Tag Archives: avocado

Asparagus, Tangy Avocado, and Tomato Sandwich

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Everyone in my family loves asparagus which makes me very happy.   Not only is it delicious, it is highly nutritious!

Health Benefits of Asparagus:

So, eat your asparagus!

I usually use asparagus in vegan sushi, stir-fry, or just serve it as a side dish.  But, today I wanted it to be the centerpiece of our meal so I made this sandwich.  In addition to the awesome asparagus, I incorporated some healthy avocados in the mix.  Avocados are considered super fruits.  They help support cardiovascular health, they are anti-inflammatory, and they even help fight off cancer.  To learn more, click here.  So, this sandwich is extremely healthy and filling.  It is refreshing, light, tangy, and crunchy.  Today, I enjoyed it with some grape tomatoes, sweet potato fries, and some jalapenos that I had pickled myself.  It was delicious!

Here is what you will need….

Ingredients:

  • asparagus
  • tomato (sliced)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette
  • celtic salt and pepper
  • whole wheat bread or sprouted grain bread

Tangy Avocado Spread:

  • 2 avocados
  • 3 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
  • 2 tsp liquid aminos (if you don’t have this, use a dash of sea salt)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast

Directions:

  1. Prepare asparagus: remove the bottom fourth of the asparagus.
  2. Heat oil on a skillet then add your asparagus and balsamic vinaigrette.
  3. Cook asparagus for 5-10 minutes in medium to high heat.  Note: I like asparagus crunchy, so I only cook them for 5 minutes.
  4. Add salt and pepper to asparagus.
  5. Place the avocados, minced garlic, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, and lime juice in a food processor and blend.  You can also just place it in a bowl and smash the avocados and mix.
  6. Toast your bread, then build your sandwich: put avocado spread on bread, add sliced tomatoes, and asparagus.  I used my old George Forman grill as a panini maker instead of a toaster.
  7. Enjoy!

Chipotle Lime Black Bean, Avocado and Jicama “noodle” Salad

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I remember eating jicama as a snack when I was a child.  My mom would slice it into french-fry-looking pieces and serve it to us with salt and/or with vinegar.  I loved the mixture of the sea salt and vinegar with the crunch of the jicama.  In my opinion, it tastes a bit like pears, but not as sweet.  Jicama is very nutritious because it contains a lot, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, etc.

I decided to make “noodles” out of the jicama for this salad because I was too lazy to chop it into small squares.   I wanted to make a jicama salad that had that tanginess I was used to.  I also wanted to add more protein and a southwestern taste to it.  So, I added black beans, cilantro, chipotle and lime.

This is such a delicious salad/side dish.  It is refreshing, filling, flavorful and super healthy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of organic black beans (Edens is BPA free.  I usually cook my own beans, but today, i just didn’t have the time)
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 2 avocados
  • 1 medium to large jicama
  • Hand full of cilantro (about 2/3 of a cup)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/3 teaspoons of Celtic sea salt

Directions:

  1. Peel jicama and slice to fit in the food processor.
  2. In your food processor, blend lime juice, salt, oregano, onion powder, chipotle powder, garlic, and cilantro with the S blade.
  3. After it is blended, remove the S blade and replace with he shredding blade.
  4. Close the food processor and shred your jicama.
  5. Pour jicama and blended lime dressing in a large bowl.
  6. Slice avocados and pour it in the large bowl along with your rinsed/drained black beans.
  7. Toss everything together.
  8. Serve and enjoy!

Avocado German Chocolate Cake Pudding

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I have been making a lot of fruit “ice creams” and puddings lately.  They can be so addictive!

Today, I decided to make this German chocolate cake pudding because I wanted to use some of the pecans I just purchased.  I just love chocolate with pecans and coconut.  And, my daughter ate this up with a huge bowl of strawberries.

It is healthy, creamy, chocolatey, and a bit coco-nutty.

Avocados are not just for guacamole anymore! ;)

Check out these other sweet avocado recipes on my blog:

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocados (ripe)
  • 2 frozen bananas (ripe)
  • 2/3 cup of frozen blueberries
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • 9 pitted medjool dates
  • 3 tablespoons of unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 4 tablespoons of raw cacao (chocolate powder)
  • 1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans

Note: if you want to keep this “raw”, just use raw pecans and un-toasted coconut.  But today, I cooked the pecans in my wok greased with a little bit of coconut oil and TINY pinch of of celtic sea salt.

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in your Vitamix (except for the pecans).
  2. Blend it all together until smooth (no lumps).
  3. Pour the pudding into a bowl.
  4. Mix in your pecans.
  5. Serve and enjoy!

Zucchini Guacamole

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I just love zucchini!  I use it in my smoothies, my salads, my stews, and dips.  I even substitute them for noodles when making “raw spaghetti”.  (Raw Vegan White Spaghetti and Raw Spaghetti).

Today, I incorporated them into my guacamole, and we loved it!  I love flavor and crunch it.  I served it with “Mary’s Gone Crackers” instead of tortilla chips because it is MUCH healthier.  I also made burritos stuffed with chipotle-flavored pinto beans, cooked quinoa, and this delicious guacamole.  So, dinner, once again, was a success! :)

Ingredients:

  • 3 ripe avocados
  • 1 medium sized zucchini (chopped)
  • 1 large tomato (chopped)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (optional)
  • juice of one lime
  • 3 to 4 cloves of garlic
  • a handful of cilantro (note: I could not find organic cilantro today, so I just added 3 tablespoons of organic cilantro paste)
  • Sea salt (add little by little and adjust to your liking)
  • 1 jalapeno (optional)

Directions:

  1. Place avocado, lime juice, nutritional yeast (optional), garlic, jalapeno (optional), and cilantro in the food processor.
  2. Blend for a few seconds and then start adding your sea salt.
    Blurry picture....my bad! :)

  3. After a minute of blending, mix in your tomato and zucchini.
  4. Serve and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate “PB and J” Gelato

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Some of you may already know that I like to make my own puddings, ice creams, and other snacks for my family.  I prefer them over most of the store-bought ones because I know exactly what goes into them.

I am calling this chocolate dessert “gelato” instead of ice cream because of its texture.  It is smooth, creamy, and of-course delicious.  When I have this, I feel like I am cheating, as if I am eating something completely unhealthy!  So, I am happy to say that my family and I love this stuff!

Ingredients:

  • 3 frozen bananas
  • 1 cold or frozen avocado (removed skin and pitted)
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons of peanut butter
  • 2/3 to 1 cup of frozen blueberries or mixed berries
  • 8 to 10 pitted medjool dates
  • 1 tablespoon of all-natural alcohol free vanilla
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons of raw cacao powder (adjust to your taste preference)
  • hemp seeds for topping

Directions:

  1. Throw everything in your VITAMIX.
  2. Serve.

Note: Adjust cacao if you don’t want your chocolate ice cream too dark and adjust the amount of dates for sweetness.

Also, if you would like to keep this “raw”, substitute the peanut butter with raw almond butter.  It is just as delicious!

You can also freeze this, but allow thirty minutes to thaw before serving.

Enjoy!

Vegan Sushi Night

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My cousins, who are living in Germany, came over to visit yesterday.  I wanted to make them delicious vegan food and my daughter has been asking for sushi, so I decided to make vegan sushi.  Sushi is awesome!  I love making it, I love seeing it, and I especially love eating it!   When I make sushi, I feel like I am creating art!  Not only is it beautiful, it is deliciously wonderful.  There are so many possibilities with sushi.  You can make it as simple and as elaborate and fancy as you want it.  Plus, it saves you money if you make it yourself!  I made 20 rolls of sushi yesterday (5 slices each).  Now, if I went to a sushi restaurant, I could have easily spent over $7 per roll.

