Tag Archives: apples

Sweet Potato Apple Pie Ice Cream (Only On Cowgirls & Collard Greens)

sweet potato apple pie ice creamSaddle up and ride on over to Cowgirls & Collard Greens to meet Ms. Kayle Martin and then slurp up my simple, seasonal recipe for Sweet Potato Apple Ice Cream.  While you’re there be sure to take the time to read about her incredible journey back to health after being diagnosed twice with breast cancer – talk about food being thy medicine!

(If you are participating in the November 16 Virtual Vegan Potluck, you’ll want to read today’s post on the VVP website about permalinks and why I want yours!)

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Sweet Potato Nachos & The Incredible Hulk: The Unprocessed Giveaway

The Incredible Hulk SmoothieThe Incredible Hulk (as a smoothie rather than a juice) and Sweet Potato Nachos from Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight, by Chef AJ.  Today is your last chance to enter the giveaway – for details on how to add your name, see below.

Refried Beans

NachosNachos2

Here’s how I make refried beans:  rinse, drain and lightly mash two, 15-ounce cans of pinto beans.  Set aside.  Chop an onion and sauté in veggie broth or water until tender.  Stir in a couple of cloves of garlic (minced,) a 4-ounce can of mild green chiles, 5-6 slices of jarred jalapeño peppers (minced), cumin, coriander and chili powder to taste.  Stir and cook for a a couple of minutes.  Add the refried beans and a splash of Bragg Liquid Aminos.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Serve.

To make sweet potato “chips” (courtesy of Chef AJ):  peel and wash one sweet potato per person.  Slice about 1/4″ thick.  Place slices on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpat.  Sprinkle with smoked paprika.  Bake in a 450F oven for 20 minutes, turn the slices and bake for another 5-10 minutes, checking to make sure the chips aren’t turning too brown.

To assemble nachos: divide sweet potato chips amongst plates, pile on the refried beans, chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and anything else you love on your nachos.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below or on any other Unprocessed blog post describing what you find most addicting: sugar, salt or oil.  Or, share your story of how you have cleaned up your diet and changed your life.  For additional entries you can also Like my Facebook pages, An Unrefined Vegan and/or Virtual Vegan Potluck.  The giveaway ends today!  I’ll announce the winner within the next day or two…

The Deets
Title: Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight
Author: Chef AJ (aka Abbie Jaye) with Glen Merzer
Publication Date: 2011
Page Length: 178 pages including 100+ recipes
List Price: $19.95
Publisher: Hale to the Kale Publishing
Websites: www.EatUnprocessed.com; www.chefajshealthykitchen.com
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A Real Orange Julius is Green

Orange Zest

Orange Green SmoothieSometimes after dinner on summer evenings, when the days stretched into 9 pm, mom and dad would herd us kids into the burgundy-colored station wagon and we’d drive the 15 miles or so over to Mentor and what passed in those days for a mall.  Malls were special places back then.  Rarities.  Imagine: people actually enjoyed spending time in them.  We’d walk past the shops, but rarely went into them.  We weren’t there to shop.  It was all about dessert.  We were there for either Baskin-Robbins or Orange Julius, both of which were tucked away in one of those “side streets” that malls have; the dead ends and backwaters.  Where the neglected step-children of the “anchor” stores were.

Do you remember Orange Julius?  The chemists there concocted bright orange drinks that had the after taste of St. Joseph’s Aspirin for Children – a taste, I confess – that I loved.  Maybe it was supposed to be vanilla, maybe malt.  I have no idea what was in the powder they added to the orange-flavored beverage, but whatever it was, it sure tasted good.  I’d bet that if I sipped an Orange Julius today, I would find it overly sweet and about as close to tasting like an orange as a green apple Jolly Rancher candy tastes like a fresh Granny Smith.

My version of the Orange Julius is the real deal: real orange, real vanilla and a healthy pile of spinach to help us get our daily dose of green.  No funky powder.  By the way, you’ll probably be seeing a lot of smoothie recipes coming down the pike.  I’m working my new Vitamix like crazy.

PS See you at the Potluck tomorrow!

