Smoothies and more Smoothies!

Here are some yummy smoothie recipes. Just add the ingredients in a blender and there ya go! If it seems too liquidy just add more ice (yes i know liquidy is not a word, but it works in this sentence) 

Antioxidant Protein Smoothie

6oz Plain Greek Yogurt (1 small container)
1/2 cup Pomegranate Juice
1/2 cup Coconut Water
1/2 cup Frozen Blueberries or Mixed Berries

Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie

1/2 cup Coconut Water

1/2 cup Almond Milk

1 Banana

1 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

Green Smoothie #1

3/4 cup Coconut Water

1 Banana

1/2 cup Frozen Peaches

1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries

1 Banana

1 Tsp. Spirulina

Spinach Pear Smoothie
1/2 cup Coconut Water

1/2 Cup Almond Milk

1 cup Fresh Spinach

1 Banana

1 Pear, chopped

1 cup of Ice

Good For You Pancakes for Two

3/4 Cup Rolled Oats
3/4 Cup Wheat Flour

1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tbs. Sugar

1 Mashed Banana
1 Egg (Vegan? Leave out the egg, the recipe still works)
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Tbs. Walnut Oil

Heat a skillet with Walnut Oil to medium heat. Place the oats in a food processor and pulse until smooth like flour. Place oats, banana, flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl and mix. In a separate bowl/cup mix the egg, milk and vanilla, then add to the large bowl of dry ingredients. Once the skillet is hot use a 1/2 - 3/4 measuring cup pour the mixture on the skillet and cook for a few minutes on each side. 

*Makes 4-6 pancakes

Vegan Sweet Potato, Garbanzo Bean Burgers with Tzatziki

These burgers are quite delicious! The sweet potato and garbanzo bean flavors really compliment each other very well. I decided to make homemade Pita Bread for my burgers but the burgers will taste just as good in lettuce or on any kind of bread. I prefer to serve the burgers with tzatziki but you can use just about any fixins like pickles, greens, bell peppers, olives or tomatoes.  I served mine with just Tzatziki sauce in a lettuce wrap but as a side dish I served 

Ingredients
Makes 6 Burgers
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbs tahini 
2 tsp frozen cilantro (i use dorat frozen cubes)
2 garlic cloves
1 spring onion or green garlic
1 tbs. olive oil 
1 cup sweet potato, mashed
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
S&P to taste


Tzatziki 
3/4 cup grated cucumber
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbs chopped dill
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve. 


Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, cilantro, garlic, onion, and oil in the food processor and pulse until smooth. Place the garbanzo bean mixture along with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir until mixed well  then place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 
Make 6 patties and set aside. 

Heat a large skillet to medium heat and cook the patties for about 7 minutes on each side.  Create your wrap, pita or burger with yummy fixins and enjoy! 

 Htipiti Dip homemade flat bread with Sweet Potato Lettuce Wraps

White Bean Tacos

These tacos are SUPER EASY and MMM MMM good! 

1 package white corn tortillas
2 cans of white beans
1/2 white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced

Saute onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the white beans, cilantro and S&P and cook until warm. Spoon the white beans on warm tortillas and then top with cojita cheese, pico de gallo and avocado.

Fixins
Sliced avocado
Cojita cheese- crumbled
Pico de Gallo  (recipe below)

*Makes about 6 tacos

Pico de Gallo

• 3 diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 3 tbs. chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, chopped

Blueberry, Pear, Gorgonzola Salad with Roasted Almonds

Looking for a refreshing quick and easy salad for one? This one is simple and YUMMY!! 

Fixins

• 1/2 Cup Blueberries
• 1 Pear Sliced
• 1/4 Cup Roasted Almonds
• 5 Cups Mixed Greens or Spinach
• Gorgonzola Cheese (as much or little as you like)
• Optional Topping- Sliced Green Onions

Dressing

• 2 Tbs. Raspberry Vinaigrette (I used Annie's Organic)
• 2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

The fixins above make 2 salads. 

Pasta with Cauliflower, Zucchini & Caramelized Onions

This is a yummy light pasta dish with good flavor! 

