Spiced Banana Pancakes

Rick didn't open today, so we all know what that means...

I went all out for breakfast!

I got this delicious pancake recipe from an online newsletter from VegNews.com. I changed a lot from the recipe, like using water instead of nondairy milk and omitting the sugar so I'll actually be listing down the way I made them. If you do want the original recipe, click here.

Banana Pancakes
serves four

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/4 cups water
2 medium, ripe bananas, one thinly sliced into rounds

1. Combine dry ingredients into a large bowl with a whisk. Blend water and one whole banana in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until everything is well-combined. Then fold in the thin slices of the second banana.
2. Lightly oil a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Pour about three tablespoons of the pancake batter onto the skillet and let sit until the top bubbles. Flip and let brown on both sides (it's okay if you need to keep flipping the pancakes a couple times).
3. Stack pancakes on a plate so that they keep warm. Top with any desired toppings and enjoy!

So yeah. Breakfast was awesome.

As you can imagine, because I cut out the sugar and nondairy milk, the nutritional outcome had less calories than the original recipe. I mean, don't you think sweet pancake batter is quite an oxymoron? The ripened bananas are a natural sweetener and I'm going to end up using sugar-laden syrup over the pancakes anyway! If you must though, you can use dry sweetener in the batter (stevia is my favorite).
By the way, the nutritional info below depends on the size of the pancakes and it's based on my above recipe, not the original. My silly self didn't halve the recipe and so we totally went overboard with portion size!

Nutrition Facts
(for 1/4 the recipe)

Calories: 221
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 49g
Protein: 5g
Fiber: 8g

Of course, toppings will add more calories. The pictures above are Rick's pancakes. Why didn't I take close-ups of my share? Because I used yogurt. Not even joking. I'm a weirdo like that. His were prettier anyway! But if you must:

Breakfast in bed. <3

See mine on the left? Yeah. Oh, I also experimented with the pancake batter and baked some in a lightly greased ramekin at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. The result?

Pancake in a bowl! (Or something like that...)

It was great! I just topped that one with some maple-flavored agave and cinnamon, then I gobbled it up with a spoon. Ugh, days off and short history class, how I love the freedom you give me.

So let's see how our meals went today... I had these awesome banana pancakes for breakfast, legendary "chicken" salad for lunch at Sipz, and Daiya cheese pizza for dinner. Epic. Stomach, you may now rest with rooibos tea.

Southwest Style Quinoa

If anyone is getting tired of quinoa recipes, please let me know since this one is my third quinoa recipe this week. Hey, it's healthy stuff and you can always use another grain. =)

Anyway, I cooked this recipe up a few months ago from a free health magazine (I think it was Energy Times..?) that Sprouts gives out to customers and I absolutely loved it. Rick and I think it resembles a quick and easy chili dish. I made it again yesterday, except I halved the recipe (I always forget I only cook for two people!).

Southwest Style Quinoa
Serves 6

1 cup quinoa
2 cups veggie broth (water works, too)
1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz. jar high-quality prepared salsa
1/4 cup chopped chives, optional
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds/pepitas

1. In a medium saucepan, dry toast quinoa for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and nearly all the liquid is absorbed.
2. When quinoa is tender, add beans, salsa, chives (if using), and cilantro, stirring gently to combine well.Cover and cook for 1 minute of until dish reaches desired temperature. Fold in sunflower or pumpkin seeds, and serve.

Me wants more.

Besides protein, zinc, and iron, the pumpkin/sunflower seeds add a nice, chewy texture. Be careful when you dry toast the quinoa as some of the seeds may burn. Just keep tossing the seeds and moving the pan like cartoon characters flip their pancakes. =) You may also try adding more greens to the dish for flavor and texture. I added spinach. How typical of me.

Nutrition Facts per Serving
(serves 6)

Calories: 254
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 36g
Protein: 12g
Fiber: 8g

Makes a really balanced meal. Save a spoon and eat with tortilla chips on the side!

Fat Tuesday Gumbo

Happy Fat Tuesday, everyone!

Whether you're out partying your liver (or shirts) off at New Orleans itself or at home chilling with friends like I am right now, you've gotta try this gumbo out. I made it for dinner after my afternoon class.

