Blueberry Banana Smoothie

I have a  new smoothie recipe that I really like.

½ to ¾  cup almond milk

cup of frozen blueberries

½ to ¾ frozen banana

1 TBS of Honey (It’s not as good without the honey)

1 or 2 TBS peanut butter (to taste)

Throw some protein powder. I’ve been using 1-2 TBS of Rice protein powder.

Then toss some ice cubes in and blend

The surprising thing about the above smoothie is that I hate bananas and I love this.

Vegan Tomato Cream Sauce

1 can chopped, fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup white beans
1/4 cup cashews, soaked 2+ hours
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp almond milk
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil for garnish

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  This has a great texture and flavor. It can be tossed with any type of pasta, put over grilled chicken, quinoa or veggies (broccoli is my favorite so far!).  Fast, easy, nutritious and no added sugar or oil.

Makes approx 6 servings
Serving = 1/2 cup


Nutrition per serving:
94 calories
3.5g fat
0g cholesterol
216mg sodium
298mg potassium
11g carbohydrate
4g fiber
6g protein

Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans

1 medium spaghetti squash, about 4 cups cooked
2 teaspoons olive or corn oil
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained well
1/2 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 cup cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

Roast squash in a 375°F oven for 50 minutes until tender or cut squash in half and place in a microwave dish with 1/2 inch of water, lightly covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes on high until tender. cool. When cool, scoop flesh from squash halves.
Set aside.

For the filling, heat oil in a large pan and sauté red onion, jalapeño chili and red pepper for 2 minutes. Add beans, corn and chili powder; sauté 1 minute longer. Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice and salt, cook 1 minute or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings.
This works as a main vegetarian meal or also goes great as a side dish with grilled chicken. We make ours a little less spicy by omitting the jalapeno pepper and it is still tasty. In our opinion, this also turns out fine without cilantro (if you don't happen to have fresh cilantro on hand).

NutritionPer Serving: 160 calories (30 from fat), 3.5g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 6g protein, 29g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 330mg sodium

Butternut Squash Curry

1 medium onion, chopped
1 large sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups butternut squash, cubed & peeled
2 cups V8 juice
1 can(13.66oz) coconut milk
2 tbsp red curry paste
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 1/2tsp minced fresh ginger root
1/4tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
hot cooked rice
fresh basil leaves, optional

1. In a large skillet, saute onion & peppers in 1 tbsp oil until tender-crisp.
Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from pan & set aside.
2. In the same skillet, saute squash in remaining 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes. Add the V8 juice, coconut milk, curry paste, bouillon, ginger, salt, cayenne & reserved onion/pepper mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12-15 mins or until squash is tender.
3. Serve over rice. Garnish with basil if desired. Yield: 4 servings