Healthy Harvest Mini Scones

Makes about 16 mini scones

Scones:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3 teaspoons Truvia

3 tablespoons agave syrup

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup pureed sweet potatoes

1/2 pureed carrots

1 egg

3 tablespoons Earth Balance

Combine all ingredients and mix to form a stiff dough. If dough is too sticky to handle, add a little more flour. Form dough into a ball. Roll out to 1 inch thick. Cut dough into 2 inch squares, then in half diagonally to form triangles. Place triangles on baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes (scones should be slightly brown on top). Let cool then drizzle with icing (recipe below)

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

enough milk to make icing a drizzling consistency

ENJOY! :)

Mushroom and Bulgur Pilaf

I eat this as a main dish, but even my meat eating friends love it as a side!

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces of whole mushrooms diced (makes about 2 cups diced)

1 chopped red or yellow onion
1 diced tomato
1 cup bulgur wheat
1/4  cup flaxseed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Dice onion, mushrooms and tomatoes. Set aside in individual bowls.

Add olive oil to a 10" skillet and over high heat and saute onions for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms 2-3 minutes or until soft and reduced by half. Add bulgur and flaxseed and saute for 1 minute.

Add broth, tomato, seasoning, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Tennessee Tomato Tart

The first time I had a tart like this was with friends in an antebellum home on a hill top in Franklin, Tennessee. The tomatoes flavored with thyme are caramelized with rice syrup and covered with puff pastry. This isn't the healthiest of recipes because of the puffed pastry, but it is vegan. This savory pastry makes a beautiful appetizer or light lunch.

1 pound ripe Roma tomatoes (about 6)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves pressed garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup brown rice syrup
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 medium shallot minced
1 sheet puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Core tomatoes and slice them lengthwise into quarters. Using a paring knife seed each wedge. Combine the tomatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and olive oil in a mixing bowl or large zip bag tossing gently to coat thoroughly.

In a 7-inch nonstick, ovenproof sauté pan, combine rice syrup, vinegar and shallot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced by half and the mixture is syrupy, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool 5 minutes.

Arrange the tomato wedges, cut-side down, in a concentric circle slightly overlapping and tight. The pan will be full. Pour remaining marinade over the tomatoes.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook until the tomatoes have released their juices and evaporated about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool 5 minutes.

Cut a 9-inch circle from the puff pastry using a 9-inch dinner plate as your template. Place the pastry over the tomatoes and using a spatula tuck the edges of the pastry down the edge into the pan.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Place a plate over the pan and invert the plate and pan in a single motion. Cut into 6-8 wedges. Serve warm.

Vegan Personal Pesto Pita Pizza

I like to top my pizza off with all kinds of vegetables. This is one of my favorite ways to eat them. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

1 whole wheat vegan pita
2 tablespoons vegan pesto
3 artichoke quarters in water cut in half
6 slices of red onion
1/4 Roma tomato cut in half and sliced
2-3 tablespoons vegan meltable mozzarella shreds (I like daiya brand)

Evenly spread pesto evenly over pita. Top alternating the vegetables in circle. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 13 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts. Cut into quarters.

Sweet and Sour Pineapple

3 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1 bell cubed bell pepper (I like red, but this one is yellow)
1 medium cubed onion
2 teaspoons safflower oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon dark agave syrup
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. On a 9 x 13 baking sheet arrange fruits and vegetables. Drizzle evenly with the oils and the agave syrup. Salt and pepper to taste. I like three twists on the grinder each. Toss to coat.

Bake on the center rack for 15 minutes and toss. Bake another 15 minutes and toss. Move the baking sheet to the top rack and roast a final 5 minutes.

Serve with brown rice.

Red Onion & Cucumber Salad

3 large cucumbers
1 medium red onion
½ cup chopped herb of choice (I like dill or rosemary)
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup agave
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Cut cucumbers lengthwise and using a spoon, remove all of the seeds from all six pieces. Slice ¼ inch think. Cut onion in half then slice each half into thin pieces. Place cucumber and onion in a mixing bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients then toss into the salad. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.

TIP: Before cutting the cucumber peel stripes lengthwise down the cucumber giving it a more garnished presentation.

Making Brown Rice in the Microwave

I get asked all the time if you can make brown rice successfully in the microwave. The answer is yes! Here is how I get perfect brown rice every time.

2 cups brown rice
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons canola oil

In a BPA free microwave rice cooker (The one from Pampered Chef is BPA free) pour in all of the ingredients. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Remove rice cooker from microwave and swish ingredients to stir (do not remove the lid). Return to the microwave and cook on half power for 40 minutes. Remove lid away from you (so you don't burn yourself on the steam). Fluff with a fork.

My personal touches. I love Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley--a blend of brown rice, black barley, daikon and radish seeds. I also replace the canola oil with a garlic infused canola oil whenever I have it in the pantry.

Tip: Cooked rice freezes fantastic. I like to keep a container of it in the freezer at all times. Perfect for a quick snack or to accompany last night's left-overs for a quick lunch.

Zesty Kale Spaghetti

This is one of my favorite quick and easy dinner recipes! I used white pasta last night because it's what we had in the cupboard, but it's even healthier with whole grain pasta. Make sure you only wilt the kale, don't saute it until it gets all mushy and soggy! This is enough for two good sized dinner portions. I also served this with locally baked focaccia bread!

Ingredients:
Spaghetti (however much looks good, I never measure)
1-2 Bunches of kale, deveined and torn
6 sliced cremini mushrooms
3 Cloves garlic
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your saute pan)

Directions:
1. Boil water and get your pasta cooking
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat
3. Add pressed or sliced garlic to oil, then add kale and mushrooms
4. Saute garlic, mushrooms and kale until the kale has wilted to 2/3 of it's size, then add lemon zest and juice and distribute evenly throughout.
5. Drain pasta, add kale topping, serve immediately!

Thai Black Bean Salad

SALAD
2 cans drained black beans
1 can drained white beans
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped red onion
2 red bell peppers chopped

DRESSING
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cloves pressed garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar or 1 pinch stevia
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3-7 drops hot pepper oil (to taste)

Prepare dressing and set aside for 15 minutes so the flavors can mesh together. In a bowl, toss salad ingredients with dressing and serve.