PARMEGAN (Vegan Parmesan)

Prep Time - 5 mins

Total Time - 5 mins

This 4 ingredient, 5-minute recipe is the perfect topping for any pasta, soup, salad, or anywhere you would use parmesan. Keep a jar on hand at all times! 

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Canadian, Italian

Servings:  (about 1 tablespoon per serving)

Calories: 61 kcal

Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cashews (roasted or raw)
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse several times until it's broken down into a fine crumbly texture, scraping down the sides as needed. I like a bit of texture in mine, but if you prefer a powdery texture, pulse a few times more.

TOFU BOLOGNESE

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 45 mins

This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:  Servings

Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if preferred) I use Tamari Sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon chipotle (or more if you like it very spicy)
• 3  blocks extra-firm tofu, drained (no need to press it)
• 3 cups tomato sauce (700ml jar or homemade)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (180C).  Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet.

2. Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil chili powder, garlic powder, and chipotle together in a large bowl. It will make a brown paste-like texture.

3. Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl along with the seasoning. Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated. Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.

4. In the meantime heat the tomato sauce.  Stir the tofu into the sauce, and heat through. If you find the sauce is too thick, stir in a bit of water until desired consistency is reached. Serve over hot pasta, brown rice with a sprinkle of  Parmegan (vegan cheese).

Recipe Notes

Leftover sauce keeps the perfect texture so this dish can be made ahead of time and reheated as needed.

I adjusted the amount of each ingredient from the original recipe so you can serve 4 people plus have leftovers for next day school lunch ;) 

Quinoa and Turmeric Fritters

Turmeric is one of the most healing foods on the planet as its so incredibly anti-inflammatory. It has a warm peppery flavor that works so well in this dish to add a deep flavor to the quinoa fritters. It pairs great served either over a bed of arugula or sauteed spinach with a side of tomatoes.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 large sweet potatoe (12 ounces)

1 1/2 cups quinoa

2 lemons

4 tablespoons of almond butter (if you have a nut allergy swap it for tahini)

4 tablespoons of tomato paste

8 tablespoons of brown rice flour or buckwheat

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cumin

salt and pepper

olive oil

Preparation

Start by peeling the sweet potato, then chop it into small pieces and either steam or boil them for about 20 minutes, until they're really soft.

While they cook, rinse the quinoa with cold water until water runs totally clear.

Place de quinoa in a saucepan with the juice from one of the lemons and 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Boil for a minute or 2, then let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes, covered, until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy, but not mushy.

Drain the sweet potatoes once they are soft and blend them in a food processor with the juice of the other lemon plus the almond butter, tomato paste, flour, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper until totally smooth.

Preheat the oven to 400F (convection 350).

Place the sweet potato mix into a large mixing bowl and stir in the cooked quinoa (ensuring that there is no water left in the quinoa pan) until nice and sticky.

Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil and scoop 2 tablespoons worth of the mix onto it to  make a circle, then do the rest with the remaining mix so that you can have 12 circular fritters.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the fritters are perfectly stuck together.

YOu can then eat them like this or place them in a frying pan with a little olive oil and fry each side for a couple of minutes so that they're a bit crispy.

This recipe is from the book Deliciously Ella

Enjoy!

Twenty-Minute Chili

You can make this a vegetarian dish or you can make it with ground beef, you decide!

When making this hearty chili, shop for grass-fed beef, it's naturally leaner, higher in omega 3 fats.

Make ahead and enjoy leftovers that are even better than the first day!

