Another busy week. Another easy recipe.

Mashed Beets, Ground Lamb & Sliced Bread

Nectarine Salad

It’s Men’s Health Week this June 11th-17th. And holy crap we’re busy! Jake’s working overtime & I’m in yoga school & Writing In Light course. And we’re moving again soon. We’ve got a lot going on. My bet is you do too!

Why is it that when we’re busy we also seem to eat things that lack flavor? Well I hope I can help. “Where’s the flavor?” This is a question I ask myself when I’m cooking. It’s what drives me to try new things. It’s where I get the permission to use a recipe as a guideline, not what I’m supposed to do.

To help add tons of flavor for my hungry hungry hippo boyfriend (AND keep it easy on myself), I’ve decide on a simple dinner. Nope, you’re right, it’s not completely plant-based. Here’s the thing, we PRIMARILY eat plant-based. We are not vegan, nor vegetarian, nor paleo, nor gluten-free, nor an omnivore. I find the labels alone annoying. We like tasty food. Food that heals is even better. But we’re human and sometimes we mix it up.

Since it’s Men’s Health Week, I decided Jake’s flavor platte could be in charge. I’ll do 2 easy recipes for you today. Make leftovers so you can eat it twice!

1. Mashed Beets, Ground Lamb & Bread

2. Nectarine Salad

We did NOT make our own bread. We sliced store-bought bread (remember, keep it easy on yourself). Now that you have that permission, let’s get started:

Mashed Beets
(if you have more than one burner you can simultaneously cook the lamb as well)

4-6 Red Beets
1 Lg Sweet Potato
1 Red Apple
Coconut Oil (for smashing; or Olive oil if you desire)
Almond Milk ¼ cup  (for smashing; slowly add more if needed)
Salt/Pepper

1. Peel beets, potato & apple
   -also core the apple or cut around it (my favorite, I’m not going for even looking pieces. I don’t own a restaurant.)

2. Steam for 30-40 min; until soft
   -the smaller your pieces the faster they’ll get soft
   -if you have more than one burner this is a good time to start the lamb & chop your veggies for your salad

3. Smash with desired amounts of coconut oil & almond milk

4. Add Salt & Pepper to your desired amount

Ground Lamb
1 lb Ground Lamb
1 tbsp Rosemary
Coconut Oil (or Olive oil if you desire)
Salt/Pepper

1. Saute lamb with chosen oil, rosemary, salt & pepper (cook through but be careful to not overdry)

2. Make your plate. Bread slices. Mashed Beets with Ground Lamb on top. ENJOY!

Nectarine Salad
1 Romaine
¼-½ Red Onion (depending on how tart you like it)
2 Nectarines
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
1 Cucumber
Feta (or leave out)

1. Cut Romaine into bite-sized pieces and put in your salad bowl

2. Chop Red Onion and add to bowl

3. Chop Nectarines (de-seed) and add to bowl

4. Chop Cherry Tomatoes in half and add to bowl

5. Slice cucumbers and add to bowl

6. If desired, sprinkle Feta

7. Add your favorite dressing (we enjoyed a vinaigrette)

8. ENJOY!!! You can also have some of your bread slices with your salad.

He’ll be so thankful for the flavor, I’ll bet you could get him to do the dishes. And you get to experience the extra free time while he focuses on his health.

Hope you enjoy!

Love,
Waffle
Ps. Share with anyone you know that needs a tasty and easy meal. Take a pic of your creation & tag me on Instagram @whatsyourwaffle. Enjoy guys. Happy Men’s Health Week. Eat up!

Are you out of time & trying to eat healthy?

Everyone I’ve encountered has a food story. Full of challenges, hardships & joy. Currently my challenge is I’m cooking on a hot plate. But this ‘story’ started much earlier.

I love cooking. The sound of the oils spewing through the air when I squeeze a lemon. The smell, omg, the aroooma. Of sautéing onions and garlic. Hits us right in the nose and reminds our stomachs how hungry we are.

There was a problem though. I didn't cook well and I was now curious about why I kept getting sick at such a young age. Desperate and tired of doctor appointments I went way out of my comfort zone. I saw a homeopathic doctor. My "prescription" was eat less gluten and do a detox style of yoga (like hot yoga). Since this was before gluten-free everything, I found my story one soda, one fast-food joint, one plate lunch, one processed snack at a time.

My food journey started with poached eggs and Jimmy Dean sausages. Several boring and starving months later, I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack before I was 30. Since then, I've been searching for wholesome TASTY food in a very slow fashion. Like I said, one thing at a time.

