BBQ Chick’n & Slaw Wrap

This stuffed low carb whole wheat wrap is STUFFED with homemade (of course) Broccoli Slaw, Baby Pea Sprouts and Gardein Filet in a bit of Spicy BBQ Sauce.

This whole wrap comes in at 282 calories!  It’s got 24 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber.  Now keep asking the vegan, where do you get your protein?  This was sweet from my apple cider vinegar slaw, but spicy from the bbq sauce.  I ate a little extra slaw on the side, cause it was so good.  This took all of 5 minutes to make. Who doesn’t have time for that?  You can make it separate and even bring it to work for lunch. Another benefit of this lunch is that it is en energy booster.  You do not feel tired and sluggish even when you are full. Hope all these veggies inspire you.

Fajita Dinner

 

Oh so good.  I needed a little break from my Autumn cooking fest.  After heaping bowls of the Apple Butternut Squash I made for lunch, I needed a lite and spicy dinner.  This fit the bill. It was packed with peppers, mushrooms, onions, and Beefless Tips by Gardein. It was so fast to make and only 375 calories, 11g fat, 28g protein and 13g of fiber for this stuffed fajita and 3/4 cup cilantro lime rice on the side.  Impresses with the numbers?  It is my new software program that lets me track and plan everything for me and my clients.  I love it!  It really helps me know if I am hitting all my essential nutrient markers.  Anyway, it was a delicious meal.

Ingredients.

Cooking…yum.

Up close.

Fall Feast

What says Fall and Football better then Pumpkin Pie?  And that was just dessert.

I was inspired by squash and my Autumn obsession, pumpkin in everything.  Oatmeal, soup, stew, bread. and pie of course.  I love cooking and eating this time of year.

In preparation for the Autumn cooking class I am going to teach, I thought I should make some of the test recipes.

Mya was well occupied outside on the deck painting a boat load of mini pumpkins we bought.  She did a beautiful job. 

I decided on a menu of:

Appetizer: Sweet and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Main Course: Gardien Chick’n Breast in a black balsamic fig reduction, with a side dish of sweet delicata squash roasted and stuffed with mixed grain rice.

Dessert: Healthier Pumpkin Pie

Heavenly.  Just what we all needed.  Mya ate the whole squash including the skin.  It melted in your mouth.  The fig reduction was the perfect match of flavors.  I cannot wait to make these dishes and more in my upcoming Autumn Harvest class.

I wish you all had taste-o-vision.

Mya likes her squash empty and rice and chick’n on the side:

Can you smell the cinnamon and pumpkin.  Slice of heaven, I am getting hungry all over again!

Field Roast with the Trimmings

Autumn weather means comfort food. Sunday dinners the way my grandmother used to make them, only vegan.  I don’t know how she would feel about the “meatless” part, but I do know she would love the house smelling of cinnamon baked apples and roasting veggies. 
I just love a hearty Sunday dinner.  You smell it cooking for hours, you get the kitchen clean while its baking away and you actually have the table set.  It’s Sunday in fall, which means football, snacks and dessert.  This is my favorite time of year.  I love waking up to the chilly fall air, then warming up with a hot cup of coffee and by mid day wearing shorts, then by evening back to warm clothes and a mug of tea to warm up and end a glorious fall day. 
Anyway, back to the food.  A field roast is made from wheat gluten and vegetables.  It tastes like turkey and has a wonderful stuffing inside.  I always make some gravy on the side and plenty of classic veggies to accompany it.  I chose potatoes, carrots, peas, and onion for this roast.  And what Sunday dinner would be complete without a sweet side that doubles as dessert?  How about baked apple crisp?  Crisp juicy seasonal Granny Smiths, sweeten with a little sugar and cinnamon and then topped with a buttery oatmeal whole wheat crumble. The best part of this dessert was that Mya enthusiastically helped by making the topping all by herself.  I gave her the ingredients and some instruction, she did the rest.  Everything was wonderful and it was a beautiful Sunday.  I hope yours was also.

Vegan Quesadilla for Sunday Football

What could be a healthier football snack than a made over quesadilla?  Start this super snack with two whole wheat tortillas,  spread a thick layer of hummus, sprinkle some vegan cheddar, some salsa, and top with another tortilla.  Place on preheated pan.  Cook several minutes until browned,  Flip.  Cook until other side is brown.  Take off pan and cool 2 minutes and slice into wedges.  Serve with vegan sour cream and salsa on the side.

South West Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble

This is my go to breakfast for both satisfaction and sustained energy.  I love a hearty breakfast that incorporates lots of vegetables.  This scramble includes sweet potato for energy, vitamin a, vitamin c, calcium, iron, manganese, just to name a few.  Also mixed peppers, sweet red onions, corn, and protein star,tofu, mixed with turmeric, a great anti-inflammatory, and nutritional yeast to get all your B-vitamins.  I finished it off with a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

I don’t know why I love it more, the nutrients, or the taste?

Anniversary Asian Inspired

Anyone who knows me, knows that I really don’t eat out.  With the exception of Wholefoods Bar and Wegman’s Bar on very rare occasions.  Before being so health conscious our favorite way to celebrate occasions was to go to an Asian restaurant.  Reminiscing on those previous anniversary’s, I decided that a great classic Asian restaurant meal was the way to go for our 16th wedding Anniversary. After inventorying my ingredients, I made a pit stop at Wegman’s for a few essentials.

The meal started with restaurant “Chinese Tea” in classic pot and cups.  I sweeten slightly with agave nectar.    Since I was going for traditional “bad food” I did purchase some authentic Asian fried noodles for the table and some fortune cookies too.  I used organic Jasmine rice instead of my heart healthy brown rice.  The main course was a vegan chicken and veggies stir-fry in spicy orange sauce.  I used Gardien crispy “chicken” tenders for the more authentic fired feel/taste.    I topped the dish with toasted sesame seeds.  Served on the side were a crispy vegan eggrolls baked to perfection. 

All in all this was a perfect duplication without being the over sauced under vegetable MSG laden meal we would normally be presented.  Also, eating at home helps me control my portions better and not be tempted to order more or eat other dishes that would not be as good of a choice.  My family LOVED it.  It was also much cheaper in the end.