Enchiladas - A New Staple

Let's agree on something - enchiladas are the bomb. The filling is usually quick to make (not to mention you can make it whatever you want!), it gets rolled up in tortilla yuminess and then smothered in a red sauce that can be as spicy as your taste buds can handle. YUM-O.

Sweet potato & black bean enchiladas were a part of our vegan freezer exchange this past month, and both the hubby & I enjoyed them. After those were gone I wanted to make some of my own and was inspired by this recipe. Bonus that it uses a butternut squash (I totally had one sitting on my counter top!)

I think the recipe is a little complicated if you read it all at once. I also didn't make the enchilada sauce (used a can - eek! I know...) or cashew cream sauce (next time!). But if you roast the butternut squash ahead of time, this really comes together pretty quick.

Souce: Edible Perspective (see recipe link)

Ta-da!

So my challenge to you this week is to experiment in the kitchen a little - come up with a filling that you think would ROCK. Try out the cashew cream sauce (I guarantee you will be hooked). Take some time out this weekend and make a nice, hearty meal for your family!

I hope you all are staying warm. The snow here has had me in hibernation mode lately! I promise to try to be better about posting :)

♥ L

February Food Challenge!

Confession - I have been stuck on the scale and it is frustrating! I don't think I have lost any weight since before Christmas. I guess on the flipside, I haven't gained any either, but I still think its time to switch some things up!

I was really inspired by my online fitfam taking on all sorts of challenges in February. They are committed to keeping the momentum going from their fresh starts in January! Some are doing a 'clean-eating' month, others are taking weeks off of sugar, and there is a whole #hastag movement for #yogaeverydamnday!

So my commitment to myself (and to you!) is to take charge/responsibility for what I am eating. I know the little snacks here and there are adding up in calories, and I especially struggle at work with mindless snacking! As the old saying goes, if you bite it, write it! I don't do well with food journals, so I'm going to go with if you eat it, tweet it! Or something like that...basically, I'm going to commit to a photo log of what I eat every day. I hope it keeps me accountable. Maybe it will inspire someone to try a new dish. And along the way, I'll be sharing my recipes! Yay!

Here is Day 1, which happens to be February 5th, so I may carry this challenge into March :)

Pre-Workout Snack: 1/2 banana & 1 tbsp Almond Butter
Breakfast: Cheerios, the other 1/2 banana, & almond milk
Morning Snack: Chai Tea & a Spiced Pumpkin Pie Cliff Bar
Lunch: Stir-fry Veggies, 1/2c black beans, 1/4c brown rice
Afternoon Snack: Carrots & homemade Hummus, Clementine (I didn't realize how orange this meal was until I took the photo ha!)
Dinner: Butternut Squash Enchiladas (they had kidney beans in them, and I added some Daiya to one!)
Late Night Snack (I promise this won't be a regular thing): Itsy Bitsy Soy Mocha from Biggby. I have a sweet tooth, I admit it. I'm trying to break that habit!

So, tell me, how are YOU going to CHALLENGE yourself this month?

♥L

Recovery Smoothie

The potassium from the banana and all the antioxidant goodness from the blueberries make this an excellent post-workout smoothie. Simple to make, I usually drink this after my long runs!

Just 5 ingredients!

Here is what you will need:

- a good blender (of course!)
- 1 scoop Vanilla protein powder of your choice (I use Vega Sport)
- 1 c Non-dairy milk (I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened)
- 1 banana
- 1 c blueberries
- 1 container non-dairy Greek style yogurt

The yogurt may be the toughest thing to find. If you are not vegan, plain greek yogurt will work just as well!

Blend all ingredients together, adding ice if you want the smoothie thicker or more milk if you want it thinner. This will make 2 servings. You can freeze the additional serving for later, setting out the frozen smoothie to thaw ~a half hour before you want it!

♥ L

Workout: Leg Day!

I have had a few people ask what the heck I do when I go to the gym. To be honest, some days I would rather stay home & workout, but getting to the gym gets me FOCUSED and INSPIRED to give my all. As I say that, I try to design my workouts using minimal equipment, so that if I am stuck at home I have NO EXCUSES to not work out!

Here is a Leg Day workout that should take ~40 minutes!

Obviously if you are doing this at home, you may not have access to an elliptical or stair stepper. But I bet you have access to some sidewalk and some real stairs! Improvise :)

Description
Walking lunges - 20, holding 8-10lb weights
Sumo Squat - Spread your feet wide, with toes facing out at 3 and 9 o'clock. Squat. Raise up on your tippy toes to flex your calves. Release. Stand up. Do 10-15.
Straight Leg Deadlift - The most important thing here is to keep your back flat! Reach to the floor (like you are stretching your hammies) and pick up a barbell or 2 dumbells weighing 20-30lb total. Lift, keeping your back flat, until the weights reach mid-calf to knee. Lower & repeat. 10-15 reps
Lunges on Bosu - Step foward onto a bosu and lunge. Great for core stability! Do 20, holding 8-10lb weights
Bridge on medicine ball - Place your heels on a medicine ball and raise your hips to be flat. Lower, keeping abs contracted. Do 20 reps.
Goblet squat - Hold a 8-10lb weight in front of your chest. Squat, keeping weight at chest level, and rise up. Do 10-15 reps.

Repeat 2-3 times!

So, let me know, is this helpful to you? Would you like me to post more of my workouts? Tell me what you're thinking in the comments!

Nut Butter Waffles

I'm normally a smoothie-for-breakfast kind of girl, but sometimes (especially in the winter) I just want something a little warmer, hearter even. Not that smoothies don't keep me full, but sometimes I guess I just want to chew my food!

I take part in a vegan freezer exchange with a small group women. I was planning on making my black bean burgers this month, but someone else mentioned they were making black bean falafel, so I decided to make waffles instead!

I'm all about quick breakfasts in the morning - probably why I rely on smoothies so much. These waffles are easy enough to make in a big batch, you can freeze them, and then either toast them or microwave them in the morning while you are rushing out the door!

I used almond butter (crunchy) this time around, but I have also had luck with peanut butter (crunchy). This recipe comes from Isa's "Vegan Brunch" and as she mentions, the batter is pretty forgiving! It is also THICK so don't try to thin it out - you may end up with waffle breakage!

These are great topped with some Earth Balance & Maple syrup, or with bananas & chocolate chips! I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand, so I made a quick chocolate drizzle sauce using some left over Christmas chocolate :)

PB Waffles

3/4c chunky nut butter
3 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp canola oil
2c non-dairy milk
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 c AP flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix nut butter, syrup and oil together well.

Mix milk & cornstarch in a separate bowl, until cornstarch is well dissolved. Add, along with vanilla, to nut butter mixture

Add remaining ingredients and mix until batter is smooth. Be careful not to overmix.

This yielded 6 square waffles for me! Enjoy!

L ♥

Burger Crisis Adverted!

This weekend I decided to make a couple batches of burgers so I could freeze them and have them over the next few weeks (convenience people!). I made cooked a pound of beans, which was perfect for making 2 batches of Black Bean Burgers with some beans to spare (still trying to figure out what to do with those).

I also tried out a recipe for a more 'garden burger' veggie burger. So instead of beans being the base, veggies & rice were the base of this recipe, called the Karma Burger, from my latest obsession, The Karma Chow cookbook.

Missy's recipes are SO simple and require minimal ingredients. Also, no exotic way-out there ingredients. Just whole-food, plant based fun!

Karma Burgers
1/2 red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 med onion, cut into chunks
2c baby spinach leaves
3/4c cooked brown rice
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
1 tsp chile powder
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp sea salt
1.5-2c plain bread crumbs
EVOO

Puree the red pepper, onion, and spinach in a food processor until liquid. Set aside in a mixing bowl.

Ready to blend!

 Mix the chickpeas and brown rice in a food processor until they form a paste (you don't have to clean the food processor in between - its all going to mix together anyways!)

Add paste to the bowl containing the veggie mix. Add the chili powder, tomato paste and salt. Stir together to mix well - use your hands! Mix in the bread crumbs until the mixture sticks together. Form into patties (makes about 8) and cook on a skillet with EVOO until brown on both sides.

