The Veggie Gal

Fresh fruit desserts are always the best option for satisfying your sweet tooth and this is such an addictive treat that you might want to make two of them!  This is the time of year where pineapples go on sale and you can get the big ones at 2-$4.00 or the smaller ones sometimes as low as .89¢ which is just too good of a deal to pass up.

But what do you do when they have been sitting on your counter a bit too long and the little fruit fly’s start buzzing?  Slice them open, chop them up, sprinkle with some brown sugar or agave nectar, top with coconut and broil until the flavors mix and you have a wonderful sweet and sour treat that is a  real tropical delight!  Served right on the rind makes for a beautiful dish or center piece.  This one is kid and husband approved and is gluten and soy free.

Roasted Pineapple

1 pineapple

brown sugar or agave nectar

sweetened coconut

Preheat the oven on broil.

Wash your pineapple, slice off the top and the bottom.  Cut into 4 equal pieces length wise.  Cut the pineapple close to the rind and then lift off to remove any of the little eyes left over.  Remove the hard center core by slicing down each side slightly in a v cut and pull away from the pineapple.  Place the fruit back onto the rind and slice into bite size pieces (as pictured).

Sprinkle desired amount of brown sugar or agave nectar over the pineapple.  If using brown sugar you may need to press it down a bit.  Also the more brown sugar you use the more it will crystallize and makes a crunchy topping.

Put the oven rack on the second from the top spot and broil until the pineapple is slightly browned.  Add desired amount of coconut and broil for another minute or two, watching it closely so it does not burn. Remove from the oven, cool and ENJOY!

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Tags: Breakfast, Dessert, Easy Vegan, Fruit, Gluten Free, Healthy Breakfast, Healthy Meal, Quick and easy, roasted pineapple, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

Nature is wonderfully intelligent!  It made fruits and vegetables striking to the human eye so that we could not resist biting into any one of the beautifully rainbow colored foods.  I made a trip this weekend to Whole Foods Market to buy some things I can’t get any where else and was taken by all the beautiful produce.  We all know that eating more colors is better for our health and that each fruit and vegetable has a different beneficial chemical make up.  We all know that eating more fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of most cancers and the high antioxidants they contain help to prevent most disease but do you ever just look at their beauty?  I wanted to share these with you.

I then could not resist getting lunch while I was at Whole Foods.  I am always so excited that I have many choices and can actually go the sandwich bar and get wonderful bread with good sauces like the one on the sandwich I ordered.  I was able to get a vegan pesto sauce and vegenaise on my sandwich (I can’t get that at Subway!).  I also was able to get a vegan pizza which was super good too.  I did not take a picture of the sushi we got too but my daughter and I split that along with the pizza and the sandwich.  YUM!

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Tags: anti-cancer food, Beauty, Easy Vegan, Fruit, Health, Vegan, Vegan sandwich, Vegetables, Whole Foods

These are very good but can be a little gooey in the middle because of the moisture of the strawberries.  I like that but if you want that to dry out make them a day ahead and time will absorb the moisture into the muffin or you can cook them a little longer but don’t over cook either.  If you cover them in a cake dish or Tupperware the topping becomes crystallized and it makes them slightly crunchy and super good.  Strawberries, like blueberries are a super-food so this is a great way to get them into your diet.  Organic are the best with strawberries since they absorb the pesticides as they grow and you can’t wash it off.  Dr. Weil calls them little toxic bombs when not bought organic.

Did You Know!?

• Strawberries are high in folate which can aid in the delay of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Click here to read more food facts

Strawberry Muffins

2 cups of unbleached white flour

1 cup of sugar (or sweetener of your choice)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/3 cup of oil (or applesauce to reduce the fat)

1 egg replacer (Ener G is what I use)

1 1/4 cup of rice or soy milk

1/2 cup of Strawberries (you can use frozen too just defrost slightly and chop)

Optional Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 all purpose flour

1/4 cup vegan butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Mix the dry ingredients for the muffins in a medium bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients for the muffins in a small bowl.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.  Fold strawberries into the mix and pour into sprayed muffin tins or muffin liners.

