Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Archives for March 2017

Vegan sausage veggie soup. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Italian-inspired, Soups, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Vegan sausage veggie soup.  Gluten free.

Spring has sprung and I’m steadfast in my soup mode.  Our weather has been a bit psychotic to say the least.  One day is warm and springy with the next cool, damp and a bit miserable. I made this soup several days ago and my dad, our steadfast carnivore, commented to me how much he loved it.  Wow!  I normally get the disclaimer that it was good BUT he knew there was vegan “meat” in there.  This time… nada!  Okay, good. Progress.

This recipe makes a nice batch of soup, half of which I ended up freezing for a client.  It froze perfectly.  I’m thinking of adding cooked quinoa or gf pasta to add more substance the next time I prepare it.

So this soup was made with Tofurkey’s vegan sausage links.  They have a bit of spicy kick to them but you can easily add another flavor profile if you wish to go with a more mild flavor.  This recipe, like most of mine, is super forgiving allowing you to add or subtract what you have on hand or love.  This also is a recipe that you can prepare and then just allow it to simmer on a low heat all afternoon long (like I do).  I serve it with crackers or a crusty French baguette.  Hope you enjoy!
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— Knead to Cook

Asian tofu protein bowl. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Asian inspired, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Pressure Cooker, Running/Races, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Asian tofu protein bowl.

In the pursuit of feeding one of my Boston bound marathon runner clients, targeting foods that are high protein & a less bean focused menu this week.  My mind obviously went to tofu, my absolute favorite source of protein and this dish was created from experimenting in the kitchen.

Now if you follow my Instagram story, you’ve seen me whip up marinated tofu similar to this recipe but I’ve never really documented it.  It was always a recipe I whipped up from memory but never shared.  I had literally hundreds of emails asking for the recipe and so it goes… here it finally is!  My apologies for my tardiness but I’ve been quite busy with recipe jobs/blogging, cooking and oh hey all things college-related including many flights being booked for travel.  But I digress… this recipe is a trifecta of protein, carbs, fiber and all thing good in the world.  One dish meal that is pure perfection.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as we do.

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— Knead to Cook

Best of… vegan beauty and skincare.

by Filed Under: Best Vegan..., Gluten Free, Health & wellness, Vegan Leave a Comment


Baaaaahaaaa!  Okay but seriously.  Let’s tackle all things beauty, skincare, hair care, teeth and deodorant that are all vegan and my favorites.  Logically, your thinking its makeup or shampoo there can’t be animal products in there, right?  Well, I’m looking at ingredients and testing on animals and you’d be shocked.  Sounds crazy that we even need to think about cosmetic companies testing on animals or even more dreadful using animal products (umm crushed dead beetles give make-up that lovely shimmer) but most major retailers found in drug stores and mainstream department stores animal test or use animals in their products.  The more you know, right?  Yes!  Education is key.  Where you put your money is a vote with retailers.

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— Knead to Cook

Homemade Chocolate Nut Milk. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Nuts, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 2 Comments


Homemade chocolate nut milk.

I’ve been on a homemade nut milk kick lately & I’m making no apologies for it. I’m the girl who always has something soaking in my kitchen. Since my husband ordered me my nut milk straining bag (okay, refrain from laughing) but seriously, this thing is critical for making nut milk —-it made the process a dream!  This is the bag I got. I was excited to use it and it didn’t disappoint.

I made two batches of milk (different combination of nuts this time) but once I got on the second batch I got the brilliant idea to make a cacao (duh add chocolate) version.  OHHHHH my goodness why haven’t I done this before?  It came out of my Vitamix (frothy and hot) and honestly the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.  So simple.  You control the level of sweetness versus the sugary commercial versions.  I’m quite smitten with this version.  Not overly chocolatey but just the right amount.  Okay, okay… let me get this recipe started and oh HAPPY FRIDAY!
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— Knead to Cook

Almond butter granola. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten Free, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment


Almond butter granola.  Worlds collide with this recipes… ha!  Rolled oats and almond butter are life.  Breakfast with nut milk.  Topping my favorite green smoothie.  Or just grab and go!  I eat a lot of granola.  In fact I’ve even topped my muffins with it, dipped my banana in it and put it on my favorite vegan ice cream.  Great carbs, healthy fats, fiber and protein right there!

This recipe is super easy to prepare.  Once made and cooled, I store in air tight containers and leave in my pantry until it’s gone, which is typically a few days.  This version I added big coconut flakes and chia.  You can add or subtract.  Add some almonds in or not. Super flexible.  My youngest loves adding raisins to hers.  My biggest tip is always to keep a watchful eye on the granola as it bakes because it goes from golden to burnt fast.

This is a wonderful food gift to ship to your favorite college student, someone in the military or to your favorite friend or relative.  I always pack it up in cute little Weck’s jars. Great for storage and a sweet presentation.

 

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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 9 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

Almond Walnut Milk and Everything Bagel Pulp Crackers. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 6 Comments

 

Homemade almond walnut milk & everything bagel wet pulp crackers.  Hi my friends!  Okay, so we survived Stella Superstorm/Nor’Easter blah blah blah.  We ended up with about 8 inches of fresh powder with a good inch of ice.  Super fun.  I won’t complain because my entire family was home together with no commitments or jobs on the agenda.  It was heavenly, I won’t lie.

More updates… So after a very thorough investigation/research – my daughter had narrowed her college search/applications down to 10 schools.  She has finally signed on the dotted line and is committed to university!  So excited.  So yesterday we did all things registration/booking dates for meeting her counselor and registering for classes, booking orientation week, ranking dorms, doing her school ID, choosing her meal plan & she actually has found her roommate.  We also got her bedding etc. last weekend.  What the what?  We’ve gone from zero to finished in a hot second.  Phew!

