Beyond A Foodie

Category: Uncategorized

  • Loaded Vegan Tostadas

    I’ll admit, I during the developing this recipe, I gave one of these tostadas to my husband and he had eaten 90% of it before realizing there was not an ounce of meat to be found on the plate.   With two whole grains, plenty of healthy fats, protein rich nut, legumes and plenty of umami balanced with the acidic bite of pickled carrots. You won’t miss the meat! 

    I don’t like to label a recipe  vegan keto paleo etc, because those who don’t fall into those dietary categories inherently “shut off” to the possibility of enjoying that dish. This recipe is so hearty, even a hardcore meat lover would enjoy. With that being said, please accept that this recipe is titled because of seo, and if you are not a vegan, just call them loaded tostadas and go about your food loving life. 

    The recipe up into  5 components, in the order you would follow for assembly. Feel free to switch up in traditional tacos, burrito or bowl  or try out new ingredients to suit your needs! 


    Loaded Vegan Tostadas

    Oven Fried Tostadas

    • 6-8 corn tortillas
    • 2 tsp vegetable oil
    • 1 juice lime
    • tt sea salt

    Refried Black Beans

    • 2 c black beans (cooked)
    • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1/4 c onion (minced)
    • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
    • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1/4 c water
    • tt salt

    Mexican Rice and Quinoa

    • 3/4 c quick-cook qunioa
    • 3/4 c white rice
    • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 c tomato sauce
    • 2 c vegetable stock
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    Roasted Poblano Corn Salsa

    • 1 ear corn (or )
    • 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (frozen and thawed)
    • 1 poblano
    • 1 small onion (diced)
    • 2 tsp cilantro (chopped)
    • 1/2 tsp cumin
    • 1/4 tsp paprika
    • 1/2 tsp honey
    • tt salt and pepper

    Avocado Crema

    • 1 medium ripe avocado
    • 1/2 c cashews (soaked)
    • 1/2 tsp cilantro (chopped)
    • 1/2 tsp coriander
    • 1 tsp lime juice
    • tt salt

    Oven Fried Tostadas

    1. Preheat oven to 400º . Brush tortillas with oil on both sides. Place tortillas on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 2-3 minutes on each side until crip. watch closely to prevent burning. when done, remove from oven and sprinkle with salt, lime juice. Set aside until ready to assemble.

    Refried Black Beans

    1. Add olive oil to a medium saucepan and bring to medium heat. Add garlic, onion and gently sauté until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes, to allow flavors to incorporate. Remove from heat. Remove 1/2 c black beans and set aside. Mash the remaining black means with a potato masher or food mill. Add reserved black beans back to the pan and return to low heat. Stir to ensure a smooth consistency add water (by the teaspoon) if needed. Adjust seasoning. Set aside until ready to assemble.

    Mexican Rice and Quinoa

    1. Add olive oil to a medium saucepan and bring to medium heat. Add garlic, onion and gently sauté until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes, to allow flavors to incorporate. Remove from heat. Remove 1/2 c black beans and set aside. Mash the remaining black means with a potato masher or food mill. Add reserved black beans back to the pan and return to low heat. Stir to ensure a smooth consistency add water (by the teaspoon) if needed. Adjust seasoning. Set aside until ready to assemble.

    Roasted Poblano Corn Salsa

    If using ear corn:

    1. Place whole corn on direct heat flame of gas stove. Roast until kernels just begin to show a light char. Remove from heat and let cool. Shuck corn and set aside.

    If using corn kernels:

    1. Place kernels on parchment lined baking sheet. Place sheet under broiler and until kernels just begin to show a light char. Remove from heat and let cool.

    2. Place poblano on direct heat flame of gas stove. Roast until pepper skin begins to blister, turning to ensure light char. Remove from heat place in a covered heat-proof bowl to cool. After cooling, peel charred skin, and discard. Remove seeds from poblano and small dice.

    3. In a small mixing bowl, combine prepared poblano, corn, onion cumin, cilantro, cumin paprika and honey. Mix until incorporated and season to taste. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

    Avocado Crema

    1. Drain cashews. In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except lime juice and salt. blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with remaining ingredients.

    Assembly

    1. Using prepared tostada shells as the base, spread a smear of refried black beans on each shell. Top with rice/quinoa mixture, then poblano corn salsa. Next, drizzle on avocado crema, garnish with pickled carrots and sprouts. Enjoy immediately.

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  • Mud Mask Smoothie

    I call this recipe mud mask, because it’s full of vitamin c, a and e and the perfect smoothie to have for clearer skin over time.

