Category: Healthy Meal Planning

Good Morning Protein Smoothie

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In the morning I get a good workout in and then I love whipping up my Good Morning Protein Smoothie. It is one of my favorite breakfasts. Making this smoothie is easy, it’s quick and I put it in an insulated cup with a big straw(not shown) and head out the door for work. It’s nutritious and delicious and filling. I buy all of the ingredients at Costco, but you can get these ingredients at your local grocery store (maybe not the protein powder). This plant based protein powder really is the best. I’ve tried other brands and I like this one best.

Good Morning Protein Smoothie Recipe

  • 1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 2 Scoops (1 serving) of Orgain Organic Vanilla Protein Powder
  • 4 Large Frozen Strawberries
  • 2 Handfuls of Kale (I like to freeze mine)
  • 1/2 – 1 C Water

Put all ingredients into a high speed blender (I use a Vitamix) and mix on high until ingredients are all mixed in and it is smooth. If the mixture is too thick add more water. Pour into an insulated cup or into any cup. Makes a good size smoothie. Approx. 20 oz.

Please let me know if you try this recipe! It’s a good one! Cheers!

XOXO

Peg

OG Scrumptious Bombdiggity Vegan Enchiladas

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This is one of my favorites!!! I think I say that about all of the recipes that I blog about haha, but I only post the very best for you. My goal is to teach you how easy cooking whole food plant-based food really is. It’s amazing the flavor you can get when combining whole food with some delicious spices and some cooking techniques that are tried and true. It’s truly one of the best decisions my husband and I have made in this life. We feel better, are heart healthy and LOVE the delicious food we make. Give this recipe a try and tell me your thoughts. I would love to hear from you!

Recently, I took dinner to my neighbor who just had a baby and this is what I made for them. They are meat eaters so I was really nervous that they wouldn’t like a dinner without meat, BUT I got a text from her the following day and she said that they LOVED IT!!! WAHOO!!! IT MADE MY DAY!

This original recipe came from my daughter which was for sweet potato black bean enchiladas, but I like to change things up a bit, so I modified it and added some ingredients to make it better :). I loved the changes and I don’t even miss the cheese that is in the original recipe. This recipe has a lot of homemade ingredients so it takes a bit of time, but I do it in stages, so one day I’ll make the pinto beans in the instant pot and then use it for another recipe, like tacos and then I’ll bake the sweet potatoes earlier in the day so they cool off a bit before putting them in this recipe. Don’t get overwhelmed with it–just take it one step at a time. Please read the whole recipe before beginning.

Vegan Cauliflower Hamburger/Sweet Potato/Pinto Bean Enchiladas

You can make a bunch of these to feed a crowd. I like making two pans–one for me and one for a neighbor or you can freeze these in the pan after assembling them but don’t add the enchilada sauce until the end of the cooking time. This helps your enchiladas stay a little crispier instead of soggy. (Put aluminum foil on them before freezing and use within a few weeks)

For the Cauliflower Hamburger:

  • 2 packs of Frozen Cauliflower Rice (I get them from Costco), cooked for 3 min in microwave to soften
  • 1 small package of white mushrooms (grated in food processor)
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
  • 1 T. Cumin
  • 2 Teaspoons Chili powder
  • 2 Teaspoons Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I like to wash my hands really good and mix it up with my hands. Taste it and make sure the spices are to your liking. Add a little extra of what you want. Take a cookie sheet and put a splat mat on it. Put cauliflower mix on top of the spat mat and cook for 15 min. Remove from oven and stir it on the mat and put it back in the oven for 15 min. When it comes out it should resemble hamburger–looks a little brown and delicious. Set aside.

While hamburger is cooking, cook the sweet potatoes one at a time in the microwave–poke holes in sweet potato with a fork all over the sweet potatoes (I prob do this about 4-5 times around the potato–cook 4 minutes for a medium one or 5 minutes for a large OR I like to cook the sweet potatoes earlier in the day or the day before to prep for this meal. Here is the oven instructions for cooking sweet potatoes:

Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork and put them on a cookie sheet with a splat mat on and bake for about 45-50 minutes until they are soft. I like to poke mine with a fork and if they are fork tender, they are done. I just have the urge here to say to you, “STICK A FORK IN IT!!!” LOL!! Set aside to let cool and then peel them and mash them with a fork. Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder and mix the spices in with a fork until it is well mixed. Taste and make sure the spice is on point to your liking.

Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot

  • 3 C. Raw Pinto Beans
  • 6 C. Vegetable Broth
  • 1/2 Onion, diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
  • Jalapeño (optional), cut in very small dices
  • 1 T. Cumin
  • 1 -2 tea. Chili Powder
  • 2 tea. Salt
  • a few sprinkles of pepper

Rinse pinto beans and pick out the beans that are duds. Add a little of the broth to the instant pot and put on saute setting. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic and jalapeño (if using). Saute for about 5-7 minutes until onion is translucent. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. The smell should be very fragrant and make your home smell so good! Just saute the spices for a couple of minutes and then add the beans and remaining broth. Stir well and turn off saute setting.

Put lid on instant pot and cook on regular pressure cooker setting for 55 minutes. After beans are done cooking let them sit for about 15 minutes before releasing the pressure.

Now you are ready to assemble the enchiladas.

These are the items you need to have in an assembly line to make the process streamlined:

Tortillas (I like the flour kind from Costco, but make sure you cook them well so they aren’t soggy, but you can use corn for these too if you need gluten free)

Sweet potato

Cauliflower hamburger

Pinto Beans

1 Brown Rice Package or as many as you need, cooked in microwave for 90 seconds (see picture)

32 oz. Green Enchilada Sauce, mild (I like LaVictoria or any other brand that is a favorite)

Put a bit of the enchilada sauce in the 9×13 pan–enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

In each enchilada put a little of the sweet potato mixture, a little of the cauliflower, pinto beans and brown rice and with a large spoon put a spoonful of enchilada sauce on top and roll up by tucking all of the ingredients in and roll it up.

Add rolled tortillas to pan and bake for 30 min on 400. Add remaining enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas after 30 min and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and top with your favorite toppings.

Here are a few of our favorite toppings:

Pico

Cashew Cream:

  • 1 C. cashews
  • 1 tea. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tea. lemon juice
  • 3/4 tea. salt
  • 3/4 C. water

Mix in high speed blender until well blended. This is delicious and one of my very favorite foods!!!

Avocado

Fresh tomato

Mateos Salsa (from Costco)

Corn and Chile Salsa (Trader Joe’s)

This is amazing Salsa!! I hope you enjoy these enchiladas. They are a lot of work, but trust me–THEY ARE AMAZING!!

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

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This week I have been thinking about some creative dinner recipes that I could publish on my blog. Maybe it comes from not having so much to do because of being isolated and 6 feet apart from everyone in my world haha. The struggle is real folks! I hope all of you are doing well and filling your time with the people you love (virtually and real life) and some things that you have time to now do.

Today I am bringing you an original and with this recipe you can get creative yourself and use a different bean other than garbanzo, such as pinto beans (try my instant pot pinto bean recipe) and give it a Mexican twist.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms (an itsapegslife original 🙂

Serves 3-4 people

  • 6 portabella mushrooms, washed, gills and stems removed
  • 1 sweet potato, baked, sprinkle with a little cumin and chili powder and smashed
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 white onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch of green onions, sliced thin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup raw quinoa, cooked in veg. broth (1/2 c quinoa to 1 c veg broth, bring to boil, cover, and cook on med. low for 20 min.)
  • 2 cans any type of bean. I did a garbanzo bean mixture with sauted onion and garlic, salt, pepper and tumeric and slightly mashed them.
  • 1 can vegan refried beans
  • 1 sliced avocado

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and once it is up to temperature, put mushrooms gill side up on a baking sheet lined with a splat mat or parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 min while you get the remaining ingredient together.

While mushrooms are cooking saute garlic, onion, red pepper and green pepper on medium high. To do this, first add a little veg broth to the pan and let it get hot, then add garlic and onion. Saute for 2 minutes and then add peppers. I like to add a few shakes of cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tea. each approx.) at this point. Saute until peppers are cooked through (about 10 min).

Add whatever bean you want to this mixture.

After mushrooms are done cooking, remove from oven and let sit while you get your ingredients in order for the “stuffing.” This is also a great way to use up some of the leftover stuff in the fridge. For example, the sweet potato, garbanzo mix and refried beans were leftover from other meals that I had prepared last week.

