This unique gourmet vegan recipe for Tropical Kale Salad is made with sweet kiwi, macadamia nuts, and mango, and is topped with a bright tangerine vinaigrette is super simple to make!

Vegan Recipes

Tags: cauliflower, easy vegan meal, easy vegan recipes, healthy vegan dishes, Quinoa, tabbouleh, vegan diet plan, vegan recipes

Quinoa Cauliflower Tabbouleh

I was thrilled that my quinoa cauliflower tabbouleh creation turned out FANTASTIC, so of course I have to share it with you!

I was about to try my hand at making cauliflower tabbouleh when I thought, “What if I combined cauliflower rice with quinoa to create a hybrid recipe for quinoa cauliflower tabbouleh?”

I’m glad I had that thought because this easy vegan recipe I came up with is super refreshing, satisfying, clean, and nutrient-packed. I have officially labeled it as a new “go-to vegan meal” on my list of meals I see myself making on a regular basis.

As much as I love convenience, I decided to make my own cauliflower rice, as opposed to buying it pre-made in the freezer section. From my experience, the frozen cauliflower rice (which may or may not be found in your local mainstream grocery stores) is great for cooking with, but for raw vegan recipes, it just doesn’t come out right.

Most tabbouleh recipes contain red onion. I’m not generally a fan of raw red onion because I feel like no matter what I do, I can taste onion in my mouth for the rest of the day. Red onion does add a nice crunch to dishes though, so I decided to add cucumber to this easy vegan recipe instead. I was pleasantly surprised how well this worked out! I did use garlic and onion powder in my recipe, but not enough to make you un-kissable 😉

I’ll admit, there is a lot of chopping involved in this quinoa cauliflower tabbouleh recipe, so I suggest making a double batch and snacking on it all week. I actually doubled this recipe and ended up eating half of it in just one day! I love making simple vegan meals that are guilt-free like this, knowing it’s doing my body good.

By the way, if you want to make this more of a meal than a side dish, I’m guessing lentils or chickpeas would be a great addition. And for my fellow fitness freaks, although quinoa contains complete vegan protein, adding legumes will up the protein content significantly.

Let me know how you like it!

Quinoa Cauliflower Tabbouleh

Ingredients

1 cup cauliflower rice
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 medium lemon, juiced
6-10 mint leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8-1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
Black pepper to taste

Instructions for Cauliflower Rice

Option 1:

Place cauliflower florets in your high speed blender
Cover with water
Pulse blend until the cauliflower has been chopped into rice-size pieces
Strain thoroughly
Allow time to dry or use a paper towel to pat dry

Option 2:

Use a box grater with the medium-size holes to grate the cauliflower florets into rice-size pieces.

Instructions for Tabbouleh

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly… That’s all, you’re done!

Enjoy!

25 May 2017

Going Vegan Tips, Vegan Product Reviews

Tags: barbeque, bbq, vegan bbq, vegan holiday, vegan products, vegan recipes

7 Comments

5 Simple Ways to Enjoy a Vegan Memorial Day BBQ

Vegan Memorial Day BBQ-Stars_and_Stripes_by_DivineDesign-660x240

A vegan Memorial Day BBQ may seem like somewhat of an oxymoron, but it’s time to break away from tradition and get healthy and creative!

Memorial Day generally involves barbecue grills loaded with racks of ribs and burgers,tables full of macaroni salad and chips, as well as coolers full of beer, wine, and sugary cocktail mixers.

Have you ever experienced something like this? As you are being invited to a BBQ, the invitation ends with an uncomfortable, “Oh yeah, but you don’t eat meat.”

Here’s the Deal

A Memorial Day barbecue does not have to be synonymous with a meat-eating extravaganza. I look at barbecues as an opportunity to spend time with friends, meet new people, play volleyball (there is often a beach v-ball court around here in South Beach), have a few drinks, a lot of laughs, and share my vegan lifestyle simply by being present and being me!

The Bottom Line

You can have a vegan Memorial Day celebration that is healthy, delicious, and fun if you keep these five simple tips in mind.

1. Fill up on veggies first.

As cliche as it may be, bring a veggie and hummus platter to the party. Celery, cucumber, carrots, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and cauliflower with a couple different types of hummus is the perfect way to fill up on satisfying, guilt-free food, leaving less room for the unhealthy stuff. People actually end up appreciating having a healthy option in the midst of all the junk food.

2. Replace the meat and dairy with vegan alternatives.

There are so many incredibly tasty vegan products on the market today to choose from. There’s simply no need to put disease-causing animal products in our bodies or support the cruelty of the meat industry. I recently wrote a whole blog post highlighting my top picks for store bought veggie burgers. I also have a post on the best vegan cheese brands on the market to date, so check those out for suggestions.

Of course if you enjoy preparing food, then please, have fun making your home-made vegan patties, potato salad, coleslaw, and whatever else you are craving. There are tons of awesome vegan recipes out there to try!

3. Drink plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks.

Sugar is enemy number one when it comes to a healthy immune systems and attempts to prevent weight gain. By remembering to drink lots of water, you will help yourself stay hydrated and avoid other unhealthy liquids. Soda, sweet tea, and juice will only make your calorie intake and blood sugar levels skyrocket. Not good! If you drink alcohol, keep your intake moderate and avoid sugary mixers, including juices. If you really want a mixed drink, try using soda water and fresh lemon with your liquor for a low calorie, sugar-free alternative.

Vegan memorial day workout

4. Get in an intense morning workout.

Burn off those extra calories in advance with an awesome workout in the morning before the festivities begin. Working out not only helps keep you on track for your fitness goals, but also boosts your mood and energize you for the rest of the day. Even if your gym is closed for the day, you can train in your own home or outside with effective body weight exercises you can do anywhere.

5. Say no to preservatives and artificial ingredients.

Synthetic additives and preservatives sneak into so many of the foods on grocery shelves, and they can wreak havoc on our bodies. The key here is reading nutrition labels—but that can be tricky (learn how to tackle tricky labels in the “How To Go Vegan Beginner’s Guide”).

Labels are your friend. Always read them to find out what you’re really eating.

Now relax & have a blast!!!

And if anyone has links to recipes you have tried and love, feel free to post a comment to share!

*Header art by Mitchell Lazear

20 Apr 2017

Ron Badach

Tags: gourmet salad, gourmet vegan, healthy meals, salad, vegan diet plan, vegan recipes

Gourmet Green Salad with Kiwi Vinaigrette

Who would have thought you could make a gourmet salad this interesting and appetizing?

Unique, packed with nutrient dense vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, this gourmet salad is a party for your taste buds. Perfect for your next dinner party to impress your guests with such a beautiful and diverse combination of ingredients. Making your own dressing is also key, as it is hard to find tasty dressings that are void of processed ingredients. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Mixed Greens with White Asparagus, Raw Cacao, Macadamia Nuts, Kiwi and Dried Goji Berries with a Bright Kiwi Vinaigrette

Ingredients For Salad

1 small handful each of Butter Lettuce, Red Kale and Pea Shoots
3-4 stalks shaved white asparagus
1/4 red onion…thin sliced
1/4 cup Raw Cacao
1/4 cup dried Goji Berries
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1 kiwi thin sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Salad: In a large mixing bowl starting with greens fold all ingredients together gently and arrange on a white plate..Serve with grilled flatbread..

Gourmet-Salad Ingredients For Dressing

3 kiwis peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tbsp Champagne Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp high quality Dijon mustard
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp agave nectar
few sprigs of chives
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Directions for dressing: In a food processor mix all ingredients well and serve immediately..
Tips: Dried figs or dates are a good substitute if goji berries are not available..Spinach and Arugula can be substituted for the greens.

Enjoy!

