Seven Sundays Mango Almond Breakfast Bars

We recently had the pleasure of hosting the first ever Floyd Piano Company Yoga and Brunch Club! It was great fun and so nice to have yoga, piano, and delcious Seven Sundays breakfast under one roof in a absolutely beauftiful space. Lori Floyd made these delicious Seven Sundays Muesli bars that were a big crowd pleaser. Since so many people asked for the recipe she was kind enough to send it my way! Thanks Lori! 

Looking for Seven Sundays near you and cannot find it? They do $5 flat rate shipping for as much muesli as you care to order 🙂 Order here.

 

Serves:

Several depending upon how you cut them up.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 box favorite Seven Sundays Muesli (She used Cherry Vanilla Pecan).
• 1 cup almond/peanut butter
• 1 cup dried fruit of choice
• 1 cup whole roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup coconut flake
• Pinch salt

Instructions:

1. Warm almond butter and honey in small saucepan and add extracts and salt.
2. Soak dried fruit (She used mango) in water for 15-20 minutes if not already gooey in texture. This will ultimately help hold bars together.
3. Strain and add fruit to food processor and pulse until nearly a fine chop.
4. Add muesli, nuts, coconut and fruit to large bowl and pour butter mixture over. Mix well.
5. Place plastic wrap on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Pour mixture into pan and press until evenly distributed.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 20 min or place in fridge for at least an hour.
7. When bars are set, move to cutting board and cut into portion size of your choice. She likes to keep in freezer for a little more of a firm bite. Will keep for 2-3 weeks.

Obviously the nut, fruit and butter choices are endless, but she used almond, mango and coconut with the vanilla cherry pecan muesli. Coconut and honey is also optional. Super easy and delicious. Enjoy!

Kiwi and Mango Nigiri : It’s Easy Being Green : Marx Food Contest!

ZestyBeanDog has entered another Marx Foods Contest!  They are just too much fun to not partake in! Marx Foods send you a box of sample sized goodies and the rules are simple:  You have to use at least two ingredients and then blog the recipe. This time around there will be 2 winners, one from internal vote and one from public vote (that me means YOU, my dear friends). Voting will begin on Tuesday at which point I will add the new link to my blog. Then you can check out all the recipes and vote for your favorite one!  The winners get $100 in Marx Food Store Credit and you know I need that BAD!!! I’m all out of  YUZU juice! 😉

I chose to use the Bamboo Rice, Cardamom, and the Mint Herb Crystals to create a Kiwi and Mango Nigiri. This was a tasty and whimsical play on dessert and sushi that I will be making it again for sure, probably for a dinner party. The cardamom infused bamboo rice was subtle yet alluring and the slight crunch of the crystalized mint paired surprisingly well with the mango and bamboo rice.  I couldn’t resist doing kiwi not only because it’s green but also because I love it and the little seeds gave a great texture to the nigiri. The nigiri was then served with a orange honey marmalade and rice wine sauce. Overall it was a fun dish, to eat and to make!

Prep Time: 60 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: Makes 8 Nigiri

Ingredients:

• .5 Cup Bamboo Rice
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
• 5 Cardamom pods broken crushed with seeds
• 1 Kiwi
• 1 Mango
• 1 tsp Crystalized Mint
• 4 Mint leaves, small
• Marmalade

Instructions:

1. Boil 1 Cup of water add crushed cardamom pods and seeds, let sit for 10 min on simmer. Strain and reserve water for rice. 
2. Add rinsed bamboo rice to water bring to a boil, add 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, cover and simmer for 20 min or until done.
3. Cut up kiwi and mango thinly to arrange on top of rice.
4. Let rice cool for about 20-30 min.
5. Make 8 nigiri mounds with your hands and place fruit on top and garnish with crystalized mint and real mint.
6. Serve with honey orange marmalade with a splash of rice wine.

Enjoy with a glass of wine!

Vegan Italian Sausage – You won’t believe it’s not meat!

I recently did a 40 Day Yoga Challenge where I wasn’t eating any meat other than seafood. During that time Evan and I went to a party at our good friends Liz and Kyle’s house for some Paella! She made vegan Spanish chorizo for some of the other non meat eaters and I instead of using real meat (thanks Liz)! It was awesome, texture and all, that’s right… I said it… texture and all- and even better it wasn’t made from tofu! I made her version during my 40 Day Challenge in my own Paella at home with great results. So I decided to make an Italian version for fun a couple of nights ago. It turned out fantastic, even Evan was a big fan!

