Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

This is the easiest soup recipe and it's a great way to re-purpose the odds and ends of vegetables you may have lying around. Gather every root vegetable in sight, chop roughly to the same size, roast on a pan, blend with veggie broth. That's it.

We used parsnips, rutabagas, radishes, onions, garlic, beets, and carrots but feel free to use what you have or what you like! The red beets will turn the whole thing a gorgeous cabernet color regardless of what else is in it. This soup also freezes beautifully in zip lock bags for a ready-made side dish later on in the week.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, quartered and chopped in large pieces
• 1 head garlic, top sliced off
• 2 parsnips, roughly chopped
• 1 rutabaga, chopped
• 3 beets, peeled and chopped
• vegetable bouillon cubes or broth (the amount will vary with how thin you want the soup, you may need 3-6 cups)
• sea salt, pepper
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• boiling hot water to cover above cashews

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400' and line baking sheets with foil sprayed with spray oil.
2. Drizzle garlic head with a dash of olive oil and wrap up in a square of foil, completely enclosing it.
3. Toss vegetables with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Place garlic pouch on baking sheet with veggies.
4. Roast vegetables until they are softened about 20 minutes. Remove garlic and set aside to cool. Toss veggies on sheet and continue roasting until they are lightly browned, another 15-20 minutes.
5. Squeeze garlic cloves out of bulb into large bowl. Add vegetables to bowl.
6. Begin pureeing soup with 1 cup of broth at a time in batches. Add a few handfuls of veggies and a cup of broth, puree then place in pot and keep warm.
7. Continue pureeing and adding broth as necessary to thin soup out as desired. 
8. Place raw cashews in bowl, just cover with boiling water and allow to sit for 10 minutes to soften.
9. Place in blender (or use immersion blender) to puree cashews into frothy cream.
10. To serve, ladle soup into shallow bowls and garnish with cashew cream.

Wheatberry-Chickpea Salad

I'm way behind on posts so these next few are going to be quick :)

This simple salad is big on nutrition and easy to prepare. It's delicious room temperature or served chilled. It travels well and has a delightful combination of flavors and textures.

Serves 8 (1 cup portions) 
Adapted From Oh She Glows


INGREDIENTS:

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat berries
• 2 cups canned chickpeas
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, diced 
• 2 green onions, diced
• sea salt + pepper

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard (I used dijon)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare wheat berries by placing a pot with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt.Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered until tender (about 40-60minutes). Drain and set aside to cool.
2. In bowl, combine the rest of salad ingredients and stir in wheat berries.
3. Whisk dressing ingredients or blend with immersion blender (so easy). 
4. Toss dressing with salad, serve!

Vegan Mac+Cheese with Butternut Squash

Growing up my mom kept our diets pretty clean and I was deprived of this magical food. Maybe it was the deprivation, maybe it's just that mac and cheese is so damn good, either way, as I've grown up - it's been a favorite of mine. High class versions, sleazy boxed versions, baked, stovetop, whatever - it's all good in my world. All good, except for the cheese. And the milk. Sad face.

I've tried various versions and felt there was always something missing. Either the color was wrong, the flavor was off or it was just made up of fake cheeze. This scrumptious version came from a beautiful site called Oh She Glows. The recipe is not only a vegan way to enjoy macaroni and cheese, but a great way to sneak in additional nutrients thanks to the roasted butternut squash. I love that the recipe uses natural, healthy, real ingredients instead of relying on anything "fake" for a synthetic taste. If you're gluten-free, simply use brown rice pasta!

Click HERE for the recipe and enjoy!

Raw Vegetable Slaw with Peanut Dressing

Sometimes the easiest way to make old things new again is a new technique. We eat lots of zucchinis, carrots, peppers and snap peas, but by thinly shredding these vegetables into a slaw we discovered a new way to get raw, fresh veggies in our diet.

This handy tool  is a great way to julienne all kinds of vegetables into thin strips in mere minutes. It's a nice way to make quick work of a slaw without tons of obsessive compulsive slicing. Combined with the easiest dressing known to man, you have yourself a stellar slaw full of fresh ingredients!

Serves 6 side salads
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 zucchini, julienned
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 1 bell pepper, finely sliced
• handful of snap peas, finely sliced
• handful of mixed fresh sprouts (sprouted lentils, broccoli sprouts, sunflower sprouts, etc)
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 spoonful Peanut Butter
• splash of water
• sririacha, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk lime juice, peanut butter, splash of water and sririacha in small bowl. Add more sririacha as necessary.
2. Combine vegetables in large bowl, toss to combine. Add dressing and toss to coat.
3. Serve with additional lime wedges as desired.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Pepper + Garlic Soup

What is it about roasting vegetables that turns them from good to flat out INCREDIBLE tasting? I can't think of a single vegetable that isn't greatly improved by a turn in the oven. Not only does roasting bring out incredible depth of color, but the flavors of vegetables really ripen in the oven. This simple soup is made by roasting butternut squash, red bell peppers and garlic until softened. The roasted vegetables are pureed with a bit of broth, and a pinch of sea salt, cracked pepper and thyme. That's it. Reheat to your liking, freeze for later, or use as a light sauce on pasta.

We served ours alongside a simple panini-style sandwich (post to come)! This soup is a great way to get three highly nutritious vegetables into your meal without added fat, dairy, or the same old side of steamed veggies heaped on your plate.

Enjoy!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium butternut squash, halved, ends trimmed off and seeds scooped out
• 3 red bell peppers, each with a tiny slit cut in the side for ventilation
• 1 head garlic
• 3 cups vegetable broth (or more as necessary depending on thickness of soup desired)
• pinch each of thyme, sea salt and cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425' and line two baking sheets with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
2. Rub squash and bell pepper with a little olive oil and place on baking sheet (squash cut side down).
3. Place head of garlic in middle of a little square of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, and wrap up in foil. Place on baking sheet.
4. Roast all vegetables in oven. Turn bell peppers every 10 minutes. Remove from oven once they are lightly burnt in parts and softened. Remove garlic after 25-30 minutes when package is soft when gently squeezed.
5. Remove squash when it is tender when pierced with a fork about 45-55 minutes.
6. Squeeze garlic from bulb or use fork to pry individual cloves out and place in blender
7. Stem and seed bell pepper and place in blender with garlic.
8. Add 1 cup of broth and puree until smooth. Pour into a pot.
9. Remove squash flesh from skin with fork and add flesh to blender. Add another cup broth and puree in batches as necessary.
10. Stir all roasted, puree in pot and add more broth if necessary to thin. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Reheat if desired.

Mediterranean Panini: Tapenade, Tofu, Roasted Pepper

Lately we've included a weekly sandwich/soup dinner and it's been more delicious than I expected! Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best. A variety of vegetables, some pan-crisped tofu, briny tapenade and slightly crunchy bread make for a hearty meal that takes moments to prepare. The warm, slightly crispy tofu almost mimics warm mozzarella. Just enough to transform this sandwich into something extraordinary.

I find most jarred tapenades far too oily and packed with useless fat calories. It takes about 2 minutes to make your own, and it is worth the time. Of course, if you're crunched for time, use prepared tapenade, but drain the excess oil and blot with a paper towel to remove even more oil.There's really no need for it!

Like all meals, the finer the ingredients, the better the finished product and good bread makes a big impact in this dish! I've found a bread company I like so much that I am inspired to start baking my own bread this weekend. If you're in the So Cal area, keep an eye out for Old Town Baking Co. bread.

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 slices good bread
• 2 sandwich-sized slices of extra firm, pressed organic tofu
• garlic powder
• small handful kalamata olives, pitted
• small handful of water packed artichoke hearts
• 3 oil packed sun dried tomatoes
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced (or roast your own!)
• 1 handful fresh spinach leaves
• 1 Tbsp nayonaise

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat large pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
2. In food processor, pulse olives, artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes into a tapenade. Set aside.
3. Pat tofu dry and season with garlic powder. Spray pan or skillet with cooking spray. Add tofu to pan and cook about 3 minutes per side until slightly crisp and golden brown. Remove tofu from pan. Keep pan on heat.
4. Assemble sandwiches: Spread tapenade on bread, top with spinach, tofu, jarred peppers, spread nayonaise on other slice of bread and place on top. 
5. Spray pan with cooking spray and gently add sandwich to pan. Press down on top of sandwich slightly to squish. Cook until bread is golden, about 1-2 minutes then spray top of sandwich with cooking spray and gently flip. Cook other side about 1-2 minutes.
6. Remove to a plate, slice in half and serve.

Gnocchi with Tempeh Sausage, Chard + Cannelini Beans

I've been on a kick using mashed tempeh in lieu of fatty sausage in a handful of old recipes that have been shelved since we changed over to a plant-based diet. Shelved no more! Tempeh is outstanding stuff - particularly when steamed and mashed with spices and seasonings. Hello high-protein, low fat, crumbly sausage substitute.

This meal is simple, requires little chopping and no special tricks. The end result tastes like something that has been slaved over and simmered for a long afternoon. Sometimes the simplest dishes truly are the best.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package shelf stable (dry packed) gnocchi, wheat or regular
• 1 package tempeh, torn in chunks
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, dried basil, dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp sun dried tomato oil from jar (can use olive oil too)
• 2 sun dried tomatoes, diced
• half onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup broth (vegetable or bouillon based)
• 4-6 cups chard or spinach, torn
• 28oz can diced San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 can cannelini or northern beans
• additional chili flakes for garnish, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Steam chunks of tempeh for 10 minutes
2. Remove tempeh from steamer
3. Heat 1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato oil in large pot over medium high heat
4. Add tempeh chunks, oregano, red pepper flakes, basil, fennel seed, garlic and diced onion
5. Mash with potato masher and saute until lightly browned and fragrant about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove to bowl and set aside.
7. In same large pot, heat 1 Tbsp sun dried tomato oil . Add gnocchi and stir to coat. Saute 5 minutes.
8. Add 1 cup broth, cover and steam until mostly tender.
9. Add 1 large can diced tomatoes, chopped chard, and 1 can cannelini beans and sun dried tomatoes.
10. Cook until greens lightly wilted.
11. Stir in “sausage”.
12. Serve and scatter additional chili flakes on top.

Vegan Grilled Cheese with Crispy Garlic Tofu

When I think of my early twenties I think of beer and grilled cheese sandwiches. Ah, the carefree days of youth! There's little more comforting to me than crispy bread and gooey cheese. Except...I can't eat cheese. In fact, it was making me sick for thirty years. When I finally made the choice to go dairy-free I felt better every day going forward, yet I missed grilled cheese. So I set out to make a good substitute. Simply using a vegan cheese like Daiya wasn't going to cut it. That just screams fake cheese! 


Lately we've been hooked on this extra firm tofu from Mother's Market by Wildwood. It's a pressed, vacuum packed, sprouted, organic, extra-firm tofu. This means it's super dense and you don't have to spend time (and endless paper towels) pressing and draining it. It slices nice and thin and cooks up perfectly. Even my mother who thinks she hates tofu loves this tofu!

The secret to this grilled cheese is a thin slice of garlic powder dusted and pan crisped tofu along with a thin layer of daiya and a thin layer of nayonaise. Find a good bread for this - nothing too dense, something airy that won't overwhelm the filling. I used Old Town Baking Co.'s Roasted Gilroy Garlic Sourdough and it was delicious!

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 slices of good bread
• cooking spray
• 1/3 cup +/- Daiya cheddar
• 2 bread-sized slices extra firm pressed tofu
• garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp Nayonaise

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat cast-iron skillet or large frying pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray
2. Sprinkle both sides of tofu with garlic powder and add tofu to pan. Cook about 3-5 minutes until golden and crispy. Flip and cook other side.
3. Remove tofu, but keep pan hot.
4. Spread Nayonaise on one side of bread, top with tofu, sprinkle Daiya on top, cover with second piece of bread. 
5. Spray pan with cooking spray and carefully set made sandwich in pan. Cook until bottom of bread is golden and crispy. Spray TOP side of bread with cooking spray and gently flip sandwich.
6. Cook other side of bread until golden and crispy.
7. Slice in half and enjoy!

Oats with Quinoa, Apple + Walnuts

The word weekend has a different meaning in a two-triathlete household. Instead of 48 hours of lazing about, watching movies, drinking cocktails and socializing till 2am, weekends mark the biggest chunks of training time we put in. Now before you start thinking, "Oh how dreadful! Hours of working out? What's wrong with these people?" you got to realize that it usually means being outside in sunny California at the beach swimming in the gorgeous ocean (often with dolphins or sea lions) and running or riding along the coast or through the rolling hills of Santiago Canyon with friends. Now, that's not so bad, is it?! We love what we do, and in order to do what we love, we must start the day right.

When I come up with a meal I usually go through a few key components. Each meal must contain (examples shown):

1. Healthy fats
• Nuts and seeds
2. Carbohydrates
• Whole grains, fresh fruit
3. Protein
• Whole grains, protein powder, soy/tofu, psuedograins, beans

The traditional serving of breakfast oatmeal would contain oats, milk, sugar and maybe even some butter or cream to finish it. You could lighten it up by using light milk or non-fat and maybe a reduced calorie sweetener, but it's still just mostly carbohydrates. To really make this meal worth eating we completely change the ingredients. Quinoa, rolled oats, a fresh apple, cinnamon, flax seed, coconut or soy milk, walnuts and maybe a dash of maple syrup. 

Quinoa is a psuedograin that is a complete protein full of minerals, nutrients and amino acids. Rolled oats are a great whole grain source of fiber (to keep you full) and minerals. Apples are a natural sweetener, sugar source and also have phytonutrients and fiber. Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties and enhances flavor. Flax seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids and minerals. Coconut or soy milk is a great non-dairy substitute that provides protein without the saturated fat. Walnuts are a great source of Vitamin E, anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Lastly maple syrup is a great all natural sweetener that's full of vital minerals, make sure to buy organic and Grade A.