Mmm-mmm!

It was really delicious and it's strong tomato flavor reminded me a lot of a dish I made last month. Personally, I've never had gumbo before but I wanted to make one today for the sake of occasion. I'm glad I did. ^_^ Click here for the recipe.
Today is also the first time I used okra! I thought it was very interesting, as it added a unique texture and viscosity to the gumbo. Okra is a good, low-calorie source of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and fiber.

Don't forget to add dashes of hot sauce and black pepper!

Speaking of low-calorie foods, this recipe won't wreck your caloric intake -- even if you eat half of the entire thing! Take a look at the nutrition info when this recipe is shared among six people:

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 113
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 17g
Protein: 4g
Fiber: 3g

Pretty sick, right? I find it quite relieving. Now I don't feel bad at all for eating two servings! This gumbo is especially delicious with the crunch of chips or crackers on the side. Yum, yum, yummy.
Enjoy your Mardi Gras night and don't get too crazy. =)

P.S - Want dinner and an occasion-related show? Click here. ^_^

Chinese Almond Cookies

I grew up with guy friends more than I hung out with girls so I really didn't mind being surrounded by five of them today.
That means my day was full of games (these ones love the board and card games), lots of snacking, and plenty of vulgarity. Don't mind any of them at all. Honestly, my heart swells with gratitude that the boys are my friends.
Wanna know something pretty great? I won a long game of The Walking Dead board game while in the kitchen baking these interesting cookies:

One of our friends called it true karma; I baked them cookies, therefore I win! 

Chinese Almond Cookies
(recipe from Kelly Peloza's "The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur")

1 cup slivered almonds (I actually used sliced)
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract (I used vanilla)
1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Chop the slivered almonds. You still want them to be slivered almonds, not coarsely chopped pieces, but the slivers may be too big right out of the bag.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and almond extract.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir in the almonds while you incorporate the dry ingredients. Add a splash of soy milk if the dough is crumbly.
Take large portions of dough and flatten on a cookie sheet to make giant palm-sized cookies. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers are very firm. Transfer to a wire rack. They will crisp as they cool.

The kitchen smelled like popcorn while they were baking!

I really liked these cookies! I agree with author Kelly Peloza in that they probably aren't authentic Chinese cookies but they were yummy nonetheless. Because I used sliced almonds instead of slivered almonds, it caused the cookies to have a springy texture with every bite. ^_^
So the book says it makes 13-15 cookies but I halved the recipe and got nine cookies (which easily means I could have ended up with 18 if I didn't halve it). Really, it all depends on how large you shape them, but I'm just going to follow the book here and provide the nutrition facts out of 15 cookies.

Nutrition Facts per Cookie
Calories: 190
Fat: 11g
Carbs: 21g
Protein: 3g
Fiber: 1g (slight increase if using whole wheat flour)
Sugar: 10g

(Confession: I ate three!)
Well, enjoy you're Monday night, everyone. I owe the boys a competitive game of Yomi!

Teriyaki Potatoes & Kale with Quinoa

Eating healthy is not as expensive as many people think.
For instance, bulk quinoa is on sale at Sprouts this week so you can bet I splurged on that for weeks of delicious meals. Simply buying groceries according to what's on sale is one of the easiest things you can do to save money.
Speaking of which, another awesome quinoa recipe, shall we?

Tidbit: quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain.

This dish made a perfect dinner last night. I already had store-bought teriyaki from Kikkoman but the recipe's homemade version was Rick-approved. Awesome. Firm tofu is a delicious addition, as it adds a boost of protein and an Asian-inspired twist. Click here for the recipe.

Since the potatoes are sauteed, they don't turn out very soft unless they are diced very small (fun fact: this was probably my first time I've ever eaten firm potatoes!) but the teriyaki sauce makes them tasty no matter what. I also used spinach in place of kale (I've actually been using those two greens interchangeably lately) and I cooked the quinoa in our rice-cooker to reduce pan traffic on our stove top. Winning.
I think this recipe does great for at least three people, so I calculated nutrition info for that below. You can accuse me of hypocrisy for eating half of the entire dish with Rick. Hey, it wasn't all at once!


Nutrition Facts
Calories: 302
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 48g
Protein: 9g
Fiber: 4g

So good. Definitely making this one again.
Our awesome friends from San Jose are visiting us for a few days and I really feel like I should make cookies or something sweet. Can't promise anything here but we'll see!

Mixed Veggie Quinoa Sushi

I learned something quite notable tonight: making sushi is a messy task!
Well, you got to cut me some slack here, seeing as how I've never made sushi before and my first time was not with rice but with quinoa (I also had two curious kittens sniffing about).

First try!

I do think sweet/glutinous rice would have held together much easier than the little caviar-shaped quinoa but, nonetheless, this recipe made a good introduction to homemade sushi. Besides, I wanted to make it with quinoa anyway, since the protein-rich grain is on sale at Sprouts. ^_^

(Excuse me, for I have no pickled ginger on the side. *sad face*)

The original recipe suggests avocado for the filling, which I would have loved to use, but since I did not have an avocado on hand, I used sliced carrots and shredded spinach marinated in rice vinegar. I also made another roll with steamed yams and Tofutti's Better than Cream Cheese spread. Who says sushi can't be customized? =)
Sometimes when Rick and I are headed to or from band practice, we order sushi from Sushi Freak. Our favorite roll is the inari roll with avocado and mango/mandarin orange. Yummy, yummy. And, knowing me, I never eat my take-out sushi without pickled ginger. I do skip the wasabi though!
Wanna see what sushi we love at Sipz? Click here. *wink*
Do you like sushi? If so, what is your favorite kind?

Broccoli & Spinach Stuffed Pizza

Homemade pizza for Valentine's Day dinner shows how laid back Rick and I are with each other.

No leftovers of the homemade pizza at the end of the night shows how good this pizza really is.

Pizza + Sriracha hot sauce = love

Honestly, I never had a stuffed pizza before I went vegan. Maybe it was because I didn't like meat pizzas to begin with or I just didn't care enough to spend my money on a pizza at all. No matter the reason, this pizza proved that I was missing something in my non-vegan days.

Bready, cheesy, melty goodness.

On top of all that sinful deliciousness, spinach and broccoli are in the pizza! Two of my absolute favorite vegetables. ^_^ How can you ever go wrong with this recipe? I got this from non other than The Vegan Zombie, whom I thank for making our Valentine's Day super awesome. What could be better than cooking with your Click here if you want the best homemade vegan pizza ever.

So I boiled it down to this:
mini cinnamon rolls for breakfast + half a pizza for dinner = I was officially a porker today
But I'm not regretting a thing - it's Valentine's Day! Focus on love, even towards your body. =)

By the way...

 Thank you, Rick, for the gorgeous roses. I love you!

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

"Babe, wake up. I made you something."
Rick, barely awake, " What is it?"
"I made cinnamon rolls."
"...OMG."

OMG indeed! Rick loves cinnamon rolls. I knew this from the very beginning and I never made him any for our entire relationship until today! (Bad Joanna =P)

He said, quote, "Damn, these are good." End quote. ^_^

I used whole wheat pastry flour for the dough. It gave it a robust flavor, as it always does with other baked goods, and a little bit of fiber. Also, I always find that whole wheat flour absorbs liquids more than all-purpose flour does, therefore I used less flour. The end product was deeelicious! Click here if you'd like this recipe. =)

Eenie, meenie, miney, mo...

The recipe says it makes 16 rolls, but mine yielded 12. It depends on how thick you cut the dough but here are the nutrition facts for one out of 16 rolls:

Nutrition Facts per Roll
Calories: 150
Fat: 6g
Carbs: 23g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 10g
Fiber: 1g (if using white flour)

Unlike my usual calculations, this one is a very rough estimate that only refers to the original recipe. The numbers differ according to how much and what type of flour you use, whether or not you use "milk" or water, and any other kinds of variations (like the addition of nuts or dried fruit, for instance). Like all of my posts, you can always tell me what variations you did and I can personally calculate it just for you.

Nomnomnom.

