Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Instant Pot Mexican Taco Lentils. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten Free, Indian-inspired., Mexican, Pressure Cooker, Running/Races, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Mexican taco lentils.

This week we weren’t able to partake in Taco Tuesday due to an away swim meet so Wednesday it was!  We aren’t fans of missing our favorite cuisine.  So Wednesday I had a much needed day off & was excited to create a meat substitute for our taco bar.  I took a traditionally Indian lentil and did a bit of Mexican fusion by adding salsa and roasted poblanos.  These lentils came out perfectly & cooking in the Instant Pot made this dish exponentially easier.

These lentils would be lovely as a side dish, atop a salad or mixed greens for lunch or straightaway with tortillas or naan.  Lentils are packed with protein, iron and potassium.  We also love lentils with scrambled tofu for breakfast.  Just some ideas to incorporate lentils into your menu.
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— Knead to Cook

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Vegan Jambalaya. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Chili, Gluten Free, Mexican, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Vegan jambalaya. Gluten free.

Happy meatless Monday friends! New week, new goals. This week I’m focusing on adding some additional running miles and keeping my eating super clean. What does that mean? Less processed foods (protein bars for me) when my RUNger hits and I’m too busy to stop cooking for clients to cook for myself. Funny how that happens. And tons more water early on in the day (avoiding late night potty trips disrupting my sleep).

I made this dish on Saturday and shared on Instastories/Snapchat & had about 35 requests for the recipe. I knew I better get on it and share straight away. This recipe is one of those flexible dump, one-pot recipe that covers veggies/beans and rice. This recipe can work for carnivores & vegans alike. Just add your favorite protein from tofu/vegan sausage or chicken/regular sausage to make it more substantial. Leftovers only get better as the flavors deepen and its great for quick lunch ideas or dinner. I also love this atop of my salad… as weird as that sounds. Leftovers would also be great on taco Tuesday!

Okay enough rambling… I have a ton of cooking to do so let’s get this recipe started.

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— Knead to Cook

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Hearty Sweet Potato Teff Pancakes. Vegan and GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment


Hearty and wonderful, sweet potato teff pancakes.

I feel like I’m always on the hunt for a really hearty, not sugar-filled, pancake that will fill me up and last for hours.  I created this recipe on the weekend for an endurance athlete who is in the midst of training for the Boston Marathon. I knew the complex carbs would be perfect to fuel her and me post run/weightlifting session or HIIT training.  Another benefit, my daughter could eat these post swim practice during the week before she had classes.

My daughter’s tried these out, refined sugar-free & all, and they both loved them.  One had them with almond butter & raspberry jam, the other had them with maple syrup.  Both girls, who normally eat many 4-5 each, only needed 2 each — I said these are super hearty.  Both loved them very much & requested I make more.  Winner!

The sweet potato with pumpkin puree, butternut or acorn squash 1:1 ratio.  This recipe is loosely based on the Run Fast Eat Slow Teff pancake recipe.
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— Knead to Cook

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Vegan and GF “Meaty” Lasagna.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Nuts, Pasta, Running/Races, Sauces, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 3 Comments

Vegan & gluten free “meaty” lasagna.  I grew up with horrible lasagna.  I mean HORRIBLE!  From my childhood on I’ll admit, I would shy away from this Italian dish with every fiber of my being.  My Italian side of my family, that knew how to cook, never made it.  We always ate ravioli.  So going vegan and gf, this wasn’t a dish that I was going to miss out on.

My oldest asked for lasagna recently.  I was a bit taken aback because I wasn’t sure where she ever developed a penchant for it.  I’ll be honest, I blew her request off.  Then while shopping in a local grocery store that I never really frequent, I spied some gluten free noodles.  Perhaps the universe was sending me a signal.  I embraced it and gave it a whirl.

If you follow me on Snapchat or Insta stories, you saw my over-the-top review over the recipe.  I knew I had to recreate it for you all after over 200 requests.  My disclaimer:  it may not look “picture perfect” but you will be swooning over this one!  I pinky promise.

I do want to apologize for the lack of staging the perfect photos but light was dwindling and I was rushing to get each step documented for you.  Plus lasagna is not the most photogenic food out there.
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— Knead to Cook

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Spice and herb bread. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breads, Fitness., Gluten Free, Nuts, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

This herb bread became my legit obsession last week.  I made some for clients and had two loaves left for my family. I love cubing it up and keeping it in my dessert cloche on my counter.  My daughter takes it for breakfast at school (post early morning swim practice).  My husband eats it after dinner.  I snack on it whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Heart healthy fats, vegan & gluten free.  This bread is a wonderful companion to soups as well.  Adapting the seeds/herbs will completely transform this bread into your favorite too!

This week my Invisalign arrived so I’ve been pretty much relegated to eating two big meals per day with absolutely no snacking.  Taking the liners out to eat and then brushing them and my teeth every time really deters you from mindless eating.  This may be a good thing! Ha.  So I need to stop wasting time and get back to my kitchen and cooking.  Oh and if you don’t follow me on Insta-stories or Snapchat (kneadtocook) – I’ll be sharing an earth-shattering, awesome vegan and gluten free lasagna recipe I made yesterday.  It was mind-blowing!

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— Knead to Cook

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Skillet Beer Chili Mac. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, Pasta, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 2 Comments


This recipe is from Thug Kitchen’s 101 cookbook.  Skillet Beer Chili Mac.

Does anyone else feel the need to whip up a batch of chili on Sunday?  I mainly feel the need during football season.  It’s one of the one pot meals you can make and let simmer on the stovetop all day long.  My family comes and grabs a bowl whenever the need strikes them.  Because it’s vegan and gluten free (remember to use GF beer) everyone in my family can eat it.  My daughters and husband always eat chili, regardless of the pasta, with tortilla chips for an extra crunchy texture.

This chili is packed with healthy fiber and protein to keep you filled up for hours.  Plus, today’s real feel temp was 1 degree when we ran and this chili was exactly what we needed to warm our bones on this chili winter day.  Leftovers can be stored in the fridge all week and just get better with time.  This would also be a perfect option for Meatless Monday – which coincidentally will be our dinner tonight too!

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— Knead to Cook

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Vegan and Gluten free black bean enchiladas.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Mexican, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins 2 Comments

New year, new recipe attempts here in my kitchen. How have I never made enchiladas before? Ummm probably because I had a fear of the unknown. But after much research over the past few days I boiled it down to this… enchiladas are very similar to Italian stuffed shells or lasagna in concept. Stuffing, layering and topping with cheese. Pretty simple.

I made two batches of enchiladas – one with flour tortillas and one with a gluten free version. I know, typically corn tortillas are used but I wanted to avoid the whole dipping the tortilla in sauce and praying that the corn didn’t crack and fall apart. I’m all about easy and functional recipes. One tray will go off to my client and we will have the df/gf version for dinner tonight. In fact, ours is in the oven baking as I’m typing this.

This recipe, as are many non-baking, savory food recipes – easily adaptable to add in or delete ingredients you have on hand/love/hate. Plus if you wish to not make your own enchilada sauce – many versions are on the market saving you a step in the process. Next time I need to add more roasted poblanos as a mental note.

An update:  I’ve now made 3 separate trays of these for my family this week per requests.  Definitely a hit! 🙂

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— Knead to Cook

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Blue Apron Meal Delivery Service.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Gluten Free, Pasta, Product Review., Sauces, Soups, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan Burgers, Wheat Free 2 Comments

 

Over the month of December, my family had the pleasure to test out fresh food home delivery from Blue Apron. Admittedly, I’m quite critical about food, quality, packaging and presentation due to the fact that I receive a lot of food samples/products from companies all over the world.  My family was so impressed with the fresh food, quality, packaging, timeliness that we ordered several gift cards for holidays gifts for friends and family to channel their inner chef.  Let’s face it, less trips to the grocery store during the crazy rush and fresh, new recipes in hand.  I was smitten with the entire concept.