I know this is a lot of nerdy nutrition talk about something as simple as oatmeal, but the biggest difference in what you get out of your body is what you put into it. Eating the basic oatmeal with sugar and milk is a far cry from eating this superfood oatmeal. Always ask yourself how you can add more value into your dish! If you need more protein, you can easily whisk equal parts protein powder and water and stir into cooked oatmeal at the end.

This is a LARGE portion meant for before a long workout day. If you're not doing anything special, I suggest halving this for two people. Nutrition data is shown for a large serving. 

Serves 2 large or 4 small

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 2 cups coconut milk (such as So Delicious) or soy milk
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 medium apple (I used a Honeycrisp), cored and cut into chunks
• 1 Tbsp flax seeds, ground
• 2 Tbsp walnuts
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine cinnamon, coconut or soy milk and apples in medium pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Add oats, quinoa and flax and stir to combine. Simmer covered until oats are tender and most liquid is absorbed about 20-25 minutes over medium-low heat.
3. Divide into bowls, top with maple syrup and walnuts.
4. Enjoy!

Carnival Squash with Chanterelles, Greens and Wild Rice

Stuffed squash is a cool-weather favorite at our house. It's easy to prepare, looks beautiful and contains a wide variety of nutrients. One of the easiest ways to make sure you get a range of vitamins and minerals is to aim for variety - different colors, different vegetables, and different grains. By making sure that every ingredient counts for something, you can take a meal from being filling to being nutritious. Think of a stuffed baked potato - sure, it's filling, and it's delicious, but mashed white potato with sour cream, chives, bacon bits, butter....not so nutritious. In contrast, this dish has squash (high in carotenoids, Vitamin A, C, and fiber), wild rice (high in protein, lysein, and fiber), spinach (Vitamins A, K, C, maganese, iron, and folate) and mushrooms (tons of minerals, B vitamins, including the elusive B12). As you can see, by altering the ingredients to those of high nutritional value, it's easy to transform the idea of a "stuffed something" into a meal that is not only filling, but good fuel for your body.

If you can't find carnival squash, try acorn squash or any grapefruit sized round squash. Any type of dark green may be used such as kale, spinach, beet greens, chard or a combination of a few! I always recommend using wild rice as it is actually an aquatic grass instead of a grain and offers significant health benefits (textural and flavor too) over brown or white rice. If you can find fresh chanterelle mushrooms, they are outstanding in this dish, but any fresh wild mushrooms or even criminis will do.

Enjoy!

Serves 4 (each person gets one squash half)
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Carnival squash, halved, seeds scooped out
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 generous handfuls chanterelles (or mixed wild mushrooms), chopped in large pieces
• 6 cups greens (spinach, chard, kale)
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• generous pinch of dried thyme
• Cracked salt + pepper
• Olive oil
• (a little under) 2 cups broth
• 1 cup wild rice
• handful of breadcrumbs or panko
• 2 oz Feta cheese or daiya mozzarella *optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Line baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Rub cut sides of squash with a little olive oil and place cut side down on foil.
3. Roast in oven for 40 minutes or until mostly tender when pierced with fork.
4. While squash is roasting, cook rice by placing 2 cups broth and 1 cup rice in pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 45 minutes or until grains have split open and are tender.
5. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large pan over medium high heat. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute another 3-5 minutes.
6. Add sherry and turn heat up so that it's at a rapid simmer, stir occassionally until the alcohol is cooked off and most of the liquid is gone about 8 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low, add greens and saute until just wilted.
8. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. 
9. Remove from heat and stir in rice.
10. Divide filling among squash halves, packing it in as necessary. Top with breadcrumbs or panko and a pinch of cheese (or daiya) if desired.
11. Turn heat up to 425' and place filled squash back in oven for 5-8 minutes until breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
12. Serve!

Vegan Caesar with Homemade Croutons

I always chuckle to myself when people order Caesar salad at restaurants. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just that it's the simplest salad possible. Most people don't know why they like it, but they are drawn to it time and time again. Crisp, torn romaine. Bright, sweet tomatoes. Still-warm homemade croutons. Tangy dressing. It just goes to show that sometimes, simple is best! Yet what most people don't know is that Caesar dressing contains a raw egg yolk, a few jarred anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, raw garlic, and a few other key ingredients. I giggle because most of the people I know who love Caesar salads would NEVER order anything with anchovies or raw eggs!

This veganized version uses neither and tastes just as tangy and unique and it has hidden protein (silken tofu) in the dressing! After realizing how simple it is to make your own croutons, you will vow to never go back to those horrendous crunchy cubes that come in a box. Please? Please make that vow. If you can toast a slice of bread, you can make croutons. And the difference is a thousand-fold.

Enjoy!

Serves 4 as a salad course, serves 2 as a main (add in some grilled tempeh or tofu!)
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 slices wheat, whole grain or sourdough baguette, cut into chunks
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt

Dressing

• 3 Tbsp blanched, slivered almonds
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• a little under 1/2 lb. silken tofu
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 heaping tablespoon capers
• 2 teaspoons caper brine
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place almonds in blender or food processor and puree until sandy in texture. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend to combine. Pour into dish and allow to chill, covered.
2. Preheat toaster oven or oven to 375'. Toss cubed baguette with olive oil, garlic powder and sea salt. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, about 5-8 minutes, tossing occasionally.
3. Toss romaine with Caesar dressing, divide among four plates. Top with tomatoes and croutons.

Millionare Breakfast Bake

No big surprise that some of my best childhood memories center around the kitchen. One dessert, in particular, that comes to mind is a carrot-cake variation called Millionaire Cake. I  know that it included pineapple, carrot, zucchini and copious amounts of sugar-laden frosting and it was delicious. By removing the frosting, the nutrient devoid boxed cake mix, 2 cups of sugar and a cup of oil or butter, we are left with the heart and soul of the cake. Finely shredded vegetables, minced tart pineapple, freshly ground flours and a hint of natural sweetness. This bake comes out of the pan with a perfect crumb and flecked with the zesty colors of carrot and zucchini.

This variation uses the same nutrition-dense ingredients as our other bakes (see here for detailed info) and is easy to prepare. We enjoy a serving either as a hearty post-workout breakfast or I eat it in the afternoon as a snack before I embark on a post-work long run. Either way, it's the perfect fuel for your body with 9 grams of fiber, 11 grams of protein and only 272 calories per serving. Oh, and it's CAKE.

Serves 4 (or can be doubled easily for 8)

INGREDIENTS:

• .75c ground buckwheat groats
• .25c  rice bran
• .5T baking powder
• 1T stevia or other natural sweetener
• 4T chia seeds, ground
• 2 bananas
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• .25c each shredded zucchini, shredded carrot and crushed pineapple
• .75c rice milk, soy milk or nut milk
• 1/3c chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375' and spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray.
2. Grind buckwheat and chia in coffee grinder or food processor. Whisk in rice bran, baking powder, stevia, and nuts.
3. In blender (or by hand) combine banana, eggs, vanilla extract and milk. Mix until smooth. Stir in shredded zucchini, carrot and pineapple.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients until combined. Stir in walnuts.
5. Pour in prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until center of cake is firm and lightly brown.
6. Let cool, remove from pan and cut into four pieces. Enjoy!

