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Category: Recipes
Creamy, Low Fat Broccoli Soup Recipe [Vegan, HCLF]
Calling all soup lovers! If you like broccoli and cheese soup but don’t want the dairy or processed fake cheeses, this recipe is for you. (Especially my fellow high carb, low fat vegans!)
Although we don’t get to experience much of a real winter where I am in California, I still can’t help but love soup season. I’ve been experimenting with spicy lentil, roasted tomato, and sweet potato soups over the last few weeks, but I keep coming back to this broccoli one. Yukon gold potato lends the soup its creaminess, and the cheesy flavor comes from nutritional yeast, along with onions, garlic, and a few cashews. It’s also flexible and fun to customize: you can add whatever veggies you have on hand, and vary amounts as you please and it’ll still turn out great.
It’s packed with nutrients (and even quite high in protein!), it’s quick and easy to make, and it’s especially delicious when paired with toasted sourdough!
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
- 1 medium yukon gold potato (about 200g)
- 2-3 cups broccoli pieces
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 yellow or white onion
- 4 stalks of celery
- 4-5 large mushrooms
- 2-3 handfuls of kale or spinach
- 1 tsp vegetable broth powder (or a vegetable bouillon cube, or veggie broth)
- 2 tbsp cashews (omit for lower fat)
- 3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Toasted bread (especially sourdough) for serving
Instructions:
- Boil or microwave potato until soft.
- Roughly chop the garlic, onion, celery, and mushrooms. They’ll all be blended later, so just chop them enough so they have some surface area for cooking.
- Dry-sauté garlic and onion over medium heat until the garlic toasts slightly, then add the water, broccoli, celery, mushrooms, potato, and kale or spinach. Simmer until soft.
- Remove from heat, and add to blender along with cashews, nutritional yeast, and almond milk. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add more water and/or almond milk as necessary to get soup to the consistency you prefer.
Serve with freshly toasted bread, and enjoy!
Nutrition information (for half the recipe):
Calories: 250 | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 35g (5.5g fiber) | Protein: 14.5g
(This is cross-posted from my recipe-only blog)
Recipe: Creamy Tofu Tikka Masala (Vegan)
Ever since I went to college three years ago, the biggest obstacle to being 100% vegan was an Indian restaurant called Biryani house. My college town is teeming with vegan options, but this place had the absolute best food I’d ever tasted in my life. And that’s a big deal for me, because I’ve had the good fortune of eating at a lot of great restaurants.
I used to go there with friends a couple of times a month to gorge myself on their freshly baked aloo naan, perfectly spiced vegetable biryani, and most importantly, their decadent paneer tikka masala. Unfortunately, my vegan aspirations were dashed due to the fact that their tikka masala not only sported paneer (cubes of Indian cottage cheese), but was also likely drowned in heavy cream.
(Fun fact: my weight seemed to fluctuate along with how often I went there.)
When I finally got more serious about being 100% vegan last year, I had to stop going there. And as if to enforce my self-discipline, it actually closed a few weeks after my decision, for unknown reasons. A bittersweet moment.
Anyways, getting to the point: I’ve been trying to recreate that tikka masala for quite awhile now. After a few tries–all of which were delicious, but not decadent like theirs–I finally came up with a recipe that tasted almost the same. It’s creamy, spicy, much healthier than its restaurant counterpart, and most importantly, vegan. And I’m pretty darn excited about it.
Now to work on aloo naan recipes!
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
- 400-500g super firm tofu (the kind that is vacuum sealed instead of water packed, and has the density of a block of cheese–I use Tofu Yu. If you can’t find that, try freezing an extra firm block then thawing it out and using it as you would super firm.)
- 80g cashews (a little less than 3/4 cup), soaked overnight or for a few hours
- 15oz can of plain tomato sauce
- 1/2 white onion
- 1-2 large cloves garlic
- 1/2 + cup unsweetened almond or cashew milk (as needed)
- Handful cilantro
- 1 + 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (more as desired)
- 1/4 tsp paprika (more as desired)
- 2 pinches of amchur powder
Directions:
1. Cut up the onion and garlic, and combine them with the tomato sauce in a large pan over medium heat. Add in the cumin, cardamom, coriander, ginger, nutmeg, cayenne, paprika, and amchur powder, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. While the sauce is simmering, cut your tofu into cubes, and fry until golden (I used a teaspoon of coconut oil, but you could also do it dry). Remove from heat once golden.
3. After 15 minutes, remove the sauce from heat. Allow to cool (if necessary; I didn’t have to for my vitamix) and blend with the drained cashews until smooth and creamy. Add unsweetened almond or cashew milk as needed to get it to your desired consistency.
4. Combine tofu with sauce in a serving bowl, and serve it with jasmine rice, naan, your preferred grain, or enjoy it solo!
Nutrition info:
- Calories per 1/5 of recipe: 230 calories
- Carbs: 17g (3g fiber)| Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g
Thanks for reading!
