My Plant-Based Family

Eating Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet recipes, On a Budget.

Archives for September 2014

4 Ways to use your Blender this Fall

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Do you have a huge blender sitting on your counter? We do. We love our Blendtec but now that the weather is cooling off we don’t make smoothies quite as often. Since our Blendtec takes up such important counter-top real estate I make sure to use it all year long. Same goes for those of you with a Vitamix!

Love your blender? Love it all year long with 4 ways to use your blender that is not smoothies.

 

Here are a 4 ways to use your blender all year long, even when smoothies are off the menu.

1. Savory Soups

I love soups in the fall. While chunky, hearty soups definitely have their place I love smooth creamy soups as well. You don’t have to follow a recipe although my Slow Cooker Potato Soup and Tomato Soup are both good choices. Any soup, especially those that are bean or veggie based will blend nicely. Try adapting your favorite soup recipes.

2. Dips

I’m a sucker for dips. We used to have a “snack nite” on the weekends. The whole family loved it. Salsa, Jalapeno Hummus, and most recently my Spinach Artichoke Dip are pretty much guilt-free.

Get creative and mix your favorite flavors together. I love to start with white beans as a base like in my Green Chili White Bean Dip.  You can adapt it by adding roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes or fresh herbs and spices. Slowly add liquid until it reaches your preferred consistency.

3. Salad Dressings

Similar to dips, salad dressing are easy to make in a blender. They need a lot more liquid but don’t add too much too fast. I make Creamy Italian Salad Dressing and Sweet and Tangy Salad Dressing most often but I love making salad dressings with fruit too. Blueberry Vinaigrette and Cranberry Salad Dressing are both oil-free.

4. Make Your Own Oat Flour or Instant Oats

I buy Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats in bulk from Amazon and use them for more than oatmeal. Toss some oats in your blender and pulse for a few seconds at a time to make Instant Oatmeal. It will cook quicker since it’s broken down into smaller pieces. You can continue to blend it into a fine flour to use in gluten-free baked goods.

Do you used your blender for more than smoothies? How do you use your blender? 

If you don’t have a good blender I highly recommend Blendtec. It’s a great investment in your health!

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When the “Vegan” Husband is Tempted

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As a blogger, I share snippets of my life as I write. Today I think you will have a clearer view of who we are. I’m so pleased to have my husband Jim writing on the blog today. Jim does a lot of things behind the scene’s at My Plant-Based Family from eating recipe experiments that didn’t quite work, to editing, and now writing.

When your Vegan Husband is Tempted

Please welcome Jim!

You’re driving home from work, the whole way home you are tempted by fast food places advertising horribly unhealthy yet appealing items such as burgers, fries, tacos, burritos, pizza…  you name it, I know better…  but I’m still tempted.  So what do you do?  I’m reminded of a line from a movie “you’re cheating on your wife with fast food”, or something like that.

Intro

Hi, I’d like to introduce myself, I’m Jim.  You obviously already know my wonderful wife and you know many of My Plant-Based Family’s stories but as my beloved has mentioned, I’ll be contributing much more to the BLOG going forward.

Wanting to honor God and honor my wife

OK, so here’s what I do, I’m reminded that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I want to honor God by stewarding my body and my health by taking care of what he has given me.  I also want to honor my wife and do what I can to plan for a healthy life going forward, sometimes I eat in a very healthy manner, like the following:

jimslunch

Daily Meals (what I should be eating)

Vega One shake for breakfast
A 5 Cup serving of an assortment of colorful vegetables and fruit for lunch
Some awesome meal that my wife has created for dinner
For snacks, I’ll eat apples or carrots or something similar

If you choose a low nutrient meal once in a while, that’s OK, just don’t let it get out of hand

I can eat this way for weeks, but let’s just say that I give into temptation on a Friday night… unfortunately, I don’t usually have a single bad meal, it’s usually a series of bad meals, but then on Monday I’m back on the straight and narrow.  So I guess what I’m saying is that it’s OK every once in a while to choose a nutrient poor meal but make sure that you help yourself by putting in safeguards that will help you bounce back from the nutrient poor meal.  You could prepare your next meal ahead of time or you could also plan a fast right after the nutrient poor meal, either of these could help curb your temptation for nutrient poor food.

What about you? Are you ever tempted? How do you handle it?

A quick note: Jim is not vegan but mostly sticks to a plant-based diet and eat’s vegan most of the time. You can read Jim’s weight loss story here. 

