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Fat-Free and Low Fat Vegan Plant Based Recipes

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Instant Pot Plant Based Jackfruit Carnitas (Oil Free Vegan Pulled Pork Tacos)

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Instant Pot Plant Based Jackfruit Carnitas Vegan Pulled Pork

Jackfruit tacos are something that are probably a lot more popular now than when I first wrote this recipe. I remember years ago watching The Great Food Truck Race and there was a vegan truck on it that had deep fried avocado tacos and flat top fried jackfruit tacos. When I started using green jackfruit (in brine from a can, not the fresh ripe stuff) I found that it really needs a lot of flavor and cooking time to become a delicious moist faux pulled pork like dish.


I’ve seen some people on blogs and on Facebook complaining about how bad canned jackfruit in brine is, but they actually just opened a can and took a bite of it as is. I definitely don’t recommend it. It’s like a briney cooked non descript vegetable. It’s not appealing so don’t do that. Pressure cooking or slow cooking is what I recommend, as well as rinsing and chopping your jackfruit very fine like you see above in my photo. Add whatever seasonings and delicious sauce you want to it and you will fall in love. The method plus your sauce choice are imperative for enjoying. You can find this Arroy-D brand at most Asian and Caribbean markets, and Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have their own versions as well now too.

I also want to make another point: PLEASE DON’T USE FRESH RIPE WHOLE JACKFRUIT. I see so many people on social media these days talking about buying an entire jackfruit at the asian market wanting to make a ton of “pulled pork” and freeze it. They’ve never used the canned jackfruit in brine, and they’ve never eaten whole fresh ripe jackfruit before. It’s a totally different thing!



A Warning About Fresh Jackfruit

If you buy a fresh jackfruit from an Asian market it will likely already be ripe, it’s not picked green and unripe for cooking typically. Even at Asian markets you might seen green mango or green papaya separately for salad dishes compared to the standard mangoes and papaya that are mature and will ripen on the counter.

If you want to break down a jackfruit I suggest you get some disposable gloves, a knife you don’t mind ruining, and some oil. Jackfruit comes from a type of rubber tree and the sap inside the jackfruit in between the pith and the fruit is very very sticky and will not come off without oil. You will need several hours likely to break down and section off a whole jackfruit by yourself for the first time. So unless you want to eat a lot of it fresh, or you live somewhere that ripe jackfruit is fairly inexpensive you probably won’t want to go this route. Sometimes the markets will have small sections of ripe jackfruit you can buy and it’s a bit easier to break down for a quick fresh jackfruit snack. This goes without saying but if you are allergic to latex or rubber you should avoid eating jackfruit as well.

Here’s a video for an idea

Fresh ripe jackfruit is green on the outside and bright yellow and sweet on the inside. Perfect for eating fresh like pineapple or mango. Jackfruit was the inspiration for Juicy Fruit Gum actually as well. So don’t use this type for making your tacos, you probably won’t like it and will have spent a lot of time and money as well.

If you want a “chicken” substitute for something like butter chicken or another type of curry you can also do that too instead of tacos and just switch out the sauce/seasonings and pressure cook/slow cook that as well. It does benefit from a long cooking time so I wouldn’t just add a can of jackfruit to a stovetop curry that I was cooking in only 15 minutes or so.

This recipe and my Black Bean and Corn Tacos are featured in my Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World cookbook and is currently on sale with all of my other recipe programs for Cyber Monday Sale here.



Instant Pot Plant Based Jackfruit Carnitas Vegan Pulled Pork

Jackfruit Carnitas (‘Pulled’ Jackfruit Tacos)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 20 oz. / 567 g can green jackfruit in brine (Arroy – D or other brand)
1 large sweet onion, sliced thinly
4 large cloves of garlic sliced
1 tsp. Chipotle Chili Powder
1 tsp. Smoked Spanish Paprika
½ tsp. Frontier Mexican Fiesta powder or other Mexican blend spice*optional
¼ tsp. Roasted Ground Cumin
¾ tsp. Herbamare or salt (or less if using salted bouillon) 
½ cup / 118 ml. mild or medium salsa (Trader Joe’s tomatillo, Mild salsa, Newman’s Own Mango salsa etc. all work well)
1 cup / 237 ml. vegetable broth (or bouillon in water) for stovetop *see NOTE
1- 1½ cups / 237-355ml. water if needed for stovetop *see NOTE
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
12 corn tortillas (look for oil free low sodium ones) 

NOTE: Check your pressure cooker directions for the number of half cups of water you need for each 5 minutes of cooking time. Make sure the broth / water content is sufficient. Stove top pressure cookers need much more water, while digital electric pressure cookers AKA Instapots use a much smaller amount; – around only ½ cup of broth / water total. The onions release enough water to keep it from burning. *If you’re using an Instapot/Digital pressure cooker only use 1/2 cup broth/water and skip the rest.