Veggie Soft Tacos + Quinoa with Corn

Tacos are a staple in our house! Who doesn't love a warm tortilla layered with delicious goodies?! Our favorite Mexican restaurants always serve tacos alongside a heaping serving of cheese-coated refried beans and perfectly cooked Spanish rice. While it certainly tastes good, the refried beans and rice don't offer you very much nutritionally. We've cleaned it up a bit by adding corn-studded quinoa and grilled squash and zucchini. The corn naturally sweetens up the quinoa and a dash of zingy Spike lends a delicious flavor to really simple squash.

TVP (or textured vegetable protein) is a scary sounding name for a not-so-scary product. It's the natural result of defatting soy flour. When the soy oil is extracted, the resulting stuff is formed into a porous, dehydrated high-protein that not only stores well, but re-hydrates into a fantastic ground meat substitute. We like to mix ours with minced vegetables and spices to not only increase the nutrition profile, but to give it a more interesting texture. 

I love using non-fat plain Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream (and it doesn't bug my stomach in limited amounts), but you can always skip it for a full on vegan feast! The variations possible on this meal are endless! Feeling daring? Skip the avocado and olives and tuck in a little kimchee and pickled cucumbers for a Korean flair or mix in some black beans to make the tacos taste even richer.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4

• 1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• 1 cup broth (seitan, vegetable or not-beef)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 5 florets cauliflower, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• 2 white or cremini mushrooms, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• generous sea salt and pepper
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
• handful of chopped ripe olives
• sliced cabbage
• non-fat greek plain yogurt (optional)
• hot sauce (optional)

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

• 2 zucchini, sliced
• 2 summer squash, sliced
• Spike or other natural spice blend

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare quinoa by combining quinoa, water and salt in pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with lid. Cook for 15 minutes, checking every once in awhile, until the water has evaporated, quinoa is transparent and fluffy. Stir in corn and set aside, covered to keep warm.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower, garlic, onion, and mushrooms. Saute until very tender about 8 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile bring broth to a boil.
4. Combine TVP and spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder). Stir in hot broth and cover with a lid. Keep covered for 5 minutes.
5. Salt and pepper the cauliflower mix and stir in TVP. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Keep on medium-low to remove excess liquid.
6. Preheat grill pan or outdoor grill over medium-high. Spray with cooking spray. Toss zucchini and squash with a generous shake of Spike (or spice blend) and add to grill pin.
7. Grill until marks appear on one side (about 5 minutes) then flip and grill until marks appear. Remove to plate.
8. Heat tortillas in microwave (wrapped in damp paper towel for 30 sec) or on warm grill pan.
9. Fill with TVP mixture, avocado, cabbage, olives and top with yogurt and hot sauce (optional).
10. Serve quinoa and grilled veggies alongside!

Cherry, Almond, Chocolate Bake

Ever since we started making breakfast bakes it's been consecutive weekday mornings of awesomeness. Due to our insane triathlete lifestyle, most mornings begin well before dawn and include at least an hour of exercise before breakfast. After that, a full work day, and often times we pack in at least another hour of training before dinner. This makes morning a hungry, hungry time. Our bodies crave real, nutritious, easy to convert into energy food. We need to both supplement our glycogen starved muscles and kickstart our metabolism for the rest of the day. 

Studies show that having a healthy breakfast is one of the key ingredients to a successful weight loss / healthy living strategy. Too often we make dinner our biggest meal of the day and we head to bed with full bellies. Our bodies are busy trying to break down and digest too much food and get to sleep at the same time. It just doesn't work. Doesn't it simply make sense to give your body the best food possible right up front in the morning? Better yet, we bake these the night before (usually two days worth) and they are ready to heat up in the morning at work and they taste like cake!

Most of the bakes come in around 350-450 calories and are substantial in size! Fresh ground grains, nuts, fresh seasonal fruit, chia seeds, flax seeds, no added fats or refined sugars mean that you're getting a wide variety of nutrients first thing in the day! I don't mean just protein, healthy fats and fiber, check out the micro-nutrient chart below for some serious food nerding.

These bakes are made with buckwheat, which is not wheat at all - in fact, it's a seed from the rhubarb family! It contains eight essential amino acids and is gluten-free.We also include rice bran in the bakes as it is a concentrated source of many nutrients that exist in brown rice. Many of those nutrients like iron and an assortment of B vitamins are a little hard to find in a plant-based diet. Rice bran is a quick way to squeeze a bit more nutrition in per serving! It also has 18 grams of protein!

Serves 4 (can easily be doubled for 8)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup buckwheat groats, ground (use a spice grinder or food processor)
• .25 cup rice bran
• 4 Tbsp chia seeds, ground  (use a spice grinder or food processor)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp stevia or other natural sweetener
• 2 bananas
• 4 tsp almond extract
• 4 large eggs (or flax eggs, mix 4T ground flax with .75c soy or nut milk)
• 3/4 cup soy or nut milk
• 1 cup cherries, halved and pitted
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375' and spray 8x8 glass pan with cooking spray.
2. Grind buckwheat and chia using a spice grinder or food processor until sandy or fine.
3. Combine buckwheat flour, rice bran, chia, cocoa powder, baking powder and stevia and whisk in large bowl to combine.
4. In blender (or by hand) mix bananas, extract, eggs and milk until smooth.
5. Mix wet ingredients into dry. 
6. Stir in cherries, almonds and chocolate chips.
7. Pour batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes until firm in the center and slightly puffed.
8. Allow to cool in pan, remove from pan and cut into four pieces.

*Best served slightly warm, so we microwave ours the following morning for breakfast for 30-40seconds.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Crumble

I love all kinds of winter squash - butternut squash soups, stuffed roasted acorn squash, and of course, pumpkin. Since cheesecake is out of the question for me, I was delighted to find a vegan cheesecake! My only hitch with vegan baking is that it often relies on substitutes that are just as processed and far removed from their natural source as the non-vegan versions. Vegan cheesecakes usually call for Tofutti - which sounds ok...but when I looked at the ingredients I realized it's water, sugar, corn oil, corn syrup solids, soy protein, THEN tofu, and a bunch of flavoring, coloring and preserving agents. And, it's pricey.

This wonderful recipe from Post Punk Kitchen lets you make your own vegan cream cheese filling with ingredients that you are familiar with and are a bit more natural - cashews, bananas, silken tofu, coconut oil, pumpkin, etc... Now that is something I can be okay with! I realize it's dessert, but why put junk in your body if you can put in natural, whole food?

While it took me a bit longer to bake (60-75 minutes), it set up beautifully once refrigerated overnight. The topping is essential and I would make the crust a bit denser next time (maybe make 1.5x the crust recipe) since it was so thin it disappeared under the wetter filling. Other than that, it was absolutely flawless! We were so busy taste testing that it hardly made it to the dinner table!

