dinner

In this week’s episode of Eat with Intention TV, Cassandra makes her tofu waldorf salad, it’s a great, easy healthy lunch for yourself or when you have guests. You can find the full recipe in her book “Eat with Intention” as well as tons of other great, intentional, plant-based meal options!

This salad is a weekday favorite of mine for something nourishing, delicious and ‘restaurant’ feeling with out the fuss, price or sneaky ingredients! It’s also one of my favorite dishes to serve as a first course (on small plates!) when I’m hosting people for a dinner party!

 

 

Making the Tofu Waldorf Salad is pretty simple as you can see in the video but here’s a little grocery store “cheat sheet” to help you stock up on all the ingredients before you dive in!

 

TOFU WALDORF SALAD GROCERY LIST:

  • organic dairy-free yogurt (coconut or cashew are my favs — unflavored!)
  • fresh organic parsley
  • organic ground oregano
  • 2 organic lemons
  • organic EVOO
  • 16oz package of organic firm tofu
  • organic dijon mustard
  • organic baby kale
  • 1 organic granny smith apple
  • organic garlic powder
  • organic grapes (red or green is fine based on preference)
  • organic chopped walnuts

 

MANTRA: “My health is my greatest wealth.”

MEDITATION: Body Love Meditation

more in the book šŸ™‚

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tis’ the season for our favorite flavor of them all… pumpkin spice! Luckily, I teamed up with Lori Corbin from ABC7 news to show you how to get your pumpkin spice on with out all the added sugar and chemicals that come along at some pretty popular chain cafes or restaurants. Making your pumpkin spice treats at home is a sure fire way to get it the healthy way!

 

After all, did you know that pumpkin spice actually does NOT include any sugar?

That’s right. You can make your own Pumpkin Spice at home using just 3 tbsp of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of ground ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoon of all spice and 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves. Now you can even buy “pumpkin spice” already mixed together for you in the spice section of your local grocery store. Put a little shake of this baby in your morning coffee or mix it into your favorite coconut creamer for a healthy, sugar free way to add a little pumpkin spice to your day.

 

Below are two of my favorite ways to celebrate the season, a savory (and super decadent) pumpkin basil cream sauce for your favorite gluten free pasta and my pumpkin spice donuts — both of them so delicious and simple to whip up that you will have a hard time believing just how nourishing they are for your body! Enjoy!

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PROTEIN + FIBER PACKED PUMPKIN BASIL CREAM SAUCE

1 can of cannelloni beans

1 can of organic lite coconut milk

1 can of organic pumpkin puree

1 tbsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice (more if needed after you taste)

handful of fresh basil and 1 tbsp of dried spice shaker basil

1/2 white onion, chopped and sautƩed with olive oil

1 bulb of garlic, chopped and sautƩed with olive oil

1 tbsp of EVOO

Salt, Pepper to taste

This simple a decadent Pumpkin Basil Cream Sauce recipe is easy for you to whip up in minutes. If you don’t have fresh onion and garlic on hand to brown in a frying pan with a little olive oil, you can also use onion powder and garlic powder to taste to help with the savory flavor. Combine all your ingredients together in a food processor or high powered blender. Taste the sauce and add more basil, pumpkin pie spice or salt and pepper till you get the perfect sweet and savory balance for you!

Ladle it over your favorite gluten free pasta, I love brown rice penne as shown here but whatever your usual go to is will work fine!

 

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HEALTHY VEGAN PUMPKIN SPICE DONUTS
2 cups of trader joeā€™s whole grain baking mix ( you can use any baking /biscuit mix ā€“ for gluten free try Bobā€™s Red Millā€™s!)
1 cup of organic pumpkin puree
3 tbsp of coconut oil
2 flaxs -ā€˜eggsā€™ (2 tsp flaxseed meal + 6 tsp of water whisked)
3 tsps of pumpkin pie spice (or to your taste, I like a lot of spice!)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
ā€”ā€” dust top with coconut sugar + pumpkin pie spice OR crushed cacao nibsā€”ā€”ā€”
Super easy to make! Whip all ingredients in together in your mixer, place in a pastry bag (or a ziploc baggy that you cut a corner off! šŸ˜‰ ) for easiest dispensing into your doughnut pan and bake in the oven on 375 degrees until golden on the edges. Plop out on cooling rack and sprinkle your dusting ingredients to your liking! Enjoy! Tag me on your photos when you make them and Iā€™ll repost some of my favs!

