Living Whole Food, Plant Based!
Are you like me? As I live this Whole Food, Plant-Based lifestyle, I look at other aspects of my life and how they impact my health. For example, alcohol. Empty calories, poor food and dietary decisions, etc. are just some of the negative aspects of …
Welcome 2020! As one year closes and another begins, possibilities abound. We spend time making (then breaking) resolutions. We want to make changes in our life, but life is funny. Old habits are so hard to change. It is so easy to fall into our …
Does this sound familiar?
You are out with the family and everyone is hungry (and getting hangry). No one else has adopted this way of eating and their choices for restaurants proves they are not interested in helping you maintain this Whole Food, Plant Based (WFPB) lifestyle. You are the one making the ultimate sacrifice, agreeing to go to a fast food restaurant serving the staples of the SAD (standard American diet). Burgers, fries, and soda. You get the side salad (way over paying for the amount of lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes you get) and water. They are happy, though they don’t understand their body is not happy with their choices. You are left unsatisfied, but proud that you resisted temptation.
I can’t be alone in that situation. In my life, this is an all too common occurrence.
My adult children introduced me to a restaurant while visiting them in Maryland that is a game changer! It’s fast food that meets the needs of us WFPB adopters while providing choices to satisfy the tastes of non-adopters! The name of the restaurant chain is Cava and it serves Mediterranean food in a manner similar to Chipotle, but with more choices, fresher ingredients, and larger portions (of healthy food)!
The menu is packed with information that allows you to make WFPB-compliant choices. Every menu option is identified as Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, and Soy Free. Essentially, you can look right down the list of Vegan-compliant options to create your dish.
Your dish is created in 5 steps.
Every component has the caloric content and spice level identified.
Prices are extremely reasonable. With tax, it works out to about $10 per meal. The mini pita options are less expensive, but more restrictive in options.
I had the Greens and Grains with Super Greens and Black Lentils. My dips / spreads were the hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, and harissa. I had the seasonal roasted vegetables for my protein and topped it with every vegan topping. I chose the lemon herb tahini and green harissa as my dressing.
Result? Heaven! It was the most delicious fast food dish I have ever had. I remember when I first discovered Chipotle and thought it was the best thing ever. Cava’s options and how they prepare and deliver your creation is far superior to anything else I have seen.
But I do have a problem. Cava is only in eleven states and Georgia is not one of them! How am I supposed to get my fix on a regular basis?
So if you live near a Cava location, I highly recommend you try it out! You can visit www.cava.com to find their locations and a full description of their concept and menu.
Wishing you the best of health…
Stephen
Farro, which is also known as emmer in some parts of the world, is an ancient wheat grain that has been eaten for thousands of years around the world. Farro is commonly found in Middle East, Ethiopian, and Mediterranean dishes. I have no problems finding …
I was on the Facebook page for the Forks Over Knives community. If you haven’t joined the group, I highly recommend you do so. As you embark on this lifestyle journey, the page is full of motivating stories, moral support, and encouragement from the group …
I owe all my followers a sincere apology. I had every intention to post twice a week. Unfortunately, life has got in the way and work had been grueling! Fortunately, though, I have adhered religiously to my whole food, plant-based lifestyle!
Hopefully, to help make it up to you, I am sharing my four layer, totally vegan, totally whole food, plant-based, yummy lasagna recipe! This is seriously so healthy and so delicious that you will make this over and over again. This will become one of your go-to WFPB meals that will satisfy your cravings for the real thing.
This recipe will take longer than most I will share, but if you are patient, I promise you will be rewarded.
If you are like me, one of the things I love most about lasagna is the cheese, especially ricotta. I have developed a mock “ricotta” with four simple ingredients. Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast, Himalayan Pink Salt (though sea salt or kosher salt would work just fine), granulated garlic, and extra firm tofu. The key is to prepare ahead of time and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours so that it fully comes together.
The ingredients for the mock “ricotta” are:
14oz package of extra firm tofu
2 1/2 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Granulated Garlic
3/4 Tablespoon of Himalayan Pink Salt
Using a fork, break apart the tofu and mix the ingredients together until it has a crumbly consistency and all the ingredients are mixed together. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for two hours (or more) before using. You will find this mock “ricotta” so versatile. Use this whenever you have a recipe calling for ricotta or even feta cheese.
