Mexican Style Plant Based Bowl Recipe

Rice: 

1/2 Cup Brown Rice (measured dry) 

1 Cup Water 1 tsp Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base 

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1 Tbsp lime juice added after cooking (makes 2-3 servings)  

Cooked Beans or 

 Quinoa Taco "Meat": 

1/3 Cup Quinoa (measured dry) 

2/3 Cup water 

1 Tbsp taco seasoning 

 2-4 Tbsp salsa added after cooking (makes 2 servings) 

Corn, onion, and bell pepper cooked in 1 Tbsp canola oil 

Tomatoes and avocado raw, chopped. 

Add all ingredients together into bowl.

Enjoy. 

Alaina

Vegan Mediterranean Grain Bowl

Ingredients:

2-4 Tbsp classic hummus

1/2 cup cooked farro 

1/2 cup cooked quinoa 

6 halved grape tomatoes 

1 Tbsp chopped red onion 

3 Tbsp chopped kalamata olives 

2 pepperoncini peppers 

1/2-1 cup kale 

1/2 cup cubed baguette or other bread

Directions: 

Cook the farro and quinoa in separate pots, they need different cook times. 

Combine once cooked. 

Add in tomatoes, onion, olives, peppers, and kale and cook on low until kale wilts. 

Add grain mixture to bowl. 

Add cubed bread. 

Add hummus. 

Mix and enjoy. 

For leftovers, keep the bread and hummus separate from the grain/veg mixture.

Thanks for reading! 

Alaina

Delicious Spiced Lentils (vegan dahl)

I love this Lentil dahl. I always add extras to this dish, but here is the basic recipe I use. You can build onto with any ingredients you like.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1/4 cup red onion chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 to 1 Tbsp garam masala spice mix

4 oz can of green chilies diced

1 cup coconut milk (or tomato sauce)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp better than bouillon vegetable base (or use veg broth instead of water)

1/2 cup lentils (measured dry) (rinsed, soaked in water 15-20 min beforehand)

1. Cook chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until starts to brown.

2. Add garlic and garam masala. Cook about 30 seconds to 1 min.

3. Add chilies and cook 1 min.

4. Add coconut milk or tomato sauce. I use both depending on what I have on hand and it always turns out delicious either way.

5. Add water with vegetable broth paste or premade vegetable broth.

6. Add lentils after they've been rinsed and soaked for about 15-20 minutes.

7. Bring to a simmer and cover for 25 min or until lentils are tender.

This is a great basic dahl, but you can always add any extras you like. For example: cauliflower, kale (I would add only in the last 2-3 min), sweet potato, bell peppers, cubed tofu. It will all be delicious.

I love to serve mine with naan bread. It's not my recipe, but it's delicious and you can find it here:

https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-naan/

Enjoy!

Love,

Alaina

My Vegan Chili

My Vegan Chili Recipe

This chili recipe is super basic. Plus it's the only meal my husband will actually eat vegan meat in. 😄 

Ingredients

3.5 oz Hungry Planet Match meat beef

1/4 cup black beans (measured dry) 

1/4 cup Pinto beans (measured dry) 

1/2 pkg Chili seasoning (about 2.5 Tbsp)

1 tsp sugar

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

10-12 oz water (I just refill the tomato sauce and chilies cans)

1. Cook the beans. I cook mine in the crock pot on low for about 5 hrs. 

2. When the beans are ready, pan fry the vegan beef, then add all ingredients together in a crock pot and set to low for an hour or two.  

3. Serve with avocado, nutritional yeast, and Tofutti sour cream, or even vegan Red Lobster biscuits. 

Makes 4 servings. The perfect amount if you don't want a ton of leftovers, if you ask me.   

Freezes great. 

I like to have leftovers on French fries with some vegan cheese for chili fries. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy. 

Love, 

Alaina

Vegan Corn Dogs Recipe

My Vegan Corn Dogs Recipe

6 Vegan hot dogs (we use Lightlife)

3-4 Tbsp all purpose flour 

Corn Dog Breading 

1/3 cup flour (we use half all purpose, half whole wheat) 

1/3 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup plant milk (we usually use soy) 

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tbsp onion powder

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

Dash of salt, pepper, and cayenne 

1. Prepare the batter by mixing all batter ingredients together. Let sit for 5-10 min so the cornmeal really absorbs the plant milk. 

