Sushi Bowl

This recipe makes 4 servings:

• 1 cup dry brown rice, cooked (1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice, simmer for 35 min)
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 cucumber, sliced or diced
• 4 avocados
• Nori sheets (2+ per bowl, as needed)
• Kelp granules, sesame seeds, salt & pepper
• Homemade hummus:
• 15 oz chickpeas
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 2 garlic cloves
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt
• Water for consistency, as needed
• Process everything together in food processor.
• Miso Ginger Dressing:
• 1 tbsp yellow miso
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• Whisk all ingredients together, add more of any ingredient to your taste
• Hot sauce (optional)

Method:
Make rice and set aside to cool, and make miso ginger dressing & hummus while rice cooks. Chop the veggies. Once rice is cool, mix it with the miso ginger dressing and separate into four bowls. Top rice with seasonings to your liking, and then add shredded carrot, cucumber, dollop of hummus, and nori sheets. Add avocado right before serving and top with sriracha as desired.

Coconut Milk

Lately I've been really into zero waste shopping, and I've had to find recipes for a lot of my staples. One thing I use ALL the time is coconut milk, and now instead of buying it in cans I make my own, without any trash! Here is how:

Find a grocery store or co-op that sells (unsweetened) coconut flakes in bulk. Use your own jar or cloth bag to buy the cococnut flakes by the pound--you will need one pound for this recipe.

Coconut Milk (makes about three, 15oz cans worth):

• 1 lb unsweetened coconut flakes
• Four cups water

Add the coconut and water to a highspeed blender, let it sit for a few minutes. Blend on high for one to two minutes, until coconut has dissolved. Strain through a nut milk bag (keep the pulp), and put the milk into an airtight container. You can freeze it in a glass mason jar, just make sure to leave 1 inch room at the top. 1.5 cups = 1 store bought can.

For the pulp: Spread it out on a baking sheet and bake at the lowest temp (170) for a couple hours. Then, pulverize in a blender or food processor and you'll have coconut flour. Great for gluten free baking.

Mexican Quinoa

This dish is perfect to have for your lunches throughout the week. It takes less than 20 minutes to make, and yields 4 servings:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1.5 cups black beans (or a 15 oz can)
• 2 cups corn
• Large jar of your favorite salsa (18oz or so)
• 2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
• Avocado or guacamole

Cook the quinoa by boiling 1.5 cups water, adding the dry quinoa, and set to a simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, add all other ingredients, and mix well. Serve with sliced avocado or guacamole on top. Add hot sauce, other seasonings, different veggies, eat with corn chips.. anything you like!

 



Easy Potato Lunch

I love potatoes. Sometimes I'll have baked potatoes all week for lunch, topped with a variety of things, but my simplest meal is just a baked potato + hummus. This meal has a few more ingredients. It's still super simple, and has a lot of protein and flavor. Recipe is for one serving, and I've linked the chili brand I buy as well as the chili recipe I make, and the tofu I add to this dish:

• 1 baked potato (I use Yukon gold)
• 1 cup homemade vegan chili (or 1/2 can vegan chili)
• Tofu (optional)
• Guacamole or sliced avocado
• Hot sauce (optional)

Bake the potato, and top it with warm chili and avocado (or guac). Add on spiced tofu, hot sauce, crunched up tortilla chips, a squeeze of lime, or anything else you'd like.



Chickpea "Tuna" Salad

This is one of my favorite things to have for lunch. I eat it on toast, rice cakes, and crackers. If you love tuna salad you will really like this dish. This recipe will yield 2-3 servings.

• 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained (or 1.5 cups if you make your own)
• 4 stalks of celery
• 1/4 cup diced red onion or green onion
• 3 Tbsp dill pickle relish
• 1 tsp onion flakes (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)
• 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Tbsp tamari
• 2-3 Tbsp vegan mayo
• 2 tsp mustard of choice
• 1 tsp kelp granules
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• Salt & pepper to taste

 

Mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or fork (alternatively, you can pulse them in the food processor being careful not to puree-I prefer this method). Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Taste, adding more of what you like (mayo/mustard/salt/pepper/kelp/etc). Eat with something crunchy!



Overnight Oats

My go to for breakfast is gluten-free or whole wheat toast with hempseed butter or almond butter. I love toast (!) but its not easy to take on the go, so oftentimes I'll make myself a batch of overnight oats to take to work in the morning. Overnight oats are something you can easily change to your tastes, but here's my favorite recipe:

One Serving:

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetented almond milk (or plant milk of choice)
• 1 Tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp plain or vanilla coconut milk (or any vegan) yogurt
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 3-4 drops of stevia (optional, you can use 1 Tbsp maple syrup instead or no sweetener)
• 1/2 Tbsp hemp seeds

Mix all ingredients together in a sealable container (I use mason jars) and keep in the fridge overnight. Eat cold (my preference), or warm it up if you'd like. I also like to top the mixture with hempseeds instead of mixing them in. This recipe will stay good in the fridge for 4 days or so. I usually buy a 6oz container of coconut milk yogurt and make 4 servings all at once to eat througout the week.

Pasta Salad

This week my husband Keith made one of our favorite dishes, which we'll have for lunch/dinner the next couple of days. It's a pasta salad that you eat cold, it has a few staple ingredients, and tastes even better the next day. This recipe makes roughly 4-6 servings:

• 12 oz box of pasta (we like rotini)
• 14 oz can of black olives
• 14 oz can of artichoke hearts
• 1 bunch of kale, chopped
• 1 bell pepper (red is best), chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped (optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar OR balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (optional, I take my portion out before Keith adds this, he likes a lot of EVOO)
• 1 tsp dill (or more if you really liked dill)
• a few fresh basil leaves, torn/chopped
• Salt/pepper/other spices you like (to taste)

Cook the pasta according to box directions, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Sautee the kale in a little water for 3-5 minutes until just wilted. Combine the pasta with the kale, then add all the other ingredients. Start slow with the herbs and spices and then add if you need more flavor. This will stay good in the fridge 3-5 days.