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How To Eat More Vegetables

/ ktbuchs87

Fruit-vegetables

I can bet that you have been told that you need to eat more vegetables.  It seems to be the first thing that comes out of peoples mouths when anything remotely close to eating healthier is mentioned.  Eat more fruits and vegetables!  In all honesty, it’s good advice even if it tends to be overstated.  The problem is that the advice stops there.  We’re told to eat more vegetables but not necessarily how to do it.  A lot of people have bad associations with vegetables.  Some were forced to eat them as kids or were served mushy tasteless dishes that made them believe all vegetables taste the same, gross.  Maybe you want to eat more vegetables but you have no clue how to go about doing that.  My post today is going to focus on simple ways  to incorporate more vegetables into your meals.  It doesn’t have to be complicated, tasteless, or boring and the more that you eat vegetables the more you will come to love them as much as I do!

Roast Them Up

This is my absolute favorite way to prepare vegetables.  It’s an amazing way to add great flavor to your vegetables and it works on virtually any vegetable.  I roast everything from sweet potatoes to zucchini, cabbage and beets.  If I can slice it up and add a little olive oil to it, I can roast it.  If you have a hard time enjoying the taste of vegetables, this cooking method is for you.  Simply preheat your oven to 400-425 and prepare a baking pan with a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat.  Then take your vegetable and cut it up into bite size chunks and place them in a large bowl.  Add a few tablespoons of oil (I alternate between olive oil and coconut oil) and whatever seasonings you like (try Italian blends, curry powder, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, or even just salt and pepper) and mix everything together.  Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the pan and roast for 20-45 minutes depending on the vegetable you are using.  I usually rotate the pan halfway through the cooking process.  Once you start to get a nice brown edge, your vegetables are done!  You can eat them as is, add to salads, or stir fry’s.  Roasted vegetables also keep really well in the fridge and make great leftovers.

Make Soup or Stew

Soup is another easy way to get in more vegetables as well as large quantities of vegetables.  You can add vegetables to any soup you’re making and bulk it up with extra nutrition and flavor.  You could puree a variety of root vegetables, like sweet potatoes or parsnips, and after you have roasted them, add either broth or water or even almond milk to make a creamy soup.  Or you could blend up a variety of vegetables from your garden like tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini and make a refreshing gazpacho on a hot summer day.

Sauces and Dips

This is another favorite way to add more vegetables to my meals.  Make sauces and dips out of them!  You can make a simple homemade salsa with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cilantro.  Or maybe you’re a guacamole fan.  Try making your own homemade spaghetti sauce and besides the tomatoes, add in zucchini and carrots.  You can even make creamy sauces with cauliflower or try a vegetable based spread like baba ghanoush.  Kids especially like dipping things in sauces and this is a really good way to get a little extra nutrition into their meal without fighting over broccoli.

Drink Them

While I think that juicing is a great thing, I am also a big fan of eating my meals.  But I know that for some people juicing their vegetables is what works best for them due to time constraints or they really can’t handle the taste of eating vegetables.  If this sounds like you, try juicing your vegetables or adding them to smoothies.  Leafy greens are very easy to add into your drinks and as long as you add some fruits like apples or pears, you don’t have to feel like you’re drinking grass.  If you have a juicer, you can juice pretty much any vegetable quickly.  I like the combination of carrots, beets, spinach, apples, and a little bit of ginger, but get creative and see what flavors you like.  Remember though, if you can, it’s better to eat your vegetables so that you can get all the fiber and nutrients that fruit and vegetables have to offer.  Sometimes, just drinking juice can leave you feeling hungrier sooner than eating those same foods would have.

Salads

I know this one sounds obvious and is probable one of the least favorite ways for people to get their vegetables in but salads don’t have to be boring or taste yucky.  There are so many ways to spruce up a salad, like adding more vegetables, dried fruits, nuts or seeds, herbs, and topping it all with homemade dressing.  Salads are a great way to get in a TON of vegetables into one meal as well as a great way to use up all the odd leftovers you have in your fridge.  Start with a base of some type of leafy green (think outside the romaine and iceberg box and try kale, arugala, collard, watercress, or spinach), and add whatever you want.  Try leftover cooked chicken or fish, roasted sweet potatoes or cauliflower, raw almonds or pistachios, dried (and unsweetened) cranberries or goji berries, add pumpkin or sunflower seeds for a little extra crunch.  And the dressing options are endless and just as simple to make.  Give salads a chance and you might just fall in love with them.

