Good Morning Protein Smoothie

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 WFPB Cowboy Cookies

(WFPB – Whole Food Plant Based)

This one is DELICIOUS!!! Seriously, I have been eating these for my pre-workout fuel haha. So YUM and so good for you! I have been trying to experiment with different sweeteners and I read something about date paste, so since I had some dates all ready in my refrigerator, I thought I would experiment–the most fun part, except when it doesn’t turn out lol. In this recipe I subbed out the sugar for date paste, equal amounts. It tasted amazing and not too sweet, which I love.

The reason why I call them cowboy cookies is because I have been thinking about my dad lately and these cookies just seemed fitting for celebrating him. It was his birthday this month and he was a tried and true cowboy though and though. I can picture him out on the range herding cattle and eating some of these cowboy cookies. Oh man, I miss that guy. Here’s to you, dad!

WFPB Cowboy Cookies

  • 2 T. Flax Seed
  • 6 T. Water
  • 3/4 C. Date Paste (see below for recipe)
  • 2 C. Natural Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 C. Apple Sauce
  • 1 T. Vanilla
  • 2 tea. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 tea. Salt
  • 1/2 tea. Baking Soda
  • 3/4 C. Regular Oats
  • 1 C. Cup4Cup Flour (gluten free)
  • 1 C. Coarsely Cut Walnuts
  • 1/2 C. Unsweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes
  • 1 C. Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Mix flax seed and water. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together and all of the wet ingredients together in 2 separate bowls. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl and mix by hand. Mix well and add walnuts, coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Mix well until all ingredients are combined and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have 2 cookie sheets ready with a splat mat on each cookie sheet. Get about 2 T of the dough and roll it into a ball with the palms of your hands and sit each ball on the cookie sheet. After the cookie sheet is full, take a fork and flatten out each cookie so they resemble the picture below. I just kind of pat the fork around the ball until it is to my liking. I like mine about 1/4 – 1/2 ” thick. Whatever thickness you decided on, make sure they are all uniform so they cook equally though. Repeat this process for the remaining cookie dough.

I put 2 cookie sheets in my convection oven – one on each rack. Cook for 12 minutes.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Recipe for Date Paste:

2 cups of fresh dates, pitted (pack it down good)

1/2 C. Water (add a little more if too thick)

Mix well in food processor or Vitamix. I used the Vitamix and used the tamper to mix it up well and I stopped and started it in between tapping it down. It worked great!

OG Scrumptious Bombdiggity Vegan Enchiladas

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!!

Peanut Butter Energy Bites — sooooo good!

St. George is hosting the World Ironman Championship this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited! This city is BUZZING with enthusiasm for the athletes competing. They come from all over the world and we couldn’t be more proud to host. I have four friends that are participating, so I made each of them a goodie bag that included these scrumptious energy bites. When I did the IM, I loved having these on the bike portion because they are real food and they didn’t make my stomach upset. I wish all of the athletes GOOD LUCK!!

These are good for a quick snack, quick to make and made from wholesome, delicious ingredients.

Peanut Butter Energy Bites

1 C. Natural Peanut Butter

1 C. Old Fashioned Oats

1/3 C. Honey or Maple Syrup

1/4 C. Flax Seed

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 C. Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips

1 C. Coconut (I like Trader Joe’s unsweetened shredded), toasted (I’ll give instructions)

For the Coconut:

Take a large skillet and add coconut. Put heat on medium, stir it, and watch closely. It won’t take long until the coconut starts to brown a bit. When it gets to this point, watch very carefully because it can burn quickly. Continue to stir and turn down heat until it browns nicely and then remove from pan to cool. MAKE SURE COCONUT IS COOLED COMPLETELY BEFORE ADDING TO THE REMAINING MIXTURE.

I like my coconut a little bit more fine so I put it in my food processor and give it a couple of pulses until it looks like this:

Next, add all of the above ingredients together except the coconut. I like to wash my hands and mix it with a wooden spoon.

When coconut is completely cool, add to mixture with your hands. Go ahead, don’t be afraid, just grab it and squish it. Haha. It’s great!! And a great way to take out any frustrations you have in the day lol.

Please let me know if you make these and how they turn out for you! I love hearing from my readers. You’re all the best!