Miche
(Cross-posted from my recipe-only blog)
Recipe: Piñata Burrito Bowl [Vegan]
I’m starting to fall in love with bulk cooking. Not only am I free from prepping food and dish-washing each and every night, but it leaves me more time and energy for the gym. Talk about a win-win!
For my second bulk dish, I went with a burrito bowl since I’d had burrito cravings for days. The reason I’m calling this particular recipe a piñata bowl is because it’s a bit of an explosion of color–with lots of green, red, and yellow–and is rather pretty to look at. And more importantly, it tasted AMAZING. It lasted me five nights, and I found myself looking forward to it every night. I was sure I’d get bored of eating the same thing even three nights in a row, let alone 5, but this bowl has proven me wrong!
Not only is it delicious, but it’s got plenty of protein and fiber and can be made nearly fat free if you omit the avocado. Perfect for those on a high carb lifestyle, and for those looking to eat a giant burrito equivalent for way fewer calories!
It’s also versatile, since you can substitute veggies as you’d like, as well as brown rice for the quinoa, or other types of bean/protein for the black beans.
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup dry (uncooked) quinoa
- 1 cup dry black beans (or a can of black beans)
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- Juice of one medium lime
- 3 small summer squashes
- 2 small zucchinis
- 2/3 white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 big kale leaves
- 6 fire roasted red peppers (I used piquillo)
- 1 – 15oz can corn
- Cumin, salt and pepper
- Chili powder/cayenne/paprika/chipotle powder (only need one)
- Avocado, tomato, shredded romaine, and hot sauce/salsa for topping
Directions:
1. Prepare the lime-cilantro quinoa: cook the quinoa according to instructions on the package. It should take less than 15 minutes. Also, rinsing before cooking is recommended to wash off the saponin, which can cause reactions in sensitive people. As it cooks, chop up the cilantro. Once the quinoa is done, combine it with the cilantro and half of the lime juice and salt to taste. Set aside.
2. Prepare the black beans according to instructions on the package. For dried beans, this generally calls for soaking them overnight, draining them an hour before dinnertime, covering them with an inch of water and bringing them to a boil, and gently simmering for one hour. You can also try quick-soaking or just cooking without soaking, but it will take longer. Season with salt.
3. Prepare the veggies: chop up the squash, zucchinis, onion, kale, and peppers. Mince the garlic, and sautee it in a medium-large pot with onion until it begins to turn translucent, over medium heat. Then add the squash, zucchini, and kale. Sautee until tender. Add the peppers and corn, and remove from heat. Add the juice from the other half of the lime, along with 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2-1 tsp of either chili powder, cayenne, paprika, or chipotle powder. (Or mix and match as you like!) Season with salt and pepper.
4. Prepare toppings: slice up 1/2 avocado and 1 small roma tomato per serving; if serving all at once, use 2.5 avocados and 5 roma tomatoes. Chopped/shredded romaine is also a nice addition, about 1/4-1/3 cup per bowl. Add hot sauce or salsa as desired.
5. Combine the the quinoa, black beans, veggies, and add the toppings. Eat them separately or mix them all up–it tastes great either way!
Nutrition info:
- Calories per 1/5 of recipe: 350 calories (450 with 1/2 avocado)
- Carbs: 65g (14g fiber)| Protein: 16g | Fat: 3g (13g with avocado)
Thanks for reading!
(This is cross-posted from my recipe-only blog)
Recipe: Vegan Pasta Bolognese (with lots of veggies!)
Lately, I’ve been on a mission to simplify my life in the food department. As much as I’ve loved coming up with new recipes every day, it can get exhausting and takes up a lot of time. So a few weeks ago, I decided to do something drastic: make a dinner that would last me for more than one night, rather than making some whole other new dish the next night like I usually would.
And it was a success! Instead of spending an hour cooking an entirely new dinner the next day, I spent that time reading a book and relaxing after a day of midterms. I could get used to this.
The pilot meal was a pasta bolognese, and it was delicious! It’s a super simple weeknight dinner, with leftovers that seem to keep getting better and better. I stored the pasta and veggies separately, and each night just had to combine them with the marinara and “beef” crumbles.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 4oz dry pasta (I used ancient grain penne)
- Mushrooms, garlic, kale, broccoli, and any other veggies you’d like
- 1.5 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup Beyond Meat beef crumbles
Directions:
1. Prepare pasta according to directions on the package–will vary by type.
2. Prepare your veggies as you’d like: I roasted brussels sprouts and broccoli in the oven at 400 degrees for ~10-15 mins, and sauteed mushrooms and kale together with garlic.
3. Combine cooked pasta and veggies, marinara sauce, and Beyond meat beef crumbles, and serve hot.
Nutrition info: (using 2 cups of broccoli and kale)
- Calories per 1/2 of recipe: 420 calories
- Carbs: 67g (9g fiber)| Protein: 25g | Fat: 7g
Enjoy your quick and easy weeknight dinner!