Prep: 5 Min

Cook: 15 Min

Serving 3:

Ingredients:

1 onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 packet of tofu or 1 lbs ground beef
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy) 
1 tbsp sea salt
15 oz or 1 can black beans
15 oz or 1 can of Great Northern Beans (soaked or canned, rinsed)
14.5 oz or 1 can diced tomatoes (in juice un-drained)
8 oz or 1 can of water chestnuts (chopped)
6oz or 1 can tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth

optional
3 green onions
1 avocado diced

Preparation:
-Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
-Add your garlic and onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally.
-Add tofu or ground beef, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and sea salt. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up large pieces. About 5 minutes.
-Add your black beans, diced tomatoes and water chestnuts, stir to combine.
-In the bowl of food processor, add broth, great northern beans, and tomato paste and blend into a smooth consistency.
-Add blended mixture to your saucepan and stir to combine. Continue heating on medium-low heat until heated throughout.
-Serve and top with diced avocado and sliced scallions.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cooked red quinoa
• 6 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes or ½ C. grape tomatoes, finely diced or marinara sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan, grated (optional)
• ½ cup mozzarella, grated (or any other vegan cheese)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a 12" skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil and onion. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté just until the onion softens a bit.
2. While you wait for the onions to soften, scoop just a bit of each zucchini out with a round scoop (or use a round measuring spoon). Chop the scooped bits up into a small dice put the zucchini aside.
3. Add the tomato, zucchini bits, and some salt and pepper to the pan. Continue to sauté for another couple of minutes. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach wilts down.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked quinoa. Add the Parmesan if using. Stir to combine and set aside.
5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the zucchini on the sheet. Using a small spoon (I use a regular teaspoon) divide the mixture between all of the zucchini. Cover the baking sheet with foil. You can refrigerate at this point up to a couple of days if you'd like to serve it later. Otherwise, place the sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, covered.
7. After 30 minutes, uncover and top each zucchini with some mozzarella. Place the sheet back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. If you'd like a browner top, raise the rack in the oven to the highest spot.
8. Remove from the oven and serve.

NOTES

To yield one cup of cooked quinoa, cook ⅓ cup of dry quinoa in about ⅔ cup of water. I like to prepare a whole pot of quinoa (1 cup quinoa in 2 cups of water. It will yield 3 cups cooked) or even double this for more leftovers. I love having cooked quinoa in the fridge. Use it as breakfast with vanilla almond milk and some fruit, warm it up and top it with an egg or add it to some sautéed veggies as a great side dish with dinner or for lunch! Quinoa is pretty awesome!

Always rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve before cooking. That removes the saponins, a powdery coating that can cause a bitter taste.

I cover the zucchini with aluminum foil while baking because if you don't, the quinoa will get a bit crunchy, but take it off for a crunchier taste.

This is just a basic stuffing you can also add leftovers from fridge such as red bell peppers, mushrooms, kale, basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, oregano, parsley, etc.. Get creative! You can even use brown rice, or buckwheat instead of quinoa.
Enjoy and send me some pics of your creation.

Laura
 

Are you feeding your soul?

When was the last time you did something you enjoyed and was just for you and nobody else?
When it comes to helping our clients achieve health and well-being goals, we as Health Coaches can't stress this idea enough. Taking care and learning about how food and regular exercise can improve our lives is important; but feeding our souls by pampering ourselves and listening to our needs is an essential part of the healthy journey as well.
We have a tendency to feel guilty when doing things that nurture our spirit, often neglecting this because we forget that body, mind, and spirit are all connected, and optimum health can only be achieved when all three areas are balanced.
We need to be adequately nourished to give and be able to receive.

Now, self-care it's different for everyone: have you taken a massage lately? Have you sat at your favorite coffee shop and caught up with your latest book? Have you enrolled in that painting class you've been wanting to attend?
Not all forms of self-indulgence need to be high commitment or high cost. Here are a few suggestions:
- Soak in a hot bubble bath
- Attend a restorative yoga class
- Have a hearty breakfast
- Go to the beach and walk barefoot
- Take a dance class
- Catch up with a long-lost friend
- Get a facial
- Get a mani/pedi
- Get a foot massage
- Spend a day in your PJ's
- Play with your pet!
- Attend a meditation class
- Take a nap
- Feed a hobby or passion
- Loose yourself in a book
- Listen/Move to music
- Inhale an aroma you love
- Write something
- Breathe and be present

I hope you find in this post the gentle reminder to take care of yourself. Share with me how did you decide to do it!

Love, Laura