Couscous Salad

1 Cup of Water
1 Cup of Couscous
3 Tbsp Olive oil (I sometimes use flaxseed oil or half of both)
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Braggs Amino Acids (Soy Sauce substitute - this is optional)
Juice and Zest of one Lime
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 Can of Corn
1 Beefstake Tomato diced
1 Red Bell Pepper diced
1 small Cucumber diced
1/2 a small Yellow Squash diced
1 small Onion diced
2 Cups of Spinach somewhat shredded or torn
A small handful of cilantro

Bring water to a boil. Take water off heat and pour couscous in. Fluff with a fork and then transfer to a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, take next five ingredients and mix together well, then pour over couscous to keep it from sticking together and getting too dry. Pour can of corn in and the remaining ingredients. Toss until well blended. This salad is a filling meal by itself. Super healthy for you. Enjoy.

Banana Shake

This is what I make when i have a sugar craving. We make these several times a week, usually late at night to enjoy while watching a good movie or an episode of star trek. :) Before you can make this you need to freeze ripe bananas. Because we use so much of these I try to buy over-ripe bananas in bulk from the produce manager. They will often give them to me at half off or some other deal. I peel and break the bananas in half (if your blender isn't very tough you'll need to break the bananas in bite size pieces) and stuff them in big zip-loc bags to freeze. The frozen bananas are what makes the shake so creamy. Don't substitute unfrozen bananas! In a few hours they'll be ready for your banana ice cream.

3 Frozen Bananas
1 cup vanilla Soy or Rice Milk
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

This isn't a science. I hardly ever measure anymore, I just grab a few frozen bananas, add enough milk to blend it and make the the consistency you like and add spices to taste. Blend until it's all smooth and enjoy.

Raw Tortilla Soup

So I feel a little hypocritical posting on this blog because I'm not vegan. But I do try to cook healthier meals and certainly like to throw in a vegan meal here and there. This recipe is adapted from the vita-mix cook book. It is so fast and easy to make, and is a yummy way for me to eat lots of raw vegetables. It's also adaptable, I've thrown in zuchinni, red and green peppers and some salsa before too.

Ingredients:

1 carrot

1 celery stalk
1 roma tomato
1 gr. onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 yellow squash
1/3 serrano chili OR 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups hot vegetable broth
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/2 cup corn
handful of tortilla chips

Blend first nine ingredients at high speed in Vita-mix (or any good blender) for two minutes or until liquified. Add black beans, corn, and tortilla chips and mix for 10 seconds or less on lowest setting. Serve right away with more tortilla chips.

Lentil Tortilla Soup

1 Cup Brown Rice
1 Cup Lentils
1 Cup Pace Salsa (I like Medium)
1 Onion (diced)
1 Red Bell Pepper (diced)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 16 oz. Can of Corn
1 16 oz. Can of Tomato Sauce
1 4.5 oz. Can of Green Chiles
3 Tbsp Vegan Broth Powder
1-2 Tbsp Cumin (I use 2 because I love a lot of this flavor. 1 is usually good though)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
3 1/2 Quarts of water

1 Avocado
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt to taste

A handful of tortilla or brown rice chips (you can get either of these at costco) The brown rice chips are lighter and probably healthier.

In a large kettle, you pretty much throw all the first list of ingredients in and bring to a boil. Then turn heat to low and let simmer anywhere between 45 to 90 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful and thick it becomes. In a little bowl, scoop out avocado and mash with a fork. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime and mash in. Salt to taste. Serve soup hot with a dollop of quacamole and a handful of chips. This makes a huge amount that you can then store as leftovers. It's the kind of soup that tastes better the next day, so you'll really enjoy the leftovers.

Mango Peach Green Smoothie

- 1 Handful of Kale
-1 Handful of Spinach
-1 Handful of Parsley
-1/2 a Medium Cucumber
-1 Handful Green Grapes
-1 Kiwi
-1 Peach (skin and all)
-1 Mango
-1 small Banana
-1 Scoop of Soy Ice Cream (optional)
-4-6 large ice cubes

-Water (This is just to blend easier. You could also use soy or rice milk or V-Fusion Vegetable Fruit Juice; I like the Mango Peach one)

-A parsley or mint leaf, lemon or lime slice for garnish (optional - this is so it looks pretty)

Toss into blender and blend well. If it doesn't all fit into your blender at first, just start blending some of it to make space and then toss the rest of the stuff in. My son thinks it's yogurt. I don't care what he calls it so long as he drinks it. He loves it. It tastes just like a Jamba Juice smoothie. Makes for a yummy breakfast. Yields about 4 very filling drinks.