28 Mar 2015
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , , ,
Leave a comment

7-Ingredient Masterpiece No Bake Energy Bars

Vegan-Energy-Bars-Recipe

Ron Badach Callicoon Kitchen Presents 7-Ingredient Masterpiece No Bake Energy Bars

The ultimate healthy pick me up! This is my favorite no-bake energy bar recipe using just seven powerhouse ingredients: dates, figs, unsweetened cocoa, slivered almonds, chia seeds, walnuts and macadamia nuts. The perfect blend of taste, texture and punch these bars are a guaranteed winner.

Ingredients:

  • ½ c Medjool dates, pitted & chopped
  • ½ c fresh figs, chopped
  • 1 c raw slivered raw almonds
  • ½ c walnuts
  • 5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • Handful shaved Macadamia nuts.
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • 2-3 tbsp cold water

Directions:

Pit and chop dates then chop figs.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in cold water until desired consistency (mixture holds its shape.)

Remove mixture and place on cutting board. Use cookie cutter and cut into 1 inch think individual bars (shape and size as you desire!)

Top with shaved Macadamia nuts. Refrigerate at least two hours or freeze in an air tight container.

Tip:

Watch me prepare this easy vegan recipe on Ron Badach Callicoon Kitchen!

Enjoy!

21 Feb 2015
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , ,
Leave a comment

Vegan Quinoa, Broccoli, and Kale Curry

Vegan-quinoa-broccoli-kale-curry

I chose to feature this vegan Quinoa, Broccoli, and Kale Curry recipe by Yasmin Fahr because it is, as she describes, a “One-Pot Wonder!”

This easy vegan recipe is simple, highly nutritious, and extremely satisfying. Quinoa, broccoli, and kale are all super foods packed with loads of vitamins, minerals, and protein. And cumin is not just another spice… it’s also thought to aid in digestion and is high in magnesium and iron. So eat up and enjoy!

About This Recipe

YIELD:Serves 4
ACTIVE TIME:30 minutes
TOTAL TIME:30 minutes
THIS RECIPE APPEARS IN:One-Pot Wonders: Vegan Quinoa, Broccoli, and Kale Curry
RATED:

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 3 cups broccoli florets, stems trimmed
  • 3 cups cauliflower florets, stems trimmed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I use Celtic sea salt)
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • ½ tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed or washed
  • 2 cups homemade vegetable stock or store-bought low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 1/2 cups lacinato or curly kale, leaves removed from the stalks and cut into 1-inch ribbons
  • 1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lime
  • ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
  • ½ cup microgreens, such as sunflower (optional)

Procedures

  1. Heat the 1 ½ tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the broccoli and cauliflower and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until lightly browned and just tender, 4 to 5 minutes.. Remove from the pot and set aside.
  2. Add the remaining oil to the same pot, and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the quinoa and toast until lightly fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the broth, and adjust the heat to maintain an active boil for exactly 9 minutes. Stir in the kale until wilted and add the vegetables until they are finished cooking, about 2 minutes more. Stir in lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the cilantro and greens (if using) and serve.

 

Photograph: Yasmin Fahr

17 Nov 2014
Going Vegan Tips, Vegan Product Reviews, Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , , ,
3 Comments

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes: Sexy Fit Vegan-Approved!

Vegan Thanksgiving Cartoon

Top Healthy, Easy Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe Picks!

Can you believe it’s time to plan your Thanksgiving meal already? As I do every year, I have scoured the internet for the top plant-based vegan recipes that meet all my criteria. Recipes must first of all be easy-to-follow and not contain hard-to-find ingredients to make my recommendation list. The recipe must also be on the healthy side. I say “healthy side” because it is a special occasion so I give some leeway for ingredients not ideal for eating on a daily basis, but that are still not bad for you and are still as nutrient dense as possible for the type of dish. I have included both traditional-style dishes and dishes with different twists for fun. I’ve also included some of the top vegan turkey swaps available on the market this year. (I unfortunately have not tried them all yet, but I listed them in the order that I would buy them to try, based on the brand.) The goal of this post… for everyone to finish their meal feeling happy and satisfied without the guilt that can come along with a traditional, unhealthy Thanksgiving dinner.

