Lunch

Lunch

Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Tips

Easy Veggie Burger (for the busy days)

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First of all, sorry for the lack of posts last week! I have been shipping shirts like a mad woman, and then I went on a blogger trip where my car broke down! Stories of that crazy adventure to come later this week!

So you guys know that I’m not the biggest fan of frozen meals and such. I try my hardest to eat fresh fruits and veggies and cook meals from scratch as often as I can, but like everyone else, some days I’m just too busy or tired to cook dinner. On those days, when I’m low on time or energy, Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers have been a lifesaver for me. Just a little FYI, this is not a sponsored post, nor are half of the products that I post here; I sincerely love these veggie patties, and had to share them with you guys! This is the absolute easiest meal to make and still stick with The Rabbit Food Pyramid.

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I love that their ingredient list doesn’t include any type of preservatives, chemicals, or modified ingredients. They’re vegan, GMO free, kosher parve, and free of saturated fat, and cholesterol! Plus they even contain 5g of protein and are only 110 calories per patty!

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Nothing ever looks that pretty when frozen, but here it is in all of it’s frozen glory. I love the texture and that there are whole pieces of corn, and soybeans in there, as well as bits of carrots and other veggies. To find Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers near you, check out their store locator.

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I don’t really buy buns unless I’m having friends and family over for a barbecue, so I love eating my burgers on a slice of toasted Dave’s Killer Bread in Powerseed. It’s really hearty and so soft! To Find Dave’s Killer Bread near you, check out their store locator.

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I treat this veggie burger as an open faced sandwich. I like to eat it with a knife and fork! It also slows me down from nom noming the entire thing at lightening speed haha.

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Easy Veggie Burger
Serves 1

1 slice whole grain bread (my fav is Dave’s Killer Bread in Powerseed)
1 Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Patty
1 slice reduced fat (or vegan) cheese (I used jack)
1/4 small avocado (mashed or sliced)

Optional: 1 Tbsp of your favorite condiment like Vegenaise or organic ketchup!

Toast bread, heat veggie patty on a microwave safe plate for 1 minute. After 1 minute, flip the patty and add cheese, microwave for 40 more seconds. Transfer patty to the toasted bread and add freshly sliced or mashed avocado and desired condiments.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Patty
Whole Grain: bread
Protein: cheese
Plant Based Fat: avocado

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Breakfast, Lunch, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Soy & Flax Green Smoothie

Soooo once again, I’ve discovered a new favorite green smoothie. I’m pretty sure this has turned into a weekly thing. Each week, I start throwing in new ingredients to my green smoothies, and somehow I end up with a masterpiece!

I always try to keep my smoothie recipes under or around 6 ingredients. I find that the less ingredients you need, the less intimidating and more likely you will be to try new things! Have you ever looked at photos for a recipe, started drooling, and then saw the list of 15+ ingredients that you definitely don’t have in your kitchen? Ya… I’ve been there too! My goal is to make healthy eating as simple and fun as possible!

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I know a lot of you bunnies are allergic to bananas, because I often get asked for swaps in my recipes. This smoothie is banana free! Other notable differences in this green smoothie recipe versus my others? Protein rich soy milk!

This smoothie is also loaded with flaxseed which is an excellent source of:

  • Omega-3 essential fatty acids: “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
  • Lignans: which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
  • Fiber: Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

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Soy & Flax Green Smoothie
Serves 1

1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 large handful of spinach
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

Blend blend blend!

Note: I love my smoothies extra thick, and I usually have to use the “plunger” on my Vitamix to get all of the ingredients to blend together, but if you don’t have a high powered blender, simply add more soy milk as you blend!

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Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegetarian

Beet and Mandarin Orange Salad

I am just in love with all of the healthy meals that Paulette Lambert, R.D. made for us at the DOLE Summit. I felt so spoiled having all of these incredible meals prepared for me during my trip. I pretty much died and went to rabbit food heaven! I learned so many creative healthy ways to use DOLE packaged foods that I never would’ve thought of before! If only I could have Paulette in my kitchen every day! Le sigh.

I am definitely a texture person, and this salad was filled with the perfect combination of textures from chewy quinoa to juicy mandarin oranges and crisp lettuce. I loved the addition of quinoa because it makes the salad extra filling and satiating. Plus, it’s Rabbit Food Pyramid approved! I’ve broken it down for you at the end of the post!

This salad would be just delightful for a weekend brunch with a Pineapple Apricot Bellini!
Oh yes, I have a recipe for that too!

