BETTER-THAN-TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES WITH LEMON-BASIL PESTO AND GRILLED VEGETABLES AND FRUIT TURNOVERS

Today I Made:

BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES WITH LEMON-BASIL PESTO AND GRILLED VEGETABLES.

This is really a combination of 2 different recipes.

BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD and LEMON-BASIL PESTO from The Vegan Table By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Both recipes I've made several times but never put them together.

The BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD is made with garbanzo beans, vegenaise, carrots, red bell peppers, celery, walnuts, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper.

Delicious and so versatile.

You can use it as a sandwich filler, on crackers, over greens, or eaten alone.

The LEMON-BASIL PESTO is so simple to make, you wonder why the jared stuff exist.

All you do is throw basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, leon juice, and salt and pepper in a food processor and process until finely smooth.

And for the bread, I used these new OROWEAT SANDWICH THINS.

They're really thin slices of bread that look like burger buns.

They taste sweet and are super soft.

Really not good with any runny sauces.

Spread a thin layer of the pesto on one side of the bread, then top with the BETTER THAN TUNA SALAD.

Spread the other side of the bread with more salad, then top with grilled zucchini, grilled red onion, and fresh slices of roma tomatoes.

Close sandwich and enjoy.

And for DESSERT, I made FRUIT TURNOVERS from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE.

Frozen blueberries mixed with lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch and sugar then placed in the middle of a thawed store-bought puff pastry and baked until golden brown.

It's really a simple dessert yet very elegant looking.

Make this to impress your diner guests.

BLACK-BEAN AND BROWN RICE CAKES AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH HERBED BREADCRUMBS

Yesterday I Made:

BLACK-BEAN AND BROWN RICE CAKES AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH HERBED BREADCRUMBS for DINNER.

Both recipes from old issues of EVERDAY FOOD MAGAZINE.

Simple cakes made with canned black beans, brown rice, jalapeno, cumin and spices topped with a lime cilantro yogurt sauce.

Super healthy because they're baked and not fried.

The cauliflower was simply tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted until browned.

While roasting, I made a simple breadcrumb mix by combining day-old bread and garlic in the food processor until crumbly.

Then toasted until lightly browned then mixed with the cauliflower.

And for added color and nutrition, steamed peas with Mrs.Dash, Earth Balance, and salt and pepper.

I can never get enough of peas...yummy!!!

ITALIAN RICE AND BEANS AND CANDIED LIME SWEET POTATO

Today I Made:

ITALIAN RICE AND BEANS AND CANDIED LIME SWEET POTATO for DINNER.

Both recipes from Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm.

Brown rice, sun-dried tomatoes, navy beans, dried oregano, dried basil, spinach, and balsamic vinegar.

The candied sweet potatoes were flavored with molasses, sugar. lime juice, and lime zest.

Both recipes turned out great.

The rice was both tangy from the sun-dried tomatoes and earthy from the navy beans.

It's really an Italian Style fried-rice.

The sweet potatoes turned out yummy!

Sweet and sour.

My favorite combo!

HUMMUS ROASTED RED PEPPER WRAP

Today I Made:

HUMMUS ROASTED RED PEPPER WRAP for LUNCH.

Raw collard green, spinach, roasted red pepper strips, cucumber, and carrots all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla.

Simple and delicious, but a little messy.

CHILI, COOKIES, AND TOAST

Today I Made:

VEGETARIAN CHILI WITH CHOCOLATE OVER BROWN RICE for DINNER.

Hominy, Garbanzo Beans, Bell Peppers, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and semi-sweet chocolate.

Slow simmered for almost 2 hours until flavors completely blend.

Topped with vegan sour cream and green onions.

One of our all-time favorite dishes.

Yesterday I Made:

DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES for DESSERT.

Recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE.

Chocolate batter with chocolate chunks and cranberries.

The recipe sounded good, but I wasn't very happy with the outcome.

The flavors didn't mesh very well for me.

Today I Made:

WHOLE-WHEAT TOAST WITH YOGURT AND PISTACHIOS.

Recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD MAGAZINE .

Toast slathered with soy yogurt, pistachios, and drizzled with agave syrup.

Total bliss....YUMMY!!!!

Yesterday I Made:

BAKED GRAINS PILAF for DINNER.

Recipe from The Eat-Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.

Baked millet, barley, carrots, onions, red bell peppers, corn, celery, vegetable stock and salt and pepper.

Easy side dish, all the work goes into chopping the vegetables.

Mix all ingredients in a casserole dish.

Cover, pop in the oven, and bake until all liquid has been absorbed.

I served ours along with Cauliflower Cakes (not pictured).

MEXICAN CORN AND QUINOA WITH CHIPOTLE BEANS AND PICKLED ONIONS

Today I Made:

MEXICAN CORN AND QUINOA WITH CHIPOTLE BEANS AND PICKLED ONIONS AND MINI CORN BREAD WITH ROASTED POBLANO MUFFINS.

Quinoa recipe from the latest issue of Cooking Light.

Quinoa and corn soup topped with a chipotle black bean mash and red wine pickled onions.

This recipe sounds like a weird combination, but it really works.

So very tasty and comforting.

The only bad thing about it is that it only makes a small batch.

So, if you plan on making it, double it!

Unfortunately, I can't remember where I found the cornbread recipe.

I found it online and wrote it down without writing the source...darn it!

It's my go-to recipe, super moist and perfectly sweet.

I did kick it up a notch by adding frozen corn and roasted poblano chilies.

If anyone wants this recipe, just leave a comment with your email address and I'll respond ASAP!

ALMOND FLAXSEED BURGER AND TATER TOTS

Today I Made:

ALMOND FLAXSEED BURGER OVER MIXED BABY GREENS AND SWEET PEPPER HEMP PESTO WITH A SIDE OF TATER TOTS for DINNER.

Burger and pesto recipes from Thrive by Branden Brazier.

Almonds, ground flax seeds, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and salt processed until smooth, shaped into patties and baked until golden brown.

For the pesto, process red bell peppers, garlic, basil, hemp seeds, hemp oil, salt and pepper until smooth.

The tater tops have been in our freezer for a few weeks and we finally had them for dinner tonight.

Seemed like it was the right time, since we were having a "burger."

Tater tots were AWESOME, of course!!!

Really took me back to my elementary school days.

The burger was interesting, although I think I may have over baked them just a little bit since they turned out a little too hard.

WILD RICE YAM PANCAKES

Today I Made:

WILD RICE YAM PANCAKES for Breakfast.

Recipe from Thrive by Branden Brazier.

Wild rice, quinoa, and yam pancakes sweetened with agave nectar.

This is the first recipe I make from this book and it was a little disappointing at first.

The batter was so runny, I had to add chickpea flour to thicken it up.

It took me a couple of tries to get the an actual looking pancake.

Turns out, the trick is to use low heat and to cook each side for 5 minutes.

I would make these again, only because they are a much healthier version than traditional pancakes.