As we wait patiently (or not so patiently) for spring, Iām sharing what feels like a bit of a last-hurrah for winter recipes. This pasta with walnut cream sauce came out of one of my instagram recipes. People liked it so much, I felt like it deserved a place on the site. Itās rich sauce is vegan, but I think that makes the creaminess even more amazing.
In all the nut-based alternative creams/cheeses, walnut cream reigns supreme in my life. I love the warm flavor and how nicely it purees into a smooth sauce. The softness of the walnuts is also your friend here. I find the walnuts only need a good hot soak for about an hour.
Of course, if youāre not on the walnut-wagon, you can use a more milder cashew cream or even an almond cream.
I realize that as Iām posting this recipe, youāre probably over sweet potatoes and ready for spring. Iām with you, but I have a few more to use before I dive head first into spring. Swap the sweet potatoes for winter squash or try it with some steamed greens like kale or chard.
Finally, if pasta isnāt your jam, you could turn this into a delicious grain bowl. Iād plan to cut the sauce in half and use more as a drizzle and less as a sauce. Use a hearty grain here, like sorghum or wheat berries.
[tasty-recipe id="37917"] continue reading
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All things considered, I’d say I have a pretty moderate relationship with sugar. I love homemade dessert, and I bake with sugar, be it refined or natural. As a longtime nutrition student and RD-to-be, I’m mindful of how much I use and I keep in mind that treats are special. But I’ve never avoided sweetening.
This works well for me, but the most common question I get asked about my baked goods here on the blog is whether the sugar can be reduced, and how. I do my best to give good answers, keeping in mind that reducing sugar (or using a liquid sweetener in place of granulated sugar) can change the texture and taste of a finished product (less moisture, less rise, etc.).
Now that I’ve spent a few months working with diabetic patients, I’ve gotten savvier and more knowledgeable about lower sugar baked goods. In my last two rotations, my counseling was almost entirely dedicated to diabetes management. I saw firsthand how much vigilance goes into monitoring and carbohydrate intake and covering it with medication, if appropriate. We never advised our patients to avoid dessert, but we did encourage them to be mindful about how much and how often. And we spent plenty of time chatting about how to create pleasurable desserts at home with less sugar, or with alternative sweeteners.
I’ve never used alternative sweeteners because they haven’t been necessary for my own health needs. When I do reduce sweetness of baked goods, I generally just use less cane sugar or maple syrup. But my winter rotations made me remember being a student in medical nutrition therapy, when our professor taught us to take our own blood sugar in class. As we were pricking our fingers, she told us that the purpose of the exercise was to better understand what our future clientsāsome of whom would surely have Type I or II Diabetesāexperienced each day. Months later, she asked us to try liquid supplements, so that we’d know what patients who relied on them for nutrition support were tasting (there weren’t any vegan options, but it did get me thinking about how great a need there is for them).
I appreciated my professor’s perspective. There’s a big difference between abstract guidance and firsthand knowledge. Before telling any client to do something, I’d rather have a some lived experience of what I’m suggesting. And now that I’ve spent so much time with diabetes management, it’s important for me to understand the dietary changes that need to accompany a diagnosisāenjoyment of lower sugar sweets included.
Just as I was wrapping up my rotation at the Institute for Family Health, the folks at who produce the In The RawĀ® family of sweetener reached out to me about sampling their Monk Fruit In The RawĀ®. Monk fruit (also known as luo han guo) is a type of gourd that traditionally grows in China, and it’s been used medicinally for centuries. Monk Fruit In The Raw is a zero calorie sweetener thatās perfect for sweetening beverages and baking.Ā Plus, the bakers bag conveniently measures cup for cup, just like sugar.
Having never tried the productāand especially since I was in the middle of diabetes counselingāI was excited to sample it. I had a much better experience with it than I’ve had with other alternative sweeteners, especially for baking! It has a pleasantly fruity taste, and the signature baking bag makes it easy to add to cookies, cakes, and more. In my experiments so far I’ve used a combination of the Monk Fruit In The Raw Bakers Bag and sugar to reduce sugar while retaining texture and rise. Folks with diabetes who prefer a truly sugar-free dessert could use all monk fruit instead; the brand recommends using about half the amount of monk fruit for the amount of sugar called for.
The baking recipe I’m sharing today takes even more inspiration from my internship, as it was inspired by something I made in my last rotation. I was working with kids, using hands-on cooking experiences to teach them about food and nutrition. My supervisor and I shared a chocolate beet cake, which was an easy and delicious treat for them to make and also a great opportunity to teach them about beets (watching their little faces light up as we cut the beets open and showed them the electrically colored interiors was so sweet).
An upside of using pureed beets in baking is that they add a lot of natural sweetness along with moisture, which means that it’s easy to cook with reduced sugar and fat. The beets add plenty of vitamins and minerals, and they sweeten while also contributing fiber, which helps to control the release of sugar into the bloodstream.
Today’s chocolate beet cake uses a combination of beets, monk fruit, and a small amount of granulated sugar to create something that tastes completely like dessert, but has a balanced ratio of sugar and fiber. It’s also relatively low in fat (only 1/4 cup of oil for the whole recipe), andāthanks to the beetsāpacked with fiber, folate, potassium, and vitamin C. I based it off of a Martha Stewart recipe, and I’ve made it repeatedly already, so that I could recommend it to patients and clients.
For diabetics and those who are being mindful of sugar intake for any reason, I like to use a 50/50 combination of monk fruit and coconut sugar here (6 tablespoons of each). This gives a nice rise with less sweetener. If you like, you could use all monk fruit, which would yield a denser and fudgier textureāthink cakey brownies š And of course, you could also choose to use all granulated sugar of choice, which will give you a very similar cake, but a little more fluffiness and rise.
No matter how you make it, this one is really a keeper. It’s plenty chocolatey, and the beets give it a wonderful moistness and rich flavor. It’s super fun to make with kids (they love the beet purĆ©e!) and nutritious enough to serve as a special snack/treat as well as a proper dessert. Here’s the recipe.
This lightly sweetened vegan chocolate beet cake has a moist texture and just the right amount of sweetness. Perfect for snacking!
First, make your beet purƩe! Preheat your oven to 400F. Wrap each beet in foil and roast for 45 minutes, or until the beets can be easily pierced with a fork. When the beets are cool enough to touch, run them under cold water while you slip off the skins. Roughly chop the beets, then add them to a food processor or blender. Blend or process the beets until they make a smooth purƩe (a couple minutes). Set the purƩe aside; you should have 1 1/2 cups or so.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350F. Lightly oil an 8 x 8 square baking dish (or an 8 or 9 inch round baking dish).
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cocoa, sugar, and monk fruit in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the beet puree, oil, water, vanilla, and vinegar. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix the ingredients till you have an evenly mixed batter; a few little clumps is fine.
Transfer the batter to your baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is firm and set and a toothpick emerges clean (or nearly clean). Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes before removing it from a pan and transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Cut into pieces and enjoy.
*In place of roasting beets from scratch you can use one of the pre-cooked beet options on the market these days! You’ll need 4 beets, which is usually about 1 lb (12-16 ounces).
**Substitute 12 tablespoons sugar for the combination of sugar and alternative sweetener if you wish.
A word about the beets in this recipe: it’s nice to make the purĆ©e from scratch, but nowadays it’s not too hard to find pre-cooked beets that are ready to eat. My local grocer usually carries one or two options, and it makes adding beets to salads really easy. It also cuts the preparation time of this tasty cake considerably, so don’t hesitate to us the option (or canned, cooked beets) if that’s more convenient for you. You need about 1 1/2 cups beet purĆ©e, which for me has been about 1 lb cooked beets.
This cake is lovely with a cup of tea, a cup of coffee, or a glass of non-dairy milk. If you’d like to dress it up for a special occasion, you could easily add glaze or vegan frosting to it. As it is, it’s a perfect snack cake. A little sweet, a little nutrient-dense, and very satisfying. My work encourages me to learn and experiment all the time, and I’m so glad to have found an alternative sweetener that has a taste I like, a texture that works well for baking, and is low sugar enough to be appropriate for a lot of the folks I work with.
Here’s to nutrition work that gives me firsthand experience and makes me more able to meet people where they are, day by day. Wishing you a good rest of the week; hopefully it’ll include something sweet š
xo
This post is sponsored by Monk Fruit In The RawĀ®. All opinions are my own, and I love this natural alternative to sugar. Thanks for your support!
The post Lightly Sweetened Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake appeared first on The Full Helping.
Do you ever feel like youāre on the verge of a breakthrough, but youāre not quite sure how youāll do it? This has been my mindset lately. Iāve been so inspired in different areas of my life to create meaningful change with things like personal growth, career dreams, family life, etc. You could say that a little self-help inspo has struck me! Iāve felt stuck with indecision and fear for a while now, and the motivation finally hit me to actively do something about getting unstuck. It’s easy to just go through the motions each day.
For most of my life, Iāve always been trying to āfix myselfā…this can be a positive thing (such as when Iām trying to be the best version of myself I can be), but it can also turn into a very toxic mindset. Itās easy for me to veer to the dark side of self-improvement and lose sight of my qualities and self-worth. Anyone who suffers from this tendency knows that itās not a particularly fun way to live. You never feel āreadyā because thereās always something to fix or a goal to achieve before being worthy of your and others acceptance. I’m working to make progress in this area. It’s kind of hard to explain, but maybe you can relate?
