Some exciting news and my take on Asian Lettuce Wraps

      Sometimes, life just gets in the way and you need to take a break.  Sorry I haven't been posting lately, but my life has been a bit upside down with a heavy workload at school, work, and random stuff going on in my world.  But I have been thinking of you guys and I did notice that our facebook fan page is almost to 100 followers!  That is amazing!  Thank you all for being such wonderful fans and sharing my site with friends and family, I can't put into words how much that means to me.
      Some of you might be wondering what has being going on in fitness world with me, no fear I will post an update soon and get my reviews finished.  Same goes for the four week plan, sorry if that messed anyone up.  I'll get back on track soon, I promise.  :o)
      Now for my exciting news!  I recently got an email from the amazing So Delicious company asking me to participate in a recipe contest they will be having in the coming weeks!  They make that really awesome coconut milk/creamer/ice cream and are debuting a new Almond milk line that I'm sure will blow our socks off.  I really adore this company for making exclusively vegan products, fortifying them, and of course turning a lot of my baking and cooking creations into gold.  I'm so excited to show off my (admittedly amateur) culinary skills for a chance to compete for some pretty awesome prizes.  I will let everyone know when it hits facebook, and I would love it if you would help my recipes get selected by voting for them.  More details to come, I just wanted to share my news.  And of course I will post the recipes on the blog once the competition is over.  Thanks again to everyone who reads and supports this blog, without you guys I never would have had this opportunity!

      Looking for something quick, easy, and uber satisfying for dinner tonight?  Then look no further, these lettuce wraps are similar to a favorite dish of mine at the Cheesecake Factory but a whole lot more inexpensive, healthy, and so quick to pull together.  I found all of my ingredients at Trader Joes, if anyone is wondering what brands I used.  I hope you guys enjoy them as much as my family did!

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large bag frozen stir fry vegetables
2 blocks firm tofu - drained and pressed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large head of iceberg lettuce
3 Tbsp minced garlic
High heat oil such as sunflower
1 bundle of green onions - diced
Favorite marinade - I used Soyaki, a soy sauce and terriyaki blend with ginger and sesame seeds
Optional drizzle sauce:
1 cup vegan sour cream
4 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro
fresh pepper to taste

   ~ Prep your lettuce cups by slicing off the bottom stem and submerging in a large mixing bowl full of water.  This will gently rinse your leaves and allow you to carefully separate them.  Peel from the stem up and try not to tear.  Place wet leaves on paper towels to dry.  As you get to the middle there wont be much usable leaves left and that's ok because you will use the center for the filling later.  Chiffon (thin shred slices) the remaining center leaves so you have 1 cup.
   ~ Make the optional sauce by whisking the sour cream, lime juice, cilantro and pepper together in a bowl.  Set aside.

   ~ Heat a heavy skillet like cast iron over medium high heat.  Coat the bottom of the pan with the oil and add tofu.  Brown on all sides till slightly crisp, turning every 8 minutes or so with a thin spatula.  Try your best not to shred up the tofu, but it'll will be fine if it tears a little.  Transfer tofu to a plate covered with paper towels.
   ~ Add 2 tbsp more oil to the skillet along with the garlic, marinade (start with a 1/2 cup), and frozen veggies.  Saute over high heat until crisp and cooked throughout.  Add the tofu back to the skillet and saute for a few more minutes, adding more marinade as needed.

   ~ Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and toss with the green onions and 1 cup shredded lettuce.  Serve buffet style with sauce and lettuce cups.  Fill lettuce cups with mixture, top with some sauce and wrap into an adorable make shift lettuce burrito.  Yay!

Party Food ~ Taco Chili

      Better late than never right?  While I should have gotten these recipes up before the Superbowl (Go Giants!) I feel that they are too good not to share.  Here is the first of my favorite crowd pleasers; taco chili.  This chili is very filling, with a little kick, and surprisingly good for you.  Use this to make some loaded nachos or pour over brown rice for a filling meal.  Either way if you have a crock-pot this will be one of the easiest things you can throw together in a pinch.  Enjoy everyone!

