Sweets and More Sweets

I've been trying to bake a little more to entice the kids to want to eat better.  We tried these Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies and they were devoured.  

 We also made Apple Walnut Breakfast Bread from Forks Over Knives and I would definitely recommend making it!  Everyone loved it and I think you could add in anything you like to make it your own.  It was perfect for a quick breakfast.  

(Sorry no photos)

I also made Chocolate Donuts that I found on Pinterest.  They can be gluten free, but I used whole wheat flour instead of gluten free. 

I made these the night before and put them in a sealed container.  I also made the glaze the night before and it hardened up like chocolate candy.  I had to heat it up in the microwave to get it soft again. 

 (I included her notes because I thought they were helpful).

DONUTS

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) aquafaba* (the liquid in a can of chickpeas)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened plain almond milk (warmed in the microwave or on stovetop)
• 1/4 cup (60 g) melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup (63 g) organic cane sugar or coconut sugar (donuts are fluffier with cane sugar)
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup (80 g) unsweetened applesauce (or other hearty fruit puree, such as beets)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp (70 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (if clumpy, sift)
• 3/4 cup (140 g) almond flour*
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp (180 g) gluten-free flour blend*

GLAZE optional

• 3 Tbsp (45 g) coconut oil, melted
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
• 5 Tbsp (28 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (if clumpy, sift)
• Pinch sea salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and lightly grease two donut pans*.
2. To a small mixing bowl, add aquafaba and use a mixer (or whisk) to vigorously blend until soft peaks form - about 1-2 minutes. Set aside. (If yours doesn’t quite whip up into soft peaks, it’s OK. Just get them as fluffy as possible! A sprinkle of cream of tartar helps them firm up.)
3. Warm almond milk in the microwave. This way, it doesn’t harden the coconut oil. Set aside.
4. To a large mixing bowl, add the melted coconut oil. Then add the coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt and whisk vigorously to combine - about 45 seconds. Then add applesauce and warmed almond milk and whisk once more to combine.
5. Add baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder (sifted if clumpy), almond flour, and gluten-free flour and whisk to combine.
6. Lastly, add the whipped aquafaba and gently stir/whisk in, trying to be as gentle as possible. If the batter appears too thin at this point, add 1 Tbsp each almond flour or gluten-free flour at a time until it thickens up. It should be semi-thick and more scoopable than pourable.
7. Divide batter evenly between donut tins, filling all the way full. There should be 11-12 donuts.
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top appears dry and fluffy. Time will vary if you sub ingredients.
9. In the meantime, make glaze (optional). To a small mixing bowl, add melted coconut oil, maple syrup, sifted cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. You should have a slightly thick glaze. If too thick, thin with a little maple syrup or more coconut oil. If too thin, add cocoa powder.
10. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed by adding more maple syrup. Set aside. Prepare any other toppings, such as coconut flakes, cacao nibs, or sprinkles, at this time.
11. Remove donuts from oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Then grab the tins with a towel and tap on the counter 2 times to loosen. Then gently invert onto a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes (the longer they cool, the more they'll firm up).
12. Dip in glaze. Then top with desired toppings, such as sprinkles, coconut flakes, or cacao nibs!
13. Best when fresh. Store cooled leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3 days or in the freezer up to 1 month (best if stored unglazed).

Notes

*Aquafaba is the "egg" in this recipe. Alternatively, you can try subbing 1 1/2 flax eggs (or 1 small egg if not vegan).
*I've been preferring almond flour over almond meal because it yields a lighter, fluffier (less dense) baked good. But you can try subbing almond meal. Or, if you have a nut allergy, try subbing a 1/2 +1/2 mix of GF flour and oat flour.
*If not gluten-free, sub the GF blend for all-purpose flour. I haven't tested it this way and can't guarantee the results. 
*If you don't have donut pans, you can try baking these in a standard muffin tin! Fill slightly more than 1/2 full and bake for about the same amount of time or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
*Recipe adapted from my Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake.

