Recipes Health for Life

1 large can (about 28 oz) petite diced tomatoes

1 medium sweet onion finely chopped*

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 teaspoons (heaping) dry parsley OR about ¼  – ½ bunch of fresh parsley finely chopped

2-3 tablespoons minced garlic

½ of lime juiced (or just squirt a couple of teaspoons of lime juice)

½ - 1 bunch of fresh cilantro chopped

Hot peppers or pepper flakes to taste (optional) (I don’t add this because I think it makes the salsa go bad faster. Jay adds it when he eats it)

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Mix.  Jay likes his to sit overnight. I like mine fresh. So it’s good either way.

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* To pick the sweetest onion, look for as a 'flat' of an onion as you can find.  So if it's a nice flat disk, it should be very sweet. Green onions are NOT a good substitute for this recipe.

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Haystacks - a fun name for taco salad :)

This is a fantastic meal idea for potlucks or picnics or serving to people who might have various dietary needs.  Basically, you are making a very tasty salad... I'm listing below the way we make our haystacks in our family, and including additional suggestions.

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On a plate, layer the following:

Corn chips of any kind - or rice, or quinoa

Beans that have been heated - chili beans, plain pinto beans, veggi burger crumbles (cooked and seasoned), black beans

(some people like to add cheese shreds over the beans)

Lettuce - shredded

Tomatoes - diced

Olives - sliced

Guacamole or sliced avocado

Salsa (see the recipe above if you want one that is fresh)

Ranch dressing (see the recipe below from Nora Cooks) or cashew "cheese" sauce (see recipe below) or sour cream 

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Now enjoy - And Jay wants you to know that he does NOT put his chips under his beans. He stacks everything up then uses the chips to scoop it and he eats it like a dip. He doesn't like wet chips.

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Laurie's Cashew Cheese Sauce

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1 cup salted roasted cashews (you can use raw too)*

1 cup of water

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2 teaspoons or so of onion powder (or put in ½ - 1 whole onion in blender)

1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1-2 cloves

1 teaspoon salt (or 2 teaspoons if using raw unsalted nuts)

2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 ½ cups more water

½ cup cooked carrots, pimentos, canned tomatoes, or sundried tomatoes in herbs and oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot

Blend cashews and 1 cup of water in a powerful blender until very smooth.

Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Cook until thickened – stir frequently. Then add any herbs or seasonings you may like.  Serve hot or cold.  Will set up like sour cream if served cold.

To make a nacho dip you can add a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilis after the sauce is cooked, and/or a bag of burger crumbles etc.

This sauce is also good as a baked potato topping with beans or chili.

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This makes a lot of sauce - so you could easily half this recipe for a family of four for one meal. Alternatively you can freeze what you don't use. When it thaws it will appear grainy. If you reheat it, it will become creamy again. Or you can blend it up again.

* You can also use almonds or sunflower seeds

Dump Soup     

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Despite it's name, this is a very tasty soup!

This is also a great soup for good nutrition. Take control of your life! Reduce your risk factors for diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity by eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. 

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I was making this soup and realized others might like the idea. So on a whim, I made a video of how to make it. I'm not a fancy person, and this is not a fancy video!

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Ingredient Ideas

Cabbage

Onion

Celery

Cauliflower

Carrots

Spinach

Broccoli

Beans (I like white or garbanzo etc)

Zucchini

Summer squash

Other squash

Red bell pepper

Spaghetti sauce OR

   - Basil

   - Garlic

   - Italian seasoning

   - Parsley

   - Canned tomatoes (I like petite diced tomatoes - but if you have leftover tomato sauce, paste etc, put it in there)

Basically you can put in anything you have in your fridge!

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Serve as a soup, or over rice, or quinoa, or over noodles etc...  Reheats well. I don't think this would freeze well.

Spanakopita "Spinach Pie"     

Filling:

One recipe Almond Feta (see below)

2 T. dill (dry)

2 T. parsley (dry)

Pinch oregano – optional

1 bunch green onions thinly sliced (or 1 onion chopped and sautéed)

12-24 oz spinach cooked, drained (squeeze out most of the water) and finely chopped 

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1 roll filo dough (thawed)

Vegan butter, melted (approx 1/3 cup??)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients above EXCEPT filo dough and melted butter.  Taste and adjust salt and seasonings. If you add more spinach you might want more seasonings.  Set aside.

Butter an 8x8" glass baking dish. Take two filo sheets at a time - lay two so they hang over the edges, rotate pan and add another two sheets so all sides of the pan should have dough hanging over the edge. Using a spoon, drizzle some of the butter and spread it around on top of the filo in the bottom of the pan. Repeat layers of filo until you have used all but about 4-6 pieces of the filo. Don't worry if they tear. 

Now spread the spinach and 'cheese' mixture in the bottom. Fold the filo dough that has been hanging out over the edges in over the edges of the filling. You will have like a frame of filo around the edges of the pan. You can spread a bit of butter between these layers if you want. Now take the leftover pieces and crumple them a bit and lay them over the top of the pie until all of the filling is covered. Drizzle with some melted butter. 

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until the pie is golden.

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Make ahead notes: The whole mix of almond feta with spinach etc can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days, or frozen.  Just allow to thaw before using...

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Gluten Free and more whole-food version of Spanakopita

Instead of using filo dough, use campari or roma tomatoes, or mini bell peppers.

Slice the top off of the campari and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Slice roma tomatoes long-ways and scrape out seeds and pulp, Or slice mini bell peppers side ways and scrape out seeds and ribs. Lightly salt the inside of the vegetables (optional), then fill with the spanakopita filling.

Bake appetizers at 400.  Tomatoes for 12-15 minutes, peppers for about 20 minutes.  

Almond Feta

1 ½ cups almond flour (I have not had good luck buying this from Walmart - it has been stale. Costco would be my choice)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¾ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil (optional – not used for the cooking class)

½ cup water

Combine almond flour, garlic powder and salt. Add water and lemon juice and oil if desired.

Stir well. Taste and adjust salt or lemon to increase tang.

Can be used immediately, but if left overnight, the almond flour will absorb more of the flavor and will thicken up and the flavors will combine nicely. Will keep in fridge for about a week, or can freeze for a couple of months.

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Serve Spanakopita with a lentil salad (use lentils in place of grains in a tabouli salad) , or green salad, or Greek baked vegetables - pinterest has some good ideas. 

Almond Feta

1 ½ cups almond flour (I have not had good luck buying this from Walmart - it has been stale. Costco would be my choice)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¾ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil (optional – not used for the cooking class)

½ cup water

Combine almond flour, garlic powder and salt. Add water and lemon juice and oil if desired.

Stir well. Taste and adjust salt or lemon to increase tang.

Can be used immediately, but if left overnight, the almond flour will absorb more of the flavor and will thicken up and the flavors will combine nicely. Will keep in fridge for about a week, or can freeze for a couple of months.

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Ways to use the Almond Feta:

Spread on French or Italian bread. Broil - SO good topped with bruschetta :)

Spread on pizza crust and top with favorite pizza toppings - I suggest chopping some sundried tomatoes and mixing those in with the almond feta. Top feta with fresh spinach, fresh tomatoes, thinly cut onions, olives etc.  Bake as you would normally bake pizza.

Eat with crackers...

Make Spanakopita - see recipe above

Here is a recipe for a salad dressing that I LOVE.  You can replace up to half of the nuts with white beans to reduce the fat and calories in the recipe, and get more legumes in your diet...and help stabilize your blood sugar...and beans are cheaper!  ( I use BOTH parsley and dill in this recipe)