Fast Food For Fall!

No, not actual fast food...

We're talking healthy fall meals that keep you feeling good when you're on the go! Here are some of my favorite easy to prepare fall staples that provide me with great, nutritious fuel even when I'm low on time. It's about half fresh food, half "processed". But, let's face it, it's hard to make your own soups and dals everyday. Luckily, there are some fantastic pre-made options out there!

I've been really in tune with my seasonal cravings this year. The chill in the air has made me say goodbye to salads and gravitate towards warm, hearty deliciousness. Also, I think I'm addicted to squash. I've had fun experimenting with acorn and butternut this fall! 

Let's zoom in a little to see what we have…

Dr. McDougall's Soups and Entrees- I know I can always trust the McDougall brand for well-balanced vegan meals. Their soups and asian entrees are delicious and filling, while being naturally low-fat and packaged in BPA-free containers. You can find these products in the soup and asian departments in Whole Foods and sometimes in the natural section of your regular grocery store. 

Amy's Organic Soups- While not in BPA free containers, these soups are still a great choice given the integrity of their ingredients. I've been enjoying their split pea soup lately, as it's easy to heat up at school! Amy's uses organic ingredients whenever possible, and is always non-gmo. I usually prefer Dr. McDougall's in taste, but as I said, the split pea has me hooked! 

Tasty Bite Indian Entrees- So, I've recently become addicted to Indian. Those warming flavors are simply divine. However, getting those flavors in a home cooked meal can be pretty labor intensive, and requires a lot of ingredients. As a grad student, I was craving good Indian food, but did not have the time or money to make it myself! Enter Tasty Bite. I was ecstatic when I found this brand in my local Whole Foods. Tasty Bite has a vast array of Indian options. Many of the entrees are vegan, gluten free, and kosher. Everything is all-natural, made with simple ingredients that one can recognize and understand (always key with processed foods). Even better, Tasty Bite has an awesome BPA- free packaging system which cooks the items in an already sealed pouch, allowing for a long shelf life without preservatives! I love heating up some spinach dal and enjoying it with spaghetti squash. It literally takes one minute. 

These foods are a little less "fast", but if you make them in advance, they round out a meal perfectly. Lately, I've been roasting tons of spaghetti, butternut, and acorn squash to have on hand. I usually just hollow them out, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and throw them in the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes (butternut seems to take less time, so I'd check at 35 first). Acorn squash is delicious if you cut it into wedges! The other two I do in halves. I also love to quickly steam some broccoli or roast eggplant to have ready for easy to prepare lunches and dinners. Not pictured here are mung beans and quinoa, which add a great source of protein to any meal.

Here is an example of an easy meal I whipped up with some of the pre-made ingredients I had in my fridge (not the prettiest picture, I apologize):

I have spaghetti squash, mung beans, broccoli, red onion, eggplant, and tomatoes. I dressed it with some Annie's Lite Goddess dressing and poof! Delicious, fast, nutritious fall meal =) 

I hope you've gotten some inspiration from this post. Just because you're low on time, doesn't mean you need to sacrifice on quality! When we are busy and on the go, it is especially important to give our body the energy it needs. It's all about doing a little prep in advance, and having some pre-made staples in your pantry. 

Enjoy the last bits of fall everyone! 

Be Well.

Love, Julie 

Two super easy, super healthy recipes!

Happy Saturday Everyone! I hope you are enjoying a restful and relaxing weekend. You deserve it! Today I wanted to share with you two super yummy, super easy recipes I've enjoyed lately. Before I do though, make sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates/ fun wellness stuff! @JMartinez621 and https://www.facebook.com/BeWellLoveJulie  .

Ok, now for the deliciousness! This first recipe was inspired by a Tara Stiles Video (aka  it is basically the same, but I didn't have actual curry sauce- which actually probably makes this version lighter) So, credit to her! Yes, she is my new favorite person. I just read Yoga Cures on my kindle, and it was amazing. Simple, eye opening, life changing. I'll have to do another book list soon!

