black bean soup (hearty, vegan, gluten free, whole30)
Soups are made for winter and winter is made for soups. AmIright? This vegan black bean soup is no exception. Filling and hearty, it’s perfect for warming up on a chilly day. (And as a freeze baby, I’m always trying to find ways to stay warm in the winter. LOL) It also packs a hefty dose of protein. Although all plants have protein, if you eat an exclusive plant-based diet, you need to be a little more intentional about consuming your recommended daily requirement. It’s not hard, but it does take a little more thought. It’s one of the many reasons why I love this soup! Personally, I feel beans…
easy party appetizer: vegan rainbow black bean dip
With 2018 quickly drawing to a close (how is that possible?!), I want to end the year on a high note with an easy party appetizer. Use it on New Year’s, for the Big Game, for Cinco de Mayo or just because. In fact, I often prepare it as a main meal. That’s when I know I’ve hit on an especially good recipe… when I want to make – and eat – it over and over and over again! It’s why I featured as one of the 6 Day Sugar Buster Bootcamp. Plus it’s an example of how party foods can be fun and healthy. It’s a guaranteed…
vegan scalloped potatoes (easy, dairy free, gluten free)
With Thanksgiving coming up fast, here’s one of my favorite side dishes that’s an alternative to the traditional mashed potatoes: vegan scalloped potatoes. Even though there isn’t bit of dairy to be found, they taste very close to the original. In fact, when one of my young nephews tried it, he said he, “really liked these cheesy potatoes.” Total vegan recipe win!! Did I let him in on the dairy-free secret? Nope. But I’m sharing it with you. Let me know what you think! Vegan Scalloped Potatoes (printable version below) 6 medium potatoes, thinly sliced 1 small onion, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 3/4 cup…
rainbow plate with roasted chickpeas and citrus garlic tahini sauce (vegan, gluten free)
As a food blogger, I want to believe that everyone will absolutely love what I create and share. One hundred percent. All the time. This, of course, is not realistic…as my family frequently reminds me. Take this rainbow plate, for example. Yum, right?! Except if you don’t like red peppers, sweet potato, chickpeas, kale and/or eggplant, roasted, seasoned or dressed but not disguised in a soup or sauce. Since I happen to love all these veggies, this is a plate I want to dive into on repeat. I was hoping my family would want to do the same. My youngest, however, “didn’t like that dinner” and it was like…
south-of-the-border party dip (vegan, oil free, added sugar free)
I could happily eat Mexican-style foods most days of the week. It’s one of the few cuisines that easily adapts to a plant-based diet without extraordinary effort or feeling like something is missing. Meat- and cheese-lovers might disagree, but as a former meat- and cheese-lover, this is my story and I’m sticking to it. While this dip is made for the party scene, I also love it as a main, side or lunch any day of the week. It’s best when eaten within the first day, but can hold up in the fridge for a couple of days, although the avocado isn’t too happy about that. This south-of-the-border party…
warming indian mulligatawny soup (vegan, dairy free, oil free, no added sugar, gluten free)
As someone who prefers to use medication as an absolute last resort, I’m always on the lookout for food and recipes that give the body a fighting chance against infection before medication is needed. And this warming Indian mulligatawny soup is just what the homeopathic doctor ordered. Chock full of spices, vegetables and a kick of plant-based protein from red lentils, this soup comes together easily even if the ingredient list looks intimidating. Actually, it’s exactly because of all these ingredients (which are mostly spices) that makes this soup an excellent meal especially during cold and flu season. For example: Ginger strengthens the immune system, helps with digestion and helps…
easy black bean dip (vegan, dairy free, gluten free)
I have a gift for you today…an incredibly easy recipe for you to make and I bet you have all of the ingredients in your pantry. It’s been one of my favorites for years and is inspired by a recipe I found on the Whole Foods recipe site before I even made the transition to a plant-based diet: Black bean dip. Although the “dip” word would make you think this is appetizer-only, I love making it for our main meal with a side of raw veggies and hummus! All of the “meaty” plant-based protein coming from the beans makes it hearty enough for that. Because this black bean dip…
his ‘n hers secret ingredient vegan black bean chili
Before I adopted a plant-based diet, there were some dishes that I never made with meat. Like pasta sauce (here’s my go to recipe). And chili. Not sure why, but for some reason, I never liked the addition of meat in these dishes. However, once I went all in on the vegan eating, I knew I had to pay more attention to my protein sources. Let’s pause a minute on this while I clear up the myth that you can’t get “enough” protein on a plant-based diet… First, all plants have protein, though some have more than others (think nuts, legumes, beans, lentils). Secondly, our bodies don’t store…
basic vegetable stock (vegan, sodium free, soy free)
Besides creating healthy yummy recipes, there are two things I love to do that go along with creating healthy yummy recipes: finding ways to save money and reducing waste. This basic vegetable stock manages all three. How? Glad you asked. The genius of this vegetable stock is it’s simplicity…just save your scraps of onion, garlic, carrot, celery and wilted bits of fresh herbs, freeze them, then turn them into a flavorful stock. No hard and fast recipe needed, but here are a few helpful tips: A higher ratio of onions and garlic will produce a more savory stock; carrots and celery one with a sweeter overtone. It’s possible to include…
roasted carrot coconut ginger soup (vegan, dairy free, gluten free, soy free)
This roasted carrot coconut ginger soup absolutely hollers “fall” doesn’t it? The bright orange color. The roasted root vegetables. The richness of the coconut milk and comforting heat of the ginger. Then add a sprinkle of spicy sweet pumpkin seeds and this is a meal and the sings. The inspiration for this soup came from similar versions I’ve seen in stores. But my version comes without the added oils that most store-bought varieties include and cutting back on added oils = a healthier you. There are two extremely important lessons I learned when making the soup: 1) peel the carrots before roasting them. I merely scrubbed them to leave the…
