Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Beans and Veggies
Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Beans, and Veggies is a catch-all name for an entree that has it all: potatoes, beans, greens, carrots, and mushrooms. Although the star of the show is the sweet potato (three different kinds), the other vegetables and beans add a lot of flavor (and nutrients) to the dish.
Two helpful hints: don’t skimp on the seasoning. Although the vegetables are delicious together, a few teaspoons of dried spices can really add a lot of zip to this dish. Read more 
Is There Anything More Beautiful Than A Dragon Fruit?
To me, a Pitaya – also known as a Dragon Fruit – looks like a fruit worthy of the fanciest fruit salad. With a fluorescent magenta and green outer skin covering a slightly sweet juicy interior that tastes like a melon, the Dragon Fruit is both beautiful to look at and scrumptious to eat.
In fact, it’s so beautiful to look at, that I often use a few as a center piece on the table until ripe (note: as the fruit ripens, the pink color gets brighter and brighter). Then, I place the fruit in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours or overnight because the flavor is best when chilled. Read more
The Double A BCD Salad
The Double A BCD Salad is a crunchy, colorful, nutritious and delicious salad that takes about 10 minutes to make. Made with 5 primary ingredients: apple, avocado, beans, celery, and dill, the Double A BCD Salad is full of nutrients, fiber, and flavor. So on those days when you don’t have a lot of time for food prep, consider making this amazing salad for lunch or supper. For an added boost of nutrition, serve the salad on a bed of greens. Read more
Proteinaholic
It’s been said that we don’t change when we see the light, but when we feel the heat.
Those are the words of Dr. Garth Davis, MD – a board-certified surgeon – who specializes in bariatric surgery in Asheville, NC. Prior to moving to Asheville in 2018, Dr. Davis was the medical director of the Davis Clinic at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. A graduate of University of Texas in Austin, and the Baylor School of Medicine, Dr. Davis completed his surgical residency at the University of Michigan. Read more
Caesar Salad Revisited
The classic Caesar Salad was one of my favorite salads for decades but after adopting a plant-based diet, this Mexican (yes, the Caesar Salad originated in Mexico) salad was no longer an option.
I would be less than honest if I didn’t admit I missed this classic side dish. But, not for long because I figured out how to make a tangy and creamy Caesar Salad without the eggs, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, and parmesan cheese. At first, I relied on store-bought vegan salad dressings but most had a lot of oil, which I try to minimize and then, I realized two things: one, I could make my own creamy dressing using raw cashews; and two, Follow Your Heart® Dairy Free Parmesan makes the salad taste more authentic. Read more
Shepherd’s Pie (Vegan)
Shepherd’s Pie – that quintessential British favorite made with lamb, vegetables, and spices in a gravy sauce topped with mashed potatoes – is one of Britain’s most well-known comfort foods. Tradition dictates that a Shepherd’s Pie cannot be a Shepherd’s Pie without lamb (if beef is used, then the dish is called Cottage Pie) but I beg to differ.
A Shepherd’s Pie made with a variety of vegetables, beans, and spices in a vegetable broth sauce topped with mashed potatoes is one of the all-time great variations of this traditional favorite. And, the plant-based option is more nutritious (no meat, oil, or dairy) than the original version, easy to make, and totally delicious. Read more
Le Botaniste: Not to Miss!
Le Botaniste in Soho (and also on the Upper East Side) looks like an old-fashioned European apothecary with a black and white checkered floor manned by staff wearing white pharmaceutical jackets. But, instead of rows and rows of “drugs” lined up alphabetically on shelves, the “drugs of choice” – plant food in a rainbow of colored Le Creuset round oven pots and perfectly appointed built in bowls – are front and center behind crystal clear glass.
A plant-based food and wine bar that operates under the mantra attributed to Hippocrates “let food be thy medicine…,” Le Botaniste is an exquisite looking cafe that bills itself as 100% botanical, 99% organic, and gluten-free. It’s also 100% delicious. Read more
Whole Grain Thumbprint Cookies
Whole Grain Thumbprint Cookies are delicious cookies made without butter, eggs, refined sugar, or oil. Yes, these cookies taste surprisingly good because they are made with stellar ingredients (oats, spelt, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut flakes, etc) but in all honesty, if you’re used to buttery sweet cookies, these may not be the cookies for you. My husband, a non-vegan thinks these cookies taste like dirt (his words) but I find them scrumptious – oaty and nutty with a hint of coconut and cinnamon. So, I think it all depends on what you’re used to eating.
The small amount of jam in the center is essential (there’s just something special about a little bit of berry or peach jam in a whole grain cookie). Read more
Walnut Oat Date Crumble
When I started making baked apples with a crumble made of oats, walnuts, dates, almond butter, and cinnamon, I often had leftover crumble that tasted delicious sprinkled over oatmeal, muesli, and cereal. Then I found myself making the crumble in bulk and keeping it in an airtight container in the refrigerator because I used it so often.
Realizing that I was on to something, I then made variations (i.e. omitted the cinnamon and add dark chocolate chips) and then found myself with two different types of crumble always in my refrigerator, one with a cinnamon emphasis and the other filled with dark chocolate chips. Read more
OWL Bakery in Asheville, NC
Asheville, North Carolina may be known for the Biltmore Estate (the largest privately owned house in the United States) but it’s also the home of OWL Bakery – a European-style bakery that specializes in pastries, handmade breads, salads, quiches, coffee, and teas.
Located in a small white cottage in West Asheville, just a few miles from the city center, OWL Bakery is not a vegan or vegetarian bakery, but a place that welcomes and caters to all types of foodies. What draws everyone to this incredible bakery, is the quality and flavor of the food, which is made using mostly locally grown ingredients. Read more
Paddock Post 