There… We said it!

High in bone strengthening and memory boosting Vitamin K, this leafy green vegetable is low in calories and high in beneficial nutrients! In addition to Vitamin K, spinach is packed with energy boosting iron, cancer fighting antioxidants, and heart strengthening folate!

Unfortunately, spinach has developed a rather nasty reputation among the “under 10″ crowd. Too many slimy, congealed blobs of over-cooked spinach have appeared on too many tables, giving spinach an immediate “yuck” factor. Sigh… Say it isn’t so! Spinach can be delicious! It’s all in the preparation, my dears! Try this exotic Indian inspired entrée in which spinach is the star ingredient!

Chana Saag Chickpea Spinach Curry

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Napa Valley Naturals Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance Non-Dairy Natural Buttery Spread
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Cloves
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1 teaspoon Sage
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 1 inch Fresh Ginger Root, grated
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• Dash Black Pepper
• 1 14.5 oz. can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Native Forest Organic Light Coconut Milk
• 1 15 oz. can Eden Foods Organic Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 pound Fresh Baby Spinach
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Warm oil and margarine in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon, cloves, curry, garam masala, and sage. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until onions are just tender. Add garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute.
3. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, covered, 15 minutes, until chickpeas are soft.
4. Add spinach in batches and cook until spinach is just wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with quinoa or rice or stuffed in a baked sweet potato.

Have a great day! See you at Rollin’ Oats!

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

(Dairy-Free, Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup pure Maple Syrup
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Substitute
• 5 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 cup Old-Fashioned Oats
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt together the syrup and Earth Balance. Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon and bring to a low boil.
2. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Stir until evenly coated.
4. Drop by spoonful onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
5. Refrigerate until firm.

Have a great day! See you at Rollin’ Oats!

This week’s Meatless Monday recipe is sure to satisfy the beer lovers (or not) in us all. No, really, Guinness is one of the main ingredients! It is only a recipe for the heartiest of appetites! Now, if you want to make your bellies happy right now, come Rollin’ In to the Oats Cafe for one of our Meatless Monday specials! Click on the cafe link to see our specials of the day!

Guinness Stew

(vegan, dairy-free, nut-free)

1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 celery stalks
3 (small) onions
1 lb. button mushrooms, cleaned
3 lb. russett potatoes, peeled
3 large carrots, peeled
1 Tablespoon corn starch or flour
1 11.2-ounce bottle of Guinness
1 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon Better than Bouillon vegetable base
2 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
4 cups water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Finely chop celery, 2 of the onions and 4 mushrooms. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add chopped vegetables. Cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the remaining onion, potatoes and carrots into large chunks. Set aside.

Add corn starch to the softened mixture and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in Guinness and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until all vegetables are fork-tender, about 45 minutes.

Serves 6

*recipe adapted from www.thekitchn.com

Have  a great day! See you at Rollin’ Oats!

Mexican Fiesta Recipes

(click on the recipe title or image to get recipes)

Have a great day! See you at Rollin’ Oats!

Now, what comes to mind when you think of your two favorite desserts? Maybe it is chocolate, or baklava, or even flan? Well, mine would be carrot cake and cookies! Yep folks! I found it! I found a recipe on the Veggie Kids blog site that has combined these two delicious flavors! Can you believe it!? Click on the title or image and let us know what you think!

Carrot Cake Cookies

Have a great day! See you at Rollin’ Oats!

It is an excellent, inexpensive, complete source of vegetarian protein with 5.5 grams of protein per egg & only 68 calories! It’s hard to decide which type of egg dish is our favorite. There is Sunny Side Up, Hard Boiled, Over Ease, Eggs Benedict, an Egg Sandwich, an Omelet…… We love them all!

If we had to pick a favorite, though, it would have to be the versatile Egg Scramble! Add whatever vegetables you have lurking in your refrigerator & it is a complete meal perfect for those of us on a budget! Here is our favorite Scramble recipe. Leave a comment with your “egg”-cellent Egg Scramble specialty!

Egg Scramble Florentine

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free)

Ingredients:

• 3 organic, large Eggs
• 2 organic, large Egg Whites
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
• 1/8 cup Water
• 1/8 tsp Herbamare
• 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried Basil
• 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• 2 Tblsp Yellow Onion, chopped
• 3-4 Sun-dried Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Tblsp chopped fresh Italian Parsley
•  1 handful Baby Spinach, chopped

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, soy milk, water, basil, herbamare, pepper, & nutritional yeast until frothy.
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Saute onions 4-5 minutes, until soft. Add egg mixture & cook, stirring slowly for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients individually cooking about 2 minutes between each addition, & slowly stirring throughout cooking.
4. When eggs reach desired done-ness, serve!

Have a great day! See you at Rollin’ Oats!

If you are looking for a delicious recipe that reminds you of growing up, you have to try this newer version of the old fashioned broccoli salad some of our grandmothers made! We have cleaned it up a bit and added some new additions to make the recipe taste bud tantalizing and healthy too! It’s the perfect addition to a picnic or get together!

