Creamy Fajitas

These are satisfying, yet low fat and so tasty!

Creamy Fajitas

8 ounces water 1 sweet onion, sliced 2 jalepenos, deseeded and sliced 1 small zuchinni, halved and thinly sliced 6 small red potatoes, halved and sliced ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 1 cup asparagus, chopped, optional 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped ⅓ cup white cashew cream 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Serve with warm tortillas, beans, and salsa. 1.In a large, covered pan, “sauté” onions and jalepenos in water until soft and clearish. 2.Before slicing, microwave potatoes for about 4 minutes or until soft. 3.To the covered pan, add all but cilantro and cashew sauce and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until broccoli, zucchini and asparagus soften slightly. 4.Quickly mix in cashew sauce and cilantro and stir well.

Peanut Butter Apple Dip

Here's a quick, yummy dip as an alternative to carmel dip for sour green apples - fun!

Peanut Butter Apple Dip

• 1 cup dates, (pitted!)
• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 pinch cinnamon, optional

1.Place all ingredients in a blender and allow to soak for 10 to 20 minutes.

2.Blend all until very smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cabbage and Noodles - Because Winter Still Holdeth On!

Cabbage and Noodles - Because Winter Still Holdeth On!

Thought this makes great picnic food, too, as it holds up well and tastes fine cold.

1 head cabbage, sliced 1 large onion, sliced 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 12 ounces whole grain noodles 2 quarts water

I used white, double fiber in this picture, but prefer a mild-tasting whole wheat or whole rice noodle. 1.In a large (6 - 7 quart) pot, “fry” onions and cabbage in water and oil, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until cabbage softens, about 20 minutes. Keep covered to maintain moisture and nutrients and to cook more quickly. You may have to add a bit more water to prevent burning. 2.In a separate pot, bring 2 quarts water to a rolling boil and add noodles. Cook 7 + minutes until “al dente” - done but still slightly firm. 3.Drain noodles and com

Breakfast Rice Pudding

Something warm for a morning that forgot to be spring. :-)

Breakfast Rice Pudding

4 cups Brown Rice, cooked 3 tablespoons cornstarch 2 cups water 2 cups soy milk 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional 2-4 tablespoon sugar, to taste ¼ teaspoon salt, optional

1.Mix cornstarch in with a little bit of the water until smooth. 2.Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and and simmer, stirring occasionally for another 5-10 minutes. 3.Serve with pistachios and coconut flakes or raisins.

Peanut Butter Carob Milkshake

This is what happens when you let a man loose in the kitchen. Heehee...

Mike's Peanut Butter Carob Milkshake

1 cups soy milk (Silk?)
2 frozen bananas (peeled!:-)
1 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
1 pinch cinnamon
3 teaspoons carob powder
1/2 c peanut butter (no wonder the boys thought this was so wonderful, lol!)
1 - 1 1/4 cups vanilla ice cream (I love tofutti best for this recipe.)

Combine ingredients in a strong blender and blend until smooth. Yummy!

The picture is something he found online that he thought looked like his final project. (Thanks for the loan, "Superwoman. ;-)

Tarragon Pizza Dough - Unusual and Delicious

Introducing a new herb that many of you may not of have tried: I always enjoy experimenting with new things. Tarragon is one that a friend shared a few years back that is quite unique from other herbs. This is a very mature, unique taste, great for guests or little ones with a wide palette. It's worth your time!!

Tarragon Pizza Dough 

Recipe By: Melanie Troxell 
Serving Size: 12 

Ingredients: 
- 1 1/4 cup hot water 
- 2 teaspoons yeast 
- 2 Tablespoons sugar 
- 2 cups whole wheat flour 
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached wheat flour 
- 2 tablespoons oil 
- 1 tablespoon tarragon flakes 
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes 
- 1 tablespoon chives 
- 1-2 teaspoons salt 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350. 

