Kale Pad Thai

This recipe is to die for!!! Absolutely!!! This uses a spicier version of Happy Herbivore's Cheater Pad Thai Sauce. It was inspired this evening by a craving for Pad Thai and the need to use 2 bunches of kale in my refrigerator. I seriously ate 2 huge plates full!!  

Prep Time: ~20 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 4 cups of raw kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
2. 1 x 14oz block of extra firm tofu
3. 1/4 cup Raw Peanuts
4. 1 Serving of Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp "Naturally More" Smooth Peanut Butter with flax seed
• 1 tbsp "Huy Fong" Sambal Oelek Chili Paste
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp "Huy Fong" Sriracha Chili Sauce 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F. Pat-dry tofu using a paper towel and cut into small bite-sized pieces (less than 1" squares). Place tofu pieces on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat mat, making sure each piece has room around it. I left the tofu in the oven for 20 min, without turning or disturbing it at all. The beauty of the Silpat silicone mat is that it prevents sticking 100%. Line a large stock pot with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat with medium low, add kale and peanuts, a slight sprinkle of salt, and cover. Let kale and peanuts steam in this pot for the next 5-10 minutes checking occasionally to ensure that there is still some water in the pot to prevent burning. Separately, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. The warm water helps melt the peanut butter which allows it to blend with the rest of the ingredients. Once the kale and tofu are done, toss everything together, and serve warm. 

This isn't a low-fat salad (it has almost 13 g/serving), but it is definitely a whole foods-based salad. All the fat is coming from natural peanut butter, peanuts and some from the tofu. All in all, it's much better to eat this somewhat rich salad rather than to drizzle your greens with olive oil, even if its EVOO.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 234 (Fat Calories 114)
Total Fat 12.7 g; Carbohydrates 13.7 g; Fiber 4.5 g; Sugars 1.3 g; Protein 17.6 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Caramelized Banana Oatmeal

I'm in love with Oatmeal. When I'm craving bad foods, I crave Chocolate Oatmeal. Which incidentally, last night I really really wanted to substitute my dinner with a large bowl of my Dark Chocolate Mudslide Oats. I'm generally not the kind of person who eats chocolate-based cereals or foods for breakfast - but today, for some reason, it was calling my name (maybe because I deprived myself last night!). This recipe was inspired by a post I saw from The Oatmeal Artist just yesterday - Fifty Toppings to Spruce Up any Porridge! She had a picture of a cup of oatmeal topped with Caramelized banana. While her recipe called for molasses, honey and orange juice, mine relies on the sweetness of the banana itself. 

Caramelized Banana Oats

Prep Time: 10-15 min

Ingredients (Serves 1):

1. 0.5 cup Rolled (Old-Fashioned Oats)
2. 1 cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
3. 1/2 medium Banana
4. 1 tbsp Flax Seed Meal
5. 0.5 tbsp Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
6. 2 tbsp Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
7. 0.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
8. 1-2 tsp Brown Sugar (for topping, optional)

Directions:

Slice banana in 2 halves lengthwise and crosswise. Place in an ungreased oven safe dish/plate and broil on HI for 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the oven as the banana can go from caramelized to burnt really quickly. It will first start to wilt under the heat, and then slowly bubble on top before turning a lovely golden brown. While the banana is in the oven, mix oats, flax seed meal, peanut butter and half the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 3-5 minutes. Remove the bowl once in the middle of this time to mix well. Once oats are done, remove carefully from microwave, mix vanilla extract in and transfer to a serving dish. Once bananas are nice and golden, remove the dish from the oven and carefully transfer onto the oatmeal. Top off with a light sprinkle of brown sugar (optional) and remaining chocolate chips! Voila!!! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 426 (Fat Calories 129)
Total Fat 14.3 g; Carbohydrates 64.7 g; Fiber 11.7 g; Sugars 22.9 g; Protein 11.6 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Someone posted a recipe on one of the Herbie pages on Facebook this past week that had a picture of the most amazing gooey chocolate chip cookies with it. I wanted to try it .. because of the picture it came with. I'm not sure who to give credit for the recipe, so I'm going to acknowledge the lady who posted in on Facebook - Lori Conner (Thank you!!!).

Can you resist this cookie? I couldn't!!! 

