• about 1 bell pepper chopped (about a cup after you've chopped it)- i use green and yellow or red - do a combo of some sort but definitely include green (a poblano pepper would probably be good too)
• 1 med sweet onion chopped (about a cup and a half)
• about 3 cloves garlic, minced  - or about 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 4 cans of beans - i usually do a combo of kidney, black and pinto - REMEMBER that canned kidney beans at the regular grocery store have high fructose corn syrup in them - the canned kidney beans at whole foods are the only ones that don't.  I also am pretty sure that the Publix "Greenwise" brand doesn't have sugar added but double check me on that. 
• 2 cans diced tomatoes - again - i use diced and not stewed because stewed tomatoes have sugar added.  Make sure to get the plain diced tomatoes and not the ones with garlic or Italian seasoning added.  For this recipe I like to use one can of regular diced tomatoes and 1 can of petite diced tomatoes - the difference in size really makes a difference in the chili
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• a few dashes of ground red pepper - I like alot so I probably use about 1/2 teaspoon or so
• salt and black pepper to taste. 
• dried oregano - maybe 2 teaspoons - i don't know cause I never measure anything when I make stuff up - the oregano is important - brings out flavors in mexican stuff.  don't skip it even tho you're not used to using it in chili. 
• 1/4 teaspoon stevia or other sweetener - stevia is very concentrated so if using something else you will probably use much more
• 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder (optional)

1. Roughly chop scallions (white and green parts) and place in rood processor with cilantro and bell pepper - process until finely chopped and set aside.
2. Place beans in a large bowl and mash well with a potato masher
3. Stir flax seeds into warm water and set aside to thicken
4. add processed veggies to bowl of beans and mix well
5. add seasonings to taste
6. stir water and flax seeds until thick and add to bean mixture and mix well
7. add quinoa flakes and brown rice flour (or breadcrumbs) until thick patties can be formed
8. mix in a few extra roughly torn cilantro leaves
9. taste and reseason if necessary
10. form into 4 equal patties
11. heat a non-stick skillet on med/med high heat
12. add olive oil spray and cook patties until dark brown and crisp.

9 gluten free (brown rice) lasagna noodles

1 jar Whole Foods Pasta sauce - I use the fat free - it only has 2 grams of sugar

1 and ½  pkg NaSoya Lite Firm Tofu (squeezed and pressed very well between paper towels to remove excess water)

1 bag Daiya mozzarella

½ sweet onion - minced

1 bell pepper - minced

1 pkg ground turkey breast

1 egg & 1 egg white (or equivalent in egg replacer - would probably work with 2 egg whites too).

Sage

Thyme

Nutmeg

Ground red pepper

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Ms. Dash salt free Italian seasoning

Oregano

Bottled minced garlic

Garlic powder

-- Pre-heat oven to 350-375 degrees

-- Boil noodles slightly and set aside - I don't boil them until they are completely done.  Only cook them about 1/2 way - it makes them easier to work with and they will finish cooking in the oven.

-- Heat a large dutch oven on medium heat

-- Add olive oil and saute onion, minced garlic and bell pepper until tender. 

-- Add ground turkey breast, sage, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, thyme, and oregano.  Saute until cooked through.

-- Add jar of marinara sauce (less ¼ cup), reduce heat and simmer

-- In a large mixing bowl, crumble tofu with hands until it resembles ricotta cheese, mix in about ¼-½ cup mozzarella, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt.  Mix well and season to taste.

--  Add egg and egg white to tofu mixture and set aside.

-- Coat a 8 X 11.5 casserole dish with cooking spray

-- Spread reserved ¼ cup marinara in bottom of dish

-- Place 3 noodles on top of sauce then spread with tofu mixture

-- Spread meat sauce over tofu mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella

-- Add another layer of noodles, tofu, sauce and cheese

-- Top with last 3 noodles, remaining meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. 

