SPRING SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CREAMY ORANGE-AVOCADO DRESSING

So after my bff told me that she saw this recipe on the whole foods website and made it for herself and her boyfriend, I had to make it as well!! I am so excited for strawberries to come into season because they are one of my favorite fruits. These salad tasted amazing and was so easy to put together.

SPRING SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CREAMY ORANGE-AVOCADO DRESSING

Serves 2

3 green onions, trimmed 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted 1/2 cup orange juice Salt and ground black pepper to taste 3 ounces spring greens or mesclun mix 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler

Puree green onions, avocado, juice, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth to make a dressing. In a large bowl, toss greens, strawberries and asparagus together. Transfer to plates, drizzle with half the dressing and serve. Extra dressing will keep one day refrigerated.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 11oz/307g-wt.): 120 calories (35 from fat), 4g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 310mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 4g protein

Simple Sushi Wraps

So I have a pack of sushi wraps that I keep in the house (yea I know I'm weird). I have them for whenever I'm craving a little sushi but don't feel like going out to get some. Sea vegetables are so good for you so I love having this around for a healthy snack or side dish for dinner.

Simple Sushi Wraps

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 sheet of sushi nori

Cut sushi nori into 3 strips that are wide enough to hold all of your veggies.

Wrap up about 4 sticks of each kind of veggie and enjoy!

Feel free to add in avacado, sprouts, faux meat, or anything you want!!

Sweet Potato Falafel Balls

So when I saw this recipe on Oh She Glows, I knew that it would be a winner. I absolutely love Mediterranean food and falafel is one of my favorite dishes. I am also completely obsessed with sweet potatoes. These little falafel balls dipped into hummus is just pure heaven. And they are so simple to make!!

Sweet Potato Falafel Balls

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 t ground cumin
• 2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 t ground coriander
• 1 heaping cup spinach, chopped
• 1.5 T lemon juice or Juice or half a lemon’s juice
• Just less than 1 cup of chickpea flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. Pre grease a baking sheet with oil or spray.

Cut a few slits into the sweet potatoes and then microwave on high for 9-11 minutes until tender. Let cool for several minutes and carefully peel away the skin (or peel potatoes before heating).

While the potatoes are microwaving, in a medium sized bowl mix together the cumin, chopped garlic, coriander, and chickpea flour. Stir well. Add chopped spinach and lemon juice and mix well with a fork.

Chop up sweet potatoes into small chunks and then mash with a fork. Add potatoes to the other ingredients. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Wet hands and form falafel balls. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden.

Yields 18-20 Falafel Balls

Marinated Salad with Roasted Almonds and Greek Side Salad

So marinating and baking tofu in the oven is a great addition to a salad. I love to make the whole block so that I have leftovers the next day for a yummy tofu-veggie wrap with hummus! Almonds are my favorite to put on salads so I just kicked these ones up a notch!! And the greek salad I came up with on a whim to use up some veggies in the fridge. You can't go wrong with this combination!!!

Smokehouse Almonds

(adapted from: Vegetarian Times)

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp dark brown sugar (or agave nectar)

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder

1 cup raw almonds

Preheat oven to 300. Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss almonds to coat with spice mixture.

Transfer almonds to a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

When finished cooking, let cool and either leave almonds whole or coarsely chop.

Tofu shown here on a salad with grilled eggplant and peas in the background.

Marinated Tofu (adapted from Gliding Calm)

2 Tbsp each - Rice Wine Vinegar (plain, unseasoned), Soy Sauce, and Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp each - ginger powder, agave nectar

a few dashes to taste - garlic powder, cayenne, and red pepper flakes

Press all water out of the tofu by placing the block on a plate. Put another plate on top and then something heavy to press out the water. Leave the tofu to sit and drain for about half an hour.

Once tofu has been pressed, slice into 16 slices however you like.

Combine all ingredients for marinade in a tupperware container and then place tofu slices inside. Cover the container and shake around. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 425 and place slices of tofu on a greased baking sheet. Cook tofu slices for 10 minutes, take out of the oven and flip the pieces over and cook for another 10-15 minutes until browned and a little crispy.