Taco Chili

Ingredients

• 1 large can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 can of water (from the one of the bean cans)
• 1/2 cup salsa 
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 1 package ready made black lentils (optional, I get mine from Trader Joe's)

     ~Rinse the beans well before adding them to the crock-pot.  Combine all ingredients in crock-pot and cook accordingly.  For best results cook on low for 8-10 hours, however I have made this in a pinch on the high setting and it has come out just fine.

Week 3 ~ Indulge a little with my take on Pasta Carbonara

      If you are a big fan of Italian cuisine like I am you know that the marriage of fresh sauteed veggies, Italian herbs and seasonings, pasta, and cream sauce can be absolutely addicting.  However it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that all that butter, wine, white flour, greasy meat and heavy cream completely eclipses any good those veggies might be doing.  Actually, now that I think of it, I'm not really sure what the culinary and nutritional education might be for a rocket scientist...  

      Anyway, I was craving something really indulgent last night and luckily I spotted some artichoke hearts in the fridge which made me think of those creamy delicious Italian pasta dishes.  So I came up with my own take on a Pasta Carbonara.  Very vegan, very delicious, and a heck of a lot more healthy for you than what you would order out.  What's my secret ingredient?  The same thing I always turn to for a creamy dish or decadent dessert recipe; So Delicious Coconut Creamer.  Really anything this company makes is liquid gold, they even offer sugar free stuff.  Amazement.  I hope you guys enjoy this one, I'm going to see if there is anything leftovers.

Pasta Carbonara

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• One box of your favorite pasta (I used Orecchiette, just make sure its vegan)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 1 can artichoke hearts drained and pulled apart
• 1 box Uptons Italian Seitan, crumbled
• 3 TBSP: basil, parsley
• fresh pepper
• 1/4 cup So Delicious Coconut Creamer Original
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• One container low sodium veg broth
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice (I kind of have a heavy hand with the lemon juice, start with 4 Tbsp but I'm pretty sure I used about 1/4 cup)
• EVOO

   ~Cook pasta according to directions

   ~In a small saute pan heat 1 tbsp EVOO and saute crumbled seitan and pine nuts over medium high heat until nicely browned.

   ~In a large saute pan pour enough broth in so that it covers the bottom of the pan.  Add the spinach and steam down over medium heat with a lid covering the pan.  Once spinach is wilted down enough set aside.  Add artichokes, herbs, pepper, garlic, lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp EVOO to the pan and saute over medium high heat for 3 minutes.  

   ~In a measuring cup or small bowl add 2 cups (room temp or warm) broth and flour.  Whisk until well combined. Add this mixture to the large saute pan along with the seitan mixture from the small pan.  Add the coconut creamer and allow mixture to come to a bubble over medium high heat.  Test your sauce.  If it needs to be thinned out then add more broth.  Stir in spinach.  Combine with pasta and toss in a large bowl.  

   ~Some great things to put on top would be some vegan parm, fresh chopped herbs, or my favorite; green onions and fresh chopped tomatoes.  Enjoy!

Isn't it pretty with green onions and tomatoes!

Week 3 ~ Fortify and Gain Momentum

      Congratulations everyone, you are now at the half way point of our plan!  This week involves healthy swaps, adding spices, more protein and wholesome meals.  You will also be building an exercise regimen in addition to the foundation from week two.  By now you should have a sense of what foods make you feel amazing and what foods you should have in moderation.  Everyone is so different and what feels right for you may not feel right for others, so continue to listen to your body and experiment with new foods.  This week is going to set a pattern of what you eat and how you work out.  If you take the time and put in the effort, week four will be a breeze!