Pressure Cooker Directions:

1.  Drain and rinse the jackfruit and slice very thinly.
2. Place the above ingredients into a pressure cooker.
3.  Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. Check it at 15 or 20 minutes, if it’s your first time cooking over the stove, to ensure there’s enough liquid in the bottom.  You don’t want it to burn, but you need to cook the jackfruit well so it’s very tender and has a soft texture like pulled pork. If you use a digital pressure cooker, it should be fine left alone for 25 minutes. Use Quick Release method when done cooking.
4.  Serve with your favorite sides like corn tortillas, guacamole, salsa, black beans, refried beans, or rice. 

Slow Cooker Directions: 

Place the ingredients in a slow cooker for 5-6 hours on low, but use only ½ cup broth or water in total and skip the rest. (In the pressure cooker the excess water turns into steam, unlike the slow cooker, which traps in moisture.)

Additional Tips:

You will have to go to an Asian market or Amazon.com to get canned green Jackfruit. Make sure it says in brine and not in syrup. You don’t want sweetened jackfruit for this dish. I found Arroy-D canned jackfruit in the tiny city of Corpus Christi, Texas so if I can find it there, I’m confidant you can find it in most states and countries. Sometimes I mix it up and add sliced mushrooms and/or zucchini as well to make the recipe go even farther. I’ve also doubled this recipe for potlucks with no problem as well.

Nutrition Facts: 4 Servings (3 tacos), Amount Per Serving: Calories 309.7 Total Fat 1.8 g Saturated Fat 0.0 g Sodium 444.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 68.0 g Dietary Fiber 5.4 g Sugars 6.5 g Protein 4.4 g

Have you ever had green jackfruit before? What did you think?

20 Minutes To The Table: Baked Flatbread with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Artichokes and Basil

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So the other day I was craving something pizza-like, but knew I wanted to put a healthy twist on it. Although you may think I’m apt to put hummus on just about anything (I might! lol) I actually don’t eat hummus all that often. But when I do, I love to make my own from scratch as it’s super simple. In this recipe I wanted to use the creamy hummus to sub for the sauce and cheese of traditional pizza and then top with some delicious veggies. Although you can use store bought hummus, I don’t like that it contains a lot of oil and isn’t as tasty as making your own. In fact there is a world of difference between fresh made roasted red pepper hummus versus the store bought kind.

In this episode of 20 minutes to the Table I’m going to show you how you can make your own roasted red pepper hummus, baked flat bread and a fresh salad with maple dijon dressing all in less than 20 minutes for an easy midweek meal

To subscribe to my Youtube channel please click on the video to open it in a new browser and hit the subscribe button beside LowFatVeganChef just under the video. Likes are always appreciated as well!

Some other toppings for your baked flatbread could be sautéed mushrooms, black olives, pineapple, arugula, tempeh or smoked tofu. Use your imagination! Recipes below:

Oil-Free Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

This is half the recipe from my version in Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World

Ingredients:

15 oz. / 425 g can chickpeas (no-salt), drained (reserve a few tbsp of liquid) *OR 1 3/4 cup fresh cooked chickpeas
1 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter)
6 oz. / 170 g (half a jar) roasted red peppers, drained *OR about 1 small fresh roasted red pepper
1/2 large lemon, juiced
2 cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp. Herbamare or salt, or to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired and blend again. Don’t worry if it’s a little thin, when it baked it will become creamy and thick!
3. Enjoy!

BakedFlatBreadPhoto

Recipe photo

Vegan Baked Flatbread with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Artichoke Hearts and Basil

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (recipe above)
1 package of thin burger/sandwich buns or other flatbread
1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts in water (not oil) *OR 400g of frozen artichoke hearts
1 small Vidalia (sweet) onion, sliced
1 handful of fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté onion over medium heat for 5-7 minutes in a little bit of water.
2. Slice artichoke hearts and basil into strips.
3. Assemble flatbread by spreading a thick layer of hummus on each piece of bread and topping with cooked onion, artichoke pieces and basil.
4. Bake for 8-10 until crispy and brown on the bottom. (I baked mine for 10 minutes)

Spinach Arugula Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

Serves 3-4

Salad Ingredients:

1 5 oz package baby spinach & arugula mix
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
1/2 ripe tomato, sliced
1/3 cup chickpeas

Dressing Ingredients:

4 tbsp Dijon mustard
5-6 tbsp maple syrup (or honey if desired)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. Assemble salad ingredients into a bowl.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Drizzle over salad and store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge.

