This savory, creamy gravy is delicious on anything from mashed potatoes, to stuffed squash, to tofu scramble. Since it’s so low in fat, it doesn’t have to be a once in a while treat.
Use brown rice flour to make this gluten-free.
The butternut squash I bought 2 weeks earlier was calling out to me, I could hear it (not really, but just work with me here). “How long are you going to let me sit here on the counter before I rot?” Okay! Okay! I’ll cook you! But then what should I do with you? Well, after I roasted it, I got the idea to cut into bite-sized pieces and make a stew. The squash and I were glad I did!
They do sell pre-cut squash which would save some time. Just sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast on parchment covered cookie sheet at 400 for 30 minutes . I think the roasted flavor adds to the stew, but you could just can add the squash to the pot and cook that way.
Quinoa. Not my favorite grain, but I’ve included it in my diet for several years now as I know it’s super healthy. It’s packed with protein (a complete protein containing all 9 essential amino acids), fiber (twice as much as most other grains), vitamins and minerals, and it’s gluten-free. I knew it could be eaten as a hot breakfast cereal, and on this cold, drizzly morning I decided to give it a try. Generally, I have my smoothie which has mixed frozen berries, banana, kale, spinach, flax seeds, etc., but just wasn’t feelin’ it today. I’m so glad I mixed up my routine. This hot cereal is so good! Experiment with different fruits and maybe add a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or ground flax seeds.
Whenever I serve this thick and creamy potato chowder to guests (non plant-based), they can’t believe it doesn’t contain dairy or cheese. For an even lower-fat version, leave out the cashews. The result will still be delicious.
A delicious spin on basic hummus. Make sure to use fresh basil! Dry just won’t give you the same, wonderful flavor. Hummus is so easy to make – there’s really no need to ever buy pre-made, especially considering how much fat is in most store-bought varieties.
Several years ago, I asked hubby for a bread maker. My big plan was to make lots of fresh-baked loaves of bread and never have to buy another loaf again. Ah, to be young with such lofty goals. I baked one loaf, it wasn’t great, and the unit was stored in the garage for several years. My older, and much wiser self decided to dust that bad boy off and give the whole bread-making thing another shot. SO glad I did! My amazingly wonderful friend Donna makes bread all the time and is always telling me how fun and easy it is – and how great it makes the house smell. She was so right!
I did some research and played around a bit with ingredients and ultimately came up with this whole grain treat. If you don’t have a bread maker, ask Santa or whomever to bring you one. You literally dump the ingredients in the metal “bowl”, and walk away. Definitely the lazy man’s way to make bread (though not as lazy as buying a loaf at the store!).
This peanut sauce is delicious over steamed veggies, rice noodles, tofu, or even potatoes. Many possibilities!!
This recipe for baked tofu is one of the first things I made when we switched to a plant-based diet. I found the recipe in Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, which has great recipes. I made a few adjustments but Dreena gets all the credit for the dish.
I used to LOVE sour cream. It was my favorite part about mexican dishes (other than the cheese, of course). I’ve learned to live without since the store-bought vegan brands are highly processed and fattening, with added oil and junk. And quite frankly, I don’t think they taste a thing like sour cream! This recipe is much closer to the real thing, in my opinion. Is it exactly like it? No, but it’s a nice, healthy substitute. And considering it’s got about 16 calories and 1 gram of fat per tablespoon, you can’t go wrong! We enjoyed it on our BBQ Lentil Tacos or with Chili (see Recipes).
I came home from a 2-hour appointment that took place during the time I would normally eat lunch. It was 2:30, I was grumpy and nearly passing out from hunger (ok, so I’m exaggerating a tad – but you get the picture. I was HUNGRY!). I needed to put something together fast! Anyone who knows me well, knows I do NOT skip meals. If and when I do, it’s not pretty. Sure, I could have shoved my fist in the peanut butter jar (this may, or may not have happened previously), but I wanted to make a good, nutrient dense, low-fat choice.
I pulled mashed yams out of the freezer – sold by Trader Joe’s. The bag contains frozen “pucks” of cooked sweet potatoes and you simply reheat as little or as many as you need. Genius. Then, I grabbed the frozen chopped kale, also a Trader Joe’s item. And lastly, thank you Trader Joe’s – the frozen brown rice. I threw all these items with some water in a pan and had lunch in 5 minutes. I seasoned it with some hot sauce, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. I was ready to eat in literally 5 minutes. Not only was it quick, and healthy with no fat, it was GOOD! Since I was basically delirious from hunger while preparing it, I didn’t measure or really even pay attention to amounts used. I will do my best to recount the details in the recipe here, so that you too can have a super quick and healthy meal next time you’re in starvation mode. It would be difficult to screw this dish up so play with it and enjoy!