It's a brand new spanking year. 2020 was not an easy year for any of us to say the least. Sometimes an easy hearty meal just hits the spot. Let us kick off 2021 with a really simple and delicious dish. 

How does spicy street tacos sound?? 

Ingredients

White corn tortillas, small

10 Golden potatoes 

1 head of raw Cabbage

1 White raw onion 

Vegan ranch dressing 

( Follow Your Heart, is the brand I use) 

Salsa

Fresh cilantro  

1 packet of Taco seasoning 

Olive oil 

Directions

I use golden potatoes because they are never dry and always creamy. Wash and microwave your potatoes until they are cooked through. Once your potatoes are cooked slice them and place in a medium high heat pan with olive oil. Sprinkle the potatoes with a packet of taco seasoning, toss and fry until potatoes are crispy and golden brown. 

Thinly slice cabbage into long thin shreds, chop fresh cilantro, and chop white onion. Mix your vegan ranch with salsa and set all four aside. 

In a separate pan heat up each tortilla on each side just until they brown a little.

Assemble each taco with potatoes first, raw cabbage, (ooooh the cold crisp crunch) raw onion, spicy ranch dressing, and cilantro. 

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion!

Fall Spinach Salad with Maple Dijon dressing

We are well into fall, where warmer heartier meals are being introduced. That doesn't mean you don't have to give up your fresh greens. Here is a satisfying, crunchy green salad that fits perfectly with the season. 

Ingredients

1 bag of baby spinach 

1 head of fresh raw broccoli, chopped

1 can of garbanzo beans

1/2 of a red onion, chopped

1 cup of roasted and salted pepitas 

1 cup of Craisins 

Dressing

1 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of spicy dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

Pink Himalayan salt and pepper to taste 

 In a big bowl add chopped onion, drained garbanzo beans, chopped raw broccoli, pepitas, Craisins, and spinach. Mix the dressing ingredients until it emulsifies. Pour over salad, mix well and serve!

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion!

Asian Chopped Salad

 Its a new year and it seams that I have neglected this blog a bit. I hope to be posting a lot more here in 2019! Here is a delicious asian inspired chopped salad that is easy, filling and always a favorite. Cheers to a fantastic new year! I'd love to hear your feedback so drop a friendly comment or two. 


Ingredients

2 large bunches of romaine, chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped
1/2 a box of Organic Girl Protein Greens
2 carrots, julienned
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 of a cucumber, spirilized 
1 large handful of snap peas, cut in half
1/2 of a red bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado, cut into cubes
1 box of thin rice noodles, cooked and chilled
1/2 package of tofu, seasoned and pan fried (recipe below)
black sesame seeds for garnish 

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of sesame oil
3 Tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons of coconut sugar
2 Tablespoons of peanut butter
1 Tablespoon of Sriracha
juice from 1/2 of a lime
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 inch of ginger, minced

Mix all together until smooth and emulsified.


Tofu Cooking Instructions

1 package of firm organic tofu 
Sesame oil
Soy Sauce 
All purpose herb seasoning 

Pat dry the block of tofu with paper towel. Cut the block into slices and then those slices in half on the diagonal to make triangles. In a hot non stick pan add sesame oil. Place your tofu triangles into the hot pan let sear. Season the tofu heavily with an all purpose seasoning. flip your tofu and season the other side. Douce the tofu with soy sauce cook until golden brown to make a caramelized crust to the tofu. Set aside.

Directions

Cook the thin rice noodles according to the package directions, let cool and set aside. Chop the romaine, cabbage, green onions, and carrots mix together with the protein greens. Toss with the peanut sauce. Spirilize the cucumber, chop the red pepper, avocado, and snap peas. In a large bowl Add the chopped salad mix, layer a large handful of the rice noodles, snap peas, avocado, red pepper and tofu. Garnish with black sesame seeds. Serve!

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion!

Protein Packed Kale Salad

I'm back.....sorry for the pause! Sometimes life gets in the way. 

America's obsession with protein is a bit silly, we really don't need that much to thrive. Guess what, all plants provide protein...bonus! The focus in our every day diet should really be fiber. Here is a delicious, hearty, protein packed, fiber rich, plant based salad. 

