Creamy Crunchy Vegetable Stir-Fry (Spicy!)
Ingredients:
Mix all ingredients except the Veganaise together in a bowl. Heat your pan so that it's really hot (I tested my pan by letting a drop of water fall on it to make sure the droplet evaporated almost instantly.) Add the mixture carefully then crank the heat of the pan onto full blast. (The goal here is to flash-fry everything so that it heats up and the juice is cooked into the veggies while retaining the crunch of the fresh vegetables.) Stir so that the vegetables on the bottom of the pan don't get boiled by all the juices. Keep stirring until the onions start to turn a little translucent (but don't let them go soggy!) If there's still a bit of juice in your pan at this point don't worry the vegetables will absorb it as soon as the heat is turned off. Once you turn the heat off add the Veganaise carefully and sparingly and mix it in thoroughly. Enjoy!
- 1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 1 yellow onion (sliced into strips about 1/4 inch thick)
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced then cut into thirds)
- handful of broccoli (halved)
- 2 stalks of celery (sliced)
- garlic salt (use sparingly)
- dill weed (use generously)
- rosemary (use generously)
- Veganaise (around 3 spoonfuls---you only want to use a little to help balance out the flavors of the herbs)
- hot salsa verde (I used two to-go containers of fresh salsa verde leftover from my favorite Mexican restaurant. Approximately a quarter cup was used.)
Mix all ingredients except the Veganaise together in a bowl. Heat your pan so that it's really hot (I tested my pan by letting a drop of water fall on it to make sure the droplet evaporated almost instantly.) Add the mixture carefully then crank the heat of the pan onto full blast. (The goal here is to flash-fry everything so that it heats up and the juice is cooked into the veggies while retaining the crunch of the fresh vegetables.) Stir so that the vegetables on the bottom of the pan don't get boiled by all the juices. Keep stirring until the onions start to turn a little translucent (but don't let them go soggy!) If there's still a bit of juice in your pan at this point don't worry the vegetables will absorb it as soon as the heat is turned off. Once you turn the heat off add the Veganaise carefully and sparingly and mix it in thoroughly. Enjoy!
Baked Mushrooms and Garlic
Ingredients:
Optional: In a separate pan, bake the eggplant in olive oil. The eggplant takes less time to cook which is why you cook it in a separage pan. Again heat the oiled pan, add the eggplant, brush both sides of the eggplant with olive oil, cover the pan, and cook until te eggplant turns moist (it will appear to be a little soggy.) After you unwrap the garlic, mix the garlic, mushrooms, and eggplant into the mushroom-garlic pan, recover, and cook for about 5 minutes so that the eggplant absorbs some of the garlic and mushroom flavor. This is VERY filling!
- Mushrooms (sliced)
- Garlic (still in its natural wrappings with the end cut off exposing the bottom of the garlic bulb)
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- (Optional) Eggplant (sliced, circular and 3/4 inches thick. leave the skin on)
Optional: In a separate pan, bake the eggplant in olive oil. The eggplant takes less time to cook which is why you cook it in a separage pan. Again heat the oiled pan, add the eggplant, brush both sides of the eggplant with olive oil, cover the pan, and cook until te eggplant turns moist (it will appear to be a little soggy.) After you unwrap the garlic, mix the garlic, mushrooms, and eggplant into the mushroom-garlic pan, recover, and cook for about 5 minutes so that the eggplant absorbs some of the garlic and mushroom flavor. This is VERY filling!
Ultra-Basic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
- Spaghetti noodles
- Prego pasta sauce (make sure you get one that's vegan!)
- Garlic Powder
- Garlic Salt
- Vegetable Oil
- Sliced Mushrooms (1 can)
- 1 package of Light Life Smart Ground Original
- Black Pepper
- Oregano
Put a pot of water on the stove to boil with a bit of garlic salt and vegetable oil in it (add the spaghetti as soon as the water is boiling). While the water is boiling, heat and oil a pan and add the ground beef. Saute the meat and add garlic powder, black pepper, and garlic salt to taste (be generous with the black pepper and garlic powder). Then add the mushrooms and saute that for a few minutes so that the mushrooms absorb the flavor of the meat. Then carefully add the Prego, stir, stir in the oregano, then cover the pan and let it sit (stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn). Drain the water out of the pot of noodles with a strainer and then add in your pasta sauce.
