Vegan Chili Loaded Potatoes

Loaded baked potatoes are the PERFECT family meal. Everyone can load on their favorite things, and leave off things they don't like. I find that my kids love to help load up the potatoes. We love to put Vegan Lentil Chili on top, and homemade fresh Salsa. But there are so many options!

I especially love making these because its not labor intensive and doesn't require a lot of conentration-- it kinda comes together on its own and I can get other stuff done while its cooking. And lets face it, sometimes I am a dingbat and try to do 20 things at once. So its nice when a recipe is forgiving! :-)

Loaded Potatoes

For the Chili (serves 2-- you can easily double or triple if needed!):
1 15 oz can organic black beans

1 small can of sliced olives

1/2 cup chopped red and green peppers each (1 cup total)

1/2 cup lentils ( I like to use yellow, red, or orange because they break down and make it creamy)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 cups veggie stock

Other toppings:

Pickled jalepenos

green onions

corn

salsa

broccoli

fresh peppers

salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Place your potatoes in-- however many you need for you or your family. Let them cook for about 40 minutes, or until soft. While potatoes are cooking, make the chili.  Rinse and drain beans. Add all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil (I know, SO EASY!). Turn down heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are soft.  We like to put all the topping choices in bowls on the table so everyone can pick and choose what they would like to eat.

Hope you enjoy this yummy, simple, plant based meal! 

Cauliflower Alfredo Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for a good lasagna. There is something so comforting and scrumptious about digging into a big pan of lasagna. One of my goals on this plant-based journey is to change and modify family favorites to be heart healthy and guilt-free new favorites.  This lasagna totally hits the mark!!

I mean, come on! Look at that thing! Such a beaut. This is a really easy recipe that I modified from Vegan Richa's Vegan Lasagna. I used her FABULOUS Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce to replace that classic creamy ricotta component that is totally necessary in a lasagna. Something that has REALLY helped me as I navigate this new way of eating is to change my expectations. Obviously, this lasagna is NOT going to taste like a lasagna that is loaded with ground beef, ricotta, and mozzarella. But that's ok! Learning not to compare it to how it stacks up to the original helps you keep an open mind, and helps you to enjoy the beautiful, simple flavors found in a dish that is packed with veggies and plants. Can you tell I like this lasagna???? Its so good, guys.

Look how creamy and dreamy that is?? Ok, here is the recipe!

Lasagna
1 package of whole wheat or brown rice lasagna noodles (I used brown rice)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (make sure to find one without added sugar)
7-8 raw mushrooms
3-4 cups raw or frozen spinach (I used raw)
2-3 leaves fresh basil
1 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried oregano/basil mix
Salt/Pepper to taste

For the Alfredo Sauce
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
3 loaded cups cauliflower florets (1.5 to 2 inch pieces)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup non dairy milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dry thyme
1/4 tsp dry basil or a Tbsp fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a very generous dash of black pepper 
1 Tbsp flour of choice (omit to make gluten-free)

Make the Alfredo sauce:
In a large pan, add oil and heat at medium heat. Add chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower, water and salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.  Cool slightly, add everything including water to a blender and blend with non dairy milk, all the spices, oil, and flour. Blend to a smooth puree. Taste and adjust salt, herbs and tang if needed.

Make the Lasagna:
Preheat oven to 400. Boil Noodles according to package suggestions. The brown rice noodles I used only needed 4 minutes to boil. While noodles are boiling mix crushed tomatoes, onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oregano and basil together to make a tasty tomato sauce. Take a casserole dish (9x13 is fine!) and spread a generous amount of tomato sauce on the bottom. Place a layer of spinach, then a layer of mushrooms, and then a layer of noodles. Spread a portion of the alfredo sauce on top of the noodles. Place another layer of spinach and mushrooms. Place another layer of noodles and smother that layer with tomato sauce. If you have more veggies left, keep layering and then place your final noodles on top. Place any remaining tomato sauce around the edges of the casserole dish. Place all of the remaining alfredo sauce on top and spread evenly. Place the lasagna in the oven for 40 minutes. Voila! After you take it out, as it cools, you can garnish with fresh basil. Hope you love this dish as much as I do!

Plant-Based, Whole Food

A little over a year ago I started on a weightloss/wellness journey to figure out how to be the healthiest me I can be. I am very open minded and willing to try lots of different things. I set out to educate myself and learn the best possible way I can eat for my well-being. My maternal grandmother, and my own mother died very young. My grandmother suffered a stroke at 52 and passed away. My mother suffered a massive brain aneurysm and passed away at the age of 48. It was really devastating to me. Some things you can control, some things you cannot. Something that I can control, is what I put into my body, and how I choose to care for my body. Over the past 4-5 years as I have struggled to make healthy choices and figure out how I could best treat my body with food, and maintain a healthy weight. I have felt confused and lost many times. It seems like there are a million different ways to eat, and there are so many foods that are horrible, and there are super foods, and a plethora of information. And it seems like every new study contradicts another. It also seems like the guidelines for our eating, put forth by government entities are constantly changing, and are, to be frank egregious. I have personally spent many years demonizing grains because I felt like if I wanted to lose weight, I needed to restrict carbohydrates. And some people find great success eating that way! For me, while I would lose some weight eating that way, I would inevitably begin yo-yoing back and forth, gaining and losing the same weight over and over again. 