I was totally amazed at how the chickpea liquid whipped up just like an egg white would!

*My disclaimer*

These were super chocolatey!

And that means a lot coming from me!

I would almost say I liked them better with out the glaze.  You definitely need a big glass of milk with these!

Kid approved!!

 While Jennifer and Family were here, we did make some meals, but I have no pictures and no time to post the recipes.  I will just let you know what we made.  I tried a Shepherd's Pie recipe that was just, ok.  I have found other shepherd's pies recipes that sound better, so I think I'll try one of those next time.  We also made Matt Moore's Enchiladas from the Forks Over Knives website, which I liked.  Caleb ate it, but the other kids did not like it.  I'm trying a couple of new recipes tonight and I hope they're good (we invited friends over).  I'll be sure to post them if they are!

Chickpea Chili

(Photo taken from Forks Over Knives)

So I can already see that things are going to get a bit more hectic with me working.  Even though I'm only working during the kids school hours, that still leaves me no time for other errands and food prep.  But, I think that we'll still be able to eat as well as we have been...it'll just take a little more planning.  And honestly, I haven't even once craved meat.  That is the craziest part! 

Friday, Shawn had the day off, so we went out to breakfast and out to lunch.  That's kind of a big deal!  We tried a new place called Natural Cafe.  My friend says it's hippier than Urbane Cafe (which for those of you who don't know, might even be hippier than Panera).  I got a taco bowl (I can't remember the name).  But I couldn't believe I had never thought of it before.  It was so easy, I made it the next day at home with leftovers I had from earlier in the week.

It was just corn tortilla chips, brown rice, black beans, shredded carrots and jicama, lettuce, topped with guacamole and salsa (and sour cream, which I totally forgot to ask them to take off).  Delicious!  I'm sure you have all the ingredients for this at home right now.  

Last night I made Chickpea Chili on Baked Potatoes.  Shawn said he could have done without the potato, but the chili - I thought - was delicious!  Amelia ate it and Caleb said it was ok.  

Because I have a million things to do before family gets here in two days, I'm just copying and pasting it for you.  

Here are the changes I made:

-I used regular, frozen diced onion in place of the red onion.  

-I used canned, organic diced tomatoes (two cans).

-I used canned chickpeas instead of dry.

-I didn't have white wine vinegar, so I omitted it.

-Forgot the cilantro :o(

-I used the 3C water called for near the end, but I totally think this could have been omitted bc of all of the tomato juice (I should have read the reviews bc everyone else said this too.)

There was a ton of chili left over, so we'll be having that again tonight!  Too bad we don't have any crusty bread to go with it!

Enjoy!

CHICKPEA CHILI ON BAKED POTATOES

By Darshana Thacker
Serves 4
Ready In: 1 hour, 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked and drained *NOTE* 1 C dried chickpeas = 2 15 oz. cans chickpeas
4 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds), scrubbed
4 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups diced red bell pepper
8 ounces button mushrooms, trimmed and diced (about 2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped red onion 
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
11⁄2 cups diced celery
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Sea salt, to taste

At a deli one afternoon, I ordered a tomato-vegetable soup and a baked potato. When I received the two items, they looked like they belonged together, so I poured the soup right over the potato. The result? A tasty new meal and the spark that led to all sorts of new dishes that turn baked potatoes into the base for soups, stews, and chilies. This is one of my favorites.
From The Forks Over Knives Plan
Instructions:
1. Place the soaked and drained chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add 3 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, until they are tender to the bite but not falling apart, 30 to 45 minutes. Add water as necessary to keep the chickpeas covered. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
3. Use a fork to poke holes in the potatoes in several places. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until a fork goes through to the center easily, 40 to 60 minutes. (If the potatoes are baked before the stew is ready, turn the oven off and let the potatoes stand in hot oven until ready to serve.)
4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, place the tomatoes, red bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (The juices from the onion and tomatoes will be enough to keep the sauce from burning.) Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
5. To the same saucepan, add 3 cups water. Add the reserved cooked chickpeas, the celery, green bell pepper, and corn. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the reserved tomato sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, paprika, chili powder, half of the cilantro, and salt to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the

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chili thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Use a sharp knife to cut down the length of each potato and spread them open. Pour a good helping of the chili over each potato. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot. 

