Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment


Peanut butter chocolate bars.  Vegan. Gluten free.

Happy Monday my friends!  Happy to be home & back in my kitchen cooking.  We’ve been traveling over the past several days for a quick trip to my daughter’s university to meet her academic advisor and schedule her classes this fall.   As much fun as it was, 10 hours in the car each way was quite enough for family bonding for me.

Today was back to normal life.  Up early to hit the gym and then home to cook for clients.  My daughter shared this recipe with me a year a two ago, sadly I don’t know the original source but I’m trying to identify to him/her credit.  This is a fun, and super easy, recipe that kids and easily prepare.  It’s also a lovely cool treat as you store in the freezer or fridge.  Sweet, salty chocolatey perfection.  These are wonderful for parties, BBQ’s, a foodie treat for a friend –whatever or whenever you need a treat.  They store nicely in an airtight container for weeks on end (esp. in the freezer).
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— Knead to Cook

Easy Summer Quinoa and Chickpea Salad. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Health & wellness, Nuts, Party Foods, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

 

Hi everybody!  It’s me the elusive foodie, runner (not running currently), absentee blogger!  I’m here!  Isn’t summer supposed to be oh-so-relaxing?  Yeah.  It isn’t.  At least for me.  In my defense, this post was to live yesterday but my MacBook hated my SD card with the images yesterday.  Had to run to Target to get a card reader to export my images of food long gone (yep, this dish is that good) so it worked.  Heres the post. Phew!

I know I’m tardy but LIFE IS CRAZY!  Seriously within the next month I think we’re home for only a few days.  Not all of us are gone thankfully so my house and dogs are taken care of but I hate living out of suitcase but I love to explore so we do all the things and embrace with grateful hearts.

So this sweet little recipe.  Perfect with leftover quinoa.  I’ve been crazily bumping up protein in my diet lately thanks to all of my weightlifting efforts at the gym.  Uses tons of fresh ingredients from your garden or the farmer’s market so it’s super cost effective.  Great for leftovers, lunches, BBQ’s, get-togethers etc.  Keeps perfectly in the fridge for a week.  My tip is to keep the vinaigrette separate and dress prior to serving. That way veggies stay crisp and lovely!  Okay, tons of cooking to do before we leave so I need to get my boo-TAY moving.

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— Knead to Cook

Easy Spicy Peanut Tofu Bites. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Nuts, Party Foods, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Easy spicy peanut tofu bites.  

Well hello there my friends.  I’ve missed you all so much & feel like life is moving at warp speed.  Craziness.  What happened to lazy summer days?  Well, as we settle into our summer norm, having two teenagers home with me, eating round the clock, wanting to go driving (learner’s permit) and my oldest wanting to join me at the gym but “… not so early” and cooking for clients – I seem to the be the only one stressing here. Ha.

So if you follow me on any of my social media… you know I have a big puffy heart love affair with tofu.  Yes, I was the person you are reading this not so long ago.  I hated tofu.  It was gross.  Flavorless.  And pretty much the only food that they can fry and it still tasted gross.  Until I created this recipe and my entire world changed.  In fact, it has a cult following on Instagram.  I kid you not!  Fast forward several months and my love affair has grown.  First, it’s a wonderful source of protein.  It’s incredibly versatile, taking on whatever flavors you throw at it.  This has been a recipe I go to pretty often and once you taste it… you’ll see why.

I adapted this from several different friends (two of which own restaurants) and I really hope you give it a try.

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— Knead to Cook

Scrambled tofu and black beans. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Beans, Breakfast, Fitness., Gluten Free, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment


Smoked tofu with black beans.  Vegan.  Gluten free.

Happy Monday friends!  Life, at least at this juncture, has been quite a whirlwind.  This past weekend was our first local VegFest and I was speaking there.  Tomorrow my oldest graduates and we then we get to celebrate with cherished friends/family this weekend. So much going on.  So fun, emotional and crazy.  I have my tissues ready!

