A certain friend, whose name begins with Tammy Wells and sister whose name begins with Ginny Gough, left a bottle of Crown Royal Vanilla here at Christmas.
What’s a girl to do besides soak some dried figs in it, drizzle over a little chimichurri, add a dab of vegan Chipotle cream, garnish with a couple of smoked almonds, and call it dinner.
We always have lots of leftover rice after ordering Chinese takeout. I love rice cakes and I shared a recipe a few posts back that requires very little corn starch binder, but I wondered if I could make more of a patty it burger and use no binder by making a paste out of the cooked rice. The answer is a resounding yes! The rice never became quite a paste, ending up more like quinoa, but it held together so beautifully and allowed itself to be shaped into thicker burger type patties. Enjoy seasoning and garnishing these however you choose.
Yield: 2 patties
1 cup cooked rice,
2 cups baby kale
2 tablespoons drinkable unsweetened coconut milk from a carton (not high day can)
Sea salt to taste
App. 3/4 teaspoon spices to taste (I used Indian spices, namely ground cardamom, coriander, and cumin)
1 tablespoon vegan butter
Garnishes: 2 teeny dabs each vegan sour cream and chutney (I used spicy plum) plus 2 peanuts
Process together in food processor until a slightly sticky consistency he’s achieved with little pearls similar to quinoa. It should hold together when pressed between your fingers. Shape into two patties about 3/4 inch thick. Melt about 1 tbsp vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I use an accidentally vegan low calorie variety. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and just slightly crusty.
This rich, thick and creamy cheese sauce–which contains no added fat and is ridiculously low in calorie–owes a debt of gratitude to Susan Voisin. I consulted her recipe, but then tweaked the flavor to suit my taste. It instantly became a staple in my home and is non-vegan aporoved.
Feel free to spice it up any way you choose. Even add plant-based proteins. It would be delicious as an enchilada filling with Mexican-inspired ingredients. But, today, it is going to a Super Bowl party with me. Game on!
4 cups cauliflower florets
4 cups lightly salted water
Juice of 1/2 medium-large lemon
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons yellow miso paste
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
1 teaspoon Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
In a large bowl, combine cauliflower and water. Microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes or until very tender. (Alternatively, you may simmer, partially covered, in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.) Transfer cauliflower and about a half cup of the water into the bowl of food processor. Save remaining water. Process until cauliflower forms a thick paste. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl of the processor and process until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Transfer to a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until desired consistency is reached, adding remaining water a half cup or so at a time. Serve immediately as you would any cheese sauce.
Super Bowl noshing with all the flavor and none of the guilt!
Starving in the late afternoon last Sunday, but going out for Chinese that night, I needed something low-calorie but filling to tide me over.
A fridge and pantry scan resulted in this creamy, delicious, and colorful spread on a rice cake.
Confetti Dip or Spread
Yield: 2.5 cups
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
1/4 cup no-calorie mayo (I purchase at Harris Teeter) or 8-calorie/tablespoon Blooming Platter Mayo
1/4 cup vegan parmesan
1/4 cup vegan mozzarella
1/4 cup diced bell pepper (I use red)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon or so Liquid Aminos
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon spice of choice (I use Japanese Seven Spice)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Mix all together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes if possible to allow flavors to meld. Serve on rice cakes or stuffed in celery sticks.
Friday nights are for healthy low-calorie but indulgent ahh-its-the-weekend noshing. Enjoy my latest TGIF treat any night of the week.
We fried our pita (30 seconds at 375 degrees) and drained it well, but you could use purchased pita chips or bake yours (10 minutes at 350).
1 small-medium yellow onion, diced
2 very large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each ground cardamom, coriander, and cumin
10 ounces baby spinach leaves (cooks way down)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (the drinkable kind in a carton, not the high calorie canned kind)
16 pita triangles, baked, fried, purchased
8 teaspoons chutney (I used plum)
Cover the bottom of a large skillet with water and bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and salt and saute until onion is soft and water is mostly evaporated. Stir in spices. Cover with spinach–spinach will quickly wilt–and saute, stirring, until spinach is still bright green, but very soft. Stir in coconut milk and cook, stirring, until flavors meld and milk is absorbed. Serve immediately dolloped on pita triangles. Top with a dab of chutney and a cashew half. Note: when we fried our pita, we found that the layers broke apart easily and that just one layer was plenty of crispy bread for each Not-cho, making these even more low calorie. But suit yourself, always.
If you find yourself with leftover rice, say from Chinese takeout as we did, these make a delicious appetizer or dinner. With the larger version there is a smaller ratio of crispy crust to creamy interior, but they are still delicious.
I was craving Asian flavors, but you could spice these up anyway you like: Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern, or whatever suits your fancy. And speaking of fancy, they look spiffy enough for a party, but are so simple that you can whip them up for any occasion…or no occasion.
Rice Cakes
Yield 6-2″ cakes or 2-4″ cakes
1/2 cup rice
2 tablespoons minced green onion, green part only; reserve the white part, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon Japanese Seven Spice or the spice of your choice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt to taste (if your spice mixture does not include salt)
2 tablespoons vegan butter ( I use accidentally vegan Country Crock as it is half the calories of vegan butter)
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except white part of green onion and butter. Mix well. mixture should hold together when squeezed. If not, add additional coconut milk or cornstarch, or both, as the moisture content of rice varies widely. In a large skillet over medium to medium-high, melt butter, add white part of green onion, and saute, stirring, for about a minute or until softened. Remove onions to a small cup or bowl, leaving as much butter as possible in skillet. Dollop rice mixture into skillet, whatever size you like, and press firmly with a small spatula to compact the mixture, shaping into discs. Cook for a couple of minutes or until golden brown on one side. Flip and repeat.
Serve with sauteed white parts of green onion scattered over the top or, for that matter, whatever topping you desire.
One of my friends to whom I gifted this fudge as a Happy New Years “happy” called it a “confection of perfection.” She webt on to say that “after one tiny taste, the whole body knows something wonderful is happening.”
I made this version with the only powdered sugar I happened to have on hand, which was Swerve with an unheard-of zero calories. It truly lives up to its Keto claim of tasting and behaving in virtually identical ways to the real stuff. I did find the aroma was a bit different from regular powdered sugar, but when combined with the assertively flavored ingredients in this fudge, I could barely detect the difference, though t might be ever so slightly more tangy than regular powdered sugar. The texture was also more like powdered soy milk, but it behaved like powdered sugar as I mixed it into the other ingredients.
Regardless of which sugar you make it with, this fudge is extremely versatile. Change the flavor by simply substituting a different extract, say peppermint, almond, maple, coffee, or whatever your heart desires. Then choose a complimentary topping.
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk 6 ounces regular chocolate chips and 6 ounces dark or extra dark 2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegan butter 1/2 cup cocoa powder 2 cups powdered sugar or Swerve powdered sugar substitute 1/2 teaspoon sea salt if not using salted vegan butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon flavoring of your choice, either additional vanilla or almond, maple, peppermint, rum, etc. 1 tablespoon liqueur of your choice (I used Bailey’s Almande for this) Topping: 1/2 cup shaved coconut (I used plain and toasted); sliced almonds or other slivered, sliced or chopped nuts (I was out of sliced almonds or I would have used them to complement the Almande); crushed peppermint; dried fruit; sprinkles, etc.
Lightly oil an 8-inch square pan. Place a wide strip of parchment paper down the side, across the bottom, and up the other side, allowing the ends to extend above the rim of the pan, and oil again for ease of removal. Heat coconut milk in microwave or on top of stove. Add chocolate and whisk until completely melted. Return to heat or microwave for a few seconds if chocolate does not melt completely. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients until all ingredients are completely incorporated. Using a spoon, dollop the mixture into prepared pan and use fingers to pat out evenly. Press garnish gently into the surface. If cutting and serving right away, place, covered, in freezer for about 30 minutes. If not, cover and refrigerate until serving.
I don’t know what to call this other than dinner. I wanted to make mini plant-based Thai pizzas on sweet potato “crusts,” but I know we can all agree that they look an awful lot like crostini.
So this is a method more than a recipe.
Whatever they where, they were delicious. On top of the roasted sweet potato slices (roast, then slice; actually, I microwaved!), I put a little steamed baby spinach, a drizzle of Bob’s homemade Thai Coconut Red Curry Sauce, a slice of cucumber fished out of our cucumber-onion salad (with apple cider vinegar and granulated stevia blend) from a previous evening, cherry tomato half, and some finely chopped roasted and salted peanuts.
Goodness, it was a satisfying mini-meal to end the week. TGIF!
Rice, especially prepared as a pilaf, biryani, or risotto, is one of those foods that I love but do not trust myself around. At 200 calories for 1/2 cup of plain cooked rice, it just isn’t a good fit with my low calorie diet because at half a cup, I am just getting started!
Enter riced cauliflower. Anything rice can do, cauliflower can do better. Well, okay, maybe not better, but at least as good for hardly any calories.
We all have such different palates, but this dish strikes all the right notes in terms of flavor profile and balance for mine. I hope it does for yours!
2 tablespoons vegan butter, divided 1/4 cup chopped roasted and salted pistachios 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds 8 ounces diced white or yellow onion 2 large cloves garlic, minced 20 ounces riced cauliflower 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 cup vegetable stock 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon tahini Optional but recommended: 1 teaspoon tamarind or pomegranate syrup (found in Middle Eastern and international grocery stores) 1/2 cup chopped apricots or dates Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley Garnishes: additional roasted and salted nuts, including cashews, and more snipped parsley Recommended accompaniment: cucumber salad
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter, add pistachios and almonds, and sautee, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until nuts become fragrant and begin to toast. Remove from skillet and set aside. Melt remaining tablespoon butter, add onion and garlic, an saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is softened. add all remaining ingredients except garnish and accompaniments, Sir well, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is cooked through and flavors are beautifully melted. Stir in toasted nuts. Serve with a few additional nuts and some fresh parsley sprinkled over the top. A cucumber and onion salad with a little salt, sugar, and vinegar is especially tasty and pretty on the side.
