Cyd Notter

Author and Nutrition Educator, Founder of The "Plan A" Diet™

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    • Food Topics
      • How Are Soy Curls Made
      • What’s the big deal about fiber?
      • Artificial Sweeteners – What you should know
      • Which food has 8x more cholesterol than beef?
      • 3 Big Reasons to Include Berries in Your Diet
      • Success Tips for Changing Your Diet
      • Suffering from Carbophobia?
      • What about alcohol?
      • The Slippery Slope of “Eating in Moderation”
      • A Nutrition Pop Quiz
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      • Aren’t Starches Fattening
      • Oils
        • Coconut Oil – Yes or No
        • Oils – what you should know
      • Eating Enough Fruits and Veggies?
      • Do You Have a Holiday Game Plan?
      • Making Only One Change?
      • America’s Love Affair with Bacon
      • Is it Safe to Eat Soy?
      • Are gluten-free diets for everyone?
      • Planning to diet this January? Do this instead.
      • Fabulous Flax Seed Has it All
      • How Important is the Glycemic Index?
      • Eating Out at Restaurants or Parties
      • Healthier Halloween Options
    • Health Topics
      • Common Barriers to Change
      • Omega Fatty Acids
      • Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Foods (Printable List)
      • What is Vitamin B12 and how much should I take?
      • Why exercise?
      • 5 Reasons to Skip the Charcuterie Boards
      • MEN: Prostate Stats You Should Know
      • The Aluminum in Our Foods is Strongly Linked to Dementia
      • Diet and Gallbladder Disease
      • Infants are Being Fed Junk Food by Their First Birthday
      • 4 Things Necessary for a Successful, Healthy Diet
      • Habits – Good or Bad?
      • Is it too late to start eating healthy?
      • Making Small Changes but Expecting Big Results
      • Family and Social Pressure
      • Genes, Schmenes – It’s most likely the food
      • Is a plant-based diet safe for children?
      • Which Processed Meats Should We Avoid?
      • Gut Bacteria and Our Diets
      • Diet & Breast Cancer Prevention
      • Statins – Don’t Believe Everything you Read
      • Diabetes – “Manage” or Reverse?
      • The Health Benefits of (a little) Unprotected Sun
      • Making Changes Stick
      • Evaluating Research
      • Vitamin D and Sunshine
      • Featured in Health Science Magazine
    • Faith Related
      • Addressing Biblical Objections to a Plant-Based Diet
      • The mathematical odds that Jesus is who He said He is…
      • Poem: Lessons from a Bike Ride
  • Recipes
    • Southwest Burgers with Low-fat Green Chile Sauce
    • Easy, Fat-free Hummus
    • Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting
    • Date-Sweetened Berry Jam
    • Berry Rice Cake Bites – by Vicki Brett-Gach
    • Pasta Fagioli Stew
    • Iced Beverages
    • Frijoles Charros by Mark Cerkvenik
    • Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Tangy Date-Lime Dressing
    • Easy Braised Onions & Green Beans
    • Best Blueberry Pancakes
    • Vegan Sausage Patties
    • Zucchini Bean Burritos
    • Minestrone Soup (Easy!)
    • Rainbow Kale Slaw
    • Gingerbread Biscotti
    • Instant Pot Pineapple Chili
    • No-Flour Corn Muffins
    • BBQ Soy Curls
    • Carrot Cake with Glaze
    • Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins
    • Choco-Mint Nice Cream & Sauce
    • Homestyle Squash and Pinto Beans
    • Barley Burgers
    • Chocolate Orange Nice Cream (and Sauce)
    • Easy Instant Pot Risotto
    • Easy Meals and Desserts
    • Recipe Links
    • Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
    • Roasted Veggie Pasta
    • Zucchini Muffins
    • Fat-free Green Chile Sauce
    • Tofu Lettuce Wraps
    • Creamy Chickpea Pot Pie Soup
  • Upcoming Events
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    • Amanda G. – Loses Digestive Issues and 115 lbs.
    • Tim P. – Off all 8 Meds!
    • Cindi R. – Reversed Blocked Carotid
    • Doug M. – Doc says “Cured!”
    • Denise V. – At Peace with Food and Body Image
    • Linda Z. – Autoimmune Skin Disorder now Dormant
    • Olga A. – Improved Cognitive Function
    • Kim C. – Relief from “Getting Older”
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“Cheesy” Broccoli Potatoes

April 12, 2015 By Cyd Notter

Tried a new recipe this week and it is the BEST "cheese"Cheesy Brocc Potatoes 2 sauce I've ever made (all plant -based, fat free, and delicious!)  Makes great mac-n-cheese but today I used it to make cheesy broccoli potatoes.  Guilt free and outstanding!

Welcome back, cheesy fat-free comfort food!  Life is good.  (Contact me if you have any questions on the ingredients.)

The recipe can be found at: http://thevegan8.com/2015/04/08/fat-free-vegan-cheese-sauce/

Filed Under: Main Entree, My Blog Tagged With: fat free cheese sauce, plant based cheese sauce, vegan cheese sauce, vegan cheesy potatoes, vegan mac-n-cheese

Polenta Casserole

March 29, 2015 By Cyd Notter

Polenta
Polenta Casserole

What can you do with a tube of polenta, a zucchini, a can of beans and other tidbits from the fridge and pantry? You can make an EASY quick casserole that's filling and delicious! This is one of our favorite things to make in a pinch. You can tweak it to include your favorite veggies or beans....just be sure to include a can of diced tomatoes to keep everything moist. If you make your own experiment, I'd love to hear about it!

Ingredients:
1 tube of organic polenta, cut into slices (usually found in the produce section)
1 - 2 zucchinis, chopped and sautéed in water until a bit soft
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes (I use petite diced)
1 package of seitan (say-TAN), a wheat based meat substitute, also known as 'wheat meat' because of its texture. (Or use organic tofu crumbles, another type of bean, or omit all together)
Italian spice, as much as you like
Faux parmesan (1/2 cup cashews, 1/2 nutritional yeast, 1 TBS Mrs. Dash, in blender til powdery)

Lay polenta slices in a 9x9 pan, top with zucchini, beans, and seitan. Pour tomatoes over all and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until heated through.  Top with faux parmesan.

Filed Under: Main Entree, My Blog Tagged With: easy polenta, Polenta, Polenta casserole, store-bought polenta

Stuffed Peppers

March 6, 2015 By Cyd Notter

stuffed peppers 2Stuffed peppers are one of my comfort foods!  I love the combined flavors of the peppers, brown rice,  onions, garlic, seasonings, tomato sauce, and any healthy meat substitute (lentils, quinoa, beans, etc), topped with some 'moxarella' cheese.  For today's recipe, I used "tofu crumbles" - a product I ran across at the store which has healthy ingredients (organic soy).  Soy products ARE beneficial as long as you are choosing whole, organic soy foods (soy milk, tofu, miso, edamame, tempeh).  Avoid  products made with isolated soy proteins (such as fake burgers and protein bars) which are linked to inflammation and other concerns.

This simple recipe consisted of 3 peppers (cut in half lengthwise and cleaned out), 1  package tofu crumbles, 3 TBS chopped onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp. sea salt (I use less), 1 cup cooked brown rice, and 1 15-oz. can of tomato sauce.  I do par-boil the peppers before baking, but some people don't.  Cook crumbles, onion, garlic in hot saucepan (use just enough tiny amounts of water to prevent sticking). Stir in salt, rice, and 1 cup of the tomato sauce.  heat through.  Arrange peppers in a baking dish and pour remaining sauce over top. Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer.  Top with home-made moxarella cheese if interested (see below).

 

Moxarella Cheese:  In blender, combine 1/4 cup raw cashews, 1 cup hot water, 2.5 TBS tapioca starch/flour  (I use corn starch), 1 garlic clove, 3/4 tsp. sea salt, and 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice.  (Note: If you don't have a high powered blender, soak the cashews in water for a few hours first). Blend until smooth then pour into small saucepan.  Cook, stirring continuously, until it begins to curdle.  Reduce heat and keep stirring until it's thick and gooey.  Great on pizza, veggie burgers, stuffed peppers, or anytime!

Filed Under: Main Entree, My Blog, Recipes Tagged With: peppers with tofu, stuffed peppers, tofu crumbles, vegan peppers

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit – Delish!

February 23, 2015 By Cyd Notter

Yes, you heard it right.  BBQ Pulled Jackfruit is now one of our favorite sandwiches!

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit - Let simmer at least 30 minutes.
BBQ Pulled Jackfruit - simmer at least 30 minutes.

It's basically 2 cans of jackfruit in water or brine  (purchase young green jackfruit, not ripe)....you can find it easily at your local Asian store.  Tear or chop the jackfruit into small strips. Saute in in a little water (as needed, not too much) with garlic, onion, and a smidge of smoked paprika.  Make it hotter by adding cayenne if you dare.  Make your favorite, healthy BBQ sauce, or purchase a good one that doesn't contain sugar, corn syrup or oils.  The best sauces use molasses or maple syrup as the sweetener, along with vinegars, soy sauces, mustards and other flavorings.  There are several recipes on line, or contact me.

This gets better the longer it sits (if you can wait).  Serve up on a whole grain bun with a side of Fit Fries and life is good!

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit with a side of oil-free Fit Fries
BBQ Pulled Jackfruit with a side of oil-free Fit Fries

Filed Under: Main Entree, My Blog Tagged With: bbq pulled jackfruit, jackfruit, pulled jackfruit, vegan bbq, vegan pork sandwich, vegan pulled pork, vegan sandwich

I’ll have a Yonana!

February 4, 2015 By Cyd Notter

While this isn't a specific "recipe", Yonana creations are one of the things we enjoy most. The Yonana machine can be purcahsed at Bed Bath & Beyond or on-line. It turns frozen bananas and other frozen fruits into soft serve "ice creams". Mine did come with a recipe book, but I'm not sure if the newer models do since most of the recipes are on line. There are also numerous you tube videos of various creations. You do not HAVE to use bananas, although they are delicious for great banana splits.

Banana Split
Frozen Yonana ice cream - made with bananas only
Top with chopped pineapple, strawberries, and easy chocolate sauce:

Easy Chocolate Sauce:
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup cacao powder (or cocoa)
Place dates in a bowl of water to soften. Remove from water and place in a food processor with the cacao powder, and enough water to reach desired syrupy consistency. Coconut water also works well.

Filed Under: Desserts

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