The Real Orange Julius
Serves 2

A big handful of green or red grapes
2 oranges, peeled and quartered
1 apple, quartered and cored (I used a Gala; a frozen banana would be good, too)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract
zest of  an orange
3 big handfuls of baby spinach

Place the ingredients in a good blender or Vitamix in the order shown.  If using a Vitamix, start on Variable 1 and turn to 10 (of if you are a Spinal Tap fan, crank it to 11 to get that extra little oomph) and then flip the switch up to High.  Let it process for 30-45 seconds.  Serve pronto.

Smoothie Ingredients

Smoothie Closeup

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Three Little Juices

Two Glasses of Beet Juice from AboveMatthew Kenney in his book, Everyday Raw writes of his Sweet Green Juice: “Green juice is simply one of the finest things you can offer your body.”  It really feels that way when you drink it – and for that matter – when you drink any other fresh fruit and vegetable juice.  They just taste healthy!  Some of them even give you a natural boost or buzz.  They’re great for starting the day or for a mid-afternoon refresher.  I’ve picked three of my favorites to share here.

Green Juice in Glass

The mint in our garden took a beating this summer, but came back with a vengeance this fall.  A couple of handfuls of it went in to making this bright-flavored green juice.  I love the peppery heat of the fresh ginger.

Sweet Green Juice
Serves 2

2 cucumbers
2 carrots
2 apples (I quarter and core first)
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup mint
2 stalks celery
1 inch piece of ginger
1 lemon, peeled

Run all of the ingredients through a juicer and serve immediately.

Green Juice Ingredients

The beet-apple-celery combo is a classic, though I’d never tried it until my sister suggested it.  I’m not a big beet fan and at first was reluctant to even try a juice that included beets, but it’s fantastic.  The vibrant purple-red color is simply beautiful.

Two Glasses of Beet JuiceBeet-Apple-Celery-Kale Juice
Serves 2

2 large beets, quartered
3 apples, quartered and cored (I used 2 Fujis and 1 Gala)
2 stalks celery
1 lime, peeled
4 stalks kale

Place all ingredients in a juicer.

Ingredients for Beet Juice

This bright flavors of this grapefruit-based juice will definitely wake you up, get you focused and clear your head – and probably your sinuses.

Two Glasses of Grapefruit Cleanser

Grapefruit Cleanse
Serves 2

3 grapefruits, peeled
2 apples (I quarter and core; use sweet apples)
2 limes, peeled
3 stalks kale

Put all ingredients through a juicer, divide between two glasses and serve.

Plate with Grapefruit Cleanser Ingredients

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Good Morning Muffins

Pile of MuffinsI came across this recipe last winter while living briefly in Bountiful, UT – without my comforting retinue of cookbooks to plunder for baked goodies.  Lo and behold, Whole Foods has a whole treasure trove of recipes on their site, some vegan, some not.  I did my usual alchemy here – replacing the eggs, nixing the oil entirely and banishing most of the sugar.  This would be an ideal “base” muffin recipe with which to explore other flavors.  Add smashed banana instead of the prune puree…use shredded zucchini, dried blueberries or slip a little crystallized ginger into the batter.

Muffin with Cup of TeaGood Morning Muffins
Makes 12

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp. powdered stevia
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. Bob’s Egg Replacer + 6 tbsp. water (whisk together until frothy and then let sit for a minute)
1/3 cup prune puree (or unsweetened applesauce)
1/3 cup plain soy yogurt
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins (or dried cherries or cranberries)
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/4 + 2 tbsp. dried flaked unsweetened coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 350F and either line 12-muffin tins with silicon or paper cups – or mist very lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the whole wheat pastry flour, almond meal, baking powder, stevia, salt, cinnamon and maple sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg replacer, vanilla, soy milk, prune puree and soy yogurt.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Stir in the apple, raisins, carrot, walnuts and 1/4 cup of the coconut.

Spoon batter into lined muffin tins and then sprinkle the tops with the remaining flaked coconut.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the muffins sit in the tins for a few minutes, then remove them from the pan and allow them to cool on wire racks.

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