Tag: meatless monday recipes

One-Pot Lentil, Onion & Baby Bella Saute {Vegan}

On August 10, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, GBOMBS, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

I’m back from vacation and excited to be in my kitchen again making new recipes to share with you!

I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had half the day on Saturday to experiment 🙂

Today’s dish came about as I was planning the menu for a cooking class I’m teaching about GBOMBS foods (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds/Nuts) for a client in DC. If you missed the GBOMBS post, check it out to learn which foods are the best disease-fighting, nutrient-dense foods we can eat.

Aside from being packed with nutrient-rich foods, the other motivation behind this recipe was to make a quick and easy dinner option (on the table in under 30 minutes).

Two of the GBOMBS foods in this meal are onions and mushrooms, two of the most underappreciated plants we eat.

mush

For most of my life, I had no idea just how good these foods were for my body, but I’ve learned a lot about just how amazing they are!

They both contain powerful compounds called angiogenesis inhibitors, compounds designed to prevent the formation of new blood vessels, thereby stopping or slowing the growth or spread of abnormal cells and protecting the body against fat storage.

Certain cancer drugs contain angiogenesis inhibitors, but these compounds also occur naturally in dozens of plants, including onions and mushrooms!

shrooms and onions

I didn’t eat onions or mushrooms until a few years ago (I’d deemed them both “gross”), and neither did my husband, Bill. Now, we love them and put onions in just about every savory dish we make.

What I like about this dish is that it’s “semi-homemade,” meaning one of the ingredients is from a can.

BUT, just because it comes from a can doesn’t mean we have to lower our standards when it comes to quality and nutrition! We still make sure we can recognize and pronounce all of the ingredients and that they are real, whole foods.

The star of this dish, a can of lentils from Eden Organic, passes the real food test 🙂

eden beans

We’ve been using Eden Organic beans for years because they taste great, don’t get mushy at the bottom of the can like other bean brands, and they have no added sodium.

Lentils are packed with fill-you-up fiber and protein, and they keep me feeling full for hours.

Because the lentils are already cooked, this dish can be prepared in about 20 minutes and requires only one pan 🙂 Yay for recipes with minimal clean-up (not my strong suit).

I had leftovers for lunch today in my thermos, and they were delicious! The onions melt in your mouth.

lentil saute

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil (or other high heat cooking oil)
1 large yellow onion, cut into half moons
1/2 pound cremini (AKA baby bella) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (+more, to taste)
Black pepper, to taste
1 can Eden Organics Lentils with Onion & Bay Leaf* (below for 100% GF option)
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced

**100% GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Although all of the other recipes on my site are gluten-free, this can of lentils does contain a small amount of shoyu, which is made with organic wheat. I’ve contacted the company to see if they have plans for a wheat-free option in the future. In the meantime, if you are completely avoiding gluten, follow the box directions for cooking one cup of green lentils and add some basil, garlic and tamari to the dish at step #3 below.**

Directions

Melt 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a large saute pan set to medium heat. Add onions and saute for 6-8 minutes or until soft.
Add 1 tablespoon ghee or oil, salt and mushrooms. Saute with onions for about 6-8 minutes or until they’ve shrunk in size and softened.
Add can of lentils, including juices, and stir to combine. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and sprinkle in scallions, tossing to combine. Serve hot.

“The Best Thing You’ve EVER Made” {My Father Knows Best!}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On September 22, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, How To, Paleo, Recipes, Vegetarian

I’m especially excited about this recipe because it marks a special point in my food journey.

As I shared in one of my first posts, I used to hate the main ingredient in this recipe…

Eggplant.

The very idea of the funky-shaped purple vegetable weirded me out, and I had no desire to eat it…ever.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve come up with an eggplant recipe that I dare say would get ANYONE (even kids!) to like eggplant.

I made a similar version of these a few months ago in the form of eggplant fries, but the coating on these chips is absolutely to die for and makes them – as my dad AND husband said – “One of the best things you’ve EVER made.”

We liked them SO much that my sister, Jane, even requested that I make them for her 21st birthday dinner the other night. Everyone gobbled them up!

Almond & Rosemary-Crusted Eggplant Chips

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, cut into ¼” discs
1-2 free-range eggs, whisked (I only needed 1, but depending on the size of your eggplant, you might need 2)
1 cup raw almonds
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (sub in cornstarch if you don’t have arrowroot)
1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1-2 tsps dried…fresh tastes best!)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Additional sea salt to sprinkle on the eggplant to draw out moisture

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F.
Place eggplant slices on a paper towel and sprinkle sea salt on top and let sit for 15-20 minutes. You’ll notice little pools of liquid forming on top of the slices. This helps draw the moisture out of the eggplant, so that it crisps up when baked. Use another paper towel to press any remaining moisture out of the eggplant slices, and shake off any excess salt.

Grind the almonds, arrowroot powder, rosemary, garlic, pepper and sea salt in a food processor until small chunks remain. Pour almond coating onto a plate.

Dip the eggplant slices one by one in the egg wash and shake off any excess egg. Then, coat both sides of each slice generously with the almond coating.

Place eggplant slices on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once at the 10-12 minute mark.

Place eggplant slices on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping them over at the 10-12 minute mark.

Remove from oven and enjoy by themselves or in a tomato dipping sauce linked below!

Crispy, crunchy, and savory with a hint of salt. No soggy eggplant here, folks!

