Plant Based Edamame Spaghetti #vegan # WFPBNO

 I find the most interesting plant based whole foods at the grocery stores these days. These edamame noodles are pretty much fool proof with 3 times the protein and 5 times the fiber of durum wheat spaghetti.  All I did was boil them in water with a little salt, just like the box tells you to do. I like to over cook them about 2 minutes longer than the directions say to make them tender.

For the sauce I generally make my own homemade marinara, but on this night I was pressed for time. On my shelf was a jar of
 Prego Lower Calorie (formerly Light Smart) sauce that I bought at Wal-Mart shouting "PICK ME!" It is totally WFPBNO compliant and readily available at Kroger too for under $2.00 a jar. It was really good!  All I did was water saute a roughly chopped red sweet pepper and sliced some olives to add to the color palate.
My pasta loving Italian friends taught me not to put noodles on a plate and then top with sauce. Instead, I drained the noodles, put them back in the pot and stirred in 2 cups of my sauce over low heat allowing the noodles to absorb it. Add a little nutritional yeast and...Perfect!
Everything was ready and plated in 20 minutes and there was only 1 pot to clean.
A main course for 2 for under $7.00.
Give it a try!

Homemade Mayo Substitute. My favorite spread! No processed oil. #WFPBNO #vegan

Homemade Garlic Mayo

There are a few different store bought mayo substitutes out there, all of which contain processed oil. It's pretty easy to make your own. I use cashews and it comes out creamy and delicious.  This is the stuff I use to make chickpea or "tuna-ish" salad. It's good as a spread or add dill and onion flakes to make a dip. Use your imagination!  It's delicious and extremely versatile.  This works as a spread, a dip, a salad dressing or as an ingredient in chickpea salad.  Get creative!!




WFPB MAYO SUBSTITUTE

2 cups cashews, boiled in water for 20 minutes. Drain.
4 garlic cloves
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water

1 cup aquafaba

Blend thoroughly until creamy.

No Exercise Weight Loss #WFPBNO #Vegan #nodietdiet

I had a nice experience being interviewed about losing weight without exercising. 

The activity and exercising is a result of proper nutrition, not the other way around.

Here's a link to part 1 of the interview...

https://fathersafter50.com/allan-kalmus/

Dairy Free, Nut Free, Oil Free, Guilt Free Cream of Broccoli Soup #Vegan #WFPBNO

It's still cold out and I still like soup. During my weekly refrigerator dump, I came across 4 broccoli crowns that had been forgotten and needed some fast moving attention. Well it worked for cauliflower so why not make cream of broccoli soup the same way!  Its the simplest recipe ever and comes out thick but light and delicious. Other than water, there are only 2 ingredients. Here's the recipe. Hope you try it!

CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

Prep time: 5 min

Cooking time: 20 min

Total time:  25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of aquafaba

4 broccoli crowns

Put a steamer tray in a pot. Break up the broccoli crowns into florets and put them into the pot with 1 cup of water.  Steam them for 20 minutes or until very, very tender. Put the hot water and the cooked broccoli into your blender. Add the 1/2 cup of aquafaba and blend it on high for 5 minutes. 

Serve hot!

I added some dried basil after it was in the bowl. You can add whichever spice you like or nothing at all. It's delicious and loaded with fiber and protein.  Per calorie, broccoli is an excellent source of protein with no saturated fat and no hormones. Eat all you want! 

Dairy Free Cream of Cauliflower Soup #Vegan #WFPBNO #FoodISmedicine

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

           HOT SOUP!

As February winds down and March gets closer there is still plenty of time for some seasonal comfort foods like hot soup. My wife had planned on making dinner for our kids and grand kids over the weekend, but plans changed when the grand kids caught colds. She had already broken a head of cauliflower into florets and placed them in a pot to be steamed when the plans got canceled. She told me I might as well do something with the cauliflower so instead of simply steaming it, I found an easy way to turn it into cream of cauliflower soup! This couldn't be any easier and there are only 3 ingredients. It came out fantastic!  All you need is a pot and a blender. 

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Prep Time:  5 min

Cooking Time:  20 minutes

Servings:  2

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of aquafaba from a can of chickpeas

Place a vegetable steamer separator into a pot. Add 1 cup of water and the head of cauliflower florets. Bring it to a boil and put the lid on the pot. Cook until the cauliflower is very, very tender. Put the cauliflower with the water (which is now veggie stock) into your blender with the aquafaba. Blend it for about 5 minutes or until it is completely smooth. Aquafaba is already salty so you don't have to add salt, but season to taste. 

That's all I did and I was tempted to eat the whole thing myself until I realized its an entire head of cauliflower with bean water. The consequences may be musical and unpleasant, not so much for me, but for my staff tomorrow!  Stay tuned.....  😝

Creamy Garlic Dressing. No Processed Oil #vegan #plant based #WFPBNO

CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING

We went grocery shopping today getting, among other things, plenty of fruits and vegetables.
When we got home and I was putting them away, I came across some celery and cherry tomatoes that were beginning to wilt.
Rather than throw them out or add them to a veggie stew, I simply soaked them in cold water for an hour and chopped them into a celery and tomato salad. It was looking a bit sad so I jazzed it up with some homemade dressing. It came out great so I'm sharing it with you!

Ingredients:
2 cups cashews, soaked in water overnight
then drained
4 garlic cloves
4 teaspoons white vinegar
½  teaspoon salt
½  teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried dill
½  cup aquafaba
2 Tablespoons water

In a high speed blender puree until creamy. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Let me know if you like it. I can always make more😎

Spaghetti Squash, Wild Rice, Quinoa, Tomatoes, Chili Peppers #WFPBNO

Here's a straightforward way of preparing spaghetti squash.

Cut the squash lengthwise. Scoop or the seeds. Brush the insides with aquafaba. Place it face down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

Bake it at 400F for 50 minutes.

Put 2 cups of quinoa with 2 cups wild rice and 4 cups of water in a pressure cooker with Mrs. Dash saltfree seasoning. Cook it on the brown rice setting and let it vent naturally. 

Use a non stick pan, water with lemon juice to saute and carmelize a diced onion with 3 cloves of garlic and a red chili. Add 3 diced Roma tomatoes and deglaze the pan with more water and lemon juice.

Scoop out one of the halves of the squash. Toss everything together, put it in your nonstick pan. On medium heat cook off most of the water. Pack the mixture back into the empty half of the squash.

Plate and serve.