This Italian sausage goes great in pasta dishes or in a salad like you will see below. I’ll also include the nutrition facts 🙂  It contains 16 grams of PROTEIN!, pretty good for a vegan “meat” 🙂

I made this simple salad today for lunch: Baby Kale, Spinach, Red Onion, Cucumbers, Grape Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and of course my Italian Vegan Sausage. With a Greek Yogurt, Lemon, Sage, Sirracha Dressing. It hit the spot!

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Serves: Approximately 9 : 2 oz servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. Pinto beans, rinsed. You can use canned beans- I used canned organic beans…
• 1 C. Organic vegetable broth
• 1 TBS. Olive oil
• 2 TBS. Light soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Lemon zest
• 2 Cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 1/4 C. Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/4 C. Nutritional yeast
• 1 TBS Basil, chopped very fine
• 1 TBS Oregano
• 1 TBS Marjoram
• 1/2 TBS Onion powder
• 2 tsp. Red pepper flake
• 1/2 TBS Black pepper

Instructions:

1. Set up steaming apparatus. (Large pot, little bit of water, steam tray, and lid.)
2. Lay out 3 sheet of foil to wrap sausage in. A sushi roller will help for this later.
3. Mash beans well in medium bowl.
4. Add all ingredients IN ORDER to bowl.
5. Once all ingredients are added, knead “dough” with hands until all ingredients are incorporated.
6. Divide dough into 3 balls, roll each ball out into a link shape and place each one on a separate sheet of foil. This is where the sushi roller comes in handy… Roll the foil around the link and use the sushi roller to roll and compact your link making it nice and firm. Twist off ends of foil and repeat with the rest.
7. Place sausages in steaming apparatus and steam for 40 min on low/medium.
8. Unroll- careful they will be hot and let cool. Then you can slice and cook up on the stove to get some crispiness if desired. DO NOT USE HIGH HEAT, they will burn.

Serve as you wish! On a salad, pasta, sandwich, wrap, the possibilites are endless.

Paella Made with Vegan Spanish Chorizo!

Happy Belated 2nd Birthday ZBD & Vegan Black Bean Burgers

Hello Friends! As the summer winds down, I hope to find some more time to blog. It’s been one crazy few months and I have not had a dull moment yet. I’ve missed blogging and reading your blogs so I’m very happy to get back to it. While I was away ZestyBeanDog turned 2 in July!  I missed it… does that make me a bad blog Mom? 🙂  Happy Belated Birthday ZestyBeanDog! 

These burgers are wonderful and great for a filling lunch or dinner. They are low in fat and calories and high in fiber and have a decent amount of protein. You can make these as is and they will be vegan, adding some low fat cheese  (as shown in picture above) will add some protein but will obviously not be vegan BUT tasty 😉 I will say these were awesome tasting but if you are expecting it to have the texture of meat, they will not quite (most freezer brands do not). I will be experimenting with that in the near future and see what happens. For now here is something not to be missed.

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Serves: 2 large burgers or 2 medium and 1 small

Ingredients:

• 1 Can low sodium black beans, drained well
• 1/2 Cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 TBS Shallots, diced
• 1 tsp. Chia Seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. Flax Seeds, ground
• 1 Clove garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
• 1 green onion
• 2 TBS water

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a spoon. Transfer mixture to food processor (I love the Ninja).
2. Blend all ingredients in a food processor, pulsing for about 20- 30 sec. It should not be liquidy or too dry. It will however be soft. Mold into patties and place on a plastic wrapped plate, cover and let set in fridge for at least 20 min.
3. Turn skillet on medium and spray with pam or you can use regular olive oil. Once hot cook burgers for about 6-7 min on each side until golden brown and hot all the way through.
4. Serve on your choice of bun with any toppings you like! It goes great with some sauteed kale!  I love Cabot 75% as a reduced fat cheese, it’s very good!
   

Nutrition Facts for Black Bean Burgers includes 1/4 of a medium avocado.

Without Avocado

Cucumber Yuzu and Lavender Granita

This is the perfect little frozen treat to make at home. It’s so refreshing and so simple to make.

