Healthy Recipes Archives - Journey With Healthy Me

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

One of the things I’m enjoying, on this plant based journey, is adapting recipes. Stuffed peppers popped into my mind this week. A quick check of my fridge and cupboards revealed I had all the necessary ingredients on hand to create a new healthier version of this old favorite.

My old recipe contained ground beef. My desire to create a veggies and brown rice version seemed doable.

I’ve played around enough with cooking the past couple of years, to gain confidence in pulling together an impromptu recipe.

Here is the result, Vegan Stuffed Peppers.

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Vegan Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

This easy to prepare stuffed pepper recipe has all the flavor and it's full of healthy ingredients. Meat, dairy, egg and sugar free.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 Servings

Author: journeywithhealthyme

Ingredients

3 green bell peppers
2 cups brown rice cooked
1 yellow onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans drained
1 can corn non GMO, drained
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash green peppers, cut in half and remove seeds. Place in baking pan, cut side up.
Saute onion and garlic in 1 tbsp coconut oil, until veggies are translucent.
Add diced tomatoes and cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt, stirring to combine. Add black beans and corn, combining well and heating through.
Add brown rice and combine well. Pour mixture over green bell pepper halves, filling peppers. Mound remaining mixture around peppers. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove covering and bake another 5 minutes. 6 servings.

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Recipe Variations

This is one of those simple recipes that can be adapted according to tastes and ingredients on hand. Any color of pepper is suitable. I happened to have green bell peppers in the fridge.

Swap out the black beans for kidney beans or another vegetable. The same with the corn. I only use non GMO corn. Del Monte carries this product. Check the label to make sure it says “non GMO”. Quinoa can replace the brown rice. During the summer, when the garden is producing, fresh tomatoes would taste great, instead of canned. And fresh peppers from the garden….amazing!

Sampling my vegan stuffed peppers, I declared them excellent! I didn’t miss the ground beef at all. These were tasty and filling and something I will prepare again!

Looking for more meatless meal ideas? Check out these:

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Meatless Dirty Rice

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Easy Hot Soups for Cold Days

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We’ve experienced days and days of cloudy, cold rainy weather here in the Midwest. Most of the ice and snow trekked north of my town. However, I’ve chosen to stay indoors nonetheless, cozy and snug. When cold days pile up, my favorite go to food is hot soup. I keep a pot of freshly made soup ready to reheat in the fridge. A hot bowl of soup warms me and nourishes me as well.

Enjoy these easy hot soups for cold days.

Easy Hot Sou[s for Cold Days

Homemade Vegetable Soup

This wonderful soup has been my mainstay the past week. Easy to make, this combination of veggies delivers an amazing blend of flavors and tons of health benefits. It’s so adaptable too. I call it my whatever I have on hand soup. This is a great way to use up the last few carrots in the fridge or half a can of peas. I can toss in whatever veggies and canned goods I want, double the recipe, or cut it in half.

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Vegetable Soup

This richly flavored plant based soup is a great way to use up leftover veggies.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Author: journeywithhealthyme

Ingredients

1 yellow onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
2 celery stalks chopped
3 carrots chopped
4 small potatoes peeled & diced
1 can corn non GMO drained
1 can peas non GMO drained
1 can green beans non GMO drained
1 can lima beans non GMO drained
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 cups organic vegetable stock
8 cups water
1 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

Instructions

In large soup pot, saute onion, garlic, celery and carrots in olive oil, until veggies are softened.
Add potatoes, vegetable stock, water, sea salt, black pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.
Add canned veggies and simmer a few more minutes. Makes 12 servings

Notes

Recipe may be cut in half. Any variety of veggies and canned goods may be used. Additional herbs/spices may be added to suit tastes.

I cook in a big soup pot, like this one, and store the soup in the refrigerator in the same container. This vegetable soup only gets better the next day…and the next…as the flavors continue to blend. Seriously, I can and do eat it every day. This week, when the veggie soup runs out, I create another batch. I vary the ingredients slightly, depending on what I have on hand. I enjoy ladling hot, comforting soup into easy to hold cups, like these classic soup mugs.

Homemade Veggie Soup

Links to More Easy Hot Soups

Here are more of my favorites, all easy to make and just as hearty and nourishing on cold winter days.

Dairy Free Potato Soup

Sweet Potato Black Bean Stew

Carrot Potato Soup

Chunky Red Lentil Stew

I’m always on the watch for a great soup recipe. If you have a favorite, please share in the comments below.

Soup really is Mmmm Mmmm good, especially when it is homemade!

Easy Hot Soups for Cold Days

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread

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I dearly love my afternoon tea time. Therefore, I’m always excited to find and try a new recipe for a healthy treat that can accompany my hot tea. This easy Vegan Blueberry Banana recipe, adapted slightly from one by Anthony William, is perfect.

This beautiful loaf is free from gluten, refined sugar, eggs and diary products.

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread

I used gluten free oat flour combined with arrowroot starch, to help hold the loaf together after it cooled. See this guide about other gluten free flours and starches.

Any unsweetened non-dairy milk is acceptable. I like the combo of almond and coconut. Leave off the walnuts if you are watching fats.

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Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread

Healthy version of a classic favorite, with the added benefits and taste of wild blueberries.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Cooling30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened almond coconut milk
1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries
chopped walnuts, for topping optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
Mash bananas in a bowl with fork or potato masher. Add maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and almond coconut milk. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine oat flour, arrowroot starch, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add wet ingredients and stir gently, until ingredients form a batter. Add frozen blueberries and fold in very gently, stirring just until mixed in.
Pour batter into loaf pan. Top with walnuts, if desired, and bake in oven for 40 minutes. Then turn off oven and leave blueberry banana bread in oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely, on a rack, before slicing. Serves 4.