Mix the slightly hot water with yeast and sugar. Allow this to set for five or so minutes to ensure that the yeast is active. Allow dough to rise in a warm place for at least a half an hour, or up two hours.

Combine all ingredients and mix together very well. Knead for about two minutes or and dough is smooth and slightly rubbery. You may need to add a little bit of flour if it sticks to your hands too badly.

On a well floured surface, roll dough out, and press with fingers as necessary, until it is large enough for a 15 inch pizza stone or large cookie sheet.  Spray the stone or cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Make sure the bottom of the dough is well floured and place on baking surface.

Spread half of a small jar of pizza sauce evenly over the pizza dough. Then top with favorite toppings of your choice. In this picture, we used sautéed onions, chopped olives, sliced mushrooms, and a nondairy cheese. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. 

Coconut Yogurt - By Request!

At last, the Coconut Yogurt!

Coconut Yogurt 

• 1 can coconut milk (NOT light)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• ½ cup soy yogurt, (it has to have live, active cultures)
• 6 cans water

• 1.Stir the cornstarch into a small part of the milk until smooth. Then add all the milk. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until thickened. Allow to cool to 105-112 degrees.

  2.Mix in the yogurt. Keep it around 105 degrees in a covered container overnight (or about 8 hours) to culture.

If you don't have a yogurt maker, yogurt can be kept warm in a dehydrator, or in a gas oven with just a pilot light on. In the summertime it can be kept warm in a hot car (not in the window!) or on a windowsill in your home.
Yogurt can be used in salad dressings or smoothies, or flavored with all-fruit jelly and/or fruit. It can also be sweetened with various flavors of pie filling.
If the yogurt looks lumpy, you can blend it lightly in a blender or food processor before adding flavorings.

Please forgive, the above picture is NOT mine, as I have misplace my picture. I'll work to either get a new one or find the few that I have (or I may use yours if you send me one). Thanks!

Naughty, but Less So (Brownies!)

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

These are very important for snowed in days. :-)

They're pretty intense, so a small recipe is good, here.

• 3 tablespoons Carob powder
• ½ teaspoon Roma powder
• 5 teaspoons oil
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• ¼ cup boiling water
• 6 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• Peanut Butter Swirl
• 3 teaspoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2.Bring a small pan of water to a rolling boil. In a small, heat resistant bowl, place flax seed and pour 1/4 c of boiling water over them and stir. Set aside.

3.In a bowl, mix carob powder and Roma, then stir in boiling water and oil, stirring mixture into a paste. Stir boiling flax water again and allow to settle briefly for a couple of tablespoons of this sign into the carob paste. Mix in sugar.

4.Finally, add the flour, vanilla, and salt and fold until flour is just Inc., taking care not to overmix.

5.Mix peanut butter, margarine, affectionate sugar and vanilla until smooth.

6.Pour carob batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Then drop peanut butter mixture in blobs onto the top of this and smear out in swirls with a knife.

7.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until like toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Now that everyone is over being sick of Holiday food, I'd like to share a recipe that is reminiscent of Pumpkin Pie but healthier and lighter! Enjoy...

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1/2 cup Pumpkin Pie Mix (from a can)
1 large frozen (very ripe) banana
1/2 cup water
6 ice cubs
1/4 cup Better than Milk powder (or powdered milk of your choice)

Blend all until very smooth in a blender, about 1-3 minutes.

Orange "Chicken" Rice for Potluck Today

Orange "Chicken" and Rice

2 1/4 cups brown rice, dry (Uncle Ben's?)

2 1/2 cups water

2 cups Light colored TVP

2 1/2 cups hot water

2 Tablespoon oil

1 cup cashews (raw is best!)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Sauce

1 cup orange marmalade

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 T chicken-style seasoning

Put rice and water in a covered pot and bring to a boil, then lower temperature to low-medium. Leaving covered, cook for another 20-25 minutes or until steam lessens significantly and rice is soft. 

Mix TVP and water and allow to set until moisture is soaked up.

