EARTH ANGEL VEGAN’S SPICY SOUTHWEST POTATOES are sooooo good!  You’re gonna love them.  If you follow this recipe exactly they are pretty spicy…you will need a cold beverage!  You can alter the spiciness by adjusting or eliminating the cayenne pepper!

Recipe: serves 2

4 large cooked red skinned potatoes or 8 small

2-3 green onions chopped (white and green parts)

1/4 cup creamy fat free french dressing (I used Kraft)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayanne pepper (adjust to your taste or leave out) If you don’t like the heat replace it with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, if you don’t like smoke use regular sweet paprika

salt and pepper to taste

I used the steam packet of red skinned potatoes I got at Aldi.  The potatoes need to be cooked to tender before making this recipe.  You can boil your potatoes whole and then cut them into chunks, you could bake them or prick them with holes and microwave them.

I used my scan pan non-stick skillet.  I recommend a non-stick skillet for this recipe.  Add the dressing to the skillet and stir it around to loosen it up a bit over medium heat.  Add the potatoes and sprinkle the spices over top.  Stir over medium heat to coat all of the potatoes and then toss in the green onions.  Cook over medium heat until they are hot and gooey… about 5 or 10 minutes.  Serve warm plain or on a bed of steamed greens!

Next time I might toss in some fresh steamed cut green beans!

Enjoy

We all met Monday evening for the kick off to our 10 day potato boot camp.  Today is the day 3 I am waiting to hear how everyone is doing.  I have seen posted pictures of hash browns for breakfast, delicious mashed potatoes and green vegetables for dinner and it looks like everyone is doing fine.  We are sharing ideas for potato goodness!

I have not been hungry with eating potatoes for 3 meals a day.  I have been enjoying what I am eating.  This morning I was down 1 pound since Monday morning without feeling hungry at all.

My boot campers… feel free to leave comments on this post so that anyone who is following can see how you are doing, feeling and what you have been eating!

Good Morning!  Tomorrow is the kick off of our ten day plant based boot camp.  It is a version of Mary’s Mini McDougall Diet.  The Mcdougall eating plan is strict low/no fat vegan and it is a lifestyle!  I started this lifestyle July 21, 2016.  The picture on the left is me on Mother’s Day May 2016 and the one on the right is May 2017.  In 10 months I lost over 20 pounds of body fat.  I feel better and have more energy.  My eczema, stomach issues, arthritis, and high blood pressure are gone!  I have more energy and sleep better.  I am protecting myself from heart disease, diabetes, and most cancers!  I highly recommend you read Dr. John McDougall’s book The Starch Solution.  He has 3 quick start videos on his website drmcdougall.com.  The first one is Dr. McDougall explaining  why a low fat animal free diet is essential for health.  The second video is his wife Mary telling you what and how to cook and the third video is Mary telling you how to eat out and socialize.

The plant based boot camp is my spin off from Mary’s mini which is a diet to jumpstart or reconnect with the lifestyle.  It is a good way to reconnect with the less processed  McDougall plan.  As with any plan when on it long enough you may start to stray.  This boot camp is a grounding to the basic principals of the program rules … eat whole plant foods with no added fat!  I am hoping to lose 5 pounds in the 10 days but others have lost up to 10.  Some of the people that are participating have not ever been exposed to this lifestyle.  The boot camp is a good way to jump into the lifestyle and feel the benefits rapidly.  I am betting that if the plan is followed closely the participants will lose 5-10 pounds and notice a change in their health and energy levels!

For the boot camp… participants will choose their starch… Potato, Sweet Potato, Rice, or Corn!  They will stick to this starch for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 10 days.  Half their plate will be the starch and the other half will be a variety of raw or cooked vegetables!  It is a simple meal plan and meant to be boring.  You do not over eat boring!  The starch will keep you full and satisfied and there is no calorie counting or limiting portion sizes.   So wish us luck!

Watch our progress over the next 10 days!  I am hoping for exciting results!

 

Earth Angel Vegan Veggie Nuggets – were a big hit!  They were tasty and crunchy.  Topped with a little barbecue sauce they were a perfect accompaniment to my favorite meal of mashed potatoes, corn and gravy!  They are not an exact recipe as they use left overs of grains and vegetables.  Hope you make them and enjoy them as much as we did!

RECIPE: You will need to preheat oven to 375 and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

1 can of beans drained (kidney, pinto, garbanzo)

1 cup of left over grain (brown rice, wild rice, quinoa)

1 cup left over roasted or grilled veggies (I used left over grilled onion, pepper and zucchini)

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

1-2 cups panko bread crumbs (I used whole wheat)

Put the beans, grains and veggies into a food processor and pulse to form a chunky paste.  At this point taste to see if there are any seasonings you want to add like salt and pepper, cayenne pepper adds heat and poultry seasoning adds a chicken nugget flavor.  Add seasoning of your choice at this point and pulse a few more times to mix it in.  Now add the 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten and pulse until it is mixed in all the way.  If it is too thick you can add a little warm water.  It should be mold-able and a little sticky.  Let it rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.  Take kitchen tablespoon and scoop some up, roll it in a ball and into the panko to completely coat it and then press the ball into a nugget shape (mine came out more like tenders than nuggets) on a parchment lined baking pan.

Bake nuggets at 375 for 20-40 minutes depending on your oven and size of you nuggets.  They should be crispy golden brown on the outside!   Good with a little barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or your favorite mustard.  You can also have them with pasta and marinara or on a sandwich!

If you don’t have left overs to work with… you can buy a bag of frozen brown rice and a bag of frozen fire roasted veggies… let them thaw and use them in place of left overs.  If they make the paste too watery just add a little more vital wheat gluten.

Enjoy!

Earth Angel Vegan’s Eggplant Lasagna uses two previous recipes.  The eggplant filling is the same filling prepared in the eggplant meatballs minus the chickpea flour and the panko.  I also used the tofu ricotta.  Simple marinara sauce can come from your favorite jar or homemade. I used brown rice lasagna noodles par boiled.  The result was a really delicious lasagna that everyone loved.

 

Recipe:

1 box brown rice or whole wheat lasagna noodles par boiled (that means boiled briefly to make them soft enough to handle but hard enough to stand up to some baking time

3 -4 cups marinara sauce

1 eggplant prepared as in the previous eggplant meatball recipe (minus chickpea flour and panko)

1 package of tofu made into ricotta (see previous recipe)

In a glass baking dish add 1 cup marinara to cover the bottom and then add a layer of noodles.  On top of the noodles put a layer of  the cooked eggplant.  Next a layer of noodles.  On top of the noodles 1 cup marinara and then the ricotta.  Next another layer of noodles and the remaining cup of sauce.  Add more sauce if needed to make sure the top is coated with a good amount of sauce.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes in a 375 oven.  Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving… Serve with whole grain bread and a beautiful green salad.  Hummus salad dressing in a previous recipe completes the meal!

Enjoy

Earth Angel Vegan’s Tofu Ricotta.  This “ricotta” can be used on pizza, lasagna, and salads.  It can be a filling for a wrap or calzone.  It is very easy and adds the right creaminess that you like from real ricotta.  This recipe is for approximately 1 cup but can be easily doubled.

Ingredients:

1 cup firm tofu

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon fine salt (optional but recommended)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix crumbling the tofu with your hands until combined.

Use it in your favorite recipe… or just eat it with a spoon!