     FOOD-    At this point you can feel free to add anything you like back into your diet within reason.  Just because it's ok to indulge a little here and there, doesn't mean that you should stock up on oreos and doritos.  If you want feel amazing and stay healthy then stay away from the drive throughs and processed foods.  A mantra that I keep repeating before I put anything in my mouth is: "Your stomach is not a garbage pail".  This has really helped me put into perspective portion sizes and has helped me not to indulge in things that are 'garbage'.  Keep limiting your salt and caffeine when you can as well.  When choosing alcohol reach for (in order of best choice) red wine, white wine, beer, mixed drinks.  Wine is always a better choice because it is fermented and the red contains little sugars, you get bonus points for finding sulfate free and choosing organic.  Check out my post about Alcohol's Dirty Little Secret.
   

My Snack Station

   For me week one was mostly about getting rid of the sugars.  White sugar and high fructose corn syrup should be avoided like the plague.  I hate how I feel when I have them as they take me on an emotional high and my heart races out of control and then I crash.  My favorite sweeteners are raw agave, brown rice syrup or barley malt syrup.  And now that I eliminated sugar almost completely from my diet, I really have no need for them unless I'm baking.  So please try and avoid added sugars but also know that it is fine to have a sweet here and there.   What you should focus on this week is making healthy swaps such as brown instead of white rice, herbal tea instead of coffee and fruit instead of cookies.  You know what healthy swaps you should be making as everyone is on a different diet/level of eating.  Also take the time to try new things and recipes, I found out recently that I LOVE wild black rice, who knew?  And feel free to spice things up by trying new spices and added them to your dishes.  Basically keep the things you've learned from weeks 1-2 and improve on them by making healthy swaps and continue to plan ahead when you can.

Ants on a Snowy Log!

   
       Keep using the hunger scale, and if you haven't already make a snack station in your fridge or pantry!  This will always give you something healthy that you can reach for and it will really help with on the go lunches/snacks throughout your busy week.  In mine I put baggies of edamame, carrots, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and then 2 bags of all those mixed that I can take to school with me, individual wrapped dark chocolate, and then on the side a to go cup of hummus, and a container of ants on a snowy log (celery stalks, almond butter, coconut shreds and raisins - My favorite protein and energy packed snack!).


       FITNESS/BODY - Build a workout regimen you can stick to.  I know everyone is busy, trust me I'm the queen of busy, but everyone has a few minutes here and there to move their body.  If you started your own fitness regimen last week then stick with and give it all you've got this week!  The schedule below is a suggested routine if you were following the one from last week, and If you have certain days where you have more time then by all means use that time to do a little more.  Just don't take off any days, you want to go a little easier on those days not take off. Do yoga wherever you can fit it in.  The goal here is to do SOMETHING every day, even if that means dancing around naked while blasting LMFAO's "Sexy and I know it"... ahem, that's what I hear some people do...just make sure your curtains are closed :o)

Fit Plan	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Upper Body Lower Body	X     X	X	X     X	X	X     X	X	X     X
Cardio Moves	X		X		X		X
Walk/Jog	5	10	5	10	5	10	5

     **** The exercises can be found here:
  Upper body
  Lower Body
  Cardio Moves

Also the numbers that follow the days in the walk/jog section are the number of songs.  You will walking one song, jogging one song and so forth.  If you don't listen to music then go by 2-3 minute increments.  Make sure to stretch after your cardio.

      That's the plan for Week Three!  By the end of this week you will have implemented a fitness routine, upped your fitness level, strengthened and toned your body and developed healthy eating patterns.  Stay tuned during the week for tips and tricks, recipes and my favorite play lists to workout to.  As always post any questions or comments on our fb page, I'd love to know how you guys are doing!  Enjoy everyone!

Week 2 ~ Seitan Adobo Stew

      Right now I am doing the "happy stew dance" because I just hit the stew jackpot!  I am so excited to share this recipe with you guys because not only is it a perfect healthy candidate for our week two meals but it is also just the cure for these cold, wet, and dismal January days.  I found this recipe in the latest issue of VegNews magazine and it was submitted by Terry Hope Romero who is the author of Vegan Pie in the Sky.  This is my adaptation of her recipe.  The stew has a wonderfully bold flavor that is perfect over plain brown rice and sprinkled with fresh diced tomatoes and chopped green onions.  If you want your stew a little less bold consider replacing 1/2 cup of the shoyu with vegetable broth.  I hope you enjoy!

