Tag: vegetarian

Try This—Homemade Oatmeal Almond Power Bars

These power bars are packed with protein, healthy fats, and carbs giving you a much needed post workout boost, or midday snack. I’ve spent a small fortune on those Kind bars and Quest bars until I finally figured out that I could make these snacks at home with very little effort. Best part: I actually know what’s in them. No guess work, just a simple healthy snack that tastes great and stays fresh in the fridge and the freezer! Winning! You must try this!

Homemade Oatmeal Almond Power Bars

ingredients (makes about 12 bars)

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 5 medjool dates
  • ½ cup cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp. boiling water

Directions

  • Place almonds and oats in food processor (I use my trusty Nutribullet) and blend until you have a coarse crumb.
  • Add cacao powder, cranberries, and dates and blend again.
  • Begin adding the boiling water, a little at a time and continue blending, until the mixture becomes well incorporated and forms a ball.
  • Press the dough into a baking tin lined with wax or parchment paper and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours before slicing into bars.
  • For grab and go storage, wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.

***Because all of the ingredients have a super long shelf life, you can store them on the counter top for several days, in the fridge for several weeks, and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Trust me when I say you’ll eat them all long before you run into any shelf life issues.

***Each bar contains about 200 calories.

Customize It!

This recipe is delicious, but there are so many ways to customize these energy bars. Check out this neat infographic to get you started!

Rethink Clean: Restore and Maintain Good Bacteria on Your Skin

I’ve never rested my bare face on a subway pole. I have, however, held on to a subway pole at rush hour, used those same hands to swipe and accept a phone call, then placed that germy cell phone screen on my cheek for the duration of a conversation. Joseph Lister is spinning in his grave. Fortunately, the green beauty movement is hip to that. There’s a promising new generation of beauty products that seek to rescue our skin from the tech world and pollution. They’re using ingredients like lipids, adaptogens, ceramides,  and live bacteria (probiotics, yo!) to help strengthen our skin’s natural barrier, so it can function as it should. Instead of stripping away our skin’s natural defense against modern day irritants, product lines like Mother Dirt, are designed to nourish and support the ecosystem of our skin, while still delivering on what we’ve come to expect in our favorite beauty essentials. Here are some must have products from the Mother Dirt collection.

Cleanser

Less than ten ingredients, this entirely plant-based cleanser easily removes dirt, oil, and makeup without stripping, or drying out the skin. It’s suitable for all skin types and is preservative-free.

Moisturizer

This serum is a powerhouse designed to mimic our skin’s natural barrier. Start with a small drop and apply it to dry skin anywhere on your body. A little goes a long way.

Mist

This mist is my favorite! Think of this as the cherry on top of all of your Mother Dirt products. Designed to reduce our dependence on products like moisturizers, makeup, and even deodorant, AO+Mist improves the appearance of skin by replenishing essential bacteria to your skin’s natural barrier.

Shop the Bundle

The Bundle includes the cleanser, the moisturizer, the mist, and Mother Dirt’s shampoo which I didn’t include a description of because I’m having so much success with my 2 ingredient homemade herbal shampoo. If you try the shampoo, you should def tell me how amazing it is in the comments!

Try This— Classic Homemade Cacio e Pepe

I’m heading out on another European adventure this Summer. First stop: Rome. This will be my first time visiting the Eternal City  and while I imagine the Sistine Chapel is really impressive, I’m mostly looking forward to dining out on really real Italian food. Everybody I know is telling me that I have to try cacio e pepe while I’m there. Cacio e pepe, literally translating to ‘cheese and pepper’, is standard Roman fare, and if the name is any indication, it sounds like it’s as close to perfection as food can get because, well, cheese and pepper.

Anyway, I scoured the internet for a recipe that I could prepare at home so that I when I try it in Rome, I can slowly lean back at the table, loosen my jeans button, and arrogantly say, “the cacio e pepe I make at home is waaaayyyyy better.” #petty. So, I found this amazing recipe from the fine folks at Food52, and I’m pretty confident that this dish will hold up against any cacio e pepe I order in Rome. For real, this recipe is real life weeknight dinner goals. You must try this!