So I stocked up on all my nuts last week and figured I would make some milk over the weekend.  I wanted to do a combination of walnuts and almonds with cinnamon.  It came out great and I made crackers with the residual pulp (sans dehydration). No waste and lots of goodness.

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— Knead to Cook

Good Karma Foods Flaxmilk Chocolate Smoothie.

by Filed Under: Best Vegan..., Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Fruit, Gluten Free, Raw, Smoothies, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 31 Comments

Lately, I’ve been sharing my favorite vegan, plant-based foods here on my blog.  Good Karma Foods flaxmilk and yogurts are just two of our favorites.  Recently, I have the opportunity to try out Good Karma’s flax protein milk.  First things first… it has 8 grams of protein per serving AND tastes so incredibly creamy!   I don’t know about you but I’m not a fan of watery milks.  If you want a luscious smoothie – you need a creamy base to start and this milk is perfect!  Plus packed with Omega 3’s… this one is a winner!

Good Karma Foods flaxmilk is packed with 1200mg of Omega 3’s.  Free of the most common allergens like dairy, soy, & nuts.  It has as much calcium as dairy milk.  The flax with protein only has 70 calories per serving in their unsweetened flaxmilk.  The flavor is extremely neutral and can be used in both savory as well as sweet recipes, like my smoothie recipe.

Good Karma Foods is based out of beautiful Boulder, Colorado and they were the pioneers to developing a flax seed based milk.  They are passionate about healthy eating and living -which is why I believe in such an incredible company and their products.  They also have an incredibly creamy drinkable yogurt that we’re obsessed with and a creamy yogurt that is unbelievable.  Okay so enough of my babbling on… let’s get to the recipe AND a sweet giveaway!

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— Knead to Cook

Best of… vegan snacking.

by Filed Under: Best Vegan..., Breakfast, Brunch, Candy, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Ice cream, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Vegan, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

This week’s best of series focuses on all things vegan snacking.

So when I say vegan snacking, I wanted to share the best of great snack ideas not genetically modified *clears throat* crap that coincidentally is vegan like Oreos.  I wanted real, vegan and gluten free snacking.  I wanted to cover chips to ice cream and everything in between so everyone from sweet to salty palates are covered.

As clean as your eating is, it’s important to build in treats or desserts into your diet. Balance is key.  I shared favorites that are all gluten free and vegan.  Easily found at Whole Foods or your favorite markets (or online).  This is just a list of my top favorites and honestly the list could go on & on if you let me.

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— Knead to Cook

What’s all the pHuss. Essence pH10 water.

by Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Product Review., Sponsored, Vegan 71 Comments

Essence pH10 hibiscus alkaline water. About three weeks ago, while scrolling through my Instagram feed, I saw a post about cancer and the pH scale that correlates.  I admit, I became completely engrossed in the topic.  In 1931 Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for proving that cancer cannot exist in an alkaline, oxygen rich environment.

Wait, what does that mean? I did further research to label which foods are acidic and which are alkaline.  I mean let’s face it, we’ve all been faced with cancer either in our lives or someone close to us.  So some of these foods included:  pastries, red meat, artificial sweeteners, milk, peanuts, processed meats, ketchup, corn oil, canned tuna and ice cream to name a few.  Conversely, alkaline foods include:  green chard, lettuce, sprouts, wheat grass, onions, peppers, garlic, celery and greens!

Just around that time I was delivered two cases of Essence pH10 alkaline water.  I had an opportunity to review and share a giveaway with you all.  In all honesty, I wouldn’t have really given the pH value much thought if I hadn’t seen this cancer correlation a few days prior.  Now, I’m not a doctor or nutritionist but I know foods can heal and work with the body to produce and end result.  I was really interested in testing out this water. Working out 6 days a week, I lose a lot of water through sweat.  I drink about 3 liters of water each day.  So what is pH and why is it so important? As humans, a normal pH of all tissues and fluids of the body (except in the stomach) is slightly alkaline. The most critical pH is in the blood. All other organs and fluids will fluctuate in their range in order to keep the blood a strict pH between 7.35 and 7.45 (slightly alkaline). This process is called homeostasis.

The company states: Essence pH10 is a premium alkaline water that contains 10% of the daily recommended allowance of calcium, magnesium, and zinc acetate. Additionally, we add organic hibiscus making this the only nutritional water on the market. This patented formula is designed to produce a sustainable pH10 that helps to restore the bodies pH balance. Essence pH10 is 100% sodium free.  MIST currently comprises four of the most commonly used minerals – Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Zinc; additional minerals are under development in order to create unique blends that are nutritionally superior to individual minerals and that resemble mineral mixtures found in natural products. So my overall take on the water.  Well, its free of flavor (just what you want in water) and completely hydrating.  I have used it right after my training runs, while I complete my HIIT workouts and even on rest days to hydrate my body.  Overall, I highly recommend especially if it can help balance my pH. I was supplied this product to review as stated earlier but the opinions and review are solely mine. #sweatpink #essenceph10 #superiorhydration #alkaline #hydrate #drinkup Would you be interested in trying out Essence pH10 water for yourself?  Check out the giveaway below.

Best of luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway My weekly recap so far…

Sunday:  5 outdoor, windy miles
Monday:  1h 25m weightlifting/core/kettle bell
Tuesday: 7.34 miles in the pouring rain  🙂

— Knead to Cook