Alfredo Zoodles Recipe

My kids have this love/hate thing going on with zoodles. Sometimes my oldest 2 boys love them and other times they look at me sideways when I serve it.

Zoodles are just zucchini used as noodles in a recipe. It's perfect for people who are interested in eating more gluten-free meals and for those (like me) who want to make a quick lunch.

I really like this spiraler from Amazon

This recipe is definitely one that doesn't require that you turn on the stove. All you need is a spiraler (or vegetable peeler like I used in the other recipe), your blender and other ingredients for the sauce.

Our experience with zoodles:

*I've tried making the zoodles by steaming and sauteing them a few times before and they come too watery. We prefer them uncooked/raw.

*My kids seem to like zoodles with marinara sauce more than with alfredo and avocado sauce (I made a vegan version using avocado from FitMenCook).

*We usually eat our zoodles without the skin, so I don't know whether or not there's a difference in flavor/texture with the skin on.

Eric and I love the flavor of this recipe and it didn't take much time at all for me to get this on the table for lunch.

Here it is! Try it and let me know whether or not your family likes it. :-)

Alfredo Zoodles

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: raw entree vegan vegetarian

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 5 large zucchini
• 1 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
• 1/2 cup water (add more water if the sauce is too thick)
• 1 garlic clove
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 cup spring mix lettuce

Instructions

Using a spiraler, vegetable peeler or knife and cut the zucchini into strips.

To make the sauce: In a blender add in all the remaining ingredients (except the spring mix) and process until smooth.

In a large bowl, cover the zucchini with the alfredo sauce and use tongs to combine the sauce and zucchini evenly.

Mix in spring mix and enjoy!

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Coconut Lentil Soup Recipe | Great Weeknight Meal

Watch the video below…

Coconut Lentil Soup

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: saute entree soup/stew vegan vegetarian gluten-free nut-free soy-free sugar-free Indian

Ingredients (Serves 5)

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or broth
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 14 oz can of coconut milk
• Juice of half a lemon
• Serve this soup with rice and garnish with cilantro

Instructions

1. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic for 7 minutes on medium heat.

2. Mix in cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, black pepper and ginger.

3. Continue cooking for 1 minute.

4. Add in lentils, vegetable broth and coconut milk.

5. Bring soup to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to med-lo, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

7. Mix in lemon juice

8. Serve with rice and cilantro.

9. Add salt to taste, if necessary.

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Recipe adapted from Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Kitchen

Want Chips? Eat This Instead

I wanted a bag of chips...plain Lay's potato chips to be more specific. I almost hopped in our van to get some, but stopped to think about what I really wanted.

I really just wanted a salty, crispy snack.

I made some kale chips instead. #progress I'm a firm believer in replacing food/ingredients instead of saying that you can't eat it anymore. I know that may sound funny because I don't eat meat, dairy or eggs, but that's different because I avoid those for ethical reasons.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely giving up chips (in fact I had some for lunch a few weeks ago lol), but I do want to be more intentional about the food decisions I make. Instead of hopping in the van and going to Wawa for a bag, I took a moment and considered if there's an alternative.

About these kale chips

They're crispy, slightly salty (add more if you need to) and so delicious. Another bonus to making your own kale chips, is that you'll save money because the ones in the store are usually $6-$8. No ma'am.

Elijah and I ate the whole batch (you know he's my picky eater) and I had to make more for everyone else.

Update me when you try the recipe!

Take a trip down memory line with me. Check out this old video with Brandon stuffing his face with kale chips. Ha! This was like my second YouTube video ever.

What food have you replaced recently?

Simple Kale Chips

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: bake vegan

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of curly kale, washed, de-stemed and cut into bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven at 350º

In a large bowl, toss kale with olive oil and salt until evenly coated.

Spread a 1/3 of the kale on a baking sheet in a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the pan.

Roast for about 10 minutes (or until crispy), checking to make sure it doesn't burn.

Repeat with the remaining kale (a 1/3 at a time) and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.

Enjoy!

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A Vegan Taste of NYC-Will Travel for Food

I went to NYC last weekend to attend their Veg Food Fest.  After standing in line outside for an hour (it took me back to the nightclub days) we sampled vegan treats from all over the city. I didn't take many pictures in the venue but it was cool to meet FullyRawKristina.

She's super sweet and down to earth. My girl, Monique was excited to meet her, too.

Sorry about the dim pictures...the lighting was very low in this restaurant

Afterwards, we met up with Michelle & a college friend of hers for green juice shots and appetizers at Quintessence in the east village. Monique heard great things about this place (I think she read reviews online) but the service was terrible and the food wasn't good. Umm, yeah. I swear they acted like we were bothering them by being there. Whatever!

V-Note

Afterward that we hopped in a cab and went to V-Note for dinner with one of our YouTube subscribers.  I'm sooo in love with this restaurant!! The ambiance. The food. The service. Amazing! A whole menu of vegan eats? We went in on that menu by ordering a little bit of everything. Everything. Everything. *in my Kat Williams voice*

We decided to share all the dishes and for appetizers we had black-eyed peas cake, mushroom scallops & potato crisps, mushroom calamari and lentil rings. The lentil rings were my favorite!

Our main dishes were tofu "salmon", beet ravioli, creamy 3 mushroom risotto and crispy pine nut & basil seitan.  We also had sauteed spinach & quinoa as side dishes (not pictured). The beet ravioli was my favorite here.

Dessert- cheesecake, carrot cake & tiramisu-all 3 were my favorite. lol

Lots of laughter, conversation and even a lot of head turns when a lady walked into the restaurant wearing a fur coat. She only stayed for a few minutes but that was awkward.

Hotel Eats

This was my first time in NYC in over 10 years and I used the time to recharge by coming without Eric and the kids. Being in the city alone (I didn't meet up Monique & Michelle until Saturday) was definitely uncomfortable but I did it anyway.

I got a great deal at the Hyatt in Times Square (hey, Priceline!) and they took care of me by having vegan options (other than salad and a veggie burger) on the menu. Friday night I had vegan chili with quinoa and on Saturday I had a simple tofu scramble with toast. They actually had a huge vegan breakfast platter but I skipped it because I knew I would have food overload later. I was right. lol

Will I go to Veg Food Fest NYC again?

I had an awesome weekend but I doubt I will go to another Veg Fest in NYC. We paid $30 in advance to wait outside for an hour (Michelle decided not to wait in the long line) and I guess I was expecting more. Maybe DC has me spoiled (since we get more samples and there's no charge) with our Veg Fest.

Even though I don't plan to attend the fest again, I will definitely be back to NYC. I will always travel for food. :-)

What We Ate Today #5 (VIDEO)

I often get questions about what we eat as a family, so I'm back to making more "what we ate today" videos.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with medjool dates, cinnamon & apples on top

Lunch: Leftover roasted vegetables with quinoa pasta

Snack: plum tomatoes, orange slices and Ritz crackers & peanut butter

Dinner: I veganized the "Drenched Bean Quesadillas" recipe from Mexican Made Easy by Marcella Valladolid

Vegan Sour cream recipe from dinner-

*15 oz can of coconut milk

*1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice

*1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Place the coconut can in the fridge overnight.  Open can from the bottom to drain the water. Scoop out the “cream” and place in a small bowl. Whisk in the acv or lemon juice and salt.

I got this recipe from my girl, Kimber.

More videos like this to come! Be sure to subscribe to the blog and my YouTube channel to get updates.

Check out all the previous "What We Ate Today" posts here