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

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Are you looking for an all around great tasting dip that is perfect for friendly get together’s, holiday parties or comfort food. Let me introduce you to my guilt-free, low-fat Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Unlike your typical spinach artichoke dip, this healthy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip is dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free and nut-free!

Many people use cashews to make cheesy plant-based dips, but that adds fat and allergens. Since I consider this perfect party food, I want it to be suitable for people with nut allergies.

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Plant-Based Pantry Staples

I like to keep a jar of artichoke hearts in my pantry just in case I want to make this dip! I usually have all the other ingredients on hand so this is an easy dip to make.

  • White Beans
  • Spices + Nutritional Yeast
  • Spinach
  • Artichokes
  • Lemon Juice
Easy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.

Quick and Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Nothing has to be prepared ahead of time and I don’t have to buy any special ingredients. This dip comes together quickly in my Blendtec Blender but a food processor would work too.

Plant-Based Party Food

This Plant-Based Spinach Artichoke Dip is perfect for holiday’s like Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties! It’s a game day must have! It also travels really well so it’s easy to take with you.

You don’t have to save it for parties or football season. It’s perfectly suited for movie nights, pre-dinner (or post-dinner) snacks, on a sandwich or wrap, or to make when you are all by yourself and don’t want to share.

vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Easy, vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip uses whole foods to create a delicious plant-based dip. See F.A.Q.’s for substitutions.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup warm white beans (I use Great Northern)
  • ½ cup water (more or less)
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup artichoke hearts (I use jarred, without oil)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup raw spinach

Do

  1. Puree beans, water and spices in a food processor or high-powered blender, I use my Blendtec.
  2. Add artichoke hearts and lemon juice and pulse slightly until it reaches desired texture.
  3. Pour dip into heat safe container (I use an oven safe casserole dish). Rip spinach into smaller pieces and mix into dip.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes at 350° or until warm.

Serve

This dip is great with crackers or chips but also really good on bread or in a wrap. This is oil-free and diary-free but tastes sinfully good.

Yield: 8 servings

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip is perfect for parties or football season. This easy recipe is dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, oil-free and delicious.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 15 ounce can of white beans, drained and warmed (I use Great Northern)
  • ½ cup water (more or less)
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup artichoke hearts (I use jarred, without oil)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup raw spinach

Instructions

  1. Drain your beans then warm them slightly. Puree beans, water and spices in a food processor or high-powered blender, I use my Blendtec.
  2. Add artichoke hearts and lemon juice and pulse slightly until it reaches desired texture.
  3. Pour dip into heat safe container (I use an oven safe 9x9 casserole dish). Rip spinach into smaller pieces and mix into dip.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes at 350° or until warm.

Notes

This dip is great with crackers or chips but also really good on bread or in a wrap. I love it with fresh, raw veggies.

Store covered in the fridge for a few days.

See F.A.Q.'s in the post for more information.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Sauces, Dips, and Salad Dressings

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you use white beans?

White beans give the dip a creamy base that is low in fat. It’s also more allergy-friendly than dips with a nut base. White beans are full of fiber so you’ll feel more satisfied.

Does Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip taste cheesy?

This dip is dairy-free and doesn’t contain cheese so it isn’t real cheesy. It does contain nutritional yeast which gives it some cheesy flavor.

Can I use frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh?

Yes you can. I recommend allowing the spinach to thaw a bit and squeeze out extra moisture.

Can I use fresh garlic?

Yes, fresh garlic, and even roasted garlic is delicious in this. I originally used garlic powder for ease but fresh is a great option.

For more football food ideas visit my Party Food Pinterest Board! It’s full of delicious dips and finger foods.

Need More Dip Ideas

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September’s Plant-Based Meal Plans

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Have you been waiting on these? I’m sorry to make you wait but I had to get them perfect, well as perfect as possible.

The new Plant-Based Meal Plans are here. If you’ve wanted to purchase a Custom Meal Plan but didn’t want to spend the money then these Meal Plans are for you.

plant based meal plans

There are 2 plans to choose from and both are oil-free and allergy-friendly.

Learn more on my Plant-Based Meal Plan Page.

Here is a peek at what you get.

Plant Based Meal Plans

Order Plan 1 Add to Cart

Order Plan 2 Add to Cart

Or buy both and save!

September’s Plant-Based Meal Plans are allergy-friendly, contain no oil and just like the other recipes you find here they are easy and delicious.  Read more HERE.

