Quinoa Veggie Spring Rolls

Since I shared a healthy recipe yesterday, I thought I’d share another one today…this time with the superfood quinoa! Quinoa is packed with protein and is a good source of riboflavin (Vitamin B2). Riboflavin is my new best friend because I suffer from migraines and riboflavin helps reduce the frequency in which you get a migraine. Although a lot of people mistake quinoa for a grain or wheat product, it is not! It is more in the seed/bean family, and it is also gluten-free. Eating quinoa can help you lose weight because it looks and tastes similar to other carbs like pasta and rice, but it is a lot healthier! Now I will admit, this recipe is a bit time consuming and tough because I find it hard to work with the thin layers of the rice paper, but don’t get frustrated!! The outcome is worth it…these are a delicious snack. Also, these spring rolls are not like egg rolls, they are made with a thin layer of rice paper, so they are not fried.

*Prep Time: 15 minutes     *Cook Time: 10 minutes     *Total Time: 25 minutes       *Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 12 (16-cm) rice paper wrappers
• Green leaf lettuce
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 apple, peeled and julienned 
• Side note: you can add in shrimp in your spring roll if you’d like

SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon hoisin
• 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha

INSTRUCTIONS

• To make the dipping sauce, whisk together peanut butter, water, hoisin and Sriracha in a small bowl; set aside.
• Working one at a time, wet rice paper for 10 seconds and transfer to a work surface; place lettuce leaf in the center of each wrapper and top with 2 tablespoons quinoa, and a few slices of cucumbers, apples, and carrots.
• Bring the bottom edge of the wrap tightly over the filling and then folding in the sides, rolling from bottom to top until the top of the sheet is reached, being careful not to tear the rice paper. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

I was getting frustrated with trying to wrap my own veggie rolls so my boyfriend stepped in to help…in this picture he is soaking the rice paper for a minute or so, to soften them before wrapping.

…And wallah! You have yourself some quinoa vegetable spring rolls! Hope you enjoy.

Xo, Chelsea

 

 

 

*recipe from damndelicious.net*

Zucchini Quinoa Cakes

So recently everyone has been talking about the popular superfoods: kale and quinoa, which, before this past year I can honestly say I had no idea what these two foods were. After reading more about them, and adding kale in the smoothies and salads, and making my own quinoa recipes, I have fell in love with them! They don’t have much flavor unless you know what to add to them. Like my first salad recipe I posted, I had a chopped kale salad, but if you aren’t used to that flavor alone, you can also add some chopped lettuce as well. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it’s delicious! Hope you enjoy. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parslety
• 2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 tsps Old Bay seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Put the zucchini in a strainer and mix in 1/2 tsp salt to drain out some of the water.
2. Add the zucchini to breadcrumbs in a bowl.
3. Mix other ingredients in a bowl and add to zucchini and breadcrumb mixture.
4. Make small patties and fry to crispy on the edges. (A little bit of extra virgin olive oil is the best!)

SERVING SIZE: 4

Here’s a picture of when I made mine:

Xo, Chelsea 

 

*recipe from foodietale.com*

Zucchini “Pasta” with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce Recipe (plus an adorable video!)

Since I love Fettuccine Alfredo so much, I decided to find a healthier option. While on pinterest one night I found a recipe where they made the “pasta” from sliced zucchini, and the Alfredo sauce with cauliflower. I love zucchini and cauliflower so I decided to give it a try and it turned out amazing! So from my Pinterest to you…here is my favorite recipe! Hope you enjoy,

 

Ingredients for the Sauce

• 1/2 cup cauliflower, well cooked & drained
• 1/4 cup 1 % milk
• 1 Tbsp 0 fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp dried chives
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Ingredients for “Pasta”

•  3 large zucchinis
• Topping: 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

You will also need

-A coarse grater (I use a veggetti – only $15 from Bed Bath & Beyond!)

Directions

• Prepare sauce – In a blender or food processor, process cooked cauliflower until smooth. Add in milk, Greek yogurt, and cornstarch. Process until very smooth.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook butter and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add in processed cauliflower mixture, chives, and parsley. Continue to cook mixture until it thickens, about 2 – 3 minutes. 
• Remove from direct heat and stir in the 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is fairly smooth. Cover and keep warm.
• Prepare zucchini “pasta” – Cut off ends of zucchini and finely grate it using the veggetti, or something similar. 
• Place the zucchini into a medium sized frying pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat. Cook and stir gently until zucchini is cooked – this will only take a few minutes. Just thoroughly heat it, if you cook it too long it will get soggy.
• Drain off any leftover water from the pan. If you need to, you can scoop the zucchini into a colander and then place it back in the pan when it is drained.
• Next, Scoop the cauliflower Alfredo sauce into the pan with the zucchini.
• Stir until sauce is evenly distributed and dish is warmed through. Remove from pan and serve hot. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. 

So there you go. A healthy alternative to a popular dish that everyone loves, but definitely regrets eating afterwards. Oh, and according to “Jo and Sue’s Blog” (where this recipe came from), the calorie difference between regular Fettuccine Alfredo and this recipe is crazy. Regular Fettuccine Alfredo can be around 2,940 calories as opposed to this recipe which is….ready? 329 calories! Here’s a picture of how my recipe turned out: 

 

 

PS. As a follow-up of my blog post a few weeks ago as to why I became vegetarian, I’d like to share this link. It is adorable and totally the relationship I had with my chicken! On this website there are a few videos about a woman who works at Edgar’s Mission Rescue Farm Sanctuary in Australia. This farm rescues and provides cares for over 300+ animals. This woman grew a bond with a very smart and special chicken named, “Little Miss Sunshine.” Although my chicken couldn’t do tricks, she did come when her name was called, she followed me around, and loved to be held and hugged like this chicken. I wanted to share this because it shows that chickens aren’t as dumb as they are portrayed. They are loving, smart, and can be “bird-trained.” 🙂   http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/little-miss-sunshine.php

 

*Recipe from Jo and Sue blogspot. 

 

Mock Tuna Recipe

Hi all,

Happy Tuesday! Today I’m going to share a recipe my friend Sean gave me. I make it all the time…it’s so delicious. This recipe is called “mock tuna,” and there is no meat or fish in it whatsoever. Also, no egg or dairy product in this recipe either. Now you can make mock tuna several different ways…with tempeh, sunflower seeds, etc. but my favorite way to make it is with chickpeas.

INGREDIENTS:

1 15 ounce-can of chickpeas (drained & dried)

6-8 tbsp of vegenaise mayo (egg-free!)

4 tbsp spicy brown mustard

2 tbsp sweet pickle relish

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup of finely chopped celery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Place chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to roughly chop. Then add carrots and celery in the fod processor as well, and pulse until they are finely chopped. Now add wet ingredients, (ex. vegan mayo, sweet relish). Mix all ingredients together and enjoy on a slice of bread!

Here’s a picture of what mine looked like when I made it:

 

Enjoy! Xo, Chelsea