filling

Miso Tempeh Wrap

Don’t forget you still have until Midnight tonight (July 11) to enter for your chance to win some Spirulina & other goodies from Nutrex Hawaii!

Speaking of Hawaii, my grandparents go to Hawaii every year for my grandma’s birthday on July 6th. This year, my grammy celebrated with her friends at a raw vegan restaurant called Maui Kombucha in their “Eat More Rabbit Food” shirts and Carrot Logo Leggings!
I died when she sent me these photos! Isn’t she the cutest?!

Eat More Rabbit Food MauiFrom left to right: My grammy Gail (76), Barb (86), and Carol (72)

Barb’s husband Don is 100% vegan, so she is pretty much vegan/vegetarian.
As for my grandma and Carol, they’re big time veggie lovers!
My grandma said that the owner brought out free kombucha shooters for the table when they arrived haha, how fun!

 

I loveee food blogs, especially when I cannot decide on what to make for dinner. Yes, bloggers read blogs too! While browsing around, I was totally inspired by (and drooling over) the lovely Kathy Patalsky’s recipe for Kale Avocado Wraps w/ Spicy Miso-Dipped Tempeh. I knew I had to try it, so I made all of the ingredients in proportion with the Rabbit Food Pyramid guidelines, and dinner was served! I love showing you guys how easy it is to make other recipes Rabbit Food Pyramid friendly!

Miso Tempeh Wraps
Miso Tempeh Wraps
Miso Tempeh WrapsI even made the Miso Tempeh again the next day, subtracted the wrap, and added 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice to make a salad/rice bowl!

Miso Tempeh WrapsSince I didn’t have miso paste on hand to make Kathy’s Chipotle Miso Dressing I used a shortcut Low-Fat Miso Sesame Seed Dressing by Galeos. Not exactly the same as her dressage, but the results were excellent, and the nutrition stats are awesome! 1 Tbsp Galeos Miso Sesame Seed Dressing = 25 calories, 1g fat, 4g carbs, .5g sugar, and only contains 8 ingredients that you can actually pronounce! Not too shabby!

Miso Tempeh Wraps
Recipe adapted from Kathy Patalsky
Serves 1

1 medium whole wheat or sprouted grain tortilla
3oz tempeh
1 1/2 cups kale
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1/4 avocado, sliced
2 Tbsp Galeos Low-Fat Miso Sesame Seed Dressing, divided
a pinch of ground chipotle
pinch of fresh ground pepper

Rinse and dry chopped kale. Massage with 1 Tablespoon of miso dressing. Chop tomato and onion and add to the kale, set aside. Slice avocado and set aside. Lightly spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook tempeh in 1 Tablespoon of miso dressing over medium heat and sprinkle with a pinch of pepper and chipotle. Allow the tempeh to cook on both sides for about 2 minutes each. Transfer the tempeh to the tortilla and add kale, tomato, onion, and avocado. Wrap tightly together, cut in half, and enjoy!

Try: Kathy’s Chipotle Miso Dressing on her blog Healthy. Happy. Life.!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: kale, tomato, and onions
Whole Grain: whole wheat tortilla
Protein: tempeh
Plant Based Fat: avocado
Catherine and Kathy DisneylandKathy and I on Splash Mountain at Disneyland! This photo was taken before we got completely soaked!

Beet Burgers

In celebration of 4th of July I had to keep the tradition going with a veggie burger recipe!

These burgs are seriously filling. Loaded with brown rice, black beans, beets, oat bran, and jalapeños to add a little heat! They’re also gluten-free, vegan, low-fat, and will give your average beef burger a run for its money.

I hope that everyone has a fun and safe holiday!
For all of my international bunnies, happy Thursday to you tomorrow!

Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet Burgers
Beet burgers
serves 4

1 can low-sodium black beans
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup finely chopped beets (I used canned)
2 Tbsp diced jalapeños
2 Tbsp oat bran
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Medjool Date BBQ Sauce or BBQ sauce of your choice

Toppings:
4 slices of Monterey Jack cheese or vegan cheese
1 Tomato, sliced
1 Red onion, sliced
Kale or lettuce

Strain beans but do not rinse. Place beans in a food processor and pulse until mashed but not puréed (you want some texture/chunks in there. Transfer beans to a mixing bowl. Strain beets and place beets in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Measure 1/4 cup and add to the mixing bowl. Add the diced jalapeños, brown rice, oat bran, chili powder, paprika, and salt and fold until well combined. Divide the mixture into four and form patties. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the patties on the foil lined baking sheet and place in the fridge for 1 hour. This is an important step in getting the right consistency. After the patties have been chilled, Preheat oven to 375. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the patties from the oven at the half-way mark (15 minutes) and baste with barbecue sauce (do not flip the patties). Place the baking sheet back in the oven and continue baking for the remaining cooking time. If you wish to add cheese, set the oven to broil during the last minute of cooking, place cheese on each patty and broil for about 30 seconds. Serve on a whole grain bun, in a fresh lettuce wrap, or on “grilled portobello buns” and enjoy your holiday!
Note: Make sure to chill the patties in the refrigerator before baking.
Spicy Tip: Beet Burgers aren’t super spicy, but if you want them a little more mild, remove seeds from the  jalapeños or try using green chillies.
Shortcut: I used precooked brown rice and heated it in the microwave before adding to the recipe to save me a few minutes. I also used canned beets and black beans!
Warning: Do not grill on a barbecue, they can fall apart!

Looking for other veggie burger recipes?
Chickpea Patties
Black Bean Burgers

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

Remember on Facebook when I said my kitchen smelled like cotton candy?
Well it wasn’t cotton candy, and it was not vegan marshmallows: it was a vegetable.
You heard that right! Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash to be exact!
Easy to prepare, delicious, nutritious, and very filling!

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

Ahhh tis the season of winter squash!
My seasonal squash of choice? Acorn Squash.
Now take a look at this fine little cutie! (seriously, I think they are so adorable!)
Don’t let the cutie patootie looks fool you, this is a mean, lean, powerhouse nutrient machine!

  • One cup of acorn squash contains 145% of the daily recommended requirements for Vitamin A.
  • It also contains Vitamin C, potassium, manganese, folate (folic acid), and 15% of the omega three fatty acids necessary to good health
  • It’s also an excellent source of fiber that will keep you full and focused.

Now, you may be asking, how does one choose an acorn squash? Pick the cutest one available. Just kiddinggg!

Look for:
Select a squash that has a good balance between green and orange skin. You want to choose a smooth squash without any soft spots. The heavier the squash, the more moist it will be, so choose a squash that is heavy for it’s size.
Avoid: Too much orange coloring on the skin, which indicates an overripe squash.
Storage: Store at room temperature (no need to refrigerate before cooking) and use within two weeks of purchase. Cooked acorn squash can be sealed and refrigerated up to 4 days.

The first way I ever had an acorn squash was roasted with butter and brown sugar, and to this day it is still my favorite.There is nothing like the smell of Sweet Acorn Squash roasting in the oven. It smells like a sweet sugary dream come true!
Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
I decided to lighten up this recipe with Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread With Olive Oil. If you haven’t tried this before, you need to head on over to your local Health Food store and get a tub. My mom and I have been using it in place of butter in our Armenian family recipes to give those heavy meals, a light touch. It’s an incredible alternative to butter, made with natural expeller-pressed oils such as soybean, olive, and Flax. It’s also vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, casein-free, non-GMO, and contains no trans fat, and no cholesterol. With all of that said, this is a great source of healthy plant based monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated  fats.

