Whole Plant-Based Food
It's not about quick fixes or what works for the next 2 weeks. Think about your entire life! Think about what is sustainable. You can easily lose weight on any diet program, but odds are not usually in your favor for keeping the weight off...
I love a good old sandwich. Ezekiel 4:9 bread, vegetarian protein (oat burgers, tempeh, or hummus), veggies, sauce, done. I also love sauerkraut and it made an extra pickle-y addition to a sandwich that already had pickles in it. Double the pickles double the fun.
I was first introduced to Lentil Haystacks while living in Michigan. There is this terrific woman named Betty who made this meal for her family every Friday evening while her kids were growing up. I thought the concept was a bit weird at first, but after one bite I immediately loved it. My version is a bit different then hers. Instead of ranch dressing you use hummus on your toasted bread. Instead of cheese you sprinkle sunflower seeds over the top. You will also enjoy the extra crunch of added cabbage to get some cruciferous vegetables in your meal! Overall it is a delightful meal full of crunchy, creamy, tangy, and meaty (from the lentils) textures in your mouth! What are you waiting for?
Like I said in my last Zoodle post, my friend Arnetta gave me a spirilizer and I have to say that it's just so much fun! With it I've made Pad Thai (recipe below), Potato-Zoodle Salad (recipe coming soon), Hummus Zoodles, and the Alfredo recipe for today. I'm planning on eating zoodles with marinara sauce and cashew parmesan, throwing them in soups, and maybe even a zoodle casserole in the future! I'm not sure why I didn't buy myself this little device years ago, but I'm so glad my friend gave me one. So either get yourself a spirilizer or just get yourself an Arnetta! 😉 Zoodles forever!
Peanut sauce drizzled over zucchini noodles with cilantro, tofu, and peanuts, is fresh and delicious.
This Miso-Tahini Kimchi bowl is my favorite type of meal, because you can make a big batch at the beginning of the week and then every day after you can have dinner on the table in less then 5 minutes. If you're the sort of person who doesn't like to eat the same thing everyday then a simple solution is to...
Sometimes you just have to keep things simple. This recipe is SIMPLE. Sometimes it's the simple things that make the world go 'round... not that I'm implying that gravity (or more literally: Conservation of angular momentum) is simple. Please, don't try to explain it to me, I don't want to know!!! I'm just saying that I tend to OVER flavor foods at times and I LOVE that! I want so much garlic and ginger that the dish burns my throat. Jason wants noodles with earth balance spread and salt. What? So we compromise at times. Here's a steamed kale recipe that's so simple I stumbled upon it by accident. I was working with a patient at their home and they didn't own any spices. I was stuck with garlic powder and low sodium soy sauce. We ate this recipe with brown rice and we were very pleased. The simple things... like gravity or Conservation of angular momentum.
Oh avocado how I love you! You are nutritious and delicious, high in fiber and full of flavor. You're fantastic in salads and chips, or sandwiches and dips, inside burritos or tacos or enchiladas with nachos, and apparently you also work as an ingredient in chocolate avocado frosting (recipe below)!!! Avocado, is there nothing you can't do? Can you also be a chunky cabbage salad dressing too? Avocado is the perfect salad dressing because instead of adding a bunch of sugar and fat onto your healthy salad you'll be adding fiber to your fiber so that you can crap like a champ!
Because mustard makes me happy.
These brussels sprouts are crispy and delicious! Rich in nutrients and fiber. Cruciferous vegetables (the umbrella term for vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, etc.) have been shown to help fight cancer (check out the links in the post for more health information).
Soy is controversial these days and everyone you talk to will have a different opinion. I've linked a few research articles in this post that show the benefits of soy. Of course with all the genetically modified stuff it starts to change the conversation since we don't really know how all these modified foods will affect us in the long-term. My opinion, however, is that it is far better to eat healthy plant foods rather then eat the saturated or trans fat laden snack foods and animal products our Western culture typically consumes. All you need to do is choose organic soy because by law it will be GMO free. This way we know we are getting fiber, plant-protein, vitamins, minerals, phytochemical, and antioxidants in our diet. This Tangy Tofu Salad Dressing has healthy soy protein (not to mention vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, and folate) and will add more for your health then nutrient deficient sugar or oil laden salad dressings.
I bought one of those HUGE bags of organic baby greens from Costco and it's my favorite salad mix to date! I also picked up a pack of pre-boiled organic beets. I LOVE BEETS and I've really enjoyed combining the baby greens with beets, fresh oregano (what????), red peppers, and pumpkin seeds (my most favorite salad topper). Then I like to drizzle some tahini lemon dressing all over the top! It's true, I love tahini lemon dressing. I'm constantly coming up with new excuses to eat it! It's good on hot foods or cold foods. You choose, it won't matter, it will always be yummy! If you're sick of eating tahini, then stop by next week because I'm going to post a spicy oil-free salad dressing recipe made from tofu! Get creative and make some dressing!
This soup will take less then 15 minutes to make so kick back, relax, and enjoy!
It's delicious, nutritious, and I always love trying to eat with chop sticks. Instead of paying 5-16 dollars to buy this meal at a restaurant (depending on where you go) try making it for yourself! No quinoa? Brown rice is fine. No zucchini? Swap for cabbage!
Salad doesn't have to be romaine lettuce, a few cherry tomatoes, and a few flecks of grated carrots. Salad could technically be eating raw veggies. This is a VERSATILE salad. It just looks a little different.
Using tahini as your dressing instead of mayo or oil adds fiber, protein, iron, calcium, and so much more!
Adding COMPLEX carbohydrates to you salad helps fill up your belly and keep you full longer then a plain salad could ever do!
So much flavor and texture, this is a favorite in our house. Dig in!
peanut butter and sriracha sauce? done.
It's just really good.
Tahini sauce makes everything better! This bowl has potatoes, beans, quinoa, and veggies. boom.
Put more tasty fiber on t0 your fiber (salad).
Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time. When pizza's done in minutes you can have pizza ANYTIME!
So you can eat vegetables on your vegetables!
Lentil Lemon Soup seems to be a pretty typical Lebanese dish, and it is so filling and tasty I ate it for two meals yesterday!
crispy tofu. tangy tahini. quinoa. sweet potato. zucchini. delicious. nutritious. wonderful.
This dip has all the flavors of traditional hummus with tahini, lemon, garlic, etc. but instead of using a ton of oil use green olives to get extra extra EXTRA virgin olive oil flavor, without the oil!
you can't eat a salad without lettuce, right? silly rabbit, you can!