 Have you ever made a vegan flatbread or pizza? What’s your favorite toppings? Let me know what you think of these recipes by posting below. 

Low Fat Vegan Thanksgiving Ideas

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I decided to make a post of my favorite veganized Thanksgiving dishes to share with you since many of you will be dining plant based or trying to dine mostly plant based this year and still feeding some carnivores too! All of these recipes have been tested on my family and their non vegan friends, so I assure you they are crowd pleasers. 🙂
Some of these recipes are featured in my blog, and some are in my recipe ebook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World has loads more delicious and hearty entree recipes for every occasion.

Vegan Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

Raw Vegan Salads:

Raw vegan Caesar Salad

Raw Vegan Caesar Salad

The Best Caesar Salad

 

Low Fat Raw Vegan Chef's Strawberry Pecan Spinach Salad

Strawberry Pecan Spinach Salad

Vegan Thanksgiving Entrees:

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats

 

Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash

Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash

Greek Stuffed Eggplant

Herbed Lentil Loaf

Herbed Lentil Loaf with Miso Gravy

Greek Rice Stuffed Peppers

Greek Stuffed Peppers

 

Vegan Side Dishes:

Maple Yam and Pecan Casserole

Holiday Baked Maple Yam Pecan Casserole

Cranberry Apple Pecan Holiday Stuffing

Cranberry Apple Pecan Holiday Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes With Gravy

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Brown Gravy

Steamed Vegetablesin Cheezy Sauce

Steamed Vegetables In Cheezy Sauce

Tangy Collard Greens with Mushrooms, Onions and Coconut Milk

Tangy Collard Greens in Coconut Milk

 

Vegan Decadent Desserts (These are not low fat):

Vegan Pecan Pie


Holiday Vegan Pecan Pie

Vegan Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote

Vegan Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote

 

Vegan Lower Fat Desserts: 

Fudgey Blackberry Brownies

Fudgey Black Berry Brownies

Vegan Rice Pudding

Vegan Rice Pudding

Apple Strawberry Strudel Pie

Apple Strawberry Strudel Pie

There are lots of delicious and healthy recipes to choose from. I hope that I included some of your favorites.
So if these goodies entice you be sure to check out my book  Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World. 
What’s your favorite vegan Thanksgiving dish?

Low Fat Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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These vegan quinoa stuffed zucchini boats would make a delicious entree for a special dinner or any holiday occasion. I really think it’s important to have a nice entree when serving a holiday meal without meat so those who are not used to eating vegan feel more comfortable eating something more eye catching and filling than a plate full of vegetable sides.

Honestly I think that’s the major problem with people’s perception of a vegan diet. When you take away the meat, they assume they are supposed to just eat salad, a side of steamed vegetables and maybe some rice or a potato and this can get rather mundane day after day. I find that most traditional restaurants have no clue how to make a vegan plate and often just take take take without giving anything back. No meat, no cheese, no creamy sauce/dressing and you’re left with a tiny plate of vegetables with little calories (so you’re starving 30 minutes later).

Don’t let this happen to your family or dinner guests! If you want to serve them a delicious vegan dinner, why not have a beautiful entree like a stuffed vegetable? I have made Greek Stuffed Eggplant on the blog here, Greek Stuffed Peppers and Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash in my new ebook here. All of them contain rice, so let’s switch it up and try quinoa instead of rice for a change?

Now quinoa can be quite bland on it’s own so it’s nice to serve with saucy vegetables, or season it while it cooks (which is what I did in this recipe.) Then I sautéed it with cooked vegetables to let the flavors meld and then tossed in some chopped pecans and cranberries for good measure to add some more flavor and texture to it.

Most recipes I’ve seen on the internet for zucchini boats are based on ground beef and then topped with cheese and let’s face it, zucchini doesn’t have to be completely hidden by overpowering flavors for people to enjoy it! Zucchini lovers unite! Show everyone how delicious it can be on it’s own without being covered in meat and cheese. 🙂

Check out my recipe below:

(Vegan) Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats

 

Serves 8 

Ingredients:

Quinoa:

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup vegetable broth low sodium or homemade
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper (as desired)

Zucchini Boats:

4 medium zucchini, washed
1 medium sweet onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 handful of greens like spinach, chard, beet greens etc. chopped
1/2-1 cup vegetable broth low sodium or homemade (to cook with)
2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
2 tbsp cranberries (apple juice sweetened)
1/4 tsp Herbamare or salt (or as desired)
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Soak the quinoa in a bowl of cool water for 15 minutes.