2. Cut hot dogs into thirds and dust in all purpose flour.

3. Dunk hot dog pieces into the batter. Tap off a little excess so it's not dripping. 

4. Fry in oil on medium heat.

5. Serve with ketchup and mustard. Enjoy. 

Thanks for reading. 

Alaina

Vegan Shakshuka Recipe

How I made vegan shakshuka to meal prep.

Makes about 3 servings. 

Recipe:
1 yellow potato diced
1 block firm tofu crumbled
1 ea Tofurky Italian "sausage" diced
1/4 of a red onion diced or sliced
1-2 Tbsp shakshuka seasoning (HERE)
2-4 Tbsp tomato sauce

(could add diced tomatoes if you have them on hand too)

Instructions:
Cook diced potato in air fryer 10 min at 350F.
Fry onion for a couple of minutes on medium heat.
Add "sausage," tofu, cooked potato.
Add seasoning. (could add more turmeric to make the tofu "egg" look more yellow)
Continue stirring until everything is hot, just a couple minutes.
Add tomato sauce to help everything stick together, I don't like mine to be runny though. You can add as much or little as you like to get the consistency you want.

I like to serve in a tortilla or with a piece of toast for breakfast. It would probably be awesome with some naan bread too. HERE's a vegan recipe for that.

Thanks for reading.
Alaina

Vegan Thai Spicy Noodle

Here's how I've been making some Thai spicy noodles at home.

Inspired by this recipe HERE.

Sauce:
1/2 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp chili paste
6 Tbsp soy sauce
6 Tbsp agave syrup
*My sauce is slightly different from the linked recipe. I switch the two oils because I'm not a super fan of sesame oil. And I use agave syrup instead of honey because I'm vegan.

Heat canola and sesame oil with the red pepper flakes on the stove for a minute or two. Then strain out the red pepper flakes so you have like a pepper infused oil leftover. Once strained, add the oil back to the pan and add the remaining ingredients. I turn off the burner after I add the oil back in. Set the sauce aside in a bowl or something so you can use the pan for the rest of the recipe.

Recipe:
Thai Kitchen rice noodles (14 oz box, I use about half)
2/3 of a green bell pepper sliced
1/2 of a red onion sliced
1 block super firm tofu,cubed + coated in 1-2 Tbsp corn starch
+ sauce (above)
Start your noodles. I use about half the box. I just use Thai Kitchen brand because that's what is available to me, but if you can find fresh wide, rice noodles, that would be awesome!

Fry up some bell pepper and onions for a couple minutes. I like mine to still have some crunch.
Add cubed tofu once the peppers and onions are starting to char a little bit. I use super firm tofu and coat it in a couple Tbsp of corn starch before to help it fry up a little crispier.

Add noodles once cooked and drained.
Add sauce. Make sure you stir it up right before pouring because it does separate. You might not use it all. I use about 2/3 of it. Then I put the remainder in the fridge for a day I just want to make a single serving or two lighter servings.

This makes 3 servings for me. When I'm ready to eat the leftovers, I put it in a pan on the stove with a splash of water and cover it for maybe 3 min, stirring occasionally because the noodles can stick to the pan when you're re-heating it.

Thanks for reading.
Alaina

One Year Vegan

A few days ago was the one year anniversary of the start of my vegan journey. Although it took me a couple months to fully settle into this lifestyle (trying to use up products in our house that were not vegan, we keep a lot of backups haha), this was the start of it all.

Salad with romaine lettuce, hummus dressing, Morning Star nuggets, & fresh dill. 

.
What have I learned this year?

• It's not like you lose your vegan status if you mess up. Even though it might seem like it online, there really aren't any vegan police. You'll learn as you go and trying your best to be vegan is still doing a hell of a lot better than all of the standard American dieters out there. 
• Not to get worked up about mistakes. Go out to eat and your only option is salad? But you forgot to ask for no croutons because the brand of croutons you buy are vegan and it doesn't occur to you that every other freaking crouton on the planet has milk in it, until it shows up on your plate.
• There are animal products in everything. Legit, just when you think you've got it all figured out, you'll come across some stupid loaf of bread with an egg wash on top.
• Produce can be coated in shellac (not vegan, bug stuff). And you get all these people online saying, just go to the farmers market, they don't coat their stuff because it's fresh. Okay, maybe that works in California where you can grow shit year round, but here in the Midwest, we only have farmers markets like four months of the year.
• When in doubt, just don't eat it. At a family gathering and there's a tray of cookies? Just don't think about them, you know there's egg in there.
• Food is fun! I look forward to every meal now. I can't wait to try something new. I love cooking different things.
• Speaking of trying new things: I try new things! I don't get afraid of something I've never had. I'll retry something I know I didn't like last time. I am way more open to different flavors. I love trying new recipes and figuring out creative ways to veganize things.
• In the rural place I live, nobody knows what the hell vegan is. Even my dad still gets confused. Went to a restaurant just a couple weeks ago, asked the waitress if there was milk or egg in the fried pickle breading, she told me they came out of a bag... lady, that's not helpful and doesn't answer the question... I really question how people with allergies survive eating out.
• There are different levels of vegan. Some people won't even eat a vegan thing fried in the same oil as a non -vegan thing. That blows my mind. These people must never go out to eat.
• Check all the labels. See a snack you really want, you never know! Check the label. And when you already assume it's not vegan, but it actually ends up to be okay, you'll be even more excited!
• Buy any new vegan products you see. At the store and there's a new vegan hot dog? Buy it. Even if you're not super excited about just another veggie dog, you still want to show there's a demand for vegan stuff. Also, if there's a new vegan item you super love, buy all of the boxes on the shelf because it might not be there next week. :( Like our favorite teriyaki tofu from Aldi. :(
• When in doubt, french fries. But even check those too! Frozen Rally's brand fries are not vegan. 
• Vegan ice cream is just as freaking delicious as dairy ice cream. Yes, it gets more expensive, not gonna lie, but ice cream is supposed to be a treat anyway, right?
• Being vegan can be super cheap. Some of the cheapest items ever are vegan (think rice and beans). But if you get into the fancy stuff (vegan dairy products first come to mind), it can be a little more expensive. Like my husband says anytime we go to the grocery store together, "why is all the healthy stuff cheaper than the junk food?!" Good question, dear, good question. 
• I actually pay attention to nutrition now. I know what vitamins and minerals I typically miss out on and how to fix that. I take a multivitamin plus extras like calcium and omegas. I've taken a multi before, but never did I actually care or know what I was lacking.
• Being vegan really is easy until you try to go out for dinner. Seriously, going out to eat can be a pain in the ass. For this reason, I always try to figure out where we're going beforehand and get online to find their ingredients or allergen menus so I can decide what I'm having ahead of time.
• Finding vegan makeup isn't hard, a lot of brands have vegan sections on their websites these days. You can't just shop for the hell of it as much though (which I've been trying to avoid anyway).
• Avoiding leather is easy when you're a cheapskate and only buy $20 purses.
• I own way too many lip balms. I still have non-vegan ones that I'm trying to get through. Lip balm can be a tough one, so many have beeswax, then just when you think you're clear, you'll find one with lanolin! 
• I'm very lucky to have an accommodating family. My sister has been vegetarian for a few years now. And my mom even went vegetarian just recently! So when we have family gatherings, things are really easy for me. I don't have anyone trying to force me to eat something I don't want to, everyone's very supportive (at least to my face ha).

So that's all of my new vegan knowledge from this past year.

Love,
Alaina

Mexican Potato Casserole [VEGAN]

Mexican Casserole inspired by THIS recipe, but definitely altered.

This was the first "vegan" recipe I made my husband try. And he actually approved of it! It made me so happy because I was very worried about him refusing to eat ANYTHING as I started my vegan journey last year.
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Ingredients:

2-3 large Russet potatoes, cubed
1 16 oz can seasoned chili beans
8 oz of canned corn, drained (half of a can)
1 cup of salsa
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast

Optional: Top with vegan cheddar.

Directions:

Mix everything together and pour into a greased pan.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 min.

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We like to eat it all on its own or with a side of rice. For leftovers, I will usually wrap it up in a tortilla with some lettuce just to switch things up a bit. Enjoy!

It's super simple, extra yummy, and a vegan dish that will satisfy non-vegans too!

And it's a great way to use up potatoes when you just have too many (this happens in our house awkwardly often)!

Enjoy!

Love,
Alaina

5 Ways We Get Our Toddler to Eat Healthier

These are 5 things we do to get our toddler to eat a little healthier.

Calvin is two and he has gone through many picky phases. This is what works for us and I hope you can take a tip here or there that might work for your family.

1. Sneaking healthy stuff into his normal food.
Seeds are so healthy and pretty easy to sneak into things. Hemp seeds in grilled cheese and chia seeds in PBJs are my two go-tos.

2. Give in to his healthy cravings.
When he gets on a less picky kick, we make sure to feed his healthy food desires. A month or two ago, he was really into apples so I made sure to always have them on hand at home. He went through the same phase with bananas and grapes. Anytime he's asking for something other than cookies and candy, it's a win and it needs to be rewarded, if you ask me.

3. Incentive.
We use the iPad. If he takes a bite, he can play on it. If he doesn't keep eating, we take it away. We usually whip it out on days we're trying something new and we're unsure he's going to be willing to take that first bite. Sometimes we use dessert as incentive to eat dinner too.

4. Using baby brother.
We threaten to feed his food to Eren (7 months old). We also show him what we're giving Eren to see if he also wants to try it too. It's pretty cool how much better he's gotten about trying different things since Eren started eating with us at dinnertime. Seeing brother so eager to eat everything has been rubbing off on Cal.

5. Switching things up.
Sometimes Cal gets his own meal, sometimes he eats what we're eating. I think finding a balance between these two kinds of meals has really helped us as a family. I get much less frustrated and I think that helps him not feel so much pressure too.

Bonus: Tasty vitamins.
I'm pretty sure he just thinks they're extra special candy. It makes me feel better knowing that even if he isn't eating his best, he's still getting some nutrition in his vitamins.

I hope you found some help in these. Let me know your favorite tips in the comments below!
Love,
Alaina

Healthy Spicy Cheesy Hummus Spread for Quesadillas

This is my go-to for quesadillas and grilled cheese. It's cheesy and spicy. It would be an awesome dip on its own too!

Based on THIS recipe, with the heat turned down.

Ingredients:
1 cup (measured dry) chickpeas, soaked, cooked
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno without seeds
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium/large whole tomato chopped

Directions:
Put everything in the food processor and mix until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Usually I don't need to add water because the tomato is so juicy. But if you aren't getting a nice spreadable consistency, just add a couple tablespoons of water.

Enjoy!
Love,
Alaina

Easy Vegan Dinner : Baked Pasta

This is such an easy and delicious dinner. We used to make it with meat and real cheese before I went vegan, but let me tell you, it's just as delicious veganized. I promise!

Ingredients:
2 cups of macaroni noodles (measured dry)
1/2 jar of tomato basil pasta sauce
1 cup of cooked lentils
vegan Parmesan and mozzarella cheese to taste

Directions:
Mix the noodles, sauce, and lentils together.
Pour it into a lasagna pan, then pat it down.
Top with veg parm & mozz.
Throw it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
Serve with garlic bread.

Enjoy!
Love,
Alaina

Vegan + Meat Eater Monthly Meal Plan for September 2018

The last time I showed our monthly meal plan was for JANUARY!

I started my journey to veganism on Memorial Day. We meal plan every month. But this is the first time I am coming at you with our vegan/meat-eater meal plan, so let's hop right in!

I'm vegan, my husband eats whatever he wants.

This plan isn't set in stone, it just helps me figure out the shopping list. We switch things up occasionally. 

If you're interested in how I keep myself and my husband happy, check out this post HERE where I show you meal ideas for vegan/vegetarian and meat eating families. 

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This is the schedule we tend to stick to:

Mon. – easy, minimal prep

                Grilled cheese

                Crescents

                Quesadillas

                Breakfast for dinner

                Sandwiches/wraps

    Taco salad (w/ leftover meat)

Tues. – leftovers from Sat.