First blot dry the inside of each mushroom with a paper towel to absorb the moisture. Now for the assembly–

  • Refried beans
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Bean, pepper, onion mixture
  • Quinoa
  • Green onion

Put back in the oven and bake for 10 min on 425. Remove from oven and enjoy. I like to serve this with some greens. So delicious. Please let me know if you make these and tag me at itsapegslife.

Delicious Instant Pot Pinto Beans

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Delicious pinto beans with no overnight soaking needed.

You are going to LOVE these flavorful and delicious pinto beans. They are so so easy to make in the instant pot and NO SOAKING NEEDED! WOO HOO!

Ingredients:

  • 5 C. Pinto Beans, rinsed with water
  • 1/2 Anaheim Pepper or 1/2 Jalapeño Pepper
  • 1 T. Minced Garlic
  • 1 Large Onion, Chopped
  • 3 T. Cumin (I love cumin so if you don’t, add just 1 T.)
  • 2 tsp. Chili Powder
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 10 C. Vegetable Broth or enough to cover 1″ above pinto beans

Put a little vegetable broth in the instant pot and turn pot on the “sauté” setting. When pot is hot, add garlic and cook until fragrant (approximately 2 minutes). Add pepper and onion. You may need to add more broth here so it doesn’t burn. Sauté for approximately 5 minutes and then add cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook until you smell that luscious smell of spice. OOOOO do you smell it? I LOVE that smell.

Add beans, stir with a large spoon, and then add the broth. Stir again. Turn instant pot off and then push “manual”. Set the time to 55 minutes. When instant pot beeps and it’s done cooking for the 55 min, release the air vent out after 10-15 min. Taste beans to make sure they are spiced to your liking and add more salt if needed.

For this burrito, I layered it with mashed sweet potato, quinoa, and beans. Roll it up to eat like this. Or, to make a taco salad out of it, top with avocado, lettuce, salsa, vegan cashew sour cream, and your favorite vegan dressing. Enjoy!

Delicious Granola (oil free)

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This recipe is one that you’re going to want to keep handy. It’s delicious on its own for a snack, or pour almond milk over it and you have yourself a real treat! I also like throwing a handful in my oatmeal.

I actually made two batches of this–one with almonds and honey (for all of you non vegans 🙂 and one with agave, coconut, and peanuts. I loved the agave, coconut, and peanuts one!! So delicious! Ahhhh my mouth is watering thinking about it, so let’s get to it…….,.

Recipe is adapted from Cooking Classy.

Granola (no oil)

Yield: 8 cups approximately

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total time: 40 min

4 c. Whole oats (don’t use quick oats)

2 c. Amaranth flakes

1 c. Slivered almonds or peanuts (I love peanuts)

1/4 c. Coconut, the wide kind (optional)

3/4 c. Packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. Agave or honey

1/4 c. Water

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1 c. Dried berries (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss together oats, amaranth flakes, coconut and sliced almonds, set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, combine brown sugar, agave, water, cinnamon, and salt and bring mixture to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 min. whisking constantly and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda and whisk until foamy. Be careful here because the baking soda makes it foam up a lot.

Carefully pour mixture over oat mixture and toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture onto an even layer on a Splat mat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 min until golden brown. I cooked it for 10 min intervals and then tossed it a bit to get even cooking. Remove from the oven, toss in dried fruit and allow to cool completely. Store in airtight container but make sure granola is completely cool first.

Enjoy!

Pita Pockets with Black Beans, Brown Rice and Sweet Potatoes

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Looking for a quick lunch idea? Here is an easy one………

Pita Pockets with Black Beans, Brown Rice and Sweet Potatoes

(Inspired by my daughter, Natalie 🙂

Makes 3 or 4 Pitas

INGREDIENTS

2 c. choice of greens

1 sweet potato, cooked and cut into small cubes

1 cooked brown rice bowl (see picture below)

salsa

1 can black or pinto beans

favorite brand of pita pockets (I love Trader Joe’s whole wheat)

Directions:

Place a 1/4 of the greens and sweet potato in the pita. Add salsa, beans, brown rice and I like more salsa. I love it. Enjoy!

BOWLS BOWLS BOWLS!

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Bowls, bowls, bowls (thats what I call them) are one of our favs to whip up on a busy work night.  It’s very simple to make and you can make a very colorful, nutritious meal in no time at all.  I mean look at all of these beautiful bowls.  You can use whatever grain, veggies, tofu or no tofu haha, edamame or nuts you have on hand.  The combinations are endless!!