-Ron

27 Mar 2017

Tags: easy vegan recipes, healthy pancakes, healthy vegan dishes, vegan breakfast, vegan diet plan, vegan pancakes, vegan recipes

Healthy Lemon Vegan Pancake Recipe For A New Day

Next time you or your family is craving a special breakfast, try this Tasty AND Healthy Vegan Pancake Recipe!

Pancakes are among the most liked breakfast foods around the world. A variety of ways to make them exist, some recipes proving more nutritious than others. Due to the fat and sugar content in many recipes, they tend to be very high in calories, especially when topped with syrup and butter.

Luckily, it’s very easy to make nutritious and delicious vegan pancakes at home. Eating a healthier version of traditional pancakes can provide macro and micronutrients that keep you satisfied and energized for hours.

In order to make your pancakes healthier consider adding chopped, mashed or grated fruits to the batter. Vegetables (sweet potatoes and pumpkins) and orange fruits are a good addition as they contain carotenoids, nutrients that are known to lower the risk for cancer, heart disease, and muscular degeneration. This nutrient also helps improve the immune functions of your body.

Success tips

You will be able to deliver delicious pancake if you adopt the following tips when cooking.

Pancakes are very delicate and need even heat not high heat. Allow your pan or skillet a long while so as to evenly warm up. This will ensure heat is well distrusted throughout the pan otherwise, the pancakes will just be unevenly cooked.
Do not rush your pancakes, cook them slow and on low. Also, ensure most of the cooking is done on the first side of the pancake. As this happens the pan should remain fully warmed and should persist cooking on low settings. Flip the pancake to the other side when the bubbles break through and its edges start to crisp up.
Before spreading your batter, splash good amount of oil on the pan or skillet.
Since this is a vegan recipe no egg will be used, therefore we use an egg replacer. The replacer will add body and improve binding to your pancake. Some of the most common egg replacers include mashed banana, ground flax seeds, and applesauce.
Whipping your batter thoroughly will ensure it gets some air. This will help you to make fluffy and delicious pancakes. Ensure you use just the right amount of lemon juice (citric acid) combine with baking powder.

Healthy Lemon Vegan Pancake Recipe

Time: 40 minutes | servings: 8 small or 4 large pancakes |cuisine: breakfast | recipe type: vegan

Ingredients

1 cup whole grain pastry flour
1 cup nondairy milk (almond or soy milk)
1 tsp. lemon juice
Tsp. fresh zest
Tsp. lemon extract
tsp. vanilla extract
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. raw vegan sugar
tsp. salt
2 tsp. olive oil
Dash of cinnamon
1 mashed banana (egg replacer)

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients in a narrowly rimmed and tall bowl, this allows more air into the batter. Add all the wet ingredients (almond milk, all extracts, and oil), lastly combine them with the zest, lemon juice and the mashed banana. Whip your batter thoroughly as the baking powder combine with the acid it will become fluffy.
As you whip you batter, you should be warming your skillet or pan. Put your cooker on low setting so as to evenly distribute heat to your pan. Remember you want an evenly warmed and toasty pan for better results.
Once your pan is well warmed (after about 3-5 minutes), splash a small amount of oil to the pan. Roll the pan around to ensure the oil is spread evenly on the pan.
Add a good amount of the fluffy batter and let it spread evenly in the pan. Maintain your cooker on low setting and let your pancake cook slowly, you will notice tiny bubbles forming through the batter’s surface. When these bubbles start breaking, and the edges of the pancake are formed, fluffy, cooked and not wet flip your pancake. Since most of the cooking was done on the first side, you can set your cooker to medium setting to get things done quickly.
Remove the pancake from the pan and place it on a paper toweled plate. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all your batter is no more.
Serve the warm pancakes with maple syrup and vegan butter.

Nutritional facts

Enjoy!

-Kanisha

02 Mar 2017

Kathy Mitchell

Tags: easy vegan recipes, healthy eating, healthy vegan dishes, vegan diet plan, vegan recipes

3 Quick and Easy Vegan Recipes Ready in 15 Minutes

People often have the misconception that in order to eat a healthy vegan diet, you have to spend tons of time laboring in the kitchen. Not true!

