Hearty Vegetable Chili

I whipped this up a couple nights ago because I didn't have ingredients for one of my usual go-to dinners. It was so good I had to make a recipe and share. The best part is you can add any vegetables you have on hand! I think sweet potato or squash would go really nice in it. Perfect for those days you need to get rid of what's left in the veggie drawer.

Hearty Vegetable Chili

1 Tbs Coconut oil (or oil of choice)
1 red onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup green beans, diced
4 slices vegan bacon (I used Lightlife Smart Bacon)
2 tsp home made taco seasoning (I really like THIS one)
1 can tomatoes, (blend slightly in food processor)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced green chilies
Juice from 1 lime
1 1/2 cups water (can add more if there is not enough liquid)
1-2 Tbs homemade "chicken" broth seasoning (start with one Tbs and add more to taste)
1 cup frozen corn
1 can Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and Pepper
Fresh cilantro (coarsely chopped) and extra lime wedges for serving

Heat oil on medium/high heat in a large pot and sauté onions until soft. Add carrots and celery and sauté another 5 minutes. Then add bell pepper, garlic and green beans, sprinkle with the homemade taco seasoning and sauté an additional 5 minutes. It is always a good idea to toast your seasonings a little to bring out their aroma and flavor before deglazing the pan with liquid ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients (except cilantro/additional lime) and stir to combine. Bring everything to a boil then reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve topped with fresh cilantro and lime juice!

"Chicken" Broth Powder

My sister Lucy shared this recipe with me a couple months ago and it is my new favorite seasoning. I use it in everything from soups to seasoned veggies. It is SO GOOD and really does taste like chicken! But unlike the store bought powder this is vegan and doesn't have any nasty additives like MSG and GMO corn syrup. If you make nothing else that I post on this blog please do yourself a favor and make this one!

"Chicken" Broth Powder

2 cups nutritional yeast 

1/2 cup real salt

2 Tablespoons onion powder

1 Tablespoon turmeric

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

2 teaspoons marjoram

2 teaspoons dried powdered lemon peel

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tsp powdered thyme

1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley 

Blend all ingredients except parsley in a food processor until powdered and mix together. Add 1 tablespoon parsley and pulse to chop. I used all dried herbs since I already had them on hand but if you use fresh (for the basil and parsley) it would be even more amazing! Store in an airtight glass jar. Original recipe can be found HERE.

Easy Lunches

I tend to eat more simply now. I'll put a little more effort into the dinner since I want my husband to enjoy it, but during the day I keep my meals easy and fast. Of course I still love to indulge (and do so quite often) but for the most part I stick to simple meals made from whole foods from the earth. Here are some really easy and delicious lunches I've had over the last few months.

A huge salad is always a winner! 

 Big bowl of grapes

 Went a little fancy one day with some leftover pasta. Sautéed zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, snap peas, grape tomatoes, and spinach in a little coconut oil then tossed with leftover whole grain pasta. SO SO GOOD!

 Smoothie bowl with granola on top...really easy and so filling.

 Another easy salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sweet potato, and pepitas)

Lunch on the go. I remember I was in a big rush that day but still managed to throw together something tasty and fulfilling to take to work. 

(2 gala apples, snap peas, fresh dates, and walnuts)

Happy New Year!

Ugh. Its pathetic that I haven't posted on here in MONTHS! Sorry to the 3 people that read this! I've actually taken tons of pictures of stuff I want to post but just haven't got around to putting it on here. I caught up with a really good friend of mine a few weeks ago and I told her how I didn't eat meat anymore. She was astounded (in the funniest way possible) and she just kept asking "HOW? But seriously how do you do that?" It is so much easier than you think! People always ask if I miss eating meat and I really don't. Socially I felt a little weird around the holidays skipping the tradition of eating turkey on Thanksgiving or ham on Christmas, but I don't actually crave or desire the taste of it. I also really enjoy going to the grocery store and not having to venture down the meat isle surrounded by all that blood and dead animal flesh (saves my wallet a whole bunch too). Even going out to eat there are so many options these days. At my 30th birthday sisters breakfast I had a huge vegan breakfast burrito that was amazing! Before you turn your nose up at the word tofu, you just have to try it before you judge. Over the last 6 months I've learned I'm not a huge fan of tofu, but as a scrambled egg substitute in this burrito it was so good!

Last week I was in Cancun at an all inclusive resort with the hubby. All inclusive means UNLIMITED food. Which might sound like a waste that I didn't take advantage of all that meat around but I really didn't mind since they had lots of vegetarian options. Like this veggie wrap...

 Every morning for breakfast I would raid the buffet of their fresh fruit including berries, papaya, and a type of guava found in Mexico. Plus lots of other plant based options like french toast, pastries and cereal. 

