Meatless Meals
Tortilla Pizza
This is my go-to recipe for pizza. It is easy, quick, and a great way to use up the leftovers in the fridge! Not only is it delicious, but also it is far healthier for you than the frozen pizza you buy in the grocery store. This is just a general guideline on how to prepare the crust. The toppings for this could be endless - heavy on the veggies of course. Have fun with it!
Ingredients:
Tortilla shells
Extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil
Pizza sauce
Pizza toppings (I love to use leftovers)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
While waiting for the oven to preheat, lay out the tortilla shells on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. Brush oil on top of the tortilla shells evenly.
Place the tortilla shells in the oven for 5 minutes or just until they begin to brown.
Be careful not to overcook the shells.
Remove the shells from the oven and top the pizza accordingly. Be sure not to top with any raw meat. This recipe does not bake long enough to thoroughly cook raw meat.
Put the pizza in the oven and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes. Cook just until the toppings are hot, and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Cooking Time - 35 minutes
Servings - 5
I once stumbled upon quinoa black bean burgers when I was in Winnipeg, walking around, trying to waste time before an appointment. There was a small restaurant that advertised having the best grass-fed hamburgers. Feeling hungry, I entered to try it out. After I sat down and began looking at the menu, I noticed they had a quinoa black bean burger. I had never heard of such a thing. Thinking that it sounded pretty good, I ordered it. It was absolutely AMAZING! I have been back to Winnipeg many times before, but I can't remember where this restaurant is! Ask my husband about my sense of direction - it's terrible.
I would call this experience similar to How I Met Your Mother when Marshal was on a walk in New York City and accidentally found a burger joint that had, what he called, the 'best burger in New York'. Afterwards, he rushed to tell Ted about the place but quickly forgot where it was. Since then, Marshall had tried every burger joint he could in an attempt to find the place.
I too have tried many times before to go back to the 'best quinoa black bean burger in Winnipeg'. When all hope was lost, I decided to jump on the internet to make it myself. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. You can find the original recipe here. I have changed a couple ingredients from this recipe, as I am trying to avoid grains when possible. I also eat this without a bun.
Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup Quinoa
½ cup Water
½ cup Ground up Raw Almonds or Almond Flour (grind raw almonds in food processor until bread crumb consistency)
3-4 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed
¼ cup Yellow Bell Pepper, minced
2 Tablespoons Onion, minced
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
1-½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Instructions:
Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Place the black beans in a food processor and grind until it is in a paste-like consistency. You can also use a fork if you don't have a food processor.
Mix the quinoa, ground up almonds, flaxseed, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and egg into the black beans using your hands.
Form the black bean mixture into 5 patties. Make sure you make fat burgers so they can remain together while cooking. (I find it easiest to plop down a large spoonful onto a hot skillet and press the mixture down with the spoon until it is the right size.)
Heat the oil in a large skillet.
Cook the patties in hot oil until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Cooking Time - 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings - 5
I found this delicious salad on EatingBirdFood.com. For the original recipe click the photo.
Ingredients:
1 cup Dry Quinoa
2 cups Water or Veggie Broth
½-pound Broccoli, cut into florets
1 Sweet Potato 130g, chopped into 1/4" - 1/2" chunks
1 can (15 oz.) Chickpeas
1 bunch Kale, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, as needed
¼ cup Fresh Parsley
3 Tablespoons Feta Cheese
Juice from 1 Lemon
½ Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
2 teaspoons Maple Syrup (Nutrition Template: 10 drops liquid stevia)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Ground Pepper, to taste
Crushed Red Pepper, to taste (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F
Rinse and drain quinoa if needed. Place quinoa and water in medium saucepan and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and let it cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat after 15 minutes and place quinoa in a large bowl to cool.
Drain and rinse your canned chickpeas. Place the chickpeas on a paper towel or hand towel to dry.
Toss broccoli and sweet potato chunks with a little olive oil and roast at 425° for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add your kale and chickpeas to the roasting pan. Toss and roast for another 15 minutes. Stir the veggies around at least once during the roasting process.
Once your veggies are nice and roasted, remove from oven, and combine them with the quinoa.
Chop parsley, crumble feta and add to the quinoa and vegetable mixture
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar and maple syrup. Gently stir in oil, and add salt/pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Toss dressing over quinoa/vegetable mixture.
Enjoy and store any leftovers in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Cooking Time - 25 minutes
Servings - 6
I found this delicious salad on Ambitious Kitchen. You can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients:
¾ cup Uncooked Quinoa
2 cups Shredded Red Cabbage, depending on how much crunch you like
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
¼ cup Diced Red Onion
1 cup Carrots, shredded
½ cup Cilantro, chopped
¼ cup Green Onions, diced
½ cup Cashew Halves or Peanuts
Optional: 1 cup Edamame or Chickpeas (included in macro count)
Fresh lime, for a bit of tang
For the dressing:¼ cup All-Natural Peanut Butter
2 teaspoons Fresh Ginger, grated
3 Tablespoon Gluten-Free Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
1 Tablespoon Honey (Nutrition Template: 10 drop Stevia)
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
2 teaspoon Olive Oil
Water to thin, if necessary
Instructions:
To cook quinoa: In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.
To make dressing: Add peanut butter and stevia to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.
Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like to the quinoa. I always start out with a little bit of dressing and usually add more to suit my taste preferences. Alternatively, you can save the dressing for later and add when you are ready to eat; however, the flavors of the dressing usually soak into the salad so I love adding it to the quinoa first.
Next fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges, if desired.
I found this delicious salad on oliveyouwhole. You can find the original recipe by clicking the photo.
Ingredients:
5 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
7 Mini Cucumbers (700g), cut in circular slices
3 tablespoons Red Onion, chopped
1 tablespoons Fresh Dill, finely minced
¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions:
Chop all the ingredients per the instruction, then combine! You can enjoy it right away or let marinade a few hours before serving.
Cooking Time - 50 minutes
Servings - 4
I found this on green valley kitchen. You can see the original recipe by clicking the photo.
Ingredients:
2 Medium-Sized Sweet Potatoes (260g)
6 cups Baby Spinach, roughly chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1-½ cups Cooked Quinoa
¼ cup Pecan Pieces
¼ cup Dried Cranberries (Nutrition Template: omit)
1 to 2 ounces Feta Cheese, diced
6 twists of Black Pepper from a pepper mill
A pinch of Salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Slice the sweet potatoes evenly in half lengthwise. Coat them with a little olive oil and place face down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Roast sweet potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and soft.
I used pre-cooked quinoa that I had on hand. If you are making the quinoa, prepare 1/2 cup of dry quinoa as per the package instructions. I usually cook the quinoa in vegetable broth or add 1/2 of a bouillon cube for extra flavor.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, add olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and half of the spinach and cook until wilted and then add the rest of the spinach and cook until its wilted - about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in quinoa, pecans, cranberries, pepper and salt into spinach mixture.
Gently toss feta into quinoa mixtures.
When sweet potatoes are ready, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Test for doneness, they should be soft and indent slightly when squeezed. If they are not done, put them back into the oven for an extra 5 or 10 minutes.
Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly so they are easy to handle. With a small spoon, gently press down in the center of the sweet potatoes to make a small indentation that is the length of the sweet potato.
Spoon quinoa and spinach mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes and serve.
Cooking Time - 40 minutes
Servings - 6
This is healthy, filling, and delicious! Perfect make-ahead salad recipe for healthy lunches or to serve as a crowd-pleasing side dish. Find the whole recipe by clicking the photo on wellplated.com.
Ingredients:
1¼ pounds Sweet Potatoes - scrubbed and peeled (about 3 small/medium), cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 Red Onion, cut into ½-inch chunks
4 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
2 teaspoons Ground Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
1½ cups Cooked Quinoa - from ½ cup dry
Zest and Juice of 2 limes - 3 tablespoons lime juice total
2 teaspoons Pure Maple Syrup (Nutrition Template: 10 drops stevia)
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 can Reduced Sodium Black Beans, (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
1 Large Bell Pepper, cored and diced
¾ cup Freshly Chopped Cilantro
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Place the cubed sweet potatoes and red onion on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle with chili powder, paprika, and salt. Toss to coat and spread into a single layer. Bake until the potatoes are just tender, about 25 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside.
