Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Lentil Picadillo. Vegan. Gluten free.

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

This is my first attempt at vegan Picadillo, inspired by a dish I had at Tocaya Organica in South Beach Miami twice last week (we couldn’t get enough).  Not having experience with this dish, I researched several recipes online and was most inspired by this one.

This dish cooked up really fast, without a lot of babysitting – which is always appreciated.  I paired it up with some quinoa I cooked up in my Instant Pot for extra protein. Brown rice would also be perfection.  This dish was really good but I look forward to adding some diced sweet potatoes/carrots in my next attempt for an extra veggie punch.

I’ve been experimenting a lot with my diet lately – I’m perpetually experimenting.  True story.  My husband took this dish as leftover taco “filling” for lunch on Wednesday and he loved it.  Balancing protein, fat and carbs in each meal will leave you satiated for a longer period of time & help squash the mid-afternoon snack attack.  He said he remained filled till he got home for dinner.  I’ll take that as a win and I’ll be adding to my lunch menu options.  I do love a good lentil dish 🙂

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— Knead to Cook

Best of… Vegan Meats.

by Filed Under: Beans, Best Vegan..., Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Lentils, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan Burgers, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 3 Comments

Moving on to the Best of… series I thought I would focus on a big one – vegan meats!  There are plenty of options out there and I feel like I’ve tried most (I’m sure I haven’t but…).  I compiled our favorites list and these can be found at most grocery stores and Targets across the country.  One caveat, my favorite – all time best meat alternative however is only found at Whole Foods but it is totally worth the trip to get your hands on their burgers.  More on that below.


Now the big comment every vegan hears from their carnivore counterparts is:  “If you need to find a meat replacement, why don’t you just eat the real deal?”.  Well… because we don’t believe in eating animals.  If there is a plant-based substitute available that is just as tasty, isn’t laden with hormones, blood and who-knows-what binders… why wouldn’t you eat that?  Tirade over. Ha.

Without further adieu… let’s get to the list.
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— Knead to Cook

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 2 Comments


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

Lentil Salad with Dijon Lemon Vinaigrette. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Lentils, Party Foods, Pressure Cooker, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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This recipe is inspired by one of my favorites from Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good cookbook.  This salad is great as a stand alone, paired up with greens in a salad (think protein source) or as a side dish to another protein.  We’ve even paired this with gf pasta and love it.  The flavors are light and summery with the citrus boost of lemon.  Also a great addition to your taco bar or for your Sunday brunch.  Think outside of the box.

Lentils are packed with nutrients critical to help you running on all cylinders.  So not only are they a wonderful source of protein they also boast…
90 percent of folate
37 percent of iron
49 percent of manganese
36 percent of phosphorus
22 percent of thiamin
21 percent of potassium
18 percent of vitamin B6

This recipe, stored in an airtight container is perfect to keep in the fridge all week long.  Hope you give this one a try!

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— Knead to Cook

Lentil Bolognese. Instant Pot. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Lentils, Pasta, Pressure Cooker, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 12 Comments

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Lentil bolognese.

A few months back I purchased an Instant Pot for a large food/chef job.  I’ve been creating & testing many recipes out in this amazing contraption and love it more each time.  This time I wanted to create a nice Bolognese sauce incorporating a vegan protein (and no oils) for both my client and my family. It turned out so beautifully!  Packed with veggies, protein from the lentils and a wonderful flavor.  Plus the cooking time was literally minutes.  Perfect weeknight dish. I also love dipping my baked potato fries in the sauce. We paired this up with a gluten free pasta I purchased at Eataly linked here.  It was incredible!
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— Knead to Cook

Pressure Cooker Mexican Lentil Rice. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Lentils, Mexican, Pressure Cooker, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 5 Comments

Pressure Cooker Mexican Lentil Rice. V. GF.
Pressure Cooker Mexican Lentil Rice. V. GF.

We miss many Taco Tuesdays due to swim meets during the summer month and I always want to throw in a  Mexican-inspired dish during the week when everyone is home together.  We recently bought an Instant Pot pressure cooker & although I’m not a fan of kitchen gadgets – I do love this contraption with a big puffy heart.  I throw everything in the insert, set the time and within minutes it’s done. The aroma is heavenly and beans, lentils and rice come out perfectly.  The Instant Pot is available in a variety of sizes and we bought the 8 qt version which is huge.

My family is evolving dramatically.  Our youngest daughter is now vegetarian.  Our oldest is df/gf.  I’m vegan and gf.  My husband is vegan & my father is a carnivore but eats many plant-based dishes.  This rice was so good paired up with charred tortillas.  I also topped it with more taco-ish garnishes.  This dish also uses no oil, sodium or fats.  Dishes like this work for all types of dietary needs and the lentils are a wonderful source of satisfying protein.
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— Knead to Cook