No “Corny” Soup

In fact this soup is amazing….This super simple and easy corn soup is perfect for cold winter days. If you make plenty it’ll last a few days. Well..if you try hard anyways. Hope you enjoy!
  

I stared off with coconut oil and garlic in a pot. Sauté  for about 5 mintues. Add  4 cups of water along with one package of frozen corn (I used trader Joes brand). Chop and peel some sweet potatoes, and place into pot, cover  and allow to come to a boil. Add in your seasonings at this point. (Sea salt, black pepper etc). You can also add in other veggies such as broccoli, carrots etc. (However, Remove broccoli and other green veggies prior to blending). 
  

Once your corn and  potatoes are cooked place into blender and blend for a few seconds. (Do not blend broccoli, carefully spoon it out and reserve for after the soup has been blended) Return to the pot, stir and add in more seasoning as needed. This soup will be a smooth, thick consistency. Just perfect. Hope you try this out. 

Add tortillas, sour cream, bread etc. 

   

Pad Thai (vegan friendly)

So I was contemplating whether or not I should go out to eat. There are quite a few thai restaurants in the area I live. However, I decided to instead to purchase a few items and make my way home to make my own Pad Thai…which I will share. Enjoy!
  

Gather Ingredients:

1 cup water, plus more for soaking the noodles

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1  package rice noodles 

A few garlic cloves 

One head of broccoli

Tofu

2 fried eggs (exclude if vegan)

4 tablespoons peanut butter (I used chunky)

Gluten free tamari sauce 

Juice of 1 large lime 

3 Tbsp. sugar

Hot sauce of choice 

Scalions,for garnish

Chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)
  
 
My method: 

I boiled a large pot of water , turned the fire off and placed the rice noodles in the water and allowed it to soak for about 15 minutes.

In a large frying pan, heat the coconut oil ,  garlic cloves and tofu . Add tamari sauce and sauté. Add the broccoli chopped into small pieces. Cook for about 10 minutes. Fry the eggs in the same pan by pushing the ingredients to one side. 

Meanwhile, mix the peanut butter, lime juice, sugar, hot sauce, some tamari sauce with 1 cup of water. After this is done, combine all the ingredients together in one pan. Add to your noodles and cook a few mintues more. 

Top with scallions and crushed nuts. So easy. Beats going to the restaurant not only to avoid the risk of cross contamination but it tons cheaper. Enjoy!
  
 

Parmesan Plantain Party

Well at least in your mouth it is. These plantain chips are simply put…amazing. These are great for a snack, side dish or hors d’oeuvres.  And the best part- all you need are some green plantains. 
  

Peel the green plantains. Cut them into thin circles as I did below. Please be careful if doing this by hand.
  

Deep fry or bake these and you are all done. When they are crispy you can now play dress up. The toppings are endless. You can eat these with just about any dressing or dipping sauce imaginable. I like to have them with a simple dressing made of: melted butter, garlic, sea salt and lemon. Can you say perfection.

  

I actually dusted these in Parmesan cheese and sea salt.  You can try, pepper flakes, garlic powder, lime, lemon. Be creative. If you do try or have tried these out, let me know. Hope you enjoy!!
  

Quick Quinoa

Hi, hope everyone is doing well. If you will be snowed in like me this weekend hope you have everything you need in house.  Just wanted to share a quick quinoa recipe. (Quinoa pudding coming soon). Good snow day recipe ❄️☃☃. You can throw in whatever you have on hand. You can use leftovers if you would like. This can be used inside rice wrap papers for rice wraps and/or then fried for spring rolls.  Hope you enjoy. 
  

I just cooked up some quinoa as the package directions indicate. I sautéed garlic, onions and bok choy in a sauce pan with coconut oil. I added the rest of my veggies and sautéed for about 10-15 minutes. I added my seasoning. This is so fragrant and delicious.
  

Next, I placed the cooked quinoa into my vegetable mix and sautéed a bit longer. Added some sesame oil and grate some fresh ginger over the mix. Cook for about 1-2 minutes more. Turn off the heat. Enjoy!!

