Autumn Souffle

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash (or similar) - cooked
1/2 yellow onion - chopped
10 sage leaves - chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter - melted
4 egg yolks (separate & set whites to side in another bowl)
salt
pepper

1 1/2 C beyond-meat ground beef (for vegetarian, or use real ground beef for not)

4 egg whites

1/4 C almonds - chopped
1/4 C walnuts  - chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Steam the butternut squash in the microwave, or cook in the oven, until it is very soft. I added a little salt free veggie broth to mine while it steamed!

Saute the onion and olive oil on medium heat until translucent.  Add the sage and garlic and cook for another minute or so. Divide the onion mixture in half - add half to the 8X8 baking pan to be mixed with the ground beef, and half to a mixing bowl to be combined with the squash.

In the large mixing bowl, scoop out the flesh of the squash and combine with the sauteed onions, melted butter and egg yolks. Use an immersion blender to puree the ingredients together. You could also use a blender instead in order to get a smooth, creamy texture.

With *clean* hand mixer, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.

Add the egg whites to the bowl with the rest of the squash mixture and fold together carefully - you don't want to mix too much or you'll mix out all of the stiffness of the egg whites!

In an 8x8 baking dish, cover the bottom with your meat mixture & onions. Top gently with the squash mixture and spread evenly around. Sprinkle top with chopped nuts. Bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

Eggplant 'steaks' & pulled 'pork'n'beans - Vegan

Ahhh... Labor day weekend. Fire up the grill, put on the suits, and crack open a beer - vegan style!

Steak Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
oil
liquid smoke
Montreal steak seasoning

Pulled 'pork'n'beans Ingredients:
1 small sweet potato, shredded
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
4 tbsp your favorite (vegan if you choose) BBQ sauce
*liquid smoke, onion powder, garlic powder to your liking...

Slice eggplant to a thickness of about a 1/4 inch. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and let 'sweat' for about 30 minutes (this part isn't necessary, but the more liquid that remains in the eggplant, the longer it will take to cook on the grill & the mushier it will taste).

Once you've blotted your eggplant with a paper towel, brush each side lightly with olive oil, and on one side, brush with liquid smoke, the other side, sprinkle with steak seasoning!

Grill on medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side.  (I also sliced up some potatoes to throw on the grill - as seen pictured above)

Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the pulled pork on the stove top, and let cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes - stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

Serve either together or separately!

Serves 2 @ roughly 400 calories per serving!

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies - Vegan & Gluten Free

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 C black beans (rinsed, no salt added)
1 1/4 C pumpkin puree
5 1/2 Tbsp Coconut Nectar (or honey, for non-vegan)
1/2 C dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp water
1 (+) tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

*1/2 C (vegan) chocolate chips*

Makes 16 brownies at 87 calories per serving! (only 50 calories without the chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x16 baking pan.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients (omit the chocolate chips) and puree until smooth.

Pour batter in baking pan and sprinkle in chocolate chips. Smooth over (covering the chocolate chips so they don't burn on the top) and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Let cool and cut into 16 brownies.

One Bite at a Time...

I think about food. A lot. Just the other night, I kept thinking to myself "Oh, I'll just have 1 bite..."  Well, one bite of this, one bite of that, and 3 pounds later, I really did some damage!

The damage inspired the following poem:

One Bite...

One bite at a time

It helps or it hurts

One bite at a time

It tempts and it flirts

One bite at a time

but the bites add up

One bite at a time

til you can't coverup

One bite at a time

Feed your body or brain?

One bite at a time

And both you can train.

One bite at a time

Choose this or choose that

One bite at a time

building muscle or fat

One bite at a time

which bite will you choose?

One bite at a time

how much will you lose?  

Chipotle Slaw - Vegan

Ingredients: 

1 small head cabbage

1 medium red onion

1 large red bell pepper

15-20 baby carrots

1 cup black beans

Sauce: 

1 avocado

juice of 4 limes

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chipotle powder

Shred all veggies to slaw consistency. Mix in a large bowl, and add 1 cup black beans. 

In a food processor, combine the last 8 ingredients and puree until smooth. 

Mix the sauce with the veggies and refrigerate before serving. 

4 servings  

Per serving:

212calories

36carbs

6fat

8protein

12fiber

13sugar

Blanched Asparagus with Deviled-egg dressing

The asparagus was so good, I only got a picture of the leftovers! (sorry about that)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs asparagus

Sauce:
3 hard boiled eggs - yolk separated
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sherry cooking wine
1/2 clove garlic - finely minced
1/2 tsp onion - finely minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients BUT the cooked egg whites.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Dice the hard boiled egg whites and add them after the sauce has been mixed.


To blanch the asparagus:

My asparagus were thick (in season!) so I boiled about an inch and a half of water, added the asparagus for 1 minute, then immediately transferred them (with slotted spoon) to a bath of ice water to cool. After about 1 minute in the ice water, remove and dry off using a paper towel.  Plate, drizzle over sauce, then chill until time to serve.

Simple Vegetable Quiche w/ sweet potato squash crust

Ingredients: 

Crust
1 1/2 cups baked spaghetti squash, cooled
1 medium sweet potato, raw, shredded (grated on the large side of the cheese grater)
Salt/pepper if you want!

Combine the squash and potato, then spread throughout a pie dish or round baking tin. Pinch up the crust so you have almost an inch worth of crust up the side (if using a baking tin).

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden brown.

Vegetables:
4-6 blanched asparagus stalks, cut into 1/4 in pieces
1 small zucchini, sliced thin
2 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
2 large baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 onion, finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced

Liquid: 
1/2 can lite coconut milk
5 eggs
salt & pepper

Mix together liquid ingredients, plus the onion & garlic in a separate bowl.  Lay vegetables one layer at a time, and pour a little egg mixture between each layer.

Place quiche in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  The quiche will puff up as it bakes, but will deflate once you take it out of the heat and let it cool.

I didn't have any problem with my crust sticking to the baking tin I used - miraculously enough!? I guess the squash & potato are moist enough they didn't burn to the sides.

Let the quiche cool for 20-30 minutes, and slice & serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Vegan Paleo Banana Muffins

Makes 3 incredibly delicious, moist & sweet muffins! :D  Plus 4 grams of fiber!

1/2 large banana (75g) - mashed
1/2 small zucchini (30g) - shredded finely
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce (60g)
1 tbsp melted coconut oil (I may even try just 1/2 tbsp next time - very moist!)
1 tsp vanilla

~Mix~

Add:
3 Tbsp coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

~Mix~

Add:
2 Tbsp water (an extra 1/2 tbsp if you only use 1/2 the oil)

~Mix~

Add
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened carob chips OR cacao nibs OR dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.  Let cool, and enjoy!

Per Serving:

126 Calories

15 Carbs

7 fats

2 proteins

4 fibers

8 sugars

Calorie Count: ^ totaled with unsweetened carob chips  (calories may differ for other chocolate substitutes)

w/o the chocolate :( calorie count is 100 calories per muffin!

World's Easiest & Most Nutritious Salad - Vegan, Paleo, Low carb, etc.

The post title? Ok, maybe I'm not the best person to make that call, but in all honesty, every ingredient in this salad has had it's praises sung for one reason or another, and very little cons, if any!

I'll even supply some links in case you're interested in learning more!

Ingredients:

Dressing 

1 tbsp tahini paste
       *a complete (vegan) protein*
        http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6997/10-Reasons-to-Eat-Tahini.html
1 tbsp white/yellow miso paste
       *fermented = probiotics = immune system support*
        http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-benefits-and-uses-for-miso.html
1 tbsp lemon juice
       *antioxidants, vitamin C*
        http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-545-LEMON.aspx?activeIngredientId=545&activeIngredientName=LEMON
1 tbsp vinegar
       *does more than you think*
       http://www.rd.com/slideshows/apple-cider-vinegar-benefits/#slideshow=slide1
1/4 tsp minced garlic 
      *fresh garlic, for crazy health benefits - immune system booster? is there anything garlic DOESN'T do!?*
       http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/25/benefits-of-garlic_n_3990616.html
1/8 tsp cumin 
      *immune support again, and great for diebetics (mice, that is)*
      http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cumin/#axzz2wRLOHsVb

Salad 

2 Cups Bibb lettuce
       *fiber in lettuce*
1 Cup micro greens
       *4-60 times more nutritious than full grown*
        http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/05/02/are-microgreens-healthier/
2 tbsp raw hemp hearts/seeds 
       *omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, vitamin A, E and D, and many B vitamins, calcium, iron - and the list goes on!!*
        http://www.naturalnews.com/043230_hemp_seeds_health_benefits_blood_pressure.html

Not that it's too difficult to figure out, but mix all dressing ingredients together, then drizzle over salad ingredients!  Feel free to add some more nutritional powerhouses to the mix! Tomatoes? Edamame? Go for it!

Chocolaty Zucchini Pumpkin Bread - Paleo (make some substitutions for low carb)

^100 Calories worth of chocolaty goodness!^

Ingredients: 

1 C finely chopped zucchini (about 200 g)
3/4 C canned pumpkin
2 tbsp coconut nectar (or honey)
2-3 packets of stevia (or add another tbsp of honey/coconut nectar)

1 egg
1 egg white
1 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

3/4 C coconut flour (or almond flour)
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C coconut milk (carton, not canned)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Puree ingredients in a large food processor, in the order shown above (or broken off into the 4 sections above).

Pour into an 8x8 baking dish, and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

10 servings comes in around 100 calories a piece!

Low Carb, Dairy-Free Blue 'Cheese' Dressing - 3g

Ingredients:

2 tbsp mayo
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp applecider vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp tahini paste
1/4 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional, but sooo much better with!)
2 tbsp extra firm tofu


Mix the all ingredients together EXCEPT tofu, until completely blended.

Crumble tofu on top, and mix together until you get your desired consistency.

Makes about 4 tbsp, for 3g carbs and still creamy - just like the real thing!

Low Carb & Paleo Greek Chicken & Eggplant Bake, 15g

I used a vegan chicken substitute that was grilled/had a smoky flavor added, and it was phenomenal.  If you're using chicken & happen to have Liquid Smoke, maybe add a dash or two to add some extra flavor dimensions! :)

Not only is this dish low in carbs, but it's low in calories, too!  Right around 300 calories per serving, including the chicken. In my book, that makes for TWO wins! :)

Makes 2 servings, at around 15g carbs (serving) or less!

Ingredients:
100g eggplant - cubed (about 1 Cup)
1 medium tomato - (140g)
4 marinated artichoke hearts
2 chicken breasts, cubed (the smaller they're cubed, the less time they'll cook)

Marinade:
1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or olive)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp marsala cooking wine
1 tsp+ balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp greek seasoning (or italian)
2 tsp minced garlic

Preheat the oven to 350

Cube the first 4 ingredients (meats & veggies) and put in a tin foil lined baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the marinade.

Coat all meat & veggies with the marinade, and place in the oven for 30 minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle).