By Jen, on February 21st, 2011 
It’s a snow day here is Minneapolis. Over a foot of snow is on the ground and my car is stuck and buried. I should have a pot of soup on the stove, or a loaf of bread in the oven. But no, as an act of weather defiance I just made a big batch of salad. Take that old man winter. I’m fighting the winter blahs with this quinoa and black bean salad recipe that’s dressed with a bright and fresh lime and ancho chile vinaigrette. I made the dressing with equal parts lime juice and extra virgin olive oil, but it could probably take more lime juice. (I only had 1 lime and running to the store in a snow storm was not an option!). The ancho chile adds nice flavor, but no heat. If you like a bit of spice add a dash of cayenne pepper or a chopped fresh jalapeno pepper.
Quinoa Black Bean Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Place cooked quinoa in a large mixing bowl; cool slightly. Stir in black beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro.
For dressing, whisk together lime juice, olive oil and ancho chile powder. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; stir to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Salad can be served immediately or covered and chilled for several hours. Store in refrigerator.
Makes about 7 cups salad
How to Cook Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
Place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse and drain quinoa. Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boiling. Cover and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 10 to 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Makes about 4 cups cooked quinoa.
Recipe Links:
Lemon Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas
Lemon-Scented Quinoa Salad from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks
Product Link:
Ancient Harvest Quinoa INCA Red Organic Gluten Free – 12 OZ
By Jen, on February 19th, 2011  
I’ve been adapting some of my favorite recipes for baked goods, working to convert them to vegan recipes. My latest project was to veganize whole wheat pumpkin bread. After 4 or 5 tests I think I got it right. Here’s my recipe for vegan pumpkin bread. It’s made with 100% whole wheat flour and is sweetened with sucanat, a natural sugar. (dariy-free, egg-free recipe)
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk or almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sucanat or packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup canola or safflower oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 8×4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside.
Sir together soymilk and vinegar; let stand 2 minutes until thickened. In medium bowl mix soymilk mixture, sucanat, pumpkin, oil and vanilla until well blended. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in nuts. Spread batter evenly in pan.
Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)
Recipe Links:
Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread from Joy the Baker
Vegan Pumpkin Smoothies
By Jen, on February 6th, 2011 
I crave chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate, dark chocolate, extra dark chocolate…nothing could be better. Unless, of course, you add some toasted nuts and a touch of sea salt.
Chocolate Hazelnut Bark
1 bar (3.5 to 4 ounces) dark chocolate, broken into chunks
1/4 cup toasted skinned hazelnuts or almonds, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons dried cranberries or cherries, coarsely chopped
Fine sea salt, optional
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place chocolate chunks in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50% power) about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until nearly melted and can be stirred smooth, stopping and stirring every 20 seconds. (Be careful not to scorch chocolate.)
Pour melted chocolate on parchment lined cookie sheet. Spread slightly to about 1/4-inch thickness. Scatter hazelnuts and cranberries over chocolate. If desired, sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Break into pieces.
Makes about 8 pieces
Tip: Use a high quality chocolate bar for the best flavor. Look for dark chocolate made with 70% to 85% cocoa or cacao. (The higher the percentage cocoa or cacao, the darker the chocolate.)
Vegan Cooking Tip: Be sure to read the ingredient list for the chocolate bar. Some dark chocolate bars contain dairy ingredients.
This chocolate hazelnut recipe is part of World Nutella Day. You can see all recipes in the round-ups at Ms. Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso on Monday, February 7th. (This in not a sponsored post, but a nod to the delicious combination of chocolate and hazelnut.)
By Jen, on February 5th, 2011 
I’m game for guacamole any day. What could be simpler (or more delicious) than mashing a few fresh avocados with some chile peppers, lime juice and cilantro?
There’s lots of debate about what makes the best guacamole recipe. I think the best guacamole recipe is the one you customize to your personal tastes. (Makes sense, huh?) Here’s my base recipe for guacamole. They key is to start with ripe avocado, and then modify the recipe based on your flavor preferences and what you have on hand.
Ideas for customizing basic guacamole recipes:
-To increase the heat add a dash of hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper. Or, leave the seeds and ribs in the hot chile peppers.
-Add a clove or two of chopped fresh garlic or roasted garlic.
-Stir in chopped white or green onion.
-Add a spoonful of salsa verde or chipotle salsa.
-Top with pomegranate seeds and chopped fresh mango or cucumber.
Easy Guacamole
2 medium ripe Hass avocados
1 to 2 jalapeno or serrano chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Cut each avocado in half; remove and discard pits. Spoon flesh of avocados into medium bowl. Coarsely mash avocado with fork or potato masher. Stir in chile pepper, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt.
Serve with fresh veggies and tortilla chips or pita chips. Also makes a great spread for sandwiches, wraps and burritos.
Makes 4 servings
Recipe and Technique Links:
Creamy Guacamole from Nicole of Pinch My Salt
Cilantro-Lover’s Guacamole from Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen
How to Peel and Cut an Avocado from Elise of Simply Recipes
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Welcome Hi there, my name is Jen. Eating Clean Recipes is my healthy recipe blog. It's a place where healthy meets delicious. All recipes are created by me and made in my Minneapolis kitchen. I follow a plant based diet, so fresh and natural foods are my ingredients of choice. I hope you enjoy these healthy vegetarian recipes and easy vegan recipes. Thanks for visiting.
All text and photos © 2009-2012 Food Fix, LLC
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