sesame soba with mushrooms and snow peas

Back with some good recipes to share!

By the way, I know the blog is called "Cooking with Oscar" because of my dog Oscar...but now we have a second dog! Her name is Lima and she's a 6 month old german shepherd mix. We love her and she and Oscar get along pretty well! (thankfully! phew!)

    <----  Meet Lima, sous chef











Anyway...

I love soba noodles and they're so easy to make. If you like asian food then this is a great vegetarian dish to try. It's a quick, easy and healthy option for any weeknight or weekend.

Ingredients

• 1 package Soba noodles (you can use regular or 100% buckwheat)
• 1  cup snow peas (trimmed and peeled)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup mushrooms (white or baby bella)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• juice of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbsp tamari or low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• sesame seeds to taste
• 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• coconut oil or olive oil for the pan...

Preparation

1. Make noodles according to package direction. [boiling salted water]

2. Make sauce.  Whisk: lime juice, orange juice, tamari/soy sauce, hot sauce, sesame oil, ginger, peanut butter] and set aside in a bowl.

3. Heat a skillet with a couple of teaspoons of olive or coconut oil. Add mushrooms until brown and slightly charred. Add snow peas and green onion for a few more minutes. Set aside.

4. Add sauce to the hot pan. If its too thick, reduce with more fresh OJ or some vegetable stock.

5. Add the soba noodles to the sauce. Mix and add the snow peas, mushrooms and green onions back to the pan. 

6. Mix sauce, vegetables and noodles very well. Adjust seasoning or liquid accordingly.

7. When serving, top with sesame seeds, some more chopped green onion and a couple of squeezes of lime.

Enjoy!!

Pam & Oscar & Lima....

PSL & Pumpkin Chocolate Spice Bars

I love Fall. Cooler weather, nice orange colors all around, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving...etc! My favorite things during this time are pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pies.

Pumpkin spice latte (PSL) is extremely popular during this time of year and people anxiously await its arrival (earlier each year). Even though it tastes like heaven, it's not that good for you. The PSL syrup is made with condensed milk and also has high fructose corn syrup. These are the ingredients for the PSL syrup:    

CONDENSED NONFAT MILK, SUGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, ANNATO (FOR COLOR), NATURAL AND ARITIFICIAL  FLAVORS, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE).


Needless to say...if you have a PSL more than a couple times a week, it's going to take a toll.

For this post, I am sharing a vegan/healthy PSL and pumpkin spice bars (healthy but not vegan).

Don't forget to scroll down for amazing pumpkin spice bars!


Pumpkin Spice Latte


You'll need:

• 1 heaping tbsp of canned pumpkin/pumpkin puree
• 1 cup almond milk (divided into 1/2 cups if you have steamer)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• pinch ground ginger
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• shot of espresso or 1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee

1. Mix (with a whisk or fork) the pumpkin, 1/2 cup milk (or 1 full cup if you dont have a milk steamer) spices and honey/syrup. 

2. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds or until hot enough.

3. Steam remaining 1/2 cup milk (if you have a milk steamer)

4. Add 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee or 1 shot of espresso (or two?!)

5. First, add coffee, then pumpkin mixture and finally top off with steamed milk and some sprinkled cinnamon. 

 Pumpkin Spice Bars (with chocolate chips!)

You don't need oil or butter to make these bars and they are super spongy and delicious!

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp pumpkin puree/canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup flour (whole wheat, all purpose or oat flour)
• heaping 1/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup medium sized chocolate chips (I used dark) -- if you have small chips, use a little less

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Grease an 8 x 8 pan with spray or butter or oil.

3. Mix all ingredients all wet ingredients in bowl. Add dry ingredients and finally add chocolate chips!

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before serving (cut into bars).

Italian Vegetable Bake

I am back again!

This is a dish that can be served as a side or a main entree. We had it for dinner (pretty big pieces) with some bread. You know what would be great with this? freshly baked garlic bread and a salad.

Think of this as a lasagna without the noodles and the cheese...

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant
• 2 zucchinis (small to medium sized)
• 1/2 red bell pepper (julienned)
• 1/2 white onion (julienned)
• 1 cup cooked lima or white beans 
• 1 package mushrooms (white will do)
• 1 jar marinara or tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the white beans or lima beans  until soft (if not using canned). Usually fresh beans have to be soaked overnight and then simmered in a pot on medium heat for about an hour or an hour and a half.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. 

3. Use a mandolin (or you could use a knife...note: more time consuming) to slice zucchini and eggplant with 1 tbsp olive oil. 

4. Sautee or grill mushrooms with garlic cloves and some olive oil. Sautee red bell pepper and onion until soft.

5. Grill eggplant and zucchini with olive oil. About 5-6 minutes on each side (set aside).

6. Mix red bell pepper and onion with oregano and white beans (or lima beans) in a food processor or blender until paste forms. Should look like hummus almost. Set aside. 

7. Assemble "lasagna"

            - Place one layer of marinara or tomato sauce in an oven proof pan (9 x 13). 

            - Then layer some eggplant slices. 

            - Add white bean mix (if you have enough for two layers great and if not just put all of it on)

            - Add layer of zucchini and mushrooms. 

            - Then: marinara sauce.

            - Keep going until you ran out of vegetables (I think I had about 4 layers total). End with marinara sauce.

(optional** add parmesan cheese on top of the last marinara sauce layer)

8. Bake for 40 minutes (until bubbly and parmesan cheese somewhat crusty).

Enjoy!!

Pam & Oscar

Vegan Mac n' Cheese

I know Mac and Cheese shouldn't be messed with and that there are some amazing recipes out there loaded with cheese,  heavy cream and butter to make it super tasty and addicting.  I've made "real" mac and cheese but never feel good after eating it. I am very sensitive to dairy so heavy cream and butter don't work well with my body. I could use cheese but wanted to make something that resembled the cheesy flavor without unhealthy ingredients.

Don't expect this to taste like regular mac and cheese because...it just won't. It tastes good but in a different way! So be open to a new recipe for this classic dish. You might be pleasantly surprised.

By the way - almond milk has more calcium than regular milk, nutritional yeast is one of the best sources of vitamin B12 and turmeric is an amazing anti-inflammatory ingredient. This is a great way to incorporate all of those ingredients into one dish!

Vegan Mac n' Cheese
Serves: 4

You'll need:

• Elbows or Penne (any kind of pasta - I used brown rice pasta)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp yellow miso
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• *optional: 1 head steamed broccoli, peas or sautéed mushrooms

1. Start preparing pasta according to package directions. Save some pasta water for later. 

2.  Heat almond milk and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) on medium high heat until its simmering. 

3. In a high powered blender mix in the cashews, nutritional yeast, yellow miso, lemon juice and spices. Mix until you get a "nut butter consistency" then add the warmed almond milk and arrowroot powder and mix for a few more seconds. Adjust consistency by adding more cashews or milk. Adjust seasoning by adding salt or pepper.

Sauce should look like this

4. Mix in sauce with pasta and loosen up with some pasta water if necessary.

5. Serve with steamed (or sautéed) broccoli, mushrooms or peas. 

Enjoy!!

Pam & Oscar

Mock "Chicken" Salad

Sorry for the hiatus again! I was cooking a lot but not writing my recipes down so I couldn't really post anything :)

I made this last week and it was great. My husband loved it and he does like meat so it proves that you can make tofu (or tempeh in this case) taste like chicken! This is a great alternative to regular chicken salad (which is loaded with mayonnaise, oil and unhealthy ingredients).

You'll need:

• 1 package tempeh (if frozen, thaw in fridge for a few hours).
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 scallions
• 1 finely chopped pickle
• 2 celery stalks (chopped)
• 1/4 white onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 3 tbsp vegan mayo (I used grape seed oil vegennaise)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• some toasted bread (I used gluten free bread but any will do)
• greens or lettuce for the sandwich

I used this "chicken salad" for sandwiches but it can also work as a dip with some pita chips or as a side dish.

1. Steam tempeh for 10-15 minutes. Chop into bite size pieces.

2. mix all of the ingredients together into a bowl and then add in tempeh pieces. These should be small enough for it to look like a "chicken salad.

3. If more mayo or mustard is needed, adjust seasoning. 

4. Serve over toasted bread and greens or just greens (as a salad).

*Great add-ins: some red grapes!

Enjoy!!

Pam & Oscar

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Smoothie

I drink tons of smoothies and have one for breakfast almost every day.
I switch between green smoothies, protein smoothies and oatmeal smoothies. This is one of my favorite smoothies.

One glass of this drink has 10g of fiber! (thats about half your daily intake). It's filling and good for you. It has both types of fiber: soluble and insoluble as well as a lot of protein. Additionally, it's high in magnesium and iron.