Crunchy Chickpea Tacos

Crunchy Chickpea Tacos

This recipe had me at "fish tacos".  It said that these tacos had the flavor of typical California fish tacos...so I had to try them.  I love fish tacos!  And these did actually taste a lot like them.  

6 large corn or flour tortillas

1 can (15oz) chickpeas drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (I used Trader Joe's Chili Lime Seasoning)

3 C cabbage, shredded

1 C carrots shredded

1/2 C thinly sliced red onion (I didn't have it, but wished I did)

1/2 small seeded and diced poblano pepper (I left out)

1/2 sliced green onions (I left out - these bland kids!)

1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 C tofu cashew mayonnaise

2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 medium avocado, pitted and sliced (or made into guac, like we did)

1 tbsp sriracha (optional - I left out)

So, basically you can see that I left out a bunch of stuff that I was afraid the kids wouldn't like, but I think it would have made them so much better! Also, I think that you could just buy the coleslaw mix in a bag and that would have worked fine.  Also, I have a love hate relationship with tofu.  I haven't quite figured it out yet.  It never seems to turn out like the picture shows or recipe says.  I always end up with a hummus consistency, when I was supposed to have a mayonnaise consistency. I think it's because I'm supposed to be using a "Vitamix" blender (everyone swears by them), but I refuse to pay $400 for a blender!!   

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Shape the tortillas in an oven safe bowl and baking in the oven until crispy, around 5-10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, smash the chickpeas with a fork and sprinkle with chili powder.      

 Add the cabbage, carrot, onion, pepper, green onion, cilantro, mayonnaise and lime juice.

Mix thoroughly, adding salt last.

 I bought corn tortillas, but I think they were bad.  They smelled bad and had a powdery film on them.  I should have taken them back since they were just bought, but thankfully, I had flour tortillas and they turned out fine.

 Divide the mixture up among the tortilla bowls, add avocado (or guac) and Sriracha if you'd like it spicy.

Caleb ate an entire bowl and, of course, Amelia didn't like it and only ate the tortilla.  

We had fruit with it.  I think I will make these again and add all of the other ingredients I left out.  

Tofu Cashew Mayonnaise

1/4 C cashews, soaked in water for 2-3 hours, then drained

7 oz. extra firm tofu

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp tahini (sesame seed butter - like peanut butter)

4 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 tsp agave nectar (I didn't have this, so I used maple syrup.  Not sure if it worked or not)

2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp zanthan gum (optional - to make your mayonnaise thicker.  I wasn't buying this, plus mine was thick like hummus anyway)

Place all the ingredients in a high powered blender (maybe this was my problem, because I just put it in the food processor) and blend until smooth and shiny.  

Taquitos, Burgers, Muffins & Milk

We had a crazy week!  But even in our craziness, we are still eating healthy!  I'm finding that I actually like eating this way better than how we ate before.  I feel better and although losing weight wasn't my goal, I have lost 5 pounds - and of course, Shawn's lost like 10! Why do guys tend to lose more?  Ok, maybe because he's playing soccer and I'm pretty much doing no exercise.  

Last week we didn't really have any great meals, but the ones we did have were so easy and that's why I'm posting them.  

The first recipe is from ForksOverKnives.

Orange Black Bean Taquitos

1 large yellow onion, diced small

4 garlic cloves minced

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground (I just used ground cumin)

2 chilies in adobo sauce, mined, or 2 tsp ancho chili powder

Zest and juice of 2 oranges

2-15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed (about 3 C)

Sea salt

18 corn tortillas

1 jar salsa

*1 1/2 C Spiked Sour Cream 

Saute onions over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.  Add water 1tbsp at a time to keep from sticking.  Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add the chilies, cumin, orange zest and juice and black beans.  Season with salt to taste.  

Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth.

 It just looks like refried black beans.

I did this early in the day and stuck it in the frig until it was time for dinner.  (I love doing this so I am not crazy busy at dinner time).  

 When it's time to eat, place the tortillas in a skillet to heat about 4 minutes.  

 Now,  the recipe says to fill the tortillas with about 3 tbsp of the bean mixture then heat them in a skillet for another 3-4 minutes.  I actually made them up, put them in a baking dish and stuck them in the oven.  (I was leaving and was trying to make dinner for the Shawn and the kids easy).  This didn't give them the crispiness like taquitos typically have though.  So, if you just want something easy to make and eat, do it this way.  If you want something a little more like an actual taquito, heat it on the skillet just before eating.  

Eat with salsa, guacamole and Spiked Sour Cream.

 I did not have the ingredients for the sour cream, but I'd like to try and make it for other Mexican dishes.  

 *Spiked Sour Cream

1 package extra firm (Silken - brand) tofu (or any brand)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp chili powder

Pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.  Chill until ready to use.

Plant-Strong Burgers

What I love about this next recipe, is that you can make any burger you want.  There are so many options. I will for sure be making these again, but changing the ingredients.  I also made these earlier in the day and stuck them in the frig until I was ready to cook them for dinner.  It is from the engine2diet website and since there are so many ways to make these, I cannot type them all out.  If you go to www.engine2diet.com  you can see all of the different options.  

I used pinto beans (and their juice), quick cook steel cut oats, celery, carrots, onions, garlic powder, marjoram, salt and pepper and nutritional yeast.  You just follow the directions to add everything in them make them into patties and bake them for 20 minutes. 

Caleb ate one whole one and Amelia ate half.  We had them with whole wheat buns,  corn on the cob and fresh fruit.  Since they were pinto beans, I wasn't sure if ketchup and mustard would be good toppings, so all of us, except Amelia, put guacamole on ours.  It was delicious!  We even had leftovers that Caleb and I ate.  

My last recipe is from the PlantPure website.  I was on hospitality duty for church the next day.  We had hosted a church event on Wednesday and I had the church ladies over for brunch Saturday morning, so I was a little pooped and didn't want to run out to get ingredients for something or spend money buying premade pastries.   So, I found this recipe and had all the ingredients.  I was hoping they would be good, because I didn't have a plan B.....although, plan B would have been to run out and buy premade pastries.

I didn't take any photos, but I will still put the recipe on here.  They were good, but I felt that something was missing.  It think it was butter and oil and sugar.  Haha!  I kept out the egg substitute as the author stated, but I think I would add it in next time to see if that helped hold them together better.

Apple Carrot Muffins

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

3/4 C flaxseed meal

3/4 C oat bran

1/2 C date sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)

1 1/2 C finely shredded carrots

2 apples peeled and shredded (or pears)

1/2 C raisins (optional - I left them out)

1 C chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

3/4 C almond milk

2 egg substitutes 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract (didn't have, so I put in unsweetened coconut -      about 1/2 C)

1/2 C unsweetened applesauce

Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, date sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  (You will need a very big bowl). Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts.  Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in a small bowl, then pour into flour mixture.  Add applesauce.  Stir until moistened.  Do not over mix.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.  (I used cupcake holders since I would be putting them out at church).  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  It states this makes 15 muffins, but I got about 28 out of it.  

I will make these again! 

And lastly!

Sorry this post is so long!

I read an article about milk this morning that I found really interesting.  I am not a milk person, so cutting milk out of my diet hasn't been hard for me.  Eating cheese and yogurt, etc. has been a little more difficult.  I am copying and pasting it to my blog.  Is that plagiarism?  Does that have something to do with copywrite laws?  I don't know, but hopefully you'll find this as interesting as I did. 

