Dietary Labels + Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpea Croutons

Hi Everyone!

I've been getting so much positive feedback on my Instagram, and it has been so fun, but now I am trying to stick to my promise and post on the blog more frequently.

One question that people ask me a lot is "Are you vegan?" or "Are you vegetarian?"and I thought it would be appropriate to address this in this specific blog post because I am posting a very vegan recipe. The answer to these questions is no, I am not vegan or vegetarian, but it is more complex than that. I think the correct answer is I am a "clean eater" or follow a "plant-based" diet.

More often than not, I cook vegan food at home. This is because I tend to buy whole, plant based ingredients that don't include animal products or dairy. But this isn't because I specifically am a vegan or vegetarian. It's because I feel my best eating these foods, and they are oftentimes the cleanest and most nutritious (and I happen to love the way they taste).

That being said, I love eggs, include Greek yogurt in a lot of meals, and really have eaten many types of meat in my lifetime. I don't believe in food labels, and I instead believe in listening to your body and educating yourself on the types of foods that are best for you. Mental health plays a role in your body's health, and for me, restricting myself isn't the way to do it. If being vegan is right for you-- go you! I applaud you, because eating plant-based foods really makes me feel amazing. And if you love cheeseburgers, go you too! (Just try to make sure your beef is free range and grass fed :) ).

So back on the topic of being vegan, I have become obsessed with making vegan cheeses and dressing using soaked cashews. It's amazing how creamy these nuts can taste! I have become especially obsessed with making vegan Caesar salad. It really tastes like the real deal to me.

Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpea Croutons

Ingredients:

5 cups of kale

8 baby cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup chickpeas

2 tablespoons flax seed meal

Paprika

Cumin

Garlic Powder

For dressing:

1/2 cup soaked raw cashews

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

Juice of 1 small lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over chickpeas and toss with a sprinkle of paprika, cumin and garlic. Bake for 20 minutes or until crispy.

2. Massage kale with olive oil until soft. Chop cherry tomatoes into halves.

3. Blend all ingredients of the dressing until smooth. If dressing is too thick, add olive oil to thin it out.

4. Toss all ingredients with the kale and enjoy!

Kale Me Maybe Round-Up: July/August Part 1

Hi Everyone!

Since my Instagram has really been taking off in the past month, I thought I would start posting weekly roundups of my recipes for those who have maybe missed a few. Since I have a lot of catching up to do, this post is going to have double the amount of posts I will normally do, but I am going to make this a weekly thing.

That being said, I'm still going to post full blogs with in-depth nutrition information and detailed recipes. This is just going to be a supplement to my normal posts.

If anyone wants more details on the recipes or has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comments, and I would be happy to answer! Feel free to share your favorite dish as well.

@kalememaybe

A Mexican-Inspired Kale Salad with "Creamy" Avocado Lime Cilantro Dressing  

 

Massage kale with olive oil by kneading leaves together with your hands. Toss with black beans, chopped sweet onions, cherry tomatoes and chopped carrots. 

To make dressing, blend half an avocado with a scoop of Greek yogurt, a bunch of cilantro and the juice of two limes.


Spiralized Zucchini "Spaghetti"

Spiralize two zucchinis and cook in a large pan with olive oil until soft. Toss with tomato sauce, sauteed onions, mushrooms and lentils.


Lemon Vegetable Frittata 

Saute chopped onions, garlic, tomatoes, kale, mushrooms and potatoes. Scramble two eggs and pour over vegetables. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked. Sprinkle with rosemary, parsley, paprika and lemon. 

Avocado Pesto Quinoa

Pesto: Blend half an avocado, two cloves of garlic, a handful of arugula, fresh basil leaves and a generous splash of olive oil. Mix into cooked quinoa with chopped cherry tomatoes and green onion. 

Lemon Zucchini "Fettucine" 

Spiralize two zucchinis with the thick blade. Toss in a large pan with olive oil along with garlic, arugula and cherry tomatoes. Top with squeezed lemon and dried parsley. 