While rice is cooking, "fry" cashews in oil until they brown slightly. Add TVP and coconut and stir well. Set aside.

Mix sauce ingredients thoroughly. 

Combine all ingredients and serve warm.

Blessings!

(Are you Weird??) and Raspberry Millet Breakfast

Raspberry Millet Breakfast - and Are You Weird?

Please forgive my lengthy absence. Trying to get computer troubles fixed over the next couple of days!!! :-)
 
Take a minute to read through my ramblings, and you'll be rewarded with a recipe at the end. :-)

Anyone who knows me knows that I am quite open and not political. You are "different." You already know it anyway, so why not just talk about it and see if we can learn together how to succeed despite our differences? (That can be understood in more than one way, I guess.) People are so touchy and ridiculous and changeable. We all have these things that we know about other people that are impolite to talk about, so they just hang between even close friends like a stink in the air. That’s one thing I think I learned from all my Korean friends. Just say it! They freely ask and share each others’ ages and incomes, and whatever. They’ll tell you if they think you’re fat or even ugly. Why not? No fat person will be surprised. In America, we try to wear clothes to hide our fat or just never mention it, and hope no one notices. REALLY? In Korea, they told me that I have a witches’ nose (in contrast to small and flat!). They didn’t show any disdain, though, just thought it was less attractive. I think that was a great lesson for me. I don’t have some gorgeous nose, but my nose is just fine by American standards. AND THEY WEREN’T HATEFUL or “superior” about it. It was just a fact that people all noticed and that set me apart. They also freely joked about my size - I am about twice the size of many Korean women, lol.

I’m passionate about this concept, and it’s part of what makes me socially different - and threatening. This is isn’t to say that I don’t struggle with what people think about me, especially when I’m tired or ill. It’s not to say that I don’t look in the mirror (at my THIN) self and see a huge butt or a crooked smile just like others do. But I know that the reality is often very different than what we tell ourselves.

Different can have many advantages, but one of them is that the pain of isolation can cause us to stand back and evaluate who we are and why we’re here. If we come to terms with our uniqueness - even our “flaws,” we can evaluate each one on it’s own. If my “different” is a short temper, it’s something that Jesus can overcome in me. If my “different” is ratty, big hair, I can come to terms that God allowed me to have a Brillo Pad for some reason. I should seek to be as beautiful as God made me to be and learn to properly care for what I have. It may be VERY different - I do not ever comb and almost never brush my hair. I keep it clean and style it with my fingers (gasp!!). Funny thing is, it took me THIRTY years to embrace my hair and stop fighting it. Now I get compliments on it continually, even though it’s certainly not “normal,” and not “fashionable.”

WHY do we fight what God made us? I mean the physical, the personality, etc. God loves a rainbow. He INTENTIONALLY made you what he made you, and I think he just shakes his head in sadness at all we do to fight what we have and be what we think others expect. Be your own beautiful self and embrace it!

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I'm not that into millet - it's "different." ;-)  But I believe in encouraging tastes to expand for the sake of variety and nutrition. Here's a yummy breakfast for a cool winter morning!

Raspberry Millet Breakfast

1 cup millet (a dry cereal in the cereal section at your grocery or health food store - birdfood. :-)
3 cups milk (I like almond milk best.)
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

plain yogurt (your favorite kind - love homemade coconut yogurt)
raspberry preserves (yummy!)

Blend millet in a blender or food processor until grainy, but not fine flour, about a minute or less in a powerful blender like a Vitamix.
Over medium-high heat, in a sauce pot, bring millet, milk, water, sugar and salt to a boil, stirring well, to prevent lumps.
When it reaches a boil, cover it and turn to low. Simmer until thickened, 20-30 minutes.
Serve with yogurt and raspberry preserves.

Banana Bread Lunch Box

Hi Everyone... here's some yummy, wholesome banana bread that will keep you full 'til supper. Happy Fall!! 