I want to share how thankful I am for everyone who have created the recipes on my list. I’m also grateful to YOU for being open to trying new recipes that are vegan and healthy as part of your journey. We are collectively changing our own lives, the lives of animals, and the state of the planet, all for the better! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Appetizers

Vegan Spinach Dip by Kathy (Healthy. Happy. Life.)

Brussels Sprouts Sliders by Marla Rose

Spicy Pumpkin Hummus  by Jaymi Heimbuch

Stuffing & Casserole

Southern-Style Vegetarian Stuffing Recipe by Heather Barnett

Vegetarian Quinoa Stuffing by Jolinda Hackett

Vegan Green Bean Casserole by Susan Voicin (FatFree Vegan Kitchen)

Soup  & Salad

Insanely Cream Vegan Corn Chowder by Brooke (Cheeky Kitchen)

Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup by the Blender Girl

Kale Slaw with Curried Almond Dressing by Dreena Burton (Plant-Powered Kitchen)

Apple Harvest Salad by Natalie (Life Made Simple)

Sides

Gorge Yourself Ginger Cranberry Sauce  by the Blender Girl

Herb Roasted Winter Veggies by Vegetarian Times

Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes by Cara, Fork & Beans and Mushroom Gravy by Kaitlin (the Garden Grazer)

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Avocado Garlic Aioli by Oh She Glows!

Red Quinoa Pilaf with Kale and Corn by Nava Atlas (VegKitchen)

Vegan Brown Rice Pilaf with Pumpkin Seeds by Jolinda Hackett

Main Dishes

Thanksgiving Meatless Loaf by Susan (Fat Free Vegan)

Portobello Steak by Ricki Heller

Vegan Creamy Broccoli and Chick’un” Casserole byLeanne Vogel (Healthful Pursuit)

Store Bought Turkey Substitutes

Savory Stuffed Turk’y, Holiday Roast, & Turk’y Cutlets by Gardein

Turkey-less Stuffed Roast with Gravy by Trader Joe’s

Tofurky Roasts, Feasts, and Gravy

Vegan Whole Turkey by Vegetarian Plus

Vegetarian Brown Gravy by Hain

Vegetarian Brown Gravy by Simply Organic

 Gluten Free Quick Gravy by Road’s End Organics

Desserts

Gluten-Free Pie Crust and Apple-Of-My-Eye Pie by Dreena Burton (Plant Powered Kitchen)

Gooey Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolate Pudding Cake by Oh She Glows!

Pumpkin Chia Pudding by Deena Burton (Plant-Powered Kitchen)

Maple Nut Cake (gluten free) by Amy (Fragrant Vanilla Cake)

Check out my top ice cream swap HERE

Eggless-Nog

Five-Minute High Raw, Vegan Eggnog by Gena Hamshaw (Choosing Raw)

Store-Bought:

Nog, Coconut by So Delicious

Soy Nog by Earth Balance

ENJOY!!!

 

 

 

21 Sep 2014
Uncategorized, Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , ,
3 Comments

Favorite Nut Milk Recipe

nut-milk

After much experimentation, I want to share with you my favorite nut milk recipe to date!

It’s made from a combination raw brazil nuts and almonds. I actually love the taste of the milk I make with brazil nuts alone, but the problem is I love it a little too much! Why? Brazil nuts contain a large amount of selenium, an important mineral that gives us antioxidant protection and support for proper thyroid and immune function. We need only a small amount, however, and too much of it in our system can lead to adverse health effects. This is why I decided to do a 50/50 split of brazil nuts and almonds, which I consider a super food due to their LDL cholesterol-lowering effects and high nutrient content including vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium.

