Matcha Proates (1/3 in my oatmeal series)

Green Tea is one of my absolute favorite pick me ups to drink in the morning, so when I found this matcha almond milk at Trader Joes I was so ecstatic! Here’s a recipe for matcha oatmeal using this delicious product!

I keep to 1520 cals per day and keep my macros at 50-25-25, so I add protein powder to my oatmeal, but feel free to leave it out. If you do add it, it’s a great pre-workout feed!

You will need:

1. 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I use quaker or bobs red mill depending on my paycheck lol)

2. 1 Scoop of a plain or vanilla protein powder

3. 2 Packets of Stevia

4. 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s matcha almond milk

5. 1/2 cup of boiling water

6. 1 tbsp of matcha

Here are the brands of products I like to use: I got that matcha powder at Marshall’s for 4.99 and the protein powder at trader joes for $11.99!

Instructions:

1. Place your 1/2 cup of oats in a mason jar

2. Add two packets of stevia and your single scoop of protein powder. Mix until everything looks evenly distributed. Set aside. 

3. Boil 1/2 cup of water. Stir in 1 tbsp of matcha. Make sure to stir until there are no clumps of powder left on the bottom. I typically use a fork!

4. Pour your 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s Almond Milk into the mason jar.

5. Give your matcha tea another stir, then add to the mixture. One you have added both, use a fork to mix the oatmeal (vigorously). Make sure no oatmeal or protein powder is stuck to the bottom or sides. It should look something like this:

6. Cap, then leave the mixture in the fridge over night, then in the morning, microwave for 3 minutes (CAP OFF) with a wet paper towel on top. If the oatmeal starts to rise to the very top, take out early!

7. Mix up your oatmeal. Add more matcha almond milk if you’d like it more runny!

Enjoy!

-Soli

Vegan Potstickers!

Hi Everyone! I am super excited about this post because I’ve been working on perfecting these potstickers for a really long time, and I finally have an exact recipe! Whoo! Here goes nothing!

For this recipe you will need: 

1. Beyond Sausage: So I tried this recipe with the hot Italian sausage and original, and I just think the hot tastes better. I love the spice it gives off, and I don’t think the potstickers would be quite complete without it. I used 2 of these! Defrost if frozen and crumble into ground beef!

*A good alternative would be crumbled high protein tofu from trader joes marinated for 1 hour in trader joe’s soyaki and a pinch of smoked paprika (make sure to drain any excess marinade)

2. I used these won ton wrappers but you can use any vegan wonton wrappers you can find!

4. Olive Oil

5. Two-Three cloves of Garlic and grated them on my cool little dohickey (I put 3 because I love garlic)

      6. 1-2 Tbsp grated or minced ginger (peel it first!) (1 tbsp only if you don’t like ginger all that much)

7. 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

8. 1/4 tsp Powdered Ginger

9. 1/2 tsp black pepper

10. 1/2 cup Diced onion 

11. 1/2 cup Diced or Shredded Carrot

*Make sure your carrot and onion are even in amount!!

12. 1 cup of Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Collection (or Shredded Cabbage) 

13. 1/4 tsp of Sesame Oil

14. 1 tbsp Soy Sauce or Tamari

15. Chopped Green Onion

Instructions:

1. Heat a pan on medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil in it! Add 3/4 of your ginger and all your garlic, and fry until fragrant (be careful! Ginger looses its flavor if cooked for too long.)

2. Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the Beyond Meat, stir in the rest of your ginger, the powdered ginger, powdered garlic, and the pepper.

4. Stir in the cruciferous creations. You should end up with something that looks like this:

5. Place aside in a separate bowl and let cool! Don’t forget to turn off the burner!

6. Once your mixture has cooled grab a wonton wrapper. 

I was much too lazy to cut these into circles, but I got to pack TONS of filling inside of mine. Here’s a quick video on how to pleat them! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl2BcOba3NU

You should end up with more than this, but this is a plate full: 

7. How to cook: Fry 5-7 pot stickers in some oil on medium heat (I used olive oil, but any oil will work)

8. Once they are browned almost all the way around and look quite solid, add some water and cover to steam for 30 seconds. 

