"Live and Let Live" Trailer

Hey everyone! I highly recommend watching the documentary, Live and Let Live! It's a great film that doesn't show a lot of photos or footage of animals being killed or abused like a lot of vegan documentaries do. It is a compilation of stories from many people who you might not expect to go vegan and lots of reasons to go vegan! So if you're considering a vegan lifestyle, or know someone who is thinking of going vegan, share this with them! It's available on Netflix streaming.

Savory Baked Sweet Potato

Here's one of my favorite, quick, satisfying lunch or dinners! This recipe is prep for 2 meals.

One portion shown here

Savory Baked Sweet Potato

Ingredients:
2 small or 1 larger sweet potato
1 cup of frozen, shelled edamame (found in with frozen vegetables)
4-6 Tbsp of salsa

Directions:

1. Wash sweet potato. 
2. Stab sweet potato with a fork all over. For smaller sweet potatoes, make a shallow cut length wise on the potato to easily open it to stuff like the picture shows.
3. Throw sweet potato in the microwave, alone or on a microwave-safe plate, and hit the baked potato button twice or cook for about 9 minutes. Time length will vary based on size of potato, but sweet potatoes generally take twice as long to cook than regular potatoes. 
4. Use oven mitt or towel to remove sweet potato from microwave and set aside to cool slightly.
5. Put edamame in a microwaveable cup and cover beans with water. Cook for approximately 3 minutes.  
6. Cut the sweet potato into cubes. Remember, you are prepping 2 meals. If you are saving the 2nd meal for later, put the sweet potato and 1/2 the edamame in a Tupperware container now.
7. Drain water from cup with edamame in it. 
8. Top sweet potato with 1/2 cup edamame and 2-3 Tbsp salsa. 
9. Optional: heat the salsa in the microwave for 20 seconds prior to topping the sweet potato with it. I personally prefer a really warm potato and cool/room-temp salsa.

Enjoy!

One serving is approximately 300 calories.

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Danielle

Avocado Hummus Toast for Breakfast

Toast pictured with too much avocado and no hemp seeds!
I went overboard with the avocado. Still delicious, but too much fat for one meal. 

Want a super healthy, easy, nutrient-packed breakfast to start off your day? Try my Avocado Hummus Toast!

Avocado Hummus Toast

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread (I prefer Dave's Killer Bread - Powerseed for extra protein)

1/2 hass avocado

2 Tbsp classic hummus (feel free to experiment with different hummus flavors!) 

2 Tbsp hemp seeds optional

Directions: 

1. Toast 2 slices of bread to your liking.
2. Cut avocado in half and slice into 5 equal parts length wise.
3. Spread 1 Tbsp of hummus on each slice of toast.
4. Top toast with 3 slices of avocado each.
5. Optional: sprinkle finished toast with 1 Tbsp of hemp seeds each for extra protein.

Enjoy!

*Vegan Pro Tip: Add hemp seeds to this meal, salad, oatmeal, and much more for an extra boost of protein without changing too much of the flavor of your meal!

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Danielle

Vegan Tacos!

You don't have to give up tacos when you go vegan! Just leave off the meat and cheese, I swear they can still be f#@*ing delicious.

Torillas or taco shells are commonly made without animal product! Yay! So the filler ingredients for your tacos are super simple. This recipe will provide a few meals. I highly suggest using your left over taco filling warmed over a bed of lettuce with your toppings for a very satisfying lunch.

Vegan Tacos:

Ingredients:
taco shells
1 can of beans (your choice of kidney, black, or pinto)
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
handful of spinach
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional if you like the spice!)

Toppings:
guacamole or avocado (to balance the spice and replace the cheese)
shredded lettuce
extra salsa
Tofutti sour cream (optional if you don't like avocado or aren't worried about the extra calories)

Directions:

1. Warm a frying pan over medium heat and preheat oven to cook your taco shells according to the package. 
2. Drain the can of beans and pour into pan with salsa. 
3. Cook stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes to cook the beans. 
4. Throw in your spinach (it doesn't add too much taste, but adds some superfood nutrients!!) and add the spices. 
5. Lower the burner to low-medium heat and cover to wilt the spinach, stirring occasionally. (Now is normally a good time to throw the taco shells in the oven, but double check against the package!)
6.  Once the spinach is wilted, serve your filling in the taco shell and top with your choice of ingredients from the topping list! 

I'm getting hungry for these just writing about them. Yum tacos! I hope you all enjoy this recipe and feel free to comment with any tweaks you made to the recipe to personalize it or if you have any questions. 

