Creamy Vegan Mushroom & Garlic Alfredo

For this Vegan recipe I was going for the texture of Alfredo pasta which is made with cheese and butter, so I decided to use a creamy tofu paste as a substitute. The olive oil and mushrooms already add a lot of texture to the dish, so the tofu just gave it that extra special touch. You have to get creative when you’re Veganizing recipes and most of the time tofu and almond milk do the trick!

Ingredients

• 8 oz spaghetti
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• Handful of mushrooms chopped
• Olive oil
• 85 g tofu (I used organic extra firm)
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
2. In the mean time, using a blender or food processor, make a paste by adding about 1/3 cup of water, salt, and pepper to your tofu. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add your mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Once your mushrooms have cooked for a few minutes, turn heat to low and add in chopped garlic and season with more salt and pepper.  Adding the garlic at the end will prevent it from burning. After about a minute you can start to add your tofu paste. I did not want the dish to have a strong tofu taste so I added little by little and tasted it as I went along. I probably used 3/4 of the paste. Also taste for salt and pepper along the way.
4. Add pasta to mushroom mixture and toss, making sure everything is coated.
5. Plate and serve!

Vegan Strawberry Banana Protein Breakfast Smoothie

I’ve been making breakfast smoothies for so many years, the only thing that’s changed is that I was making them with whey protein in the past. I have nothing against whey protein and I know a lot of people love it for the extra protein in their diet, but most of the time it just didn’t sit well with my stomach and I would get the worst tummy rumbles! Having been a personal trainer for over 7 years, I for one know that there are SO many views out there on how much protein women need in their diet. We definitely need protein but I do believe that it is sometimes eaten in excess so the 9 g of protein that this breakfast smoothie adds to my diet is plenty for me because I get protein from other sources as well. Since I’ve been trying to cut back on my dairy intake I decided to use organic tofu. What’s great about tofu is that it not only adds protein but also structure and creaminess to the smoothie. It’s so easy to whip up and a great breakfast if you’re feeling rushed in the morning!

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 7 or 8 frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 85 g tofu (I used organic extra firm)
• 4 ice cubes

Directions

1. Place all your ingredients in blender and blend until smooth!

Caramelized Banana & Belgian Pearl Sugar Pancakes

During my middle school years I attended the American International School of Bucharest and there was a little Belgian waffle shop down the street that I used to walk to with my friends after school. They had the most delicious Belgian Pearl Sugar Waffles I’ve ever tasted! The waffles were slightly crunchy on the outside and super soft and chewy on the inside. And when you were lucky to have a bite with the caramelized pearl sugar, it just melted in your mouth. Every time I think of those waffles my mouth waters so I wanted to create something with similar flavors but quick! Belgian waffles are yeast based so they take some patience. Pearl sugar can be found at specialty stores, I got mine from Sur La Table. If you don’t find pearl sugar, these pancakes will still turn out just as fantastic because of the caramelized bananas on top! I actually didn’t have any milk on hand so I used soda water instead and I’m happy I did because it cut some calories and added a light and airy texture to the pancakes.

If you want a dessert style pancake for breakfast I definitely recommend these! Perfect for a weekend splurge!

If you’d like to make these Vegan, simply take out the egg and add 1/4 cup of applesauce and instead of using butter for the caramelized bananas, use coconut oil!

Yields 12 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup soda water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (separated) or 1/4 cup applesauce for Vegan recipe
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 2 overripe bananas mashed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• Pearl sugar

For the Caramelized Bananas

• 1 sliced banana
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter (or coconut oil for Vegan recipe)

Directions

1. Heat griddle to 350 degrees F.
2. To make your caramelized banana topping melt 1 tablespoon of butter (coconut oil for Vegan recipe), add your sliced bananas and coat them with the brown sugar. Cook until bananas are a golden brown color and have caramelized. Flip each piece gently during cooking so you don’t get a big mush.
3. In a small bowl whip your egg white until stiff peaks form (skip this step for Vegan recipe).
4. In a large bowl sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
5. In another bowl mix your egg yolk, oil, soda water, vanilla extract, almond extract, and banana. For Vegan recipe, substitute the egg yolk with applesauce.
6. Add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporate. Fold in your whipped egg white (skip this step for Vegan recipe).
7. Add about 5 pieces of pearl sugar in one spot on griddle. Let heat up for about 15 seconds. Add 1/4 of batter on top of the pearl sugar. Add 5 or so more pieces of pearl sugar on top of batter so that when you flip you’ll have pearl sugar on both sides. Flip once bubbles start to form. Cook another minute.
8. Plate and serve with caramelized bananas and maple syrup on top.