WHAT YOU ACTUALLY GAIN FROM CUTTING DAIRY OUT OF YOUR DIET

By MISSY WILKINSON 

Published On 02/17/2017

Almond milk, soygurt, fermented cashew cheese… all these dairy imposters and others are slowly taking over the refrigerated food section. Whatever happened to squeezing a cow's teat and making do with the pale, white fluid that oozes out? It's like consumers today think they're too good to suckle at a bovine udder or something. 

Or maybe they're onto something -- that drinking cow milk is a little unnatural. Of course, just because something is unnatural doesn't mean it's bad, points out Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, author, and prominent vegan. "Wearing shoes is unnatural," he says. "Lots of things are unnatural, but we should look deeper if we're doing something that's a little strange, to make sure it doesn't cause negative effects."

With that in mind, let's see what happens when you give up on cheese and its creamy ilk. 

Cutting out milk could reduce your risk of prostate cancer 

A meta-analysis shows that milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer, the second-most common cancer in men. In some ways, it makes sense, since even organic milk is naturally full of hormones, which help both calves and tumors get bigger. 

"Drinking milk boosts IGF-1, a cancer-promoting growth hormone," Dr. Greger says. "It's a bioactive growth fluid that does what it is designed to do: put a few hundred pounds on a calf. So maybe we shouldn't be surprised that drinking milk from a massive species has these effects on our own bodies." 

Almond milk, by the way, suppressed the growth of cancer cells by 30%. And it keeps longer in the fridge, too.

You eliminate an inferior calcium source 

"But, but, but… calcium!" That's what people scream at you when you tell them to quit dairy, right? Right?! 

Yeah, milk has calcium. It also has saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones. "There's calcium in dairy, there's protein in pork and iron in beef, but food is a package deal," Dr. Greger points out. "You can't say, 'I would like the burger, but hold the saturated fat and growth hormones. And that's the baggage that comes with dairy." 

Plus, the calcium that's in dairy isn't easy for our bodies to absorb; only 31% of calcium in milk is absorbed, compared to 60-70% of calcium in foods like sesame seeds, Dr. Greger says. Double down on the tahini, in other words. 

You get more fiber and antioxidants from nondairy foods 

Kale, almonds, collard greens, and other foods have calcium levels that are equivalent or superior to what you'll find in dairy products. Plus, they have tons of fiber, which you probably need anyway. 

"Ninety-seven percent of people don't reach their minimum daily fiber intake," Dr. Greger says. "Dairy and animal products have no fiber. Getting calcium from vegetables, you get fiber, folates, antioxidants -- all the things missing from dairy that we could use more of." 

The only catch is that you have to actually eat collard greens and kale to get that calcium. "If they rot in your crisper drawer, the absorption rate is zero," Dr. Greger points out. Eat your greens, people. 

You gain stronger bones and a longer life 

A big cohort study that followed more than 100,000 Swedish men and women for 20 years showed that the women who drank the most milk had the most hip fractures. "More milk was associated with more fractures, higher rates of cancer, heart disease, and a higher total mortality -- meaning they lived shorter lives," Dr. Greger says. "Men also had higher rates of death." 

You help save the planet from global warming 

Did you know cow farts (aka methane) contribute to global warming? It's such a big deal that California recently enacted regulations to stem the tide of greenhouse gases that originate in bovine butts. That's not even counting all the energy it takes to feed and water the livestock. 

If you want to fight climate change, you could swap your car for a bike. But you could also just skip the gallon of 2% and grab a carton of plant-based milk instead. 

It's a baby step in the right direction… which is a step away from drinking stuff made for actual babies.

The Pioneer Woman's Wild Rice Pancakes

Ya'll, (in my most southern voice) I love the Pioneer Woman!  All of her recipes are delicious.  But, almost all of her recipes contain meat, eggs and dairy...all of which we have been trying to stay away from lately.  

 I have been wanting to try these pancakes for awhile now and when I didn't have a good plan for dinner one night, we had these.  They were delicious.  I doctored them up to make them "plant based".  