Please visit Post Punk Kitchen for the recipe :)

Tempeh Wellington with Mushroom Gravy

I'm not going to lie to you Reader, this year for Thanksgiving I made an incredible meal that just so happened to be vegan. Our diet is mostly plant-based now, with the exception of the odd sushi dinner and a few eggs here and there. Both of us have noted how healthy, happy and strong our bodies feel. We have felt the benefits in our triathlon training, our recovery time, our lack of GI issues and our overall energy levels. I had no idea how much meat and dairy was slowing me down and/or causing me pain! Our bank account is pretty happy too, as we spend significantly less money at the store even with buying organic, high-quality ingredients.

Every once in awhile I still pretend I can eat cheese and it really messes me up. Our diets have changed, my stomach is happier and it's a bad call to slip back into old habits for the sake of holidays. With that in mind, I came up with this wellington idea. A wellington has four parts: pastry, duxelle, pate, and meat. It's pretty easy to see where I'm going here! Vegan puff pastry, mushroom duxelle, sunflower seed pate and a tempeh loaf made from scratch. The duxelle and pate can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for 1-2 days. The tempeh loaf could be made ahead, but really, it only takes 20 minutes (5 active minutes), so why bother?!

Simple, comforting, delicious, satisfying, rich, flavorful home style amazingness. Each step is easy to do and can be done in stages if necessary. Doing the steps ahead makes it ideal for a dinner party or holiday dinner. You'll be able to quickly assemble and bake the wellington to the awe of your guests. It slices beautifully and pairs perfectly with a simple mushroom gravy. Since the wellington tends to be a bit rich, I opted for a raw kale salad and caramelized cipollini onions to go alongside.

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

Duxelle

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb cremini or white mushrooms, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, minced
• cracked pepper, salt
• small handful of parsley, minced
• 1/4 cup of daiya mozzarella or thick cashew cream

Sunflower Seed Pate:

• 1 cup finely ground sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 tsp dried parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1 cup finely grated potato
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

Tempeh:

• 16oz package of tempeh, torn into chunks
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 sheet vegan puff pastry (will need approx one 12" x 8" rectangle)

Onions + Gravy:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 cipollini onions
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp Earth balance or olive oil
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups veggie broth or seitan broth (saved from making seitan)
• cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder

DIRECTIONS:
*Note - if you're doing this all at once, make sure you thaw your puff pastry while the pate is cooking. It can take some time. 

1. Prepare sunflower seed pate by mixing dry ingredients together in a bowl. 
2. Rinse the grated potato in a sieve to remove starch. Drain and squeeze potato until it is very dry. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients along with the potato to the dry ingredients.
4. Preheat your oven to 375'.
5. Spray glass pie pan with cooking spray and pour the pate mixture into it. 
6. Place in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 350. Bake 35-45 minutes until set, but still slightly damp in middle.
7. Let the pate cool for an hour, then chill it as you do everything else (or overnight). (This also freezes well — cut it into wedges and wrap in plastic wrap.)
8. Next, prepare the duxelles by heating 1 Tbsp oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat and add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Saute until softened about 10 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and continue to saute until the liquid has evaporated - roughly another 10 minutes. 
9. Gently press mixture to release excess moisture and wipe liquid out of pan. Transfer mushrooms to bowl, stir in thick cashew cream or daiya and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
10. Prepare tempeh by placing torn chunks in a steamer basket and steaming over high heat for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool to touch. Mash tempeh with soy sauce and nutritional yeast with a potato masher or fork. Set aside.
11. Preheat oven to 450'. Spray foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray. 
12. Lay out your puff pastry on foil. You're going to make a layered loaf in the center. You will need enough pastry to wrap over the loaf, so depending on the size of your pastry sheet, that will determine the size of your loaf! 
13. First layer on sunflower pate, about 1/4" thick, leaving enough room for folding over the finished loaf.
14. Next, top with a layer of duxelles, pressing into the pate, to form a firm loaf.
15. Third, form a rectangular loaf of the tempeh, about 1"-1.5" thick and press on top of the duxelles.
16. Fold short edges of pastry in, fold larger edges over to seal completely. 
17. Flip over carefully so that seam is on the bottom.
18. Bake at 450' for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375' and continue to bake for 25 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove and let stand before cutting.
19. Meanwhile, make gravy by heating 1 Tbsp olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add cippolinis and saute about 10 minutes, flipping occasionally until soft and browned. 
20. Remove onions from pan and keep covered in pot or bowl and add flour and earth balance to pan and cook until lightly browned (forming a roux for the gravy). This will take about 5-6 minutes.
21. Add red wine slowly and whisk to blend roux into wine. Turn heat up to high and lightly boil strong alcohol flavor off for about 5 minutes. Whisk in broth, thyme and pepper. 
22. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until thickened about 20 minutes. Add mushrooms to gravy and stir in arrowroot if additional thickening is desired.
23. To serve, slice wellington and top with gravy, onions alongside.

Tempeh-Kale Macro Bowl with Miso-Tahini Dressing

Macrobiotics - sounds fancy, doesn't it? Let me reassure you, it's nothing complicated. Macro (large) and bios (life) makes for something rather positive - large life food? Okay! A macrobiotic diet consists of eating primarily grains and fresh vegetables and avoiding processed food. Sounds...well....normal, if you ask me.

Moving away from packaged, processed food can be the first step of many towards an evolved diet and balanced spectrum of health. Simply put, the more processes the raw food has to go through to become what's in a package, the less value it has to your body and the more taxing it is to break it back down. Your body wants simple things - carbohydrates, healthy fats, easy to use proteins, water, nutrients. It doesn't need stuff that you cannot pronounce, preservatives, flavor enhancers, or grains that have been stripped of nutrients and then enriched with other nutrients. It just wants fresh, natural, easy to use fuel.

The more work that our bodies have to do to break down complicated packaged meals, process often difficult to digest dairy products and attempt to deal with meat that hangs out in the digestive tract for a long time, the less energy your body has to power the rest of it's work. Your body requires energy to heal your sore muscles, build up your immune system to ward off colds and diseases, to power your workouts and keep your brain functioning. The less your body has to work at digestion, the more resources are available for everything else! Once I grasped this concept, my idea of food as fuel shifted entirely!

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup short grain brown rice (cook per your rice cooker or these instructions)
• pinch of garlic powder or dried garlic
• 2 heads of kale, rinsed and chopped
• 4 small handfuls of sauerkraut, rinsed and pressed dry
• 1 package whole grain tempeh (8oz)
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 spoonful sweet white miso
• 2 large spoonfuls tahini (sesame seed butter)
• 2 spoonfuls of water
• cracked sea salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook rice with a pinch of garlic powder according to either rice cooker or stove top directions.
2. Preheat oven to 400'. Line baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray. 
3. Combine soy sauce and water in a zip lock bag. 
4. Slice kale in half so you have two thin sheets. Cut these sheets into four pieces each for a total of 8 pcs. Place in ziplock with marinade and set aside while doing everything else. Turn occasionally.
5. Scatter kale over baking sheet. Mist with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.
6. Bake until wilted and slightly crisping at edges about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
7. Combine sweet white miso, tahini and 2 spoonfuls of water and either use an immersion blender or whisk by hand until smooth! Set aside.
8. Heat pan or stovetop grill pan and coat with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add tempeh to pan and cook about 5 minutes per side until lightly browned. Flip and cook the other side, basting with the reserved marinade as necessary.
9. Divide rice between four plates, top with kale, sauerkraut, tempeh and drizzle with plenty of sauce.

