Sprouts Haul

Sprouts Market are “sprouting” all over the place! My father frequents this location, but I decided to give it a shot after he told me they were having a sale on those little tangerines I love so much. Upon my visit, I noticed this place is a mecca for vegan goods and groceries! More so than Trader Joes and Whole Foods (and surprisingly cheaper!)

So far I’ve tried the Sweet Earth Burritos, thankfully they have the yummiest vegan options Ever! I had the Kyoto and Curry Tiger. I got them on sale for $2.99 each (regular $3.49) My favorite was The Curry Tiger (19 GRAMS OF PROTEIN and only 360 calories!)

It’s very filling, and kept me full all day. It’s soooo yummy. I’m looking forward to going back to Sprouts and buying a dozen!

I also bought some Gardein Mandarin Chicken, tastes just like the ones from Trader Joe’s (but I think the one there is cheaper). It looks and tastes like chicken nuggets with an orange glaze. I bought the chicken tenders as well, but I haven’t made those yet!

I also found some clearance vegan items in the freezer section! I  bought vegan sloppy joes, burgers, and burgers. I am also excited to try the vegan mint chip ice cream I bought from Jolly Llama!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies (vegan & gluten free!)

 

Mix Dry ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries 
• 1/2 cup oatmeal (gluten free)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar 

Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl:

• 1/2 cup applesauce 
• 1 cup almond milk 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

Once you’ve blended the dry ingredients together, blend the wet ingredient mixture in. If it is too dry, add a little more almond milk so it is easier to scoop onto cookie sheet. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Vegan Tinga (nobody will ever know the difference!)

I love experimenting with food, so when one of my followers suggested I “Veganize” the popular Mexican dish Tinga, I couldn’t say no!

It was my first time using JackFruit as a meat substitute, and I am very pleased with how well it emulates the texture and consistency of meat. I purchased a pack of 6 “Young Jackfruit in water” for about $17 on Amazon. Two cans = 1lb of “meat”.

What you’ll need:
2 Cans of Young Jackfruit in Water
1/2 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 can (15 oz) of steamed tomatoes
1 onion
1tbs Olive Oil

For the Sour Cream:
1/2 Cup soaked cashews
1 lemon
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup water
(I blend the ingredients in my Nutribullet)

Directions:
1.Heat the oil and saute the onions.
2.Mix chipotle in adobo sauce and tomato in a blender until smooth.
3. Drain and rinse Jackfruit. Pull apart the chunks so that it has the appearance of shredded chicken.
4.Add all the ingredients together in a pot and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

I then assemble the Tinga on a tostada and add a dollop of vegan Sour Cream. Soooo yummy!

 

Vegan Garlic Noodles

I’m too distracted by my yummy leftovers to even finish this post… THESE GARLIC NOODLES ARE TO DIE FOR. Literally, I want this for my last meal. Not only is it super duper yummy, it’s also VERY easy to make.

What you’ll need:

Box of Spaghetti
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup Earth Balance Butter
1/3 cup low sodium Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh chili paste
(Green onion optional)

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a rolling boil. (I like to add salt to speed this up and add flavor to the noodles.)
2. Add Noodles.
3. In a separate pot melt butter, then add in sugar, soy sauce, garlic and chili paste until well blended.
4. Drain noodles, return to pot and pour over mixture. Mix Well!

Enjoy the goodness of this Asian noodle dish!

 

 

Vegan Hard Shell Tacos

Last night I made the most delicious vegan tacos imaginable. A lot of you guys wanted the recipe, so here it is! It’s super easy to make and very cheap!

What you’ll need:

• 10-12 oz of packaged Vegan “ground beef”
• Shredded lettuce
• Vegan shredded cheese
• Seasoning (optional depending on if you’re using pre-seasoned protein)
• Diced tomato, jalapeno, onion
• 5 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Meet the Meat! I love using Beyond Meat beef crumbles since it is already seasoned, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I used Trader Joe’s “Meatless Ground Beef” and seasoned it myself (VERY tasty!)

For the seasoning you can buy packaged, or make your own!
ingredients:
1 tablespoon flour & cornstarch
1 teaspoon of: cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt, onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of: sugar, cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in skillet and toss in the onions and jalapeno. Once the onions have browned add minced garlic cloves.
2. Add packaged “meat” (with seasoning if needed) and 1/4 cup of water. Mix well until water has completely dissolved.
3. Heat the taco shells in the oven for about 5 minutes.
4. Assemble taco. (Meat, shredded lettuce, tomato, cheese)
5. Annnnnd you’re done. Enjoy!

Vegan Broccoli “Beef”

• 1\4 cup cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons sherry
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 3\4 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion cut into wedges
• 1\4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1\2 cup vegetable broth
• 10-12 pieces of textured soy protein
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups broccoli florets

Steps:

First you must soak the textured soy protein in warm water until it is tender (about 10-15 minutes for good measure) I used a glass plate to hold down the pieces to keep them submerged under water since they tend to float to the top.

While your textured soy protein is soaking, this is a great time to prepare your sauce. Combine cornstarch, sherry, soy sauce, broth, garlic, ginger and sugar.

Cut your textured soy protein into three slivers. Once cut, place them in a shallow bowl and pour your sauce mixture on top and mix. Let sit for about ten minutes.

While your protein is soaking, mix your olive and sesame oil and coat your skillet. Once heated, throw on your broccoli and onion wedges. Sautee until tender.

Move the veggies to a different plate because you will now be cooking your protein. With a slotted spoon, remove pieces, leaving only the liquid in the bowl (we will be using this later, so save!) I cook the soy protein until the sauce caramelizes and it begins to look like your traditional “Broccoli Beef”.

Mix veggies and beef together in skillet. Slowly pour remaining sauce, and mix thoroughly on low heat.

Serve with brown rice. So yummy!

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

If there is one thing to be said about me, it is  is that I have a sweet tooth unlike any other! One of my favorite (and somewhat indulgent) desserts to make is my Chocolate Avocado Mousse with my sweet Coconut Cream!

The Chocolate Avocado Mousse (only 3 basic ingredients!)

• 1 Large Avocado
• 1/2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Trader Joe’s version is VEGAN! make sure you don’t get the chunks because those contain milk.)

1. Mash the avocado until smooth. (you can use a food processor but the one I have is super dated. Think “Parent’s wedding 30 years ago!)
2. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a heat safe bowl.
3. Blend together in the food processor, or by hand.

The Coconut Whipped Cream

• 1 can of Thick & Creamy coconut cream from Trader Joe’s
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Chill coconut cream in the fridge overnight.
2. Scoop the top layer of cream that has now risen to the top into a bowl. (You won’t be needing the remaining coconut water left on the bottom.)
3. With a mixer, blend with vanilla and powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Vegan Tamales

Since transitioning to Veganism I have not missed a single thing from my carnivore days. I never baked or cooked prior to becoming Vegan, and it is almost as though my inner gourmet chef has really blossomed! My favorite recipe is definitely one of my own devising; Vegan Tamales!

What you’ll need:

Dough:
2     Cups Masa (I used a gluten-free kind I found at Baja Market)
1.5  Cups Vegetable broth
1/4  Cup  Extra Virgin Olive oil
(optional: a generous sprinkling of garlic salt and Mexican seasoning)

Filling:
One bunch of Cilantro
A Can of Corn
A Can of Low Sodium Black Beans
1/4 Cup of Salsa Verde

Directions:
Some people say to soak your corn husks over night, but I found that soaking them for half an hour works just as well.
(The hardest part of making tamales is spreading the masa on the corn husks. Make sure your husks dry off a little after you soak them because masa does not work well with soggy husks!) I eyeball how much masa I put onto each husk, but the general rule is 2 Tablespoons of masa per tamale.
I then put a spoonful of my filling in the center of each tamale and close. (I learned how to properly fold a tamale on youtube) Make sure they’re tight or they won’t form properly in the steamer! Some people tie their tamales, but that’s just too much work for me! Haha.
After they’re all nice and folded, steam those babies for about an hour/hour and a half. Let cool before serving. In my experience moist, right out of the steamer tamales break apart. Especially if you spread the masa thin like I do sometimes.

There you have it! My super yummy Vegan Tamale recipe that everyone will love!

 

 

The Vegan Life

I made a big leap to go straight from omnivore to Vegan. I thought it would be the hardest thing in the world because my first attempt at going Vegan didn’t end too well. In college I went Vegan for 6 months, and do you know what happened? I gained 20 pounds! “How did that happen?!” one might wonder, and I’ll tell you. For dinner each night I would binge on Stacy’s Pita Chips and Sabra Hummus. I could finish a party size bag and entire dish of hummus. Chips had also became a large staple in my diet, as well as a lot of unnecessary carbs, refined sugars and fats. Needless to say, I wasn’t eating much fruits, veggies and legumes. I was taking the easy way out, and it showed!

Thankfully, this time I am a little bit older and wiser and have decided to cook and prepare my own meals. It’s slightly pricier than reaching for the junk food, but your body will thank you in the long run. I sometimes calorie-splurge on the frozen Indian meals at Trader Joe’s (which are high in all the bad stuff: calories, saturated fat, sodium). These deadly babies are some of my favorite!

 

The Facts

Greetings, and welcome to my page. Let me tell you a little about myself! I would like to think of myself as a unique individual with varied interests. At this point in my life, I am focused on health and vitality so I workout about 4 times week, and try to eat right. In the last few months I have been able to shed about 15 lbs. It hasn’t been easy because I LOVE to eat, and am a HUGE foodie. I would like this blog to include all aspects of my life, from the beauty products I use, to the food I eat, and even down to the exercises I do to stay in shape. So, sit with me a second, and let’s be friends!