Spicy White Bean Skillet

Saute chopped onions, tomatoes and kale in a large pan until onions are browned and translucent and kale is wilted. Add in white cannellini beans and toss with a large scoop of Greek yogurt and your hot sauce of choice (I used Trader Joes Red Chili Pepper Sauce).

Taste the Rainbow Breakfast

Chop two mini purple potatoes and then soften in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Saute chopped potato, onions, garlic and kale in a pan. When vegetables are close to done, make a little space for an egg and crack into your crevice. Cook until whites are done and yolk is runny. Top with cracked black pepper.

Vegan Candy Bar Oatmeal

Cook steel cut oats and mix in two big scoops of unsweetened cocoa powder, a teaspoon of coconut oil, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a splash of pure Grade B maple syrup. Top with unsweetened shredded coconut and 100% pure pure baking cocoa or cacao nibs.

Green Eggs (And No Ham)

Saute arugula, parsley and green onion in pan. Scramble with two eggs and then top with avocado slices and a sprig of cilantro. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and put around plate for garnish and to mix with egg when consumed. 

Avocado Toast with Cherry Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Chili Flakes

Balsamic Kale Salad

Break cauliflower into pieces and roast at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden. Massage kale and toss with cauliflower, sliced red grapes, chopped sweet onions and chopped walnuts. Top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Fried Duck Egg on a Spiralized Sweet Potato Hash with Crispy Sage

Chop up sweet onions, garlic and a few sage leaves. Saute in olive oil and set aside. Spiralize a sweet potato and cook with olive oil, covered on medium heat for about five minutes. Toss with your previous mixture and set aside on a plate.Then cook a duck egg on medium heat until whites are cooked and yolk is firm but still runny with touch. Top plate with finished egg and garnish with some cracked black pepper.

Coconut Curry Zucchini Noodles

Spiralize two zucchinis. Mix with green curry sauce (I used Trader Joe's) and shredded unsweetened coconut. For an extra kick, eat with Sriracha. 

Balsamic Lentils & Chickpeas with Goat Cheese

Saute mushrooms and onions until onions are browned. Mix with cooked lentils and chickpeas, and pour balsamic vinegar over the mixture on low to medium heat. Cook for a minute or two to absorb flavor, and then top with crumbled goat cheese. 

Any Instagram posts not pictured here will be included in upcoming full-length blog posts!

(Coming soon: Zucchini Spaghetti with Lentil Meatballs)

Should You Cleanse? + A Summery Chopped Kale Salad with Grilled Strawberries

Different quick-fix diets are always trendy, and more recently, everyone has been all about "cleansing," especially when it comes to juicing. Cleanses are nothing new-- the infamous Master Cleanse (tea, lemonade, maple syrup and cayenne pepper) has been around since the 1940s, but the recent interest in health-conscious eating has caused dieters and healthy eaters alike to turn to juice cleanses in hopes of detoxifying their bodies and maybe shedding a few pounds in the process. 

The healthiness of these cleanses has been debated, and while I plan to go into some of the pros and cons of juicing at the end of this post, I first want to add in a personal anecdote.

Now let me just specify something-- everyone's body is different and can handle different food groups, longer periods of time without eating, different dietary choices to function, etc. I don’t cleanse because I know it won’t work with MY body. I know personally that if I don't eat every few hours, my brain becomes cloudy, I get irritable and I can't focus. I also have a relationship with food that goes beyond just nutritional nourishment-- I love the taste of a satisfying dish, and creating different recipes gives me as much pleasure as actually enjoying the food. Drinking liquids all day just leaves me craving the sensation of chewing, a crunch in my mouth, food being swallowed. 

