Jicama “Rice”

Jicama “Rice”

by | Jan 29, 2019 | Health, Home, Recipes

A few months back, I drifted off my usual plant-filled bandwagon.  I traded salads for nachos and big grain bowls—which isn’t a bad thing—but I started to notice I wasn’t feeling as vibrant.  There is no doubt in my mind that plants are magical and, thus, consuming them radiates their magical properties into us 🙂

So, when I realized I was lacking in the plants department, I decided I wanted to introduce some new ones.  I had been enjoying eating “noodle” dishes with zucchini, beets, carrots, and cabbage (not necessarily all at once) but I wondered how else vegetables could make up the base of my dish.  Then, with a little inspiration from inspiralized, I dabbled in veggie “rice”. 

We all know cauliflower rice is a thing but what about other vegetables?  Let’s not get into a vegetable rut when there are so many great options to choose from.  Admittedly, many times vegetables have their own distinct flavor.  Part of our sensationalization of cauliflower rice comes from how neutral in color and flavor it is.  Therefore, I sought out a vegetable similarly neutral.

All it took was a stroll down the supermarket aisle and a little sale sign next to some giant round root vegetables for me to pick up a jicama.  Yes, jicama!  In Mexican culture, jicama is often paired with chili spices and fruit, like cucumber and oranges, to make a fresh, spicy snack.  It kind of tastes like a slightly sweet water chestnut.  That might be a weird description but, for me, jicama now makes the most crisp and addictive rice!

jicama rice

Jicama can be eaten raw or cooked.  Either way, it maintains a watery-crisp crunch without being soggy.  Oh, and there isn’t really a risk of over-cooking it so, if you’re new to using jicama, have no fear—it will come out tasty regardless!

I offer some suggestions for how to use the rice down below but I’m curious to know how you would use it.  Comment below or tag me on Instagram if you give it a try! 

jicama rice

Jicama “Rice”
Recipe Type: Side Dish
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1-2 servings
A fresh and flavorful veggie to mimic rice in any meal! It tastes great as a main in salads and sushi or serve it as a cooked side dish to complement a warm sauté or buddha bowl.
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups chopped jicama
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
  • 1 large clove of garlic, pressed or minced (optional)
  • ½ inch knob of fresh ginger, grated (optional)
  • ¼ tsp salt + more to taste (optional)
Instructions
  1. Prepare the jicama: I prefer to chop it into matchsticks and then finely dice it by hand. This way, I can control the rice chunks (see photo above in the post). Alternatively, you can chop jicama and throw it into a food processor and “rice” it that way.
  2. The jicama is ready to eat raw if you want to eat it with some other fresh ingredients OR you can cook it with the optional ingredients listed above.
  3. Cook the jicama: In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Then, add the garlic and ginger and salt to the pan. It’s important to salt these because they are your flavor-boosters! Give them about 30 seconds to cook before adding the jicama and stirring.
  4. Let the jicama cook (no stirring) for 3 minutes before stirring it. Then, leave it to cook for another 2-3 minutes. The jicama should be warm and slightly caramelized. Add additional salt to taste.
  5. Serve the rice as a side dish for two or as the base of an entrée for one.
jicama rice as a side dish

A refrigerator clean out meal utilizing one recipe for jicama rice. I served it with chopped and sautéed beet stems, black beans, kale, cilantro, and pesto.

I’ve tried jicama rice with sautéed vegetables like collard greens, radishes, cabbage and whatever beans I have on hand.  It can also be enjoyed as a fresh salad with romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, and chickpeas.  It also tastes great “fried rice” style.

The possibilities are endless so be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see what you come up with!   #melmakesithappen

xoxo,

Melanie

 

Sweet and Smoky “Meatballs”

Sweet and Smoky “Meatballs”

by | Jun 27, 2017 | Home, Recipes

First and foremost, thank you to Attune Foods for making this post possible!

