Sunday, July 15, 2012

Vegan Meal Plan


I put together a meal plan for a vegan friend of mine...thought I'd pass this along in case it's helpful to any of you. The meal plan contains links to all of the recipes, and my own recipes or those I've changed are posted below.


Breakfast
Lunches/snacks
Dinner
Sides
Treats:  (1-2x week, on a lower carb day, after a workout)
Grits
veggies with guacamole
Vegetable soup (add carrots, onion, celery and seasonings to broth)
Hot coconut milk cocoa
Vegetables sautéed in olive oil, with some protein (nuts?)
coconut butter on chia crackers
Fajitas (grill veggies with cumin, sever with tortillas, salsa, avocado)
cauliflower “rice”
Chocolate covered mint leaves
avocado-coconut-milk smoothie with protein powder (put fruit and  leftover kale here)
date bars
Roasted vegetables in coconut oil
sweet potato fries
Red pepper walnut dip with chia seed crackers
Coconut curry and almond soup
cabbage “noodles”
(just slice cabbage and sauté in olive oil till soft)
Vegan Grits
Almond butter on apple slices
sliced tomatoes and cucumbers drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper
Strawberry cream “cheesecake”
chia seed crackers* with almond butter
salad greens 
grain free zucchini bread
avocado
Avocado pudding
Almond cocoa smoothie
Trail mix
Stir fry veggies with tamari
Broccoli
Baked apple crumble
smoothie
Kale sautéed with olive oil, apples and red onions. (curry powder, salt, pepper)
Green Salad
Blueberries and coconut cream
macadamia nuts
Roasted asparagus
olives
applesauce
dried fruit, coconut flakes
spaghetti Squash with marinara sauce


Enjoy!!!! Most Recipes are linked above. Recipes I’ve created or changed are posted below.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Ingredients
1 avocado, soft and ripe
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup grade b maple syrup (or honey)
6 tablespoons milk (coconut, cow or any type of milk you prefer)
Instructions
Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop out flesh and put in the blender
along with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth, occasionally scraping
down sides. Serve immediately or refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Blueberry Walnut Flax Muffins
Start with this basic recipe: http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/grain-free-goodies/honey-muffins/ and replace each egg with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of water.

Trader Joe’s has blueberry flax meal, which is perfect for this recipe. Add 1 cup blueberries and ½ cup walnuts or pecans.

Strawberry Cream Pie
Simple, easy treat: 
Two cups strawberries, one cup macadamias, one cup coconut oil (melted), tsp vanilla, a few drops stevia. Throw it all in a blender and blend till creamy and smooth.  You could stop right there and it's like yummy yogurt. Chill it and it sets up like a pie. Original recipe below includes a crust and uses cashews and honey. 



http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/index.cfm/2010/6/15/strawberry-cream-pie-gluten-free-and-dairy-free-blog



Zucchini Bread
Follow recipe below, but replace 6 eggs with ¾ cup applesauce and 3 “flax eggs” (3 tbs ground flaxseed with 9 tbs water)



Baked Apple Crumble:
Slice or chop apples and place in a baking dish. Top with a mixture of almond meal, flax seeds, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Drizzle with honey. Bake 20 mins at 350.


Cauliflower "rice"
Just put raw cauliflower in the food processor or cheese grater. Then steam it in the microwave for 3 mins, fluff with a fork and season with salt, pepper and butter.



Hot coconut milk cocoa:
In a small pot, heat 1 can coconut milk over medium heat. Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 pinch sea salt, and 2-3 tbs cocoa powder. Sweeten with honey or stevia to taste. Sprinkle with cinnamon.



Dark Chocolate Covered Mint Leaves 


30 Fresh mint leaves
2 squares Baker's 100% chocolate
3 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs honey (to taste)
1 tsp vanilla
A pinch of sea salt

Wash and pat dry your leaves.
Prepare a tray with wax paper covering it.
In a double boiler (or a soup can in a pot with boiling water), melt 2-3 large squares of Baker's 100% chocolate, unsweetened.

Add other ingredients and mix together as the chocolate melts.  
Dip leaves in chocolate to cover both sides, Lay flat to cool on wax paper.
Freeze before serving.

Chocolate Cranberry Almond Bars (makes 8 bars)

1/2 lbs raw almonds
5 dates
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 tbs unsweetened organic cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 tbs vanilla

Combine nuts and dates in food processor, chop finely.
In a mixing bowl, add cranberries, vanilla and cocoa powder.
Melt coconut oil (place jar in warm water), and add liquid to nut mixture.

Mix all ingredients and form into bars on wax paper. Wrap in wax paper or cellophane and refrigerate. 



Sweet Potato Fries
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into wedges or strips
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs chili powder
1stp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Preheat your oven to 425F.
In a bowl, coat evenly the sweet potatoes with oil/fat, spices and salt and pepper. 
Place on a baking tray in a single layer. 
Toast about 20 mins. Broil another 5 minutes, or until crispy. Test with a knife, they should be soft inside.

Coconut Almond Curry Soup
Simmer 1 1/2 coconut milk, 1/2 cup or so almond butter, curry power, and chili pepper to taste. Add chopped red pepper, mushrooms, onions and tomato. Simmer 15 minutes over low heat for vegetables to soften and favors to meld.
 Serve over rice (or cauliflower) or cabbage noodles and top with fresh basil.