Last week I started a new job and it has been insane. Leaving early, staying late and so many meetings, I’m lucky if I see my desk before 5pm. Planning out careful breakfasts, snacks and lunches is a thing of the past. I haven’t had a minute to sleep, let alone cook or write a blog post! With that in mind, Fast n’ Easy Fridays is probably more important than ever! Here’s a very fast dinner option that is healthy, fresh and of course, vegan and gluten free.
Small note: For all of you non-vegans out there: These tacos are great when combined with Fish (we like Tilapia) and Goat Cheese. I’m still on the Whole Foods Healthy Challenge, so I had to pass, but through this challenged I’ve learned that a non-meat diet is not conducive to my (already very restricted) dietary lifestyle, so I’ll be excited to add some fish to this recipe very soon!
Vegetable Tacos:
1 peeled Jicama – cut into cubes (see Helpful Tip below for peeling)
1 avocado, sliced
½ cup shredded red cabbage
2 cups spinach
1 cup baby tomatoes
1 lime, juiced
Gluten Free Corn Tortilla shells
Cut up all vegetables and place on Corn Tortilla. Liberally squeeze lime juice on taco and eat. Fast, healthy and easy!
Helpful tip: I love jicama and have been known to eat it like an apple. But, it is such a pain to peel! Don’t use a potato peeler which can take upwards of an hour due to Jicama’s thick skin. Instead, cut the top off, and make a slit just below the peel. Jicama has a distinct ‘grain’ and if you peel back the skin in the direction of the grain, it will come up easily. Just keep cutting little slits under the peel and peeling back with your fingers in the direction of the ‘grain’.
One week is over and I’ve got to admit, I’m skeptical. I’d like to say this diet, or should I say “Lifestyle” has been a breeze, but the truth is it’s hard. In general, I love the focus on healthy grains, veggies and fruits and have found an entire world of fresh produce that I didn’t know existed or at least would have never considered buying. Before last week, I had never tried kale or bok choy and it turns out they are good! Consumption of plant-based foods has helped me to branch out to new foods I wouldn’t have tried and also made me more aware of how often I skipped the veggie part of a meal and stuck to meats and grains. So, from that aspect, I’m loving the diet and my increased consumption of greens.
Surprisingly, I haven’t missed meat and dairy at all and I find cooking much more enjoyable when I’m not worried about cleaning and prepping meat. Although, I will definitely always choose goat yogurt over coconut yogurt which lacks yogurt’s characteristic tanginess. So, why the skeptics then? I miss oil! Now that I’m looking, oil is in everything. How do you make popcorn without oil and are there any oil-free tortilla chips out there? Tortilla chips were my go-to dinner option when I was strapped for time. Pared with corn, black beans, spinach and avocado, it made a filling and fast dinner. I’ve substituted spinach and quinoa for the chips, turning the dish into more of a healthy burrito bowl, but there’s really no comparison to the salty goodness of tortilla chips. And I’m not even going to mention the struggle I’ve been having with Angie’s Kettle Corn except to say that I bought it at Costco yesterday and started eating it before I left the store… There are so few food items that I can truly enjoy without worrying about some sort of reaction or sensitivity and these corn-based items were two of my favorite indulgences. When I’ve given up so much, why should I give this up too?
And what about when I go to a friend’s for dinner or a wedding? My diet is already so limited due to medical factors, why should I make it even harder by choice? The gluten and dairy free option at events is almost always meat. And, I hate to admit it, but when I go to my friend’s wedding next week and they tell me the only gluten-free option is a chicken breast, I know I will eat it. I will most likely feel intense guilt about this choice and who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky with some gluten free quinoa pasta, but I’m being realistic here. Food already consumes so much of my life and my family’s life. With so many restrictions, I feel guilty adding another one and expecting my family and friends to accommodate me. In the past, when I’ve been worried about what I’ll be able to eat at an event, I’ve always held faith that, no matter what, there would be a plain piece of meat I could eat. I don’t miss meat in my at-home life and think I might keep this veggie lifestyle at home even after the 28 days are over, but when I go out, that meat option has always been there for me and I don’t know if I can let that go.
So, I’ve had a few discouraging thoughts this week and a few slip ups. I couldn’t stop myself from eating tortilla chips or kettle corn (both really good and both containing oil). But, all in all, I feel great about eating more fruits and veggies and am surprised to see that in my daily life, a meat-free existence hasn’t been too painful.
I promised I would spend this past weekend brainstorming new and more inventive menu options, so for the next month, I will post a new recipe idea every Friday. For today, I will post my favorite lentil recipe which is fast and easy. Not exactly inventive, but sometimes flavor and time are more important.
Quick and Easy Lentils:
1 cup lentils
2 cups vegetable broth
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 cup chopped mushrooms
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bring vegetable broth and lentils to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, until soft. While lentils cook, saute onion and garlic until soft. When lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, add onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes, or until all broth has been absorbed.
See you Friday for Vegetable Coconut Curry.
When I decided to join Whole Foods 28 Day Healthy Eating Challenge, I thought it would be easy. Increase consumption of plant-based foods, reduce oil, sodium and sugar intake and eliminate all animal products. I figured since I currently avoid dairy, eggs and most sugar, I was already practicing this diet and it would be a snap. But, when I asked Girlfriend if she wanted to join the challenge (after I had already signed up), she said “no way, I love meat!” Wait… No meat?? I definitely interpreted ‘animal products’ as dairy and eggs and completely forgot about the biggest animal product in my life: meat! This might be harder than I thought it was going to be… But, I’m up for the challenge and can do anything for a month, so I started researching and brainstorming meatless dinner options and new recipes.
Before I share my favorite veggie dish, let me give some background. The Challenge follows the principles outlined in the book, Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn which basically focuses on committing to a plant-based diet to lower cholesterol, lose weight and improve overall health. I haven’t had a chance to read the book yet, but will share the highlights in the next few weeks. Guidelines include the following:
- Complete elimination of animal-based products and processed foods
- Reduction in oils, sugars and sodium
- Increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains
- Exercise minimum of 5 times per week
So, for the next 28 days, I am going goat-free! A little sad to put the “Goat” part of my blog on hold for the month, but I did discover So Delicious coconut yogurt, so at least I will have something to pare with my delicious granola.
Throughout the month, I will update you on my progress, suggest veggie-friendly meal ideas and post vegan recipes. Today I will leave you with one of my favorite salad recipes that’s fast, easy and very filling. Feel free to change the ingredients with any fresh veggies you have in the fridge.
Jicama Arugula Salad
2 cups Spinach
2 cups Arugula
1 large Jicama, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 cups strawberries, sliced
½ can black beans (drain juice)
½ can whole kernel corn (drain juice)
2 ripe avocados
2 Tbs oil (avocado, olive or walnut work well)
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbs Cilantro, chopped
Toss all ingredients together in a bowl and serve!
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Also, the official Challenge start date was Wednesday, May 11, so today is Day 2. Since my OCD couldn't handle starting a new program mid-week, I started on Monday, so it's Day 4 for me. From here on out, I will follow the Challenge dates, but let's recap since it's almost been a week. Minus a small fiasco when I totally blacked out with a bag of tortilla chips, I haven't had any slip ups and the no-meat thing hasn't been too hard. I haven't been very inventive at adding interesting dinner and lunch ideas into my diet. For the most part, I've been eating spinach or arugula salad with vegan soup every day... So, for this upcoming weekend, my goal is to start brainstorming and find some fun and interesting dinner ideas to spice up this diet. Stay tuned!