If you’ve been hanging around here for any short amount of time, you know that I’m a big fan of sweet treats and breakfast foods.  What may come as a surprise is how much savory food appeals to me, too!  As a matter of fact, I love spiced dishes like curries, southwestern fajitas, or my Tex-Mex quinoa taco “meat”.  As for main dishes, I’ve been meaning to expand my blog’s recipe archives with some yummy veggie patties or meatballs for a lunch/dinner entree. 

Enter: Sweet and Smoky Meatballs

sweet and smoky meatballs

I’m all about making recipes as easy as possible so these plant-based meatballs come together in little time and without any wild ingredients.  The only thing you might need to pick up is a box of Purple Corn Flakes Peace Cereal.  When Attune Foods sent over a few products for me to try, I knew the pretty purple corn flakes would be fun to add texture to some vegetarian patties. 

I’m not too big on a bowl for breakfast but cereals can be such a versatile ingredient for cooking!  The purple corn flakes are what provides the sweetness in the “sweet and smoky” element of my meatballs.  These non-GMO corn flakes are also crispier than traditional corn flakes so that contributes a unique texture and flavor that you won’t want to miss!  As a bonus, I love that the cereal is made from organic corn flour and organic brown rice flour so the meatballs are gluten free! 

Sometimes veggie patties or meatballs can be a miss with my meat-eating family but I received pretty great reviews on these!  Looks like I’ll be cooking them up again soon. 😉 Let me know if you try them out!

sweet and smoky meatballs

Sweet and Smoky “Meatballs”
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10-12 meatballs
These plant-based meatballs come together easily, in little time, and without any wild ingredients.
Ingredients
  • Olive oil, for cooking
  • ½ cup white onion, chopped
  • ½ cup carrot, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped or minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 ½ cups lentils or white beans, well-drained*
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika + ½ tsp for coating
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/3 cup packed chopped tomato (about 1 small roma)
  • 1 cup Purple Corn Flakes Peace Cereal + ¾ cup for coating
  • Lime juice, optional for serving
Instructions
  1. In a cast-iron skillet, on medium heat, warm olive oil. Add sauté the onion, carrot, and garlic until soft. Then, remove from heat.
  2. Using a food processor, grind 1 cup of the purple corn cereal until a fine meal is achieved.
  3. In a bowl, mash the drained beans or lentils and add spices. The texture should be mashed and chunky but not pureed. Add in the skillet mixture, along with the cilantro, tomato, and ground cereal. The mixture should look thick and slightly on the dry side.
  4. To make the coating, add the remaining ¾ cup of the cereal, along with ½ tsp of smoked paprika, to the food processor. Process until a choppy meal is achieved. Then, transfer to a zip-top baggie.
  5. At this point, cover the bowl of the meatball mixture and store in the fridge for later or form into 10-12 balls for immediate use.
  6. When ready to cook, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet. Add one meatball to the baggie with the cereal coating and shake. Add the cereal-coated meatball to the skillet. Repeat with remaining meatballs. With the pan on medium heat, continue rotating the meatballs until they are browned all over.
  7. Serve warm with a squeeze of lime. They pair nicely with a salad or sautéed greens. Cauliflower mashed potatoes or roasted veggies would also be delicious.
Notes
*I tried two different versions of this recipe using white beans and then lentils. The white bean version seemed to allow a slightly more prominent smoky flavor but the lentil version is excellent, too. I suppose you could substitute other beans like black beans, though I haven’t tested that myself.

Thank you to Attune Foods for sending me Peace Cereal and allowing me to showcase a recipe with their purple corn flakes.  See their store locator to find Peace Cereal near you.

