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Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Sesame Garlic Kale

I love kale! I love how unlike other lettuces, it holds up in the fridge for a couple of days, even with dressing. In fact, it tastes even better with “age” when marinated overnight! I love the slight bitter flavor and firm, embossed texture. If those reasons didn’t make me love it enough, it’s also high in calcium, protein, vitamin K!

This kale salad consists of only a few ingredients and is rich in vitamins, healthy fats, and antioxidants derived from sesame seeds.

Want to wear a bikini? Eat some tahini!

Sesame Garlic Kale
Serves 2-3

6 cups chopped curly kale
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp water
1 clove garlic

Wash and dry kale. Remove stems and tear into bite-sized pieces.
In a blender (I used my Magic Bullet), combine tahini, orange juice, water and garlic. Blend until smooth creamy dressing is formed. Toss kale with sesame seeds and dressing, coating the kale evenly.

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Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Chili Lime Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpeas can make a great low-fat, high-fiber snack, and there is more to them than just hummus! If you love the texture and crunchiness of corn nuts, then you will love snacking on this healthy alternative of roasted chickpeas.

Chili Lime Roasted Chickpeas
Makes about 6, ¼ cup servings

15oz can chickpeas
3 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread chickpeas out on a foil covered baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes, stirring and flipping every 15 minutes or so. While chickpeas are roasting, combine oil, chili powder, lime juice, sea salt, and cumin in a bowl and whisk together. When chickpeas are near the end of their cooking time and have become golden and crunchy, remove them from the oven and let them cool for one minute. Pour chickpeas into the oil/seasoning mixture and stir to ensure they are evenly coated. Place the chickpeas back onto the foil covered baking sheet. Bake for a couple more minutes until the mixture has dried onto the chickpeas.
Note: cooking time varies, so pay close attention to their color, and sample for crunchiness.

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Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

These faux mashed potatoes consist of only 2 ingredients: cauliflower and milk!
A great alternative to starchy potatoes when you want a light side dish. The first time I made these, I couldn’t believe how similar they tasted to mashed potatoes!

They can be eaten plain or with your favorite additions such as garlic and parsley, as you would with regular mashed potatoes.


Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Amount of servings varies on the size of your cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
½ cup milk of your choice – unsweetened

Separate cauliflower florets from the stem and place them in a microwave safe container. Cover and heat for 4-5 minutes until soft. Remove excess water and transfer the cauliflower to a blender or food processor. Add milk in small amounts until desired texture is created.

Note: add the milk slowly a little bit at a time so that it doesn’t get too runny. The amount of milk may vary due to different sizes of cauliflower heads.

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Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tofu & Wild Rice Stuffed Pepper

One of my favorite new tricks is to cook veggies in low sodium vegetable broth instead of oil. When cooking with oil, it’s easy to loose track of how much you are using, and the calories and fat can add up quickly. Olive oil contains about 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon compared to Pacific low-sodium vegetable broth, which has 15 calories per cup and zero grams of fat. This is an easy way to lighten up your dish, but still get the same sautéed texture. Olive oil is heart healthy and has tons of other benefits, but I usually like to use it with recipes that do not require heating/cooking it.

Tofu & Wild Rice Stuffed Pepper
serves 1

½ cup cooked wild rice
1/5 package tofu
1 large red bell pepper
¼ cup minced onion
¼ cup shredded carrot
¼ cup baby spinach (packed)
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ low-sodium vegetable broth
¼ tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
½ tsp salt-free Italian herb seasoning

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cook the wild rice to package instructions and set aside. Cut the bell pepper in half and remove seeds, set aside. In a pan over medium heat, combine the tofu, onion, carrot, baby spinach, celery, and garlic and sauté in the vegetable broth until vegetables are tender and liquid has been absorbed. After vegetables and tofu have finished cooking, combine with wild rice and Italian herb seasoning. Pour the mixture evenly into the bell pepper halves. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. If needed, add foil over the tops of peppers to eliminate burning.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell pepper, onion, carrot, spinach, and celery
Whole Grain: wild rice
Protein: tofu
Plant Based Fat: none in this dish

 

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Snacks, Tips, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Travel Snacks

I am taking a break from packing… or should I say downsizing my suitcase, because I am going to Japan today!