XOXO

Peg

Tofu Teriyaki Bowls

Servings: 4. Time to cook: 45 min.

These bowls are incredibly flavorful and you will love them. The tofu is delicious cooked on a crisper in high heat in the oven, which makes it so delicious and the teriyaki sauce is one I would use long ago for teriyaki spare ribs haha. No more of that! Now I have a new purpose for it and it suits my palate perfectly. This recipe looks complicated, but it really isn’t. First you make the sweet potatoes and if you have a double oven, make the tofu. If you don’t have a double oven, you can use one oven and put the sweet potatoes on one rack and the tofu on the other rack. Make the cauliflower rice, which takes about 15 minutes, cook the edamame and that’s it!

Teriyaki Sauce

  • 1 T. Garlic Powder
  • 1 C. Soy Sauce
  • 1 T. Dry Mustard
  • 1/2 C. Sugar
  • 1 T. Accent
  • 1 T. Corn Starch

Mix sauce together in a sauce pan and heat until thickened.  Set aside.

Sweet Potatoes

Heat oven to 425 to preheat.  Peel and cut sweet potatoes into even squares and dip in teriyaki sauce, take it out of sauce with a slotted spoon and put on a sheet cake pan with a splat mat on top.  Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes, then stir and then place in oven again for another 15 minutes.

(Option:  You can just cook the sweet potatoes without the glaze and just add it as a sauce later.  The hubs likes it that way but I like it cooked with the sauce on.  Try both and see which way you like better :). While sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare tofu.

For the Tofu

Above is the tofu that I love to buy.  It is extra firm and I find it in my local grocery store, Harmons.  Seriously,  YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS KIND OF TOFU!!  It is so much better than the other brands.  You just have to open the package and cut the desired amount you want and then rinse it, dry it off with a paper towel and it is ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425.

  • 1/2 block of tofu, cut lengthwise and then into 1″ squares
  • 3 T. Cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place cornstarch, salt and pepper in a ziplock bag and give it a good shake. Place tofu in the bag and shake, shake, shake until tofu is well coated. Place on rack roasting pan and put in oven. Cook for 10 minutes, stir, and cook for 10 more minutes until tofu is nice and golden.

Cauliflower Rice

  • 2 packages of frozen riced cauliflower (I found this at Costco)
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1/2 c. vegetable broth to prevent sticking
  • salt and pepper

Put cauliflower bag in the microwave one at a time for 3 minutes. Set aside. In a fry pan or I used a wok, on medium high heat about 1/4 c. of broth until hot, add onion and garlic and cook until onion is nice and translucent. Add cauliflower and cook for about 7-10 min or until it appears to be cooked through. You may need to add a little more broth to it to keep it from sticking. Add a little salt and pepper if desired.

  • 2 bags edamame. Cook frozen edamame 3 min., but make sure you poke holes in the bag with a fork (I like the Peggy’s brand from Costco. Sorry, no relation haha)

Assemble the bowls:

  1. Place cauliflower rice in bowl
  2. Place sweet potato and tofu in bowl
  3. Next put the edamame
  4. Top it off with the yummy teriyaki sauce

ENJOY!!! This is seriously one of my all time favorites! Please let me know if you try it! I always love to hear from my readers :).

OG Peg’s Plant-Based Creamy Cauliflower Corn Chowder

The other night I got home from work and the thought crossed my mind that I have not produced an OG recipe in a while and then the wheels start churning. One of the things that I love to do when making and original is to look at all of the ingredients in my refrigerator and see the food that I have on hand and then create! It is really a fun thing for me to do, but sometimes I put a little bit of this, a little bit of that and a whole lot of this in it. haha. That is just how my mother would cook, but it does not serve those well who need exact measurements, like my daughters lol. Here’s to you girls—–

OG Peg’s Plant-Based Creamy Cauliflower Corn Chowder

Total Time to cook: 45 min

This recipe is comfort food at its finest. Even your carnivores will love it! I promise!