The only equipment you need is a high speed blender (I’m partial to the Vitamix) and a nut milk bag, which you can find online or at your local health food store. I also like to order the almonds online to ensure they are truly raw. (almonds grown in the U.S. are required by law to be pasteurized, which typically involves high heat, yet the company is still permitted to label them “raw”.) Find almonds grown outside the U.S. that specifically say they are raw AND unpasteurized. For more information on this topic click HERE.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
  • 1/2 cup truly raw almonds
  • 3.5-4 cups water
  • 3 medjool dates (pitted)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • cinnamon to taste

Instructions:
Soak the nuts in water for a minimum of 12 hours, preferably 24 hours. Rinse thoroughly and place in Vitamix or other high speed blender. Add the rest of the ingredients (less water means creamier and thicker milk). Blend thoroughly. Pour into a nut milk bag that you have placed in a large bowl. Slowly, strain the liquid through the bag by twisting and squeezing it until no more liquid comes out. Pour into container that seal as tightly as possible and store in refrigerator. Best if consumed within 48 hours, but will usually be ok for 72 hours.

ENJOY!!!!

Header Photo Credit: CAN CAN Nut Milk

16 May 2014
Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , , ,
5 Comments

Awesome Avocado Toast

Arugula

A super easy, nutritious, and satisfying vegan recipe!

It doesn’t get much more simple, or more flavorful than this open face vegan sandwich. Combining some of my personal favorite ingredients – avocado, garlic, sun dried tomatoes makes for a perfect, filling mini-meal. 

Awesome Avocado Toastavocado-toast

(Warning: Not to be eaten on or before a date!)

Ingredients:

  • Sprouted Grain Bread (e.g. Eziekiel), toasted
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Garlic, sliced and roasted or sauteed in olive oil
  • Organic Sun Dried Tomatoes (optional)
  • Fresh Organic Arugula or Watercress

Directions:

On top of the piece of toasted bread, place the greens, avocado, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes. Enjoy!ezekiel-flax-bread

11 Apr 2014
Guest Blog Posts, Uncategorized, Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Detox Carrot Soup

Detox-Carrot-Soup

Did you, like many of us, over indulge a bit over the holidays? Feel the need for a reboot with a clean eating detox?

I know that sometimes the temptation in January is to go the extreme with a juice cleanse or a super strict diet plan, and while those can have their time and place, they can also be incredibly hard to stick with and therefore many people get frustrated and go back to lousy eating habits again.  In my opinion the best, and most sustainable, reset you can do is pack your diet with fresh vegetables and cut out the things that are triggers for you. For me it is sugar and wine, for someone else it might be bread and and potato chips.

This soup is great for this time of year because it is easy, healthy, warming and satisfying.  The recipe itself is incredibly simple, but you could definitley punch it up with different spices if you like e.g., cumin, fresh ginger or a pinch of cayenne would be a good combo. Also if you want to up your greens intake feel free to throw in a couple of handfuls  of spinach at the end.

Detox Carrot Soup

IMG_4259

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 potatoes peeled and diced
  • 4 C vegetable stock
  • 1/2-1 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium low heat.  Add carrots, garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in the potatoes, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Pour in broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat , cover, and allow soup to simmer for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Allow soup to cool a bit and then puree in batches in a blender.  Reheat, season with salt and pepper (depending on the vegetable broth you use you may need a little, or a lot, of salt) and serve.  Top with vegan sour cream and green onions if desired.

Enjoy!

– Kirsten

 

21 Mar 2014
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Stew

Easy Vegan Recipe- Cauliflower Stew

I love one-pot meals and I love them even more if they are ready in under 30 minutes!  

This bowl is a quick, easy, warming, flavorful vegan recipe packed full of nutritional benefits.

Chickpeas are one of my favorite sources of protein. One cup gives you approximately 15 grams of protein and they are also high in iron, fiber, and have a  low glycemic index. And  because of their mild flavor they are very versatile and can be used in all sorts of different ways.  Even cookies!  But that’s another post….

