Whole Plant-Based Food
Why only 3 days? Because while your already in the kitchen cooking one meal why not double the recipe and have a second meal ready to go for another day? This means less time buying groceries, less time cooking, less time cleaning...
...For this recipe use a crockpot so that you can turn it on and forget about it for a few hours. Mix up a quick salad with beans, seeds, and a tahini dressing and together you have a meal full of complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and a happy belly.
If you don’t like cooked carrots then it’s probably because you’ve never had them roasted. Maybe you’ve only had them boiled, mushy, and waterlogged. Roasting vegetables is one of the most delicious ways to get in more nutrients and fiber. Almost any vegetable you roast will caramelize into a soft and flavorful side dish. What’s the catch? There is no catch. The bottom line is that if you aren't eating a VARIETY of plant foods your body could suffer. Variety will insure that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive. Why not try different cooking methods to increase the variety of vegetables in your diet? Too much carrot juice will turn you orange. Too much of anything could be a bad thing, even kale or blueberries. So if there’s a vegetable you don’t like then try roasting it with a bit of oil, salt, and spices. You can roast broccoli, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, onions, garlic, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, eggplant and so many other kinds of vegetables. You should try making your own french fries or kale chips. Eat moderately, use as little oil as possible, and always change things up by eating a variety of raw or cooked fruits and vegetables. Roasted vegetables can be a beautiful and tasty part of a balanced and healthy life! Get out the grill this summer and roast a few vegetables and plant-based burgers for a change. You can do it!
...Cold sweet potatoes. I eat cold baked sweet potatoes out of the refrigerator at 5 o'clock in the morning as a pre workout snack or as a post workout breakfast. I'll throw them in a ziplock bag and drag them around in my purse for a quick snack. I love them with peanut butter, raisins, apple sauce, and cinnamon. I like them with beans, creole spice, and tahini sauce. I love them with tofu, broccoli, and quinoa. I love them in soups or loaded like a baked russet potato. I pretty much love any form of sweet potatoes. Baked, boiled, steamed, microwaved or however it is prepared...
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.
Celebrate the 4th of July this year grilling a hot dog that won't lead to colon cancer! Instead these carrot dogs could help PREVENT cancer, heart disease, infection, stroke, all the while improving your vision, skin, and teeth! I'm talking about Carrot dogs! To be clear, these do not taste like meat or veggie meat. These carrot dogs are their own thing and I love it! I feel like I'm eating a hot dog and I get that hot dog fix but instead of chewing down processed meat or processed fake meat I get more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Eat more plants. Crap like a champ!
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?
Whenever I invite people over for dinner I either make what I'm currently craving or I have a simple 3-step method that I use. 1. Look inside the fridge. 2. What do I have? 3. What can I turn this into? For dinner the other night I looked into the fridge and saw butter lettuce, leftover tahini mayo (recipe below), and a TON of mushrooms that needed to be used, like, TAaaaH-DAY! I thought about making mushroom lettuce wraps and went to google just that. I saw a Mushroom Cashew Lettuce Wrap recipe that sounded intriguing to me and I took it from there! The recipe itself used a lot of random ingredients that I don't usually use on this website (or buy). So I improvised to make an oil-free version using the ingredients I currently had in the house. The perfect starter for your mushroom-loving friends.
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 is a super easy and fast recipe. Well, that is, if you have the 3 separate recipes done ahead of time. So, for example, I made the mushroom risotto on Tuesday and we ate some of it for dinner, I always have a batch of cashew parmesan made and in the fridge, and then I baked the squash Wednesday morning (you can also cook in a crockpot). That evening I had the idea to stuff the butternut squash pieces with leftover risotto... it worked out! Delicious.
Mushrooms are nutrient powerhouses! Just eating half a mushroom a day (or 15 a month) can help lower your risk of breast cancer by 64%!!!!! Seriously? That's absolutely insane! It's too bad so many people dislike mushrooms! Mushrooms have antioxidants, selenium, folate, vitamin D, vitamin C, potassium, and a good amount of protein and fiber! Research shows that consuming mushrooms can help to lower your risks of...
Potatoes, Beans, Vegetables, and a really good sauce.
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...
Creamy vegan soup that takes less then 5 minutes to make. Let's do this...
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!
The best way I know to impress at a dinner party is to make homemade gnocchi! It's been a trick up my sleeve since high school. I think I might have made it for every boyfriend or boyfriend potential over the years. Naturally this was the dish I made Jason for our first valentines dinner together. <3 I don't think words can express how rewarding it feels to sit down to a nice big bowl of potato pasta... potato pasta that you made from scratch! This delicious gnocchi is made with whole wheat flour, potatoes, and salt. It takes longer then most recipes I post but when you need a treat or want to impress someone special then why not? It goes really nice with roasted balsamic zucchini, San Pellegreno, and your very own Jason! 😉
Recipe Adopted: food.com Also make sure to try Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Baked Sweet Potato Fries Preheat oven to 450°F. Wash and slice zucchini (and/or summer squash) into spears. Combine zucchini spears, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and toss until everything is evenly coated. Spread zucchini spears out onto a large baking …
These Breakfast Tacos are definitely culturally confused what with using Fiesta Scrambled Tofu, Sweet Potato Fries, sriracha sauce, and sauerkraut!!! The meal sounds a bit crazy, but do you trust me? These tacos are well worth it! Dig out the forgotten contents of your refrigerator and whip up these bad boys for Mother's Day! Tacos up!
For all the savory breakfast lovers out there, here's a new treat! I made Culturally Confused Breakfast Tacos last weekend and directions for that delicious feast will be coming soon, but first you need to know how to make the Fiesta Scrambled Tofu! Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for a sneak peak at the Culturally Confused Breakfast Tacos! 😉 A delicious recipe to brighten your day!!!
Sweet potato fries are not only DELICIOUS but they're powerhouses of nutrition and longevity. According to the Blue Zone Study the Japanese centenarian's (people who live to be 100+) diet consists predominantly of orange and purple sweet potatoes (along with other vegetables, tofu, and minimal amounts of meat). The antioxidants, fiber, and cancer-fighting properties in sweet potatoes are only some of the reasons we should eat them...
Everybody loves hummus. That tangy smooth concoction that exists in almost any grocery store in America. Hummus is very procurable and liking it no longer makes you exotic or cultured (unless, of course, you don't like it then you're just the opposite). I'm obsessed with hummus and I feel like I'm pretty good at making it. The only problem is that I make it so flavorful that you enjoy it for one meal and have zero desire to finish the leftovers. I decided I needed to find a plain recipe that was tasty but not so overpowering that you need to brush your teeth 6 times! So, like many people, I went to google. I found a recipes titled Better Then Store Bought Hummus. In my opinion store-bought hummus isn't that good but I figured it was worth a shot! I've made it 3 times in the last 6 days. Does that answer your question? Simple hummus FTW!
If you've ever been the California Pizza Kitchen you probably haven't tried their soup. I get it. Why would you order soup at a California PIZZA Kitchen...
You can make a sandwich out of basically anything. All you need is a good sauce, some vegetables and a protein component. Check out these suggestions and make your own "perfect" sandwich!
Because mustard makes me happy.
Some days I don't want to eat a salad. I know I should eat salads and that raw vegetables are good for me, but so are cooked vegetables so I eat a big plate of steamed green beans or zucchin instead. Other times I make a salad a bit more creative...
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!