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2/11/2021 4 Comments

Veggie Buddha Bowl

INGREDIENTS

Chopped lettuce greens of your choice (base)
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup rice
1/4 cup black beans
1/2 cup roasted baby potatoes
1/4 cup sweet corn
Fresh cilantro
1/4 lime wedge
2 Tbsp tahini dressing
Avocado slices ( I didn't have any at the time, but would be a nice addition)

Tahini Dressing

1/3 cup tahini
1 small lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
5 Tbsp water (adjusting for desired consistency)

Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl except water.
Whisk until everything is well combined.
Slowly add the water until you get a creamy dressing consistency.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Build your bowl by putting lettuce in first, then add rice, beans, red cabbage, baby potatoes, sweet corn, and cilantro on top. ( and avocado if using)
2. Squeeze a drizzle of lime juice and a few tablespoons of tahini dressing on top.
(I also drizzled some balsamic glaze on top...yumm)

4 Comments

10/10/2020 10 Comments

Vegan Recipe Roundup | Fall Edition

Fall is here and it's time to make some delicious recipes to get you in the fall spirit! I've rounded up my favorite fall recipes to share with you that are healthy and fun to make! They are all desserts but one....I guess I like fall desserts more than fall food, oh well! But they are all still healthy enough that you won't feel guilty eating them or making them for your family, so let's dig in....

Mini Apple Crisps
If apples and cinnamon are your thing, this one's for you! This recipe is perfect for fall and will please any family member, vegan or not! This one will definitely give you those fall flavors and warm you up on a chilly day, although I do like to top mine with some dairy-free ice cream!!

Vegan Caramel Apples
Caramel apples (and candy apples) are so nostalgic aren't they? They are for me anyways, they remind me of my childhood, going to fall festivals and always picking one out. It was probably the only way my mom got us to eat an apple!
I wanted to create a healthier version of a caramel apple without all the processed sugar and corn syrup involved. And in fact, these are actually very healthy caramel apples using all real food ingredients! So no need to worry about hidden chemicals or processed sugars when giving these to your kids, or while you enjoy one yourself ;)

Four Bean Veggie Chili
Who doesn't look forward to chili in the fall? No matter how you make it, it's a fan fave during this time of year! Obviously I use beans instead of meat for my recipe and I throw in a bunch of veggies. It's pretty simple to make and it still gives you that delicious chili flavor and warmth that you're craving. I even added a cashew sour cream recipe to add on top! So happy football season or, just, happy chili season, if you're not that into football.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Carrot cake has become an all year-round dessert, but because we are using cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in this recipe I am categorizing it as a fall dessert. This recipe, just like the others, uses all real food ingredients including the cream cheese frosting! So no need to feel guilty indulging in this one.
The beauty of cooking this way (healthy) is that I get to be creative in making something that would normally be so unhealthy for you and transform it into a delicious dessert that will actually give you nutrients. So let's eat, guilt-free!

Pumpkin Chia Pudding with Berry Topping
And for the star ingredient you all have been waiting for.....pumpkin!!! This recipe reminds me of a pumpkin pie in a jar, especially if you top it with a little but of dairy free whipped cream. Not to mention this is a super quick recipe to make and very filling as well!

Pumpkin Pie Bites
I have one more pumpkin recipe for you. This is the perfect recipe for when you're craving pumpkin pie but just don't feel like making one. This could also be great as an appetizer for a halloween party or a fun recipe to make with your kids. No baking required and super easy to make!

10 Comments

9/26/2020 5 Comments

Four Bean Veggie Chili

INGREDIENTS

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
pinch of pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced

Cashew Sour Cream

1 1/2 cup cashews
1 small lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ACV

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large pot, add onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and sauté until it starts to soften. Using oil or small amounts of water if needed to prevent sticking.
2. Add peppers and zucchini, cook another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, stir and bring to a boil.
4. Add beans, chili powder, salt, cumin, and pepper. Cover and let simmer for about 15- 20 minutes.
5. Make cashew sour cream by adding the cashew sour cream ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth. Place in the fridge until ready to use. (this will help thicken it)
6. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and more salt if desired.

5 Comments

6/26/2020 4 Comments

TBLT Salad with Vegan Ranch Dressing

This has been my favorite salad lately. It's the perfect combo of protein, fat, and carbs. Getting those macronutrients in one meal can help you to feel fuller longer and satisfied after eating. Plus it's super easy to make!
If you don't know what "tempeh" is let me explain, tempeh is a vegan protein source made from fermented soybeans, as opposed to tofu where the soybeans are not fermented. Tempeh can be seasoned with different flavors to mimic bacon or buffalo style meats and is used in place of meat for vegans and vegetarians. Being that it is fermented it tends to be a bit healthier than tofu. Fermented foods are better for digestion and contain probiotics as well as different vitamins and minerals. Not to mention it has more protein than tofu.

I am using the lettuce I grew in my garden to make this salad, although I think I may have gone a little overboard with how much I grew this year...oops, lots of salads in my future!! Lettuce is super easy to grow if you are looking to start somewhere easy with a garden.

Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato (TBLT) Salad & Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2-3 strips of tempeh bacon
5-6 cherry tomatoes (halved)
half an avocado
1/2 cup canned chickpeas (drained)
Lettuce (chopped)

Vegan ranch dressing

1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 cup water (adding small amounts if needed for thinning)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried dill

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dressing by combining all your ingredients into your blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In a small pan add your tempeh bacon, cook until slightly crispy on each side. Set aside to let cool.
Chop lettuce, tomato, avocado, and drain chickpeas.
Assemble your salad- lettuce, tomatoes, tempeh bacon, chickpeas, avocado, and drizzle with the vegan ranch dressing.
Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper on top.

**You can also chop up the tempeh bacon before adding it into your salad to make it easier to eat. (I wanted it to look like bacon strips for the picture.)

4 Comments

5/23/2020 4 Comments

Mini Apple Crisps

I have to say this recipe turned out to be so delicious and wayyy better than I thought it was going to. I'm not much of a baker, I tend to gravitate toward desserts that don't need exact measurements, so that I can play around with ingredients and taste test as I go. In all honesty though, I had bought a lot of honey crisp apples and I didn't want them to go to waste so I thought I'd try making a dessert. I also made them individual serving sizes using ramekins, this makes the experience more fun and also more flavorful in my opinion.
I used dairy- free "cookies and cream" ice cream on top (because that's all I had in my fridge) and let me just tell you, this was a happy accident because it went so perfectly on top of the warm apple crisp! Not to mention the date caramel sauce I made to drizzle on top! (Recipe below.) Feel free to use whatever dairy free ice cream you desire to make it perfect for your taste!
This recipe is so perfect for fall....even though it is spring right now... but who cares right? It made perfect use for my apples and it's definitely good enough to eat all year round!
Vegan
Gluten-Free
Real Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

Dairy free ice cream (For topping)

Filling

3 apples, peeled and sliced ( I used honeycrisp)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp potato starch
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Crumble Topping

2/3 cup gluten-free quick cooking rolled oats
1/3 cup gluten-free baking flour of your choice ( I used garbanzo and fava flour)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (you could use pecans, walnuts, or almonds)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
pinch of sea salt
oil spray to lightly coat the ramekins

Caramel Sauce

4 dates, pitted
1/2 cup almond milk
pinch of sea salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the "filling" ingredients except for the apples. Set aside.
3. Peel and slice apples, transfer to the mixing bowl and stir coating all the apples with the filling mixture.
4. In a separate bowl combine all "crumble topping" ingredients, set aside.
5. Lightly spray 4 ramekins with oil.
6. Divide the apple filling into the 4 ramekins.
7. Add the crumble on top of the apples, filling each ramekin.
8. Lightly spray the tops of each with oil.
9. Place in the oven and bake for 30 -35 minutes, until starting to brown on top.
10. While that is baking, make your caramel sauce by placing all the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
11. Place the caramel drizzle sauce in the fridge for about 10 minutes or longer while the apple crisps continue to bake.
12. Once they are done baking, remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
13. Drizzle each apple crisp with the caramel sauce and serve with a scoop of ice cream on top.

MORE DESSERT RECIPES HERE

4 Comments

5/17/2020 3 Comments

Dairy-Free Dalgona Whipped Coffee

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp instant coffee
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
3 Tbsp water
Ice
Almond milk (or any dairy-free milk)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl add instant coffee, coconut sugar, and water.
2. Mix for about 5 minutes or until it becomes light and fluffy.
3. Add ice to a glass cup (if you want a cold beverage) and fill with almond milk, leaving room at the top for the whipped coffee.
(use warm/hot dairy-free milk with no ice if you want a warm beverage.)
4. Top with about 3 heaping Tbsp of the whipped coffee.
5. Stir to combine the milk and coffee mixture together.
6. The whipped coffee itself is pretty strong, so you will want to mix it with the milk to dilute it before drinking it.
**Feel free to add toppings like cocoa, coffee powder, crumbled cookies, toffee, or chocolate as a treat!

3 Comments

5/10/2020 8 Comments

Dragonfruit Smoothie Bowl

So easy, so delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup frozen dragonfruit
1 1/2 frozen bananas
1 date, pitted
1/2 cup almond milk

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place everything in a high speed blend and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer to a bowl and add your favorite toppings.
**If you have trouble blending in your blender, you can also use an immersion blender to get the same consistency.

8 Comments

5/3/2020 3 Comments

Black Bean Quesadillas (Oil-Free)

INGREDIENTS

Whole wheat tortillas ( I used 3)
3 green onions, diced
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 large red pepper, chopped
1 can of black beans
1-2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp taco seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
Vegetable broth (enough to coat the pan as you are sautéing your veggies, so they don't stick)
1/2 lime, juiced
pinch of pepper
2 Tbsp cilantro
1 avocado

Cashew Queso:

1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic

1. Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat a large pan over medium high heat until the pan is hot.
2. Once hot add onions and red peppers. Cook for about 3 mins. Then add a splash of vegetable broth to coat the pan and keep everything from sticking.
3. Add cherry tomatoes, black beans, tamari, salt, taco seasoning, smoked paprika, pepper, and lime juice.
4. Cook for about 5 minutes or until everything softens up.
5. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
6. Make your cashew queso. set aside.
7. Assemble quesadilla:
- On a clean heated pan, place one tortilla down flat.
- Spread cashew queso on the entire surface except the edges. (like pizza sauce)
- Scoop one third of the bean mixture on half the tortilla.
- Add a few slices of avocado.
- Sprinkle a few leaves of cilantro on top.
- When the tortilla is toasted and brown on the bottom, fold the empty half on top of the bean mixture half and press together.
8. Remove from heat and cut down the center to make triangles.
9. Repeat 2 more times.
10. Serve with salsa, guacamole, or any leftover cashew queso you didn't use!

You Might Also Like These Recipes:

BBQ Cauliflower Tacos

Crunchy Walnut Mushroom Tacos

Skinny Taco Salad

3 Comments

4/26/2020 3 Comments

Oil-Free Marinara Sauce

I have to say, after looking everywhere, it is nearly impossible to find a marinara sauce at the store (or online) with no oil in it. I know it's probably because of the golden rule and the authenticity to add oil when making marinara sauce and I'm sure any chef would be appalled by the fact that I am not adding it. But to be honest, I didn't notice a difference at all, in fact I liked my sauce way more than the store bought brand that I have tried. I also have to admit that I like using marinara sauce, even on pasta, instead of regular pasta sauce. That being said, I have tried this recipe on pasta, pizza, and as a dipping sauce, and each time I loved it! I encourage you to taste as you cook and add your own flavors or ingredients to this if you like to experiment. But if not and you just want to cook without thinking that's cool too. My goal here was to make this recipe as simple and easy as possible but still taste amazing. If you do make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below or on the CRL instagram page. I love hearing your feedback

INGREDIENTS

1 white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 Tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (add more if you like a more spicy sauce)
1 cup vegetable broth
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (about 3-4 large basil leaves)
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large pot, add onions and garlic with a small amount of water or vegetable broth to coat the pan, sauté until onions start to soften.
2. Next add diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, agave, salt, red pepper flakes, and vegetable broth.
3. Let simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes.
4. Then add basil, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
6. Blend with an immersion blender until you get the desired consistency. (This is optional, I like my marinara sauce to be smooth, but if you like it more chunky you can just leave it as is.)

**Add more salt if desired.
**Place leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

3 Comments

4/17/2020 1 Comment

Instant Pot Creamy Pasta

I love using my instant pot! But I got bored of eating soup, I made every meat free soup you could imagine in this thing, super delicious but enough was enough. So I finally came up with something that was not a soup, but creamy, delicious, and filling -pasta sauce! This mimics a vegan mac and cheese sauce, but I didn't want to call it that because while this recipe tastes amazing, it didn't really taste like mac and cheese to me. It's just its own beautiful deliciousness all by itself. And I hate when a recipe is called something that it's trying to mimic and doesn't taste anything like the food they are trying to recreate. My tastebuds are expecting a certain flavor without enjoying it for what it actually is, which might still be delicious by the way, but just not what I was expecting. So I hope you enjoy this amazing pasta recipe as much as I did and have fun creating in your instant pot! Let me know if you want to see more instant pot recipes in the comments below.

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cubed golden potatoes
1 cup peeled, chopped carrots
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup plant milk, unsweetened
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
8 oz. box of pasta (I used Banza Penne Noodles)
1/2 lemon, juice
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 1/2 Tbsp Potato Starch

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In your instant pot add potatoes, carrots, cashews, garlic, vegetable broth, plant milk, onion powder, salt, and smoked paprika.
2. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, with the vent set to sealing.
3. Meanwhile, cook your pasta. Drain. Set aside.
4. After your instant pot is done cooking, release the pressure and open the lid.
5. Blend the ingredients together with an immersion blender, until creamy and smooth. (You could also do this in batches with a high speed blender.)
6. Next add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and potato starch. Blend again until everything is incorporated.
7. Add pasta to the sauce and mix to coat the pasta evenly.
8. Serve warm. I topped mine with a little extra smoked paprika. I think a little hot sauce could be good too!

1 Comment

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Author

I'm Sabrina Podolak, Certified Holistic Health Coach. This is my blog where I share healthy recipes and lifestyle tips. I focus on plant- based, whole food recipes that are easy to follow, along with sharing my simple lifestyle hacks to help you become the best version of yourself. To learn more about my story, you can read my "About Me" page. To start cooking something delicious go to my Recipes page.

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Veggie Buddha Bowl

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Vegan Recipe Roundup | Fall Edition

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Four Bean Veggie Chili

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TBLT Salad with Vegan Ranch Dressing

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Mini Apple Crisps

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Dairy-Free Dalgona Whipped Coffee

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Dragonfruit Smoothie Bowl

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Black Bean Quesadillas (Oil-Free)

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Oil-Free Marinara Sauce

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Instant Pot Creamy Pasta

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