    Blackberries, blueberries and grapes give the mud mask smoothie its rich purple hue, and is a delicious flavor combo. I love to add kale for an extra boost of vitamin k, which is essential for blood circulation. By blending these leafy greens in your smoothie, the taste of the kale is hidden. Its perfect if you don’t like the taste of kale, or if you’re trying to sneak in extra veggies for a little one

    The recipe calls for warm water to break down the almonds, kale and allow for a creamy smoothie without using dairy. Use a high speed blender to get this smoothie extra smooth. If you don’t have one, be sure to chop your kale finely, add the water, almonds first, so the leaves are fully broken down in your final drink. To save time in the mornings, prep out your smoothie ingredients (everything except almonds and warm water) in individual freezer bags. Then dump your ingredients in the blender when you’re ready to go in the next days.

    Mud Mask Smoothie

    • 1 pear (sliced)
    • 1 cup red or green kale (stems removed)
    • 1 frozen banana
    • 1 1/2 cup frozen peaches
    • 1/4 cup blackberries
    • 1/4 cup blueberries
    • 1/4 cup almonds
    • 3 t warm water

    1. In a blender, combine kale, almonds and water and pulse until there are no chunks left in mixture.

    2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth texture is achieved

    Additional Info

      Great for your skin!

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  • Coconut Caramel Latté

    You don’t have to be a barrista to enjoy a quality latté at home. This rustic latte recipe that can be easily replicated and scaled up to please a small group. The sweet coconut gives this drink a tropical twist to a classic coffee shop flavor. The dairy in this recipe can easily be swapped out for cashew/almond based half and half to make it vegan. If you don’t have espresso, substitute for super concentrated coffee (more grinds, less liquid) made in a french press or drip coffee maker. 

    Coconut Caramel Latté

    • 1 oz hot espresso
    • 5 oz half and half
    • 1 oz coconut cream
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1.5 T caramel sauce (divided)
    • coconut shavings for garnish ((optional))

    1. In a medium sized coffee cup, add espresso, and caramel sauce, set aside.

    2. Combine half and half, coconut milk and vanilla. Steam until warm using a milk frother, or heat milk, cream in a small saucepan using low heat (do not boil) and whisk until foamy. Set aside for assembly.

    3. To assemble latte, add espresso and a small amount of caramel sauce to mug of choice. Stir to combine.

    4. Next, gently pour frothed milk into mug. Drizzle with remaining caramel sauce and garnish with shaved coconut. Enjoy immediately!

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  • Spiced Caramel Apple Cider

    Don’t leave apple cider in the fall months! This recipe is perfect for any cold winter night. Mix it up: brandy can be substituted for bourbon or salted caramel vodka. Don’t have mulling spices? Buy them here.

    Spiced Caramel Apple Cider

    • 4 1/2 c apple cider
    • 2 t mulling spices
    • 1/3 c caramel
    • 1 honey crisp apple (thinly sliced)
    • 1/2 cup brandy ((optional))

    1. In a medium saucepan, combine cider, spices and caramel and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add brandy to cider mix and strain into mugs. Garnish with apple slices and serve immediately.

    Brandy can be substituted for bourbon or salted caramel vodka!

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  • Sweet Potato Smoothie

    Fall is on the horizion, and pumpkin spice is going to be everywhere!

    In an effort to go against the grain, you will find my kitchen is overflowing with sweet potatoes (and winter squash, but we’ll save that for another post). Sweet potatoes are such a delicious staple, and truly a superfood. They contain one of the highest concentrations of the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene, which gives them their orange color, and is broken down into vitamin-a in the body. Also, vitamin c, manganese, copper, and, b vitamins. All of which are vital to eye, skin and organ health.

    The best thing about sweet potatoes, is that they are so amazingly versatile, that you can use them in a number of applications for any meal of the day. Why not incorporate into the first meal of the day? Prep sweet potatoes by baking them the evening before, cooling and storing in the fridge for future meals.

    Bake sweet potatoes in a 350º oven until tender, cool them off, and use them for future meals. They are great in pies, pasta, muffins, and even smoothies! Step up your smoothie game by adding this recipe to your arsenal. Perfect for breakfast or a snack.

    Sweet Potato Smoothie

    • 1 c cooked sweet potato
    • 2 bananas
    • 1/2 c frozen mango
    • 1/2 c frozen peaches
    • 1/2 c organic apple or carrot juice
    • 1/4 c half and half or coconut cream
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/4 c oat flour
    • 1 c ice
    • ice

    1. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Add water if mixture is to thick to blend. Top with nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, and dried fruit.

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  • The Classic Green Smoothie

    The Classic Green Smoothie

    • 1/4 cup almonds
    • 1/3 cup dried apricots
    • 3-4 t cup warm water
    • 1 cup diced mango (fresh or frozen)
    • 1/2 cup spinach
    • 2 bananas (frozen)

    1. In a blender, combine apricots, almonds and water and pulse until there are no chunks left in mixture. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth texture is achieved.