2. Fill a large 6 quart/litre pot with water and bring to a boil.

3. While waiting for pot to boil, drain quinoa, add vegetable broth 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, thyme and salt and pepper to a small pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F / 191 C and add zucchinis whole to the large pot of water and boil for 15 minutes until tender. Set aside on racks to cool.

5. Slice zucchinis in half and scoop out the middle seeds, leaving enough flesh to hold the zucchini together. Chop the flesh and set aside. (You can use or discard the seeds if you wish. I discard most of them in favor of the other diced vegetables I’m using)

6. Meanwhile in a large skillet or wok add 1/2 cup vegetable broth and heat over medium high heat. When hot, add onions carrots and thyme. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes and then add celery, some of the zucchini pulp, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Continue cooking until tender. Add more broth if needed to prevent sticking. Toss in pecans, cranberries, and quinoa and season with salt and pepper as desired.

7. If desired sprinkle some balsamic vinegar and/or salt lightly on the inside of the zucchini boats. Stuff the zucchini with filling mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until tender.

8. Serve warm.

Please note: you will not have room for all the other vegetables and quinoa if you use all of the zucchini pulp and seeds. So i just use the pulp and chop it and discard the heavily seeded parts.

I served these with traditional Thanksgiving sides like Garlic Mashed Potatoes and stuffing. For more Thanksgiving and other delicious entree recipes check out my new recipe ebook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World. (Some favorite holiday recipes include Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash, Garlic Mashed Potatoes With Mushrooms and Onions, Cranberry Pecan Holiday Stuffing, Holiday Yam Pecan Casserole, The Best Cabbage Rolls and more.)

Have you ever had stuffed zucchini before or any other stuffed vegetable?

Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World Now Available!

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My new recipe eBook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World is now available!

I originally wanted to release this in the spring, but I decided to double the amount of recipes included in it and take more delicious photographs! It’s got over 60 recipes in it. All are 100% oil free, low in fat and based on whole foods like potatoes, yams/sweet potatoes/ rice, beans and lentils. There’s absolutely NO fake meat and no fake cheese in these recipes either!

I also teach you how to cook brown rice, Indian rice, quinoa and pasta so you can have delicious side dishes.

Oh and did I mention there are 5 different gravy recipes too? As well as cheezy sauce, hummus, baba ghanoush, roasted red pepper hummus, tangy ranch dip and queso sauce, so you’ll never again wonder what to put on your vegetables!

Some of my favorite recipes include:

Fettuccini Alfredo With Mushrooms And Spinach

Indian Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala)

Greek Rice Stuffed Peppers

Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Marinated Portobello Bean Burritos

Black Bean And Corn Tacos

The Best Cabbage Rolls

and more!

So check it out:

http://www.plantbasedu.com/comfortfoods

 

Low Fat Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

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Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese is one of my faaaaavorite recipes in my new ebook. I make it quite often for my friends and family and it’s super pretty to serve with the panko topping and red and green spices on top.

This is one of my favorite recipes I created for my cookbook

Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World 3D

And the winner of my new ebook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around the World is…..

Missy!

Congratulations Missy! You will receive a copy of my new recipe ebook Comfort Foods From Around The World.

Now on to my delicious recipe of the week… This one was mentioned numerous times by you guys as one you just HAD to have. So I’m giving you a sneak peek this week before my ebook goes on sale next week.

A delicious vegan mac and cheese recipe can be quite elusive to find. I had actually never eaten vegan mac and cheese until I started playing around with recipes and made one myself. But later whenever I saw vegan mac and cheese while traveling around Canada and the USA I tried some because I was curious what other people had come up with. Generally speaking it’s not that special. Most vegetarian restaurants serve macaroni tossed in oil and a bit of seasoning and then top it with fake (vegan) cheese and then bake it and you end up with a slightly greasy, fairly salty overcooked macaroni that leaves much to be desired. I have yet to be impressed.

I think what makes a great mac and cheese regardless if it’s vegan or not is having some actual cheese sauce in it. All of these vegetarian restaurants skipped this essential part! (I am still baffled as to why they would do this, when classic recipes always have a cheese sauce.)

My vegan mac and cheese recipe actually doesn’t contain any oil or fake vegan cheese at all. I wanted the “cheese” sauce to be amazing and give all the flavour to this classic casserole dish without the need for high fat vegan cheese. I’ve even served this to my mom’s friends and they had NO IDEA that it was vegan or that it didn’t contain cheese. Needless to say whenever I am cooking for people who are skeptical of vegan food this is one of my top 3 go to dishes. (My others are Quinoa Veggie Chilli and Greek Stuffed Peppers which are also in my Comfort Foods From Around The World recipe ebook).

