Conversion Chart Discrepancies

I just discovered while posting my cheese sauce recipe that the conversion charts I've been using to make the recipes metric-compatible aren't true-to-experience at least for the dry measurements. For example, as I convert from cups and tablespoons to grams, the grams are way higher from these charts than what my kitchen scale shows I'm actually using. Ugh  I'm going to have to go through recipes and indicate if they have been "verified by my kitchen scale" or not. I also mentioned this on the conversion chart I've posted on the sidebar. {Sorry, Marie!!}

Photo credit: Hannah Hooper, LadyGrouplove

Baked Potato with Vegan Cheese Sauce

Simple, yummy, filling, nutritious, high-fiber, guilt-free meal. Baked potato with chili beans, blanched broccoli, vegan bacon, and plant-based cheese sauce (link HERE).

-Wash potatoes. Place in 350 F oven. Cook for about 75 min. (There's probably a quicker way that I haven't learned, yet).

-Open can of chili beans, pour into small sauce pan, and heat over medium heat

-Cut rinsed broccoli into bite-size pieces and blanch (click HERE) in boiling water for 2 min. Drain.

-If using vegan bacon, follow directions. (Mine needed to be thawed, then cooked for 2 min each side on pan

-Slice skin off from top of potato. Mash the inside. Pour on hot beans with its own sauce, then top with cheese sauce, broccoli, and vegan bacon...or whatever toppings you are craving :)

Bacon tastes good because of the salt and fat (and sugar) combination

our tastebuds crave (pig meat doesn't taste good without those things).

As I was cooking this plant-based version, my husband and son

came in a said it smelled like bacon. They liked the vegan bacon.

It's good in a sandwich. It doesn't have the same texture

as pig bacon. When I knew how much the young pigs suffer,

it was easy to give up pig bacon. Additionally, pig bacon is a

Class-1 carcinogen...bad news for our body, the pig's body,

as well as the environmental damage from animal agriculture.

Vegan Cheese Sauce for Mac-n-Cheese, Nachos, Potatoes, Veggies, Enchiladas, Fondu, etc

Updated 11-29-19: This is the version I like the most and tastes more like cheese sauce than the original recipe. (I took a screenshot of the original and posted it at the end). Changes made: I halved the recipe, included more seasonings, increased salt, and reduced cornstarch ratios. This is super-yummy. I made nachos last night: corn chips, this cheese sauce, chili beans, salsa, green onions...they all loved it!

Updated 6-23-21: Ground chia seeds is more user-friendly than cornstarch. I added cumin and chili powder, too. Yum!

Gluten-free, nut-free, fat-free, non-dairy, good fiber, nutritious.

This makes at least 3 cups and is around 455 calories for all 3 cups!

(1 c oats = 300 cal, 1/4 c nut'l yst flks = 70 cal, 1 T cornstarch = 35 cal, 6 oz bell pep = 50 cal)

Compare this to dairy cheddar cheese sauce: 1,320 calories for 3 cups (plus saturated fat, high sodium, casein, and other undesirable content like hormones, pus, blood. It also has no fiber.)

Equipment needed: high-speed blender is optimum (although others have used a regular blender/processor then heated mixture in pan on stove)

Ingredients: (conversion verified with my kitchen scale)

1 cup (95 g) rolled oats

1/4 cup (19 g) nutritional yeast flakes 

1 T (9 g) cornstarch chia seeds, ground

2 tsp (5 g) onion powder

2 tsp (10 g) salt {2 may be too salty. Try 1.5 next time. 1 tsp not enough imo} (or 1 tsp Braggs)

1/2 tsp (? g) garlic powder

1/4 tsp (? g) smoked paprika

1/4 tsp (? g) curry powder

6 oz. (150 g) Roasted Red Bell Peppers in water (from jar)

1/2 T (7.5 mL) lemon juice

1/8 tsp (0.88 mL) liquid smoke

2 cups (0.5 L) warm water (I microwaved it for 1:40 minutes)

edit add:

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8-1/4 tsp chili powder (1/4 is pretty spicy)

Directions:

(If you have a larger jar of roasted bell peppers like I did, measure out 6 oz and include liquid, just enough to cover the peppers).

-Put all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender with the ability to cook food

-Blend on high for about 2 min 45 sec (if your water is cold, blending will take a lot longer)

 - - Stop blending once the sauce begins thickening and motor changes noise. It will continue to thicken as it cools

-Transfer to a large container that can hold at least 3 cups

To re-heat:

Jill suggests to put the desired amount in a microwavable container and put 2-3 tablespoons of water or plant milk on top. Don't stir it in, just let it sit right over the cheese sauce so the top doesn't over-heat and get gummy.  Example reheat time: 1/4 cup sauce for 1 min at 80% power. Stir after heating.

{Here is Jill's full live-stream link. She talks about reheating at the 8-minute mark}

Nachos: I added chili powder to the cheese sauce
So goooood!

Cheesy pasta- Yum!

Baked potato with chili beans,
blanched broccoli, vegan bacon, and
vegan cheese sauce

 Oats, roasted bell pepper, nutritional yeast flakes,
corn starch, water, liquid smoke, lemon juice,
onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt,
pepper, curry powder, happy cow

To thin for mac-n-cheese, I added plant milk
but didn't stir until after heating in microwave

Something else I didn't know:
Consuming dairy can increase breast cancer risk as much as 50% (link). There's also an increased risk of prostate cancer as well as a possible connection to Type 1 diabetes (link).
The good news:
We do not need animal milk to survive. Our health is better without dairy. (And the cows and planet are better off without the dairy industry).

This is a screenshot of the original blogpost of Jill's
original recipe. It's a good foundation to use and
customize. It's really thick, which might be good
if you are going to slice and reheat it in a sandwich
or quesadilla (I haven't tried either, yet). I mostly
use it as a sauce. I figured if I'm going to keep
thinning it anyway, I might as well not make it so
thick to begin with. I may even reduce the cornstarch
more down to 3/4 T.

Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato-Vegetable Lasagna

"Amazing" is what I wrote on the recipe page, p. 202. This is my daughter's favorite, and I made it for her as her last meal before leaving to study abroad. It has also become a Thanksgiving dinner tradition with family all helping to chop the many veggies. It's gluten-free if you use brown-rice pasta noodles. You can double the recipe or halve it (see photo towards end with dish sizes). And the left-overs are extra-yummy. :) There is more prep-work for this meal, that's why I save it for special occasions. It's so worth it, though! If you make the smallest version, the prep-work isn't too much. Bonus: you don't need to pre-cook the noodles.

Have you seen the life-saving documentary, Forks Over Knives? Fire-fighter and athlete Rip Esselstyn is in it showing how a whole-foods plant-based (wfpb) diet improved the health of his fellow firefighters and can be flavorful at the same time. This recipe is from his book, The Engine 2 Diet. I've been enjoying many of his recipes. His father is Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., famous heart surgeon who shifted his focus to reversing and preventing heart disease, proving heart disease need not exist at all when following a wfpb diet.

Ingredients: (conversions not verified by my kitchen scale, yet)

1 medium sweet potato or yam, cooked and mashed

8 oz (127 g) frozen spinach, thawed, drained/squeezed (see photo towards bottom)

8 oz  (127 g) firm tofu, pressed, diced

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 head garlic, all cloves pressed or chopped

4 oz (113 g) mushrooms sliced

1/2 head of broccoli, chopped (I should have seen how many cups that is. See photo)

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 can [4about 5 oz (142 g) worth] corn, drained (can save liquid for cooking veggies)

1/4 tsp (1.2 g) cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp (2.3 g) basil

1/2 tsp (2.3 g) oregano

1/2 tsp (2.3 g) rosemary

1.5-2 jars pasta sauce [each jar at least 25.5 oz (722 g, 780 mL)] (may not need a full 2)