I have this recipe from a few weeks ago that I neglected to share.  I’ve really been embracing tofu dishes and enjoyed the pumped up protein post workout .  I’m desperately trying to focus on protein and lower carbs lately to lean out.  This recipe is great for that.  Do you miss eggs or just want a healthier/plant-based option?  This is for you. Super easy and flexible.  This recipe is also great for adding extra leftover veggies/cleaning out the fridge 🙂  You know when you need to clean out that veggie bin?  Ha.

This tofu scramble is also great wrapped in a tortilla for lunch or dinner as well.  My husband always grabs these when I make them for lunch.  Protein from the tofu and beans is great to fuel you all day long.  Let’s get started…

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— Knead to Cook

Easiest overnight protein-packed oats. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 1 Comment


Overnight oats revamped and packed with protein to recover muscles, satiate you all morning and kick-start your nutrition for the day.  

Desperately seeking more protein in each meal?

Adding more plant-based protein in each meal has been my mission.  As summer approaches, I gravitate towards my overnight oats.  They are so easy to prepare the night before and are completely fail-safe, I promise!  This year I wanted to add more protein to mine as I’ve been focusing hard on that macronutrient with all the lifting I’ve been doing.  You can swap out your favorite toppings or ingredients but this recipe will lead you down the right path for a successful base.

So without any further delay… let’s get started!
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— Knead to Cook

Tahini Coconut granola. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gift ideas, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Pantry, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

 

Hello my friends & happy Tuesday!  I had this post ready to roll yesterday and forgot to hit publish.  So let’s start out today with a fun twist on a classic recipe.  I’ve been up since 4a and got my run in, volunteered at my local polling place (we have voting today) and got 3 recipes prepped and packaged for a client.  Can you say PRODUCTIVE?  Ha.  Rare but all good.

So let me focus.  I love making granola to stash in my pantry and for clients.  It’s nutrient-dense, protein-packed and low in sugar versus grocery store options.  We love it on top of muffins we bake, for a yogurt topper or for ice cream.  My husband keeps a baggie in his office for when he needs a snack.  It’s just good food, fast.

Let me share a bit about tahini if you aren’t familiar.  Tahini has the texture and consistency of a creamy nut butter.  It’s made from sesame seeds, similar to nut butter but without nuts.  Rich in magnesium, potassium and iron.  Great source of calcium.  High in vitamin E, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15.  It has a high alkaline content.  Packed with healthy fats.  Easily digestible.

This recipe is for those seeking easy food that is healthy and good for you.  You can add in what you need or remove what you don’t… its a very forgiving recipe.  Also perfect for a teacher or hostess gift wrapped up in a Ball glass jar.  Just an idea.  Okay… let’s get on to the recipe.

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— Knead to Cook

Green Matcha Tea Muffins. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Green Matcha Tea muffins.

Happy almost weekend!  I’m sorry I’ve been a bit MIA this week.  I’ve been planning two parties, one of which is this weekend to celebrate my daughter’s sweet 16, along with working, training and living – my blog has suffered by my absence.  So FINALLY  I’m sitting down post dinner to get these yummy muffins up right now!  These are perfect for your Matcha lover, maybe a fun Mom’s Day treat? I made these yesterday and already they’re gone in my kitchen.

Okay my husband is an admitted Matcha fan a—hem addict.  I’ll tolerate it but don’t drink it daily.  It is without a doubt, oh so healthy however and I’ve recipe tested so many failures.  I knew I needed to find a recipe because I’ve had NO success on my own, hey – sometimes it happens.  So I found a recipe from Nuts.com and morphed it a bit.  I’m still testing a banana/matcha recipe but until I reach an acceptable level of perfection — this will have to do. I hope you enjoy this tasty recipe.  It’s a great muffin for breakfast and I especially loved it teamed up with some chocolate chips mixed in – shocker.

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— Knead to Cook

Red beans & rice bowls. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, Pressure Cooker, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Red beans and rice. 

