Raw Veggie Power Salad

Raw vegetables are alive, this means that for most vegetables their raw form contains the most nutrients!  Summer is a great time of year to start incorporating more raw foods into your diet.  This salad includes a lot of raw vegetables, and will make 4-5 servings so it will work great as a weekly food prep.

Ingredients:

– 2 cups romaine, chopped

– 1 cup kale, chopped

– 1 green onion, chopped

– 1/2 cup snap peas, chopped

– 1/2 cucumber (spiralized then chopped)

– 1/2 zucchini (spiralized then chopped)

– 1/2 squash or 1 small squash (spiralized then chopped)

– 2-3 tablespoons hemp seeds

– 1 handful raw sunflower seeds

– Freshly ground black pepper

– Option to top with sautéed mushrooms

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and store in a large glass container.  Add dressing as you are eating, feel free to top with anything else you can think of!  This salad will go great with any of our oil-free dressings, click here for blog post of healthy dressings.

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Summer Salad

Summer is the perfect time to add lots of raw veggies into your diet!  This summer salad has a variety of veggies, and it will last you 4-5 servings making it a perfect salad to use for a weekly food prep.  As far as finding produce, we always say that local is best, organic is next.  So check out your local farmers market this weekend and see what produce they have!

One of our suggestions for maintaining a healthy diet is to get into the routine of weekly food prep.  That way you always have healthy options, especially when you are busy!  This is a great salad to prepare before your week.  Keep it in the fridge, and add dressing as you are eating. 

Ingredients:

– 1 cup kale, chopped

– 1/2 cup leaf lettuce, chopped

– 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped

– 1 small head broccoli, chopped (you can cut the stalk of the broccoli into very thin slices and it adds an awesome crunch to your salad)

– 1 handful of snap peas, chopped

– 1/2 spiralized squash, zucchini, and cucumber

– Top with 1 cup chickpeas

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and store in a large glass container.  Add dressing as you are eating, feel free to top with anything else you can think of!  This salad will go great with any of our oil-free dressings, click here for blog post of healthy dressings.

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Veggie Noodles with Cream Sauce

Veggie noodles are a great alternative to regular pasta, not only are they just as satisfying, but they give you TONS of extra nutrition.  Not to mention they are gluten-free, and gluten is the #1 cause of leaky gut!

You can spiralize any veggies, but this is one of our favorites blends.

Ingredients:

 – 2-3 zucchinis

– 1 cucumber 

– 3 beets (the greens from your beets are great to thinly slice for salads, or to juice/add to smoothies)

– 1 bag kelp noodles, optional (soak before serving)

Directions:

Spiralize veggies, and mix together.  A great tip for food prepping is to keep all these spiralized veggies in your fridge to use throughout the week!

Ways to eat:

– You can warm the spiralized veggies and kelp noodles in hot water just like regular noodles, they will cook in just a few minutes to soften the texture.  If you are warming do not add the cucumber.  For sauce you can use our Creamy Garlic Herb Sauce or Nicole’s Cheese Sauce  

– Veggie noodles are also delicious served cold and the creamy sauces are as well!  This is perfect if you need an on-the-go meal.

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Kelp Noodle Ramen Soup

(gluten free, plant based, oil free)

     Almost everyone has had Ramen Noodles at some point in their life, maybe even a LOT of Ramen Noodles!  Our variation of Ramen Noodles is easy to make AND really delicious! It features Kelp Noodles that are grain free, and have lots of other health benefits.

     Did you know that sea vegetables like kelp are a great source of Iodine?  Iodine is a vital nutrient to the body that is particularly important for regulating thyroid function.  AND because of things like soil depletion and variability, and lack of certain foods like sea vegetables in our diet, many people are Iodine deficient.  Did you know Iodine also helps prevent cancer, maintain mental health, and more?  This recipe is a quick and easy way to get a healthy dose of sea vegetables in a delicious soup! 

Ingredients

– 1 yellow onion, chopped

– 1 tbsp. miso paste (optional)

– 2 cups kelp noodles (soaked for a few minutes before cooking, you can find kelp noodles at whole foods with the other sea vegetables)

– 2 cloves garlic, chopped

– 2 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)

– 1 tsp. liquid aminos 

– 3 green onions (chopped)

– 1 cup water

– 1/2 to 1 cup mushrooms 

Directions:

1. Heat a thin layer of vegetable broth over a large pot on medium-low heat, add in chopped garlic and onion, sauté for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent (adding more vegetable broth as needed to keep the bottom of the pan covered).
2. Add in mushrooms, and sauté for 2-3 more minutes.  
3. Add broth, water, green onions, and liquid aminos, cooking for 20 minutes to an hour.  The longer you cook it the more the flavors will be absorbed.   You can add in the kelp noodles at any time, cooking them for about 10-20 minutes. Kelp noodles may take some time to soften, so cook them to desired texture.
4. If you are adding miso, add the miso a few minutes before you are done cooking the soup.  Once you add in the miso bring soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer for a few more minutes.
5. Top with or cook in carrots, additional mushrooms, hot sauce, kale, spinach, or any other desired flavor or topping!             

