Fajita Vegetables

These veggies are great for fajitas, but they are also really great to round out any meal that calls for a savory-spicy kick. With some cumin, paprika, chili powder, and liquid smoke, these veggies transform into a yummy Latin side dish. We often have them alongside refried beans and Spanish rice for a filling vegan meal.

Fajita Veggies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp olive oil (optional - you can also dry saute or use a bit of water)
1/2 a red onion, sliced into half-moons

Choose 3 or 4:
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into long strips
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and sliced into strips
1 or 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced into strips
1 small zucchini, sliced into thin strips

2 cups of sliced white cabbage

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp  liquid smoke flavor

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Choose 3 or 4 of the veggies and add them to the pan. Saute until the veggies start to soften a little. Add the spices and stir to distribute evenly. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Serve with beans and rice, in burritos, or have them fajita style with flour tortillas and your favorite fixings.

For 8 Servings with oil

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	238
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20.4g	26%
Saturated Fat 2.9g	14%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1339mg	58%
Total Carbohydrate 16.2g	6%
Dietary Fiber 6.5g	23%
Total Sugars 5.4g
Protein 4.2g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 106mg	8%
Iron 7mg	37%
Potassium 691mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

For 8 servings without oil

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	88
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2.9g	4%
Saturated Fat 0.4g	2%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1339mg	58%
Total Carbohydrate 16.2g	6%
Dietary Fiber 6.5g	23%
Total Sugars 5.4g
Protein 4.2g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 106mg	8%
Iron 7mg	37%
Potassium 691mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Banana Steel-Cut Oat Porridge (Instant Pot)

 

This is an easy breakfast that keeps well through the week for leftovers.  Steel-cut oats are hearty and filling and are so easy to make in the Instant Pot. The mashed banana gives a little extra sweetness and has a yummy banana flavor reminiscent of banana bread, which is one of my favorite things. I like to serve it with some fresh banana cut up on top and sprinkled with ground flax.

Banana Steel-Cut Oat Porridge

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats

2 1/2 cups soy milk

2 1/2 cups water

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp salt

1 ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

Put all the ingredients into your Instant Pot and cook it using the porridge setting (which cooks it for 20 minutes).  Let the pressure release naturally and then stir the porridge. Add more milk to get the consistency that you like. Serve it topped with your favorite oatmeal topping.

You could also do this on your stovetop. It will take some frequent stirring and a longer cooking time, but it will taste just as good. 

For 6 Servings:

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	131
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.7g	2%
Saturated Fat 0.2g	1%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1641mg	71%
Total Carbohydrate 30.4g	11%
Dietary Fiber 11g	39%
Total Sugars 6.2g
Protein 3.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 187mg	14%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 277mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Spiced Quinoa Porridge

 

I love quinoa for breakfast because it keeps me full without feeling weighed down. Quinoa is a seed that cooks up like a grain and it is packed with nutrition. Here is what Harvard says about quinoa. It is a good source of plant protein and magnesium. This keeps nicely to reheat throughout the week. So you can cook it ahead and have some delicious and healthy breakfasts ready to go that provide a good source of plant-based protein. What's not to love?!?

Spiced Quinoa Porridge

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa (rinsed)

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups plant milk

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup chia seeds

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 cup raisins

Optional: Toasted sunflower seeds

Directions:

Rinse the quinoa and put it in a saucepan with water, plant milk, and a pinch of salt. Cook until it begins to boil and then lower the heat and cover to let it steam for 15 minutes. After it has steamed fluff it with a fork or spoon and then add the remaining ingredients: which are the hemp seeds, chia seeds, maple syrup, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger). Then stir in the raisins. Sometimes I add a bit more plant milk to get the consistency of porridge that I like. I like to top this with an additional sprinkle of cinnamon and some toasted sunflower seeds.

For 6 servings

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	328
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7.9g	10%
Saturated Fat 0.5g	3%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 6481mg	282%
Total Carbohydrate 59g	21%
Dietary Fiber 5.6g	20%
Total Sugars 33.3g
Protein 8.5g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 119mg	9%
Iron 4mg	21%
Potassium 380mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Tempeh Sausage Breakfast Casserole

 

This breakfast is reminiscent of a shepherd's pie that can be made ahead and then baked and enjoyed when ready. It has a bottom layer of tempeh sausage, then a layer of cooked greens, and is topped with hash browns. 

It isn't hard to assemble, but there are three layers to make separately. This is totally worth the savory breakfast that is ready for you to enjoy throughout the week. It has plant-based protein in the tempeh sausage, micronutrients from the greens, and carbs from the potatoes so it is a well-balanced breakfast.

Tempeh Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Tempeh Sausage Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 8 oz package of plain tempeh, crumbled

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp dried sage

1 tsp ground thyme

1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

pinch of nutmeg

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Tempeh Sausage Directions:

Spray on non-stick frying pan with olive oil and add the quinoa and crumbled tempeh to the pan. Then add all the seasonings and cook until heated through. This is the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, maple syrup, sage, thyme, paprika, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. 