I love love love tacos, so I’m always trying to dream up new, delicious flavor combinations for vegan tacos and I have to tell you, I think I hit gold the other night with these vegan BBQ tempeh and brussel sprout tacos! Not only are they quick and easy to throw together after a long day but they are incredibly delicious, healthy and the perfect feel good fuel to cap off the night. I’ve included the recipe below for these savory, vegan tacos below but I would love to hear from you about your favorite plant-based taco combos! Comment below and let me know what other ingredients you’d like to see in a vegan taco recipe in the future!

VEGAN BBQ TEMPEH + BRUSSEL SPROUT TACOS

2 whole wheat tortillas ( I prefer ezeikel brand sprouted grain)

1 cup of brussel sprouts chopped

1 tbsp of coconut oil

1/2 cup of shredded carrots

1/2 cup of broccoli slaw

1 avocado

tempeh

a few tablespoons of your favorite healthy BBQ sauce (check for added sugar or high fructose corn syrup)

1/4 red onion chopped

1 peach chopped

2 tbsps of basil chopped

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

(add 1 tbsp of chopped jalapeno to make the salsa spicier instead of sweet)

 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with coconut oil and spread out your chopped brussel sprouts. Gently sprinkle salt, pepper and any of your favorite spices on to the brussel sprouts before you place them into your heated oven. While those are roasting take out your two tortillas and lightly toast them in frying pan on your stove top using medium heat and a non stick pan or cooking spray to keep the tortillas from clinging. Flip them until each side is getting slightly golden brown and then place them on your plate. Add 1/4 cup of broccoli slaw and your shredded carrots to each tortilla. In a small bowl, combine your chopped peaches, balsamic, oil, basil, onions and jalapeno (if you’ve decided to spice it up) and mash together till it forms a compote like texture. Place this to the side for when the tacos are completed and slice your tempeh in to 1/4 inch thick strips (or however you like your tempeh). In a small sauce pan on low heat, add a dash of coconut oil and tempeh and let it lightly brown on each side. Once the tempeh has started to brown, add your BBQ sauce to the pan and keep moving around the tempeh pieces with your spatula to prevent them from burning. Remove from the pan once the tempeh is fully saturated with the BBQ sauce and fully cooked.

By this time, your brussel sprouts should be nicely roasted and ready to remove from the oven (be the judge for yourself because all ovens roast at different speeds – I like to remove the brussel sprouts when they are crisping at the edges.) Place the brussel sprouts over your broccoli slaw and shredded carrots, then add your BBQ tempeh. Lastly, slice your avocado over each taco and it off with a hearty drizzle of the peach basil salsa.

 

These are by far my favorite vegan tacos so far, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Ah! I don’t even know what I’m going to do when fall ends because I’m so in love with all the season flavors!! As you guys know, I went cranberry picking a couple weekends ago and loaded up on the little tart treats so I’ve been having a lot of fun in the kitchen using them as accents to some of my favorite dishes. This particular dish is a sweeter quinoa salad, perfect fall crisp fall nights and great to take to work the next day for lunch! This cranberry quinoa salad is also the perfect healthy side dish to bring to your relatives’ on thanksgiving or christmas that’s delicious but also probably healthier than anything else on the table. šŸ˜‰

