Oatmeal Banana Waffles with Blueberries

Oatmeal Banana Waffles with Blueberries with pineapple and grapes because that's what I had :)

Healthy Benefits

Bananas are a excellent source of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Its unique mix of vitamins, minerals, and low glycemic carbohydrates has made them a favorite fruit among endurance athletes.  

Since bananas also contain tryptophan, serotonin and norepinephrine, they help prevent depression while encouraging feelings of well-being and relaxation. Additionally, the vitamin B6 helps protect against sleeplessness, mood swings and irritability.

Ingredients   223 calories per serving (serves 2)

1 organic banana (besides being a great source of potassium, it's also a binder)
1 cup of uncooked rolled oats
1 cup of water
1 tsp of vanilla extract
10 blueberries

Optional add-ins:
1 tsp Wheat germ
1 tsp Flaxseed

Preparation  

Place all ingredients in blender (except blueberries) and blend until smooth. Let it sit for a couple minutes to thicken.
- Pour onto the heated oil-sprayed waffle iron
- Add blueberries when batter in on waffle iron
- Cook for 8-10 minutes without lifting the lid. 

They should be moist with a crunchy crust. Add pure maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Ethical note: USDA Organic bananas have never been included in the “dirty dozen”. Organic farmers use natural fertilizers like manure and seaweed, and rely on insect predators rather than pesticides to keep pests and weeds at bay, whereas conventional bananas are sprayed with synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. 

Organic is not only better for your health, it’s also better for the planet. Fertilizers and pesticides make their way into the soil and water and eventually the ocean. These contaminants in our waterways are leading to ocean dead zones and blue-green algae blooms that are so dense they can be fatal to marine animals and humans.

Note to vegan chef: Pour the batter onto the waffle iron and then add the blueberries.

Nutrition: (per 1 serving)

Fun facts: 

• Did you know there are ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs that depict people with bananas?
• Bananas have been around as early as the 6th century B.C. (this is when they were first mentioned in literature)
• The average American eats 27 pounds of bananas each year.
• Bananas are one of the few foods to contain the 6 major vitamin groups.
• Bananas are a very rich source of vitamin B6, which your brain needs to function properly and make you wise.
• The phrase "going bananas" was first recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary because of the banana's connection with monkeys.
• We buy more oatmeal in January than any other month of the year.
• Oats were known in ancient China as long ago as 7,000 B.C. The ancient Greeks were the first people known to have made a recognizable porridge (cereal) from oats.
• Seventy-five percent of U.S. households have oatmeal in their cupboard.

Reference: Calorie Count, Banana Fun Facts & Trivia, Ten Fun Facts for Oatmeal Month, Banana Nutrition Facts, Bananas, Bananas aren't part of the 'dirty dozen' so why buy organic?

Hearty Lentil Soup

http://kriscarr.com/recipe/hearty-lentil-soup/

Hearty Lentil Soup

By Kim Traverso

Yield: 3-4 servings

-3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1.5 tablespoons of oil
-3 carrots, washed, peeled and chopped
-3 stalks of celery, washed and chopped
-2 cups of dried uncooked lentils (rinsed)
-2 cups of purified water
-1.5 – 2 cups of tomato sauce (homemade or organic store bought)

-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or any fresh herbs you have on hand)
-1 tablespoon dried oregano
-2 cups of kale or spinach
-sea salt and pepper to taste

-1 bay leaf

In a medium pot, begin to saute the garlic in oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes (be careful to not let the garlic brown).

Add the carrots, celery, herbs, salt and pepper and cook for 7-9 minutes or until veggies are tender (stir occasionally).

Add the the lentils, tomato sauce, water, and bay leaf.

Cover with lid and raise the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, add kale, and more water if consistency is too thick.

Let simmer with lid for 30 – 40 minutes or until lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. When lentils are done, season with salt and pepper and serve.

- See more at: http://kriscarr.com/recipe/hearty-lentil-soup/#sthash.uOfE7mxX.dpuf

Note to vegan chef:

Put in the kale at the last minute to preserve it's nutritional value.

Kale chips

Kale chips

Healthy Benefits

Very high in dietary fiber, vitamins A, B6 and C, B12, potassium, and manganese. Potassium is a simple mineral with a crucial job: helping your heart beat. A hundred thousand times a day, potassium helps trigger your heart's squeeze of blood through your body. 

No sugar and no cholesterol (high blood cholesterol is generally associated with an increased risk of heart disease) and low in calories.  

Ingredients   236 calories per serving (serves 2)

5 stems of kales broken off with stems removed
2 tspn of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbspn of nutritional yeast (and then some for the topping)
1/8 tspn sea salt
1/4 tspn black pepper
A few shakes of garlic powder

Preparation  

Mix all ingredients in large bowl by hand.
Place on cooking sheet as one layer.
Shake another 1 tbspn of nutritional yeast on top.
Preheat oven at 250 and bake for 28-30 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Note to vegan chef: I tried making it with 1/4 tspn of salt but it tasted too salty. Nutritional yeast is an excellent source of B12. Two tbspn a day meets the daily requirement. If you are not already taking a B12 supplement you should start. Any kind will do. B12 is the one vitamin needed that a plant-based diet cannot provide. You really want it to be crispy. 

