Vegan Chow Mein

Do you love Chinese food as much as I do? I used to love ordering

in that greasy stuff every Friday with my family before I was vegan. It was delicious! It never made me feel very good. But it was always delicious. I have tried a few versions of both vegan Chow Mein  and Vegan Lo mein since and this one turned out great! 

I added some extra greens and decided afterwards that we would add more vegetables next time. Maybe some broccoli or other greens. I also skipped the shredded carrots because I was being lazy. For some reason, I really hate shredding carrots and this recipe wanted me to shred 4. :)

This was so good! I added more sauce ingredients once we added the pasta. I also used a gluten free spaghetti instead of the soba noodles which worked out really well. For the mushrooms, I couldn't find dried shitakes, so I used regular shitake mushrooms and I cut them up and sauteed them in coconut aminos and soy sauce. I think they worked out great this way. You could also skip the mushrooms if you don't like them. 

My husband and I don't usually eat all the food in the pan because I usually make A LOT of food, but we ate it all! That's how good it was. 

Find Recipe Here!

Why Sugar is Bad For You

We all know sugar is bad for us right? I mean, I'm not telling you something that's going to be this big surprise. You're not going to see this article and be like, "Wow, sugar is bad for me? no way?" We all know this, the idea of sugar being a problem has been around for a long time and this information has been circulating for years. So why haven't most people started to take the initiative to lower their sugar intake? The answer is "Sugar Addiction". It's a very real thing. Sugar is a very addictive substance, and companies like to add it in to just about everything we consume from condiments to "healthy" cereals, to sports drinks. When I was younger and more ignorant, I thought Gatorade on a hot day was good for me. I didn't even fathom the idea that maybe it was full of a crap ton of sugars and that my body did not need. 

Once we get started down the "Sugar Addiction" road, it's hard to stop. Some people can even pinpoint when they get this way, and go back and forth throughout their lives. They know they are addicted, and they do a cleanse or a detox and their sugar cravings go away, but than one day, they are out with friends, and everyone is enjoying dessert, so they decide to indulge and just that one treat sends them down a spiral of craving sugary treats again and having trouble stopping themselves from eating sugary treats. They may notice the addiction happening, and do another detox to get back off of it or maybe they will just try to stop cold turkey, but it's not easy. 

Now when I talk about sugar, I'm referring to refined or processed sugars. These sugars are found in most processed products. The first step in staying away from refined sugars, is to start looking at labels. What is listed as ingredients in your favorite products, how much sugar is added? 

"The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men. The AHA limits for children vary depending on their age and caloric needs, but range between 3-6 teaspoons (12 - 25 grams) per day."

The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of sugar per day. This is far too much, and most people don't even know how much sugar they are consuming because it is hidden in so many products. Did you know that there is sugar in bread? Most bread that is consumed in the US has added sugars. Even bread that is supposedly good for us, like whole wheat breads have sugars added. There are only a few brands of bread you can buy that don't have added sugars. 

There are so many products out there that are advertised as being "healthy" but are loaded with extra sugars that our bodies not only do not need, but that can cause serious health problems down the road. For example, Raisin bran has 18 grams of sugar per 1 cup serving. This is a cereal that I previously thought to be healthy. So, why is it important to start at least decreasing the amount of sugars you and your family consume?

1. Sugar damages your immune system. This happens because every time you consume sugar, it lowers the ability of your white blood cells to do their jobs and fight off disease and infection. 

2. Sugar hinders your body's natural ability to absorb vitamins and minerals which can cause issues with hydration, and down the road can cause osteoporosis and other disease.

3. Excess sugar intake has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers. That in itself is a reason to stop consumption of it or decrease it exponentially. 

4. Did you know that all disease starts in the liver? So what happens to the liver when you consume sugar? The liver is the only organ that can process fructose, so if you over do it on the sugar, this can turn into fat in the liver and cause fatty liver disease. 

5. Over indulgence of sugar can cause insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes. It can also cause weight gain and obesity in adults and children. 