Curried Rice and Lentils with Veggies ! 

You'll need: 

- A lentils and rice mixture, or any grain of your choice. I did a medley of brown rice, wild rice, and lentils from whole foods

- Vegetable broth

- Earth Balance, olive oil, or a non-stick cooking spray

-Orange Bell Pepper 

-Red Onion

-Celery

-Greens of your choice 

-Any other veggies you desire/ would like to substitute with 

- Curry Powder

- Chilli Powder

- Ground Tumeric 

-Salt and Pepper

As usual, my recipes are more like guidelines. I'm not a professional chef, and everyone's appliances and tastes are different. Alter this as necessary to make it work for you, choosing the correct amount of ingredients for your portion size!

1. Prepare grains per package instructions. I like to use vegetable broth instead of water to give it more flavor. Make a big batch and save leftovers for later in the week! I use a half cup as one serving 

2. Heat a large pan on medium high heat, add a tablespoon or so of Earth Balance (or other choice). Just enough to add some flavor without adding mega calories. 

3. Chop onions and add them to the pan.

4. Do the same with the peppers and celery. 

5. Let these sauté a while until they are nice and soft.

 6. Once the veggies are at their desired texture, turn down the heat a little bit and add grains. 

7. Add a pinch of curry powder, chilli powder, and ground tumeric. Add any more depending on your tastes. 

8. Add the greens, sauté until everything is nice and warm. 

9. Salt and pepper/ season more to taste

10. Enjoy this nutritious and flavorful meal! 

Lemon Pepper Zucchini with Quinoa and Marinara Sauce 

This one is something I just whipped up on my own with random pre-made things I had in my fridge. I love making lemon pepper zucchini and having it ready to throw into any recipe. Also, having a good quality marinara sauce is a wonderful way to easily add flavor to any meal. I like Whole Foods 365 and search for types with no crazy ingredients. I apologize for the messy plating! It didn't occur to me that I should blog about this when I took the picture!

What you'll need: 

- Quinoa

-Vegetable Broth

-Zucchini

-Fresh Garlic

-Greens of Choice

-Marinara Sauce

-Olive Oil

-Lemon Pepper Seasoning

-Italian Seasoning

-Fresh Lemon Juice

-Salt and Pepper 

1. Prepare quinoa per instructions with vegetable broth. 

2. Chop up a few gloves of garlic, depending on portion size

3. In large pan, heat a small amount of olive oil (again, just enough for flavor) and garlic. Use a medium heat so things don't burn! 

4. Meanwhile, chop up zucchini and add to the pan 

5. Sauté zucchini on medium high heat, adding lemon pepper and italian seasoning as desired per your taste. 

6. Squeeze in a little bit of juice from a lemon and continue to sauté zucchini until it reaches desired texture. 

7. Salt and Pepper to taste.

8. Reduce heat and portion out the amount you would like to save as left overs. 

9. To the amount remaining in pan, add quinoa, greens, and marinara sauce. 

10. Stir until everything is warm and delicious

11. Enjoy! 

I also make this by throwing all the left over components into a bowl and microwaving! Do whatever works for you that day =) 

I hope you enjoy these quick and easy recipes! They are simple, and full of whole, nutritious, satisfying ingredients. Why bother with anything else? As I'm sure you can tell, there is an easy formula behind these two recipes. Grain, veggie, greens, seasoning. What other combos can you come up with? Experiment with your favorite flavors! Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean? The possibilities are endless. I'll continue to post anything I find extra easy and delicious! 

Be Well.

Love, Julie

How I've maintained my happy weight by letting go of "intense exercise"

This gets long, and very personal, but if it helps anyone going through something similar, it’s worth sharing!

As I have mentioned before, this is a blog chronicling my wellness journey. It’s a never-ending process of self-growth and knowledge. Sometimes it may mean contradicting things that I have written in the past, and I may change my mind about what I write today in the future. Especially with exercise routines, it’s all about what works best for you day to day.

A few weeks ago or so, I wrote about how I survived my summer desk job. By survive, I meant barely. For some reason, sitting for that long stressed me out so much that my entire body spun out of control. It was as if every normal function simply stopped working. One day I found myself staring at the ATM, unable to remember my pin. I was bloated, uncomfortable in my body, and my heart literally felt like it was pumping out of my chest all the time. Looking back on it, I don’t think it was quite the sitting that was the issue, but the stress that I was subjecting myself to by being so concerned by that, and from having to fit so many things in during the summer.

I tried to combat my inactivity with intense workouts whenever I could, hoping to make up the difference. The thing with intense, aggressive workouts is that it increases your stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. Living in such stressful conditions all of the time, whether it is mental stress from day to day life or stress from intense workouts, can result in a chronic overload of cortisol and depletion of adrenaline. Depletion of adrenaline often results in extreme fatigue. Chronic cortisol overload can result in fatigue, the accumulation of fat (especially belly fat), muscle loss, and more. Tons of intense exercise also increases your appetite, which, when combined with stress, can result in cumpulsive eating which outweighs one’s workout.

Anyway, it became clear this was happening to me. I was pushing and pushing, and seemed to be going backwards. Not to mention I felt like I was on the verge of a mental breakdown one to many times. It was then that I looked at those around me, like my Mom, who didn’t work out nearly as much as me, and looked great, just by keeping a clean diet and only eating when she was hungry. I on the other hand, felt totally outside of my body, and sometimes would eat when I really just didn’t need to, knowing that I was uncomfortably full, but needing something to calm me down.

I had read an article by Tara Stiles many times before called “Why exercise and burning calories won’t help you lose weight” (link below). It was all about what I was going through, talking about how living so aggressively makes us eat aggressively and just wrecks havoc on our bodies. She argues that moving in a way that makes us feel good, reducing stress, will help us reconnect with our bodies and eat properly. Nutrition is the key to maintaining our happy weight. Now, like I said, I had been aware of this article for months, going back to it, and not really believing it. “She’s so tiny, she just must not eat” is what I thought. Truth is she eats just what her body needs, and her hormones are in balance, so she is not swollen and fatigued. This is just like what I saw in my Mom and others, who did not force themselves around so often. They just lived naturally and ate intuitively.

A few weeks ago, I reached a point where I just couldn’t take anymore. My body literally screamed for a break. And so, I finally took Tara’s advice and stopped the intense workouts. I focused on yoga, walking, and meditation, and tried to keep my heart rate normal at all times. Within a few days I started to heal. My heart rate calmed down and the swelling all over my body went away. I learned how to recognize when I was truly hungry and when I was full. About a week and a half later, I was back to my happy weight where I felt comfortable, by doing much less exercise than I was doing before. Today, 3 weeks later, I have maintained my healthy state by moving with ease. In fact, business clothes I bought while I was at my peak stress level were too big when I got here! Yoga is still a workout, building killer strength, flexibility, balance, and more. It is simply one that reduces stress instead of causing stress (for me at least). It makes me feel graceful and confident. Being in such a tough grad program, it has helped me stay calm, happy, and balanced. I used to not want to do my hard workouts, but this is something I truly enjoy. Along with honoring my body with a whole food, plant based diet, it has healed me in the most amazing way.

Do your workouts bring you joy and peace? Are they helping you create healthy habits in the rest of your life? Or, are they stressing you out, and causing unease? Everyone is different. Everyone has his or her own “soul mate workout”. Have you found yours? Experiment. Listen to your body, and nourish yourself with your favorite exercise and the proper amount of unprocessed, nutritious foods. Let me know what happens!

