Vegetable Risotto Ⓥ

I'm excited to be back posting on my food blog and all my new recipes will be 100% vegan Ⓥ! Not only will the recipes be vegan but they will also be low sodium and cooked without oil. Some might say that eating vegan  is extreme and lacking in flavor, well I am here to prove that not only can you achieve ultimate health being vegan but that it can be Del•ic•ious!

No skimping on flavor and taste here this super delicious vegetable risotto is very satisfying, with a little love and time put into stirring the rice this dish will be well worth the work.

Ingredients

1 cup of Arborio rice

1 leek, thinly sliced

3 cups of sliced white mushrooms

1 cup of fresh peas

1 bunch of thin asparagus, chopped

1 Tbsp of salt free Italian seasoning

32oz of low sodium vegetable broth

2 cups of white wine 

Directions

Prepare your vegetables, in a separate sauté pan on medium high heat add the mushrooms and let them sauté until golden brown, when done set them aside.  In a large saucepan on medium high heat add your thinly sliced leek. Let the leek sweat and caramelize naturally. When this process is done add the dry arborio rice and let the grain cook dry to the pan cook while stirring until it turns a light golden color, this adds to the flavor of the dish. 

I then deglaze the pan with the white wine, stirring the risotto until the liquid dissolves, at this time I also add the salt free Italian seasoning. Once the liquid is dissolved I add vegetable broth cup by cup letting each cup of liquid dissolve while constantly stirring the rice. When I finally get down to the last couple of cups of broth I add the mushrooms, peas, and asparagus to the pan and again stir until the liquid dissolves. The end result is a creamy rich, flavorful vegetable risotto.

Enjoy and remember to do all things with compassion, even eating! 

Delicious & Vegan

The Delicious food blog has gone Vegan! I haven't posted on my food blog in awhile because I have been transiting to Veganism and exploring a new lifestyle of eating a high carb, low fat, low sodium vegan diet.

The transition was easy for me, I simply removed myself from the equation, and thought about the animals, and the environment first. I then took a long look at the health benefits. My health is so valuable, because I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis.

 I had not been eating pork or beef for upwards of 15 years. I was consuming poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy and finding that no matter what I did my weight always fluctuated, and this was frustrating. I thought I was eating healthy. I was watching my calories, and working out like a crazy lady, but I wasn't seeing the results I wanted.

One day after lots of research I dedicated myself to eating Vegan for the rest of my life, it was as simple as that, I have been completely Vegan now for two months and no longer counting my calories. I do know that I am consuming upwards of 2300 to 2500. I have never felt better, I'm energized and full of life. I absolutely love being Vegan. Stay tuned for Delicious Vegan recipes!

1. Veganism /ˈviːɡənɪzəm/ is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, as well as following an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of sentient animals. A follower of veganismis known as a vegan.
   
   

Vegetarian Chow Mein

I really need to get back to regularly posting healthy meals on this blog, well this is a start. Here is a yummy, healthy, vegetarian meal that is very easy to make and will please even the pickiest of eaters.

Ingredients

1 package of firm tofu, cubed
1 large package of Asian ramen noodles (cooked according to package)
4 cups of shredded cabbage
4 carrots, cut into thin strips
(I used rainbow carrots, thats why they look red in the picture)
2 green onions, sliced
1 large bunch of snow peas, cut in half
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 Tbsp of honey

Directions

Cook your ramen according to package, toss with a little bit of sesame oil, so the noodles don't stick together. Set your noodles aside. In order to get a crisp sears tofu you must dry it out a little. I cut my tofu into cubes and the pat it dry with paper towel to soak up the excess water it holds. I then season and sear the tofu in sesame oil. When your tofu is golden brown transfer it to a separate bowl. Add your cooked noodles back to you heated pan, add your shredded cabbage, green onions, snow peas,
and carrots. Toss your noodle and veggie mix, your noodles will start to get crispy, which is good.
In a small bowl add your soy sauce, garlic, ginger,  and honey and mix well. Add this sauce to your noodle mixture and let cook for another 7 to 10 minutes. Add back your tofu and cook for another two minutes. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Turkey Quinoa Meatballs over Pasta

It's been a while, since my last post, I have a bit more time on my hands these days since my daughter has left the nest and is off at college. It's so quiet and a little bit sad in my house. So its time to distract myself and cook!!

 I've been thinking that I really want to go vegetarian but my love of fish holds me back. Quinoa is a great source of protein. In fact quinoa is complete protein containing all nine essential amino sources. Its high in iron, fiber, and lysine. Along with riboflavin, and magnesium
which is a powerful antioxidant. Here is a recipe that just came to mind while thinking of other non meat protein sources.


Ingredients for Meatballs 

1 pound of lean ground turkey
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp of Italian seasoning
1/2 cup of fresh pesto
2 cups of cooked quinoa

Directions 

Cook quinoa according to package, mix with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Hand roll each meat ball and place in a medium high heat pan and let brown on each side of ball until throughly cooked. No oil is needed in pan due to the pesto in the meat mixture. When the meatballs are throughly cooked place them on folded paper towels to let the oil drain off of them. Serve the meatballs over pasta with red sauce, top with parmesan and fresh basil.

Enjoy!

Champagne Seared Scallops with Cous Cous

It's a new year and a new way of eating for me. After juice fasting for 10 days thick fattening foods just do not appeal to me or my tummy. I plan on juice fasting at least once a month, it's such a refreshing feeling! Here is a light but full of flavor scallop dish that is easy and quick.


Ingredients 

1.5 pounds of fresh jumbo sea scallops, sliced in half
1 tbs. olive oil
Seasoning salt of any kind, I use a small amount of lemon pepper
1 box of herb or plain cous cous, cook according to directions on box
2 large pink grapefruits, cut into wedges
Fresh spinach or arugula
Champagne Vinaigrette


Directions

Make your cous cous according to the directions on the the box. Set aside. Cut your grapefruit into clean wedges as shown. Cut your scallops in half, pat them dry with paper towel. Dry scallops sear up beautifully. Wet scallops just boil in their own juices. Once your scallops are dry add olive oil to a hot pan. Drop your scallops in carefully. A hot pan is also key to a nice sear on your scallops. Let your scallops cook 3 minutes on each side, lightly dust with seasoning salt. Turn your heat down to medium and drizzle your scallops with a couple of tablespoons of the Champagne Vinaigrette. Let them caramelize up for another 2 minutes. Or until your scallops are done, they should be opaque when finished cooking. Remove scallops from pan. Assemble your pate with greens, cous cous, and scallops. Garnish with the grapefruit wedges. Drizzle the dish with the left over vinaigrette.


Champagne Vinaigrette Recipe

2 tsp of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of champagne vinegar
3/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Directions

In a small bowl combine Champagne vinegar and mustard whisk together, while whisking slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Day 10 • My Last Day Fasting

Today was my last day of the fast! Tomorrow and onwards I will be juicing breakfast and lunch and then have a healthy solid food dinner. I love juicing and will for the rest of my days be a juicer! I received my 10 day juicer badge today! I will be honest I am so excited to actually eat and chew food! Oddly, I am craving peanut butter, nuts, and steamed broccoli??? Thank you for everyone who followed me on this journey, I plan to post lots of new and healthy recipes on this blog starting in February out of courtesy of my fellow juicer friends who are fasting for 30 days, I don't want to tease them with food pictures. :)

Me 10 pounds lighter!

Day 10:

Breakfast Juice
celery, zucchini, pear, grapefruit

Lunch/Dinner Juice (I made lots of this juice)
spinach, cranberries, blueberries, grapefruit

Day • 9 Realization

I have come to the realization that I can only fast for 10 days. I am on Day 9 today. I have passed my goal of how much I wanted to loose in weight and do not want to loose anymore. Which was 10 pounds! :) Fearing that I will loose some of my muscle mass that I have worked so hard to get. I am a total gym rat and working out being fit and healthy means so much to me. I just do not have the energy to get me through the workouts I am used to doing. I crave those workouts and can't fathom stopping or slowing them. I am still going to juice my breakfast and lunch and eat a healthy more vegan plant based dinner. I actually plan on juicing for the rest of my days. Thank you Steven Robalino for opening my eyes to this wonderful world of juicing that I am now addicted to. I will be juice fasting with this awesome group in the future for sure.  Here's to Day 10!




Day 9:

Breakfast Juice
kale, celery, pear, clementine, cara oranges

Lunch Juice
carrots, beets, cranberries, mango

Dinner Juice 
zucchini, celery, pineapple, blackberries

Day 8 • Was Great!

Yes, finally a great day! I had energy, I worked out twice and I was never terribly hungry. I will be honest it is hard to make the rest of my family dinner, and to pack my daughters lunch. Willpower!! Although, I did make snack juice pops and they were delicious. My lunch juice was a total fail, I do not recommend making it. It was hard to get down and I reeked of garlic the rest of the day, Not good. But other than that today was a great day, I think I can do this... on to Day 9!!

Day 8:

Breakfast Juice
butternut squash, celery, cara oranges, raspberries

Lunch Juice (total fail)
kale, zucchini, green bell pepper, celery, golden beet, radishes, tomatoes

Dinner Juice
kale, spinach, red apples, grapes

Snack: Juice Pop

pineapple, strawberry

Day 7 • Dark Day

Today was a little hard for me. I went on a run and had no energy, and I'm sitting here starving as I write this. I might have to juice again today or just add a 4th juice to my day going forward. I want to complete this goal so bad, so onward to Day 8! ;/



Day 7:

Breakfast Juice
spinach, broccoli, mango, red apples

Lunch Juice
spinach, pineapple, blueberries

Dinner Juice
butternut squash, carrots, pineapple, strawberries

Day 6 • Focus

Focus, focus, focus, I can do this!! Day 6 is done and I really do feel amazing. I have tons of energy, I made it to the gym today and sweated buckets. When I started this cleanse Jan1st, I weighed 145 today I weigh 137 I have lost 8 pounds, I am only two pounds away from a goal weight I have been trying to reach for years. Weight loss is a great side effect but the real reason I am doing this is for my health. Bring ...it Day 7!






Day 6:

Breakfast Juice
spinach, cucumber, pear, mango

Lunch Juice: 
carrots, beets, radishes, cranberries, strawberries

Dinner Juice:
carrots, cara oranges, ginger