What I love about using squash in the cheese sauce is that it’s a natural thickener because of the high starch content, that way you can easily create a thick creamy sauce without any extra oil or fat and it holds it together nicely.

The 2 essential ingredients for flavoring this recipe would be miso paste and smoked paprika. Miso paste is what gives this sauce a really cheesy flavor, because it’s fermented and tangy. (Nutritional yeast also helps, but you need the miso paste for it to taste like cheese.) My favorite is Genmai brown rice miso paste, you can find it at the health food store in the refrigerated section near the tofu and fake meat products. I have tried using different miso pastes like white (shiro) and yellow miso but they are much milder and I found I had to add a lot more to my recipes. So keep this in mind if you use a different kind of miso paste and use as much as you feel you need when taste testing your sauce. The other ingredient is smoked paprika, I think this is a vast improvement over regular paprika (which I never liked as a child) and I like to include it in any recipes that I’d like a nice mild smokey flavor to. Plus it’s absolutely gorgeous for sprinkling on top of recipes as you can see as well. So do try and find smoked paprika, once you do you’ll want to put it on everything! (and of course check Amazon if you can’t find it locally.)

I know this is recipe is one you’re going to want to make for your family again and again because it’s delicious, yet light. It has all the decadence of mac and cheese without the guilt or the excess calories and you easily serve it with a side salad or steamed vegetable like broccoli to make an even more balanced meal.

This is by far the BEST vegan mac and cheese I’ve ever had (and I’ve tried a lot). It’s so good that all your vegan and omnivore friends will be begging you to make it again and again. And best of all it is very low in fat and much healthier than the original classic.

Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

from Comfort Foods From Around The World

Serves 6

Ingredients:

½ medium butternut squash (or 1 2/3 cups cooked and mashed)
16 oz/454 g package elbow macaroni or spirals (for GF use Tinkyada brown rice pasta for best results)
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt (*optional for pasta)
1/2-3/4 cup vegetable broth (for cooking)
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp. brown rice miso (use more if using shiro/white/yellow miso)
3 cups almond milk (unsweetened original)
2 tbsp. flour or cornstarch
3/4-cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2-1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2-3/4 tsp. salt (*optional for sauce)

Topping:
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (or GF)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

Directions:

1. Peel and cube the butternut squash and bring to a boil and steam just until soft. Alternatively you can cook in a pressure cooker at high pressure for 5-7 minutes. Drain well. (Tip, if your squash is hard to peel or cut, pop it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes to soften the skin to make it easier to slice.) Measure out 1 2/3 cup of mashed squash and set aside.

2. In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil and then add salt if desired. Add pasta and cook just before tender. Generally it’s about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander and rinse in cold water. (Do not overcook the pasta.)

3. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C.

4. In a large saucepan heat vegetable broth over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 5-6 minutes until tender adding broth when needed to prevent burning.

5. Add cooked onions and any remaining broth from pan into Vitamix or food processor, add mashed squash and miso and blend until combined. Set aside

6. In the same large saucepan add 1 cup of the almond milk and sprinkle 1 tbsp. of the flour or cornstarch when hot and whisk in. Add the remaining 2 cups of milk and sprinkle in another tbsp. of flour. Whisk this together fast. It’s ok if there are a few small bits of flour still.

7. Cook the sauce for a minute or two until hot and quickly add the squash mixture and whisk in. Heat through another minute or two and then add the nutritional yeast and whisk in. Turn off heat and add remaining seasonings starting with the lower amounts. Taste test and add additional seasonings to your liking.

8. Add drained pasta to sauce pot and stir to coat. Spread out in a casserole dish. (If you want to add some vegan cheese like Daiya cheese you would layer some in now and mix it in, but I don’t feel the need to add it personally.) Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over top. Sprinkle basil, oregano and paprika to cover.

9. Bake for 20-30 minutes just until pasta is tender. (20 minutes if you slightly overcooked your pasta, 30 minutes if you didn’t)

10. Serve with steamed broccoli or a green salad.

Additional Tips:

To save time you can use frozen cubed butternut squash and then cook it and mash it, or use canned butternut squash. Both are sold at health food stores in North America.

Smoked paprika (also called Spanish Paprika) is much more flavourful than traditional paprika, it lends a nice smokey flavor to this cheesy sauce. McCormick makes one, or you can get it at some ethnic or Indian markets.

To reheat you will want to either microwave it and then toast it in the oven or toaster oven to crisp up the breadcrumbs again, or just reheat in the oven until warm.

 What do you think of this recipe? Have you ever tried vegan mac and cheese before?