Wed. – more prep

                Enchiladas

                Beef & broccoli w/ rice

                Teriyaki/orange chicken w/ rice

                Philly cheese steak w/ fries

    Baked spaghetti w/ garlic bread

    Soup/Curry

Thurs. – medium prep/other

Tacos

Crockpot chicken, potatoes, carrots 

            One pot veg pasta

            Spaghetti w/ garlic bread

Fri. – fun meals

            Flatbread pizza

Burgers w/ fries

Nachos

Fried chicken w/ potatoes

Sloppy joes w/ fries

Sat* – big meal w/ enough for leftovers

                Mexican casserole

                Lasagna w/ garlic bread

                Chili w/ red lobster biscuits

                Potato soup w/ red lobster biscuits (still haven't tried this one veganized yet, if you have a recipe suggestion, let me know!)

*I only plan one meal for the weekend and it goes on "Saturday" on the menu. It's not always made on Saturday. Sometimes we eat with other family, go out for dinner, attend parties, etc. Aside from the one big meal of the weekend, other meals tend to be "whatever sounds good in the moment."

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I hope this was helpful in some way! I love meal planning and always knowing what's for dinner, but still being flexible if we decide to go out or want something different.

I love you guys!

Alaina

The Best Vegan Cheese Sauce

This is the yummiest cheese sauce I've come up with so far. Plus, it's actually good for you! I'll use it for everything.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cashews, soaked
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:
Soak the cashews at least 2 hrs, drain.
Blend all ingredients until smooth.

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Ideas:
Nachos (actually approved by my super picky, non-vegan husband!)
Pasta (even mac n cheese!)
Quesadillas
Grilled cheese (just not stretchy)
Cheesy filling for ravioli or wontons (haven't tried yet but it sounds so good)
Cheesy broccoli and cauliflower (my mom used to make that all the time when we were little)
Baked potato?!
Dip for anything you can think of...
There are endless possibilities for this yummy sauce and I can't wait to try them all!

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Easy One Pot Vegan Pasta

This batch has zucchini, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes chopped finely with a slice of toasted sourdough bread on the side.

This is my go-to favorite pasta since starting my transition to veganism.
I thought I would never be able to satisfy the craving for a nice, creamy pasta sauce, but seriously, this stuff is delicious!
You will NOT feel like this pasta is lacking. You won't miss cheese at all. Cooking the pasta in plant milk and veggie broth gives it sooo much flavor on its own!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup veg broth
1/2 cup plant milk (like unsweetened cashew or almond)
2 cups macaroni pasta, uncooked
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup (or more) each of chopped zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, or whatever else sounds yummy.
tomatoes - sundried, grape, or cherry

Directions:

Use a pan with a lid.
Heat up the olive oil in the pan.
Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds to a minute.
Add the veg broth and plant milk. (If I don't have veg broth I'll just add 1 cup of water with a bouillon cube. You shouldn't need to add salt because the broth is salty enough.)
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let simmer for 15-20 min. Check to see the liquid has evaporated and the pasta is soft.
From there, you can add whatever extras you like. I like roasted veggies.

Serve on its own, with a bread stick, or a slice of yummy sourdough bread, & eat up!

For the veggies:
Since my husband hates veggies, I cook them in the oven separately and just add them to my dish at the end. I'll toss them in olive oil and throw them in the oven at 425 for 25 minutes. I actually prefer my broccoli this way, I love when it gets a teeny bit charred on the edges. I usually add the tomatoes to the finished pasta, uncooked.

I hope you enjoy this pasta as much as I do. I could eat this every night, seriously.

Love,
Alaina

My Veggie Burger Recipe : Black Beans, Chickpeas, & Sweet Potato

I've been making these for a couple years now, before I ever thought about going vegan. (I've never been a big fan of traditional beef burgers to begin with). These are delicious and actually survive the grill! I cook them in the oven and freeze them for future use. I would definitely recommend!

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
1 cup (dry) chickpeas
1/2 cup (dry) black beans
1 bell pepper diced
1/2 of a sweet onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 flax egg (1 T ground flax, 3 T water mixed and set in fridge 10 min)
1 1/2 cup (dry) oats, ground (I measure before grinding)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Form into patties.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 min, flipping halfway.
Makes 10-12 burgers.

