Stuffed Eggplant

We planted eggplant for the first time this year in our organic garden, so I've been trying out new recipes this summer. I found this recipe for grilled stuffed eggplant at Rodale.com and "veganized" it for lunch today.

INGREDIENTS:
4 small eggplants
1/8 c. nutritional yeast
1/4 c. Daiya mozzarella vegan cheese
1/4 c chopped white or yellow onion
1/4 c Panko bread crumbs (check the label and make sure there are no hydrogenated oils in it)
4 cloves minced garlic
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
a few red pepper flakes
1 chopped organic tomato - Or, three Roma tomatoes (I removed most of the seeds and juice before chopping)
Shiitake "bacon" (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1) Slice eggplant in half.
2) Salt eggplant and allow to drain in a colander for about 10-15 minutes.
3) In the meantime, place the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.
4) Wash and dry eggplant.
5) Cut a grid of 1/2" squares in each of the eggplant halves and use a spoon to remove the flesh. Be careful not to cut through the skin.
6) Add all of the eggplant flesh (except one eggplant half that you can save for something else) to the cheese/breadcrumb mixture.
7) Place eggplant in a baking dish and stuff with the mixture.
8) Drizzle with olive oil.
9) The Rodale version of the recipe calls for you to cook the stuffed eggplant in a foil baking pan outside on the grill, but I baked ours at 400 for 20 minutes in the oven.

Pineapple Salsa

Tomato salsa on organic tortilla chips is still my favorite snack, but this pineapple salsa (adapted from Cooking Light magazine) is a refreshing change.

Combine the following ingredients:

1 fresh pineapple chopped (I sliced and grilled the pineapple first, but you don't have to grill it for this salsa)
about 1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin

Serve on organic chips.

Homemade Deodorant

My husband and I are trying to turn our clocks "back" to a simpler more natural way of living without chemicals on or in our bodies. Last fall, I began experimenting with making homemade toothpaste, lotion, lip balm, shampoo, and deodorant. I tried using store bought natural deodorants such as Toms and Arm and Hammer, but they broke me out. I've also tried several different recipes I found online, but they broke us out in rashes after a few days. Obviously all bodies all react differently, but these are two recipes that I finally came up with that my husband and I are able to use daily. These deodorants don't stop our bodies completely from sweating like potentially harmful antiperspirants do, but they keep us fairly dry and do a  great job in naturally preventing body odor. I alternate these two deodorants every other day, while my husband uses the cream version (deodorant #2 daily). Our teenagers still use antiperspirants that are full of chemicals and perfumes - We haven't been successful in getting them to try out our all natural deodorants yet.

DEODORANT #1
Ingredients:

• raw apple cider organic vinegar (such as Bragg's)
• arrowroot powder
• non-aluminum baking soda (I use Bob's Red Mill) 
• Optional: a few drops of essential oil such as orange or lavender

Directions:
Mix 3 parts arrowroot powder with 1 part baking soda. You can add a few drops of essential oil to the powder mixture, but I don't.  Store in a sealed container/jar. Swab clean underarms with raw apple cider vinegar with a cloth or cotton ball (the vinegar smell dissipates). Then pat on the powder mixture.

DEODORANT#2 

This deodorant makes a cream that should be stored in a sealed container or jar.
Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons shea butter
• 1 Tablespoon Bob's Red Mill aluminum free baking soda (I've read that Arm and Hammer is processed with aluminum - not sure if that's accurate, but I don't want to take the chance.)
• 4 Tablespoons organic arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• 1 Tablespoon unrefined organic cocoa butter (I buy the 4 oz. containers  online at Mountain Rose Herbs)
• 1 teaspoon organic extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 capsule vitamin E
• Optional: a couple drops of essential oil such as orange

Directions:

Melt the butters and oil in a Pyrex measuring cup or glass set inside of a pot of water until the oils are  clear (or a double boiler).

Take off of the heat. Snip the end off of a vitamin E capsule, and squeeze the liquid into the melted oils. Stir in the baking soda and arrowroot powder.  If you add a few drops of essential oil such as lavender, orange, etc. then stir it in last, and pour into a jar. My husband is 6" 2" - 230 lbs. and loves this recipe (he always smells great to me.)