Seitan Adobo Stew
*Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 4 cups diced red potatoes
• 8 Tbsp high heat veg oil (I used Safflower)
• 7 cups diced eggplant (about 2 medium eggplants)  *Please see note about preparing eggplant!
• 24 oz diced seitan
• 3 Tbsp crushed garlic paste or 6 Tbsp minced garlic
• fresh pepper
• 1 1/3 cups shoyu or mild soy sauce
• 1-2 cups veg broth
• 2/4 cup brown rice vinegar
• 2-3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 bay leaves

Garnish

• chopped fresh tomatoes
• chopped green onions
• cooked brown rice to serve over

****To prepare eggplant- peel and dice eggplant and place in a large bowl full of ice water.  Stir occasionally for at least 15 minutes.  When the water turns a deep black/purple it is ready.  Drain and set aside.  (This is to remove the toxins from the eggplant since it is part of the nightshade family.  Many people get sick from eggplant and this is the reason.  If you want to keep your body from working overtime I suggest this method.)

      ~In a medium/large pot, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer for 7-8 minutes or until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.  Drain and set aside.
      ~In a large pot or dutch oven over medium/high heat, heat 4 Tbsp oil.  Add eggplant and saute for 4-5 mins or until browned on all sides.  Remove from pot and set aside.  Add another 2 Tbsp oil and brown seitan, flipping occasionally until edges are golden.  Remove from pot and set aside.
      ~Add remaining oil and veg broth and deglaze the pan, scraping at the bottom until all the stuff at the bottom is up in the sauce.  Add flour and whisk into a roux.  Add garlic, pepper, eggplant, seitan, and potatoes.  Toss ingredients with the roux so it is evenly coated.  Add shoyu, vinegar, brown sugar, and bay leaves and stir gently.  Bring to a bubbling simmer and gently stir a few more times.  Reduce heat to low.
      ~Cover and simmer for 30-40 mins, occasionally stirring.  Sauce will reduce and eggplant will be very tender,  Remove from heat, partially uncover, and let stand for 10 minutes.  Ladle stew over brown rice and top with chopped tomatoes and green onions.  

Week 2 ~ Healthy Pizza and the Giveaway Winner

      Hi everyone, I hope your week two is off to a great start!  I wanted to finally announce the winner of our one year anniversary giveaway!  Thank you to everyone who entered, all of your resolutions are fantastic and I wish you the best of luck with them.  2012 is our year!  After a random selection I'm pleased to announce that Margaret is our winner!!!

    "Congratulations on your anniversary! My boyfriend recently turned vegan so I am trying to help by making good dairy substituted-recipes. :-) One that I'm working on today is a Kale pesto recipe in which I'm going to use misopaste instead of cheese for the flavoring. My resolution is to get back into fitness because I've definitely been lagging on that in the last year.

xo,

Margaret"

      Good luck with your recipes Margaret and your fitness goals!  Email me at littleveganthatcould@hotmail.com and let me know your shipping address and which book you've had your eye on to help you achieve your resolutions this year.  Thanks again for entering!

      On that note I'd like to share a favorite pizza recipe of mine that is perfect for our week two goals!  This pizza is easy to assemble and can be modified easily to satisfy your tastes.  My stepmom made hers tonight without the tomatoes and daiya mozzarella and replaced them with salsa and daiya cheddar.  So yum, filling and wickedly good for you!