Greek Side Salad

1 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered

1 cup tomatoes, sliced

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 can butter beans

1 small eggplant, peeled and roughly chopped

2 Tbsp lemon juice

While tofu is baking in the oven at 425, place peas and eggplant onto greased cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until slightly browned. Stir veggies around every now and then to prevent sticking.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl once eggplant and peas are done cooking.

To make salad:

Chop up half an apple of choice to add to lettuce, add dried fruit of choice (cranberries or cherries are yummy), add about 1/4 cup almonds, and 4 slices of marinated tofu. Use dressing of choice (I used my mock Chipotle-Honey Creamy Dressing from the other night). Serve greek salad on the side and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries and Hummus Salsa Dip

So this is called pimp my leftovers. Basically I used my leftover veggie fajitas and added some new stuff to make a delish lunch the next day!

Sweet Potato Fries

Pre-heat oven to 400

Take 1 sweet potato: wash, poke holes, and pop into the microwave for 2 minutes to pre-cook it

Slice the sweet potato into wedges and assemble on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil or parchment paper

Spray with non-cook spray

Then attack the sweet potatoes with as much paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper as your little heart desires

Pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown

Hummus Salsa Dip

Combine a 2:1 ratio of salsa to hummus

You can do a small portioned sized amount for one meal, or make a huge bowl of it for a party

For New Year's Eve I did Chipolte Salsa with Jalapeno Hummus and it was to die for

Put hummus/salsa dip on top of salad with leftover veggies. Make some room for delish sweet potato fries as well and drench with ketchup. YUM!

Ginger-Miso Yam Wraps

The tofu and edamame (or peas in my case) add lots of protein to these wraps! And the miso has good pro-biotic bacteria in it! The different combination of flavors in these wraps is absolutely amazing, I can't get enough of them!

Ginger-Miso Yam Wraps

2 small sweet potatoes (yams)
2 Tbsp. white miso paste
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic (about 2 small cloves)
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (or edamame and pea combo like I did because I ran out of edamame!)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup firm silken tofu crumbled (6 oz)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
8 collard green leaves, stems removed

Poke small holes into the sweet potatoes with a fork and pop into the microwave for 5-6 minutes until they are throughly cooked through and mushy inside
Halve the yams, scoop out the potato into a bowl with miso paste and peanut butter

miso on the left and PB on the right inside the bowl


Meanwhile, coat skillet with non-stick spray and saute shallot, ginger, and garlic over medium heat for 3 mins

Add edamame, 1/4 cup of water, and cayenne pepper and cook 3 more minutes

Remove from heat and stir in tofu, cilantro, and yam mixture


Place 1/3 cup of filling into 1 collard green leaf and roll up like a wrap!



Enjoy!! mmmm


From "Vegetarian Times" Sept 2009

Curried Tempeh-Mango Salad

So I just want to start off saying how awesome tempeh is. It's fermented soy so it's not controversial like some processed soy products are. Just like your yogurt has good bacteria in it, so does tempeh because it's been fermented! YAY and it packs some awesome fiber and protein as well! 17 grams of protein per serving!!!

This is one of my favorite things to have for lunch because you can put it on top of a salad, put it inside of a big wrap, and even put it on top of a big baked sweet potato!

Curried Tempeh-Mango Salad

1 (8 oz) package of tempeh

1 cup of frozen mango chopped into 1/4 inch chunks

1/4 cup of scallions chopped

• Cut the tempeh into bite sized chunks and steam for 10 minutes
• You could also place the tempeh in a small sauce pan, cover the tempeh with water, cover the pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the water when tempeh is finished cooking.

Meanwhile mix together all the ingredients for the dressing:

3 tablespoons of any oil based mayonnaise

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 cup of lime juice

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 - 1 teaspoon hot sauce

Last, add the chopped mangoes, scallions, and tempeh to the dressing. Cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight to let the flavors meld together.

