Cleaning out the Fridge: Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich

This post is going to be short and sweet because I'm about to leave for the airport! I'm heading overseas for a few weeks and I couldn't be more excited to travel again...even though it's only been a couple weeks since I've been on a plane. International travel always gets me really excited and I haven't been overseas since September so I'm feeling overdue. (FYI, I'll be able to post a few recipes while I'm gone so check back!)

As with any trip I'm trying to clean out the fridge before I leave. Two nights ago I had some friends over for dinner and I made a sweet potato and black bean chili which made a good dent in my produce. Yesterday I was able to finish off the rest of our perishable items and even tried out a sandwich I've been wanting to try. 

Over Christmas break Brett and I were able to stop at a Trader Joe's (yippee!). One of our purchases was Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Bread. I love this bread because it's not overly sweet and you can eat it with both sweet or savory spreads. One of my favorite sandwiches is a peanut butter and banana sandwich and I knew I needed to try it out with this cinnamon raisin bread. 

My instincts were correct and it truly is an amazing combination. It doesn't even need a recipe. Just spread some peanut butter on two pieces of toast and lay slices of ripe banana in between. You could even spread some butter on the outside parts of the bread and warm it up in a panini maker. I'm sure it'd also be delicious with a drizzle of sweetner and a sprinkling of granola. 

If you know of any other good sandwich combinations please let me know!

Curry Quinoa

Welp. It's currently 3:30 in the morning and I'm awake. I thought for sure I'd sleep like a baby after a long day at work, my four-mile run and a hearty Curry Quinoa Wrap for dinner. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and waking up in the middle of the night isn't unusual. Ever since getting married I've had a hard time sleeping. I used to be able to conk out as soon as my head hit the pillow and sleep straight through the night. If I sleep through the night now, I seriously squeal "I did it!" when I wake up. I like to believe it will get better, and it has, but I still get these random "wide-awake-at-2-AM-and-I'm-hungry-and-need-a-snack" nights. And since one of my least favorite things is trying to sleep, I've decided to just get up when I feel wide awake and not fight it. Usually after an hour or so, and some food, I'm able to fall back asleep.

I hope it gets better soon, because being awake in the middle of the night can really throw off my schedule. Not to mention I'm exhausted at 9 PM and fighting to stay awake. Good news is I don't have to go into work today and I'm also planning on going to my first ever Yoga class at the gym. I'm excited for some good stretching. Maybe the "Zen" atmosphere will help me sleep through the night tonight.

Enough about my unfortunate sleeping cycle. Let's talk about this easy curried quinoa.

Brett and I are heading out of town for Christmas on Friday, so as is the usual, we're trying to finish off the random food in our fridge. I'm also trying to be better at using all the pantry items I buy, instead of just letting things pile up. This quinoa was perfect for both those goals. Whole wheat wraps, hummus and tahini are a few of the things still left in our fridge so I looked up wrap ideas and came across this curried quinoa wrap recipe from Healthy. Happy. Life. I didn't have all of the ingredients (and obviously didn't want to buy more stuff right before we leave) so I tweaked a few things and simplified it and it turned out great. It's made me excited to experiment more with quinoa and spices.

Curry Quinoa

(Makes 8 Servings)

 Ingredients:

· 3 cups water

· 1/2 cup vegetable broth

· 2 1/3 cup quinoa, unrinsed

· 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

· 2 teaspoons sea salt

· 1 1/2 cup frozen peas

· 1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions:

1. Place the water, broth, quinoa, curry powder and salt in a large sauce pan. Stir and bring to a boil.

2. Once boiling, cover the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer.

3. Let the quinoa simmer for 11 minutes.

4. After 11 minutes, turn the heat off and let the quinoa sit for another 10-12 minutes. Don’t take off the lid!

5. Once it’s ready, fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir  in the peas and golden raisins.

I highly recommend putting this quinoa in a large, wheat tortilla with hummus, green onions and a drizzle of tahini. Wrap it up and enjoy a filling, flavorful meal!

 Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Ground "Turkey" and Black Bean Tacos

The first few weeks after going vegan I made a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Mexican dishes. I could easily saute some peppers and onions, open a can of beans, shred some lettuce and call it a meal. I wasn't confident enough to experiment with different faux meat yet and really didn't know what types of meatless protein options were out there.

After doing some research and reading different vegan cook books I discovered TVP: Textured Vegetable Protein. Sounds lovely, right? I initially just skimmed over it's description thinking that with a name like that it had to be something complex and too hard for a newbie vegan to cook with. But I was wrong. TVP is so simple to use and is a great source of protein. It takes on any flavor you want and has the texture of ground meat. The first time I used it was for vegan sloppy joes and I was really happy with how it turned out! These tacos turned out great too. The recipe made a lot, so Brett and I were able to eat it for leftovers in wraps and as taco salad throughout the week.

Have you ever used TVP before? Do you like it? If you're new to it and you try it out, let me know what you think!

Ground “Turkey” and Black Bean Tacos

(Makes 4 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 1 small onion, sliced

· 2 cloves garlic

· 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

· 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

· 1 cup TVP

· 1 cup water

· 1 teaspoon chili powder

· 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

· 1/2 teaspoon cumin

· 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

· 4-8 wheat tortillas (depending on what size)

· Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce or spinach, guacamole, vegan shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Bring one cup of water to a boil. Add the TVP and remove from heat.

