Ants on a Log

SO...I've been having a lot of dinner flops lately. Trying new veggie recipes that taste so-so instead of so-amazing-I've-got-to-put-it-on-my-blog. This means I need more of you to send me your tried and true amazing recipes! (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

In the meantime, I've been coming up with some more yummy green smoothie mixes (which will be forthcoming) and today's blog post is on my latest go-to snack. I'm pretty sure I've had it almost everyday for the past week. Crunchy, nutty, sweet....hits the spot for me every time.

Ingredients:

• celery stocks
• raisins
• creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Wash celery sticks and cut to desired length. Spread peanut butter in the valley of the stalk. Put the raisins on the PB.

Breakfast of Champions Smoothie

This recipe comes from Cindy.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can no-sugar-added peaches in water
Three [very] large handfuls of fresh spinach or kale (it should nearly fill the blender)
1 banana
1 cup plain fat free yogurt
1 cup of ice
As much milled flax as you can handle ;)

Directions:

Pour the peaches and liquid into the blender, puree. Add greens and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds or so. Add in banana, yogurt and flax; blend briefly to mix. Add ice and puree until smooth.

Notes about this recipe:

Super quick and easy, so incredibly healthy, and super tasty. If you have family members who might gag at the sight of green liquid, you can add a cup of mixed frozen berries instead of ice, which gives it a nice purple tone (but ups the price tag).

Raw Vegan Apple Crumble

This recipe was submitted by Aubrey. She adapted it from Love Veggies and Yoga.

Ingredients and Directions:

Raw Crust:
1 c oats
2/3 c Whole Wheat Flour
9 Medjool dates, pitted (you can get these at Costco)

Grind these up together in your blender or food processor and then press in the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

Filling:
4 large apples (this could be interchanged with other fruits- I'm going to try pears next time)
Peel, core and dice. Place in bowl and add:
2 Tbsp Agave
2 Tbsp Raw Organic Powdered Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Molasses
1-2 Tsp Cinnamon - according to your taste.

Mix well and spread over the top of the crust.

Crumble topping:
3/4 c Almond Meal (you can just grind up almonds in your blender or food processor)
3/4 c Oats
3-4 Tbsp Agave (depending on how sticky/crumbly you like your crumble)

Give these a good couple of pulses and crumble evenly over the top of your apples.

You're done! Just place it in the fridge until you're ready for it. It's best to do this several hours ahead of serving to allow the flavors to meld, and the crust to get a bit gooey from the sauce in the apples.

Blueberry Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• About 14 oz of liquid---1/2 orange juice, 1/2 water
• 1 banana
• 5-6 frozen strawberries
• 1 c. frozen blueberries
• 1 1/2 handfuls of spinach
• 1/2 c. oatmeal

Directions:

Add liquid first, then all the other ingredients. Blend.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe comes from Good Life Eats. Very delicious and filling (my husband even said so himself).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced (deseed if you like)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 8 ounces vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon Morton Season All Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2/3 cup diced sweet potato
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 37.5 ounces canned black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1/2 cup fire roasted salsa
• 2 bay leaves
• 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• toppings for serving: Monterrey jack cheese or feta and cilantro

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and saute for 5 minutes, until tender and golden. Add the garlic and poblano pepper and saute another minute, until fragrant. Add the cumin and chili powder and saute another 2 minutes.

Lower heat to medium-low and stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth (reserve 1/4 cup of broth), scraping to remove any browned bits in the pan. Add the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and toppings.

In a small bowl whisk together the reserved 1/4 cup of broth and the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the chili pot. Stir until well mixed. Bring chili to a boil for 2 minutes and then lower heat to low. Simmer over low heat uncovered for one hour. Then, simmer covered with a lid for 30 minutes.

Serve topped with your choice of toppings.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I served it up with cornbread muffins (using 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white flour).
2. I didn't used crushed tomatoes, I used chili ready diced tomatoes.
3. I just used 1 whole sweet potato (which was a little more than 2/3 c.), and I only used about 28 oz of black beans (about 1 1/2 cups).
4. I cut the chili powder in half, and it was still a tad spicy so next time I might only use 1/2 of the poblano pepper or 1/2 the salsa (I had used a medium spice salsa).

Chimichurri

I found the recipe for this marinate/sauce at Our Best Bites.

They used it as a meat marinate, but I loved this as a dipping sauce for pizza (meat or veggie pizza) and it was yummy drizzled on my steamed asparagus. If you decide to make it, tell me what you liked eating it with.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 C chopped cilantro
• 1/2 C loosely packed oregano leaves*
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 3 T chopped garlic (6-7 cloves)
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
  
  *Fresh is best, but if you don't have access to fresh oregano, you could use fresh cilantro and parsley and add in 1 Tbs plus 1 tea dried oregano leaves.

Directions:

Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped. Remove mixture and place in a bowl. Add red pepper flakes and then stir in olive oil by hand.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used water instead of red wine vinegar and it was still delish.

Cinnamon Fried Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 to 2 Tb olive oil
• 3/4 tsp to 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Heat oil and cinnamon in pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and stir until all potatoes have been coated with oil/cinnamon mixture. Cook until soft.