Triple Threat ...

Good evening, Gnawers!  I hope you have had a great Tuesday!  It has been a good and busy day in my cooking world, which means good things for you tonight!  I hit up Whole Foods Market this afternoon and did my weekly shopping.  I keep thinking that I will get faster at getting in and out of the grocery store, but it is just not happening.  I keep thinking that it should get easier because I have learned where a lot of the new weird ingredients reside in the store.  But alas, there always seems to be new weird foods on my list.  I mean, seriously ... I bought "Kelp Granules" and "Ume Vinegar" today.  Really?  Kelp granules?  Really? I am still continuously shocked, but also pleasantly surprised at who I am becoming.  For once, I feel like I actually fit in quite well at good ole' Whole Foods!

Anyway, I have three delicious recipes to share with you ... yes, I said three!  Let's start with the new sweet and creamy smoothie I created this morning.  I call this one my "Berry Good Smoothie".  This smoothie is truly packed with lots of nutrients.  The added prunes help with digestion.  Don't worry if you are not a prune lover... you will not even taste them in the smoothie!  They just add a perfect sweetness and nice color ... making this smoothie complete.  I think it is my new favorite!

Berry Good Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light plain soy milk
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen blackberries
• 4-6 prunes
• 2-3 cups fresh kale, stems removed
• 1-2 tablespoons flaxseed

Preparation Instructions:

• Blend well in high-powered blender until you see vortex in the middle.
• Serve, sip, and enjoy!!!

Dinner was also a recipe I created for myself.  I have a huge new love and respect for quinoa.  It has so many health benefits, it's versatile, AND it tastes great!  My original plan was just to make a pot of plain quinoa to have around for the week.  It is really nice to have a bunch made at the beginning of the week because you can use it in so many recipes.  I can never leave anything plain... ever since I was a kid, I had to add flare to everything.  I was the kid with every color puffy paint on the T-shirts we made (don't judge ... it was the 80's), or the kid that had to add more sprinkles and writing to a birthday cake.  I am sort of the same way with food.  Plain is just so boring!  I wanted to get creative!  Sooooo, I chose to go for an Asian inspired dish, and I am glad I did.  It turned out to really yummy.  It would be great to serve with tofu and veggies ... yum yum yummy!

Asian Inspired Ginger Scallion Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press or finely minced
• 2-3 bunches scallions, chopped in small pieces and divided (see below)
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups dry quinoa
• 4 teaspoons crushed sea salt
• 6 tablespoons tamari
• 2-3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 12-16 oz. jar pickled ginger, chopped

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in ginger, garlic, and the white and pale green parts of the scallions.  Sauté for about one minute.  

2.  Add vegetable broth and quinoa to pan and bring to a boil.

3.  Cover quinoa and reduce heat to medium low.  Set a timer and leave it alone for 15 minutes.

4.  After 15 minutes, remove quinoa from heat, keep covered, and allow it to sit for an additional 5 minutes.

5.  After 5 minutes, remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork.

6.  Add crushed sea salt (adjust to taste), tamari, soy sauce, pickled ginger, and remaining dark green pieces of scallions.  Stir all ingredients in and combine well.  

7.  Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.  

8.  Serve and enjoy!!!

And now, for my FAVORITE recipe share of the day, week, and maybe even month.  I am talking about vegan brownies, people.  I got the recipe from the No Meat Athlete website.  If you have been following the blog for awhile, you know that sweets are really not my thing.  I like them well enough, but they are never my first choice.  I prefer salty savory things.  However, I saw this recipe and was so intrigued that I had to try it.  "What is so intriguing about these brownies?" you might ask.  Let me tell you.  It was not that the recipe was butter-free, oil-free, egg-free, dairy free, and free of refined sugar.  It was not that the recipe is vegan.  It was not that the pictures I saw looked decadent.  No, no, no ... It was that these brownies were made with black beans!  Before you decide that you can't give this a shot ... LISTEN TO ME.  These brownies are the best brownies I have EVER eaten.  Not the best vegan or healthy brownies ... NO.  THE BEST EVER.  They are rich, moist, fudgy, and so freaking delicious that I ate not one, not two, but THREE of them tonight.  And I don't even really like sweets!  These are by far the best dessert I have made so far.  I hope you will trust me and try them ... DELICIOUS!  Also, they were a cinch to make.  Pinch me ... I must be dreaming!

Vegan Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 and 1/4 cup raw turbinado sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 4 teaspoons instant coffee powder (do not try to use real coffee ... it won't work!)
• 1 and a half cups chopped hazelnuts 
• 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed well and filled with new water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup water
• Cooking spray

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  Mix flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, cacao, instant coffee, and hazelnuts in a large mixing bowl.

3.  Drain a can of black beans and rinse thoroughly until water runs clear.  With the beans still in the can, fill the can to the top with water.  Dump can of beans with water in blender (VitaMix!) or food processor and puree.  

4.  Add puree and additional cup of water to the mixing bowl.  Stir well to combine.

5.  Pour batter into the 9 x 13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Rotate the pan once about halfway through the cooking time.  The brownies will be done when you can insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out relatively clean.  The brownies will be firm in the center and the edges should be slightly puffy, pulling away from the sides of the pan.

6.  Let brownies cool and then cut with a knife.  Serve and enjoy!!!

I am telling you ... these are AMAZING.  I want another one right now after writing about them and looking at the pictures again!  :)

I would like to leave you with a quote I heard today.  I put it on a picture I took at the beach last weekend... my favorite place ...

I don't think this needs much explaining.  It just rang so true for me ... everything has happened exactly the way it needed to happen and I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life.  It wouldn't have been right any other way ... I would not be who or where I am.  The same goes for each of you.  We are exactly who we are supposed to be at this moment as we take our journeys to where life will take us next.

Okay, gnawers, that is all from me tonight.  Lots of good stuff!  I hope you will find at least one of these recipes enticing and helpful.  I also hope that you are doing well and feeling strong.  You certainly help me to do so!  Until next time ... take good care of you!!!