Chocolate Mousse with Berries – Quick Valentine’s Dessert
February 14, 2011 - Written by DianaHere’s a Chocolate Mousse recipe that’s so quick, easy, delicious and perfect for Valentine’s Day. For the Superbowl I made vegan cupcakes that were delish. I thought the glaze tasted like pudding, but it was thick and sweet. I took that recipe and changed it into a mousse. This dessert is pretty fast and easy to make.
The microwave was used to melt the chocolate and goat cheese together before putting it into the magic bullet to combine it and add air (to moussify). That’s really all it takes, pour the mousse red raspberries and sliced strawberries in ramekins and then decoratively top with one of each and refrigerate. This is a dessert you can make after work and cool while dinner is being devoured. I loved it and so did my husband. One for us tonight, and another for tomorrow (no kids, oh well).
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces silken tofu
- 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate
- 2 tsp chevre (goat cheese – plain)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp agave
- 4 strawberries
- 12 raspberries
Use a paper towel or cloth to drain and pat dry the …
Quick Quinoa Burgers
January 28, 2011 - Written by Diana
Quick Quinoa Burgers is from The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth by Jonny Bowden and Jeannette Bessinger. When Deb, Desiree and I were younger, my dad tried the meatless burger thing. He used birdseed – or rather millet, but they were dry and not very tasty. I tried this meatless burger thinking it would end on the same note, but I really was surprised at how good they were. No, they don’t taste like burgers, not at all, but they are packed with flavor. Where the recipe said to use a quality salsa – I used my canned salsa. Where it said to use canned kidney beans, I substituted pinto beans that I made up earlier in the week, and it had a little garlic flavoring in it. I also topped the burger and sauce with chopped avocado. Deb are you listening – this meal had quinoa, avocado and salsa in it, you will like it.
Ingredients:
(Burger)
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans
- 1/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
- 2 oz grated or crumbled cheese (or 1/4 cup nutritional yeast for a vegan option)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cooked heirloom …
Vegetarian Tofu Pumpkin Pie
November 19, 2010 - Written by DianaThis recipe is for my son’s friend Ben. At the tender age of 18, he and another friend are living on their own. Ben is a vegetarian and head chef – which is a good way to keep track of what is going on in the kitchen. So for his vegetarian Thanksgiving, I’m offering this Vegetarian Tofu Pumpkin Pie. Use the firm tofu for this recipe that I found online at House America.
Vegetarian Tofu Pumpkin Pie
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg(14 oz)House Foods Premium or Organic Tofu Firm
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 can (16 oz) cooked pumpkin
1 prepared graham cracker pie crustDIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°
In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients and blend thoroughly. Pour mixture into pie crust; bake in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes or until set. Serve chilled.Note Cooking tips:
Remove moisture from Tofu by microwaving it for about a minute; pour off water and blot well with paper towel before using. Be careful, Tofu will be hot!And to go along with it .. an Orange Mango Smoothie, mmmmm….
Wild Rice Salad
August 11, 2010 - Written by Diana
We knew there were going to be vegetarians at my son’s graduation party. I’ve been feeding his vegetarian friends whenever they came to visit. I don’t like picky eaters, people who don’t eat because something looks funny, or because it isn’t made the same way as their mom makes it. However, I do believe in accomodating dietary restrictions, and choices. These kids are not problem children and will find a way to help make things work, but for my son’s party I wanted there to food they would love, because I wanted them to know that they are always welcome and that I was thinking specifically of them. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a hardship, this dish is really an easy to make no fuss dish. I quadrupled and changed up a recipe I found in Cooking Light – Kitchen Secrets for Quick and Easy Meals. This booklet ( thicker than a magazine) is packed with plenty of great tasting and looking dishes. I love the dill, green onion and feta combination, it’s fantastically delicious and fresh.Wild Rice Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon
- 2 cups cooked wild …
Cumin’d Lentils and Carrots from The Heart Smart Diabetes Kitchen
May 20, 2010 - Written by Diana
This delicious idea comes from The Heart Smart Diabetes Kitchen recipe book, that I received to review. This is the first time I made lentils, and I am pleased to say I enjoy them a lot. My daughter isn’t so sure, my son and husband both liked it too. My mother is a fan of lentils (though we’d have to leave out the onions for her) so we may have it again this weekend. This dish was easy to prepare and took less than 45 minutes total to come together. Cumin’d Lentils and Carrots were a great side dish along with our NuWave Rosemary Chicken for dinner on Sunday.Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tbs canola oil
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/3 cup dried lentils
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin, divided
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook carrots and onions 8 minutes or until richly browned, stirring frequently. Add water, lentils and 1/4 tsp cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from …
Big Bowl of Whole Grainy Dinner Goodness
January 27, 2010 - Written by DianaTonight’s dinner was inspired by a store bought frozen lunch I had today. It had beans, whole grain orzo, dried cranberries, spinach and a little bit of cheese. I enjoyed it quite a bit and thought I would use it as inspiration to create my own big bowl of whole grainy goodness. Even though the barley and quinoa stuck to his braces, my son thought it was delicious. My husband also liked it a lot too. I know my daughter would have enjoyed it, and that she would have grabbed the leftovers thrown salad dressing over top and had it cold for lunch the next day. One thing I would have changed would have been to add in more chard. I dug through the snow to find what chard I could from the raised beds in the garden. I found some small leaves, only about 7 or 8, but it was enough to give it a little color and flavor. I just wish I had more. It’s so cool to go dig through the snow for chard in the middle of winter, but your fingers get awfully cold and you have to be careful that they don’t stick to the …
Roasted Apple and Butternut Squash
December 4, 2009 - Written by DianaHere’s a way the whole family will enjoy butternut squash and apple. I used a splash of orange, plus grated the rind and ginger. This was fabulous, fantastic, divine, delicious and good tasting. Butternut squash is so delicious and nutritious for you and such a great autumn food to serve. Apples go well with it, and the orange gives it sweetness without adding sugar.
I told my son to tell me it tasted wonderful, and after he tasted, he agreed. If you have kids that balk at squash, this is the way to serve it.
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
3 or 4 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 orange peel – zested
1 tbs grated ginger
Olive oil for pan
Nutmeg
Directions:
I parboiled the squash so that the apple wouldn’t get mushy from baking too long. …
Gingered Carrots & Kohlrabi
November 15, 2009 - Written by Diana
Kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi. There’s a joke that goes – If you say the name of something 7 times it’s yours for life, and then some girl says – John, john, etc. It doesn’t matter how many times I say kohlrabi, my mental picture doesn’t match up with that name and I go blank trying to remember. Kohlrabi is a nice crunchy vegetable, similar to a turnip, but tastes more like a cross between cabbage and turnips to me with a little bit of sweetness. My sister in law adds it to salads, or just peels and slices it up for people to chew raw. My dish was baked, bringing out another level of flavor.I peeled off the leaves, scraped off the skin and julienned the kohlrabi along with some carrots. I used my frozen ginger in this dish, which smells so wonderful when grating. I did all the mixing right in the baking dish, so it’s truly a one pot dish. Even though this would have served more , with my …
Savory Squash Fillo Bake
November 13, 2009 - Written by DianaI’ve been given the opportunity to sample some different types of organic (love it) fillo sheets from the Fillo Factory. When I’m shopping I first see if there is a quality product in the organic section. I’m thrilled that I can find fillo dough frozen that’s organic too. I used the organic spelt fillo dough for this recipe with some squash I bought at the farm stand. I’m not an expert with fillo dough. I use it and follow the rules about keeping them moist as best I can, but sometimes they fall apart. My fake out is to tear strips of fillo dough and layer them across the top nice and neat. My family loved eating the crunchy top and peeling it apart. I thought it was funny the way they pulled apart the layers.
The Fillo Factory Fillo Sheets should be defrosted and placed flat, covered with a damp towel to keep from drying out.
I used:
2 yellow acorn squash
2 delicata squash
…
Purple (Cauliflower) Risotto
November 8, 2009 - Written by DianaI made a Purple Risotto, I kid you not. It had flecks of different color purples from dark blue purple on down to lavender. If you have kids that love new colorful meals, this would such a cool dish for them to try. My son, my husband and I all thought it was scrumptious, and we’d eat it again. Actually we will, because there are leftovers.
My husband and I went to Lynd’s Fruit Farm just outside of Columbus. We’ve been going there for apples in the fall plus other fun things. This was the last weekend of the sale tent and we didn’t want to miss out. They have such cool things available like purple cauliflower, purple broccoli, purple Brussels sprouts – okay, not purple brussel sprouts – just green, pumpkins, gourds and apples. While we were there, we actually got to be part of an apple tasting. One gentleman said they were trying out a new apple and we should taste 4 different types and rate where they landed on a piece of paper. After we placed the apples on the paper in the proper like/dislike square (it was a range), he marked where …
- 2 cups cooked wild …