I made this recipe to be accommodating for your basic omnivore who is into simple recipes so that the only ingredient change for them will be the faux meat (for your picky omnivore friends and family who like to stick with what they already know they like).
Fresh Lettuce-less Salad
- Yellow Squash (chopped)
- Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
- Banana (chopped)
- Pineapple (chopped)
- Orange Bell Pepper (chopped)
- Lemon (squeezed)
- Pear (chopped)
- Cilantro (chopped)
- Optional: Sunflower Seeds for garnish
I never have all these amazing ingredients, so I just went wild! This one is great on a hot summer day.
Not Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients:
This recipe is great if you're craving sweet potato fries but want to stay away from carbs. Plus carrots are super low-calorie (your main calorie content here is from the olive oil) and high in vitamins.
- Carrots or Baby Carrots (at least 3 bags of baby carrots, they get small when they cook)
- Olive Oil
- Salt
This recipe is great if you're craving sweet potato fries but want to stay away from carbs. Plus carrots are super low-calorie (your main calorie content here is from the olive oil) and high in vitamins.
Scrambled "Eggs" Breakfast Burrito
- Firm or Extra Firm Tofu
- Olive Oil
- Tofu Scrambler
- Garlic (1 or 2 cloves per serving)
- Spinach
- Tomatoes (thinly sliced circles)
- Red Onion (diced)
- Black Pepper
- Cilantro (chopped)
- Tortilla(s) (I've been using Cilantro and Jalapeno tortillas lately)
Caramelized Bananas
- Bananas per person (cut in half length-wise and then slice 3 times width-wise to make 8 pieces per banana)
- Sugar or a zero-calorie sweetener
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Cooking oil or PAM for zero calories
The great thing about his recipe is that you can adjust it to fit your dietary needs. If you use a zero calorie sweetener and PAM, the only calories are from the bananas and cinnamon naturally temporarily boosts your metabolism. But if you have a high metabolism or are trying to gain weight you can have the option of use the oil and sugar.
Spicy Avocado and Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients:
Carmelize the garlic and onions (fry them in butter, do the onions first and then add the garlic wh hte onions are just starting to turn yellow ("caramelize") because the garlic will take a lot less longer to cook than the onions.)
Add the chopped tomato to the casserole dish and then add the caramelized garlic and onions (DON'T mix this, it should be a layer of zucchini, a layer of tomato, and then a layer of caramelized garlic and onions and you're going to cover the whole thing with the filling below.)
The filling: mash the avocado(s). Heat a few tablespoons of water and mix in the EnerG Egg Replacer until you have a mixture that looks like egg-whites. Mix this into the mashed avocado. Add the baking soda, cayenne pepper, dried red peppers, salt, pepper, and lime juice and stir it well.
Pour the filling onto the casserole dish and completely cover all the veggies. Cover and put it in the oven. This needs to cook for at least 2 hours (mine never solidified entirely but it started to get a golden brown tint). Take the cover off of the casserole dish for the last 10 min of cooking.
This makes an incredible aroma while it's baking! I like this recipe because you can make a casserole with really simple ingredients and not have to worry about finding a vegan version of Cream of X soup to make the filling.
- Avocado
- EnerG Egg Replacer
- Baking Soda
- Cayenne Pepper
- Dried Red Peppers (I just used leftover packets from takeout food)
- Zuchinni (about 3/4 inches thick)
- Yellow Onion (cut into strips)
- Garlic (chopped)
- Vegan Butter (Earthbalance or Smartbalance Light are easy to find)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Tomato (chopped)
- Lime Juice
- Olive Oil
- Optional: Your own blend of spices---experiment!
Carmelize the garlic and onions (fry them in butter, do the onions first and then add the garlic wh hte onions are just starting to turn yellow ("caramelize") because the garlic will take a lot less longer to cook than the onions.)
Add the chopped tomato to the casserole dish and then add the caramelized garlic and onions (DON'T mix this, it should be a layer of zucchini, a layer of tomato, and then a layer of caramelized garlic and onions and you're going to cover the whole thing with the filling below.)
The filling: mash the avocado(s). Heat a few tablespoons of water and mix in the EnerG Egg Replacer until you have a mixture that looks like egg-whites. Mix this into the mashed avocado. Add the baking soda, cayenne pepper, dried red peppers, salt, pepper, and lime juice and stir it well.
Pour the filling onto the casserole dish and completely cover all the veggies. Cover and put it in the oven. This needs to cook for at least 2 hours (mine never solidified entirely but it started to get a golden brown tint). Take the cover off of the casserole dish for the last 10 min of cooking.
This makes an incredible aroma while it's baking! I like this recipe because you can make a casserole with really simple ingredients and not have to worry about finding a vegan version of Cream of X soup to make the filling.
Classy Mac N Cheese
Ingredients:
- Macaroni noodles
- Olive Oil
- Vegan cheese (in my opinion Daiya is best, followed by Follow Your Heart. Dice the cheese for faster melting)
- Alternative milk
- Oregano
- Tomatoes (sliced into 1/4 inch thick half-circles)
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Optional: Garlic (diced as small as possible)
Fresh Cranberry Salad
Ingredients:
This is an absolutely delicious natural antioxidant!
- Cranberries
- Pineapple (small slices)
- Manderin Oranges (peel and separate into individal slices)
- (Optional) Pecans or Candied Pecans
This is an absolutely delicious natural antioxidant!
Simple Tofu Soup
- Firm or Extra Firm Tofu
- Yellow Onion (diced)
- Carrots (chopped)
- Bouillon (I used No-Chicken Bouillon but you can use Vegetable Bouillon as well)
- White Pepper (I used a lot of this in this recipe.)
Feel free to add any other veggies/herbs/spices, this was just something simple I made the other day that I loved because it tasted great, was quick to prepare, healthy, and low-calorie.
Homemade Vegetable Stock
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (long slices, 1 inch wide)
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper (long slices, 1 inch wide)
- Low-Sodium Soy-Sauce (only use a little bit)
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves (thickly sliced)
- 1 Yellow Onion (Sliced into 8 pieces and don't separate the individual layers)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Olive Oil
- 1 Cup White Wine
- 1/2 a can of V8 Tomato Juice
This stock is AMAZING---I've never had a soup with a broth this thick and rich before!
White Bean Puree (Or Protein Mashed "Potatoes")
Ingredients:
This is a great substitute for mashed potatoes because it is extremely high in protein (but remember beans also have a lot of calories and fat so this is not a diet version of mashed potatoes, just a healthier version.)
- Alternative Milk (ie soy, almond, rice, hemp, etc)
- Cannelloni Beans (soaked or canned)
- Alternative Butter (ie Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light)
- Salt
This is a great substitute for mashed potatoes because it is extremely high in protein (but remember beans also have a lot of calories and fat so this is not a diet version of mashed potatoes, just a healthier version.)
Hummus
Ingredients:
I left this recipe pretty open because there are so many great flavors of hummus that you can make with different combinations of ingredients. Experiment in the kitchen and find out what you like to use best! Hummus is naturally high in protien, calories, and fat. If you have a high metabolism you can eat the hummus straight or dip it in chips, for a more weight-watcher friendly recipe, see Hummus And Grilled Vegetable Wrap.
- Chickpeas (soaked or canned)
- Assorted spices (ie Cayenne pepper if you want to add some spiciness)
- Assorted herbs
- Lemon juice
- Olive Oil
- (Optional) Artichoke hearts
I left this recipe pretty open because there are so many great flavors of hummus that you can make with different combinations of ingredients. Experiment in the kitchen and find out what you like to use best! Hummus is naturally high in protien, calories, and fat. If you have a high metabolism you can eat the hummus straight or dip it in chips, for a more weight-watcher friendly recipe, see Hummus And Grilled Vegetable Wrap.
Split Pea and Barley Soup With Lentils
**COMING SOON!**
Hummus and Grilled Vegetable Wrap
Ingredients:
- Hummus (see recipe on this website)
- Pita Bread or tortilla
- Assorted Vegetables (especially red bell peppers if possible!)
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- (Optional) Beans
- (Optional) Spinach