1 package (12 oz, 340 g) of whole-grain lasagna noodles (can use brown-rice noodles for gf)

1/2 c (113 g) raw cashews, ground (via blender, processor, or crushed in bag with hammer)

9 x 13 inch (23 cm x 33 cm) oven-safe dish

Aluminum foil to cover

L-R/T-B: yam/sweet potato, drained spinach, pressed and
diced tofu, onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli,
corn, red bell pepper, spices, ground cashews.
Not pictured: whole grain or brown-rice lasagna noodles,
jars of pasta sauce.

Directions:

-Do-ahead: Make sure the sweet potato is cooked (boil whole until soft, about 30 min, when knife can easily be inserted) and mashed, the frozen spinach is thawed and liquid squeezed out,* and the tofu is pressed and diced. *I tried fresh spinach, but the water content made the lasagna extra runny once cooked.

-Pre-heat oven to 400 F (200 C, gas mark 6)

-Sauté the onion, garlic, and mushrooms until onions are limp and mushrooms give up liquid, then place them in large bowl (reserve any mushroom liquid in the sauté pan)

-Sauté broccoli and carrot for 5 min. Add to same bowl.

-Sauté pepper and corn until just beginning to soften. Add to bowl.

-Add the tofu and spice to bowl. Gently stir and combine.

To assemble: (see the following 3 photos)

-Cover bottom of 9x13 in. dish with a layer a sauce. Add a layer of noodles, then cover the noodles with another layer of sauce. The liquid from the sauce will cook the noodles in the oven.

-Spread the veggies over the sauced noodles, add a layer of noodles then more sauce.

-Add the spinach on top (I have to use my fingers to pull it apart)

-Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potato (plop it on then spread thin)

-Add another layer of sauce, then noodles, then sauce. Make sure the top layer of sauce covers the noodles so the noodles soften. The original recipe calls for one 25 oz jar, but that just didn't seem enough. That's why I list 1.5 to 2 jars of sauce in the ingredients. You may not need the full 2.

-Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes

-Remove foil, add cashews, return to oven for 10 min.

-Remove from oven and let sit for 15 min before serving

Put thawed frozen-spinach in a cloth and squeeze
out liquid. Discard liquid.

8x8 in. (20x20 cm) cook 35 min/10 min
9x13 in. (23x33 cm) cook 40 min/10 min
11.5x17 in. (29x43 cm) cook 45 min/15 min

💚Happy Thanksliving! 💚

Sage and Onion Lentil Loaf

Gluten free. Low sodium. This is so good and tastes like a holiday! My 14 yo son LOVES this meal and asks for seconds. The recipe is from Dr. Pamela Fergusson, a registered dietician and with a PhD in nutrition. Click here for her website, PamelaFergusson.com Dr. Pamela was there for me when I was trying to figure out how to help my father change his eating habits during and after his stay in the ICU. You can find more of her recipes under "Blog" on her website. I wonder if these would make good "meat"balls. I may try that sometime!

{Additional links for: gravy, mashed potatoes}

Ingredients: (conversions not verified by my kitchen scale, yet)
1 C (227 g) dry lentils (green or brown)
4 C (1 L) vegetable stock

1/2 onion, finely chopped (about 1- 1.25 c or 120 g)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 carrot, finely chopped (about 7" long or 60 g)
1/3 c (40 g) walnuts, chopped

1/3 c (83 mL) applesauce
2 T (28.3 g) ground flax seed

1 T + 1 T light olive oil (15 mL, 15 mL)
1/2 tsp (2.4 g) garlic powder
2/3 c (151 g) oat flour (see end of post on how to make own) - can use bread crumbs, too
1 tsp (5 g) poultry seasoning (thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, nutmeg)
1 T (14 g) fresh sage, minced [or 1/2 tsp (2.4 g) rubbed sage]

for the glaze
1 T (15 mL) mustard
1 T (15 mL) maple syrup
1 T (15 mL) applesauce

5.25'" x 9" x 2.75" (135 x 230 x 70 mm) loaf pan lined with parchment paper or foil
(see photo below). Next time I may just coat bottom with light oil or non-stick spray.

