Meatless Monday: Fun Fruit Kabobs

I recently celebrated my daughter's second birthday and I wanted to share a fun twist on the traditional fruit tray often served at parties and gatherings. Fruit Kabobs.
Simple, handy and easy to make. Grab your favorite fruits and get the party started.

Fun Fruit Kabobs

A fun, kid friendly, alternative to the traditional fruit tray.

Ingredients

1. Cake Pop skewers (I estimated 2-4 skewers per person)
2. 15 Strawberries Washed with all greenery removed.
3. 15 Diced Watermelon Cubes
4. 15 Medium Diced Cantaloupe Cubes
5. 45 Green Grapes Washed
6. 45 Red Grapes Washed

Instructions

1. Insert Two grapes on each cake pop skewer top with Strawberry, Watermelon or Cantaloupe alternating until all skewers are filled.
2. Chill and serve with yogurt dip.

Notes

1. Kabob skewers can be made up to 12 hours before the shindig.
2. Fruit selection is up to you. I chose fruit that my daughter enjoys, and that you can typically find in a fruit tray.

Meatless Monday: Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna has always been a comfort meal, and I wanted to do a quick change up and try a meatless version. Well this recipe turned out so well, my husband requests it more than my meat filled version. 

Grab the recipe below. 

Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Yields 12

Meatless, Hearty, & Chunky. A great meatless dish for someone looking to add more meat-free dishes to their recipe box.

Ingredients

1.      12 Lasagna noodles

2.      16 oz container of Ricotta Cheese (I use whole milk Ricotta)

3.      1 Large Egg

4.      1 & 1/2 cups Fresh Parmesan Cheese

5.      2 cups of Fresh Spinach

6.      1 Container of Baby Bella Mushrooms diced

7.      1 Large Shallot Diced

8.      Marinara Sauce- (grab recipe on the site) allow to simmer on low while you're making the rolls

9.      2 Tablespoon Butter

10.    Salt

11.    Pepper

Instructions

1.      Pre-heat oven to 350

2.      While oven is preheating boil water for pasta

3.      Boil 12 Lasagna noodles for 7/12 minutes, drain and allow to cool on a sheet tray

4.      Heat butter in a skillet

5.      Add diced mushrooms and shallots and saute until soft

6.      Combine Ricotta and large egg, stir until smooth.

7.      Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, Season with Salt, Pepper & set aside

8.      To build rolls

9.      Lay each lasagna pasta flat and spread Ricotta Cheese Mixture evenly across pasta

10.    Layer with spinach leaves length-wise

11.    Layer mushroom and shallot mixture

12.    Once complete, roll the noodle and its goodies to create a small circular roll shape.

13.    Spoon half of marinara sauce in the bottom of 9x13 pan

14.    Create a single layer of lasagna rolls

15.    Spread remaining Marinara Sauce atop rolls

16.    Sprinkle remaining Parmesan Cheese atop rolls

17.    Repeat until 12 rolls are complete

18.    Bake at 350 until Golden and bubbly, typically about 30 minutes.

19.    Serve and Enjoy!

- Candace is an Indianapolis native who blogs good eats and food for the soul at foodlovetog.com

Going Vegan is more than a "diet challenge".

Is Beyonce really about that vegan life? The answer to this question continues to be debated after she recently teamed up with Marco Borges to "announce" her support for taking the 22-day vegan challenge on Good Morning America.  She credits the plant-based diet for her flawless skin and after baby figure.

" I am not naturally the thinnest woman... I have curves, I'm proud of my curves. I have struggled since a young age with diets. Finding something that actually keeps the weight off...has been difficult for me."  ~ Beyonce

The public response to her announcement ranges from apathy to anger to awe, all for valid reasons. While many continue to call her out on what they perceive as hypocrisy, revisiting recent images of her scarfing down hamburgers, the Hollywood elite and many loyal fans believe that Beyonce's presence and platform will allow her to reach new audiences with her message of plant-based eating. That's a good thing right?

Choosing a dietary lifestyle is a personal choice that should be made after considering your heath needs and risk factors.

What scares me most about this "diet challenge" is the over-simplistic fad-like nature of the message. Eat nothing but plants for 22 days, lose 8 pounds and your life will change forever! But forever turns out to be a few weeks and then we are back to our natural habits.

After struggling with my own weight along with other health issues, my doctor insisted that I get off the standard American diet (which she calls SAD) if I wanted to feel better and avoid a hysterectomy. Blood test results showed food allergies to wheat, gluten, dairy and other foods. I was also advised to avoid meat with hormones and soy based foods since soy is an artificial estrogen that can cause or aggravate hormonal imbalances and lead to weigh gain along with reproductive issues in men and women.

That was hard news for a foodie like me who was raised by a southern mother who flavored our green beans with bacon grease. But I was tired of the pain and non-stop weight gain so I made the commitment to not only change my dietary habits, but the habits I taught my children (who all have the same food allergies). As the primary cook in our home, I understood that making long lasting dietary changes meant changing how I shopped and prepared food for everyone. It's been over 3 years since I made that commitment to change and I'd call my progress to date a success. Am I perfect? No. I still have my piece of cake and I will enjoy and nice steak every now and then. But the changes I made were enough to stop the weight gain and avoid surgery.