I have Dr. BrenĆ© Brown to thank for my recent bout of inspiration. I first became enamoured with BrenĆ© after watching her TED talk on vulnerability years ago and listening to her on Oprahās SuperSoul Conversations podcast. Iāve read The Gifts of Imperfection twice, and plan on reading it a third time soon (itās a quick read and easy to devour in a couple evenings). Thereās so much wisdom to soak up, and I learn things each time I read it. Currently, Iām reading Daring Greatly (which I’m finding slower, but still learning from it), and hope to read this one and this one next. I’ve been carving out some reading time in the evenings lately, and it feels so good to get back into it! I’m also (late to the party) using my Kindle reader on my phone and love how I can read a few pages here and there while I’m waiting for an appointment or when I have time to kill. I’d love to hear if you’re reading anything inspiring lately too!
āAs children we found ways to protect ourselves from vulnerability, from being hurt, diminished, and disappointed. We put on armor; we used our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as weapons, and we learned how to make ourselves scarce, even to disappear. Now as adults we realize that to live with courage, purpose, and connectionāto be the person whom we long to beāwe must again be vulnerable. We must take off the armor, put down the weapons, show up, and let ourselves be seen.ā
~ Daring Greatly, p. 112.
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5 from 7 reviews |
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The first time I made this healthy comfort food recipe, Eric and I had the song Ave Maria playing (Michael BublĆ© version...so hypnotizing!), and we fell into a trance as we ate crispy round after crispy round of potato bruschetta. Needless to say, we heard the angels singing and I think you will, too! This recipe serves two hungry people as a main or five as an appetizer. The best tip I can give you when making these is to serve it directly on the baking sheet (if you can!) as it keeps the rounds a bit warmer compared to transferring to a platter, and also to top the rounds and serve them right away. If they sit for longer than 10 minutes, theyāll start to lose their fantastic crispiness and soften considerably. This recipe is inspired by the Taco Fiesta Potato Crisps in The Oh She Glows Cookbook (also a delicious appetizer option!) and Potatoes USA.
Up the glow factor: Sprinkle my Vegan Parmesan Cheese on top.
Should your potatoes become soft from sitting for too long, these reheat well on a sautƩ pan, preheated over medium heat, for 1 to 2 minutes. This results in slightly browned bottoms and revives the firm texture without affecting the toppings.
Oh Eric, what a sport for being my food photography model, hah. There were some heavy sighs when his arms got tired…no one said being a model was easy! Okay, maybe they did say that…but just ask Eric about the struggles!
In case you’re wondering – these āphotoshootā potato bruschettas were SO COLD by the time we finally got to eat them. Sniff, sniff. But they were still worth eating! And weāve enjoyed them many times piping hot out of the oven which is simply the best. If you try them out, I’d love to hear what you think and see your photos, so don’t forget to tag them with #ohsheglows on social media!
When it comes to experimenting with recipes, sauces are up there as a favorite. It can be easy to completely shift a dish (or many dishes) with one simple sauce. I donāt use a lot of kale outside of a few recipes but using it in sauces ensures I use it all before it goes bad.
You can swap the kale for other greens such as spinach, chard, or collards. If youāre using spinach, drop the time for blanching. Spinach takes much less time: usually around 30 to 60 seconds.
I know tarragon isnāt everyoneās favorite herb. You could swap it out for chives or if itās summer, use fresh basil.
I love a solid omelette for my morning breakfast but if Iām making a dish to feed the family, I usually stick with frittata. You can easily use this same concept in frittata form. I like to use this base recipe and right before I transfer the pan to the oven, I swirl in the kale sauce.
Leftover grains? Add a few to the omelette. I really like using cooked grains in the omelette or as an omelette filling. This also works if youāre making the frittata (as mentioned in the previous paragraph!)
Depending on the time of year, add fresh or cooked vegetables to the filling. During the cooler months, roasted squash or sweet potatoes. For spring, try some pan-fried asparagus then during summer, blistered tomatoes!
Finally, since the sauce is vegan, Iād be remiss if I didnāt add a vegan option for the omelette. Use the kale sauce in a tofu scramble, make a grain bowl, or thereās the new ājustā product that uses mung beans as a base.
[tasty-recipe id="37936"]
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Post sponsored by Barilla. See below for more details.
Before spring starts to show, I wanted to share one last cozy pasta meal. This lentil rotini pasta features easy garlicky kale, a no-cook goat cheese sauce, and Barilla Red Lentil Rotini. The spirals in the rotini are perfect for soaking up that saucy-goodness!
When it comes to greens, Iām constantly swapping different ones in and out of recipes. One of the reasons I love recipes like this is because itās forgiving. Happen to have chard or collards on hand? Those would work just as well.
Iāve also been known to make a similar pasta and add roasted cauliflower, broccoli, and/or sweet potatoes as a replacement or in addition to the greens.
I love goat cheese and Iām not shy about my love. However, I know that itās not everyoneās favorite cheese. This pasta can work well with any softer-type cheese. Cream cheese or farmers cheese would work as well.
Never fear, vegan friends. You can easily make this vegan. I like to use my favorite cashew cream or sunflower cream with a little bit of onion powder, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast in place of the goat cheese sauce.
When I was writing my cookbook on grinding flour, one of the biggest surprises came when working with red lentil flour. Itās such a good, protein-solid flour. Because of this, Iām not surprised to see this great, one-ingredient Red Lentil Rotini from Barilla. You can find this and all the other varieties of the new Barilla legume pastas on Amazon.
[tasty-recipe id="37907"]
Disclosure: This recipe was created in partnership with Barilla. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Itās content like this that helps me keep this site running to provide the vegetarian recipes you see every week. continue reading
The post Lentil Rotini with Garlicky Kale and Goat Cheese Sauce appeared first on Naturally..
and WE SAW MICHAEL BUBLĆ.
(Iām not even going to hide my creeper status. And donāt worry, my mouth didnāt actually touch the poster.)
Hi friends! Howās the morning going? Iām just getting back from a whirlwind trip to Phoenix for the Beautycounter LEAD conferenceā¦ and to see Michael BublĆ©, my favorite ever.
I got into Phoenix on Thursday morning, and met up with Arsy and Tina at the adorable Airbnb where weād be staying. It was my first Airbnb experience and I was beyond impressed with the whole thing.
Check out the cuteness!
It was in a neighborhood filled with unique older houses, and they completely gutted and redid the interior. The wood floors and tiling in the bathroom were gorgeous, along with exposed brick, modern art, and unique touches (like the book selection in each bedroom).
Arsy surprised us with little goodie bags on each of our beds, with Hu chocolates, travel Cote nail polishes, Beeās wrap, the best hair ties, a Beautycounter pen, and a sweet card. She also stocked the fridge with some healthy essentials, cold brews, and waters.
Iāve been working with Arsy for almost 3 years and it was my first time meeting her in person. Of course, she was just as kind and lovely as I expected, and I had such a great time hanging out with her and Tina all weekend.
Thursday night, we had our team dinner at True Food, and then Friday morning, it was straight into the official festivities. We had quite a few sessions on Friday, and each one left me feeling more inspired, motivated, and grateful that Iāve had the opportunity to work for such a respected and innovative company. (Beautycounter is the #1 Googled beauty brand of 2018 and the top clean skincare brand in the world.) They generally care for the health of all living beings on this planet, and are constantly working to impart change in the beauty industry, which is severely unregulated. The last federal safety law for cosmetics was passed in 1938!! Weāre actively working to get this changed and make clean products accessible to everyone. This means no matter what store you go to and what brand you purchase, you should be able to have have the confidence that they were manufactured without endocrine disrupters, known carcinogens, and harmful preservatives.
My very favorite quote from the weekend:
– The greatest gift you can give anyone who loves you is your own wellbeing
While there was a lot of motivational talk, they also addressed burnout and importance of paying attention to what truly matters: your family, your health, and your relationships. I love how much they emphasized balance and taking the time to share your life with those you love and make yourself a priority.
We also had the opportunity to hear Gregg Renfrew speak. Sheās our CEO and the Founder of Beautycounter and she’s so.darn.real. The entire room of 1700 was captivated the entire time she was talking. She was so encouraging, humble, and generously shared her knowledge and inspiration with us all.
They also had some pretty solid snack breaks and lunch in between the presentations.
Friday afternoon, the Pilot picked us up from the conference and we headed to the house to get ready for the evening. The girls went to another team dinner at a downtown hotel, while the Pilot and I enjoyed a sushi date at Moira Sushi before Michael Buble.
(Shoes are here // dress is here ā got it from Rent the Runway and was so pumped it actually fit. I feel like itās so hard to tell what will work from the sizing but the S was just right)
We arrived at the arena, ordered wine in a can for me + beer for him, walked to our awesome seats (!) and I buckled up for the best concert experience of my life. Iām a HUGE Michael BublĆ© fan – I sporadically listen to his music all year and just switch to his Christmas album for November and December – so I was expecting a lot, but it was beyond anything I could have imagined. His perfect voice, the set design, the orchestra, his backup singers, everything. Just.SO.freaking.good.
(He started off with āFeelinā Goodā and I screamed like a teenager at a BTO concert.)
#1) He is HILARIOUS. He was cracking a ton of jokes in between songs, many of which were gloriously inappropriate, and the Pilot and I were laughing our faces off. I had to keep myself from breaking into the full-on dinosaur cry during Home and one of his newer songs, Forever Now. If you want to get a glimpse of what I was feeling, listen to the song, and then picture in your mind a childās bedroom and how it changes from when theyāre born (a nursery with sweet printed wallpaper, a crib, and a rocker) until they MOVE out (a large bed and a room strewn with moving boxes, to completely empty room). Thatās what they flashed on the arched screen above the stage and I think they pretty much wanted to pull my heart out of my body. Of course, all of his lighthearted jokes and the fact that he doesnāt take himself too seriously kept me from crying too hard.
2) He is so grateful to all of his supporters. Multiple times he thanked us for spending our money and our time to be at his concert. He said that his supporters lifted their family while they went through something absolutely heartbreaking, and was so heartfelt and genuine in thanking the audience. You can just tell heās a really good guy.
3) I tried to meet him but I failed. So hereās the thing, in college and my early 20s, I got backstage after concerts if I wanted to meet the band or singer. Itās not because Iām cool or had a VIP pass, but Iād just casually go to the side of the stage and ask security if I could just go back and get a photo with whomever. Youād think it would be a fail but it worked every time! I would just be chill about it and I think they saw a young non-threteaning kid and were like, āGo. Live your dream.” I didnāt know if I would work for Michael BublĆ© because, I donāt know, Iām like 15 years older now, BUT I figured this was my only chance and went for it. Unfortunately, they did all of the meet and greets before the show, not after. So when I went to ask if I could pleeeeeease go back and take a pic, security told me they did all of that stuff earlier. Itās NBD, but I did try. #shameless #dontcurr
The Pilot and I stayed at Westin, which was lovely, and then Saturday morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Coronado (a cute vegetarian cafe!) before he hit the road back to Tucson and I headed back to the conference.
I got there just in time to learn about the new products from our Product Development team, and get excited! Thereās so much good stuff on the way, including a face cream that supposed to feel luxurious and gorgeous like La Mer, but with clean ingredients. So pumped about this! Iāll definitely share more info when itās on the way, but our new line was modeled after Asian skincare rituals (yas yas yassss) and is going through clinical and client trials now. Iāll also have the chance to try it out before itās released and will absolutely share my experience.
Beautycounter is also transitioning to more glass, less plastic, and are going to include refill options.
We attended sessions on social media and coaching, and then had a delicious lunch.
When I left the conference, I felt energized and excited to implement various action plans in my team and with my business. As you guys know, Iām very particular about brand alignments. For everyone I say, āYesā to, there are at least 20-30 āNo, thank youā. When I first joined Beautycounter, I knew I liked the products and I loved their mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. I didnāt know that it was so much more than that, and that it would have such a huge positive impact on my life and business.
(Jumpsuit is here // shoes are here. Jumpsuit is also from Rent the Runway and I wish I could have kept it!)
Behind this mission, there are thousands of women working hard to change the beauty industry, sharing the products with those they love, and taking their success into their own hands.
I was so thankful to FINALLY meet Teri, who feels like my BFF after all of these years and I still hadnāt met in person! I also got to chat with Lexi, Juli, Cassy, and so many lovely women on our team.
Having this blog has been one of the biggest blessings in my life because itās enabled me to connect with a motivating, incredible community of women (and dudes!). One of the best parts: I can do it anywhere! As a military wife, this was critical since we were moving every 2 years or so, which this makes it very hard to get and keep a traditional job. Beautycounter gives that same flexibility to those who want to work on their own schedule, wherever they want, and carve their own path. It has been one of the best things Iāve added to my business, and itās fun, easy, and I get to meet with connect with new people. The money potential is bananas – if you want to talk about it, please email me – and itās cool to be able to make an income while supporting a company thatās championing for change. If youād like to make a transition to safer skincare products, or a tiny voice is telling you that consulting may be for you, please email me: gina@fitnessista.com
Well, Iām off to unpack my suitcase, only to RE-pack it for a short trip to Portland for a brand meeting. I hope you have a happy Monday!
xo
Gina
Tell me, friends: first concert experience? If you could see anyone live, who would it be?! My first concert was Boyz II Men in 5th grade. “Motown Philly back againā¦.ā Also, has anyone met Michael Buble?! Please tell me everything.
The post Beautycounter LEAD Conference Recap appeared first on The Fitnessista.
I canāt do strict diets. They inspire an otherwise absent rebellious streak in me and I go headlong into a sugar spiral. I remember trying the master cleanse many years ago, fully stocked on all the...
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Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details.
For these types of salads, I would typically use cauliflower. However, I wanted to keep the color vibrant. The broccoli provides that and I love the texture of the roasted broccoli. Of course, you could always mix in cauliflower, romesco, or even roasted Brussels sprouts.