This is the bottom layer of your casserole. When it is done spread it on the bottom of a casserole dish.

Cheesy Greens Ingredients:

1 large bunch of greens (collards, kale, chard, or spinach) or 1 bag of frozen greens

1 tbsp soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp liquid smoke

Cheesy Greens Directions:

Wash and chop your greens and then put them in a saucepan with just a little water. You want the greens to steam and cook down. You can use frozen greens and prepare them the exact same way: a little water in a saucepan and dump them in over medium heat. Cook until the fresh greens are wilted, or the frozen greens are defrosted, and then add the soy sauce or Bragg's, the garlic powder, and the nutritional yeast. Taste and add salt to your liking. I add about 1/2 tsp to mine (but I love salt :-). Top it off with the liquid smoke and mix to combine. 

Put this layer on top of the tempeh sausage layer in your casserole dish.

Hash Brown Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen hash browns (shredded potatoes)

Directions:

Heat the hash browns according to the package directions and top the casserole with them. 

Casserole Directions:

At this point, you can either dig in, or you can refrigerate and heat later. If you prepare ahead, you will want to heat in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Be sure to check on it and cover it with foil if the top is getting too browned. You just need it to heat through.

Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato

Here is another basic recipe for something that I feel like I have to look up each time I want to make a perfectly done baked sweet potato. It is easy to forget the details, so I thought I would capture the basics of this method here.

Baked Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

Sweet potato, washed

Directions:

Wash the sweet potato(s) and poke all over with a fork. Bake uncovered in a parchment-lined baking dish or tray in a 400-degree oven. You want the potato to get soft so this can take between 40-60 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Start checking them at 40 minutes. They are done when they are very soft and you can squish them. Let them cool before peeling. These keep well to be added to component bowls or other recipes throughout the week.

Quinoa

 

Quinoa

I always have to look up how to cook quinoa. I forget the ratios so I thought I would just put the basic recipe/method here. Cooking quinoa is simple and only takes about 20 minutes. I like to cook some ahead for the week and add it to salads. It's also a great alternative to rice or can bulk up soups. It cooks up like a grain but is actually a seed, so it has higher protein than other grains. Healthline says it is packed with nutrients so it's a great superfood to add to your diet.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt or bullion (optional - only use this for savory dishes)

Directions:

Rinse your quinoa (there are saponins on it that can be a tad bitter). Then put the quinoa in a pot and add the two cups of water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and let it simmer/steam for 15 minutes. Then remove from the heat and let it sit, still covered, for 5 to 10 minutes more. Uncover and fluff the quinoa - it's ready to eat.

Radiant Green Smoothie

I recently started practicing Kundalini and am really enjoying this style of yoga. It incorporates mantras, chants, breathing exercises, and asanas and is very different than other styles of yoga that I have tried. Honestly, it seems kind of weird but is having a noticeable positive impact on me beyond the mat, which is awesome.  There are a few channels on YouTube with free videos to try and I really like the ones on the YouTube channel Kundalini Lounge. In researching this style of yoga, I came across a Website and found some tips on incorporating a yogic diet. This smoothie recipe caught my eye and I recently tried it, and with a few additional ingredients of my own, I absolutely fell in love with this breakfast. The healthy oils keep me full and the combination of the fruits with the spinach and chlorophyll is just so good! I had never tried chlorophyll before, but it is mellow in flavor and brings all the goodness of plant foods to you in a concentrated form - so cool!

Radiant Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach

1 to 1 1/2 cups ice 

8 ounces orange juice

1 Tbsp liquid chorophyll

2 tsp flax seed oil

2 tsp brown rice syrup

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Adzuki Beans with Winter Squash

This is a simple and comforting winter dish that is healthy and warming. This recipe is inspired by the principles of Macrobiotics with seasonal, local and mindfully prepared ingredients.

Adzuki Beans with Winter Squash

Ingredients:

1 cup dried adzuki beans (soaked overnight in 3 cups of water and then drained)

1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
4-inch strip of kombu
2 cups of water
2 tsp vegetable bouillon

1/2 winter squash (e.g. acorn, pumpkin, butternut, kabocha)

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in the bottom of a large saucepan or pressure cooker. Add the onion and saute until it turns translucent. Then add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute or so before adding the cumin and coriander. Then put the kombu in the pan with 2 cups of water and the bouillon. Add the soaked beans and stir to distribute the seasonings.

If cooking this in a saucepan, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer until the beans are cooked through. Adding more hot water as needed. If pressure cooking, seal and cook for an hour on high pressure.

While the beans are cooking, prepare your squash. Discard the seeds and the peel and cut the squash into bite-sized pieces. Toss them with a tbsp of melted coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes (or until tender).

When the beans are done, add the cooked squash and enjoy. It is great served over steamed brown rice with some fresh cilantro sprinkled on top.