Eating more vegetables shouldn’t make you want to run screaming to your nearest bakery and shove as many donuts as you can into your mouth.  Incorporating these healthy foods into your meals is simple and only takes a little bit of effort and creativity.  So now that you know what to do, go eat your vegetables!

vegetables

Chipotle Chili Mac N “Cheese”

/ ktbuchs87

Happy 4th of July!  I hope you are enjoying the day off and participating in all the fun festivities!  I am spending the day with family, but I still wanted to leave you with a recipe today!  I know it’s not very “4th of July-y” but it is delicious whenever you make it.  This is kind of a grown up mac n cheese because the chipotle adds a little bit of a kick.  Also, if you have an Aldi near you and are gluten free, you need to go and stock up on their gluten free pasta.  They have two types of corn flour pasta, penne and fusilli, and brown rice spaghetti.  They all cost less than $2 for over a pound of pasta and the only ingredients are corn flour and water or brown rice.  Considering most gluten free pasta costs well over $4 and sometimes has more ingredients than I can count, this is a fantastic deal.  Aldi is really doing a great job of adding better quality products to their store, including a line of organic food called simply organic.  I have been able to find honey, almond milk, and even almond butter at one, all for reasonable prices.  Ok, public service announcement over, on to the recipe!

 

Chipotle Chili Mac N “Cheese” 

 

  • 1 package of whole wheat or gluten free pasta (I used penne but obviously macaroni would work too)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
  • 3 chipotle chili’s soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes (save the water!)
  • 1 cup vegetable broth or water
  • 1/2 cup reserved chili water
  • 1 tbsp tapioca starch (corn starch could work too, but I haven’t tried it)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • smoked paprika, as a garnish (optional but really tasty!)

 

1.  Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and then drain and set aside

2.  While the pasta is cooking, remove the chili’s from their soaking water (but remember to keep it!) and chop into bite size pieces.  Saute the onion over medium high heat until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Add in the garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes.

3.  Place the onion and garlic into a blender along with the rest of the ingredients, except the smoked paprika.  Blend everything until you have a smooth and creamy sauce.  The sauce will be thin and liquid-y at this point, don’t worry that’s ok!

4.  Pour the cheese sauce into the pot that you cooked the pasta in and heat over medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken up.  Add the pasta back into the pot and stir to combine with the sauce.  Sprinkle the smoked paprika over the pasta after it has been served if desired.

This is a fairly quick meal to throw together as long as you remember to soak your cashews before hand.  If you forget though, have no fear.  You can do a quick soak by boiling some water and then pouring that over the cashews and letting them soak for at least 30 minutes.  You can also double this and serve to a hungry crowd, so if you’re looking for a healthy and tasty dish to bring to your 4th of July BBQ, this might fit the bill!  Enjoy!

Dairy Free Lasagna

/ ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I don’t eat dairy anymore, and for the most part, I really haven’t missed it all that much.  But every once in awhile, I get a hankering for something gooey, cheesy, and delicious.  Those hankerings usually lead to creative and tasty recipes.  This one is no different.  You might be thinking to yourself, “There is no way that you can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta cheese.”  And I say to you, nay nay.  You can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta.  Just ask my husband who has no problem with dairy and would love it if there were more of it in the house (there’s none).  He loved this meal and devoured second helpings.  I may have too…

 

Dairy Free Lasagna 

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  • 1 batch of my tomato sauce, or store bought sauce (just make sure to read the ingredients!)
  • 1 package of lasagna noodles (I used brown rice to keep it gluten free but whole wheat would work well too)
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic

*If you’re using my tomato sauce, you can prepare it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.  That way you can just assemble everything.

1.  Cook noodles according to instructions on the package.  Once cooked drain and set aside to cool a little bit.  You might want to undercook your noodles just a little so they won’t turn to mush when you cook them in the oven.

2.  While the noodles are cooling, drain soaked cashews and place into a blender or food processor.  Add in water, lemon, salt, rice vinegar, italian seasoning, and garlic.  Pulse to combine everything and then let it run to smooth everything out.  You can leave it a little chunky or totally smooth, it’s your preference.

3.  Preheat oven to 375 and get out a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Line up the tomato sauce, noodles, and cashew cheese for easy assembly.  Pour a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan so the noodles don’t burn.  Then put a layer of noodles down, then a layer of cheese, and finally a layer of tomato sauce.  Keep layering everything until you run out of noodles.  You might have a little cheese and sauce leftover, that’s fine  You can use it to dress up another dish!

4.  Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and take of the aluminum foil.  Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes.  Take lasagna out of the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes (this helps it set so when you cut it, it doesn’t fall apart).  Cut into squares and eat up!

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This lasagna tastes even better the next day once the flavors have melded and really set.  So make sure that you leave some leftovers for later!