Happy Monday my friends!  After a lovely weekend of sleeping (I slept 30 hours between Friday night and Monday morning) I feel great.  I have no idea where that came from but my body/mind so needed it.  I hit the ground running today and was at the gym nice and early. In fact, after speaking to a trainer friend of mine… I bumped up all of my weights 10-15 lbs per machine and I killed my workout.

IT
FELT
SO
GOOD!

So back to the kitchen for menu prepping, client cooking and all things food.  I made this dish over the weekend and I was excited to share a super easy recipe that is perfect for week/leftovers for lunch or freezer for a future quick dinner on the fly.  I also love this for your taco bar on Tuesday!  It’s really easy to prepare and you can add or subtract your favorite veggies/spices etc. I’ve also made this with leftover quinoa for a hefty protein-punch!  Think about serving this with your favorite main protein, with tortillas, in a salad or alongside a tofu scramble!

Time to get started… happy new week!

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— Knead to Cook

Veggie protein burritos. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten Free, Mexican, Party Foods, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 2 Comments

Veggie protein burritos.  I took this pic at night so sorry for the lack of photo perfection.

The universe, I believe, is trying to knock me down.  Again, I wiped out on a run.  Seriously, what in the world is going on with me?  Ha.  I think I keep biting the pavement, a–hem road, because I completely zone-out, praying, meditating and just stop paying attention to each and every step.  My poor husband.  I walk in, covered in dirt, rocks and blood and he looks at me in dismay —– again.  But on the positive note, the weather was insanely cool and lovely.  My run felt really good till I wiped out.  And my daughter’s veneer (if you’ve been following me on Insta-story) has finally arrived, fit and looks so awesome!  My youngest had smacked my oldest’s front tooth, well 1/3rd of it, out ten years ago and we wanted it more secure before she heads off to college.  Check, check and check!  She looks awesome!

So this little, sweet recipe.  I made it for a client for breakfast and morphed it into a lunch or dinner (or after-school snack) that my family has been totally digging!  I thought if they are – I better share. These are perfect to freeze and prep ahead.  I hope you love these as much as we have!

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— Knead to Cook

Everything bagel seeded crackers. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Everything bagel seeded crackers. V. GF.

I’m starting to think that Tuesdays are going to surpass Mondays on the suck factor.  Weird situations keep happening that 1. kill my run times 2. make my daughters cry and 3. make me feel like the worst mom on the planet.

Last Tuesday my youngest stepped off the bus and snapped her ligament that connects her leg to her foot.  We spent all morning at the doc, hospital, X-rays, resting, eating, ice etc.  Thankfully my sweet girl is on the mend and off crutches as of Monday but has a wonderfully bruised foot.  It was my oldest daughter’s turn this week for a rough patch.  Long story short, when she was younger my youngest smacked out about 1/3 rd of her front tooth out and it’s been bonded ever since.  With her moving 10 hours away to attend her university we wanted to get a veneer on that tooth for more stability.  While we await the 2nd attempt at the veneer (the first one the cosmetic dentist was not happy with) her temporary shattered at 1a this morning.  This was the 2nd time in 3 days.  Problem is that our wonderful cosmetic dentist teaches at Penn on Tuesday in Philly and isn’t here.  His assistant was able to help however without pain meds.  My daughter tried to handle the exposed nerve pain but after too long gripping my hand with great force, tears and pain… we found a nearby periodontist to come and administer Novocain. I felt like the worst mom EVER!  Finally repaired and home.  I won’t even get into my orthodontist appointment details and my pain because it doesn’t matter at this point.  My oldest opted to sleep this afternoon and not go to school.  Phew.  Can this day be over, please?

Sorry for the long tirade… I made these crackers yesterday and they came out great!  I wanted to share with you all because I feel like we all need a good cracker in our life.  Great snack with jam, almond butter or hummus.  Super easy to make.  Store perfectly for a week.  I hope you give these a try!

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— Knead to Cook