Plant Strong Pasta * Vegan and Gluten Free

Hello Loves!

Who doesn't Love Pasta? I know I do, there was a time in my life that I wanted to marry an Italian man so that I could eat all the Italian food in the world  (true Story). But since it's not that waistline friendly I gave up on that dream. This alternative to Pasta is delicious and Filling. Seriously I was stuffed

You will need:
1 Zucchini
1/2 Cup Mixed Vegetables
1/2 Tomato
1 tsp Basil Paste
1 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
4-6 Grilled Asparagus Spears
1/3 Cup Cooked Sweet Potato


I already had previously grilled my asparagus and baked my sweet potato. you can cook these prior to making this dish. Feel free to cook either how you like, whether it's grilled, baked or boiled. I then made the "noodles" using my Spirelli. Purchase yours at Amazon here

In a bowl add the zucchini, chopped tomatoes, and all the rest of your ingredients. Toss with basil, oil, salt and pepper. Viola! a Super easy and delicious alternative to a high carb meal.

Enjoy!

Mango ♥ Papaya Smoothie

The other day I was in my local market and say these beautiful Papaya's. So I decided to pick one up and make some delicious foods. Once being this tropical smoothie. This was a great post work-out smoothie. Mind you this was on the sweeter side, but I don't mind that at all. :-)

Did you know:

• Papaya seeds can be used as a black pepper alternative
• Papaya tastes great with curry!
• Papaya Has enzymes that aide in breaking down protein fibers, which means you can use it as a tenderizer.
• Papaya soothes Digestion
• Papaya also contains two powerful enzymes papain and chymopapain which help speed up healing.

 Now this is one great fruit!

Blend:
1 Cup Raw Chopped Papaya
3/4 Cup Frozen Mango
1 cup Almond Milk
1.5 Scoop Whey Protein
1 Tbsp Milled Flax Seeds
1 tsp Goji Powder

Blend until smooth, then pout and enjoy!

Tropi ♥ Fruit Salad

I love berries and I love a good fruit salad. I prefer to make them myself becaue this way they don't have all the added syrups and perservitaves. This recipe serves four at only 102 Calories. Keep the rest in the fridge or share with friends. It's so easy to make and taste refreshing too.

You will need:
1 Star Fruit
1 Medium Orange
1 Banana
2 Kiwis
2/3 Cup Blueberries
6 Medium Strawberries
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Light Agave

Chop your Starfruit and strawberries. Peel and chop your orange, kiwis and banana. In a Bowl add all ingredients with the ginger and agave. mix it around and serve. You can Chill prior to serving if you'd like. This will allow the agave to bring out the swrrtiness of the berries. YUM

1 Serving:
103 Calories
323mg Potassium
24.3g Carbs
4.1g Fiber
15.7g Sugar
1.7g Protein
130% Vitamin C!

Enjoy!

Creamy Coconut Tempeh Curry

I know you are probably asking yourself, Does she only eat spicy food? The answer to that is yes, LOL. I was raised in a household where the flavor of food was emphasized by seasoning with fresh herbs and spices. I LOVE Curry. When I say Love, I mean Love. I put it on just about everything that I can put it on. And , No I don’t smell like curry, because I don’t eat it every day, LOL. Check out my Spice your life post for more information on the benefit of spices.

Ingredients:

4 oz. Three Grain Tempeh I use Light life

1 tbsp. Non-Fat plain Greek Yogurt

¼ cup coconut Milk

1 tsp. Curry powder

1tsp Cumin

1tbsp Chopped Garlic

1 tsp. Turmeric

1 tbsp. Parsley

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. Ginger Powder

1 tsp. Red Cayenne Powder

1/3 Cup Water

1/3 Tsp. coconut Oil

10 cherry Tomatoes

¼ tsp. Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

 

Directions

Cut the Tempeh into slices or cut into cubes. Season with all spices. Set the Yogurt, Milk, and water aside. In a Medium sized Skillet warm up the coconut oil until hot. Place your tempeh and sauté until brown on both sides. Then add the coconut Milk, yogurt, water and cherry tomatoes. Allow the liquid to come to a slow boil then immediately turn down the heat and allow simmering. With a wooden spoon press down on the tomatoes so that they pop in the mixture. Cook down until you have a beautiful thick sauce.

 

Serve with rice or any one of your favorite grains.

Recipe serves 2 at: 178 calories, 9g Fat, 14g Carbs, 13g Protein. Yum!

Tempeh and Mango Lemongrass Curry w/ Quinoa and Kale Apple Salad

Have I ever told you that I love being a vegetarian. Since making the decision to be dedicated to this lifestyle I have been forced to be creative in the kitchen. Every sunday my mother has us over for Sunday Dinner, but this past sunday I arrived starving and to my surprise  she didn't cook. I had to think quick, so I ran to the market and Picked up some ingredients to make a Sunday Dinner for the Gang.

Tempeh Mango Curry:
5.3 oz Three Grain Tempeh
1 Medium Mango
1 Lemongrass Stalk
1 tbsp Tumeric
1 tbsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
1 knob Fresh grated Ginger
1 tbsp Yellow Hot Pepper Sauce
1 tsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp White Vinegar

For Quinoa:

2 Cups Dry Quinao

1 tbsp Curry

For Salad:

4 Cups Chopped Kale

1/2 Green Appel

1/2 Haas Avocado

1 Shallot

3 tbsp White Vinegar

1tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Side: First rinse off your Quinoa and then put in a small boiling pot with water and Curry powder. Depending on the brand you use, it can be 1 quinoa 2 water or 1 quinoa 1.5 water. Set on stove top to cook on High until you get a Rolling boil and then cook the remainder of the time on medium-High. You will know it's ready when the tails show and the grain is tender.

Entree: Chop your parsley, ginger and Lemon grass and set aside. Mix all your spices together and set aside. Chop your Tempeh in 1/4 inch slices and put in medium bowl, then cut your Mango in cubes. Mix all the ingredients together and add a little (1-2 tbsp) water to help the ingredients bind.

In a medium sized saute pan warm up the tsp of Olive oil and wait for the pan to get hot. Add all your ingredients and cover on Medium heat for 10-15 minutes. The mixture should be browned and sticky from the mango. Taste and feel free to add a little more spice or salt depending on your liking.  After 25 Minutes your Curry will be ready to eat.

Salad: Chop the Kale in a Large bowl, slice your green apple, avocado, and shallots. Mix with olive oil, salt, and vinegar.

Serve to your family or guests, and Enjoy!

Veggie Egg White Muffins

This is a quick and easy way to get your breakfast in the morning. You know me I love quick and simple. This serving makes 12 and each portion is 25 calories.

 You will need:

1 &3/4 Cup Egg Whites

1 cup Spinach, chopped

1/4 Cup Almond Milk

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

10 Grape Tomatoes

1/c Cup Mixed Veggies

 

Spray your muffin pan lightly with a non-stick oil. In a bowl mix your egg whites, almond milk and spices. Whisk until all mixed then set aside. Add your veggies in the muffin pan they pour egg white mixture over them. Bake in oven at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.

 

Let cool and then Enjoy and Bon Appetite!

Spiced OIAJ

So my mornings have been pretty busy lately and breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day. I need something nutritious that will take up little of my time in the morning, and I found Oats in a Jar!  I've seen a few of these recipes on the web, but this is my version; I use my fitness pal for all my recipes to track the nutritional content.

Nutritional Facts

Recipe yields 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup Rolled Oats

1 tsp Coconut Spread (or Smart Balance)

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese

12 oz Ball Jar

1tsp Pumpkin Spice

1 tbsp Ground Flax Seed

1 scoop Protein Powder( I use Sun Warrior)

1/4 Cup Organic Raisins

1/2 Cup Mashed Pumpkin

1 tbsp Agave Nectar

1 Cup Almond Milk

1/4 cup Flax Milk

2 empty Jars of your choice

Directions:

Warm up small saucer with butter alternative on stove. Add Oats and Almond Milk and bring to a simmer. Increase your heat and add the protein powder to the mixture. Stir until thick like a paste. Set aside.

Pull out your Jars and start to layer your ingredients. Oats, cottage Cheese, pumpkin, raisins, flax seed meal, agave and spice.  If you like the sweeter side of things add a little extra agave. Then add another Layer of ingredients in that order. When you are all done splash equal parts of your extra milk in the jars so that the oats can soak overnight.

Place jars in the fridge, covered overnight. Pull out next morning and Enjoy! You can pop it in the microwave for a minute to bring it to room temperature.

I added some Fiber one Cereal to the top for extra Crunch. this keeps me Full for a minimum of 3.5 hours. Yum!