Earth Balance

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash
Serves 2

1 Acorn Squash (about 1 lb)
1 Tbsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
1 Tbsp brown sugar or Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

Preheat oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the center. Cut the acorn squash in half. Scrape out the seeds and strings (like a pumpkin). Save the seeds for another recipe coming soon! Divide the Earth Balance spread into 1/2 Tbsps. Using your fingers, coat the yellow flesh of each squash with Earth Balance. Divide the brown sugar into 1/2 tbsps and sprinkle over each half of the squash. Place in a baking pan and surround with crinkled aluminum foil to hold the halves upright. Place in the oven and roast until fork tender about 45 minutes to one hour.
Note: I recommend using a baking pan with raised edges so any drippings can be caught.
On that note: If you don’t have a baking pan with raised edges, you can shape your own out of foil and then place on top of a cookie sheet.
Last note: Don’t throw the seeds away! Keep them in a ziplock or container in the fridge for another recipe.

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: Acorn squash
Whole Grain: 0
Protein:
 0
Plant Based Fat: Earth Balance Olive Oil Buttery Spread

Mmmm tastes like fall, feels like winter!
Roasted acorn squash would be excellent stuffed with quinoa(whole grain) and lentils (protein). Stay tuned for a recipe to stuff your cute little squash!

Pasta Primavera

Pasta pasta pasta where do I even begin?
Pasta can get a pretty bad rap due to it’s often fattening cream sauces, high carbohydrate count, and low nutritional value, but I’m here to tell you that not all pasta is bad! You can still eat pasta and lose weight, or maintain your toned figure. The keys to eating pasta are knowing what kind, and how much.

“Pasta doesn’t make you fat. How much pasta you eat makes you fat.”
– Giada De Laurentiis (Health Magazine, May 2012)

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Weather you are trying to maintain or lose weight, you could virtually eat anything that you want, as long as you know the correct amount and portions!

Today’s recipe is a healthy Pasta Primavera made with whole wheat pasta. Whole wheat pasta is made from flour that uses the entire grain and contains slightly more protein, and two to three times more fiber than refined pastas allowing you to stay fuller longer while stabilizing blood sugar levels.


Pasta Primavera
Serves 1

1/2 cup cooked whole wheat pasta
1 cup bell pepper (I used 1/2 cup red and 1/2 cup green)
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup yellow onion
1/4 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth (I use Pacific)
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 tsp  salt-free Italian seasoning (I use Frontier)
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Cook the pasta to package instructions. Chop the bell pepper, onion, and mushroom and cook in vegetable broth in a pan over high heat.  While the pasta and vegetables are cooking, combine the ricotta, Italian seasoning, garlic, and pine nuts in a separate bowl and mix evenly. Once the pasta has finished cooking, strain and combine with the ricotta mixture. After vegetables have finished cooking, gently fold into the pasta and ricotta. Serve hot.
Note: If you are allergic to nuts, you can omit the nuts and cook your veggies in 1 Tbsp of olive oil (instead of vegetable broth) for your plant based fat serving.


The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell pepper, mushroom, onion
Whole Grain: whole wheat pasta
Protein: nonfat ricotta cheese
Plant Based Fat: pine nuts

Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal

Mmmm oatmeal time! Today’s recipe is for a very filling and scrumptious Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal! I am highly allergic to blueberries, so I made this flavor for my sister, and raspberry for myself! Since I don’t get to share very many berry (besides raspberry) recipes with you guys, I wanted to showcase this version for you. Of course you could make any berry flavored Cheesecake Oatmeal of your choosing! A different berry Cheesecake Oatmeal flavor for every day of the week? I think yes!


Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal
Serves 1

1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup rolled oats + 1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp oat bran
1/4 cup nonfat cream cheese
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a pot over medium high heat, bring the water oats, and oat bran to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer. Once most of the liquid has been absorbed, stir in the cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and blueberries. Serve hot.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: blueberries
Whole Grain: rolled oats & oat bran
Protein: nonfat cream cheese
Plant Based Fat: walnuts

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