Sauteed Kale and veggie sandwich

If you need an idea for something to take for lunch at work or just a quick meal to fill you up when you don't have a lot of time you can never go wrong with a sandwich. Here is one of my favorite go to meals when I want something good but don't have a lot of time!

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole grain bread

Kale

mushroom

onion

cucumber

tomato

jalapeno

hummus

Directions:

1. Saute kale, mushroom, and onion in a little bit of water until onion is cooked down to your liking.

2. Slice some cucumber, tomato, and jalapeno

3. Toast bread

4. Add your favorite hummus to both slices of bread and then stack sandwich with sautéed kale mix on one side and the cucumber, tomato, and jalapeno on the other side and combine slices.

5.  If you want to give the sandwich a extra boost instead of toasting the bread in a regular toaster put the sandwich together grab some cooking spray and toast the sandwich in a skillet for about 2 minutes on each side.

You can use a variety of veggies to make this sandwich so use whatever your heart desires! Pair this with some chips or soup and you have a complete meal.  Again don't overthink veganism it is no more difficult to create meals than when you were a meat eater unless you make it that way!

~Peace begins with your plate~

Falafel and vegetable curry

If you're into Indian food then you will enjoy this quick simple curry dish. Its loaded with vegetables and goes great with my falafel recipe. Took me a while to figure out how to perfect my falafel but I think I finally got it down! You will need a food processor or a high speed blender for the falafel.

Ingredients:

(falafel)

4 cans of chickpeas or you can soak and cook them yourself

1 cup of fresh parsley

1 lemon

1 cup of flour

salt and pepper

garlic

cumin

2 flax eggs

(vegetable curry)

Brocoli

carrots

peas

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

mushroom

1 yellow onion

1 can of diced tomatoes

coconut milk

dairy free plain yogurt

curry seasoning

turmeric

garlic

salt and pepper

thai chili seasoning

 pictured above is before baking

after baking

Directions for falafel:

1. Rinse chickpeas and place in food processor

2. Roughly chop parsley and add that in food processor as well and blend until there are still some chunks but its mostly smooth

3. Place mixture into a large mixing bowl

4. Add flour, juice of lemon, seasonings, and flax eggs and mix thoroughly

5. Preheat oven to 375

6. Line a baking sheet with foil

7. Use your hands to roll the mixture up into the shape of little balls and place on baking sheet

8. Bake for 40 minutes flipping balls around half way through

9. Allow to cool so they firm up and then serve.

Directions for curry:

1. Dice all of the vegetables and place them into a large pot with about 2 cups of water and allow the veggies to steam for about 15 minutes

2. Add salt and pepper to the veggies

3. Add can of diced tomatoes and continue cooking for about 5 minutes

4. Once all of the veggies are steamed to your liking add about 1 cup of coconut milk depending on how creamy you like your curry

5. Add the rest of the seasonings to your liking and allow curry to cook on medium high for about 10 to 15 minutes

6. Turn down heat and let it cool down for about 10 minutes

7. Add about 2 tbsp. of yogurt to curry and mix through. If you want it creamier add more

8. Serve over rice of your choice!

Add a couple scoops of hummus or some naan breed and you have the perfect meal! You can always switch up the veggies adding in more or removing the ones you don't like. Sometimes I even add potatoes, chickpeas, or tofu to the curry if I want a heavier meal. Also feel free to skip the yogurt if that's not your thing, its really up to you! Like most of my meals this dish has no added oils and is low in fat so dig in!

Cheesy Kale Chips

Kale is one of the most nutrient dense greens that you can put into your body. Any way that you can get greens in get them in! This snack is savory, cheesy, and addicting and the good thing about them is they are raw and clean so you can eat as much as your heart desires. You will need a dehydrator to prepare these as a raw snack but they are oven friendly too!