Vegan diets that are made up of a wide variety of whole plant foods are rich in essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, Vitamin E, iron, dietary fiber, magnesium, phytochemical and iron. Vegan diet tends to be low in cholesterol, fatty acids, saturated fats etc. A well-planned and prepared vegan diet reduces the risk of developing many chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and stroke.

People are often discouraged from taking the plunge into veganism because they think it takes a lot of work to prepare healthy vegan dishes. If you’re one of those people, or you’re already on board the vegan train and could use more easy, go-to meal ideas, this post is for you!

Here are three vegan recipes that you can prepare in 15 minutes or less…

Fast Spinach Curry and Chickpeas

Most of us are always in a hurry and therefore we have no time to prepare the meals we want. You should not worry anymore because this vegan recipe is easy to make and takes less than 15 minutes for food to prepare.

Ingredients

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
a handful of spinach
3 chopped tomatoes
Mild curry paste 2 tsp
Cumin ½ tsp
Paprika ½ tsp
Crushed garlic 2 cloves
Chopped onion 1
Sunflower oil 1 tsp

Method:

Heat the sunflower oil and onion for 2 minutes in a pan until the onion turns brown and soft. Add cumin, paprika, garlic and curry paste and continue cooking.
Then add chopped tomatoes and chickpeas and stir continuously. Let them cook further for ten minutes.
Add spinach and stir for about 2 minutes until the spinach starts to wilt. Season with sea salt to taste.
Serve the meal.

Spinach and chickpeas are quite good vegan ingredients that are very tasty. This meal is easy to make and all the ingredients are readily available locally.

Tomatoes – Pasta Vegan Recipe

Pasta is one of the main meals for vegetarians. Pasta recipes are known for the simplicity involved in preparing them. This meal is easy to make and you will have a delicious vegan meal within 15 minutes.

Ingredients

1 packet of pasta
1 chopped onion
Pepper ½ tsp
3 chopped tomatoes
Salt 1 tsp
Olive oil 1 tsp

Method

Heat olive oil and onions in the frying pan. Stir until the onions turn golden brown.
Add tomatoes and stir well until it forms a tomato paste.
Cut the pasta into pieces and add to the tomato paste and continue stirring.
Add ½ cup of water and season with salt then cover them. Cook until the pasta is soft, this should take 10 minutes.
It is as simple as that. For a better taste, serve the meal when hot. You can serve with avocado.

Vegan Avocado Toast

Simple recipe if you want to come up with a vegan recipe in 15 minutes. The ingredients are readily available and the whole process of preparing this healthy and delicious meal is easy.

Ingredients:

4 slices of rye bread
2 ripe sliced avocado
1 clove of minced garlic
1 bulb onion
Flaked almonds ½ cup
2 tsp olive oil
Sliced cherry tomatoes
Black pepper and salt
Juice for one lemon

Method:

Toast the 4 slices of rye bread and sizzle using 1 tsp of olive oil.
Crush the sliced avocado in a bowl. Add lemon juice, garlic, 1 tsp olive oil and onion and mix thoroughly. Add salt and black pepper. Mix all this until we combined leave the mixture with some chunkiness.
Spread the avocado on the bread toasts.
Top them with almonds, cherry tomatoes and sprinkle some olive oil.

The meal is ready for serving in 15 minutes, this makes a vegan meal that is packed with healthy ingredients for a tasty vegan dish.

Final Thought

A healthy and glozine lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to create complicated meals that take a ton of prep work. It’s all about finding your “go-to” meals that are both quick to make and nutritious, as well as always keeping your kitchen stocked with healthy staples.

Experiment and enjoy!

23 Feb 2017

Lindsey Bogard

Tags: healthy vegan dishes, kale, potatoes, vegan diet plan, vegan recipes

Rainbow Potato Hash (Vegan of Course)!

