avocado and arugula white bean hummus

Avocado and Arugula White Bean Hummus

Avocado and Arugula White Bean Hummus ~vegan, gluten free~

I love using white beans instead of chickpeas for hummus, they create a much smoother and lighter texture!  This hummus can be served with crackers, but would make an excellent spread on a grilled veggie sandwich!

After doing some research on bone health, I stumbled across the importance of beans (especially white beans) for bone integrity.  This recipe which incorporates white beans and arugula (also good for bone health!) is a winning combo providing calcium, magnesium and vitamin K.

Avocado and Arugula White Bean Hummus ~vegan, gluten free~

avocado and arugula white bean hummus
 
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Avocado and Arugula White Bean Hummus Makes around 2 cups
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • ½ avocado
  • 1 cup arugula, packed
  • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 can (15 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with gluten free crackers and enjoy!

Avocado and Arugula White Bean Hummus ~vegan, gluten free~

 I used toasted pine nuts, but you can substitute walnuts or almonds!  Same goes for the arugula, feel free to use baby spinach or kale instead!  You pretty much can’t mess up this recipe!  Simply adjust the flavor with fresh lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and pepper to please your taste buds!

simple tofu ricotta lasagna

Simple Tofu Ricotta Lasagna, a Meatless Monday Meal ready in under an hour!

Tofu Ricotta Lasagna ~vegan~ A Meatless Monday Meal ready in under an hour!

Tofu replaces the cheese in this lasagna making it vegan friendly.  I kept it simple this time around and only added spinach and basil, but you can add any veggies you want!  Zucchini, mushrooms or peppers would all make a great addition!

Tofu ricotta is a mixture of crumbled tofu, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt and nutritional yeast.  Even my non-liking tofu tike liked this dish!  However, I told a little white lie and said it was cheese :)

For convenience I used organic jarred marinara sauce, but feel free to make your own!  One of my favorite marinara recipes comes from Giada, it sneaks in an extra serving of veggies from added celery and carrots!

Tofu Ricotta Lasagna ~vegan~ A meatless monday meal ready in under an hour!

The original recipe came from Whole Foods.

For a gluten free version: Try using zucchini lasagna noodles!  Just take two large zucchinis, slice thin the long way, sprinkle with a little sea salt to pull out extra moisture and use in place of lasagna noodles!  Increase cook time if needed until zucchini is tender.

tofu ricotta lasagna
 
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Makes a 8x11 serving pan, 6 servings
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • For tofu ricotta:
  • 1 block tofu (14 oz), drained and pressed
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • For Lasagna:
  • 12 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1.5 (25 oz) jars marinara sauce (~5 cups)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, crumble tofu and mix in garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, sea salt/pepper and fresh basil leaves.
  3. In a 8x11 pan add a thin layer of marinara sauce, layer with 4 cooked lasagna noodles then add a layer of tofu ricotta (1/2 of mixture) and chopped spinach and basil (~1 cup). Repeat 2 twice ending with a layer of lasagna noodles and topped with sauce.
  4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Serve warm and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 321 Fat: 7 Carbohydrates: 55 Sugar: 7 Fiber: 4 Protein: 16

Tofu Ricotta Lasagna ~vegan~ A meatless monday meal made in under an hour!

This was a lot for our little family of three, so I froze half of it for later use!  For next time I will just thaw, add a little more sauce on top and bake until warmed through!

Tofu Ricotta Lasagna ~vegan~ A meatless monday meal ready in under an hour!

Happy Meatless Monday!

blackberry peach cobbler smoothie and ready-to-blend smoothie packs

Blackberry Peach Cobbler Smoothie, a peachy way to start the day!

Blackberry Peach Cobbler Smoothie ~vegan, gluten free~ Plus, meal prep smoothie packs for busy mornings!

These smoothie packs fit right along with my “life with a newborn” meal prep!  On busy mornings getting all the goods out to make a nutritious smoothie can take some time!  Instead, take a few minutes once a week to divide all the ingredients into individual portions and freeze for ready-to-blend smoothie packs!

Blackberry Peach Cobbler Smoothie ~vegan, gluten free~ Plus, meal prep smoothie packs for busy mornings!

Per smoothie pack I like to add:

1/2 banana

handful baby spinach

2/3 cup frozen fruit

1 tablespoon flax or hemp seeds

1-2 dates

Add to the blender with 1-1.5 cups of liquid (coconut water or milk of your choice) and blend away!

You can also add oats, nuts, avocado, cacao powder or cinnamon!

Blackberry Peach Cobbler Smoothie ~vegan, gluten free~ Plus, meal prep smoothie packs for busy mornings!

Having these smoothie packs ready to go for the morning isn’t only great for new moms, but for the whole family!  Scrambling to get everyone ready and fed in the mornings can be made a lot simpler when little ones can pick their own smoothie to make before school!

blackberry peach cobbler smoothie
 
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Makes 1 smoothie
Author:
Recipe type: Drinks
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1-1.5 cups milk of your choice (soy, rice, hemp, almond)
  • ⅓ cup frozen blackberries
  • ⅓ cup frozen peaches
  • ½ banana
  • handful baby spinach leaves
  • 1 tablespoon flax meal
  • 2 dates, pitted
Instructions
  1. Blend and enjoy!