This year I'm hoping I can use this blog to show how easy it is to eat plant based and maybe even bust some of the myths that surround a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Stay tuned!

Banana Blueberry 'Nice'cream with Rawnola

This is my FAVORITE food lately. Loni Jane's banana nice-cream with rawnola. I don't have a link for her recipe but you can find her on instagram. So simple and yet so delicious, filling, and loaded with nutrients. 

All you need is...

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut flakes

10-12 raw dates (I used dried ones for the above photos and it was still really good)

1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen blueberries

Pulse oats, coconut and dates in a food processor until mixed well. I recommend using raw dates because the mixture will be more pasted together and have a chewier texture/richer flavor. 

Next pulse bananas and blueberries in a blender or food processor until creamy (add a little water as you go if needed). Short on berries? I frequently eat this with bananas only and it is still to die for! Top nice-cream with rawnola and enjoy!

Corn Potato Chowder

Here's a dinner I thought wouldn't stand a chance without a couple key meat ingredients I usually make it with...milk and bacon. But guess what, it turned out so good that no one missed the meat products and it passed my toughest critics with flying colors! Straight from the hubby's mouth "This is better without bacon." Sweet music to my ears! This is also a great last minute recipe since it is made out of staple ingredients I usually have in my house. Perfect for the cool fall weather we've been enjoying too!

Vegan Corn Potato Chowder

1-2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Large Yellow onion (or 1 whole small one), finely diced
1 Large Carrot, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2-3 Cups Vegetable Stock
6-7 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 can creamed corn
1 Cup frozen corn kernals
1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
1-2 tsp onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot sauté onions in the EVOO until they start to turn translucent and caramelize (about 5-6 min). Then add carrot, celery and garlic and sauté a few minutes longer. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling reduce to medium low and simmer for 30 min. You want this soup to be thick so don't add too much vegetable stock. If you add to much though you can always simmer it for longer so the liquid reduces more. Likewise if it is too thick you can always add more stock or keep a lid on the pot to trap in the moisture. Also note that I think the nutritional yeast is a key ingredient that made the soup extra yummy because it replaces the savory bacon flavor. Serves 4-6.

I Love Fruit

It's not unusual for me to come home from the groceries store with a huge load of fruit like this (actually banana wise this is a small load).

Since becoming vegetarian 3 months ago I've developed a slight irrational fear of running out of fruit. That's because we eat so much of it! To my amusement I always get comments from the cashier about my 10-15 bunches of bananas. Last week the lady said lightheartedly "so you have all the monkeys fed now?" The week before that a different lady curiously asked "what do you do with all the fruit?" Well, we eat it! I freeze most of the bananas once they are ripe and use them for smoothies but whether they are fresh or frozen we eat several bananas a day in this house.

Fruit gets a pretty bad reputation and I think most people are scared to eat too much of it because of the sugar. I've read several articles about how overconsumption of any sugar (including fruit) is detrimental to health and prevention of disease. However the more I've researched a plant based lifestyle, I've seen the opposite to be true as long as the sugar is whole raw fruit. Based on everything I've read it is clear that sugar in a whole piece of fruit is not the same as other sugars and it is different because of the the way the body processes it. Refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, white table sugar, or basically anything that is not in the form of whole fruit, is rapidly digested, which spikes blood sugar levels giving the body a quick surge of energy. If that energy is not used right away, the body stores it (potentially as fat). Once that burst of energy is gone you are also left feeling unsatisfied because there was no fiber to slow down the digestion process and sustain the energy. On the other hand, raw whole fruit contains vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and FIBER which slows the digestion process down. Fruit is also rich in carbohydrates made up of glucose, whose digestion depends on having the plant cell wall intact. In other words it does not digest the same as refined sugars nor are its nutrients absorbed by the body in the same way and the body actually uses real fruit efficiently, even for diabetics! Here is an excellent article that covers more about this topic by one of my new favorite health experts Dr McDougall.

Back in June 2013 I did a post all about sugar and how bad it was. I still agree that too much refined sugar is bad but I don't think sugar is the enemy anymore. Sugar/carbs only become the enemy when combined with FAT. Separately carbs and fat do ok, hence why opposite diets like Atkins (high fat low carb) and plant based (highcarb low fat) both still achieve weight loss results. However weight loss is not the perfect indicator of health, and I think the plant based diet higher in nutrients (among other reasons) is the better choice long term. Additionally I've seen a huge amount of research about how much more satisfying a high carb diet is. The human body runs on glucose and the more carbs (aka glucose) you give to your cells, the less cravings you have and the more satisfied you feel. Moral of the story... whole unprocessed foods are best, fruit is your friend, and carbs from plants make me happy! Eating plant based is really easier than you think and I can't wait to share some of the best recipes I have found so far!