With that being said, juice cleanses make no sense for ME. I get a plethora of fruits and vegetables in my everyday diet, I need solid food to feel grounded, and if I ever feel like I have been consistently eating poorly and need to "detox" my body, I stick to fresh fruits and vegetables and clean foods like quinoa and legumes—food groups that make me feel good both mentally and physically, but also keep me feeling satiated.

Does this mean I won't have a green smoothie for breakfast on occasion? No. But for me, the negatives of a juice cleanse definitely outweigh the positives. Juice cleanses are too high in sugar for me, make me feel like I'm not eating varied meals and probably aren't necessary for me, considering our bodies naturally detox themselves, and I am not lacking in plant-based nutrients.

So when would a cleanse be good for someone? A short cleanse could be beneficial for a person who has consistently poor eating habits, who is lacking in essential nutrients, and who may need a drastic way a kick start healthy eating habits.

If you do decide to do a cleanse because you think your body needs it, try this Dr. Oz Detox Cleanse, as it is sure to be balanced and includes other essential nutrients that aren’t just found in fruits and vegetables.

So now, as promised, here are just a few of the pros and cons of undertaking a cleanse. Take a look at this list and try to be in touch with your body to see if this makes sense for you. 

Pros:

• Juice cleansing can be a good way to get in an abundance of concentrated nutrients from fruits and vegetables, especially if your diet is currently poor
• You are giving your body a break from toxins such as refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, gluten and processed foods
• It gives your digestive system a break while still allowing you to absorb nutrients easily
• Some people report feeling more energetic, lighter and clearer while on a juice cleanse.

Cons:

• You lose important fiber when you juice. Fiber helps with heart health, digestion and satiety (feeling full), so you lose those benefits from your produce when you juice them. 
• It can be expensive. You either have to buy an expensive juicer, or you can do a preset cleanse, which can cost $70 and upwards. 
• Juicing can be high in sugar and calories, due to the concentrated amount of fruit juice in many drinks. If you want to minimize sugar and calorie intake, stick to vegetable-heavy drinks rather than fruit ones. You can also balance out the nutrients by adding protein to your drink such as almond butter or Greek yogurt. 
• You're leaving out important nutrients only found in other food groups.

Additional, in-depth research may be necessary for you to decide before undertaking a detox. I can tell you right now, though, if this is just a way to lose weight, cleansing is not the answer. This would fall under the category of an ineffective, quick-fix diet, with only temporary results. Any weight you may lose in a day or two WILL return, and you might even slow down your metabolism in the process. 

Now onto the recipe! This salad may be the next best thing to juicing. Filled with fruits and vegetables, it is the perfect amount of sweet and savory that reminds me of a tropical summer-- and grilling strawberries in coconut oil is one of the best things I have discovered! I will definitely be eating those again.

Summery Chopped Kale Salad with Grilled Strawberries

Ingredients:

Two big leaves of fresh kale, chopped finely

2 green onions

1/2 an avocado

5 medium strawberries

A handful of fresh basil, chopped

1/3 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

A handful of microgreens

Parsley

Cumin

Olive Oil 

Balsamic Vinegar

1-2 Limes

1 tsp coconut Oil

1. Chop your kale finely, then massage by pouring a little bit of olive oil over the leaves and kneading with your hands. Chop basil and avocado and set aside.

2. Heat the coconut oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Add the green onion stalks and whole strawberries onto the pan. Cook until outside is well done (just a little blackened) and flip the strawberries a few times to cook on all sides. Onions and strawberries should look grilled. Set them aside.

3. In the same pan, toss the chickpeas for about 1 minute with a generous sprinkle of both parsley and cumin.

4. Toss all the ingredients in a large bowl (or arrange them beautifully!) with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, along with the juice of one or two limes, depending on how much lime flavor you want on your dressing.

Optional: I didn't try this, but after I finished, I thought it might be tasty to add a little bit of unsweetened, shredded coconut to enhance texture and bring out the tropical flavor. Let me know what you think if you decide to give this edition a try!

(Serves 1)