On top of my salad I had for lunch (that's broccoli slaw underneath it, not cheese lol)

Adapted from "Veganomicon"

veganism

So the most common question that I get from fellow meat eating friends and family is: “How do you get your protein?” So I thought I’d show a whole day of eats with the protein and fiber content of each delicious morsel of food that I put into my mouth and body. You might think that because I’m vegan I’m just gnawing on a block of tofu all day, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I actually don’t even really eat tofu or soy that much anymore (maybe once a week). I’m also not lounging on the couch chomping on a bag of potato chips or a tub of McDonald’s French fries. The things that I do eat? Well I am obsessed with almond butter, whole grains, beans, and veggies! Fruit is considered a dessert, such as this banana soft serve: http://www.choosingraw.com/this-post-will-change-your-life/ YUMMM I’m drooling. Basically whatever I put into my body NEEDS to have some sort of nutritional value that I will benefit from, otherwise I don’t want it.

Most people don’t know that beans actually have MORE protein than a serving of steak (really??? Yeah!!). Steak gets 20% of its calories from protein while beans get 25% of their calories from protein. Beans also contain 70% of calories from complex carbohydrates which keep you full for longer and provide long lasting energy. Steak on the other hand, not so much at 0% complex carbs (wah wah wahhh). I really don’t have anything against meat, I just have read a lot of medical literature and books about factory farming and all of the processing, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics and other nasty stuff (like arsenic!!!) that goes into the animals before they are slaughtered. All these nasties are then ingested by us causing weight gain (hello excess hormones), constipation (animal protein sits in your small bowel for 3 days bc your body doesn’t know what to do with it bc it’s so hard to digest), resistance to medications when you are sick (because the animals are pumped with 18x the amount of antibiotics that we would get if we were sick with an infection), and not to mention increased chances of getting cancer (the antibiotics they give animals contain disgustingly high amounts of arsenic, a carcinogen). I, like most people, was shocked to find out all of this hidden information that the govt (meaning the meat and dairy industry) keeps from us. If you even go to the national cancer institute’s website they strongly encourage a plant based diet to lower your risk of cancer. Ok I could go on and on forever about this, but I’ll spare you and get onto the yummies already!!

Breakfast for the hubby: 1/3 cup of oat bran, 1 cup of sweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 tbsp of dark chocolate peanut butter, ½ of a peanut butter luna bar, and 1 tbsp of chocolate chips. 1 big mug of organic coffee from whole foods, 1.5 teaspoons of raw sugar, and a few tbsp of soy creamer.
Calories: 520, Fiber: 10 grams (40%) , Protein: 18 grams (36%)

Breakfast for me: 1/3 cup of oat bran, 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 tbsp of almond butter, and 2 tbsp of carob chips. Also 1 big mug of raspberry zinger herbal tea (the first of many today).
Calories: 275, Fiber: 9 grams (36%) , Protein: 11 grams (22%)

I don’t usually calculate calorie intake because I just stop eating when I’m full. I’m really not too worried about whole grains, veggies, and a little nut butter making me pack on the pounds so I just eat when I’m hungry throughout the day.

Now breakfast usually keeps me full all through the morning and through yoga (or in today’s case, a little elliptical and free weights for an hour). I don’t get hungry again until about noon. Lunch usually consists of a big salad with an oil based dressing and soup, a wrap with veggies and hummus, a PBJ sandwich, stir fry veggies with a whole grain, roasted veggies with a whole grain, sweet potato fries, beans, dark leafy greens (like kale) or whatever I’m feeling like.

Today’s lunch: 1 ezekiel pita cut in half, baby greens, roasted butternut squash, 1 tbsp of jalapeno hummus and 1 tbsp homemade guacamole on each wrap (so 4 tbsp total), and 1 cup of broccoli soup.
Calories: 400, Fiber: 10 grams (40%), Protein: 13 grams (26%)

Snack: Larabar. Hmmm the tough decision is always which flavor do I choose?!?! Peanut butter and jelly it is!
Calories: 210, Fiber: 4 grams (16%), Protein: 6 grams (12%)

So it’s not even dinner time yet and I’ve only eaten 885 calories (yet I am super full, how is this possible?!). Maybe it’s because I’ve consumed 23 grams of fiber (92%) and 30 grams of protein (60%) which are keeping me full and satisfied!!