Wheat Spaghetti with Kale, Sun-Dried Tomato and Poached Egg

The holidays are so frenetic and busy that some nights it seems I hardly sit down before it's time for bed. Add in that it's my busiest work time of the year and training for a half-marathon and there's even less time! Eating a healthy, simple to prepare dinner is at the top of my wish list. Sometimes simple food can be transformed into something special by using a different technique. Roasting kale brings out the best of it's character - slightly crispy, definitely tender and full of flavor. A few minced sun-dried tomatoes add a burst of sweet to balance out the slightly bitter kale. Wheat spaghetti, sauteed shallots and a delicately poached egg round the dish out.

 If you're 100% vegan, opt for a slice of grilled or baked tofu - it would stand in nicely for the egg. If you are using eggs, make an effort to find local, cage-free, organic grain-fed eggs. You are what you eat, and if you are putting crap into your body, you're going to get poor results!

Remember to always get your water boiling, as there is nothing more frustrating than watching it boil while everything else sits ready! For a really easy way to poach eggs, check out these Poach Pods.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 oz whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 head of kale, chopped into small pieces
• 1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 4 jarred sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tsp oil from sun-dried tomato jar (*full of flavor!)
• salt, cracked pepper
• 2 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400' and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Spread kale on baking sheet and spritz with spray oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 10 minutes or until tender and slightly crisp on edges. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add a pinch of salt also bring a small pot of water to boil (large enough for 2 eggs or 2 poach pods). Begin to cook spaghetti according to directions while doing step 5.
5. In sauce pan, heat 1 tsp sun dried tomato oil over medium high. Add garlic and shallots and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. 
6. Drain pasta when done and return to pasta pot. Add sun dried tomatoes, kale, and garlic-shallot mix and toss to coat.  Keep warm on stove.
7. Spray poach pods with a little oil. Crack an egg into each pod and gently place in the boiling water. Cover the pot and let water boil gently for about 5 minutes. Remove pods from water.
8. Divide pasta between two plates, place one egg on each plate and serve!

Honey-Thyme Roasted Pear Salad with Spiced Walnuts

This simple but elegant salad is sure to impress your guests with its delightful presentation and perfect blend of fall flavors. Local organic honey is brushed onto a thinly sliced pear and dusted with a touch of thyme before being roasted until tender and warm. Walnut pieces get a healthier and tastier version of "candying" by taking a quick flash in a frying pan with some spices, some natural sweetener and a spritz of cooking spray. Full flavor, but much less wasted fat and calories than candied spiced walnuts! Served on a bed of spinach with a drizzle of high quality balsamic vinegar, this is one remarkable dish. Feel free to add or omit the goat feta as desired.

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ripe pear
• 4 cups spinach
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• pinch each of cayenne, sugar (or xylitol), salt
• honey
• pinch of fresh or dried thyme
• cooking spray
• high quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 oz feta (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. preheat oven to 400'
2. Halve pear, use a teaspoon or melon baller to neatly scoop out seeds. Place pear cut side down and using the knife at an angle, slice the pear from 1/2" from the stem all the way through the bottom so that it can be slightly fanned out.
3. Transfer to a foil lined baking sheet coated in cooking spray.
4. Brush pears with honey and sprinkle with thyme. 
5. Bake 10 minutes until tender and golden.
6. Meanwhile, make spiced nuts by placing the walnuts in a pan over medium heat. Toast for 2 minutes, then scatter with cayenne, salt and sugar. Spritz with cooking spray lightly and toss nuts to coat. Continue to toast for 1 more minute, remove to a plate.
7. Arrange spinach on two small plates, drizzle with nice balsamic, scatter walnuts and feta (if using) over the spinach. Top with pear and slightly fan out over spinach.

Poblano-Corn Chowder [Vegan]

Pardon the crappy cell phone shot!

I'm really excited to post this recipe as it's changed my little non-dairy world. I'm a girl on a mission when it comes to soups right now. We're making 1-2 soups a week for a friend in need. Fresh, organic, plant-powered soup is easy on the body while providing quickly assimilated nutrients. Think that vegan soups are limited to watery, tasteless noodle soups and bean stews? Not any more! We've found a way to make cashew cream so smooth and so creamy, that it will fool even the most suspicious taster. This isn't "good for being vegan" it's just plain GOOD.

I've remade one of my favorite soups Poblano-Corn Chowder with Shrimp except I removed the bacon, the shrimp, the creamed corn (lots of HFCS), the milk and the cream. You might ask the same question my curious mother did, "So...then...what's left in it?" What's left? Magic. Diced vegetables, mild poblano chilies, fresh corn,  tender potatoes and a rich, creamy broth. I added in diced tofu for protein and the cashew cream adds a touch of healthy fat and a little protein. Serve with a side salad tossed with a pepita dressing for a complete meal!

Serves 8 - [hint: make extra, this freezes beautifully in ziplock bags!]

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 T olive oil
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 5-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 large poblano chilies, diced (*looks like a large dark pointy bell pepper)
• 5 ears fresh corn or 4 cups frozen organic corn (or last resort 2 cans organic corn)
• 4 medium white rose potatoes diced into 1/2" cubes
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cashews
• 2 cups water (for cashews)
• 1 T chili powder
• 1-2tsp seasoned smoke  from Trader Joe's or a pinch liquid smoke (last resort, use 1 T bbq sauce for smoky flavor, but if you can get the TJoe's stuff - it's the bomb)
• 2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch
• 1 package extra firm tofu, drained and diced into cubes
• handful minced cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Turn off heat, put cashews in hot water and cover for 10 minutes. This helps soften the nuts if you didn't soak overnight (which I never remember to do).
2. The best method is to place the nuts and liquid in an immersion blender cup and use the immersion blender to liquify the nuts. It takes forever but we got the smoothest consistency this way. Or use your Vitamix. If you've just got a regular blender or food processor, just process the HELL out of this. It will seem chunky and gritty, keep blending. It will eventually be smooth, slightly foamy cream. Don't give up ;)
3. Place potatoes in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until just barely tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. In large stock pot, heat 1 T olive oil. Add celery, garlic, onion and poblanos and saute until fragrant, about 8 minutes.
5. Add corn, potatoes, vegetable broth, water, chili powder, and seasoned smoke. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes. 
6. Add tofu and cook another 8 minutes.
7. Whisk in the cashew milk.
8. Remove 1 cup of liquid and stir arrowroot or cornstarch into it.
9. Whisk into the soup and bring the temperature back up to simmering.
10. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro.

Roasted Butternut + Caramelized Onion Galette

This rustic fall vegetable galette is the perfect entree for a chilly November night. Flavorful kalamata olives stud the biscuit-like crust and offer a nice balance to the sweet roasted squash and caramelized onion filling. We added a handful of crumbled veggie sausage and a touch of feta for added flavor. To make this vegan, opt for a scattering of vegan cheese or omit altogether!