I like to use a variety of vegetables and ingredients in the lasagna. Feel free to experiment with vegetables of your liking. The key for acceptance by the family is to cut the veggies in a size they hardly notice they are eating vegetables! My wife has used frozen peas in the recipe and I’ve used sliced eggplant as well. There are no rules, so be creative.
The ingredients I used for this recipe are as follows:
48 ounces of pasta sauce (marinara and arrabbiata sauces are your best bets to ensure there are no animal products in the sauce)
24 ounces of ready for the oven lasagna sheets
1 or 2 zucchini (peeled into ribbons or sliced very thin)
2 cups of fresh spinach
1 broccoli crown (florets sliced thin and save the shavings)
1 cup of mushrooms (sliced)
1 medium red onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
4 to 6 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup of kalamata olives (roughly chopped)
1 cup of vegetable stock (or broth)
1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes
If you have made lasagna before, you understand the assembly. I use a 9″x13″ pan. Before I would spray the pan with non-stick spray, but I have found absolutely no reason to with this recipe. Bonus because it further helps us stay with the whole food, plant-based lifestyle! Start with about 1/3 cup of pasta sauce and 1/3 cup of vegetable stock. Mix it around to make sure the bottom of the pan is fully covered. Now the fun begins.
The first layer of lasagna sheets go down. I will overlap the sheets and break sheets to fit as needed. It doesn’t have to be pretty as no one will see it once baked.
Layer the zucchini ribbons to make sure there is sufficient coverage over the lasagna sheets.
Add some more sauce, red pepper flakes, and about two garlic cloves (minced).
I use vegan mozzarella style shreds in this dish. A couple words of caution. First, these shreds do not melt and caramelize like regular mozzarella. You have to use the vegan mozzarella shreds in the body of the lasagna. They will melt and have a nice creamy consistency. Second, use sparingly. One 8 ounce package is enough for a tray of lasagna. I used 4 ounces in this layer, saving the rest for on top of the lasagna (I’ll describe later).
Another layer of lasagna sheets. Notice that the single vertical sheet is now on the left side. I will rotate the side of the single vertical sheet with each layer.
Evenly distribute the spinach.
Remove the mock “ricotta” from the refrigerator. Evenly distribute the crumbles over the spinach.
Add the roughly chopped kalamata olives. Pour a liberal amount of pasta sauce over the spinach, mock “ricotta”, and olives.
Add another layer of lasagna sheets. Note how ugly my cracked sheets look…but who cares?!?!
Add 2/3 cup of vegetable stock. Please note, the instructions on the oven ready lasagna sheets say to use 1/2 cup liquid for every five sheets of lasagna. Totally unnecessary for this recipe! The vegetables, tofu, and sauce provide enough liquid that you can cut the amount of added liquid per the box’s instructions in half.
Add the peppers, onions, minced garlic, and broccoli on top of the sheets.
Add some more pasta sauce and then add the 4th layer of lasagna sheets.
On top of the 4th layer of lasagna sheets, evenly spread pasta sauce that has been combined with 4 ounces of the vegan mozzarella style shreds. As I mentioned before, the shreds do not caramelize very well. But I have found that when mixed with pasta sauce, it finishes the top of the lasagna with a consistent binder. Top with the sliced mushrooms and minced garlic.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Loosely cover the lasagna with aluminum foil. Before when I would make lasagna, I would spray the foil with non-stick spray. You do not need to do that with this recipe! The mushrooms and sauce provide a perfect non-stick barrier.
Once the oven is heated to 375 degrees, place the foiled lasagna pan into the over and cook for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, remove the foil and continue cooking for 12 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
And because this lasagna is so healthy and full of vegetables, I like to indulge in a little red wine with the dish! Ok…maybe I crack the bottle open and enjoy while waiting for the lasagna to bake…but who is watching!
The lasagna keeps extremely well in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Lasagna, for me, is one of those comfort foods I almost enjoy more as a leftover than when originally served!
Give it a try and tell me what you think. I think you’ll find that you don’t even miss the meat and cheese in this Italian favorite.
Wishing you the best of health!
Stephen
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I have a few recipes that I like to go to frequently. One of my favorites in my Fresh Mango Salsa. The beauty of this recipe is how versatile it is. Whether you are vegan or not, this salsa goes as well on tortilla chips …
On your whole food plant-based (WFPB) journey, you are going to experience many traps and pitfalls. Almost all of these will take place when you have a moment of weakness, when convenience trumps all else.
If you are like me, the day begins rushed. The dogs need to be walked. The kids need to be driven to school. The workday starts early with the first crisis meeting me once I open my emails. I need something quick and simple that doesn’t add to my morning stress.
Then, by the time dinner rolls around, I’m beat tired. Still, everyone expects dinner to be ready. If my family were to adopt my lifestyle, dinner would be so much easier. But that isn’t the case. My wife is on Keto and my step-kids never can agree on what they want for dinner. I should have been a chef because I swear I cook as if people were ordering off a menu each night…but that’s for another blog post.
After I have cooked for everyone else, I can finally turn my attention to my meal. Exhausted, it would be much easier for me to just eat what I’ve prepared for others. But I am not giving in to what is easy. I am committed to being disciplined in this lifestyle I’ve chosen for myself. That requires preparation!
There are a few things I do at the beginning of the week to make my life easier. It takes an hour or two of preparation, but it really helps in staying compliant to the WFPB lifestyle.
First, as much as I can, I will chop my veggies and store them in clear containers in the refrigerator. I cut the veggies in the size I tend to use them. I like having hummus with celery or cucumbers, so I make sure I have these sliced to the size I would use for scooping hummus. I enjoy chopped salads, so I’ll have a variety of veggies chopped for that purpose. Berries are washed and conveniently stored.
I will also make about three cups of brown rice at the beginning of the week, as I will black beans or whatever other dried beans are on sale at the market. Both are made in my Instant Pot (separately) while I am washing and chopping my vegetables and fruits.
Occasionally, I will make three or four small sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot and store those in a clear container as well, especially if I need a break from brown rice.
I truly believe that one of the keys to making this exercise effective is storing the items in clear containers at eye level! When you open the fridge, all these colorful, clean, and healthy options are staring you right in your face. At your finger tips are all the essentials for a salad, a soup (add some barley, vegetable broth, herbs, and heat until the barley is cooked), or a stir-fry with tofu.
Quick, easy, healthy meal prep in minutes. What could be easier?
For breakfast, overnight oats are perfect! Takes less than five minutes to prepare, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then in the morning, you can eat them at home or conveniently take them with you. Either way, the preparation at night sets you up for success in the morning. Here is how I do it…
The ingredients are simple and you can substitute different fruits, nuts, and non-dairy milks. That said, though I prefer eating steel cut oats, I have found they do not absorb the liquids overnight. For that reason, I highly recommend not deviating from using rolled oats.
Recipe for Overnight Oats
Ingredients:
½ cup of rolled oats
1 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk (I prefer almond milk but rice, coconut, cashew, or soy works as well)
½ cup of blueberries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are great as well…fresh or frozen)
¼ cup of nuts, unsalted and chopped if desired (I used raw pecans, but walnuts or almonds work well too)
1 banana sliced
1 Tablespoon of chia seeds (or flax seeds)
1 Tablespoon of pure maple syrup
Instructions:
In a clear jar (Mason or Ball brands work great), layer the ingredients starting with the oats and finishing with the non-dairy milk. Give the ingredients a quick shake after the lid has been sealed and then place in the refrigerator. Let them sit overnight (or up to three days). Add some additional non-dairy milk, if needed, before eating.
I enjoy the overnight oats cold, but I see no reason that they can’t be heated (just make sure you place them in a microwave safe container before heating or heat them in a saucepan).
Simple tricks in preparation will make this lifestyle so much easier and increase your likelihood of success.
If you have any tips or suggestions, I would love your feedback. Remember, we are in this together!
Wishing you the best of health…
Stephen
There are a ton of meal subscription services out there. Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Plated are among the many that popped up when I did a quick Google search. But looking at the options, most of the known names didn’t have a true vegan …