While the potatoes bake, cook the quinoa (if needed). In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice and zest, maple syrup and garlic (or shake the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, black beans, bell pepper, cilantro, roasted sweet potatoes and onions. Pour the dressing over the top, then toss to combine. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Cooking Time - 25 minutes
Servings - 5
I eat this at least once a week. It’s great leftover cold out of the fridge. I cook my quinoa in chicken broth or tomato juice instead of water. Check out the full recipe at thegardengrazer.com by clicking the photo.
Ingredients:
1 cup Quinoa (dry, uncooked)
2 Medium Avocados
3 oz. Baby Spinach (more if desired)
8 oz. Cherry Tomatoes
3 Green Onions (or Finely Diced Red Onion)
1-2 cloves of Garlic
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
⅛ teaspoon Salt
Instructions:
Rinse and cook quinoa according to the package directions
Meanwhile, roughly chop the spinach. Place in a large bowl.
Mince garlic and add to spinach.
Slice the green onions, halve the cherry tomatoes, and dice the avocado.
When quinoa is done cooking, add to the large bowl with spinach and toss. (The heat from the quinoa will lightly wilt the spinach and mellow the garlic.)
Add the green onions, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, and salt. Stir to combine.
Add the avocado and lightly toss.
Serve immediately or refrigerate to let flavors blend more.
Cooking Time - 60 minutes
Servings - 8
She does an awesome job breaking down how to make cauliflower pizza crust. She also covers using frozen riced cauliflower to make the crust. Hands down, that is how I do it. Anything to save time! Click the photo for more step-by-step instructions on ifoodreal.com.
Ingredients:
1 Medium Head Cauliflower (6"-7" wide or 2.5-3 pounds) or 5-6 cups Store-Bought Cauliflower Rice
1 Egg, Large
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (dried oregano or basil)
⅛ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
½ cup Parmesan or Mozzarella Cheese, grated or shredded
Cooking spray
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375° and line baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or silicone mat.
Rinse cauliflower, remove outer leaves, separate florets and chop into smaller pieces. Process in a food processor in 2 batches, until "rice" texture forms (skip if using store bought "rice"). Transfer cauliflower rice on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove cooked cauliflower rice from oven, transfer to a bowl lined with double/triple layered cheesecloth or linen towel and let cool for 5 minutes. Then squeeze the liquid out of the ball (cauliflower inside cheesecloth) as hard as you can. Be patient and do this a few times until barely any liquid comes out, Muscle work.
Increase oven temperature to 450°. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg with dried herbs, salt and pepper for 10 seconds. Add cheese and squeezed cauliflower; mix very well with spatula until combined.
Line the same baking sheet with new parchment paper or silicone mat (just make sure to scrape of bits of cauliflower) and spray with cooking spray. Transfer cauliflower pizza dough in the middle and flatten with your hands until thin pizza crust forms. Make it thicker than my video, I made it a bit too thin.
Bake for 20 minutes, carefully flip with a spatula and bake a few more minutes.
Top cauliflower base with your favorite toppings and bake again until cheese on top turns golden brown.
Slice and enjoy!
Cooking Time - 10 minutes
Servings - 1
Great way to have a sandwich without the bread! You can use whatever you like to make these. For more ideas click the photo for the link. This was found on lexiscleankitchen.com.
Ingredients:
1 Head Iceberg Lettuce, cored and outer leaves removed
1 tablespoon Grainy Mustard
4 Slices Organic Turkey
2 Strips Bacon, cooked and cut in half
1 Slice Cheese, cut in half
2 Slices Tomato
1 Thin Slice Red Onion
1 Piece of Parchment Paper, 14" x 14"
Instructions:
Lay large square of parchment down on your work surface.
Layer 5-8 large pieces of lettuce in the middle of the parchment paper. You want your lettuce base to measure out to be about 9" x 10". If your lettuce pieces are breaking, it's okay to layer smaller ones together.
spread mustard in the middle of the lettuce wrap.
Layer turkey, cheese, bacon, tomato and red onion on top of the mustard.
Using parchment paper as a guide, as tightly as you can roll the lettuce up, starting with the end closest to you.
Once you the roll has begun, tuck the ends of the wraps towards the middle.
Continue to roll the lettuce wrap, keeping it as tight as possible and using the parchment paper to guide you.
When it is completely wrapped, roll the remainder of the parchment around the lettuce tightly.
Using a serrated knife, slice through the lettuce wrap almost completely, leaving the bottom piece of the parchment intact. This helps keep it together.