Orzo with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Cherry Tomatoes

I’ve always wanted to cook with orzo and finally picked some up while I was at Sprouts the other day. Basically, orzo is pasta in the shape of rice. I love rice and I love pasta so I knew this wouldn’t disappoint, and sure enough, it didn’t. The first time I cooked it I noticed that if you cook it for too long it will stick together really really bad! In other words, it becomes one big mush after you drain it. So make sure that if you do decide to cook orzo, do not over cook it! Al dente is the way to go, just slightly under-cooked. I wanted this recipe to be light and have a fresh taste while also having a creaminess to it so I made asparagus and mushrooms the stars and garnished with a medley of sweet cherry tomatoes and chives. And for added flavor I used some cipollini onions, they were just to cute to pass up at the grocery store! Yields 4 servings Ingredients

• 8 oz orzo
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 10-15 mushrooms
• 2 cipollini onions
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chives

Directions

1. Cook your orzo according to package directions. (Remember not to overcook).
2. In the mean time, chop your onion, asparagus and mushrooms into small pieces. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a medium sized pan. Once oil is heated, add your onion and sprinkle with salt. Turn your heat down to low so you don’t burn the onion. Once onion is translucent, add your asparagus and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and bump the heat up to medium for about 10 minutes. Stir vegetables every couple of minutes. Test to see if the texture of the asparagus is to your liking. If you prefer a softer vegetable, cook longer. Taste for salt and pepper as well.
3. Drain the orzo, place back in saucepan and add about a tablespoon of olive oil, this will help with the sticking. Spoon orzo into the vegetable saucepan and stir.
4. Plate and garnish with cherry tomatoes and chives.

Jasmine Rice with Red Pepper and Zucchini

For the last six months I’ve cut meat out of my diet almost completely, so that really forced me to get creative with my meals. Rice has always been a favorite of mine and over the years I’ve experimented with new kinds such as Basmati and Jasmine. In this recipe I used Jasmine rice. It’s so fragrant and flavorful, you can even it plain and it won’t disappoint. I sauteed red bell peppers with zucchini in olive oil and jazzed them up with Hungarian Paprika! This dish is so simple. You’ll have it ready in under 30 minutes. I love to add shrimp or tofu for protein.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 zucchini
• Olive oil
• Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Chop bell pepper into thin strips and zucchini into half moon shaped pieces. Add olive oil to a medium skillet (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and let it heat up. Once oil is heated, add vegetables and sprinkle paprika, salt, and pepper. I normally use a lot of paprika because I love the flavor. I recommend tasting the vegetables as they are cooking and deciding whether you need more.
3. Cook the vegetables on low to medium heat with the cover on for about 20 minutes. If you like your vegetables crunchier cook less time. I like mine fairly tender.
4. Plate your rice and spoon vegetables on top. Garnish with chives.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Winter is the perfect time for oatmeal. It warms you up first thing in the morning and fills you up until lunch time. I for one love being full until lunch, less snacking, especially after all the holiday eating! Lets be honest, plain oats are not the best tasting (actually they’re ewwww), so I decided to use an apple and some basic ingredients I had on hand to make this a rich and decadent oatmeal. I added cinnamon, brown sugar, and my secret ingredient that’s not so secret anymore, almond extract. I used a combination of milk and almond milk in this recipe but you can use one or the other or just use water. Using almond milk or water would make this Vegan! Of course water doesn’t add the creaminess that milk and almond milk do.

Yields 1 serving

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup oats
• 3/4 cup milk (substitute with water or almond milk to make Vegan)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 apple
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• Chopped walnuts or almonds for topping (optional)

Directions

1. Cut up half an apple into small cubes, about 1/2 inch. Place them in a small skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook until apples are soft.
2. In a small saucepan pour 1/2 milk, 1/4 cup almond milk, oats, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat and cook until oats are soft. Add your last 1/4 cup of milk in the last few minutes of cooking.
3. Scoop oats into a bowl, add apples on top and garnish with chopped walnuts or almonds if desired.