Ingredients 

1 large bunch of Dino Kale (my favorite kale)
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp of chopped fresh garlic

2 cups of cooked quinoa, cooled 

1 cup of toasted walnuts

1 cup of Craisins

2 ripe avocados

Salt and Pepper, to taste 

Directions

Wash and remove the kale leaves from the stem. The stem is very bitter so you defiantly do not want to eat this part of the kale leaf. Chop up your kale leaves and place them in a large bowl, I use a wooden bowl because I swear it makes the salad taste better. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. With a clean hand massage all of these ingredients into your kale for at least 3 to 5 minutes. This step is very important you want tender yummy kale leaves.  Next let this mixture marinate into the kale leaves for a good hour before adding the extra cooked, chopped, and toasted ingredients on top. Toss and serve!

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion! 

The Best Cruelty Free Mac & "Cheese"

Before I became vegan I was an expert on Mac & Cheese. I am a true starchavore. I will pick savory over sweet any day and this dish was high on the list. Here is a non dairy, cruelty free, and healthy option that squashes all of those strong cravings. This recipe does not disappoint, its rich, creamy and full of that sharp, tangy cheddar flavor. 

Ingredients

5 small white potatoes

1/2 of a yellow onion

6 baby carrots

1 cup of unsalted roasted cashews

1 tsp of fresh garlic, chopped

1/2 of lemon, juiced

4 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast

1 Tablespoon of yellow mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 box of brown rice elbow pasta

Directions

One hour before you make this Mac & Cheese soak one cup of cashews in water to soften them. In a small saucepan boil the potatoes, carrots, and onion until soft. I keep the peel on the potatoes for extra fiber. In another saucepan cook your elbow pasta until al dente, drain and return to saucepan. Pour the vegetables and the remaining water from the boil to a Vitamix or a high powered mixer. Add to the mixture, the drained but softened cashews, garlic, lemon juice, Nutritional Yeast, mustard, and salt. Blend all of these ingredients on high and until the mixture is smooth. Taste and add more of any other spice you would like. Sometimes I add more garlic, or nooch (nutritional yeast) depending on the day. 

Pour the hot creamy sauce over your freshly cooked noodles and stir to coat. This is when I add the freshly cracked pepper. 

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion!   

Dino Kale Salad...Rawr!

Lots of people turn their nose up to kale because they don't prepare it correctly.  I crave this salad and find myself eating it at least three times week, it's that good. This recipe is my version from the restaurant True Food, my recipe is a bit spicier and minus the cheese of course.


Ingredients

1 large bunch of Dino Kale
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp of chopped fresh garlic
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
2 slices of Ciabatta bread, toasted
Salt & pepper to taste


Directions

Wash and remove the kale leaves from the stem. The stem is very bitter so you defiantly do not want to eat this part of the kale leaf. Chop up your kale leaves and place them in a large bowl, I use a wooden bowl because I swear it makes the salad taste better. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, & salt and pepper. With a clean hand massage all of these ingredients into your kale for at least 3 to 5 minutes. This step is very important you want tender kale leaves.  Next let this mixture marinate into the kale leaves for a good hour before adding the chopped toast on top and serving. 

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion! 

Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto

 My favorite season is here and I'm excited to start cooking comfort food. This rich healthy dish will warm you from the inside out. I love the nuttiness of roasted butternut squash and when paired with sage the flavors pop and really compliment each other, perfect on a cozy fall evening. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice

1 yellow onion chopped

2 cups of cubed butternut squash

2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic

1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh sage

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped

2 cups of white wine

4 cups of vegetable broth 

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper lay out your cubed butternut squash and dry roast it in the oven at 425º until soft and starting to get golden brown. Take the butternut squash out of the oven and set aside. Next in a large saucepan on medium high heat add olive oil and the chopped onion let this cook until the onion is caramelized. At this point add the dry Arborio rice and lightly toast the rice in the sauce pan stirring constantly. When the rice is lightly toasted turn down the heat to medium and add 1 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan, stir the rice mixture constantly until all the liquid is absorbed. 

Next add the chopped garlic and sage along with another cup of white wine. When you add liquid to the Arborio rice you have to stir constantly until all the liquid is absorbed, this will be an arm workout but well worth it. Next add the dry roasted butternut squash and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Stir and repeat adding the vegetable broth cup by cup 3 more times. At the end add the chopped bunch of asparagus and stir in. At this point your mixture should be thick and creamy and your rice should be fully cooked. If your rice isn't cooked all the way through add another cup of vegetable broth and repeat the process of stirring until the liquid is absorbed. The rice should be completely done at this time. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion!