Tips For Eating and Living Well
Last week I made a spicy Indian dish and really needed a light side salad to balance the warmth and heaviness of my vegetable korma. Inspired by the salads I often see on Indian buffets, I decided to create this simple chopped salad, filled with fresh, crispy vegetables and dressed with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt and black pepper….
Happy fall, everyone!
As I mentioned in my last post, it’s time for me to return to posting soup recipes since the weather will be turning cold soon. And just to ease you into making soup again, I decided to start with a super quick, super easy roasted tomato soup that tastes like it took an hour to make!…
A question I’m often asked is, “If you suddenly didn’t have lupus anymore, would you go back to eating the way you used to (as in, eating a standard American diet)?” My answer: absolutely not. The purpose of that question is of course to determine whether a plant-based diet is “worth it” for a seemingly healthy person, or if I regularly choke down my vegetable dinner then go to my room to cry over how much I miss chicken fingers and baked brie. Trust me, it’s so worth it….
It’s officially my favorite time of year — the air is crisp, the leaves are beautiful colors, and the anticipation (but not quite the stress) of the upcoming holidays is upon us. Many of us are making plans for the Thanksgiving feast, which can become slightly more complicated if you adhere to a plant-based diet.
But let’s be honest — even though it’s Thanksgiving tradition to include it, the turkey is the least exciting menu item. So when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, I’m ALL about the sides! …
One of the great aspects of eating a plant-based diet is the desire to try a wide variety of produce and grains. For example, I’ve recently started trying sorghum instead of quinoa or rice in my salads, and I love it!…
I’ve been craving colorful salads lately — especially ones that are easy to make, oil-free, and hearty enough to stay good in the fridge a few days. Since I rarely eat broccoli raw, I decided to come up with a broccoli salad that gets me excited about eating this cruciferous veggie that usually tastes like sulfur.
Traditional broccoli salads contain junk ingredients, such as bacon bits, mayonnaise, and sugar. I decided to leave out the bacon and sugar and replace the mayo with a dressing made of cashew cream and apple cider vinegar. The vinegar actually cuts the bitter flavor of the raw broccoli!…
Earlier this week I was asked to make a side dish to go with a chicken entree for a church small group dinner. I knew I wasn’t going to eat the chicken, so I decided to make my favorite hearty salad that can be eaten as a side or an entree: black bean salad!
I also made my vegan queso, which, if you haven’t tried it yet, you need to make ASAP!…
I’m getting very antsy waiting for summer vegetables to arrive. Every day I go out to my garden to check my tiny green tomatoes, hoping they will suddenly ripen and I can pick them and start using them in recipes. Unfortunately, I have to be patient and hold off on making any recipes that include produce from my garden.
One summer vegetable I’m not growing, however, is corn! And since I purchased a donut pan last week, I decided to make vegan, gluten-free cornbread donuts! …
It’s unofficially summer, which means it’s time to give the soup bowls a little break and get excited about cold salads again! One summer picnic and potluck staple is the three-bean salad, which seems to have been forgotten by my generation.
Well it’s time to bring it back! Try this super easy three-bean salad recipe, and you’ll wonder why you don’t keep simple hearty salads like this one in your fridge at all times! …
I’ll admit, I like asparagus, but I don’t love it. For me, it really depends on how it’s cooked.
I had a bunch of asparagus in the fridge, so I decided to dredge each spear in my super-nutritious flax batter and bake them. What resulted was a delicious appetizer or side dish that I believe even kids would love! I call them asparagus fries, even though they’re not technically fried. I dipped them in a store-bought maple champagne mustard, but any honey mustard would do. …
I know what you’re thinking: peanut butter and Brussels sprouts??? Weird…
But please trust me on this one. Give this quick recipe a try, then thank me later. All you need is about ten minutes and six ingredients, and you have an amazing side dish that your kids may even love! …
Last night I cooked dinner for my church fellowship group, which is something I really enjoy. I knew I wanted to make an assortment of enchiladas, but I also needed to come up with a light side salad that complements the spicy Mexican flavors of the main dish.
I decided to make an easy mango jicama slaw with fresh cilantro and a simple lime dressing. And because watermelon radishes are in season, I added some julienne radishes to the mix. The resulting salad was exactly what I wanted — crisp, fresh, and colorful! …
