I know, its alot of ingredients-- but the preparation is very easy and you've probably got most of them in your cabinet already.  You can add other vegetables to this at will, so seriously just throw in whatever you've got laying around.   

Prep Time:  10 Minutes
Cooking Time:  30 Minutes
Yield:  4-5 Servings
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive or Canola Oil
2 Medium Onions, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, minced
2 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Sea Salt
½ Tsp Cardamom
½ Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
3 Cups Mushrooms, sliced (or one of those 10 oz. packages, sliced)
1 Zucchini, sliced
1-28 oz Can Whole, Peeled Tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2-15 oz Cans Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Large Potatoes, scrubbed and chopped pretty small
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
½ Cup Plain, Organic Yogurt (non-fat is not the way to go here)

Heat oil over medium flame in a large pan.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cinnamon.  Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in mushrooms, zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add tomatoes (crush them with your hands as you transfer from can to pot) with juice, vinegar, chickpeas, potato, and vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Cover for most of the time or—if you want it more soupy—leave covered the entire time.  Take off heat, stir in yogurt and season with sea salt and pepper.  Serve.    

Make sorbet out of one ingredient, healthy nachos, delicious vindaloo and a fresh, creamy salad.

Click here for a PDF ingredient list for all of next week.
May 12th-15th, 2008

I just ate this for lunch.  Is that wrong?

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to eat tofu, I can assure you.  This is a cold sweet treat with very little fat, no evil refined sweeteners and no ice-cream maker (perhaps the biggest miracle of all).  Plus it contains calcium, protein and a slew of vitamins and minerals.  

Cinnamon, one of the other ingredients, has all sorts of good things happening:  iron, calcium, fiber content, etc.  And several studies have shown it to have a beneficial effect on blood sugar, which makes it the perfect addition to a dessert. 

By the way, you can simply mix all of the ingredients in the food processor, forget the freezer, and call it pudding.  Nice.  Another variation (and well worth trying, even possibly the first time you make it) is to blend in 1/4 cup of natural peanut butter at the end. 

Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  none (but time for freezing)
Yield:  2-3 Servings
Ingredients:
14 Oz. Package- Soft or Silken Tofu
2 Tbsp Honey or Agave Nectar
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
¼ Tsp Sea Salt
2 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

In a blender or food processor, combine 12 ounces of tofu (most of the package), honey or agave, cinnamon, sea salt, and cocoa powder.  Place in a tightly covered container and freeze. 

Once frozen, remove from freezer, let sit at room temperature for five minutes, and chop into chunks.  Place remaining tofu from package in a blender.  Drop in frozen chunks (and optional peanut butter- see above) and blend until smooth.  Sprinkle a little cocoa and/or cinnamon over the top and serve immediately.

What’s more hippy dippy than making your own toothpaste?  Nothing.  It does, however, feel great to clean your mouth with something that you know is totally natural and not full of things that make it chemically smooth and suspiciously sweet.  Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients—vegetable glycerin and food-grade essential oil can be found in natural food stores or-- like anything else--ordered on-line.  The veggie glycerin can also be found in many pharmacies. 

I've got to let you know up front that it's a little salty (which provides some abrasion) and pretty intensely flavored in general.  Don't expect the all-natural to have the same texture as manufactured toothpaste, but do expect your teeth to feel really, really clean.  I personally love it. 
Oh, and you CANNOT beat the price. 

Prep Time: 3 Minutes
Cook Time:  none
Yield: Varies
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Vegetable Glycerin
8 Drops Food Grade Cinnamon Essential Oil (or another edible flavor that you’d want to scrub with everyday)

Combine all ingredients.  Keep in a glass container or a refillable squeeze bottle. 

There is absolutely no excuse for buying hummus if you own a food processor.  That may sound harsh and food-snobby, but if you make it exactly one time—then you’ll know what I’m saying.  Why ingest preservatives and pay more for the stuff when you can whip up whatever flavor you desire in five minutes? 