I made slight modifications to the recipe like using a whole 15 oz can of chickpeas instead of just 1 and 1/4 cup as the original asked for and used an extra 1/8 cup of agave to make the dough smoother when it seemed too dry and I baked these cookies for twice as long as the original recipe. 20 min at 350°F.

Mine don't look half as good but tasted great!

Prep Time: 30-40 min

Ingredients (15 Servings):

1. 1 x 15 oz Canned Chick Peas (Rinsed & Patted Dry)
2. 2 tsp vanilla extract
3. 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter (I used Smucker's)
4. 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup Honey/Agave/Maple Syrup (I used Agave)
5. 1 tsp baking powder
6. A pinch of salt (optional, I didn't use any)
7. 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients, with the exception of chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth. Make sure that the sides of the processor bowl and scraped down and under all the sides to leave no chunks of chickpeas sitting around. Add chocolate chips, and pulse a couple of times. Using slightly wet hands (an excellent tip!), form small balls with the dough and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I then used a wet fork to press down each one into a cookie shape, but you could also use your hand to do the same. Bake for about 20 minutes until the outsides begin to brown. The original recipe called for 10 min of baking and I thought they looked too doughy after only 10 minutes so baked them for another 10. I got 15 cookies out of this. Enjoy and keep out of the reach of little children, or they won't last long!! :)

My Assessment: My father-in-law, who WILL NOT eat anything plant-based loved these cookies and I sent almost all of my batch home with him. These were a hit in our household for sure. A big thank you to the creator of this recipe.

Nutrition Facts (Per Cookie): Calories 131 (Fat Calories 57)
Total Fat 6.4 g; Carbohydrates 15.5 g; Fiber 2.4 g; Sugars 2.0 g; Protein 3.9 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Wilted Kale & Peanut Salad

This afternoon, I really wanted some kale and I wanted to try a variation of my usual Wilted Kale and Almond Salad. This is what I came up with on-the-fly and it's a recipe worth sharing. 

Wilted Kale & Peanut Salad

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients (2 Servings):

1. 1 large bunch of Kale, stems removed (about 4 cups)
2. 1 Medium Tomato, Sliced
3. 1 oz (approximately, a handful) raw Peanuts 
4. 1 tbsp Naturally More Peanut Butter
5. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
6. 1 tbsp Miso (Yellow or Brown)
7. 2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or Soy Sauce)
8. Pepper, to taste
9. Hot Sauce, to taste

Directions:

Remove stems, tear leaves in bite sized pieces and rinse in a bowl of water to remove all traces of dirt. Line a deep pot with water, on medium-high heat, add peanuts and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Then add remaining condiments to the water and mix well (the miso and peanut butter will need some coaxing with a rubber spatula). Once all the condiments are mixed in the water, add a small amount of kale and fold the sauce over it. Add remaining kale and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow kale to wilt (2-5 minutes, it will turn bright green). Once wilted, remove cover, increase heat to high for a couple of minutes to allow excess liquid to evaporate while folding the kale into the remaining sauce. Remove from heat, transfer to two serving dishes and top with sliced tomato, freshly cracked black pepper and hot sauce. Enjoy!! 

My Assessment:

I've been on a raw peanut kick lately. Overall, this dish had a wonderful Asian flavor to it. If you don't like raw peanuts, use roasted peanuts instead but bear in mind that those have a lot of salt in them. I labelled this dish as 'no added salt' because the miso and soy sauce/liquid aminos provide enough umami.  Also, I used Cholula for some added flavor, but this salad would pair very well with Sriracha. 

Nutritional Facts (Per Serving): Calories 220 (Fat Calories 99)
Total Fat 11 g; Carbohydrates 123.5 g; Fiber 5.9 g; Sugars 2.0 g; Protein 12.4 g

Cheater Boiled Peanuts & Collard Greens

This past weekend I picked up a big sack of Collard Greens at the grocery store in another attempt to incorporate greens into my diet. I want to be at a point where I am consuming some green leafy vegetable on a daily basis. I used to do have Baby Spinach as part of my daily morning Green Smoothie but ever since I changed my breakfast to Steel Cut Oats, that part of my daily routine has fallen by the wayside. So today, I decided to make some Collard Greens - my New Veggie #69.  This recipe combines 2 Southern traditions - Boiled Peanuts and Collard Greens.  