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Steel Cut Oats Breakfast Blend with lots of Omega 3’s

 (Gluten free, plant based, oil free)

Did you know Omega 3’s:

– Fight depression and anxiety

– Promote brain health

– Help lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure

– Fight inflammation

– Help fight auto-immune disease

– And More

…so why not start you day with a big dose of them?!

Want more great information about the foundations of a healthy life? Download the first installment of our NEW 7-part eBook series The 7 Habits of Highly Healthful People for FREE right now, right HERE!

Ingredients

– 1/4 cup steel cut oats (cooked) *Instead of oats this recipe is also delicious with cannelloni beans. 

– 1/2 avocado (smashed)

– 2 tbsp. chia seeds

– Small handful of walnuts (crushed)

Directions

1.  First layer steel cut oats on the bottom of a bowl or mason jar.  Sprinkle chia seeds on top of the oats.  

2. Add a second layer of smashed avocado.

3. For the third layer top with walnuts.  

4. Optional toppings: If you like spice, red pepper flakes & hot sauce are a surprisingly delicious add on to steel cut oats!  If you prefer something sweeter sprinkle in some cinnamon.  

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Enjoy these 18 Recipe’s from our Winter Recipe club’s here at WTI!  As a bonus these recipes are all Plant-Based AND Gluten-Free!

Cucumber Appetizer Using Nicole’s Cheese Sauce

Ingredients 

– 3/4 cup cashews (soaked for 8 hours or overnight)

– 1/2 cup vegetable broth

– 2 garlic cloves

– 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

– 1 tsp. dijon mustard (annie’s organic is a great brand)

– 1/2 lemon 

– 2-3 cucumbers

– 2-3 tbsp. prepared red quinoa 

– 2 large olives finely chopped

– 1 large radish finely chopped

– 1 green onion finely chopped

Directions

– In a food processor combine cashews, vegetable broth, garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard, and juice of 1/2 lemon.  Blend until thin.

– Wash 2-3 cucumbers.  Cut off ends and slice in half length-wise.  Remove seeds to make individual boats.

– Add 3 to 4 tbsp. of pre-made red quinoa to cheese sauce along with olives, radish & onion.

– Mix together and fill cucumber boats with sauce.  Cut each half into individual portions.

Red Cabbage Coleslaw

Ingredients

– 1/2 head of red cabbage

– 1/2 carrot

– 1 green onion

– Handful of pumpkin seeds (previously soaked)

– Handful of fresh parsley

– Touch of olive oil

– Salt and pepper to taste

– Pinch of coriander

– Juice from 1/2-1 lemon

Directions

Shred cabbage and carrot, chop green onion and parsley.  Mix together.  Add oil, salt, pepper, coriander, and at the end add lemon juice.  Mix all well together and keep it in the fridge.  Enjoy! 

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

– 1/2 cup quinoa

– 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

– 1/2 cup chopped celery

– 1/2 cup red pepper

– 1/4 red onion *or a shallot

Dressing

– 1 tbsp. lemon juice

– 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

– 1 clove garlic, crushed

– 1/2 tsp. thyme

– 1/2 tsp. cumin

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 1/4 tsp. pepper

 -2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Directions

– Prepare quinoa according to directions.  Combine quinoa, beans, celery, pepper and onion.

– In a small jar combine vinegar, lemon, olive oil, garlic, thyme, cumin, salt & pepper.  Shake to combine.  Pour over mixture.  Chill before serving.  

Home Style Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

– 4 cups vegetable broth

– 2 cups water

– 1 lb. red potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

– 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

– 1 cup diced cauliflower (I added more)

– 1 cup canned whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained

– 1 medium onion, diced

– 10 oz. frozen peas

– 1 tbsp. Worcestershire, low sodium

– 1 tsp. thyme

– 1 tsp. oregano

– 1/2 tsp. salt

– 1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

– Put all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Cauliflower Dill and Green Onion Salad  

Ingredients

– Raw cauliflower, grated

– Cooked carrot to add red color for better appearance

– Green onion

– Fresh dill

– Kosher dill pickles, diced

– Garlic, grated

– Oil, small amount

– Lemon juice

– Agave syrup or honey to taste (small amount)

– Salt and pepper

Directions

– In a bowl, mix grated cauliflower, chopped green onion and dill, chop slowly to enjoy the aroma. Add diced carrot and diced dill pickles.

