The Ultimate Autumn Dish: Kale Lentil Quinoa Salad with Persimmon, Pecan, Pomegranate and Sweet Ginger Dressing

The Ultimate Autumn Dish

I love being the health fairy. Everyone appreciates that one dish that is actually delish AND in alignment with everyones health goals. Hope you get inspired by this to have fun in the kitchen with what you’ve got and make something colorful, healthy, and delish

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup lentils, soaked + rinsed
• Combine + Boil in 4 cups water + let cool
• 1-2 bags or bunches of kale
• 1-2 pomegranates
• 1-2 cups chopped pecans
• 4-6 persimmons, the smaller kind, chopped

Dressing:

• 5-8 dates, pitted
• 3 Tbsp hemp seed
• 1-2 chunks fresh ginger
• 3 Tbsp cashews or tahini
• 3 Tbsp raw almond butter
• 3/4-1 cup water
  Blend smooth and creamy

1. Massage dressing into kale
2. Add the quinoa, lentils, and rest of ingredients and mix well
3. SHARE WITH EVERYONE!

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My Favorite Oil-Free Salad Dressing / Kale Stone Fruit Salad Video

Look no further for your bomb-@$$ salad! This baby is so good. And medicinal. Here are just 5 reasons why this salad needs to GET IN YOUR BELLY:

1. Vitamin C + Iron Combo

Vitamin C is needed for peak absorption of plant based iron.  So the vitamin C from the orange and lime in the dressing combined with all of these iron packed greens?! Watch out world, you’re blood is builllttt!

2. Bones of STEEL

Plant based sources of calcium: kale, collards, sesame seeds, oranges… they are all great sources! Throw them all together and you are left with nothing but a mineral dense delicious meal fit for a superhero.

3. Anti-inflammatory + Protein

Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory aid, shown to help not only with stomach issues, but migraines, arthritis, and any kind of ache or pain.  It is truly a great go-to cure all.

4. Protein + Fiber Packed

Did you know that 50% of calories from green leafys is from protein?  Plus, sesame seeds have more protein per weight than any other nut or seed.  Protein and fiber are important to turn off hunger hormones.  Plus healthy sources of fat (sesame, walnuts) help curb cravings a lot too.  So this salad will get you shredded baby. Yes, shredded.

5. Simple, Fresh, Versatile

Make this dressing with whatever ingredients you have on hand. No sesame? Use cashews or hemp instead. Or whatever seed or nut you have on hand honestly.  This is delicious with mint, basil, or dill instead of cilantro, and can be used as a dip, filling, or topping for any plant based burger, falafel ball, or, even throw a banana in and drink as a smoothie?! The sky is the limit.  Enjoy 🙂

PS: I have a few spots open for one-on-one counseling with me! Click here to schedule a free consult with me to see if I am right for you 🙂

Vegan Brunch: True Bistro with STEPH’S PLATE + Why Try A Vegan Restaurant?

First of all, I am so honored to have met Steph from Steph’s Plate! She is such a doll you must watch her videos and get inspired on IG.  Secondly, True Bistro is one of the most classy vegan restaurants I have ever been to.  It is definitely swanky enough for impressing a date, yet not intimidatingly so.  Their lunch menu offers brunch options of waffles, crepes, tofu scrambles, as well as classic sandwiches with burgers, salads, and they feature incredible sweets like local FoMu ice cream and fresh cinnamon buns.

 

Steph ordered the crepes with FoMu lavender ice cream and blueberry compote, I went for the more savory mushroom and red pepper tofu scramble with fresh home fries, salad, and a side of their smokey mac and cheese.  Steph’s crepes were incredible.  They didn’t, you know, “taste vegan” at all!  It was so good, like an incredible dessert to me!  My scramble had such a refined savory flavor profile, I was really impressed.  It didn’t taste like eggs necessarily but the combo of herbs and veggies were brilliant- so delicious.  The mac and cheese I actually got to take home for my sister (the cheese lover). It had a LOT of smokey flavor, almost sausage-y.  Anyone who enjoys those smokey tones would adore it.  Can’t wait to try the waffles and I must go for dinner!

 

4 Reasons: Try A Vegan Restaurant:

1. Plant Foods In Your Diet

A whole foods plant based diet has been shown to be the most effective at preventing and reversing disease. According to the USDA’s Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines:

2. Environmental Impact

It is without a doubt that eating more plant based meals is more sustainable for the long term and environmentally friendly. As described in the USDA’s Scientific Report, and watch Dr. Michael Gregor’s Video:

3. Prevent Heart Disease and Cancer

Saturated fat and cholesterol are well known for their association with causing the leading causes of death: heart disease and cancer.  Fortunately, plant based diets high in whole foods with fiber containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables, can significantly reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

4. Get Inspired

Once you find out how delicious plant foods can really be, you are much more likely to want to get in the kitchen and start cooking!  Keep trying more restaurants and dishes, and before you know it, every meal will be whole foods, plant based, and simply divine.

 

Butternut Soup, Three Seed Bread, and Cranberry Apple Walnut Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing | Vegan

Mmmm ❤ Warming from the inside out. Home for Thanksgiving, and I am beyond grateful for the homemade vegan comfort food that my incredible mother makes.  She likes to follow recipes 100% first, and then tweak them here and there.

 

Butternut Squash Soup

This Creamy Cashew Butternut Squash Soup recipe requires zero tweaking. Absolutely perfect. The only complaint is that it doesn’t make enough! It is SO good. Click here for recipe by Dawn Lerman.

Three Seed Bread

Bob’s Red Mill Three Seed Bread for your bread machine is SO good! You know what Dr. Fuhrman says? The whiter the bread, the closer to dead. The recipe calls for more white flour than whole wheat, but my mom switched it.  Here is the recipe she makes:

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup Unbleached White Flour
• 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup flaxseeds
• 2 Tbsp sunflower kernels
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 2 Tsp active dry yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in the order recommended by the bread machine manufacturer and select basic bread cycle. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.

Maple Balsamic Dressing

This is a Jack Tar steal ❤ If you’re ever around the Boston area, I highly recommend checking it out.  Their black bean burger with no cheese and sweet potato fries is my favorite thing ever, and I literally always have that for dinner the first night back from school.  They have amazing salads and vegan thai lettuce wraps too! Soo good.

My mom uses this dressing recipe as like pizza sauce to make her gourmet vegan flatbread.  It is incredible.

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 medium shallot
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 cups vegetable & olive oil blend

1. Blend first six ingredients in blender
2. Drizzle oil slowly while blender is on
3. Stop and blend
4. Add salt and pepper
5. Blend and test with lettuce or spinach

Memorial Day Watermelon Salad and Video

In honor of Memorial Day, I decided to make my favorite watermelon salad with mint and lime.The mint reminds me of my Grampa, who served in the army in World War II.  This is a great side dish or breakfast that is perfect for hot weather.  I uploaded a short video that shows how easy it is to make.  To watch the video, click here.

Watermelon

The search for refreshing stops here.  Watermelon is of course hydrating, but is also high in vitamins and minerals.  The red color of watermelon provides the incredible antioxidant lycopene, which was shown to be effective in preventing skin damage from the sun in tomatoes according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology.  Watermelon also provides vitamins like vitamins A, B6, and C and minerals like potassium, copper, and magnesium. According to USDA’s supertracker, 1/4 watermelon provides 7g of protein.

Mint

It is incredible how mint grows everywhere like crazy, but it costs $4.00 to buy a tiny organic package of it wrapped in plastic at the grocery store.  I highly recommend growing it yourself and throwing it into everything.  It is delicious in salads, wraps, smoothies, and the flavor is not overpowering.  I love it blended with frozen bananas for a refreshing mint ice cream.  This mint can also be used as a great herbal tea.

Lime

I recommend a squeeze of lemon or lime on everything.  It adds vitamin C which is necessary for absorption of iron.  Many female vegans ask me how I get enough iron and eating nutrient dense foods is my first answer, but I am also intentional about my squeeze of lemon or lime juice.  Plants are abundant in minerals like iron, but the delicious vitamin C from lemons and limes adds great flavor to any bland meal and provides the antioxidants and vitamins necessary to help absorb all of my nutrients.

Tangy Mango Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles)- Foodie Trapped In A Dorm!

