Add the chickpeas, vegeanaise, celery, bell pepper, mustard, curry powder and salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse until everything is combined, but still chunky. Add in the cashews and pulse a few more times just to break the pieces up. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the raisins. Serve on top of a salad, with crackers or in a sandwich.
This afternoon was spent with my nose in the books while sipping on an extra large earl grey iced tea at my second home- the coffee shop. I am in my third week of my health counseling program and I am loving it. I had my first meeting with my health counselor last night and it went really well, a little awkward but it was fine. I one session a month so hopefully next months session with be even better!
By 4pm I was feeling hungry and I knew that if I went home and ate an early dinner that I wouldn’t be as motivated to workout so the hubby and I decided to have a light pre-workout snack. I picked up some roasted Brussels sprouts and a corn salad for us to share.
After our 40 minute commute home (I can’t wait for them to be over) my tummy had settled and I was ready to take on Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I knew going into it I was guaranteed to get my ass kicked especially since I challenged myself to level 3, but I was pumped and ready to go.
Just as I predicted my ass was handed to me but it felt great! I can’t even imagine doing the P90X or Insanity workouts if this video challenges me- however I am interested in trying the P90X. After my workout I took my jelly legs to the kitchen to heat up the curry I made this morning and serve it up with the brown rice that I put in the rice cooker while I did my workout.
Rootin’ Veggie Curry
Ingredients
1T olive oil
1 small celeriac, peeled and diced
2 kohlrabi, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
1T tomato paste
1t chili powder
2t curry powder
2t cumin powder
1/2t paprika
1/2t salt
1/4t pepper
1/4t tumeric
pinch of cayenne
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
Directions:
In a large pot over medium-high heat the oil and then add the onions and saute for 5-7 minutes until they begin to get slightly browned, but not burnt. Stir in the celeriac, kohlrabi and carrots as well as the tomato paste and add the spices. Stir together until everything is evenly coated and then add the vegetable broth and lentils. Bring the curry to a boil and then cover and turn down to low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Check the vegetables and seasoning. Serve with brown rice or naan.
After dinner we watched a little Modern Family and enjoyed a bowl of strawberry banana ice cream it was delicious!
2.5 frozen bananas
5 strawberries
1 cup chocolate almond milk
Blend to soft serve and top with chocolate flakes.
I used to eat oats all the time but lately I’ve been having soyogurt, scones and green juice but finally yesterday I returned to my old friend oats, if only it could have been oats in a jar. I also had oats this morning as well and I think tomorrow OIAJ will happen.
On Monday I got home from work to find my Easy Lunch Boxes sample had arrived and I couldn’t wait to try them out. My husband and I bring lunch everyday to work because it’s healthier, cheaper and easier than going out for lunch, besides the fact that we don’t really have time to go out for lunch during the work week. I have to say one of the hardest things at our house however is finding containers to pack our food into. The Hubz We are notorious for leaving our tupperware at work or in the car so it is nice to finally have some new ones.
I went right to work putting together my lunches for the week and because they stack so great I could just stick them in the fridge and grab them when I head out the door. This makes like so much easier because I don’t have to get up in the morning and make lunch or do it the night before they are all ready to go. I also received a cute purple lunch box that fits the containers perfectly- I think this is my first real lunch box since elementary school. If you check back later today I think there might be a giveaway post for your own chance to win these eco friendly lunch boxes.
For my lunches this week we have some fruit, salad and the most delicious GF vegan raw sprouted crackers from Livin’ Spoonfuls I have ever tasted. I tried the coconut curry yesterday and they were amazing I am sure I will post more about these later.
Dinner last night was delicious and filled with healthier versions of two of my favorite things- chili and quesadillas. I know I have blogged about these before but Maria and Ricardo’s Low Carb Tortillas are my favorite tortillas for a few reasons they are low in calories, fat and carbs and are made with ingredients that are all natural.
In my quesadillas I put some scallions and a serving of cheddar Daiya cheese- I couldn’t hold myself back from buying it the other day when I saw that it was on sale for $2 off. We tried the mozza a few weeks ago and I decided that a sale was a good excuse reason to try the cheddar; I think I am a bigger fan of the cheddar so far.
