Category Archives: Recipes

Have you ever tried a recipe that after the very first time you make it become part of your meal plan arsenal? This is one of them, so get ready! When we went plant-based as a family more than a year ago, this became the filling for tacos and burritos on Taco Tuesday dinner (the kids decided Tuesday was for tacos – I don’t know who told them!). I had been buying premade black beans and seasoning them when we didn’t have time for cooking a batch from dried beans, but with six of us to feed and all the extra salt that’s in canned beans, I decided to find a recipe that tasted better and was healthier and cheaper.

I love beans. When we stopped eating animal foods, the first question we got from friends and family was often “Where do you get your protein? Well, beans and lentils are great sources of protein as well as fiber, which most Americans don’t get nearly enough. One cup of black beans has 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber as well as folate and other nutrients. They really are a nutritional powerhouse! And they are delicious, so what’s not to love? This recipe has onions and garlic and green pepper and cumin and oregano – the kitchen smells amazing! We make these black beans and stuff them in tacos and burritos with black rice (my favorite kind!) and guac and salsa and chipotle hot sauce (and a little vegan cheese shreds for the kids). But the best thing of all is that you can get all this deliciousness fast, and for me, that’s what makes this a keeper for our family. Delicious is required, but if it’s too complicated that recipe just won’t get made too often. If you remember to soak the beans the night before, you can have this ready to eat in one hour with about 15 minutes of it hands-on time. If you actually make this in the Instant Pot, you could make this the morning of and leave it on warm until you get home. Or, make it in advance and warm it from the refrigerator. You can even freeze what you don’t eat for a later meal. Trust me, you will want to make this one again!

Ingredients

1 pound black beans, soaked overnight or 8 hours

4 cups water

1/2 cup olive oil

one onion, chopped

one green pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced (I use more because garlic and beans are lovely together, but the recipe only calls for 4)

1/4-1/2 tsp cumin (I use a generous 1/2 – I love cumin!)

1/2 tsp oregano

3-4 teaspoons salt (sounds like a lot, but it flavors the whole pound of beans)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp white vinegar

2 tbsp white wine (optional, but good)

First, soak the beans. Soaking removes phytic acid which may impair the absorption of some nutrients. Also, it may help the beans to cook more evenly. Some believe soaking makes the beans more digestible – but it may be that people who eat beans adapt and digest beans more easily anyway. There are arguments about all of this, so do what you want – you’ll just need to cook your beans a little longer. I soak the beans.

Gather the ingredients.

Put the water and beans in the pot. Cook your rinsed beans on high pressure for 35 minutes.

While the beans are cooking, chop your pepper, onion, and garlic.

Saute them in the olive oil with the salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin until they are softened. Smells so good!

When the beans are done, add one cup to the pepper/onion mixture and smash the beans. Then add it all back to the big pot of beans. 

Add the vinegar and white white and simmer for a few minutes (we usually don’t wait that long, but you can!).

Enjoy!

If you’ve been reading along with me recently, you know that things have been a little crazy. I mean, life is pretty full and nonstop most of the time anyway, right? We have jobs and kids and school and home management and appointments and it just keeps going from there. Eating seems to get shoved in between all the other to-do’s and I’m always looking for ways to get things done better, faster, and more efficiently.

But…

While life is busy and there’s always lots to do, I’m committed to feeding myself and my family in a way that nourishes our bodies and our minds. For me, that means a whole foods, plant based diet. I’m not going for perfection – we went out for pizza (with vegan cheese!) on Sunday. But what I’m absolutely certain of is that if I don’t have good options for things to eat, I’m going to make bad choices. Like eating peanut M&Ms for lunch (yes, I’ve done that).

Peanut M&Ms – my kryptonite!

So, one thing I missed when we went plant based was having a meat protein on my salad at lunch. I used to do tuna or chicken strips. When I got rid of that, I still wanted something chewy in my salad or wrap. As I searched for options, I found a super easy substitute – tofu jerky!

Now, there are two ways to do this: One is as a snack, and the second is as a salad topping or sandwich filler. The snack is harder and more like meat jerky, but the way I make it leaves more chew than regular tofu but doesn’t make it tough. To my tofu haters: You might want to try this one. The texture is completely different than regular tofu because most of the moisture and sponginess is gone. My kiddos started making wrap sandwiches with it and now I’ve got to make more!

For those of you who have a fear of soy, I get it. The discussion around soy is fraught with concern and contains both good and bad information. Traditionally, diets that contain lots of soy have been correlated with health and longevity (think traditional Japanese food).  The problem comes in when people eat lots of highly processed and chemical filled soy. There are studies that show that a whole foods, plant based diet including soy can be used to decrease prostate cancer gene expression.

If you’ve been told by your doctor to avoid soy products, then by all means do not eat this recipe. But when it comes to soy for most people, I have a few recommendations. First, only buy organic soy. This means that your soy isn’t genetically modified or treated with glyphosate (an herbicide called Round Up that’s linked to allergies, asthma and cancer, used on most nonorganic soy, corn and wheat). Also, eat soy that’s the more traditional, fermented and less processed forms like tofu, tempeh, and edamame instead of highly processed soy like milk.

When I first started looking for recipes on how to make this jerky, I found lots of recipes that had many ingredients to make a savory marinade. While those might be good, I was looking for something that was a lot less work but still tasted really good. So after I tried a couple of homemade marinades, I made a batch marinated in a bottled barbeque sauce I like. And voila – easy and delicious tofu jerky! Ready to make it? Here we go!

Ingredients

Barbeque sauce

Extra firm block tofu

If your tofu is stored in liquid, drain it and press any remaining liquid out of the block. If you find the ones wrapped without liquid, just skip to the next step.

Pretty dry…

Cut the tofu into strips. I cut them half length so they fit in the bag.

Put the strips into a zip top bag and pour the sauce over them, shaking the bag to coat. Let them soak in the frig for at least two hours. Overnight works too!

If you have a food dehydrator, dry the strips on a mat for four hours at 140 F. I leave a little extra sauce on them. If you don’t, dry them in the oven on the lowest heat (usually about 175 F) for 2-3 hours.

Before the dehydrator…

After the dehydrator…

Since these aren’t completely dry, I don’t leave them on the shelf like real jerky. Store them in the frig and use them cut up over a salad or stuffed into a tortilla wrapped around lettuce, tomato, pickles and vegan mayo. Delicious!

My working lunch between patients – a handful of salad from last night’s dinner, tofu and dressing. Delish!

How do you get quick healthy meals? Please share in the comments below!

Ever since our family started on this plant based eating plan, I’ve been fooling around with recipes, trying to find some staples that work in our regular meal rotation. It hasn’t been easy.

You notice I’m not saying we are eating a vegan diet? That’s on purpose. A vegan diet can be very healthy, but it doesn’t have to be. You can absolutely be a junk food vegan! And for me, even if I eat non-animal foods, if I move into processed food land, I can put on weight at a speed that is truly remarkable!

So I’m trying as best as I can to stick to a whole foods, plant based, low fat (for me) eating style. The kids don’t need the low fat part, but that’s easy to adjust for them. But a plant based recipe that has great flavor, is low fat, and doesn’t have a page long list of ingredients  – now that’s been a challenge. The Black Lentil chili recipe is a good one. And I’ve found another lentil recipe that is basically a dump-and-stir, after you chop an onion and a tomato. 

I like lentils. They’re high in protein (one answer for non-vegans who want to know where you get protein on a plant based diet), low in fat, have lots of complex carbohydrates and fiber, and provide folate (especially good in pregnancy) and magnesium. They’re also delicious! I happen to love Indian food, but if you’ve ever tried to make a traditional Indian food recipe, there are a thousand spices in each recipe. That’s probably why it’s so good! But I don’t know how to do that kind of cooking quickly and easily, so I need a quicker option. Also, Indian food uses a lot of oil (usually ghee – not vegan), and since I’m following more of a Forks Over Knives plant-based plan, I wanted a low fat option. I also really like this recipe because all the heat is in the onion topping. I like fiery food, but my youngest does not, so this is a meal I can make for the family and enjoy without having to add hot sauce (which is what I usually do). This one comes from Fat Free Vegan, and I loved it!

Here are some short cuts for this recipe. First, use a pressure cooker (you know I love my Instant Pot!). You can do this on the stove top, but you’ll need at least 30-45 minutes for the peas to soften, so use the pressure cooker if you’re trying to make this fast. Second, get pre-prepped garlic and ginger. Yes, the fresh is delicious, but this is almost as good and is so much faster. Also, you need a garam masala spice blend, so make sure you have this before you start. Let’s get cooking!

This recipe doubles easily if you want to freeze some for another day.

Ingredients

1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal)

1/2 cup yellow moong dal (splint mung beans) or yellow split peas (I used this), or another 1/2 of the red lentils

3 cups water

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 onion chopped, 1/2 onion sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 teaspoons of garlic paste

1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, minced (or one teaspoon ginger paste)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala (or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste!)

Put the lentils and peas, water, tomato, chopped onion, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, turmeric, and salt in the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. If you’re cooking on the stovetop, bring to a boil, then cook on low covered for at least 30 minutes until then lentils are soft, stirring frequently and adding more water if needed. In the pressure cooker, let the pressure release naturally for ten minutes, then quick release. 

While the lentils are cooking, put the sliced onions in a dry skillet and cook, stirring often until they begin to brown. Fat Free Vegan recommended a nonstick pan, but I don’t use coated pans, so I used my dry cast iron skillet and they browned nicely. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until the onions are soft and a little browned at the edges.

Check the lentils to be sure they’re soft and cooked through. Then add the garam masala and stir vigorously to make the lentils creamy. Add water if it’s too thick. Adjust your seasonings (add salt or more garam masala). Serve over rice and top with the onions. A side salad would be good here, especially if you made the onions spicy. Enjoy!

