vinegar or White Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

2 Teaspoons Sugar

Method

1) Place tofu, salt, onion powder, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, corn starch and sugar into blender and blend until smooth.

2)  Pour into small sauce pan and cook until thickens, stirring and mashing downward (to get rid of lumps) constantly with a whisk on medium heat. It will continue to thicken up after you take it off the stove, so you want to keep that in mind.  

If you cook it too long it will lose it's glossy appearance.

Vegan Yogurt

I love yogurt by my stomach does not, so I needed to find an alternative. I have tried different soy yogurts and even sheep yogurt, but I didn't like the texture. Almost like they added protein to them that gave a gritty consistency. I ended up passing on the yogurt until I found a recipe from happyherbivore.com.  I was very skeptical if this would work, but I thought since I had the ingredients, I would try it anyways. To my surprise, it was better than the store bought soy yogurts. I chose to add blueberries since my girls love blueberries and it was a hit. I thought it turned out a little tart, but the girls still loved it anyways. I can't wait to try this with different fruit.

 Vegan Yogurt

Ingredients

• 10 ounces silken tofu
• 1 whole banana, cold (I actually used 2)
• 2 tbsp plant-based milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Method

1) Combine all ingredients in a blender, whizzing until smooth and creamy. Taste, adding more sweetener as desired. 

2) Add in fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries or more banana for fruit-flavored yogurt.

 Enjoy!

Flaxseed Bread

Our family loves bread. We tend to go through two loaves in a week. I needed something a little healthier. I was told that flaxseed has good benefits to it. According to WebMD there have been preliminary studies that have shown that flaxseed may help fight against heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer. You can check out that link here.

The recipe I found was, of course, on Pinterest. The author is Vegan Feast Catering on Flickr.com. She says its about 40 calories per slice. This bread was much more light than any other I have made. It also has a distinct taste, which matches perfectly with peanut butter.

So without anymore delay, here is the recipe for flaxseed bread, enjoy.

Flaxseed Bread

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 3/4 cups of warm water

1/8 cup raw sugar

1 tablespoon canola oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flaxseed meal

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

Method:

1) Dissolve your yeast in the warm water. This takes about 5 minutes -- the water will become creamy-looking. - I used the instant yeast so I didn't have to dissolve it.

2) Add to this the sugar, oil, salt, flaxseed meal and one cup of whole wheat flour.

3) Mix this with your spoon till it's incorporated. Add in the other cup of whole wheat flour and stir... then add in your one cup of all-purpose flour. Mix till it holds together. Attach the dough hook and let the mixer knead this dough for AT LEAST 10 minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer, then knead by hand on a floured countertop for about 10 - 15 minutes.

4) Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and put the dough into it, then spray the top of it. You just want to moisten the outside of it so it won't stick to the bowl.

5) Let it rise till it has FULLY DOUBLED. Depending on the temperature, this could happen in about an hour, or upwards of two hours.

6) Spray a bread pan (9" X 5") with cooking spray. Punch down your dough and put it into your bread pan. Shape it with your oil-covered hands so it fits snugly into the pan. Let the bread rise till it has come up about 1 1/2 inches above the top of the pan. (I used two 8.5x4.5 glass pans and it worked perfectly.)

7) Preheat the oven to 350F -- bake the bread for about 40 - 45 minutes. Cool then slice.

Crock-Pot Sesame Tofu

As a child I was not really fond of tofu, or any form of Chinese food. Now as an adult, I have come to realize that some of it is quite tasty and if made right is quite enjoyable. This recipe I found off of Pinterest, but I have changed it so much that it has become my own recipe. It originally was for Sesame Chicken. I hope you enjoy it. By the way, my girls approve of this one. Probably because it is so sweet.

Crock-Pot Sesame Tofu

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 Package of firm or Super firm tofu (chopped in bite size pieces)

1/2 cup honey

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1/2 onion, diced

2/3 cup ketchup

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp sesame seed oil or extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or grated

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

2 cups dry brown rice

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb broccoli florets

Method:

Put tofu into crock pot.

In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, water, ketchup, brown sugar, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over tofu.

Cook on low for 2-3 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until tofu is cooked through and marinates.

Cook rice according to package directions.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet until hot. Add broccoli and saute 5-6 minutes or until cooked but tender. Add to tofu mix in crock-pot.

Serve tofu over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Fruit and Walnut Granola Bars

There are so many ways to enjoy food and I find with all of our dietary issues within our home we do the best on a simple plan. A best friend of mine was away for work and happened to come across a cookbook that the hospital was selling. Looking at it she knew right away that this was my type of cooking. I am so glad she did. The cookbook is called Wholesome Temptation which are recipes and Nutrition tips from the dietitians and chefs of Cancer Treatment Centers of America. I never thought I would say this, but I think this is one of my favorite cookbooks. The recipes are simple and easy to digest. I am so thrilled and I hope to share many more recipes from this book with you.

The recipe I will share tonight is Fruit and Walnut Granola Bars. AMAZING! Sorry, I do not have pictures as I did this at the last minute and felt the need to share. These are super easy to make and will become a regular snack for me when I need a pick me up. I hope you enjoy!

Fruit and Walnut Granola Bars

-Chef Judith Hallisey

Ingredients:

1 Large Egg
2 Large Egg White
1/2 c. Truvia ( I used organic sugar)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 c. uncooked old fashioned oats
1 Tbs. unbleached flour
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. toasted and chopped walnuts

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Whisk together eggs in large bowl.

3) Add Truvia, cinnamon, vanilla.

4) Stir in oats, flour, fruit, and walnuts

5) Spread in a greased baking pan ( I used parchment paper)

6)  Bake until golden brown. ( I baked mine for 12-14 mins)

7) Cool and cut into bars. (I made 15 bars)

Note: These can be made gluten free by using GF Oats and rice flour.