Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Archives for July 2017

Instant Pot Vegan Bean Étouffée.

by Filed Under: Beans, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Pressure Cooker, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

 

Vegan bean Étouffée made in the Instant Pot.  

Happy Monday my friends!  Hoping you had a lovely and restful weekend.  As we start up with a brand new, fresh week – I’m all about making a big pot of something delicious for the week.  Bill will take leftovers for lunches, I’ll use it on nights when dinner prep is lacking.  Hey it happens to me too! To optimize this recipe, and boost up the protein substantially, I used quinoa instead of rice as the base layer.  Easy swap but substantial benefits for recovering muscles.

A friend of mine shared the inspiration for this recipe with me a few weeks ago from this cookbook.  After testing it a few times, I tweaked it and amped up the flavor.  I’m planning on making this dish a lot during the cooler months of fall and winter.  I cannot wait!
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Easy Dill Yogurt Dip Sauce. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Dips, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Raw, Sauces, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Easy dill yogurt sauce/dip. Vegan. Gluten free.

This has been one hell of a week.  No joke.  I got hit with some weird virus that is like someone is manipulating a crazy voodoo doll of me minute to minute.  Every morning I’ve felt good, not great.  I’ve been able to cook and prep food for clients and my family.  But then by 3 every afternoon… nausea, aches, pains, fatigue hits like a ton of bricks.  Then put that record on repeat… So today I’ve managed to eat 2 whole meals and feel decent.  May the healthy body gods be shining their light upon me.  I’m not a good sick person.  However I did manage 14.5 hours of sleep last night (insert shocking face emoji here).  Onward & upward.

I am the queen of roasting all the veggies – seriously, all the time.  I’ve been using a mixture of ACV and hummus to dress them but have been craving dill lately.  So I grabbed some fresh dill at the market Saturday and the gears went into high gear. This is not a Tzatziki but similar type of sauce.  I love this on salads in lieu of dressing, adding a drizzle on roasted or raw veggies… my husband was even dipping veggie chips into it.  Whatever floats your boat. Super easy recipe and the flavors develop nicely the next day.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Cookie Monster Blue Energy Bites. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Gift ideas, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Raw, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Hi there my friends!  I wanted to get this post up yesterday but I got hit with a crazy 24 hour flu/craziness & so here I am posting it today.  This is one of those recipes that just doesn’t photograph the color as beautifully as it is in real life but this is a must make recipe 🙂 with tons of health benefits.

So if you follow any forms of social media – you’ve seen the onslaught of blue hued foods/drinks/bowls etc.  Where do they get that lovely color?  Well Blue Majik is the answer.  Here is the low-down on this magical powder:

Pop Sugar shares: Derived from spirulina, Blue Majik is a proprietary extract of the blue-green algae Arthrospira platensis. Much like green spirulina, Blue Majik is prized for being nutrient dense; full of vitamins (especially B12), enzymes, and minerals, it gets its bright blue hue from C-phycocyanin, a type of storage protein rich in amino acids. C-phycocyanin is also what puts the blue in Blue Majik and so much of the value in the trendy ingredient. Studies show C-phycocyanin to be rich in antioxidantswith anti-inflammatory properties, and it may promote brain health.

I’ve been experimenting with this blue powder for the past two months.  I’ve been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and anything anti-infammatory is my focus.  Plus, it is a powerful pain reliever (natural) which I prefer versus OTC pain relievers.  Lastly, this powerful powder does have a strong odor in the bottle however is undetectable in recipes.  Seriously.  I find this absolutely crazy how it has no flavor but I enjoy it in smoothies, bowls and these bites.  Plus that color… is everything.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Everything Bagel Kale Chips. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten Free, Homemade Chips, Vegan, Vegan proteins Leave a Comment

 Everything Bagel Kale Chips. Vegan. Gluten free.

Okay, okay — kale chips have been around & around the web/blogging/food recipe sites for like EVAHHHH!  But I don’t care.  Mine kale chips are the best and I’m sticking to that.  Plus, my garden is bursting with kale & this recipe is on repeat like – daily!  Seriously.  Even my dad, 79 year old carnivore, adores these babies.  And let’s face it, you can eat an entire bowl and have ZERO guilt in your game.  So there!  Plus 3 grams of protein per cup and loaded with potassium (move over bananas) for another vitamin punch.