Banana Bread

¾ cup sugar
⅓ cup oil
1 cup water, warm
3 small bananas, broken
1 tablespoon vanilla
¼ cup flax seed
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup Pecans, chopped


1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Blend in blender: sugar, oil, water, vanilla, bananas, and water. Add to dry ingredients and stir well. Pour into a well greased 9 inch loaf pan.

3. Bake until knife comes out clean, about 2 hours. Cool for five minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.

A Blizzard is Coming ... after such a long absence

When my little sister was about 2, my mom loaded up a car-full of kids and took us to school. We were living in Indiana at the time and the weather was starting to turn (kind of like now...). On the trip to school, my mom mentioned that it was actually looking like a blizzard, so of course, we were excited!

When Mom pulled into the driveway back at home, little Marion, who'd been sitting quietly, expectantly, in her carseat, burst into tears. She was devastated because they hadn't stopped for the blizzard she'd been promised!

Well, apparently some of you have also been crying because I've been naughtily absent for such a very long time. Apologies!! Getting adjusted to working night shift has been - painful. :-)  But God is holding me up and I'm beginning to be able to function again a little. Thank you so very much for your patience.

Here is a family favorite - great for the holidays that are coming up. I make it once every couple of years because, as you will see, it's pleasantly intense!! ENJOY!


Blizzard Pie

1 carob cookie crust
8 ounces Cool Whip
8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese
2 cups candy or fruit, crushed or chopped

This delicious pie is wonderful served cold or exceptional served frozen.
Mix Cool Whip and cream cheese with a mixer or food processor until smooth. Stir in crushed candy or fruit. Spoon into pie crust and smooth it into a puffy, fluffy look, with peaks and ridges.


Butterfinger - Mix in 1 cup crushed "Chic-o-sticks" and 3/4 cups of carob chips. (You can melt, spread, cool and break the carob chips for a more authentic feel.)


Carob Cookie Crust

25 vanilla wafers
3 tablespoons smart balance light, melted
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon Roma powder
3 tablespoons carob powder

1. Process all together until smooth and press into an 8" pie pan.
2. Freeze and use as is or bake for 10 minutes at 400.

Ratatouille Replay - Because I Can Only Assume Your Garden's as full as Everyone's but Mine ;-)

Ratatouille Replay - Because I Can Only Assume Your Garden's as full as Everyone's but Mine ;-)  There's nothing more wonderful than fresh garden veggies - and enough to share. When everything comes ripe at once, Ratatouille is the way to go!

Ratatouille

1 small eggplant, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
1 large zucchini , sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 medium yellow squash, sliced
⅓ cup soy cheese, shredded (I used "Daiya," my favorite!)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 and oil a 9x13" casserole dish well on the bottom and sides with 2 tablespoons oil.

2. Layer veggies in order listed, standing part way up, making as many rows as fit nicely, until all are gone. If you have extra of one veggie or another, cut these into small pieces and sprinkle them in the "blank spots" in the pan.

3. Sprinkle salt and then "cheese" evenly over the top of the veggies and then bake until top begins to turn golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Low Fat Peanut Butter Muffins

All my guys have all been gone for Mike's short summer break to visit their Grandma and Grandpa and adorable cousins in Indiana. Their two beautiful cousins are just older and just younger than my youngest and they enjoy every moment together! Grandma and Grandpa live out in the country, and the girls' daddy has a huge, amazing garden and greenhouse of all organic food. I'm a bit jealous, but thrilled that they got to spend this time together!

Here's a great "send off" food if you have people you're packing up and out the door - who can resist a yummy muffin? And these are whole grain, low fat, delicious, filling, and just good for you!



Low Fat Peanut Butter Muffins


2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup pb2
½ cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
⅓ teaspoons salt
⅔ cup carob chips
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ⅔ - 2 cups water
 
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients thoroughly.

3. Mix wet ingredients and pour over dry ingredients, stirring just enough to mix. Do not over-stir.

4. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and fill each cup almost to the top with muffin batter.

5. Bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean (unless you poke it through a chip, which will pull up on the toothpick whether or not the muffin is done!), 23-3- minutes.

NotesPB2 is a powdered peanut butter that is low in fat and still full of flavor. It is just pressed peanuts, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. You can find it and carob powder at your local health food store or online.

Carob is not chocolate. It is it's own flavor that is similar to chocolate, carmel, or vanilla (unfruity but unique and delicious). Carob can be used in the place of chocolate in many recipes and is good for you in moderation. It's also safe for your dog. :-)

Peachy Summer Goodness (Without the Cholesterol)

Working nights leaves me less time to cook creatively, but sometimes you still just have to incorporate summer goodness into your menu! We visited a farmer's market where there was some delicious-looking fresh home made peach ice cream - for $2 per tiny cup. Uh, yeah... so this was my healthier, cheaper version. Of course the boys loved it and so did I! I like it better than almost any dairy peach ice cream I've had!



Peachy Summer Ice Cream


¾ cups Better than milk powder
½ cup cashews, raw
⅓ cup sugar
½ vanilla Bean
1 ½ water
4 ripe peaches

1. In a blender, blend all but 2 of the peaches until mixture is extremely smooth. This could take 3-4 minutes or longer, depending on the power of your blender.

2. Chop the remaining peaches and blend in briefly, making sure to "leave chunks."

3. Prepare in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer recommendations.

Better than Milk powder is a delicious (but expensive) product. It really makes this dessert! You could use any powdered milk product (short of baby formula - yuck!), whether it be soy or something else you can find. I'm sure regular powdered milk would work as well.

You could use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean, but make sure you use an alcohol-free type, as it can interfere with proper freezing.

If you re-freeze immediately, this does a "hard-scoop" quite well. If it sets out and is allowed to melt, it crystalizes more harshly than dairy ice cream.

Personal Pot Pies from your Freezer!

Many times have looked longingly at the sales paper pot pies that go on sale for a great price and look to be brimming with warm goodness on those pictures! The vegetarian ones are delicious, but very hard to find, full of fat and often cholesterol, made with white flour (which I try to play down in favor of the nutritional goodness of whole grains), and are SOOO expensive - perhaps $3-$4 per tiny pie. I make yummy pot pies for the family, but would love to have them ready for the boys to pull out for them for when I'm sleeping after a long night's work.

Many times, too, I've brought home neat "tv dinner" type foods that are bake in paper, and wondered how I could safely repeat this. So I've experimented

and come up with something that you can do at your own risk.

Also, I've had folks request a tender whole grain pie crust. The key to the tenderness of this might be it's thinness, but it's much lower in fat than the more tender recipes I have, and it's delicious for salty or sweet pies.

Personal Pot Pies (for now and later)

1 cup water
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
3 cups milk gravy
2 tablespoons chicken style Seasoning
3 tablespoons imitation bacon bits
½ salt salt, or to taste
1 recipe pie crust (see below)
non-stick cooking spray

Directions
1. In a large pot, boil onions and mushrooms, covered, in one cup of water until onions soften and begin to turn clearish, 3-5 minutes. Add vegetables and cook all on medium heat for about 3-5 more minutes.

2. Stir in gravy, chicken style seasoning, "back bits" and salt and heat through. Remove from heat.

3. Divide pie crust dough into 6 even balls. Divide each of these into 2 balls about 1/3 and 2/3 in size. Roll these into very thin circles (6 small six large), or (the easiest way) press them on a tortilla griddle.

4. *At your own risk*
You'll need 6 20 ounce "heavy duty" paper bowls.
Spray paper plates with non-stick cooking spray and press the larger circles into the bowl.

5. Spoon in a heaping cup of the vegetable-gravy mixture, and wet the top, inside edge of the bottom pie crust with a bit of water. Lay the smaller crusts over the "pie" and press the two crusts together, either with your fingers or a fork. Poke 2 or 3 times in the top with a fork to release steam as the pie cooks.

6. At this point you can wrap the pies you will not eat now in plastic cling wrap and then in foil. Freeze these for later use.

7. To bake, preheat oven to 350.
Unwrap completely if necessary and set bowls on a cookie sheet, not touching each other.
If baking from warm or thawed, bake for 15-18 minutes, or until edges are golden.
If baking from frozen, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden.


DISCLAIMER:
Paper bowls are NOT rated as oven-safe. If you are more comfortable doing this in a aluminum or glass dish, please do. I have purchased and used many dishes that come in paper plates. These are cheap and seem ideal for storing in the freezer for minute-man use. I experimented carefully with this method and it has turned out beautifully for me. Your results may vary, and I'm not responsible for excessive flames. ;-) ***At your own risk!!***


Pot Pie, Etc. Crust

3 cup whole wheat flour
⅓ cup white flour
1 ½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup oil
½ cup cold water

Directions
1. Mix all but water very thoroughly.

2. Mix in water and work with hands until smooth.

Surprising Cantaloupe Frost - Aaaaahhh!

Why, why are you still wasting all those cantaloupe seeds?? This odd spin on sweet summer cantaloupe is one of the most delicious, refreshing summer treats around our place. We usually save the seeds from two cantaloupes to have enough to satisfy us all... It takes a cheesecloth or loose weave fabric bag to make, so be prepared. Did I say - SO YUMMY!

Cantaloupe Frost

1 cantaloupe
1 - 1 ½ cup water
2 cups ice
3 tablespoons sugar

1. Remove the seeds and "goop" from the cantaloupe and put them in a blender. Blend with the 1 or 1 1/2 cup of water until very, very smooth.

2. Squeeze this liquid through a cheese cloth and discard the seed residue. Add 3 T of sugar and stir well.

3. Add the sugar and ice and blend tip smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Orange Sunshine Cake

So this isn't as a healthy as some, but way healthier than anything like it! :-) Consider it a birthday cake worth indulging in once a year. ;-)

Orange Sunshine Cake was invented to celebrate the birthday of one of the sunniest parts of my life!

Orange Sunshine Cake

1 orange cake box
3 tablespoons light colored Chia seeds
⅓ cup oil
1 ½ cups water
1 large cool whip
1 can orange juice concentrate
1 ½ cups white chips

1. Stir Chia seeds into water and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.

2. Mix Chia gel, oil and cake mix and bake in three small pans until a fork comes out clean (times according to package mix).

3. Melt white chips in a microwave and stir in with 1/2 of the Cool Whip until smooth and chill in refrigerator until room temperature.

4. Mix white chip mixture, remaining Cool Whip, and orange juice concentrate until all are well blended.

5. Ice each layer of the cake, then all around and on top. Yum!

Stroganoff Stew

Ok, I know it's still summer, but I've been too busy to intentionally cook for the season. Sometimes you just create with what you have on hand. Hopefully this will satisfy your tummy (as it is unapologetically yummy!)... if it seems too hot out for stew, spoon it over toast and that should help. Enjoy!!

Stroganoff Stew

12 cups water
2 cups Textured Vegetable Protein
1 ½ cup hot water
¾ cup cashews
¼ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon beef style seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons yeast flakes
3 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 pound curly noodles
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1. Stir textured vegetable protein (TVP) granules or chunks into 1 1/2 cups hot water and set aside.

2. In a large pot, bring water to boil and set aside 1-2 cups of this hot water. Add noodles and mushrooms to the large pot of hot water and stir.

3. Pour 1-2 cups of the hot water into a blender and blend with cashews and herbs, and salt (blend all but TVP, noodles and mushrooms). Blend until very smooth, 2-3 minutes on high.

4. When noodles soften (5-6 minutes for white noodles or 10 minutes for whole wheat), combine all and cook, stirring often, until mixture begins to thicken, 3-5 minutes.

(*This is delicious over crisp toast, as well.*)