Get the squash roasting first thing, so that it's cool enough to handle by the time your crust is ready to be filled. The whole dish is "rustic" meaning that your crust does not have to be perfect! Allow the natural flavors and textures of the season to shine in this comforting dish. Never made dough? This is more akin to a pie crust than a pizza dough. Expect it to be slightly crumbly and a little dry! Indulge in a generous sized piece after enjoying a spinach salad with honey-thyme roasted pear (coming soon)!

Recipe is based on this Eating Well recipe

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 spoonful honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• cooking spray
• 1/2 package Gimme Lean breakfast style veggie sausage, broken up into small pcs
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp ground sage
• cracked pepper
• sea salt
• 2oz feta or goat cheese (I used goat feta) or vegan sub (*omit for vegan dish!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400'. Spray foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray and place halved squash cut side down on the sheet. Spray top with cooking spray and place in oven. Bake for 45 minutes, check for tenderness and cook longer if necessary.  When done, remove from oven and allow to cool to touch. Place pizza stone in oven to preheat. (If you don't have a pizza stone don't worry.)
2. Meanwhile, prepare dough by whisking flours, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Whisk honey, water and olive oil in separate bowl. Form a well in the center of the flour and slowly whisk liquid in, stirring.
3. Add chopped olives and continue to knead by hand to incorporate dry ingredients add small amounts of water and/or oil as needed. It will be crumbly, but you will want it to stick into a ball and hold shape, but a little dry and crumbly is ok.
4. Form dough into a ball and place in ziplock bag or saran wrap and set in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Heat 1 T olive oil in small saucepan. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Heat cast iron skillet or pan over medium-high and spray with cooking spray. Add veggie sausage and brown about 3 min per side. Remove and set aside.
7. Scoop squash flesh out from skin shell and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and sage. Mash gently with potato masher or fork. 
8. Remove dough from refrigerator and place on lightly floured work surface. Roll dough out using a rolling pin (or a floured bottle of wine works in a pinch!) until it is roughly 12" diameter.
9. Spread mashed roasted squash on dough, leaving a nice 2" border around the edges. Top with caramelized onions and sausage. Fold edges of the crust over the filling decoratively or messily (however you prefer). 
10. Gently transfer galette to pizza stone or to foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes. Scatter goat cheese or feta on top and bake another 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing!

Rainbow Roasted Veggie Pilaf

Consider this dish the "little black dress" of your culinary repertoire. Guys, it's your wingman dish. It works as a side, it works as a base for food on top, it looks good, it tastes good, it can be made days ahead, served hot, eaten cold. Everyone loves it. 

It's not always easy to get in a variety of nutrients as we tend to grab the same 2-3 vegetables every time we breeze through the produce section of the market. Steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots? Again? A little variety not only excites the palate, but provides you with a full array of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The easiest way to do this is to "eat the rainbow" and I'm not talking about Skittles. Grab things you've never eaten before - make it a goal to try stuff you've never had!

Red: Beets, red chard, radishes

Orange: Carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes

Yellow: Bell peppers, onions, yellow beets, summer squash

Green: Chard, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, zucchini

Purple: some types of kale, purple peppers, purple potatoes, rutabaga, turnip

Brown: Mushrooms, yucca root

White: Garlic, onion, parsnip, cauliflower

Roasting is the easiest way to prepare a big vegetable medley like this. Chop everything roughly the same size, toss with a tiny bit of olive oil, a generous crack of salt and pepper and roast on baking sheets until golden and tender. To amp up the value of this dish I combine it with a mixed grain pilaf. I choose 3-4 high nutrient grains and cook them separately. Don't stick to just rice! Try wild rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, or wheat berries! Sometimes I throw in a handful of something quick-cooking like cous cous (regular or pearl) for a textural difference.

I serve this as a side dish to marinated and grilled tofu, underneath a perfectly cooked piece of salmon, with scrambled eggs, with chunks of homemade bean sausage or cold as a healthy snack. Add something BBQ'ed and a few crispy shallots. Add a little soy sauce and some furikake. Add feta and a little dill. It works with everything.

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 beets (golden or purple), stems trimmed off and washed
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1-2 large crowns broccoli, diced
• 1/2 head cauliflower, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 15 Brussels sprouts, stem trimmed, and quartered
• 1 head kale, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1/2 cup wheatberries
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/3 cup millet
• 1/2 cup cous cous
• water
• Furikake (My favorite types are Shiso and Nori ) - optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425' and line two baking sheets with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
2. Place beets on foil and spray with olive oil. Wrap tightly in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake on bottom rack for 30 minutes and check if tender with knife. If not, re-wrap and bake 15 minutes longer. 
3. Place carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, onion and zucchini in one bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Toss to combine and spread out on baking sheet. Place in oven on top rack and bake for 10 minutes or until softened slightly. Remove from foil and place in large bowl.
4. Toss Brussels sprouts with 1 tsp olive oil and place on same baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until browned. Remove and add to same bowl.
5. Scatter kale on baking sheet and spray with olive oil and a dash of cracked pepper and sea salt. Bake 10 minutes until softened and/or lightly crisp. Add to large bowl with other veggies.
6. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to boil and add 1 cup wild rice and a pinch of salt. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cover for 45 minutes. When tender, add to bowl with veggies.
7. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add quinoa and millet. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until millet is tender and quinoa is translucent and fluffy. Add to bowl with veggies.
8. For cous cous, bring a little over 1/2 cup water to boil with a pinch of salt. Add cous cous, cover pan and remove from heat. Allow to sit for  15 minutes covered. Add to bowl with veggies.
9. Now you have a large bowl of roasted veggies and mixed grains. Taste and season with salt, pepper, furikake or fresh herbs. Nuts or seeds may be tossed in for added nutrition and crunch!

"Cheese" Enchiladas, Spanish Rice & Non-Refried Beans

Being born and raised in Southern California means that my exposure to quality Mexican food started in the womb. Comfort food, for me, is a generous serving of well-salted tortilla chips, tacos or cheesy enchiladas and an huge heap of re-fried beans and Spanish rice. Not only is that not exactly par for the course of my diet, it's just...SO much fat and cheese. I set out to make the best faux Mexican food I could make. While you don't see a whole lot of healthy fresh veggies on the plate above, it's a ton lighter than standard Mexican fare and scratched the comfort food itch!