Now, a few Laura notes. First off, I miss read the instructions and only add 1/2c of bread crumbs to start and couldn't figure out why my mixture was so wet! I started adding flour, realized I misread the instructions, but I still feel like I had to add a lot of extra bread crumbs/flour to get these to not stick to my hands trying to make patties.

Also, the texture reminded me more of falafel than burger. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. Considering how wet this mixture was, I'm not too surprised. I was really worried that these were just not going to cook through or end up burnt. I think the extra flour helped me from having to throw away the whole mix. Softer texture than I was originally planning on, but still yummy/ If you are looking for a 'meaty' burger though I suggest you go with the Black Bean Burger recipe. Otherwise, serve up the Karma Burger over some greens and top with a dab of chiptole mayo!

Chiptole Mayo - 1/4c nondairy mayo, 1/4tsp chile powder, 1/2tsp agave nectar (and mix!)

Karma (Falafel) Burger!

Another recipe I wanted to share from the Karma Chow cookbook is the Chiptole Cashew Cheeze Sauce. What is it with me and Chiptole lately? :)

2c cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
1/4c nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chiptole chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Water

Drain the water from the cashews and put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Add just enough water to cover and blend until smooth (may take a few minutes).

This sauce is really versatile! I used it at our Mexican-themed Vegan Thanksgiving a few weeks back in a casserole dish and had the left overs in some nachos I whipped up. This time I used it as a sauce on some noodles to make some yummy Mac n Cheeze!

Mac n Cheeze & Greens

Some days, you just crave comfort foods. Yesterday was that day for me! I used some of the cheeze sauce on left over noodles I had, and made a serving of Coconut Greens for a quick meal. Super yummy and filling.

Now you are equipped with some great burger recipes! And a few sauces too! Go out and try the recipes & tell me what you think!

Stay Positive,
L ♥

Black Bean Burgers

A friend of mine has decreed I should start posting recipes of the food I post pictures of and make people drool all over Facebook and IG. As I mentioned yesterday, I had a bunch of black beans left over from Thanksgiving and decided to make some burgers from scratch. I used the recipe in Veganomicon as start and played around with it a bit to make my burgers:

These were actually pretty easy to make & cook up quick. A much healthier & cheaper alternative to veggie burgers offered on the market!

Black Bean Burgers
2 c cooked black beans (or 1 15oz can)
1/2c flour (I used a little less)
1/2c bread crumbs
1 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp smoke paprika
1/4 - 1/2 c water
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic

1. Mash up the beans using a fork or potato masher until only a few whole beans remain
2. Add flour, bread crumbs, spices, 1/4c water, tomato paste & garlic
3. Mix everything together first with a fork and then knead with your hands. Add more water if the mixture feels too dry
4. Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan.
5. Divide the mixture into 6 balls and then press flat to make a patty
6. Cook burgers, 3 at a time, for 5 min on each side

See, simple! While I was making these, I had some "Ranch Potatoes" in the oven. Its a variation on something my dad used to make. Basically you cut up a bag of baby red skin potatoes, add ranch dressing until they are just coated, and also add 1/2 packet of lipton onion soup mix (dry). Shake it all up in a bag to make sure the potatoes are well coated. Then you bake them for about an hour at 350 degrees on a flat baking sheet. Of course, I don't eat ranch dressing anymore - but I make my own vegan version!

Vegan Ranch Dressing
1 c vegan mayo
1/2c almond milk (or less, if you like your dressing thicker)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
garlic powder
pepper
salt
dill
parsley

Mix the mayo, milk, and vinegar together until you get a dressing consistency you are happy with. I kind of wing it with the spices usually, but you won't want to use more than 1tsp of anything.  I like my dressing to be more dill-y and garlic-y so I add more of that, but just find a balance you like!

It is best to let the dressing sit for an hour or two before using, to let the flavors come together, but if you can't wait, that is ok too!

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I hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday. The weather is still great here, so I took my dog for a long walk & then did some yoga for my workout today!

Stay Positive,
L ♥