Here is Tara's article which much of this story is based off of. She has an amazing blog and collection of yoga videos to help you get started! http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5128/Why-Exercise-and-Burning-Calories-Wont-Help-You-Lose-Weight.html 

Be Well.

Love, Julie

Recipe for a Happy, Healthy Day

Hi everyone!

Check out my latest contribution to Beauty of Becoming! This site is full of awesome health and wellness inspiration, tips, and motivation.


http://www.beautyofbecoming.com/9/post/2013/03/recipe-for-a-happy-healthy-day.html

Hope you enjoy!

Be Well.

Love, Julie 

12 Terrific Health and Wellness Books

Hi everybody!

I am constantly reading books! Since I became very interested in my health and well-being, I have been devouring all of the knowledge I can to educated myself. Here are a few of my favorites! I am sure there will be another post like this to come, as I will probably forget a few! If you have some free time, pick one up, and learn how to be an even better you!

1. Blue Zones by, Dan Buettner. I wrote an entire post on this book in December. Blue Zones tells of the regions in the world in which people live the longest, most quality lives. It discovers the reasons for this great level of longevity and develops a plan in which we can implement these practices into our daily lives!

        

2. Thrive by, Dan Buettner- Thrive does the same as Blue Zones, but examines the happiest people in the world, and what about their lifestyles makes them so happy. It is very interesting in that it contradicts many of America's social norms. However, the research doesn't lie! This book will definitely make you think. 

     

3. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by, Deepak Chopra . You know this is one of my favorites. We have one law left in our review of this book! A great resource in learning how to reach your fullest potential and manifest your dreams. 

  

4. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deepak Chopra and David Simon- I am reading this book right now and absolutely love it. It teaches many of the basic principles of yoga philosophy. It then applies the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success to your yoga practice. In addition, it explains the many health benefits of yoga and why it should definitely be included somehow in your wellness routine! 

    

5. Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga by Tara Stiles- This book tells of how yoga can truly benefit our minds and bodies. It focuses on how yoga can eliminate stress in our lives, which is directly related to weight gain and disease. Yoga keeps you fit, while keeping your mind calm and centered, cultivating a sense of ease which overflows into every aspect of your life.

   

6. Thrive: The Vegan Nutritional Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by, Brendan Brazier- I've talked about Brendan Brazier before. He is an unbelievable resource for plant-based nutrition. This book focuses on the science behind how different foods fuel our bodies. It busts any myths that vegan's are weak and malnourished. A professional triathlete, Brendan shares how a plant-based diet provides our bodies with pure and efficient fuel to live life to its fullest. 

     

7. Thrive Foods by, Brendan Brazier- Thrive Foods is Brendan's most recent book. It again offers tons of scientific nutritional and environmental information. The main purpose of the book is to provide wonderful cookbook of nutritious, performance enhancing, plant based recipes. 

         

8. The Starch Solution by,  John and Mary McDougall- This is another wonderful book on plant-based nutrition. It provides detailed scientific research and testimonials on the medical benefits of a plant-based diet and tips on how to eat towards better health. Dr. McDougall is very much connected to the group of medical professionals behind the film Forks Over Knives. 

  

9. The Happy Herbivore Cookbook- Happy Herbivore is my absolute favorite plant-based cookbook series. The recipes are easy and delicious. They are all low fat and use no added oils. Also, nutritional information is included for each recipe! Check out Everyday Happy Herbivore, Happy Herbivore Abroad , and her website too! 

10. The complete idiot's guide to Plant-based Nutrition by, Julieanna Hever- This one is pretty self- explanatory. The book provides a complete nutritional overview of a plant-based diet. It busts all of the protein and calcium myths, provides guidelines on how to cover all of your nutritional bases, and has special sections dedicated to exercise, pregnancy, and children! Great resource to have on hand. 

11. The Alchemist by, Paulo Coelho- I also wrote an early post on this book. It is a simply beautiful allegorical tale about following your dreams. It will shake any beliefs that you are not in control of your own destiny. Wonderful, wonderful book. 

