This recipe was inspired by a photo I saw on Plant Based Janes account. I had a head of cauliflower needing to be used up and a couple of old lemons. I always want greens in my food so adding in some leaves from my sweet potato vines made this a perfectly healthy and delicious dinner. It far exceeded my expectations! I used the gluten free macaroni from Costco and cassava root flour to make it gluten free but you can use anything you desire! Make it your own. Just make it!

Ingredients:

5 cups sliced cauliflower florets. Slice them to make them flat.
1/4 c. cassava root flour or flower of choice
1/2 tsp. salt or salt of choice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. coconut or avocado oil
1/2 c. butter (I use kerri gold)
1/2 minced onion (about 1/3 cup)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 medium lemon, juiced or two small
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped greens as desired and fresh herbs
Cooked pasta as desired, about 4 - 5 cups

Directions:
Wash and prepare the cauliflower into sliced florets, No thicker than 1/2 inch thick.
Put them in a bowl and sprinkle the salt, pepper and flour and gently toss to coat. Add more flour if needed. Cook pasta at this time as well and set aside. 

Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan. Add the florets and fry on both sides till golden. Do not burn! about 4 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate with a paper towel.

Using the same frying pan (wipe out if too caked in flour and cauliflower bits), add the stick of butter and onions. Sauté the onions on medium heat until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute longer. Do not burn! Stir in the broth and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer a minute to thicken. Add in the chopped greens like kale, chard or sweet potato leaves. Sauté just till barely tender. Add in the cauliflower and toss with the lemon butter sauce. Be careful to not break up the florets. Let simmer for a minute then toss in the pasta. Just enough so that there is lemon butter for all. Add a little more butter if needed. Salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon if desired. I also added chopped parsley and basil when adding in the greens. Served 4 people generously. 

Oh how I love these enchiladas! I miss the days when cooking with cheese was a regular thing for me but these still pop up as guests a few times a year. You can make them as spicy as you want and make them with fresh or frozen corn. You can have the whole thing made and baked in under an hour. I love these served with fresh, tomatillo salsa, salad and watermelon. It just tastes like summer to me. 

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas ( I love the sprouted corn variety at Sprouts)
2 T. butter
1/2 to 1 tsp. cumin
1 c. sour cream
1  4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and diced (optional for spice)
Mango Habanero Spice Hunters seasoning as desired, optional. (I get it at Sprouts)
Chipotle or other spice as desired to taste
3 C. frozen white corn (Costco) or 3 cups fresh cut corn off cob (about 5 ears)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. water
2 c. shredded Mexican cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in skillet, add onions and sauté a few minutes then add corn, water, cumin and jalapeño if desired. Sauté till tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat and add in green chilies, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, salt, pepper, mango seasoning or any other seasoning desired. Spice it up as much or as little as desired. Chipotle seasoning works great also. Fry corn tortillas in a little coconut oil till just limp then roll up tortillas with about 1/3 cup filling in each. Put a little filling in the bottom of the 9 X 13 pan then layer each rolled  and filled tortilla in the pan. Cover with any remaining filling just enough to moisten the top and cover with remaining cheese. Bake covered for about 20 -30 minutes on 350. 

This vegetarian taco filling is great in a good tortilla or even as a skillet meal topped with a fried egg. We did both. You can add extra veggies as well but the flavors are delicious!

Ingredients:

1  1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 c. avocado oil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup diced onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 can black beans or pinto beans
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
3 T. honey
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. chopped cilantro

Corn tortillas, pico, avocado, lettuce, etc. for toppings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix spices and toss with avocado oil on sweet potatoes. Spread them on a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast till golden, about 20 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté onion and bell pepper in oil for about 5 minutes then add the garlic, corn and beans. Continue cooking until tender. Add in the honey, lime juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet mixture and simmer a few minutes to blend flavors. Serve bowl style or in tortillas with all the fixings. 

**Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Eggplants are one thing that grow in abundance in my garden. They aren't my favorite of veggies but I love them in this dish! Using almond flour instead of wheat flour leaves them crunchy and grain free! 

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup finely ground almond flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
coconut oil for frying

Directions:

Cut eggplant in 1/3 inch slices and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt and let sit 15 minutes. Squeeze out the moisture in the eggplant. Mix almond flour, Parmesan, sea salt, garlic and pepper. Dip eggplant slices into whipped egg and then into almond flour mixture. Fry till golden on both sides and top with marinara sauce. 

**Recipe from www.alldayidreamaboutfood.com

This pasta is a summer gardners favorite because it uses up the plentiful tomatoes, zucchini and basil. I could eat this every day. It is so light and delicious and just smells like summer to me! Best part is that it takes 15 minutes tops!

Ingredients:

About 4 cups cooked pasta of choice. Usually half bag of spaghetti. 
 I love Tinkyada brown rice pasta and quinoa macaroni at Costco.
2 cups chopped zucchini
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 or more cups chopped roma tomatoes or halved Cherry tomatoes
1/2 c. or more chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. or more Fresh parmesan

Directions:
​
Cook pasta till al dente. 
Sauté zucchini and garlic in olive oil till barely tender. Add in tomatoes and basil
and heat until tomatoes are soft and juicy. Add in noodles and fresh parmesan. Let 
the cheese melt and add in salt and pepper to taste!

​

If you are like me and are picking 3-4 zucchinis a day, you need to find every possible way to use them. This recipe turned out so good and was full of so many veggies, even my abundant white eggplants I can never seem to use up. I love to top baked sweet potatoes with chili. Even better on sweet potatoe fries! I would have loved adding some avocado on top but I was fresh out. You can really customize this recipe any way you want. 

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini or 1 zucchini/ 1 small eggplant
1 medium onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
3 cloves garlic
3 T. avocado oil
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 15 oz cans pinto beans
1 15 oz can black beans
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 T. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked chipotle pepper to taste or just additional chili powder
1 T. honey
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin

Directions:

Chop all veggies and herbs. Saute the zucchini, eggplant, peppers and onion in oil until tender. Add in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then let simmer, covered for about 30 minutes or until all veggies are tender. Add more salt or chili powder
as desired. 

To make sweet potatoes; scrub and prick potatoes, bake at 350 0ver foil till tender, about 30-45 minutes depending on the size. 

This soup tastes creamy without the cream! It has very basic ingredients with lots of flavor. It's one of my favorites to use up my garden broccoli. 

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cups potatoes, in half inch pieces
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 large head of broccoli, cut into flowerets
Turmeric, salt, pepper
Optional: thick coconut milk, nutritional yeast, Smokey Turmeric by
Spice Hunters. 

Directions:

Cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrots in some oil for about 5 minutes. Add broth,  potatoes, broccoli and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until tender.  When veggies are tender, use a hand mixer wand and puree till thickened with some chunks remaining. I use a hand wand but a blender is fine also, just put half the soup in to keep some chunks. I use the Spice Hunter Smokey Turmeric but you can add some plain turmeric as well, about 1 tsp. if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in some thick coconut milk as desired and a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast for the cheese effect. 

For the pressure cooker method: Add all veggies, including the broccoli to the broth. Bring pressure to high and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Quick release and then use a hand wand to puree veggies leaving chunks. Broccoli will mostly be on top so puree from the bottom to keep broccoli in chunks. You can also just put half in the blender. Season as per stove top directions. 

If soup is thin, bring to a boil, stirring constantly before almond milk is added and reduce liquid. It will thicken upon standing as well. 

This soup is bursting with gingery coconut flavor! It is simple and hearty and just perfect for a cool night. Lentils give you a great helping of protein totally planted based. The coconut milk makes this so deliciously creamy without any dairy! ​

Ingredients:

1 T. coconut oil
1/2 chopped onion
3 stalks, celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 T. fresh grated ginger
1 can coconut milk
2 cans chicken or vegetable broth (fill up the coconut milk can twice)
12 oz. dry red lentils, washed and sorted
3 T. coconut aminos or Bragg's liquid aminos
juice of 1-2 limes or 1/2 lemon if in a pinch!
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro and smoked paprika for garnish

Directions:

Sauté all veggies and fresh ginger in the coconut oil in a pot for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the lime juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 40  minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Top with cilantro and smoked paprika if desired.