Blog of the Belly Biter:

Some plant-based, some unhealthy, some super healthy but ALL good. Kid tested and mother approved!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Raw Cashew Dreamcake.

These are sooooo good! A for sure treat staple in my house. I first had these at Mandy's house, who got the recipe on our friend Brooke's blog, who got it on My New Roots (just giving credit where credit is due... very important). And holy yum! It's originally made in a pie pan, but I converted them to mini muffin tins so I could freeze and have them on hand whenever the hankering for some yumminess came.

The hankerings came real fast... and they were gone from my freezer all too fast. Which means I need to stock pile again. My whole family loved these, and I don't feel a bit bad for them eating them either. Good, and good for you!

Crust
1/2 cup raw almonds (pecan or walnuts will also work)
1/2 cup soft Medjool dates
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Filling
1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best
juice of 2 lemons
the seeds of 1 whole vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract)
1/3 cup raw coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup raw honey (Vegans use agave nectar.)
1 cup raspberries (thaw completely if using frozen) [i've used blueberries too]

Place nuts and dates in a food processor with sea salt and pulse to chop until they are to your desired fineness (process a finer crust longer than a chunky one). Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands. If the ingredients hold together, your crust is perfect. Scoop out crust mixture in a 7” spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with saran wrap), and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse food processor well. [I filled my mini muffin pan with liners, used my small pampered chef cookie scoop, dropped mixture into liners and pressed.]

Warm coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine.

In the most powerful food processor / blender you own (you decide which one has the most torque) place all filling ingredients (except raspberries) and blend on high until very smooth (this may take a couple minutes so be patient).
Pour about 2/3 (just eyeball it, you can’t make a mistake!) of the mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. [I used the same small cookie scoop, filled it halfway, and filled each muffin tin] Add the raspberries to the remaining filling and blend on high until smooth. Pour onto the first layer of filling. [Then I used the same scoop and scooped about a full scoop onto the cheesecakes.] Place in freezer until solid.

To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices. Serve on its own, or with fresh fruit. Store leftovers in the freezer (what leftovers?). [I froze them in the muffin tray, then when they were all good and frozen transferred them to a freezer ziplock and had them on hand for a few days.]

Yum.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Slow Cooker Seitan Carnitas.

I found this recipe I just had to try on one of my favorite websites, Peas and Thank You. I love her website, but have taken a couple misses to find a true hit from her site. This is one of them.

I loved the crockpot aspect of it, and figured I'd give seitan a try. Pretty darn good and made me feel a little more "normal" eating something with a meaty texture. Next time I'll omit the salt, since I thought my seitan had enough it it already.

2 8oz. packages ground seitan
1 cup vegetable broth, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omit)
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2/3 cup organic salsa
8 corn tortillas
toppings: sliced olives, guacamole, tomatoes, non-dairy (i.e. Daiya Pepper Jack) or organic cheese

•Drain seitan of as much liquid as possible.

•Add it to a skillet that has been lightly misted with oil and placed over medium high heat.

•While it isn’t necessary to sauté the seitan before adding it to the slow cooker, I like the flavor it develops. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, until starting to brown.

•Add about 1/4 c. of vegetable broth to the pan to deglaze the little bits of seitan from the pan.

•Transfer the mixture to your crockpot and add remaining broth, garlic, salt, lime juice, maple syrup, cumin, cilantro and salsa.

•Stir mixture, cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

•(If you don’t want to use a slow cooker you could just add all the ingredients to the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until liquid has reduced.)

•Toast up the corn tortillas in a dry skillet and top with carnitas and other desired toppings.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

belly bites by week: 13th addition

Sunday
leftover Papa Murphy’s pizza and corn
{exhausted pregnant woman meal}

Monday

Tuesday

wednesday
I veganized this old Rachael Ray staple... cooking the lentils in the chicken marinade mixture. I also didn't have pineapple so I roasted some oranges. Umm, yum. When I do it again, I'll save some of the marinade to drizzle over the rice and veggies once I plate it. We thought it was a little dry.

Thursday

Friday
Kotters’

Saturday
OUT/ RS Broadcast: Zoe's Kitchen
Veggie Pita Pizza, yum.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Rollover Jerk Lentils with Roasted Peppers and Pineapples.

A Rachael Ray favorite that I veganized by taking the chicken out and putting in lentils. Yum! I didn't have any pineapples so I roasted to oranges. Um, double yum! Totally concentrated their flavor.

red onions, roughly chopped and divided
4 cloves garlic
scallions
Juice of 1 lime
jalapeño or serrano peppers, seeded
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I omit)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, some for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 yellow bell pepper
2 red bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 cup dried lentils
2 cups water or vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 400°F.


Place half the red onion, the garlic, scallions, lime juice, jalapeño pepper, red wine vinegar, orange juice, paprika, cumin, allspice, cinnamon and thyme in a food processor and pulse to combine. While running, stream in the EVOO to form a thick paste.

Rinse lentils and add lentils and water to a pot. Boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and add 1/2 of the jerk paste. Let simmer 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender.

Place the pineapple, bell peppers and red onion on a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle them with some EVOO. Place tray in the oven 30 minutes.

Serve over a bed of brown rice, lentils and veggies and pineapple on top. Or, just eat the mixture without the brown rice.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

belly bites by week: 12th addition

Sunday

Monday
Walls house for Memorial Day

Tuesday
nutrient rich black bean soup (chopped 134)

Wednesday

Thursday
One of my old favorites that I veganized... adding smoked sundried tomatoes and a little nutritional yeast, and omitting the cheese. So good!

Friday

Saturday
tomato & tortilla soup (Chopped 138)
no bueno, won't be posting the recipe

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Tender Barley Cornbread.


This cornbread is awesome. Super healthy and super fast. It's our new staple. I just ground barley up in my food processor instead of buying overpriced barley flour. Plus, I love the texture the little pieces that don't get quite so ground give.  When it's all done baking, while it's still warm, I spread a little agave nectar, maple syrup or honey on top to sweeten it a little more.

3/4 cup yellow stone-ground cornmeal
1/2 cup barley flour (grind some barley in the blender)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour (regular or pastry flour)
2 tablespoons sugar (or a tad shy of 2 T. agave nectar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat the oven to 425*F. Whisk together the cornmeal, barley and whole wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the milk and applesauce and stir just until mixed. Scrape into and 8" x 8" nonstick baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cut the hot cornbread into squares. (or put in sprayed muffin tins)

Saturday, September 3, 2011

belly bites by week: 11th addition

Sunday
lentil taco salad, a.k.a Ava's “birds nests”

Monday

Tuesday
tomatillo enchiladas (leftovers)

Wednesday
baked potatoes, vegan ranch & steamed broccoli

Thursday

Friday
out

Saturday
Ultimate Chipotle BBQ Burgers, steak fries & fruit salad