Fixins

• 2 Cups of Cooked Pasta, I used Orecchiette
• 1 Head of Cauliflower, broken into bite size pieces
• 3 Zucchini, sliced in rounds

Place the zucchini and cauliflower on a non-stick baking pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. While the veggies are roasting caramelize the onions. 

Caramelized Onions

• 1/2 Red Onion, cut into strips
• 1/4 cup wine
• 1/2 Tbs. Sugar

Heat a pan with sunflower oil on medium heat. Once the pan is hot place the onions in the pan and spread out evenly and top with sugar. Cook for 5 or so minutes then add a touch of the wine and mix. Repeat this process every few minutes and make sure to keep mixing for about 30 minutes. 

Sauce

• 2 Tbs. Sunflower Oil
• 1/2 Cup of Parsley
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tbs. Capers
• 1 Lemon, zest and set aside juice

Place parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, capers, and oil in the food processor and pulse until smooth. 

Place the pasta, onions, veggies and sauce in a large bowl. Toss and enjoy!! Serve warm. If you have some parmesean or asiago add it to the top. 

Inspired by http://www.veggieful.com/2012/04/penne-with-caramelised-cauliflower.html

Bell Pepper & Corn Salad

This is a yummy corn salad which can be a side dish or a salsa. It is quite yummy! If you are grilling grill the corn first otherwise it is good raw. 

• 5 Ears of Corn, kernals cut off
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1/4 Red Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1/2 Cup Basil, chopped
• Juice from 1 Lemon
• 1 Tbs Olive Oil
• S & P to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge. Serve cold. *The longer this dish sits the better it tastes.

Panamanian Pizza

Lee and I had a pizza like this while in Panama. We loved it and I just had to re-create it! It is like a Hawaiian BBQ/Southwest pizza. It is so delicious! The measurements on the pizza fixins are not exact, I forgot to measure before writing this recipe so I just guesstimated.

Pizza Fixins

• 1 1/2 Cups Pineapple
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
• 2/3 Cup BBQ Sauce
• 1 Can of Black Beans, Rinsed
• 1/2 Bell Pepper
• 1/4 Red Onion
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese 
• Pizza Dough  

Saute garlic and onions for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add in the black beans and cook for 3-5 minutes. Top pizza dough with BBQ sauce, bean mixture, pineapple, bell peppers cilantro and top with cheese. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. 

Quinoa, Garbanzo Bean Burgers

I'm still working on figuring out how to make the patties hold together better... I've almost got it! 

• 1 egg, beaten 
• 2 cups cooked Garbanzo Beans
• 3 tbs olive oil ( I used rosemary infused oil)
• 1 cup cooked Quinoa
• 1/2 cup Shredded Carrot
• 1/2 Onion, chopped in food processor
• 2 Garlic Cloves,  chopped in food processor
• 10-20 Parsley Leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Oregano 
• S&P

In a large mixing bowl add the quinoa, shredded carrot, onions, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley and seasonings. Season to taste. Next place the garbanzo beans in the food processor with the egg and olive oil. Pulse until smooth then add to the mixing bowl. Stir well and add some olive oil as needed until you can form patties. Make 6-8 patties out of the mixture, place on a non-stick backing sheet and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then broil on high for 2 minutes on each side.

Fixins:

Toasted Whole Wheat Everything Buns with Feta Cheese, Whole Grain Mustard, Tomatoes, Spinach & Avocado, 

Easy Orecchiette Pasta

This was a pretty tasty pasta but I added a little too much pasta and not enough fixins. The recipe below calls for less pasta than I used so it should turn out just right. I wanted to add asparagus but the store was out but I kept it in the recipe below. I really love the Orecchiette pasta texture and look forward to making it again!

• 2 tbs capers
• 1 bulb of roasted garlic 
• 4-5 asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained (do not use the juice) or use 4 very ripe tomatoes
• 2 cups of Orecchiette pasta (or whatever you have laying around)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 basil leaves, chopped
• Seasonings - S & P & Oregano 

Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a large skillet and capers and asparagus, saute for 2-3 minutes. Next add the roasted garlic, artichoke hearts and diced tomatoes and seasonings. Cook covered on medium/low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions. Once the pasta is done add it to the vegetable mixture and stir in the olive oil and basil leaves. Taste and season as needed. Enjoy!!