The Chef and The Dietitian - Episode 41 - Disappearing Lasagna

TA DAAA!!! I am honored to bring to you...Chef AJ's very famous "Disappearing Lasagna"! And, indeed, the reason it is called by this name is because it is impossible to keep this recipe around for too long...people nearby just want to gobble it up...including me! We also discuss the facts about "gluten-free" in this episode.

You can find this recipe in her book, Unprocessed, and other gluten-free, whole food, plant-based recipes in my new book that I co-authored with Chef Beverly Lynn Bennett, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking.

The Chef and The Dietitian - Episode 50 - House Dressing

This is literally my favorite dressing and I could eat this on everything. It is oil-free and flavor-filled...and what a perfect excuse to eat more salad!!! Watch how quickly Chef AJ and I whip up this delectable dressing!

Robin Robertson's New Book Giveaway and *Sweet Potato-Spinach Soup* Recipe!

I consider Robin Robertson the Queen of Vegan Cookbooks because she is amazingly productive and is constantly coming out with new books. Each one is filled to the brim with easy, delicious recipes which makes healthful vegan cooking accessible and tasty for everyone. She has written nearly 20 cookbooks (yes....20!!!), including 1000 Vegan Recipes, Party Vegan, Vegan Fire and Spice, and Vegan Planet. Her latest book, Quick Fix Vegan, just hit the shelves and she is giving one of you lucky readers a FREE copy!

This book, like all of Robin's books, contains a wide array of selections, using healthy and fresh ingredients. Along with her easy-to-use instructions, Robin makes cooking un-intimidating and exciting, and her books offer limitless healthy options .

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment at the end of this post telling me why you'd like to win a copy of Quick-Fix Vegan.

To increase your chances of winning you can also do any or all of the following, and leave a separate comment for each that you do:

1. Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/PlantDietitian
2. Follow Robin on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/GlobalVegan
3. Spread the word about this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, and/or your blog
4. Subscribe to this blog (to the left, scroll down and click on "Subscribe via Email")
5. Subscribe to Robin's blog: http://veganplanet.blogspot.com/ 
6. "Like" my Plant-Based Dietitian Facebook page to find out the winner (see below):  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Plant-Based-Dietitian/378985915313?ref=ts

The contest closes on Friday, January 13th. One lucky winner will be selected at random. The winner will be announced on my Twitter page and on my Plant-Based Dietitian Facebook page.

The first recipe I tried and loved from this latest gem was Sweet Potato-Spinach Soup. It is the perfect blend of spicy and sweet, hearty and light. I ate the entire recipe in less than 24 hours...yes, it is that fabulous...and I am going to share it here with you...


Serves 4 


Ingredients:
2 tsp. neutral vegetable oil (I omitted this, as per Robin's suggestion, and just brought in some of the broth earlier to saute with)
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 TB. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 TB. soy sauce
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped peanuts


Heat the oil (or broth) in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sweet potato. Cover and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or to taste. Add the tomatoes and soy sauce.

In a small bowl, combine, the peanut butter with 1 cup of the broth, stirring until smooth. Stir the peanut butter mixture into the soup, then add the remaining broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes,

Stir in the nondairy milk and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped peanuts.

Enjoy!

The Chef and The Dietitian - Episode 38 - Cucumber Peanut Salad

Five ingredients in five minutes and you can have this spicy, yet cool, and crunchy salad!

Defining Health...

My definition of "health" and thoughts and passions on whole food, plant-based nutrition in an interview by Jeff Golfman of The Cool Vegetarian at Green festival Los Angeles 2011 with Earth Balance.

The Chef and The Dietitian - Episode 37 - Smoky Chipotle Corn Salsa

A hot and zesty salsa to bring up the temperature and color for your next fiesta! Try making your own tortilla chips for a completely home-made delicious treat!

The Everyday Happy Herbivore Book Giveaway and Recipes!

If you haven't met Lindsay S. Nixon yet, you should brace yourself...she is a phenomenally talented cookbook author extraordinaire (she is even a lawyer) who will change your culinary world forever! Her very popular website, Happy Herbivore, fabulously boasts more than 100 fat-free and low fat healthy vegan recipes! Lindsay makes whole food, plant-based simple, delicious, and exciting...

Lindsay is a genius at taking everyday ingredients and creating divine and nutritious recipes that anyone can easily whip up. Her recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Times, Women's Health Magazine, and The Huffington Post. Lindsay is also a consulting chef at La Samanna. I happened to have fallen in admiration of Lindsay when I saw her do a cooking demo of her famously fabulous Instant Cookie Dough, Baked Onion Rings, and Chocolate Zucchini Muffins at Healthy Taste of L.A. last month. Lindsay seriously makes cooking look easy and she has inspired thousands of "Herbies" to eat more healthfully and adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.

After tremendous success with her first book, The Happy Herbivore (which I highly recommend become part of your cookbook library...although you won't have time to actually store it since you will be using it too often to put it away), Lindsay's much anticipated second book, Everyday Happy Herbivore, is about to hit shelves. This new collection includes more than 175 easy recipes using wholesome, easy-to-find, fresh ingredients that you can make anytime.

