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.