This is just 1 of 60 other delicious recipes in my new recipe ebook Comfort Foods From Around The World. It’s going to be released shortly, so make sure you are subscribed to my mailing list to keep up to date on it’s release!

5 Secrets For Making Quick And Healthy Vegan Meals At Home

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I want to share with you some more helpful hints on how cooking low fat vegan and plant based meals at home can fit into your schedule and help you on your way to losing weight without too much fuss. If you’re new to the lifestyle and want to reach your goals faster, check out my Low Fat Vegan Starter Kit which covers meals for breakfast, lunch AND dinner!

image credit: thesurvivorsclub.org

 

5 Secrets For Making Quick Healthy Meals At Home

 
1. Plan in advance what you will be eating (at least 5 days a week) breakfast and lunch and then 4 or 5 nights for dinner if you like.
Take a few minutes to write down some ideas for what you enjoy eating (that is healthy and nutritious) and what you think you can manage preparing for the week. It is very hard to stick to a healthy diet if you don’t do this crucial first step in figuring out your meal options. 
 
2. Shop once a week on a weekend for all the food you will be eating throughout the week. 
Know how many fruits, veggies and bags of salad you will need for the week and keep it on hand. If you have healthy items in the fridge you are more likely to eat them than if you have nothing around when you’re short on time and having hunger pangs. Also cleaning out your fridge regularly and keeping it organized will help you see not only what you have to work with but also prevent you from letting food go to waste by spoiling or freezing if it’s stuck at the back of the fridge. 
 
3. Eat the same (or very similar) thing for breakfast and lunch during the week to keep things simple. 
Studies have shown those who eat the same healthy breakfast or lunch every day have an easier time sticking to their diet plans and reaching their goal weight. Control temptation for eating on the go and grabbing takeout by planning in advance and eating meals you love every day during the week. 
 

Breakfast ideas during the week: large fruit smoothie, large green smoothie, steel cut oats with dried fruit and nuts, fruit salad with toast and jam and/or peanut butter, fruit salad with coconut or almond yogurt (available at the health food store), fruit salad and a whole grain muffin etc. See my ‘Simply Decadent Smoothies’ recipe ebook for delicious ideas.  

Lunch ideas during the week: large salad with fruit, vegetables and homemade nut based dressing (oil-free of course), steamed vegetables and/or lentils and rice with a homemade or low fat store bought sauce, baked potato with hummus and a side salad, homemade soup, stew or chili, roasted vegetable sandwich on whole grain bread with fruit, etc. See my ‘Comfort Soups To Keep YouWarm’ recipe ebook for hot lunch ideas. 
 
4. For hot meals (or salads) do your cooking (or prepping) once or twice a week. 
Make a big batch or double batch of soup, stew, casserole, curry etc. that you can easily pair with a whole grain such as rice or quinoa and a salad or veggies. For salads use large tupperware containers and portion out your lettuce and assorted veggies, dried fruit and toppings. Make a homemade dressing or find a tasty oil-free dressing you enjoy and have little containers to take with your salad each day. For delicious dinner recipes the whole family will enjoy I recommend my “Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World” recipe ebook. 
 
5. Use cooking devices such as slow cookers or pressure cookers to save active cooking time in the kitchen.
 
With a slow cooker you can prep everything on a Sunday morning or afternoon and then by dinner time you will have a hot meal ready to eat and you can save any leftovers for meals throughout the rest of the week. With a pressure cooker you can easily make homemade vegetable broth, soup, or fresh beans in only a fraction of the time so you don’t have to hang around watching the stove for an hour while things cook. 
 
The most important aspect to sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle is planning ahead. Life can get hectic at times and we can feel rushed and make a lot of excuses for eating unhealthy snacks and meals on the go, but if you master the art of shopping in advance and learn how to make a few healthy recipes you like to eat every week you will be well on your way to success. 
 
Just schedule yourself some time every week for shopping and preparing a few healthy recipes, a little effort in these areas can make a big difference to your health and not to mention your waistline…
 
I hope I’ve inspired you to take the next step and get back into the kitchen. 
 
You can do it, I believe in you!

Aloha From Honolulu Hawaii!

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Yesterday I arrived in Honolulu, Oahu, for a much needed two-week vacation
following the launch of my first ebook (and the completion of testing my recipes
for my second ebook). I have to say it feels great to be “off my feet” so to speak
and out of the kitchen for a while!