  • 1/2 package Organic Felicetti Cavatappi Pasta, cooked al dente (see pic at bottom)
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 t. onion salt
  • 2 t. garlic salt
  • 1/2 t. pepper
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 – 1 t. thyme
  • 3 small or 2 large heads cauliflower, cut into medium pieces
  • 5-6 c. vegetable broth (enough to cover the cauliflower about 1″ above)
  • 2 14.5 cans Great Northern Beans
  • 2 14.5 cans of corn
  • 1 c. whole cashews (I like the organic Costco brand)
  • 1 1/2 c. water
  • 1 t. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 t. lemon juice
  • 3 T. nutritional yeast

Cook pasta. Make sure the water is well salted and boiling before adding the pasta. Cook 9 min. Drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking cut onion, peel garlic and add to a wok if you have it, but if not just a frying pan. Add a little broth to the pan and saute until the garlic, onion, garlic salt, onion salt, salt and pepper and thyme until onion is translucent about 7-8 min.

Put cauliflower into a large soup pan with the broth and bring to a boil. Add corn and onion mixture and cook for about 10 minutes, checking after about 7 min after boiling to make sure the cauliflower is done to your liking.

While cauliflower is cooking make the cashew cream mixture in a high speed blender (I have a vitamix). Add remaining ingredients in blender and blend well, as in really well. You don’t want any chunks in your delicious soup.

Once cauliflower is done to your liking add the cashew cream and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust seasonings and enjoy.

This recipe may look hard but it really is simple and if you wash your dirty dishes as you go, it’s a cinch! Please tag me if you make this. I always love to know who has tried my recipes, especially my originals.

Love to all.

This is the pasta I order on Amazon for this dish. It’s truly amazing and makes all the difference to have delicious pasta.

Southwest Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos

You will love these tofu eggs with veggies! Original recipe from minimalistbaker.com, but we added a twist of our own that I promise you will absolutely flip over the goodness of these. My hubby and I say all the time, “If people only knew how good these were, they would have this kind of food all the time.”

Southwest Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos

TOFU SCRAMBLE:

A little vegetable broth
8 ounces extra-firm tofu (I love buying the extra-firm tofu at Harmon’s grocery store, if you live in Utah)
1/4 red onion, (thinly sliced)
1/2 red pepper, (thinly sliced)
2 cups kale, (loosely chopped)

SAUCE:
1/2 tsp sea salt, (reduce amount for less salty sauce)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric

IN A SEPARATE BOWL MIX:
2 T. unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
A little water

ADD:
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp or more black salt (taste to your liking or until it tastes like eggs 🙂

FOR SERVING:
Salsa
Hot Sauce
Breakfast hash browns (I like the Costco dehydrated hash browns that come in a container that looks like a milk carton)
Tortillas
Cashew Cream
Avocado

DIRECTIONS:

Pat tofu dry and roll in a clean, absorbent towel with something heavy on top, such as a cast-iron skillet, for 15 minutes.

While tofu is draining, prepare sauce by adding dry spices to a small bowl and in a separate bowl combine liquid aminos, almond milk, and and add water mix and add to spice mixture to make a pourable sauce. Set aside.

Prep veggies and warm a large skillet over medium heat (we like to use our wok). Once hot, add a little vegetable broth and the onion and red pepper. Season with a pinch each salt and pepper and stir. Cook until softened – about 5 minutes.

Add kale, season with a bit more salt and pepper, and cover to steam for 2 minutes.

In the meantime, unwrap tofu and use a fork to crumble into bite-sized pieces.

Use a spatula to move the veggies to one side of the pan and add tofu. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add sauce, pouring it mostly over the tofu and a little over the veggies. Stir immediately, evenly distributing the sauce. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until tofu is slightly browned.

Serve immediately on tortilla with the breakfast potatoes. I like to add more flavor with salsa, hot sauce, avocado, and cashew cream.

Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese–so good!

This creamy delicious mac and cheese is so good!! Your kids will love it!! The original recipe is taken from one of my favorite blogs called Monkey and Me.

Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Boil together:
2 cups cauliflower, trimmed into small florets
2 cups Russet potatoes, peeled, small dice
1/2 cups carrots, diced, tiny dice
1/2 cups cashews
Sauce Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsweetened plain plant milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth *
1/2 cup water, (or broth)
1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar, (+/-)
2 teaspoons white miso *
1 Tablespoons reduced sodium tamari *
1/4 cup + 2 T nutritional yeast, (+/-)
1 Tablespoon dried minced onions
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground mustard
Pinch turmeric, (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Other Ingredients:
12-14 oz. GF elbow macaroni, (or pasta of choice)
Crumb Toppings:
1/2 cup GF panko, (or panko/bread crumbs of choice)

Fill a large stock pot full of water. Add some sea salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil then add the pasta. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Note: You want to coordinate the completion of the pasta cooking time with the completion of the sauce. If unsure, then just wait to put the pasta into the boiling water once the sauce is done. Just turn the sauce down really low or remove from the stove. Boil the pasta until el dente, drain, rinse with cold water to remove any excess starch, shake well, then transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce.

Set aside panko bread crumbs.

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the oven rack in the center.

Place the cauliflower florets, diced potatoes, carrots, and cashews into a medium stockpot, bring to a boil, gently boil until fork tender (about 10 to 12 minutes). Drain off the water, then place them in a high-speed blender. Add all the Sauce Ingredients into the high-speed blender with the cooked cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, and cashews. Blend on high until smooth and emulsified.

Place the cooked pasta into a baking dish, pour the sauce over the pasta, mix well, then sprinkle the Crumb Topping evenly over top. Place in the oven and broil until the top is golden brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure the crumble topping does not burn. Then turn off the oven and allow the dish to sit in the hot oven undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy

Vegan Broccoli Pasta

This recipe is a deliciously creamy. and my son said that it was a TEN!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! And please, if you make a recipe on my blog, please, tag @itsapegslife in your pic on Instagram or Facebook!

Vegan Broccoli Pasta

  • 12 oz pasta (whatever kind you would like)
  • Sauce Ingredients:
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons white miso paste
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Trader Joe’s sun dried tomatoes (add to your liking)
  • 3 cups broccoli
  • 12 oz. button mushrooms (optional)
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper
  • red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook the pasta according to the instructions. Set aside.

In the meantime, make the creamy cashew sauce. Place cashews (see tip for cashews below), garlic cloves, nutritional yeast, miso paste, salt, Dijon mustard and almond milk in a high speed blender and process until smooth. Add Vegetable broth, corn starch, lemon juice and sun dried tomatoes.

Cut broccoli into small florets and slice mushrooms, cook in a bit of vegetable broth in a large pan about 10 min.

Add cashew sauce to the sauted broccoli and mushroom mix.

Cook about 10 minutes to thicken.

Stir in the cooked pasta or serve sauce on the top of pasta. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Vegan Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowls

I LOVED this recipe. There were so many different flavors on my tastebuds that every bite was a little different. The coconut quinoa was some good vegan comfort food. This recipe is taken from one of my favorite blogs called fitfoodiefinds.com. I adapted it for an oil free version. Also, don’t get overwhelmed by all of the cooking steps! It just creates more opportunity for family to help you in the kitchen. Make it a family event and it will be quick and easy :).

Prep Time: 40 minutes Bake Time: 30 minutes

COCONUT QUINOA

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 15-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

To prepare the quinoa RINSE WELL, place coconut milk, water, maple syrup, and quinoa in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil over high heat.

Next, turn the heat to low, cover the saucepan and let the quinoa cook for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

  • 2 large sweet potatoes and or yams, cut into bite-sized cubes
  • Spritz with a little bit of water
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Then, place diced sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and spritz with water. Toss to fully coat.
  2. Then, season with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
  3. Roast sweet potatoes at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes.

PURPLE CABBAGE SLAW

  • 1 cup purple cabbage, sliced
  • 1 cup shelled edamame (if you don’t have shelled edamame, you can use shelled like I did and spread them on top)
  • 1 large red pepper, sliced
  • 1 large carrot, cut into thin sticks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  1. Place purple cabbage, edamame, carrot, and red pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Make dressing by whisking together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, grated ginger, and salt.
  3. Then, toss veggies in dressing. Set aside.

PEANUT SAUCE

  • 2.5 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter
  • 2.5 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  1. To make peanut sauce, place all ingredients into a medium bowl or jar and mix together to combine.

TOPPINGS

  • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
  • squeeze of lime juice
  • Black sesame seeds, to toast

ASSEMBLY

  1. Evenly distribute the coconut quinoa, sweet potatoes, and coleslaw into four bowls or meal prep containers.
  2. Drizzle with peanut sauce if eating immediately and top with cilantro, chopped peanuts, a lime wedge, and more black sesame seeds.