-- Sprinkle top with almond meal, cover with foil and secure tightly at edges

-- Bake for approximately 1 hour.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and minced

1 bunch of scallions – remove the long green parts and chop into 1 inch pieces and set aside to be added to the rest of the veggies for stir frying.  Slice the white parts and put with the minced ginger

1-2 garlic cloves minced or about a teaspoon of bottled minced garlic

½ cup carrot chips or carrots slice on the diagonal

1 crown broccoli florets - or more if you like

½ small head Napa cabbage roughly chopped - or however much you want, could also use regular cabbage

1 bunch bok choy chopped – I used mostly the green part of the bok choy and just a bit of the white stem part

Snow peas

Zucchini sliced in half moon shapes

Any other veggies you want to throw in – sometimes I add a handful of frozen haricots verts

Cilantro

1 can light coconut milk – I only use about half or 2/3 of the can

Chunky peanut butter (optional – this dish is still awesome without it)

Crushed red pepper

Curry powder

Raw cashews

Short grain brown rice (or brown rice noodles) - you can use any noodles you want - I use brown rice because they are gluten free

1- 1 1/2 cups frozen shrimp thawed in warm water and rinsed (use shrimp if desired – but this dish is great even without meat.  Chicken or tofu could also be added)

1) Start your rice or noodles cooking according to package directions.

2) Rinse and chop all your veggies and combine into a big bowl – except for the ginger, garlic, and white parts of the scallions which you should chop and put into a smaller bowl

3) Heat a large wok or dutch oven on medium heat. Add sesame oil and begin to sauté ginger, garlic and scallions

4) Let that go for several minutes until all are tender and the scallions turn clear-ish.  Add more oil if needed

5) Add the rest of the veggies, season with curry powder, crushed red pepper and soy sauce or salt. 

6) Stir fry until desired tenderness – I like my broccoli to be kinda crisp-tender.

7) Add the shrimp at this point if using it – continue to stir fry a few minutes until shrimp turn white.

8) Add coconut milk and peanut butter (if desired) and stir well to mix.  Sometimes I'll warm the peanut butter in the microwave to soften and mix it with the coconut milk before adding to the dish.  Use enough milk to make it saucy but not soupy!  I used about ½ or a little more of the can.  Reduce heat slightly and let it simmer.

9) Let the veggies simmer in the coconut/peanut sauce for a bit.  At this point I usually taste and re-season and add a bit more curry powder, salt or soy sauce – taste and see. If you like a kick add a bit more crushed red pepper.  The mix of the curry and coconut is the key to this dish so make sure you use enough curry!!! 

10) Let it simmer a few more minutes and let all the flavors blend.

11) Serve over rice or noodles in a bowl.  Top with fresh cilantro and chopped cashews or peanuts, and maybe a drizzle of sesame oil J

1. Put the beans in a pot and cover with water the night before (you can do a "quick soak" per the package but if you have time to do an overnight soak do it).  Just leave the pot sitting on the stove and let the beans soak.
2. The next morning drain off the soak water, rinse the beans, refill the pot with fresh water and stick in the fridge as you head out to work.
3. When you get ready to start the dish rinse and drain the beans one more time and cover with fresh water or 1/2 water and 1/2 veggie broth for more flavor.  Turn the temp on high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cock the lid but let them simmer pretty hard.
4. When you put the beans on to cook go ahead and start your rice.  I do my rice in a rice cooker but you can do yours in a pot.  For every cup of rice I use about 2-2 1/2 cups of broth or water.  When making this I use 1/2 water and 1/2 broth.  It gives the rice a great flavor.
5. Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven on med heat.
6. Add EVOO or other oil, garlic and onion and saute a few minutes
7. Add the celery and bell pepper and saute until the celery is tender - celery takes a bit longer than the other stuff but be patient...you don't want crunchy celery :)
8. Once the veggies are tender, add the can of tomatoes, bay leaves, parsley, seasonings and a little veggie broth (about 1/2-1 cup).  If you don't have fresh parsley use dried.  I apologize but I don't measure ANYTHING usually unless I know I'm going to share the recipe at that time and I try to measure.  But know this...I usually lean on the generous side of seasonings so don't go sparingly with it!  I shake the bottle over the pot a few times then as the dish cooks I taste and add more as needed.  I will tell you that I'm much more generous with the garlic powder, Tony's and the sage...if you add too much Thyme you can ruin a dish so add and taste carefully with that one. 
9. Check the beans, once they are starting to get tender, add them to the veggies.  I usually keep about 2/3 of the water they have been cooking in and drain the rest off. 
10. Stir all this together, put on the lid, turn up the heat and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to med or med-low and keep it at a good roaring simmer.  Stir and taste occasionally and add more Tony's, garlic or sage as needed...I usually add alot more :)
11. Once the broth starts to thicken and it all cooks down a bit, take a potato masher and mash some of the beans then stir well with a big spoon.  I usually try to mash about 1/3 to 1/2 the beans.  The mashed beans mix with the juices and creates that thick, creamy texture we love in traditional red beans and rice :)
12. Keep simmering, stirring, tasting and seasoning until it reaches the flavor and thickness you like! 
13. Serve over rice and top with chopped scallions - this adds great flavor and a freshness to the dish - make sure you don't skip this part!

**note - soaking over night or for 24 hours helps make beans easier to digest... so for those of you that have digestive issues or usually can't tolerate beans very well, try doing it this way.  Also, this dish usually only takes about 45 min to an hour - if you have not soaked the beans as long, it will take longer to get them tender.  Make sure they are tender (will smush to the roof of your mouth pretty easily) before you mash them ;)

Comforting Chicken and Corn Chowder

¼ cup yellow onion, chopped

¼ cup celery, chopped

¼ cup carrot, chopped

1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 cups skim milk

2-3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded

1 can yellow corn, rinsed and drained

1 can cream corn

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1)    Cook chicken, allow to cool and shred with fork, set aside.

2)    Heat dutch oven over medium heat.

3)    Add onion, celery, carrot and jalapeno and sauté until tender – if it gets too dry or begins to stick drizzle in some reserved chicken broth and cover.

4)    Stir in flour, mix will become like a paste.

5)    Stir in milk with a whisk.

6)    Stir in remaining ingredients (chicken, corn, seasonings), continue to stir briskly to avoid sticking and scorching on bottom.

7)    Continue to whisk frequently, cover, and increase heat and bring to a boil.

8)    When chowder reaches a boil, reduce slightly to a simmer, continue to cook, stirring frequently about 5-10 minutes or until it begins to thicken.

I made this for the first time the other night and got RAVE reviews.  It's sorta like a casserole...the almond meal sorta takes on the taste and consistency of Parmesan cheese...oh it's so good.  I used Vegan Gourmet mozzarella cheese but you can use any you like...or none at all.  I can't take credit for this one...I found it on a gluten free recipe site the other day and altered it a bit.  Her recipe didn't call for cheese but I decided to add some.  It would be phenomenal without.  The BEST Italian seasoning blend I have found is Mrs. Dash Salt Free Italian.  It's SOOO good and that's what I used here.  I'm going to attempt to attach a pic....it's from the site where I got the recipe...I'll make sure to take a pic of mine next time! 
 
Cheesy Zucchini/Eggplant Bake

 
2 med zucchini sliced into circles
½ eggplant sliced into ½ inch circles then quartered
Vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup sliced Vidalia onion
Almond meal/flour
Sea salt
Salt free Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Olive oil
 
1.     Coat the bottom and sides of a baking dish with olive oil and drizzle a little in the bottom.
2.     Layer ingredients in the following order:
Eggplant/Zucchini
Onion
Seasoning, salt, garlic
Cheese
Almond meal
--use onion sparingly and just sprinkle almond meal, cheese and seasonings as heavy as you desire. Avg about 4 tablespoons almond meal per layer. 
3.     Repeat layers, alternating eggplant and zucchini until all ingredients are used.  End with zucchini layer and topping with almond meal.
4.     Spray top of casserole with olive oil spray and bake, uncovered at 375-400 for 30-45 minutes or until brown. 
 
If you don’t like eggplant, this can be done with just zucchini or a combo of zucchini and yellow squash as well.