Directions:
Soak the dry chickpeas and black beans overnight.

Put the sweet potato, chickpeas, and black beans in the crockpot (8 hrs on low, 4 hours on high).

Drain everything from the crockpot and put in a large mixing bowl. It's going to be hot, so you should wait awhile before you start mixing with your hands.

Start your flax egg by grinding 1 Tbsp of flax seed and adding it to 3 T of water. Put this in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so it can set and thicken to the weird, egg-like consistency you need.

While you have the blender out, grind up your oats too. Add to the bowl with the beans and sweet potato.

Chop up your bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Add to the bowl. Add seasonings. Add the flax egg. Mix everything together. I like to use a potato masher to get the consistency I like. I leave about 1/4 of the beans whole.

Then make the patties. If the mixture is a little too wet, you can add a bit of flour to your hands or the mixture itself. I can fit about 8 patties to a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 min. You can eat them straight out of the oven, but I bet you're not going to be serving a dozen at a time, so you can also freeze them. I'll freeze them right on the baking sheet, then once frozen the next morning, I'll throw them into a big gallon Ziploc bag. When you're ready to eat them again, just throw it on the grill or in a pan and cook like a regular burger, no thawing needed.

before cooking

These really hold up on the grill! I have come across many veggie burgers that absolutely fall apart and these are not one of them!

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I love these burgers. I'll put some spicy hummus and ketchup on top and they are awesome!

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Healthy Vegan Lasagna with Lentils Sauce and Chickpea Cheesy Layers

served with a french baguette with veg butter, garlic powder, mozzarella, and vegan parmesan 

I recently wanted some lasagna. So I watched a few videos, looked up some recipes on Pinterest and ultimately just decided to wing it with the tidbits of info I gathered online. So here is the lasagna I made a couple weeks ago. And it was delicious and totally hit the spot!

I'm sure you all know how to make lasagna, so let me just tell you the jist of things here.
I used lentils instead of meat.
I used a chickpea blend for the cheese.
I used store bought pasta sauce because I'm lazy.
I used magical no-boil lasagna noodles also because I'm lazy.
So pretty much the only thing you need to know is how to make the cheesy part.

"Cheese" recipe
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 Tbsp basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Throw it all in the food processor until it looks nice and mixed.
Then I crumbled it in my hands into the lasagna.

crumbled "cheese" layer

Other stuff you need:

Lasagna noodles (9)
Pasta sauce (nearly a whole jar)
1/2 cup (measured dry) Lentils, cooked

I'm sure you know how to layer lasagna, but here are the layers I made from bottom to top: sauce, noodles, sauce, cheese, lentils with sauce, noodles, etc.

Baked it according to the noodle box instructions at 375 F for 50 minutes with foil on top, then I removed the foil and baked another 10 minutes.

I did use a little bit of vegan Parmesan on top just to make it look a little more interesting than just the sauce. You could use store bought veg mozzarella or leave it plain.

I hope you enjoy it!

Love,
Alaina

Fancy Vegan Cheese to Take to the Winery :)

I made this cheese (Based on this recipe HERE) to take to the winery with my sisters over the weekend. Everybody liked it, so I thought I'd tell you how I made it. :) Enjoy!

1 cup cashews (soaked in water for 4 hours, then drained)
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Juice from one lemon
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
handful of sundried tomatoes chopped up all tiny

Blend everything together except the sundried tomatoes. Blend for at least 5 minutes, stopping every once in awhile to scrape down the sides. Add the tomatoes once everything else is nice and smooth. Only blend with the tomatoes until they are nicely distributed throughout.

Transfer into a cheese cloth and place in a colander suspended above a bowl in the fridge. You probably want to make it at least a day ahead of time so it can harden up in the fridge.

This is not a hard cheese, it's more like a spread, but it's still super delicious!

I hope you enjoy it!

