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Kari's Creamy Great Northern Bean Soup

1 pound Great Northern Beans, soaked

1 1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 small bulb garlic, separated into cloves, peeled and minced

Freshly ground black pepper

8 cups water, divided

4 tsp Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base (or vegetable bouillon)

1 tsp smoked paprika

Heat pressure cooker over medium-high. Saute onion with water until tender. Add celery and carrot; saute until softened, adding water if necessary to prevent burning. Add garlic and black pepper; saute 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.

Add beans and 6 cups water. Seal cooker and bring to pressure. Cook at pressure 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let pressure drop naturally.

Remove 1 cup beans and mash.

Add 2 cups water, bouillon base, and mashed beans to soup. Simmer 20 minutes until flavors meld. Adjust seasonings to taste.





Walnut-Flax Butter with Pumpkin Pie Spice

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Kari's Walnut-Flax Butter with Pumpkin Pie Spice

(makes 1 cup)

2 cups walnuts

1/4 cup golden flax seeds

4 medjool dates, chopped (1/4 cup)

1/2 Tbsp molasses

2 tsp cinnamon

3/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/16 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread walnuts and flax seeds on a baking sheet and toast in oven 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.

Transfer walnuts and flax seed to food processor. Process 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Add dates and molasses; process 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Add cinnamon, sea salt, ginger and cloves; process 4 to 5 minutes or until as smooth as desired.

Transfer butter to jar and store in refrigerator.

Nutrition per tablespoon: 130 calories, 10.7g fat (1.9g omega-3, 5.7g omega-6), 2.8g protein, 8.5g carb., 2.3g fiber, 5g sugar



Gimme Lean Loaf

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Kari's Gimme Lean Loaf
(serves 6)


One 14-ounce tube Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style Veggie Protein
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
3 Tbsp water
1/2 cup salt-free tomato sauce
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup oats

Topping (optional):

3 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Heinz 57 sauce


Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together flax seed meal and water; set aside.

In mixing bowl, crumble Gimme Lean; add tomato sauce flax seed mixture, onion, bell pepper, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, and black pepper. With clean hands, combine the ingredients. Add oats and continue working the mixture together with hands until well-combined. Transfer mixture to baking pan and press evenly.

Combine topping ingredients and spread evenly over loaf. Cover pan with foil and bake for 1 hour. Let sit a few minutes before slicing.

Nutrition per 1/6 recipe (with topping): 280 calories, 15.9g protein, 46.3g carb., 8.3g fiber, 13.7g sugar, 2.9g fat, 949mg sodium

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Cherry-Walnut Bars

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Kari's Cherry Walnut Bars
(12 bars)

Crunchy, chewy, and delicious bars, rich with cherries and walnuts and not too sweet.


1 cup oats
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1 cup brown rice crisps cereal
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup walnut-date butter
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar
1/4 cup barley malt syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt


Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray an 8x8 square pan (glass is best) with cooking spray or line with parchment.


On a baking sheet, spread oats, walnuts and sunflower seeds. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven; cool slightly and transfer to mixing bowl. Add cherries and toss together.


In small microwave-safe bowl or 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine walnut-date butter, barley malt syrup, and turbinado sugar. Microwave 1 minute, stirring halfway through, until bubbly. Stir in vanilla and salt.


Pour wet mixture over oat mixture and stir together until all ingredients are moistened. Transfer to prepared pan. Press mixture firmly and evenly into pan (using a piece of parchment paper helps). Chill pan in refrigerator for an hour or so.


Flip the contents of pan out onto a cutting board and cut it evenly into 12 bars. Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap.


Nutrition per bar: 175 calories, 3.3g protein, 25.9g carb., 2.3g fiber, 14g sugar, 6.9g fat, 83mg sodium, 0.8g Omega-3

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Jambalaya

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Jambalaya and collard greens w/garlic

Kari's Jambalaya

(serves 4)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 tsp Better Than Bouillon No chicken base

1 can no salt diced tomatoes

1 Spicy Smoked Kashi Seitan Sausage, cubed (See note)

1 cup long grain white rice

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

In a 4-qt Dutch oven, saute onion, celery and bell pepper until softened, adding small amounts of water if necessary to prevent sticking. Add garlic and sausage cubes and cook a couple minutes longer. Add water, Better Than Bouillon base, tomatoes, rice, and spices. Stir to combine. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Cooking times may vary depending on your rice. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Note: I used my Kashi seitan sausage in this, but you can use any type of seitan you like. You could also substitute a can of rinsed and drained beans for the sausage. Red beans or blackeye peas would work well, but use your favorite. Mushrooms is another possibility.



Oatmeal Rolls

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Kari's Oatmeal Rolls
(makes 18 rolls)

2 cups boiling water

1 cup oats

1/3 cup turbinado sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup plain soymilk creamer

2 cups white whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand)

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp active dry yeast

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 cups bread flour

Combine oats and boiling water. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.   (If desired, you can cook oats in a pan on stove top.)  Add turbinado sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm.

In medium bowl, combine white whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, vital wheat gluten and yeast.

When oatmeal is cooled to lukewarm, transfer to food processor; add soy creamer and pulse several times. Add flour-yeast mixture and process about 1 minute. Add the bread flour and process until dough comes together, another minute or so. Remove dough from processor, shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled 2-qt bowl. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Punch dough down and let rest 10 minutes.

Transfer dough to counter and divide into 18 pieces. Shape pieces into balls and place into two lightly oiled 9-inch cake pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Nutrition per roll: 120 calories, 4.8g protein, 23g carb., 2.3g fiber, 1.4g fat, 196mg sodium