Egg-cellent Egg Salad

I am in NO way, shape, or form an egg salad girl.  My husband likes it.  I never have made it. I take that back.  I did make it once.  It just tasted like nasty mush to me.  Now.  I like hard boiled eggs, A LOT.  I dig mayo.  But something about the combination together was just plain icky.  So I never made it again.

Then one day I was on Pinterest.  Oh Pinterest.  You shall be the death of me.  

While I was on there I found a recipe for Avocado, Spinach, Egg Salad.  I like avocado.  I like spinach.  But I don't like egg salad.

So I saved the recipe as one of the 9,000 bookmarks on my computer.  This was months ago.

Yesterday I got brave.  REAL brave and I am SUPER glad I did.  This stuff is YUMMY!  Maybe it is the exclusion of the mayo that does it, or the addition of the yummy avocado, or the nice onion roll I put it on.  Either way...I am making this bad boy again!

  

Ingredients:

• 7 large, hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt  (4oz)
• 2 avocados
• 1 stalk celery, chopped well
• 1 cup baby spinach, chopped into small pieces
• Red pepper flakes to taste, I like spice.  I had a heavy hand with this
• Some form of yummy bread.  I used an onion roll
• More baby spinach to put in the sandwich

Directions:

1. Hard boil your eggs, cool, and peel.
2. In a large bowl mash together the eggs and the yogurt.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
3. In a second bowl, mash the avocados well and season with a bit more salt and pepper.
4. Mix the avocado mixture into the egg mixture.
5. Chop your celery and spinach.  Add to the mixture.
6. Sprinkle on some of the red pepper flakes, if you want.
7. On your bread put down a bed of the baby spinach and flop some of the egg salad on top.  Flop of course is a very technical term and should be used with only the greatest of care.  

Enjoy!!!

Recipe from We Are Not Martha 

Cuban Black Beans and Brown Rice with Roasted Squash

This recipe is straight out of Kathy Freston's book "Quantum Wellness Cleanse"  It was so yummy, no substitutions necessary!  I also think this is how I will make ALL my brown rice from now on.

 Rice

Ingredients:

•  2 cups brown rice
• 4 cups filtered water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Toast the dry uncooked rice in a large flat bottom pan for about 6-7 minutes, or until it pops.
2. Place rice and other ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer and cook covered for 45 minutes, or until water is absorbed and rice is softened.  NOT mushy...softened.
3. Fluff with a fork and reserve.

Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomato
• 3 1/2 cups cooked, drained black beans
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add carrots, onion, pepper and cook for about 11 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
3. Add dry spices and cook for another minute
4. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes
5. Add remaining ingredients and heat through

Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini
• 2 yellow squash
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice the zucchini and squash into rounds about 1/2inch thick.  The main thing is try to keep them all the same thickness so they cook evenly.
2. Put them in a bowl and drizzle some olive oil on them.  Toss to cover all the pieces.
3. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle with set salt and pepper.
4. Put in the oven and roast at 375F for about 12-14 minutes depending on the thickness.

 

Now...put some rice on a plate and put some bean mixture on top.  Then pile the veggies high.  The roasted veggies were my favorite part.  :)

 

Enjoy!

 

Recipe from Kathy Freston's Quantum Wellness Cleanse

Blueberry Coconut Breakfast Bar

So these bars are my adaptation from the Quantum Wellness Cleanse.  The original called for dried cherries...which I did not have.  I actually had some.  I bought some EXCLUSIVELY for this recipe.  AND I bought dried blueberries to add as well.  RIGHT as I was getting ready to add them, as in I already measured them and put them in a bowl, I noticed they were sweetened.  DANG IT.  Oh well.

It was too yummy looking and smelling.  I had to snag a piece.

 Ingredents:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 2 1/4 cups steel-cut oats (uncooked)
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh
• 1 banana, smashed well against the side of a bowl
• Egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs (Try Ener-G brand), prepare according to the directions on the box

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Put the butter and agave in a small pan over medium heat and stir until melted
3. Mix oats, coconut, baking powder, and sesame seeds in a large bowl.
4. To the oat mixture, add the prunes, apricots, and blueberries.  Mix well.
5. GENTLY fold in the egg replacer.
6. Add the agave/butter mixture and banana to the oat mixture. Mix well.
7. Pour into a square baking pan.  Mine was 8x8
8. Bake for about 25 minutes.  Let cool and cut into 9 bars.

The "bars" were very soft.  The recipe said to remove them from the pan and then cut into bars.  This was not possible for me.  I cut them, but kept them in the pan and keep the pan in the fridge.  Messy to eat, but yummy.  I am thinking the fresh blueberries added more moisture and that is why they are soft.  Oh well.  Still yummy!

Enjoy!