Cranberry Quinoa Salad

1 cup of quinoa / a little less than 2 cups of water to boil it in

1 head of romanesco

1/2 apple sliced

1/2 cup of cranberries

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 cups of baby kale

1/4 cup chopped white onion

1/4 cup chopped garlic

4 tbsp of coconut oil / macadamia nut oil or olive oil

1 cup of organic apple cider

2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

spiced cider balsamic glaze: 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar / 2 tbsp olive oil / 1/4 cup reduced cider / 1 tbsp of dijon mustard / salt + pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet with some of your oil. Next, take a medium saucepan and fill it with your quinoa, water and Ā little salt. Keep the pan on medium heat and start stirring the quinoa when water starts boiling. Slice up your romanesco and place it on your baking sheet, drizzle with a little more oil and season however you like. Place that in the oven to roast for around 10-15 minutes while moving the pieces around so that they evenly roast. Ā In a separate small sauce pan, place your sliced apples, cranberries, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice. Keep it on a low heat and let it simmer as the fruit absorbs the cider and spices and the liquid reduces. Keep checking on the fruit and moving it around the pan for 10 minute or so until the liquid has reduced and saturated the fruits. In a frying pan on another burner, Place the remainder 2 tsp of your oil, your baby kale, onions and garlic and sautĆ© till kale is wilted and onions are clear. When all liquid has evaporated from quinoa, it is done, take it off the burner and place into a medium bowl. Add in kale, roasted romanesco and fruit (with remaining cider drained and put to side for the glaze). In a separate small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the spiced cider balsamic glaze. Ā When combined, drizzle it over your quinoa salad and place into a serving dish. Sprinkle your almonds over the top to garnish and your done! I promise it’s a lot easier and faster than it seems from writing it all out in this recipe! It’s a great fall dish and I hope you share it with your family this season.

There’s not much I love more than a taco salad and the vegan taco meat that I whipped up for my friends at Shape Magazine was the perfect delicious addition to help you get even more great fats and proteins in this vegan taco salad. It’s easy to throw together for lunch or dinner, a great source of protein and nutrients and c’mon who doesn’t love mexican!?

 
 

VEGAN TACO SALAD WITH CHILI LIME RANCH DRESSING

4 stalks of Romaine Lettuce chopped

Ā½ cup of black beans Ā½ tomato chopped

Ā½ white onion chopped

Ā¼ cup of cilantro chopped

jalapeno chopped

1 avocado

Ā¼ cup chickpeas

Ā½ cup walnuts

1 tsp of flaxseed meal

2 tblsp of olive oil

Ā½ tsp cumin

Ā½ tsp coriander

Ā½ tsp paprika

Ā½ tsp chili

Ā½ garlic powder

Ā½ onion powder

salt/pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine chick peas, walnuts, flaxseed meal, olive oil, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili, garlic powder, onion powder and salt/pepper. Pulse till mixture is the consistency of chop meat. Combine chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a tsp of jalapeno in a small bowl and toss together. Drain and rinse the black beans. If you prefer, heat the black beans on the stove for a few minute by adding a little water to a sauce pan. After heated, drain again. Place chopped romaine at the bottom of your bowl. Add a scoop of black beans, two spoonfuls of tomato mixture, a scoop of your ā€œmeatā€ mixture and top with half of an avocado sliced.

Chili lime ranch dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl, mix together and drizzle over salad

4 tbsp of tofu sour cream (or cashew sour cream ā€“ can make from scratch)

juice from a Ā¼ of a lime

pinch of onion powder

pinch of parsley

pinch of garlic powder

pinch of chili powder

Ā½ tsp of plain unsweetened almond milk

When my girl, Alyssa, posted a pic of these babies on her instagramĀ – I nearly started salivating on my phone. I don’t know if we’ve ever talked about this but I have a SERIOUS weakness for potato pancakes! My mom’s maiden name is Mc Donald so I’m Ā a good part irish and all parts a fan of potato pancakes. Now add to that the fact that she added some whipped avocado (something I’m certain you know how obsessed I am with) and pomegranate seeds, making this the perfect dish for just about any meal. Literally, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack time, can’t go wrong! Give her amaze balls recipe a whirl and check out her blog Suppin Good for even more fabulous and creative culinary delights..

LAYERED POTATO PANCAKES WITH WHIPPED AVOCADO AND POMEGRANATE

The color, texture and the pleasure of assembling this dish could only be matched by the joy of sharing it with people you care about.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Potato Pancake

8 small Yukon, 1 1/2-2 Russet potatoes

1/2 onion

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1tsp Old Bay (optional)

Grapeseed Oil

Whipped Avocado

1/2 Reed avocado or 1 hass

1/4 onion

pinch salt

zest and juice of 1/2 lime

Garnish

1/4 cup pomegranate kernels

1 T red chili flakes

DIRECTIONS

First, prepare your garnishes of 1/4 cup pomegranate kernels and 1 T red chili flakes in separate bowls.

Then combine 1/2 Reed avocado or 1 whole Hass, 1/4 onion, chopped, a pinch of salt, the zest and juice of 1/2 lime in a blender until smooth and chill in the fridge while you make the pancakes.

To make the pancakes, shred 8 small Yukon potatoes or about 1 1/2-2 Russet potatoes and onion on large box grater onto a laid out kitchen towel. Gather the sides around the mass and squeeze out as much liquid as possible into the sink or receptacle then discard liquid.

Season potato and onion mixture with 3 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper and Old Bay (optional.)

Heat pan on medium heat (cast iron, preferably) with a layer of grapeseed oil. When it sizzles after you place one strand of potato, add about 1/4 cup of mixture (big 3 finger pinch if youā€™re like me and donā€™t measure) to the pan and spread the mass out into a pancake size, as flat and even as possible. Flip when golden brown. Repeat until mixture is through, adding oil as needed. Place pancakes on wire cooling rack or paper towel lined plates.

Season with sea salt or smoked sea salt.

Assemble

With a small offset spatula, spoon, or knife, spread a thin layer of whipped avocado on the bottom of the serving plate so the pancakes donā€™t slip about. Place one pancake on the plate. Spread a thick layer of avocado followed by another pancake. Repeat, garnish with chili flakes and pomegranate kernels.

Suppin’ Good is the culinary mind of Alyssa Noui, Los Angeles-based food blogger and food stylist. She writes simple recipes from scratch and from the heart. Local, organic, farm-fresh, seasonal ingredients are the core of her home-cooked cuisine but she gives them new life with playful combinations of flavor and texture. She encourages you all to try them at home and come up with your own spin!

Check out my latest recipe for Shape Magazine, this Asian Broccoli Slaw Quinoa is the perfect healthy dish to bring to a BBQ this summer or just make to spice up your usual week day dinners. It’s vegan, gluten free and delicious. The perfect light summer meal that will fill you up with out over stuffing you. Watch me making it on SHAPE.com above and try it for yourself with the recipe below! Enjoy!

ASIANBROCCOLISLAW

ASIAN BROCCOLI SLAW WITH QUINOA (2 servings)

1/2 cup of cooked quinoa 1 bag of broccoli slaw

Ā¼ cup of shelled edamame

Ā¼ cup of shredded raddichio

Ā¼ cup of slivered almonds

Ā¼ cup of shredded carrots

Empty the broccoli slaw into a bowl, add edamame, raddichio, almonds and carrots.

for dressing: Ā¼ cup of macadamia nut oil 3 tbsp of rice vinegar 3 tbsp of sesame oil 3 tbsp of shoyu 1 tbsp garlic (fresh, chopped) 1 tbsp scallions (fresh, chopped) 1 tbsp ginger (fresh,chopped) Blend all ingredients for the dressing and then drizzle in broccoli slaw bowl till the mixture is wet but not overly saturated. Scoop about Ā½ cup of quinoa on to a plate and top with broccoli slaw mix. Optional garnish with almond slivers, carrots

Check out this delicious summer zucchini pasta with vegan pesto that I made for SHAPE.com. This recipe is perfect for those hot summer nights when you want something light but fulling. Zucchini pasta is a great gluten-free alternative and my vegan pesto will have you wondering why you ever needed parmesan cheese! Splurge and buy that spiralizer or go to your local grocery and pick up a bag of shredded zucchini and fake it. šŸ˜‰

Kale, it’s what for dinner…most nights at my place at least. I’m actually kidding, brussel sprouts are probably WAY more of regular around my dinner table. Regardless, clearly I’m obsessed with green stuff and I also have a love for whipping up random salad dressings based on whatever I have around the kitchen, so this evening, this beautiful salad creation was born. It’s a kale salad tossed in a simple truffle vinaigrette topped with roasted brussel sprouts, onions and cashews and it was delicious! Since it was so tasty, so easy to make and also happens to be vegan, gluten free, dairy free AND all around good for you – I thought I’d share the recipe with you guys! Ā  Kale Salad with a Truffle Vinaigrette.Ā serving for 1 // double + quadruple as needed 3 handfuls of organic tuscan kale shredded 1/4 cup of diced sweet white onions 3/4 cup of shaved brussel sprouts 2 tbsp of crushed roasted cashews 2 tsp of coconut oil (for sautĆ©ing brussel sprouts + onions) Dressing: 2 tbsp of olive oil 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp of dijon mustard 2 tbsp of truffle salsa Ā  Pretty basic, very few ingredients and you have an absolutelyĀ delicious lunch or dinner that’s vegan, gluten free, dairy free, good for your body and easy to throw together. Wash and chop your kale, put your onion and 1 tsp of coconut oil into a small sauce pan on medium heat and let them become translucent while your making your dressing. Once the dressing is complete, toss your kale in it and set it to the side. As soon as onions are done, toss them in with the kale, put the remaining coconut oil in the pan and add the shaved brussel sprouts. Cook the brussel sprouts till they brown a little on the edges and then toss them on top of you kale salad. Finish by sprinkling the roasted cashews over the top.

