Cooking with Marcus

I went to my very first cooking class May 29th at the kitchen store, Distinctive-Decor, on mainstreet here in Duncan. A friend of mine mentioned that the owners were plant strong and that this class would be a plant strong cooking class! I couldn't have been more excited! If you live in Duncan and have not been to Distinctive-Decor, shame on you! They have the most amazing cooking gadgets and tools! I love kitchen gadgets! I always buy something everytime I go in there. If you like to cook I highly recommend them! If you don't live here, they do have a website that you can order from. Check them out here http://www.distinctive-decor.com/
Anyway...so Mom and I signed up for the class and we got there at about 6:15 and the table was already almost full. (They only have so many openings) On the menu tonight was hummus, black bean burgers with guacamole and green chiles, and vegan cookies. If you aren't living plant based, that menu probably doesn't sound very appetizing, but to me it sounds delicious, and to be able to watch someone make all of that right in front of me was amazing! We got to ask questions and talk with everyone else that had come to the class. So since I enjoyed the food so well, I decided I'm going to share the recipes with you! The chef also has his own blog that you can follow! http://homechefsrecipes.blogspot.com/ Enjoy guys!

Oil-Free Cilantro Hummus
2 Cans of Chickpeas (rinsed)
1/2 can of water or vegetable broth
2 Green Onions
Handful of Cilantro
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Juiced Lemon
1 T Ground Cumin
Salt or soy sauce to taste

Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If the hummus is too dry, add water, soy or lemon juice to loosen. Serve with whole grain pita bread or use as a sandwich spread or dip for vegetables.

Bean Burgers 1 Can of black beans rinsed and drained (you can substitute whatever beans you like)
1 Can of Ro-Tel
1 Whole Bunch of Cilantro
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup Onions or 3 Green Onions
2 Carrots
1 Cup Cooked Brown Rice
1 Cup of Rolled Oats (dry)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Put the green onions, cilantro, carrots, and garlic cloves in the blender or food processor and process util pieces are finely minced to the size of lentils or smaller. Once a fine mince is achieved, add the rinsed beans and tomatoes with chilies until a paste (wich is more like a hummus) is formed.
Pour the paste into a bow and add one cup of brown rice and 1 cup of quick oats and stir. (I like the brown rice because it makes the veggie burgers a little more moist.) Taste your mixture and add seasoning as needed. Form the mixture into patties and place on a lined baking sheet. This mixture should yield about 8 patties.
Place into oven and cook for 12 minutes. Flip and then finish under the boiler for 2-3 minutes. All you want to do is brown the patties a little.
Assemble your burgers on whole wheat hamburger buns. Use a turner to pick up the patties from the baking pan and place a patty on the bun. I substitute mashed avacado for mayo as my spread and load the sandwich with dill pickles, greens, tomatoes, onions and a green chile (warmed in a skillet.)

Guacamole 5 Small Avacados
1 Diced Jalapeno (remove the spine and seeds to reduce heat)
1/4 Cup Diced Onion
1 Diced Roma Tomato
1/2 Cup Diced Cilantro
Juice from 1 Lime
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Mash with potato masher until you reach the consistency you like. Spread this on your burger. Its delicious!

Ian's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Sugar in the Raw (unrefined sugar)
1/4 t. Salt
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1/4 t. Blackstrap Molasses
1 1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup of Neutral Oil or Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/3 Cup Non-dairy Chocolate Chips (you can find these at whole foods)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. In another bowl mix all the wet ingredients including sugar together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined.
Place cookie dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a spoon or cookie dough scoop to add the dough and then flatten a little. Cook for 11 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet for on minute and then move to a cooling rack. This recipe makes 8-12 cookies.
I hope you like all of these recipes! I definitely did and can not wait to make them at home! Lets all stay fired up for Engine2!

28 day challenge

Ok so let me start with a little bit about myself. I'm currently 26. Ive been married for almost 2 years and I work at a local manufacturing plant. I don't like a lot of physical activity. I like to say that I'm allergic to the outdoors. I cant be outside in this Oklahoma heat too long or I get a migraine so I usually just spend my time on the couch catching up on my dvr and knitting, relaxing with my dog. I'm lazy. There I said it. I have high blood pressure. And my cholesterol is not great. I'm unhealthy. So when my mom mentioned this new plant strong diet called the Engine 2 diet and that the guy writing the book was coming to Duncan I figured what the heck. Might as well go with the rest of this small town.
A little over a month ago I went to this seminar by Rip Esselstyn the writer of the Engine 2 diet and the son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, that wrote Forks Over Knives. We watched an hour long movie called Forks Over Knives (that you can rent at your local Hastings or on netflix) and then he did a little question and answer session. I figured I might as well try it. I mean how hard could it be to go without dairy, meat, oils and sugar? I should have started this blog May 1st when I started the 28 day challenge but I didn't so I'm going to catch you up and hope that my journey through this plant based lifestyle might help you out!

Week 1 NO DAIRY.I have to be honest, I love cheese. LOVE CHEESE. Take me to a Mexican restaurant and I will eat all of the queso. So when this was week one I thought I was done for. No sour cream? No ranch dressing? Are you kidding me? I survived and it was a lot easier than I thought it was! Since you can't have milk, I bought almond milk by silk, and eat cereal almost every morning. I will include recipes later. Lost 9 pounds the first week! Ok I'm liking these results.

Week 2 NO MEAT. Ok what's left to eat? If my husband wants to go out to eat what am I supposed to eat? We love Mexican food. I have found that Mexican food is the easiest place to eat. I always order veggie fajitas with corn tortillas or just rice and beans with corn tortillas and I can have all the salsa I want. Thank goodness! That is definitely a staple food in my diet. Its good on salad as dressing or on baked potatoes. So by this point I'm eating salad. Baked potatoes. Chips and salsa. Boca burger's by Morning star which are amazing. And lots of hummus. Lost 17 by the end of this week!I'm amazed!

Week 3 NO OILS. No olive oil, no vegetable oil, no canola oil. Now tortilla chips go out. Now what? I made a trip to whole foods and found some blue corn tortilla chips that have sunflower oil which is a touch healthier than other oils. Score! Plus you can make your own just by cutting corn tortillas in wedges and baking them in the oven. I also just bought this new kitchen gadget tonight that will make chips in the microwave in 5 minutes. More on that and other great gadgets later. Down 20 pounds in 20 days! Woohoo!

Week 4 NO SUGARS. No cokes! Omg! Ok I knew this was coming so I had already cut down from 2 or more 44 ounce pepsis a day to 1 44 ounce pepsi and drinking more water. Shockingly enough no headaches! And I really don't crave them anymore and now water actually tastes good!

After competing the 28 day challenge and losing 23 pounds, I feel great! Im down a notch in my belt. My tshirts fit better. I dont get out of breath walking to the car after work. I am going to continue this plant based lifestyle and cant wait to get down to my goal weight. I have a long way to go but with the support of my husband, family and friends I know I can do this and I hope you know you can do it too! I'm here to share amazing recipes, fun kitchen gadgets and great food that you can find at your local walmart or grocery store.
Lets all get fired up for Engine2!!!!