lunch

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™‚

 

 

Summer is right around the corner and I have been obsessed with the mouth watering photos of veggie spring rolls all over instagram and pinterest. Luckily my friend Nicole is a veggie summer roll maven and offered to come over and share her favorite, easy vegan spring roll recipe with me and I wanted to let you all in on the fun. These veggie rolls with thai peanut dipping sauce were out of this world and SO easy to make. It’s going to be your favorite go-to summer recipe!

Check out the full recipe below as well as links to see more of Nicole!
And don’t forget to head on over to Nicole’s channel to see her interview me about meditation!

LINK to that –> http://youtu.be/3nrYzDUW8Qk

VEGAN SPRING ROLLS
– 10-12 rice papers
– 2 cups mixed greens or lettuce of your choice
– I large carrot, shredded
– 2-3 scallions, shredded
– 1 avocado
– 1/2 cup water chestnuts
– warm water

Soak one rice paper at a time in warm water until softened (about one minute) Transfer to a smooth surface and add lettuce, carrots, scallions, water chestnuts, and avocado.

To roll, tuck the sides in first, then the bottom of the rice paper, and finally the top. Roll into a burrito shape and continue with remaining rice papers.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour, cut in half with a sharp knife, and serve with peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce Recipe

1/2 cup peanutbutter
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tbsp agave
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1 lime/ or 2 tbsp lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or high powdered blender. Blend or whisk until smooth.

Head on over and SUBSCRIBE to Nicole’s channel at http://www.youtube.com/MissVranhalen

or say hi to her on..

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Snapchat: MissVranHalen

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!

This is one of my absolute favorite things to make whether it’s for a picnic or BBQ, or I’m just feeling snacky at home! Avocado fries are great to load up on good for you fats and and satisfy that crunchy and savory craving a the same time. The sriracha lime dipping sauce is addictive and will leave you wanting more things to dip! Sweet + Skinny tip: save it! And use any left over to dip raw veggies when you’re looking a nibble during the day.

 

Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy, my loves!

 

AVOCADO FRIES WITH DIPPING SAUCE

Serving for 1 or 2.

 

2 avocados

Ā¼ cup of coconut oil ( for lightly greasing the baking sheet)

2 cups of panko bread crumbs

2 eggs (can be subbed out if youā€™d like to make this vegan- we can go with flaxseed meal and water ā€œeggsā€)

adobo seasoning

salt/pepper

 

Preheat the oven for 425 degrees. Lightly grease your baking sheet with coconut oil. In one bowl, whisk the two eggs. Ā In another bowl mix your panko, adobo seasoning (to your taste ā€“ I used about tbsp.) Ā and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Slice avocados lengthwise, dip in either whisked eggs or flaxseed mixture, and then into the panko mixture.

Place on baking sheet and season again if you feel itā€™s necessary. I always like to put a couple more shakes of adobo and a little more salt before they go in the oven. Place the sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes or till the panko starts browning.

 

dipping sauce:

1/3 cup of tofu sour cream

juice of Ā½ a lime

Ā¾ tsp of sriracha

sprinkle of salt

Ā½ tsp of freshly chopped cilantro

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.

I just got back from Wanderlust (in Tahoe, CA) and I’m missing it dearly as I edit my video diaries of it for you guys. Can’t wait to share all the gems I learned this past weekend with you – be sure to subscribe to GoSweetandSkinnyTVĀ so you don’t miss a thing! The first video will drop tomorrow afternoon and I’m going to let you in on my biggest BREAKTHROUGH of Wanderlust! SO exciting!!

One thing that I am happy about now that I’m home is getting to make myself delicious smoothies again. There’s nothing quite like homemade food after a few days of living off festival food, albeit pretty damn healthy festival food at that but nonetheless, there is something comforting about my own blender. šŸ™‚

Here’s the recipe for this EPIC green goodness smoothie bowl I whipped up for breakfast this morning. Enjoy!

Green GOODNESS Smoothie Bowl

1 cup of coconut- almond milk

5 leaves of Romaine Lettuce

1/2 of an avocado

1 cucumber (minus seeds and skin)

1 green apple

1 large tbsp of nut butter

Topped with: chia seeds, hemp hearts and unsweetened coconut flakes

green smoothie bowl

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!