  

12. Eat This, Not That Series- I wrote a post about these books in december, but never published it. Eat this, Not That educates readers about the nutritional information of chain restaurants and processed foods in America. Overall, I really advocate for a Whole Food, Plant Based diet which avoids most of these things. However, I did read these books before I became a vegan, and they were a great stepping stone in my wellness journey. The books reveal many of the nutritional downfalls of foods that so many Americans eat every day. If you do regularly go to chain restaurants and buy processed foods, this series will help you make the best choices. I hope it will open many people's eyes to what this kind of "food" really is. So, take a look, but strive towards natural, whole ingredients! 

         

Whewf! That was a lot. Whenever I feel that I need a little extra push in my wellness motivation, I will pick one of these books up again to get back on track. I hope you read a few and find your own inspiration! 

Be Well. 

Love, Julie

The Law of Detachment

I am officially on Spring Break, woooo hooo!!! It's a bittersweet feeling at the moment. On one hand, it's been an outrageously busy and stressful semester, and I am so so happy for some time off. On the other hand, it means I only have about a month and a half left of college...

Wow.

 I'm hoping this ten days off will help me regroup, so that I can truly enjoy, not just endure, my last bit of time as an undergrad. I wonder when this reality is going to sink in...

I am super excited for some much needed me time. I am not going on some $1000 dollar trip, as I do not enjoy drinking all day, getting exhausted, and not being able to chill and workout. Instead, I am taking a lovely weekend trip with some girlfriends and then spending the week in Miami, doing some catching up, blogging, reading, yoga, and relaxing during the days, and having fun at night with friends when I want! For me, the best vacation is all about balance (and sunshine!). Speaking of, step up Miami, it's been way too cold for March lately!  (Ok, my mom just sent me a picture of the snow at home. I guess I can deal.)

Anyway, I am super excited that on Monday, Deepak Chopra begins another one of his FREE 21 day Meditation Challenges! This one is with Oprah! If you are new to meditation, and don't know where to begin, sign up (the link is in a post below)! All you have to do is press play on the link that is sent to you, and you will be guided through the rest.

I was hoping to finish The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success before the challenge began, but think it will likely be next week!

P.S did I mention how happy I am that I actually have time to blog right now? Yayy!

Ok and now,

Law 6: The Law of Detachment 

This is another one of my absolute favorite laws of spiritual success. It kind of goes along with the Law of Least Effort .The law of detachment focuses on embracing something called "the wisdom of uncertainty". Let that phrase sink in for a moment. Uncertainty possesses a certain wisdom. The universe has a way of sorting everything out. There is no need for us to be obsessively anxious over every little thing. We can embrace the wisdom of uncertainty, knowing that as long as we are doing our best to be a positive presence in this world, things will come together as they should.

Deepak says, "in the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning. And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe."

To put the Law of Detachment into practice Deepak suggests:

"  1. Today I will commit myself to detachment. I will allow myself and those around me the freedom to be as they are. I will not rigidly impose my idea of how things should be. I will not force solutions on problems, thereby creating new problems. I will participate in everything with detached involvement.

  2. Today I will factor in uncertainty as an essential ingredient of my experience. In my willingness to accept uncertainty, solutions will spontaneously emerge out of the problem, out of the confusion, disorder, and chaos. The more uncertain things seem to be, the more secure I will feel, because uncertainty is my path to freedom. Through the wisdom of uncertainty, I will find my security.