***Please note that diets high in plants and low in processed foods, meats, caffeine, and alcohol have also been shown to reduce body odor.

Blackeye Pea 'n' Wild Rice Burritos

As Texans, we eat a lot of Mexican food at our house. Transitioning to a plant based diet has been a challenge for my husband (who's already lost 30 lbs. by the way) since he's highly allergic to beans. I substitute blackeye, field, and purple hull peas for recipes that call for beans for him. You could use prepared fat-free refried black or pinto beans in this recipes instead of using peas. These burritos passed the teenager test....quotes from 13 year old: "I love that stuff! It's my new favorite. That was awesome."

Blackeye Pea Mock Refried Beans 
Pulse the following in a blender or food processor:

• 1 can organic blackeye peas (such as Eden brand) with most of the liquid drained off
• 1 T or more white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• dash of black (or red pepper) and salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder

Burrito Ingredients (organic)

• fat-free refried "beans" or blackeye pea recipe above. You could also use whole black beans seasoned with cumin, garlic, onion, and chili powder.
• left over cooked wild rice (I add a little tumeric to my wild rice while cooking)
• small handful fresh cilantro
• whole wheat tortillas
• homemade salsa
• avacado
• chopped romaine lettuce 
• Daiya vegan cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Slice an avocado and sprinkle with lemon or lime juice.
2. Chop a small handful (about 1/4 c) cilantro.
3. Chop enough lettuce for burritos.
4. Heat tortillas on both sides in a skillet sprayed with oil. Wrap in foil to keep warm.

5.  Heat beans in pan (I try to avoid nuking veges in the microwave.)
6. Reheat rice (microwave may work better for this) Optional: Add a little cilantro to the rice after it's been heated. 
7. Place a layer of beans in the middle of a heated tortilla.
8. Sprinkle beans with a little Daiya cheese
9. Spoon wild rice on top of cheese.
10. Sprinkle with  lettuce.
11. Add a couple thin slices of avocado and top with homemade salsa. 
12. Roll up and enjoy!

 

Organic High-Fiber Blueberry Pancakes

Instead of making these pancakes according to the package directions, I adapted them to be vegan for my family this morning.

2 cups Bob's Red Mill organic high fiber pancake mix
1 1/2 cups almond milk
egg replacement (I used 2 T flaxseed meal mixed with 6 T water that I let sit for a minute)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large handful of fresh organic blueberries
2 T oil (I used grapeseed)

Combine ingredients. Add blueberries last. Cook on a griddle that's been preheated to med/high. Serve with pure maple syrup.

Homemade Organic Dog Biscuits

We're in the process of training our two 3 month old Corgi puppies (Bevo and Miss Rev)and have been spending a fortune on puppy treats. Not only are the store purchased treats expensive, but they're full of unhealthy ingredients. So, I decided to make my own today. There are lots of recipes on the Internet, but the one I tweaked today came from Martha Stewart.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup organic whole wheat or brown rice flour
1/4 cup wheat germ or flax seed meal
1/4 cup debittered brewer's yeast (not the same as active yeast used to make bread)
1/2 tsp. salt (I usually leave this out since there's salt in the stock.)
1/2 cup free range chicken, beef,  or organic vegetable stock (plus more for basting if you want)
1 1/2 T. safflower oil
Optional: 1 T organic non-hydrogenated peanut butter

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add oil and half of the stock. Mix with a fork. Add the rest of the stock. Use your hands to mix ingredients. Form into a ball. Roll out about 1/2 inch thickness (or a little thinner). I don't have a dog bone cookie cutter yet, so I just cut the biscuits into small squares. Transfer to parchment paper. Bake 10 minutes. Baste with stock. Bake 8-10 minutes longer. The original recipe says to turn oven off and leave biscuits in the oven for an hour. I don't do this since the biscuits are completely dry and crisp after cooking them 18 minutes in our oven. Our pups have gone "nuts" over these treats and keep begging for more! I've been making a batch a week for them.