  • Ultra Rich Drinking Chocolate

    Made from a scratch chocolate beverage with rich condensed milk, raw cacao powder and dark chocolate. The velvety and rich consistency is great for dessert. Add your favorite liqueur, such as amaretto, hazelnut or salted caramel vodka. If you’re used to packet cocoa, this will change you forever. You were warned!

    Drinking chocolate refers to the texture of the cup, which resembles sipping a container of melted chocolates. My mom grew me up on this from her travels in europe. I never had a swiss miss or nesquik. One sip of this and you’ll throw all your cocoa packets away for life lol. If you’re afraid of full-fat dairy, cream, sugar and the like, wait for me to post a different recipe, don’t try to sub this one out for 2%!!! It won’t be the same! 

    The end result is a thick, velvety warm cup of goodness. Just sweet enough to accentuate the sweet cream in the milk, while contrasting the bitter notes of the chocolate. I didn’t have my usual hazelnut liqueur, so I subbed it for salted caramel vodka, not bad! Use good chocolate! 65% or above, only. Milk chocolate will get lost in the cream. Cheap chocolate will taste like you’re drinking chalk. No breaking the bank round these parts. Moser roth, a german chocolate company, sells pretty good quality chocolate at your local aldi. This bar is fair trade 75% single origin dominican, $3.99! can’t beat that!

    The last tip, don’t boil this. scorching the milk causes it’s natural sugars (lactose) to “burn” thus losing the note of sweetness the cream adds. Plus it creates that yucky film you get when boiled milk cools off. Give it a try and don’t drink too much, your stomach will regret it!

    Ultra Rich Drinking Chocolate

    • 2/3 c sweetened condensed milk
    • 4 t cacao powder (plus extra)
    • 1 c water
    • 6 oz dark chocolate (65% or above)
    • 4 c whole milk
    • 1/2 c heavy cream
    • 2 oz hazelnut (almond or salted caramel liqueur)
    • 6 t heavy cream (whisked until slightly thick)

    1. In a small saucepan bring sweetened condensed milk to a simmer and and turn heat to low. Whisk in cocao powder and chocolate until melted. Whisk in water and increase heat to medium. Whisk milk into chocolate sauce until throughly incorporated. Continue to whisk until milk is heated through, being careful not to bring to a boil. After the mixture is warm, turn off the heat, and add liqueur of choice. Divide drinking chocolate into two mugs, top with slightly-whipped cream and garnish with cocao powder.

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  • Fluffy + Free Blueberry Pancakes

    Would you believe me if I told you these were vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free? For the record, I am personally not gluten-free. But I believe its good to have recipes to please everyone in the room. It’s also good to have healthy alternatives to otherwise heavy breakfast. Healthy living is about balance; eating to enjoy, but also eating to heal, strengthen, and sustain your body. Let’s be honest, most of us eat with our eyes. Telling someone, “eat this because this is good for you” is not gonna cut it. Food should make you happy, excited, and should bring about positive emotions, connect you to great places, people, and memories. I strive to develop nourishing recipes that please your eyes and taste buds and bring about happy thoughts, emotions. These emotions are beneficial to your health as well, by curbing stress releasing good hormones such as dopamine the, neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers (psychology today).  

    What you put in your body does reflect how it looks and performs. To the pancakes!

    These double blueberry pancakes are sure to be hit to even traditional meat-eaters (honest, my husband devoured them). As mentioned before, there is no wheat, dairy, eggs, or refined sugar in this recipe. After experimenting with different flours for a friend, with an egg allergy, this seemed to yield the fluffiest cake. The banana gives structure and sweetness to the batter. The riper, the better. This pancake recipe calls for oat flour, which you can buy or purchase some traditional rolled oats and pulse them in a high-speed blender to make your own. This is what i prefer because it’s usually less expensive than ready-made oat flour.

    The best part about this recipe, is that you can throw all but two ingredients in the blender, buzz it a few times, and it’s pretty much done. The last step before grilling is to stir in the vinegar. The combination baking soda and vinegar react to create the “rise” in the pancake. It will change the color of your batter (if using blueberries) a bit. experiment with different plant-based milk and mix-ins to come up with your own fun recipe.

    Vegan Blueberry Banana Pancakes

    • 2 c oat flour
    • 2 large ripe bananas
    • 1 t baking soda
    • 1.5 c cashew (almond or soy milk)
    • .5 c blueberries (fresh or frozen (optional))
    • 3 t honey
    • 2 t apple cider vinegar
    • 11 t oil for grilling

    1. In a blender or food processor, combine oat flour, bananas, baking soda, milk, half of the blueberries, and honey. Pulse until mixture is smooth. add more milk if needed. stir vinegar into batter until completely incorporated. Batter will change color slightly, this is normal.