I find that curly kale is the best for this recipe versus dinosaur version.  The curly leaves hold on to all the yummy seasonings.  These are always best consumed right out of the oven for optimal crispiness.  Okay, okay… let’s get this recipe underway.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

City Guide: South Beach, Miami and Key West Vegan

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Gluten Free, Travel & eating, Vegan, Vegan Burgers, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

We had 6 nights/7 days & wanted a tropical vacay without a lot of flight/travel time.  My oldest suggested South Beach & we booked the trip.  Having spent every summer in South Beach from my teenage years through early 20’s… I love it there but oh the humidity.  I clearly was more tolerant in my youth than I am today.  I won’t be retiring to Florida or anywhere down south but we did have a blast.

Miami is a super short flight from PA so it worked.  We stayed at 2 different hotels during our trip.  I want to cover in this brief posting where we stayed and ate.  Clearly walking around, shopping, touring etc. are all things that are preference by tourist.  We tour a lot.  Walked a ton each day and consequentially sweat our body weight out each and every day.  We spent only 2 days laying out for a few hours because we’re all a bit too active to just relax 😉

So let’s get started!

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Raw chocolate chip cookie bites. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free 3 Comments

  Raw chocolate chip cookie bites. Vegan. Gluten free.

My youngest daughter had her wisdom teeth removed and have been eating all the cold food she can handle.  I knew these would be a fun treat for her versus all the smoothies, ice cream and kombucha.  Turned out that everyone loved this sweet little treat on a very warm day.  I’m also thinking how good this will be stirred into homemade vegan ice cream!!  These were sweet, salty and yeah—the chocolate, a winner every single time.  These are the quintessential summer treat.

I kept these little bites looking like I was going to bake them.  You can totally roll them out into ball shapes if you prefer or flatten as a raw cookie.  Sprinkles would also be super cute subtracting out the chocolate (gasp!) for more a sugar cookie twist.

Okay let’s get this super easy, quick recipe started so you can be eating these asap!

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Lentil Picadillo. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Lentils, Mexican, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 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 🙂

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Blue Majik Algae Cashew Nut Based Milk. Vegan. Gluten free.

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

I’m back friends!  We had a lovely holiday in South Beach Miami for a week (albeit humidity bordering a torturous) but so much fun.  My oldest wanted a quick trip to a beach and this is where we picked.  Tons of wonderful changes down there (I’ve been to South Beach so many times since I was her age) and the vegan scene was top notch.  I’m going to be doing a city guide for  you all within the next few days.  Stay tuned.  For now, I’m sharing a new recipe for an adaptogen I’ve been using & this is simply everything.

I’ve been battling some disturbing blood work results for several years.  You know the kind that everyone scratches their head and cannot figure out?!  I’ve been to several blood specialists and finally have gotten some answers, albeit not what I wanted to hear.  My cbc apparently looks like someone receiving aggressive chemo but I’m not. I’m super healthy, never sick and it perplexes every doc I see.   I won’t get into the results right now, not ready to share, but I’ve been researching natural, healing foods & this E3Live Blue Majik has been consistently coming up on my radar.  With that… I’ve added it to my diet daily and this recipe has become my staple.  Let me start with their product description:

Blue Majik is a proprietary, chemical free extract of Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina), a Nutrient Dense AquaBotanicalTM. Its stunning blue pigment contains both phycocyanin (PC) and non-PC compounds. This unique combination is not seen in standard Spirulina powder. PC is clinically shown to relieve physical discomfort, which means consumers feel better, can do more activity, and enjoy an overall better quality of life* 

Blue Majik Fine Powder is derived from the highest quality, Organic raw material. Perfect for your beverage or raw food creation.

Sounds amazing, right?  I’ll admit I hate the smell of any Spirulina/green algae and the taste I despise even more.  This powder does have a funky smell however it is absolutely flavorless.  I’ve been drinking it in water, mixing it in my tofu bowls but this cashew milk… it’s the perfect, easy way to get this superfood into my body.  This post is NOT sponsored but something I’m quite passionate about.  I hope you check this out.  I purchased it from Amazon here.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Easy Protein Overnight Oats. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Fitness., Fruit, Raw, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Well hello there friends & happy almost 4th of July!  I hope you have tons of fun plans of being outside at the beach, lake or pool surrounded by your favorite people & of course, awesome food!  We have some super fun plans so make sure you follow me on Instagram and my stories.

About two weeks ago my good friend (who lives across the country from me) called and wanted to mix up my diet again. She’s a trainer/registered dietitian & does this sporadically.  She kept me super lean post surgery last year so count me in!  Oats.  I needed to add them back to my breakfast (I intermittent fast so this is normally around 1030 or 11 am) and I have to admit — I’ve missed oats.  I always gravitated towards them in the sweltering summer months in prior years & I’m happy again to have these.

Different additions/subtractions but I’ll share my add-ins and you go from there!  Seasonal fruit and your favorite nuts make this little Ball jar full-of-goodness perfection.  Fail safe recipe.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook