Multiple Sclerosis Friendly Recipes

Dairy-free Avocado Crema

1/25/2020

While I mainly follow a vegan diet, I do eat seafood every now and then for a dose of healthy omega-3's. The other day I was in the mood for shrimp cocktail, but I was trying to come up with a better alternative to the traditional cocktail sauce that is sold with the shrimp rings. If you have ever looked at the ingredients of cocktail sauce you will notice that it is not only chock full of sugar but also many additives. You can make it yourself to have less of the bad stuff, but sugar is still a main ingredient and I was looking for an alternative.

I then remembered that shrimp goes very well with avocado. I didn't want to make a guacamole, figuring that would overpower the shrimp. That's when the words "Avocado Crema" came to mind. To be honest, I didn't really know what was in an Avocado Crema, but it sounded delicious! Looking up recipes, I found it is actually quite simple to make, but does call for sour cream. Luckily, I have a dairy-free sour cream recipe up my sleeve so I set out to combine this with the Avocado Crema recipes I found. It is super simple to prepare...all the ingredients just go in the blender. It pairs wonderfully with pretty much any seafood and can be used as a sandwich spread or salad dressing.

Dairy-free Avocado Crema Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews or slivered almonds
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 peeled and crushed garlic clove
3-4 Tbsp of fresh lime or lemon juice (about 2 limes or 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
*optional handful of fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth. If necessary, add some extra water 1/4 cup at a time to help the mixture blend fully.
Serve. Use as a dip for your shrimp cocktail or as a dressing for pasta salad. Due to the avocados, this recipe is best if used in 1-2 days.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Fudge Cake

12/26/2019

When I first tried this recipe, I was so surprised by it. It uses simple and healthy ingredients, was very quick and easy to prepare AND it tasted like dark chocolate fudge. I never would have thought that sweet potatoes could be used to make a chocolate fudge cake while actually tasting great. Once baked it does need to be cooled, as it is best enjoyed chilled. It will need to be in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours. It is perfect for make ahead preparation and travels well.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:
Base

2 cups of raw almonds, hazel nuts, or walnuts
2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 Tbsp water

Filling

2 sweet potatoes
1 cup medjool dates (about 20)
2 cups almond milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer the dark, Dutched cocoa to give it an intense, dark chocolate taste)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions:
Base

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line the bottom of a 9 in spring form with parchment paper and grease the sides with olive oil.
Add all base ingredients to a food processor until it is finely processed and sticks together when pressed together.
With damp hands, press the base into an even layer on the bottom of the spring form.
Pre-bake the crust for 5 min.

Filling

Soak the dates for 10 min. in boiling water (you can start this while preparing the base) and then drain.
Microwave sweet potatoes 2 x 2 min. each or until cooked through. Scrape out the inside.
Add all filling ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into the pre-baked base and back for 45 min. at 350°F.
Let cool and store overnight (or 4 hours) in fridge before serving.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Frosting

12/26/2019

You will not believe that sweet potatoes make up the bulk of this frosting. Not only is this frosting fudgy, truly delicious AND healthy (*gasp!) but it comes out thick enough that it is also perfect for decorating. If you are gifted in the cake decorating area, then this recipe is perfect for making fun designs. No one will even notice that it is made out of sweet potatoes and whatever it tops will be devoured!

The trick is to process long enough that there are no traces of sweet potato chunks. If you can't get rid of the chunks, then you probably need to add some more almond milk to thin it out. This can be made ahead of time and can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for about a week.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Frosting Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer the darker Dutched Cocoa)
½ cup maple syrup or honey*
2 Tbsp almond butter or tahini
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
Almond milk, to thin as necessary

Instructions:

Microwave sweet potatoes 2 x 2 min. each (or until cooked through) and let cool.
Scrape out the flesh of the sweet potatoes into a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Use immediately or store in the fridge for later.
The frosting will thicken in the fridge so I usually add up to a ¼ cup of almond milk so it is easier to spread, the amount of almond milk will depend on the dryness of the sweet potatoes.

*Note: Here you could substitute medjool dates as the sweetener. Soak 20 pitted, medjool dates (about 1 cup) for 10 min. in hot water. Drain and place in a blender with ¼ cup almond milk and blend until smooth, adding almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time to ensure all dates are fully blended. Then add to step 2 above.

Sweet Potato Hummus

12/26/2019

Sweet potatoes and chickpeas make up the base of this hummus. If you don't like tahini, then this recipe is for you. It goes great with veggies sticks, but I love it the most with home-made pita or corn tortilla chips (see note below recipe). It can also be used as a fun sandwich spread.