To make sushi, you need the following:

  • bamboo sushi mat
  • paddle
  • rice
  • rice seasoning
  • nori sheets
  • sushi vinegar
  • knife
  • pickled ginger
  • wasabi
  • veggies (yesterday I used asparagus, sprouts, carrots, avocado, and cucumber)

If you are too lazy to get the tools individually from the store (like me), you can get the sushi making kit below.  This, my friends, is how I learned to make sushi!
Sushi Chef Sushi Making Kit

This kit comes with a cookbook, a rice paddle, a sushi mat,  nori sheets, pickled ginger, soy sauce, sushi rice, wasabi, and sushi vinegar.  All you would need to buy are your fresh toppings.

Note: For a healthier sushi,  you can use brown rice instead of sushi white rice and liquid aminos instead of soy sauce.    You can also buy some crunchy Gardein Soy nuggets to stuff your sushi rolls with.

 Directions:

  1. Cook rice according to directions.
  2. When rice is cooked, add sushi rice vinegar (directions on the bottle).
  3. Add rice seasoning (I use JFC – Nori Komi Furikake (Rice Seasoning) 1.7 Oz.)
  4. Lay out your nori sheet.
  5. Add rice to nori sheet using rice paddle.
  6. Add your fresh toppings.  You can do this on the rice side and make the nori sheet on the outside, or you can flip it over and make the rice on the outside of your roll.

    Note: I wrap the mat with saran wrap for sanitary purposes.

  7. Roll with your mat.
  8. Slice and serve with wasabi, pickled ginger, and liquid aminos.

Also, every time I make sushi, I always serve it up with some “dynamite sauce”.  It is a mixture of Vegenaise and sriracha (equal parts).  It is delicious!

Another topping you can add to your sushi: Tempura green beans (click here for recipe)!

ENJOY AND HAVE FUN!!!!

Chocolate Avocado Green Smoothie (Raw)

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Here is another healthy smoothie idea.  Instead of using the traditional banana to create a rich and smooth texture for the smoothie, today I used an avocado instead.  Both are delicious, but the avocado makes it a bit thicker, which I like, but if you are not a fan of thick smoothies, just add more coconut water and ice.

Ingredients:

(serves 3 to 4 people)

  • 1 avocado
  • 3 to 4 cups of kale
  • 1 cup of mixed fruit (I used one peeled and seeded orange and 1/2 cup of mixed berries: black berries, blueberries, and raspberries.)
  • 1.5 to 2 cups of coconut water
  • 4 tablespoons of raw cacao powder
  • 4 tablespoons of hemp seeds
  • 1 large carrot (optional)
  • 5 dates (pitted)
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup of ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in your vitamix blender and blend until you have no lumps.

Southwest-Inspired Lentil and Jalapeno Burgers with Purple and Sweet Potato Fries

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My husband harvested the last batch of jalapenos a few days ago and he got quite a bit from the small jalapeno plant.   I noticed that the peppers were not as spicy as they were when the weather was warmer, so I figured I can make a dish using a lot and it wouldn’t be so crazy spicy.  I am not a jalapeno plant expert, but maybe the spice level is reduced during cold weather (this year was my first year growing a jalapeno plant).  Anyhow, I have been trying to figure out  what to do with them for several days.  I’ve thought about making a jalapeno casserole, jalapeno cornbread, and even sauteed jalapenos with tempeh.  But, we have so many and I wanted to use it up as much as I could!  So, I decided to make a large batch of burgers with jalapenos in it for our lunch and also to store in the freezer for the upcoming week.

For “jalapeno poppers” recipe, click here: Hummus Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers.

I always love the “Southwestern” taste.  I love the combination of cumin, oregano, chili peppers, avocado, tomato etc.  These burgers are spicy, tangy, flavorful, healthy, and delicious!  It is packed with multiple types of grains, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

For the side, I made sweet potato and purple french fries that I purchased from the farmers market.

My family and I were very happy with the outcome of these burgers.  My daughter even said, “mommy, I REALLY like this burger!”   NOTE: I made my 3 year old’s burger WITHOUT jalapenos….otherwise it would have burned her mouth.