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

(Vegan, Gluten-free)

Ingredients: (makes about 8 servings)
1 large head broccoli
3/4 medium head cauliflower
1/2 cup Vidalia onion, diced (or use any onion you have)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup Mayo
2 Tb. agave nectar
2 Tb. apple cider vinegar
sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Cut the broccoli and cauliflower heads into bite-sized florets.  Rinse and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Place those in a large bowl.  Add in the onions, raisins, carrots and seeds.  Carefully mix everything together using a large spoon.

In a separate medium-small bowl, whisk together Mayo, agave nectar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss until completely coated.

This salad is best when it’s chilled and marinated for at least one hour prior to serving.

Have a great day! Thanks for shopping at Rollin’ Oats!

Creamy, rich, and sweet, bananas are a favorite food for everyone from infants to elders. Sports enthusiasts appreciate the potassium-power delivered by this high energy fruit.

Celebrate this Wheatless Wednesday by baking a gluten free banana bread for your family and friends to share!  Don’t worry, this recipe packs as much flavor and texture as the homemade banana bread that we all grew up with!

Banana Bread

(Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free)

• 4 eggs
• 4 or 5 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup your choice of sweetener (we used organic sugar)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
• For those of you who like nuts and are not allergic to them, feel free to add 1/2 cup chopped to the recipe for flavor

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly.
3. Add mashed bananas, sugar, applesauce and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4. Meanwhile, melt coconut oil gently on  the stove.
5. Add to wet mixture, flours and salt and baking soda. Mix until all ingredients are moist.
6. Fold in melted coconut oil, mixing just until it is blended in.
7. Pour batter evenly into 2 greased loaf pans.
8. Bake for 45 minutes or until bread is no longer wet in the middle. Use a toothpick to see if it is done.
9. Remove from pans after about 10 minutes and cool on wire racks.

Thanks for shopping at Rollin’ Oats! Have a great day!

We admit, it was scary to us at first, but that all changed as we began to learn more about it! We did a little searching and found some great info on World’s Healthiest Foods online:

Read on to learn all about the incredible, edible eggplant!

Description

Eggplant, or aubergine as it is called in France, is a vegetable long prized for its beauty as well as its unique taste and texture. Eggplants belong to the plant family of Solanaceae, also commonly known as nightshades, and are kin to the tomato, bell pepper and potato. Eggplants grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height.

How to Select and Store

Choose eggplants that are firm and heavy for their size. Their skin should be smooth and shiny, and their color, whether it be purple, white or green, should be vivid. They should be free of discoloration, scars, and bruises, which usually indicate that the flesh beneath has become damaged and possibly decayed.

The stem and cap, on either end of the eggplant, should be bright green in color. As you would with other fruits and vegetables, avoid purchasing eggplant that has been waxed. To test for the ripeness of an eggplant, gently press the skin with the pad of your thumb. If it springs back, the eggplant is ripe, while if an indentation remains, it is not.

Although they look hardy, eggplants are actually very perishable and care should be taken in their storage. Eggplants are sensitive to both heat and cold and should ideally be stored at around 50 degrees Farenheit (10 degrees Celsius). Do not cut eggplant before you store it as it perishes quickly once its skin has been punctured or its inner flesh exposed.

Place uncut and unwashed eggplant in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep for a few days. If it is too large for the crisper, do not try to force it in; this will damage the skin and cause the eggplant to spoil and decay. Instead, place it on a shelf within the refrigerator.

Now, how do you cook it? Here is an eggplant recipe just for grill season!

Vegan Grilled Eggplant Manicotti

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Vegan Savory Tofu Ricotta (click here for recipe)
• 2 one-pound Eggplants, sliced lengthwise 1/4″ thick
• Salt & Black Pepper
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, for brushing

Directions:

1. Light a grill.
2. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil & grill over medium-high heat, turning once, until lightly charred, 2-3 minutes.
3. Place the grilled eggplant on a baking sheet, or other work surface, & season with salt & pepper. Spoon 1 Tblsp of the Vegan Savory Tofu Ricotta onto one end of each eggplant slice.
4. Roll into tight cylinders.
5. We recommend serving with your favorite marinara sauce atop a bed of sautéed spinach.

Have a great day! See you at Rollin’ Oats!

This mock chicken salad recipe is sure to make the chickens happy! Now, if you want to make your bellies happy come Rollin’ In to the Oats Cafe for our Meatless Monday specials! Click on the cafe link to see our specials of the day!

Mock Chicken Salad

(vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)

Ingredients

• 1 twelve oz. block extra firm tofu, drained and patted dry
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp. Spike seasoning
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1-2 stalks celery, minced
• 2 Tbsp. red or sweet onions, minced
• ½ cup Vegenaise
• 1 tsp. mustard

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch cubes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, toss tofu with garlic, soy sauce, oil, yeast and Spike.
4. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 25-35 minutes or until cubes become firm and slightly puffy. Remove from oven and let cool. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or until completely cooled.
5. Once tofu is completely cooled, mix in carrot, celery, onion, Vegenaise and mustard. Serve in sandwiches, wraps or as a dip for chips or veggies. Enjoy!

Yields 4-5 Servings

Thanks for shopping at Rollin’ Oats! Have a great day!