 3. I will step into the field of all possibilities and anticipate the excitement that can occur when I remain open to an infinity of choices. When I step into the field of all possibilities, I will experience all the fun, adventure, magic, and mystery of life. "

Times of change and uncertainty pop up continuously throughout life, whether it is post-graduate plans for my age group, a new job search, decisions on where to live, challenges in how to transform into your best you, or a search for a partner in life. Although often times these things bring stress and anxiety, try to focus on the positive. They also bring incredible amounts of opportunity! Be open to all of the wisdom that uncertainty has to offer. Focus on your dreams, and new chances will arise. With relationships, being able to free yourself from expectation is liberating. Why obsess over how someone else is acting, hoping they will act in the way you wish for the relationship will go? Like in the Law of Least effort, you will likely end up trying to force a situation, which often results in a false sense of satisfaction. By embracing the wisdom of uncertainty, and the Law of Detachment, you simply let things and people be. Life will occur naturally and how it's supposed to. If that relationship is meant to work, it will. If we are meant to get that job, we will.

So what can we do? Just try to be the best you everyday. Make efforts towards your wishes, but do not force them. Put as much positive energy out there as you can. It's bound to come back!

             

Be Well.

Love, Julie

The Film That Changed My Life: Forks Over Knives

I have told you that my wellness journey has been, well a journey! Let’s go back about 10 months ago. I was at my friend’s house for a small get together when one of my fellow health-nut girlfriends shared with me how she had recently gone vegan. I recalled seeing her tweet about a film called Forks Over Knives, and had looked into the film. Seeing that it focused on veganism (which I knew little about), I decided to ignore it. However, I couldn’t ignore her when I saw her. She shared a little of her reasoning with me, who responded:

“I’m way too much of an athlete. I need meat”

It’s funny looking back on that conversation. Now I am the one who tries to clear up unreasonable myths about protein, calcium etc. But that day, it was me who needed convincing. My friend gave me a short and sweet schpeil and simply encouraged me to watch the film.

And so, that night, I did.

My life changed forever. 

Forks Over Knives takes a look at the rising epidemics of obesity and chronic disease in America, and how it relates to the average American diet, and the American food system. The film is based off the research of Doctor T. Collin Campbell, and Doctor Caldwell Esseylsten, two men who grew up on cattle farms, but who’s professional medicinal research showed that the products of these farms were direct causes of cancer and chronic disease. The film does not focus on animal cruelty or anything like that. It focuses on people, and their health. In summary, animal protein, whether it be in the form of meat, dairy, eggs, or fish , along with refined processed foods, is scientifically, directly related to the emergence of cancer and chronic disease. When people in the film removed these things from their diet, they were able to heal themselves, get off of medications, halt cancer progression, maintain a healthy weight, reverse heart disease and diabetes, and live longer, better quality lives.

Hence, I am not vegan for the animals. I am vegan for me. I don’t want to get cancer. I don’t want to have clogged arteries. I don’t want to feel sluggish and sick. I want to live long. I want to live well. I never want to be held back because I abused my body, and it has given out on me. I want to fuel myself with pure, whole foods, filled with nutrients and healing properties. I do not want to fill my body with fat, refined sugars, chemicals, things I can’t pronounce, and animal proteins that have been proven in countless studies to be detrimental to my health.

Here are a few things the film focuses on:

The China Study- An immense study done by Dr. T Collin Campbell, which outlines the amount of each type of Cancer in each region of China. There was unbelievable statistical evidence consistent amongst populations of millions, which showed that rural areas who lived off a natural, plant based diet, had the lowest instances of cancer, while more urbanized and animal protein consuming areas had astoundingly high instances of disease.

Research of Caldwell Essylsten- His laboratory research showed how animal protein actually activated cancer genes, while its removal “turned cancer genes off” .

Calcium and Osteoporosis- America consumes the most dairy in the world. Yet we also have the highest occurrence of Osteoporosis in the world. But isn’t calcium necessary for bone health? In reality, the animal protein, casein, found in milk causes an acidic reaction in the body. Our body then tries to combat and buffer this reaction. It does so by drawing minerals and substance from our bones, often time leading to osteoporosis. There are plenty of plant-based sources of calcium which do not cause this acidic reaction, and truly promote bone health.