Yuuumm!!  Want something smooth, creamy, sweet, tangy, spicy, cool, filling, and refreshing?  Something low fat, gluten free, nutrient dense, cancer curing, heart disease reversing, and blood pressure lowering?  Something that will smooth up your skin and slow the aging process?!

Yes, please!  I am BEYOND GRATEFUL that this guy came and surprised me with an amazing raw vegan dinner- made in my lil dorm room 🙂 Thank you SamWise!

Zoodles:

• 3 zucchinis, peeled with a potato peeler to make thick noodles, or if you’ve got a spiralizer, use that!
• Schiffinade iceberg lettuce

Dressing: adjust ingredient quantities as desired.  Blend in high speed blender until smooth.

• Organic Mango Juice
• Sugar Plum Cherry Tomatoes
• Dates
• Basil
• Lime Juice
• Bell Pepper
• Brazil Nuts
• Organic Frontier Thai Curry Powder
• Lil jalapeno

Hope you love this easy, healthy, and yuummmmmmy recipe as much as I did!  Enjoy and reap good health! ❤

My 2 Favorite Salad Dressings, Made in 5-10 Minutes

In no particular order AT ALL! They are both redonkkk

1. Marinara

This marinara is beyond any tomato sauce I’ve ever had.  And I LOVE tomato sauce.  Mama knows, I could go through a jar a spaghetti sauce in less than a week- easily!  Here’s why it beats the rest:

• no sodium
• no fat
• no weird additives
• it takes literally 5 minutes to make
• lycopene (antioxidant in tomatoes) decreases risk of skin cancer and sunburn and decreases risk of prostate cancer
• full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, all fruits and veggies here ladies and gentlemen

Tear up some leaves and spiralize a couple of cuces or zucchinis/ summer squashes and:

Blended in my tiny $10 blender:

• 1 tomato
• 1 tablespoon or more of Italian Seasoning (to taste)
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 red onion
• 2-4 dates (depending on how sweet you like it)
• 2 oz (apx 1/3 cup) sun dried tomato

I make lots of variations to this! This time I made it, I used fresh oregano, thyme, and rosemary that Janice gave me, THANK YOU JANICE!!! I also didn’t have sundried tomato or onion, and I still loveeedd itt!  Sometimes I just blend tomatoes, dates, and basil.  Sometimes no onion, sometimes extra garlic!  Have fun with it and see how you like it!  And I don’t usually top with walnuts, but those looked good to me today 🙂 Some mushrooms and/ or artichokes would have been nice, or some broccoli!! Mmmm

2. Sweet Citrus Ginger Mint

Moan moan moan moan moan moan.  Oh KALE  ya!  This + kale = OMFG HOW IS THIS SO GOOD!? I actually had 2 huge bowls of this salad for breakfast this morning.  It is that goood!!!!  And you thought eating 2 heads of kale was difficult, ha ha HA!! Just you wait, you’ll be dreaming of it, just like me 🙂

• easily absorbed calcium
• easily absorbed iron (mixed with vitamin C!!)
• protein packed, sweet satisfaction
• indigestion aid (ginger)
• it’s so good, so easy, so refreshing and satisfyingly filling ❤
• so low fat
• so high fantastic
• so addicted to the way I skipped down the street singing after I ate this

Kale is this one’s soul mate.  I suggest tearing some up like I did, or if you have a knife, chiffonaded dinosaur kale is how the chef Sam Romano made it for me.  I’ve never been so impressed in my life.

Blended in the little blendah:

• 3 oranges
• around 15-20 fresh mint leaves (depends on size and variety, I’d load it in, looovee orange and mint)
• 3 dates
• 1.5 tsp maca (optional, what do you have on hand? 🙂
• 1 Tbs hemp (I’ve used sesame seeds and flax seeds before too, both phenomenal)
• 2 thimble sized pieces of ginger, ( I’ve been adding more lately, the warming ginger is aweesomee)
• lemon juice

I actually didn’t have lemon juice, but have made it before with lemon and it’s really nice, the sour with the sweet date is just, ! .  Impeccable.  I really want to try it with pomegranate seeds on top!  You have fun with it!  Too easy, too many health benefits! Stuff your excuses in the trash, suck it up, and make this.  If you don’t like it, I’m convinced you are an alien.