Baked Vegan and Gluten Free Potato and Zucchini Latkes

Happy Thanksgiving all and Happy Hanukkah (Chanukah) to my Jewish friends! 

This morning I was inspired by the Happy Herbivore Blog to make some baked vegan potato and zucchini latkes for breakfast to celebrate my husband's Jewish heritage.  This recipe is definitely a keeper in my household.  My husband inhaled them even though he said..."what is this green thing in there?"  Hopefully you will like it as much as we did.

Baked Vegan Potato and Zucchini Latkes
#Vegan and #Glutenfree #holidayrecipe

Ingredients:
2 medium peeled russet potato, grated/chopped
1 small zucchini, grated/chopped 
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp gluten free all-purpose flour (Rice-based)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
3 tbsp water
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray on a thin layer of canola oil.
3. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Squeeze out excess liquid.
5. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the mixture into your hands.
6. Squeeze out excess liquid and flatten each latke.
7. Flatten out evenly on the baking sheet.
8. Bake for 15 minutes on one side.
9. Then flip and bake an additional of 8-10 minutes.

Last Recipe in the Some of Our Favorite Things Series...Oven Baked Mini Peppers

Alright folks, we are featuring our last recipe in the Some of Our Favorite Things series, the Oven Baked Mini Peppers.  This is one of the easiest recipes ever and it is packed with tons of flavor! Best of all, this dish can be served cold.  Therefore, you can prepare this ahead of the time to reduce your cooking time.  Try it out yourself.  

Oven Baked Mini Peppers

(Gluten Free and Vegan) #holidayrecipe

Prep time:  10 minutes

Cook time:  20-25 minutes

Serves about 6 people at 2-3 peppers each

Ingredients:

1 packet (1.5 lbs) mini bell peppers

2 tbsp Salt Free Italian Seasoning

Olive oil spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Line a baking pan with foil

3. Lightly spray on the olive oil

4. Rinse the mini peppers well and lightly dry them

5. Lay the mini peppers flat and spread them out on the baking pan

6. Lightly spray on  the olive oil

7. Grind the Italian Seasoning with your fingers first

8. Sprinkle the Italian Seasoning evenly on top of all of the mini bell peppers

9. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the peppers are tender.  

Some of Our Favorite Things...Featuring the 2 in 1 recipe

Featuring the 2 in 1 recipe:  Mediterranean Style Vegan Stuffing (and Gluten Free!) 

This week we are featuring the last three recipes on our list.  First up it’s the 2 in 1 recipe.  Who doesn’t want a recipe that can be doubled as a stuffing dish and also as a dish by itself?!  This is my go to dish when I am hosting the holiday meal, because it cuts my cooking time in half!  Have fun creating your own dish!

Mediterranean Style Vegan Stuffing 
(Gluten Free and Vegan) #holidayrecipe

Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  8 hours for the crock pot, 30-40 minutes baking in the oven
Serves 12 at 1 cup each

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 cup lentil, uncooked
1 cup mixed beans, uncooked
1 cup pitted black olives, drained and chopped
1/2 cup mixed squash (zucchini and yellow squash)
1-1/2 cup of onions, chopped
1 cup celery stalks, finely chopped
2 apples, finely chopped*
1-1/2 cup sliced almonds
32 oz (1 carton) low sodium fat free no-chicken broth
1 cup water
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
¼ tsp black pepper
6 bell peppers**

*=ingredient for stuffing only
**= ingredient for stuffed bell peppers

Basic Stuffing Preparation Directions:
1. Place the brown rice, lentil, mixed beans, black olives, mixed squash, onion, no-chicken broth, water, olive oil, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and black pepper in the crock pot.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours in the crock pot. 

Note:  You can skip the crock pot component if you cook with canned beans and omit the rice component.  In that case, reduce the no-chicken broth to 1 cup of no-chicken broth and 1/2 cup of water.  

Stuffed Bell Pepper Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. After all of the above ingredients have been cooked, mix in the chopped celery.
3. Line a baking pan with foil and lightly spray it with olive or canola oil.
4. Cut the top off of the bell peppers and rinse off all the seeds inside the bell peppers.
5. Place them on the baking pan and stuff the bell peppers with stuffing.
6. Place in the oven and cook for about 30-35 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
7. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top when you are ready to serve. 

