One of the best side benefits of eating vegetarian/vegan, in my opinion, has been the exposure that this has given me to foods from other cultures. Restaurants that serve foods from other regions of the world are frequently veg-friendly and I have discovered so many things that I love with what I would call my "epicuriosity".

Among my favorites are Thai, Ethiopian, and Indian. I am on a huge Indian food kick right now and plan to be making a few things at home in the next week or so. I visited a local Indian market to get a couple of ingredients and, hopefully, will have some success stories for you soon!

A few days ago I made some naan (a leavened Indian flatbread). Instead of a traditional naan made with ghee (clarified butter) and white flour, I "veganized" the recipe and substituted whole wheat flour for most of the white flour. The result was great! I love this bread!

It takes a lot to impress me with pizza but if it is homemade and grilled it is likely to be great, if you ask me! I make my own crust and, with all the different kinds of flour out there, there is a bit of alchemy that goes into this process. I love the amazingly supple and authentic dough that I can make with "00" Italian flour but I love the wholesomeness of whole grain flours (which make a thicker, more bread-like crust). I am always changing up the recipe based on what I have in the pantry too.

Monday night I used some amaranth flour in the mix and it turned out great- wholesome but still on the thin side. I use my bread machine to make the crust and that simplifies the process quite a bit. Here is my crust recipe using the flours that I used on Monday.

*Feel free to substitute any or all of the flours for all-purpose or another kind of flour you like (total should be 3 cups of flour)*:

Homemade pizza dough
Makes enough for about 4 adults

1 cup lukewarm water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup bread flour*
3/4 cup amaranth flour*
1 cup whole wheat flour*
1 Tbsp active dry yeast

I just had the best lunch that I've had in awhile! I was rummaging around in the fridge trying to use up a few things and came up with this awesome quesadilla!

A while back I wrote about a raw chili that I had enjoyed for dinner. Since I loved the "nut meat" portion of the meal so much, I created a raw "pasta" meal using similar ingredients. Instead of noodles, I used a potato peeler to cut raw zucchini into ribbons. I topped the zucchini with a raw tomato sauce and some "nut meat".

Parents often talk about sneaking vegetables into their kids' meals in a ton of different ways. I've even seen a chocolate cake recipe that called for beets! I am not a big fan of making this the only way that your kids get their veggies, though. I think that kids should learn to enjoy vegetables and know what to choose to eat when they are making their own choices. If you are working on getting more veggies into your own diet, however, I do think it is OK to "sneak" veggies in, at first. If you are doing this because you don't like vegetables, I strongly encourage you to try different ways of preparing foods (see #15, below) to find some things that you do like. In the meantime, here are 15 sneaky ways to get more veggies into your meals!

This is one of my absolute favorite snacks. You can dip fresh veggies, pita bread, or pita chips in this dip or use it as a sandwich spread or salad topper.

You know those days when you haven't had a chance to get to the store and you have to make something out of nothing for dinner? Yeah, that was last Monday for me. Having run out of almost everything, I managed to throw together this broccoli soup and it turned out so good that I had to share the recipe with you!

If you over-indulged in chocolate bunnies over the weekend, this soup is a nice way to get back on track. It is light, healthy, and full of flavor. For extra protein, I serve it over soba noodles- they are made from buckwheat flour and contain 8 grams of protein per serving.

I'm not crazy about salad dressing. I know that might sound odd coming from a vegetarian whose diet, some believe, is mostly salad (that, by the way, couldn't be further from the truth!). There are a few dressings that I like but I prefer to top my salads with ingredients that add value instead of just flavor. The contents of my salads vary quite a bit, but here are some of my favorite toppings (including a few recipe links):

This burger recipe was inspired by Brendan Brazier's Thrive Diet. If you enjoy it, you can get creative by substituting different nuts, seeds, seasonings, etc. to create different kinds of nut burgers.

