Recipe – Sauteed Squash and Onions

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into 1-inch dice

1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 Tbsp. Salt

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Place squash, 1 Tbsp. oil and salt in large bowl and toss. Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add squash, and cook 5 minutes, or until just soft. Spread squash mixture on prepared baking sheet. Season with salt, and bake 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan immediately to prevent sticking and serve. For a quick side dish, double the recipe, freeze half, and then heat it up when you’re in a rush to get dinner on the table.

Recipe – Glazed Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

1 ¼ cups sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/3 cup flour

1 pastry for 2-crust pie

2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut in 1 inch pieces

2 cups fresh strawberries

2 Tbsp. margarine

1 Tbsp. sugar

Combine 1 ¼ cups sugar, salt, and flour. Arrange half the strawberries and rhubarb in a pastry-lined 9 inch pie pan. Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining fruit and sugar mixture. Dot with margarine. Install top crust and flute edges to make high-standing rim. Brush top of pie with cold water and sprinkle on 1 Tbsp. sugar. Cut steam vents in top crust. Bake in hot oven (425 F) 40-50 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and crust is browned.

Recipe – Tomato Pie

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, baked

4 medium plum tomatoes

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 cup chopped white onion

½ tsp. salt

½ cup Veganaise

1 cup Rice Shreds cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Halve tomatoes, remove seeds, and cut each half into about 6 wedges in bottom of baked pie shell. Sprinkle with ½ cup onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon basil. Stir Veganaise and cheese together in a small bowl, and then spread half of mixture over onion layer. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, topping with the remaining Veganaise mixture. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. If piecrust starts over-browning, cover edges with aluminum foil. Allow pie to cool 20 minutes before serving.

 

Recipe – Canned Apricots in Honey Syrup

1 cup Honey 2 ½ cups water

3 lbs. apricots, firm, but not hard

Fill canning pot halfway full with water and bring to a boil. Place flat lids in a small pot, cover with hot water and bring to a simmer. Combine honey and water in a medium pot and bring to a simmer. Wash apricots and dry on a towel. Using a paring knife, cut apricots in half and remove pit. Pack jars with apricots, cut side down. Packing apricots cavity side down makes it easier to fit more into the jar. Ladle hot honey syrup into the jars until apricots are covered. Leave ½ inch of headspace at the top of the jars. Top jars with hot lids and screw rings. When all the jars have been filled and topped with lids, lower them into the hot water bath. Cover pot, bring water to a boil and process for ten minutes. Turn off the heart, remove lid, and carefully remove the jars of preserved apricots.

Recipe – Haricots Verts and Radishes

 

1 lb. Haricots verts, trimmed

1/3 cup black sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar (or lemon juice)

½ tsp. shichimi togarashi* or ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

8 radishes, each cut into 6 wedges

Fill large pot or bowl with ice water, and set aside. Bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil in stockpot over high heat. Add haricots verts, and blanch 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain in colander, and plunge colander in ice bath 3 to 4 minutes, or until haricots verts are cool. Drain, and pat dry. Toast sesame seeds in small, dry skillet over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Cool to room temperature, then finely grind in spice or coffee grinder, or with mortar and pestle. Transfer ground sesame seeds to bowl, and stir in Bragg Liquid Aminos, maple syrup, rice vinegar (or lemon juice, and shichimi togarashi. Toss together green beans and dressing in large bowl. Scatter radishes on top.

*Shichimi togarashi is a fragrant Japanese pepper blend that includes red pepper, dried orange peel, and seaweed, but can be easily swapped out for cayenne pepper.

Recipe – Quinoa with Vegetables and Herbs

1 cup quinoa

½ tsp. kosher salt,

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, chopped (2 cups)

divided 3 carrots, peeled and chopped (1 ½ cups)

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp. fresh thyme or oregano (optional)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Rinse quinoa in a strainer. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring quinoa, 2 cups water, and ¼ tsp. salt to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until quinoa absorbs the water, 10-15 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion; cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to medium-high and add next 5 ingredients. Sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with ¼ tsp. salt. In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, vegetables, and fresh chives and serve.