More benefits:

Raisins are also a good source of fiber and antioxidants.

Cinnamon is a great anti-inflammatory food and can help prevent blood clots.

Bananas are a great source of vitamin B6, vitamin C and potassium.


This smoothie is very easy to make and tastes literally like an oatmeal raisin cookie! yum!

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 banana
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more according to taste)
• 4-5 cubes ice

1. Just put everything in a high-speed blender and mix until smooth. I have a Vitamix blender and it takes me about 30 seconds. You can probably blend for a minute.

Enjoy!

Pam & Oscar

Amazing Vegan Chocolate Chunk Brownies

I know it's hard to find a great vegan chocolate brownie recipe. There are many out there. Yes, it's hard to make a brownie taste good without cream, eggs and butter or tons of white sugar.

Today I was really craving brownies...and did not want to eat an unhealthy brownie that would make me feel like crap (dairy is doing that to me lately). So, I scoured the internet for every vegan chocolate brownie recipe out there. I spent about 3 hours "researching" and also tweaking recipes here and there. I researched whether flax eggs, chia eggs or applesauce were the better substitutes for eggs and oil...I also looked for comparisons between using baking soda or baking powder and whether to use chocolate chips, etc!

Finally, I came up with a single recipe that encompassed the best of the best and I think these brownies are the best so far. They're fudgy, chocolate-y and cake-y at the same time. SO GOOD.

I will continue to make this better by trying other ingredients and amount variations.

Try them and let me know what you think!


You'll need:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 3 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 flax eggs (2tbsp flaxseed meal needed see below)
• 1 shot of espresso (or very very strong brewed coffee)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened, dark)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan or normal)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour a brownie pan (8 by 8 usually or 9 by 13)

2. Make 2 flax eggs (put 2 tbsp of flaxseed meal with 6 tbsp warm water in a bowl and let sit for 2 minutes until it becomes gel-like).

3. Mix sugar, almond milk, canola oil, apple cider vinegar and flax eggs in a bowl with the espresso and vanilla extract.  

4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. 

5. Add wet ingredients to dry mix. Stir until all incorporated. Add in chocolate chips and walnuts if using.

6. Bake for 17-20 minutes (depends on oven).

7. Let brownies cool for 10 minutes at least before serving or cutting up.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Estos brownies son veganos...asique no tienen leche, huevo o mantequilla (nada animal).  Se pueden preparar con harina blanca sin prepar o tambien  serian mas nutritivos hechos con harina "whole wheat" (trigo entero). 


Ingredientes

• 1 taza azucar morena (ojo: lo hice tambien con 3/4 de taza y salio bien)
• 1/2 taza leche de almendras (o de soya)
• 3 cucharaditas vinagre de manzana 
• 1/4 taza de aceite vegetal (o si quieren pueden usar 2 cucharadas con el mismo efecto)
• 2 cucharadas de linaza molida + 6 de agua filtrada
• 1 shot de espresso
• 1 cucharadita de vainilla
• 1 taza harina sin preparar blanca (o de trigo entero)
• 1 cucharadita de polvo de hornear
• 1/4 cucharadita sal
• 3/4 taza de cocoa (para postres - sin azucar)
• 1/2 taza de chips de chocolate dark
• 1/2 taza nueces o pecanas picadas (opcional)
• *opcional: azucar en polvo para espolvorear encima de los brownies

1. Pre-calentar horno a 375 F (190C).

2. Engrasar (con aceite o mantequilla) un molde rectangular de 8x8 o 9x13 pulgadas (saldran mas delgados con 9 x 13).

3. Preparar los "huevos de linaza" -- mezclar 2 cucharadas de linaza molida (usar licuadora) con 6 cucharadas de agua filtrada. Dejar en un bowl por unos 5 minutos hasta que parezca un "gel" o se cuaje. 1 huevo es el equivalente a 1 cucharada de linaza molida con 3 de agua (asique estamos usando 2 "huevos").

4. Mezclar en un bowl: azucar, leche de almendras/soya, vinagre de manzana, "huevos de linaza", shot de espresso, vainilla y aceite. 

5. Mezclar en un bowl aparte la harina, la cocoa, el polvo de hornear y sal.

6. Incorporar los ingredientes liquidos con los secos poco a poco. 

7. Agregar los chips de chocolate y las nueces/pecanas (si se desea).

8. Hornear por 17 minutos y dejar reposar por lo menos 15 minutos antes de servir.

Enjoy!

Pam & Oscar