Clam-less New England Clam Chowder

Clam-less New England Clam Chowder:
makes 8-10 servings


Blend Together:

1 cup organic whole cashews, boiled
1 organic russet potato, boiled
- boil the potato and cashews together until soft and before blending, don't discard water
2 tbsp of the cashew/potato water
1 1/2 cup organic unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder

Cook in Vegetable Broth:

2 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
1 organic yellow onion, diced
2 organic celery stalks, diced
2-3 large potatoes, chopped - skin on or off, your preference
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp garbanzo bean flour (may or may not be needed)

Sautee Mushrooms:

10.5 oz organic oyster mushrooms, chopped to the size of clams in chowder
1/4 cup water
1 tsp organic miso paste
1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar


Begin by adding the vegetable broth, onion, celery, potato, oregano, and thyme to a pot, bring to a simmer, partially cover and allow to cook, stirring occasionally.

Set the cashews and potato to boil. While they are boiling, add all other ingredients in "Blend Together" to your blender and set aside.

Next, combine the water, miso paste, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar and whisk together. Add the mixture to a frying pan over medium heat and sauté with the mushrooms until the mushrooms have absorbed the liquid. Once they have, remove from heat and set aside.

Once the potato and cashew are soft, add them to the blender, along with 2 tbsp of the water they were boiled in (more if needed depending on your blender) and blend everything together until mixture is smooth and set aside.

Once the vegetables in the vegetable broth are mostly cooked, add the cream mixture from the blender and stir together. Allow to simmer together for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, test the chowder for taste and thickness. If it needs to be thickened, add 1-2 tbsp of garbanzo flour and also add more pepper, and other spices to taste if needed.

Finally, add the mushrooms and stir together completely. Allow to cook together for another 5 minutes and then enjoy!

I especially love this chowder the next day, as I feel the flavors really get a chance to blend together overnight.


Healthy Life Tip: With all soups, I suggest making enough to save for lunches or quick dinners later in the week!

The Healthy Life's Banana Bread

There's nothing quite like a slice warm banana bread on a weekend morning... I even like to toast mine and add a little vegan butter on top! But between the sugar, fat, cholesterol and other stuff, that one slice of banana bread can wreak havoc on your system and start your day of in a not-so-healthy kind of way. So, using an old family recipe (one of my favorites growing up), I set out to make a healthier version with the same great flavor...
and it was so much easier than I thought! In just two attempts, I bring you

The Healthy Life's Banana Bread!

The Healthy Life's Banana Bread:

makes 10 slices

2 cups organic whole grain oat flour 

2 tsp organic baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp organic baking soda

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

1/3 cup organic unsweetened applesauce

1 neategg

2 cups mashed ripe organic bananas (4-5 bananas)

1 tsp organic vegan butter (to grease pan with) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease bread pan.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and set aside. 

Mash the bananas, measure out 2 cups, then set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and applesauce together well. Prepare the neategg according to direction (combine 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp of neategg mixture, and mix well), add to the sugar and applesauce and mix together completely. 

Add about 1/3 of the dry mixture to the large mixing bowl with applesauce mixture and combine. Then add about 1/3 of the bananas to the large mixing bowl and combine again. Repeat this process until all ingredients have been combined well into the large mixing bowl. 

Add mixture to the greased baking pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes, depending on your oven. 

Test the center of the bread with a toothpick and once it comes out clean, remove the bread from the oven, allow it to cool for several minutes, and enjoy!

A package of neategg was gifted to me by Neat Foods LLC.

BBQ Seitan Skewers

BBQ Seitan Skewers:
Makes about 12 skewers

2 boxes of cubed seitan
your favorite vegan BBQ sauce.
1 organic green pepper, cubed
1 organic red pepper, cubed
1 organic onion, quartered
organic grape tomatoes

Drain and rinse the seitan then pat lightly between paper towels. Add to a large mixing bowl and mix with BBQ sauce so that all of the seitan is covered, then set aside to marinate.

Cube and quarter the veggies (except tomatoes) and add them to the bowl of seitan, coating them with BBQ sauce as well.

Finally, add everything to the skewers, alternating vegetable with seitan. If you're not grilling them, place them on a broiling pan and broil for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

These skewers are even more amazing when paired with these Twice Baked Potatoes or Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

  

            

Healthy Homemade Hot Sauce!

Homemade Buffalo Sauce Recipe:

10 organic Cayenne Peppers (176g for this recipe)

1 1/2 cups organic white vinegar 

3 organic garlic cloves, skin fully removed

1/2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon organic paprika

1/2 bay leaf

Rinse and remove the tops from the peppers and place into a medium, non-reactive sauce pan (i.e. ceramic or stainless steel). Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low/medium-low, cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the peppers are soft and tender. 

Once peppers are soft add to a food processor, blender, or Vitamix and blend until smooth. If end result does not end in a smooth puree, strain through a fine sieve and discard any sediment it catches.

Return to sauce pan and simmer on low for another 15 minutes. 

Place in an airtight glass container and refrigerate overnight. 

While mine never lasts this long, it can save for about 5-6 months when refrigerated in airtight container, but always check for mold or signs or spoil before using. 

Nutrition Info (3 tablespoons):

40 calories, 1.9g fat, 0.4g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 17.3mg sodium, 6.5g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 1.1g sugar, 1.1g protein

      Use this sauce to make these 

       Buffalo Chicken Wontons!

    

Super Easy Hummus Recipe!

Super Easy Hummus Recipe!

Ingredients:

30oz organic Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
6 tblsp organic olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt
juice from 1 organic lemon
1 1/2 tsp organic ground cumin
2 tblsp organic tahini

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. If you need, add an additional 1-3 tablespoons of warm water to help with blending.

Nutrition Info (serving: 4 tablespoons)

93.5 cal, 8.7g fat, 1.2g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 24.2mg sodium, 4.2g carbohydrates, 1.25g fiber, 0.25g sugar, 1.25g protein

Fire Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Quinoa Soup.

Fire Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Quinoa Soup:

32 oz organic fire roasted diced tomatoes 

64 oz organic low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup organic quinoa

4 organic carrots, diced

3 organic celery ribs, diced

1 organic yellow onion, diced

1 organic red pepper, diced

1/2 organic chili pepper, minced (use entire pepper for spicy soup)

2 tblsp organic olive oil

2 tsp paprika, cumin coriander

1/2 tsp chili powder

Dice carrots, celery, onion, and red pepper, mince chili pepper, and set aside. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add vegetables and sauté for 7-8 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add in all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, lower heat to a summer, and let cook for 35-40 minutes. Makes 8 servings. Great as a side dish to a meal, or a starter.

Nutrition Info per serving:

180 calories, 4.9g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 369mg sodium, 28.3g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 8g sugar, 4.7g protein