Notes:
-If using water instead of stock, add 1/2 tsp of salt (optional if watching sodium)
-Rosemary or oregano can be nice subs for sage
-If using canned lentils instead of dry: omit vegetable stock and increase seasonings and salt
-If no applesauce: shred an apple (recommend granny smith apple, but any might work)
-To save time: make lentils the day before or prepare loaf the day before and cook it day-of
-The glaze is really good...you can double it, save half to drizzle on after loaf is cooked

Directions:
-Heat vegetable stock, add lentils, cook until soft (about 40-45 min). Check before draining.
-Drain excess stock from the lentils
-Heat 1 T oil in pan or wok and sauté the onion, garlic, carrot, and walnuts
-Stir the ground flax into the  1/3 cup of applesauce. Set aside for 10 min
-Mash lentils with a potato masher until about half of the lentils are mashed (you can use a blender or food processor for this step but it may turn out more-finely mashed)
-Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)
-Add the sautéed vegetables/walnuts, 1 T olive oil, oat flour, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and sage to the lentil mixture. Stir
-Add the applesauce/flax mixture to the lentil mixture. Stir
-Fill the loaf pan with the lentil mixture
-Make the glaze by mixing together the mustard, maple syrup, and 1 T applesauce. Spread the glaze over the top of the loaf
-Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let loaf cool for 15 minutes before slicing

Re lining the pan with parchment paper:
just push it in and form the creases. Then
once you begin pouring in the lentil mixture,
the mixture will push the paper down.
(Trim the top).
Next time, I'm going to try without the paper.

Pre-oven

Pre-oven with yummy glaze

Out of the oven and sitting for 15 min
It smells so good!

Making oat flour:

I used old-fashioned rolled oats and a blender. Pictured here is a high-speed blender (NutriBullet). I wanted a rough-flour, so I only blended them for 1 second. For a finer flour, blend a few seconds longer. One cup of oats before blending will reduce the volume as shown below.

Turkeys can be very affectionate and form bonds not only
with their own feathered-family but also with people
and other animals.

Something else I didn't know:

Over 40 million turkeys are artificially bred into existence and held in cramped living conditions each year for our holiday meals. Their transport and slaughter prep cause fear and pain. Because of the high assembly-line rate of their slaughter, not all of them are dead when they begin going through the scalding, plucking, dismemberment, etc.

The good news:

We aren't required to eat turkey, and we don't need to. There are so many other plant-based options (which are healthier than turkey flesh)! And when we choose plant-based options, we are truly showing our gratitude and respect. "If my happiness depends on another being suffering, I need another kind of happiness." Choose ethics over habits.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live “Six-Week Plan/Intervention”

Although named the six-week plan, the intention is to make this way of eating a lifestyle and not just a temporary diet. The "life plan" is the "six-week plan" but with more whole-foods options. Dr. Fuhrman treats 1000s of people with chronic disease and obesity, and this nutritarian eating plan is what he advises to turn health around in a doable way without starvation. More information can be found in his book Eat to Live.

UNLIMITED

All raw vegetables (goal: 1 lb daily) The object is to eat as many raw vegetables as possible.

+Snow peas, red bell peppers, carrots, raw peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, watercress, celery, radishes, kohlrabi, lettuce (romaine, bib, Boston, red leaf, green ice, iceberg, arugula, radicchio, endive, frisée)

Cooked green and non-green nutrient-rich vegetables (goal: 1 lb daily) Eat as many as you can

-Non-green, nutrient-dense includes: eggplant, peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, stewed tomatoes, mushrooms (eat lots of mushrooms)

-Green: string beans, broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, zucchini, kale, collards, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, okra, Swiss chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, escarole, beet greens, spinach, dandelion greens, broccoli raab,

Beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (goal: 1 cup daily, but you can have more)

-Technically a starch but is acts more like fiber during digestion; it’s a “resistant starch”

-Eat beans with every lunch

-Chickpeas, black-eyed peas, black beans, cowpeas, split peas, lima beans, pinto beans, lentils, red kidney beans, soybeans, cannellini beans, pigeon peas, white beans

Fresh fruits: at least 4 daily (frozen okay but avoid canned)

-Apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, clementines, grapes, kiwi-fruit, kumquats, mangoes, melons, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, plums, raspberries, star-fruit, strawberries, tangerines

-Exotic (Dr. F’s faves) blood oranges, persimmons, cherimoyas

LIMITED (limited)

Cooked starchy vegetables or whole grains (not more than 1 serving, or 1 cup, per day) 

-Calorically dense

-Starchy veggies: Most should be colorful- butternut and acorn squash, corn, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, pumpkins, rutabagas. White potatoes, chestnuts, water chestnuts.

-Grains: barley, buckwheat (kasha), millet, oats, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, bread, cereal (tip: soaking whole grains for a day before cooking increases nutritional value)

Raw nuts and seeds (1 ounce max per day)

-Almonds, cashews, walnuts, black walnuts, pecans, filberts, hickory nuts, macadamias, pignolis, pistachios, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds (ground). Best in salads, dressings, and dips

Avocado (2 ounce max per day, about 1/2 an avocado)

Dried fruit (2 T max per day) Use for sweetening

Ground flaxseeds (1 T max per day) Includes daily for omega-3 fats

-Other sources: hemp seeds, walnuts, soybeans like edamame. Veg DHA supplement

Spices, herbs, condiments

Use all spices and herbs except salt. A little mustard is okay. No pickled food. Unsweetened ketchup. No-oil tomato sauce.

OFF-LIMITS

Dairy, animal products

Between-meal snacks

fuit juice

oils

salt

Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen

Dr. Michael Greger's Daily Dozen

YouTube introduction link here

Increasing plant-based eating while moving away from the habit of eating animals can be challenging. Where do you start? How do you know you’re getting your protein, calcium, and omegas?

Dr. Michael Greger’s “Daily Dozen” is a good place to start. The list below shows foods to add each day to get the nutrients and fiber needed to fuel and clean our body. If you are active, add more servings to get the calories in.

Hate tracking? Me, too. The list can be used initially as a tool to get you into a routine and to think about how to add more nutrients to your meals. Then tracking isn’t necessary. 

He has a free phone app if that helps.

Because going plant-based successfully isn’t just about what you stop eating, it’s also about what you START eating to ensure you get the calories, fiber, healthy fats, omegas, vitamins, minerals, protein,  “good” carbohydrates, and hydration. 🎯

BEANS - 3 daily servings 

1/4 c hummus or bean dip

1/2 c cooked beans, split peas, lentils, tofu, or tempeh

1    c fresh peas or sprouted lentils

BERRIES - 1

1/2 c fresh or frozen

1/4 c dried

OTHER FRUITS - 3

1 medium-sized

1 c cut-up

1/4 c dried

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES - 1

1/2 c chopped

1/4 c Brussels sprouts, broccoli 

1 T horseradish

Includes: arugula, bok choy, cabbage, kale, mustard greens, radishes, turnip greens, watercress

GREENS - 2

1 c raw

1/2 c cooked

Includes: arugula, beet greens, collard greens, mesclun mix, mustard greens, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens

OTHER VEGETABLES - 2

1 c raw leafy vegetables

1/2 c raw or cooked non-leafy vegetables

1/2 c vegetable juice

1/4 c dried mushrooms

Includes: artichokes, asparagus, beets, bell peppers, carrots, corn, garlic, mushrooms, okra, onions, pumpkin, purple potatoes, sea vegetables (arame, dulse, nori), snap peas, squash, sweet potatoes/yams, tomatoes, zucchini

FLAXSEEDS - 1

1 T ground

NUTS AND SEEDS - 1

1/4 c nuts or seeds

2 T nut or seed butter

HERBS AND SPICES - 1

1/4 tsp turmeric

Any other (salt-free) herbs and spices you enjoy

WHOLE GRAINS - 3

1/2 c hot cereal or cooked grains, pasta, or corn kernels

1 c cold cereal

1 tortilla or slice of bread

1/2 a bagel or English muffin

3 c popped popcorn

Includes: barley, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oats, whole-wheat pasta, popcorn, quinoa, rye, teff, wild rice

BEVERAGES 5

1 glass (12 ounces/350 ml) = 1.5 cups [5 x 1.5 = 7.5 cups] … so approx 7-8 cups per day

Includes: water, teas, coffee, hot chocolate 

EXERCISE - 1

90 minutes of moderate-intensity activity

40 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity

Vitamin B12: supplements 2,500 mcg per week -or- 250 mcg daily, “cyanocobalamin”

Vitamin D: Moderate sun exposure (no burns) or 2,000 IU supplements “D3”

{250 mg daily of pollutant-free (yeast or algae-derived) long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA)}

Mashed Yams with Pineapple

Easy. Can do ahead. Great as left-overs. So healthy! No oil, no processed sugar, no salt. 

I originally wrote about this dish nearly 9 years ago, and the original recipe contained butter, brown sugar, honey, and salt (click here to see original). Since then, I've removed those ingredients because our tastebuds have changed, and we enjoy the natural flavors so much more. And removing those makes the recipe that much simpler and easier to clean up after. It's a nice holiday dish, too.

I should try sprinkling hemp seeds on top
for added omegas

Ingredients:
4-5 yams or sweet potatoes
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple (in own juices), drained
cinnamon
pecans (or walnuts)

Directions:
-Boil a pot of water, enough water to cover yams
-Add yams and gently boil for about 30-40 minutes until inserted knife goes in smoothly
-Remove yams and drain
-Cut skins and remove (I have a great yam-skin recipe I still need to enter)
-Mash naked yams in large bowl
-Stir in whatever amount of pineapple, cinnamon, and pecans you want (I use the whole can)

Something else I didn't know:
Not all carbohydrates are created equal. In the diet and diabetes industry, a carb-phobia has been created, and unfortunately the good-carbs have been dragged down along with the bad carbs. This has resulted in a lot of confusion and messed-up metabolisms and eating habits.
Good "whole" carbs have natural fiber and include all vegetables, whole fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, tubers (potatoes).
Bad "refined" carbs include processed foods like sugar, white flour, sugary drinks, fried potatoes, white rice.
The good news:
We need good carbs and can enjoy them knowing they help us thrive! And, T1 diabetes insulin resistance can be greatly helped on a plant-based diet with good carbs while T2 diabetes can be reversed!! No one used to think T2 could be reversed and that those suffering from it would be on meds the rest of their lives. There is actual hope to get off the meds...tangible, doable, life-saving hope and results! Click here to find out more at MasteringDiabetes.org It's the animal protein and fats that interfere with insulin resistance...not fruit!

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

I know. It sounds gross. I waited a long time to try it when I saw different versions pop up on IG accounts I follow. I never would "save" it because it just didn't appeal to me. But yesterday I was trying to think of ways to get more nutritious calories into my dad who needed to gain weight after returning home from the hospital. Avocados! Except he doesn't like avocados. Then I recalled the avocado pudding recipes posted. Well, let's try it... We did, and it was a success! Message from my dad, "It's delicious! Amazing how chocolaty it tastes." We don't taste avocado flavor at all.*
{*Update: I just made a batch and can taste the avocado this time. I left out the protein powder, too. Looks like it depends on the avocado. My dad still likes it a lot.}

My recipe is inspired by two other recipes: one from AllRecipes "Chocolate Avocado Pudding" and the other from Dr. Michael Greger's How Not to Die Cookbook "Berry Chocolate Chia Pudding." This is a rough estimate for 1 batch, approx 1 cup:
Calories 590
Protein 18 grams
Fiber 18 grams

Some of those numbers are from a plant-based protein powder I added which has 65 cal, 10 g protein, and 2 g of fiber per tablespoon (NOT the scoop in the container, which is 2 T). The protein powder does add a slight bitterness to the pudding.