If you are a blogger check out my Affiliates Page for affiliate opportunities.

Meal Plan Monday: Simple Plant-Based Meals

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This week my focus is on keeping meals simple. We’ve got our normal stuff this week like school, sports and homework but I also have a kid home sick, my new meal plans will debut and I’m going out of town to the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference!

Simple Plant-Based Meals

In order to keep things flowing as smoothly as possible I’ll focus on SIMPLE plant-based meals. I know, most of my recipes are already simple but these are going to be even easier, requiring no prep work and minimal effort.

Breakfast

This week we are eating cereal and oatmeal, well oatmeal may be a little optimistic.

Lunch

My kids will eat sandwiches this week with fruit and Gluten-Free Pretzels. I’ll have leftovers and if I need to make something it will probably be veggie soup. I don’t know about you buy soup is my favorite way to eat veggies.

Dinner

These are my goal meals. There is a good chance my kids will live on sandwiches and cereal. Is that wrong to admit? I have no idea what they will eat when I’m out of town, my hubby’s got it under control, I’m sure it will include lots of broccoli.

Gluten-Free Pasta with Marinara Sauce and a side salad.

Crock Pot Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole (because it’s my hubby’s favorite).

Baked Potatoes and Steamed Veggies

Taco Soup I’ll use canned beans and veggies in this. I haven’t decided if I’ll use the Crock Pot or stove yet.

Each of these should make enough for dinners and leftover lunches.

I also held my Gluten-Free Lunch Box Class this weekend. It was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to offering an online version in the future.

What does your week look like? Any big plans? What are you doing this week to keep it simple?

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5 Time Savers in the Kitchen (not a list of gadgets!)

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Most of us are on a never-ending quest to save time. We make choices that aren’t good for us out of convenience. It seems so much easier to go through a drive thru than to cook our own meals.

Kitchen counter with veggies and knife

Today I want to share some of my favorite time savers in the kitchen.

1. Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Did you know you can cook potatoes in the Crock Pot. It’s so easy. You don’t need foil or oil or anything else. Just scrub the potatoes, prick a few holes in them and put them in the Crock Pot. Cook them on low all day and you have hot baked potatoes when you get home. This is the perfect way to cook those HUGE potatoes that take forever to cook in the oven.

You may say, “these cook all day, that doesn’t save time.” It only takes a few minutes to scrub them, boom, you are done until it’s time to eat.

2. Use your Crock Pot

I know I already mentioned Crock Pot Potatoes, maybe it’s because I could eat potatoes everyday. Most of the soup and casseroles I make can easily be made in the Crock Pot. I don’t cook pasta in the Crock Pot but everything else is fair game. I’ll spend 5-10 minutes dumping everything in then forget about it until dinner. You may need to add more water if you are adapting recipes.

3. Buy Frozen Veggies

I love fresh veggies but when time is short I reach for a bag of frozen veggies, especially frozen Stir Fry Veggies. I can have my Veggie Pad Thai on the table in about 15 minutes. (The noodles cook super quick).

4. Use Veggie Broth (or bullion)

Most of the time when I cook and use the “taste and see” method. I taste the food, see what spices I have that could improve it, then taste again. This process goes on until I feel it’s “just right’ or my kids distract me (or sometimes I just give up).

I’ve found using a veggie broth helps give my dishes a richer flavor from the get go. Of course my Dry Veggie Broth Mix is my favorite. If you aren’t a “make it yourself” kind of person Massel makes some great products that I really love. They have bullion cubes, granulated bullion and liquid stock. The are vegan (yes even the beef-style and chicken-style), gluten-free, and all natural.

Veggie Broth can be used to make quick sauces or to add extra flavor to grains, pasta or soups. I spend a lot less time tweaking dinner when I use a broth mix.

5. Cook Once, Eat Twice

I’m not talking about a full on batch cooking session. Make twice as much food as you need and save it for another time. Four cups of rice cooks in the same amount of time as two cups of rice, the same with beans, potatoes, etc. When it’s time to put the leftovers away put them in the freezer if you don’t want to eat it right away.

Now put all these tips to good use by putting leftover Crock Pot Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot with Frozen Veggies, Veggie Broth and any beans, grains, or other leftovers.

Or, you could take baby steps and just try them one at a time.

On a side not I’ve had LOTS of people tell me I need an Instant Pot. I’ve heard amazing things but I don’t have one so I don’t know much about them but it’s on my future wish list.

How do you save time in the kitchen?