Easy & delicious Vegan protein bowl

This bowl has everything a healthy vegan needs: protein, fiber, vitamins & nutrients. It's also simple to assemble and filling. The Japanese soba noodles I used are full of fiber and complex carbohydrates (none of those processed simple carbs) and add a delicious twist to this bowl. See below for directions.

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked Soba buckwheat noodles (can be found at most grocery stores or Whole Foods)
• 2 heaping handfuls baby greens (I used a mix of baby kale,  baby red & green chard & baby spinach)
• 1 cup canned Great Northern beans (feel free to use black, pinto or kidney if you prefer)
• 1 medium avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes (I used the yellow variety for some added color!)
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• Braggs Liquid Aminos - (can be found at Whole Foods. I use it in place of soy sauce because it has way less sodium and still tastes great! Spray as much as you want - I used 4 - 5 sprays per serving for this recipe. 

Directions:

• Cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set to the side and allow to cool.
• Chop & dice all veggies.
• Grab a heaping handful of greens and place at bottom of bowl you will be eating from
• Add soba noodles on top of greens
• Layer beans on top
• Add all other veggies on top
• Spritz some Liquid Aminos over the bowl and like magic you have a delicious vegan protein bowl! For even more protein, sprinkle some cashews or pepita seeds on top!

 

Healthy & hearty walnut lentil lettuce wraps

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

For the Lentil-walnut meat (makes 2.5 cups):

• 1 cup uncooked French green lentils (you will need 1 3/4 cups cooked lentils)

• 1 cup walnut pieces, toasted

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons water

For the topping/wraps:

• 1-2 bell peppers, thinly sliced (I used one, but next time I will use 2 for ample leftovers)

• 1/2-1 large onion, thinly sliced (I used 1/2 onion, but next time will use 1 for ample leftovers)

• Cashew Sour Cream (see below for link)

• Diced tomatoes or salsa

• Green onion & fresh lime juice, for garnish

• lettuce wraps (large romaine, Iceburg, or Butter lettuce leaves)

• Other topping options: Sliced avocado, hot sauce, cilantro, etc.

For the cashew sour cream:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked

• 1/2-3/4 cup water, as needed
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the lentils: Rinse lentils in a fine mesh sieve. Add to a medium pot along with a few cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender (cook time will vary depending on the type of lentils you use - see package). Drain off excess water.

1. Toast the walnuts: Preheat oven to 300F. Add walnuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 10-13 minutes, watching closely, until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

1. Saute the pepper + onion filling: Add 1/2-1 tablespoon of oil into a large skillet or wok. Cook the onion and peppers over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, reducing heat if necessary and stirring frequently, until translucent.

1. Prepare the taco meat: Add 1 3/4 cups cooked lentils (you'll have some leftover) and all the toasted walnuts into a food processor and pulse until chopped (make sure to leave texture). Stir or pulse in the oregano, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir in the oil and the water until combined.

1. Prepare the rest of your vegetable toppings and wash + dry the lettuce wraps.

1. Assemble: Add a large lettuce leaf onto a plate, top with taco meat, sauteed peppers + onion, and the rest of your desired toppings.
2. For the sour cream: 
   • Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight or for 8 hours if you have the time.
   • Drain and rinse the cashews and place in the blender.
   • Add water, lemon, vinegar, and salt. Blend on high until smooth. You might have to stop to scrape down the blender now and then or add a touch more water to get it going.
   • Once it's super smooth, it's ready! Transfer into a small container. The cream will thicken up as it sits.

Get ready to make the delicious sour cream:

When I bit into these, I was pleasantly surprised by all the delicious flavors! For a serious meat eater however, or someone new to incorporating more veggies in their diet, you can stuff the filling in a large whole wheat tortilla instead of lettuce wraps. That way they won't get scared off by all the vegetation! However, f you are bold enough to get your veg on, try them in lettuce wraps like I did! They are delicious & hearty! The walnut meat is especially addictive, and I look forward to using it more in future recipes!

My go-to breakfast: banana berry kale smoothie

What you'll need:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups mixed frozen berries (I like Target's Market Pantry mix)
• 1.5 cups frozen mango, pineapple & strawberry mix (again, I like Target's Market Pantry mix)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1-2 tbsp's ground flax seed (I use 1.5 tbsp)
• 1 handful baby kale (you can use adult kale too; I prefer the sweeter flavor of baby kale. Spinach is also a great substitute)
• 1 cup water, apple juice or almond milk (Use less or more liquid as needed. I use water because it's the healthiest choice, with zero calories & zero sugar. Apple juice is a great option for added sweetness & almond milk is great for a creamier consistency! If you have a great quality blender or Vitamix you may not need much liquid. I use the liquid to help my blender break down the frozen fruit.
• 2 straws

Add to the blender: frozen berries & the cup of frozen mango, pineapple & strawberries. Peel banana and break in half, putting both halves in the blender. With your hand pinch handful of kale and put in the blender. Pour your liquid of choice in and blend away! Once you have a nice smooth consistency simply pour the smoothie into two cups and throw a straw in each!

It's hard to remember life before my morning breakfast smoothies! Though I've played around with different fruit & greens combos for smoothies, this recipe is always my go to! When I started dating my boyfriend he was curious about my morning smoothies. He was hesitant about trying them because though he likes the fruits involved, the thought of drinking "kale" scared him. But thankfully he was willing to take a sip and he fell in love! Now he craves these, maybe even more than I do! He says he's lost weight since drinking them because they fill him up in the mornings so he doesn't get tempted to snack before lunch. I try to make them for us every morning, but occasionally when I hit the snooze button too many times and am running late for work, we both can feel the difference because they pack in so many benefits. Filled with antioxidants, vital nutrients & protein (yes, veggies have protein), they give us both a boost of energy in the mornings which is especially important for us non morning people!!

My meat-eating boyfriend's approval rating: 5 stars!

Drink a healthy smoothie & go out into the world energized!!