Some people might say that animal protein is the only source of complete protein that contains all 9 amino acids. WRONG-O, quinoa is a SUPER grain that has the highest naturally occurring protein and fiber out of all whole grains, and it is a complete protein that contains all 9 amino acids! Amazing! Pair this with some protein rich beans and we are in business baby! Another secret complete protein? Soy beans! Think edamame… yummm! Even if you don’t eat a complete protein on its own, you can combine foods (like rice and beans) to create a complete protein! The best part is that you don’t have to consume all your amino acids at once, your body will hang onto them from one meal until you eat the rest at another. Our bodies are so smart!

So after tutoring pre-calculus and then going to Zumba (an intense latin dancing class) for an hour, I am ravenous. So how do I refuel?

Dinner: ¼ cup of quinoa, ½ cup of cannellini beans, 1 cup of broccoli, ¼ cup of edamame, 1 onion.
Side dish: roasted spiced carrots from Thanksgiving.
Calories: 484, Fiber: 22 grams (88%), Protein: 26 grams (52%)

This is a concoction that I whipped up to get rid of some veggies that I had in the fridge and freezer. While I cooked up the quinoa, I sautéed 2 onions until they were starting to become caramelized. I then threw in the frozen broccoli, frozen shelled edamame, and then white beans. We topped our dish with some soy sauce and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! Mike couldn't believe I just made it up on a whim!

Glass of white wine mmmm adds an extra 120 calories, but I love wine with dinner!

So today I’ve consumed about 1,490 calories, 45 grams of fiber (180% of the 25 grams recommended), and 56 grams of protein (112% of the 50 grams recommended) without even really thinking about it. The fiber and protein values I looked up are based off of a 2,000 calorie diet, so the fact that I got the amounts that I did out of only 1,500 calories is pretty impressive! Not to mention, I also have all these happy little phytonutrients from all the veggies that I ate inside my body that are protecting my DNA from mutating into cancer causing cells!! YAY.

Eating healthy is all about balance. I try to make sure that at every meal I’m following the 40-30-30 rule; 40% complex carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% healthy fats. If you deprive your body of any of these 3 macronutrients then you are just slowing down your body from functioning at an optimal level (and ultimately shedding pounds for people trying to lose weight).

Buffalo Style Tofu

Ingredients:
1 pound of extra firm tofu.
1/4 cup of non-hydrogenated, vegan margarine
1/2 cup of hot sauce

After you have pressed all of the water out of the tofu (I put it on a plate and then put about 5 plates on top of it and let it sit out for 30-60 minutes), cut it up into whatever sized chunks you want. Heat up some non-stick cooking spray with 1 tsp of oil. Place the tofu in the pan to fry up, turning each side as it browns.

Melt the margarine in the microwave, add the hot sauce and stir.

When the tofu is done place it in the sauce.

From: vegweb.com

Sushi Rice Salad

Sushi Rice Salad is super yummy for lunch. I usually make enough just for me, but you can go visit the original website for the recipe that serves 6. I also modified it a little bit by adding soy sauce. You basically can use whatever veggies you have on hand, I always buy bags of frozen veggies and use those. They're cheap and don't go bad bc they're in the freezer!

Sushi Rice Salad

1/4 cup dry short-grain brown rice

1/2 cup water or veggie broth
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 - 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce (depending on how salty you like it)
1/2 cup boiled edamame, shelled
5 baby carrots, sliced thick
1/4 cup cucumber cubes
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped portabella or shiitake mushrooms
optional: slivers of nori (seaweed they use for sushi rolls) for garnish

Cook up the 1/4 cup of brown rice with 1/2 cup of liquid according to the directions (usually about 40 minutes).

While rice is cooking, chop up the veggies. Use as little or much as you want. Use whatever veggies you want, but the ones suggested here are pretty yummy all together.

Once the rice is done, turn the burner off and add all the veggies, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into the pot and stir together.

Viola! Now you have a yummy lunch with whole grains, veggies, and protein! Perfect combination.

from: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/10/sushi-salad.html