The Best Banana Bread You Will Ever Eat

I know that is a loaded title, but it is truly the best I have ever had!  Mine usually turns out quite dense, and I am always trying to find ways to make recipes healthier, which doesn't always turn out as nice.  I cannot take credit for this recipe, as I stole it from a nutritionist whose blog I stalk follow (her potato leek soup with homemade parmesan thyme croutons is equally amazing).  It is a bit of an indulgence, but husband requested banana bread yesterday and as we had some bananas to use up, I was happy to oblige.

Sustenance Sunday: A Very Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Chris and I have been vegetarian for a few years now, and to be honest I don't miss meat a single bit. Though we do eat fish on occasion, so technically, we are pescetarian.  Which just makes us sound like snobs.  So we stick with vegetarian.  However, as the holidays approach, the first thing I think of is turkey.  Not that I necessarily miss eating it myself, but turkey = Thanksgiving, right?  

Well, we are visiting friends for Thanksgiving, so we might have to save some of these recipes for Christmas (hope my family is open to trying some of them!), but here is a roundup of mouth-watering vegetarian recipes for my veggie-loving friends out there.

Sweet Potato, Onion & Fontina Tart

Festive Chickpea Tart

Maple Tempeh (with or without the quinoa)

Roasted Vegetable Galette

Pumpkin & Black Bean Casserole

Butternut Squash Baked Risotto

Pumpkin Hummus

Stuffed Curry Sweet Potato

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Mashed Root Veggies

Are you vegetarian?  Do you like to experiment with Thanksgiving recipes or stick with the tried and true ones you grew up eating?  

Let me know if you try any of the recipes above, and I will try to remember to do the same!

Veggie Life: Protein Pasta?

Okay, I feel like I have an obligation to share something with you, my three loyal readers. :)

As a vegetarian, I am often struggling with getting enough protein into each meal of my daily diet.  I really do try to incorporate it wherever I can, but am always eager to find new and healthy ways to do so.  Well, last year I found Ezekiel Bread, and it literally changed my life.  Not only does it taste great, but it is also a complete protein!  Meaning it provides all 9 of the essential amino acids your body needs to function properly!  Double win!  Yes, it still has carbs... let's not get ahead of ourselves here.  But our bodies need carbs of the healthy variety, people, so let's call a truce.  Chris and I enjoy this bread all the time.  And then, I found out that Food for Life do loads of other things as well: pasta (gasp!), tortillas, buns, cereal, english muffins (!), etc.

Pasta is not a common dish found in Chris and I's diet, but who doesn't love pasta?!  We usually opt for spaghetti squash instead, in an effort to fool ourselves into thinking we are eating the delicious comfort carbs we crave. But finding a way to add the real thing in such a healthy way is certainly a win for me.  And the best part is, that they have a few different types of pasta including, spaghetti, fettuccine, elbow, and penne. What more could you need?  Add a healthy (homemade?) sauce and some tasty grilled veggies and you are good to go!

A veggie blog that I love, is Naturally Ella, and she has some very tasty looking pasta recipes that I just might have to match up with our new pasta friend, Food for Life.  A few of my favorites from her site...?

Sweet Potato & Spinach Mac and Cheese

Spinach-Pesto with Roasted Red Peppers and Ricotta

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Chris and I are enjoying being in the kitchen together as of late, so I might have to suggest a date night in sometime this week to make one of these tasty recipes!

On a side note, if you are scouring your grocery store trying to find it... the bread is located in the frozen section, and should be stored in your fridge once you get home (unless you plan on saving it for a while, then it can go in your freezer).  The pasta is typically in the "health food" section of Safeway, etc. rather than on the regular pasta aisle.

Happy Sunday!

Summer Drink of Choice

Since Chris and I have been spending many grueling hours doing manual labor in our back yard the past few weeks, we decided it was time to find a refreshing summer drink to quench our thirst while we slave away. So I whipped up some homemade lemonade and, let me tell you, it definitely did the trick!  

Recipe: (this is hardly an 'original' recipe... I do not take credit for creating it. these are just the rough amounts I used of everything.)

1 gallon of cold, filtered water

9-10 organic lemons, juiced

2-3 sliced organic lemons

1/2 -3/4 cup Agave Nectar (to your taste)

A handful or two of ice cubes

Mix, chill, and enjoy!  A great fresh, summery drink.  I think there are many more pitchers of this in our future.  Now if only I could find food grade lavender to add to the mix!

A Twist on Vegetarian Enchiladas

Last weekend, I caught the cooking bug (a bug that had been lacking lately!) and decided to make a tasty dinner for my hubs.  What was on the menu, you ask?  Healthy vegetarian enchiladas!  It was a random, throw-things-together-and-see-how-it-tastes kind of cooking experiment, but they ended up tasting amazing! (I love it when that happens...)

Since there wasn't a specific recipe I was following, I will do my best to do one on the spot for you.

8 - white corn tortillas (I prefer them to flour...)

1 cup - black beans

1 cup - fresh spinach

1/2 cup - tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup - avocado, chopped

1/2 cup - cheese of your choise (I used Tillamook Cheddar)

Medium enchilada sauce (I used sparingly, as I don't like them smothered in sauce.  I put some inside each enchilada and then put a few spoonfuls over the top of the completed dish before I popped it in the oven.)

I pre-cooked my shells so that they wouldn't crack when I rolled up each enchilada.  It worked like a charm!

This is such an easy dish to make, because you really can include any vegetables, etc. that you have on hand.  I might have to make some of this on Thursday night to enjoy while I am recovering from surgery.

Let me know if you make your own version of these enchiladas, or if you try my recipe above!  I hope you enjoy it!