fitness – The Superfood Goddess

Famous Taco Salad

May 9, 2019May 15, 2019 thesuperfoodgoddess

I remember the day I first had a taco salad. I was 15 working at an office job, under the table and we had a lunch party one day. A few of the managers brought food and one of the meals was a t o salad. What an awesome concept. I mean, I LOVE burritos and Tacos! So why not throw it all on top of a salad with a creamy ass dressing and mix it all together!?! 😍😍

This was, of course, before I was plant based so I would use ground turkey, because I thought that was the healthier choice of Meats. I started making this taco salad a lot for my family because it was the one thing I knew how to cook well and knew everyone would enjoy it. This actually makes me realize now that at 15 I found my love of being able to feed my loved ones with a super delicious meal. There’s something really satisfying about feeding others by putting your love, hard work, and creative energy into their meal.

Once I figured out to Veganize this recipe by using a meat crumble substitute with taco seasoning and a vegan mayo based dressing I was set. Because I was still learning different recipes, this was my GO TO! I also thought it was SO good I started making it for any friend I could. I wanted to show them that vegan was super yummy.

Ok, I actually am about to let you in on a little secret… I TOTALLY use this recipe to pull a quick one on everyone and share how tasty plant based life is! Ha ha!! Now I have a big pot to fill huh? I promise, this salad is that good!! Make it for yourself a few times. See what works for you and then, do me and yourself a favor, don’t keep this recipe to yourself!! Invite your friends and family over and share your knowledge of health! To be honest, I don’t even think you need to mention that it’s plant based….? Let them figure that out later. Most of all, have fun making this and Enjoy eating and sharing it.

Taco salad

By The Superfood Goddess

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Organic Mixed Greens

Salad Topping-

-1/2 Onion

-1 clove Garlic

-1/2 head of Cauliflower

-1 Large or 2 small Zucchini

-1/2 Bell pepper

-6 Mushrooms

-Pinch Salt

-Spray oil

-1 Package Taco seasoning

-3 Tablespoons Nutritional yeast

-2 Tomatoes

-1 Avocado

-14 tortilla chips (I like Siete brand)

Optional: Shredded cheese

Dressing:

-1/2 Cup Mayonnaise or 1 Cup Cashews (soaked 4-6 hours)

-1/4 Cup Ketchup

-1 Tablespoon Hot sauce

-1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method:

-Chop the onions and place them in a pan, on medium heat, with some spray oil. Sauté!for about 5 minutes until translucent.

-Add minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.

-Add chopped cauliflower and taco seasoning and sauté for about 8-10 minutes, stirring every minute.

-Add zucchini and keep stirring for 5 minutes.

-Add the red bell pepper, mushrooms, nutritional yeast and sauté and stir for another 5 minutes.

-OPTION: to add shredded cheese, to give it a little bit more creaminess, you can add some Daiya or follow your heart shredded cheese

-For The Dressing: Put all ingredients in a small bowl and stir together until it resembles a dressing. If you’re using the soaked cashews, drain the water and throw all ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy! You will need 1/4-1/2 Cup water to help blend

-Take whatever salad amount you want and place it into a large mixing bowl. Top with some dressing and toss to evenly soar the lettuce leaves. Then place the salad in a bowl or on a plate and then top with the taco topping. For some texture and added crunchiness, crumble a couple tortilla chips on top, I recommend Siete brand.

breakfast

Superfood Waffles! They’re green 😍

March 17, 2019 thesuperfoodgoddess

These green Superfood waffles are so tasty and nutritious!! I came up with the idea for st, Patrick’s Day and went with it. These are basically the same ingredients as my matcha pancakes but a little change in measurements and cooking…

Matcha is a ceremonial grade green tea powder that boasts tons of antioxidants and gives you a subtle kick of energy. Matcha also helps with mental wellbeing. Always big organic teas!! Teas have the most dirty practices out of any crop and here the leaf is ground up and you’re taking it all in.