This hummus is so full of dill that it is actually green, but feel free to take the basic framework and replace that particular herb with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, jalapeño, cilantro, or nothing at all.  It's also very low in fat compared to most hummus recipes, which may or may not appeal to you.  For a richer hummus, forget the bean liquid (which-- let's be honest-- grosses some people out anyway, though I don't mind it myself) and add in more tahini and/or a few tablespoons of olive oil. 

Spread on sandwiches or use as a dip with any and all vegetables.

Prep Time:  7 Minutes
Cooking Time:  None
Yield:  4-5 Appetizer Servings
Ingredients:
1-15 oz Can of Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
¼ Cup Sesame Tahini
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
Juice of 1-2 Lemons (depending on their size, juiciness and your preference)
¾ Cup Fresh Dill, roughly chopped
Sea Salt, to taste
Olive Oil for Serving
Drain the beans, but reserve ¼ cup of liquid.  Combine beans, bean liquid, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and dill in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Season generously with sea salt, to taste.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil over the top. 

Ever read the label on a regular jar of peanut butter?  It's like a nightmare from which you cannot wake: hydrogenated oils (transfat!) and sugar on top of more sugar.  I expect this from a peanut butter cup, but from a jar of what is supposed to be a beautifully simple and natural substance?  Very disappointing.  Let's all protest by making our own nut butter.

When you come across it in a health food store, please try raw honey.  It’s much creamier and tastes amazing, but has not lost vitamins and minerals by being processed like most “regular” honey  You can also use it as an anti-inflammatory facial mask:  20 minutes on dry skin, then rinse off with hot water and a wash cloth.

Prep and Cook Time:  25 Minutes
Yield:  ¾ Cup
Ingredients:
1 Cup Raw Almonds
1 or 2 Tbsp Canola, Almond or Walnut Oil
1 Tbsp Honey, to Taste
2 Tbsp Water
Organic Apples, Rinsed and Sliced But Not Peeled

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spread almonds in a single layer onto a pan and roast for 15 minutes.
Drop warm nuts into a coffee grinder (or food processor, but the coffee grinder is the best) and process until the nuts are as finely ground as possible.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in oil, honey and water.  Serve spread over apple slices. 
Store leftovers (if there are any), covered, in the refrigerator.

Spicy, flavorful, filling, and cream-free.  Serve it to vegans, omnivores, carnivores and every other kind of 'vore. 
This deliciousness is an adapted version of the Penne Vodka recipe in the amazing Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero. 

Prep Time:  7 Minutes
Cooking Time:  30 Minutes
Yield:  4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Cloves Minced Garlic
¼ Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
28 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes (use crushed if like a smoother sauce)
¼ Cup Vodka
¼ Tsp Dried Thyme
¼ Tsp Dried Oregano
½ Tsp Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
½ Cup Cashews, ground to a powder with a coffee grinder or food processor
¼ Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
½ lb Whole Wheat Penne

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Preheat a saucepan over medium-low heat and add oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper.  Saute for about a minute.  Add tomatoes, vodka, thyme, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper.  Bring to a bubble and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, add pasta to water and cook until al dente. 
Once finished simmering, stir in powdered cashews and remove from heat.  Stir in fresh basil.  Serve immediately.

I could eat these every day with unwavering enthusiasm. 
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin, C, antioxidants, and a host of other vitamins and minerals.  Combine these with the nutritional benefits of olive oil and you’ve got a fabulous alternative to the traditional french fry.  Experiment with other seasonings, like chili powder, minced garlic, etc.

Prep Time:  10 Minutes
Cooking Time:  20 Minutes
Yield: 4-5 Servings
Ingredients:
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Sea Salt, to taste
Paprika, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wash sweet potatoes.  Cut into ½ inch strips and toss in olive oil to coat.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with sea salt and paprika.  Bake for 20 minutes, turning fries over after ten minutes.  Serve immediately.