Tofu Scramble

Yummy breakfast today!  Tofu Scramble from the Quantum Wellness Cleanse book.  I made half of the recipe in the book.  Didn't want to make too much and have leftovers.  This amount was perfect for me and my husband.  I had mine with a side of fresh pineapple and raspberries.  The hubby had a banana.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion cut into chunks
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger (I used minced, the recipe called for powdered)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/3 green onion
• 1/2 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms (I HATE mushrooms, I can handle these)
• 1/2 pound FIRM tofu, drained well and cut into bite size pieces
• Tamari to taste (Soy sauce, but gluten free)
• Ground pepper to taste
• Fresh chives to taste, which I just realized I forgot to add

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat.  Saute onions for about 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add garlic, nutritional yeast, and spices.  Stir and cook for a minute.
3. Add pepper and mushrooms.  Stir fry until cooked, not mushy.  Still crispy, but tender.
4. Add tofu.  Stir fry for 3-4 more minutes.  Sprinkle with tamari and pepper and chives.

The original recipe makes 4 servings.  This is 2 servings.  Also the original calls for 4 chopped tomatoes.  If you want to add some, chop 2 and add to the pan when you add the tofu.  If there is anything I hate more than mushrooms, it is fresh tomatoes.  blech.

My fruit side dish, just because it was pretty.

White, well....TAN Velvet Soup.

I found an AMAZING recipe for white velvet soup.  A soup made from all white items essentially.  Check out the original recipe for all sorts of fabulous information on white foods.  I do not feel like totally copying them, since you know, plagiarism is bad an all. 
White Velvet Soup from Green Kitchen Stories  Also worth checking out since their WHITE Velvet Soup is white and not tan.

Why is mine tan you ask?  I shall tell you.  I used my roasted vegetable stock, which is DARK.  Therefore Tan Velvet Soup.  Oops on the color, but YIPPEE for the taste.

Let's get this started.
 

I tried to take a pretty picture, I did.  but I like natural lighting and well...it was NOT cooperating.

 Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 medium onions
• 1 head of garlic
• 3 cups cooked lima beans (For the beans I soaked the whole bag over night and then cooked the all and froze my leftover beans)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups of roasted vegetable stock, or regular if you don't want to be a rebel
• Juice from one lemon
• Sea salt to taste
• olive oil, for drizzling
• paprika, for the end

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2.  Cut up cauliflower into bite-sized chunks. Peel and slice onions into chunks.  Peel garlic cloves.
3. Place all veggies and garlic on a baking sheets and mix together.  Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Bake for ABOUT 30-40 minutes until it is caramelized and begin to brown.  For some unknown reason, when I bake things normally, it gets done ahead of time.  When I roast, it takes longer.  I was on the 40-50 minute  time frame.
5. Now...you have options.  The original recipe says to put everything in a blender at the point.  My blender is not that large.  If yours is, go for it.  I used a hand held blender and did it in the pot itself.  Worked like a charm and less mess.
6. If after blending it looses some heat, warm it back up on the stove.
7. Drizzles with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Stock

Today begins my 21 day cleanse.  So I am going to be merging my two blogs.  On The House of Boys & a Girl I will discuss the cleanse and link to this one for the recipes.  Want to see how I am emotionally fairing and my meals play by play?  Check it out.



For the first recipe I made a double batch.  So this will make a LOT of stock.  I needed it for the next 21 days, so just doubled.  Feel free to cut this in half.

Nice and dark and pretty.  :)

Roasted Vegetable Stock

Ingredients:

• 12 oz portabella mushrooms, washed
• 6 oz white mushrooms, washed
• 2 small and 1 LARGE Yellow onion, unpeeled (about 2 lbs.  Substitute shallots if you feel like it.)
• 2 lbs carrots, unpeeled
• 4 green peppers
• 10-12 sprigs of thyme (I used 12, my thyme plants are small.  Also I did a combo or German and Lemon thyme)
• 9 Garlic cloves
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil 
• 2 cups of apple juice (I was out of white wine.  Feel free to use that or even just water)
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried thyme (or...use a 4 bay leafs.  I have no idea when I ran out of bay leafs. Sigh...)
• 4 quarts of water (I used filtered water from the fridge.  My tap water tastes odd)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Chop mushrooms, onions, and peppers(seeds removed) into 1" chunks.  Chop carrots into 2" chunks.  No need to peel anything.  Just chop, chop, chop away.
3. Stir together mushrooms, onions, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large roasting pan.   Might as well use it for something other than a turkey at Thanksgiving!

  4.  Roast in the middle of the oven for about an hour.  Since I made a HUGE batch it 

       took about an hour and 10 minutes.  A normal size batch, halved, will take about 

       30-40 minutes.

I could have probably kept them in a bit longer, but I had things to do.  :)

   
5.  Transfer vegetables with  tall narrow stockpot. Make sure you use the largest one you 

     got.  Remember...this is a huge batch!  Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 

     apple juice and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up 

     brown bits, 2 minutes.  This happens fast.  Make sure you scrape up all the little bits!

6.  Transfer to stockpot and add dried thyme, or bay leaves, , tomatoes, and water. 

     Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 

     minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding 

     solids, then season with salt and pepper. 

This is what I used.  As you can see it is VERY fine.

I actually used 2 pots since I made a large batch.  I had my straining spoon over a pot.  I poured the

stock through the spoon SLOWLY.  Then I would get a spatula and press on the remaining crushed tomatoes that collected in the spoon.  Bang spoon out over the garbage disposal and repeat.  

This process takes a while, but ensures you get all the bits out. 

The stock will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Original Recipe: Bunkycooks