6. Sugar can cause pre-mature aging in adults. 

7. Sugar can effect your good cholesterol levels, hindering your body's ability to remove bad cholesterol from your artery walls leading to heart disease. 

If these aren't enough reasons for you to start making a change, than I don't know what is. What can you do to start decreasing your sugar intake? 

First of all, the safest sugars you can consume are those found in nature. Sugars that come from fruits and vegetables come with natural fiber that make it easier for your body to digest and process and also don't cause your body to have a spike in glucose levels. I love using dates as sweeteners for baked goods. I also have used unsweetened apple sauce and mashed bananas as sweeteners and it's worked out great! 

The best way to avoid processed sugars is to focus on whole foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans and stay away from processed foods. Making your own foods from scratch at home will also help in decreasing the amount of sugars you and your family intake. You can control the amount of sugar you add to things, and it will likely be far less than the amount of sugar found in the products at your grocery story. However, this can be a huge undertaking. So how can we make it easier? 

If you feel the need to purchase processed foods, just for the ease of having them around when you aren't up for making things from scratch, just start looking at labels. See how much sugar is in each serving and compare that to how much sugar the average adult or child should consume in a day. If 1 serving is more than the daily "allowance". You should probably not buy that product. There are certain brands that are safer than others. I love the Ezekial brand for breads and cereals because it's all organic and there are no added sweeteners or sugars. Do some research, find some brands that work for you and your family without overdosing them with excess sugar. 

Take care of yourself and your kids by at least decreasing the amount of refined sugars you intake. Soda and sugary drinks, including fruit juices are not good for you in any way. There is little to no nutrition in these things, and the sugar intake is through the roof. Get yourself and your kids addicted to fruit instead of doughnuts, and veggies instead of cookies. 

If you already know of products you buy that have a lot of added sugars, start to think of an unsweetened alternative you could buy and sweeten it at home with fruit or stevia, or whatever you want, I guarantee it will be less sugar than would otherwise be added by a food company. 

Are your kids already addicted to sugar? What do they eat every day? Do you know how much sugar is in what they eat? The average Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread has about 35 grams of sugar. Lets do the math together. As mentioned above, children should have less than 25 grams a day. So that means that 1 peanut butter and jelly sandwich is already over the recommended dose of sugar for a kid in a day. Can you believe that? How crazy! I never even knew that. It just goes to show that most of us just don't really know how much sugar we are eating every day. 

If you want to read more about sugar, sugar addiction, ways to avoid sugar, etc. I've included links below. 

https://www.parents.com/recipes/nutrition/kids/sugar-shock/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319991.php#health-benefits

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar

https://moffitt.org/take-charge/take-charge-story-archive/there-s-no-sugar-coating-it-sugary-soft-drinks-linked-to-cancer/?gclid=CjwKCAiAhJTyBRAvEiwAln2qBz16i4AuwQzQvW3Ge8m8QX9Whn3gXhw_Vld28bEsNjy9Y6iXgrfekxoCuisQAvD_BwE

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sugar-how-bad-are-sweets-for-your-kids/

https://time.com/5640428/sugar-kids-vs-adults/

https://www.verywellfamily.com/is-too-much-sugar-harmful-to-kids-22337

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-breakfast-cereals-healthy

https://www.parents.com/kids/nutrition/healthy-eating/how-to-tame-your-kids-sweet-tooth-in-30-days/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-break-the-sugar-habit-and-help-your-health-in-the-process

It's All About the Sauces!

Once thing I have heard over and over again is that, when it comes to the best vegan food, it's all about the sauces. The best vegan meals I have had at restaurants and at home have had amazing vegan sauces. Restaurants, unfortunately add sugars and oils to their sauces that I just don't want. So when I'm at home, I make sure to omit those things from my sauces, making them not only delicious, but much much healthier. 

I have a few sauces to share with you that I have created myself and a few from various blogs that were just amazing and worth a shout out. 