– Dressing: in a separate bowl, to your individual taste, mix oil, lemon juice, agave or honey, grated garlic, some salt and pepper.

– Mix dressing well with the cauliflower salad and keep it in a fridge. Enjoy!

Cucumber Avocado Salad

Ingredients

1 large cucumber, sliced in quarters

2 avocados, chopped

¼-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

3 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. lime juice

½ tsp. sea salt (optional)

Directions

– Place chopped cucumber, avocado, and cilantro in a medium bowl.  If you are not a fan of cilantro, start with using only ¼ cup.  Add lemon juice, lime juice, and sea salt to the chopped vegetables.  Toss gently to combine.  Taste and add additional cilantro and sea salt to taste.  Leave to sit and marinate for 5-15 minutes. 

Pat’s Bean Salad 

Ingredients

– 1 can great northern beans

– 1 can pinto beans

– 1 can black beans

– 1 can garbanzo beans

– 1 large sweet pepper of choice

– 1 cup corn

– 3/4 large onion, diced

For Dressing

– 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

– 1/2 cup water

– 2 tbsp. nut butter (I used almond butter, or you can use 2x as many nuts)

– 1/4 cup craisins or raisins

– 1 tsp. dijon mustard

– 1/4 tsp. dried thyme

Directions:

– Mix beans, pepper, corn and onion.  

– Make dressing & combine the dressing and bean mixture.

– Refrigerate several hours before serving.  

Fast Mexican Black Bean Soup 

Ingredients:

– 2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, no salt added

– 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

– 1 cup frozen corn

– 2 cups frozen chopped broccoli florets

– 2 cups carrot juice, fresh or bottled

– 1 cup water

– 1 can prepared 4 oz. black bean soup with vegetables no or low salt (or 1 cup prepared black bean soup)

– 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

– 1 tsp. chili powder, or to taste

– 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes, for topping

– 1/2 cup chopped scallions, for topping

– 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, for topping

Directions

– Combine black beans, mixed vegetables, corn, broccoli, tomatoes, carrot juice, water, soup, cilantro, and chili powder in a soup pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

– Serve topped with extra tomatoes, scallions, and pumpkin seeds. 

*From The End Of Diabetes cookbook 

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Recipe Here

Kale with peanut ginger Dressing

Ingredients

– 2 tbsp. chopped onion

– 2 tbsp. minced gingerroot

– 3 tbsp. peanut butter

– 1 1/2 tbsp. hoisin sauce

– 3 tbsp. rice vinegar

– 1 tbsp. lime juice

– 1 tbsp. sugar (they used 1/2 the sugar)

– 1 clove garlic, peeled, chopped

– 1/8 tsp. black pepper (they used 1/2 the pepper)

– Desired amount of kale

Directions

– In a blender or food processor, add onion, ginger, peanut butter, hoisin sauce, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic and black pepper.  Process until smooth.  

– In a large bowl, massage dressing into washed kale for 2-3 minutes to break down the cell walls of the kale and enhance flavor.  

*This recipe can also be made with shredded red or napa cabbage, carrots, and 3/4 cup sliced scallions.

Recipe modified from The Healthy Table by Darlene Zimmerman

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

Recipe Here 

 *She modified this recipe by removing the olive oil and instead sautéing with vegetable broth.

Chicken-Less Salad Wraps

Recipe Here

*Modifications: Left out the vegan mayo & used romaine lettuce cups to create a sandwich “wrap.” 

White Bean Corn Chili

Recipe Here

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

– 1/4 cup water

– 1 yellow onion, diced

– 4 cups water

– 3 ribs celery, diced

– 2 carrots, diced

– 3 yukon potatoes, skin on, diced

– 3 ears of corn kernels (or 2 10oz. bags of frozen)

– 1 cup diced mushrooms (about 8 mushrooms)

– 1 cup non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, etc.)

– 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

– 1 tsp. nutmeg

– 1-2 tsp. dried basil

– 1-2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced (add after cooked and ready to serve)

Directions:

Assembling the soup: Saute the onion in a quarter cup of water for a few minutes until soft.  Add the 4 cups water, celery and the carrots, and cook on med/high for 5-10 minutes.  Add the potatoes, corn, mushrooms, non-dairy milk, garlic powder, nutmeg and basil, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blending the soup: If you want to create a creamier based for this chowder, place about a quarter of the soup into a blender or Vitamix, and blend until the consistency is smooth but still slightly lumpy.  Return mixture to the pot and stir well.  You can also use a potato masher right in the pot to give the soup a creamier texture, or you can leave the soup as is without doing any blending.  