So, here is what you will need for the burger patty:

  • 2.5 cups of red lentils (5 cups of cooked red lentils)
  • 2 cups of jalapenos (chopped)  NOTE: if you have super spicy jalapenos, you might want to consider reducing the amount of jalapenos.
  • 7 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 cup of quick oats (NOTE: I used a mixture of quick cooking barley, rye, oats, and wheat by Country Choice Organic Hot Cereal Multi Grain.)
  • 1 cup of finely shredded carrots (I just used a cheese grater)
  • 2.5 tablespoons of cumin
  • 3 cubes of “NOT BEEF” vegan bouillon
  • 3 tablespoons of water
  • 1.5 tablespoons of oregano
  • 1/2 cup of quinoa flour (if you don’t have this, use whole wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of coriander
  • pepper
  • olive oil spray.

Directions:

  1. Boil water in a large pot then add uncooked lentils.  Cook for 10-15 minutes.  Note: make sure you don’t overcook the red lentils because it will get way to mushy!
  2. Put 3 tablespoons of water in a cup with the 3 “Not Beef” vegan bouillon cubes and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
  3. Mix it well and pour the mixture in a large bowl.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it all together by hand.
  5. Heat your oiled up pan/skillet.
  6. Form patties with your lentils and veggies.
  7. Place in your skillet.
  8. Cook in medium heat for about 3-4 minutes each side.

Purple and Sweet Potato Fries:

  • 2 purple potatoes
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • pinch of salt
  • pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
  2. Cut potatoes into shape of fries.
  3. Place in a large bowl and add coconut oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Mix.
  5. Place on a cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Tangy Avocado Spread:

  • 1 avocado
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro (Note: I cheated, I didn’t have fresh cilantro, so I just used 1/2 a teaspoon of dried cilantro)
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Mash together.
  3. You can use this as dressing for your burger.

Okay, now you are ready to build your burger.  You will need:

  • Wheat hamburger buns
  • Sliced tomatoes
  • Arugula (I got this from the farmers market as well,….you can use spring mix if you don’t have arugula)

Enjoy!

<3

Remember, if you can’t take the heat, just reduce the jalapeno or just don’t add any….it is still delicious without it!

Delicious and Healthy Avocado Hummus and Bell Pepper

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This snack can also be a meal.  It is very healthy and very filling!  I can eat this all day and every day!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 a pound of uncooked garbanzo beans (soaked over night)
  • 4 to 5 cloves of garlic
  • 2 avocados
  • juice of one lemon
  • 4 tablespoons of cumin
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil (cold pressed)
  • 4 tablespoons of tahini (sesame seed butter)
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • more or less a teaspoon of all natural sea salt
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • a few pinches of turmeric
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • Veggies of your choice:  Today, I chose sweet bell peppers

Directions:

  1. Cook garbanzo beans in medium heat for 3.5 hours.
  2. Drain garbanzo beans, but save the water it was cooked in.
  3. After the garbanzo beans are cooked, place in the food processor with garlic, tahini, cumin, salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika, lemon juice, olive oil and 1/3 cup of the water it was cooked in.
  4. Blend together in the food processor for a few minutes.  Note: adjust the amount of water, oil, cumin, salt or pepper amount to your preference….just stop and taste.  Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take away….
  5. After it has blended, add 2 avocados, and blend together for another minute.
  6. Now you are ready to enjoy!  I love eating this with veggies such as bell pepper, carrots, and celery.
  7. You can also use this to put in wraps, sandwiches, and just dip for chips.

Top it with a bit of paprika.

Husband’s Super Duper Hot Guacamole

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This guacamole is not for everyone because it is so hot.  You can just simply remove the jalapenos and habaneros off of the ingredients list.

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocados
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/4 of an onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 jalapenos
  • 1 habanero pepper (optional because these peppers are CRAZY hot)
  • juice of one lemon or 2 limes
  • 2/3 cup of a cilantro
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions:

  1. Throw everything in the food processor.
  2. Serve with chips, burritos, tacos, etc.
  3. Enjoy!