Green Bread (the ultimate vegan garlic bread!)

Many years ago, I was cooking for a family of four. Whenever I would make them this, their young son would do a happy dance and sing of his love for what he called “green bread.” Needless to say, this is a big hit with kids! Also keep in mind that you do not need to use all of this spread right away. It freezes surprisingly well, and also keeps in the fridge for at least a week.

Recipe from Radiant Health, Inner Wealth

Photo by Michelle Bebber

Green Bread

½ cup (1 stick) non-hydrogenated margarine

10 large cloves garlic, peeled (if it seems like too much, it’s almost enough)

2 tablespoons (lightly packed) fresh parsley

¼ cup (tightly packed) fresh basil

1 scallion (green onion), trimmed (use both white and green parts)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Ze Bread: about 10 large slices of crusty multigrain or sourdough bread

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a food processor, combine the margarine, garlic, parsley, basil, scallion, and salt until thoroughly “greenified” (and no chunks of garlic or scallion remain).

2. Spread this generously on the bread slices—don’t be shy! Bake just until golden browned (be careful not to over-brown) and serve immediately.

Serves about 10; 30 minutes or under! Blue according to the guidelines in my books)

Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins with Zesty Lemon Glaze

The most frequent thing I hear when serving these muffins is: "How can you possibly expect me to eat just one of these?" Luckily, these are much healthier than typical lemon poppy seed muffins due to the use of whole grains, flax, and animal-free ingredients.

This recipe is from my book, Radiant Health, Inner Wealth. (photo by Olga Vasiljeva)

Flegg (flax egg replacer)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (flax meal)
3 tablespoons boiling water

Dry Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup organic sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon each: baking powder and baking soda
3 tablespoons poppy seeds

Wet Ingredients
¾ cup nondairy milk
¼ cup each: fresh lemon juice, melted coconut oil, and pure maple syrup
1 heaping tablespoon minced or grated organic lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zesty Lemon Glaze
¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons organic powdered sugar
½ teaspoon minced or chopped organic lemon zest
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Whisk the flaxseed and boiling water together in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until gooey. Real gooey.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, using a whisk (or sifter) until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

3. When the flegg has become sufficiently gooey, add all of the wet ingredients to the flegg bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the flegg mixture until well combined.

4. Next, add the dry mixture to the large bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir them together until well combined, but do not over-mix.

5. Spray a dozen muffin cups lightly with oil (or place paper liners in each cup). Pour the batter evenly into each muffin cup or liner.

6. Bake the muffins for 20-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. After a few minutes, take a knife and go around the edges of each muffin to loosen them. Gently remove them from the muffin tin and place them on a cooling rack or plate.

8. To make the Zesty Lemon Glaze: Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and sift or whisk it (if necessary) to remove any lumps. Add the zest, juice, and vanilla to the bowl and stir well to combine.

9. Once the muffins have cooled a bit, drizzle the glaze over them. Now, see if you can eat just one!

Makes 12 muffins; GF (with substitution)/SF/Blue (according to the health guidelines in my books)

Buddhaful Blue Skillet Cornbread

Oh yum. This is some friggin' good bread--a little sweet, a little rich, but oh-so-satisfying. This cornbread contains the ultra-healthy blue corn, which is higher in protein than yellow corn. Blue corn is also energy-building, supportive to the liver, and is more tri-doshic (an Ayurvedic term meaning "good for all body types") than yellow corn. Besides, nothing like a good soup and some homemade bread to satisfy your soul!




Flegg:
2 tablespoons flax meal (ground flaxseed)
1/4 cup boiling water

Wet:
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1-1/3 cups nondairy milk
1/3 cup oil (non-virgin olive, melted coconut, or sunflower)

Dry:
1 cup each: blue cornmeal and whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup organic sugar (optional for sweet cornbread)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each: sea salt and baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Place a large iron skillet in the oven to warm it while you're making the cornbread.
2. Flegg out. How, you ask? Simply combine the flaxseed meal with the boiling water in a small bowl and stir. Set aside for at least 5 minutes, or until gooey.
3. In another small bowl, combine the vinegar and milk (this will become your "buttermilk"). The vinegar/milk bowl will also need to be in time out for five minutes - same as the flegg. They can talk amongst themselves if they get bored.
4. In the meantime, combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk or stir well, until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
5. Combine the flegg with the vinegar/milk mixture. Stir well, then whisk in the oil. Once the wet ingredients (and flegg) are very well combined, stir into the dry mixture. Combine well, but do not over-mix.
6. Remove the skillet from the oven (using good hot pads) and spray or coat lightly it with oil. Pour the batter into the skillet and smooth out the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Makes 10 servings/SF/Blue (but of course)
("Blue" is a health guideline that is used in Radiant Health, Inner Wealth)

The Perfect Party Pleaser: Gourmet Vegan Mini-Pizzas

Happy holidays, my friends!

Today I've decided to post one of my favorite crowd pleasin' recipes from my 2nd edition of Radiant Health, Inner Wealth. They're easy to make and mouth-wateringly delish. Literally. I just started salivating....

Hope you enjoy!



Artichoke, Kalamata, & Sun-Dried Tomato Mini-Pizzas with Garlic and Rosemary

Do I even need to give you the recipe after a title that long? Although these are quick and easy, they’re always a huge hit! Absolutely divine and seemingly gourmet, this recipe takes less than 20 minutes, start to finish. I’ve left the measurements fairly loose, as it’s sometimes nice to just make one of these (and sometimes nice to make twenty). Please don’t be bashful with your toppings—just pile on the good stuff!

High quality crusty sourdough bread, cut into ½-inch thick slices
Fresh garlic, minced or pressed (about 2 cloves per slice of bread)

Toppings:
Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped (about 4-5 olives per slice of bread)
Marinated artichoke hearts, drained* (about 2-3 artichoke hearts per slice of bread)
Marinated sun-dried tomatoes, julienne cut and drained* (1-2 tablespoons per slice of bread)

Finishing Touches:
Dried rosemary leaf, about ½ to 1 teaspoon per slice
Olive oil (regular or extra-virgin), about 2 teaspoons per slice of bread
Sea salt (a light sprinkle per slice of bread)

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

2. For each slice of bread, spread the garlic evenly over the top with a knife. Arrange the olives, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes on top of the garlic. Sprinkle evenly with the dried rosemary. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

3. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-20 minutes, or until the bread and toppings are lightly browned. Be careful not to overcook or the rosemary will become bitter.

4. Serve immediately.

Serves: any number of hungry peeps; SF/Purple (according to the guidelines in Radiant Health, Inner Wealth)

*I usually place the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes in a strainer together to allow the excess marinade to fall away.