Plant-Based Thanksgiving Substitutions

We've been "plant based" for almost 5 months now and we are really enjoying it.  I've seen a lot of benefits - mainly the elimination of my acid reflux, heartburn and other unpleasant GI symptoms of my past, and an overall happy conscience knowing that no animals were harmed in the making of my delicious meals.  :)

With our 5 month "plant-based anniversary" comes Thanksgiving and the beginning of the wonderful holiday season.  This may present somewhat of a challenge, but I'm up for it!

Smoky Refried Bean ~ Soup of the Week!

(THANK YOU to the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen for this recipe)

I made this today and it is really delicious.  I love the smokiness of the chipotle peppers and the flavor of the fire-roasted tomatoes.  The chipotle peppers make this soup very spicy so you might want to gradually add them to the recipe until you reach your preferred level of heat.

These little morsels did the trick!

We allow ourselves to splurge a little bit on the weekend and I was really craving something sweet and cookie-like this weekend.  I came across this recipe on Pinterest a few weeks back and was SUPER skeptical.  The main ingredient ... chickpeas.  I know what you're thinking because I had the same thoughts. 

Irish White Bean & Cabbage Stew

For the past few Sundays, I've been making big batches of homemade soups for our workweek lunches.  It's been working out great and I've gotten to try all kinds of new soup recipes in the process.  I was really impressed with this one - it reminds me of one of my old favorite "non-plant based" soups - Rachel Ray's Stuffed Cabbage Stoup, minus the meat, of course!  This is a nice, hearty soup - chocked full of healthy ingredients and it's fat free to boot!  Enjoy!

I love this ad on Prop 37!

Best part of the clip:

"If there's nothing wrong with GMO's, why not put it on the label?  MADE WITH GMO'S!!!"

Mujaddara - Lebanese Lentil Dish

"Moo-jah-DAH-rah"

Josh made this dish for us tonight and it was simple yet scrumptious! We used brown rice and added some chopped fresh jalapeños on top (because Josh likes all his food spicy) and it was a delicious addition. I have to admit, this recipe was a bit laborious, but it was totally worth it.

Another Yummy Organic Girl Salad

 

Thank you Organic Girl - I have a new favorite salad mix.  This is a peppery, nutty and overall fantastic salad blend!

Delicious Zucchini "Pasta"

I got the idea from Pinterest for zucchini pasta, so I came up with this recipe and it was pretty impressive.  You'll need a julienne peeler or a fancy spiral vegetable slicer (see below) ...

Ingredients:
3-4 medium zucchinis
1-2 tbs. Olive Oil

Butternut Squash Soup

This thick and creamy Fall soup will quickly become a favorite!

Ingredients:
4-5 lbs. butternut squash, halved and seeded

OMG Plant-Based Ice Cream

I found this fantastic recipe on Pinterest for dairy free ice cream and was so excited to try it tonight. Ice cream is probably my biggest weakness which made eliminating dairy pretty painful at first.

Great cartoon!

 

I love this cartoon by Mike Adams.  This serves as a good reminder to read labels and know what's in the food you buy.  If you come across a food label with an ingredient that you cannot pronounce or are disgusted when you Google it - leave it on the shelf!  Your best bet is to avoid all processed food products - find a recipe, buy nutritious ingredients and make it yourself!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/020148_food_labels_grocery_warning.html#ixzz290TtSSQ0

Helloooo Pinterest!

I created a Board on Pinterest for everything Plant-Based.

Here's a link to it - Happy Pinning!

http://pinterest.com/jennyjellybean/plant-based-happiness/

Seeing purple all summer ...

I meant to post this picture a few weeks back.  I've never had any luck growing eggplant - until this year!  I'm going to give the credit to my Organic Fertilizer - Garden Tone by Espoma.  See the link below for information on how to purchase it.

We had eggplants ALL summer.  They were beautiful, big and delicious. 

Yummy Baked Tofu

Just wanted to share our favorite baked tofu - it's SoyBoy brand (NON-GMO) marinated in Caribbean spices. It's pretty good grilled.  For dinner tonight, we had grilled Caribbean tofu, a baked yukon gold potato and brussel sprouts with fresh lemon and black pepper.  YUM!

California Voters - VOTE YES ON NOVEMBER 6TH!

Right about now, I wish I was a resident of California - so I could vote YES on 37!!!  

 

Baby Kale Salad

Ajvar Spread

While visiting friends recently, they introduced us to Ajvar Spread (pronounced eye-var).  It's a roasted red pepper spread with eggplant and it's delicious.  It doesn't contain any suspect ingredients, just roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, salt, vinegar, vegetable oil and spices. 

You can find it at some International Markets.  We got it from Jerusalem Market in Greensboro, NC.  This brand is VaVa.

We made fresh baked bread and then, made a sandwich with ajvar, grilled eggplant and grilled portobello mushroom.  YUMMM!

I LOVE AJVAR!

Another fabulous African meal

A while back I posted a recipe for Vegan Maffe, made with Kitchens of Africa sauce (a local company that sells their products at Whole Foods).

Shiitake Lemongrass Miso Soup

I tried this recipe over the weekend since Josh & I were under the weather.  It was fantastic, very flavorful, and satisfying.  Lemongrass is amazing...