Yes, it’s 95 degrees outside and I’m writing a post on chili! I know, that seems totally out of season. And it is, but since our family became plant based, this recipe has become a staple. This is a recipe that when I make it, no one misses the meat – and for chili, that’s saying a lot!

Lentils are a great source of protein, the highest of all the legumes. They contain lots of iron and calcium, and because of all the fiber and antioxidants in lentils, they are great for heart health. They’re also quick cooking, colorful, and delicious! They’re also inexpensive, so in addition to being a great alternative to meat dishes, they’re also a cheaper option. This recipe is made with no added fat, so it meets the criteria of a Forks Over Knives meal – plant based, whole foods, and low fat, promoting healing and reversing heart disease and diabetes. This chili is made from two kinds of lentils, black caviar and red. The black lentils are the texture, and the red ones break down to give thickness to the pot. The genius who created this recipe (Susan Voisin of blog.fatfreevegan.com) put this recipe together in an Instant Pot, one of my favorite appliances. But, it can be done on the stove top, it’ll just take a little longer. Either way, it’s worth it. We’ve had it with cornbread, over tortilla chips as nachos, stuffed in a potato, and with a side salad. It’s delicious and filling and I think I’m gonna make a double recipe next time!

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped, any color (yellow is pretty)

1 tablespoon garlic puree (or 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano (mexican if you have it – I didn’t)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (more if you like more heat)

1 cup black beluga lentils, rinsed and picked over

1/4 cup split red lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 quart box (4 cups) of vegetable broth

1 16 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes

1 teaspoon coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce or tamari, but they have higher sodium)

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon salt (optional, or to taste)

Instructions

First, prep your veggies and spices. Once you chop the onion and pepper, rinse the lentils, and measure the spices, the rest is almost a dump-and-stir recipe. 

Saute your onions in the Instant Pot first for a few minutes until they begin to brown (same on the stovetop). Then add the peppers and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add a little water if they stick.

Add the lentils and the dry spices and cook for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes and veggie broth, stir, and lock the lid in place (if you’re cooking on the stove, put a lid on the pot and cook for up to 30 minutes, until the lentils are soft). Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, then allow a natural release for at least 10 minutes. If you can’t get back to the pot that fast,  it’s ok – I’ve left it for 45 minutes past the cooking time and it’s been fine. If you’re in a hurry, quick release the pressure after the 10 minutes.

Add the vinegar and coconut aminos and salt if you need it (I didn’t, and I like salt). I might have put an extra dash of the coconut aminos though). If the chili is too thick, add more broth or water.

Serve with fresh cilantro (my favorite!) or parsley and enjoy!

What’s a staple recipe in your family dinner rotation?  Do you have a meal that’s always a winner? Please share in the comments below!

You asked, so here it is! Don’t blink – this one is quick and easy, so there aren’t too many instructions. Besides, I’m going to a conference on Plant Based Prevention of Disease, so I have to go pack!

This recipe is flexible, so don’t be afraid to adjust it to your needs. Nut free? Use coconut milk. Like nuts? Use a cup of raw soaked cashews instead of the avocado. Do you want it a little more green? Add a handful of spinach. And absolutely fiddle with the seasonings until it tastes the way you like. I like cilantro and basil, so I add it to the soup and use it as the garnish too. Also, a word of caution: Until you know how things taste, add the strong flavor in a little at a time. For example, if the recipe says 1-2 cloves of garlic, use one and taste, then add the other if you want more. There’s no cooking here to mellow the flavors and you can’t take it out, so little by little is best. It’s no fun to dump a blender full of food because it’s over-seasoned. Now let’s get started!

Ingredients

2 whole cucumbers

1/4 cup almond milk

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1-2 whole avocados, depending on size (or one cup of raw cashews, soaked overnight)

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp white miso (it’s good, but you can skip it if you don’t have any. A dash of tamari, coconut aminos, or soy might be a quick sub)

2-3 romaine leaves or a handful of spinach

1 tbsp maple syrup (optional – can help if the greens are a little bitter to taste, but it’s not required)

4-5 mint leaves

a pinch of crushed red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings: drizzle of good EVOO, fresh cracked black pepper, sprinkle of sea/pink/black salt (whatever you like), basil and/or cilantro leaves, cucumber slices, sprouts or pea shoots, slivers of grape tomatoes, pesto (not raw, but tasty!)

First, gather your ingredients. I added the lettuce leaves to my blend.

Then slice your cucumbers longwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and cut into big chunks. If you’ve got a high powered blender, you don’t have to cut much of anything! Put everything in the blender except your toppings. If you’re using cashews instead of avocado, drain and rinse the cashews and add them to the blender with everything else.

Blend away!

This soup is best cool, so if you can wait, let it sit in the frig for a couple of hours. Then drizzle, top, and serve!

What do you think? How do you feel after eating this soup? Want more raw recipes? Let me know in the comments below!