Equipment needed: high-speed blender (regular one may work, too*)

Ingredients: (conversions not verified by my kitchen scale, yet)

1 large avocado, ripe

3 T cocoa powder (I used a Dutch chocolate blend)

1 T plant-based protein powder (mine was vanilla flavored) [T, not the scoop in the container]

1/4 cup date syrup** (100% pure maple syrup works, too, but will lower fiber content)

1/4 cup soy milk (I used vanilla flavored, sweetened)

1 t vanilla 

Directions:

-Cut open the avocado, remove seed, scrape out the green part (discard skin and seed)

-Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. May need to stop and scrape edges. Can also add more soy milk to thin the pudding. (If you end up adding too much milk and it's too thin, try stirring in a T of chia seeds to thicken it up. I haven't tried that, yet, but some recipes I saw use chia seeds.]

-Eat within 2-3 days

The vanilla powder is upside-down because I didn't use
it in this recipe because my soy milk and protein powder
were already vanilla-flavored. If they weren't, I would
use the vanilla powder (or extract).
{Update: use the vanilla anyway; it adds a nice flavor
and seems to help cover avocado flavor}

*Blenders

I used a NutriBullet high-speed blender. If you make a larger batch, use a Vitamix. If I were to use my regular kitchen blender, I would chop up the avocado into smaller pieces, stir the mixture first, and add more plant milk. Then I'd stir in some chia seeds or ground flax seeds to help it thicken up.

**Date syrup

I used store-bought date syrup but plan on making my own next time. This is from Dr. Michael Greger's How Not to Die Cookbook, page 3. You could halve the recipe, too.

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp lemon juice

Combine the dates and hot water in a heatproof bowl and set aside for 1 hour to soften the dates. Transfer the dates and water to a high-speed blender. Add the lemon and blend until smooth. Transfer to a glass jar or other airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. Store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 weeks.

Creamy Potato Soup

This is a winner in our home. I don't remember if my oldest who is in the army now liked it or not. I think so. Hm. This is from The Clear Skin Diet book by Nina and Randa Nelson. It is influenced by John McDougall, MD. Page 205. Low sodium (or no sodium if using water instead of broth).

-Tool used: immersion blender...could be very good not blended, too

Topped with marinated and cooked bunapi
mushrooms and baked tofu slices.

Ingredients: (conversions not verified by my kitchen scale, yet)
6 gold potatoes, cubed
4 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3/4 C (170 g) chopped onions (can use 1/2 c dried minced onions)
2 tsp (9.5 g) garlic powder (I use 1-2 cloves)
4 C (500 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 C (125 mL) non-dairy milk (I use almond milk or soy milk)
2 tsp (9.5 g) poultry seasoning*
2 C (227 g) fresh or frozen corn (I leave out bcz youngest doesn't like it)
1 T (14 g) nutritional yeast

*poultry seasoning: 1 tsp sage, 1/2 tsp marjoram, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp celery seed  (approx)

Directions:
-Begin heating liquids in pot while washing and chopping veggies
-Add all ingredients except for the corn to the pot; bring to boil on high
-Reduce heat to medium, simmer covered for about 1 hour until potatoes are softened
-Remove soup from stove
-Use immersion blender to cream the soup
-Add the corn and return the lid to the pot. Let is sit for a couple of minutes without adding additional heat. The corn will be warmed by the hot soup