Honolulu Oahu Hawaii Ala Moana Beach Park

(The view from Ala Moana Beach Park)

Oahu Hawaii Honolulu Downtown

Honolulu Waikiki area

Hawaii is one of my top favourite places in the whole world. Every time I come
here I just feel so relaxed and happy. Stepping off of the plane you are greeted
by the fragrant scent of tropical flowers, a warm breeze envelopes you like a
cozy blanket and you feel like you’ve entered a magical paradise that you never
want to leave. I know I feel like that every time I come here…

What’s great about Honolulu and the Waikiki area is that you don’t need a car.
We have a friend pick us up from the airport and we can just walk to everything
around here. Generally we don’t even take cabs, but if you wanted to say go to
Costco or something you can go there by cab or bus.  We’ve taken the bus a
few times here, it’s pretty easy. The busses announce their names and each
stop so it’s great for tourists trying to orient themselves in a new place.

One of the things people on Oahu complain about is the traffic, but if you’re on
vacation you probably won’t notice it unless you’re driving around in rush hour
or going on a tour all around the island. If you check out the North Shore you might
get to see some sea turtles coming inland or bathing on the beach by the side of the
highway. If you go to the West side of Oahu you can check out Matsumoto’s Shave Ice.
Shave ice is like a finely shaved snow and much better than a snow cone. Most of the
shaved ice in Hawaii is the same, and it’s kind of like a slurpee/snow cone and really loose.
Matsumoto’s is better because they actually pack it in like a snow cone, so it doesn’t melt as
fast and the flavours stay separate on each side. After having it once and then some other
shave ice places I can say it’s definitely worth checking out if you’ve never had it before.

Ala Wai Canal

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To jumpstart your healthy lifestyle before summer, get my DVD series
“Savory Raw Dinner Recipes.”

Go to: http://www.plantbasedu.com/savory

————–

Because I’ve been out of the kitchen for a few days and won’t have access
to my usual kitchen tools and ingredients I’ll only be sending you one
vegan recipe this week instead of the usual two.

BUT the recipe I’m going to send you is a good one! Actually my friend
Karmyn, who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii just told me there’s a new
vegetarian restaurant opening up that wants to put one of my raw recipes
on their menu! (Karmyn was raving about it and convinced them it was so
delicious, easy and healthy, they couldn’t refuse.)

This is so exciting that I’m going to share the recipe with you on Thursday.
I know you’re going to love it, especially now that it’s spring and you’re
craving something new and refreshing.

Now is the perfect time to start thinking about eating healthier and getting
active. Eating some fresh produce whether it’s in smoothies, salads or
even whole is relatively easy to add to your diet. But for those of you looking
for a little guidance and some sure-fire tasty raw dishes to add to your
repertoire, there’s my Savory Raw Dinner Recipes DVD and recipe book
collection.

Maui Gold Mini Hawaiian Pineapple

Since I’ve arrived I’ve already eaten a ton of fresh Maui Gold pineapple (this is
some of the best sweet pineapple you will ever have) and a bunch of Hawaiian
papayas. Yes we can get these things at home, but they are just so fresh
and delicious here I feel even more drawn to them.

Eating fresh and seasonal produce is one of the best things you can do for
your health. The fresher and least amount of processing, the better. I know
salads can be something you either love or hate, just based on the dressing
alone! I know I like salads myself, but only if there’s a good (and oil-free)
dressing that really adds another dimension to it. And I don’t like eating
the exact same one every day either!

This is one thing I think most people have a problem with. They kind of get
stuck in a salad rut and use the same old store bought dressing every time,
or just give up eating salad because they don’t really know what to put in it
or on it.

This is why I created some awesome salads and raw entrees and added
some killer combinations to them to make the flavours pop in your mouth
to savor.

It’s called Savory Raw Dinner Recipes because fruit salad and
smoothies are pretty simple in terms of preparing and flavor combinations,
but mixing salad, fruit and vegetables together into a healthy dish can be
a little trickier and more complex.

If you want to eat more raw foods but are bored with typical raw recipes,
salads and veggie sticks and dip, I think you will love Savory Raw Dinner
Recipes.

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Get over 50 more healthy and delicious raw recipes here:
http://www.plantbasedu.com/savory
—————-

In addition to the DVD version, we’ve now created a DIGITAL VERSION
of this program for those who prefer to download everything right away and
not wait for post man!

Have you ever been to Hawaii before? What is your favourite place? Where would you like to go?

Karmyn Malone’s Review Of My Savory Raw Dinner Recipes DVD and Book Set

by 2 Comments

—————–
If you’d like to give the DVD set Savory Raw Dinner Recipes a try, you won’t
regret it.

Go to: http://www.plantbasedu.com/savory

Mediterranean Flax Tortilla Wrap

——————
My review of Veronica Grace’s Savory Raw Dinner Recipes System

by Karmyn Malone
——————

Aloha!

