Quick Green Curry Noodles

So this is a take on one of my favorite recipes by my dietitian hero, Kimberly Snyder. I definitely put my spin on it, added some more veggies and some delish brown rice noodles, but it's still healthy and totally filling, warm, and comforting. Who wants to make me some, like, right now!?Serves 2 hungry-hungry hippos

4 cups veggie stock

1 can organic, full fat coconut milk, [helpful tip: Always shake the can before opening]

3 tablespoons green curry paste

3 tablespoons tamari

1 teaspoon of coconut oil

3-5 baby bok choy, chopped and cleaned well

1 japanese eggplant, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 cup sting beans, trimmed and chopped into inch pieces

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 packed of thin brown rice noodles

1 lime juice/zest

Optional: Garnish jalapeño, bean sprouts, thai basil, sambal oelek, or whatever your heart desires.

Saute eggplant and mushrooms with coconut oil. Cook until soft. Mix coconut milk, tamari, and curry paste and add to eggplant and mushrooms. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

Cook noodles via package instructions while soup simmers. I like to keep the noodles separate because I HATE soggy noodles.

Add beans and bok choy for the last 5 minutes or earlier if you like softer veggies. Finish with lime juice/zest, and green onions. Then just ladle soup over a pile of delish noodles.

Stuff your face.

Meal in a Minute… Well, 4…

I barely have enough time to shower or take a poo by myself, so making a healthy lunch or dinner with fresh veggies sounds utterly exhausting… Like, I didn't know it was possible to operate on so little sleep and I have a nugget, who for all intents and purposes, sleeps really well for an almost 5 month old. Like seriously. Whoa. WHOA. So my darling love, Chelsea [she is so gonna be famous one day] introduced me to these amazing Lotus Foods ramen packets! Completely clean, fat free, oil free, gluten free, and vegan! For a buck seventy-nine these suckers are a pantry staple in my new normal. To jazz these puppies up I like to add various roasted veggies, baked tofu, a handful of greens, or all of the above!  [Step 1] Follow package instructions. Basically boil 2 cups of water. Add spice packet and noodles. Cook for 4 minutes. Boom. Done.

[Step 2: Optional] Add a splash of tamari which adds a great depth of flavor. Easy peasy.

[Step 3: Optional] Add your desired flare.

[I love baked tofu. You can make your own or buy it pre-baked. To make your own, cut super firm tofu and press to remove all water. Mix tamari, honey, lemon juice. Coat Tofu and bake at 375 until firm about 25 minutes.]

[A handful of spinach or kale on the days that's all you've got in you. Just toss it in the water for the last minute of cooking.]

[I like to make a huge batch of roasted veggies at the beginning of the week and use them for ramen or tacos, etc. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, roast bell peppers, red onions, zucchini, mushrooms.]

[Toss in snow peas, broccoli, or zucchini the boiling water to give them a quick cook.]

[Top with jalapeños, scallions, sambal oelek, sesame seeds, chopped cashews, I could go on and on]

[Stuff your face.]

Pinterest Recipe Love

I've made this curry approximately 3,384 times since I found it on Pinterest. It is so easy and delicious that it will have you coming back for more and more and then some more. Seriously, it's that good!! It's from Julia's Album and damnnnn does this chick know her garbanzos! The only thing that I change is omitting the brown sugar and adding a TON of cayenne pepper, like 2-3 teaspoons depending on my mood. It is a meal that is sure to please even the most meaty of meat eaters. Swearsies.

Leek and Sun-Dried Deliciousness

My mom, Sandy, is the queen of throwing a pasta dish together. Seriously, she can make anything taste delicious. ANYTHING. So when Sandy came to visit a few weeks ago, I tasked myself with the challenge of creating a delicious Sandy-like pasta with only ingredients I had on hand! I also decided I wanted to make it gluten AND oil free on top of being vegan. Challenge accepted!!! It turned out pretty great, but the consensus was that it was a touch dry and I should've added olives... Picky, picky. Now I'm no quitter so I decided to try again and this time I got it right! It's such a delicious mix of textures and flavors, and it solidifies my love of leeks. Those tasty little bastards are so freaking good.

Feeds 4 super hungry folks

1 pound Trader Joe's brown rice fusilli pasta

2 tablespoons veggie stock + any extra you need

1 can white beans, rinsed and strained

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 leeks, trimmed, rinsed, and chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 cup kale, de-ribbed and shredded

1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup pasta water

salt/pepper

Get pasta cooking per package instructions. Be sure to never overcook gluten free pasta, it goes from perfectly al dente to mushy at the drop of a hat. Start the leeks with the 2 tablespoons of veggie stock and a pinch of salt. Once they are softened, add garlic and mushrooms and another lil' pinch 'o' salt. Adding any stock if the pan gets dry. Once they are all cooked add kale and another heaping pinch of salt and some pepper. Once the kale is wilted toss in the remaining ingredients to heat through. Toss the pasta water, add strained pasta, and mix thoroughly. Enjoy with a big freaking glass of wine. Wine is optional, but encouraged.

The Captain's Romaine Tacos

I don't know about you, but I cook ALL THE TIME. It is rare day that I don't make dinner at home. The Captain is skilled in the kitchen, but since he's the one bringing home the tempeh bacon he rarely has the the oomph at the end of a 16 hour day to make dinner. Truth is I absolutely love to cook, but there are those random days that I just can't even begin to focus on making food. This was one of those days. I was on a detox cleanse that eliminated just about anything wonderful from my diet and I was tired and I was starving. I was acting like a total head case and nothing sounded good to eat. I tasked The Captain to make me a vegan, bean free, gluten free, grain free, sugar free meal that would satisfy my hunger asap. He delivered with these amazingly delcious romaine tacos, prepare to have your mind blown with flavor and plant-based awesomeness. Serves 1 very hangry person (hungry + angry = hangry)

4 romaine leaves

1/2 bag of organic baby spinach

1/2 small red onion, sliced

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and sliced

2 green onions, green and white chopped

1 carrot, shaved using a peeler

alfafa sprouts, make sure to clean properly!

avocado, chopped (optional)

This is just so very easy, sauté onions with veggie stock or a drop of olive oil, then add green onions and jalapeños and cook until everything is soft. Throw in spinach and wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in romaine leaves and top with shredded carrots, sprouts, and avocado if using. Prepare to be wowed! This is so simple, yet so satisfying and delicious. Enjoy!!!!

Everyone's Favorite Quinoa Salad

This recipe makes it to every incarnation of the blog and it keeps getting better and better. It's my go-to potluck dish! It's so tasty. Lemony. Garlicy. Salty. Mmmmmm Yummmmy. I love the crisp cucumbers and the sweet cherry tomatoes mixed in with the savory goodness. I could literally eat this every single day... there were weeks during The Captain's deployment when I did it every single day... Not proud of it, but it's the truth. I made it for lunch yesterday and ate the whole pot... All of it... All four servings!!! Yeah, it's really that good. Serves 4 as a side dish

1 cup quinoa

2.5 cups veggie stock

2 large cloves, minced

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped

2 tablespoons capers [optional]

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice with a few splashes of olive juice [like solid splashes, don't wimp out]

Cook quinoa per package instructions, I throw the quinoa and stock into rice cooker and press start. Chop veggies. Squeeze lemons, add olive juice. When the quinoa is done throw the garlic in first and stir up so the quinoa can warm it up and get it all fragrant and delish-like. Add the veggies and the juice. Mix well and serve immediately. It also tastes amazing at room temperature too. So good. Sooo, sooooo good.

Delish 3 Bean Chili

Fall is here!!!! Sort of... In Southern California it's pretty much spring/summer all year long until magically it's winter for 3 months then bam back to 75 and sunny. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but sometimes you just want to see the leaves change color and wear a pair of boots in October without your feet sweating all nasty up in there. For near perfect weather year round I suppose there has to be a trade off. Well, it's October and that means Halloween which in turn means CHILI!!!! A Lanza family tradition!! I don't know when this started, but when I think of Halloween I think of Sandy's[my mom] chili. Now my version has slightly changed over the years, first to turkey, then to meatless grounds, and now to all beans all the time. Now in the past I've just used the meatless grounds and the meat eaters have been none the wiser, but this all bean version has so much flavor no one is going to miss the meat! This meal is warm, spicy, and the perfect compliment to a cool fall day! 3 Bean Chili - Serves an Army

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust for personal taste, I like more!!)

1 bay leaf

1 15 oz can each of red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans, all strained and rinsed

2 15 oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes with chilies

3 tablespoons + 1 cup of veggie stock

Add 3 tablespoons of veggie stock to a large ceramic pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, adding more veggie stock if necessary. Mix in all of the spices and cook for 1 minute, then add tomatoes, beans, veggie stock. Mix well. Bring to a slow boil then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for at least 30 minutes, but depending on your timeline for an hour or two. Stirring every so often. You can also do this in a slow cooker, I would sauté the onions in garlic before adding all the ingredients into the crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours or slow for 5-6.

Enjoy with diced white onions, avocado, corn chips, green onions, etc etc. The list is endless. I'm a onions and avocado girl myself.

Delectable Corn Muffins - Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup diced green chilies

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 1/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk

1 1/2 cup of cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all dry and all wet ingredients. Then gently fold the wet into the dry, be sure not to over stir. Pour  batter into a non-stick muffin tin and bake for 30-35 mins. Boom. Done.

This recipe is adapted from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. I've been doing a no-oil/low oil diet for about a year now, so I look for any opportunity to cut oil.  This cornbread is super easy and just by switching out the oil for unsweetened applesauce you kick the fat in it's big ass. I also add some green chilies for some FIRE... 'cause I love FIRE... I don't know what I'm talking about.  I ate 5 of these because they are guilt free... I was feeling sad, missing The Captain, watching a Twilight marathon... Anywho, they are amazing!!! Let me know if you try making either recipe! Happy Fall!