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 3 Comments

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.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Vegan Jambalaya. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Chili, Gluten Free, Mexican, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 4 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.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Skillet Beer Chili Mac. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, Pasta, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 3 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!

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Vegan and Gluten free black bean enchiladas.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Mexican, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Your Life Edit Foundations 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! 🙂

[Read more…]

— 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…

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Triple Bean Salad. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Breakfast, Fitness., Gluten Free, Mexican, Running/Races, Salads, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 17 Comments

img_4843

Happy World Vegan Day! I figured I better post a recipe today in honor of the day. Beans are such an integral part of a plant-based diet that this recipe, easy and beautiful as it is was perfect to share. This is one of those recipes to make on the weekend and have all week for quick lunches or side dishes for dinner. Even perfect for a savory breakfast alongside some scrambled tofu “eggs”.

Today I was reflecting on so many aspects of a vegan lifestyle. I’ve never taken the aggressive approach with friends of my blog/social channels. I firmly believe that each person’s journey must be respected. Personally, over the past year I’ve adopted a firmer stance of a vegan lifestyle not purchasing any items derived from animals. I’ve been selling all of my high-end, designer purses, shoes and accessories. I haven’t purchased any leather goods, including shoes etc. I make conscious decisions more so than ever. It’s a migration and not something that happens overnight. I’ve been very happy with the ever-expanding faux, vegan leather products carried at my favorite stores and love the MUCH lower costs associated with them!

With that being said… I just finished up cooking for my clients for the week. I’m looking forward to our trip this weekend (late anniversary jaunt) and will be sharing all of the fun with you on my social channels. So let’s get rolling on this super easy recipe… and how perfect will this be on your taco bar tonight?

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Instant Pot Chipotle Black Beans and Rice. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Mexican, Pressure Cooker, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 5 Comments

img_9816

I’ve expressed my love for my Instant Pot when I first got it several months ago & I still remain quite smitten. It’s a magical gadget that revolutionizes the speed at which you prepare food.  It’s absolutely crazy. Everything we’ve made in it comes out perfectly. We use it several times and week and recommend it highly.  AND this is not a sponsored post.  Plus you can ditch the rice cooker, slow cooker because this pot does it all.

Spicy Indian & Mexican food is our favorite as of late.  So many easy options that suit everyone’s dietary needs.  This recipe is no different.  You can make this as spicy as you prefer.  I love making rice dishes like this one to add to my daily salad, as a side dish or to use on Taco Tuesday.  It is also great for a quick lunch idea. It is perfect served warmed up or at room temperature.   And the addition of the black beans serves as a wonderful source of plant-based protein.  Cumin, cayenne and chili powder are a beneficial to the blood, metabolism and body.  Let food be your medicine.  Okay so let’s get started…
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Appetizers, Breakfast, Brunch, Chili, Condiments, Gluten Free, Grilling/Rubs/Sauces, Mexican, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Vitamix 3 Comments

 

IMG_7897

Roasted tomatillo salsa verde.  If you’re anything like me, different foods at the grocery store are intriguing but  not enough to get me to purchase.  Tomatillos are that to me.  I always marvel at how adorable they are but I never manage to actually purchase them.  This week I was feeling a bit more courageous, I suppose, and grabbed about 2 lbs of them thinking I would make some salsa verde.  I love salsa and pride myself on my Italian/Mexican salsa that my friends and family clamor for… so why not take a stab at this version.

This recipe is pretty easy but a bit more time consuming than traditional salsa.  The flavor is also vastly different – more on the sweet/slightly bitter side.  Totally different but absolutely lovely.  Looking forward to having this beautiful salsa on my taco bar Tuesday for my family to try.  What kind of salsa is your favorite?  I would love to know.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Easy baked tortilla chips. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Appetizers, Dips, Gluten Free, Mexican, Party Foods, Vegan, Wheat Free 6 Comments

IMG_7028

Easy baked tortilla chips. V. GF.

I don’t know about your house, but the summer brings copious amounts of snacking on salsa & tortilla chips in ours.  I prefer not to buy fried foods for my family and wanted to share with you all this super easy homemade baked tortilla chips that take 10 minutes flat to make.  They taste so much better, aren’t fried and you can control the salt.  I prefer corn tortillas because they’re gluten free and seem to bake up to a perfectly crispy chip.

I served these with lentil bowls, Mexican rice dishes like this  or as a accompaniment to your Taco Tuesday topping bar.  My girls eat these straight up for a snack with fresh salsa, guac or plain.  Okay let’s get started!
[Read more…]

— 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.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook