Breakfast Casserole (WFPB, vegan, GF)

Sometimes the amount of veggies in the fridge are in abundance and need to be used before they go bad, usually during the 6 months of the year where we pick up a bounty of local produce from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share. It’s a great problem to have, too much food!  My spouse came up with a recipe for a casserole to save the veggies.  It’s a good one to do on a weekend when you have more time for cooking and reheats well through the week.  Top it with salsa, hot sauce, microgreens, or plant-based queso.  Great for breakfast or anytime.

For the fridge veggies, we had parsnips, mushrooms, cooked beans and greens that needed to get used this time.  Roast your potatoes and sauté your veggies separately before layering into the casserole dish.  

Ingredients

Eggy Filling (cut the egg filling in half if you prefer less, it's great either way):

2 packages organic tofu, extra firm (drained)

½ cup nutritional yeast

2 cups aquafaba*

½ tsp liquid smoke

2 tsp black salt (kala namak)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Veggie layer:

2 lbs potatoes, cubed, steamed

1 lb mushrooms, cooked

1-2 onions, cooked

1 bag kale, frozen 

Or whatever veggie combination you like!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. Cook veggies.  Blend eggy filling ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Layer in a 9x13 casserole dish in order: 1) potato, 2) ½ egg mixture, 3) pre-cooked veggies, then 4) remaining ½ of egg mixture.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.  Let stand for 5 min, slice, and top with your favorite toppings.  

*Aquafaba is garbanzo bean broth found by saving the liquid from canned garbanzo beans or by making your own.  Making your own is very easy but the secret is to use kombu.  My favorite aquafaba recipe comes from Aquafaba by Zsu Denver.  If you use canned bean liquid make sure it’s salt and BPA free.  

Aquafaba book: https://amzn.to/3FIpPOO (affiliate link)

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

#aquafaba #casserole #plantbasednutrition #wholefoodplantbased #feelplantiful

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (WFPB, vegan, GF)

It’s finals week in our house meaning lots of stressed out kids and study groups.  When loved ones are going through stressful times, I make sure there are lots of whole, minimally processed foods, especially veggies, to support their bodies and minds as they deal with difficult times.  Basically, lots of hummus varieties, veggies for dipping and whole grain crackers as quick, easy, prepackaged foods can dysregulate dopamine function in the brain making depressive symptoms worse and increase inflammation in the body.  Not what you want happening during stressful times.  But what to do with teens who don’t get excited about veggies and hummus?  My solution is an adapted recipe favorite for many years now, our chocolate chip cookie bars.  

Beans and oats are a great source of protein, fiber and minerals that many are deficient in like magnesium (essential for nerve functioning).  My substitutions include replacing the oil with applesauce and replacing maple syrup with date paste (both 1:1 ratios).  These are now very low fat making them crack a bit more than the full fat version.  We love them without all of the fat but you may find you prefer to have a small amount in it.  These antioxidant-rich, low glycemic, anti-inflammatory bars are perfect for gearing up for exam time and other life stressors.  

Ingredients

2 cans bpa-free cannellini beans (drained and rinsed) or 3 1/2 cups cooked

1 cup quick or rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup date paste*

3/4 cup chocolate chips (we like the Enjoy Life brand of mini chips but there are more affordable dairy free chips out there too)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º F.  Lightly spray 9x12 pan or use parchment paper.  If using rolled oats, pulse them a few times in a food processor to break them into smaller pieces thus creating quick oats.  Add remainder of ingredients except chips in food processor.  Blend really well.  If using home cooked beans, you may need to slowly add water to get a smooth batter-like consistency.  Mix in chips.  Pour batter into pan.  Cook for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pan.

*I make my own date paste (1 cup water blended with 1 cup softened pitted dates and 1 teaspoon lemon juice) as it’s really easy and significantly cheaper than the date pastes and syrups on the market.

