It’s a new year and you’re still the same old you but with an invigorated willingness to eat as many vegetables as it takes for you to feel like you’re accomplishing your new year’s health goals. I’m right there with you, friend. While I’m not a full vegetarian, I’m on the veggie train at the top of the year to try and load my system with magical minerals and vitamins to lull my mind into a satisfied stupor of contentment and progress.
Follow me down this beautiful veggie wormhole and enjoy the honestly delicious foods to start your year off right.
What’s on the Menu:
Good Morning Oats: PB&J, Blue Berry Almond, and Banana Walnut
Epic Avocado Toast
Savory Sumac Veggie Jumble
Enchilada Bowls
Dairy-Free Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli
Good Morning Oats
All of these recipes can also be made the night before as Overnight Oats
PB&J Oats
Takes: 5 Minutes
Makes: 1 Serving
Mise: ½ cup Old Fashioned Oats, ½ TBS Flaxseed, ½ TBS Chia Seeds, ½ tsp cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup coffee, ¾ cup Almond Milk, 1 Tbs Maple Syrup, 1 Tbs Peanut butter, couple drops Vanilla, 2 cups Frozen Mixed Berries, 1 Tbs Sugar, 1-2 Tbs Peanuts
Make the Syrup
1. Put 2 cups of Frozen Mixed Berries in a pot with a splash of water and set to medium heat. Once the berries begin to warm, add 1 Tbs of sugar. Cook until berries are soft and liquid begins to thicken. Remove from heat, cool, and store in an airtight container.
Make the Oatmeal
1. Add oats, flaxseed, chia seed, cinnamon and salt to a small pot. Mix.
2. Combine coffee and almond milk in a cup and then pour over oats. Place pot on medium heat
3. Add Maple Syrup, Vanilla, and Peanutbutter. Stir until smooth.
4. Cook until oats are soft and oatmeal is beginning to thicken
5. Pour into bowl, top with peanuts and 1 Tbs of the Berry Syrup
Blueberry Almond Oats
Takes: 5 Minutes
Makes: 1 Serving
Mise: ½ cup Old Fashioned Oats, ½ TBS Flaxseed, ½ TBS Chia Seeds, ½ tsp cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup coffee, ¾ cup Almond Milk, 1 Tbs Maple Syrup, couple drops Vanilla, 1 very ripe banana, 1/3 cup blue berries, 1 handful of almonds.
1. Add oats, flaxseed, chia seed, cinnamon and salt to a small pot. Mix.
2. Cut up banana and place over oats
3. Combine coffee and almond milk in a cup and then pour over oats. Place pot on medium heat
4. Add Maple Syrup and Vanilla, stir. Mash banana chunks using spoon as you stir
5. Cook until oats are soft and oatmeal is beginning to thicken. Turn off heat. Add blueberries and stir.
6. Pour into bowl, top with chopped almonds
Banana Walnut Oats
Takes: 5 Minutes
Makes: 1 Serving
Mise: ½ cup Old Fashioned Oats, ½ TBS Flaxseed, ½ TBS Chia Seeds, ½ tsp cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup coffee, ¾ cup Almond Milk, 1 Tbs Maple Syrup, couple drops Vanilla, 1 very ripe banana, 1 handful walnuts
1. Add oats, flaxseed, chia seed, cinnamon and salt to a small pot. Mix.
2. Cut up banana and place over oats
3. Combine coffee and almond milk in a cup and then pour over oats. Place pot on medium heat
4. Add Maple Syrup and Vanilla, stir. Mash banana chunks using spoon as you stir
5. Cook until oats are soft and oatmeal is beginning to thicken. Turn off heat. Pour into bowl, top with chopped walnuts
Epic Avocado Toast
Takes: 10 Minutes
Makes: 1 Serving
Mise: 1 Large, or two small, slices of seeded bread, ½ avocado, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1 Tbs spicy hummus, 2 eggs, 1 Tbs butter, 1 radish, 1 lime wedge, salt, pepper, broccoli sprouts
1. Use ½ of your butter to toast your seeded bread in a pan. Once bread is toasted, add in other ½ of butter to pan, melt, and add eggs. Cook them sunny side up.
2. While eggs are cooking, spread toast with hummus, add sliced avocado, quartered tomatoes, and sliced radish.
3. Top with cooked egg and sprouts
Savory Sumac Veggie Jumble
Takes: 35 minutes
Makes: 2 Servings
Mise: Olive Oil, ½ cup sweet potato, 1 large carrot, ½ cup green bell pepper, ½ zucchini, ½ red onion, 2 Garlic cloves, 1 cup pearled couscous, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 oz Bread cheese, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, cumin, sumac.