I love traveling, but sometimes it gets tricky to find healthy foods at airports. I like to prepare little emergency snack kits for my carry on bag just incase I get hungry or healthy choices aren’t available.

If you are traveling somewhere far, it can be nearly impossible to bring fresh food along with you. Meal replacement bars are a great option, but some of them have ingredient lists longer than the dictionary and are filled with artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and some questionable ingredients. I have done my research to find you the healthiest meal bars and snacks that are TSA approved, portable, shelf stable, and yummy! The best part? These snacks have no preservatives, and tiny ingredient lists with the largest list containing only 7 ingredients, all of which we can pronounce and locate in a grocery store!

Meet your new travel buddies:

Ak-Mak Whole Wheat Sesame Crackers: These generously sized whole grain crackers contain only 7 ingredients such as: organically grown whole wheat flour, clover honey, sesame oil, dairy butter, sesame seeds, yeast, and salt. They add up to only 110 calories and 4 grams of fiber per serving of 5 crackers! I love these crackers because they are perfectly crunchy and not to mention Armenian (I’m part Armenian), scoreee!

Larabar: Well, I’m speechless on this one… I don’t know how they do it! Larabars are possibly the greatest meal bars to hit the market. Ever. Larabars are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non-GMO, vegan, and kosher but do not exclude flavor. Famous for their simple ingredient list, pure delicious taste, and and outstanding nutrition, Larabars are the simple way to eat on the go. My favorite flavor “Cashew Cookie” contains only cashews and dates and actually tastes like a cookie. Amazing! The nutritional stats aren’t too shabby either. Made from whole fruits and nuts in their most natural state, it contains 230 calories, and 3 grams of fiber! They come in a variety of flavors and have been popping up in grocery stores and some Target stores all over.

Blue Diamond Almonds, 100 Calorie Packs: Almonds are great portable snack and an excellent source of  vitamin E, fiber, copper, phosphorous and riboflavin. Sometimes it’s easy to get carried away and suddenly a handful turns into an entire bag, so this mini 100 calorie pack of whole, natural, unsalted almonds takes the guesswork out for you. Talk about good things in small packages!

Justin’s Classic Almond Butter, Single-Serve Packet: These convenient single serve packages contain 2 tablespoons of almond butter at 200 calories per packet. Smear some on crackers for the perfect snack without the jar, measuring spoons, and mess! These handy little packets come in a variety of different nut butters and flavors.

That’s It: I just recently discovered these bars and have become completely obsessed! I like to call them “adult fruit leathers!” The bars consist of two servings of fruit per bar… yup… that’s it… just like the title implies. Crazy right? My Apple & Pear bar contains one whole apple and one whole pear. That’s it (I can’t stop saying that out loud, I’m truly amazed)! No added sugar, preservatives, no nothing. Oh, and don’t forget, they’re also fat free, gluten-free, kosher, and vegan. At only 100 calories and a whopping 3 grams of fiber, That’s It bars are your new bff. These thick, chewy fruit bars are a great option if you don’t feel like lugging an apple around in your purse, or don’t feel like buying one at an airport café for say $5.

Just Tomatoes: Just like the package says, these are just tomatoes! Veggies can be the trickiest food to travel with, but this awesome brand Just Tomatoes, just made getting our veggie servings in so much easier. Just Tomatoes uses a special dehydrating process, which allows nutrients to stay intact and leaves them with the perfect chewy texture. Just Tomatoes makes a variety of different vegetable snacks from peas to corn and are always kosher, GMO free, and never contain additives, preservatives or sweeteners. At 90 calories and 2 grams of fiber per ounce, these make a great snack with whole grain crackers!

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