My Relaxing Sunday Morning

To me Sundays are a day of relaxation and rest to prepare for the week ahead. Nothing is more relaxing to me then being in the kitchen cooking up some yummy food. 

So to start I made apple brown rice pancakes. I had some left over brown rice flour that I had to use up so this was perfect. If your avoiding gluten you can use all brown rice flour and omit the whole wheat flour. I made a big batch because I like to freeze the leftovers for a quick breakfast on busy mornings. 

Apple Brown Rice pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups almond milk

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp maple sugar (raw sugar works fine too) 

1 1/2 cups diced apples

1- Heat skillet and spray with non stick cooking spray

2- combine dry ingredients

3- combine milk, maple syrup, sugar and apples in separate bowl

4- slowly add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients

5- pour 1/4- 1/2 cup batter onto skillet depending on the size you want your pancakes

6- Cook on one side then flip to the next

7- Enjoy with some warm maple syrup

Vegan Bean and Veggie Stew

This recipe is for my best friend who asked me to find her a vegetarian alternative to beef stew. I love stew during the winter. Sundays are the perfect day to make this because it takes some time and the longer you let it sit on the stove the better the flavor is going to be. This recipe makes a huge batch but I like to portion it into individual containers so I can eat it for dinners later on in the week when I don't have time to cook. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of dried bean and barley soup mix ( The one I used was trader joes 17 bean and barley soup mix but any kind will work fine) 

12 cups vegetable stock

1 packet vegetarian brown gravy mix

3 celery stalks

5 cloves garlic (i love garlic but you can always use less)

1/2 large onion

3 large carrots

1 pound of potatoes

1 cup corn

1 cup peas

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons fresh sage

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1- The first thing your are going to want to do is put the bean mix in a separate pot and fill 3/4ths of the way full of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook the beans until they become soft. This should take about 1 hour. When they are cooked your going to want to drain the cooking water.

2- While the beans are cooking dice all your vegetables into bite sized pieces

3- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot on medium heat

4- Add the garlic, sage, and rosemary and cook for 3 minutes being sure not to burn the garlic

5- add the onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes and saute mixture until veggies become tender they will not be fully cooked at this point

6- add the 12 cups of vegetable stock

7- bring the stock to a boil and reduce to simmer

8- cook until veggies are tender, check potatoes and see if they are fork tender

9- Remove one cup of the liquid and stir with gravy packet to make sure their are no lumps

10- Return gravy to stew and mix 

11- Add the drained beans, corn, and peas

12- Heat thru and put on the lowest temperature and let sit on the stove for as long as you want

Enjoy this soup with a crusty piece of bread and some grated parmesan sprinkled on top. This soup is full of protein, fiber, and vegetables. 

17 Bean and Barley Soup Mix

Lots of Veggies

I hope everyone has a restful, relaxing Superbowl Sunday!!!!!