Multiple Sclerosis Friendly Recipes

Zucchini Chips

2/10/2019

In the mood for a savory, crispy snack? All you need is a zucchini! If you have never tried zucchini chips, this is something you have to try. And if you already have tried them, then you know these little things can be addicting! But unlike a greasy bag of chips, this snack can be consumed 100% guilt-free. By eating these you are actually doing something good for your body.

I'd like to thank my co-worker for getting me on the zucchini chip band wagon. She was handing out zucchinis from her overproducing garden and shared her favorite way to enjoy them...as chips! After that, I was hooked. Also, this isn't just a great trick for zucchini, get creative and try some eggplant, Portobello mushroom, or kale chips. The secret is to make sure the slices are really thin and that they get nice and crispy in the oven. For the kale you just need to pull the leaves from the stalk. So, give it a try...you just might like it!

Zucchini Chips Recipe

Ingredients:

3 small zucchinis
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°F.
Cut zucchinis into very thin slices. The slicer blade of a food processor does this pretty quickly, but it is also easy enough to slice by hand or if you have a mandolin, this will be the perfect time to use it.
Add sliced zucchini to a bowl and mix with the olive oil and salt.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay the zucchini slices on top in a single layer.
Bake for 20 min., flipping about half way. After flipping make sure to check and remove any that bake faster than the others so they don't burn.
Some may need a little additional time to get nice and crispy.

Vegan Spinach Sauce

1/27/2019

If you follow this website, you know I am always looking for new ways to add a vitamin punch to sauces. This recipe combines fresh spinach and basil to create a beautiful green, smooth and creamy sauce. It is a wonderful addition to any base you like. It is of course great on pasta, but it is also a fun topping for mashed or roasted potatoes and I promise you won't miss the butter!

This recipe is also very quick and easy to pull together...everything just goes in the blender and then cooks on the stove top. You can have it simmering away while you cook the base it will top. I love this recipe especially when I am in a time pinch but want something nourishing for my body.

Spinach Sauce Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free
Ingredients:

3 cups of fresh spinach
1 large handful of basil
1 cup raw nuts (almonds or cashews)
1 cup water
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp tapioca flour (alternatively you can use potato or corn starch...whatever you have on hand)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a pot and heat on medium-high while stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
Reduce heat and cook for about 10 min until it thickens up.
Serve over pasta, quinoa, potatoes, rice, etc.

Spaghetti Squash

1/20/2019

If you are like me, you might find yourself being intrigued and at the same time intimidated by all of the varieties of squash out there. For years I shied away from anything more "exotic" than yellow squash because I had no idea how to handle them. I also assumed these other varieties probably tasted similar to yellow squash, which further deterred me because I was never very fond of yellow squash!

My horizons (in terms of squash) expanded when a colleague brought in a bowl of spaghetti squash for lunch. To be honest, I had no idea this was a specific type of squash, I actually thought she had somehow grated a yellow squash into long strands. Boy was I mistaken, and I of course failed miserably trying to recreate this dish with a yellow squash. However, one day when I was shopping I suddenly noticed a sticker saying "how to prepare spaghetti squash" stuck an oblong, yellow pumpkin-like vegetable. That was when it hit me and I understood what spaghetti squash really was!

Spaghetti squash can also be pretty easy to prepare. The hardest part is cutting it in half. Scooping out the seeds used to also be quite difficult until I found a serrated ice cream scoop in the back of my drawer. At least I think it is an ice cream scoop...regardless of what its actual purpose was, it works perfectly for scooping out squash and pumpkin insides! I also always, always save the seeds and bake them along with the squash on a separate baking sheet. These are a fun, healthy treat; the oven is going anyway so you may as well pop them on in!

Spaghetti Squash Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free
Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp flax oil
1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Remove the seeds from each half**.
Coat both inside halves of the spaghetti squash with olive oil.
Place each half facedown on a baking sheet.
Bake for 30 min or until tender.
Remove the inside of one half of the squash by scraping with a fork. (Long strands that look like spaghetti will start to come out.)
To this half of the freshly removed squash add the flax oil, nutritional yeast, and salt.
Done!

**Note: Bake the seeds, too! Remove most of the squash parts stuck to the seeds, sprinkle with salt and spread on a baking sheet. Add them to the oven and bake at 400°F for 15 min.

Blueberry Muffins

1/13/2019

Muffins are something I have loved since graduate school. My lunch would sometimes consist of a coffee and nice big blueberry muffin. At that time I even thought I was having a healthy lunch! But knowing what I know now, I am a little appalled when I think of how much saturated fat and refined white sugar I would unwittingly consume, not to mention all the other unknown ingredients.