That's kinda where I had been for much of this year. After losing 60lbs last fall eating a paleo/whole30/lowcarb variation, I saw the weight start to creep back up and I started a nasty 6 month cycle of gaining and losing the same 10-12 lbs. It was hard, and I felt discouraged. I felt almost scared to eat because there was so much conflicting advice over what the best diet/way of eating is that it seemed like everything I put in my body was going to cause cancer and kill me. I couldn't lose any more weight--in fact I was gaining. And nothing I was eating felt right. I tried to stay positive, and focus on how far I had come, how much healthier I felt, and making sure to exercise consistently. In June, I began praying in earnest that God would show me a way to eat for my body. Something I could do forever. Something that would help me to live guilt-free when it came to food. Something that would align with the research I had done concerning food sourcing, health, and environmental stewardship. Something that felt right in my heart and soul. Mostly, I prayed to know what God wanted me to do. He created me, He must know the best way for me to care for my body. And I put it in His hands, with total commitment to be obedient when an answer came. Something interesting happened. I began losing an interest in eating meat. My desire to eat grains of all kinds increased. This was very strange to me. I started looking into meatless options for my family. I spoke at length with my husband's uncle, who practices yoga and meditation, and had lots of great advice about how to let things go and learn to show gratitude for food. He talked about learning to let go of emotional baggage. That was eye opening for me. Then, in August when we were in Hawaii on a family trip, the kids laid down for a nap and I sat on the porch of our beautiful beach side cabin and felt the strongest impression to watch Forks Over Knives. I had already seen it a year or two ago, and really liked it. I agreed that there was a lot of truth in The China Study, and the film in general. This time, the movie spoke to me in a way it hadn't before. I felt a strong confirmation that my body needed plants. Whole, unprocessed, plant foods in their natural state. I felt a little overwhelmed, but very calm. And I felt a lot of peace. It was like my body and mind and soul were remembering something they had always known. I know it sounds totally cheesy---but its true! I felt my soul say "YES! Eat this way!"

So in August 2015 I started eating a whole food, plant-based diet. I follow the guidelines put forth by the Forks Over Knives website. A whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil. I thought it would be so hard, but I find so much joy in eating this way. I thought I would miss meat, but I really don't. Learning to cook with little to no oil and no dairy (cheese specifically) has been a HUGE learning curve. But I am finding that the food I am preparing tastes so simple and delicious. Because this has been a spiritual decision for me, I feel a lot of satisfaction, and my food addictions are completely gone. Sometimes I crave something sweet-- and there are so many healthy options to eat to curb that sweet tooth! 

I read this incredible book called " Discovering the Word of Wisdom" by Jane Birch. It has really changed my life-- I would totally recommend it. The LDS (Mormon) faith has a guideline of health that it encourages all people to follow. This is called the Word of Wisdom. As I learn more about what I SHOULD be eating, instead of focusing on what I should be avoiding, my whole life is changing. Eating plants feels so wonderful! Here is a little video that the author put together that is really neat. There are many people all over the world who are eating this way-- and eating less meat than the Standard American Diet recommends. I am a firm believer that every person should do what feels good for them in their heart and soul. This is what works for me- and I am loving it. I can't imagine going back to eating how I was eating before. I have been eating a whole food, plant-based diet for about 6 weeks now, and I love it more and more the longer I eat this way. 

Our minds and our spirits and our bodies are so connected. I have also been working on meditating and healing my body and mind, not only through food, but also through positive thinking and energy. I think sometimes when we can't let go of pain, anger, frustration, despair, heartache, and other things that happen in our lives, we can't let go of excess weight and health problems. Not always, but sometimes. I feel this is true for me, personally. We eat our feelings, or we punish ourselves with food, or we become numb and can't feel the connection between our soul and body. I am learning that when I love myself, I can hear my body. I can truly recognize when my body is communicating a need with me. Sounds funny, huh? But I can hear when I am thirsty. I can hear when I am hungry. I can tell when I need rest, or quiet, or alone time. And I am learning about the connection between soul and body.   I am learning to let go, and love, and forgive, and be peaceful. And its amazing how much better I feel. It is very hard work. And some days or easier and more successful than others. There is something so beautiful about just letting go, and trusting God.