Cauliflower is high in Vitamin C and is also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits and this recipe also contains spinach which is pretty much power packed with everything your body needs.  Let’s get our health on!

Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Stew

IMG_3585

 Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
  • 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
  • 1/2 C raisins
  • 1/2 C vegetable broth
  • 2 C (or more if you like) baby spinach
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin and ginger and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower, raisins and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.  Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook 1/-2 minutes more until spinach is wilted.

Enjoy!

Kirsten

 

 

 

14 Mar 2014
Going Vegan Tips, Vegan Recipes
Leave a comment

A Super Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe!

Brussels-Sprouts-Thanksgiving

If we overeat this Thanksgiving (or any other holiday for that matter), let’s at least overeat healthy dishes that we truly love!

It’s almost a given that, with a Thanksgiving feast in front of us, and tons of different dishes to try, we will over-fill our bellies… and then comes dessert (followed by food coma)! But what if the food we eat is actually good for us AND STILL tastes amazing? Then we get to wake up the next day with less guilt and less empty calories to burn off. We don’t need to go through that, “I guess I’ll wear leggings because my jeans are too tight” phase of the year November to January again this year. It’s 2015 and there are too many resources to help us stay fit and lean all year round without feeling like we are sacrificing to have excuses. No excuses, let’s enjoy the holidays in a new light this year!

Adding nutrient-dense veggies to the dinner table is one way to fill our bellies without spilling out of our jeans. In addition to being incredibly delicious, this nutrient-filled veggie dish exercises the power of simplicity… It has only five ingredients and is easy to prepare. You can eat it knowing Brussels Sprouts are a great source of Vitamin C, fiber, folate, and anti-oxidants.

This is just one of the over 100 simple, healthy, delicious recipes from my new book, The Six Weeks To Sexy Abs Meal Plan. (ordering now available – have it in time to plan for Christmas dinner & to reach your goals in the New Year! Get it HERE.)

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Servings: 1–2

Prep time: 5 minutes

Creation time: 25–35 minutes

Roasted-Brussels-Sprouts-Healthy-Dish

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (175 g) Brussels sprouts, quartered or halved depending on size
  • ¼ tsp sea salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup (30 g) walnut pieces
  • 1½ –2 tbsp (24–30 ml) melted coconut oil (refined)

 Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200ºC).
  2. Cut the Brussels sprouts into quarters, or halves if they are small, and place them on a baking tray. Sprinkle sea salt over them and add the walnuts.
  3. Drizzle the melted coconut oil over the Brussels and walnuts and bake for at least 20 to 30 minutes, until browned and slightly crispy.

ENJOY!

Here’s a glimpse at a few of the other whole foods, plant-based, delectable recipes from the book 🙂

Six Weeks to Sexy Abs Meal Plan

 

 

07 Mar 2014
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
Tags: , , , ,
Leave a comment

Berry Quinoa Oatmeal Bars

Looking for a  vegan treat that is delicious, incredibly easy to make, hearty and satisfying with added benefit of quinoa?  

Then this recipe is for you!

I am always looking for recipes that can satisfy my sweet tooth but still offer nutritional benefits. These Berry Quinoa Oatmeal Bars from hummusapien.com contain the goodness of oats and quinoa, are just slightly sweet and can even be made gluten free. They can be considered, “energy bars” or “breakfast bars” or “snack bars”, or even “desert bars!” 

I modified the recipe slightly by using mixed berry jam, instead of strawberry. Make sure to read the label of the jam you buy so that you get one that is 100% fruit. There’s no need for added sugar – fruit is sweet enough! I also added an extra 1/4 cup of oats to the topping to make it extra crumbly which worked out nicely.

And did I mention easy?  Even the most novice baker could pull these off and it would be a fantastic recipe for kids to help with.  Try it out!

berry-Ouinoa-Oatmeal-Bars

Recipe available at https://www.hummusapien.com/strawberry-quinoa-oatmeal-bars/