This easy vegan dish goes along with my love for the combination of potatoes, kale, mushrooms, and onions. I mean, come on, is there any better savory combination?

I almost always have left over baked potatoes of all varieties in the fridge. This is a great way to make use of the left over potatoes. I especially love this dish in the cold winter, but it’s a hit any time of year!

Rainbow Potato Hash

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1 small bag of mixed baby potatoes (purple, white, new)
1 red onion, sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 bunch curly red kale
4 cups baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
½ cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

Heat about a tbsp of virgin coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Dice red onion and add to the skillet, cooking until onions are translucent.
Dice all potatoes into 1/2” cubes (left over baked potatoes are a great time saver here).
Cook potatoes with onion until potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Make sure to stir often.
Add minced garlic and sliced mushrooms.
Cook another 10 minutes.
De-stem kale by using a kitchen knife to cut along side the stem.
Roll kale lengthwise (I know it’s awkward with curly kale) and slice across into thin ribbons.
Add to skillet. Cook until tender, another 5-10 minutes.
Season with a pinch of pink sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Sprinkle nutritional yeast over the top prior to serving.

08 Feb 2017

Ron Badach

Tags: healthy vegan dishes, vegan burger, vegan diet plan, vegan recipe, vegan recipes, veggie burger

Black Quinoa, Cauliflower and Golden Lentil Burger with Asian Pear Slaw and Hoisin Ketchup

“I just called to say I love you!” Our BLACK QUINOA, CAULIFLOWER and GOLDEN LENTIL BURGER with an ASIAN PEAR SLAW and HOISIN KETCHUP is a Possible Addition to Plant-Based Superstar “Little Stevie’s” Burger Rotation…and may just have you feeling like…SIR DUKE!

Ingredients for Burgers

1 cup cooked Black Quinoa
3/4 cup cooked Golden Lentils
1/2 cup diced steamed Cauliflower
1/4 cup diced Orange Pepper sautéed and cooled
1 cup cooked Shiitake mushroom chopped
1/2 cup diced shallots sautéed and cooled
3/4 -1 cup V Breadcrumbs
2-3 tbsp pure pumpkin
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 handful chopped parsley
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp chopped thyme

Ingredients for Slaw

1/2 Asian Pear..thin sliced
1/2 lime juice and zest
1/4 medium red onion thin sliced
few sprigs chopped cilantro
1/4 orange pepper thin sliced
1/4 bulb of fennel thin sliced
splash rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions for slaw

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Directions for Burgers

In a large bowl starting with Quinoa..add each ingredient and incorporate well after each. Mixture should hold together well and not be too wet or dry. Form into patties. Heat a well greased grill medium heat and cook approx 3 minutes per side. Burgers should show grill marks…Enjoy!

Tips: Avocado Or Guacamole make a terrific topping addition. Serve with crispy sweet potato fries. Do not overheat grill.

-Ron

31 Jan 2017

Kirsten Mitchell

Vegan Recipes

Tags: black beans, dinner, entree, healthy vegan dishes, pizza, recipes, vegan recipes

4 Comments

Black Bean Tortilla Pizza

This pizza is easy, quick, lower in calories than traditional pizza, high in protein and delicious! Great for the whole family (kids could assemble their own) and you could definitely customize the toppings to whatever you like. But the following is my personal favourite:

1 whole wheat tortilla
Pizza sauce
Chopped red onion
Chopped red pepper
Frozen corn kernels, thawed
Canned black beans, rinsed and drained
Daiya cheddar style shreds

Bake at 350F for approximately 10 minutes (keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn) and then top with cilantro, hot sauce, salsa or whatever your heart desires! One pizza will feed 1-2 people, though I always eat a whole one myself 🙂

-Kirsten Mitchell

17 Jan 2017

Vegan Recipes

Tags: easy vegan recipes, healthy vegan dishes, Quinoa, stir-fry, vegan diet plan, vegan recipes