Author: DIANA ZATT

Hi everyone! It's no secret. I'm pretty addicted to eating clean and leading a healthy lifestyle. I am a registered nurse and chronic condition educator (diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, obesity & COPD). Nothing excites me more, personally and professionally, then helping others take control of their health. It really is a passion of mine. That's why I created this blog! When I am not in the kitchen creating healthy eats or digging through scientific literature, I enjoy hiking, biking, gardening and spending time with hubby Dennis. Oh and I am a mother to a loud mouthed parrot named Pickles, a 20 year old black cat named Charlie and about 50,000 honey bees.

Chilled Tomato Cucumber Soup (Gazpacho)

Gazpacho: A light cold soup of Spanish origin made from raw fresh garden vegetables

Chilled Tomato Cucumber Soup

A bumper crop of tomatoes and cucumbers were the inspiration behind this soup. Well – that and several weeks of high 80 degree days with no cooling off in sight. Cold soup on hot summer days is refreshing and hydrating. This gazpacho recipe is loaded with flavor and a super fun way to make use of your home grown produce. Picking vegetables fresh from the garden means vitamin content will be at their highest and, absolutely hands down, homegrown vegetables taste a zillion times better then grocery store produce.

Don’t have space for a garden? You can still experience the joy by growing just about any vegetable and herb in containers on a balcany, patio, deck, terrace or even rooftop. Vertical hydroponic tower gardens are the latest craze for growing fresh food year round even in the basement. This year I bought whiskey barrels and my cherry and beefsteak tomatoes are thriving along with cucumbers, bell peppers and strawberries. Too soon to tell with the sweet potatoes. I also have containers with oregano, basil, chives and parsley along with mint and spearmint in the woods flowerbeds. Tending to the gardens, even small scale ones like my own, is pure joy and using the produce to create healthy eats is sheer happiness.

If you don’t have a garden go to a local farmers market. Many markets like Sandy Acres Farm in Harpersfield, Ohio pick their produce the day it sells. West Orchard is my favorite in Perry, Ohio. Located on the fertile shores of Lake Erie I swear zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage and corn never tasted better. Visiting local markets is not only a great outing but you’ll be sure to bring home perfectly ripe produce that is generally cheaper then the grocery store. Additionally there’s the satisfaction of supporting community and small business owners.

Not everyone can afford to buy fresh produce especially in these times of food price over-inflation. Many cities have community gardens where residents pitch in to grow and tend to the crops and then help themselves to what is available. The Life Brand Cowboy church in Painesville, Ohio opens their doors to anyone in need of fresh fruits and vegetables the first Saturday of every month. In fact, there are many other churches that offer free fresh produce programs. So check out what is available in your community.

Red peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes fresh off the vine!

Ingredients:

  • 6 large tomatoes
  • 12-15 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large (or 2 small) red bell peppers
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
  • 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup date syrup
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

  • Peel the tomatoes by cutting an “X” at the bottom and remove the core. Place them in a pot of boiling water for one minute. Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl filled with ice water for another minute. The peels will easily slide off using your hands.
This year most of my tomatoes developed brown zipper lines. They are still delicious but definitely not going to win blue ribbons at the state fair! In my research it seems this may be due to uneven watering.
Boil for one minute
Setting the tomatoes in a bath of cold water cools them down so peels are easily removed by hand
  • Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and then cut in small pieces.
  • Chop the onions and red bell pepper
  • Mince the garlic and jalapenos
  • Place everything in a large bowl and stir together
Just look at all the vibrant colors and the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber associated with those colors!
  • Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. You may choose to remove the seeds but I did not. Add the balsamic vinaigrette, juice of one lime, date syrup and black pepper. Stir. Marinate for at least 2 hours to let the tomatoes soak up the flavors.
  • Puree into a smooth, creamy mixture.
Cherry tomatoes are the sweetest tomatoes which is what makes this gazpacho special. But the real hidden gem in this soup is the date syrup which, by the way, is a completely whole food plant based natural sweetener. It can be tricky to find but lately I’ve been lucking out at Meijers.
The pureed cherry tomato mixture. It was difficult doing the taste test without wanting to eat the whole doggone thing!
  • Puree half of the tomato / cucumber mixture in a high speed blender or food processor. Combine the pureed vegetable mixure and the pureed cherry tomato mixture with the rest of the cut up vegetables.

If you prefer a chunky, salsa like gazpacho then omit pureeing half of the tomato cucumber mixture. I would still puree the marinated cherry tomato mixture though.

This Chilled Tomato Cucumber Soup has become my new summertime favorite and I hope it becomes yours too. So long as the tomatoes and cucumbers keep on growing I will continue to whip up more and more batches. The best of health to all my friends!

Enjoyed eating this soup outside on a candlelit deck on a balmy 90 degree evening with crickets chirping and toads croaking. My husband is always skeptical of my plant based meals but he gave this soup an A+.
Garnished with freshly picked oregano. I think some chunks of avocado on top would have also been a good idea for some added healthy fat (especially if this was the main meal).

Zucchini-Basil Summer Soup

Zucchini Basil Summer Soup

The inspiration for this soup was a big huge indoor basil plant gifted to me by my son and daughter-in-law and a bumper crop of zucchini. Yep we are in the thick of zucchini season here in Ohio. For weeks I have been thinking about how I would concoct a soup using these two star ingredients and decided to practice the KISS principle – keep it simple stupid. Because zucchini is high in fiber – 2 grams in one medium zucchini – it is quite filling in and of itself. So this simple little soup contains only 5 modest ingredients. Zucchini is also 90% water which is why is cooks so quickly. So making this soup takes a mere 30 – 45 minutes including prep time. The result is thin, light and refreshing while delivering mega nutrients and vitamins. There’s more good news. Zucchini is a superfood rich in the anti-oxidants lutein and zeaxanthin the majority of which is found in the skin. Both of these anti-oxidants protect the eyes from free radical damage caused by exposure to oxygen and light.

I was recently describing lean, clean, green eating to a patient who made an interesting comment, “it’s like buying an extra life insurance policy.” Well I never really thought of it that way but you are right on the money Adella!

The gifted basil plant
Served piping hot or chilled this soup is sure to be a hit at your next garden party!

Ingredients

  • 3 large zucchinis unpeeled and cut in pieces
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 medium sweet vidalia onion chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups sodium free vegetable broth
  • 3 tsp. ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
  • 1 cup cooked whole wheat rotini pasta (optional)
Zucchini, basil, vidalia onion, garlic, black pepper and vegetable broth

Directions

  1. Saute onions and garlic in a soup pot using 4-5 tbsp. water on high until onions become translucent.
  2. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the zucchini. Cook until the zucchini are tender (usually about 10 minutes tops).
  3. Add the black pepper and basil, stir on low heat until the basil is wilted.
  4. Puree the mixture in a high speed blender or food processor small batches at a time. Note: you may like your soup hot but your blender does not. Allow the mixture to cool down a bit before blending. Fill up only halfway and please make sure the lid is on tightly. When finished, remove the center cap to allow the steam to escape then, very slowly, remove the lid. Learn from my mistakes!
  5. Return mixture to the soup pot and heat back up again.
  6. If you are looking for a more filling soup then add a small amount of the cooked rotini to the bowl before ladeling in the soup. I added a smidgen of dill to the rotini which gave it a nice additional flavor. I also added a tiny bit of red pepper flakes as a garnish which gave it a nice little kick.
Oh my goodness – the sweet perfumey smell of basil cooking in the soup is heavenly. The reason basil smells so good is a volatile, aromatic compound called eugenol. Eugenol is an oil which can be extracted from the leaves and is one of the most powerful antioxidants and free-radical scavengers!
This little $10.00 Cuisinart garlic press has been a treasured member of the family for many years now. Some people love to mince garlic like Emeril Lagassi but I, for the life of me, have never mastered that art.
I mean look at how beautiful and made with summer garden fresh ingredients.
With a small amount of rotini although honestly this soup is filling enough without.
Leftovers the next day for lunch were served with avocado spread on a whole wheat wasa cracker. I spritzed a little lime juice in the soup which gave it an even more delightful taste.

Ginger Mango Delight

Ginger Mango Delight

Two nice cream posts in a row! Well, frankly, I just can’t get enough of this stuff. Plus it’s been mid to high 80’s with no rain in sight and nothing is more cooling then a nice bowl of nice cream.

I switched up the ratio of bananas to “other fruit” in this recipe. More mangos then bananas plus added more plant based milk then I normally would. The additional plant based milk makes the final product more creamy or custardy then my other nice cream posts.

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe banana sliced
  • 2 ripe mangos cut in pieces
  • 1 – 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (preferred) or ground ginger
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions

  1. Freeze banana slices and mango pieces for at least 4 hours
  2. Place frozen banana and mango in a food processor or high speed blender
  3. Add grated fresh ginger or ground ginger and almond milk
  4. Puree until smooth and creamy

High fat, high sugar and high calorie ice cream is so yesterday. Zero fat, zero added sugar and nutrient dense nice cream is so today. Say no to ice cream and yes to nice cream!! Remember, the more you eat the healthier you are!

Cherry Nice Cream

Ohio has been blessed with some really warm weather and, I don’t know about you, but I am thinking ice cream. That’s right. Peace, love, joy and ice cream! I like my ice cream nice and creamy but without the added sugar, fat and a gazillion of empty calories. Is that even possible? Yes it is and here’s the scoop.

Nice cream is a sugar and dairy free dessert made by whipping together chunks of frozen bananas along with other fruit. The result is super rich, silky smooth and absolutely delectable. For added excitement walnuts, almonds, pecans, cocoa nibs, dried fruit, instant expresso or matcha powder can be added. And if you want you can even drizzle some date syrup over the finished concoction for an extra special bonus.

It is called nice cream because it is nicer for the body – easier to digest (gluten-free), 100% natural and super healthy. In fact, unlike regular ice cream, the more you eat the healthier you are. The best time for nice cream is always!

Cherry Nice Cream

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas (the riper the bananas the sweeter the nice cream)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cherries (pitted)
  • 1 – 2 tbsps. unsweetened plain almond milk

Directions

  1. Cut bananas in 1″ slices, place in a freezer bag and freeze for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight
  2. Place pitted cherries in a freezer bag and freeze for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight
  3. Place frozen bananas, cherries and almond milk in a high speed blender or food processer and whip until nice and creamy

Note: If bananas are completely solid (left in freezer overnight) leave out at room temperature for 10 minutes before whipping.

Look at how smooth and creamy! For a Cherry Garcia copy cat just add cocoa nibs.

Spring Green Herb Soup with Roasted Garbanzo Beans

There is something so special about this soup. It is a beautiful mix of green vegetables and herbs. It is surprizing light and delicate with an appealing color and aromatic flavor. It is earthy and speaks all things healthy. Served piping hot or as a gazpacho, this soup makes an elegant light main course.

Spring Green Herb Soup with Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients

  • 3 scallions cut in pieces (use the entire scallot)
  • 1 large bunch of fresh broccoli (cut in pieces and disgard the hard stems)
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1 avocado (cut in pieces)
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 15.5 oz. can garbanzo beans drained (I use Bush’s reduced or no sodium)
  • 2 tsps. black pepper (or more depending on preference)
  • 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt

Directions

  1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and place the garbanzo beans on top. Roast in a 425 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the beans are slightly browned and split open. Set aside.
  2. Place the scallions in a soup pot with 1/4 cup of water and saute until softened.
  3. Add the broccoli and vegetable both and simmer until broccoli is soft.
  4. Add the spinach, parlsey and basil and cook until the spinach is wilted.
  5. Remove from the stove and set aside until the mixture cools a bit. Add the avocado. Slowly pour into a high speed blender, a little bit at a time, and puree.
  6. Pour the mixture back into the soup pot. Add the black pepper and roasted garbanzo beans and stir. Add 3/4 cup fat-free greek yogurt.
  7. Serve the soup piping hot and garnish with a small amount of the remaining yogurt and parsley.
The roasted garbanzo beans give this soup substance but are also a great snack when spinkled with red pepper flakes, cajun seasoning, black pepper, garlic or onion powder. These are best eaten right out of the oven when they are the crispiest.
Adding the garbanzos to the soup
Adding with fat-free plain greek yogurt
This soup is 100 percent delicious!
Enjoying leftovers the next day. This time I added red pepper flakes and paired it with a few multigrain wasa crackers.