Ingredients:

1 head of kale

nutritional yeast

salt and pepper

sriracha powder

Directions:

1. Rip kale of the stem and into chip like sizes

2. Place kale into a strainer and thoroughly rinse and drain

3. Once dry place into a large mixing bowl

4. Add approximately 2tbsp of nutritional yeast, sriracha powder, salt and pepper and shake in the bowl until all the kale is evenly coated with seasonings. Season to your liking you can always add more

5. Lay flat in a dehydrator and let dehydrate for 1 to 2 hours

6. If you don't have a dehydrator put them in oven on 275 degrees for about 20 minutes

7. Enjoy!

The

Spaghetti

I could eat spaghetti just about everyday. Pasta is one of my favorite foods but before I went vegan I always had to eat it in moderation or just not eat it all because as a meat eater you are taught to believe carbs are the devil. I would literally eat a big greasy beef patty w cheese, bacon, and mayo, but cut out the bun bc that would make me fat lol. Once I switched over to a high carb low fat vegan diet I never thought twice about eating carbs and trust me they will not make you fat! Pasta, rice, potatoes etc. are all naturally fat free foods. Carbs don't make you fat, fat makes you fat!

Ingredients:

1 pack of spaghetti

2 jars of spaghetti sauce

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

1 pack of mushrooms

2 tomatoes

1 pack of meatless crumbles (optional)

salt and pepper

garlic

Italian seasonings

Directions:

1. Boil pasta and set aside

2. Add 1 cup of water to a large pot and turn heat to medium high setting

3. Dice peppers and onions and add to the water with salt and pepper

4. Let everything steam with a lid for about 10 minutes

5. Add mushrooms and diced tomatoes and steam for another few minutes

6. Add spaghetti sauce and mix thoroughly

7. Mix in meat crumbles and allow them to cook through

8. Add garlic, Italian seasonings and stir

8. You can add the noodles to the sauce or serve the noodles and then top with sauce!

As you see this recipe is very simple. Not too much different than traditional spaghetti with meat. I think the idea of vegan food sounds a lot more complicating to most people than it has to be. Just about any of your favorite dishes you can veganize simply by removing the meat and the dairy. In 2016 there are several different brands of vegan meats and vegan cheeses you can choose from or you can always skip the processed foods completely and just get straight to the point with veggies. Don't overthink it, play around with different types of vegetables and personalize the spaghetti to your liking just as you would traditional spaghetti. There is no wrong way to do this!

*Peace begins with your plate*

My experience oil pulling

Oil pulling is an oral care practice that has been around for more than 3000 years. It began as an ancient Ayurveda gargling treatment with sesame or sunflower oil. It was used to remove toxins, treat inflammation of mouth, dryness, or any other oral diseases one may have. Oil Pulling was reintroduced to modern medicine in the early 90's, since then several testimonies of the benefits of oil pulling have been told. Your dentist may frown on it because it will put him out of thousands of dollars but your pockets and your mouth will thank you.

I got interested in oil pulling after reading all the diseases it cures and all the extra health benefits that come with it. It seems as though every time I go to the dentist even with insurance I end up with thousands of dollars of work that I needed done. I wanted to figure out how to maintain a healthy mouth without having to go through all the pain, money, and fluoride that comes with a standard trip to the dentist. At the end of the day a dentist is about his coins so him referring you to a natural method of curing disease is just about as likely as a doctor recommending a vegan diet lol. Not gonna happen! Since I have been oil pulling I have had great results its been about 3 weeks and I have for one noticed my smile is whiter but most importantly the tooth that I'm scheduled to have a root canal on is no longer bothering me. Before I had slight sensitivity to cold or hot foods on it but that has completely disappeared. I plan to continue oil pulling for a few more weeks then go to another dentist for a second opinion and if they say I still need a root canal I will bite the bullet and do it. I have read several stories of root canals being no longer needed after oil pulling so I'm optimistic that I could be one of those stories.  The reason I am wanting to avoid a root canal is because that comes with hidden risks as well. Root canaled and filled teeth harbor bacteria that morph into toxic forms that spread into other tissues in the body and cause serious medical conditions, including diseases of your heart, brain, kidneys, and bones. The health of our mouth effects our entire body. Lately I am more conscious of what I put in my body and I prefer to keep it clean, and natural.

Benefits of oil pulling

-cures halitosis

-prevents disease of gums and mouth

-supports normal kidney and liver function

-alleviates asthma and congestion

-clearer mind

-regulates menstrual cycle

-better sleep

-cures bleeding gums

-relieves hangovers

-whitens teeth

-increases energy

-detoxes the body

-aids hormonal changes

-reduce headaches
-clears skin

How to oil pull

The best time to oil pull is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Spoon a tablespoon of organic, cold pressed vegetable oil (I use coconut) into your mouth and swish it around for 15 to 20 minutes before spitting it out. Never swallow the oil because it is full of toxins. Spit the oil in the trash because it will clog the sink. Rinse your mouth with warm water than brush with a fluoride free toothpaste.

Oil Pulling is such a simple process. We live in a society where we constantly over think and over complicate our lives. Nature provides a cure for everything but we are so disconnected from nature these days that we look right past it. I am loving the results that I have gotten since I started oil pulling. Of course if you have something really serious going on in your mouth you need to go to the dentist to figure out what it is and if its something oil pulling can relieve. Give oil pulling a try and I promise you will have nothing but good come from it!

Raw Fiesta salad

 I just got back from vacation where I ate nothing but processed vegan foods, don't judge me lol. Whenever I feel like I need to get back on track I go raw or strictly whole foods for at least a couple of days to get my body back on track. This recipe is inspired by my favorite raw vegan Fullyrawkristina. She has inspired me to incorporate more raw fruit and veggies into my diet and I promise you that your body will thank you! I don't think I could ever go fully raw like her but I do believe a mostly raw diet is the best choice for optimal health.

Ingredients:

5 ears of sweet corn

2 cucumbers

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

2 tomatoes

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

garlic

cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Cut corn off the cob and place into a large mixing bowl

2. Dice up the rest of the veggies and place into large mixing bowl with corn

3. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and juice of 1 lemon

4. Mix thoroughly

5. Place in fridge until ready to serve!

This salad is great for those who are trying to incorporate more raw foods into their diet but have a hard time creating dishes that will excite them.  Sometimes just eating raw veggies and smoothies gets boring so this dish is great for those looking to spice it up!

Pesto Pasta

 This dish is creamy perfection. If you are craving a hearty pasta dish this is one of the many vegan options you have to choose from. Its very filling and I guarantee if you serve it to non vegans they will have no idea this meal is dairy free, but if they have a nut allergy they will definitely want to pass on this dish!

 Ingredients:

2 cups of pine nuts

2 handfuls of fresh basil

2 cups of almond milk

1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

salt and pepper

oregano

parsley

garlic

1 pack of pasta of choice I used fettucini

Cherry tomatoes

broccoli

mushrooms
crushed red pepper flakes

 Directions:

1. Boil pasta and set to the side

2. In a high speed blender add pine nuts, basil, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic, and almond milk and blend on high. Adjust milk as necessary.

3. Grab a large sauce pan and cover just the bottom with water and put on medium high heat

4. Chop broccoli, and add to the pan to steam for a few minutes until water evaporates.

5. Add cherry tomatoes and mushrooms with salt and pepper and saute all the veggies together for about 5 minutes

6. Put noodles in a large pot, add pesto, and sautéed veggies and mix together.

7.  Top w red pepper flakes. Serve and Enjoy!

I usually prepare this meal with garlic bread or a salad on the side. If you want to take an extra step you can bake the dish in the oven with some vegan parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top. Try this recipe out and let me know how you like it by tagging me on Instagram @veganhigh.
~Peace begins with your plate~