Vegan Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna 🍝

• 3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 15 thin slices, removing the ends
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tbsp. dried basil leaves
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp. vegan cream cheese (I use Miyoko's)
• 1 - 24 oz. jar Rao's spicy arrabiata sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (I use Violife)

First, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 15 thin slices. Place the slices onto paper towels and sprinkle the salt over them.  Cover with paper towels and let sit until you are ready to use.

In a small saucepan, bring broth, tomato sauce, quinoa, onion, and dried oregano to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove pan from heat and stir in dried basil, parsley and cream cheese, set aside.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Spray a 6x10 baking dish with olive oil spray. Pour 1/2 cup of the arrabiata sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.

Pat the zucchini dry with the paper towels and cover the sauce with 5 slices of zucchini.

Spoon half the quinoa mixture over the zucchini slices and cover with 1/2 cup of arrabiata sauce.

Repeat with 5 zucchini slices, the other half of the quinoa mixture and another 1/2 cup of sauce. Top with the last 5 zucchini slices, the remaining sauce and sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is slightly browned.

Let sit for 10 minutes before digging in.  Enjoy!

Yields 6 servings:  223 calories, 6 g protein, 21 carbs, 12 g fat.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread 🎃

• 3 tbsp. Just Egg
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup organic granulated cane sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the Just Egg, pumpkin puree, melted vegan butter, almond milk, vanilla and sugar.  Stir to mix well.  

Add in the flour, a little at a time, stirring as you add it in.  Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans and stir to mix everything together.

Scoop the batter into the parchment lined loaf pan and pop it in the oven for 50 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.  

Remove the bread from the pan and let it sit on a cooling rack for an additional 30 minutes before slicing.

Yields 10 yummy slices of bread.  Enjoy!!!

Crockpot Lentil Quinoa Stew (Vegan/Vegetarian)

• 1 - 32 oz. box reduced sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup chopped baby carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped red onions
• 1 tbsp. crushed garlic
• 1 1/2 cups brown lentils
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 - 8oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp. Cholula hot sauce
• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Spray your crock pot with olive oil spray and pour in the broth.  Add the carrots, celery, onions, garlic lentils and quinoa into the crock and stir.

In a small bowl combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, Cholula, dijon, chili powder, paprika and salt. Blend together with a whisk.

Pour the sauce into the crock and stir to combine. Cover crock and cook on high for 3 hours. 

Enjoy with freshly grated Vegan Parmesan cheese (or normal cheese).

YUMMMM!

Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash (Vegan/Vegetarian)

• 2 large spaghetti squash
• olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1 - 15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 - 11 oz. can sweet corn, drained
• 1 - 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
• 2 tsp. dried cilantro
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Vegan or regular cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice each spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Be careful as this requires a very sharp knife and some muscle!  Use a spoon to remove the seeds and membranes.

Brush the flesh sides of squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (only 1 squash shown here - recipe yields 4 halves)

Place the squash flesh side down on your parchment lined baking sheet and pop into the oven for 55 minutes.

When there is about 30 minutes left for the squash, heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil.  Add the chopped onion and bell pepper to the pan and saute until the onion is starting to get translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add chopped garlic to the pan and continue to saute for another minute, stirring continuously.

Add black beans, corn and green chiles to pan and stir to combine.  Season with the cilantro, cumin, salt, coriander and cayenne and stir to mix well.  Keep on warm, stirring occasionally, until ready to transfer to the squash.

When the squash is out of the oven and cool enough to handle,  Use a fork to scrape the "spaghetti" stands inside the squash.   Spoon 1/4 of the bean mixture each of the 4 squash halves. Top with shredded vegan or regular cheese (optional) and pop them back into the oven for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Garnish with fresh avocado, or your toppings choice.   ENJOY!

Spaghetti Squash Taco Boats 🌮

• 3 small Spaghetti Squash (1-2.5 lb each)
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1 - 4.5 oz. can diced green chiles, drained
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (1/2 of a 8 oz. can)
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese

Toppings:

• Pico de Gallo
• Avocado 
• Sour Cream
• Sliced black olives
• Pickled jalapenos

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Take all stickers off the squash and cut them each in half lengthwise.  Please be careful!  This requires some muscle and a very sharp knife! Use a spoon to remove seeds and soft yellow strands.

Spray the insides of the squash with olive oil spray and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for one hour, until the flesh can easily be pierced with a fork.  Set aside to let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with olive oil cooking spray.  Add the turkey to the pan and cook until browned breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  Add the garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, coriander, paprika and oregano and stir to mix well.  Add the onion, diced green chiles, tomato sauce and water to the pan.  Stir to mix well.  Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  Keep warm until ready to use.

When the squash has cooled enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the "spaghetti" stands inside the squash.   Spoon 1/2 cup of meat sauce into each squash.

Sprinkle with cheese.  Return pan to the oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Top with your favorite taco toppings, such as pico de gallo, avocado, sour cream, olives, jalapenos, etc.

Enjoy!!   Yields 6 yummy taco boats! 🌮 🌮 🌮 🌮 🌮 🌮  

Crock Pot Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Soup

• 2 - 10 oz. cans Rotel tomatoes, not drained
• 2 - 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 - 4 oz. can diced green chiles (hot or mild), not drained
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tbsp. freeze dried minced cilantro (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro)
• 1 - 32 oz. box chicken bone broth 
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.25 lbs)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 bunch green onions, white and light green parts, chopped

Spray your crock pot with olive oil spray.  Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles, bell pepper, red onion, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and cilantro to the crock and stir to mix well.

Pour the broth into the crock and stir to combine.  Lay the chicken breasts in and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

Submerge the chicken into the broth mixture.  Cover the crock and cook on low for 6.5 hours.

Remove the chicken from the crock and use two forks to shred it.  Return the shredded chicken to the crock and stir in the green onions.  Let sit on warm setting until ready to serve.

Enjoy with fresh avocado!

BBQ Buffalo Chicken

• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

In a large ziplop bag, combine the Franks, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder and onion powder.  Use your hands on the outside of the bag to mix everything together.  Add the chicken to the bag and massage the sauce mixture into the chicken.  Let sit in the refrigerator all day.

Heat your barbecue to medium heat.  Place the chicken on the grates, cover and cook for 8 minutes.  Flip the chicken and cook another 5-8 minutes (depending on size of breast).

Enjoy with your favorite sides!