Love,
Alaina

What I Eat in a Day + Cost : Typical VEGAN Workday

Here's a random workday "what I ate today" breakdown. I've also included cost just for fun. :) Enjoy.
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look, there's my cute litte Eren :)

Breakfast- Granola with plant milk: $1.89
(see recipe & cost details HERE)

Lunch- Salad: $2.59
Romaine $.50
Grape tomatoes $.70
Croutons $.67
Dressing $.62
Black beans: $.10

Snack
Pistachios: $1.02

Dinner - Quinoa tacos: $1.02/ea x2 = $2.04
Tortilla $.13
Veg Butter $.07
Quinoa $.44
Black beans $.05
Salsa $.14
Taco seasoning $.04
Lettuce $.15

Total cost: $7.54

1800 calories
230 g carbs
55 g protein
32 g fiber

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Yes, you can eat for less than this! I personally didn't realize how expensive my daily salad was until I did the math for this post! So I've calculated a different lunch to see if I could bring the cost down.

Alternative lunch:
Veggie fried rice with chickpeas:
Brown rice: $.18
Veg butter: $.07
Chickpeas: $.16
Frozen veg: $.16
Seasonings: $.04
Soy sauce: $.03
Total: $0.64

This lunch is cheaper (1/4 of the cost!), has more calories (about double), more fiber and protein. But it's lacking in the folate and vitamin A found in the salad. So there's a bit of give and take there.

Making the change from salad to fried rice would save over $30 a month! (savings of $1.95/day x 4 days/week x 4.33 wks/month) But, of course there's a downside, it takes more prep time.

I hope this was helpful or interesting in some way.
I love you guys!
Love,
Alaina

My Favorite Granola Recipe (at the moment) [VEGAN]

I love this granola so much and I've gotten several requests for my recipe, so here it is! I switch my granola up every once in awhile, but this is the latest batch I've been in love with and have made several times now.

I've also included a rough cost per serving.
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3 cups old fashioned oats $2.76
1/2 cup sliced almonds $1.03
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes $1.19
1/4 cup chia seeds $.76
1/4 cup flax seeds $.87
1/4 cup hemp seeds $1.24
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon $.67
2 Tbsp agave syrup (or maple syrup) $.23
2 Tbsp coconut oil $.36
2 Tbsp brown sugar $.05
1 tsp vanilla $.58

Makes 6 cups of finished granola. I get 7+ servings out of one batch personally.

Cost
(based on Walmart/Target pricing in St. Louis MO)
Total recipe: $9.74
makes about 7 servings
= $1.39/serving
+$.50/cup plant milk
= $1.89 per serving

1. I mix the oats, almonds, coconut flakes, all seeds, and cinnamon in one big bowl. (All of the dry ingredients except sugar)

2.Then I put the agave, coconut oil, and brown sugar in a separate, microwave-safe bowl. I microwave this mixture for 30-60 seconds to melt it all. Once I remove it from the microwave, then I add the vanilla and stir it all up. Then I pour it into the big bowl with all the dry ingredients and gently mix it around until everything looks evenly coated.

3. I bake it on parchment paper on two baking sheets. I lay it all out evenly, then press my spatula down on the mixture so it isn't loose. This will help it get clumpier.

4. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually bake mine for about 23-25 minutes, but keep an eye on it after 15 min! There is a super fine line between perfectly browned and burnt beyond saving!

5. Do not touch it until it is completely cool. This will help any clumps stay together better. Store in an airtight container. Mine is gone within two weeks, so I'm unsure just how long the possible shelf life would be.

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***I posted a similar recipe HERE when I first started my vegan challenge. When I first posted it, I incorrectly wrote the temperature as 350, do not do that! Put it at 300! It burns way too quickly at 350. I ruined at least two batches this way! It's always soooo sad burning a batch of granola. It makes me want to cry! :( I'm so sorry to anyone who followed my instructions before and ruined their granola!

I used to make it without the brown sugar, but I found it didn't stick together very well. This recipe leaves some chunks, but some loose bits as well. I always eat mine like cereal, so the loose bits don't bother me. If you're wanting super clumpy granola, you might need to add more sweetener or adjust the recipe otherwise.

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It's super yummy and makes me feel like I'm eating pretty healthy with all the seeds and nuts and whatnot. I joke that breakfast used to be my most junky meal of the day and now it's my healthiest. I literally eat this five days a week!

Thanks for reading! And requesting!
Love,
Alaina