First, choose the grain:

Pearled farro, quinoa, brown rice, white rice.

I have to say pearled or perlato farro is my personal fav.  Pearled cooks faster than the regular farro because the the outer layer is peeled off, so make sure you buy the pearled, otherwise, you’ll be cooking your farro for A LOT longer to get it tender. We buy ours at the local grocery store, Harmons, in the bulk section.  My hubby is the master at cooking farro.  This is the way he likes to cook it—

Pearled Farro Recipe

Makes 4 small servings

Wash the farro throughly.  Farro 3 to 1 ratio vegetable broth to farro, so 1 c. farro to 3 c. broth.  Bring to boil, turn heat down to minimum, put lid on and cook 15 min, drain off access liquid

It’s that easy and so tasty.

If you choose to make quinoa.  The Vegan Corner has the best recipe:

http://www.thevegancorner.com/how-to-cook-quinoa/

Or here is his recipe for Quinoa:

How to cook quinoa

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup quinoa (6oz)

1½ cup water (12.5oz) (I like using vegetable broth)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Thoroughly wash the quinoa to remove the bitter-tasting saponins from the outer layer. Drain the Quinoa properly before moving on.
  2. Place a small pot over high heat, pour in the water and bring it to the boil.
  3. As soon as the water starts to boil add the Quinoa to the water, give it a good stir with a fork and cover the pot with the lid.
  4. Lower the heat to the minimum and cook the grains for 15 minutes.
  5. Once that time is up, turn off the heat and let the Quinoa rest for another three minutes before removing the lid.
  6. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, transfer it onto a dish and spread it. This will stop the Quinoa from coking any further.

If you choose to make brown or white rice, you can cook according to directions or in your rice cooker.

Next–choose your veggies:

Broccoli, butternut squash, cauliflower, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, corn, peas, beans–just any veggies.  You can prepare them by steaming them, roasting them in the oven at 425 for 20-30 min and sprinkle them with a bit of vegetable broth.  Make sure your veggies are cut the same size to equalize cooking times because some veggies cook faster than others.  You can put your veggies in columns on the cooking sheet and pull out the ones that cook faster.  Cover with foil to keep warm.

The last step:

Choose a crunch and a sauce (if you want sauce :).

For the crunch and a little protein:

Edamame, cashews, peanuts, or you can add some tofu and/or beans here too.

This is my favorite BBQ sauce because it has no oil and I can read all of the ingredients ha.  Always a good sign of a good product.  I found this brand at Harmons, but I’m sure other grocery stores have it too.

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I am also in love with this Miso Tahini Sauce in my Isa Does It Cookbook.  This is the recipe:

Miso Tahini Sauce

For the dressing:
1/4 cup mellow white miso
1/4 cup tahini
1 cloves garlic
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in Vita Mix or other blender and mix well.  Start with 1/2 c water and add more.

I hope you enjoy these bowls as much as we do!  Please tag me on Instagram @itsapegslife when you make this recipe.  I want to see what you come up with :).

Creamy White Wine Lemon Alfredo Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes and Linguine

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During the holidays, I made this recipe and it was fabulous.  Rich, quick, creamy and dreamy and a definite comfort food.  This is definitely in my book of favs (seems like I’m saying that a lot lately LOL).  You could serve this with any pasta of your choice, but I served it with linguine and it was divine.  In fact, while my daughter and I were eating this, we both commented, “Can you believe this is vegan?”  Loved it!

Creamy White Wine Lemon Alfredo Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes and Linguine

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Source: pastabased.com

Course: Main Course

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Total Time: 45 min

Yield: 4 servings

Serves: 4 Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 lb grape tomatoes
  • 1⁄2 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1⁄2 tsp salt
  • 1⁄2 tsp pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Wash grape tomatoes and cut in half. Place on baking pan and drizzle with vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Roast in pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes.img_9933
  3. If you don’t have pre-soaked cashews, use the quick method by placing the cashews in a small pot, covering with water and bringing that to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and cover for 15 minutes, until cashews are soft. Drain when done.
  4. Meanwhile, heat a skillet on medium heat. Add your diced onions and sauté until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup white wine and sauté until all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
  5. Then, in your food processor or blender, add vegetable broth, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and your garlic and onion sauté. Blend on high for 2 minutes or until creamy.
  6. Serve over pasta.

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