Boiled Peanuts are a traditional snack in the North and South Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Northern Florida. They are an acquired taste but can be totally addictive and can be seen being sold at roadside stands all over the South. Traditionally, these are prepared by boiling un-shelled green/raw peanuts in salty water, over a wood fire. No one knows for sure why Southerners started boiling peanuts but they have been around since the Civil War. I call my version Cheater because it doesn't take nearly as long as the traditional method and because I used shelled peanuts. 

Cheater Boiled Peanuts & Collard Greens

Adapted from: Homesick Texan: Not Your Grandma’s Collard Greens

Prep Time: 30-40 min

Ingredients (4 Servings):

1. 1 lb Collard Greens, pre-washed and cut into bite sized pieces.
2. 1 large White Onion, diced
3. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
4. 2 large Tomatoes, diced
5. 1 large Red Bell Pepper, diced
6. 1/3 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
7. 1/3 cup Raw Peanuts*
8. 2 cups water or home-made vegetable broth.
9. 2 tsp Chipotle Pepper powder, optional, to taste
10. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

I used a large bag of pre-washed Collard greens today. But if you're using fresh leaves, remove thick stems and cut each leaf into bite sized pieces. Wash well to remove all traces of soil and dirt. In a large, deep pot, add 1 cup water and add diced onions and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent and garlic begins to release its essential oils (about 2-4 min on high). Add tomatoes and red bell pepper. Mix everything well together and add peanut butter and raw peanuts at this time. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer on the stove for 20-25 min. Add another cup of water or vegetable broth half way through this time to prevent the dish from drying out too much. Just a couple of minutes before serving, add Chipotle pepper powder and cover and allow the dish to simmer for another couple of minutes.  Serve as a side dish, or enjoy as I did tonight - over a bed of steamed rice. 

* Raw Peanuts can be easily be bought at Indian Grocery stores, if you can't locate them in your local grocery store. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)^: Calories 254 (Fat Calories 129)
Total Fat 14.4 g; Carbohydrates 22.2 g; Fiber 9.8 g; Sugars 6.6 g; Protein 13.8 g

^ Nutrition facts are provided for the water option as vegetable broth calorie content can vary a lot.

No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Bites

Recently, I've noted that I crave an occasional bite of chocolate or something sweet in the evenings, or on weekend afternoons at home. Usually, I've been able to curb those cravings with a Medjool Date. The ooey-gooey-caramely taste of dates works (almost) every time. Today I decided to try one of the various no-bake energy recipes I'd been pinning to by Plant-Based Desserts board on Pinterest. This one was one of the first to catch my eye several months ago. Today, it didn't disappoint at all. 

Adapted from: Gimme Some Oven - No Bake Energy Bites

Prep Time: 20-30 min (mostly for rolling the individual bites)

Ingredients (30 Servings):

1. 1 cup Oatmeal* 
2. 1/2 cup Shredded (unsweetened) Dry Coconut 
3. 1/4 cup Sliced Almonds*
4. 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp* Ground Flax Seed Meal  
5. 1/2 cup Non-Dairy (Ghirardelli) Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
6. 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
7. 1/2 cup "Naturally More" Smooth Peanut Butter (with Flax seeds)
8. 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
9. 2 tbsp Honey*
10. 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. and then add the wet ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula so that the peanut butter is evenly distributed. The original recipe calls for 30 min of chilling in the refrigerator but I didn't have the patience and I used rolled the mixture into small balls (~1" in diameter). I got 30 balls out of this recipe. The original recipe calls for refrigerated storage for up to 1 week. I decided to freeze my batch in individual paper truffle cups. That way I won't eat them all at once and I can thaw only what I want when I'm craving a sweet something.

My Assessment: Love these!! The coconut and almonds add chewiness and the chocolate does its own thing. These tasted like a really chewy Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie! Next time I might even consider adding raisins to this recipe. A+++

My Modifications*:

• I used Instant Oats because I'm trying to get rid of a big box. The original recipe calls for Old Fashioned oats, but allows for a bunch of different grains.
• I swapped 1/4 cup coconut with almonds, just because!! :) 
• I added 2 extra tbsp of Flax Seed because that's all I had remaining after adding 1/2 cup. 
• I added 2 tbsp of honey because the mixture still felt dry after adding maple syrup and peanut butter. I used honey instead of more maple syrup as I figured it would add an extra flavor and it is also stickier. 
• I didn't refrigerate as the recipe called for, but it might be a good idea as they do tend to get really messy while rolling. 
• One option for making them less messy would be to roll each ball in shredded/ground coconut or sesame seeds before placing it in its individual candy cup.  