When it comes to dressing, I usually keep them really simple: an oil and an acid. However, sometimes I like to boost it a bit with the help from creamy items, like tahini. Iāve also really been enjoying finding more ways to use Nutritional Yeast. The nutritional yeast adds that classic pungent cheese-like punch, helping really make this dressing flavorful.
I havenāt always been on the nutritional yeast wagon but as I start to use it more, Iāve gradually fallen in love. The nutty tang has definitely started to play more rolls in my kitchen from the easy, like popcorn, to the slightly more complicated, a stand-in cheese sauce. A bag of Bobās Red Mill Nutritional Yeast is always in the cabinet so we can always have our savory, salty popcorn!
I love using pearl couscous for a quick add into salads and grain bowls. Itās ready in about 10 minutes and itās the best of both pasta and grains. You could, however, use whole grains in place of the couscous. Try using hearty farro, sorghum, or even quinoa.
Beyond the nutritional, try adding a bit of crumbled feta. The saltiness is a nice companion for the tahini and nutritional yeast.
[tasty-recipe id="37943"]
Disclosure: This recipe was created in partnership with Bob's Red Mill. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Itās content like this that helps me keep this site running to provide the vegetarian recipes you see every week. continue reading
The post Broccoli Salad with Couscous and Tahini Dressing appeared first on Naturally..
You’ve probably seen the meal prep trend online where dozens and dozens of meals are prepped in containers for the entire week? Holy moly. I can say that will probably never be me. I once tried an over-ambitious meal prep and not only did I end up with way too much food, but it took up most of my day.
On the flip side, I’ve realized that my veggie intake falls pretty flat when I donāt do any prep at all.
Sooooā¦.there has to be a happy medium!?
This little dilemma is exactly why I came up with a simple plan that totally fits into my life these days. The recipe below (which is totally customizable!) takes less than 30 mins of active prep time, but makes enough food for several portions, increasing the odds that youāll be a veggie powerhouse for the workweek. *arm flex* I love how I can quickly reheat a couple things and build a hearty, nutritious bowl in a matter of minutes!
My meal prep method has been going like this:
This method has dramatically changed my meals in recent weeks (specifically, lunches) and increased my veggie consumption a ton. All of the ingredients can be changed up so it never has to be repetitive and you can be flexible with using what you have in your fridge/pantry. It helps cut down waste because you can easily use up those āon the verge of dyingā veggies in your crisper. Just throw āem in the oven and roast the heck out of āem! And if you get tired of bowls, throw the prepped food into delicious wraps or even soups/stews.
If youāre feeling extra-ambitious and want to prep even more food, Iād recommend adding one or more of the following tasty items:
Iāve provided a detailed recipe below because it helps to have something to work from the first time, but like I said, feel free to run with it. If you simply commit to roasting 2 big sheets of veggies, cook a grain, and chop some fresh veggiesā¦.youāll be well on your way to making easy throw-together power bowls all week long. My future hangry self has been thanking me a lot.
Before I go, I want to mention that The Oh She Glows Recipe App is still on sale for 99 cents in the Apple iTunes Store until mid-March! Youāll find these delicious power bowls in there, as well as more than 160 of my favourite plant-based recipes (this number includes 30 app exclusive recipes too). Happy cooking :)
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5 from 2 reviews |
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I love having prepped food in the fridge, but donāt love doing hours of meal prep each week. So I came up with this simple method that takes just 25 minutes of active prep time. The healthy food components can be enjoyed for several days in power bowls, wraps, and even stirred into soups! Power bowls are so fun for family meals because you can switch up the veggies and toppings to suit each palate, giving kids control to build their own bowls. This recipe is also a handy make-ahead option if youāre having friends over for a meal. Simply chop all the veggies the night before and refrigerate them in containers. Just before your guests arrive, pop the veggies into the oven, cook the quinoa, and prep the toppings. After cooking, you can all have fun assembling your own power bowls and everyone will be super impressed by the stunning rainbow-coloured meal!
* If your brussels sprouts are quite large, quarter them instead of halving.
** If you don't think you'll eat this much quinoa in 4 to 5 days, feel free to halve this amount (use 1 cup uncooked quinoa + 1.75 cups water).
*** Looking for a delicious homemade dressing? Try my Lemon-Tahini Dressing, Shake-and-Go Balsamic Vinaigrette (Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 273), or Roasted Garlic and Red Wine Vinaigrette. I always keep Maison Orphee Italian on hand when I don't have homemade dressing prepped.
Feel free to roast a head of garlic along with the veggies. The roasted cloves are especially delicious thrown into my Roasted Garlic and Red Wine Vinaigrette found in my Warm + Roasted Winter Salad Bowl recipe.
Make it nut-free: Top your bowl with seeds (such as roasted pepita seeds and hemp hearts) instead of nuts and make sure your dressing is nut-free.
This dish rings in spring in the best way possible. A creamy carrot-sunflower puree helps keep the risotto vegan while the fresh pea shoots bring the greens.