1. Preheat oven to 425*F and line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Drizzle foil with olive oil
2. Dice all vegetables into consistent or similar sized cubes and add to tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with spices (I sprinkle each spice over all veggies and mix at the end)
3. Bake for 25 minutes, mixed halfway through.
4. While Veggies and baking, cook couscous according to box instructions, using the broth as your water.
5. Once veggies are cooked and couscous is ready, put oven in Broil, High
6. Cube the bread cheese and sprinkle over vegetables. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown
7. Add couscous to bowl, top with roasted veggies, top with sprouts or greens
Enchilada Bowls
Takes: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 Large bowls
Mise: Mixed greens, quinoa, vegetable broth, very firm tofu, drained and pressed, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, parsley, cumin, 1 can tomato paste, 3 Tbs butter or butter substitute, 1 packet spicy taco seasoning, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, pumpkin seeds.
1. Make Quinoa according to box instructions, using broth as water
2. Thinly slice onion and bell pepper. Add to a large pan, on medium high heat, with two Tbs of butter. Cook & Caramelize, takes about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add tofu to fajita vegetables and break until resembled ground beef. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and parsley. Cook for a few additional minutes. Remove from pan into a bowl or Tupperware container to briefly cool.
4. Add emptied pan back to heat, add tomato paste and packet of taco seasoning. Stir constantly and begin to cook, 1-2 minutes. Add in ½ cup of water or broth and whisk until smooth. Cook for 3-5 minutes, adding more water to maintain a pour-able consistency.
5. Plate: begin with a foundation of mixed greens, then top with quinoa, fajita and tofu mix, enchilada sauce, sour cream, cheese, and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy
Dairy-Free Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Marinara
Takes: 2 Hours
Makes: 12 Servings (double batch)
Mise: 8 eggs, 3 cups 00 Flour, 1.5 cups Semolina flour, Salt, Olive Oil, 1 Large Bag of Spinach, 2 8oz containers of Kite-Hill Dairy-Free Ricotta Cheese, 1 yellow Onion, 3 Cloves of Garlic, 1 cup of dairy-free Parmesan cheese, 3 Tbs of dairy-free butter, Marinara sauce of choice.
Make the Pasta
1. Add in flours to the bowl of a Standing Mixer plus a large pinch of salt. Combine. Make a well in the middle of flour
2. To the well, add in your eggs plus a tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Using a dough hook, mix the dough on medium until dough comes together and makes a dough. Continue to mix for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until dough is smooth, not sticky, and bounced back when lightly poked. Cover completely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Make the Filling
1. In a large pan, add 2 Tbs of dairy free butter to melt. While melting, finely dice onion. Add to pan. Finely mince garlic and add to pan. Cook until both are translucent, 5-7 minutes.
2. Chop spinach into small pieces. Add to pan and cook, 3-5 minutes.
3. Set mix aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Once cooled, add in both containers of ricotta and 1 cup of shredded parm. Season with salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg (optional). Mix thoroughly.
5. Set in fridge to cool. Once cooled, place in a pastry or gallon ziplock bag. Trim corner off and tie top to prepare for use.
Shape & Bake Ravioli
1. Prepare pasta sheets by taking a section of your dough, laminating it, and putting it through your pasta sheeter until it’s thinned about 6 times (see this recipe for step by step directions on how to do this: )
2. Lightly flour work surface with semolina flour and place sheet on surface. Cut sheet in half and place on half above the other. Trim until identical size.
3. On the sheet in-front of you, squeeze quarter sized blobs of filling onto sheet, spacing each blob about an inch or so away from the next. Continue until you fill the sheet.
4. Take your finger or small brush and dip slightly into water. Dampen the blank spaces around the filling blobs.
5. Take the blank pasta sheet and gently lay over the sheet with the filling. Use your fingers to press down sheet onto the damp, blank pasta areas. This will encase your filling in pasta.
6. Use a fluted pasta cutter to cut out ravioli into squares. Place squares on baking sheet dusted with semolina flour
7. Repeat until all pasta and filling it used.
8. Boil ravioli in heavily salted water for 3-4 minutes, and place in pan with warm marinara and butter. Toss to coat and combine, Serve with extra parm. Enjoy!