Quinoa Enchilada Skillet

Being from Southern California, I have a slight obsession with Mexican food.  Mexican food is what I blame for taking me from my vegetarian lifestyle back to the meat eating lifestyle in 2011.  I couldn't stay away from the carne asada and all the yummy refried beans packed full of pig lard (because that is why they taste so amazing).  Since returning to the vegetarian lifestyle, I have still managed to feed my need for Mexican food without any meat products.  This is one recipe that I developed to help with my Mexican food cravings, and I believe it is a keeper.

I like dinners that are quick and easy.  Dinners that don't require a lot of prep and mess but that are delicious, like you spent hours in the kitchen.  I believe that this dinner recipe is just that.  Enjoy!

Quinoa Enchilada Skillet

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup vegetable broth
1 10 oz can of green enchilada sauce
1 4.5 oz can of green chili's
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 cup black beans
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings: cheese, avocado, sour cream, greek yogurt, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, additional cilantro
Optional tortillas for serving

In a large pan, combine quinoa, broth, enchilada sauce, green chili's, corn, black beans, cilantro, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked.  Serve with optional tortilla and toppings of choice.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites

Yes, you read that right!  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites!  Delicious, clean and full of protein.  I have been baking a lot this holiday season.  My famous sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms, gingerbread cookies.  I could easily eat a dozen of each of these cookies!  This season, I am trying really hard to establish some boundaries on my cheat meals.  Sure I will allow myself to indulge on the holidays, but I surely don't want one day to turn into a week, then a month, etc.  I decided to try to give a clean "cookie" a shot and came up with these no bake cookie dough bites, packed full of protein and completely guilt free.  They were very much a success and help fight those cravings for sweets around the holidays (and any day for that matter).  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bites

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use non-GMO, Jay Robb, egg white protein powder)
1/2 cup pure honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

In a food processor, grind cashews until they reach a flour like consistency then add them to a medium bowl.  Add protein powder and mix well.  Add honey, coconut oil and vanilla, mix well until all ingredients are incorporated.  Gently fold in dark chocolate chips.  Form into balls and place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.  Allow to set in the refrigerator for an hour.

Portobello Mushroom Margherita Pizza

Pizza is one of my weaknesses!  I can't stop at just one piece!  I have this amazing recipe for homemade pizza crust, but I rarely make it because I know I could eat the entire pizza.  I love the plain cheese pizza's, but often opt for a Margherita pizza anytime we are at an Italian restaurant.  It really is my go-to because it would take a special person to mess up a pizza that is so simple.  My family is trying to stay away from as much gluten as possible and not that we don't occasionally indulge in gluten, I try to stay away from it as much as I can.  This Portobello Mushroom Margherita Pizza gives me that fulfillment of pizza, without all the guilt (and tummy ache from all the gluten).  It is so versatile that you can use any toppings you would like and it would be just as delicious!  This is a single serving recipe and can be doubled, tripled, etc, as needed.  Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Margherita Pizza

Ingredients

1 large portobello mushroom cap, stem removed and gills scraped off of the underside of the mushroom
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce of choice
2 basil leaves, roughly chopped
4 thin slices of Roma tomato
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Lightly grease a nonstick cookie sheet with 1 Tbsp of coconut oil.  Place mushroom cap, upside down, on cookie sheet.  Brush mushroom with remaining 1 Tbsp coconut oil.  Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.  Cook mushroom for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and lightly dab excess water from inside of mushroom cap.  Change setting on oven to broil.  Add tomato sauce to mushroom cap, followed by basil and tomato slices.  Top with mozzarella cheese.  Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.  Make sure you keep an eye on the mushroom during broil, as every oven can differ in temp.

Vanilla Protein Frappuccino

My guilty pleasure is creamer with my coffee.  The pure artificial, non-dairy creamer that comes in every flavor imaginable!  It is something I just haven't been able to remove from my life but I am a firm believer that everything in moderation is alright.  I came up with this recipe because I was out of creamer and desperate for my morning coffee.  It actually surprised me and made me think that maybe getting rid of my morning coffee with my creamer wouldn't be so hard.  Enjoy!

Vanilla Protein Frappuccino

Ingredients

1/2 cup brewed black coffee

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use non-GMO, Jay Robb egg white protein powder)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pure honey

dash of cinnamon

ice cubes to blend

Combine all ingredients into your blender.  Blend until frappuccino reaches desired consistency.  

Kung Pao Cauliflower

I'm sure you can tell, I use cauliflower in a lot of my recipes.  It is a vegetable that is so universal and can pretty much take on any flavor it is cooked with.  My Orange Cauliflower recipe was such a hit in my house, I decided to try another Asian chicken dish with cauliflower.  Enjoy!

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 green onions, chopped and divided in half
1/3 cup raw cashews
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Cooked brown rice for serving






Kung Pao Sauce

2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp organic tomato ketchup
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch

In a small bowl, mix all Kung Pau Sauce ingredients, set aside.