While I love making a delicious, cheese-based risotto, thereās something magical about taking this classic dish and making it vegan. My first attempts were alright but as time goes on, I find a few more tricks to make a delicious dish without one ounce of cheese.
This might be a bit like cheating but it gets the job done. Traditional arborio rice releases starch, which is where some of the creaminess comes from. Whole grains donāt quite act the same. However, if you pulse the grain in a food processor or blender a few times, you get a bit of grain dust. This dust turns into the thickening agent in the vegan risotto.
The best part about this: itās a formula you can use with many different grains. Iāve found this works well with spelt, einkorn, farro, and barley. Iāve also had success with using whole oat groats (although I find the texture to be a bit gummier than the others mentioned).
In the realm of alternative dairy choices, sunflower seeds are still relatively not used. Sure, you could use almond, cashew, coconut, soy, or oat but I really love the cheapness, ease of use, and flavor of the sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds puree smooth with relatively little soaking time.
Of course, you donāt have to feel obligated to use sunflower seeds. Cashew cream, almond cream, or even something like this millet cream could work (although itās rare that I double down on two grains in one dish unless Iām making a pilaf).
Also, Iām a bit of a carrot lover and they cook tender in the broth. You could, however, use squash puree, sweet potato puree, or Iāve been know in the summer to use a homemade version of creamed corn.
I realize this recipe is more involved but itās worth it. Once you get the risotto going, the topping comes together quickly. For the ultimate spring risotto, I love using the pea shoots. I feel like the shoots are everything wonderful about spring: fresh, tender, and vibrant.
Add to that the dill and hazelnuts, itās a winning salad-like topping. You could also use sunflower seeds in the topping but I like the flavor and crunch of the hazelnuts. My second choices would be almonds slices.
[tasty-recipe id="37975"] continue reading
The post Sunflower Carrot Risotto with Hazelnut-Pea Shoots appeared first on Naturally..
![Sweat and Burn HIIT/Strength Workout [Video]](https://www.richmegafood.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/254-thumb-200x133.jpg "Sweat and Burn HIIT/Strength Workout [Video]")
All you need is 20 minutes to get in an awesome strength burn and cardio sweat! I love adding cardio blasts to my strength workouts because I burn more calories in less time, and check both boxes for strength and cardio. Youāll get the lean muscle-building benefits of strength and the fat loss powers + heart benefits of cardio.
My friend Katie is in this video and provides low-impact and prenatal modifications for the exercises. As always, talk to a doctor before making any fitness changes. Honor your body and modify as needed. Hereās what the workout looks like:
Hereās the full follow-along video:
and a quick video with demos for the moves:
Please let me know if you give it a try!!
xo
Gina
Video: Grant Hunker
Workout partner-in-crime: Katie Surridge
Studio: Animas
Wearing: lululemon align crops, this tank, APL sneakers
More quick and intense workouts you can do at home:
The post Sweat and Burn HIIT/Strength Workout [Video] appeared first on The Fitnessista.
I wish I had a sexier name for this dish but when you start combining things into a dish that really doesnāt have a name like ātacoā or āgrain bowlā, a name with all the ingredients is the best I can do. However, it's delicious. We've eaten it as a side but I've also been known to call a dish like this lunch.
When spring produce enters into my life, I take it as a reminder that not everything requires roasting. Sure, roasted vegetables are amazing but sometimes other techniques are worthwhile. I feel like steaming gets a bad rap, most likely due to diet trends, but itās a valuable tool in your cooking arsenal.
Take for example these beets. Chioggia beets are beautiful. Their color, though, doesnāt hold once cooking. If you roast these beautiful beets, the color fades pretty drastically (unless you roast them whole but Iām not always willing to wait the hour it takes.) Enter: steaming.
Steaming these beets takes 10 minutes and while the color still fades slightly, itās there in all itās beautiful pink glory. Best of all, steaming the beets leaves room to make crispy garlic in ghee: a real treat for all.
Iām a big proponent that every dish should have a little crispiness to it. In this dish, the sunflower seeds are nice but my favorite crisp comes in the form of pan-fried garlic. The ghee crisps the garlic nicely all while adding that delicious ghee flavor.
If you want to keep this vegan, olive oil can get the job done as well. The flavor changes slightly but the garlic is still delicious (because itās still garlic!)
Finally, the bean puree. I love piling vegetable high atop a creamy puree. Thereās something so satisfying when you scoop everything together off the plate- it mixes into the perfect bite. I kept this bean puree simple and very spring forward with the help of dill. Of course, you could really use any herb. Try parsley, marjoram, and/or a bit of thyme. Also, if you don't have white beans go for chickpeas.
[tasty-recipe id="37991"]
The post Garlicky Beets with Dill Bean Puree appeared first on Naturally..
