November 10, 2018November 10, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Stuffed Southwestern Acorn Squash

This was my delicious, lo-cal dinner on a recent autumn evening.

No real recipe, but one big secret: while my acorn squash roasted, I cooked a few french lentils and mixed them with sauteed onions, carrots, and, wait for it… shredded cabbage(!), all seasoned up with cumin, smoked paprika, and sea salt. Yummm!!!!!

Lentils are somewhat high in calories because they are nutrient dense, so I added additional bulk, nutrition, fiber, texture, and flavor with almost no-calorie cabbage.

I topped the beautiful little mound with pico de gallo and a dab of vegan sour cream. What a beautiful meal enjoyed on the deck in this cool weather with a glass of even cooler Prosecco.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

October 28, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Loaded Butternut Squash Fries
Only 250 calories for Entire Recipe

Who is all-in for a 250 calorie dinner that is decadent, delicious, and nutritious? Of course you are!

Yield: 1 ginormous 250 calorie calorie serving

20 ounce crinkle cut butternut squash fries, sprinkled with sea salt, and roasted at 450 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes (They won’t be crispy, but they will be firm and delicious; roast longer if you can wait!)

3/4 cup raw confetti riced vegetables, e.g. broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower.

1 tablespoon Blooming Platter Mayo (10 calories)

Sea salt to taste

Place roasted fries in a shallow bowl or on a plate, top with confetti vegetables, drizzle with Mayo, and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Dig in. What satisfying textures! I love to eat them with chopsticks even though there’s nothing Asian about them. It’s just more fun.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

September 30, 2018September 30, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Broccoli Tacos

Yield: 2 tacos

Eat your broccoli…your Vegan Broccoli Taco that is!

Everything is better as a taco…

Most of our busy lives leave little time for cooking. But I still like to cook, I just find that I gravitate more to an assemblage of minimally cooked and delicious fresh ingredients. So, these days, I am often more of an assembler than a cook. But I am eating delicious food that is healthy and beautiful. Come along for the ride!

1 cup riced broccoli
1 cup diced or slivered onion
Sea salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegan parmesan (I like Follow Your Heart brand)
2 corn, flour, or corn-flour tortillas
2 to 4 tablespoons my Blooming Platter Mayo (at only 10 calories per tablespoon), or vegan sour cream, hummus, etc.
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
4 carrot chips

In a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, dry saute broccoli and slivered onion with sea salt to taste until onion is crisp-tender and develops some nice charred marks. Remove from heat and stir in vegan cheese.

Heat tortillas for 30 seconds in microwave, spread each with half of the Mayo, divide the broccoli-onion mixture between the two, top each with a couple of tablespoons shredded cabbage and a couple carrot chips. Dive in!

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

September 25, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Taco

I will put just about anything in a tortilla these days…and each new resulting taco is my “favorite.” This one tastes like autumn with the earthy-sweet butternut squash and sage.
Per serving:

1 corn or corn-flour tortilla
1/3 cup baby kale
2 tablespoons diced roasted butter nut squash (app. 30 minutes at 450 degrees)
2 tablespoons yellow onion slices sauteed with a spritz of non-stick spray and rubbed sage and sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon Blooming Platter Mayo (10 cslories per tablespoon) or vegan sour cream
1 generous tablespoon shredded vegan parmesan
Ootional garnish: roasted and lightly salted pepitas

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

September 23, 2018September 30, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Edamame Hummus Taco

Such a tasty, satisfying lunch that needs no preamble:

Warm a taco shell (I like corn or a corn-flour combo);
Spread with 2 tablespoons edamame hummus;
Top with shredded cabbage;
Drizzle with vegan mayo (I love my 10-calorie/tablespoon Blooming Platter Mayo) whisked with soy sauce, Thai sweet chile sauce, and sriracha; and
Top with 2 carrot chips and 4 or 5 wasabi roasted almonds (I buy Kroger brand).

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

September 3, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Creamy-Cheesy Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions
Plus Bonus Blooming Platter Low-Cal 4-Ingredient Mayo

Vegan Creamy-Cheesy Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Yield: 1 serving (2 with a side salad)
App. 350 calories for entire recipe!

Decadent, delicious, low-fat and low-cal, this quick recipe is unbelievably tasty and satisfying.

By now, most of you know that my main calorie-saving secret for pasta is Shirataki (20 calories for 8 cooked ounces). Find it in a pasta-in-liquid filled pouch in the cold section of some grocery stores, including Whole Foods.