Recipe – Sauteed Bok Choy

Recipe – Sauteed Bok Choy
By

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

1 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 Tbsp. Water

¼ tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 ½ lb bok choy, cut 1″ pieces

Salt (optional)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add the bok choy and, using tongs, fold it into the garlic-ginger mixture until coated, about 1 minute. Add the Bragg Liquid Aminos and water, cover, and cook until steam accumulates, about one minute. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are just wilted, the stalks are just fork tender but still crisp, and most of the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and season with salt if desired.

Recipe – Carob Chip Bars

4 cups quick cook oats

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup oil

1 cup vegan carob chips

¾ cup pure maple syrup

½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spread oats onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients. Add warm oats and stir well. Spread oat mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, pressing down hard to compact it. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

Food for Life – Vegetarianism

This quotation caught my eye the other day: “Until God changes what a person is, don’t try to change what he does!” Until we have a heart change, we cannot expect to change a lifestyle of wrong eating habits. Once we determine to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not have any regrets in accepting the health reform message He has given to His people in the “end time,” to prepare them for His second coming.

The Lord is not arbitrary. There are reasons for each of His health principles. For example, in these last days vegetarianism is important because of the many diseases found in animals today, that were not present in the time of Christ.

The Spirit of Prophecy states very explicitly that we cannot make “gods of our bellies” and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So we do have a work to do for ourselves. But not without help! That was why Christ endured the wilderness experience, to show us that He will be very near to each one of us in our most trying experiences.

“Our Savior fasted nearly six weeks that He might gain for man the victory upon the point of appetite. How can professed Christians with enlightened consciences, and with Christ before them as their pattern, yield to the indulgence of those appetites which have an enervating influence upon the mind and body? . . . Many who profess godliness do not inquire into the reason of Christ’s long period of fasting and suffering in the wilderness. His anguish was not so much from the pangs of hunger as from His sense of the fearful result of the indulgence of appetite and passion upon the race. He knew that appetite would be man’s idol and would lead him to forget God and would stand directly in the way of salvation.” Confrontation, 50, 51.

“Those who make determined efforts in the name of the Conqueror to overcome every unnatural craving of appetite will not die in the conflict. In their efforts to control appetite they are placing themselves in right relation to life, so that they may enjoy health and the favor of God and have a right hold on the immortal life.” Ibid., 79.

“Let him who is struggling against the power of appetite look to the Savior in the wilderness of temptation. See Him in His agony upon the cross as He exclaimed, ‘I thirst.’ He has endured all that it is possible for us to bear. His victory is ours.” Desire of Ages, 97.

February Recipe:

Pasta Salad

1 8 oz. package of Vegetable Pasta

Cook according to your package directions

1 4 oz. Can sliced Olives

1 Large Cucumber (or non-vinegar pickle) diced small

½ cup Tofu Mayonnaise

1 ¾ tsp. Sea Salt

Tofu Mayonnaise

16 oz. pkg. tofu

1/3 cup of lemon juice

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon ground dill (optional)

1/4 cup pineapple concentrate

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup Fruit Source (granulated)

1/2 cup cashew pieces

4 oz. can chopped olives

Place first eight ingredients in blender on high speed and blend until smooth.Then add cashews and continue blending until very smooth. Pour into container and add the chopped olives and stir well. For use as sour cream on baked potatoes, omit olives and use chives. This also makes a delicious dip for chips (the baked variety with no oil, or Frito-Lay makes delicious Tostitos with nothing but corn and salt.)

The End

Recipe – Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

7 sweet peppers (red, orange or yellow)

1 cup whole grain quinoa

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup diced sweet onion

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. cardamom

¾ tsp salt

1 cup dried figs, roughly chopped

½ cup unsalted cashews, roughly chopped

Seed and dice 1 of the peppers. Slice remaining 6 peppers from stem to bottom; seed. In a medium lidded pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in quinoa; return to a boil. Cover, reduce to medium-low and cook 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Return pot to stove; place over medium heat. Add olive oil. Stir in the diced pepper and onion. Cook 5 minutes. Mix in cumin and cardamom; cook 1 more minute. Stir in figs, cashews, quinoa, and salt. Fill pepper halves with quinoa mixture and place cut-side up in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes or until peppers are tender.