Anyway, pretty hefty for just one bitty roll, huh? We stopped ourselves at three (you can do the math for that!). Very yummy when washed down with a glass of almondmilk. Mmm...
Rick and I are staying home this Valentine's Day so we have fun plans for homemade dinner. Stay tuned!

PS: I made those homemade chocolate Larabars again yesterday but I cut them into little hearts! Look how adorable:

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Udon Noodles with Tofu and Gingered Peanut Sauce

Wow, you guys.
I can't even begin to describe how perfect tonight's dinner was. My stomach is still trying to catch up with me. Let's see. I love noodles, broccoli, peanut butter, tofu, and ginger. This dish had every single one of them (besides chocolate, but that's dessert... food coma is almost done).

Recipe from Pat Crocker's "The Vegan Cook's Bible."

Udon Noodles with Tofu and Gingered Peanut Sauce
serves 4

8 oz udon or soba noodles
8oz firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
1 or 2 dried cayenne peppers, crushed
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons organic cane sugar or packed brown sugar
1/3 cup coarsely ground peanuts or natural peanut butter
1/3 cup warm water
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups shredded kale or spinach

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles for about 6 to 8 minutes or according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine tofu, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper to taste, tamari and sugar. Set aside. In another bowl, combine peanuts and warm water. Set aside.
3. In a wok or large, deep saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift tofu from marinade, reserving marinade, and add to wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly colored. Scrape tofu and onions into marinade, stir in peanuts with water and set aside.
4. Add remaining oil to wok and heat. Add broccoli and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until tender-crisp. Stir in tofu mixture and kale. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 1 or 2 minutes, until kale is tender. Serve over cooked udon noodles.

So yummy. Rick and I totally approve.

In order to keep the noodles piping hot and not stuck to each other, I cooked them last after the tofu and vegetables were done. Delicious. Rick agrees that brown rice can take the place of noodles, if need be.
Below are the nutrition facts for one serving, which is a fourth of the recipe (which is undoubtedly more than I ate!).

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Calories: 507
Fat: 25g
Carbs: 55g
Protein: 21g
Fiber: 8g

Pretty hefty on the fat, right? No worries here. It's so worth it. Besides, most of the olive oil stays on the pan and you're probably not going to consume every calorie because it's so filling (well, you might). Either way, you've nothing to worry about. Moderation is always key. Plus, it's a very well-balanced meal, high in protein and fiber, too. Definitely not bad at all. *burp*

Green Goddess Smoothie

Carbohydrates are an essential fuel for aerobic exercise, among so many other things.
And smoothies are a very easy way to get those healthy carbs. I mean, wouldn't you rather drink a smoothie or eat four slices of bread? I think the smoothie way is easier, too.

Hello there, tall glass of greens.

I got this recipe from VegNews Magazine's online newsletter. Even though the original ingredients call for kale, I had spinach sitting in my refrigerator so I decided to use that instead. Yummy, yummy.
This drink reminded me a lot of the Sailor Man Smoothie from Vitamix, minus the tropical twist.
Click here if you'd like this recipe.

Nutrition Facts
(half the recipe)

Calories: 246
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 57g
Protein: 6g
Fiber: 8g

I highly recommend not using a juicer or else the fiber content will be extracted and you'll be left with simple carbs. Any high-powered blender will do.
Also, if you don't need that many carbs, feel free to ditch the pear that the recipe calls for. Originally, I tried this smoothie first without a pear and it still came out wonderful. I also think halving the grapes down to a half cup would produce a yummy flavor as well.
This smoothie is great for my pre-biking routines to school. =)

Coconut Oats with Banana & Blueberries

All right, so I lied when I said I'll be happily working today -- I called in sick because I'm still not feeling well. =( Turns out I had something more than a common cold because I ended up with a miserable fever yesterday that kept me dying in bed for hours. Ugh.
Thankfully, I'm feeling a lot better, not only after chugging down heavy amounts of water/tea and resting, but especially because I visited my family today (it also turns out I ended up watching the Super Bowl today since they had it on!). They all helped me de-stress and smile. =)
But anyway, I got home pretty late and I wasn't up for cooking anything fancy so I came up with a good ol' bowl of oats:

 Make that a really good ol' bowl of oats.

Personally, I don't think any other food tops the comfort of the coconut flavor. I love coconut in dessert, stew, soup... What happens when I go to Sipz Fusion Cafe? If it's not happy hour, you are most likely to find Thai coconut curry with brown rice and tofu at level 3 on my receipt. So good, and I have my Filipino side to blame. *wink*

Coconut Oats with Banana & Blueberries Oatmeal
serves one

1/4-1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 small, ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
tablespoon coconut milk
teaspoon chia seeds or ground flaxseed

1. Boil the water on the stove top, adding oats, mashed banana. Stir, and lower the heat to medium.
2. Add in some of the blueberries and coconut milk, leaving some of both for garnishing later. Stir and let cook for about a minute, without burning. Remove from heat.
3. Immediately transfer oatmeal to a bowl. Top with remaining blueberries and coconut milk. Sprinkle on chia seeds or ground flaxseeds. Let cool and enjoy!

Oatmeal for dinner? Yes, please.

The ripe banana serves as your natural sweetener and the chia seeds/ground flaxseeds give the oats an omega-3 boost. Feel free to add more sweetner if you prefer (sweetening with Stevia is a good choice).

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 324
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 58g
Protein: 9g
Fiber: 9g

Very hearty and filling! My new favorite comfort food. ^_^
How did your Super Bowl party go, by the way? I overheard that people can eat as much as they do on Thanksgiving when Super Bowl comes around. Eek. What a comparison. Watching TV while eating is definitely the culprit, no doubt!

Whole-Grain Corn Muffins

We don't pay for cable, which means we won't be watching the Super Bowl this Sunday...

I made delicious cornbread today but we ate it without chili...

I assure you, there is nothing wrong with us. =)

One for me, one for Rick. =)

Really, I just wanted to make cornbread muffins today, considering I haven't tasted anything cornbread-y since history class in the 5th grade.

I got this simple recipe from the Forks Over Knives Facebook page where they posted party recipes for this coming Super Bowl (hey, I know they had chili recipe!).

Sharing is good. ^_^

They were delish! They baked well in 20 minutes, had a classic texture, and had just the right amount of sweet. The muffin count at the end of the day was four! Don't worry, it wasn't all me nor Rick; we had company today. I restrained myself to two muffins. ^_^

Nutrition Facts per Muffin

Calories: 136
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 28g
Protein: 3g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 10g

Though the sugar count is mostly from the maple syrup, the apple sauce in the batter also shares those numbers. Also, since each muffin is low in fat, why not enjoy one with some butter on top? Yummy!
I'm going to be happily working and studying all Sunday, but I hope all of you will have a great Super Bowl party!

Moroccan Lentil & Chickpea Soup

I'm sick today.

I'm achey, sneezy, sniffly, stuffy, and my head hurts. Ugh. And what food do almost all of us think about when we feel this way?

(All together now...) Soup!

Warm, delicious, hearty soup! Just what I needed to get my immune system back in check. This soup contains ginger, which aids in healthy digestion and reduces queasiness, and garlic, which is great for improving the immune system. Who doesn't love warm soup that opens up our congested nostrils? It certainly helped me out. =)

Moroccan Lentil & Chickpea Soup
(recipe from "1,000 Vegan Recipes" from Robin Robertson)
makes 4-5 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup dried brown lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained
1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 cups vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought, or water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons harissa sauce (I used Tapatio instead)

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Cover and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, turmeric, and cumin. Add the tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, and broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 1 hour.
3. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the lemon juice and harissa (or hot sauce of your choice). Taste, adjusting seasonings as necessary, and serve.

Delicious.

The broth was surprisingly good, since I usually have trouble with broths that taste watered-down. It was lemony and gingery, sweet and tangy. The lentils and garbanzo beans were perfect together and made a potato-like texture. Yum!

Nutrition Facts per Serving

serves about five

Calories: 297

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 49g

Protein: 16g

Fiber: 19g

Look at all that fiber and protein! This soup is a delicious way to increase your fiber intake, which is a healthful component many of us need everyday. Plus, the high amount of complex carbohydrates are great for giving your body the healthy energy it needs. Eat up and be well!