Taco Salad Heaven (WFPB, vegan, GF, no oil)

I really enjoy listening to the Exam Room podcast.  Chuck Carroll has some great guests full of evidence-based information but it’s also uplifting (well, at least the ones I’ve been able to listen to).  Last week, in addition to some must-know facts about saturated fat from Dr. Barnard, he had on the founder of PlantYou, Carleigh Bodrug.  What a treat!  I was very excited to try out some of the recipes on her website.  Our taco salad/bowls are at a new level.  

All of these recipes can be made a day ahead.  I prefer to make the dressings a day before as the ingredients taste better after having had time to blend.  I add whole beans to the “ground beef” along with the taco seasoning plus some water to heat before serving (just like you would with a taco seasoning packet).  Add your favorite veggies to your salad or serve with a whole intact grain for a bowl.  I went with mixed greens, red cabbage, steamed broccoli, red bell pepper, black quinoa, and cherry tomatoes (see 2nd photo). Salsa and guacamole are also delicious!  

Green Smoothie (WFPB, vegan, GF)

I’ve tried a variety of smoothie recipes over the years.  This is a favorite for all of us.  We drink it a few times per week during the summer but not as much during the cold winter months (a cold smoothie when it's cold just isn't as appealing).  A high powered blender is a must for it to work well.  Play around with the amount of greens, starting with a smaller amount and slowly increasing if you are new to smoothies.  I always feel better and get a boost of energy when I have one.  I keep leftovers in a glass bottle to shake and enjoy later (see my affiliate link below as it helps me to keep sharing what we actually use in our home).  Enjoy this antioxidant powerhouse!  

Ingredients
1 ½ cups water

1 ½ cups plant milk

8 ounces favorite frozen fruit blend

3 ounces greens (2 ounces if using strong tasting green like kale)

1 frozen banana*

Directions

Place all ingredients in the blender.  Blend until smooth.  

*I keep a bag of peeled bananas in our freezer for all of the bananas that start to turn brown before we can eat them.  They provide a really lovely creamy texture after being frozen.  

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

Glass bottles: https://amzn.to/3G7xWF7 (affiliate link)

#smoothie #energy #plantbasednutrition #wholefoodplantbased #feelplantiful

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

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

Pumpkin Soup (WFPB, vegan, GF)

Pumpkin Soup

After devouring our pumpkin pies over the holiday, I needed a recipe to use up our extra cooked pie pumpkin flesh.  There are many delicious pumpkin soup recipes out there that use coconut milk which contains saturated fat.  We tried The Simple Veganista’s Pumpkin Soup recipe that uses red lentils.  It quickly became a favorite.  While my kids think it’s a shame we did not make more pies with the leftovers (they could eat pie everyday), I absolutely love this recipe.  I was out of fresh parsley and thyme so substituted dry ingredients for those:   ¼ tsp thyme & ½ tsp parsley.  Since my pie pumpkin was already cooked, I added it in after the lentils were cooked.  It freezes well too! 

The recipe calls for Better than Bouillon so I tried it.  I was shocked to see it contains 750mg of sodium per 1 tsp so I grabbed the lower sodium one.  I failed to see the lower sodium contains maltodextrin, a highly processed food additive linked to intestinal health and glucose issues.  Three of us in our family have significant, unpleasant reactions when we consume any amount of maltodextrin so I had to throw it out.  Plus, even the low sodium version has more sodium per 8 fluid ounces than the Pacific Brand foods version I normally buy.  Therefore, I will continue to use the low sodium vegetable broth from Pacific Foods.  I only suggest products I actually use, get no payment from the manufacturer but have included an Amazon affiliate link below. Of course, you can always make a big batch of broth and freeze it so you have ultimate control of the sodium levels. 

Recipe: https://tinyurl.com/yjfy33ef

Low sodium vegetable broth: https://amzn.to/3XGiHLd (affiliate link)

Maltodextrin information for diabetes: https://tinyurl.com/3e43yext

Maltodextrin information for gut health: https://tinyurl.com/bebhe5sz (about 4 min. mark)

For more: www.feelplantiful.com

#thesimpleveganista #plantbasednutrition #wholefoodplantbased #feelplantiful