Ā  This salad was spur of the moment inspired when I got invited to a potluck picnic in Central Park! I wanted to Ā bring something hearty and satisfying while also being fun and summery. Whenever I get invited to a potluck anything, I always try to bring something I’d be happy eating as entire meal just in case there’s nothing else I can eat there. Luckily, that wasn’t too much of a concern for this picnic because I was with some other health savvy ladies but it’s become a habit of mine. Most of the ingredients in here are things I picked up from the local farmers market a couple days before. I decided to do a “cooked” salad because I’m pretty sensitive to raw vegetables (have a lot of trouble digesting them) so I try to switch it up when I can and incorporate lightly steamed or sautĆ©ed vegetables when I can. Ā This summer superfood salad is not only good for you, it’s delicious and despite it being light and summery will really satiate you and leave you feeling satisfied. Try it yourself and feel free to mix up the greens and berries with whatever is in season for you right now!

Summer Superfood Salad

1 cup cooked quinoa (I added a little basil + oregano while it was cooking)

2 cups of kale lightly sautƩed in 1 tsp of macadamia nut oil (or coconut/olive)

3 baby spring onions diced and lightly sautƩed with the kale

1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts

3/4 cup Ā of fresh blueberries

3 whopping tbsps of hemp hearts

all seasoned with garlic, onion powder, and oregano.

I didn’t add any dressing to it because I honestly enjoy how the natural flavors compliment each other while still keeping it very light and airy. Great, easy-to-make dish to bring to your 4th of July BBQ or just your work for lunch on any given day! Hope you enjoy this summer superfood salad as much I do but feel free to post your own inspired variations of it in the comments section below!

It’s always a blast spending time in the kitchen with my bestie and team ludo teammate, Chef Jeff Kawakami. What a lot of people don’t know about Jeff from watching The Taste is that he’s a pretty killer healthy cook as well. Jeff makes some vegan dishes that are out of this world and has celebrity clients that require him to make really healthy food, really delicious on the daily. Naturally, I asked him to share with us, an easy, go-to snack that’s both delicious, healthy and ‘man-friendly’. This healthy, crispy cauliflower recipe is sure to be a guilt free crowd pleaser.

Crispy Cauliflower

1 cauliflower cut into florets
1 egg
1 egg white
1.5 tbsp of dijon mustard
hot sauce to taste
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Cut your cauliflower head into florets and place in a large bowl. Add eggs and lightly toss the cauliflower in them. Add you mustard, hot sauce , garlic powder, parmesan and bread crumbs and toss till cauliflower is covered in mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and then spread out the cauliflower on your baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, they are finished when the edges are light, golden brown and crispy.

 

Made this for myself right before I left on my trip to Cali and ended up packing it up to go with me for the airplane! Roasted veggies and rich, creamy noodles make for a hearty dish to nourish you in the crazy NY cold! Super simple and very hearty.

Creamy Tofu Noodles
1 bag of tofu shirataki noodles
3 tbsp of go veggie Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp of chopped or powders garlic
1 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp olive oil

Rinse and drain noodles. Place olive oil in a sautƩe pan on the stove along with the noodles. Keep on low heat and watching, stirring to move around noodles while adding other ingredients to taste. Noodles will hear quickly, the whole process should take 5-10 mins max.

Glazed brussel sprouts and carrots
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 cup of chopped brussel sprouts
2 tbsp of olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp of Dijon mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

In a large sauce pan on medium heat, add olive oil and vegetables. Stir constantly while adding balsamic, Dijon and spices to your taste. I like to cook them till the vegetables are hot and roasted.