Choosing a dietary lifestyle is a personal choice that should be made after considering your health needs and risk factors, family life, food access, financial ability and level of commitment. Those who choose to go vegan and forgo not only the consumption of meat but the use of all animal based products, usually do so for reasons that reach beyond the issue of weight-loss.

Producing and consuming meat and animal products is an ethical and environmental issue for many vegans and non-vegans. We often hear of animal rights activists who see meat as murder. But we don't hear enough about other equally valid environmental concerns.

Farms use a great deal of water raising animals while water shortages for humans continue to grow around the globe. Farming also requires a lot of grain to feed the animals. Forests in developing parts of the world continue to be cut down to make room for growing corn, soybeans and other animal feed instead of crops for human consumption. Long story short, animals eat and drink 16 times more than their own weight in meat causing water and food shortages around the globe that primarily impact the poor. I'd like to see Beyonce use her platform to address that. We can not honestly begin to promote healthier plant-based diets without at least mentioning the systematic barriers like food deserts, particularly in urban communities, that keep people from being able to successfully add more fruits and vegetables to their normal diets.

Starting Down the Vegan Path

People from all cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds can successfully adopt a vegan lifestyle if they wish, but it does require some initial thinking and planning. I've not read Marco Borges book, but there are plenty of similar (and less expensive) resources. There are also online resources and an abundance of Pinterest boards dedicated exclusively to plant-based recipes and alternatives to animal products.

Meatless Mondays, a national non-profit initiative seeking to reduce the consumption of meat and increase the consumption of plant-based foods is a wonderful place to start for those interested in trying vegan recipes without the 22 day commitment. The Center of Wellness for Urban Women supports this initiative and is an official blogger for Meatless Mondays.

#MeatlessMonday: Black Bean, Corn & Avocado Salad

BLACK BEAN, CORN & AVOCADO SALAD | INDIANAPOLIS FOOD BLOGGER

There are many foods I love. Bacon. Bread. Black Beans. Sometimes, I even eat them all together… Judge not!  Today, I share Black Beans, Corn & Avocado Salad. Hearty, colorful, flavorful, this salad is easy to prepare and is sure to be a hit. Another one for my #AlmostVegan series. Check the recipe out below. 

Black Bean, Corn & Avocado Salad

A quick, hearty, salad that is sure to please.

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Ingredients

1. 1 Large Avocado, pitted and chopped into chucks.
2. 1 Medium Roma Tomato diced
3. 1 Cup of Frozen Corn (thawed)
4. 3/4 cup of Organic Black Beans
5. The juice of 1 Lime
6. Salt
7. Pepper
8. Cumin

Instructions

1. Combine all Beans, Corn, Tomato, Avocado and stir gently to combine.
2. Salt liberally, season with pepper & Cumin.
3. Squeeze juice of fresh lime over ingredients
4. Stir to combine.
5. Serve along side tortilla chips

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Pecan Bread

The Sweet Potato is one of my favorite vegetables. I love that can eat it all year long in a variety of ways.. steamed, roasted, baked in a pie, chopped in a hash for breakfast, the possibilities are endless for the sturdy vegetable. In honor of Fall, I decided to whip up this cake, instead of my usual Banana Nut Bread. I’m so glad I did.. I mirrored this recipe after my Granny’s Banana But Bread, only this one is Eggless and Milk-free. Yep, it is quite possible to bake a moist bread without eggs or milk. I dare you to try it!

Check out the recipe below.

Eggless. Milk-Free. Delightful. This almost Vegan recipe is moist, hearty and full of the flavors of Fall. This one bowl recipe is sure to please!

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

1. 1 Large Sweet Potato (Cooked and Mashed) ( to yield 1 cup )
2. 1/2 stick of Melted Butter
3. 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
4. 1/2 Cup White Sugar
5. 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
6. 1/3 Cup unsweetened Applesauce
7. 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
8. Pinch of Salt
9. 1 and 1/2 Cups AP Flour
10. 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
11. 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
12. 1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. In a large bowl combine Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sugars, Nutmeg, Cinnamon,& Applesauce
3. Stir gently to combine
4. Add Baking Soda, Salt, Melted Butter, Vanilla Extract
5. Add flour and stir well to combine all ingredients
6. Fold in Chopped Pecans
7. Add mixture to a prepared loaf pan
8. Bake on 350 for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in middle of bread comes out clean
9. Let Cool and Serve along side your favorite milk.

Candace Boyd Wylie is an Indianapolis, Indiana native who believes in the power of a good meal.  She is the Recipe developer, Content creator and Recipe slanger at FoodLoveTog. FoodLoveTog is a food blog that is dedicated to sharing good eats and food for the soul. Candace is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and CWUW supporter. She can be found on the web at FoodLoveTog and at BoydWyliePhoto