Don’t forget: Add the fresh rosemary last and cook for 5 minutes longer, serve hot.

Notes: When corn is in season, use fresh, sweet white corn.  If it’s not, you can use bags of frozen sweet corn.  Fresh garlic may be used as well, 1-2 cloves minced.  You may use fresh nutmeg or dried.

Recipe by Cathy Fisher and the Mcdougall Program

Raw Apple Crumble

Recipe Here

Radish and Jicama Tabbouli

Recipe Here

Bread Pudding

Ingredients

– 2 cups stale gluten free bread

– 2/3 cup coconut milk

– 3 tbsp. chickpea flour (and 3 tbsp. water)

– 1/3 cup coconut sugar

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

– 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

– 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

– 1/8 tsp. cloves

– 1/8 tsp. allspice

– Pinch of salt 

Directions

– Preheat oven to 350F.

– Grease a small baking dish with oil.  Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes.

– In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients (except the bread) until smooth.  Fold the bread into the pudding mixture.

– Remove bread and put into the baking dish, then pour the leftover pudding on top of the bread.

– Bake for 20-45 minutes until the pudding is firm and the top is golden brown.  Cool for 20 minutes and enjoy.

*Modified from this recipe

Paleo Lemon Cooking (vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)

Recipe Here

The post 18 Delicious Recipes from our Winter Recipe Club Meetings appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

Stir Fry and Vegan Cheesy Fajitas (FOOD PREP!)

   We find that when people start eating healthy and eating more vegetables, they also start spending a lot more time in the kitchen!  This is why when we have cooking demonstrations we teach our members how to make multiple meals out of the same ingredients and all at the same time.  

   In this cooking demonstration we show you how to make three different recipes using the same basic ingredients, in less than an hour!  

Mushroom and Quinoa Stir Fry (step 1)

Ingredients

–       1 cup red quinoa (soaked over night)

–       2 garlic cloves (chopped or minced)

–       1 container (or about 8) cremini mushrooms (sliced)

–       2 small onions (chopped)

–       ½ avocado (chopped)

 Directions

–       Chop 2 big cloves of garlic.  *Do this first and let the garlic sit for 10 minutes.  Allowing the garlic to sit after chopping prevents allicin from being destroyed during cooking.  Allicin is anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer!  

–       Cook 1 cup red quinoa in 2 cups of water (or vegetable broth for more flavor).  Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes, make sure water doesn’t completely evaporate.  Stir every few minutes.  When quinoa is cooked you will see a “tail” where the lining of the quinoa curls up.

–       Place garlic and onion in a stir fry pan, add about ½ cup vegetable broth (more if needed) and heat on low-medium.

–       After about 5 minutes (or until onions are translucent) add mushrooms, stirring occasionally and cook for another 5-10 minutes

–       Once mushrooms are cooked pour 3/4 the mixture into a bowl, add ½ cup quinoa and avocado, enjoy!  ***KEEP 1/4 of this mixture to add to your fajitas (next recipe) 😀

“Cheesy Vegan Fajitas” (step 2)

Ingredients

For the Fajitas:

–  2-3 romaine leaves 

–  Leftover mushroom stir fry 

–  2 peppers (yellow, red, or orange, sliced)

– 1/2 avocado chopped (optional)

For Cheese Sauce:

– 3/4 cup cashews (soaked 8 hours or overnight)

– 1/2 cup vegetable broth

– 2 garlic cloves

– 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

– 1 tsp. dijon mustard (Annie’s Organic is a great brand)

– 1/2 lemon

Directions: 

– In a food processor combine cashews, vegetable broth, garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard, and juice of 1/2 lemon.  Blend until thin.  

– Add peppers to the mixture of mushrooms, garlic, and onions.  Sauté for 1-2 minutes.  

– Place cheese sauce in the lettuce cups, top with the mixture of peppers, mushrooms, garlic and onions. 

– Top with 1/2 avocado if desired!

Green Goodness Stir Fry (step 3)

Ingredients:

– 1 bush of kale

– Few handfuls of spinach 

– Few handfuls of green beans

– 1 pomegranate 

– 1/2 lemon

Directions:

– Place kale in a bowl and massage for 2-4 minutes.  This is going to breakdown the cell walls of the kale to bring out the flavor and make it easier to digest!  

– Chop kale

– Add about 1/2 cup of vegetable broth into your sauté pan and heat.  There will still be some garlic and onion in your sauté pan, but add more for flavoring as needed. 

– Add green beans and kale 

– Cook for 2-3 minutes until kale and green beans begin to soften, then add spinach.  Stir frequently.  

– Cut 1 pomegranate in half, and scoop out seeds.  Sprinkle on top of stir fry, and enjoy on any other dish!  

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