Tom Kha Soup

This soup is so delicious. It is savory, rich and super satisfying. It is a comforting dish when it is cold outside and has complex flavors for not too much time in the kitchen. I have been working on a vegan version for a while now and have found this recipe to hit the spot.

The Thai ingredients are easily found at a specialty grocery store. We have several where I live in Denver, but you could also find them online (Amazon Fresh carries the galangal, lemongrass, wakame, dried shiitake, and the Thai curry paste).

Tom Kha Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon

4 cups of water
aromatics (place in a cheesecloth or tea strainer)
1 tbsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger root
4 rounds of sliced galangal root (omit if you can't find)
4 1 inch pieces of lemongrass (use lemon zest if you don't have lemongrass)

1 carrot, sliced into rounds
1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms
1 tbsp wakame seaweed
1 leaf kale, chopped small
1/2 tsp sugar

1 can coconut milk
Fresh chopped cilantro
Lime wedges

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan and add the onion to the pan. When the onion begins to soften add the garlic and stir for about a minute before adding the curry paste and bouillon. Stir to coat the onions and garlic and then add the water and the packet of aromatics (ginger, galangal root, and lemongrass).

Then add in the carrot, shitake mushrooms, wakame, kale, and sugar. Bring the soup to a boil and let simmer until the carrots and mushrooms are tender (about 10 minutes or so). Finally, take out the packet of aromatics, stir in the coconut milk, and serve with cilantro, lime, and pan-fried tofu.

Serve with fried tofu, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Millennial Hash

This recipe is simple and very filling. I love the combination of the potatoes, kale, and avocado - it is so good!

Millennial Hash

This recipe got its name from my husband making a comment about me putting avocado on my hash browns "like a millennial"....because millennials are known for spending more on groceries than other generations and they apparently put avocado on everything. I think that is a great thing because avocados make everything better - including hash browns!

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of frozen shredded potatoes (1 lb bag)

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 bunch of kale washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Salt and pepper

Tamari

1/2 a ripe avocado, sliced

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a non-stick pan over medium heat. I don't add oil. I find that if you leave them alone to let them brown, they don't stick and flip easily. I let them cook for 10-15 minutes - check them and flip them when they begin to turn golden brown.

While the potatoes cook, heat the onions and garlic in another non-stick pan until they begin to soften. Then add the mushrooms and the kale and cook through. Once the veggies have softened sprinkle them with salt and pepper and then use a little tamari or soy sauce to deglaze the pan. Serve the veggies over the hash browns and top it all with the sliced avocado.

Bring on the Spring Smoothie

As the weather warms here for spring, smoothies are starting to sound really good again. This smoothie makes me happy with its bright pink color and texture from the basil seeds and dragon fruit. The basil seeds soak up some of the liquid and are like little balls of tapioca in your drink and are a fun change from chia seeds (they act very similar in recipes). This is a great way to try basil seeds if you haven't yet and you can find them online or at specialty grocers. I found mine at Pacific Ocean Market in Denver.

Bring on the Spring Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup diced mango
1 cup sliced banana
1/2 cup diced dragon fruit
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
water to cover

1 tbsp basil seeds

Directions:

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Top with 1 tbsp of basil seeds and chopped dragon fruit.

Purple Buddha Bowl with Avocado Caesar Dressing

This recipe is a great one to make ahead as there are several components - which might seem a little daunting - but they all come together to make the effort worth it in the end. With the deep colors of the black rice, purple kale, and purple potatoes, you can see the antioxidants right there on the plate.

Purple Buddha Bowl

Ingredients:

2 cups black rice and 1 cup brown rice (or do 3 cups black rice)
6 1/2 cups water

3 carrots, diced
1 large purple potato, peeled and diced
1/2 kabocha squash, seeded, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper

1 head purple kale
Freshly squeezed lemon
Salt and pepper

Baked tofu (you can buy tofu seasoned and baked, or you can bake your own with a recipe like this one - which has been a long-standing favorite of mine).

Avocado Caesar Dressing:

1/3 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 ripe avocado

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and cook the carrots, purple potato, and squash in a baking dish sprayed with cooking oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the veggies before you put them in to bake. Stir the veggies every 20 minutes and cook until they are fork tender. It can take quite a while depending on how large the pieces are. Plan for them to cook for around an hour.

Bake the tofu if you are making your own.

Wash the kale and rip or cut it into bite-sized pieces. Place the kale in a steamer basket fitted in a pan with some water on the bottom. Bring the water to a boil and steam the kale for 7-10 minutes. Once the kale is tender, toss it with freshly squeezed lemon juice and sprinkle on some salt and pepper.

Avocado Caesar Dressing Directions:

Place all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Buddha Bowl Directions:

Place a serving of the rice in a bowl and add some roasted veggies, steamed kale, and tofu. Top with avocado caesar dressing and some diced veggies (red onion and cucumber are nice), pickles, or sauerkraut. Enjoy!