They’re also incredibly addictive and DEEElicious!

You’ll enjoy them even more with this tomato dipping sauce on the side.

I guarantee you will eat the whole tray.

We did 🙂

Stuffed Rainbow Peppers {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On August 26, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Recipes, Vegan

Stuffed peppers are one of our go-to recipes to make when we have a lot of veggies to use up and want something delicious for dinner.

You can use any veggies you want and any grain that you like to stuff these peppers, so the possibilities are endless!

We opted for a few basics (carrots, onions, celery & garlic), fiber-filled and gluten-free brown rice and chickpeas, and some chunky tomato sauce to bring it all together.

This is a meal you will make again and again. It’s filling, delicious, comforting, and is a great alternative to meat as a meal. Try it for a Meatless Monday (or Tuesday!) meal. Believe it or not, something like this will often be cheaper than giving everyone at the table a full portion of meat!

I’m not a vegetarian but over the past few years have used meat more as the side dish and the veggies more as the star of the show. I eat high-quality (local, humanely raised, grass-fed/pasture-raised) animal-based foods (eggs, chicken, meat, seafood) a couple of times a week.

On the other days, I get my protein from vegetables, beans and lentils, grains like quinoa, and nuts and seeds. Despite what many of us have been led to believe, meat is not the only quality source of protein, so change up your proteins and try something new!

Veggie-Stuffed Rainbow Peppers

Ingredients

1/4-1/2 cup vegetable broth
2-3 cups water (enough to fill the bottom of the pot you’re using for steaming – see instructions below)
4 bell peppers, top cut off & seeds removed
1 cup cooked brown rice (we use the steamable bags in the frozen aisle of the grocery store for convenience)
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 15-ounce can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (We use the Eden Organics brand)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking pan with aluminum foil.
Fill a pot with enough water to steam the peppers and put the seeded peppers on top of a steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot with a lid and steam the peppers for 10 minutes. You want them to still be a bit firm so they stand up on their own. Steaming helps to partially cook them and make them easier to fill with the stuffing.
Place peppers in the foil-lined baking dish. Do not leave them in the covered pot after steaming or they will overcook.
While the peppers are steaming, saute the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in a few tablespoons of vegetable broth, adding more broth to prevent the onions from sticking.
After about 10 minutes, add the diced tomatoes (with their juices!), brown rice, chickpeas, chili powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, and salt, stirring until everything is combined.
Fill each pepper with the rice mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup of the mixture to top off the peppers. Roast peppers in the oven for 20 minutes. We roasted ours in the toaster oven.
Remove from oven and top with 1-2 spoons of the extra rice mixture. Serve and enjoy!

We like to top ours with a few shakes of paleo parmesan cheeze!

MYO Chipotle-Style Bean Burrito Bowl {Vegetarian, Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On May 29, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Products I Use, Recipes, Vegetarian

One of the questions I’m often asked is:

How can I eat healthy without going broke or spending hours in the kitchen?

My kitchen is my happy place, and I love spending lots of time there, but I know that time and patience to cook tend to be on the short side for most people.

That’s why I’m sharing a SUPER simple recipe with you today. It’s cheap, easy, quick AND delicious! You can have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes. 🙂

When I finished making this dish for the first time, my husband Bill said, “You’re done already?”

Yup! It was that quick!

After his first bite, he gave me an “Oh yeah” and said this is one of his new favorite dishes. Success!

If you like Chipotle or Qdoba but don’t want to spend $8/person on a meal, this could be a new “go to” recipe for you. I bet it will become one of your favorites!

Here are a few keys to keep in mind when making your own quick and healthy meals, which served as the motivation to test out this recipe!

Cook more, dine out less. You will almost always pay more to dine out than to make a meal yourself. On average, a McDonald’s dinner for a family of four costs almost $7/person compared to a dinner based on rice and beans, like this one, which costs less than $2.50/person.
Make some of your meals meatless. Meat and dairy products and processed foods tend to be some of the most costly items on a grocery bill. Swapping out meat with beans – even one day a week – can help you save money…and time!
Eat vegan before 6:00 p.m. Mark Bittman was given the choice to either go on medication or adopt a vegan diet. He didn’t want to do either, so he started eating vegan before 6:00 and then having smaller portions of high quality animal products at dinnertime. He lost 35 pounds and didn’t have to go on medication. Click here to learn more about his story and book. In the meantime, check out this awesome recipe!

Chipotle-Style Bean Burrito Bowl

This is one of the most popular recipes on my blog and is always a crowd pleaser, even for people who claim to dislike beans and avocado! It’s also one of the cheapest meals you can make for a group!

Base Ingredients

1 29-ounce can (about 3 cups) black beans or pinto beans (drained and rinsed (I use Eden brand))
2 cups cooked brown rice (heat up a precooked frozen bag!)
4 cups romaine lettuce (chopped)
1 jar salsa
2 avocados (diced)

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper (to taste)
Pinch cayenne pepper ((if you like some heat!))

Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together.
In a large bowl, combine rice, beans, salsa, avocado, and lettuce. Pour the vinaigrette on top, and toss all ingredients together to combine. Serve immediately.

If you want to save this for 2-3 days, add the lettuce and avocado when ready to serve to prevent browning and preserve freshness.

Optional add-ons: grilled or sautéed meat or seafood and/or sautéed veggies (onions, peppers…whatever you like!)

Optional topping: dairy-free sour cream