Vegan Tuna Salad or Chicken Salad

Around my house we just call this Chickpea salad, but who in the world would search for those keywords?  This is a nice little replacement for tuna or chicken salad, and to be honest it's just way better for you (it lacks mercury, antibiotics, hormones, etc.), and it's pretty spot-on when it comes to the flavor.  It doesn't have the signature fishy smell, but I don't know anyone that loves to rock cat food breath.  One of my best friends, Mrs. Margie, passed this on to me.  I add some things to pump up the nutritional value and make it more robust, but it's perfectly good without the additional options.

(GF) Naturally Gluten Free

Served over salad

Ingredients:
1 can of Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas (or about a cup and a half of soaked and cooked)
1/4 cup vegan mayo (I use "Just Mayo", found at Dollar Tree!)
1 stalk celery finely diced
1/8 Cup onion diced fine
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Dill Relish (add or subtract to liking)(Carrot relish also works)
1/2 Tbs Mustard (add or subtract to liking)

**if you crave the fishy taste, feel free to add 1 tsp. of kelp powder

Optional additions that I love:
1 Tbs pumpkin seeds
1 tsp chicken-style seasoning
1/2 tsp dill weed
5 green grapes quartered

In the middle of mixing

Directions:
-Mash chickpeas with a fork manually OR put in vitamix and press down continuously with the tamper stick OR put in a food processor and process just until chickpeas have lost their shape (you don't want chickpea soup, so only process for a few seconds!)
-Mix in the rest of your ingredients, until everything is covered in chickpea

Paleo boats with red cabbage

**Eat alone, put on top of a salad as pictured, put on bread for a sandwich, or wrap in a cabbage leaf for a paleo boat!

THE best homemade Granola, period

Cereal has been my best friend for the past 6 months or so.  My two year old insists on having breakfast at 5a.m. every SINgle MORNING!!!!  Well, that's particularly hard on a mama with a newborn who hasn't slept all night!  I'm sad to admit that breakfast has sort of gone from a meal for Princes to a meal for paupers as of late.  Cascadian farms organic granola cereal was the healthiest (fairly priced) cereal on the shelf at the grocery store, so needless to say I've paid the CEO's salary with how much I've purchased in recent months.  It's quite a shameful thing when looking at the nutritional facts on the back of the package.  My husband and pickiest nutritional critic, brought it to my attention that there's not much value in a bowl of that cereal :(.  Well, I couldn't let that rest on my conscience, so I went into the laboratory again to create something that I could make in bulk and keep in the freezer.  I'm pretty excited about the results, because it didn't take but twice for me to get it to AWESOME!  The only problem with this granola is that even though I make it in bulk, I cannot keep up with the demand.  The lil' fam fam loves it!

Perfect every time!

Now first, you should know that as long as you have the same amount of dry ingredients and wet ingredients that the recipe calls for, you can exchange almost all of the ingredients for something that you might prefer better.  You may prefer pecans and walnuts instead of seeds, or you may hate coconut shreds, and want to up your portion of quick oats a little.  This recipe is pretty flexible.  I'm posting the recipe as I like best, but you'll see how you can change it up for what you like or what you have on hand.

My dry ingredients

One recipe makes about 28 oz ( the size of a regular box of cereal), but I make 4 at a time.

RECIPE

Dry Ingredients:

4 Cups Quick Oats

1/2 Cup Brown sugar

1/4 Cup ground Chia seeds (or seeds of your choice)

1/4 Cup ground Flaxseed (or seeds of your choice)

1/4 Cup coconut shreds (I used unsweet)

1/4 Cup pumpkin seeds (or seeds or nuts of your choice)

1/4 Cup almond mill (left over pulp from making my almond milk)
1 Tbs. shelled hempseed

1 tsp. sea salt

**1/2  Cup dried fruit to be added AFTER BAKING (optional)

If you don't have any nuts or seeds on hand, feel free to just substitute them with additional quick oats!

Wet Ingredients:

1/3 Cup coconut oil

1/2 Cup warm water

1 tsp. vanilla extract (or your favorite extract flavor)

4 Tbs. (or 1/4 Cup) Raw honey or Agave

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Mix wet ingredients in a pyrex oven safe measure cup and sit in oven while preheating to melt your oil (if you don't have one, just use hot water in your mix or heat on stove til melted

Mix all of your dry ingredients well

When oil is melted in wet mix, give it a stir and pour over dry ingredients
mix with a spoon

After thoroughly mixed (nothing is left dry in the bottom of the bowl), continue to mix your ingredients with clean hands, using a squeezing motion to sort of bunch up your ingredients

You don't have to make perfect little balls, I usually just squeeze it into a few hand sized blobs and then sprinkle in little clumps on two non stick cookie sheets (make sure your clumps aren't huge, because you want the granola to cook thoroughly throughout.  Just sprinkle them evenly on your pans, making sure that the bigger clumps are broken up before you bake)

If you don't have non-stick cookie sheets, use parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Oiled tin foil would probably work too, but the extra oil increases the fat and some may end up sticking

- Bake on 300 for 50 minutes.  Take out half way through and flip with a spatula, so that both sides brown (it won't flip all in one piece, so you just have to shovel it around some)

Cool on stove top for 15 minutes, add optional dried fruit at this time, put in ziplock bag and store in pantry (or refrigerator if you rarely eat cereal).  If you make it in bulk, store the bags you aren't currently using in the freezer.

**This granola cereal is incredible with almond milk.  I used unsweetened that I make myself, but it's also great with Silk almond milk.

Great as a snack, or a yogurt topper

Hidden veggies Healthy Popsicles

If you want to get some raw, green goodness into your kids (or yourself), because they refuse to eat salad, turnips, or spinach, then you NEED to start making these popsicles!  My kids literally beg for them.  Raw Superfood Powder is fast and easy access to a powerful punch of green nutrients.
I don't know a kid alive that will turn down a popsicle.  So the solution is simple; order a few special ingredients and start making these super easy Green popsicles.  FYI, they're not green at all, they are sweet chocolaty Heaven (with vegetables hidden inside)!  Below I've listed the items that I personally use.  I'm not endorsing these brands, I'm just trying to make it easier for you.  Feel free to buy whichever products you prefer, as long as they are the equivalent.  The Green Superfood is a little pricey, but it lasts a long time and is definitely worth it.

You'll need:

• A blender
• Popsicle molds :  see link below 
• http://www.amazon.com/Groovy-Freezer-Popsicle-Approved-Built-/dp/B00DLNLSXG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1406137653&sr=8-5&keywords=popsicle+molds)
• Green Superfood Powder : see link below
• http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grass-Green-SuperFood-17-Ounce/dp/B0038B3AAK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406137715&sr=8-1&keywords=green+superfood
• Stevia (get it in the grocery store)
• Raw Cacao powder ( not the same as unhealthy, caffeine laden, and processed cocoa powder see information link below and link to product purchase)
• http://iquitsugar.com/raw-cacao-vs-cocoa-whats-the-difference/
• http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Powder-America-Non-GMO-Gluten-Free/dp/B00EUEYM4C/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1406137918&sr=8-9&keywords=organic+raw+cacao+powder
• Unsweetened Almond Milk (grocery store item)

This is the green powder that I use.

Additional options that will knock your socks off:

• Banana
• Shelled Raw Organic Hemp seeds (super high in protein)
• http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic-Hempseed-Stand-up-packaging/dp/B00B42KQ8O/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1406138169&sr=8-5&keywords=raw+organic+hemp+seeds
• Natural Peanut butter Or a half cup of shelled peanuts
• Raw, unheated honey

The amounts of ingredients really depend on how big your popsicle molds are and how many molds you're filling.  You'll have to tweak the recipe to match your needed amount and your likes.  This recipe is specifically for  one batch of the popsicle molds that I have linked.  I've also included the ingredients that I personally like.  Most of them are optional, but you definitely want to include Cacao powder to mask the green powder taste, and you'll also need the almond milk and stevia (or honey) as well.  Everything else is optional.

RECIPE:

• 1.5 Cups unsweetened Almond Milk
• 15 drops of liquid stevia (or 1-2 packets of powdered stevia)(it depends on how sweet you want them)OR a heaping Tbs. of Raw unheated honey (for honey-vegans)(adds calories)
• 1/2 Tbs. Raw Organic Cacao Powder
• 1 scoop of Green Superfood (scoop comes with the powder)
• 1 Banana (optional)
• 1 Tbs. Raw Shelled Organic Hemp seeds (optional)

Blend well, fill your molds and freeze for at least 2 hours OR
blend with 1 cup of ice and have as smoothies!

Vegan Buffalo Wings!

People always have random questions about special events, and how we do them as vegans.  "So do you have backyard barbecues?".  One might wonder how a vegan can get festive with football season so near and dear to many.  "What do you serve during a super bowl party?".  Well, to be perfectly honest, I have never met a vegan that was a die hard football fan.  Most vegans are out attempting to save the world, and find things such as football quite frivolous.  But there are a few left in this world, that still enjoy the company of their brothers and friends, and are happy to accommodate a little football party, that is; as long as there is a sweet vegan wife behind him, who is willing to experiment and plan ahead for such an occasion.  I personally died a little on the inside when the craving struck for a buffalo chicken salad from Zaxby's, and I realized that never again would these taste buds reach such satisfaction (tear drop and sniffle).  That is, until recently.  The thought returned to my mind as I watched my beloved grandmother massacre a box of buffalo wings, while I ate my bean burrito at the end of a victorious UGA football game.  "I just can't let go... there must be a way".  Recently I joined the ever famous Pinterest, and one of the first vegan recipes that I found was a some-what blasé attempt at vegan buffalo wings.  I'm tired of eating processed gluten and isolated veggie proteins.  I want to move away from ALL that is unnatural for our day to day food options.  So I decided after seeing cauliflower used as a chewier alternative to other mushy vegetables, that I must give it a try.  If you have an unnatural dislike for vegetables and refuse to take this route, you could always use a Morning Star, Boca, Gardein, or any other brand of "chicken like" nuggets or wings, they offer many at most Walmarts and all Publix stores.
There are lots of health conscious, diabetic, and cardiac patients who might enjoy the comfort of eating an old favorite, without suffering the consequences to their health.  So without further ado, I give you unprocessed, natural, vegan buffalo wings.  No, it doesn't taste and feel just like chicken, but you still get to get all messy in buffalo sauce and scream at the t.v. like you understand what just happened in the 1st quarter.

Ingredients:
2 heads of cauliflower OR 2 large crates of mushrooms (baby portobellos are my fav.)
1.5 Cups of your favorite buffalo sauce (make sure the ingredients are vegan, lots are!)
1 Tbs. of oil or vegan butter (I used earth balance)
Batter

This is all that was left of the batter!

Batter ingredients:
1 Cup non-dairy milk ( I use almond milk)
3 tsp. of garlic powder
2 Tbs. of Beef like seasoning (optional, but highly recommended)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1 Cup flour (I used unbleached organic white flour)

