Fabulous Veg Recipes

It's been a while! How has the new year been for you? I have not been working on recipes so I took a break from here but I do have some life updates. I went back into the social work field and I'm working towards my clinical social work license. I plan on eventually having a private therapy practice where I combine my clinical skills with my meditation and mindfulness training. The future is looking bright!

How are you all doing staying inside? Are you cooking and baking more often? Are you finding it difficult to find certain ingredients? I have not been able to find tofu because it sells out so quickly. I put some in my cart, if I can even find it, and then it disappears. Which I suppose is good news for the plant-based movement since everyone is rushing to buy tofu! Beans it is...this whole shelter-in-place, it's all I can seem to keep in my cart and they are great to buy in bulk. I ordered chickpeas and lentils-my favorite beans ever, and I soak them overnight and cook them the next day. I usually make enough for a few servings so I'm not constantly cooking beans over and over again. I also put some rice in my rice cooker-my favorite long grain brown basmati! It's so so incredible and filling and tasty.

I'm always and forever trying to make rice like they make at Indian or Persian restaurants. It's so delicious, fluffy and flavorful and I love the texture of basmati rice. So, I was talking to a friend who makes rice alot and he helped me with the recipe. The idea is to sautee the rice first and add ingredients that will give it flavor such as garlic, onion, spices etc. I serve the rice with beans or tofu, either sauteed or in a curry sauce. Rice is just so amazing, it's simple but nutritious and is a great alternative to bread or other grains.

Last night I wanted pancakes and I bought garbanzo bean flour the other day so it was on this morning in the kitchen! They were super fluffy and filling and I'm pretty stuffed. In my defense, though, I did drink an entire 24 oz mason jar of lemon water before and during said pancake feast. Lately, I'm all about the lemon water; it is so amazingly refreshing!

Yo, these are so good, people! Fudgey and chocolately. They are also super healthy. I love using beans in place of flour because you're getting lots of fiber and protein along with a sweet treat. This recipe is made completely with whole, plant-based ingredients, nothing processed or artificial. I recently made adzuki bean soup a few posts down so check that out too.

I'm hitting a road block in the kitchen. I tend to eat the same foods over and over again and I get bored and restless. I decided to go back to the beginning of it, the very first cookbook I received that helped me make the transition to veganism: The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. Not only does she have amazing recipes but she talks about different plant-based ingredients and why they are so packed with nutrients. That combined with this super cool weather, I decided to make soup with some awesome beans.

People on my mailing list already received this lovely recipe in their inbox so if you wanna join, click above and get my newsletter! These bean brownies were fudgy and gooey and totally delicious. They are that kind of dessert you drool over in pictures. I think I may have slightly undercooked them when I tested this recipe but they ended up completely fine and something I definitely would have served to others. Besides, I've never heard anyone complain about brownies being too gooey?!

This recipe is so simple; it focuses on the versatility and awesomeness of chickpeas. I love chickpeas. They are perfect for everything, baking, cooking, snacking, making burgers, making cookie dough, salad toppings, the possibilities are just endless. I buy my beans in the bulk aisle at Whole Foods. They are organic and you get more for your money. I store them in airtight containers in my cupboard and make a ton of beans on Sundays.

All day I was in the kitchen making food for my marathon fundraiser; a meditation and restorative yoga class followed by a vegan dinner. I didn't even know what the temperature outside was until 5pm when I left to head to my yoga studio for the class. I dropped stuff, made a few messes, but ultimately, it was a meditative experience in itself cooking these dishes. All I could think of was the beautiful people who were going to eat the food and meet each other and bliss out during my class. It was such a great class and I raised a good amount of money for my fundraiser .

I only really buy carrots when I want to make a sauce out of them, usually my mac and cheese sauce but this time I made a carrot, garlicky sauce that was creamy. The base is the same as my mac and cheese sauce but it's not as many ingredients and spices. And instead of pouring over pasta I poured over some chickpeas that I just made from scratch. Today I added steamed kale, some leftover lentils and fresh, just bought onion from the farmers's market.