Cucumber Juice Cocktail

Spring is a time of rebirth, regrowth and renewal. It is also a time of new beginnings, new life, new promise and brand new opportunities. It is a time when trees wake up from their long winters nap and redress their branches with new leaves, buds and blossoms. It is a time when tiny shoots bravely poke their way through the earth, animals wake up from hibernation and birds return back from migration. With everything in nature starting over so fresh and new, there can be no better time to make positive changes. Springtime gives everyone an open invitation to explore personal growth and development. It is an opportunity to spring clean our lives – mind, body and spirit.

Cucumber Juice Cocktail

Cucumber, green apple, lemon and ginger juice cocktail

The credits for this delightful juice cocktail go to Shanon Sterringer who is the pastor at The Hildegard Haus in the Village of Fairport Harbor and author of Forbidden Grace. As she put it, “I created a little bit of sunshine inside with my juicer.” I couldn’t run fast enough to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients to create a little sunshine in my life. And it did just that!

2 unpeeled cucumber, 1 lemon, 1 green apple and a piece of peeled ginger
Liquid sunshine
I juiced the cucumbers first, then removed the pulp from the juicer and made cucumber water for later.

Purple Cabbage Soup

Just look at those colors! This bowl was leftovers from yesterday. I garnished it with a little avocado and had it for lunch on the sunny deck (even though it was only 50 degrees today).

See the source image

Look at that vibrant purple color!

I love red cabbage! Aside from the fact that I love the color, it happens to be one of the most nutrient dense vegetables on this planet and with many medicinal properties. It is rich in sulforaphane (a sulfur compound) which is a powerful cancer and inflammation fighter. Yes, sulfur rich foods make farts smell like rotten eggs. Look at this as a minor inconvenience compared to the powerful preventative and healing properties of this absolutely amazing vegetable.

Red cabbage contains anthocyanins which give cabbage it’s vibrant color. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants which lower the risk of heart disease. There are studies which confirm that regular consumption of red cabbage helps lower blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks.

Red cabbage contains calcium, manganese, zinc, vitamin C and K. These nutrients are helpful in maintaining healthy bones and protecting bone cells.

While red cabbage is good to eat it is also a great source of kitchen chemistry fun. Remember good old high school chemisty 101 and using cabbage as a pH indicator? Baking soda (base) turned it blue. Vinegar (acid) turned it pink. Water (neutral) turned it purple. You can turn making this soup with a child into an amazing little chemisty lab. It is a great source of entertainment when the vinegar is added and the soup turns from purple to red – pink (depending on how much you add) and then adding the almond milk magically turns it violet. It is a great source of entertainment with teachable opportunities for children and might also encourage little Ralphie or Suzie to love eating this rediculously healthy veggie!

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head of red cabbage roughly chopped
  • 1 large or 2 small potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 3 tbsps. red wine vinegar (more or less depending on personal taste)
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger minced
  • 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsps. chopped fresh dill (dried if you don’t have fresh)

Directions

  1. Saute the onions and garlic in a small amount of water until onions are translucent.
  2. Add the cabbage, potatoes, ginger and black pepper until the cabbage softens (about 10 minutes) stirring intermittently.
  3. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft.
  4. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool somewhat. Add small amounts at a time to high speed blender and puree. Return pureed mixture to the soup pan. Add the red wine vinegar and stir on high heat for approximately 2 minutes.
  5. Stir in the almond milk and dill. Serve piping hot with Wasa crispbread, your favorite sandwich wrap or a salad.

The potatoes add to the creaminess of this soup and the starch is a natural thickener.

Depending upon how much acid or base you add this soup can turn anywhere from mauve, violet, lavender, grape or plum.

The prettiest soup I have ever made!

Cashew Cranberry Cucumber Salad with Balsamic Date Vinaigrette

Cashew Cranberry Cucumber Salad

Well today was a balmy 60 degrees in NE Ohio and upper 70’s predicted for the weekend. I’m starting to get excited about lighter more warm weather types of foods. I never really thought about a cucumber salad until my daughter-in-law made one recently using gourmet cucumbers. Boy was it delicious!

I’ve seen English seedless cucumbers in the grocery store. You know – the long thin ones wrapped in plastic. So I decided to try them for the first time. I, of course, had to ask someone why they are wrapped in plastic. The knowledgeable Heinen’s produce guy told me it’s to protect them from getting bruised seeing that the skin is so thin and fragile. It is not necessary to peel an English cucumber for this reason which means added nutrients and anti-oxidants.

Having had regular cucumbers and now the seedless variety I would definitely say seedless is the way to go for an all cucumber salad. Regular cucumbers are less expensive but have a tough waxy skin, large seeds which can be difficult to eat and not a whole lot of flavor. I think they are a nice addition to a leafy salad but not an exclusively cucumber salad. English cucumbers are more expensive but have edible skin, no seeds to deal with and a sweet flavor.

Because cucumbers are low in calories (about 45 calories in one cucumber) they are an excellent choice if you are trying to manage your weight. They are composed of 95% water so are great little hydration stations too. They also are high in soluble fiber. As soluble fiber dissolves it produces a gel that binds with cholesterol and sugar. For this reason this type of fiber helps to improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

A cucumber is a vegetable right? Wrong. Don’t feel bad if you are like me and thought is was. Apparently anything that contains the seeds of the plant is a fruit. So cucumbers, tomatoes and avocados are technically all fruits.

Ingredients / Directions

  • English cucumber washed and unpeeled. Use a potato peeler to make long ribbon slices.
  • Dried, unsweetened cranberries
  • Cashews
  • Dried edamame (immature soybeans)

Note: You are the author of your cucumber salad. Use whatever additions you want or have on hand at home. I think other good add-ins are thinly sliced red onions, radish, cherry tomatoes, fresh dill or cilantro.

Balsamic Date Vinaigrette: 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp. date syrup and 1 tbsp. water

Balsamic Date Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. I mean honestly you can’t get any easier then this! You can make a larger batch and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Need extra tang? Add dijon mustard and black pepper – although personally I think less is more.
See the source image
Look at these beauties!

Miso Soup with Baby Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms

Miso Soup with Baby Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms

Well I was up at good ‘ole Lucky’s Market over the weekend and saw some baby bok choy (Chinese White Cabbage). It is not always the easiest to find. Regular bok choy is readily available but not baby. While they are basically the same, baby bok choy leaves are small, tender, sweeter and can be eaten uncooked in a salad. I remember the first time I discovered bok choy was back in my January post Baby Bok Choy with Tahini-Ginger Sauce. That guy in the produce aisle holding the bok choy like it was a prize trophy or fish or something, admiring it, smiling and telling me how beautiful it looks. And then his words of advice “it has to be baby bok choy – not mature stalks!” Some things you never forget. That is one of them.

So I’ve been thinking about miso soup for a few weeks now. It’s been quite awhile since we had it and I really appreciate the simplicity of this soup. For those of you unfamiliar, miso is a traditional Japanese soup with the core ingredients: stock and miso paste. Miso paste is a mixture of fermented soybeans, sea salt and koji (Japanese mold). You can find it in just about any grocery store usually in the produce or tofu section. I know what you are thinking. This is a no salt website and miso paste clearly contains sea salt. Well apparently the positive effects of soybeans cancel out the hypertensive and gastric cancer effects of sodium. That being said, miso paste is the only sodium containing product that is considered green light. Here is some supporting research.

In addition to the stock and miso paste anything else you want to put in is completely up to you. Some typical add-ins are seaweed, kelp, tofu, mushrooms, scallions and bok choy. If you like you can serve miso soup with rice noodles(very thin), udon noodles (thick) or ramen noodles.

Ingredients

  • 6-7 ribs of baby bok choy (cut in pieces)
  • 3 scallions (cut in small pieces)
  • 10 shiitake mushrooms cut in pieces (remove stems)
  • 1 block extra firm and pressed tofu (cut in small cubes)
  • 6 cups vegetable or mushroom broth
  • 4 tbsp. miso paste
  • 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • Rice, udon or ramen noodles
Baby Bok Choy, Ginger, Scallions, Shiitake Mushrooms, Extra Firm Tofu, Miso Paste, Vegetable or Mushroom Broth
Cooked Rice Noodles

Directions

  1. Place broth and ginger in a pot over medium heat.
  2. Add mushrooms, bok choy, white tips of scallions and black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Note: I remove the shiitake stems because to me they are too tough and chewy. I save them for mushroom or veggie broth.
  3. Add the tofu and simmer for a few minutes until warm.
  4. Turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste. Note: never add miso when soup is simmering or too hot because it will kill off the gut healthy probiotics.
  5. Serve over rice noodles and garnish with cut up green scallions.
Umani is another term for savoriness and is considered one of the 5 basic tastes. In Japan it means “the essence of deliciousness” and is the perfect description of miso soup.
Miso soup with noodles is rich enough to eat alone but tonight we paired it with sushi. I wish I can take credit for making the sushi. That’s on my bucket list of things to learn.

Tuscan Stuffed Portobella Mushroom Steaks with Cheesy Sauce

Tuscan Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Steaks with Cheesy Sauce

Mushroom [ˈməSHˌro͞om, ˈməSHˌro͝om] NOUN a fungal growth that typically takes the form of a domed cap on a stalk, with gills on the underside of the cap

I don’t know about you, but I think that definition sounds pretty really doggone disgusting. I mean, think about it. Eating a fungal growth with gills. For years I found mushrooms, portobella in particular, hands down repulsive. But when my son still lived at home and took a liking to cooking, he introduced me to the wonders of this funky toadstool fungus.

Mushrooms aren’t exactly bursting with color, or flavor for that matter, but they are packed with vitamins, minerals and protein. They are also rich in selenium which is a very powerful antioxidant. There has been much research on selenium and its cancer prevention properties as well as protection against cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and multiple sclerosis). Selenium protects cells against oxidative stress damage. Increased oxidative stress is a prominent feature in these diseases.

Portobello mushroom caps are juicy, meaty and a lot of fun to stuff. I love exercising culinary creativity to conjure up different ways to stuff them. The sky is really the limit! Prepare the fungus mushrooms by washing them thoroughly to get rid of the gritty dirt. I use a vegetable brush but you can also just use a paper towel. DO NOT submerge the mushrooms in water because this will make them soggy. Remove the stems (if there are any) and save for mushroom stock. I buy mine without the stems (they will weigh less so will be cheaper). In order to make more room for the stuffing I first remove the gills on the underside of the cap by scooping them out with a spoon. You can also save the gills for stock if you’d like.

Ingredients (stuffing)

  • 2 portobella mushrooms
  • 1/2 red bell pepper cut in small pieces
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper cut in small pieces
  • 1/2 poblano pepper cut in small pieces
  • 1 scallion cut in small pieces
  • 1 cup chickpeas
  • 1/3 cup moderately chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder

Ingredients (sauce)

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp. corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • Pinch of paprika

Directions

  1. Using a fork smash the chickpeas and set them aside.
  2. Saute the peppers, scallions and spices using a small amount of water for about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the mashed chickpeas, tomato paste and walnuts.
  4. Fill the mushrooms with the stuffing.
  5. Place in a baking dish covered with a silicone cooking pad or parchment paper.
  6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
  7. While the mushrooms are baking prepare the cheese sauce. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan, cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until nice and thick.
Just look at that sauce!
Stuff those babies until they overflow. Any leftover stuffing can simply be added off to the side of your dish. After I made this I thought that I could have added breadcrumbs on top of the stuffing. I’ll do that next time by popping a slice of Ezekiel bread in the toaster (on dark) and crumbling it with a grater.
Oh my goodness!!! And leftovers taste even better the next day.