Things didn’t change dramatically until I found myself back home on Kauai. We pondered if we should go veggie cause meat and dairy there requires payment of at least 1 arm & 1 leg... even at CostCo.  I had to change the whole way I cooked. If it didn't taste good, I would snob it away like most 1st world problems. Yummy plant based diet food? Does that exist?

Shit. How do I do this? I have one hot plate in our 176 squarefoot "home" (at my parents office). And one hot plate and a toaster oven in the office kitchen we share with the employees.

I thought THAT was hard. At least it had a sink. Wanting a better quality of life, we're now living in my boyfriends parents basement. With only one burner & a blender. Yes, I could share his parents kitchen. But what occurred to me on Kauai, was how many people live like this. With kids even.

So again, it's a legit question. How does one feed their family healthy wholesome food with one burner & one blender? Where are the delicious plant based diet recipes? It’s important to encourage ourselves and our families by eating as healthy as possible.

Every now & then, on Taste.Every.Morsel. I'll share with you my favorite recipes. Especially easy plant-based diet recipes anyone can do… with one burner and one blender and an occasional toaster oven. I'll include any tips or revisions I've made. (My boyfriend tends to eat like he's Dan Aykroyd in Coneheads.) If you haven’t signed up for Taste.Every.Morsel., you should. It’s gonna be fun.

For now, I'll leave you with one of our favorite staples: Miso Mushrooms!!!

If all you have is a hot plate, use the Waffle Version:
Although Heather Crosby’s recipe is for a wrap, we really enjoy the mushrooms in our salad. Here’s Waffle’s recipe using the same Miso Mushrooms.

4 large Portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced into 1″ wide lengths

Mushroom Marinade:
2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 t liquid smoke
2 tbsp miso

Salad Ingredients:
Marinated Mushrooms
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
¼ Red Onion, sliced
1 can Garbanzo Beans, drained & rinsed
(Use dried & soaked chickpeas if possible. But if you live like me, can it.)
Balsamic dressing of your choice
(Make yourself if possible.)
Feta (optional)

1.) Mix all the marinade ingredients together. (See Waffle Tip#1)
2.) Soak sliced Portobello mushrooms with marinade overnight.
3.) Saute Mushroom with oil of your choice. I used Coconut Oil.
4.) Mix the remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl. DELICIOUS! (and DONE!)

Waffle Tip #1: Because our fridge was also a mini fridge, we soaked our mushrooms in a gallon sized plastic bag. If you feel like you don’t have room to line up your mushrooms in a single row, try this. Dump the ingredients for the marinade in the bag. Seal the bag. Massage the bag till the ingredients are mixed. Add the mushrooms. Toss the bag in the fridge and let it soak overnight.

Waffle Tip #2: We use the Mushroom Marinade on crimini’s as well.

Waffle Tips #3: Don’t stop at a salad. Get creative. Where else can you add these mushrooms? A quiche? Breakfast scramble? Sandwiches? On top your veggie burger?

Waffle Tip #4: Sometimes we soak mushrooms for a last minute meal. We’re not sure when we’ll eat them since those crazy days never come announced. But they are ready for us when we need them most.

Waffle Tip #5: Yes, I used double the mushrooms in the same amount of marinade. It still tastes great and gives me the bulk I need to keep Jake full.

If you have a full kitchen, I recommend Heather Crosbys (YumUniverse.com) version:

Ingredients:
Two large Portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced into 1″ wide lengths
Gluten-free brown rice tortillas
Roasted Garlic & Lemon Aioli
Unrefined, virgin coconut oil (optional)
Greens like kale or mixed spring greens
1 cup soaked, cooked quinoa (optional, start with 1/3 cup dry/soaked)

Mushroom Marinade:
2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 t liquid smoke
2 tbsp miso
2 tbsp olive oil

Whisk together marinade in a small bowl and transfer to glass baking dish.

Place sliced Portobellos into your marinade and place in the fridge for 8-12 hours (covered or uncovered, your choice).

Heat skillet to medium and add a dollop of coconut oil (or use veggie stock). Add marinated mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Flip and sauté other side for 5 minutes.

While sautéing, steam tortillas for 1-3 minutes until soft. Lay on a plate and spread on some aioli.

Add cooked mushrooms, greens and quinoa if using.

For more tips, options & the recipe for Roasted Garlic & Lemon Aioli, click here to visit yumuniverse.com. Heather Crosby is amazing and her food is delicious.

Now leave me a comment below. I’d love to know how you like the mushrooms and what creative way you’ll be using them.

Happy Health Day,
Waffle