Chocolate Chips: https://amzn.to/3hp5eqH (affiliate link)

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

#chocolatechipbars #plantpurecommunities #plantbasednutrition #wholefoodplantbased #feelplantiful

The Best Salad (WFPB, vegan, GF option)

This salad from PlantPure Nation is hands down one of the best salads I’ve made.  People are always surprised that the greens in it are brussel sprouts.  The maple dijon dressing is so good I keep it around to throw on veggie bowls and other salads.  Plus, it’s a breeze to make.  I usually make up a batch of the salad a day before.  Using a food processor is so helpful to make it a speedy process.  I shred my apple on the coarse side of the shredder blade (instead of chopping…because I enjoy shortcuts!) and toss the apple shreds in a tablespoon or so of lemon juice to keep them from browning before mixing them into the other dry ingredients.  I chop my walnuts with the S blade then use a 1 mm slice setting to make the brussel sprouts thinly sliced.  Everything comes together quickly once the quinoa is cooked and cooled.  We could eat it all in one meal but I try to make it last for 2.  Sometimes I don’t add the bac'n chickpeas if I’m running short on time and it’s great without.  (Sub out soy sauce on chickpeas for a gluten free version.) If it’s just us eating the salad I usually leave off the avocado as we love it with or without.  If I’m serving guests I will usually leave the avocado in.  It’s one of a few salads that all 5 of us love.  I hope you do too!

For food processors, we started off with a Cuisinart that was more budget friendly (about 20 years ago!).  It worked well but we upgraded about 10 years ago to a Breville.  Wow, what a difference that made!  It’s in heavy use so we replace the S blade about every 5 years (not very expensive) and still love it.  

PlantPure Nation has some great recipes to check out. Their nonprofit PlantPure Communities is involved in philanthropic work related to educating everyone in evidence-based nutrition with a particular focus on food insecure locations in the US.  Check out the documentary PlantPure Nation or their website for more information.  

Recipe: https://tinyurl.com/4ek42fv9

Food Processor: https://amzn.to/3iQX9vf  (affiliate link)

PlantPure Communities: https://plantpurecommunities.org/

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

#brussel sprouts #plantpurecommunities #plantbasednutrition #wholefoodplantbased #feelplantiful

Mental Health & Nutrition

As I write this post, our high school has experienced another suicide, the 3rd of the semester.  In the past 4 years, my 3 children have known a total of 6 classmates who have committed suicide.  The numbers are alarming and the impact to families and in the community is devastating.  While I do not assume to know all of the factors involved in such heartbreak, I do know psychology and nutrition.  

Estimates range from 40% to 70% of calories for US children come from ultra processed foods (empty calorie foods) with 0.9% of teens meeting the recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake but averaging 22 teaspoons a day of added sugar (6 teaspoons or less is recommended by the American Heart Association)1.  Ultra processed foods are devoid of micronutrients, phytonutrients and fiber, all essential to keeping their minds and bodies functioning properly.

The link between mental health and nutrition is strong.  Misinformation about healthy diets is rampant.  If you are in need of vetted resources about how to feed yourself or your developing child, tween, or teen, I highly recommend 2 books.  Don’t let the title fool you, “Becoming Vegan” by Brenda Davis, R.D. is a deep dive into all of the nutrient needs we all have whether we eat meat and dairy or not.  It covers the lifespan from childhood, to puberty, to lactation, and on.  Another item on my reference shelf in heavy use is “Nourish”, a collaboration between pediatrician, Dr. Shah, and Brenda Davis with a greater focus on childhood.  Both are excellent reference books with evidenced-based information.  They should also be available at your library.  Nutrition may be just one piece of a very complicated puzzle but it’s an action we can all easily take. 

If you or someone you know is in need of support, call 988 to reach the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.  

Becoming Vegan: https://amzn.to/3VWxoZ4 (affiliate link)

1Nourish: https://amzn.to/3VOoxs6 (affiliate link)

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

#brendadavis #mentalhealth #plantbasednutrition #wholefoodplantbased #feelplantiful