Healthy Pizza

*makes two single serving pizzas*

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups diced mushrooms (I used porcini)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 yellow onion cut into half moon slices
• fresh pepper
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp each dried oregano, basil 
• 2tbsp EVOO
• 2 brown rice tortilla
• 1/2 cup daiya cheese of choice (I used mozzarella)
• 1 tomato chopped or sun dried tomatoes

Saute garlic, onions, herbs, and mushrooms in EVOO until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add spinach and lemon juice and cover with a large lid until spinach is wilted, about a minute or two.  Add fresh pepper to taste and saute until liquid is mostly absorbed.  Assemble the brown rice tortillas on a broiler pan and top with the saute mixture, tomatoes, and cheese.  Broil for a 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted, cut into slices and enjoy!

Week Two ~ Hit the Ground Running

     
       Hooray, it's Week Two of our New Year New You plan!  If you are just joining us be sure to check out the outline of the plan here and the week one posts following them.  This week is all about building a healthy foundation with food and establishing a fitness routine that you can fall back on.  You will also be adding in the next level of healthy foods from where you are currently while still being mindful of the vices we talked about in week one. 


      Food

• Determine what "genre" your diet falls in.  Are you an omnivore, vegan, vegetarian, flexatarian?  Does your diet include a lot of purchased ready to go meals like frozen foods?  Do you tend to lean more towards "junk food", eating out, or maybe assembling meals with processed things (vegan or not) like cheese, bread, pasta, etc.  Wherever you might be, this week I'd like you to move towards the next level.  You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen, just try a few new things and establish some healthy go to recipes you can make ahead of time and take with you.  For example I'm vegan but lately I've noticed my diet has become more processed than I'd like with fake cheeses, ready made falafel patties and I've stuck with the same couscous dish I've been eating since forever.  I'm going to reach for more unprocessed foods like straight grains, veggies, beans/legumes and fruits and I'm going to make some staple dishes ahead of time.  By having a plan you will be able to avoid pitfalls and be sure that you wont ever be starving and desperate.

• Use the hunger scale to determine what you really need to eat and it will keep your portions in check without having to count calories.  Aim to snack through out the day so that you stay around 4-6.  Here is a great description of the Hunger Scale.

• Create a snack station in your fridge.  This could include cut up veggies and fruits, ants on a log, nuts, date bars, garbanzo beans, dark chocolate, and whatever else you can think of that will give you something healthy to grab when you are on the prowl.

• Continue drinking green smoothies and introduce lemon water if you haven't already.  Also find a few recipes you want to try and make a few things ahead of time.  If you need options on the goal scope out restaurants ahead of time and look at menus online.  I know that Starbucks always has nuts and dried fruit and a great healthy oatmeal if I need a quick snack and qdoba has many vegan ingredients that I can customize into a healthy meal.  The goal is to have a foundation that you will always be able to fall back on.

      Fitness

• Build strength and increase the cardio.  Move up from the level you are currently at.  If last week was the first time you started moving increase the intensity or time you are moving.  This could include walking, yoga, dancing, cleaning, swimming, etc.  If you have exercise dvds or another fitness program in mind this is a great time to start it but ease into it if it is much more difficult than you are doing now.  If you don't have any specific plans in mind then up your cardio and try working on Core and Arm strength, this will get you ready for weeks three and four.  You don't need to go crazy just commit to a routine and work on getting your body use to working out daily.  Aim for at least 30 minutes everyday and make sure you are breaking a sweat.  Try to fit in some Yoga stretches here and there but especially at the end of the week, its necessary to keep lactic acid from building up and it helps to eliminate toxins.  Here is a fitness plan you can follow to work on core and arm strength and build cardio.

Fit Plan	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Core	X		X		X	X	X
Arm		X		X	X	X	X
Walk/Jog	5 mins	7 mins	9 mins	11 mins	13 mins	14 mins	15 mins

  Here are some Core Exercise

Firming your core

Core Series

Here are some Arm Exercises

Arm toning routine

Strong Arms

     Feel free to search more on the Whole Living site, they have wonderful recipes and exercises!  Also check out yoga journal, YouTube and the yoga label under fitness on our blog for some great yoga routines and poses.  Good luck everyone with week two and stay tuned for some of my favorite recipes and tips throughout the week.