Recipes for the Semi-Vegan

Learn to use more plants in your cooking. YUMMY. Click HERE for Recipes

Plant-Based Eating

Great article! Click HERE

Girls Love the Cookies!

The girls love the gingerbread! Recipe in post below.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Recipe

This recipe is Gluten Free as well as Refined Sugar Free.

This study cookie dough makes great gingerbread cut-out cookies and gingerbread houses.

To make the recipe dairy-free, replace the butter with a solid, dairy-free shortening.

Ingredients

yield: makes about one dozen 4-inch cookies, active time 1 hour 30 minutes, total time 8 hours

• 8.5 ounces (2 cups) brown rice flour
• 2 3/4 ounces (1/2 cup) sweet rice flour
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup) tapioca starch
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 5 ounces (10 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 6.3 ounces (3/4 cup packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons molasses

Procedures

1. 1

   In medium mixing bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder, salt, ground clove, and xanthan gum. Set aside. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and dark brown sugar until a thick paste forms, about 30 seconds. Add egg. Blend until combined. Stop mixer and scrape down bottom and sides of the bowl. Add dry ingredients. Blend until a thick dough forms. Add molasses. Blend until thoroughly combined.

2. 2

   Lightly flour your countertop with brown rice flour. Turn dough out onto counter and pat into a round. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for several hours or overnight.

3. 3

   Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to stand for five minutes. Divide dough round in half and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on a generously rice floured countertop. Cut into shapes. Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden brown and aromatic. Repeat with remaining dough.

4. 4

   Cool cookies on a wire rack. Decorate as desired. Store cookies in a covered container for up to one week.

Homemade Tomato Soup - from my friend, Trina

Homemade Tomato Soup

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello, The Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• ¾* cup extra virgin olive oil (*I use closer to ¼ cup even for a bigger batch)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with about 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.*

NOTES:

*I don’t have an immersion blender so I use a normal blender or my food processor to blend everything. I leave out the heavy cream and it still tastes very rich. The recipe does not make a lot of soup so I usually triple or quadruple the amounts so that we have plenty left over for another meal.

NEW Recipes!

Just below you will see 3 new recipes posted. These recipes are from our Arbonne Healthy Cooking Class that takes place at Williams-Sonoma. My friend and Arbonne VP tests these recipes at home and then the chef at WS recreates them "live" and we all get to taste them.

What makes these recipes more healthy is that they are all gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free.

We also enjoyed pumpkin bars (recipe posted on this site), a roasted turkey and pumpkin pie!

For more information regarding Arbonne's approach to health, wellness & nutrition please contact me at jennidragon@gmail.com. The holidays are a perfect time to learn how to eat healthier but also to enjoy what you eat while being more healthy!

Williams-Sonoma #1: Beet Hummus

I know this sounds a little strange but trust me, it is delicious esp. served with cool cucumber slices for dipping!

Beet Hummus:

1 pound beets (buy them with greens still attached)

4 T tahini

1/2 cup plus 2 T lemon juice

2 T ground cumin

4 T lemon zest (4 lemons)

Cut off greens from beets and wrap the beets in foil to roast at 500 degrees for one hour. Once cool, use plastic gloves and rub off the skin of the beats (discard skin).

Blend the beets and all other ingredients in a food processor or vitamix blender. Serve with gluten free crackers, cucumbers or other veggies.

Williams-Sonoma #2: Salad

Arugula, Apple and Radish Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Dressing:

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, minced

Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste

2 bunches arugula, thick stems removed, rinsed and dried

1/2 pound radishes, thinly sliced (using a mandolin is best)

1 granny smith apple --- peeled, cored and finely diced

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts

Directions: Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper. Toss arugula, radishes and apple together. Toss salad with dressing right before serving.

Williams-Sonoma #3: Double Chocolate Orange Torte

Dairy Free, Gluten Free and Refined Sugar Free

Double Chocolate Orange Torte

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup blanched almond flour

1/4 cup cacao powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup grape seed oil

1 tablespoon orange zest

Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground to the texture of gravel

Pulse in almond flour, cacao powder and salt and process until well combine, about 10 seconds

Add eggs to food processor and pulse again, then add in agave, grape seed oil and orange zest

Pulse all ingredients together until smooth

Remove 'bowl' from food processor and stir in second 1/2 cup of chocolate chips using a spoon

Transfer batter into a well-oiled 10 inch spring form pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Persian Rice Salad

Persian Rice Salad
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
2 cups long-grain brown rice

1 1/2 cups roasted salted cashews, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced pitted dates (about 7 ounces)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bring broth to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix in rice. Return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook without stirring until rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Spread out rice in large baking pan and cool.

Transfer rice to large bowl. Add cashews, dates, and green onions; toss to blend. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, and ground cinnamon in small bowl. Add to rice and toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)