quinoa | Veggietorials

Greens & Grains Roll-Ups

December 6, 2012 by Cobi | 8 Comments

Yesterday, I received a request on Facebook asking if I could feature more recipes with no added oils. My first thought was “But I don’t add that much oil…” so I took a glance back through my YouTube video recipes to check if there was a trend. Sure enough, at least 75% of my video recipes contain the ubiquitous two tablespoons of oil. Gah!

When I make a video, it’s usually about a dish I want to celebrate. It may be a local comfort food, a treat for a special occasion or a veganized version of a dish I have a yen for. Making it healthy is not necessarily my focus. But in my real life, I don’t add much oil or salt to my food. In fact, if I’m just cooking for myself, my goal is to make it simple and colorful, period. I hesitate to call anything with less than five ingredients a “recipe” it’s more as I like to tell the reluctant cooks, we’re just “making” something yummy. If I don’t have an official recipe to post, I usually share a pic on Instagram and call it a day. But maybe this request will inspire me to post more of these simple vegan square meals and in turn, inspire you to your own creative culinary greatness.

Last night’s dinner consisted of Acorn Squash & Quinoa Collard Green Roll-ups, Ginger Spiced Raw Applesauce, Hummus w/GF crackers and roasted nori.

Don’t think I was trying to get all fancy on you, this was just a result of using up what I had on hand before making another trip to the Farmer’s Market. You can use your favorite greens and grains, then just toss in something crunchy and something sweet. I’ve made these before using garlicky couscous, raisins and pine nuts or curried rice, cashews and dried cranberries…the possibilities are making my mouth water a little right now!

Greens & Grains Roll-ups

by Veggietorials

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: uncook dinner appetizer snack dairy free gluten-free soy-free vegan vegetarian collard greens quinoa

Ingredients (2 servings)

1 cup quinoa (cooked in vegetable broth)
2 extra-large collard green leaves (stems removed)
1 cup acorn squash (seasoned,baked and sliced)
1/2 cup spicy pecans
1 cup vegetable broth

Instructions

Wash greens thoroughly. Remove the stem from the leaf so that you have two halves. Heat the vegetable broth in a small pan over high heat. Submerge one leaf at a time for about 20-30 seconds or until the greens are one shade brighter than when you started. Remove from the pan and drain any excess liquid.

Place your greens flat and place 2 spoonfuls of quinoa near the top edge. Add the squash and pecans and gently roll up.

I wanted to try this The Ginger People- Organic Ginger Syrup since I found a $1.00 off coupon here . This is the best applesauce I’ve ever made, hands and paws down. Just tossed three ingredients in the VitaMix and had applesauce in 20 seconds. My intention was to use the applesauce in a recipe for vegan mini donuts but I ate it all after dinner and lo and behold, sweet tooth satisfied.

If you’re making the applesauce to incorporate into a baked goods recipe, I would suggest peeling the apples for a smooth texture. Leave the skin on if you plan to eat it straight up…more fiber!

Ginger Spiced Applesauce

by Veggietorials

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 30 seconds

Ingredients (3 servings)

3 Organic Fuji Apples (peeled if you prefer or skin on for more fiber)
1 heaping teaspoon apple pie spice (cinnamon,nutmeg,cloves,mace)
2 tablespoons ginger syrup

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a VitaMix and blend on variable speeds 5-6 for 20 seconds or until desired consistency is reached. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Not Yo Mama’s Meatloaf

June 21, 2012 by Cobi | 21 Comments

If there was one recipe I was going to cook for myself and eat every week, it would be this meatless loaf. You can add everything but the kitchen sink and it will always turn out delicious.The trick is to use a ratio of 3 cups dry ingredients(grains),3 cups chopped veggies and 2 1/2 cups wet ingredients (seasoned tofu or bean puree). Top it with a universally appealing condiment like BBQ sauce and even folks that say they don’t like meatloaf will being asking for second helpings.

My secret ingredients for this recipe are Linwoods ground flaxseeds,almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts + co-Q10. The nuts and seeds bump up the protein and fiber in the loaf, in addition to giving it a great texture and taste. I’ve been sprinkling this stuff on everything from yogurt to salads and even adding it to dips to incorporate more omega-3′s into my diet. The Linwoods mix of nuts and seeds is gluten-free and lends a savory flavor profile to any dish. If you’re allergic to nuts, try substituting a combination of ground seeds like pumpkin,chia and flax.

Not Yo Mama’s Meatloaf- Vegan

by Veggietorials

Prep Time: 30 min.

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: bake entree dairy free vegan vegetarian tofu American

Ingredients (10-12 servings)

1/2 cup oats (uncooked)
1/2 cup Linwood’s ground flax,almonds,Brazil nuts and walnuts
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 block silken tofu OR 2 cups pureed beans
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup spicy tomato juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon porcini mushroom powder
2 tablespoons Summit seasoning (from Savory Spice Shop OR your favorite spice blend)
1 carrot,diced
2 ribs celery,diced
1 large onion,diced
3 cloves garlic,minced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)
salt & pepper, to taste
8×8 pan, greased OR use 9×13 pan to double the recipe

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute all the veggies on med high heat just until they start to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add spices to the pan and mix for one minute. Remove from heat, set aside. Combine tofu, 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, mustard, soy sauce, and spicy tomato juice in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. In a large bowl, combine oats, quinoa, brown rice and ground nuts. Add sautéed vegetables and seasoned tofu mixture. Mix until everything is well incorporated. Spread evenly into a greased pan and top with remaining BBQ sauce if desired. Bake for one hour. Let the meatless loaf rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve with Cauliflower Mash and garden salad.

Store leftovers in a covered, airtight container for up to 2 days.

Turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into the perfect bite! Check out my video to see how to whip up an

November 20, 2011 by Cobi | 0 comments

Turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into the perfect bite! Check out my video to see how to whip up an easy Quinoa & Cauliflower Mash that tastes like creamy mashed potatoes, but has more fiber per serving. Oven Roasted Butternut Squash gives a sweet balance to the savory fillings like Vegan Stuffing with Collard Greens. Roll it up and fry it to savor the day after Thanksgiving without eating another turkey sandwich. I dipped my hot won ton pockets of goodness in cranberry sauce, oh my!

Quinoa & Cauliflower Mash

1 cup steamed or roasted cauliflower

1 cup cooked quinoa

2T Earth Balance

3 cloves garlic

Salt to taste

Puree until almost smooth, but do not over process.

Oven Roasted Butternut Squash

1 small squash, cut into small cubes

Olive oil

Salt

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Arrange squash in an even layer on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Spray squash lightly with olive oil and sprinkle a little salt, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. Roast for 35-45 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Puree and adjust seasoning.

Vegan Stuffing Mix- I always doctor mine up with onions, celery and water chestnuts. I added some collard greens after I fluffed the stuffing.

Wonton Pi or Mandu wrappers, Egg roll-Spring roll-Lumpia wrappers If you’re trying to keep it plant based, check the ingredients to avoid ovo/lacto. Many brands are made without animal products.