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 76 (Fat Calories 36)
Total Fat 4.0 g; Carbohydrates 8.3 g; Fiber 1.8 g; Sugars 4.2 g; Protein 2.4 g

Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

For some odd reason, I was craving Thai Peanut Sauce today. I love the HH "Cheater" Pad Thai Sauce and decided to make a spicier hotter version of it tonight!! 

Spicy HH Thai Peanut Sauce

Prep Time: 15 min

Directions: 

Prepare 2x recipe of HH "Cheater" Pad Thai Sauce* and set aside. Boil a bag of Boil-in-a-bog Brown rice (about 1.5 cups), drain and divide into 2 serving bowls. Steam 2 scrubbed Russet potatoes in the microwave (scrub, rinse, place soaking potatoes in grocery bag, wrap, and microwave on high for 7-9 minutes).  Meanwhile saute 4 cups of Baby Spinach in a skillet with 1 tbsp of crushed/minced garlic and 2 tbsp Low-Sodium soy sauce and a splash of water. Transfer sauteed spinach to serving bowls containing boiled brown rice. Once potatoes are tender, remove from bag, transfer to serving bowls and cut open. Drizzle the peanut sauce over the 2 bowls, dividing it approximately equally and serve hot :) 

HH Cheater Pad Thai Sauce (1 recipe, whisk everything together until smooth):

1. 2 tbsp warm water
2. 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
3. 1 tbsp Smooth Peanut Butter
4. 1 tbsp Sweet Red Chili Asian sauce
5. 1/4 tsp granulated garlic powder
6. 1/4 tsp ground ginger
7. 1/4 tsp hot sauce (to taste)

For Smooth Peanut Butter: I used "Naturally More" Smooth Peanut Butter with flax seed.

For Sweet Red Chilli Sauce: I used "Huy Fong" Sambal Oelek Chili Paste (super spicy)

For Hot Sauce: I used "Huy Fong" Sriracha Chili Sauce (even spicier).

My Assessment: What a lovely easy dinner to have on a week night! Got my 2 cups of greens in (albeit wilted - the fiber is still all there!). The HH Sauce is one of my favorites. With the Sambal Oelek Chili paste, it was lip-smacking good (especially if you're into hot stuff!). If you're not into hot foods .. make this the standard way and the dinner will still be equally amazing!!! Yum!! 

 
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 346 (Fat Calories 52)
Total Fat 5.8 g; Carbohydrates 63.9 g; Fiber 7.5 g; Sugars 7.3 g; Protein 16.04 g

Steamed Broccoli w HH Pad Thai Sauce

Some days are meant for light dinners. Today was one of those days. My most favorite vegetable these days is steamed broccoli. On days when I'm craving a light dinner, I always think of Steamed Broccoli over Quick Cooking Brown Rice. Quick and Easy and Painless. Typically, I use a commercial sauce like a Vegetarian Oyster or  Kung Pao sauce and drizzle that over the broccoli. Tonight I decided to do the same with Happy Herbivore's "Cheater" Pad Thai Sauce. 

I used "Naturally More" Smooth Peanut Butter with flax seed for this recipe. It contains no HFCS and ingredients include Roasted Peanuts, Soy Protein, Flax Seeds, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Salt and Molasses. A tbsp of this stuff contains 90 Calories with 65 of those being fat calories. Furthermore, this 1 tbsp contains only 1 g of sugars, >2g of dietary fiber and 4.5g of protein. It can't get any better than this stuff :)

HH "Cheater" Pad Thai Sauce over Broccoli & Rice

Prep Time: 15 min

Directions: 
Prepare 1 recipe of HH "Cheater" Pad Thai Sauce and set aside. Boil a bag of brown rice (about 1.5 cups) and drain. Transfer rice into 2 serving bowls. Steam 1 cup of Broccoli and layer over steamed rice. Drizzle the sauce over the 2 cups, dividing it approximately equally between the 2 cups and serve hot :) 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 433 (Fat Calories 47)

Total Fat 5.2 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 86 g; Dietary Fiber 6.8 g; Sugars 9.5 g; Protein 11.6 g

My Assessment: Its divine!!! You will not be able to tell the difference between commercial peanut sauces and this one. Also, I used natural peanut butter, so while it does have some fat calories from the peanuts, there is no added HFCS and the recipe is about as wholesome as it can get :)

Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms, a plant-based version

Before I went plant-based, each Christmas I would bake an enormous amount of Christmas cookies with our favorite ones being Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms. Given that the recipe calls for a half a cup of shortening, egg and milk, I knew I wasn't going to be making those this holiday season. My DH, who's also been plant-based since October 1st was also interested in finding a no-fat vegan alternative. So I posted a question on the New Herbies page on Facebook - if anyone had come across a vegan version. Of course, I knew I wouldn't be able to find vegan Hershey's kisses and was willing to substitute those out with vegan chocolate chips. Within hours someone had posted a link to a recipe which could be adapted very easily to my ways (no added fats/oils). The best part about this recipe was that it only requires measuring cups and spoons, a mixing bowl, a rubber spatula and a cookie sheet. Of course, an oven would be necessary to bake them ;)

Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms, a plant-based version

Recipe Adapted from: My Vegan Cookbook

Prep Time: 30 min including bake time.

Ingredients (24 cookies):

1. 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2. 1/4 cup Ground Flax Seed
3. 1/2 cup Quick Oats (I used Quaker oats)
4. 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
5. 1 tsp Baking Powder
6. 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
7. 1/4 tsp Salt (optional, I made w and w/o salt; found no difference!)
8. 1 tsp vanilla extract
9. 3 tbsp Applesauce (I substituted 2 tbsp Canola oil with Applesauce)
10. 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
11. 1/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (I used Kroger brand) 
12. 1/2 cup Non-Dairy Chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet)
13. Raw sugar, or granulated sugar, as needed for rolling (I used granulated sugar today).

Directions:

As the original recipe says, preheat oven to 325 F and dump all the ingredients (in my version, with the exception of the chocolate chips) into a mixing bowl and stir. I used a rubber spatula and occasionally scraped the spatula with a spoon to mix whatever was stuck to it with the rest of the dough.  Once everything was nice and well mixed, I rolled 1 tbsp sized amounts into a small ball, then rolled the ball in sugar and placed each ball onto a greased cookie sheet. My DH pressed each ball with a fork (twice, cross-wise). Sprinkle 5-7 chocolate chips on each ball and bake 12-14 minutes until bottoms are slightly golden. Transfer to a cooking rack. For the kids, we baked the cookies plain and then added a Hershey's kiss on top, so that the cookies looked like the Omni version. I shouldn't have worried the kids gobbled these up!! As the original recipe says, after they are baked let them cool for 15 minutes before you dig in. The cookies are soft out of the oven and crisp up as they cool. Do not leave them uncovered for too long as they do tend to dry up when left out too long.

... with Hershey's kisses on top, like the original HPBBs

My Assessment: These cookies turned out great!! My next batch, which I plan to make later this week I plan on actually mixing in the chocolate chips into the dough before I roll the cookies in sugar. Today, my 3-year old was helping with the sprinkling of chocolate chips so they're a tad unevenly decorated :) Taste great though!! 

Plant-Based HPBBs with Chocolate Chips Mixed In

Recipe Update: December 19, 2012: So I made a double batch again tonight because the last batch lasted only about 2 days in our house. This time, instead of sprinkling the chocolate chips on top, I mixed 1/2 a cup of Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet (vegan) Chocolate chips in with the dough. So for 1 recipe, I would only add 1/4 cup. Once the chips were well mixed, I rolled the dough into small ball, then rolled the ball in sugar and baked for 14 minutes until bottoms are slightly golden. Voila!! Not as pretty as the sprinkled cookies but the chocolate was more evenly distributed and you could taste in each bite!! 

Unpressed HPBBs with Chocolate Chips Mixed In

Second Update: January 12, 2013 : Once the cookie dough is mixed up, put it in the fridge for 20 min. This allows to flax seed meal to swell and the cookies are also less messy to roll. Also, learnt from a friend, if you don't press the cookie balls down, the cookies come out nice and plump, like the original HPBBs. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (Per Cookie): Calories 81

Total Fat 2.8 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 12.9 g; Fiber 1.2 g; Sugars 8.8 g; Protein 1.8 g