First of all, there is a sauce that I use for sour cream. It's great for Chili and tacos because it also tastes kind a cheesey, so it takes care of that cheese flavor and gives you the sense that you also have something creamy. It's also the easiest sauce to make. 

Simple Cashew Cream Recipe: 

Juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 cup raw cashews (soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes)
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

First soak your cashews, then drain. Put all ingredients into a high speed blender. (I use a nutribullet). Blend until smooth. This sauce never lasts long in my house, but it does keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. I usually put it into an air tight glass jar. 

The next sauce I want to share is called a "Yum Yum Sauce" It was created by my friends over at Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures. I linked it above. After making it, I first used it on a portabello mushroom sandwich, which was freaking amazing! Then I tried it on avocado toast, also freaking amazing! I think this sauce would be good on just about anything! The next thing I plan on trying it on is a Buddha bowl! Yum! 

What to use for Mayo? Mayo is a hard one, it's hard to get the taste right for mayo without using any oils. The closest recipe I have found was created by a blog called Clean Food Dirty Girl. They have lots of great recipes if you want to check them out. Their Mayo Recipe is delicious and totally worth trying if you want to switch to plant-based and need something for your sandwiches. 

My favorite dressing for salads is a Turmeric Tahini Dressing. I've been playing around with others, but this one has been the best so far. 

Easy Tahini Dressing:  

1/2 cup Tahini
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water (to thin)
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano

Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth

Cilantro Lime Sauce  (This sauce is great for Tacos, Taco bowls, Avocado toast, and even a dressing if you thin it out a bit!)

Best Vegan Hollondaise Sauce (This link brings you to a recipe for a tofu breakfast sandwich! The Hollondaise sauce is amazing, I had leftovers, so the next day I made a tofu scramble and used this sauce on it and it was amazing!) 

Vegan Cheezy Sauce (This will bring you to a vegan ranch sauce, I have to warn you that it does not taste like ranch, I have yet to find a good Vegan Ranch sauce. But, it has a cheezy flavor, and is also delicious on bowls, sandwiches, french fries, cauliflower, really whatever you want to use it for.)

Best Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe: (this recipe is great for a white pizza sauce, or a pasta sauce)

1 Medium White Onion
1-2 cups Vegetable Broth
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
4 Large Cloves Garlic
1/2 heaping cup unsalted cashews
Juice of 1 lemon
2-4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

Add onion and 1 cup of broth to a large pan over medium heat, cook for 8 minutes until onion is tender. Add the garlic cloves and cook a few minutes more. Cook until broth is gone. Add cooked veggies to a blender along with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Add remaining ingredients to the blender. Blend on high for a couple minutes until creamy and smooth. 

These are all of my go to sauces. I do use a few others, but these are the best and most flavorful ones that I use on a regular basis. If I find more, I'll add them. I hope you enjoy trying out some new healthy sauces! The Alfredo one listed above is great for pasta! 

Homemade Vegan Mushroom Pizza

One of my greatest home creations is my mushroom pizza. It's so delectable. First of all, let's talk about crust. So I normally would make my own crust, especially since my husband has celiac's disease and it's just healthier to make the crust from scratch, but I have yet to find a good gluten free crust recipe. The crust pictured is from this amazing little bakery in Milwaukee called Blooming Lotus, they do gluten free, vegan, and refined sugar free products and when I am in Milwaukee, I like to support them. Plus, their crust is one of the best gluten free and vegan crusts I've had. 

Since this crust isn't available here, I have pulled together a couple other options. The crust pictured to the left is a pre-made whole wheat crust created by Engine 2 which is a whole food plant-based company. They create their products without oils, or refined sugars, and their products are vegan. The crusts aren't the greatest as far as flavor goes, but if you have the right toppings, you can't go wrong. 
Secondly, there is Schar brand pizza crusts. They are gluten free and are actually really delicious. They are also accidentally vegan. Meaning, that although it doesn't say vegan on the box, they have no animal products in them. This has been a go to crust for Chris and I for a long time, even before I was vegan and I was excited to find out that the majority of their products are vegan as well. 

On to the toppings. So for the sauce, I made my own vegan Alfredo sauce. 

Recipe:

1 Medium white onion
1-2 cups veggie broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 Large Garlic cloves
1/2 heaping cup raw cashews
Juice of 1 lemon
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Add 1 chopped onion and 1 cup of broth to a large pan over medium heat, cook for 8 minutes until onion is tender. Add garlic and cook until the broth is gone. Add cooked onion and garlic to a high speed blender along with the other ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Note: I add the garlic cloves as full cloves since my blender is high powered enough to break them up. 

After the sauce is done, set aside. 

The next step for this pizza, is to grab your mushrooms. I usually use baby bellas since I can find organic baby bellas at almost any store I go to and I love the flavor and texture. Cut your mushrooms into slices or pieces, whatever your desired texture. Then saute in 1 Tbsp of coconut aminos and a touch of balsamic vinegar. While these are cooking, cut up a red onion and saute in balsamic vinegar and a small amount of veggie broth until soft. 

Once your toppings are ready, pull out your crust and smother it with as much sauce as you like. I usually like quite a bit of sauce, but don't want the crust to get soggy, so it depends on what crust I'm using. The Schar brand holds up pretty well, but the engine 2 brand is thinner and gets soggy more easily. After the sauce is on, spread on your mushrooms and onions. I like to add some sort of greens as well. You could use spinach, kale, chard, or mixed greens, whatever you have in your fridge. This pizza also tastes great with artichoke hearts, but I've been having trouble finding those organic. 

Lastly, I have been adding Miyoko's Mozzerella cheese to my pizzas. It's a great brand with great ingredients, all organic, and nothing bad from what I can tell. It tastes kind of like a ricotta cheese to me. It's very delicious! I highly recommend it! I slice the cheese into pieces and cover the pizza, there is usually a tiny bit left at the end to munch on, but it depends on if you are just covering one pizza or if you are spreading it out on two. This cheese is also great as a substitute for cheese in lasagna! 

Once all toppings are on, follow the instructions listed on your crust. Sometimes for gluten free crusts you have to cook it a little longer if you want it crispy. 

Once cooked, remove from the oven, wait a few minutes and then slice up your deliciousness! 

Dijon Gravy with Mushrooms and Beans

The other day I was helping my sister out, and it was a long day. I didn't get home until late, and I had to ask my husband to make dinner. He doesn't like to follow recipes, but I had this recipe sitting around for a while and it needed to get made since we had to use up the mushrooms. This is another recipe from Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures. And it's absolutely delicious and easy to make. 

Dijon Gravy with Mushrooms and Beans


This recipe surprised me. It definitely looked good, but it's always a gamble when you try a new recipe. The recipe says you can have it over pasta, potatoes or rice. We decided on rice and it worked out really well. I'm not sure I would like it over pasta. Potatoes might have been fine, but I think rice was the best choice. 

I strongly recommend this recipe if you want to try something a little different. I know some people don't like Dijon mustard, and that could be a turn off, but to be honest, I would never eat Dijon mustard alone, but in this sauce it just adds a nice flavor profile, it doesn't overpower. 

Try it! It's delicious and easy and will definitely be on our menu in the future! 

The Amazing Avocado Toast

Since becoming vegan, I kept hearing over and over about how amazing avocado toast is. People were raving about it. Every time someone online would ask about a breakfast option, Avocado toast was ALWAYS recommended. For the longest time, I refused to try it. I love avocado, but avocado on toast just didn't seem right to me. I had grown up with peanut butter banana toast, or jelly and butter. So, for a long time, I just wasn't eating much toast because I no longer wanted to ingest all the sugar and oil that came with what I normally put on toast. Not to mention, the bread I was used to consuming also contained sugars and oils. So, I just basically stopped consuming most breads for a while. This wasn't a bad thing, but then, I finally tried Avocado toast. 