Polenta: A Quick Tutorial

/ ktbuchs87

Polenta is one of my favorite things because it is so versatile and super tasty.  Maybe you have heard of it or you’re scratching your head right now going, “Po-whatta?”  Polenta is a fairly simple dish made of cornmeal that has been boiled into a porridge like consistency.  After it has been boiled, polenta can be served in a variety of ways.  You can eat it as is, or you can let it set and bake, fry, saute, or even grill it.  It pairs well with so many things; one of my favorite ways to eat it is to top it with a mushroom gravy. Because it is so easy to make, polenta makes a really great side dish, but it can easily be made into the main course.  I have a few different recipes that utilize polenta that I plan on sharing soon, but I thought that I would just give you the basic steps to making polenta as well as a few easy ways to “fancy” it up.

 

Basic Polenta

Polenta topped with my favorite mushroom gravy

Polenta topped with my favorite mushroom gravy

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 3-4 cups water/milk/non-dairy milk*
  • 1 tsp salt

*If you are going to be eating the polenta in it’s porridge like form, use 4 cups of your choice of liquid.  If you want to let it set and then use it, use 3 cups.  I like doing a mix of water and either almond or coconut milk.  Using milk makes it a little creamier than just plain water, but water works just as well.

 

1.  In a medium saucepan bring your water/milk and 1 tsp salt to a rolling boil.  Once at a boil, grab a whisk in one hand and your one cup of cornmeal in the other.  Slowly add the cornmeal to the water while constantly whisking with your other hand.  This helps to make sure there are no lumps.

2.  Turn the heat down to low and cook until the cornmeal is nice and thick and starting to pull away from the sides of the pot.  Stir often and watch out for polenta splatters!

3.  You can eat it as is at this point or you can let the polenta set so you can slice it and bake or grill it.  Grease or line any pan that has an edge with parchment paper and pour the polenta out.  Spread the polenta evenly and place it in the fridge for at least an hour or in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.  Once the polenta is set you can cut it up and prepare it however you would like!

 

That is seriously it when it comes to making polenta.  I told you it was really easy!  Now there are a few things that you can do to jazz it up and make it even tastier.  You could:

  • Add in shredded cheese or butter to make it even creamier.
  • Try out different seasonings. I like adding in garlic and Italian seasonings as well as taco seasonings
  • Top with gravy, vegetables, meat, or any kind of sauce
  • Use it as the base for a casserole (I have a recipe for this coming soon!)

Experiment with a few different things and find out what you like best.  Polenta is a very neutral canvas when it comes to food, so it is really easy to pair with many different creations.  Go pick up a bag of cornmeal (if you can find it in bulk, it is really cheap!) and get your polenta on!

Chickpea Casserole

/ ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I had the hardest time thinking up a name for this dish.  I had the idea of making a lasagna type dinner, but without the noodles.  I toyed with the idea of naming it noodleless lasagna, but that just sounded weird.  I finally settled on chickpea casserole, even though it’s not exactly what it is.  I know, first world problems right?  Oh well, regardless of what this meal is called, it is delicious.  We devoured it all and quickly wanted more.  It makes fabulous leftovers and it is a great prepare ahead meal so that come dinnertime all you have to do is heat it up in the oven.  Simple and delicious, what more could you want?

 

Chickpea Casserole

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For the chickpea layer:

  • 3 cups chickpeas, soaked/rinsed/cooked (you could also use 2 cans of chickpeas, but I liked dried better)
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, depending on how “cheesy” you want it to taste
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp italian seasonings
  • salt and pepper to taste

 

 

For the sauce:

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp basil
  • 1 to 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
  • salt to taste

 

  1. Make your sauce first.  In a medium saucepan, heat a little olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the onion and garlic for about 5 to 7 minutes.  Once the onion is soft add in the oregano, basil, and fennel seeds.  Stir to combine everything and then add in the tomatoes.  Depending on how thick or thin you want your sauce, add in a little bit of the broth at a time.  Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower to a simmer.  Cover the pan halfway with a lid and simmer while you make the chickpea layer.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 and put the chickpeas into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times to break them up.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until it is all combined and creamy.  If it is too dry you can add in a few tablespoons of water or broth.
  3. Lightly oil a casserole pan and spread the chickpea mixture into the bottom.  Press the chickpeas down and make sure that there are no cracks.  Then pour the sauce over the top and cover the chickpeas.  Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly.  Take out of the oven and let sit for 5 minutes and then cut and serve.

 

After you assemble the casserole, you can keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it.  Then simply heat up the oven and pop the casserole in.  This would be a really good meal to take to a potluck or share with a big group of people.  You can easily double it and feed a crowd.  And I’m pretty sure they will gobble it up and ask for seconds!  Or maybe that’s just me…. Enjoy!