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Beet and Mandarin Orange Salad
Recipe By: Paulette Lambert, R.D., CDE
Serves 8
Calories per serving: 95

Salad
4 large beets, rinsed and trimmed
2 heads of frisee lettuce, outer leaves removed (or baby greens)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup DOLE Mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup DOLE golden raisins
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 cup cooked tri-colored OR red quinoa
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Vinaigrette
1 1/2 Tablespoons grape seed oil
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon orange flower water
1 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wrap beets in foil and roast on a rimmed baking sheet for 45-60 minutes, until tender. When finished roasting, and cool enough to handle, peel and dice beets into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. In a large serving bowl, toss frisee, beets, onion, oranges, raisins, olives and quinoa. In a small bowl, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, toss gently and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: frisee, beets, red onion, mandarin oranges, golden raisins
Whole Grain:  quinoa
Protein: goat cheese
Plant Based Fat: olives and grape seed oil from vinaigrette
Free Extras: orange flower water, red wine vinegar, parsley , salt & pepper

Brunch it up, take a walk on the wild side and pair this with Pineapple Apricot Bellinis!

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Pineapple Apricot Bellinis
Serves 4

1 cup sparkling white wine or sparkling cider
1/2 cup DOLE Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup apricot nectar

Combine sparkling wine, pineapple juice, and apricot nectar in a pitcher. Stir with a spoor; pour into champagne flutes. Garnish with apricot or pineapple wedges, if desired.
Please drink responsibly!

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Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Gingered Carrot and Orange Soup

The healthy DOLE recipes continue!

This is a Gingered Carrot and Orange Soup that we got to enjoy at the DOLE Summit. The soup is vegan and gluten-free, while still remaining creamy and thick. There’s also an unexpected ingredient; DOLE Mandarin Oranges, that give it a little extra flavor! Paulette Lambert, R.D. also added a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt atop of our soups which is of course optional, but totally delicious!

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Gingered Carrot and Orange Soup
Recipe By: Paulette Lambert, R.D., CDE
Serves 8
Calories per serving: 95

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
2 quarts reduced sodium, fat-free, organic vegetable broth
1 cup DOLE Mandarin Oranges, drained
1 teaspoon sea salt (or more, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (optional)
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Saute carrots, onions and ginger until soft. Add broth and simmer until carrots are fork-tender. Working in batches, puree Mandarin oranges and cooked vegetables in a blender, food processor or use an immersion blender (or your Vitamix! Just add to blender at this step then puree until smooth and very hot, continuing on with step four). Return soup to Dutch oven. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with Greek yogurt and chopped cilantro.

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| 3 Comments
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Vegan (Quinoa) Mac & Cheese

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We all know the blue box macaroni and cheese…
Remember the cute little girl singing “I’ve got the blues,”
If you were like me, you totally asked your mom to buy you the blue box because it was the best, and no other mac ‘n’ cheese mattered unless it was in suh-weeet shapes of cartoon characters like the Looney Tunes.

Well, time to step away from the blue box my friends!
Blue box= yellow 5, yellow 6, sodium tripolyphosphate, and other questionable ingredients.
NOT OK!

I mean it’s good, and I totally ate it growing up and lived off of it in college (Sponge Bob Squarepants shapes to be exact) but seriously, the more I look at ingredients and nutritional info… that shiz scares me!

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I totally appreciate a good mac and cheese. The oozy gooey and crispy baked kind made at home from scratch, but my skin just cannot handle that stuff anymore. When I eat super heavy foods made with full fat cheeses and milks, my skin pays for it. Funny how what we eat can really affect so many different things, with our bodies, mood, energy, etc., rights?

Being that my fav thing to do on my blog is show you healthier and veganized versions of your fav comfort foods, I’m shocked I haven’t made a healthy macaroni and cheese before!

I’ve taken out the dairy, processed vegan cheeses, artificial coloring, white pasta, and strange ingredients. I know what you’re thinking right now… is she giving us a recipe for water?

Nope!

Just protein packed fluffy quinoa and veggie infused vegan mac and cheese, NBD (no big deal)!

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My vegan “cheese” is made from Nutritional Yeast, I know it sounds gross/weird, but don’t knock it until you try it! Want to know why nutritional yeast is good for you? I have tons of facts about Nutritional Yeast! Prepare your tastebuds, you’re in for a real treat, bunnies!

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Vegan (Quinoa) Mac & Cheese
Serves 1

2 cups broccoli
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp whole wheat flour (you could also use spelt, rice, or tapioca flour)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt

Cook quinoa over stove with water to package instructions until fluffy and soft. In a separate saucepan over media heat, combine almond milk, nutritional yeast, whole wheat flour, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and salt. Stir the sauce for about 4 minutes until it becomes thick. Cut and steam broccoli and add to the cooked quinoa. Transfer the cheese sauce to the quinoa and broccoli and coat evenly. Serve hot, enjoy!

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