Florets once they are battered.  Some are darker because I tried two different batter recipes at once.  The darker ones are what this recipe produces.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
grease 2 cookie sheets with spray oil
Wash and cut your cauliflower into bite sized florets, OR wash your mushrooms (don't cut them)
Mix your batter ingredients, add a little water if it's too thick, add a little flour if it's too runny (it should   be thicker than pancake mix, you want it to stick to your "wings" without dripping too much)
Toss your florets or mushrooms into the batter and with clean hands coat each one thoroughly (you have to do just a few at a time)
Let any excess drip off into batter bowl, and place on cookie sheet, so that they're not touching
Bake for 20 minutes on 450 degrees
While baking, mix your vegan butter or oil with your buffalo wing sauce
When 20 minutes is up, remove from oven and brush or spoon your buffalo mixture onto each floret or mushroom.  Cover them well with the sauce, leaving about two tablespoons in the bowl
Place back in the oven for 5 minutes
When finished baking, put on plates or serving tray and brush on what is left of your buffalo sauce (if you like lots of sauce).
Serve with your favorite Vegan blue cheese or Ranch dressing (there are tons on the internet, I may post mine shortly, but there are two little boys screaming "Mommy!" right now... Duty calls!

**Mushrooms can also be battered and fried before putting the buffalo sauce on, instead of baked

Buffalo sauce added, now to bake for 5 more minutes!

Watermelon Pizza!

It's summer, and that means watermelon!  You can get super festive with this little treat.  I used the fruit that you see here, because it's the Fourth of July this week, and we're celebrating with Red, White, and Blue!  A friend of mine served this at potluck the other day, and I was delightfully surprised when I tasted it.  I thought it would taste like... well... watermelon, but the jam that's used at the base adds a pop of sweetness that is irresistible!  The kids will love this... and any other excitable pedestrians that walk by.

RED - WHITE - BLUE

Ingredients:

Strawberry jam (spreadable)

Fruit of your choice (pictured are: blueberries and coconut shredds)

Whole watermelon

Directions:

~Wash your fruit

~Cut watermelon in half, and then slice the same way in 1 inch portions (should be in circular shape, like a pizza)

~Cut each circle into triangles, like you slice a pizza

~Spread strawberry jam on each slice

~Top with your favorite fruit (such as kiwi, bananas, almond slivers, etc.)

ENJOY!

Thanks Jesse for the cool idea!

Homemade Peanut Butter

This really isn't too much of a recipe, it's more of a short process.  I absolutely love peanut butter, and I've made it two ways.  One: you have to have a high-powered blender, like the Vita-Mix, or two:  you have to have a juicer, like a champion juicer.  This may very well work in a food processor, but I've never tried it, so you're on your own until I venture out that way :)  This is easy, and much healthier than those with hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup.  I keep mine in the refrigerator, but I don't know that it's necessary.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)

1 Tbs. of Agave nectar, maple syrup, or raw unheated honey (or regular, if you don't have it)

1/2 tsp. of salt (or more to taste)

1 tsp. carob powder (optional)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in your Vita mix and blend, pushing the peanut butter down with the wand (safety lid in place), until smooth and creamy

If using a champion juicer, put all ingredients in a bowl, mix until well coated, and spoon into juicer, pressing as you would fruits and vegetables. (using the solid plate, instead of a screen)

Have your storage container ready on the other end!

APple SnAckS

"I want my child to eat healthy snacks, but I don't know what to give them.  They won't eat fruits and vegetables"... I get this all the time.  The truth is that children will eat what they are trained to like.  Sounds harsh, but it's true.  But, if you've not done so well with that, and are ready to make a change, these little snacks are perfect because they allow your child to have fun while they're snacking.  My suggestion is to cut the apples for them, and then let them sit at the table and decorate them.  Kids love to sprinkle stuff.  Switch up the ingredients to whatever you like.  Sprinkle any sort of nut, or shredded fruit, even crunch up cereal for use.  This is easy, cheap, fun, and most importantly.... healthy!  Give it a shot.

1 Apple

1 tsp. peanut butter/almond butter

1 pinch of quick oats

1 pinch of coconut shreds

1 pinch of chopped pecan

6 carob chips

1 hungry kid

Cut the apple horizontally into quarter inch slices

Spread nut butter on

Sprinkle your choice of toppings

Eat up!