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 20 min

Set Time: about 2-3 hours or so, or until mostly frozen.

Ingredients:

• 3 large organic cucumbers peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 C. White sugar ( I would like to try this with agave nectar next time).
• 3/4 C. Water
• 1/4 C. Yuzu Juice
• Fresh basil
• Sea Salt (if desired).
• 2 sprigs of fresh lavender

Instructions:

1. Juice cucumbers if you have a juicer, if not blend in a blender and strain through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth, reserve juice.
2. Heat water and yuzu juice to a boil, adding lavender sprigs. Stir in sugar and create a simple syrupy substance, once sugar is melted take off heat and let cool. Remove lavender sprigs and discard.
3. Combine juice and syrup in a shallow plastic plan.
4. Freeze until mostly frozen, scrape icy mixture with a fork to “fluff” up.
5. Serve with a basil and salt garnish.

Enjoy and cheers!

Farm Tomato, Hummus, Mozzarella, and Arugula Sando

Arugulaaaa it’s a VEGET-A-BLE 😉

This sandwich is healthy, filling, and delicious. As an added bonus it’s under 300 calories,  254 cals to be exact, high in protein and fiber.I love simple sandwiches like this, especially when I’m tired of the same ole meat and cheese.

Nutrition Info:

• Calories: 254
• Fat: 10 grams
• Carbs: 31 grams
• Protein: 15 grams
• Cholesterol: 30 mg
• Sodium: 386  mg
• Net carbs: 24 grams
• Fiber: 7 grams
• Sugars: 2 grams
• Calcium: 30%

Prep Time: 5 min

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Orowheat Sandwich Thin
• 1.5 oz Fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1 Tomato (small), sliced
• 1 TBS Hummus, I like to make my own.
• .5 C. Arugula

Spread the hummus on the lightly toasted thin, then add tomatoes, mozzarella, and arugula. Done!

Strawberry and Pecan Spinach Salad + OXO Giveaway : Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker

Summer is here (I live in Texas remember) and that means it’s salad time in ZBD land. I love salads year round but there’s just something about the summer time that makes them taste better! Included in this post is a chance for you to win your very own OXO Salad Dressing Shaker! See details on how to win at the end of the post 🙂

Strawberry and Pecan Spinach Salad with a Lemon Poppy Yuzu Dressing 

Prep: 10 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 6-8 C. Baby Spinach
• 2 C. Strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 C. Pecans

Dressing:

• Juice of two lemons
• 1/8 C. Yuzu Juice
• 1/4 C. Olive Oil
• 1/4 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 TBS. Poppy Seeds
• 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/8 tsp. Sea salt

Instructions:

The Salad Dressing Shaker by OXO makes it easy to measure with the handy measurements on the side. Add in this order for ease: Olive oi to 1/4 marker, yuzu to 1/3 marker, apple cider to 1/2 marker, then add lemon juice and poppy seeds/seasonings. Shake well before pouring. Can store for up to a week in the fridge.

My thoughts on the OXO Salad Shaker…

I love everything about it:

• The rubber grip helps to well keep a “grip” on it even if you get a bit of oil on your fingers which is nice.
• I love the measurement marks, I usually eyeball but this helps me for writing my recipes for dressings out and being a blogger that comes in handy a lot.
• I love the simple spout thats sealed with a rubber grommet, it allows your finger to rest on top for added security. I haven’t had it leak out once no matter how hard I shake it. I’ve had shakers in the past where this is not the case and I end up with oil and vinegar all over my cabinets 😦 This simple design is actually the best I’ve seen. Best of all you can use it one handed!
• It’s BPA free which is a plus for times when making a warm dressing! No leeching BPA’s into your dressing is always a plus!
• It’s all sealed wonderfully so you can leave the dressing in the shaker for multiples days in the fridge, depending on your ingredients some may even last a couple of weeks.
• It says it’s dishwasher safe, but I know this product will probably last me much longer if I hand wash it, so that’s what I’ve been doing. I like my gadgets to last a long time 😉
• It holds a 1 1/2 C. capacity which is plenty for me.

I haven’t found any cons with this product and plan on doing a follow up in 6 months.

*I received 2 OXO Salad Dressing Shakers for FREE, one for myself and one to give away to one of my loyal followers. All opinions I have expressed are my own truthful ones. I have not been paid by OXO or any affiliated company to write this review. I signed up  for OXO’s Blogger Outreach Program.