Raw Nut Burger
Serves 2-3
1/2 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup raw walnuts
2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 medium carrot
1 garlic clove
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Several leaves of fresh basil
Dash of sea salt

You can crumble this over your salad, form it into patties and eat raw in a wrap, or cook and eat the patties as a burger (fry until lightly brown on both sides or bake at 300° for about 15-20 minutes (flip mid-way).

Did you know...? Nuts and seeds contain monounsaturated fat. This good fat helps to raise your "good cholesterol" and improve your overall cholesterol ratio (HDL to LDL). Nuts and seeds are also a great source of protein, iron, and vitamin E.

Kale is probably my favorite "leafy green". It is a multitalented veggie in that it can be prepared in a ton of different ways and it is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and all things good. Or, as I tell my kids, it will give you big strong muscles!

Here are four very different (and delicious) ways to use kale:

Sautéed kale
Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped
Olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp lightly toasted sesame seeds (I toast them at about 250° in the toaster oven- watch them closely, they burn fast!)
Soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos, to taste
Lemon juice
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Kale chips
My friend Erika at e-mealplanning.com just reminded me about kale chips and I've seen them resurfacing in the blog world lately as well. I first tried kale chips about 2 1/2 years ago at a vegetarian event. I must admit, they looked a little...ick. But, after one bite, I was hooked- they are so, so good!

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, washed, thoroughly dried, chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt

Red lentils with kale
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rinsed and drained red lentils
3 cups water
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3-4 carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
A few big handfuls of kale, chopped
About 1/2 or 1 whole onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red chili flakes
1 tsp dried basil

Green smoothie
Substitute a couple of leaves of kale for the spinach in a green smoothie.

Did you know...? Kale is amazingly nutritious! It contains large amounts of vitamins K, A, and C, calcium, iron, and more!

What is tempeh?
Tempeh, like tofu, is made from soybeans. It is more dense and grainy than tofu and contains more nutrients because it is made from whole fermented beans. A single 4oz. serving provides around 16-20 grams of vegan protein, 9 grams of fiber, and 15% of the RDA for iron. Even fellow vegetarians sometimes struggle with how to prepare and eat tempeh.

Here are two ways that I enjoy it.

Tempeh salad:
Makes 1 large or two small servings 4oz. tempeh cut into very small cubes or crumbled
Olive oil or cooking spray
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2-3 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise (I use Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Did you know...? 1/4 cup of sesame seeds contains 350mg of calcium (35% RDA) and 5mg of iron (29% RDA)!

Tempeh sandwich or wrap:

Three great places to find more tempeh recipes:
101 Cookbooks tempeh recipes
VegWeb.com (search for tempeh to find recipes)
FatFree Vegan Kitchen (search for tempeh to find recipes)

I have a giant salad with lunch on most days. Like oatmeal, salad is a perfect vehicle for nutrition. I add all kinds of things to mine, such as: walnuts, pumpkin seeds, beans or lentils, tempeh or tofu, tons of veggies, apples, pears, and raisins or dried cranberries. From those additions I get iron, protein, fiber, and tons of disease-fighting, immune system-building nutrients. I never feel like taking a big nap after eating salad the way that I do after pasta or heavier foods. The salad that I'm eating this week is full of iron which will help me to keep my iron levels up while ramping my tri training.

In my bowl:
4 cups raw spinach
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 large apple, chopped

Dressing: Combine 1 1/2 Tbsp of toasted walnut or extra virgin olive oil with 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, and 1/4 tsp dijon mustard. Toss the salad with the dressing.

I should have added this toasted walnut oil to my recent discoveries list because it is delicious! I use it in salad dressings or toss it with my pasta dishes.

Note: As with all nut or seed oils, it is best not to use this one for cooking at high temperatures. Stick with cold foods or toss with your hot dishes after cooking for extra flavor.

Tip:
Aside from getting a great dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, eating lots of raw fruits and veggies will do amazing things for your skin! As you begin to add clean and unprocessed foods to your daily diet, you will see that your face will take on a healthy glow. Try adding a big salad to your lunch or dinner on most days. Eat the salad first if you will be having richer or heavier foods as well.