Snacks: Apple and pistachios (not pictured)
Dinner: For dinner last night I worked on another recipe, Sweet Potato Bean Stew, topped with tomato, avocado and sour supreme with a few whole grain crackers.
Dessert: Swiss Almond Coconut Milk Ice Cream (not pictured)
What did you eat Wednesday?
There is no denying it bread does not last long in this house, especially if it is in bagel form. Both the husband and I are addicted to toast, bagels with tofu cream cheese and sandwiches. To keep our addiction in check we don’t often buy bread but rather eat it out (which isn’t often) or Neil will bake us up a small loaf (much more manageable). One other way that we have been able to keep our addiction in check are wonderful sprouted breads that are from the freezer section; it seems that if the bread isn’t on the counter we won’t eat a loaf in two days (or less).
Our current bread love is French Meadow Bakery which makes bagels, wraps and bread both gluten free and not. We seem to always have something in our freezer nowadays and I love it. My favorite products are the bagels especially the hemp bagels with tofu cream cheese, thinly sliced onions and tomatoes, capers and a little salt and pepper- YUM! Also did I mention that one hemp bagel has 19 grams of protein and 13 grams of dietary fiber! This is a huge plus especially since being pregnant I need to make sure I am getting a good amount of both.
When my sweet tooth hits I turn to the sprouted cinnamon raisin bagels which honestly don’t require any topping but are wonderful with almond butter and banana. These t0o are filled with protein and dietary fiber- Win!
Now I would eat most everything on a bagel but sometimes you just want toast or a sandwich and that’s when I turn to the 16 Grain & Seed Bread. This bread makes a fabulous sandwich or toast, I especially like to use it for open faced sandwiches. Recently I made up a bowl of my favorite sandwich filling, chickpea salad, and topped a few slices of 16 Grain & Seed Bread along with tomato, red onion and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. I stuck the slices under the broiler for 4-5 minutes and voila I had the best open faced sandwich- double yum!
My Favorite Open Faced Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Place your chickpeas in a bowl and smash them with a potato masher. Add the carrots, celery, onion, kelp flakes and vegenaise and mix to combine. Top slices of bread with the mixture and then layer with onion and tomato. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. Place on a sheet pan and broil on high for 4-5 minutes.
Unfortunately Open Faced Sandwiches Aren't Very Photogenic
Last night for dinner we had White Bean Pesto Pita Pizza <–try saying that 5 times fast. It was amazing, one of my favorite new recipes. This recipe makes 4 mini pita pizzas and trust me it is really difficult to resist eating them all.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place parsley, pumpkin seeds, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chopped. With the food processor running slowly drizzle the olive oil through feed tube of the food processor until fully incorporated and smooth. Divide the pesto into five parts; use to top the four pitas and toss the remaining pesto with the white beans. Divide the white beans amount the four pitas, spreading into an even layer and then top each pita with 1/4 of the cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Bake for 6 minutes. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes until edges of pita are lightly browned.
Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pesto
Serves 6 (or 4 really hungry people)
Ingredients:
Place the walnuts, garlic, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and process for 30 seconds. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and process for 30 more seconds. Add the baby spinach and nutritional yeast, process for 30 seconds. Slowly add the olive oil through feed tube and process until fully combined. Pour the pesto into a large bowl and top with the hot pasta. Toss the pastas with the pesto adding one tablespoon of pasta water at a time to loosen up the sauce as needed.
Yesterday was an interesting mix of eats starting with breakfast which was leftover panang curry with tofu, veggies and brown rice. It was so good I just couldn’t wait to lunch to eat it.
Breakfast:
Lunch: Since I ate my lunch for breakfast I ended up having apple slices topped with a drizzle of almond butter and a sprinkling of Doug’s Nuts <–these things are so good. I also had a some Terra Chips which are not featured.
Dinner: Both Neil and I were super hungry come dinner time after a busy day and workouts so I made us each a big bowl of sun-dried tomato and spinach pesto with walnuts. It was AMAZING, we were both tempted to stuff ourselves silly and eat our lunch portions but we resisted. (recipe coming tomorrow)
Dessert: Instead of over indulging in pasta I had a decaf English Breakfast Tea Latte with unsweetened almond milk and a few Dr. Lucy’s Gingersnap Cookies.
What did you eat Wednesday?
Tempeh is one of our favorite vegetarian sources of protein and I am always looking for new and interesting ways to season it up. My husband being a huge fan of Asian flavors requested I make him something with a little Asian flare and I create this dish which is a wonderful balance of sweet, salty and savory flavors. The recipe serves four and if there is just one or two of you I suggest making the full recipe because the leftovers are delicious in a sandwich or on top of a salad. You could even cut it up and throw it in a stir fry.
The marinade in this recipe works well for seitan, portobello mushrooms, and tofu as well. Also take a look at step four of the directions, you will find three different ways to cook up your tempeh. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Directions:
Today I have decided to keep the recipe of the week quick, easy and delicious. Lately I have been addicted to asparagus, no seriously, addicted. Last shopping trip I even caught my husband giving me a sideways glance as I picked up two bunches of asparagus after already eating three bunches earlier in the week. Blame it on pregnancy cravings or maybe just the fact that they have been plentiful and beautiful at the market, either way they are currently my go to vegetable.
In the past 10 days we have had them roasted, sauteed and placed on top of a homemade whole wheat pizza crust with mushrooms and onions, roasted again to top a giant green salad and then lastly stir-fried up with leftover rice, veggies and tofu. I have to say I enjoyed them in each dish but my absolute favorite way to eat asparagus is oven roasted.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
When making these it is important to choose asparagus that are on the thinner side; they are going to be much tender and more enjoyable to eat.
Serves 4 (or if you are at my house only 2)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Spread the asparagus onto a large rimmed baking sheet in one layer. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the spears start to brown and the stalks have softened.
How easy was that?
Now you can serve this with your favorite grain and protein, top a salad, put them in a wrap, eat them as as snack, the possibilities are almost endless.
What is your favorite way to eat asparagus?