For this recipe, the other key low-cal ingredient is my Blooming Platter Mayo found on my website of the same name (and below).

Mayo in a pasta dish that isn’t a salad? Odd-sounding I know. But my mayo is silken tofu-based so it can be used whenever a savory creamy binder is needed, e.g. in place of cream, sour cream, or condensed soups in recipes. And it is, of course, the perfect tasty, thick, and creamy mayonnaise substitute at 10, rather than 100, calories per tablespoon.

Nonstick spray
1/2 red onion, slivered
1 cup sliced raw mushroooms
2 to 4 tablespoons white wine or water
8 ounces Shirataki pasta, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons Blooming Platter Mayo (only 10 calories per tablespoon!)
2 tablespoons shredded vegan cheddar
2 tablespoons shredded vegan parmesan
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons pine nuts, smoked almonds, or a combination ( I like the combo)

Spray a large skillet with a couple of squirts of nonstick spray and heat over medium or medium high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and saute for about 1 minute, stirring continually. Add white wine or water and continue sauteing just until vegetables are barely soft. Stir in remaining ingredients, except nuts, and heat through, stirring, until cheese is melted. Stir in nuts and serve immediately.

Blooming Platter Low Calorie 4-Ingredient Mayo
Yield: 2 cups (only 10 tasty calories per tablespoon)

16 ounces (1 pound) silken tofu
Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Black salt to taste (sea salt may be substituted but Indian black salt–at Indian markets and online–lends a sulphury, eggy quality that is perfection)

Blend together in a food processor or blender for 3 or so minutes until completely combined, thick, and creamy. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

August 8, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Green Tomato Pie
(crustless tarts, actually)…my way!

By now, you probably know that I like all ny foid lightened up and brightened up. So, recently, when I was reading my new issue of Savor Virginia, I was enchanted by an article on Red Truck Bakery, including their recipe for Green Tomato Pie.

I love tomato pie as much as the next gal, slathered with mayonnaise mixed with cheeses and layered into a buttery crust and bacon, all vegan of course.

But just now, I wondered what would happen if I dispensed with the crust and simply slathered thick slices of green tomato with my 10 calorie per tablespoon Blooming Platter Mayo combined with a moderate amount of vegan grated cheddar and vegan shredded parmesan. A few smoked almonds would lend the flavor of the tempeh bacon.

What happened was one of the quickest, lightest, and tastiest lunches in recent memory!

Here is my simple recipe:

Vegan Green Tomato Crustless Tarts
Yiekd: 4 tarts

4 1/2-inch slices green tomato
1/4 cup Blooming Platter Mayo or your favorite brand of vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons vegan grated cheddar
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons vegan shredded parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional garnish: 12 smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
4 sprigs fresh Basil
A-few grains of coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to broil. Place tomato slices on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, 2 tablespoons of both cheeses, and black pepper. Divide evenly among the tomato slices and spread to within 1/4 inch of the edges. Sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon each of cheddar and parmesan. Broil for approximately 6 minutes or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve topped with a sprinkling of chopped smoked almonds, a sprig of fresh basil, and a whisper of coarse sea salt.

August 6, 2018August 6, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Loaded Tater Tots
The Healthy Way

Loaded (vegan) Tater Tots…my way!

Forget the cheese, the b-word, the sour cream and all the rest of it. Load up your crispy home-cooked tots with chopped cauliflower at only 10 calories per cup, chopped celery, sliced green onions, raw cabbage, and diced variety. I like the sweet tri-color cherry tomatoes. Then drizzle with my 10 calorie per tablespoon Blooming Platter Mayo.

It’s dinner that’s a little decadent, and a lot colorful and nutritious. Plus the crunch can be heard ’round the world.

July 31, 2018July 31, 2018 by betsy

Japanese Eggplant and Baby Greens Pasta
app 250 calories for the entire recipe!

It’s low-cal, high-flavor lunchtime! My main secret, which is out, is Shirataki pasta. I purchase mine in the cold compartment of Whole Foods, but many grocery stores carry it now.

250 calorie (app) vegan lunch al fresca beteeen the raindrops…

Yield: ONE big*** serving!

1 tablespoon vegan butter
1/4 diced red onion
8 ounces Shirataki pasta (20 calories for 8 ounces!)
1 loosely packed cup mixed baby greens (kale, etc.)
3-2 inch strips previously grilled Japanese eggplant
2 tablespoons shredded vegan parmesan
3 grape tomatoes, halved
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt vegan butter, add onion and saute a couple of minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients in order, tossing until they are heated through. Serve immediately.