If using the topping mix all the topping ingredients together until well blended.

Sprinkle the muffins with topping and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  ENJOY!

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Tags: Easy Vegan, Fruit, Nutrition, Super food, Vegan, Vegan Muffin

These are a super tasty treat that you can have as breakfast or as a pick me up snack in the afternoon.  With the natural sugar in the syrup and bananas and protein of the almonds this healthy snack is going to keep you sustained with energy for a couple of hours.  My kids love these and enjoy that they can be part of decorating them with the nuts.  You can add other nuts like sunflower seeds or even raisins for more flavor but this original is pretty hard to top.

Did You Know!?

• Almonds are the best whole food source of vitamin E which may help prevent cancer.

• Bananas contain tryptophan which can help to decrease depression.

• Pure Maple Syrup is a completely natural product without preservatives or additives.
• Click here to read more food facts

Almond Maple Bananas

serves 1

1 peeled banana sliced into 1/4-1/2 slices
handful of sliced almonds
1-2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup

Slice the banana into desired size slices, sprinkle with almonds and drip the maple syrup over the top and ENJOY!

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Tags: Almonds, Bananas, Easy Vegan, Fruit, Health, Healthy Meal, snack

Breakfast:

1 cup of Coffee with soy creamer, Pecan Crusted French Toast, Hash browns, Veg Sausage patties, and orange slices

Lunch:

Pretty Pasta Salad, Open-faced Avocado & Tomato Sandwich, Fruity Smoothie

Dinner:

Vegan Refried Quesadilla

Snack: after dinner

6 Newmano’s cookies

Daily Reflections:

Today’s food choices were pretty good (except cookies, when I have them I eat them so best not to buy them).  I felt full after each meal until I was ready for the next meal with no mid day snacking.  The cookies came with my night time movie watching.  I feel like I got the perfect amount of fruits and vegetables for the day.  I just need to up my grains which I could do by better tortilla and bread choices but one step at a time right!

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Tags: Avocado, Breakfast, Dinner, Fruit, Lunch, step by step

These are so darn good you won’t believe it is healthy by tasting it. Plus you are adding the leafy greens we all need into your diet without tasting it one bit.I have a Magic Bullet that works great for a single or double serving but you can use a blender just as easily. You can drink one of these for breakfast as a side to lunch or dinner or just have as a snack. They are full of fiber and nutrients so they keep you full for a long time.

You can see what I add to my smoothie below from the pictures I posted. You can add/subtract any fruit (except banana it gives it sweetness and substance) you want as well as any greens you want. My teenage daughter loves raspberries so she puts more of that than anything but I love an even flavor so I keep it pretty equal.

Did You Know!?

• Eating Blueberries is know to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
• As bananas ripen, the starch in the fruit turns to sugar. Therefore, the riper the banana the sweeter it will taste and the higher the GI index.
• Click here to read more food facts

Fruity Smoothie
1 banana
desired amount of blueberries
desired amount of raspberries
3 pieces of pineapple
a handful of spinach
a teaspoon or so of flax seeds (they must be ground or you do not get the nutrition from them and they just pass right through your pooper!)
1/2 the containers depth of reduced fat, enriched soy milk (gives it s smooth and creaminess) unsweetened almond milk is wonderful in it.
1/2 the containers depth of enriched, organic rice milk (it has great vitamins added to it)
Now just blend and drink.

**update: I have found I can throw in all kinds of veggies and my kids and husband never notice.  I have thrown in unsalted cooked beans or left over veggies like broccoli or squash.  Get creative with your nutrients and mix it up!!

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Tags: Easy Vegan, Fruit, Gluten Free, Nutrition, Quick lunch, Quick meal, smoothie, step by step