Here’s 5 ways to enter to win: (doing all 5 means you have 5 entries) 🙂

1. Subscribe to my Blog if you aren’t already and leave me a comment saying you’ve done so or already are an awesome fan.
2. “Like” OXO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OXO and  leave me a comment saying you’ve done so.
3. “Like” ZestyBeanDog on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zestybeandog and leave me a comment saying you’ve done so.
4. “Pin It” (this post)  on Pinterest  and leave me a comment saying you’ve done so.
5. Share This Post on your Facebook page and leave me a comment saying you’ve done so.

I apologize for any inconvenience but this is limited to U.S. Residents ONLY. 

Good Luck! The winner will be announced May 1st 2012! Cheers!

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie That’s aMargherita Pizza

It’s pizza time again! Here’s a timeless classic, I know it’s a change of pace from my usually uniquely exciting pies but I like normal stuff too, stuff without kale and yuzu juice 😉 Enjoy and HAPPY EASTER! 

Prep: 1 hr

Cook Time: 20-25 min

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

Toppings

• 2-3 Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 C. Crushed tomatoes (to make a sauce)
• 1/4 C. Fresh Basil
• 1 tsp. Fresh basil (for sauce).
• 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella, sliced into medallions
• Olive oil, about 1 TBS
• Salt, pepper, fine herbs (whatever you like).
• 1/4 C. Parmigiano reggiano, the GOOD stuff!

Crust/Dough

• 1 (1/4 ounce) Package active dry yeast
• 1 C. Warm water
• 1 TBS. Sea salt
• 2 tsp Olive oil
• 2 1/2-3 1/2 cups Bread flour
• 1/4 C. Cornmeal

Instructions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl.
2. Add sea salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cup flour.
3. Attach bowl and dough hook, turn to speed 2 and mix 1 minute.
4. Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough clings to dough hook and cleans sides of bowl. Knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes. If making 2 pies split dough into 2 balls.
5. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.
6. Cover, let rise in warmest place in house away from draft until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
7. Punch dough down each ball.
8. Roll out dough as you like and place on your cooking surface. (stone, tin, pan, etc.) Use cornmeal to prevent sticking
   To Top: lay down oil, crushed tomato and herbs (with that TBS of basil) process it briefly, then place mozzarella on top, Then romas, Finally sprinkle with Parmigiano reggiano. Bake until golden and top with fresh basil chiffonade.
   Bake for 20-25 min until bubbly and golden!
   Enjoy and Cheers!

Grilled Cheese on Rosemary Bread with Sauteed Kale

Easy Sunday Lunch!

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 5-1o min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 4 Slices of rosemary bread from local bakery
• 4 slices of provolone cheese
• Butter or butter substitute like Earth Balance
• 1 tsp Zestybeandog Fine Herb Blend
• 1 Bunch of kale, chopped (remove stem).
• 1 Garlic clove, minced
• 1 Shallot, minced (or 1 TBS shallot).
• 1 TBS Olive oil
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 large skillets on med high.
2. Butter bread and place 2 slices of provolone in between, grill until golden brown on each side and sprinkle with ZBD herb blend.
3. While cooking grilled cheeses: Add olive oil to other skillet and saute garlic and shallots for 30 sec, add kale and lemon juice and cook for about 5-10 min, salt and pepper at end (a pinch of each).
4. If you are feeling saucy and want to take your grilled cheese to the next dimension… add a pinch of black truffle salt (a decent quality salt) to the grilled cheeses!

Enjoy!

Simple Favorite That Will Knock Your Socks Off! Grilled Cheese with Black Truffle Salt

Prep Time: 3 Min
Cook Time: 5 min
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
-Butter, 1 tsp
-2 slices of bread, I like whole wheat
-2 Slices of provolone cheese
-1 Pinch of black truffle salt

Instructions:
1. Butter bread on one side of each slice of bread
2. Place cheese slices in-between bread
3. Cook for about 2.5 min on medium high on each side until browned
4. Sprinkle truffle salt on top, not too much!!!

Don’t know where to get black truffle salt??? Try Savory Spice Shop or Marx Foods! it’s expensive, but you only need a PINCH!

Enjoy