Even vegetarians and vegans need to be a little naughty sometimes and I just couldn’t resist sharing this decadent southern classic that my friend (and fellow Taste gal), Rebekah Faulk whipped up for her wonderful blog Some Kinda Good.Ā I think these would be a wonderful veggie friendly addition to your superbowl apps and because they’re a little naughty, you’ll still feel like you’re indulging with boys without having to chow down on buffalo wings or those baby hot dogs. Now, of course, if you want to make them even healthier, you can try baking them instead of frying them. Same prep just put them on a parchment lined baking sheet at 375 degrees and then once they’re cooked, maybe sautee them in a pan with a little bit of coconut oil to get the outside crispy! However, I wasn’t about to mess with greatness, so I left Rebekah’s recipe just the way it was for you here. Enjoy!

FriedGreenTomatoes

Some Kinda Goodā€™s Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients
3 Large Green Tomatoes
Ā½ cup cornmeal
Ā½ cup self-rising flour
2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
Vegetable Oil for frying
Green Onion for garnish, optional

Directions:
Slice tomatoes about Ā¼ of an inch thick. Place them on a flat surface and season with salt. Transfer the tomatoes to a colander and allow them to drain in the sink for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a cast iron skillet or 10-inch frying pan with vegetable oil halfway full and set over medium heat. The oil will be ready for frying when sizzling occurs after gently sprinkled with water. In a small dish, use a fork to combine the cornmeal, flour, Old Bay, salt and pepper. Dredge the tomatoes in the flour mixture on each side. Roll the sides of the tomato in the flour mixture too, to ensure an even coating. Shake off any excess before dropping the tomato slices into the hot oil. Fry the tomato slices until golden brown, turning once during cooking.Ā  Remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Garnish with green onion.Ā  Serve warm with Ranch Dressing if desired.

Rebekah Faulk is a Georgia food writer and Statesboro-based TV Personality. A Season 2 contestant on ABC-TV’s The Taste, she blogs atĀ SomeKindaGood.org,Ā a Southern, coastal food blog highlighting East coast restaurant reviews and Lowcountry-inspired recipes. Follow her on TwitterĀ @SKGFoodBlogĀ or on find her onĀ Facebook.Ā 

 

 

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It’s absolutely frigid in NYC right now and as much as I do absolutely love my juices and smoothies, sometimes in the winter it just gets too darn cold for them! When this kind of chill strikes, I always turn to soups to heat me up and nourish me. ThisĀ carrot ginger squash soup is not only delicious, it’s super easy to make and packed full of nutrients to give you energy and keep you warm! (It’s also vegan! psssh don’t tell!)

Carrot Ginger Squash Soup

SautĆ©Ā 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 1 clove minced garlic in 1 tsp olive oil for 3 minutes in medium pot. Add 1 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth, 1 cup frozen butternut squash cubes and 1 cup of carrot slices. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. With a hand blender, puree until smooth; if desired add broth for thinner texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

myfavsalad

 

After a month of hotel living and room service/take out eating, I could not wait to get back to NYC, my apartment andĀ my kitchen!Ā My body was craving something delicious, fresh and healthy. Yes, your body will actually start CRAVING that after you feed it too much heavy, restaurant-y food! I didn’t eat like a total heathen, I mean this is ME we’re talking about but fair enough to say I had a couple more cocktails than usual and indulged my love for mexican food more than once while on the west coast. So first night back and all I can think about is making a salad! Seriously, starved for a salad with home-made dressing for a change. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can not wait to start making some season fall dishes, but it was almost 80 degrees in NYC when I got back (total bummer for fall-obessed me) and so I thought it fitting to haveĀ my favorite salad just one more time before pumpkins, cranberries and apples take over my culinary life. Spinach, strawberries and brie, it’s a little naughty but very nice, all of my favorite things combined to make a very easy, simple and delicious salad. Enjoy!

MY FAVORITE SALAD

SALAD

2 handfuls of baby spinach

5 small strawberries, sliced

small handful of crushed walnuts

5 slices of brie, chopped into fourths

 

DRESSING

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil (I used basil infused)

pinch of salt

1 tbsp of fresh strawberry (or any kind of berry) preserves