Classic Homemade Cacio e Pepe

ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns crushed in a mortar and pestle or 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1 (16 oz) package spaghetti
  • 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • About 3/4 to 1 cup of cooking water

Directions

  • In a pot over low heat, heat the crushed peppercorn with the olive oil.
  • In a pot large enough to cook the spaghetti, bring water to a boil.
  • Turn the heat off under the olive oil and add about 1/2 cup of the hot cooking water from the pot into the pan, then set aside.
  • When the pasta water comes to a rolling boil, add the salt, stir, then add the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti until 2 minutes under the lowest time recommended on the package. Using tongs (you don’t want to get the rid of the water), add the pasta to the pot with the pepper. Turn the heat onto very low and turn the pasta continuously until most of the water is absorbed. At this point, remove from the heat and transfer to a warm bowl.
  • Still tossing, begin adding the two grated cheeses, a couple handfuls at a time. If it starts to get dry, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta water. Keep turning and turning, adding cheese and pasta water, a little at a time, until all the cheese has been incorporated and you have a lovely creamy sauce coating each strand of pasta. Eat immediately.

 

Try This— The Easiest Homemade Vegetarian Ramen Recipe

I pretty much lived on ramen when I was in college. Back then my four basic food groups were salt, junk, cheap, and easy. Such is the gut fortitude of a nineteen year old. Times have certainly changed, and though my taste and my junk food cravings haven’t, at least now I’m old enough to try and make healthier choices. I want to keep my ramen classy, y’all. No more undergrad ramen for me! I mix up my own seasoning and keep it on the shelf, ready for those nights when I’m feeling just as sleepy as I did when I was in college. You can’t get much easier than a basic ramen bowl, and with some simple add-ins, you’ll be well on your way to total ramen sophistication. You must try this!!!

Homemade Ramen Seasoning

ingredients

  • 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 vegetable bullion cubes
  • 1 tbsp black pepper

directions

  • crush bullion cubes into a powder
  • mix all ingredients, including bullion, together
  • store in an airtight container

Basic Ramen bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 oz vermicelli rice noodles (If you use this kind that’s about one quarter of the box)
  • 1 c of boiling water
  • 1 tbsp homemade ramen seasoning (you might want to start with less and add more to taste)

Directions

  • place rice noodles in a small bowl
  • sprinkle with homemade ramen seasoning
  • add boiling water and allow the rice noodles to sit for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally to separate the noodles
  • Enjoy!

optional add-ins

  • chili oil or (homemade) sriracha, to taste
  • a splash of lemon or lime juice
  • a boiled egg or two
  • lightly fried tofu
  • kimchi
  • quick cooking vegetables: spinach, thinly slice cabbage, romaine lettuce, mushrooms, bean sprouts, or green onions are all good choices
  • frozen vegetables: corn and peas are my favorite! Just be sure to thaw them a bit in warm water before adding them to your ramen bowl

This recipe makes the perfect mason jar lunch. just like these healthy mason jar snack ideas, mason jar ramen is ready in minutes. The dry ingredients have a long shelf life, so you can assemble a few dry noodles/seasoning mason jars well ahead of time. When you’re ready to eat them, just lift one from the pantry and add boiling water. Lunch in 3-5 minutes with no effort! Think of it as a savory alternative to your favorite mason jar oatmeal recipe.

Recipe adapted from: Connoisseurusveg and Minimalist Baker

Try This— Vegetarian ‘Chicken’ Shawarma

I’m not really in the business of trying to fool any meat eaters with my vegetarian recipes. I stay away from mock meat for the most part and I just bask in the glory that is a well prepared plant based meal. But this Beyond Meat stuff is really testing my resolve as a dyed in the wool vegetarian, and it’s also making it possible for me to slip more plant based meals under the radar to my unassuming, carnivorous family members. Case in point: this vegetarian chicken shawarma I just made over the weekend. There are no words, let’s just say these are amazing. You can’t get a meatier meal than shawarma, and up until now there was absolutely no viable vegetarian substitute. This recipe from Gimme Delicious has the slow roasted taste of your classic shawarma with none of the meat.  You must try this!!!

Vegetarian ‘Chicken’ Shawarma

Ingredients

  • 1 pack Beyond Meat© Chicken strips
  • ½ cup sliced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil ( 2 for the pan and 2 in the paste)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon all spice
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 pitas
  • optional toppings sliced onion, tomatoes, lettuce
  • Creamy Yogurt White Sauce

Directions

  • Combine the spices, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. The mixture will form a thick paste. Next, add the chicken strips and onions. Combine the chicken with the paste.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy-duty pan or skillet. After the pan is very hot toss in the chicken and onion mixture. Sautee for 2-3 minutes or until he chicken is lightly charred and the onions are soft.
  • to make a shawarma sandwich, lay a pita flat on a plate with a sheet of foil under it. Top with chicken, veggies and sauce.

***If you’re vegan, leave out the sauce!