Kale and Cauliflower Casserole

Cooking for two is a somewhat difficult task.

For almost three years now I have struggled to get the perfect portions from recipes originally designed for whole families. But for most of the last three years I have made countless soups, pastas, and crock pot meals where we end up with leftovers coming out of our ears. But finally in the last few months or so, I seem to have the portioning under control. Maybe it's because I stopped following recipes and started creating my own, or maybe practice really does make perfect. 

Ironically though, just as I seem to know how to make just enough for a little left over to enjoy for lunch the next day- I decided to start eating a plant-strong diet. Now my boyfriend loves his veggies, but that doesn't mean he is ready (or will ever be ready) to give up his meats, ice cream, or cheese. So though he may enjoy an animal product free meal with me from time to time, I now find myself cooking two different meals for dinner on the nights he doesn't. 

Although this may seem like a challenge (and definitely more dishes to clean) I've been devising ways to alter one recipe into a vegan and a non-vegan meal. Tonight's dinner was inspired by a Jamie Deen recipe, that I made for the girls I nanny about a week ago. You can find that recipe here: Jamie Deen's Kale and Cauli Recipe

And that is pretty much what Eric had for dinner (except we didnt have Parmesan, so I used cheddar instead).Jamie Deen is one of Paula Deen's sons, and he focuses on making healthy versions his mom's meals.However, for someone who is lactose intolerant, or animal product free, this Kale and Cauliflower Casserole recipe is filled with no-nos.

So here is the version I made. 

Completely animal product free and almost fat free!

Kale, White Bean, and Cauliflower Casserole

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Ingredients 

1 can of Great Northern Beans

1 1/2 Russet Potatoes

1/2 bunch of Kale roughly chopped

1/2 Cauliflower head

1 Leek chopped

1/2 cup of Almond Milk

3 cloves of garlic chopped

2 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast

Sprinkle of breadcrumbs (optional)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375.

2) Boil potatoes and cauliflower until soft, about 20 minutes.

3) Sauté garlic and leeks in a little olive oil until leeks are translucent.

4) Add kale and sauté until it starts to wilt, about five minutes.

5) Mash cauliflower, potatoes, and beans together with milk until completely smooth.

6) Mix both mixtures together and stir in nutritional yeast ( this adds a cheesy flavor)

7) Place whole mixture into casserole dish, add breadcrumbs if you desire, and bake in oven for about 30-40 minutes.

8) Enjoy!

Chewy PBnJ Granola Bars

Trying to eat a plant-strong diet means eating more meals in a day.Plants have less calories but more nutrients in a serving than animal proteins do. However, it takes more veggies to fill you up, so I've been snacking a lot. Interestingly enough, protein packed snacks are far more filling for  much longer than carbohydrate filled snacks. This is one reason eating a protein heavy breakfast is such a great way to start the day. Whether it's quinoa flakes in your oatmeal or peanut butter in a smoothie, find a way to add a little extra protein to breakfast if you want to be satisfied until lunch.

I got excited when I realized I could make my own granola bars.I was especially excited since about three months ago I purchased a bag of mixed dried fruits and nuts from Costco that I had yet to use.So I fished out some dried strawberries and peanuts and got to work!

Chewy "No Cook" Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars

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 Ingredients

1/2 cup of dried strawberries

1 cup of roughly chopped peanuts

2/3 cup of agave nectar

1/2 cup of peanut butter

2 cups of quick oats

1/2 cup of quinoa flakes 

Directions:

1) Whisk peanut butter and agave together.

2) Pour mixture into dry ingredients until molded together.

3) Line a shallow baking dish with foil or Saran Wrap and press mixture into dish, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.

4) When you pull the granola out, cut it into bars and enjoy. Bars can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

I'm excited to eat these over the week. Quinoa is actually a seed and is nothing but protein and the peanuts provide more protein and healthy fat. It will be a great protein packed snack after my workout, in the middle of the day, and between jobs!

Roasted Carrot Korma

When I asked for a juicer for Christmas, I did not realize how expensive juicing can be. It takes a lot of one vegetable to make enough juice for a recipe. So I've been looking for cheap ways to purchase enough veggies for my juicing addiction. But what I thought was a solution, turned out to be a bit of a problem.Costco sells a 10 lb bag of organic carrots for less than $6. I thought I had hit the jackpot. Little did I know that you can only drink so much carrot juice, and ten pounds is a ridiculous amount of carrots.

So I had to get creative. I made carrot muffins, carrot juice, stir fry, and made my boyfriend eat carrots for his snacks and I still had carrots to spare. So as I got ready to prepare dinner, I was struggling with how to incorporate carrots yet again, when I saw two sad little tomatoes who I had forgotten about. That's when it hit me: carrot curry.

Well, not exactly curry; korma. Korma is a type of Indian curry that is creamy. This creaminess can come from dairy products like heavy cream or yogurt, but there are many vegan options as well; such as, nuts, seeds, and coconut milk. Since my boyfriend is not a fan of coconut milk, and we both happen to love love LOVE cashews, that's how I decided to blend this together to make sweet (from the carrots) and spicy (from the masala) korma that is satisfying and comforting.

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Roasted Carrot Korma

Ingredients

6  Carrots (not baby, they are too sweet for this recipe)

1/4 cup of cashews 

1/2 onion, finely diced

3-4 fat garlic cloves

2 inches of diced ginger

2 slicer tomatoes, roughly chopped (thinking about trying this with heirloom!)

1 tablespoons of masala powder (whatever masala you prefer, but garam or tandoori work well, I used   tandoori)

1/2 cup of frozen peas 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Spread the sliced carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

2. Mix onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger and half the masala in pot and heat on medium high until the tomato has become mushy, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Take the tomato mixture and blend with cashews in blender. Return to pot.

4. When carrots are done roasting, blend them and then add to the pot with the tomato mix.

5. Add the rest of the masala powder and add more if you like it spicy ;) Make sure to mix the carrot mixture into the tomato mixture well, whisking if you must- I did.

6. Add frozen peas and let the curry simmer for 5-8 minutes until the peas are heated through.

7. Garnish with roughly chopped cashews. Serve over rice and enjoy!