I have a sweet tooth that is being tamed. I have a few alternatives on hand like Clif bars, my chocolate protein shake, banana slathered with peanut butter, & sweet pears. But a couple times a month I allow myself something a little more. My father-in-law is a baker, mailing pies & oatmeal cookies to his beloved grandkids… but he uses 2 sticks of butter for his oatmeal cookies. I finally found a skinny version using 2 tablespoons of butter & applesauce instead. The flavor is surprisingly just as rich but my fingers aren’t greasy!
Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
(I’m on a 4 week vegan experiment, so I haven’t had these in a few weeks but the family is still loving it. Click on the link above for recipe)
Baked Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato Baked
Topped with:
1 Cup vegetarian chili (I had black eyed peas with chili & taco seasoning on hand)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast or cheese (optional)
chopped cilantro
Quick Chili Ingredients
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
2 teaspoons no-salt-added chili powder
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Sliced fresh jalapeño peppers (optional)
Grilled Tofu with Ginger-Garlic Salad
1) Dip firm tofu in olive oil, salt, and red chili flakes
2) Grill firm tofu and serve on top of Ginger-Garlic Salad
Chopped into a bowl-
4 ribs celery, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup shredded green cabbage
3 cups romaine lettuce sliced thinly
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Optional for garnish:
White (hulled) sesame seeds
Avocado sliced
Ginger-Garlic dressing-
In a shaker bottle or whisked in a bowl:
1 cup apple juice (or juice from 1 large apple)
1 tablespoon prepared/wet mustard
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
5-8 cloves soft roasted garlic (see notes below), or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Kale Ceviche
served with brown basmati rice, chopped tomatoes, and diced zucchini
I watched a Netflix movie called The Engine 2 Diet. I was intrigued by the slightly different vegan concept they followed (No oils what so ever, adding no additional saturated fats to the diet. Omega 3 oils consumed through flax and chia seeds). I was considering taking the plunge & borrowed Federal Way FitChick Melissa Pizarro’s Engine 2 Diet book that was gifted to her by her employer. I read the book and their website, but decided to get a hang of a regular vegan diet for 4 weeks first.
Kale Avo & Lemon
Kale ripped into small bite size pieces with 1 avocado driven into it (hand massaged & squeezed together) with a little salt, red chili flakes, and lemon juice. Yummy!
California Quinoa Salad
(Definitely now my fave quinoa dish. As seen in the Whole Foods Deli)
In large bowl:
Half of a large red onion finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper diced
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
3 limes squeezed
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups of dry quinoa cooked in 4 cups of water
1 cup unsalted almond slivers or slices
1.5 cup unsweetened coconut
1.5 cups raisins (already tossed in, hard to see in picture)
2 cups of shelled frozen edamame thawed (not pictured)
2 mangoes cubed
Toss all together
Quinoa Sushi Bowl
In a large mixing bowl:
1 chopped cucumber
3 grated carrots
1 cup of finely diced shitake mushrooms
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons Bragg’s (or tamari or other gluten free very low sodium soy sauce)
2 cups of dry quinoa cooked in 4 cups of water
2 chopped avocados
Half bunch of chopped green onions
Toss all together
Topped with seaweed sushi sheets crumbled up and ripped to small bite size pieces
Sprinkle sesame seeds (I only had black on hand but would have preferred the toasted white version)
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