Spirulina is high in protein per teaspoon and gives you a nice kick of minerals and energy as well. Spirulina is detoxifying and a great addition to your daily diet! I added spinach because it also boasts nutritents and high in iron and it added some extra green color to the waffles!!

Here’s the recipe! Enjoy loves!

•Green Superfood Waffles!!

-1 cup (200g) GF/Vegan pancake mix (Arrowhead Mills has a great one)

-2 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)

-1 Large banana

-1 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk

-1 1/2 tsp matcha (Navitas brand)

-1 tsp vanilla

-1/4 tsp cinnamon

-1tsp stevia

**If the consistency is too thick as you’re working with the mixture, you can always add a tiny more liquid.

-In a blender, combine all ingredients but the pancake mix. Then transfer to a medium size bowl and add the pancake mix. I like to put it through a sifter to ensure even mixing.

– I used my Dash mini waffle maker. Let it heat up accordingly and then spray some coconut oil on the hot plates. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the mixture and close the lid. Let cook for about 3-3.5 minutes and Viola!!

These are so tasty and very nutritious! Please enjoy and let me know what you think! Tag me in your posts and I will share your photos! I love seeing what you create 😍🙌🏼☘️

dressing, dips, and sauce

Pesto! Delicious Vegan Pesto!!

March 17, 2019 thesuperfoodgoddess

Ya’ll, pesto doesn’t HAVE to have dairy in it to taste good. But do be advised, most pesto sauce does have Parmesan in the mix. I mean, we’ve put cheese and dairy in so many things for a very long time. So for most of us, it’s so natural. But we don’t need the added cholesterol or hormones and ricin’s that go into our milk in order to enjoy pesto! In this recipe I use nutritional yeast and cashews to add a little creaminess.

Pesto is so flavorful and very healing. Basil is great forminflammation, digestion, and even helps with depression. It is high in many vitamins in minerals, iron, phosphorus and vitamin K to say a few. The beautiful green color makes me want to eat it up right away and you know when someone is working with pesto because the aroma is beautiful!

I am not huge in using oils but do realize that extra virgin olive oil gives such a nice flavor and consistency to this sauce. If you are oil free or watching your oil intake, you can try avocado instead. I haven’t done it with this exact recipe and measurements here but I have made it before with a previous pesto and it worked just fine and was super creamy. I like creamy sauces so any chance I get I’ll make it that way.

I do recommend a high speed blender or a small food processor since this isn’t a huge ingredient list and you don’t want your blade spinning in the air or to have a frustrating outcome. My Vitamix just barely did the job with the last bit of water being added. This recipe is healthy and tasty and you are going to be sure to love it. Bon appetite my loves!

Pesto

By The Superfood Goddess

(Makes enough for 4 servings)

-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you could use half to a full avocado instead)

-2 Tablespoons Water

-1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

-1 teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt

-1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

-2 Garlic Cloves

-2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

-1/4 Cup Raw Cashews

-2 Cups basil

Method:

-In a high speed blender or small food processor combines all the ingredients except the last two.

-Once blended (about 1 minute of processing) add the last the ingredients. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. You will probably need to scrape the sides down of the blender or food processor and if needed, add a little more water.

This recipe is pretty quick and easy. Make some pasta alongside it and toss together when the pasta is ready. Then practice your best accent while tossing and eating the pasta. Ok, that last part was just to make you laugh… I love my Italian relatives and listening to their banter! Don’t forget to let me know what you think and tag me in your posts so I can share it too!! Bon Appetite 💋❤️

appetizers, entrees

Lunch wraps that ARE DELICIOUS

February 26, 2019February 26, 2019 thesuperfoodgoddess

I am always trying to come up with creative ways to eat healthy, taste to be super yummy, and it fuel my body nutritionally. This way I can use all the nutrients going into my body to heal my from everyday toxins that it comes into contact with! So, I love burritos, tacos, and any kind of wraps. Being gluten free, other than corn tortillas, this can be somewhat challenging. Not impossible, just a little, tiny bit, more challenging…

I found these raw wraps that I enjoy so much, as well as, trust their ingredients. They’re made with veggies and flax seeds! I had the pleasure of finding out about this company while at a huge healthy expo. I got to speak with some of the people behind the brand, which solidified why I wanted to keep eating the wraps! They have a sweet wrap for breakfast type recipes and a savory and spicy one for more lunch and dinner items.

Aside from the wraps, I truly love making the filling colorful, nutrient dense, and creamy, while boasting added protein. I’m all about taste and texture. I added sprouts, raw carrots & beets for some crunch, some avocado, hummus & Kitehill cream cheese for creaminess, and then tomatoes and bell peppers for flavor! I made this for other vegans and I was surprised to hear two of them say they didn’t enjoy beets much and were slightly scared of me putting them in the wrap. Once they tried the wraps, they realized the creaminess hid the taste! I made it for a non vegan and they said it was really good and tasted healthy and light, while still being filling. When you add nutritionally strong ingredients, they fill you up quite nicely!

So here’s the recipe. Please be sure to comment what you think when you make them. Don’t forget to tag me with you photos so I can see what you’re doing as well! Happy Monday loves! Xoxo!

Raw Lunch wraps

By The Superfood Goddess

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 Raw Wraps (I like Wrawp brand, you can also use your favorite tortillas)

1 8oz Tub Kitehill Chive Cream Cheese

1 8oz Tub Hummus (I used Magestic sprouted hummus)

2 Raw Beets peeled and shredded

3 Carrots peeled and shredded

2 Packages of Sprouts (sunflower, broccoli, etc)

3 Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Pepper

2-3 Avocados

6 Cups Arugula

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Juice of half a Lemon

Pinch of pink Himalayan salt

Pinch of Black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Method:

-Toss the Arugula, lemon juice, olive oil, pink Himalayan salt, pepper, and cayenne together. Set aside while you prep the other ingredients.

-With a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots and then the beets. With a shredder shred the carrots and then the beets. Working with the carrots first will help keep the beet color separate from mixing in with the carrots.

-Julienne the Tomatoes and bell peppers into smaller slivers. (You can google how to julienne a Tomato. I also recommend cutting or pulling the seeds out of the tomatoes, this is more for looks and a little less wet, but it won’t break the recipe if you don’t take the seeds out, so no worries).

-Take a wrap and spread the left side with the vegan cream cheese and the right side with the hummus. Start to layer the veggies on top of the wrap, layering on the left side of the wrap. Leaving more room on the right hand side so you can roll it at the end. Start with the bell pepper, tomato, then beets and carrots, then sprouts, avocado, and finally the arugula.

-Roll the wrap tightly, hugging the ingredients closer into the roll if needed so that the last little rolling stretch is just the wrap with spread on it, this will hold it in place!

-Then the wraps are ready to eat, don’t forget to chew and Enjoy!

appetizers

Potato Skins

February 22, 2019 thesuperfoodgoddess

Whenever I say the word, potato, I want to say it with an Irish accent. I seriously have no clue why! Haha. As I sat down to write this, that’s what came to mind and I just thought it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t share that.

Anyways, back to potato skins… I don’t know about you, but potatoes are so my weakness. I don’t eat them all the time but I would have them at every meal if I could. So adding some other really nice favorites like chives, creamy cheese and sour cream, and something crispy crunchy on top, such as fakin bac’n or chirizo, really does it up for me. Normally, all the toppings aren’t dairy free and are loaded with an unhealthy amount of cholesterol, fat, and salt. In this recipe you are free and clear of allllll that shiz!!

Ok, so making this for your non vegan friends is a win! It was the first thing off the super bowl table when I brought it this year. Later when I was telling someone about the potato skins being vegan they toldnme to stop and ask me to repeat myself! Ok, enough bragging, I just really want you to know you’re in for a treat! It takes some labor but well worth it peeps.

Enjoy,

Stephie, The Superfood Goddess

Twice baked potatoes bites

10-20 Golden potatoes
Coconut spray oil (to spray potatoes with)
1 Tablespoons Pink Himalayan salt (to sprinkle over potatoes before wrapping in foil)
4 Tablespoons Vegan Butter (melted)
1/4 Cup finely minced chives (to mix in mixture)
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Black pepper

Topping:
Sour cream (tofutti)
Chives (chopped)
1/2 package Soyrizo OR fackin’ bac’n (just a sprinkle on top)- If using soyrizo, cook half the package in a small pan, on medium heat, for 10 minutes until slightly dry and browned.

Method:
-1. Preheat over to 400. Wash and Scrub potatoes well. Pat dry and prick the potatoes at least 6 times with a fork.

-2. Spray each potato with the oil and sprinkle with a little salt and then wrap in a small piece of foil individually.

-3. Bake potatoes in the preheated oven for an hour or until tender. Take potatoes out and let them cool for 15 minutes before removing the foil.

-6. Remove foil after fifteen minutes and cut in half lengthwise. Then scrape the insides of the potatoes leaving a 1/4-1/2 inch shell. Sometimes I will use a small sharp knife to insert into the potato and give myself a guideline of where I’m scooping. Be careful to not go too far and break the shell.

-7. Scoop the potato pulp/insides into a mixing bowl. Once you’ve scooped all the potato pulp out, begin to mix using a masher, or an electric mixer on low, or a fork. Slowly adding melted butter, salt, garlic power, black pepper, and minced chives. Mash until they look and taste like fluffy mashed potatoes. If they seem too dry feel free to use 1-2 tablespoons of non dairy milk to moisten the mixture.

-8. Scoop mashed potato mixture back into the shells and place in a backing dish or pan and cook uncovered at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. You can broil then for the last 5 minutes if you’d like to add a little crispiness.

-9. Take the cooked potatoes out and let them sit for 5-10 minutes before putting you topping on them. You can add the sour cream, soyrizo, and chives on top. If you’re feeling extra cheesey, take the potatoes out five minutes early, grab some Daiya cheese shreds and sprinkle on top of the potatoes. Then place them back in the oven to finish cooking 5 more minutes.

*** if you would like to make these a day early you can! After you have scooped the mashed potato mixture back into the shells, you can put them in an airtight container for 24 hours before reheating them at 400 for 20 minutes. Then follow the rest of the directions for topping.

Eat Well. Feel Well,

Xo, Stephie

appetizers

Artichoke Dip that none of your guest will suspect to be dairy free

December 27, 2018January 22, 2019 thesuperfoodgoddess

When I first became vegan I decided to figure out how to make some of my favorite dishes. One of them being artichoke dip. I honestly did not have high hopes on how a dairy free dip like this would turn out, but I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. This version uses the vegan swaps for real dairy and everything about it works!

I love warm creamy dishes, they’re sort of my go to comfort food for the holidays. This dip is always a hit wherever I bring it. Just the past holiday I had it set out with some gluten free crackers and veggies to dip in and NO ONE knew the difference between my artichoke dip from the other. My dish also got eaten completely, as opposed to the half eaten dairy free version. So needless to say, I’m pretty proud and confident about this!

Artichoke dip this way boast some nutritional value from the greens and artichoke and it has no cholesterol. I used a vegan cream cheese thinking it would help with taste and consistency, but you can also always just use another can of white bean and a little extra nutritional yeast and Lemon. I know traditionally spinach is used in an artichoke dip and I tooo it upon myself to add some kale just for fun! Why not, right? I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and let me know what you think and how it came it when you make it. Tag me in your photos on social media too, I always love hearing from you. @thesuperfoodgoddess

-XO friends,

The Superfood Goddess

Artichoke dip

Ingredients:

-2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

-1/2 of a large onion

-Spray coconut or Avocado Oil for sautéing the onions, garlic, and greens)

-1 Cup kale de-stemmed and chopped)

-1 Cup Spinach chopped

-1 (14 ounce can) of Artichokes in water. (Quarter and chopped to smaller bite size pieces)

-1 8oz tub of vegan cream cheese

-1 can of White Beans

-1 Tablespoon Italian or Basil seasoning

-1/2 Tablespoon Pink Himalayan Salt

-1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast

-Daiya Mozzarella cheese

-1/4 Cup Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

-PreHeat oven to 350.

-In a small pan, On medium heat, sauté the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes and then add the garlic and stir for another 3 minutes.

-In a separate pan from the onions and garlic, Add Kale and cook for 5-7 minutes for the greens to get tender and then add the chopped Spinach. The Spinach will only need about 2-3 minutes to cool down.

-In a food processor, add cream cheese, white beans, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic, and onions. Pulse and blend up to a minute to get everything broken down and mostly creamy.

-Transfer the. Ready mix to a mixing bowl and then add the chopped artichoke sand sautéed greens. Mix everything together well and place in a 9×9 or 8×9 dish and bake for 15 minutes with foil on top.

-Take dish out, be careful it will all be very hot. Top it with the Parmesan and broil for 3 more minutes.

-Serve with veggies such as cucumbers and carrots and / or gluten free crackers or chips.

dessert

Pistachio Ice Cream

September 28, 2018October 23, 2018 thesuperfoodgoddess

I love ice cream!! Don’t hate, appreciate. I am sure you can even relate!!I was never really a sweets or ice cream person, but I have always had a love for ice cream. It was either strawberry or peanut butter flavors, that I would get st the shop. Actually, side story, this local place in my hometown would rotate flavors and I’d call each week to ask if strawberry was in the mix, of so, I’d be there! True story! I have always loved fresh fruit and the sugar from fruit. I grew up in a household where we didn’t really get a lot of sugary or artificially sweetened foods. I am so thankful now that I was taught at an early age to stay away from artificial ingredients. Though I’m sure you can imagine, I wasn’t too stoked back then about not having all the sugary sweets.

After graduating college I traveled to Europe on a solo backpacking trip. Yep, SOLO! I’m crazy…. or cool, however you wanna look at it, and as you get to know me I’m sure you’ll understand. On this Euro trip, I had vegan gelato at some small cafe and it was pistachio flavor. My world was changed forever! FOREVERRRR. I now had a want and need for pistachio gelato in my life, though as some of you may know, gelato is definitely not vegan. After that if I ever got the chance to find a vegan pistachio gelato or ice cream, you bet your buns I got it!

Fast forward to now, well, I have been craving pistachio ice cream for a while now and have been meaning to make it. I finally had time and this is what I came up with. I have been making “nice cream,” as a healthy and non guilty treat, with bananas for a while now. It’s great! But this time, especially because I wanted the ice cream to be as green looking as possible, I decided to use avocado. Avocado has healthy fats, potassium, and other really great nutrients, so why not try it in an ice cream? It worked! It was fantastic and I can’t wait to make it again! I used setton farms pistachios and then chopped up one of their really yummy chewy bites and topped the ice cream with that for a little added sweetness and flavor.

I hope you enjoy the ice cream as much as I did. It’s pretty easy to make. The hardest part about this dang recipe is that you potentially have to wait over night for it. I know, so sad… OOOORR if you’re like me, you place it in the freezer for four hours and hope it’s mostly frozen and then dig in, haha. It’s your creation, you get to do whatever you want!

Yummy Pistachio Ice Cream

2 1/2 Cups Oat milk (or any other non dairy milk)

1 large Avocado (or 2 small Avocados)

1 Cup pistachios – I used Setton Farms pistachios (get ready to peel them, or you can go find shelled ones too…)

1 Cup soft medjool dates

Optional for color and added nutrients: 1/4 teaspoon spirulina (highly recommended for color), and or a handful of spinach. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder from navitas for more color and added nutrients.

*** As a sweet and yummy topping, I used Setton Farms Pistachio bites, which I chopped up and threw on top. Ok, Yum.

Method:

-First grind the pistachios into a powder, then set aside in a bowl.

-Then pour the milk into a blender and if your add any of the powders or spinach blend that together first. Then add the pitted dates and blend until they are all the way blended. It should be a very thick milky mixture now.

-Then blend in the avocado and once it’s become smooth, add in the pistachio powder.

-Pour the mixture in a container to place in the freezer for st least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.

-Take the ice cream out of the fridge and let it thaw for about 15-20 minutes. Then use and ice cream scoop to make perfect scoops. It will be slightly icy and may not scoop in all in one piece. That’s ok, I had to scratch the ice with my scoop a good few times and then pack it into the scoop to really get a nice ball formed, then repeat with as many scoops as you’d like. This makes enough for 3-4 people to have two scoops.

enjoy my loves!!

XoXo, Stephie

entrees

Stuffed Bell Peppers

September 27, 2018October 15, 2018 thesuperfoodgoddess

I am a strong believer in flavorful cooking. Yes I said it, I will not eat grass, I will not eat something that doesn’t make my tastebuds go wild! Ok, wait, I take that back… a little… I do eat things that are good for me nutritionally and that perhaps don’t taste the total best. Sometimes I am lucky enough to have a wheatgrass shot or some fresh algae, and that to most doesn’t seem tasty, but to me I’m so use to these wonderfully nutritious items I’ll take em down knowing the benefits. It takes time to get there, don’t worry, and meanwhile I still eat really yummy spiced up foods!! I recommend starting to work on your spice cabinet pronto! Try to Grab organic when you can. I know it’s a little more expensive but it’s worth it. Your health is worth it. Buying all the spices upfront can get pricey, but with each recipe, you might find one new spice you need to purchase and it won’t seem so crazy expensive buying one or two at a time.

So back to the recipe. I actually never had a stuffed bell pepper when I was a child. Is that crazy? Did you eat them a lot when you were growing up? Once I got older and I realized how much fun it was to put a bunch of ingredients together and stuff them in a vegetable, I did! The possibilities are endless! You can flavor and add ingredients basically however you’d like, this is just one of my versions.

I always love to do Cajun or taco seasoning with my bell peppers, but I am also a huge Italian flavors fan!! So you could absolutely use Italian season and fresh basil and even a little tomato sauce to give those flavors. Though I might use garbanzo or white beans instead of black beans with an Italian version, which this recipe calls for. I also like to add a whole grain such as brown rice or quinoa to add nutrients and quinoa packs some protein. I also have a version of this recipe where I just used more beans and vegetable without the quinoa. Hit me up if you want that recipe.

I have made stuffed bell peppers a ton of times. They look fun and taste great. They are pretty dang hearty too. You can serve them with a side of salad or if there is something else you prefer, do that! Do what makes you feel good and what tastes good to you. Share these yummy suckers with your friends and family as well!! They’ll thank you for it.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 Bell peppers (top cut off, de-seeded and baked for 10 minutes at 400)

1 1/2 C Quinoa cooked (or rice )

1 small Onion

2 cloves of garlic

8 Mushrooms

1 Medium zucchini (chopped)

1/2 Package Taco Seasoning

1/2 Rounded Cup of Daiya cheese, any flavor your heart desires! OR You can use half a cream cheese tub

1/2 can of Black Beans (BPA free can or box or soak and boiling your own is even better!)

Optional: instead of beans, you can grab a meat substitute like “ground meat” or another favorite. (I just try to stay away from processed as much as possible which is why beans are such a great low fat protein option).

Method:

-Cook the Quinoa according to package, make sure you rinse it properly before cooking. Set aside to cool until it is ready to mix with the other ingredients.

-If you want your bell peppers to stand, Cut the tops off and take the inner seeds out of the bell peppers. If you would like to lay them on their side, keep the tops on and cut the peppers in half lengthwise and take the seeds out, spray oil on the the bell peppers and bake them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then take them out and let them cool to the touch before stuffing.

-Sauté the chopped onions and garlic (about 5 minutes), then add zucchini (cook 3-5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and sauté (for 3 more minutes).

-Once the veggies are sautéed and the quinoa is ready, place them and the black beans in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix together. Add the cheese and pulse one more time. ——-If you’re adding cream cheese, you can spoon that in with these ingredients to the food processor as well. ——————-If you don’t have a food processor, cut the vegetables into very small pieces and just mix the cheese into the other ingredients in a bowl.

-Spoon the mixture into the bell peppers and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. If desired, at 15 minutes, place some vegan cheese on top.

-Then, please enjoy.

love, Stephie xoxo

entrees

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

September 13, 2018September 14, 2018 thesuperfoodgoddess

I am a sucker for anything creamy! Cheese, dips, sauces, anything. Unfortunately so many options today have dairy in them. I love Italian food and when I first started eating plant based, the easiest things for me to create and cook were things I was use to eating and making . I suggest any of you looking for healthier plant based options, to just find a few dishes you really love and then veganize them! Stick to what you know and are somewhat comfortable with! I think my first few recipes I learned how to make over and over again we’re Caesar salad, pasta recipes, taco salad, and tacos! There are so many possibilities.

Nuts are really the star in cheesy and creamy recipes. Cashews and macadamia nuts are the creamiest, but almonds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, etc., work just as well. As you dive into using different nuts to make different meals, you’ll start to get use to which ones work best for you and the many recipes you’ll be making. You’ll notice which ones have certain consistencies that end up working better for different recipes as well…. In this recipe, cashews take the win. If you or a loved one have a nut allergy, you can try raw and soaked sunflower seeds in place of cashews!

As much as I tell you about what brands have great dairy free options, I like to try eating as close to the source and as homemade, if possible. Even though plants are healthier, by over processing we sort of miss the point as well. So eventually, after you find your swaps and get comfortable with what you can use instead of actual dairy, I urge you to try getting even closer to Whole Foods like using nuts for creaminess and using beans or lentils instead of fake meats. But that is for another time, for now let’s just make some really yummy Alfredo sauce!

So as I said, there are so many options that you can exactly swap for another, especially in the dairy department. For example, to make a traditional Alfredo sauce that uses butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese as the main ingredients, you can find the vegan versions of those and be fine. I took it a step further to make it from unprocessed and whole food ingredients to bring you an even healthier version. Let’s get cooking towards some yummy and creamy goodness, shall we????

Creamy Alfredo Pasta

-1 package of Store bought Zoodles or spiralize 2 large zucchini. (You can spiralize other squash 94 sweet potato too)

-1/2 medium onion (chopped)

-1 Garlic Clove (minced, I put mine through a garlic press)

– 12-14oz package of Brussels sprouts or 1 head of broccoli, or really any veggie you would like to add (chopped)

Creamy Decadent Alfredo Sauce

-1/2 C Cashews (soaked for 2-4 hours)

-1-2 Cloves Garlic (I used my garlic press)

-1/2 C Water

-1/3 C nutritional yeast

-1 teaspoon Pink Himalayan salt

-1 teaspoon lemon juice

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method:

– Place chopped onions in a pan and heat on medium for about 3 minutes with a pinch of salt. Then add the minced garlic and stir for 2 minutes.

-Add your veggies and sautée them until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the zoodles and let them warm with the veggies for about 4 minutes.

-While stirring and sautéing the veggies, you can make the Alfredo sauce by placing all the ingredients in a high speed blender or if you don’t have a good blender, a food processor should work just as well. The consistency should be somewhat thick. If you like your Alfredo a little more runny, add a little more water.

-Then add the Alfredo sauce and coat all the zoodles and veggies and let it warm together for about 3-5 minutes and Viola!!! Now please don’t burn your mouth as you hurriedly scoop the pasta onto your plate and devour!!

***Optional: You can use gluten-free pasta noodles or any other zoodle pasta instead of zucchini, such as sweet potato or carrots, etc…too. And you can use any variation of veggies or no veggies at all if you want to keep to just a simple Alfredo pasta.

***Remember, my recipes are just a guideline to the magic you can create in the kitchen. 😍😍😍😍

appetizers

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

August 28, 2018August 28, 2018 thesuperfoodgoddess

I love cauliflower! It is so healthy and so versatile in cooking. So many people have gotten crazy creative with how to use it in cooking and baking. It is so great!!! You can steam it and then throw it in a blender in order to add creaminess to a non dairy soup. You can also make rice or mashed potatoes out of it. Some people are using cauliflower as a pizza crust and many vegan restaurants are making buffalo cauliflower appetizers, which is probably one of my top favorites out there! If you haven’t tried buffalo cauliflower bites, that is a total must!

Cauliflower yields some great nutrients and antioxidants! It is very high in vitamin C! One medium size head is more than your daily intake of Vitamin C needed and is about 11g of protein! It is also high in Vitamin B-6, Potassium, Magnesium, and calcium. Cauliflower contains a good amount of fiber. Fiber is important for digestive health and can even reduce the risk of several chronic diseases, especially those relating to your bowels. It is also high in fiber and antioxidants which are great in helping your body and cells combat disease, such as cancer.

To be completely honest, growing up, I did not care much about cauliflower. I thought it smelled bad and when I grew up it took me a while to get around to cooking it. I had memories from childhood and was slightly scared of it because I didn’t even know where to start in trying to cook this awkwardly hard and rough plant. Once I got over the hump and cooked it once, I decided it wasn’t so bad. Moral of the story, if you’re like me, and have never cooked with it and are a little frightened, just try making it once or twice and you’ll get the hang of it. The first time I attempted to cook it, I steamed in for about 9 minutes and then threw it into my high speed blender to make a creamy soup. Now, I also enjoy baking it in the oven or chopping it up small and sautéing it. The other night, I finally tried the cauliflower pizza from Trader Joe’s, AND IT CAME OUT BOMB!!! Anyways, we’re talking about baking it, so shall we get to that portion??

Recently, I went to this really great Italian restaurant with some friends. The Cauliflower appetizer, minus the butter it normally would be cooked in, was one of the things I could eat on the menu. Normally it’s made drizzled in butter so I asked the waiter if he’d mind asking the chef to use oliv oil instead. He said, “YES!!!” So the way they prepped it was with chili, oil, and capers. Myself and my non plantbased friends thoroughly enjoyed it. My friends even said they thought it was the best thing out of everything on the table they had eaten! Win! Well… Naturally, I had to make this at home, IMMEDIATELY!! And I did. It’s pretty simple. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy my beautiful friends!!

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower:

-1 Head Cauliflower

-3 Tablespoons olive oil

-1 Tablespoon Chili Sauce (I used sambal) you can also use 2 Tablespoons for you spicy lovers!!

-1 teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt

-1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Method:

-Preheat oven to 425.

– While oven preheats, wash and cut the cauliflower. The way I do it, is by sticking a knife slightly slanted at the base where the root is, almost as if to cut a hole in the bottom. You’re basically trying to take the root out. Once you’ve done that, you can break the pieces off and cut the big pieces into smaller pieces.

-Throw all the pieces into a bowl adding all the ingredients and mix it well to evenly coat the cauliflower. Sometimes adding half the ingredients and mixing, and then adding the rest works a little easier for coating!

-Once the cauliflower is coated, oil a baking pan or dish and put in the oven. Roast for 25 minutes.

-Cauliflower should feel a bit softer. If you like it crunchier, check it at 15-20 minutes.

-Take it out and let it cool. Then top it with capers for an added flavor burst.

-Enjoy.