When my husband and I visited San Diego, We went to a timeshare presentation where they provided us with a vegan and gluten free breakfast of avocado toast. Granted there was oil on it, and raw tomatoes which I scraped off, but I was surprised by how this simple breakfast was so good and flavorful. I don't know what they dressed it up with, but it was good. So, when my husband and I were in Florida, I decided to make Avocado toast to add to our breakfasts, and I had brought some Trader Joes Chili lime seasoning with us and we bought some fresh sprouts from a local store. We did a vegan, gluten free bread toasted with avocado, chili lime seasoning and sprouts and it was beyond delicious. It was actually even kind of addicting. 

After I returned home, I decided to keep the trend going. I went to social media and asked around to see what kinds of things people put on there avocado toast, and many people simply said that they sprinkle it with Everything But the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's. I had heard this before, many times. So I finally decided to try it. I bought the seasoning and made myself some avocado toast with just that and I was in love. I would still add sprouts if I have them or lettuce greens, I also still like to add a bit of the chili lime seasoning, but if all you have is the everything but the bagel seasoning, it's really all you need. It's such an easy breakfast or snack. Also, I found that the Ezekiel brand bread is easy for my body to digest because it is sprouted grains, all organic, and does not include any sugar or oil. It's the only brand of bread that I will eat. Of course, you are welcome to eat any bread you desire. 

If you've never tried Avocado toast, now is the time to try it! It's wonderful! 

Perfected Vegan Gluten Free Banana Blueberry Bread

I started the journey of creating the best breakfast muffins or bread a few months ago. My challenges were the fact that I could not use anything with gluten because of my husband's celiac disease, including oat flours. Unfortunately, EVERY recipe I found for gluten free, vegan muffins had oat flour. I was so frustrated. So I started to experiment and it took a few months, but I have finally perfected a breakfast loaf that both my husband and I can enjoy. 

This recipe is refined sugar free, gluten free, oil free, and completely plant based. This bread is healthy, delicious, and perfect to grab on your way out to work for breakfast or a mid-morning snack. It's seriously delicious. 

Recipe:

4 Large over-ripe bananas
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup unsweetened organic non-dairy milk
2 cups organic unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut nectar or date syrup
2 cups rice flour or other gluten free mixed flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups blueberries

Optional Ingredients: 
1-2 Tbsp ground chia seeds
1-2 Tbsp Kate Hill Unsweetened Greek style yogurt
Small packet of green stevia leaf (if you want it a little sweeter)

Preheat oven to 350, line loaf pan with parchment paper. 

Mix almond milk and lemon juice until it curdles (skip this step if you are using the yogurt). 

In a small bowl, mash bananas. 

Add bananas to a large bowl, add the lemon juice and almond milk mixture, sweetener and applesauce, and zest. Stir well to combine. 

Add dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Stir until well combined. Fold in the blueberries. 

Spread into pan and bake 70 minutes. 

Allow to cool before slicing. 

The first time I made this recipe, I did add a mashed avocado as a way to add extra moisture, but it really didn't need it.  It also added some green specs that I had to explain to my husband was not mold, but avocado. However, if you like a more wet banana bread, the avocado adds some extra fat and sort of works like an oil. You could also add the avocado instead of the applesauce, but it might be less sweet that way. Feel free to experiment with it if you want. The last two times I've made it, I've left the avocado out and it's turned out great. 

If you want a banana bread that is a bit more dry and does not need to be refrigerated, I would add the optional chia seeds. They seem to soak up some of the moisture. Sometimes I add more blueberries on top of the bread before putting it in the oven. This just adds more moisture and flavor, but it's not necessary. 

I encourage you to try it. It's my new favorite recipe and I try to keep it around for my husband and I. He likes to have something to eat for a mid morning snack at work and I need something mid-morning as well to take my all my pills with. So, this has worked out perfectly. :)

I'm still working on perfecting my muffin recipe, for some reason it keeps coming out on the dry side. So I'll keep working on that and share my perfected recipe when it's ready.