While I of course avoid eating those tasty looking treats from the bakery now, it doesn't mean I have to be totally without. It has taken some experimenting, but I finally have an MS friendly recipe that can fill the blueberry muffin void in my life. So if you are also a fellow blueberry muffin lover, try out the recipe below. If has become a family favorite, and as an added bonus, it is actually pretty quick and easy to whip up!

Vegan Blueberry Muffin Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup raw coconut sugar
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease muffin tin with some olive oil.
Combine and mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl: flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients: raw sugar, milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar and mix.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Add the blueberries and gently fold them in.
Add the batter to the greased muffin tin.
Bake about 20 min.
Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 min and then enjoy!

No Tuna Salad

12/30/2018

This recipe doesn't actually taste like tuna but the consistency is similar to tuna salad and can be used the same way. My favorite way to eat this is to cut up and toast MS friendly pita bread in the oven to use as dippers. Whenever I make this recipe, it is pretty much gone immediately. A new family favorite that is not only delicious and healthy but also pretty quick and easy to make.

Vegan No Tuna Salad Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

1 can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
Juice from half a lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Handful of fresh cilantro
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper)
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1-2 dill pickles, finely diced
1/2 onion, finely diced

Instructions:

Add chick peas, lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, mustard, paprika, salt a pepper to a food processor and process until mixed.
Stir in celery, pickles, and onion.
Chill until ready to use.
Serve as a dip, spread or salad topper.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

12/22/2018

I haven't had green bean casserole in a long time. When I used to eat dairy, I had a tasty homemade version, which was of course full of heavy cream. For Thanksgiving this year, I decided to try to veganize my original recipe. I am sure most chefs would advise to always do a test run before the big day...but I didn't have the time to do that! Luckily, my attempts were successful and it turned out amazing! If I do say so myself (*pat on back :)!

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be made a few days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Just prepare the topping and filling, but don't put into the oven until ready to serve.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:
Topping:

1 onion, sliced
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
2 slices of MS friendly bread (no added oils or sugars)
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp almonds
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Filling:

1 lb frozen green beans
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
3/4 cup MS friendly vegetable broth (no added sugar)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup almonds
1 1/4 cup water

Instructions:
Topping:

Mix together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, add onion and soak for 1 hour (but can go overnight in refrigerator if necessary). *
Prepare bread crumb topping by blending together bread, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and almonds.**
Remove onions from soaking liquid (save the soaking liquid), add to a large bowl, and coat with flour.
Add 2-3 Tbsp of the soaking liquid to the onions.
Add the prepared bread crumb mixture to the bowl and mix. You might need to add a little more of the soaking liquid to make a sticky mixture.***
Heat oven to 450°F.
Spread breaded onions on a baking sheet and bake for 25 min, flipping them half way through.

Filling:

Add frozen green beans to salted boiling water and boil for 5 min.
Drain water and place cook green beans in an ice bath to stop the cooking.
Add sliced mushrooms and minced garlic to a skillet at medium heat, add a little of the broth to keep from sticking.
Add the soy sauce and cook for 5-10 min.
Add the flour to coat the mushrooms and stir for about a minute.
Then whisk in the white wine, veggie broth, and salt.
Let the mixture reduce for about another 10 min.
In a blender add the almonds and water and blend well to make the almond cream.
Add the almond cream to the mushroom mixture and heat through, then remove from heat.
Add cooked and cooled green beans and 1/4 of the onion mixture to the creamy mushroom sauce.
Place in an oven safe dish and top with the remaining onion mixture (you can also grind up one more slice of bread and coat with a little more bread crumbs).
At this point you can either cover and save to bake till later or bake immediately.
When ready to serve, bake 15-20 min at 450°F till nice and bubbly.

Notes:
*This step helps the bread crumbs stick better to the onions and reduces the pungency of the onions, but if you don't have time you can just quickly soak the onions, and you won't need as much almond milk in that case.

**You don't need to worry about toasting the bread, it will get all toasty in the oven. You also don't need to worry about using old or stale bread, fresh bread will also work.

***I didn't have the patience to individually coat the onion slices, and it was just fine mixing the onions with the prepared bread crumbs in a bowl after soaking. But you can of course hand batter each onion slice if you prefer.

Healthy Addition to Peanut Butter Toast

12/18/2018

I know, I know. Peanut butter is sooo out. What can I say, I still like it! It is a good source of protein and it is really versatile; it can be added to savory or sweet dishes. Of course if you prefer, almond or cashew butter are great alternatives. But ALWAYS check labels, especially when they advertise ‘no-stir’, these nut butters typically have added palm oil and other additives. Look for natural nut butters that ONLY contain nuts. If you can only find natural nut butter that has nuts and some salt that is also okay, but seriously, why do manufactures do that? It drives me crazy, all I want is some plain, ground up nuts! Is that so hard?! Okay, sorry, done ranting.

A really easy breakfast is nut butter spread on toast (again check the bread label to avoid added sugar and oils). But it can get a little boring. An easy way to add some variety to your morning PB toast is to just add some berries on top. It really does change it up. You can add sliced strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries or a combination of all three. Add some chia seeds and breakfast is done! It is so simple I feel a little ridiculous adding it as a recipe. But here you go!

Fruit Topped Nut Butter Toast Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

1 slice MS friendly bread (whole grain is preferred and without oils or sugar)
1 Tbsp natural nut butter (peanut, almond, or cashew)
Sliced strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries (enough to cover the toast)
1 tsp chia seeds

Instructions:

Toast the bread.
Spread with nut butter.
Top with berries and chia seeds.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

12/7/2018

It is not easy to find a sugar cookie recipe that is vegan AND isn’t laden with saturated fat. After many searching efforts I finally came across a recipe that looked promising. The original recipe adds homemade chocolate spread to the inside of the cookies before baking, but I prefer to bake them and ice them with the chocolate spread. This recipe is not only delicious but it is also pretty easy to make and has become a family favorite. You could also roll out the dough to cut shapes out which can be a perfect addition to holiday treats.

Sugar Cookie Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 Tbsp non-dairy milk
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 batch of Homemade Vegan Chocolate Spread

Instructions:

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and raw sugar to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the chocolate spread) to the dry mixture and mix to combine.
It may be necessary to add more milk for the dough to come together.
Roll the dough into small balls and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Use the palm of your hand to flatten the balls and then place in the freezer for 1 hour. (These can also be stored at this point in the freezer for a month.)
Preheat oven to 325°F and bake cookies for 11 min.
They may not look finished, but let them cool for 10 min and they will firm up.
After cooling add the chocolate spread to the top and enjoy!

Homemade Vegan Chocolate Spread

12/7/2018

Growing up, peanut butter was the spread of choice. It wasn’t until I moved to New Zealand that I discovered the wonderfulness of chocolate spreads thanks to my German friends. The problem is that the majority of processed chocolate spreads in the store contain palm oil and/or cocoa butter which is of course a no-no on a low-saturated fat diet.

Luckily, I came across a recipe for making your own healthy, vegan chocolate spread! Not only is it a healthy alternative, it isn’t even difficult to make…oh, and did I mention it tastes divine? All you do is toast the nuts and then process in a food processor! Traditionally, chocolate spreads are made with hazelnuts. You can of course use hazelnuts for this recipe, but, raw hazelnuts are not always easy for me to find; in those cases I used almonds, which work just as well. However, one day when I was really having a chocolate craving, I didn’t have hazelnuts or almonds on hand. I did have walnuts though. So I made the spread with walnuts and it came out to have a very fudgy texture and was absolutely wonderful!

Anyways, the moral to the above spiel is that you don’t have to worry if hazelnuts are hard to find, pretty much any raw nut will do! I’m thinking next time I will try the recipe with pecans… or cashews…oh, or peanuts…Happy experimenting!

Chocolate Spread Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

2 cups raw nuts
1 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
7 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey)
Pinch of salt
1/4 -1/2 cup non-dairy milk*

Instructions:

Roast raw nuts at 400°F for 8 min
Add to food processor and process until a smooth butter forms
Add the rest of the ingredients. Add only ¼ cup of non-dairy milk and process until smooth.

*The mixture will thicken when refrigerated so add some more of the milk for a spreadable mixture and process to mix.
**Can be used on pancakes, cookies, toast, cakes, etc.

Quick and Easy Homemade Almond Milk

12/2/2018

It does sound daunting, but making your own almond milk is actually super easy. I have switched entirely to making my own to cut down one more item that is processed. While it is possible to buy almond milk in the store that has only a few additives and simple ingredients like almonds and water, these are usually very expensive, and when I learned how easy it actually is to make your own I was hooked!

You can use this recipe to make other types of nut milk like cashew milk, and I have even made walnut milk. I have been wanting to try making peanut milk because I thought that might be an interesting addition to coffee, but I haven't tried it yet. When I do I will of course let you know how it turns out!

To make this recipe you only need raw almonds (or cashews), water and of course your blender. That's really it! It is perfect also for those times when you don't have any non-dairy milk on hand but have the raw nuts. Just remember to use a 1:4 ratio; 1 portion of nuts to 4 portions of water. This recipe makes a lot of milk, I typically halve it unless I plan to do a lot of baking or coffee drinking!

Almond Milk Recipe
vegan, plant-based, sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups water

Instructions:

Add 1 cup of almonds and 1 cup of water to the blender and blend for 30 sec to 1 min.
Add the remaining 3 cups of water to the mixture and blend again until smooth (another minute).
Done!
If you prefer, you can strain the milk through a cheese cloth if you want and toast the pulp portion for a nice nutty snack, but I don't bother :)