The "cheesy" filling is crumbled tofu mixed with nicely melting Daiya cheddar and a few jarred jalapenos for flavor. You honestly won't know that it's tofu! It just seems right. Warm, cheesy, deliciousness. Enjoy.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 small corn tortillas
• 1-2 cups enchilada sauce
• 1 block firm tofu, drained and crumbled
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Taco Seasoning: 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin,1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 cup Daiya vegan cheddar, divided in half
• 1 small can sliced ripe olives
• small handful cilantro, rinsed and chopped
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Handful of pickled jalapenos, diced
• 1 c canned, diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c jasmine rice
• 1/4 c onion, diced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 c water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Begin with the rice by sauteing 1/4c diced onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp chili powder, bay leaves and rice. Cook over medium about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add water and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook, covered for  for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer until excess moisture is gone. Remove bay leaves. Cover and keep warm.
4. Prepare pinto beans by draining can into a bowl (reserve bean liquid separately from beans). 
5. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in pan over medium high and saute 2 minced cloves garlic until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add beans and mash with potato masher or fork. Add bean liquid a little at a time until it's the right consistency (I only used about 1/2 cup liquid). Stir in a touch of diced pickled jalapenos. Cover and set aside.
6. In large pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute minced garlic for 2 minutes. Stir in crumbled tofu and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning mix to combine. Add rest of diced jarred jalapenos and 1/2c Daiya cheddar.
7. Coat 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray. Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of pan. 
8. Warm tortillas in microwave for 0:30-1:00 until warm and pliable.
9. Spoon filling into center of each tortilla, wrap up and set seam side down in glass pan and repeat until all tortillas are gone. If you have extra filling, just stuff it in the ends of the enchiladas in the pan. 
10. Top enchiladas with the rest of the enchilada sauce. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil, top with rest of Daiya cheddar and olives and bake 5 more minutes.
11. Serve 2 enchiladas per plate, a serving of rice and beans and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Nutrition: For a "comfort meal" not too shabby!!!!

Pulled "Pork" Sandwich [Seitan]

Oh. Yeah. You might be asking yourself, "Self, is that sandwich as good as it looks?" and the answer would be HECK YES it is. Since we've been on the seitan making train for awhile now, we're coming up with more and more ways to use this amazingly cheap, satisfying, meat-alternative. BBQ pulled pork? With homemade BBQ sauce? Yes please.

Nothing too fancy here, we made this BBQ Sauce (seriously, it's easy, do it), then sliced our seitan, made a quick coleslaw, and put it all together. I don't know about you, but I could eat this every day. I've made pulled pork, and I like pulled pork, but this just takes about 80% less time than pulled pork and it tastes about 100% as good!

Makes 4 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 c (or more) The BMK BBQ Sauce
• 1/3 recipe of Homemade Seitan
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• pickle relish
• 4 whole grain buns
• 1 cup red cabbage, finely sliced
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/3 c non-fat plain Greek Yogurt (or vegannaise)
• splash water
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice seitan into under 1/4" slices and then cut into strips crosswise.
2. Heat BBQ sauce in pan over medium-high heat. Toss seitan with sauce and warm.
3. In bowl, whisk yogurt or vegannaise, water, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Stir in cabbage and carrot to coat.
4. Toast or warm buns
5. Assembly sandwiches - spread a layer of pickle relish, top with onions, pulled pork and coleslaw.

The BMK BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce...smoky, sweet, spicy and downright delicious! There's a few condiments in life I cannot live without - BBQ sauce and pickle relish being my top two. Unfortunately, when you look at the ingredient list on a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, ketchup or marinade, a boat load of sugar is usually the key ingredient. It's as if they make simple syrup and then figure, eh, what the heck, toss a few tomatoes in. Never mind all the ingredients with confusing chemical sounding names! 

I'm going to start preparing and bottling our favorite condiments to have on hand in lieu of funky store-bought varieties. The goal was to have this bottle (above) for some time, but...um...we dusted that thing in a few days. What's in my crazy concoction? The secret ingredients are high quality canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes and whiskey. Sure, there's other ingredients, but the whiskey really makes it special. And not in that "drank too much whiskey and are stumbling around" kind of special. 

Make a bottle, make a vat, whatever suits you! Keep an eye out for a super-freaking-amazing BBQ Pulled Seitan Sandwich coming tomorrow! Want to know where to get a handy glass bottle for your awesome-sauce? We save most good glass bottles and jars we buy, sanitize them in hot water and store for later (like now)!

Makes 1 bottle

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1.5 c water
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 1/4c apple cider vinegar
• 1/4c lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4c whiskey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil over medium-high in saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and saute another minute. Add remaining ingredients, whisk thoroughly, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.
2. Use immersion blender to blend thoroughly.
3. Allow to cool and bottle.

Kale Chips

I laugh every time I see people snatching up bags of kale chips at the market for $7 or more. Hah! Suckers. I know, kind of mean, but come on folks - it's kale. The green leafy stuff they line the fish display case with. It's been relegated to the "decoration" section of the food world up until a few years ago when someone baked it and discovered it's totally freaking amazing when baked. Capitalizing on your laziness, they introduced organic kale chips in bags at stores. But, really, at the end of the day? That's just kale. Baked. Bagged. And they sell kale at the market, for something around 99 cents. Try these out, then join me in snickering at poor suckers at the market. 

What's that? You don't like kale? Join the club! No one thinks they do. Adam didn't like it. No sir. Didn't want ANY kale in our house. He'd indulge me with beet greens, Swiss chard, and spinach but not kale. Until I made some kale chips and behold a convert! A little olive oil goes a long way, so does some salt, pepper and garlic granules. Feel free to experiment with the spices!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• a few cranks of a sea salt grinder
• a few cranks of cracked pepper grinder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Wash kale. Lay kale out on towel. Roll towel up (to dry kale).
3. Tear or cut thick center rib out of kale leaf and discard.
4. Tear kale leaves into chunks.
5. Toss in bowl with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
6. Line baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
7. Arrange kale on baking sheet(s) in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.
8. Laugh at the suckers, it's ok. I won't judge.

Seitan Philly Cheesteaks

Is this genius or what?! I'm not even going to be shy about how damn good these "cheesesteaks" were. Nothing cheesy and nothing steaky, it's more of our amazing homemade seitan sliced up and sauteed with mushrooms, onions, peppers and a little seasoning. This sandwich is downright sinful tasting, but so much healthier than the traditional version which consists of steak, onions, bread and cheez whiz! Cheez whiz? For real?!

We don't adhere to any strict diet, so we used London Pub's Steak and Chop sauce because it's freaking yummy  but it does contain anchovies, HFCS, and a handful of other crap that I wouldn't recommend eating. It's hard to find around here as well, so I am going to attempt to make a homemade version that omits the junk and keeps the flavor. I will keep you posted on that!

It's pretty simple to make and an unbelievable way to use seitan! Granted, you're going wheat product on wheat product here, so reserve it for a carby splurge meal and sneak a salad alongside. Don't eat too many carbs or you'll end up like this guy.

Our "fluffy" Maine Coon, Francois. This is how he sleeps!

Serves 4 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 lb of seitan from this recipe, sliced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ea small red and green bell pepper
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced
• 5-7 mushrooms, thickly sliced (cremini or button)
• 2 Tbsp steak sauce or for now, google a vegetarian steak sauce recipe (until I've got mine up)
• sea salt, cracked pepper
• 4 whole wheat rolls
• 4 slices provolone, non-dairy cheese or yogurt cheese, cut in half

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high and add onions, bell peppers and mushrooms. Saute until onions are golden brown and everything is slightly tender, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add steak sauce, salt and pepper. Add seitan and stir to combine and heat thoroughly.
3. Slice buns lengthwise, but not all the way through. Warm buns in oven or toaster oven at 300'. 
4. Stuff with 1/4 of filling and top with one cheese slice, cut in half (two triangles). 
5. Place back in oven to melt cheese and serve.