*If you are non-vegan you can add cheese-jalapeño, cheddar, pepper jack, goat, Brie*

Additional add-ins/Optional: Dried cranberries, cheese, olives, fresh peppers,
  
Please share your quinoa recipe with me….

Poppin’ Power Bites

I sincerely hope that everyone is doing well. We have all heard of superfoods and how beneficial they are to us. Use them in smoothies, top your yogurt, use in baking, on salads the list goes on. Today I have combined a few of my favorite superfoods along with some other ingredients to give me a “pop of power” in  bites that I can have whenever I need a lot of energy. Which is always. 
   

 
I combined:

Gluten free oatmeal (blended for about 2 seconds)

Chia seeds

Maca powder

Hemp seeds

Coconut oil (melted)

Peanut butter (I used crunchy, u can use an alternate nut butter)

Vanilla extract

Sea Salt (a pinch)

Dried Cranberries 

Honey ( or Vegan alternative)

Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
   

   

After blending the oatmeal slightly. Mix ingredients together. Once a dough starts to form you are on the right track. You can begin to mold your bites into the shape and size you want. Place in refrigerator to set and enjoy whenever. Done in a flash. 

These really turned out great. Please share your power bites recipes. Hope you enjoy!!

Additional/optional add-ins: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, dates, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, banana chips, dried fruit, GF dried cereal 
  

Oh Oh Oatmeal

Just wanted to share a quick oatmeal cookie recipe. It doesn’t get more simple and quick than this oatmeal delight.

  

Ingredients:

Ripe Banana

Oatmeal (Gluten free)

Cranberry (or other dried fruit of choice )

Method:

Combine ripe banana, oatmeal and dried fruit in a blender or nutribullet as I did. You can add a little water to help the mixture blend if needed. Blend about 5 seconds at a time. For about 10-15 seconds or less. Stir the mixture until you get a smooth but not runny consistency.  Using a tablespoon, scoop out some of the batter and place on baking sheet/pan. 
  

I cooked these for just a few minutes. Keep an eye on them. Once you start to smell them you know they are soon done. Hope you try this out and enjoy. 

*Try not to eat all in one sitting* 

Additional/optional add-in: Fresh grated ginger, nuts, dried apricots or cherries, nuts
  

Yummy Yucca..

  
..Fries that is…some yucca fries can make a very boring evening, lively and amazing. Well at least for me. I am such a foodie it’s incredible. I don’t know how I maintain a 110lb weight ( not always a good thing) with all the food I eat. Nonetheless, when I find out..I’ll  put it in a book 😉 for now I’ll just tell you what I did. 

  
 
The Internet is loaded with yucca fries recipes, from selecting to frying them. I did boil them for about 15-20 minutes prior to slicing, and then frying until golden brown. Enjoy. 

* Topping options: caramelized onions, ketchup, mayo, mustard*

*You can enjoy these loaded: Refried beans, Jalapeño, Cheese and Greek yogurt*
  

Simple ‘tots

  
Who says you cannot have oven roasted potatoes without an oven? Proof is in the potatoes. These are just simple red potatoes l roasted stove top. Simple and delicious. 

  

Coconut oil

Garlic

Seasoning

Potatoes (washed and cubes)

Fresh rosemary 

Method:

I started these off with some coconut oil and garlic cloves. Cook in a skillet about one minute until Fragrant. Place the potatoes, add seasoning of choice. I like tader joes everyday seasoning and some sea salt. Tightly cover the potatoes and cook until light brown.  Turn the potatoes over every 15 minutes and cook on medium to low heat until these ‘tots are charred on both sides, thus giving you that roasted taste.(This can take up to an hour, I don’t suggest you do this when you are extremely hungry).  When almost cooked to your liking, Add the fresh rosemary. Cook about 15 minutes more. They are now done and oven roasted. Well stovetop style that is 😉. Who can tell the difference. I can’t. Try and enjoy!!