In a large wok, heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove cauliflower from wok and set aside (cauliflower will not be cooked all the way, as it will be added back to the wok to cook more).  Add peppers to the wok, cook for 3 minutes.  Add cauliflower back to the wok and cook with peppers for an additional 5 minutes.  Vegetables will be cooked, but not mushy.  Add ginger, garlic, 1/2 green onions, cashews and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes to incorporate flavors.   Add sauce mix to wok and cook over high heat, until thickened, about 1 minute.  Serve over brown rice, topped with additional green onions.

Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf

I am the only one in my small family of 3 that does not eat meat.  My husband is a meat eater of every sort.  We buy our meat from a local farmer and I prepare meat for him and my daughter and try to match what I am having to theirs as close as possible.  They also eat what I'm cooking, but along with some sort of meat.  One thing that they love that couldn't get more "meaty" if it tried, is meatloaf.  I have strayed from cooking it because I didn't know what would pair well with it for me, other than a plain vegetable.  I need more substance for my dinners other than just vegetables (may sound weird considering I am a VEGetarian).

A couple months ago, I shared my Brown Rice Burger and thought, if I can make a burger patty, why can't I incorporate some of that recipe into a meatloaf form.  I did adjust the recipe to accommodate a larger version, and I added some steamed cauliflower to give it a bit more than just brown rice as a base.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf

Ingredients

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 head of cauliflower, steamed and riced
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
Organic tomato ketchup for topping

Preheat the oven to 400*.

In a large pan, over medium heat, add onion and mushrooms.  Sauté for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  While onions and mushrooms are cooking, in a large bowl, combine cooked rice, steamed and riced cauliflower, eggs, bread crumbs, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste, set aside.  When onions and mushrooms are fully cooked, remove them from heat and add them to the bowl with the rice and cauliflower mixture.  Mix well to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.  Add mixture to a coconut oil greased loaf pan and form into a loaf shape.  Cook for 45 minutes or until top becomes golden brown.  Serve topped with organic tomato ketchup.

Lasagna Soup

As I am sure you can tell, and from me just coming out and saying it, I love lasagna.  You have seen my posts about Spaghetti Squash Lasagna and Simple Lasagna so it shouldn't surprise you that I have now come up with another lasagna recipe.  This time, combining the yummy ingredients of lasagna into a soup form.  This is not the cleanest recipe, especially if you stay away from dairy, but if you omit adding the cheese mixture, you have yourself a nice, filling (and vegan) tomato pasta soup.  What is nice about this recipe is it is done in the Crockpot and is a super easy meal and an even easier clean up.  Enjoy!

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

Soup:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced, then halved
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp basil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 package of brown rice fusilli pasta


Cheese Mix:
1 8oz tub of part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tsp parsley
1 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

Combine onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste in a Crockpot.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  When soup has 2 hours left to cook, stir in pasta and allow to cook for remaining time.

While soup is cooking, combine ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley and fresh basil in a medium bowl.  Mix and refrigerate until ready to use.

When soup is done, serve topped with dollop of cheese mixture.

Vegetarian Mushroom Hot and Sour Soup

'Tis the season for soup!  As the weather gets colder, my desire for soup increases.  Soup is filling, nutritious and delicious.  My husband has always been a fan of hot and sour soup,  but me, not so much.  We had a ton of mushrooms from the farmers market that needed to be cooked, so I thought they would make a good alternative to seaweed that is in most hot and sour soups.  This soup does have a bit of a kick (hints the HOT portion of the soup title), but for not being a huge fan of hot and sour soup, I must say, it was pretty darn good.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian Mushroom Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
5 green onions, sliced and divided into green and white pieces
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup shitaki mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp Sriracha
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
6 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add yellow onion and white portion of green onion.  Sauté for 5 minutes, until tender.  Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for 5 minutes, until mushrooms have reduced in size.  Add ginger, garlic and sriracha, sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant.  Add soy sauce and vinegar slowly, then add broth.  Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water, making a slurry.  Add the slurry to the soup and continue simmering for 10 minutes, until soup begins to thicken.  Remove the soup from the heat and slowly stir in the beaten egg.  The egg will form strings and cook immediately.  Add salt and pepper if needed and top with the green portion of the green onion.

Gingerbread Spice Protein Shake

Happy December!  Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can devote my attention to Christmas!!!  I will be honest, this is my favorite time of year.  I love the festiveness of people, I love the cooler weather (although I am a Cali girl, through and through), I love the Christmas music, I love the lights, there really isn't much not to love about the holiday season.  One thing I don't love though, is all of the temping treats that surface (and I am so guilty of self-inflicting the resurfacing of holiday treats).  I decided to come up with a protein shake that may take some of the craving away from sweet treats and focus it in a cleaner version of a holiday favorite, Gingerbread cookies :)  It is delicious and made me feel like I was indulging without the guilt.  Enjoy!

Gingerbread Spice Protein Shake

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond milk
1 scoop of vanilla protein power (I use Jay Robb's non-GMO, egg white vanilla protein powder)
1/2 tsp gingerbread spice (see recipe below)
1 tsp pure honey
Ice cubes to blend (don't use too many or it will water down your shake)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until it reaches desired consistency.






Gingerbread Spice

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp allspice
1/2 Tbsp ground nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp ground cloves
Pinch of black pepper

Combine and mix in small, sealable container.