Vegan Taco/Burrito Filling

This blog has been super sugary recently and we need to balance this business out, ASAP.

Let's make a complete 180 from all the desserts, sweets, breakfast foods, and candy and go directly to vegan mexican food. K?

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Trader Joe's?

Well, I do. And here are two of the greatest packaged foods in the whole store: steamed lentils and soy chorizo. HELLOOO! Soy Chorizo?!?!

First off, normal chorizo is heavily spiced, super fatty pork sausage. Don't get me wrong, it is delish, but it doesn't have much nutritional merit. So if I can sub the fatty porky version with a soy, cholesterol free version and trick my taste buds, I'm in.

Cut that with high protein, high fiber, tasty lentils and you have a protein packed, delicious and nutritious mixture.

Step 1: Get your butt to TJ's.

Step 2:
Saute a diced yellow onion in a bit of EVOO, add crumbled package of soy chorizo (12 oz) and cook 4-5 minutes, then stir in 2 cups of cooked lentils and heat through.

Step 3:
Eat.


For realsies, couldn't be easier.

Uses:

• Tacos
• Burritos
• Breakfast burritos
• Breakfast tacos
• in other words, this is great with eggs and potatoes!
• Tamale filling
• Taco salad topping
• Mexican casseroles
• Enchiladas
• Nachos
• Just for snacking
• Sloppy Jose's

I think I've made my point.

Fast Break

Boring breakfast buster.... GO!

Lemon Raspberry Overnight Oats
prepare the night before you want to eat em!


Ingredients

• 1/3 c regular oats (not steel cut, they don't work too well)
• 3/4 c. unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (ch-ch-ch-chia!)
• 1/2 ripe banana, mashed up
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

• Stir it up!
• Stick it in the fridge overnight.
• Chia seeds create a natural gel, so it will be super thick. You may not like the texture of chia seeds, so you can definitely omit them from the recipe and the oats would still be grrreat!
• In the am, stir up the oats
• Top with fresh berries and a dollop of vanilla greek yogurt

It's like raspberry lemon cheesecake for breakfast! The soy/almond milk and oats have protein, the oats, chia, and fruit have fiber, and the chia itself is a superfood!

one

two

three!

Overnight oats can be flavored any way, just omit the lemon zest from the above recipe.

Other add-ins or toppings to try:

• Apricot/Blueberry
• Strawberries/Vanilla Greek Yogurt
• Almond Butter/Cacao Nibs
• Apple/Cinnamon
• Cherry/Almond
• Pumpkin!

About that chia seed...

If you haven't heard of, or tried, chia seeds, here's the info from a gram for gram comparison off a chia company's website. I have no clue if this is credible, but I like it.

Source: http://bestchiaseeds.wegrc.com/

What I like about chia seeds is that they fill you up! Add a tablespoon to cereal or a smoothie and you will see, they fill you up like crazy. I went on a chia oat stint for a week once and I was so full I wasn't hungry at lunch. And if you know me, you know I rarely pass up a foodurtunity. 

Try some chia seeds! Eat your breakfast, kiddos!

Have a nice weekend!