Nutrition: (per 1 serving)

Fun facts: 

• There are over 50 varieties of kale. It has been in cultivation for over 6,000 years and is grown around the world.
• A kale plant continues to produce late into winter and becomes sweeter after a frost.
• Kale is an amazing source of carotenoids, which are linked to one’s level of optimism.
• Kale has more vitamin C than an orange. (among other benefits, Vitamin C helps heal wounds, protects agains ill effects of stress, and helps to lower cholesterol).
• Kale has more calcium than a container of milk. (Calcium, the most common mineral in the body, plays an essential role in blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, and bone and tooth formation). 
• Kale has more vitamin A than any other leafy green vegetable. (Vitamin is essential for good health. It promotes growth, the immune system, reproduction and vision).
• Kale might become the new state vegetable of Vermont.
• Thomas Jefferson experimented with several varieties of kale at his garden in early 1800s.

Reference: Calorie Count, Potassium and Your Heart,  Kale Facts and Trivia, 6 Things You Didn't Know About Kale, Vitamin A and Bone Health, Vitamin C, Adding up the Benefits of Calcium

Flourless High Protein Pancakes

  

Flourless High Protein Pancakes - 13.7g of protein, 14.3g of fiber

Healthy Benefits 

One serving of Quaker rolled oats has 4 grams of fiber. Fiber is a way to describe carbohydrates that are indigestible, explains the Harvard School of Public Health. There are two types of fiber found in food: soluble fiber, which partially dissolves in water, and insoluble fiber, which does not dissolve in water. Two grams of the fiber found in Quaker oats is soluble, which can help lower cholesterol, and the other 2 grams are insoluble, which helps with digestion. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women aged 19 to 50 get a minimum of 25 grams of fiber daily and men 38 grams daily.

Ingredients 406 calories per serving (makes 8 pancakes, 4 per serving)

1 chia seed or flaxseed egg (1 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flaxseed) and 
3 tbsp water
, stir and wait 3 minutes until gelatinous). This is your binder.

2 cups rolled oats


1-1/2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond, hemp, soy)

1-1/4 tsp baking powder


1 tsp vanilla extract


1 tsp cinnamon, add more for topping when done

Directions 


- Mix the chia seeds (or ground flaxseeds) and water in a small bowl and set aside 

- Add the oats and milk in the blender and blend untill smooth

- Add the remaining ingredients and purée until smooth, but do not over mix

- The consistency should be close to pancake batter

- Cook until it’s golden on both sides and then garnish with your favorite fruit
- Add pure maple syrup

Note to vegan chef

Garnish with fruit. Vanilla extract does contain alcohol. I suspect it burns off but I don't know how much, probably more in baking. Another option would be to use one vanilla bean in the blender.

Fun facts  

Everybody talks about needing protein but nobody knows how much protein they actually need. 

Most individuals are surprised to learn that protein needs are actually much less than what they have been consuming. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein for the average adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. To find out your average individual need, simply perform the following calculation: Body weight (in pounds) x 0.36 = recommended protein intake (in grams). A 180 lb. man should aim for 64.8g of protein/day. A 120 lb. woman should aim for 43.2g of protein/day.

Nutrition: (per 1 serving)

Reference:  Calorie Count,  Quaker Rolled Oats Nutrition

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi, a mix of pasta dough and mashed potatoes, is a delicious alternative to pasta. They have a soft texture with lots of 'potato' taste and tastes like comfort food on the first bite.

Healthy Benefits 

Sweet potato has anti-inflammatory properties thanks to the vitamin C, vitamin B6, beta-carotene, and manganese it contains. They are just as effective in curing both internal and external inflammations. 

Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, which has been found to help in the prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. 

Sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber, helping to promote a healthy digestive system. 

Ingredients  253 calories (before the marinara sauce) per serving (1 serving)

- 1 sweet potato (chunked) 

- Semolina flour

Directions 

Part One:
- Boil 1 sweet potato (chunked) until mashable
- Drain, put on cutting board
- Let it cool for a couple minutes

Part Two:
- Add semolina flour (any flour would be ok) ... enough to make it chalky. Start with 1/4 cup and add more if needed
- Add one flaxseed egg (1 tbsp of ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp of water, let it sit for 3 minutes and stir). This is your binder.
- Knead ingredients until the dough has a chalky consistency
- Roll out dough into a cylindrical shape on a floured surface so the dough does not stick and cut into 1" pieces for a traditional Italian look

Part Three:
- Make fork indentations on top to hold the sauce
- Place gnocchi tubes on a bed of Semolia flour on a plate or tray and cool for 10 minutes (the gnocchi will be firm)
- Put in boiling water... When they rise to top they are done (about 1-2 minutes).
- Plate the gnocchi and add sauce of your choice (photo is a mushroom marinara)

Note to vegan chef

Gnocchi is a lighter dough than the usual pasta dough. Consider making it with roasted vegetables in a rich savory wine wine sauce ... wild mushrooms comes to mind. Gnocchi can also be made with butternut squash, russet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash and the popular chopped spinach (Gnocchi verdi).

Fun facts  

Gnocchi is Italian for dumplings.

Although the dish is Italian, the word derives from a Germanic word for knot, as in a wood knot, probably due to the short, squat shape of gnocchi.

Some interesting gnocchi facts:  Throughout Tuscany, Italy spinach and ricotta gnocchi is called strozzapreti, which translates to ‘priest-stranglers’.  Apparently, a priest chocked to death after eating too quickly because the dish was so wonderful, which is good and at the same time bad for the chef.

In Argentina gnocchi, known as noquis, is traditionally eaten on the 29th day of each month.  This was the traditional day before payday when people were at their poorest, gnocchi makes for a cheap & hearty meal.  I must want to be poor, ’cause I love the stuff.

Nutrition: (per 1 serving)

Reference:  Calorie Count,  Investigating Gnocchi