I want to share with you my thoughts on the new Savory Raw Dinner Recipes system
created by Veronica Grace the Low Fat Vegan Chef.

Once our daughter Rainbow was born I was ready for some new, raw, and savory recipes.
I’ve been getting “fruited out”really easily post pregnancy and need something savory
after each fruit meal.

Since I’m busy taking care of Rainbow (and Andrew!) I don’t have a lot of time to spend
in the kitchen creating new recipes.

I kept “bugging” Veronica to share her recipes with me,and once I tried making a few of
them I was thrilled at how most of them came out.

Strawberry Pecan Spinach Salad

My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE recipe is her “Strawberry Pecan Spinach Salad.” This
recipe alone makes owning her “Savory Raw Dinner Recipes” WORTH IT. If I could
make it everyday I would. It’s so good that once I went to four different stores looking for
fresh strawberries and was so disappointed when I had to come home empty handed!

Lower Fat Taco Salad

That day I decided to “settle” and made her “Low Fat Taco Salad” instead because I didn’t have
any strawberries. I have a similar taco salad recipe that I enjoy but she used a couple of KEY
ingredients in her salad that WOWED me! Hmmmmmm …. why didn’t I think to use those?

Thai Tom Kha Soup

“Easy Fat-Free Veggie Soup” is very light and refreshing. Another delicious, spicy and
hearty soup is ” Thai Tom Kha Coconut Soup.” I felt like I was in a cooked food Thai
restaurant but of course it’s prepared raw.

Definitely a recipe for the raw Thai food connoisseurs out there.

It’s so nice to have another raw recipe system that tastes great without resorting to using tons
of oil and salt (although some of the recipes do use a TINY amount of salt).

Also the recipes don’t take all day to prepare like the ultra complicated gourmet raw recipes
that will make you thirsty enough to drink toilet water, nor will they make you sick due to
the nuts, oils and avocado used in them!

I’m not kidding — many of those gourmet raw recipes will use nuts, oil AND avocado in one
recipe! I had a recipe like that recently that a friend prepared and I was sick to my stomach
for the rest of that night. I’m talking painful and laying in bed kind of sick.

Veronica Grace’s “Savory Raw Dinner Recipes” nicely compliments Roger Haeske’s
Savory Veggie Stews (http://www.veggiestews.com). In other words, they’re two distinctly different recipe systems.

Veronica's Amazing Raw Lasagna

There are simple recipes that you can make everyday as well as dinner party oriented recipes
to make for special occasions (I’m really looking forward to making “Veronica’s Amazing
Raw Lasagna”)

Some of the recipes do call for salt, onions and garlic. Of course this is completely
optional.

I’ve made some of those recipes without any salt and they’re still delicious.

And mind you the quantity of salt in these recipes is MUCH lower than what you’d find at
a typical gourmet raw food restaurant. I’m talking a pinch of salt.

BTW, I had a mega bowl of “Strawberry Pecan Spinach Salad” for lunch just before writing
this review today. Boy that salad really hits the spot.

A great thing about their system is if you’re not at all into using garlic, onions,
apple cider vinegar and salt, the recipes still taste great even if you omit these
ingredients. I was surprised that the flavor was still good when I omitted some of
these ingredients.

Also you can adjust the seasonings to your taste preferences and they still taste
great whether you like your food mildly seasoned, medium or super seasoned! There
were even certain condiments that I didn’t use at all and the recipes I made still
tasted AMAZING!

Fat Free Stuffed Peppers

Overall I’ve found the “Savory Raw Dinner Recipes” to be just what I needed to
balance out my sweet fruit consumption with more savory meals.

As a nursing mom, my dietary needs are much different than when I wasn’t nursing.
A constant source of mineral rich savory meals after fruit is now mandatory for me.

I think you’re going to find a number of recipes that’ll satisfy your need for
something hearty and savory and yet are easy to prepare.

With much aloha,

Karmyn

P.S. My 4 1/2 year old son Andrew just loves these recipes. He constantly asks me to make
Veronica’s recipes.

He licked his bowl CLEAN after eating her “Strawberry Pecan Spinach Salad” and her “Low
Fat Taco Salad” (when he does that then I KNOW it’s a new favorite dish for him!)
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Click the picture below to find out more about my program Savory Raw Dinner Recipes.

If you’d like to give the DVD set Savory Raw Dinner Recipes
a try, you won’t regret it.

Go to: http://www.plantbasedu.com/savory

If you’d like to find out more about Karmyn Malone and her raw food journey go to http://karmynmalone.com/ or find her on Facebook