Cajun Oven Fries.

An awesome go-to for homemade steak oven fries. Nice and spicy! Although, don't eat with leftover BBQ Chipotle Burgers and Sweet & Spicy Cucumbers. Holy Moly, our family was one big sweaty mess by the end of dinner. Ok, not that bad. But way too much spicy for one meal!

4 medium thin-skinned white potatoes
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce
1 teaspoon ground thyme or poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut potatoes into wedges. In a large bowl, combine oil, hot sauce, thyme, paprika, and cumin. Toss potatoes in dressing and spread out in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet. Season wedges with salt and pepper and roast for 25-30 minutes, turning once. [or, I like to cook the fries on a cooling rack ontop of a cooking sheet... that way the heat goes all the way around the frie and you don't have to flip them... a RR Tip]

a Rachael Ray recipe

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.

1 red onions, roughly chopped and divided
4 cloves garlic
4 scallions
Juice of 1 lime
1 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.

Blender Mac & Cheese.

Yet again, another ole college try to find a healthy version of Ava's favorite junked out mac & cheese. She wasn't a fan... (and now I officially give up trying to find one - I think that's just gonna be her 'thing')... but everyone else liked it. I love that you dirty only 2 things and it comes together super fast. Thanks again "GlowGirl".

1 pound vegan pasta (or regular if you prefer!)
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup plain non-dairy milk
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic puree
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (curry powder)
1 tablespoons tahini
black pepper to taste

Cook your preferred pasta according to the directions on the bag or box.

While that is cooking, throw ALL ingredients (including 1 + 1/4 cup water) into the food processor or blender and blend for 30-60 seconds.

Once pasta is cooked and drained, add sauce into sauce pan with pasta and simmer over low-medium heat stirring frequently. The thickening process takes 5-10 minutes. Don’t despair if you think the pasta is too watery- it REALLY thickens up nicely thanks to the cornstarch!

You can get creative with this and mix in some vegetables or spinach too.

OhSheGlows

A Hummus Recipe.

I posted this forever ago when I posted my Rainbow Wraps... but never posted it's on it's own... with a picture. Love how it looks in the blender. All fluffy, yummy and creamy.

2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed {i've used navy & pinto beans in here too}

1/3 cup fat-free oil substitute (or olive oil)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons sesame tahini
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup water, more or less for desired thickness
pinch of ground cumin or ground coriander (optional - did both)
salt and pepper
paprika (preferably Hungarian smoked - or just smoked)

Place half the chickpeas and oil substitute in a blender {makes it more creamier then a big ole food processor}. Pulse several times, stopping to stir with a rubber spatula. When the mixture is almost pureed and creamy, add the remaining chickpeas and oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, and a little salt. Pulse, stopping to stir several times, until the mixture is very creamy. Season with salt and pepper; add more lemon juice to taste if necessary.

Transfer to an airtight container and chill for 30 minutes before serving. To serve: spread into a shallow bowl, dust with paprika, and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on top. (i just added the paprika when i mixed and forgot about the pretty drizzle of olive oil - no need for cute presentation for lunch)

I've added 2 roasted red peppers to this, and it turned out yummy. Another recipe variation is to add 2-3 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill and parsley to it.

Veganomicon, pg 67

serves 4

time: 10 minutes, plus chill time

Hurry Up Alfredo.

Ya'll are going to love me for this one. Like, "L-O, L-O, L-O, L-O-V-E, L-O, L-O, L-O... I'm talkin bout... I'm talkin bout love!" (Any Ashlee Simpson Wentz fans out there? Nope? No one? Yeah, me neither!)

Anyhow, back to this amazing pasta. It's for sure going into the Hatch Family rotation. It couldn't be more delicious. It couldn't be more easy. And it couldn't be more any on-hand, go-to meal to make, whatsoever. [any Chandler fans catch that one?... Man, I have got to stop writing these up late at night!] Although if you're just starting up on this vegan/plant-based thing it won't seem at all 'on-hand' ingredients to you at first. But this one alone is well worth the investment of the ingredients.

I seriously wanted more and more of this one, and couldn't believe that it was vegan. Seriously, just try this tonight. Or, right now. I can't wait to play with it some and add roasted red peppers... or try it into a rose sauce... and try roasted garlic with it... yum!

The only downfall was the garlic is not cooked, so the garlic flavor is strong - be ready for that. Too strong for my little Ava... "it's so good Mom... but it's just too strong!" I'll tone that down or try some roasted garlic cloves next time.

1 cup soy or almond milk

1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons low-sodium tamari/soy sauce/bragg's liquid amino's

2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

1 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked is awesome)

1 pinch nutmeg

2-4 cloves of garlic, optional (used 2, will use 1 next time)

Black pepper, to taste

whole wheat thin spaghetti

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This may work best in a high-speed blender (like a Vita-Mix), but you can definitely make it in a regular blender. Just blend extra-long, or perhaps strain if you want it perfectly smooth. Tiny bits of cashews won’t hurt anyone though!

If you’re making this sauce for pasta, drain the pasta and return it to the hot empty pan. Pour the sauce over, place on medium heat, and stir until heated through. Serve with lots of fresh cracked black pepper. I love it with steamed broccoli added in!

belly biters: amazing!!

5 Star Hurry-Up Alfredo...

I just moved this already yummy dish up to 5 star yumminess... I cut up sundried tomatoes and added to the pasta water 1 minute before it's done. And sauted baby bella mushrooms and added them in after I mixed the pasta and sauce together. SOOOOOOO yummy!