Immortal coffee goes one step beyond bulletproof coffee and is totally 100% vegan. Rich and creamy cashew butter and MCT oil make this a satusfying cup.
The post IMMORTAL COFFEE appeared first on The First Mess // Plant-Based Recipes + Photography by Laura Wright.
I am forever and always a proponent of having sauces, dressings and condiments in the fridge to make something out of pantry staples or the end of the vegetable bin. I got into garlic confit after I...
Please visit Sprouted Kitchen to view this Recipe.
Hi friends! Howās the week treating ya? Iām back in Tucson and back into the swing of things over here. I have two podcast interviews this morning – the show will be back the week of June 3 – an Orangetheory class, and canāt wait to catch up with the crew tonight. I only technically missed one night from home, but after being gone last weekend, too, it feels like a lot! Iāve missed my lil nuggets so much.
Portland was such a blast!! After flying into town, I grabbed a rental car and drove to my hotel at the Mark Spencer. It was a quaint and charming spot with a beautiful interior. Some pics of my room:
(They only had rooms with two beds available when I booked so I just rolled with it)
I mostly chose this hotel because of its proximity to a lot of local restaurants and shops! I dropped off my luggage and headed straight to explore. First stop was Powellās Books, which so many of you had recommended. It was an enormous bookstore with rows and rows of new and used books. They also had a coffee shop, huge kidsā area, and a little gifts section. I could have spent hours browsing and enjoying the smell of books.Ā
Next, I walked down to take a class at barre3 in the Pearl District. After an entire day of sitting, I was ready to shake my legs out a bit. When I arrived at the studio, I found out that it was their flagship location, dubbed āThe Pearl.ā This is where the magic began and the crazy thing is that the founder, Sadie Lincoln, had taught a class at that location that very morning.Ā
Ā
One of my favorite things about barre3 is that itās so consistent. You know exactly what to expect each time you go to a class; a mixture of mind-body connection, breath work, and quad-burning leg work. Barre has been missing from my routine quite a bit lately – I get bored *teaching* myself barre and it can be tough to work studio classes into my schedule- but itās still one of my favorite formats. Hopefully P will be into the Play Lounge again one of these days! (Sheāll only go if her best friend is there.) Stacey led this class and she was an incredible instructor. She was very motivating and crushed my legs in the best way possible.Ā
After barre, I went back to the hotel for a quick change and then met Rachel at Tasty nā Alder for dinner.Ā
Rachel and I connected quite a few years ago when I was in Portland for a blog event. Weāve stayed in contact through Instagram since then, so when I found out Iād be in Portland for a night, I reached out and see if she wanted to meet for dinner and wine.
The food at Tasty nā Alder was WONDERFUL. I feel like Portland is dotted with unique and delicious restaurants everywhere you look, and this one certainly didnāt disappoint. The vibe reminded me of our beloved Commoner & Co. – rustic and cozy, with modern spins on classic dishes. We shared a cheese board, the Brussels sprouts (which were crispy and lightly sweet), the short rib (which came with housemade kimchi) and the potato donuts. I just wanted to curl up and live in these. I drank wine, we chatted about books and Rachelās recent retreat to Bali, and it was perfect. Ā
Wednesday morning, I forced myself to wake up early so I could grab a quick breakfast at the hotel before driving to Lake Oswego. Ā
The entire drive down, I was in awe of the scenery. It was such a gorgeous drive: lush green landscapes, blooming cherry blossoms, and hiking trails. I feel like I want to live there, or at least visit for longer than 24 hours.Ā
Before some fun brand meetings, I was able to check out a Starcycle class. (I feel like usually I donāt get the chance to work out twice on vacation since Iām with the fam, but this time since it was just me, I decided to live it up.) Iām a huge fan of boutique cycling studio classes and this one was unlike any of the ones Iāve tried. It was a party on the bike – the music was AWESOME – and they have childcare. It felt great to get in some cardio, especially since Iād be spending a huge chunk of the day sitting on an airplane.
For lunch, I grabbed a giant salad at Garden Bar and headed to the airport. I was pumped to see that Blue Star donuts were at the airport when I arrived.
You guys said they were better than Voodoo Donuts, and you donāt lie. It was seriously the best donut Iāve had in my entire life.
I also brought back some apple fritters for the girls, so they had those with their scrambled eggs this morning and were pumped about life.
The flights back were pretty uneventful, and I stopped in the lounge for a snack:
(vegetables! and wine)
finally finished China Rich Girlfriend, and started The 6 Keys and The Great Alone.Ā I already canāt put this one down.Ā
Ā
I hope you have a great day and Iāll see ya in the morning with some faves!
xo
Gina
Looking for a workout? try this leg and booty burner!
The post Portland, I love ya appeared first on The Fitnessista.