    2. Bring a griddle to medium heat and add oil. Wipe off excess oil using a paper towl. Measure about 1/4 c batter for each pancake. Pour batter and sprinkle a few blueberries on top. pancake will be ready to flip when batter begins to form bubbles. Flip and grill for another 2min.

    3. Makes about 16 medium sized pancakes. Top with fresh fruit, preserves, nuts or syrup.

    Vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free. blueberries can be exchanged for other fruit/ingredients such as: strawberries, raspberries, chocolate chips, pineapple, etc.

    Nutritional Info

    • calories per serving 359
    • calories from fat 55
    • % daily value*
    • total fat 6.1g9%
    • saturated fat 1.2g6%
    • trans fat 0.0g
    • cholesterol 0mg0%
    • sodium 363mg15%
    • potassium 530mg15%
    • total carbohydrates 68.2g23%
    • dietary fiber 7.4g29%
    • sugars 26.6g
    • protein 9.9g

    Tried this recipe? Be sure to snap a photo and tag me on social (@beyondafoodie) or leave a comment here!

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  • Golden Oatmeal

    Besides the traditional curry, turmeric is used in other recipes, such as golden milk. golden milk is warm a beverage consumed for thousands of years to detoxify liver and kidneys, relieve sore joints, and boost the immune system. Classic golden milk consists of a warm tea made of turmeric and black pepper, with milk. Black pepper better helps our bodies absorb all the benefits turmeric has to offer.

    In the recipe below, I’ve decided to take the flavors of golden milk, and infuse them into baked oatmeal along with cinnamon, and nutmeg and clove. This is not your grandma’s bowl of hot cereal. The combination of spices, and the addition of warm coconut milk, give this oatmeal unique, spicy, warm flavors with a beautiful color to match. The uncooked oatmeal mix can be made in advance, and stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Simply scoop out 1 cup serving and bake.

    Top with your favorite fruits and nuts for a nutritionally packed holistic dish, sure to please guests and liven up your traditional brunch!

    Scroll on to the recipe for golden oatmeal below.

    Golden Oatmeal

    • 1 1/2 c rolled oats
    • 1 1/2 c water c water
    • vanilla extract
    • 2 t honey
    • 2 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 2 1/4 tsp clove
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1/2 c coconut milk
    • fruit and nuts (for topping)

    1. Preheat oven to 400º in a medium mixing bowl, combine water, vanilla and honey and stir until honey is dissolved. Add oats, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and black pepper and stir until oats begin to absorb water. Do not overmix.

    2. Preheat oven to 400º in a medium mixing bowl, combine water, vanilla and honey and stir until honey is dissolved. Add oats, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and black pepper and stir until oats begin to absorb water. Do not overmix.

    This flavor combination is inspired by the classic Indian “golden milk” tea drink, which features the powerful spice turmeric. Turmeric has great anti-inflammatory properties and gives dishes a beautiful golden-yellow hue. Wet oatmeal mix can be made in advance, and stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Simply scoop out 1 cup serving and bake.

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  • Vietemese Style Vegetable Summer Rolls with Honey Peanut Sauce

    Vietemese Style Vegetable Summer Rolls with Honey Peanut Sauce

    • spring rolls
    • 8 rice paper rolls
    • 3 oz mung bean vermicelli noodles ((cooked according to manufacture's directions and cooled))
    • 1 cup romaine lettuce leaves
    • 1/2 cup pickled red cabbage
    • 1/2 cup carrot (julienne)
    • 1/2 cup cucumber (julienne)
    • 1/4 cup mint leaves
    • honey peanut sauce
    • 3 tbsp peanut butter
    • 1/2 c soy sauce
    • 1/4 c rice vinegar
    • 1/4 c honey
    • 1 clove garlic (minced)
    • 2-3 tsp water

    Honey Peanut Sauce

    1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until sauce is combined and smooth. Add water to thin if needed. Pour honey peanut sauce into 4 small dipping cups for serving.

    Spring Rolls

    1. Fill a large shallow bowl, that is wide enough for one spring roll wrapper, with room temperature water. Working with one at a time, dip the rice paper wrapper into the water for 30 seconds to soften. You may place a damp cloth on your workspace to rest a damp wrapper you are not working with immediately. Do not stack pre-dampened wrappers.

    2. Place the softened wrapper onto a clean work surface. Place the lettuce, vermicelli, cabbage, cucumber, carrot and mint onto the wrapper in a log-like shape towards the bottom-half of the wrapper, leaving a 1 inch margin at the end and sides. Fold the bottom end of the rice wrapper over the vegetables and roll once, then fold over the left and right sides and roll again. Continue rolling, making sure to work tightly, so the sides do not unfold. Place finished spring roll seam side down on a cooled serving platter. Makes 8 rolls. serve immediately.

    Spring rolls and sauce are best eaten immediately after prepping, but can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator overnight.

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