Protein- You really can’t be protein deficient without being calorie deficient. Our culture (driven by government subsidized industries) has taught us that we require way more protein than we actually do. Tons of athletes, from triathletes to UFC fighters are plant-based, and bulging with muscle. There is some amount of protein in every plant based food. Believe it or not, it adds up!

How to follow a whole-food, plant –based diet. – It is possible to be a junk food vegan. I mean ,Oreos are technically vegan. This film shares how to prevent and cure disease through the best medicine of all, whole, natural food, without any added sugars, fats, chemicals, or harmful proteins. It focuseson maintaining a lifestyle with a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. It is more than possible to enjoy delicious meals, while taking care of yourself too!

This film is truly incredible and offers hard to ignore information with real world examples . I’ve only covered maybe 5% of it here. If you are interested in taking the next step in improving your health and well-being, watch the film. It truly changed my life. Since, I have more energy, require less sleep, perform better during workouts, am less anxious about what I’m eating, and never have feelings of guilt about my diet. It took some trial and error, but soon became second nature. Now, I barely even think about how I haven’t had meat in 10 months. 

Check it out here: http://www.forksoverknives.com/

If you can take a step to protect yourself from cancer, heart disease, and more, why wouldn’t you take it?

Be Well.

Love, Julie

Super Easy Eggplant!

I’ve been loving eggplant lately. I have no idea why I do not buy it more!!! Someday I hope to make an amazing eggplant caponata. However, since I am currently in school, and ridiculously busy, I tend to go much more basic. Again, pardon my not so exact recipes. Hopefully this will just give you some inspiration and ideas! Notice there are no added oils in these recipes! Water does just fine as a binding agent.

I’ll start with the more complicated:

Super Easy Vegan Eggplant Parm:

You will need:

1 eggplant (or more depending how many people you’re making it for.)

Cornmeal

Whole Wheat or almond flour

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

Your tomato sauce of choice (I go organic and usually get one with basil and spices for flavor)

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Cut up your eggplant into half inch slices

3. Combine a mixture of one part flour and one part cornmeal (say about a half cup of each). You can also throw a little pepper/basil etc in there if you want!

4. Lightly coat each slice of eggplant with water and dip it into the flour mixture, just giving it a light covering. Then place each piece onto a baking stone or baking sheet with foil.

5. Put the eggplant slices in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until they get a little golden.

6. Meanwhile, give the bottom of a glass baking pan a light coating of cooking spray. The size of your pan will depend on how much eggplant you are using. You want to be able to create two layers of eggplant.

7. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.

8. Once the eggplant is slightly golden and out of the oven, place a layer of the eggplant over the sauce.

9. Cover the eggplant with another layer of sauce.

10. Sprinkle on your desired amount of vegan parmesan and mozzarella ( a little can go a long way!).

11. Create another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheese. This time make sure the sauce completely covers the top.

12. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

11. Feel free to add any of your favorite Italian spices etc and enjoy!

Lately however, I have been in a much simpler mood, not needing all of the cheese and “breading” on my meal. So, I have been whipping up some… 

Deconstructed Eggplant Parm

You will need:

1 Eggplant

Italian spices (basil, salt, pepper, Italian mix, oregano, whatever is your favorite)

Tomato sauce of your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 375

2. Slice your eggplant into half inch slices

3. Coat each slice lightly with water and place on a baking stone or cookie sheet with foil.

4. Sprinkle desired spices over eggplant pieces, flip them and do the same on the other side.

5. Pop them in to over for about a half an hour. This will really all depend on your oven and the thickness of the slices. They will be done when they are golden brown and tender.

6. In the last few minutes, warm up your tomato sauce.

7. When the eggplant is done, pour sauce over and poof! Delicious, nutritious, simple meal.

This goes amazingly well  with spaghetti squash! (Check out my spaghetti squash 101 post from December)

I also love to use the left over eggplant plain in salads etc. So delicious!

Enjoy!!!

Be Well.

Love, Julie