2. Stir the spices (chili powder to cumin) into the TVP and water mixture and set aside.

3. While the TVP is soaking up the spices, sauté the onion and garlic on medium heat until the onion softens. Then add the bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the drained and rinsed black beans and the TVP to the peppers and onions and mix until incorporated. Cook until the black beans are heated through.

5. Serve on wheat tortillas or a bed of lettuce with your choice of toppings!

Let me introduce you to TVP!

Looks just like ground turkey doesn't it?

Nutrition (without tortillas and toppings): Cals: 200; Fat: 1g: Carbs: 30g; Fiber: 11g; Sugar: 3.6g; Protein: 19.6g

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Tabbouleh Salad with Quinoa and Chickpeas

I've only been a vegan for a few months now and I will humbly admit that the first month or two had some rough patches. Botched meals, oatmeal for dinner cause I didn't know what else to make, and frustration at my lack of vegan knowledge were common occurrences. I'm pretty sure the thought of giving up crossed my mind at some point. But I hated the thought of eating meat and dairy again so I kept pressing on and man, I'm so glad I did. And thanks to other vegan bloggers and writers I was constantly reminded that I was not alone in this difficult quest to cut out all animal products from my diet.

I gotta say that I am so thankful for all the vegan cookbooks out there. I have yet to become confident in my own cooking skills to try out any personal vegan recipes. I always need a recipe to look at and from there I'll make occasional small changes. I'm excited for the day when I'll be able to whip up my own recipes, but until then, cook books it is.

For my birthday I got the Forks Over Knives cookbook and have tried out a few recipes since then. I tried out this tabbouleh recipe a few days after a failed attempt at vegan pad thai and I was nervous that I would again ruin another dinner. But, lo and behold, this salad turned out fantastic. My husband and his best friend loved it. We like it best in pita pockets smeared with hummus. It's so light and fresh and versatile. You can eat it plan or put it on some greens and be done. Yum.

Tabbouleh Salad with Quinoa and Chickpeas
(Makes 7 heaping cups)

1 cup quinoa, dry (equals 2 1/2 cups cooked)
2 cups water
3 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber
1 can chickpeas

, thoroughly drained and rinsed.
8 stalks fresh green onions, finely
1 cup chopped parsley
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the quinoa and water in a medium sized sauce pan, cover and bring to a boil. Keeping the pan covered, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook the quinoa for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Take off the heat, uncover and let cool to room temp. You can fluff the quinoa with a fork after it's been off the heat for a few minutes.

While the quinoa is cooling prepare the rest of the ingredients. Peel the cucumber, cut it in half and seed it and then give it a good chop. Chop the tomatoes as well and feel free to get rid of some of the juicy seeds.

Drain and rinse the beans well.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, squeeze the fresh lemon juice over top and season with salt and pepper.

Eat plain, on top of a salad, or in a pita with hummus, sliced cucumber and tomatoes.

Nutrition Facts: Cals: 170; Fat: 2g; Carbs: 33g; Fiber: 7.6g; Sugars: 2.5g; Protein: 7.6g

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Portobello Mushroom Panini with Sweet Red Pepper and White Bean Spread

Portobello Mushroom Panini with Sweet Red Pepper and White Bean Spread

(Makes 2 sandwiches)

Adapted from www.motherearthliving.com

Ingredients:

2 portobello mushrooms with stems and gills removed

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

4 slices whole wheat bread, slightly toasted

1/2 cup sliced red onion

1/2 cup Sweet Red Pepper and White Bean Spread (recipe follows)

1 handful of spinach

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together and brush over the portobello mushrooms. Then sprinkle some salt and pepper over the mushrooms. Toss the red onion in the remaining oil and vinegar mixture. 

Place the mushrooms and onions on a small baking dish with edges that can catch the juice. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Let the mushrooms cool slightly, then slice thinly on a diagonal. Save any juice that is in the pan from the mushrooms.

Assemble each sandwiches by first spreading 1/4 cup of bean spread on one piece of bread and pouring some of the mushroom and onion juice on the other piece of bread. Next top with sliced mushrooms, onions and spinach. Place in a panini maker until desired toasty-ness:)

For the Bean Spread:

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 table spoons sweet red pepper

1/4 or less of water

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper

In a food processor, puree all the ingredients until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. For a thicker spread, use less than 1/4 cup of water.

Vegan Sloppy Joes

I was a little nervous to cook with TVP for the first time. I was even more nervous to serve it to my husband. But we both ended up being pleasantly surprised with how this faux meat meal turned out. If you have yet to cook with TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein), don't be scared and give it a try!

Vegan Sloppy Joes
(Makes 4-6 Servings)

Taken from http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/vegan-sloppy-joes/

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/4 cup TVP
1 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup organic ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce, reduced sodium
salt and pepper to taste
wheat sandwich buns

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and saute the pepper and onion until the onion is translucent.

Stir in the chili powder, garlic and mustard

Next stir in the TVP, water, ketchup and soy sauce.

Cover your saucepan and let the mixture come to a boil before reducing the heat and letting the mixture simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate out for about five more minutes.

Add salt and pepper if desired before serving hot on buns.

(For 5 servings: Cals: 175; Fat: 5.5g; Fiber: 5.5g; Protein: 13g)