So many people think they can’t cook, prefer not to go to the grocery store and gravitate towards eating out or getting take-out. Does this sound familiar?  But what if a box of fresh food packaged with everything you need, no waste, would be shipped directly to you when you want with the meals you chose? It’s a game-changer – even for a foodie like me who loves grocery shopping/prepping food for my family.

So let me tell you how the whole process worked.  You sign up online and select how many people are in your family, dietary needs/restrictions/preferences and then you select meals and delivery dates.  That’s it!  The insulated package is delivered right to your door.

Inside the box you will find recipe cards, prepackaged ingredients & a tiny brown paper back with knick knacks (sauces etc.).  Everything was incredibly fresh.

I will admit, everyone was very willing to participate in cooking the meals once the box arrived.  Normally my family isn’t this intrigued.  Everyone was reading recipe cards and claiming what meals they wanted to prepare and eat.

The recipe cards were very easy to follow with many detailed photos.  Each ingredient is labeled and you can easily identify which veggie went with which recipe.  Minimal prep was required and within a short amount of time your meal was ready.  They even include bread/rolls etc. to finish off the dish.  We tried several recipes and our favorites by far with the broccoli and white bean burgers and the potato soup.


Some other delicious recipes we tried…

Blue Apron wanted to share a discount with my readers. They’re offering $30 off your first order or 3 free meals with a subscription. So are you ready to channel your inner-chef or get inspired by some new recipes?

Thank you Blue Apron for sponsoring this post.

— Knead to Cook

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Instant Pot Double Protein Lentil Chili. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Chili, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Lentils, Mexican, Pressure Cooker, Soups, Stews, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment


Double protein lentil chili.

Guys!!!  We made it to 2017 & survived the holiday season.  I hope your holidays were incredibly fun!  We had the best 10 days.  My husband & kids were all off, minus swim practice… we had all the free time.  I stopped cooking for clients on the 19th and enjoyed a much-deserved respite as well. I wish I could say it was relaxing and easy going but hosting company, cooking, parties and attempting to keep up my fitness did take its toll.  Plus both of my girls and father all managed to get sick right over Christmas/New Years.  Never fails, right?

We hosted this year, as we always do.  We had a lovely Christmas and then headed to NYC to get out of town. We’ve made it our tradition to go and visit the tree at Rockefeller Center, eat all the vegan food and check out the incredible window displays.  It was a lot of fun.  But today, reality hit and everyone headed back to school, swim and work – including me.  I got up at 4a and got my run in and then began prepping food.

Today I wanted to get a jump start on dinner early because we have a swim meet after school.  The timing always falls over dinner prep time.  I typically stress the entire meet thinking of what to make for dinner – but not today.  Taken care of and quickly in my Instant Pot.  Did you happen to get an IP for the holidays?  If you did… this is a must-try, easy plant-based recipe.  This recipe has a huge protein punch with two types of lentils and the heartiness is perfect for a chilly winter dinner.  I also love serving this over rice or quinoa.  Makes a great lunch idea if you have any leftovers.

Let’s get started…

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— Knead to Cook

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Christmas Gingerbread Granola. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Nuts, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment


Christmas gingerbread coconut granola.

Today’s task… workout then prep all the food that I can.  My first menu item was this gingerbread granola for Christmas breakfast.  It’s the one breakfast food in our house that everyone will eat.  Some will top their vegan yogurt with it… some will eat it solo or mixed with cashew milk (even vegan egg nog).  The aroma is absolutely heavenly and screams Christmas.  This also makes the perfect hostess or food gift in case you’re in a pinch.

No time to waste today so let’s get started…
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— Knead to Cook

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