I have to admit that these falafels were a bit challenging. It took forever to get the flavor I wanted. I just couldn't get it right! Finally, they tasted great and I'm pretty sure the one ingredient that made the difference was the Garam Masala. This is a mixture of coriander, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon. I also added cayenne pepper and loved the little kick it added.

I ate out recently and had a salad with the falafels on top served with hummus as dressing and it was perfectly delicious. This is my take on the salad. In the picture, you can see I thinned out the hummus a bit but I don't suggest you do this it was better just dipping my falafels and lettuce right into the hummus. Perfect! Use your favorite hummus recipe for the best option but if you're in a crunch for time just go buy some.

I also was challenged by the fact that I don't have a food processor or I should say its not here with me in NC. So I did a lot of chopping, mashing, and mixing. It's best if...

 This is one of my favorite lunches and I will also admit to eating this one for breakfast. This recipe is really for the tempeh bacon and can be used for so many different dishes. I made this into a wrap also and just added avocado without making the actual spread. I liked the spread for the sandwich because avocados always slide off the sandwich! In a wrap, they can't go anywhere. Let's get started!

Cook time 30-40 minutes. Marinate tempeh overnight if you can.

Preheat oven 375

Makes enough for 5 plus sandwiches or wraps.

What You Will Need 

For the tempeh bacon:

1/4 cup of liquid aminos, you can also use soy sauce or tamari.

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup of water

3 Tbsp of pure maple syrup

2 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of onion powder

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp of cumin

2 - 8 oz packages of organic tempeh

For the avocado spread:

1 avocado

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt or salt to taste

1/2 lemon juiced

What You...

Yes, Another jackfruit recipe! Check out the last one HERE where I make faux pulled pork sandwiches. I'm loving working with jackfruit. It's very versatile and is a great meat replacement. The texture is perfect and it takes on the flavors of the spices so nicely.

This recipe is pretty simple which I love and has minimal ingredients besides the spices.

Let's get started

Servings - 6 tacos

Prep Time - 30 minutes

What You Will Need

For the jackfruit:

2 - 20oz cans of young jackfruit in brine prepped and shredded.

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (You can also use plain paprika)

1Tbsp. Coconut oil

For the salsa:

1 Red pepper diced small

1/4 Cup shredded purple cabbage

2 Roma tomatoes Diced

1/4 Cup of minced red onion

1/4 Cup Minced cilantro

1 Avocado, firm and diced

1/2 Lemon Juiced

Salt to taste

6 flour or corn tortillas

What You Need To Do

For the Salsa:

Add all ingredients in a medium...

My Son, Michael, is in the Dietician program at JWU and this is one of his creations. It was so delicious that I had to share. His version did involve a small amount of dairy (yogurt) so I did change it a little bit by using a plant-based yogurt. He also used oat milk and I used homemade cashew milk. Other than that it's the same stuff!

Let's get started and feel free to use whatever milk or yogurt you have.

Serving Size - 1 Smoothie

What you will need:

1 Orange, peeled and seeded.

1 Ripe banana

1/2 Cup of plant-based yogurt

1/2 Cup plant-based milk

1 Small carrot

1 Tbsp of flax seed

1 Tbsp of hemp seeds

Orange zest for garnish

What you need to do:

Put all the ingredients in a blender, preferably a high-speed blender. Blend on high until the seeds are well blended in. There will still be some speckles in there so don't worry about that. Top with orange zest.

It's that simple and super yummy!

Thank you, Michael, (This is Mike's pic above) for the great recipe. I'm sure there...

I seem to be drawn to the same ingredients, sweet potatoes, black beans, and a little spice. That's because its oh so good together! 

This weeks recipe is made with plant-based whole foods, a nutrition powerhouse, and is super delicious. There is nothing better than eating something that tastes so naughty but is really so good for you! This is one of those recipes.

Some of the Benefits

Sweet Potatoes - Are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, and copper. They also contain over double the daily value for vitamin A and about 4 grams per cup protein when cooked!

Black Beans - Are loaded with fiber, folate. and protein and also contain: 5 mg iron, 84 mg magnesium, 259 mg phosphorus, 739 mg potassium, 331 mg sodium, 1.3 mg zinc, 0.4 mg thiamin, 0.3 mg riboflavin. Wow! Load me up! 

Orange Pepper - Are packed with vitamins and low in calories. They are an excellent source...

I have been so excited about trying to use jackfruit in my blog for the longest time. The first time I bought jackfruit from the grocery store I bought ripe sweet jackfruit which isn't what you need to make vegan pulled pork sandwiches. You have to buy young jackfruit that is not ripe yet. I chose to buy it canned in brine, also an important step because sometimes it can be canned in syrup. I have to admit, buying a fresh jackfruit seemed a little intimidating to me. I had no clue how to prepare jackfruit at all, even the canned version. 

of course, I went to the all-knowing google to learn how to prepare the canned version and I suggest you do the same if you are also a jackfruit virgin. There was plenty of YouTube videos on the subject. I took a few pictures and will post here but I believe a video serves better on this subject and plan to do this for one of my meatless Monday's meals soon!

The jackfruit has a core like a pineapple and you will cut that part off. Within the...

I've been experimenting with this recipe for a while trying to get it just right and I think I finally got it!

I love black beans and rice but kinda wanted to fancy it up a little bit. I added sweet yellow onion, sweet red pepper, and jalapenos to spice it up a bit. I added two to the whole thing, and I think that might be a little too much spice for me. Next time I'll add just one.

The brown rice with the cilantro and lime really balanced it out. The plantain I sauteed was super ripe and sweet and that was the perfect complement to the spicy black beans and the tangy cilantro lime rice. Yum!

What You Will Need

For The Beans:

2 15oz cans of black beans drained and rinsed.

1 Medium yellow onion, diced.

1 Red Pepper, diced.

1 jalapeno sliced whole.

3 Cloves of garlic minced.

1 tablespoon of cumin.

Sea salt to taste.

For The Rice:

11/2 Cups of brown rice.

1 Large handful of cilantro, chopped.

1 Lime, juiced.

1-2 Very ripe plantains, sliced

1/2 Tsp....

Last week I had all these peppers in my fridge and I kept seeing and hearing all about stuffed peppers over and over again. I figured It's a sign, I'm going to make them this week. 

I used to love the flavor of sausage in stuffed peppers so I decided to add some vegan sausage to the mix. To me, this is what made these so yummy. I decided not to add cheese because I wanted to limit the number of processed ingredients in the recipe. If you wanted to you could add some plant-based cheese but I do add some nutritional yeast to get that cheesy flavor.

This Is What You Will Need

4 peppers with the tops cut off and seeds and ribs removed. Dice the tops and add with onions.

1 medium onion diced

4 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 cup of mushrooms diced

1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice

1/2 cup Veggie broth, could use water.

1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp. olive oil

28 oz. diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. of garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

3 Vegan sausages diced

1tsp dried basil

Salt to...

I still can't believe after eating these that they're pretty damn healthy! Total comfort food. It felt like such a treat when I was eating these fries, delicious!

For the sauce, I used Plant-based plain yogurt and chipotle pepper adobo sauce with a pinch of salt. Very simple.

The salsa, beans, and the sauce can be made ahead of time so all you have to do is prepare the fries. 

Great for a quick fun dinner or a casual get together! I hope you enjoy!

What you will need

For the sauce:

3/4 Cup of plant-based plain yogurt

1 Tbsp. of adobo sauce

Pinch of sea salt

For the beans:

1-15 oz. can of black beans drained

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 Cup of frozen corn

For the salsa:

1 red pepper diced

1 medium red onion diced

1 jalapeno ribbed, seeded,  and diced

1 bunch of cilantro chopped

1 tomato diced

1 avocado diced

1 lime juiced

salt to taste

For the fries:

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch wide slices

1 tbsp olive oil

...

I featured this recipe before in my batch cooking blog post and decided I wanted to give this soup it's own spotlight because it's so yummy. You can cook this in a crockpot or also right on the stovetop. It's pretty quick and easy to prepare also!

What You Will Need

4 - 15 oz. of  black beans rinsed and drained

1 Yellow onion, diced

5 Cloves of garlic minced

3 Carrots, diced

1 Stalk of celery diced

1 Jalapeno, sliced

1 tbsp. Chili powder

1 tbsp. Cumin

1/8 tsp. Paprika, smoked if you have it.

2 – 15oz. Can of diced tomatoes

1 ½ Cups of frozen corn

1 1/2-2 Cups of veggie broth (Or to your desired thickness)

What You Need To Do

Add all ingredients, except corn, to the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hrs. after 4 hrs take 2 cups of mixture and put in a blender and puree, add back to soup.

You could also use an immersion blender if you have one. Add corn and let cook for the remaining time. Enjoy!

For leftovers, let cool and freeze...