To go with our quesadillas I made up some chili with kidney and black beans that I had soaked the night before and I added a bunch of great veggies to it including mustard greens.
Beans and Greens Chili
Ingredients:
1/2T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups cooked kidney beans
1.5 cups cooked black beans
1T tomato paste
2 t cumin
1 t paprika
1/2 t oregano
1T nutritional yeast
2t chili powder
dash of cayenne
1t garlic powder
1t onion powder
1/2t salt
1/4t black pepper
3 cups mustard greens, chopped
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1T chipotle hot sauce or 1t chipotle chili powder (optional)
Directions:
In a medium pot heat the oil over medium-high and add in the onion and carrots; saute for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute. Add in the vegetable broth, tomato paste and beans and bring to a boil; turn down to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes. While the beans simmer mix the cumin, paprika, oregano, nutritional yeast, chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper with 2T of water to make a paste. Stir the spice paste into the beans and then top with the mustard greens and cover; let the greens wilt. Stir in the greens and scallions. At this point you can eat as is or if you want you can add in the chipotle hot sauce or chipotle chili powder- I think that with the beans and greens this smoky flavor and heat is a great addition to the chili but it is yummy without it as well.
Friday night the Hubz and I stopped at the Co-op for a few necessary items for Mother’s Day Brunch and while we were there we picked up a mini loaf of local bread. When we got home neither of us was in the mood to cook anything too crazy so I rummaged through the cupboards and fridge trying to find ingredients to make a quick and easy healthy meal. I found a bag of frozen organic spinach, a jar of artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes; the perfect start to a spinach artichoke dip! For parties I like to make this really creamy spinach artichoke dip which is delicious but not the healthiest since it includes vegan cream cheese and vegan sour cream so this is a great alternative.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 small onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup of quartered artichoke hearts
10 oz of frozen spinach
1/4 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup unsweetened original almond milk
1/4 cup vegetable broth mixed with 1T arrowroot
salt and pepper to taste
1T favorite hot sauce
Directions
In a skillet over medium high heat the vegetable broth and add the onion and garlic; saute until soft. Stir in the artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes and almond milk and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the nutritional yeast, vegetable broth/arrowroot mixture, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook until the sauce has thickened and is bubbly- if you’d like it thinner add more broth or almond milk. Serve over pasta, with bread, rice or crackers.
Last night the hubby was craving something sweet and I thought how about some caramel corn? I remembered a little while back that Mama Pea had posted a recipe for Caramel Kettle Corn and I was inspired to create my own version.
In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add brown rice syrup, palm sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove caramel from stove CAREFUL IT’S HOT! and carefully pour over popcorn. Quickly toss together so that the popcorn is evenly coated.
And the Verdict…….
The crazy eyes say it all….NOM NOM NOM NOM…..GOOOD!
First the hubby and I started with a lovely salad from I am Grateful:
The dressing for this salad was Peppery Avocado Caesar Dressing from I am Grateful,capers and gomasio. It was nice light and yummy. There is a caesar salad recipe in I am Grateful which also includes their almond bread. I would have loved to make this but didn’t have the ingredients for the bread but hope to make it next time.
To go with this salad we had quinoa with peas, corn, Braggs and hot chili sesame oil. We also had these amazing fries:
Baked Parsnip and Sweet Potato Flax Fries
Tina of Carrots ‘N’ Cake inspired this recipe
2 sweet potatoes, cut into fries
4 parsnips, cut into fries
1T olive oil
3T flax meal
1/2t garlic salt
1/2t chili powder
Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the parsnip and sweet potato fries in a large plastic bag and toss with olive oil. Add in the flax meal, garlic salt and chili powder and toss with the fries to evenly coat. Pour out onto a baking sheet to form a single layer. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until soft, flipping after 25.
Neil and I got our workouts in this morning so we could relax tonight. As I said yesterday I found some Daiya cheese and so I have been thinking of different ways to use it so tonight on some nice open faced sandwiches. To make the sandwiches I turned the broiler on to high and let it heat up while I put the toppings on. I topped local Red Hen bread with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic, thinly sliced tomatoes, basil, Daiya and a sprinkle of garlic salt and pepper. I placed under the broiler for about three minutes until the cheese had melted and the bread browned.