I bought a ton of chickpeas in the bulk aisle of Whole Foods yesterday, so much so that I balked at the price when I weighed them. But bulk is the best way to go in Whole Foods and their food is organic and $8 worth of chickpeas is a ton of chickpeas. I cooked a ton of them tonight so that I have alot left over to do whatever I feel like, sometimes I cover them in spices and bake them for a crunchy salad topping, sometimes I make hummus, sometimes I make cookie dough or pudding , the possibilities are endless with chickpeas. That's why I love them, they are versatile and packed with nutrients like protein and fiber. Chickpeas > chicken.

For chocolate pudding, I usually use avocado but I didn't use them for this recipe and the pudding turned out just as yummy. These started out as brownies but my throat was hurting me so I made pudding. It was so so filling and thick and very yummy. I tried to add as little sugar as possible; I used bananas but also a little coconut sugar. This pudding is high in protein and only created with whole, clean ingredients. It's perfect for babies, adults, kids, everyone!

It's amazing how similar beans are to meat, they are filling and often resemble meat when you make them into a burger or patty. Even better is that beans are way higher in fiber and way lower in cholesterol and don't contain what was once a living creature. I love how beans can fill the meat void and provide a protein filled meal. My favorite beans are chickpeas because I've done the most with them as far as making recipes but adzuki beans are becoming a favorite.

I made these for my meditation class. I usually make my bites with a dried fruit and nuts but I didn't have enough of either ingredients so I used another ingredient in my kitchen: chickpeas! This recipe makes an incredibly healthy and delicious cookie that is no bake and very easy to make. You can bake these cookies if you choose but I did not and they ended up just as tasty. I had chocolate chips in my pantry, which I never have, so I wanted to use them in a recipe. My meditation group loved the bites, which of course made me happy!

Chickpeas are so versatile. I can't believe how many ways you can use them in cooking and baking. They can be used as flour, to make raw cookie dough, they can be used in soups, salads and burgers; I can't even begin to list all the recipes they can be used in. Lately, I've bought uncooked chickpeas in the bulk section of Whole Foods and I take about a cup out at a time, soak them, boil them and store for use throughout the week. I use chickpeas in salads and lately on my avocado mash but nothing says yummy like tahini chickpea pizza.

Let's start with WHAT is a balance bowl? It's a bowl of super nutritious, healthy, yummy food. It usually includes a carb, fat and protein and is, therefore, very filling. Balance bowls help you to identify what veggies you love and can encourage you to try new foods. A great start to your day or post-workout meal, get your butt in the kitchen and make a balance bowl!

Happy October 1st!!! It's pumpkin season. Autumn rocks, the air is crisper (finally) and I'm pulling out the boots and leggings. Fall is also time for warmer foods and I've definitely felt more like cooking lately. Indian food is life. I love it, I love the ingredients and especially the spices. They are so warming and filling and SAVORY! It's so easy to make indian food vegan because you can use coconut milk and olive oil instead of butter. You also get your whole grains in rice and protein with the chickpeas. I've made a few indian dishes but this one is my favorite.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!! Tacos, burritos, anything with avocado and beans is awesome! I started out making these as a quesadilla but switched to burritos during the cooking process. No oven is required for this; it's a warm day here in NYC and I had no intention of turning on the oven. You only need a large skillet, small pan and spatula.

I went to an Indian restaurant in my neighborhood with a friend last weekend and we just could not get over how yummy our dinner was. I had a spinach and chickpea curry dish with rice and we also noshed on samosas and garlic naan. We ended the dinner with some black tea so needless to say we left completely stuffed and satisfied. What delicious food made with incredibly savory spices! So, naturally I wanted to try making the dish at home and it turned out wonderful. Head to your favorite health food store and pick up alot of spices before you make this dish. Trader Joe's has spices for $1.99 and they have all the good ones for this dish. Friends and yummy food is the best combination!

I'm pretty obsessed with coconut milk and warming spices lately.  I'm also loving my whole grains and I stocked up on beans.  I can't wait to share this savory bean dish with you.  Are you up close and personal with tumeric and curry powder?  You should be!  These spices give food such awesome flavor and are great paired with coconut milk. Feel free to use any whole grain for this recipe; it doesn't have to be couscous, it can be rice, buckwheat groats, barley, etc.  I used light coconut milk to cut down on fat and I used kale as my green; feel free to change this up as well.