Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Smoky lentil stew. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Gluten Free, Indian-inspired., Pantry, Soups, Vegan, Wheat Free

Going to be super honest, I’m sharing because this has been our go-to weekly meal prep idea this fall but I’m not spending the required time to stage and make this post picture perfect. Life is busy, hectic and crazy. We are in the midst of selling our lives, packing what’s left and getting ready to move. Blogging recipes has not been on my radar with all that going on plus working. However, this one is too good not to share so let’s go!

Ingredients:

2 tbl of a neutral oil (I used walnut and avocado)
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced (I add if I have it)
6-10 garlic cloves, minced (I lately have been adding whole cloves that are small and about 20 of them)
2 cups of brown or green lentils, rinsed
1-2 large potatoes, cubed (I use whatever I have on hand)
7 cups of veggie broth
2 tbl of Dijon mustard
1 tbl Worcestershire (make sure it’s vegan) sauce
1 tbl smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1-2 cups of fresh or frozen peas

Method:

Into a large Dutch oven or stock pot, add your oil and heat over medium heat. Then add your onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes until cooked. Then add your garlic, lentils, potatoes, broth, mustard, Worcestershire, paprika, bay leaves, thyme, and Rosemary. Bring to a boil. I only add the peas right before serving so they don’t get mushy.

Once it’s been simmering for about 3-4 minutes, I reduce the heat, cover and let it cook for up to several hours. Right before you serve, add your peas.

Serve with a good crusty bread and enjoy! You can refrigerate the leftovers for a quick and easy meal all week.

Okay back to packing! Love ya bye!

— Knead to Cook

Easy Pickling Recipe for Veggies with a seasoning packet.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Condiments, Gluten Free, Pantry, Side dish, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free

While exploring one of my favorite little markets this past weekend I noticed packets of pickling spices. I haven’t used them before but we have quite a crop of cucumbers in our garden and I thought it would be fun to make my own pickles…the way we like them. Using a seasoning packet makes pickling very fast and easy needless to say. This recipe is extremely flexible and so easy. These little jars will sit in our fridge for about 2-3 weeks before consuming. Also, make a great hostess gift if you’re attending a party or bbq.

Tip: Save any glass jars you have in your pantry. My favorite are my artichoke jars that are empty. Perfect for overnight oats or pickles!

Ingredients:

Packet or two of pickling spices
3 cups of vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar are perfect)
3 cups of water
5 tbl of organic white sugar
2 tbl of salt
4 small/medium sized cucumbers
2 large beets
3 jalapenos
1 small red onion
5 cloves of garlic
Dill or your favorite herbs
Other veggies that would work well:
Green beans
Okra
Asparagus
Carrots
Radishes

These are all estimates of portions. Depending on your jars, you can fit more or less. I just prefer to cut the veggies thinner so more surface can be pickled. Place the herbs in the bottom, garlic if using and 1 tbl or so of the spice blend. Then pack in the veggies along with another 1 tbl or more of the spice blend. Then top off with more veggies. Pour the liquid over the top and fill to the top of the jar. Once cooled, place the lid on top and store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks prior to consuming. The longer you allow to pickle, the more intense the flavor.

So for my batch of beets I added no herbs but just the pickling spice and liquid.

The cukes got dill, garlic, jalapeño, spice blend and liquid.

I then pickled the red onion with just the spices/liquid.

I did one jar of jalapeños with spices/liquid.

Add what you love. Have fun with this food project. 🙂


Method:

Into a saucepan, add your vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk to combine. The sugar and salt will take about 2 minutes to melt. Once done, turn the heat off and allow to cool a bit.

Into you jars, pour the liquid carefully over your veggies filling to the top of each jar. Allow to cool a bit and place the lid on. Refrigerate for at least 2 weeks. The longer, the more intense the flavors.

If you’re pickling beets- my tip is after slicing them add some coarse salt to the palms of your hands and “wash” to remove the red color from your skin. Then wash with soap and water.

Can’t wait to hear what you pickle!

~ox

— Knead to Cook

Balsamic Kale and Tomato Pasta

by Filed Under: Beans, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Pantry, Pasta, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

This week I’ve been working more days, still restricted hours, but early- I mean EARLY mornings. I’m running on fumes at this point and I needed a quick and easy dinner. This came together in under 15 minutes flat, protein and fiber packed…. and oh so good!

Ingredients:

1 box of lentil pasta (I used fusilli but any short pasta will work)
5-7 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbl of dried Italian seasoning OR I used a palmful of fresh oregano and thyme leaves roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup of good balsamic vinegar
1 cup of frozen spinach or kale
Red pepper flakes

Method:

Cook the pasta according to package directions in salty water. Drain and set aside.

Into a skillet, add a glug or two of olive oil and get that heated up. Add garlic and the herbs. Stir often and cook for 2 minutes or so. Add tomatoes, greens and vinegar. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add drained pasta. Stir to coat and reheat the noodles. I added a pinch of red pepper flakes but that’s optional. Fresh basil would also be perfection. Serve with a nice crusty bread.

Options: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, sun-dried would be lovely.
You can use regular pasta and add 1 can of cannelloni beans for protein/fiber.
Artichokes (jarred or canned) would also be lovely in this dish.
Cooked mushrooms would be great!
Use what you have on hand and roasted leftover veggies would be a great addition.

~ox

— Knead to Cook

Chickpea Mushroom Quinoa Skillet Dinner.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Pantry, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

This is simply the fastest dinner you can make especially if you have leftover quinoa on hand. Start to finish you’re done and plating in about 12 minutes. Plus, right now, using pantry ingredients is key!

This recipe is very flexible, add more or less spices if you like. Hot sauce would be a lovely addition, but hey – when isn’t it? Serve it up in bowls with some crusty bread and tuck in!

Ingredients:
1 tbl olive oil
2-3 cups of mushrooms (use what you have on hand), rough chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbl of smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
1 – 14 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 cup of frozen spinach or kale
2 tbl liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 handful or more of roasted cashew nuts

Method:

First prepare your quinoa according to package instructions. I cook mine in my Instant Pot 1 cup quinoa to 1 cup water, cover and cook for 1 minute. Natural release. Set that aside.

Into a skillet add your oil of choice. Once hot, add onions and mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and stir often to avoid burning. Add your spices, stirring often again. After cooking for about 11-12 minutes, add your chickpeas, quinoa and greens of choice. Stir well to combine and then add your liquid aminos. Stir and taste. Adjust spices as needed. Right before serving, add your cashews – mix in and serve piping hot. Enjoy!


— Knead to Cook

Easy Tahini Granola. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Nuts, Pantry, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Meal prepping on Sundays often includes me making breakfast for the week. Granola serves so many purposes for us. I tend to snack on it or add it to my smoothies or yogurt. Bill eats it for cereal in the morning. Granola is so incredibly easy to make and stores perfectly in your pantry. One batch of this granola will easily last a week or two! I prefer to store it in glass containers or my OXO plastic cereal container.

This recipe is super flexible so don’t stress if you’re missing an ingredient or if you wish to add something else you love.

Ingredients:
3 cups of organic rolled oats
1/2 cup of the following nuts: cashews, pecans, pepitas and walnuts
2 tbl each of chia, sesame seeds and hemp hearts
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup of maple syrup
2 tbl oil (olive or coconut)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Either line your sheet pan or spray with oil to prep. Set that aside. Into a bowl add the oats, nuts, seeds, salt and cinnamon. In a bowl or small pot, add tahini, maple syrup and oil. Warm in a microwave or on the stove until blended. Pour over your oat mixture. Stir well.


Spread out on an even layer on your baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then stir. I baked for an additional 10 minutes or until golden. Keep a watchful eye because it will burn quickly.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet then store in your container. No need to refrigerate. Enjoy with your favorite plant-based milk, over vegan yogurt or as a snack.

— Knead to Cook

Plant based meal prepping.

by Filed Under: Air Fried, Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Chili, Desserts, Gluten Free, Lentils, Nuts, Pantry, Potatoes, Pressure Cooker, Salads, Snacks, Soups, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Since I’ve been working outside of our home for the past 15 months with a very demanding & crazy schedule – meal prepping has been a saving grace for me.

Meal prepping can be super easy & small or quite elaborate… its simply up to you. We keep ours very basic, but it allows us to throw lunches or dinners together in a snap – especially when you’re starving & can devour everything not nailed down while preparing dinner. Does this sound familiar? Yes, we’ve all done it.

So in this post I’m going to cover quick & easy ideas that will keep you afloat all week long without breaking the budget for time or money. Let’s get started…

The name of the game in our house lately is to use up all of our veggies from our garden that we’ve harvested. This week we’ve been inundated with plenty of tomatoes and green peppers. Being torn between salsa or homemade marinara… Bill voted for sauce. So I roasted all of my tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic to make a marinara that we could use for dinner one night. Click here for one of my roasted tomato sauce recipes. You can easily go this route as well with a tomato soup. Honestly roasting these veggies and blending them down… it’s such a versatile sauce to use for dipping, atop of a vegan meatball hoagie or over zucchini noodles.

I rarely use salt or oil when roasting. Maybe a slight spritz of olive or avocado oil and tons of fresh herbs from the garden are all you need. In the winter, tap into your spice cabinet and experiment.

While roasting that goodness, I will always roast up in my second oven or use your second rack in you oven, potatoes. ALL the potatoes every single week! I always do yams/sweet potatoes and Japanese sweet potatoes (always organic and unpeeled). If you roast other veggies with it, try to keep the baking sheet separated because veggies will cook at varying times. But feel free to roast as many veggies as you can! Here’s one of my favorite recipes. Cold, cooked potatoes are a wonderful prebiotic fiber source. I normally eat them in my salads cold but feel free to warm before serving if you wish. Also fabulous topped with your favorite nut butter as a snack.

So your oven is working away so let’s turn our attention to your stovetop. I’ve gone back to making my grains, mainly rice on the stove top as I cannot get the perfect texture in my instant pot for my long grain brown rice. So I will normally do one or two grains for the week. Quinoa and brown rice. We also use a ton for the dogs so double or triple the recipe if need be. Both serve as a wonderful base to curries, as a side dish, on a salad… whatever! Use the cooking instructions on the package.

Next up super simple overnight oats with chia. Ohhhhhh these are my favorite. They take NO TIME to prep and will stay perfectly in the fridge all week long. I use these jars and love the size/wide mouth opening.

It’s imperative that you buy organic rolled oats. Sadly the glyphosate aka Roundup contamination is a huge issue with grains.

My super simple recipe can be found here for this easy, healthy and delicious breakfast. Add your favorite nut butter, fresh or dried fruit in the morning.

Now for snacking… I always make a treat for the week. It’s healthy and I normally go for something portable like muffins, cookies, baked oatmeal squares etc. I have a ton of super easy recipes that can be found here. This week I was testing out a oat scone recipe I hope to be sharing in the future. Bill and my dad couldn’t get enough!

These were a lemon pistachio version.

Snack ideas are limitless. Here are some of my favorites… bites, muffin, or brownie.

Next up… savory proteins.

So if you’re looking for some meat-free protein options great for reheating or eating cold (like me) in a big bowl of greens – I’ve got some recipes for you. I always prep tofu. Bill and I go through a ton! Here is my favorite recipe which I’ve been cooking in my air fryer. More recipes you can prep ahead can be found here, here and here. My tofu scramble makes a great meal any time!

If you aren’t a tofu fan… here are some other great prep-ahead ideas. This tempeh recipe is one of my favorites. This salad recipe is great on sandwich bread or atop your favorite greens.

This bbq tempeh is so easy!

Soups or stews are another super easy, one pot meal that will serve you well all week. This one pot lentil stew is so good. I just made these lentil sloppy joe’s again and they are perfect on a bun or I add a big scoop to my salad. Or this double protein vegan chili made in your instant pot for the win!

And then finally, once a month I make my own nut butter combo deal. I’ve found it very hard to find organic nut butters that aren’t super spendy so I make my own. One batch lasts us at least a month and the recipe is super flexible.

This is a blend of cashews, almonds and walnuts.

Taking the time to food prep one or two dishes at a minimum helps to make your meals easier all week long. I hope this post helps you gain some helpful tips on meal prepping. Again, it can be a small or grand as you desire. Happy weekend friends!

— Knead to Cook

The easiest triple nut butter. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Gluten Free, Nuts, Pantry, Vegan, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 1 Comment

While testing some breakfast cookie recipes yesterday I ran out of almond butter. Needless to say, I whipped out my food processor and got to work. Any nut butter is truly so simple to make and I’m a huge fan of controlling what ingredients go into my food so this one is super clean and oh so tasty, with the help of a simple tip listed in the recipe below. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 cups of nuts (your choice) I used raw walnuts, almonds and cashews. Pecans, pepitas or sunflower seeds also work beautifully too!


Optional mix-ins:

1 tsp Celtic or himalayan salt
Medjool date
maple syrup
chia seeds
flax seeds

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place a single layer of your nuts onto a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove and allow to cool completely.

Place the cooled nuts into your food processor and blend for about one and a half minutes. The mixture should be creamy (if you want chunkier, check after 45 seconds). If you’re adding salt or any other mix-ins, add and blend again quickly.

Store in an airtight glass container in your pantry. Enjoy!

No need to pre-soak your nuts of choice.

Allow the nuts to cool before processing.
Still a bit chunkier for me, I blended to 1:30 minutes for the perfect creamy texture.

— 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