Nutrition Educator/ Author/ Coach
If you’re a fan of anything “mint chocolate chip” (as I am!), you’ll enjoy this easy No-Bake recipe from Brandi at the vegan 8 website.
No-Bake Mint Chocolate Chip Bars have only 7 ingredients and are a yummy treat to be savored sparingly – a little goes a long way!
The only difference I’ll make in the future is to choose a different crisp cereal. The bars didn’t turn out as “crispy” as I’d hoped, but still good!
These would make a nice addition to your Christmas Cookie gift plates.
I read an interesting post today by Jeff Novick (Jeff is an expert dietitian affiliated in part with the McDougall program).
In the post, he describes an on-line debate that occurred over the “Beyond Meat” veggie burgers, and he gives reasons why the “Beyond Meat” burger is not a healthy choice. If we’re going to purchase processed products once in a while, label reading is important! We usually don’t have to go any further than the ingredient list.
Another interesting tip: Now that food manufacturers are no longer required to reveal the percentage of fat in a product, Jeff explains how we can tell the percentage of fat by doing just a bit of math. He mentions The Impossible Burger (I’m not familiar with that one) and shows how that product is 53% fat (with 41% of that being saturated fat).
Here’s the link to Jeff’s post.
Making your own plant-based burgers at home is easy and delicious! Here are just a few of the hundreds out there.
Fat Free Baked Mexican Black Bean Burgers (the Vegan 8)
Sweet Potato Curry Burgers (Jeff Novick)
McVeggie Burgers (Dr. McDougall)
White Bean, Wild Rice and Almond Burgers (Dr. Fuhrman)
Savory Lentil Mushroom Burgers (FatFree Vegan)
I’d love to hear about your favorites too!
Are you looking for some healthy ribs which are easy to make and oh-so-delicious? Then you won’t regret giving Barbecued Seitan Ribz a try!
This recipe from The Fat Free Vegan website is definitely going into the “keeper” file.
Seitan (say-tan´) is another name for wheat gluten, which is a food made from the main 
protein of wheat. Also known as “wheat meat,” seitan is a popular meat replacement because of its texture and versatility.
Wheat Gluten (or Vital Wheat Gluten) can often be found in your local health food stores (including Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, the Fruitful Yield, etc) or you can easily purchase it on line. Bob’s Red Mill is the brand I use, but some stores may carry it in bulk.
The recipe makes 16 ribz, so you may want to double it. Four ribz are considered a serving (and one serving has nearly 28 grams of protein!) Of course, it’s impossible to be protein-deficient while eating a whole food, plant-based diet, but just one serving of this recipe could provide about half your daily requirement.
The recipe calls for Smoked Spanish Paprika, but I just used regular Smoked Paprika, which I bought at Berkots in the produce section. Also, instead of grilling, I chose to bake this recipe as outlined in the directions – but I’m sure they’d be awesome grilled, too.
If you serve with smashed potatoes and gravy, try this Golden Gravy Recipe by Mary McDougall! Add a salad or a cob of sweet corn and you’re all set!
Why is it best to avoid grilling meat?
Where do you get your protein?
Need help eating healthier? Contact me.
Do you ever feel like you’re in a cooking rut? I do. And so last week I tried two new recipes. One was found on the Vegan 8 website called “Spicy Grilled Crab Patties with Aioli” (although it’s not a Vegan 8 creation – it’s one that she tested from another chef; it has more than 8 ingredients, but it’s still a fairly easy recipe).
This is the first time I’ve ever made “crab” patties, and I must say I was very happy with the results! The recipe has hot sauce and jalapeno but was still just right for my palate (I’m typically a sissy when it comes to hot spices). The patties are meant to be grilled, but you can also bake them as I chose to do. I ate two of them right out of the oven, and had to stop myself from eating a third!
The aioli sauce is the perfect compliment, too. In fact, this thick sauce could be used as a sandwich topper for other patty or burger recipes as well.
Here are my notes and suggestions:
Try to find whole-grain Panko breadcrumbs with minimum ingredients (and no oil).This is definitely a “keeper” recipe which will probably be available for taste-testing at our next potluck!
PS: At the start, I mentioned that I tried TWO new recipes. The other recipe also turned out great, and I’ll share that soon. If you’re a fan of Italian Sausage, you’ll want to stay tuned!
In the meantime, please let us know if you make the Crab Patties, if you made any substitutions, and what you thought!
You will be inspired and amazed by Amanda’s transformation! Her commitment and willingness to do the initial legwork has resulted in healed digestive issues, optimal weight, the ability to run 5K’s and the talent to create incredible recipes. Read her motivating story here.
FREE Training Class
Come learn 3 things you can begin implementing today!