 I used a package of wild rice (where you only have to steam the bag in the microwave for 90 seconds - best thing ever!), substituted whole wheat flour for AP flour, used flaxseed meal...(I did use 1/4 C sugar, but I suppose you could use maple syrup or something instead if you didn't want to us that)...Almond milk instead of whole milk.......then I used this (see below) instead of the eggs. 

I know this seems weird.  It totally is!  But I've seen in a lot of other recipes that they call for an egg replacer.  So, when I saw this at the store, I bought it.

So, I used that for the eggs and I just used spray oil instead of the butter. Oh and I added chopped walnuts to our batter.  A lot of them.  I didn't measure, but it added that little something I think would have been missing.

I figured you could just blow this picture up if you want to try them out...saves me all that typing :o). 

I should have counted how many pancakes this made, because it was a lot.  Which was perfect!  I just stuck the rest of them in the freezer and we've eaten on them for breakfast another morning and when it was "pick what you want for dinner" night;o).  

Yummy Quesadillas

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Quesadillas

www.engine2diet.com

I made these for dinner yesterday.  And by I made them for dinner, I mean, I made the "stuffing" after church and stuck it in the frig until dinnertime.  I think this will be a definite go to meal for busy nights!  Amelia thought it was a little too spicy, so next time I'll buy a milder salsa.  (It's a good thing I left out the jalapeño it calls for)!  What I like about this recipe is that it is super easy!  I know the instructions say to bake the sweet potato, which will take forever, but I steamed mine in the microwave. OR you can buy already chopped up sweet potato in the produce section and you can boil it to make this meal quicker.  Also, this website is always trying to get you to buy their products.  Unless you really just want to stick to their recipe, I say buy whatever tortillas you'd like.  I did find a sprouted ancient grains brand of tortillas, but not the Engine 2 brand.  

So, like I said, I made the "stuffing" up right after church and stuck it in the frig in a covered dish.  When it was time to eat, we pulled them out and heated them back up in the microwave, then made up our quesadillas in a skillet and browned them.  We also added a little guacamole to the tops of ours.  There were plenty of leftovers (for us) to have lunch today.  

I'm going to keep saying it.....I am amazed that my kids are eating all of these meals!  It has been huge for our meal times and for trying new things.  I thought this change would be met with lots of grumbling, but they are loving this food just as much as we are!  And I feel good about putting healthy food in their bodies instead of what we were eating before.  

Ingredients 

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 8 ounces vegetarian, no added oil, re-fried beans
• 1 cup of salsa
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 8 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 1 jalapeño pepper, diced (optional and HOT)
• 6-8 Engine 2 Ancient Grain Tortillas

Instructions:

*1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
*2. Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper
*3. An hour before you plan to eat, peel and quarter the sweet potatoes
*4. Bake sweet potatoes in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour, until soft
5. In the meantime, prepare rice in a rice cooker or on stove top as directed
6. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and toss into a mixing bowl
7. Mash sweet potatoes with the salsa, rice and fresh spinach
8. Place sweet potato mash in a sauce pan and mix in black beans and refried beans, heating mixture thoroughly over medium heat
9. Add onion powder, chili powder and cumin to taste and stir
10. Place a tortilla in a frying pan on medium heat, and slather the side facing up with sweet potato and bean mixture
11. Add jalapeños if desired
12. Place another whole wheat tortilla on top
13. Press down on top tortilla with spatula with pan on medium heat for about 3 minutes
14. Flip with spatula and cook for another three minutes
15. Voila! Cut into desired number of sections
16. Serve topped with salsa

*If baking your sweet potato.  Skip if not.

What's for Dinner?

After being gone a week, it was a little daunting to come back home and plan dinner.  Eating healthy, whole-food plant based, takes planning.  You really can't just look in the pantry and whip something up out of can goods and boxed foods (unless you already have good things in the pantry).  Anyway, I ran to the store on Monday and bought the ingredients for Lynn's Meatloaf and Raise The Roof Sweet Potato Lasanga from the website, engine2diet.  You can read more about who this guy is and his journey down this path here.  I didn't take any pictures, well because I was still travel-tired and totally forgot.  BUT...it was good and our kids ate it!  And they don't like meatloaf, so that's saying something.  Here's the recipe and I think it's worth you trying.  Also, if you don't know anything about lentils (I didn't either), then here's a little take away: they lower cholesterol, are high in fiber, helps manage blood sugar levels, helps prevent digestive disorders, are a good source of b vitamins,  increase your energy by replenishing your iron stores, and in just one cup of lentils you will get 37% of your daily protein intake.   There's a lot more I could say about them, but just realize these are so good for your body!

Lynn's Meatloaf

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

10 ounces firm tofu, drained

¼ cup walnuts, finely ground

1 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils

1 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup (additional for topping)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons dried parsley

½ teaspoon each thyme, sage, and rosemary

Ketchup, to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350

Spray loaf pan (or use non-stick silicone bake-ware)

Sauté celery, onion and garlic on high heat in skillet with a little water or low sodium vegetable broth for 5 minutes until tender.

Remove from heat and cool.

Mash tofu in large bowl.

Stir in cooked mixture and remaining ingredients, and combine well.

Spoon mixture into loaf pan. Top with a layer of ketchup.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

On to my next meal: 

Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna!

I L-O-V-E-D it!!  But again, that's not saying much.  I love pretty much all vegetables.  And although the kids did eat it (Amelia even had seconds!), I think it was veggie overload for them and they just wanted more noodles.  I had a feeling this one would be good because of the rave reviews online, so I took pictures.  

Here's my disclaimer...again...this meal took a lot of prep work.  Mostly chopping.  And it takes an hour to bake, so you need to make sure you have time to make this.  Or, just prep the veggies the night before and it'll make assembly go so much faster.

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 package Silken Lite tofu
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left this out)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 2 jars Engine 2 approved pasta sauce
• 2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
• 6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
• 1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Their directions say to saute all of these veggies separately, but after sautéing the onions, garlic and mushrooms, I just mixed all of the others and sauted them together.  Also, this recipe called for corn, but after reading the reviews, felt that we didn't need them, so I left them out.  

While I was sautéing the veggies, I cooked my lasagna noodles.  

(I thought one box would be enough, so I only cooked one.  Yep, just like the directions said, you need 2.  I had to cook more :o( ).

 After all of the veggies were cooked, I mixed them all together in a big bowl, with the spices and the tofu.  

This is the 3rd meal where I've used tofu.  You can buy it anywhere, even Walmart.  I drained the tofu and then kind of wrapped it up in about 4 paper towels, then squeezed out all of the juices, while crumbling it.  I then dumped all of the crumbled tofu into the veggie bowl.  

 After that, I began to make up the lasagna.  

The directions say to make this in a 9x13 pan, but after reading the reviews and how much was left over, I opted to make two smaller pans and then put one in the freezer so that I could just pull it out another night.

First, you put a layer of sauce down in the pan.  I found this sauce at Trader Joe's and I think it's my new favorite spaghetti sauce!  

 Then you put down a layer of noodles and another layer of sauce.  The recipe calls for whole wheat noodles and after going to two stores and not being able to find them, I decided it wasn't really that important!  

 After the sauce, I put down a layer of veggies.  Doesn't the tofu look like cheese?  It's a good way to trick your mind :o).

 Then another layer of noodles and sauce.  

 Followed by the thawed, drained spinach.

 On top of the spinach, add your sweet potato.  It doesn't really layer on top, so I ended up just mixing the spinach and potato together.  

 Then add another layer of noodles, followed by the sauce, followed by a layer of Roma tomatoes.  

Cover it with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  

 After 45 minutes, take it out and sprinkle the ground cashews on top.  See, that kind of looks like parmesan cheese too, right?!  Bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered.  Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

This was delicious!!  I am so glad we have another one in the freezer.  I served this with strawberries and grapes and if I wasn't lazy, would have also made a salad.  That was a lot of work!  But, it was worth it!  Try it!