Do this to all of them and you should be set! Here’s a photo of how mine turned out (:

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

Hi Everyone!

For my first post on my revamped blog, I’d like to share a recipe with you all that I absolutely LOVE: Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai! Although the recipe is quite simple, squash does tend to soak up any flavors you feed it, quite generously, so using the correct portions and tasting what you mix/cook is absolutely essential!

For this recipe you will need:

1 Spaghetti Squash
1.5 white or yellow onions, diced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
Fresh Ginger, peeled (to be grated with a cheese grater)
3 large carrots or 10 baby carrots, diced
4 tbsp Tamari (or soy sauce)
Siracha Sauce
2 tsp Sesame Oil
4 limes
4-5 tbsp peanut butter (can be chunky or creamy)
1 Bunch of Green Onion
Bean Sprouts (1 small bag)
Fake Chicken (You can use Seitan or Vegan Chicken, or if you are gluten free, shiitake mushrooms)
Peanuts (optional)
cilantro (optional)

Instructions:
1. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place your Spaghetti Squash in the microwave for 3 minutes. This will make it easier to cut. When the microwave beeps, CAREFULLY take out your spaghetti squash, and place in on a cutting board. Use a chopping knife to chop the spaghetti squash in half, short ways. Spoon out the seeds.

3. Take a bit of oil (olive/avocado/vegetable) and spread it both thinly and evenly on the meat of the squash. Make sure to get the rim! Flip, face down, onto your covered baking tray, and carefully poke 4 tiny holes with a fork (or knife/skewer) near the stem. If you can’t do it, wait till they’ve baked a bit and try again.

• The holes are important because they allow air to vent through the squash, so it does not steam and make the insides too soggy. Don’t poke through the whole squash, only poke 3/4 the length of your fork. 

4. Bake at 400 Degrees F over for 25 minutes.

 5. Next, get a bowl to start marinating your protein! I am not gluten free, so I used Sweet Earth’s traditional seitan, but feel free to use shiitake mushrooms, or any other plain chicken substitute! The marinade includes a mixture of half a lime, 1 drop of sesame oil, 4 tbsp of tamari, 1/4 of a diced onion, 1 clove of garlic (minced), and about a 1/2 inch grating of ginger. Taste the marinade. If you desire a more savory marinate, add another drop of sesame oil. Add Siracha to taste. Once you’ve finished creating your marinade, drop your protein inside, and let it sit, covered, at room temperature, until you need it.

6. Start preparing your veggies. Dice up the rest of your onion you used in your marinade, plus half of another. Mince the remaining 3 cloves of garlic, dice your 3 (or 10 baby) carrots, and grate about 1.5 inches of your ginger. In the photo below, I only used half the portion I grated, and I grated 3 inches, so this is an estimate. Also make sure to chop up an entire bunch of green onion (or peanuts, cilantro etc. whatever you chose to add in).

8. Time to make the peanut sauce! Get a mug and combine the juice of 1 lime, 4 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 tsp of sesame oil, 1 tbsp of tamari, then mix. It should be VERY thick. Add water 1 tbsp at a time to thin it out. You don’t want it to be runny, so if you accidentally make it runny, add another tbsp of peanut butter, and thin it out with more lime juice instead of water. Add siracha to taste.

• The taste of this sauce is truly a personal preference. Remember it will be the flavor of your entire meal, so make sure you love it! The photo below is about the texture I enjoy achieving. 

7. About now your spaghetti squash will most likely be done. To make sure, get your fork and try poking through the top. If it slides in with minimal resistance, it’s done. If it’s tough, keep it in for another 5-10 minutes and try again. 

8. Scoop out the insides from the outsides in. Try not to rip the long circular strands in more than one place. Spread out onto your baking tray, lined with a new piece of parchment paper to cool.

9. Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat. I have a copper pan, so I typically don’t use oil on it, but you can use about 1 tbsp of oil if needed. Swipe your veggies into the pan (EXCLUDING THE GREEN ONION) after it heats, and cook until onions are nearly translucent. Add in your protein about half way through this process.

10. Once your veggies and protein have been cooked, add in the bag of bean sprouts, then immediately scoop in half of your spaghetti squash and mix. Turn your stove down to low. Pour half your sauce over the mixture and make sure it distributes evenly. Thin out your sauce slightly with 1-2 tbsp of water. Scoop in the other half, then pour in the rest of your sauce. Make sure the sauce distributes itself evenly, then mix in your green onion.  

Serve with whatever topping you like: lime, siracha, peanuts, cilantro etc.

  

Enjoy!

~Soli

Vegan Transformation

Hi Everyone!

It’s been a really long time since I’ve posted, but I went “fully vegan” in February 2018 and I wanted to talk to ya’ll a little bit about it.

For those of you who know me, in college I designed a diet based on cultivating your gut flora, and giving your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to function. I tested it out on 3 individuals whose main goal was weight loss. It was a low protein/fat, carb heavy diet.

All clients lost 25 lbs in 3 weeks, and one client, who took a blood panel before and after, showed significant improvement.

January of 2014 I was very sick. My health complications continued until around June of 2017. What changed?

Well: I started to eat 1-3 vegan meals throughout the week, and I put myself on a modified version of the diet I had designed. I felt so much better.

After my health improved in June, I then decided to go even further and start a meal plan with Jakd Vegans (JD and Amy-Kate). I made sure to ween myself off meat completely before I started. They were so helpful in introducing me to the vegan lifestyle. After completing my 8 week meal plan, they gave me instructions to go even further. Once my journey was complete, I had lost a total of 35 lbs.

I have been vegan since my last post, so cookingwithsoli will now be a vegan blog. I will still post omnivorous treats from time to time that I make for my loved ones, but for the most part, this blog will now encompass my new lifestyle,

Thanks for reading about my journey.

I look forward to cooking for all of you!

Soli

Sweet Potato Empanadas (Vegan)

Hi Everyone! 

For those of you who know me in real life, and those who don’t, I eat vegan one week of every month. I won’t give you the full/long explanation stating why I do it, but I will say, my taste buds are the most stimulated when I eat varied foods (idk how to say this, I just like meals that have a lot of different things in them that you wouldn’t expect would taste good together without like... cheese? lol). My next few posts will be the best tasting meals I tried, while eating vegan. So without further adieu: Vegan Empanadas

For this recipe you will need:

• A Large Mixing Bowl
• Foil or saran wrap (to cover the bowl)
• A Large Frying Pan with a lid
• A Rolling Pin
• A Cutting board
• A Baking Tray
• Non-Stick Parchment Paper
• A Fork
• A Spoon
• Serving Spoon or masher

• Whole Wheat Flour: 1.5 Cups
• Salt: 1/2 tsp
• Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp
• Garlic Powder: 1 tsp
• Olive Oil: 3 tbsp
• Water: ~1/4-1 cup

• Sweet Potato or Yam: 1 chopped into small squares (you will be mashing these) 
• White or Yellow Onion: Minced
• Black beans: 1 Can
• Garbanzo Beans/Chick Peas: 1 Can, Strained and Washed
• Spinach or Kale: ~4 cups or 1 Small-Medium Sized Bag bag
• Olive Oil: 2 tbsp
• Garlic: 2 Cloves, Minced
• Garlic Powder: 2 tsp
• Paprika: 1 tsp
• Cayenne Pepper: 1-2 tbsp
• Curry Powder: 1 tbsp
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Get a Baking Tray and place some nonstick parchment paper into it. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, Add your flour, salt, baking powder, and garlic. Mix with a fork until evenly distributed. 
• Add the olive oil to your dry mixture, and stir until you can no longer see the olive oil, and there are a lot of clumps.
• Add 1/4 cup of water and knead with your hand (make sure to thoroughly wash your hands before this step. If the dough seems dry, add tbsp of water until the dough is rollable, but NOT sticky. If your dough gets sticky, add more flour until it turns into a non-stick dough. 
•  Separate your dough into 10-11 equal balls. Cover, and place in the fridge. You can also wrap them, its up to you. 
4. In a Large Frying pan, place about 2 tbsp of olive oil. When the pan is heated, add your garlic, onion, and chopped sweet potato (or yam). Cover until semi-soft. You may need to add some water in you cooked on too high of a head. I usually cook it around 4 or 5 on my electric stove (medium heat).
• Add your chick peas, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, curry powder, and salt and pepper, and recover until potatoes are soft (can easily insert fork).
• Add your kale (or spinach) and canned black-beans, and start mashing in the pan with a serving spoon or masher. 
• Its probably done when the kale looks wilted. 
5. Take your dough out of the fridge and your mashed food off the stove to cool.

• Roll out your dough into circles. They don’t have to be perfect. I just like to roll them all out at once so that I can get it out of the way. 
• Fill with your mash, and wet the part you are going to fold down into with your fingers. 
• Close and Press the fork on the ends to make a cute pattern. 

• Brush Some Olive oil onto the top and press three Holes into the top with a knife.

1. Place in the over to bake until the crust feels solid/slightly browned. Its sort of hard to tell since we used a dark colored flour, but you will feel a solid crust. 

2. I Personally like serving with lime and and pineapple pico de gallo, but eat however you’d like. 
• My Pico De Gallo consists of Salt and Garlic mashed in a Molcajete with tomato, onion, cilantro, tomato, and serranos with fresh grilled pineapple (with all the juice)

Enjoy!

Banana Bread Cookies

Hello everyone!

Today I want to share with you a recipe that will curb ur cravings for banana bread like no other when you’re dieting!

You will need:

• A mixing bowl 
• Chopping Knife +cutting board
• 2 bananas
• 1/4 cup of a chopped dark chocolate bar (77% or above) 
• 2 packets of Nature’s path flax plus oatmeal! 
• 15 almonds, chopped into 6 pieces each
• A cookie sheet + wax paper or non stick spray!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

2. Peel, then microwave your 2 bananas for 1 minutes

3. Mash your banana till it seems like you have an even consistency 

4. Add two packets of the flax plus, and mix till even. 

5. Add your almonds and chocolate, then mix till even. 

6. Place on cookie sheet into 16 even cookies. 

7. Bake for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Soli

 

Here are the nutrition facts for those of you trying to diet!

Seafood Skewers

Hi everyone!

Sorry that it’s been a while. So the other day me and my lovely boyfriend made seafood skewers that were absolutely bomb.com.

For this recipe you will need:

• Cutting Board
• A Pairing Knife
• A Chopping Knife
• 1 Red Onion, cut in large rhombus'
• 3 Bell Peppers (assorted colors)
• 1/2 lb of alaskan salmon, skinned, cut into squares
• 1/2 lb of shrimp 
• Honey 
• 2.5 Lemons
• Olive oil
• Savory or sweet seasoning of your choice (will explain later)
• Cayenne Pepper
• Cracked Pepper
• 2 Plastic Baggies
• Skewers
• Cookie sheet with Foil + nonstick spray 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven relative to the way you like your shrimp. If you like your shrimp on the juicier side, preheat to 325 Fahrenheit. If you like it on the rougher side, preheat to 350. 

2. Marinate you seafood! This is the key step in your skewer process. If you already have marinades and spices that you like, feel free to use those, but this is what I personally enjoy. 

• Shrimp bag: cayenne pepper (~ 1 tbsp), 2 lemons, 2 tbsp fresh cracked pepper 
• Salmon Bag: olive oil (2 tbsp), lemon juice (half a lemon), honey (1/8-1/4 of a cup), and a seasoning of ur choice, i used a savory one, but u can also choose a sweet one. Honey bbq or like mesquite or something. 

3. Let Marinate between 15-25 mins

4. Build your Skewers! I did onion, bell pepper, shrimp, onion, bell pepper, salmon, but feel free to build them whichever way you would like. 

5. Bake in the oven on ur cookie sheet for 30 minutes 

There ya go! Enjoy, 

Soli