1 Bowl GF + V Pumpkin Cookies

1 Bowl GF + V Pumpkin Cookies

by | Jun 23, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

When I was younger, my mom used to bake up cookies every few weeks to feed the sweet tooth that my sister and I had.  As a kid, nothing was better than a glass of milk and a belly full of cookies.  YES.  I had no self-restraint and never stopped at just one.  Homemade cookies are best when fresh so I would eat 4-5 that first day…and the second day…and maybe just two or three after that…if there were still any cookies left.

pumpkin cookies

Sadly, traditional cookies have several cups of sugar, white flour, butter, plus additional sugary add-ins.  Yupp, I don’t know how young Melanie did it!  If I tried to recreate my old 4-5 cookies indulgence these days I would definitely end up with a stomach ache.  Nowadays, I don’t crave cookies in the same way.  Though, sometimes your girl gets a craving for healthified versions of old favorites.  Thus, I whipped up some cookies that I consider to be more nutritionally balanced.

pumpkin cookies

Ingredients breakdown:

We’ve got banana and pumpkin to soften up the cookies and a mere ½ cup of sugar to sweeten them up.  I am extremely cautious about my sugar intake and, ever since reading Woman Code, I try to avoid adding excess sugar unless absolutely necessary (sidenote: possible post on this in the upcoming future).  The fact is: cookies just don’t taste like cookies without some kind of sweetener.  These are just lightly sweetened with a mixture of brown and coconut sugar.  Of course, you could add an extra ¼ cup of sugar for sweeter cookies.  Feel free taste-test the batter 😉  Though, I think you’ll find there is something nice about the subtle level of sweetness in these.

Also, let’s not forget about fats.  I know there are some cookie recipes out there that might bake up with simply banana but I like incorporating healthy fats into my food.  Why, you ask?  Well, fat helps slow the absorption of sugar and keeps me satiated.  Not to mention, it helps make the cookies crisp up on the outside and stay fluffy on the inside.

In addition, you can include up to a cup worth of dried fruit, nuts, ALOHA brand chopped chocolate, or whatever you like.  I went with a small amount of chocolate and walnuts to add a bit more healthy fats and protein.  Speaking of protein, definitely try adding a scoop of your favorite protein powder, if you’d like.  Sometimes my family can taste the protein powder in baked goods so I went with an unflavored plant-based protein powder from The Natural Citizen.  That is totally optional, though.  I’ll provide alternatives to the protein powder in the recipe!

pumpkin cookies

 

pumpkin cookies

Without further ado, here is the recipe for the pumpkin cookies:

 

GF + V Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe Type: Snacks, Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 24
I call these cookies while my sister likes to call them muffins. Whatever you call them, they are good. My sister is hard to please but I got a thumbs up from her with these cookies (or muffins). They are lightly sweet but still delicious!
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup mashed banana (about ½ a banana)
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup melted warm coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup of almonds, ground into meal/flour
  • 1½ cups oat flour (blend from 1½ cups whole rolled oats)
  • ½ cup whole rolled oats
  • 2 servings of unflavored plant-based protein powder (½ cup worth)*
  • 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, save some for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the banana and pumpkin puree. Then, stir in the sugars, baking soda, spices, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
  3. Use a food processor or blender to process the almonds to make a fine flour. Repeat for the oat flour.
  4. To the wet ingredients, add the processed almond and oat flour, along with the whole rolled oats and protein powder.
  5. Next, fold in the chocolate chips and half of the walnuts. Use a large cookie scoop to drop dollops of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Place a few walnut crumbs on top of each cookie.
  6. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until the tops have browned (don’t under-bake). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute before moving to a wire rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes more. Bake the remaining cookie dough until all is finished.
  7. I know cookies are irresistible out of the oven but if you wait for them to cool, they will be much better. They won’t be as fall-apart delicate and their flavor will be more visible.
  8. When cookies are completely cool, they can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.
Notes
*I use The Natural Citizen’s unflavored Organic Protein in this recipe. A flavored protein may mess with the taste so I recommend this one. Alternatively, you can easily substitute the ½ cup of protein powder for more oat flour or almond flour.[br]Evidently, if any of the ingredients are cold, that will make the coconut oil clump up. Small specks are okay but large clumps need to be dissolved. You can lightly warm the batter in a microwave safe bowl and proceed with the recipe.[br]Instead of grinding almonds yourself (which I recommend for the freshest taste), you can also use ½ cup almond or peanut flour.

Cookie recipe adapted from Love and Lemon’s Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe.

As always, please let me know what you think if you give this recipe a try!  Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram.