Vegan Ranch-Italian Dressing

If you remember from a previous post, I made a mistake in making this dressing BUT it was surprisingly good.  Someone told me share the recipe, so here it is:

1 can of low-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup of soy or sunflower lecithin (get from your health food store)
20 oz. NON-GMO canola oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
TT dry mustard
TT salt
TT white pepper
assorted dried herbs of your liking (Italian Seasoning works best)

Procedure:

1.  Take about 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and mix with the lecithin in a food processor.  Mix until smooth.

2.  Slowly add the oil in a small, steady stream.  This creates emulsification.

3.  Mix this until it develops the consistence of mayonnaise.

Pour in the remainder of the milk, vinegar, lemon juice, and dry mustard.

4.  Add the seasonings to your liking.  However, keep in mind that freshly made dressings develop their flavors as they sit.

5.  Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

This dressing is a mixture of Italian dressing as well.  Don't fret because it separates.  It's supposed to do that.

CHALLENGE: WHO CAN HEALTHIZE THIS?

Ok, a few days ago I came up with a challenge to make traditional Alfredo sauce healthy.  Your answers were 'amazing'.  So, I've taken the liberty to post your answers and my healthy version of Alfredo sauce.  Enjoy and still feel free to comment.

WARNING:  You all provided a lot of answers.

Your answers:

Jessie Powers Young You can swap full fat coconut milk for the cream (much healthier fat), swap ghee or coconut oil for butter, nutritional yeast will give a cheesy flavor you could probably use that instead of parm. Use roasted spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles in place of the pasta. 

Jessie Powers Young Oh and if it is not thick enough add some arrowroot powder.

Tracy Robert Lieberman How about keeping it real and delicious and cutting the portion back to 2/3 cup?

Judy Rudzinski Eat a big salad and a small portion of fettuccine goodness.

 

Jamie Hawkins I would eliminate the Heavy cream and Butter and use olive oil.

 

Tia ReddBone Williams I would use low fat cream and low fat cheese. Eliminate butter for olive oil add kale

Jamie Hawkins add black olives

 
Linda P. Lark Hello Tisha. These are some of the ingredients I use to make mine. I've been making it this way for over 40 yrs and my family and friends along with myself love it. Try reducing butter amount to 2 Tablespoons or use 2 Tablespoons of olive oil or combine 2 Tablespoons of butter & 2 Tablespoons of olive oil together. Next substitute 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 cup diluted Carnation/Pet/ brand evaporated milk or any brand of your choice with 1 cup diluted evaporated whole/ undiļuted skim milk/lowfat milk or 1 cup half & half or combine 1/2 cup half & half and 1/2 cup of your choice of evaporated milk/your choice of lowfat/ 2%/skim/ while milk. In place of 1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, substitute with an 8 oz bag and a half of Sargentos cheese/brand of your choice which equals 1 1/2 cups of 2% low fat low moisture grated italian cheeses or pizza cheeses which are all blended cheeses white in color and consist of grated parmesan, romano, smoked provolone/provolone, mozzarella and asiago cheeses. Or you can also combine1/2 cup fat free/lowfat cream cheese plus 2 Tablespoons nonfat/lowfat sour cream and 1 cup parmesan cheese or 1 cup of blended cheeses. Just tweak the amounts as desired. I also add a few teaspoons of white wine along with white pepper and just a hint of fresh or dried fennel to taste. Hope this helps you. Good luck and enjoy!

Rayelta Nayar These were the ingredients to one variation:

1 Cup Soymilk
1/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
3 Tbs Low-Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika (smoked is awesome)
1 Pinch Nutmeg
2-4 Cloves of Garlic, optional
Black pepper, to taste

 

Deborah Cook Adkins Oh boy that's a challenging one!!! It's my favorite sauce too. Would love to see a healthy version

Leon Trent Good luck with that.

Sue Gale Layman Cline Can you use skim milk, and diet margarine? Maybe less cheese ...It might be thinner but should taste about the same?? Other wise I have no idea

Pamela Sue Olive oil for half the oil?

Cheryl Sleeth I've done away with "white sauce"... I heat up olive oil, add mince garlic, red pepper flakes, and when my noodles are done, toss in the spaghetti...you could always sauté green peppers, add in cooked chicken, cooked broccoli, ...any thing actually that you like....but, I will never give up my red sauce...lol

Cherie Antin Fasbinder my sis in-law makes a lightened alfredo that is pretty good... 1/2 C. reduced calorie margarine, 1 C. freshly grated parmesan, & 2/3 C. light evaporated skim milk... add a little garlic to taste.

Marlene Helvey Use Evaporated milk in place of cream, non-fat yet creamy, Use half the butter, or use coconut oil or olive oil.

Leon Trent The noodles will still be there. Packed with carbs.

 

Deborah Cook Adkins Exactly ^^, only substitute I can think for the pasta is maybe spaghetti squash or zucchini peeled like noodles

Leon Trent Exactly Deborah, u would just be putting a good sauce on top of something very fattening.

Marlene Helvey You can get low carb pasta. My cousin uses it for her diabetes.

Leon Trent Yes, there are substitutes that have a smaller amount but for some people it's still too much.

Peggy Garrett Cook check out Davita site, they have an alfredo sauce that is diabetic and renal friendly, tastes great.

Leon Trent Sauce does not take the carbs away.

Leon Trent Pasta still there.

Leslie DeLynn Hodges Ok Tisha, I've been trying to come up with a substitute for the cream and hitting a road block. Instead of butter you can use olive oil and nutritional yeast seasoning in place of the parmesan cheese. What is the answer?

Ella Lane Super easy! But I won't ruin it!

 

Stella Karakatsanis-Melone Put it on chicken breast sans pasta is on way to take out carbs

James Gilligan Or on a veg

 

Colleen Shine It is meant to be unhealthy:)

 

Robert Roy Johnson Butter from grass fed cows. Coconut milk instead of cream. Raw, unpasteurized cheese from grass fed cows. Then spoon it over cauliflower rice (looks like rice, but made from organic cauliflower). I've done it and it's delicious.

Abe Lentner Easy. Keep it exactly the way it is, but serve it in small 3/4 cup portions with a large side of lightly seasoned, steamed summer veggies.

 

Robert Roy Johnson Or, do it my way, and eat until you're satisfied, rather than measuring out your portion and going away hungry (eating lots of veggies a good idea, but not to fill you up at the expense of what you really want to eat). Go Paleo.

Kerri Kasper Jonikas Replace heavy cream with coconut milk in a can and replace Parmesan with nutritional yeast.

 

Jill Kearns cup ghee, cup coconut cream or milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, soaked macadamia nuts - puréed in a food processor, parsley, sea salt to taste.
Not sure if you can dump 1 1/2 cups of nutritional yeast in and get the right flavor/texture like Parmesan cheese. I would guess 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast and 1 cup of nuts.

 

Kerri Kasper Jonikas Yeah nutritional yeast is a better sub for cheddar cheese. But could work in this case

 

 

Karrie Ann I would mostly just use raw dairy to make this a real food dish.

 

 

Kerri Kasper Jonikas But raw dairy is so costly and some still can't digest it well:(

 

 

Karrie Ann Right, this is what I'd do for our family. Those other suggestions look right on!

Here's my Version:  Keep it simple the way the original recipe states it; however, adding tapioca flour or arrowroot will help with the thickening.

Healthy Alfredo Sauce -

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil OR Non-GMO Canola oil OR Smart Balance OR Earth Balance (lotta options)
 
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup soy, almond or any other nutmilks - if you want, feel free to use the healthy fat of coconut milk
2 TT tapioca flour or arrowroot
1 cup Nutritional yeast - or just enough for the taste that you want
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley - optional
TT Salt
TT White Pepper

Directions:

Melt healthy butter or oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Saute garlic for about a minute.  Add milk and when slighty warm add the tapioca or arrowroot.  Simmer for 5 minute - while whisking.  Then add nutritional yeast while continually whisking.  Heat thoroughly.  Season and stir in parsley.  Serve.

Second Option - Tofu

1 block of tofu
1 cup soy, almond or any nut or coconut milk 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil OR Non-GMO Canola oil OR Smart Balance OR Earth Balance (lotta options

1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
TT Salt
TT White Pepper

Directions:

Mix tofu and milk in a blender until smooth.  Melt healthy butter or oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Saute garlic for about a minute.  Add tofu mixture.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Keep whisking to keep sides and bottom from burning.  Add nutritional yeast and continue whisking.  Heat thoroughly.  Season and stir in parsley.  Serve. 

Baked Parmesan Fish

I love parmesan.



Ingredients:

16 ounces fish fillets
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
Breading
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

METHOD

1 Beat egg and milk in a shallow bowl and set aside. In a zipper bag combine breading ingredients.
2 One at a time dip fillets in egg, shake off excess and turn or shake in breading in bag.
3 *Bake uncovered on an oiled baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 25 min or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
4 Can be served with lemon wedges if desired.

*Note:  Personally, I'd make one change.  I'd lightly pan-fry the fish for 1-2 minutes per side to develop color.  Then I'd place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until done

Kale Chips

This was a by-chance discovery.  When I started researching the raw diet, I came across this delicacy.  Believe when I say that I was thinking, "Ewww.  I don't think so," or something like that.  However, I did think so and I tried it and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.  My children where surprised and I knew that I was on to something. 

Since Kale chips are the "healthy" version of potato chips, I decided to make some variations of potato chips.  Salt and Vinegar chips are popular in the African-American community so that's what I tried to imitate and again, it worked.

Ingredients

1 bag of Kale (I buy the cut up kind)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or regular vinegar
1/8 to 1/4 cup of oil
TT Salt
TT Pepper

1 plastic gallon-sized Ziploc bag
Dehydrator, or
thin baking sheet

Procedure

Place oil, vinegar, and seasons in the bag.  Seal and shake until well coated.

Add the kale into the bag - as much as can fit.  Seal and shake until well coated.  Season to taste.

Remove the kale from the bag and place on your dehydrator sheet.  Turn your dehydrator up to 145 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then reduce the temp to 105 degrees and dehydrate until they are crisp (best to do this at night and let the dehydrator run overnight).

If you DON'T have a dehydrator, preheat your oven on the "lowest" setting.  Place your kale on a baking sheet and bake until crisp.  This won't be a raw version but it will still be healthy. 

Uses:  You can eat these alone, sprinkle them over salad or your favorite pasta, or place in salsa (that's what I did).

Fruit is So Important

Fruits that can save your life! pic.twitter.com/NEC3V5HbPC

— Truth Hub (@TruthHub) April 22, 2014

Raw Coconut-Lemon Cheesecake

Who said eating healthy doesn't have to be good.  Come on, who????

I'm in a midst of a detox and I wanted something sweet.  After going through my cookbook, I realized I had all of these ingredients in my cabinet, frig, and freezer.  So I went for it.

Now even though I had all of the ingredients, I didn't feel like making a crust.  That's totally ok.  If you don't have all the of the ingredients for the crust, just make the "Cheesecake" and pour it in a bowl and set it.  That's what I did and I am loving my results.



Crust

1 1/2 cups dry almonds
1/2 cups coconut flakes
3 ounces of date paste (weight)
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

9-10 inch springform pan lightly oiled with coconut oil

1.  Add to food processor all of the ingredients EXCEPT add only 1/2 of the date paste.  Process all ingredients until the crust starts to rise on the sides of the processor bowl.  Stop the machine and mix together.

2.  Repeat until nuts are broken down completely.  Add remaining paste and process until mixture is consistent.  The final result should be a mixture that will hold together.

3.  Distribute the crust evenly on the bottom of the pan and lightly compact by hand.  Set aside until ready to be filled.


Coconut-Lemon Filling

3 cups soaked cashews
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsps. lecithin (soy or sunflower)
3/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil

1.  Add to blender all ingredients expect oil and lecithin.  Blend well until smooth and creamy (this may take about 5-10 minutes depending on the type of blender you have).

2.  Stop blending and add the lecithin and melted coconut oil.  Resume blending until oil and lecithin are well incorporated.

3.  Pour filling into prepared springform pan OR prepared bowl.

4.  Place in the freezer to set 1-2 hours or until middle of cheesecake is firm to the touch.

Corn Tortilla Chips

I gotta keep snacks in the house - especially with two hungry children and a hubby.  Since we're all busy everything has to be quick.  I didn't even know that making these chips could be so simple until we made them at work a few years ago.  Ever since then, I've been making them at home. 

This with guacamole and/or salsa . . . . . . .

Feel free to season them any way you like.  I've even tried sprinkling them with lime juice.   Mmmm.





Ingredients

1 pack of corn tortillas - non-GMO
Oil for frying (I used canola - make sure you can get non-GMO)

Large Bowl
Paper Towels

Procedure

Preheat oil in a large pot - I prefer to use this over a skillet.

Line your large bowl with paper towels.

Cut tortilla's into triangles (4 big or 8 small - it's totally up to you).

Place 2-3 handfuls of your chip into the hot oil (careful not to burn yourself). 

Fry for about 3 minutes while separating the chips with a large fork.

Remove the chips from the oil and place them in the bowl. 

Repeat until all the chips are fried.  Enjoy with guacamole, salsa, or mango salsa.