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread Use a potato masher to easily mash up ripe bananas.

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread Ready to bake. I LOVE using parchment paper and line all baking pans and cookie sheets with it. Try this one from If You Care. This parchment baking paper is unbleached, compostable and totally chlorine free.

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread Isn’t that a gorgeous loaf? It smelled so wonderful as it cooled.

The two main ingredients in the Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread have important health benefits.

Wild Blueberries

These berries contain powerful antioxidants. According to Liver Rescue there’s not just one pigment inside a wild blueberry, there are dozens of pigments. The wild blueberry is to the liver as mother’s milk is to a baby. The pigments in wild blueberries have the ability to penetrate deep into liver cells and cross cell walls and membranes inside the liver, spreading their blue everywhere. Wild blueberries also enhance the intestinal tract, feeding good bacteria there, which benefits the liver greatly.

Bananas

Did you know that the fructose in bananas is the liver’s favorite source of food? It provides quick fuel to the liver and wakes up sleepy cells, increasing their ingenuity and work output. Bananas soothe the lining of the intestinal tract and also calm the nerves attached to the intestinal tract. This fruit is one of the most antibacterial, anti-yeast, antifungal foods available. It’s a great food to combine with other nutrient-rich foods or to take with supplements, because they improve the liver’s ability to absorb nutrients. (from Liver Rescue)

Perfect Afternoon Tea

This Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread is great as a breakfast bread or works well as a light after dinner dessert.

I paired a slice with a cup of hot spearmint tea, for the perfect afternoon break. The texture is light and the bread tastes slightly sweet, loaded with bananas and wild blueberries. I topped this first loaf with walnuts. Those can be omitted, if desired.

This recipe definitely goes onto my “make again…often” list. Is tomorrow too soon, to pop another loaf into the oven?

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread

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Dairy Free Turmeric Milk

I enjoy a warm drink in the evening, year around. During the summer, my drink of choice is a cup of hot herbal tea, brewed from herbs freshly picked from my garden. With the arrival of cooler weather, I look for additional nighttime drinks to sip on. It is essential to me that these bedtime drinks be warming and soothing and also full of health boosting benefits.

I was excited to try this dairy free turmeric milk. I found the recipe on Facebook, in a group I am part of called Avocado. This delicious and easy to prepare recipe comes from Anna Davis.

Warm Turmeric Milk

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried turmeric

• 1 tablespoon raw organic honey

• Dash of coarsely ground black pepper

• Dash of cinnamon

• 1 cup of unsweetened dairy free plant based milk such as almond or coconut

In a small bowl mix together honey, turmeric, black pepper and cinnamon, making a paste. Warm plant based milk. Add small amount to turmeric mixture, stirring until smooth and thinned out. Add turmeric mixture to remainder of milk. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon and enjoy.

I used unsweetened almond coconut dairy free milk. The coconut adds a subtle flavor that I like. Plain almond milk can be used as well. As the milk heated, I whisked the honey, turmeric, and black pepper together.

The spicy aroma was wonderfully tantalizing as I added a small amount of warm milk to the honey mixture. After it was thinned out, I poured the mixture into the cup of milk.

A sprinkle of cinnamon on top and my bedtime turmeric milk was ready to savor. And savor it I did. This drink was so good that I had to pace myself. The taste is full of flavor but mild.

Turmeric is considered one of the most effective medicinal herbs with powerful benefits for the body. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The body absorbs curcumin much better when black pepper is ingested at the same time.

Curcumin is linked to improved brain function and a lessening of brain diseases, less risk of heart disease, cancer prevention, depression prevention, inhibition of Alzheimer’s, improvement of arthritis through lessening of inflammation and it has anti-aging properties.

That’s a lot of health benefits packed into a tasty nighttime drink. In addition, turmeric soothes the digestive tract, which contributes to a better night’s sleep.

Raw organic honey, locally produced, is a good source of antioxidants. Health benefits of honey include soothes the digestive tract, eases seasonal allergies and sore throats, protects the body from cell damage, and it is antibacterial and anti-fungal.

Best of all, this drink centers me as it warms me, preparing me for a time of deep rest. My body craves it, encouraging me to sip on a cup every evening. Turmeric milk has become my favorite bedtime drink!

Easy Classic Hummus

I’ve shared this recipe before, including it with other party recipes. However this classic hummus is so good and so easy to make at home, that it deserves its own post. I make my own hummus at least once a week. With a food processor, a few pantry staples become a healthy and delicious snack or meal, served up with fresh veggies or gluten free crackers.

Here is the simple recipe:

Use fresh lemon juice. I cut one large lemon in two and use my aunts glass juicer, however each half can simply be squeezed into a measuring cup or directly into the food processor.

Tahini is sesame seed paste and can be purchased at health food stores or in the international section at larger grocery stores. A future project is to make my own tahini. This paste is great also as a base for salad dressings.

Drizzle olive oil over the hummus, after transferring it from the processor to a bowl, and sprinkle with paprika. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

There are so many ways to vary this basic recipe, by adding olives, red peppers, more garlic or additional spices. The possibilities are many!

Enjoy with fresh veggies, apple slices or gluten free crackers. Most of all, simply enjoy!

Try out this food processor:

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