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Danielle

Quinoa: Faux Fancy

Quinoa (keen-wah) certainly sounds very fancy, which makes it seem like a rare delicacy. Contrary to how the name makes the food sound, it is super easy to cook and very accessible! If you're going vegan, it's time to get cozy with quinoa! It is an excellent source of lean, vegan protein (about 8 grams of protein per 1 cooked cup; as stated by the USDA), it goes with pretty much anything you want to cook, and it's tasty served cold or warm. Quinoa barely takes any time to prep and takes 15 minutes to cook thoroughly.

Here's how easy it is:

1. Measure your desired serving of quinoa and put that in a pot. 
• One cup of dry quinoa fits well in a standard small sauce pan. It makes for about 4 servings once cooked depending on the recipe and your appetite! 
2. Double the size of your first serving for the amount of water. 
• If you used 1 cup quinoa, that's 2 cups of water. 
3. Cook on high until the water comes to a boil. 
• Start a timer for 15 minutes from when you turn the stove on.
4. Once it comes to a boil, cover and put the burner on low or low-medium for the remainder of the time. 

Quinoa makes a good base for many dishes, and its flavor compliments so many different meals. It is also pretty delicious cooked without spices and served as a side! 

*Vegan Pro Tip: If plain quinoa is too bland for your liking, try substituting the water in the recipe for vegetable broth! Super easy and super yummy. 😉

Where do I find quinoa, you ask? You can find quinoa in major grocery stores (also at Target and Walmart) in the same aisle as rice or in the natural foods section if they have one. Also, if you have a membership at a wholesale club like Costco, Sam's Club, or BJ's, this might be an ingredient to save for your trip. It's definitely better to buy grains in bulk!

Quinoa varies in color: white (or "traditional"), red, and black. These different grain colors don't affect the taste noticeably, but some claim that the texture of the traditional quinoa is more fluffy and red or black grains can be more crunchy. Personally, I haven't noticed much of a difference other than the colors! 

Stay tuned for some quinoa based, protein packed recipes! 

xo,

Danielle

Vegan Protein Powder?

Hey there! If you're looking to lead a vegan life and love fitness like me, I have some tips for you about vegan protein! Many people think vegan protein powder has to cost a fortune and is gross, well it absolutely does not have to be either of those things! Here are my ratings on just a few vegan protein powders I've tried that you can find at most any Target, and sometimes Marshalls/TJMaxx has it which is nice because they generally have lower prices. I included links to these all in the vanilla flavor because I think it's the best flavor to have on it's own, plus you can add some coffee to it in the morning for breakfast, or mix it into a fruit smoothie!

Vega Sport Performance Protein: By far my favorite! It has the most protein of their line and also has things like BCAAs, probiotics (which is good for digestion) and superfoods like turmeric. It's also pretty low cal!

Vega Protein and Greens: Very good flavor, texture can be a little weird because of the "greens" part.

If you're not necessarily looking for a protein shake on it's own, but a protein powder to add to smoothies or foods try the Manitoba Harvest brand. Some Targets and grocery stores carry it, but it's organic and the non-flavored proteins don't have much taste, which I like when you're adding it to food or smoothies.

Obviously, I'm a pretty big advocate to the Vega line. I've also tried Olly vanilla protein powder (found at Target) and some other random, more expensive brands and I didn't think they were worth it. Please comment below for any yummy, wallet-friendly vegan protein powders!

***Stay away from soy based protein powders if you're consuming daily! It is not recommended to consume soy products daily and I found out the hard way. I was consuming GNC's soy protein powder once and sometimes twice a day and got more chunky! I lost about 5 lbs when I switched to non-soy protein powder and that was the only variable I changed at the time in my diet/exercise.***

Thanks for reading!

xo,
Danielle

Baked Sweet Potato Fries and French Fries

Hey everyone! This one isn't so much of a vegan recipe, but a healthier one I've been using for a very long time. It works with regular potatoes and sweet potatoes. I prefer sweet potato fries because they are supposed to have more nutrients and I like the flavor more than regular potatoes. **Sweet potatoes do take a little longer to cook and are a tad more difficult to cut, but totally worth it! This recipe will make for about 1 - 2 servings of fries for you, I load my plate with these bad boys.

Baked Sweet Potato or French Fries

Ingredients:

1 - 2 medium sized potato or sweet potato

dash of salt (and pepper, optional) 

sprinkle of cumin, optional

2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil (you can also use sprayable cooking spray which helps to use less oil and makes this recipe a little more healthy) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to about 350F. 
2. Cut potatoes into strips length wise. The thinner you cut them, the quicker they cook and the more likely to become crunchy they are. *Tip: if you like crunchy fries, cut them very thin! Lay out on a cookie sheet so they aren't touching (although it's not the end of the world if they get a little cozy on the cooking sheet). 
3. Lightly brush or spray the cooking oil on the potatoes. 
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cooking the fries with spices makes the spices much more potent than adding them after it's cooked. So remember you can always add more of the salt and pepper after if it's not enough, but you don't want to over do it! 
5. Sprinkling with cumin will also give the fries an extra flavor and this is helpful for avoiding dipping them in ketchup if you're trying to be healthy! 
6. Cook the fries for about 15-20 minutes, but watch them until they start to get golden. 
7. Take them out to cool for a minute or so and enjoy!!

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Danielle

Easy Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Salad

Back when I first went vegetarian one of the things I missed the most was buffalo chicken! Recently I found a super easy way to make a vegan version of one of my favorites, buffalo chickpea salad. This recipe is super simple and you can get a few meals out of it!

Buffalo Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas
1/2 cup of flour (approx)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp of cooking oil (vegetable, olive, coconut...whatever you like!)

salad greens and other toppings
1/2 of an avocado (optional - good to counter the spice, especially if you don't find dairy-free ranch)
Just Ranch (optional - most grocery stores and Target have dairy-free alternatives for ranch, but out of all I've tried, this one is definitely my favorite)

your favorite buffalo sauce! (just read the label of ingredients and make sure it doesn't contain dairy as some buffalo sauce will; *vegan hack: use the app, "Is it Vegan?," from my last blog posting! Sweet Baby Ray's and Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauces are vegan 😛)

Directions:

1. Heat a medium-large sized frying pan over medium heat with the 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. 
2. Open can of chickpeas and drain the liquid. 
3. Dump the chickpeas in a Tupperware container with a lid.
4. Add pepper and garlic and shake the container to evenly distribute. 
5. Cover chickpeas with the flour (this may not take the whole 1/2 cup). 
6. Put the lid on the Tupperware and shake until all the chickpeas have a light layer of flour. 
7. Dump the chickpeas in the warmed frying pan and cook until they are golden, stirring occasionally. You may want to turn the heat up to medium-high heat, but watch closely to avoid burning!
8. Once the chickpeas are golden, lower the heat and stir in just enough buffalo sauce to cover the chickpeas. (Too much makes them a little soggy and mushy which I don't like, but if you do, go for it!) 
9. While the buffalo sauce is warming, prep your salad veggies in a large bowl or plate. 
10. Top your salad with the buffalo chickpeas and avocado and/or vegan ranch dressing. 

Bon Appetit!

xo,
Danielle

Apps to Make Going Vegan Easy!

Going vegan can be tough at times, but we live in an age where information is readily available at your fingertips! Here are some apps that can make the transition easier:

• Is It Vegan?: This app is my favorite so far! You scan the barcode of the product you're looking to buy and it will tell you if it's vegan or not and if it's not, it tells you the ingredients that make it not vegan. Super handy and easy! The one downfall is that it can be difficult to work sometimes. The first time I used it I had to scan the bar code a few times before it read it correctly, but definitely worth it!
• Animal-Free: This app I haven't used too much yet because the scanner on "Is It Vegan?" is so dang handy. However, it is super useful for research on different ingredients that are derived from animals. It has the option to view all non-vegan ingredients, ingredients that are always derived from animals, and ingredients that sometimes come from animals but could also be vegan and derived from plants or other sources. There's a little V in the bottom corner and it changes your view to show vegan ingredients! 

More advanced vegan apps:

• Bunny Free: I like this app for finding if products I'm interested in buying are cruelty-free. It has a barcode scanner and you can also search by brand. However, it's not as in-depth as I like to go when purchasing beauty products. For example, Pureology is listed as cruelty-free but it's owned by L'Oreal. L'Oreal tests on animals, so personally I wouldn't buy from Pureology, but it has the PETA leaping bunny approval. 
• peta2: I LOVE this app!!! By simply sharing photos or posts, changing your phone wallpaper, or clicking a button to email companies to offer vegan options or stop animal abuse you accumulate points. You can then use those points to get free stuff! I earned a water bottle and a t-shirt through this app and am almost able to get another tee! If you love how this app allows you to help animals from your phone, also consider the PETA app. This app has different campaigns from the peta2 app, but you don't earn points toward free PETA gear.

Vegan SuperHero App:

• buycott: This app is amazing because there are a bunch of causes you can "support" on the app. When you scan the barcode of a product, the app tells you if the company supports your cause or goes against it. You can click the causes the brand you scanned supports and the ones that conflict and find out more. For example, I support to end animal testing and pro-right to know for GMO labelling; I scanned a can of Progresso Vegetable soup and it says they support to end animal testing (yay!) but conflicts with the GMO labeling. The details actually showed that Progresso donated millions of dollars against GMO labeling and buycott provides a link to source their claims. With this app I decided to put the soup back on the shelf and opt for a brand that didn't conflict with my views. 

These are just a few apps I've tried and like. If you have any apps that I didn't list please share them in the comments! I'd love to hear from you. 

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Danielle