This recipe is also really quick and easy to put together. You won't believe how mouth-watering this sweet potato hummus is. Give it a try and share your favorite way to eat it!

Sweet Potato Hummus Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1, 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Juice of ½-1 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water
½ tsp salt
½ tsp chili powder
Pinch of black pepper

Instructions:

Microwave sweet potato 2 x 2 min. until it is cooked through and let it cool a little.
Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and add to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
Process until smooth. Adding additional water or olive by the tablespoon to thin out if necessary.
Serve with veggie sticks or homemade pita chips*.

*Note: Make homemade pita chips by cutting up oil-free and sugar-free (if possible) whole wheat pita bread into triangles and bake at 400°F for 15-20 min. It can be difficult to find sugar- AND oil-free whole wheat pita bread. So in a pinch you can also serve with homemade corn tortilla chips by following the same steps above. Corn tortillas without oil and sugar are usually easier to come by.

Sweet Potato Pizza Crust

12/26/2019

I am going to be honest. This doesn't really taste like pizza and you will have to eat it with a knife and fork. I just want to prepare you. However, to be honest again, it is absolutely and utterly delicious! I could not believe how good this crust came out with the vegan cheese and home-made pizza sauce. Once the components are prepared, it is easy to assemble.

Prepare the sweet potato crust first, and while that pre-bakes in the oven, prepare the pizza sauce and blend the vegan cheese ingredients. For the vegan cheese start cooking on the stove just before you want to top it on the crust and pizza sauce. Then top with your favorite toppings and add to the oven again.

Sweet Potato Pizza Crust Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:
Crust

2-3 sweet potatoes (about 10 oz.)
1 Flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed with 2.5 Tbsp water)
½ cup ground raw almonds (or walnuts, pecans, or cashews)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder

Tomato Sauce

6 oz. tomato paste
15 oz. tomato puree
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper

Vegan Cheese

300ml water
180 g raw cashews
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
½ tsp salt

Instructions:
Pizza crust

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Add the water to the ground flax seed and let thicken.
Microwave the potatoes for 2 x 2 min. each until cooked through and let cool
Scoop out the sweet potatoes from the skin and add to a food processor, and the rest of the ingredients and process until relatively smooth, it can be a little lumpy.
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet grease with about 2 tsp of olive oil.
Spread out the crust mixture on the parchment paper and brush on 1 Tbsp olive oil on the top.
Add to oven and bake 25 min.

Tomato Sauce

Add all the ingredients to a sauce pan and whisk to mix.
Cook for 5-10 min. to thicken up and then pour desired amount to the pizza crust after it has baked for 25min.
Then top with the cheese (see below).

Vegan Cheese

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Add to a small sauce pan at medium heat and cook until thickened.
Pour over the pizza crust and tomato sauce with any toppings of choice (e.g. mushrooms, onions, green pepper, fresh spinach etc.).
Place back in the oven and bake an additional 10-15 min.
Remove from oven and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Nacho Cheese

12/26/2019

Looking for a healthy way to enjoy those home-made corn tortilla chips*? This recipe is chock-full of healthy ingredients that won't leave you weighed down with guilt. The dip is also a great addition to any party and your guests seriously won't know what hit them. My family could not believe that this was an actual healthy chip dip (of course it only stays healthy if you make your own chips shown in the note below).

There are endless ways that this recipe can be used: it would be fun to top on baked or mashed potatoes or as a sauce for mac and cheese. It is really versatile and I would love to hear all the creative ways you end up using this recipe!

*Note:
Home-made baked tortilla chips
Cut oil- and sugar-free corn tortillas into triangles and place as an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 15-20 min, or until crunchy.

Sweet Potato Nacho Cheese Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, cut into 1/2” slices
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Juice of half a lemon

Instructions:

Bring the carrots, sweet potatoes, and onion to a boil in a pot with just enough water to cover them. Cook for 20 min.
Drain the water and add the cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, and onion to a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
If using immediately, add the blended cheese back to the pot and warm through. This can also be warmed in a slow cooker and is an excellent party dish. Add some home-made vegan sour cream to really seal the deal!

Quick and Easy Vegan Blueberry Scones

11/22/2019

This recipe idea came after my husband tried the biscuits and gravy recipe found here. It is a twist on the biscuits. When he tried those he had the brilliant idea that blueberries could be added to them to make a scone-like treat.

So I tried it...and it worked. This is probably the quickest baked good recipe you can find. The only down-side is that the blueberries are a little difficult to incorporate in the dough and you might have to manually fold them in. But in 20 minutes tops you can have a nice warm blueberry scone fresh from the oven! And as always, basically guilt-free.

Blueberry Scone Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp maple syrup (can substitute honey)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
8-10 oz. fresh blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Then add the maple syrup, olive oil, and almond milk and stir to combine.
Gently fold in the blueberries, if it is difficult to incorporate them you can use your hands to push them in each mound as you add them to the baking sheet.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the mixture to the sheet 1 Tbsp at a time, leaving a little space in between mounds.
Bake for 10-15 min.

Easy, Creamy, Vegan Potato Soup

11/9/2019

This soup is perfect for those chilly days when you just want something warm and creamy to keep you company. There are only a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. It comes together pretty easily and is quite forgiving. If you don't have sweet potatoes you can substitute carrots, squash, zucchini, or even celery. Really any vegetable addition will work alongside the potatoes.

In the picture, I added roasted garlic pieces as an additional topping and to add a little crunch. This soup keeps very well and the leftovers are still singing with flavor. So if you are looking for an easy, comforting soup as the days get shorter and cooler, you should give this one a try.

Vegan Potato Soup Recipe
vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (can substitute 4-5 carrots)
4 cups vegetable broth (make sure there is no added sugar)
1.5 tsp salt
1 cup raw cashews (or almonds)
1 cup water
3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Flax or walnut oil for topping

Instructions:

Add onions and garlic to a large pot and cook on medium heat. Add a little broth to keep them from sticking.
After 5-10 minutes add the regular and sweet potatoes, vegetable broth, and salt. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
In the meantime blend the raw nuts with water to make the cashew cream.
Once the potatoes are very well cooked, add the cashew cream and nutritional yeast if using.
Then either use an immersion blender in the pot or add small portions of the soup to a blender and blend in small batches to make a creamy soup. If you like it chunky only blend about half of the soup.
Serve warm with a little drizzle of flax or walnut oil on the top.

Pumpkin Spice Cashew Cheese

10/20/2019

It's that time of the year where we start seeing pumpkin spice all around so I wanted to share one of my favorite pumpkin spice recipes...actually, I am already late since the season seemed to start in August this year! Any-who, this recipe gives a fun twist to cashew cheese spread and it is not your typical pumpkin spice recipe since it can be used for an appetizer or dessert.

It is great to have on hand when you have a craving for pumpkin spice but don't want to fall off course with your healthy lifestyle. Only quality ingredients are used in this recipe, which is another reason why I love it. This pumpkin spice cheese pairs wonderfully with sliced pears or apples and can be enjoyed warm, straight out of the oven, or chilled overnight. Happy Pumpkin Season!

Pumpkin Spice Cashew Cheese Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined sugar-free, gluten-free

Ingredients:

1, 15 oz can pure, unsweetened pumpkin
2 cups raw cashews (or almond slivers)
1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (juice from 1-1.5 lemons or substitute with fresh orange juice)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 250°F.
Add all ingredients to a blender (or food processor) and blend until very smooth.
Pour into 2, 6 in ramekins and bake for 30-40 min, until the top looks nice and baked.
Serve warm or chilled and serve with sliced apples or pears.

Biscuits and Gravy

10/6/2019

If you haven't checked out the OvercomingMS website yet, you really should. There are many wonderful recipes available there and I am a frequent visitor. I was recently perusing their recipe list and came across this biscuit recipe that looked amazingly simple and fast to make (slightly tweaked version below).

After making the biscuits I had a really big craving for a nice big bowl of biscuits and gravy, so I set out to try to make an equally simple and fast gravy recipe. It turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for. So the next time you are in the mood for a nice warm bowl of breakfast comfort food, I hope you give this one a try. The biscuit recipe makes about 12-15 biscuits and the gravy recipe makes about two to three servings, so if you need more just scale it up!

Vegan Biscuits and Gravy Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:
Biscuits

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp maple syrup (can substitute honey)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup almond milk

Gravy

1/4 cup flax seeds (can alternatively use raw cashews or almonds)
1 cup water
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 onion, chopped
4 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme (can substitute dried)
1 tsp fresh oregano (can substitute dried)
1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or flax oil

Instructions:
Biscuits

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Then add the maple syrup, olive oil, and almond milk and stir to combine.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the mixture to the sheet 1 Tbsp at a time, leaving a little space in between mounds.
Bake for 10-15 min.

Gravy

Add the onion and garlic to a pan on medium heat and cook for about 5 min, add some water (or vegetable broth) a tablespoon at a time to keep it from sticking.
Add the mushrooms and saute until they are lightly browned.
Blend the flax seeds and water to make a smooth cream and add to the pan along with the salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Let simmer for 5-10 min.
Remove from heat, letting it cool just a tad and then add the oil.
Top on the freshly baked biscuits.