Stuffing Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. After you scoop out enough of the stuffing for the bell peppers, add in the chopped apples.
3. Lightly spray the baking with with olive or canola oil.
4. Pour the mixture of basic stuffing+celery+apple into the baking dish.
5. Sprinkle the sliced almond on top of the stuffing.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

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Some of Our Favorite Things...Featuring the Green Peas Dip

Ready for something refreshing during the holiday?  Here is a great alternative to the heavy cream based dips--the green peas dip.

This is one of my go-to recipes when I want a break from all the holiday dishes that seemed to be mostly cream-based.  Believe it or not peas are loaded with vitamin A, some B vitamins, C, and vitamin K.  It is also high in protein.  Check out the WebMD blog for more info!

Okay, enough of the nutrition nerd talk.  I admit, I am a nutrition nerd.  What can I say?  I love finding out exactly what I am putting into my body and how all  the food items work together to optimize my health.

Now, let's get back to the recipe itself.  I will let the peas do the talking now.

Green Peas Dip 
(Inspired by: the Hummus Holiday article)
Gluten Free & Vegan #holidayrecipes

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Makes about 20 oz (2.5 cups)
Nutrition information (2 oz per serving):  51 calories, 5 g carbs, 3 g fat (mainly from the olive oil), 2 g protein, 101 mg sodium, 2 g sugar.


Ingredients:
1 bag (12 oz) frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup Low sodium No-chicken broth (vegan broth)

Directions:
1. Place the oil and the broth in the blender first.
2. Place the bag of thawed peas and the rest of the dry ingredients in the blender
3. Blend until smooth
4. You can also choose to mash all the ingredients together (fun activity for the kids!)

Serve with sliced vegetables or other crackers of your choice.

Enjoy!
Maria 
(a nutrition nerd)

Some of Our Favorite Things...Featuring the Cinnamon Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Medley

It's the weekend and it is cooking time for the week!  This weekend we are featuring 2 recipes we love to incorporate into our holiday menus.  Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we do too!

First up, it is the Cinnamon Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Medley.  This is a savory dish that is packed with vitamin A, potassium, and fiber too.  However, these are starchy vegetables.  They have more calories than leafy vegetables and are carbohydrate rich.  Therefore, eating them in moderation is still a key.

Cinnamon Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Medley
(Adapted from  Food & Nutrition Magazine Recipe)
Gluten Free & Vegan #holidayrecipes

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  40 minutes
Serving:  6 of the 1/2 cup serving

Nutrition information per serving (estimated using Myfitnesspal): 107 calories, 19 g carbs, 4 g fat, 2 g protein, 105 mg sodium, and 4 g sugar

Ingredients:
1 lb sweet potatoes, cubed
1 lb butternut squash, cubed
1-1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Low sodium No-Chicken broth
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp pumpkin spice
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Direction:  
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. If you did not buy the pre-cut butternut squash and sweet potato, cut them into cubes
(I am too lazy, so I bought the pre-cut ones from the store).
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix all the all the ingredients together using your hands or a large spoon.
(If you do use your hands, be sure to wash them first with soap and water...food safety first!)
4. Lightly spray a baking dish with olive oil/canola oil
5. Pour the mix  into the baking dish and spread out the vegetables evenly
6. Cook for 40-42 minutes (or until you can pierce the vegetables with a fork)

MICHAEL & SUSAN DELL CENTER for HEALTHY LIVING: How We Walk The Talk

MICHAEL & SUSAN DELL CENTER for HEALTHY LIVING: How We Walk The Talk: No, I can't dance, I can't talk The only thing about me is the way I walk No, I can't dance, I can't sing I'm just st...

Some of Our Favorite Things...

Thanksgiving is around the corner and that means we are all wreaking our brains trying to figure out what to cook for the Thanksgiving dinner.  Are you looking for something new to try?  Well, you are in luck!  For the remaining month of November, we will be featuring some of our favorite dishes that you can try to incorporate into your Thanksgiving dinner/weekend.

Featuring dishes such as:
1. Cinnamon Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Medley
2. Savory Vegetable Stuffing
3. Stuffed Bell Peppers
4. Green Peas Dip
5. Oven Baked Mini Peppers

In the mean time, check out the list of November vegetables and fruits at Women's Day. 

Cheers!
Maria and Rhea