Fortunately for us, Lindsay has generously offered to give one lucky reader a free copy of her new book. All you have to do to win the FREE copy is subscribe to this blog and post a comment describing your favorite whole food plant-based tip (for cooking, shopping, eating, etc.) before December 16th. The winner will be announced Monday, December 19th on my Plant-Based Dietitian facebook page.

Lindsay has also shared a sneak peak of a few of her delectable recipes from Everyday Happy Herbivore with us here...

Skillet Refried Beans 
serves 2
Sure canned refried beans are easy, but you just can't top the taste of homemade. The little effort required here is so worth it---these beans are fantastic!

1 small onion, finely diced
15-oz can pinto beans (undrained)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
paprika

Line a skillet with a thin layer of water and saute onion over high heat until translucent and most of the water has cooked off. Add cumin, chili powder and a few dashes of paprika, stirring to coat the onions. Add beans with their juices and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and mash beans well using a fork or potato masher. It will look very soupy, don't be alarmed. Crank the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. If the bans start popping and splashing, cover for a few minutes, then uncover. Stir every minute or so, scraping the bottom to lift the beans. After 10 minutes the liquid should have significantly reduced. It may still be a little soupy, that is alright, it will thicken as it cools. However, if it's really soupy, cook longer. Add salt and pepper and taste, then serve.

Per serving: 216 calories, 0.4g fat, 41.7g carbohydrate, 15.7g fiber, 4.8g sugar, 13.7g protein

Sweet Potato Dal
serves 2
This soup is Dal-icious! It's so flavorful you'll want seconds, and thirds!

1 small sweet potato, skinned
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garam masala, plus extra
1 cup vegetable broth, plus extra
1/2 cup red lentils
4 cups spinach, or more
salt

Dice sweet potato into small 1/2-inch cubes and set aside. Line a medium pot with a thin layer of water and saute onions and garlic for a minute. Add a pinch or two red pepper flakes and continue to cook until all the water has cooked off. Add turmeric, 1/4 tsp garam masala and stir to coat.  Add 1 cup broth, uncooked lentils, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to low, cover, and simmer for a few minutes, about 5. Add sweet potatoes, bring to a boil again, and reduce to low and simmer, until lentils are fully cooked (they expand and the sauce thickens), about 5 minutes more. Check periodically to see if you need additional broth (I tend to add an extra 1/2 cup but it can vary). Once lentils are cooked and sweet potatoes are fork tender, taste, adding more garam masala as desired (I like to add another 1/4 tsp but some blends are stronger than others). Add spinach, continuing to stir until spinach cooks down and softens. Add salt to taste and serve.

Per serving: 232 calories, 0.9g fat, 42.2g carbohydrates, 17.7g fiber, 4.7g sugar, 15.4g protein

Quick Burgers 
makes 4
I developed these burgers in a hotel room: they're quick, easy, and require very few ingredients. (In fact, except for the beans and seasoning packet, I sourced all the ingredients from the complimentary "breakfast bar). I make these burgers any time I need a super fast meal or I'm really low on ingredients.

15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp onion powder (granulated)
1 tsp garlic powder (granulated)
1/3 cup instant oats



Per burger: 109 calories, 0.5g fat, 17.6g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 2.2g sugar, 5g protein

Spicy Orange Greens 
serves 2
The slightly spicy orange sauce in his dish is one of my favorites. You can serve it with any greens you like or have on hand, but collard greens are my favorite to use. For a complete meal, serve over or tossed with noodles.

1/3 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp orange marmalade or jam
4 cups greens (any)

Pour water, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes into a skillet. Turn heat to high and saute until the ginger is fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in marmalade and then add chopped greens. Reduce heat to medium and using tongs, turn greens into the sauce. This will help cook the greens down; stop when your greens are bright green and have softened. Serve.

Chef's Note: Coked broccoli florets may be substituted for the greens. Toss cooked broccoli  with the sauce once it's been warmed and serve.

Per serving: 156 calories, 1.5g fat, 32g carbohydrates, 8.8g fiber, 11.6g sugar, 10.1g protein

Sage Gravy 
makes 1 1/2 cups
Good over greens, mashed potatoes, faux chicken---anything really. This is my latest go-to gravy.

1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1 tbsp rubbed sage (not powdered)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder (granulated)
1/4 tsp onion powder (granulated)
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
dash paprika
1 lemon wedge (juice of)
pinch salt
black or white pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium pot, taking care to rub the sage between your fingers to break it down in smaller bits, especially if your brand is a little rustic with bigger leaves and stick pieces (pull out those sticks if you can). Squeeze the juice out of your lemon wedge completely, and discard the rind. Bring gravy to near boil over high heat but just before it boils, immediately turn off the heat and remove the pot to a non-hot burner, stirring it. Taste, adding black or white pepper and salt as desired.

Chef's Note: Brown rice flour may be substituted for a gluten-free option.

Per serving (1/4 cup): 29 calories, 0.3g fat, 4.7g carbohydrate, 1.2g fiber, 1.2g sugar, 2.6g protein

For more information, visit Lindsay's website, Happy Herbivore, and check out her books, The Happy Herbivore and Everyday Happy Herbivore. I guarantee she will make you want to immediately run to your kitchen and start experimenting with her recipes!