quinoa salad w. hemp & hummus crackers

Peacefood, a vegan restaurant in the UWS, has a "Fluffy Quinoa Salad" on their menu that always seems to be one of their most popular items.  It's looks delicious, but it's always hard for me to bring myself to shell out $10+ for a salad that I know I can make at home for a fractions of the cost.

For the Quinoa Salad:

It really couldn't be simpler.  I found a box of garden vegetable quinoa at my local store and cooked it ahead of time according to the directions using vegetable stock instead of water.   

Chill the quinoa in the refrigerator until cold.

Assemble a salad of darks greens and whatever extra veggies you like.  Here I used a mix of baby kale and other greens and sliced baby portabella mushrooms.

Break up the chilled quinoa with a fork and toss 1/4-1/2 cup quinoa  with the greens depending on how much quinoa you want. 

Dress if needed, I found the veggie quinoa flavor to be enough. 

For the Crackers:

Use four whole wheat crackers, like Ak-Mak.
Spread a light smear hummus of your choice  onto the crackers.  I used jalapeño & cilantro.
Sprinkle with hemp seeds and enjoy. 

sausage & kale scramble

A recent goal for myself has been to get more greens into every meal of the day, including breakfast.  This "scramble" has a healthy dose of baby kale, yellow peppers, shrooms, onions, and some spicy "sausage" for a breakfast kick.  

I paired that with some peanut butter mixed with chia seeds on sesame wheat crackers sprinkled with bee pollen.

Sausage & Kale Scramble

Serves 1

• 1 spicy "sausage" patty heated and crumbled
• 1 handful baby kale
• 1/4 of a yellow pepper
• 1 handful sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 of a small onion sliced
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Sautee shrooms, peppers, and onions over medium high heat in the coconut oil.  
2. Add baby kale last after the first three ingredients are cooked and sautee until wilted. 
3. Remove from heat and mix with sausage crumbles.

pepper, shroom, and onion flatbread

I have found my new favorite way to make pizza at home and it is SO easy.  I've been using a product called Flatouts.  You can find them in the deli section of your grocery store near the pita type breads.  They are super low in calories but fortified with extra fiber, protein, and nutrition.


I've been making all sorts of different flatbreads, but here's any easy one to start with.

• Start by crisping up the flatbread in the oven.  Spray the flatbread on both sides with cooking spray and place in a 425 degree oven for about 5 minutes on each side.  This  will make the bread crispier before you add the sauce.  

• After crisping your flatbread spread on a spoonful or two or your favorite sauce.  

• Top with diced red pepper and onion, chopped mushrooms, and vegan cheese.  

• Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges of the flatbread are browning and crispy!

breakfast polenta two way

As a vegetarian who doesn't like to eat eggs, Breakfast is the one meal of the day where I really feel limited with what my choices are to eat, especially when going out to a restaurant.  I get pancake fatigue very easily!  

Polenta is a great breakfast food to add in to your morning rotation to get a little variety.  It's like grits and a corn cake had a baby, plus it's cheap and easy to cook!  There's even a variety of polenta loaf at my local health foods store made with quinoa!  There are usually flavored polenta loaves too with varieties like sun dried tomato and herb or garlic.

• Simply slice the polenta into 1cm slices.  (4 per serving is good)
• Add enough Olive or coconut oil in a nonstick skillet to coat the bottom on the pan.
• Cook polenta slices for about 5-7 minutes per side over medium high heat and that's it!  The outside should get a little golden and browned while the inside stays a little softer. 
• Optional: Top with vegan cheese and seasoning of your choice.  I usually like to add fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, or garlic flakes.

Here I've shown two different servings.  On the left I've gone for a more more "traditional" breakfast set up pairing the polenta with zucchini cakes and veggie bacon.  Or try a super light breakfast of greens by pairing it with some sautéed asparagus, zucchini, and mushrooms.