(This is cross-posted from my recipe-only blog)
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins (Vegan and Low Cal)
Hello friends! Sorry about yet another hiatus. Sometimes life just gets a bit crazy: between classes and research internships and my boyfriend visiting during his spring break, I just haven’t had much computer time. But I think that can finally change during the last 6 weeks of the semester and through the summer! 🙂 Despite the blogging break, I have been uploading daily to my instagram, so feel free to keep up with my food/fitness adventures over there! (Linked in sidebar)
And now, one of my goals for this blog is recipe sharing: I have another dedicated recipe blog I post on, but I thought I’d share the more fitness-friendly ones here in case they’re useful to anyone. I’ll also post about my current fitness routine and goals soon, since I’ve been making a lot of progress in the last few weeks!
So to kick things off, I wanted to share one of my favorite new recipes, from last week: chocolate chip sweet potato muffins. They’re a tad addictive, and my omni friends were shocked that they were vegan (always my test of good vegan food). They were even more surprised when I told them they’re incredibly low cal, too! They’re my new favorite snack when I’m out and about: I’ve been bringing them to class straight from the freezer and they’re perfectly moist and thawed an hour later.
Makes one dozen small muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup spelt flour (for gluten free, try buckwheat flour)
- 1/2 banana
- 250g sweet potato, baked
- 1 cup non dairy milk (I used unsweetened soymilk)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp splenda, or sweetener of choice
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 -1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Directions
Ingredient prep: Use pre-baked sweet potato, or bake your own in the oven at 375 degrees F for around 45 minutes, or until soft. If you don’t have oat flour, make your own by grinding 1 cup of oats in a food processor–I like mine slightly course. Remove from food processor to a bowl, and set aside.
1. Combine baked sweet potato with banana, soymilk, and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Add maple syrup and sweetener, and set aside.
2. Combine the flours, baking soda and powder, salt, and spices in a medium sized bowl. Stir in chocolate chips, then add in wet ingredients and stir. If the batter is too dry, add non dairy milk until it’s at muffin-batter consistency.
3. Spoon batter into a standard sized muffin pan–it should fill one dozen cups about 2/3 full.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove muffins to a cooling rack.
Nutrition info:
- Calories per muffin: 90
- Carbs: 16.5g (2g fiber)| Protein: 2.5g | Fat: 1.8g
Enjoy!
(This is cross-posted from my recipe only blog)
Recipe: Cauliflower Mac n Cheeze (Vegan and Low Cal)
Sometimes, the craving for comfort food is overwhelming. Luckily, instead of turning to the high calorie foods I’m dying for, I like to make low cal substitutes. This cauliflower mac n cheese is one of my favorites, especially because it’s so easy, and actually pretty healthy! The whole thing came to 300 calories for me, and that was with the avocado–the dish was amazingly rich and filling. (I like to try to have half an avocado a day, so I incorporate it as often as I can.)
Most of these are estimates, because I cook spontaneously. So just mess with the ingredient amounts to fit your tastes!
Serves 1.
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1/3 cup vegan cheese of your choice [I used daiya cheddar]
- ~1/4 cup unsweetened non dairy milk
- 1/2 avocado, ~75g (optional)
- Chipotle or smoked paprika powder (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- Optional add-ins: spinach or kale, veggies, vegetarian sausage
Directions
1. Wash, slice/rip, and cook cauliflower as desired. I microwaved mine in the bowl for ~45 seconds. Roasting it would also taste delicious!
2. Prepare sauce: in a pan over low-medium heat, add the cheese and half the milk, stirring frequently. Once melted, add as much milk as you’d like until the sauce has reached your desired consistency. (it really varies person to person!) Add salt, pepper, and any seasonings you want.
3. Add in cauliflower, avocado if using, and add-ins; stir until coated and cauliflower is as soft as you like it.
4. Pour into a bowl and serve hot.
And enjoy!
Recipe: Mango Swirl Chia Pudding
I love chia pudding, but I don’t make it nearly often enough because you have to plan it the night before if you want it for breakfast. After trying adding various fruit flavors, however, I’m now addicted–totally worth the early prep!
This tropical themed one is one of my favorites: it’s creamy, delicious, and packed with omega-3’s, fiber, protein, potassium, and vitamin C! (And of course all the other myriad of nutrients that chia has.)
Makes ~8oz. (pictured) – 300-350 calories.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp chia
- 1.5 cup water or soymilk (necessary liquid varies with seed types)
- 1/2 cup mango chunks (best if frozen)
- 1/2 banana (best if frozen)
- 1/3 cup coconut or plain unsweetened yogurt (optional)
- Protein powder (optional)
Directions
1. ~6-24 hours before: mix the chia and the water and/or milk together. Shake or stir at 5-10 minute intervals until it stops settling and is evenly distributed throughout. (Or you can just let it sit 30 mins and shake it once). Let sit overnight or until soft and expanded.
2. When you’re about to eat it, prepare the fruit puree. Blend together the banana and mango–you may want to add a splash of water or milk to get it going–until smooth.
3. Mix chia mixture with yogurt and any add-ins you want, add the fruit puree, and enjoy cold!
Miche, Ph.D. 