Vegan Grilled Gouda & Portobello Sandwich

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I couldn’t decide whether
throwing together a list of somewhat obscure plant based stabilizers and
coconut milk would appeal to any readers. But if you know how awesome it is
to find a vegan cheese that is easy to make, and has a really wonderful MELT,
you can understand why I had to finally break down and share this. Factor in
the current chilly wet weather we have been having, and well, there you
go!

The cheese recipe is a slight adaptation from a quick cheese
recipe found on one of
my favorite plant- based living blogs. The obscure ingredients can
be found at a mom and pop health market, Sprouts, or Whole
Foods.

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Green Beans with Lemon, Tarragon & Chia Seeds

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This green beans with lemon
recipe is another one of those super simple, “too tasty and easy to be
true” dishes for an easy lunch or dinner side dish. Sometimes
demonstrating that you can grab one vegetable from your garden or the Farmers
Market, and easily turn it into a fairly complete meal or tide-over, is the
best way I can use my blog space! The chia seeds provide extra complete
protein and healthy fats to this, making it a decent light meal. And you can
always add more chia seeds to suit your own nutritional preference and taste.
So enjoy this one and let me know in the comments all the different ways you
did! I used some rattlesnake
beans from my garden for this recipe.

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Chia Infused Zucchini Black Bean Burgers

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Whenever I encourage my clients
to eat more plant based foods, the most popular response is, “but what
about the protein?” That’s where awesomely magical ingredients like chia
seeds come in handy. Nature’s miraculous formula of essential fatty acids,
protein, and fiber give chia seeds the unique ability to act like a binder
similar to an egg, helping to hold these burgers together, while also provide
a complete protein, in addition to the protein found in the beans and the
zucchini. When a plant provides a complete protein, it means it delivers all
the essential amino acids that your body can’t produce and therefore need to
be consumed in meals. So, whip up a batch of these babies and take them on
your next summer picnic! Read More

Vegan Hazelnut Pesto with Mango & Avocado Slices

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Basil, basil, and more basil!
When a basil plant decides to take hold it really pumps it out. So, I
schedule a few minutes each day to go out and cut the flowering basil tops,
to keep the plant going all summer long. Which winds me up with a lot of
extra basil hanging around the kitchen. Here is a great
sweet-meets-savory idea for a lazy afternoon salad, with vegan hazelnut pesto
as the star of the show. You can also do a non vegan version of this by using
parmesan or another hard aged cheese in place of the nutritional yeast.
Enjoy! Read More

Miso-Tofu Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Dynamite

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I like to work a little tofu
into my diet here and there. This tofu stuffed portobello mushroom usually
hits the spot. If you stick to natural, more traditional, and
unprocessed forms of soy you can alleviate most health concerns around soy.
The commercialization of soy has managed to turn soy into a
“Frankenfood” monster by using GMO soy and creating so many
products from refined soy. Therefore, my personal policy about soy is to
use a whole food approach and common sense, backed up by this
article from Dr. Mark Hyman, MD. Keep your soy products organic,
natural, fermented, sprouted if possible, and in a more traditional form.
This recipe uses two such traditional forms of soy: organic tofu and organic
miso paste. I love combining miso, mushrooms, any chance I get. These
flavors love being together! This makes a great, simple entree. You can
enjoy it right away or as a protein-rich salad topper for a lunch or
brunch. The stuffing is somewhat similar to a tofu scramble, with a little
more depth from the other ingredients. Read More

Tuscan Kale Soup with Sausage

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Many of my recent clients are
following a Paleo-leaning or AIP (Autoimmune Paleo) diet, part of which
requires obtaining high nutrient density per calorie. So, I have been delving
into meals that fit that profile. I am finding that this style of cooking
does not have to be complicated at all. I love it when something really
simple comes out delicious and nutritionally complex. Enter this quick, rainy
day soup. Not only is it Paleo, but it’s clean, weight management friendly,
and can be converted to vegan very easily. If you want to go vegan and are
not concerned about avoiding certain plant based foods, you can replace the
sausage with cannellini beans, but since the sausage brings some flavor to
the soup, you may need to ramp up the herbs and garlic to compensate.
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Vegan-Paleo Squash Blossom Fritters

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“Vegan-Paleo Squash Blossom
Fritters” is about as complete a description as I could get for these
very interesting, chewy-yet-crisp treats that were basically an experiment.
But I guess that is how it’s supposed to work on here, right? I started
thinking I was going to make a gluten-free, vegan squash blossom pancake, but
the texture of these, coming from the tapioca flour, is definitely more
“fritter”- like. These seem best right out of the oven, but I’ll
bet they would be great cold or reheated also. The problem is, I gobbled them
up so fast I didn’t have any to save for later, so now I have to wait until I
get some more fresh squash blossoms on my hands. Technically, these only
fulfill the ingredient guidelines of being “Paleo.” In order to be
truly paleo from a macronutrient standpoint, they wouldn’t be so heavy on
carbs. But, they are gluten, grain, dairy free and totally vegan as well. So
enjoy these as a healthier indulgence and as a great way to enjoy the
season’s squash, zucchini and other blossoms from the garden or the Farmers
Market. I’ll bet the chewy texture of these is unique from many things you
have tried before. Read More

Cashew Cream of Turmeric Cauliflower Soup

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Sometimes, when I see whole
turmeric root at the market, I like to grab a handful to see what I can
create with it, and this Cashew Cream of Turmeric Cauliflower Soup is my
latest turmeric root adventure! Be sure to use a Vitamix or other high powered
blender to get the most awesome taste explosion and creamy texture ever!
You’ll want to keep this recipe handy for cold nights in front of the
fireplace. Read More

Squash Blossom Coconut Brown Rice

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Every once in a while, I love to
treat myself to a delicious sticky coconut brown rice dish. There are many
variations that can explored, like this version using fresh squash blossoms
from the garden. I actually created this by accident, when I had picked
a bunch of squash blossoms with the intention of doing a stuffed squash
blossom dish. But then, I got busy and forgot to make time to do the dish,
and the squash blossoms no longer had the perfect constitution for
stuffing. Read More