This morning was great, by 7:15am I was running trails with some friends/clients, there was mist coming off the ground and the trails were quiet. It I feel so connected when I run trails. It also amazes me that I have more energy for running since I have up all animal products.  I keep nibbling at vegan goodies and I have tons of energy after the run.

Here are some great recipes for week 3 of Meatless Mondays, enjoy, if you have any questions email me at sheree@livewithspirit.ca

Are you noticing better energy on your meat free days ?

Breakfast 

I start many a day with smoothies, they are filling and at the same time light , since I often run in the morning I don't like a heavy feeling in my stomach. I like to use frozen fruit so the smoothie is thick like a milkshake. This one comes from Jocelyn our 1/2 marathon leader and is probably a Brendan Brazier recipe (or an adaption of). I use his Vega One product (Chai Vanilla) one scoop with some almond milk and frozen fruit makes for a great breakfast that gives me sustainable energy most of the morning.

Pre run smoothie (makes lots, is great for during the run as well)
  2-3 dates
  Banana
  1/2 avocado
  1 cup of mixed frozen berries
  1 tbsp flax meal
  1 cup coconut water
Few leaves of spinach or kale
You can throw in any other fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand...an orange, pineapple slices, peach...

Lunch

If you made the black bean salsa last week, it makes a great burritto, I layer a brown rice wrap with mixed greens, then add the black bean salsa and roll/fold. 

However here is another great recipe.

Avocado slices+ lettuce+ tomato slices on whole grain bread. Spread the slice with Dijon mustard first. Creamy and yummy.

Dinner

Dinner tonight is surprisingly yummy, It is from the blog  http://www.cheapandsimpleveganrecipes.com I am not a huge fan of Kale so I substituted organic baby spinach leaves (uncooked) the heat of the pasta cooked the spinach, I almost always have spinach on hand I use it a lot, I love the taste of spinach.

Vegan Spicy Creamy Kale Pasta

Serves 2

What You Need

• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 3/4 cup cashews
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 3 large handfuls of kale (about 4-5 cups, loosely packed, or substitute baby spinach)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons salsa (optional)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• Olive oil

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions. In a large pan, warm a few tablespoons of olive oil. Toss in chopped onions and kale, and sauté until kale has cooked down completely. In a blender, add cashews, nutritional yeast, spices, salsa, and non-dairy milk. Blend until you have a creamy consistency, adding more milk or water if too thick. Add cooked kale or organic baby spinach to the pasta pot and toss with cream sauce. Sprinkle with a dash of chili powder for some color. 

Dessert

This recipe I adapted slightly from the blog eatgood4life.blogspot.ca, it wasn't vegan as the original recipe used honey. I used brown rice syrup, but you could also use agave nectar. These too are really really good.  

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unrefined sugar ( I used coconut sugar)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (honey was used in the original recipe)

 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 1/4 cups brown rice cereal
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup oats
1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder

In a sauce pan, at low heat, combine sugar, honey and peanut butter. Heat for about 1-2 minutes stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add cereal, oats, dark cocoa powder and flax seed meal. Press into a square baking pan lined with foil like in the picture.

Let cool to set. I normally put it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Lift out of the pan, remove foil and cut into small bars or squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Meatless Monday Week 2

I hope you tried and enjoyed the meatless recipes last week. Today's main recipe is amazing, hearty and full of flavour I served it to my husband recently along with Indonesian Cabbage Salad and he said it was one of the best meals he had eaten in a while.

The Answer to last weeks question is Dairy.....go to last weeks post if you want to know the question.

This weeks question. How much water does it take to raise a lb of beef ?

Breakfast

Banana Wrap

One Medium Banana

Peanut or Almond Butter

Wrap - I use Brown Rice Wraps they are gluten free and lower on the glycemic index.

Just spread the Peanut or almond butter on the wrap place banana on top and roll the wrap. Yum. Enjoy with a cold glass of almond milk or freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.

Lunch

Indonesian Cabbage Salad with Red Curry Almond Sauce - From the book Eat & Run, Scott Jurek

1/2 head of green cabbage, coarsely shredded

4 stalks bok choy or 1 head baby bok choy, sliced into 1/4 inches pieces

1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin rounds

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2 -inch long thin strips.

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 to 1/4 Red Curry Lamond Sauce (see recipe below)

Toss all ingredients to combine and let sit for 10 to 20 minutes or more before serving.

Red Curry Almond Sauce

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lime juice or rice vinegar

2 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, or to taste 

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl or blender. Mix well until smooth. Keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks or frozen for several months.

Thrive Black Bean Salsa - Looooooooooove this recipes (From Brendan Braziers Book - The Thrive Diet

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tomato diced

2 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp hemp oil

1/2 tsp cayenne 

 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together, will keep in fridge for up to a week.

Nutritional information provided - makes 4 servings - Each serving Calicoes 107.5, Fat 4 grams, Carbohydrates 15.0, Protein 4.5grams

Serve in a wrap, or with crackers or sometimes I eat it on a bed of greens, so no additional salad dressing is required. Enjoy some raw veggies on the side, try something different like sliced sweet potato's they are delicious raw.

Dinner

Minnesota Winter chili - From the Book Eat & Run by Scott Jurek

This is the best chili I have ever eaten. Freeze half or make a double batch for later meals, and for burritos.

Minnesota Winter Chili

1 tbsp coconut or olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup finely chopped onion

8 to 10 medium mushrooms, chopped

½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper

½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper

½ cup finely chopped carrots

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tsp sea salt, or more to taste

½ tsp black pepper

1             28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1             15-ounce can of tomato puree

1             15 -ounce can kidney beans, drained

1             15 –ounce can black beans drained

1             15 ounce can red beans drained

2 ½         cups water

½            cup dry Bulgar wheat

Hot sauce or cayenne pepper (optional)

¼            cup minced fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions

Add oil to a large pot. Saute the vegetables and spices in the oil over medium to medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until tender. Add a few tablespoons of water if the veggies being sticking to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and simmer over medium-low heat, covered for 30 minutes.

Stir and simmer for an additional 30 minutes until veggies are cooked through. Season with salt and if more spice is desired, hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste.  Serve, sprinkled with the cilantro if desired.

Freezes well, no nutritional info was provided.

Serve with  veggies. Try roasted cauliflower, I just toss cauliflower with some olive or coconut oil, sea salt to taste and roast in the oven at a higher heat around 450